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This article is from the Computer Music Bibliography FAQ, by Piet van Oostrum piet@cs.ruu.nl with numerous contributions by others.

04 Synthesis - Computer Music bibliography part1

Title: Build a better music synthesizer / Thomas Henry.
Publisher: Blue Ridge Summit, PA : Tab Books, c1987.
Subjects: Synthesizer (Musical instrument)--Construction.6
ISBN: 0-8306-0255-0 : $17.95
ISBN: 0-8306-2755-3 (pbk.) : $11.45
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Title: Musical applications of microprocessors, 2nd ed. / Hal Chamberlin.
Publisher: Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. : Hayden Book Co., c1985.
Subjects: Computer music--Instruction and study.
Subjects: Computer composition.
Subjects: Microprocessors.
ISBN: 0-8104-5768-7

I have seen two editions: mine from the early 80's, and a hardback
that my friend has from the late 80's. His has 68000 assember
for an FFT routine.

This covers analog and digital sound synthesis from an experimenter's
perspective, not much math, lots of algorithms and circuits. If you want
to solder and program in your garage and make lots of weird sounds, this is
the bible. Lots of BASIC programs, but they're very short, just to
demonstrate algorithms. It's a few years old now and the electronic
devices used in the book are dated, but the explanations and principles are
still valid. It discusses things such as real time synthesis, play back of
stored soundwaves, sampling, running multiple D-As in parallel, software
for computing soundwaves (it even covers Fast Fourier Transforms) and more.

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Title: Computer music : synthesis, composition, and performance /
Charles Dodge, Thomas A. Jerse.
Publisher: New York : Schirmer Books, c1985.
Subjects: Computer music--Instruction and study.
Computer composition.
ISBN: 0-02-873100-X
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Title: Elements of computer music / F. Richard Moore.
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice Hall, c1990.
Subjects: Computer sound processing.
Subjects: Computer music--Instruction and study.
ISBN: 0-13-252552-6

Lots of stuff on software synthesis, and more, all centered around cmusic
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This book is very good: "A synthesist's Guide to Acoustic Instruments"
Amsco Publications,New York, 1987

author: H.Massey

I found the Howard Massey "Synthesists Guide to Acoustic Instruments"
to be a pretty good book for general synthesizer knowledge, mostly
because it doesn't try to explain the specifics of a synth.
...David Elliott
...dce@smsc.sony.com | ...!{uunet,mips}!sonyusa!dce
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Schottstaedt, Bill. "The Simulation of Natural Instrument Tones Using
Frequency Modulation with a Complex Modulating Wave." Computer Music
Journal 1, 4 (1977): 46-50.
also in:
Roads, Curtis and John Strawn, ed.The Foundations of Computer Music.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1985.
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J. Chowning
"The Synthesis of Complex Audio Spectra by Means of Frequency
Modulation"
J. Audio Eng. Soc. 21, no. 7 (1973):526-534
[This is the standard reference.]
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J. Chowning and D. Bristow
"FM Theory and Applications by Musicians for Musicians"
Yamaha Music Foundation, Tokyo, 1986
ISBN 4-636-17482-8
[Could be difficult to find. Maybe Mix bookshelf - see above]
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Marc LeBrun
"A derivation of the Spectrum of FM with a Complex Modulating Wave."
Computer Music Journal Volume 1, Number 4. 1977, pages 51-52.
Also in Roads and Strawn, Foundations of Computer Music.
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Marc LeBrun
"Digital Waveshaping Synthesis"
Journal of the AES, 27(4), 1979: 250-266
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J.A. Moorer
"The synthesis of Complex Audio Spectra by Means of Discrete
Summation Formulae"
Music Department, Stanford U., 1975 (Report no. STAN-M-5.)
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