EE2F2 - Music Technology

8. Subtractive
Synthesis
Analogue Synthesisers
 Analogue synthesisers attempt to produce
realistic timbres using combinations of
primitive, easy to generate waveforms, e.g.
 Sine waves
 Square waves
 ‘Sawtooth’ waves
 Etc.
 Two main methods of creating timbres:
 Subtractive synthesis – start with a waveform with
lots of harmonics and filter out the ones you don’t
want
 Additive synthesis – build up the timbre a component
at a time using just sine waves at the harmonic
frequencies
Subtractive Synthesis
 Subtractive synthesis: one of the earliest techniques but
still being used today
 Outline:
 An oscillator produces a harmonically rich waveform
 A filter shapes the spectrum of that waveform to create the
desired timbre (subtracts unwanted harmonics)
 An amplifier shapes the envelope of the sound
 This is the basis of contemporary sample+synthesis
techniques and is related to functional physical
modelling
 In each case, the sound production techniques use the
source-modifier approach
 NB. We’ll only look at monophonic designs (i.e. only one
note can be played at a time)
 Source-Modifier Model
Front Panel Controls
 Source
 A signal generator
 Frequency is set by the
keyboard
Source Modifier
 Waveform shape is set by
Output
the controls
 Modifier
 Filter + amplifier
 Shapes the waveform in
the frequency and the time
domains
 Filter characteristics and
amplifier gain are varied by
control voltages
Control Voltage Sources
 The control voltages influencing the source
and modifier(s) are:
 Keyboard output
 A control voltage proportional to the pitch of the key
pressed
 Envelope generator(s)
 A slowly changing control voltage waveform triggered
at the start of a note and then evolving throughout its
duration
 Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO)
 Slowly varying periodic control voltage. Used to
modulate the pitch and/or amplitude
 A Subtractive Synthesiser
 Control voltages
(shown in green)
Source Modifier
determine the
behaviour of:
V.C.O. V.C.F. V.C.A. Output  Voltage
Controlled
Oscillator
(VCO)
 Voltage
Controlled
Trigger
L.F.O. Env. Gen. Filter (VCF)
 Voltage
Controlled
Amplifier (VCA)
 A Subtractive Synthesiser
 Audio signal
(shown in
red) is:
V.C.O. V.C.F. V.C.A. Output  Generated by
the source
(VCO)
 Modified by
the VCF and
Trigger
the VCA
L.F.O. Env. Gen.
The V.C.O.
 The Oscillator frequency is usually controlled
by the keyboard with maybe a little
modulation from the LFO
 The waveform produced is selected from the
front panel controls:
 The V.C.F.
 The VCF modifies the
spectrum produced
by the VCO
Peak at cut-off
Set by resonance control  It is usually a low-pass
filter with adjustable
resonance
Gain

 The cut-off frequency

Cut-off frequency
Set by control input
is (partly) controlled
by control voltages
from the keyboard
Frequency
and the envelope
generator
Using the VCO & VCF
Output waveform
spectrum is built up by
multiplying the source
f spectrum by the filter
Desired Spectrum response

f f
VCO Output VCF Response
(sawtooth wave)
The V.C.A.
 The VCA is simply a voltage controlled
amplifier
 The gain (amplification factor) is
controlled by the control voltage
Gain
control

In Out
 The Envelope Generator
 Usually used to control the VCA and VCF to
‘shape’ the sound in terms of:
 Amplitude shape in the time domain
 Spectral content (evolving over time)
 The ‘envelope’ is a slowly varying waveform
triggered at the start of each note

E.g. Violin
ensemble
 Simple envelope generators
amplitude

On-Off envelope
Simply turns the output
on when a note is
pressed and off when
time its released
Note Note
On Off
Attack-Release
amplitude

envelope
Gradual attack (ramp-up)
and release (ramp-down).
Attack and release rate
time
can be adjusted
Note Note
On Off
 ADSR Generator
 ADSR envelope
generator can create
A D S R
a wide variety of
envelopes using just
Envelope Level

Decay Rate
four parameters:
Release
Rate
 Attack: The initial rise
Sustain Level time
Attack Rate
 Decay: Immediately
following the attack
Time
 Sustain Level: A level
Note Pressed Note Released
maintained until the
note is released
 Release: The rate that
the sound decays
after the ‘note-off’
The L.F.O.
 Generates a low frequency waveform
(usually 1-10 Hz)
 Usually selectable between sine or
triangle waveform
 Used as a control input to modulate:
 VCO frequency: Creating vibrato effect
 VCA gain: Creating tremolo effect
 VCF frequency: Creating special effects, e.g.
‘flanging’ effects
 Sound & Synthesis Lab

Part One
Sounds &
Timbre

Part Two
Subtractive
Synthesis
Subtractive Synthesis Pros &
Cons
 Pros
 Huge variety of sounds from a simple architecture
 Not too many parameters, fairly easy to program
 Can emulate real instruments or create novel sounds
 Cons
 Not always obvious how to program a particular
sound
 Some waveforms can’t be synthesised with the VCO
and VCF
 Almost all sounds have an ‘artificial’ nature
Summary
 Subtractive synthesis requires
 Source(s)
 Modifier(s)
 Source:
 VCO
 Modifiers
 VCA, VCF
 All three are controlled by:
 Keyboard
 Envelope generator
 LFO
 Other controllers (e.g. pedals, joysticks, etc.)