FM synthesis stands for Frequency Modulation synthesis. Its initial uses were in the field of radio transmission. It was in the year of 1970 that it began to be used in the field of music. It is considered important as it can create complex sounds from simple sine waves. In other words, it is a form of audio synthesis where the timbre of a simple waveform is changed by frequency. It is altered with a modulating frequency, which is also in the audio range. This further results in a more complex waveform and a dissimilar sounding tone.

However, to synthesis a harmonic sound, the modulating signal must have a harmonic relationship to the original carrier signal. It is very good in creating harmonic as well as inharmonic sound. Proper and complex FM synthesis that uses analog oscillator is not generally feasible due to the presence of inherent pitch instability. However, with the input from frequency stable phase modulation variant is uncomplicated for implementing in a digital set up.

Radio Engineers describes, when f(t) is directly proportional to the derivative of the modulating signal. Here f(t) stands for some arbitrary function added to the carrier. In FM synthesis with the increase of frequency modulation the sound too grows progressively quite complex. Also, with the use of the modulators along with the frequencies that are non integer multiples, the non harmonic signals can easily be created.

The FM synthesis is a type of distortion synthesis or better explained as nonlinear synthesis. It starts with an oscillator generating an audio frequency known as carrier waveform with a frequency of Fc. An audio frequency modulating waveform, with a frequency Fm is further applied to change or alter the frequency of the carrier oscillator. As explained before, this means that the louder the modulating signal, the more the carrier frequency changes.

A modulating waveform containing many frequencies will create many FM sidebands. The deviation is partly responsible for the power of each component of the output audio signals. You should know that the larger the deviation, the more power is shifted to the sidebands. As you vary deviation through modulation amplitude, and vary the spectrum of the modulating waveform, the resulting audio can be progressed without any further instrument complication.

FM synthesis was first discovered somewhere in the year of 1967 or 1968 at Stanford University by John Chowning. Mr. Chowning discovered it when he sped up the vibrato to the point that it started creating audible sidebands rather than faster warbling. The audible sidebands are perceived as timbral change. On the other hand the warbling is perceived as a frequency change.

In the year 1975, it was patented and licensed to Yamaha. Yamaha later patented its hardware implementation; this almost created a monopoly in the technology based areas. The patent however, expired in the year 1995.

FM synthesis is now a common part of the synthesis collection of most of the modern synthesizers. They are usually in combination with additive, subtractive and sampling techniques.