Don Buchla implemented FM on his instruments in the mid-1960s, prior to Yamaha's patent. It had a similar (but slightly differently derived) sound quality to the DX series. Casio developed a related form of synthesis called phase distortion synthesis, used in its CZ range of synthesizers. Yamaha had patented its hardware implementation of FM in the 1970s, allowing it to nearly monopolize the market for FM technology until the mid-1990s. Several other models by Yamaha provided variations and evolutions of FM synthesis during that decade. Yamaha's DX7 synthesizer, released in 1983, was ubiquitous throughout the 1980s.
įM synthesis was the basis of some of the early generations of digital synthesizers, most notably those from Yamaha, as well as New England Digital Corporation under license from Yamaha. Yamaha eventually commercialized FM synthesis technology with the Yamaha GS-1, the first FM digital synthesizer, released in 1980. Yamaha built the first prototype FM digital synthesizer in 1974. In the 1970s, Yamaha were granted a number of patents, under the company's former name "Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha", evolving Chowning's work. Yamaha's engineers began adapting Chowning's algorithm for use in a commercial digital synthesizer, adding improvements such as the "key scaling" method to avoid the introduction of distortion that normally occurred in analog systems during frequency modulation, though it would take several years before Yamaha released their FM digital synthesizers. Similarly, Sharp X68000 and MSX ( Yamaha computer unit) also use FM-based soundchip, OPM.ĭigital frequency modulation synthesis was developed by John Chowning
The related OPN2 was used in the Fujitsu FM Towns Marty and Sega Genesis as one of its sound generator chips. OPNB was used as main basic sound generator board in SNK Neo Geo operated arcades (MVS) and home console (AES). Through sound cards like the AdLib and Sound Blaster, IBM PCs popularized Yamaha chips like OPL2 and OP元.
Yamaha's groundbreaking DX7 synthesizer, released in 1983, brought FM to the forefront of synthesis in the mid-1980s.įM synthesis had also become the usual setting for games and software until the mid-nineties. The Synclavier I, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation beginning in 1978, included a digital FM synthesizer, using an FM synthesis algorithm licensed from Yamaha. Yamaha built the first prototype digital synthesizer in 1974, based on FM synthesis, before commercially releasing the Yamaha GS-1 in 1980. Digital FM synthesis (implemented as phase modulation) was the basis of several musical instruments beginning as early as 1974. However, FM synthesis can also be implemented digitally, which is more stable and became standard practice. inharmonic), inharmonic bell-like and percussive spectra can be created.įM synthesis using analog oscillators may result in pitch instability.
Through the use of modulators with frequencies that are non-integer multiples of the carrier signal (i.e. As the amount of frequency modulation increases, the sound grows progressively complex. To synthesize harmonic sounds, the modulating signal must have a harmonic relationship to the original carrier signal. įM synthesis can create both harmonic and inharmonic sounds. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitude of a modulating signal". The time domain signals are illustrated above, and the corresponding spectra are shown below (spectrum amplitudes in dB).įrequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator.
A 220 Hz carrier tone f c modulated by a 440 Hz modulating tone f m, with various choices of frequency modulation index, β.