Some suggested listening examples. (Note: I'm having problems with Chrome not playing examples marked *.)

Supercollider

Examples by Josh Parmenter from DXARTS. Josh wrote one of the chapters in the Supercollider book, and is an accomplished composer. I particularly like Risonanza and the binaural version of Corpi Sonori.

FM synthesis

*John Chowning: Turenas for four-channel tape (1972). From Chowning: "In Turenas, I used only the FM technique for generating the tones. I used it in both a harmonic series mode and a noisy inharmonic series mode, with transformations between the two. One of the compositional uses of FM was in timbral transformation. This was often coupled with spatial manipulation. As the sounds crossed the space they underwent a timbral transformation."

Granular Synthesis

Barry Truax: Riverrun (1986) I played a bit of this in class...

Computer manipulation of recorded sound

*Jonathan Harvey: Sketches for Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco (1980) Composer's description...

A thousand digital oscillators

David Wessel: Antony (1977) (reference) done at IRCAM on a custom synthesizer called the "4A"

Distortion, non-linear, waveshaping synthesis

Daniel Arfib: “MUSIQUE NUMERIQUE” (1981), from re-issue liner notes: "[T]he bubbling, overloaded overtone-blobs & distant wind-creep & resonant jaw-harp-like attacks of “Voyelles d Eveil"� (based on interpolations of the harmonic series) start out the disc, making way for the considerable more noise-oriented (pitched, narrow-band noise, that is) “Le Souffle du Doux" (slow arcs of octave-doubled tones slide in & around morphing mathematically-proportioned drones)." Whew!

Analog Ring Modulation (not easy to do digitally)

Hemingway: Multimedium 1974 revised 1978, 41 minutes for electronic and musique concrete four-channel sounds and 1100 visual projections. In four movements.

II. Museum Music (Play MP3) 6:43 ...collage of photos of turn-of-the-century opera singers...