A guided tour of the fast Fourier transform

For some time the Fourier transform has served as a bridge between the time domain and the frequency domain. It is now possible to go back and forth between waveform and spectrum with enough speed and economy to create a whole new range of applications for this classic mathematical device. This article is intended as a primer on the fast Fourier transform, which has revolutionized the digital processing of waveforms. The reader´s attention is especially directed to the IEEE Transactions on Audio and Electroacoustics for June 1969, a special issue devoted to the fast Fourier transform.