The Effect of Modulator Phase on Timbres in FM Synthesis
John A. Bate · Computer Music Journal · 1990
Frequency modulation (FM) synthesis is a very powerful and widely used synthesis technique in which the frequency of a periodic carrier wave is varied according to a second wave, called the modulator. It is generally known that the resulting timbre is affected by the amplitudes and frequencies of these waves. However, subtle timbral changes may also be produced by controlling the initial phase of the modulator. In this paper, the effects of modulator phase in FM synthesis are investigated. The classical FM equations will be modified to include a phase parameter, and the effects of this new parameter on the frequency spectrum of the sound will be demonstrated.