“West Coast synthesis,” often attributed to Don Buchla, takes an additive approach to sound design by enriching waveforms with few harmonics, like sine or triangle waves. In contrast, “East Coast synthesis” (subtractive synthesis) removes harmonics from rich waveforms like square or saw waves. The terms arose from Buchla’s work in California and Moog’s in New York, both pioneering synthesizers during the 1960s, now used interchangeably with additive and subtractive synthesis.
Synonyms:
west coast
