Linear Arithmetic Synthesis or short said LA Synthesis is a term born in Roland Corporation labs for defining that type of digital synthesis developed for the D-50 synthesizer and subsequent keyboards and sound modules. Simply put, “linear arithmetic” means that the synthesis is digital (linear) and also summing (arithmetic). LA synthesis uses sampled attacks combined with synthesized wave forms for the other portions of each note. This allows efficient use of sample memory, as well as creative combinations of unrelated attacks and wave forms.
As we’ve mention above, the technology of linear arithmetic synthesis was implemented for the first in the Roland D-50 synthesizer, in 1987. At that time, re-synthesizing samplers were made with high costs, so Roland came with this solution and introduced a machine that would be very easy to program, sound realistic, and still sound like a synthesizer. Previously, Yamaha conquered the world market lead with their DX7 FM synth, which was extraordinary at percussive sounds the part of things that Roland’s synthesizers using subtractive synthesis were less good at.
