  :: So change it, Ross.  If I did, I might get slapped down.  I do not think that (except in the context of group additive synthesis) that there should be anything other than sinusoids being added in the lede description. How about: :::Additive synthesis is a family of sound synthesis techniques where timbre is created by adding multiple sinusoidal components together.  In the case of tones with harmonic overtones, these sinusoidal components all have frequencies that are at integer multiples of a common fundamental frequency and a nearly periodic function is synthesized which can be expressed as a Fourier series. :: It's a little wordy, and maybe no association need be made with Fourier, but it seems to me to be appropriate to make that association.   