The Synthesis Handbook is an open-access, web-based critical reader on synthesis techniques. Each entry is a self-contained interactive page that integrates historical context, technical explanation, formal definition, schematic figures, executable code, and a live in-browser synthesis instrument. The audio engine is SuperCollider's scsynth compiled to WebAssembly, so the code examples on each page are not approximations or Web Audio reconstructions but the actual synthesis running natively in the browser.

The Handbook is designed as field infrastructure for SYNCULTURE: a pedagogical resource in which formal definition, historical commentary, cultural analysis, and sounding instrument are inseparable rather than a textbook with examples appended. Entries are written for community extension and structured to support both independent study and workshop use. The Handbook is open source and available on GitHub.

• Introduction — What the Handbook is, how to use it, and what each entry contains.
• Additive Synthesis — A method of sound synthesis that constructs complex timbres by summing individual sinusoidal components, each with independent control over frequency, amplitude, and phase.
• Frequency Modulation Synthesis — A method of sound synthesis in which the frequency of a carrier oscillator is modulated by another oscillator, producing complex spectra from minimal components.
• Pulsar Synthesis — A microsound technique for generating pitched tones, noise bands, and rhythmic textures from trains of electronically generated sonic particles.
• Subtractive Synthesis — A method of sound synthesis that shapes timbre by filtering harmonically rich source signals, removing spectral components to sculpt the desired sound.
• Code — All executable code examples from the Handbook, collected for reference and download.
• Glossary — A working lexicon of terms, concepts, and naming conventions used across the Handbook.
• Bibliography — Collected references from all Handbook entries.