Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of
audio synthesis where the
timbre of a simple waveform is changed by
frequency modulating it with a modulating frequency that is also in the audio range, resulting in a more complex waveform and a different-sounding tone.For synthesizing harmonic sounds, the modulating signal must have a
harmonic relationship to the original carrier signal. As the amount of frequency modulation increases, the sound grows progressively more complex. Through the use of modulators with frequencies that are non-integer multiples of the carrier signal (i.e., non harmonic), bell-like dissonant and percussive sounds can easily be created.
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