Synthesis Flashcards
Aftertouch
Allows a player to modify a tone as it is being held by applying pressure to a key while it is down
Amplifier
Controls the loudness/amplitude of a synthesizer by shaping the amplitude of a patch over time
Attack
Determines the amount of time it takes for loudness to go from silence to maximum level
Band pass filter
Passes a specific frequency band while blocking frequencies above and below this band
Center frequency
Band-pass: frequency at which there is no attenuation
Band-reject: frequency at which there is maximum attenuation
Cents
Subdivision of one semitone into 100 parts
Controller
Takes control of another module via a control signal
Cutoff frequency
The frequency at which a low-pass or high-pass filter reaches -3dB of attenuation
Decay
Determines how quickly a sound begins to die away after the attack stage is completed
Envelope generator
Used to produce envelopes as control signals on a synthesizer
Filter
A circuit or device that passes certain frequencies and blocks others
Filter envelope
Controls a filter’s cutoff or center frequency over time
Filter resonance
Boosts the source amplitude at the cutoff frequency
Filter slope
Rate of attenuation per octave
Fine tune
Adjusts the pitch of an oscillator by cents
Coarse tune
Adjusts the pitch of an oscillator by semitones
Amplitude modulation
A repetitive change in volume (used to create tremolo)
Frequency modulation
Repetitive change in pitch (used to create vibrato)
Frequency
The high and low of a sound (notes or hertz)
Hard sync
Allows you to change timbre by syncing two oscillators; forces one oscillator to restart its cycle in synchronization with the start of another oscillator’s cycle
Harmonics
Integer multiples of a fundamental
Hertz
Speed of oscillation; 1 Hz=one oscillation per second
FM synthesis
One oscillator (modulator) becomes the control signal for another oscillator (carrier)
High pass filter
Lets high frequencies through while blocking low frequencies
Keyboard tracking
Keyboard sends control voltage signal to oscillator measured at 1 volt per octave; as you play each adjacent key, the voltage is changed by 1/12th of a volt (12 volts per octave)
Loudness
Musical property for amplifiers; the soft and loud of a sound
Dynamics
Musical context for loudness/amplitude (piano, forte, etc.)
LFO
Low frequency oscillator; range of <1Hz to 20Hz; repetitive continuous waveform used for effects
Low pass filter
Lets low frequencies through, blocks out high frequencies
Modifier
Receives and processed an audio signal
Subtractive synthesis
Sound is created by taking a waveform rich in harmonics and using a filter to subtract unwanted harmonics
Arpeggiator
Uses MIDI or control voltages to cycle through a series of notes according to clock rate and note division
Foot controller
Sends MIDI control messages to control other instruments and gear
Modular synthesis
Sound is created by using separate modules for different functions
Modulation wheel
Moved from front to back like a pitch wheel, but applies no modulation at the bottom and increases amount of modulation as you move it up
Multimode filter
Filter that provides more than one response (ex. Switchable between high pass, low pass, band pass, etc.)
Musical intervals
The distance between two notes in semitones or whole steps
Notch filter
Blocks a band of frequencies and passes frequencies above and below it
Noise generator
Generates a random signal that includes all frequencies
Overtones
Frequencies above a fundamental that may or may not be integer multiples (also called partials)
Oscillator
Generates a repetitive electronic signal in the form of a periodic waveform
Pink noise
Noise signal that has equal energy per octave
Pitch
The high and low of a sound; musical context for oscillators
Pitch bend wheel
Changes pitch in small steps to imitate acoustic instruments (16,384 positions)
Pitch envelope
Oscillator pitch follows envelope, increasing from initial frequency; amount control affects range of pitch
Portamento
Notes glide smoothly from one note to the next
Pulse wave
Variable waveform; harmonic content is changed by adjusting pulse width of the pulse wave using the pulse width control
Pulse width
Width of a pulse wave; the time a pulse wave is “on”
Release
Amount of time it takes in ms or seconds for loudness to go from level at time of key off (when you lift the key) to silence
Ring modulation
Frequencies of 2 oscillators are combined to produce an audio signal that is the sum and difference of the 2 original frequencies
Sample and hold
Measurement of incoming voltage is sampled, held until next measurement is taken
Sawtooth wave
Has odd and even harmonics; bright and buzzy sound
Sine wave
Only has the fundamental frequency (first harmonic only)
Single-trigger
Envelope generators are triggered when a key is pressed, but not retriggered when other keys are pressed until the first key is released
Multi-trigger
Envelope generator will retrigger the attack stage with every keystroke, whether previous keys have been released or not
Source
The start of the audio signal path
Spectrum
Scientific context of timbre/spectrum; harmonics
Square wave
Only has odd harmonics; each harmonic is 1/n the amplitude of the fundamental
Triangle wave
Only has odd harmonics; each harmonic is 1/n squared the amplitude of the fundamental
Sustain
The level of loudness held from the end of the decay stage until key is released
Timbre
Tone quality of a sound; color
Velocity
The speed with which you strike a key
Control signal
Used for one module to control an aspect of another module
White noise
Random signal that includes all frequencies; equal energy per bandwidth
