FM synthesis fuzzy sound

1. What sounds is FM synthesis good for?
2. Does FM synthesis only use sine waves?
3. Did Yamaha invent FM synthesis?
4. What is the difference between FM and AM synthesis?

What sounds is FM synthesis good for?

FM synthesis is extremely good, however, at creating sounds that are difficult to achieve with subtractive synthesizers—sounds such as bell timbres, metallic tones, and the tine tones of electric pianos. Another strength of FM synthesis is punchy bass and synthetic brass sounds.

Does FM synthesis only use sine waves?

Operators are the basic building blocks inside an FM synth. Think of each operator like a tiny little synthesizer with its own oscillator and envelope generator. Except each of these mini synths can only use a basic sine wave oscillator shape.

Did Yamaha invent FM synthesis?

FM synthesis was developed in the 1960s at Stanford University, California, by John Chowning, who was trying to create sounds different from analog synthesis. His algorithm was licensed to Japanese company Yamaha in 1973.

What is the difference between FM and AM synthesis?

Modulation Synthesis

AM stands for amplitude modulation and uses changes in amplitude to encode a radio wave. FM stands for frequency modulation which unlike AM, uses changes in frequencies to encode. The different techniques make a huge difference in terms of sound quality.