Whether you know it or not, of all the methods for creating synthesized sound, few are as instantly recognizable as FM synthesis. Known for its crisp and glassy timbres, FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis was a breakthrough in the world of electronic music in the 1980s. The technology worked by allowing for a sound wave to modulate the frequency of another, resulting in a more complex composite waveform.
Popularized by the iconic Yamaha DX7 synthesizer in 1983, FM synthesis quickly became ubiquitous in both pop and video game music (a “lite” version of this synth was featured inside the Sega Genesis, for example). These tones, perhaps chintzy and digital by today’s standards, provided a novel way of emulating acoustic instruments in an era long before computers had the hard drive space for 60 GB string libraries.
While many are familiar with the more disposable examples of FM in 80s pop music (the opening bell riff to Taylor Dayne’s Tell it to My Heart and the decidedly goofy fake harmonica solo in Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got To Do With It are a couple examples which come to mind), that’s not the focus of this playlist. These songs aim to exemplify a more enduring and creative range of sounds that were possible using this approach to sound design and underscore the evolution of the technique across the four decades of its presence in popular music. But of course there are some fun 80s examples thrown in for good measure, too.
As a product sound designer, there’s something unique about the prospect of FM synthesis. Being that its approach is the surgical distortion of sine tones (which are the simplest building blocks of sound and an element which has become synonymous with UX sound design), it offers a means of dialing up the “attention” knob, when it’s necessary. The sound of FM synthesis is clean, bright and dynamic in a way that’s useful within a design medium where you’re trying to support or suggest an event or action in as few strokes as possible.