Is a synthesizer a easy instrument to catagorize?

Answer 1

A synthesiser is easy to categorise

This is because, first and foremost it is an electrophone, an instrument that uses electronic circuits to produce sound waves that are sent to a loudspeaker.

From this point synthesisers are then categorised by the method they use to produce their sounds:

• additive synthesis - start with simple wave forms and add multiple waveforms with related or unrelated frequencies with or without individual envelopes to create a complex waveform
• subtractive synthesis - start with a complex waveform and use filters and envelopes to create less complex waveforms
• Linear adaptive synthesis (LA) - sampled start and end with constant waveform for sustained notes (Roland proprietary method)
• Advanced waveform method (AWM) - similar to LA, but developed by Yamaha
• Frequency Modulation synthesis - developed by John Chowning and licensed by Yamaha - uses operators - essentially oscillators - to modulate each other to create complex waveforms from simpler waveforms, along with filters and envelopes.

There are several other techniques, making it difficult to detail all of them here. Amongst these techniques are:

• Sampling
• Wavetables
• Wave terrain
• Granular
• Modulation
• Ring modulation
• Amplitude modulation
• Phase distortion
• Spiral
• Formant
• VOSIM
• Physical modelling
• Karplus-Strong
• Graphic