5 ms·

WolframAlpha FM Synthesizer

61 points by mgunes 15y ago

muxxa 15y ago
Beware! I have the volume on my soundcard turned down (windows xp), but the 'Play sound' button didn't seem to honour that, and blasted out the synthesized sound extremely loudly into my headphones.
seagaia 15y ago
While we're in the vein of FM Synthesizers, if anyone has MAX/MSP, it should come with an example patch called "X-FM~". If you modify things right you can get usable and interesting sounds. In terms of other similar things to MAX/MSP (a visual audio programming interface, among other things), here's one for unix-likes, I believe (never used it, anyone know how good it is?) http://puredata.info/ http://puredata.info/
- rasur 15y ago
  To answer your question, PureData is excellent.
  - JonnieCache 15y ago
    It's good fun, but its tcl interface makes me want to cry. The audio engine imparts a very specific sound upon everything that comes out of it, much like Max/MSP. It was developed by one of the original Max/MSP authors. I think it was released after they left cycling74 amidst some sort of drama, but don't quote me on that.
    - seagaia 15y ago
      Yep. A lot of sounds tend to get that FM-synthesis flavor. I've found MAX/MSP to be useful when processing audio in realtime or using some pre-recorded stuff (some funky custom flanger on some piano recordings, for instance).
      - JonnieCache 15y ago
        You can do really nasty things to samples with it as well.
    - modulusprime 15y ago
      Miller Puckette is the primary author of pure-data (pd)and the original author (while at IRCAM) of Max. In Max/MSP/Jitter, MSP is the DSP portion of the code, named in homage to Puckette. (Max itself is named in honor of Max Mathews.) David Zicarelli's Cycling74 maintains the original Max tree, though their contribution far exceeds "maintenance". Puckette's pd is a rewrite of Max intended to transcend some architectural limitations; as its name suggests, its conception of "data" is more fully abstracted away from the C underpinnings still visible in Max/MSP. In my opinion, pd is a more mature architecture while Max is a more mature product. As far as I know, the only drama in the timeline revolves around Opcode (particularly its sale to Gibson), which led Zicarelli to start Cycling74. Beyond that, my impression is of mutual respect. The tradeoff between maturity and elegance is sometimes maddening, but both are worth exploring. Max has a 30-day trial and pd is gratis/libre. Some development history, including detail possibly of interest to hackers: http://xavier.amatriain.net/Thesis/html/node77.html http://xavier.amatriain.net/Thesis/html/node77.html Miller Puckette: http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/ http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/ Max Mathews: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Mathews http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Mathews pure-data: http://puredata.info/ http://puredata.info/ Max/MSP/Jitter: http://cycling74.com/ http://cycling74.com/
- twoism 15y ago
  Have you tried Supercollider? It's an awesome DSL for doing all things audio.
  - twoism 15y ago
    http://supercollider.sourceforge.net/ http://supercollider.sourceforge.net/
- th0ma5 15y ago
  vvvv is great ... there are some other graphical media interfaces out there as well, but PD and vvvv are the most er... popular? edit: oh yeah and supercollider!
- JonnieCache 15y ago
  Synthmaker is a good one too. http://synthmaker.co.uk/ http://synthmaker.co.uk/ Unfortunately it's windows only. It does have a lot of advanced capabilities you don't see in similar tools though, such as proper GUI elements and one-click VST export.
JonnieCache 15y ago
My trigonometry is lacking, but here's a challenge: Try and get some of the classic 808 noises out of wolfram alpha.
- wazoox 15y ago
  808 doesn't use FM, but VCOs with low pass filters (aka "analog synthesis"). Yamaha synths from the 80s, OTOH, were running on FM (the DX7 being the best known member of this large family). The most "interesting" FM synth probably was the original NED Synclavier, but it's rarer than the white tiger and was as expensive, back then (probably still costs an arm and a leg nowadays).
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - zinkem 15y ago
    >808 doesn't use FM, but VCOs with low pass filters (aka "analog synthesis"). There are actually two ideas at play here. Manipulating a signal from a VCO, or any other 'analog' signal is called analog synthesis. These analog signals can be used as the source in other types of synthesis, including FM synthesis. FM synthesis tends to be done using digital signals because they are more stable, however. Using high/low/band pass filters to filter your signal is called "subtractive synthesis" because you are subtracting frequencies from the original waveform.
    - wazoox 15y ago
      > These analog signals can be used as the source in other types of synthesis, including FM synthesis. FM synthesis tends to be done using digital signals because they are more stable, however. Yes, some analog synths of lore (EMS gear IIRC) could actually create FM sounds, but the oscillators limited stability made it unusable for musical sounds. AFAIK The latest generation of Yamaha FM synths (SY/TG77, SY99) could apparently use any oscillators including audio samples for FM. Unfortunately FM synth always were notoriously hard to program, because of the lack of intuitiveness of the sound behaviour (as opposed to oscillators and filters), that finally led to their demise. > Using high/low/band pass filters to filter your signal is called "subtractive synthesis" because you are subtracting frequencies from the original waveform. You're right, that's the proper term. By the way the Synclavier was altogether an FM, substractive and addditive synth :) Side note, I'm wondering why additive synthesis never really get any significant foothold (who used a PPG? a Kawai K5?).

61 points by mgunes 15y ago

muxxa 15y ago

Beware! I have the volume on my soundcard turned down (windows xp), but the 'Play sound' button didn't seem to honour that, and blasted out the synthesized sound extremely loudly into my headphones.

seagaia 15y ago

While we're in the vein of FM Synthesizers, if anyone has MAX/MSP, it should come with an example patch called "X-FM~". If you modify things right you can get usable and interesting sounds. In terms of other similar things to MAX/MSP (a visual audio programming interface, among other things), here's one for unix-likes, I believe (never used it, anyone know how good it is?) http://puredata.info/ http://puredata.info/

rasur 15y ago
To answer your question, PureData is excellent.
- JonnieCache 15y ago
  It's good fun, but its tcl interface makes me want to cry. The audio engine imparts a very specific sound upon everything that comes out of it, much like Max/MSP. It was developed by one of the original Max/MSP authors. I think it was released after they left cycling74 amidst some sort of drama, but don't quote me on that.
  - seagaia 15y ago
    Yep. A lot of sounds tend to get that FM-synthesis flavor. I've found MAX/MSP to be useful when processing audio in realtime or using some pre-recorded stuff (some funky custom flanger on some piano recordings, for instance).
    - JonnieCache 15y ago
      You can do really nasty things to samples with it as well.
  - modulusprime 15y ago
    Miller Puckette is the primary author of pure-data (pd)and the original author (while at IRCAM) of Max. In Max/MSP/Jitter, MSP is the DSP portion of the code, named in homage to Puckette. (Max itself is named in honor of Max Mathews.) David Zicarelli's Cycling74 maintains the original Max tree, though their contribution far exceeds "maintenance". Puckette's pd is a rewrite of Max intended to transcend some architectural limitations; as its name suggests, its conception of "data" is more fully abstracted away from the C underpinnings still visible in Max/MSP. In my opinion, pd is a more mature architecture while Max is a more mature product. As far as I know, the only drama in the timeline revolves around Opcode (particularly its sale to Gibson), which led Zicarelli to start Cycling74. Beyond that, my impression is of mutual respect. The tradeoff between maturity and elegance is sometimes maddening, but both are worth exploring. Max has a 30-day trial and pd is gratis/libre. Some development history, including detail possibly of interest to hackers: http://xavier.amatriain.net/Thesis/html/node77.html http://xavier.amatriain.net/Thesis/html/node77.html Miller Puckette: http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/ http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/ Max Mathews: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Mathews http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Mathews pure-data: http://puredata.info/ http://puredata.info/ Max/MSP/Jitter: http://cycling74.com/ http://cycling74.com/
twoism 15y ago
Have you tried Supercollider? It's an awesome DSL for doing all things audio.
- twoism 15y ago
  http://supercollider.sourceforge.net/ http://supercollider.sourceforge.net/
th0ma5 15y ago
vvvv is great ... there are some other graphical media interfaces out there as well, but PD and vvvv are the most er... popular? edit: oh yeah and supercollider!
JonnieCache 15y ago
Synthmaker is a good one too. http://synthmaker.co.uk/ http://synthmaker.co.uk/ Unfortunately it's windows only. It does have a lot of advanced capabilities you don't see in similar tools though, such as proper GUI elements and one-click VST export.

JonnieCache 15y ago

My trigonometry is lacking, but here's a challenge: Try and get some of the classic 808 noises out of wolfram alpha.

wazoox 15y ago
808 doesn't use FM, but VCOs with low pass filters (aka "analog synthesis"). Yamaha synths from the 80s, OTOH, were running on FM (the DX7 being the best known member of this large family). The most "interesting" FM synth probably was the original NED Synclavier, but it's rarer than the white tiger and was as expensive, back then (probably still costs an arm and a leg nowadays).
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- zinkem 15y ago
  >808 doesn't use FM, but VCOs with low pass filters (aka "analog synthesis"). There are actually two ideas at play here. Manipulating a signal from a VCO, or any other 'analog' signal is called analog synthesis. These analog signals can be used as the source in other types of synthesis, including FM synthesis. FM synthesis tends to be done using digital signals because they are more stable, however. Using high/low/band pass filters to filter your signal is called "subtractive synthesis" because you are subtracting frequencies from the original waveform.
  - wazoox 15y ago
    > These analog signals can be used as the source in other types of synthesis, including FM synthesis. FM synthesis tends to be done using digital signals because they are more stable, however. Yes, some analog synths of lore (EMS gear IIRC) could actually create FM sounds, but the oscillators limited stability made it unusable for musical sounds. AFAIK The latest generation of Yamaha FM synths (SY/TG77, SY99) could apparently use any oscillators including audio samples for FM. Unfortunately FM synth always were notoriously hard to program, because of the lack of intuitiveness of the sound behaviour (as opposed to oscillators and filters), that finally led to their demise. > Using high/low/band pass filters to filter your signal is called "subtractive synthesis" because you are subtracting frequencies from the original waveform. You're right, that's the proper term. By the way the Synclavier was altogether an FM, substractive and addditive synth :) Side note, I'm wondering why additive synthesis never really get any significant foothold (who used a PPG? a Kawai K5?).