Modulation Effects
Modulation is a non-linear effect in which several signals interact with one another to produce new signals with frequencies not present in the original signals. Modulation effects are the bane of the audio engineer, for they produce "intermodulation distortion", which is annoying to the music listener. There are many forms of modulation, including frequency and amplitude modulation, and the subject is quite complex. We will now look at the two primary types of modulation individually.
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It is rare to see frequency modulation by itself; most machines will produce amplitude modulation at the same time as frequency modulation!
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Frequency modulation (FM) is the varying in frequency of one signal by the influence of another signal, usually of lower frequency. The frequency being modulated is called the "carrier". In the spectrum shown above, the largest component is the carrier, and the other components which look like harmonics, are called "sidebands". These sidebands are symmetrically located on either side of the carrier, and their spacing is equal to the modulating frequency. |
Frequency modulation occurs in machine vibration spectra, especially in gearboxes where the gear mesh frequency is modulated by the rpm of the gear. It also occurs in some sound system loudspeakers, where it is called FM distortion, although it is generally at a very low level.
This example shows amplitude modulation at about 50% of full modulation
Notice that the frequency of the waveform seems to be constant and that it is fluctuating up and down in level at a constant rate. This test signal was produced by rapidly varying the gain control on a function generator while recording the signal.
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This type of signal is often produced by defective bearings and gears, and can be easily identified by the sidebands in the spectrum.
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The spectrum has a peak at the frequency of the carrier, and two more components on each side. These extra components are the sidebands. Note that there are only two sidebands here compared to the great number produced by frequency modulation. The sidebands are spaced away from the carrier at the frequency of the modulating signal, in this case at the frequency at which the control knob was wiggled. In this example, the modulating frequency is much lower than the modulated or carrier frequency, but the two frequencies are often close together in practical situations. Also these frequencies are sine waves, but in practice, both the modulated and modulating signals are often complex. For instance, the transmitted signal from an AM radio station contains a high-frequency carrier, and many sidebands resulting from the carrier modulation by the voice or music signal being broadcast. |
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