3. Synthesis and synthesisers Flashcards
sine wave sounds like…
it sounds like it looks - smooth and clean
what instrument may it sounds like
theremin or maybe flute
square contains harmonics and is…
richer and buzzier
may sound like
aggressive distorted guitar
triangle sounds somewhere in-between sine and square, it is not as…
buzzy but more muffled (flute/recorder like)
saw is…
the buzziest of them all
sounds like
brass (crappy MIDI brass/strings)
what does white noise consist of
equal intensities of all frequencies of the spectrum
how can you shape sounds using LFO
typically, you can change the waveform, the rate, depth, offset and other parameters (like volume, pitch, panning, cutoff etc…)
high/low pass filters =
allowing the high/low end through at either end of spectrum
how can an envelope be used to control sound
ADSR- (attack, decays, sustain, release) to create articulation
what is subtractive synthesis
a type of synthesis, where using a filter the harmonically rich sound is stripped away so the person using the synth can form/sculpt any desired texture or timbre of their choice
what is additive synthesis
technique that builds the sound from the bottom up, by adding simple waveforms together to achieve the desired results
what is FM synthesis
frequency modulation synthesis - where the frequency of waveform is changed via a modulator
explain stage of ADSR
Attack = the time it takes the note to reach full volume once being triggered
Decay = the time it takes the volume to drop down from its max level to sustain level
Sustain = the volume that the signal remains on for as long as the sound is being triggered
Release = how long the sound takes to fade out completely from the sustain level
