2,276
edits
Wavetable synthesis: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
No edit summary |
|||
Line 1:
<!-- this article needs fixing -->'''Wavetable synthesis''' was first developed by [[Wolfgang Palm]] of [[Palm Products GmbH|PPG]] in the late 1970s
== Wavetable synths ==
Wavetable synthesis has been the primary synthesis method in synthesizers built by PPG and Waldorf Music, has been used for the [http://www.blacet.com/MW.html Blacet/Wiard Mini Wave], the Ensoniq ESQ1 and SQ-80, the Kawai K3, the Korg DW8000 and synths developed by [[Paula Maddox]]. It has also been used in synths by Sequential Circuits, Access Music, Dave Smith Instruments and Yamaha.
== Principle ==
Wavetable synthesis is periodic reproduction of a single-cycle [[waveform]].<ref>''[http://www.musicdsp.org/files/Wavetable-101.pdf Wavetable Synthesis 101, A Fundamental Perspective]'' by Robert Bristow-Johnson, Audio Engineering Society (AES), 101st AES Convention (Los Angeles, California), 1996</ref> The distinction from other synthesis methods employing single-cycle waveforms is that multiple single-cycle waveforms are used and some means of [[amplitude modulation]] and mixing the single-cycle waveforms is employed.
Both variable and (more commonly) fixed sample rate systems are used
A wavetable is a store of single-cycle waveforms. Together with the wave modulation, the wavetable defines the basic sound, which is then often altered by additional post-processing like filtering. The structure of a wavetable, that is, the number and length of entries, depends on the actual implementation. The individual waveforms and their placement in the wavetable have to follow the musical intent as well as the modulation capabilities of the synthesis engine.
Since all waveforms used in wavetable synthesis are periodic, the [[time-domain]] and [[frequency-domain]] representation are exact equivalents of each other and both can be used simultaneously to define waveforms and wavetables.
Line 15:
=== Comparison with other digital synthesis techniques ===
Unlike additive synthesis which generates and adds multiple [[harmonic]]s, in wavetable synthesis, the waveform is precomputed from the harmonics and stored as wavetables that are used during synthesis.
* [[Sample-based synthesis]] uses multiple-cycle waveforms and intricate algorithms for pitch-shifting.
* [[LA synthesis]] uses short [[Pulse-code modulation|PCM]] samples for the attack portion of the sound, with either a digital subtractive synth sound or looped samples (most of them single-cycle loops) for the sustain/release portion of the sound.
* [[Granular synthesis]] uses many overlapping [[Window function|windowed]] samples. While these samples are very short, they are never periodic.
== In practice ==
Line 24:
It is often necessary to 'audition' each position in a wavetable and to scan through it, forwards and backwards, in order to make good use of it, though selecting random wavetables, start positions, end positions and directions of scan can also produce satisfyingly musical results. Most wavetable synthesizers also employ other synthesis methods to further shape the output waveform, such as [[filter]]s, [[phase modulation]], [[frequency modulation]] and [[ring modulation]].
== DIY wavetable synths ==
* [http://www.digisound80.co.uk/digisound/modules/80-21.htm Digisound 80-21], Voltage Controlled Digital Oscillator
* [http://www.cgs.synth.net/modules/wavetable.html CGS02 Wave Table]
* [http://www.pic101.com/ensoniq/ Ensoniq ESQ1 Hacking]
* [http://www.wiseguysynth.com/larry/miniwave.htm The Miniwave saga
* [http://www.hylander.com/miniwave.html Miniwave Expander]
* [http://www.elby-designs.com/contents/en-us/d9.html MonoWave]
{{From Wikipedia|Wavetable_synthesis}}
{{iwWikipedia}}{{iwEMWiki|Wavetable}}{{iwSequencer|Wavetable}}{{iwSynthwiki|Wavetable_synthese}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Further reading ==
* ''[http://msp.ucsd.edu/techniques.htm Theory and Techniques of Electronic Music]'' by Miller Puckette, World Scientific Publishing Company, 2007
* ''[http://musicdsp.org/files/Wavetable-101.pdf Wavetable Synthesis 101, A Fundamental Perspective]'' by Robert Bristow-Johnson
* ''Sound Synthesis and Sampling'' by Martin Russ, chapter 3.2, Focal Press, 2nd edition, 2004, ISBN
== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20010408055406/http://www.wavesynth.com/whatis.htm What is a wavetable?]<!-- use as a reference instead -->
* [http://computermusicresource.com/Definitions/wavetable.synthesis.html Wavetable Synthesis]<!-- use as a reference instead -->
* [http://www.electricdruid.net/index.php?page=info.wavetableoscs Wavetable oscillators] by Tom Wiltshire<!-- use as a reference instead -->
* ''[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jan03/articles/microwavetips.asp Waldorf Microwave Masterclass]'' by Richard Leon, SOS, January 2003
* [https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Sound_Synthesis_Theory/Oscillators_and_Wavetables#Wavetables Oscillators and Wavetables], Sound Synthesis Theory, Wikibooks
[[Category:Wavetable synthesis]]
| |||