Wavetable synthesis is like sampling... derp?

[ScarletCyanide]

Okay, so just read an article about fm and wavetable synthesis and now im confused, is wavetable synthesis, i.e. massive actually mathematically generating the sound or using samples? Could someone explain pl0x

[KoenDercksen]

Generating the sound through the use of wavetables, ie. not your regular sines and saws but more complex waveforms. Essentially all audio is a waveform, so there is a bit of a vague border between sampling and wavetable synthesis...

Then of course there is also the difference between multicycle-WT synthesis and singlecycle-WT synthesis. However, Massive is, as far as I know, mathematically generating the sound.

[AxeD]

Wavetable synthesis is basically the same as additive synthesis. But in wavetable synthesis the harmonics
are precomputed to form the waveform instead of being added together during the actual process of constructing sound.

So Massive is definitely generating the sound from basic waveforms like your normal synthesizer.

[buttock]

I mean it's kind of lame to post links to wikipedia but this one pretty much nails it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavetable_synthesis