FM synths used dedicated ASICs to generate audio. It wasn't possible for mainstr... | Hacker News

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kevin_thibedeau on Nov 12, 2023 | parent | context | favorite | on: Show HN: Koelsynth – a simple FM synthesis library

FM synths used dedicated ASICs to generate audio. It wasn't possible for mainstream CPUs of the era to do it in real time.

ClimaxGravely on Nov 17, 2023 [–]

Sorry my mistake, I was trying to say that the individual oscillators/filters/etc add up in cost (at least that's often what analog synth companies say when people ask about low voice counts)

I'm assuming an ASIC has a similar cost savings to a CPU or FPGA?

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