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What is the most important role of amplitude modulation (AM) in music production?

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5.0 (18050)
  • Mastering engineer

Posted

Amplitude modulation can help create a really nice sense of motion in the mix. It can be a great way to avoid a song from sounding too static and make it more exciting - it can also be an alternative way to control dynamics if you wanna avoid relying on compression and limiting too much

5.0 (545)
  • Mixing & mastering engineer

Posted

Probably the most important role of the AM is as a sidechain effect, especially in electronic music.

The term AM generally refers to a modulation synthesis (Ring Modulation, Amplitude Modulation and Frequency Modulation), in which a signal modulates the Amplitude (or Volume) of another signal. It can be useful in sound design of various genres, from electronic music (EDM, Dubstep etc.) to FX or cinematic pads and so on.

It can also be considered as a modulation effect, such as Tremolo, which is an amplitude modulation driven by an LFO that goes to a frequency below the audible range (< 20 Hz).
The Sidechain effect is a specific amplitude modulation that can be performed by an LFO or a compressor; in both cases, it's a modulation of the amplitude of a track

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