Music 320 lab 2
October 12, 2000
lab 2: synthesis with sinusoids
discussion
1. additive synthesis
a. intuitions: sums of sinusoids and the DFT
b. square wave as sum of sinusoids
- visual demonstration
2. ring modulation
a. as an analog technique
- Stockhausen example (Mantra for two pianos and electronics)
b. multiplication of two signals produces sidebands
- demonstrate mathematics for simplest case
(cos(omegac*t))*(cos(omegam*t))
= e^(j*omegac*t)+e^(-j*omegam*t) e^(j*omegac*t)+e^(-j*omegam*t)
------------------------------ * ------------------------------
2 2
= e^(j*(omegac+omegam)*t)+e^(-j*(omegac+omegam)*t)+e^(j*(omegac-omegaw)*t)+e^(-j*(omegac+omegam)*t)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4
= cos((omegac+omegam)*t) cos((omegac-omegam)*t
---------------------- + ---------------------\
2 2
c. single-sideband modulation: use a complex sinusoidal modulator instead of a real sinusoid
3. amplitude modulation
a. as a radio technique
b. bipolar carrier and unipolar modulator
- produces sidebands without suppressing carrier
- demonstrate mathematics for simplest case (dc offset)
cos(omegac*t) * (cos(omegam*t) + A)
= A * cos(omegac*t) + ring modulation case above....
4. frequency modulation
a. as CCRMA history
- Chowning and the DX7
- computational economy relative to additive synthesis
- perceptual economy: limited set of strong parameters controlling spectral content
- Stria example
b. modulator changes instantaneous frequency of carrier
A * cos((omegac*t) + (I * cos(omegam*t)))
- multiple sidebands "stealing" energy from carrier
- sidebands at integer multiples of modulator frequency
- sidebands "reflect" around zero: interesting
harmonic/inharmonic relationships
- number of sidebands determined by modulation index (I)
- I = peak deviation / modulating frequency
- Carson's rule: I+1 significant sidebands
- "tedious mathematical analysis" (Bessel functions)
c. complex FM
- driving the carrier with a more complicated signal
- Schottstaedt suggests that three sinusoidal components
are sufficient
- or, cascade carrier/modulator pairs
- or, modulate carrier with its own (lowpass filtered) output
d. Bill Schottstaedt's FM page as a reference (including mathematics)