Overtones, harmonics and Additive synthesis

Overtones are the basic building block of sound. Come and learn how to construct sounds at http://www.synthschool.com

This video is about additive synthesis, and how sounds can be constructed by pure sine waves. If you are a musician or sound engineer, this video is a must for you!

On our site there is also a download for the harmonic explorer, which is the device used to create this video. so you can explore for yourself!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• overtone
• overtones
• harmonics
• harmonic series
• Fourier
• synthesizer
• synth
• additive synthesis
• sine wave
• sinus
• electronic music

[WARDISWARD]

SIne waves occur naturally in nature .....?

[SynthSchool]

@WARDISWARD

What i meant was that harmonics occur naturally...

However, sine waves occur naturally too. Just like circles and balls occur naturally (soap bubble, planets orbits, and so on) however those are usually not as pure as synthesized sine waves.

I agree the sentence came out linguistically wrong, but I'm a synth teacher, not an english teacher :)

[LanceThackeray]

I absolutely love this vid. I'm an electronic music producer and synthesized sounds have always fascinated me. But delving into the core of harmonics is actually kinda spooky! It's so strange to realize that every sound we hear has all these intricate mathematical tones coming together to forum just one sound. I tell you...everything that has ever existed ever can be stripped down to purely mathematics. I think my brain just fried.

[warrenhlain]

This is amazing. So clear. Thank you for this. Musicology professors have spoken more and explained less than this video.

[Pippomone]

And so... I definitely understood how electronic music works.

[lazyeddie04]

I am a trumpet major and am trying to learn more about overtones and the affect on timbre. This video was very helpful. Thank you.

[edringsina]

@SynthSchool you should create a harmonics for the triangle wave.

[jackassw]

eff SynthSchool

[pixael]

@WARDISWARD Sine waves are actually quite common in nature. From the Wikipedia entry: This wave pattern occurs often in nature, including ocean waves, sound waves, and light waves.

It exists, therefor it occurs in nature.

[RecreationalToker]

Is there any chance you could type the name of the function that describes a circle in 2 dimensions please, thanks

[Dectheboner]

when you talk about overtones are they all happening within the same wave

[Pianotec]

Very excellent introduction ! BTW relatively highly inharmonic overtones are what makes the piano tone.... (due to stiffness in wire) - and natural overtones cannot make a cycle of 5ths and get back to a pure overtone, hence the "comma" difference that "tempered" occidental tuning divide by 12 (or other means) to get back to a pure frequency multiple at the octave level. (sorry English not native !) Other theories apply as well (as for generation of all notes via partials)

[TheOfficialWoover]

Where are you from? You have an Israeli accent. :)