242 – FM Synthesis & Programming

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Today I worked on getting more modern and ambient sounds out of my Yamaha TX81z. I think my goal using this synth has always been to take something that’s considered obsolete or dated and create new, interesting sounds with it. What you are hearing here is a patch I created using Algorithm 1. This was done in a single take and is simply the TX81z + Furman RV-1 Reverb.
 
FM synthesis was invented by John Chowning in the late 60’s at Stanford University. In simpler terms, it is the process of modulating a carrier signal with what are called operators. So in the picture above, Algorithm 1 on the TX81z uses 4 to modulate 3, 3 to modulate 2, and 2 to finally modulate 1. This allows you to create some complex sounds.
 
I found an old, out of print book by Chowning online as a PDF called FM Theory and Applications. This is wonderful and I’m surprised that it’s out of print. What better way to learn more about it than the man who created it?
 

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