gtaylor@cornell.UUCP (Greg Taylor) (06/27/84)
You ain't the only confused one, jocko. Being bisynthetic (I synthesize both ways), I'll give it a shot for the neophyte. I apologize in advance for oversymplifying: The difference is like the difference between analog and digital circuits. One is set up to work on packets of approximate voltages (ie: voltages that control parameters like pitch, filter contour that emphasizes certain frequencies, etc.), and the other uses discrete binary numbers to represent waveforms. One of the more confusing things that's happenend to muddy the waters is that a number of manufacturers are using analog oscillators whose parameters are controlled using digital information stored in a microprocessor. The ads typically say the synth uses "digital" control. You'll typically find that digital synthesizers use additive or FM (frequency modulation) synthesis to create sounds. That way, there are none of the filters that you normally associate with subtractive synthesis that you do on, say, a Mini-Moog. ANy more questions, drop me a line. ________________________________________________________________________________ ad hoc, ad loc, gtaylor@cornell pro quid, pro quo: Gregory Taylor o so little time, Theorynet (Theoryknot) o so much to know. 607-273-0535x261 ooo ________________________________________________________________________________