Sound Synthesis and Sampling This page intentionally left blank Sound Synthesis and Sampling Third Edition Martin Russ AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA First edition 1996 Reprinted 1998, 1999, 2000 (twice), 2002 (twice) Second edition 2004 Reprinted 2005, 2006 Third edition 2009 Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2009 Martin Russ. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved The right of Martin Russ to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: ((cid:2)44) (0) 1865 843830; fax: ((cid:2)44) (0) 1865 853333; email: [email protected]. Alternatively you can submit your request online by visiting the Elsevier website at http://elsevier.com/locate/permissions, and selecting Obtaining permission to use Elsevier material Notice No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Control Number: 2008936153 ISBN: 978-0-240-52105-3 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.focalpress.com Typeset by Charon Tec Ltd., A Macmillan Company. (www.macmillansolutions.com) Printed and bound in the USA 09 10 11 12 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION ......................................................................xi PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION ................................................................xiii PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION ....................................................................xv VISUAL MAP ...........................................................................................xvii ABOUT THIS BOOK ..................................................................................xxi BACKGROUND ......................................................................................1 1 Background ............................................................................................3 1.1 What is synthesis? ...........................................................................3 1.2 Beginnings ....................................................................................11 1.3 Telecoms research .........................................................................14 1.4 Tape techniques ............................................................................17 1.5 Experimental versus popular musical uses of synthesis ......................22 1.6 Electro-acoustic music ...................................................................24 1.7 The ‘Produce, Mix, Record, Reproduce’ sound cycle ..........................25 1.8 From academic research to commercial production … ......................26 1.9 Synthesis in context .......................................................................30 1.10 Acoustics and electronics: fundamental principles ...........................36 1.11 Analogue electronics ......................................................................50 1.12 Digital and sampling ......................................................................54 1.13 MIDI, transports and protocols ........................................................66 1.14 Computers and software .................................................................70 1.15 Virtualization and integration ..........................................................73 1.16 Questions .....................................................................................75 1.17 Timeline .......................................................................................76 TECHNIQUES ......................................................................................87 2 Making Sounds Physically ......................................................................89 2.1 Sounds and musical instruments .....................................................89 2.2 Hit, scrape and twang ....................................................................91 2.3 Blow into and over .........................................................................92 vi Contents 2.4 Sequencing ...................................................................................92 2.5 Recording .....................................................................................92 2.6 Performing ....................................................................................93 2.7 Examples ......................................................................................93 2.8 Questions ......................................................................................94 2.9 Timeline........................................................................................94 3 Making Sounds with Analogue Electronics ...............................................99 3.1 Before the synthesizer ....................................................................99 3.2 Analogue and digital ....................................................................101 3.3 Subtractive synthesis ...................................................................106 3.4 Additive synthesis ........................................................................145 3.5 Other methods of analogue synthesis .............................................158 3.6 Topology .....................................................................................168 3.7 Early versus modern implementations ............................................176 3.8 Sampling in an analogue environment............................................186 3.9 Sequencing .................................................................................191 3.10 Recording ...................................................................................193 3.11 Performing ..................................................................................193 3.12 Example instruments ...................................................................194 3.13 Questions ...................................................................................198 3.14 Timeline .....................................................................................199 4 Making Sounds with Hybrid Electronics.................................................205 4.1 Wavecycle ...................................................................................206 4.2 Wavetable ...................................................................................216 4.3 DCOs ..........................................................................................225 4.4 DCFs ..........................................................................................234 4.5 S&S ...........................................................................................234 4.6 Topology .....................................................................................245 4.7 Implementations over time ...........................................................246 4.8 Hybrid mixers (automation) ...........................................................248 4.9 Sequencing .................................................................................249 4.10 Recording ...................................................................................250 4.11 Performing ..................................................................................250 4.12 Example instruments ...................................................................251 4.13 Questions ...................................................................................253 4.14 Timeline .....................................................................................254 5 Making Sounds with Digital Electronics .................................................255 5.1 FM .............................................................................................257 5.2 Waveshaping ...............................................................................276 5.3 Physical modeling ........................................................................280 Contents vii 5.4 Analogue modeling ......................................................................291 5.5 Granular synthesis .......................................................................294 5.6 FOF and other techniques .............................................................295 5.7 Analysis–synthesis .......................................................................305 5.8 Hybrid techniques .......................................................................313 5.9 Topology .....................................................................................315 5.10 Implementations .........................................................................315 5.11 Digital samplers ..........................................................................316 5.12 Editing .......................................................................................320 5.13 Storage ......................................................................................327 5.14 Topology .....................................................................................331 5.15 Digital effects .............................................................................335 5.16 Digital mixers ..............................................................................335 5.17 Drum machines ...........................................................................336 5.18 Sequencers .................................................................................344 5.19 Workstations ...............................................................................349 5.20 Accompaniment ..........................................................................353 5.21 Groove boxes ...............................................................................354 5.22 Dance, clubs and DJs ..................................................................356 5.23 Sequencing ................................................................................358 5.24 Recording ...................................................................................358 5.25 Performing – playing multiple keyboards ........................................359 5.26 Examples of digital synthesis instruments ......................................364 5.27 Examples of sampling equipment ..................................................369 5.28 Questions on digital synthesis .......................................................372 5.29 Questions on sampling .................................................................372 5.30 Questions on environment ............................................................373 5.31 Timeline .....................................................................................373 6 Making Sounds with Computer Software................................................379 6.1 Mainframes to calculators .............................................................379 6.2 Personal computers .....................................................................379 6.3 The PC as integrator .....................................................................381 6.4 Computers and audio ...................................................................382 6.5 The plug-in .................................................................................384 6.6 Ongoing integration of the audio cycle ...........................................393 6.7 Studios on computers: the integrated sequencer .............................400 6.8 The rise of the abstract controller and fall of MIDI ..........................403 6.9 Dance, clubs and DJs ...................................................................404 6.10 Sequencing ................................................................................404 6.11 Recording ...................................................................................405 6.12 Performing ..................................................................................405 viii Contents 6.13 Examples ....................................................................................409 6.14 Questions ...................................................................................411 6.15 Timeline .....................................................................................411 APPLICATIONS ..................................................................................415 7 Sound-Making Techniques ..................................................................417 7.1 Arranging ....................................................................................417 7.2 Stacking .....................................................................................419 7.3 Layering .....................................................................................422 7.4 Hocketing ...................................................................................425 7.5 Multi-timbrality and polyphony .....................................................429 7.6 GM ............................................................................................437 7.7 On-board effects .........................................................................440 7.8 Editing .......................................................................................450 7.9 Sequencing ................................................................................462 7.10 Recording ...................................................................................463 7.11 Performing ..................................................................................463 7.12 Questions ...................................................................................463 7.13 Timeline .....................................................................................464 8 Controllers..........................................................................................473 8.1 Controller and expander ...............................................................474 8.2 MIDI control ...............................................................................476 8.3 Keyboards ..................................................................................484 8.4 Keyboard control .........................................................................487 8.5 Wheels and other hand-operated controls .......................................489 8.6 Foot controls ...............................................................................492 8.7 Ribbon controllers .......................................................................493 8.8 Wind controllers ..........................................................................493 8.9 Guitar controllers .........................................................................494 8.10 Mixer controllers .........................................................................497 8.11 DJ controllers ..............................................................................497 8.12 3D controllers .............................................................................498 8.13 Front panel controls .....................................................................498 8.14 MIDI control and MIDI ‘Learn’ ......................................................501 8.15 Advantages and disadvantages ......................................................502 8.16 Sequencing ................................................................................503 8.17 Recording ...................................................................................503 8.18 Performing ..................................................................................504 8.19 Questions ...................................................................................504 8.20 Timeline .....................................................................................505 Contents ix ANALYSIS ...........................................................................................507 9 The Future of Sound-Making ................................................................509 9.1 Closing the circle ..........................................................................511 9.2 Control .........................................................................................511 9.3 Commercial imperatives .................................................................514 9.4 Questions .....................................................................................517 9.5 Timeline .......................................................................................518 BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................................................................................519 JARGON ................................................................................................523 INDEX ...................................................................................................531