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Sound Design for the Electronic Musician (Class) > Week 1 - Introduction to Electronic Music Synthesizers > Flashcards

Week 1 - Introduction to Electronic Music Synthesizers Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 2 base performance gestures you can manipulate with synthesizers?

A
  1. Articulation (ADSR)
  2. Dynamics (Loudness, pitch + timbre)
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2
Q

There are 2 main ways that a synthesizer can interact with an audio signal. What are the 2 main ways a synthesizer interacts with audio?

A

A synthesizer can either produce sound or control sound.

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3
Q

What function (or functions) does an integrated instrument include?

A

An integrated instrument includes both sound production and control over sound components.

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4
Q

What kind of controls CAN be included on an integrated instrument?

A
  1. Wheels
  2. Sliders
  3. Foot pedals
  4. Ribbon controllers
  5. Touch pads
  6. Sound generation system
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5
Q

What are the main differentiating factors between synthesizers that are all integrated instruments?

A
  1. How they produce their sounds (synthesis technique)
  2. The number of notes produced (polyphony)
  3. The number of different timbres that may be sounded at once (multi-timbral capability)
  4. The amount of onboard storage for sounds
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6
Q

What features are included, and not included, on Sound Module synthesizers?

A
  1. Sound Module synthesizers includes a user interface to generate sound.
  2. They do not include physical controls, although you can use MIDI (on some) to control sound.
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7
Q

What features are included in a MIDI Controller?

A

MIDI controllers are styled like acoustic instruments, but have an output that can convert what is being played into MIDI information to control either sound modules or integrated instruments.

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8
Q

What styles of MIDI Controllers are there?

A
  1. Keyboard/piano controller
  2. Guitar controller
  3. Woodwind controller
  4. Drum set controller
  5. Violin controller
  6. Grid controllers (ex. Ableton Push)
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9
Q

What is the most famous type of Subtractive Synth?

A

Moog Modular system

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9
Q

What is unique about the signal flow of Subtractive Synths?

A

It begins with sounds that are rich with content, and then changes the sound color by removing parts of the sound spectrum through the use of filters/processing effects.

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9
Q

What sounds sound great through Subtractive Synths?

A
  1. Sound effects
  2. Background pads
  3. Very deep bass sounds
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10
Q

What is the best kind of synthesizer to use for emulating acoustic sounds or sound effects?

A

Samplers

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11
Q

What is the primary sound source for Sampler synthesizers?

A

The primary sound sources for samplers are recorded microphone or line input signals that is then stored as a digital file.

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12
Q

What is the difference between Samplers and Physical Modeling synthesizers?

A

Samplers are based off of recorded signals.
Physical Modeling synths are based off of mathematical models for how certain sounds (including plucked strings, vibrating reed, columns of air through a brass tube, etc.) are created.

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13
Q

What does FM stand for?

A

Frequency Modulation

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14
Q

What is the primary use of an FM synth?

A

FM synths use a process where 2 sounds are combined to create a new complex sound.

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15
Q

What is an example of an FM synthesizer?

A

The Yamaha DX7

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16
Q

What sounds are FM synthesizers used to create?

A
  1. Percussive sounds
  2. Bell-like sounds
  3. Plucked string sounds
  4. Electric pianos
  5. Acoustic sounds (harmonica, harp, bells, etc.)
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17
Q

What are the 9 main factors of picking out a synthesizer?

A
  1. Synthesis Engine (what type of synth, ex. subtractive, FM, sampler, etc.)
  2. Polyphony (how many voices)
  3. Multi-Timbral Capability (how many timbres)
  4. Memory / Presets (how many / what kinds of sounds stored on the synth)
  5. On-Board Storage (how much memory)
  6. Connectivity (MIDI? external processing?)
  7. Expandability (external storage options?)
  8. Effects Processing (on-board effects?)
  9. Keyboard Feel
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18
Q

What are the 3 elements of what makes a sound?

A
  1. Pitch
  2. Timbre
  3. Loudness
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18
Q

When creating sounds, what are the two categories of pitched sounds you can make?

A
  1. Pitched
  2. Non-pitched
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19
Q

What are pitched sounds used for?

A

Generally, pitched sounds are used for melody and harmony parts

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20
Q

What are non-pitched sounds used for?

A

Non-pitched sounds are generally use for purely rhythmic sounds like drums / percussion.

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21
Q

How is pitch measured?

A

Pitch is the result of periodic vibrations, so pitch is measured in terms of periodic cycles over time, usually in seconds.

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22
Q

If there are a high number of cycles, being generated, will the frequency of the note being produced be high or low?

A

The frequency of the note will be high. The higher the note, the more cycles produced.

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23
Q

What is a tool that can be used to measure the cycles of a sound?

A

An oscilloscope

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24
Q

What is the frequency ratio of 2 notes that are 1 octave apart?

A

2:1

25
Q

How many cents are in a half step?

A

100 cents

26
Q

What is the average range of human hearing?

A

About 20 Hz to 20 kHz

27
Q

What is timbre?

A

Timbre is the character or quality of a musical sound as distinct from its pitch, intensity and frequency content.

28
Q

When one note is played on different instruments, what are the unique frequencies that are above the fundamental note called? (Not overtones)

A

Partials

29
Q

Do non-pitched instruments, like pitched percussion, also have a set of partials/

A

Yes, pitches percussion sounds have non-harmonic partials.

30
Q

When analyzing a complex sound, what factors need to be defined in characterizing the sound?

A
  1. Fundamental tone
  2. Set of partials related to fundamental pitch
  3. The exact number of partials
  4. The frequency relationships to the fundamental
  5. Their relative loudness to the fundamental
31
Q

What constitutes a rich and more complex sound in terms of harmonics?

A

The more harmonics a sound contains, and the more strength in those partials, the richer and more complex the sound is to our ears.

32
Q

What are the two ways that we can analyze soundwaves on a chart?

A
  1. Frequency graph
  2. Time domain graph
33
Q

What is the setting on a filter that defines the point at which the filter begins affecting the harmonics?

A

The cutoff frequency

34
Q

How many dB of attenuation per pole is provided?

A

6 dB per pole

35
Q
A

The rate of attenuation is set by the filter and is often referred to as “poles”

36
Q

What element of sound does the “resonance” setting on a synthesizer control?

A

The “resonance” control controls the feedback loop of the filter.

37
Q

What is the difference between a Low Pass Filter and a High Pass Filter?

A
  1. The Low Pass Filter allows low-frequency harmonics in the spectrum to pass through while cutting out the higher frequencies.
  2. The High Pass Filter allows high-frequency harmonics in the spectrum to pass through unaffected while cutting out the lower frequencies.
38
Q

What is a Band Pass Filter?

A

A Band Pass Filter is a combination of a high and low pass filter. The band pass allows a selected range of frequencies to pass through and attenuates those outside the band.

39
Q

What is a Notch Filter?

A

A Notch Filter removes a selected range of frequencies from the sound in a shape opposite of a Band Pass Filter.

40
Q

What module changes the overall volume of a synthesis signal?

A

The Amplifier

41
Q

What is the module that can shape the contour of the amplifier over time?

A

An Envelope Generator

42
Q

What are the 4 elements that an Envelope Generator controls?

A

ADSR

  1. Attack
  2. Decay
  3. Sustain
  4. Release
43
Q

What does the Attack setting on the EG control?

A

Time
The Attack setting controls the amount of time to go from silence to full amplitude.

44
Q

What does the Decay setting on the EG control?

A

Time
The Decay setting controls the amount of time to go from the maximum volume to the sustain level.

45
Q

What does the Sustain setting on the EG control?

A

Volume Level
The Sustain setting controls the amplitude level at which the sound will remain until the note is stopped.

46
Q

What does the Release setting on the EG control?

A

Time
The Release setting controls the amount of time it takes to return to silence from the sustain level once the note is stopped.

47
Q

What other modules can be controlled with an Envelope generator?

A

Envelope generators are commonly used as a control source for filter cutoff, pitch, etc. lol

48
Q

True or False: An integrated instrument has a sound generation engine but no control section.

A

False

49
Q

Which of the following is not a common user interface device?
1. Alpha Dial
2. Numeric Keypad
3. Foot Pedal
4. Display

A
  1. Foot Pedal
50
Q

Choose the correct answer
The better term for an “analog synthesizer” is:
1. Electronic synthesizer
2. Moog synthesizer
3. Additive synthesizer
4. Subtractive synthesizer

A
  1. Subtractive synthesizer
51
Q

FM synthesizers are not best suited for creating which of these kinds of sounds:
1. Bell sounds
2. Electric pianos
3. Percussive sounds
4. Human voice

A
  1. Human voice
52
Q

In synthesizers, what does “Polyphony” refer to?

A

The number of notes that may be simultaneously sounded

53
Q

True or False: A guitar may be thought of as a signal processor.

A

False

54
Q

True or False: Pitch is the result of a periodic waveform.

A

True

55
Q

True or False: If a note is an octave higher than another note, it is half the frequency.

A

False

56
Q

True or False: The “Harmonic Series” is a tournament between friendly teams.

A

False

57
Q

A cent is which value:
1. 1/10th a half-step
2. 1/24th an octave
3. 1/100th a half-step
4. 1/100th a whole step

A
  1. 1/100th a half-step
58
Q

Which of the following synthesizer modules is most responsible for pitch?
1. Filter
2. Oscillator
3. Amplifier
4. Envelope Generator

A
  1. Oscillator
59
Q

Which of the following synthesizer modules is used to control timbre?
1. Oscillator
2. filter
3. Amplifier
4. Envelope Generator

A
  1. Filter
60
Q

Which of the following synthesizer modules is used to control loudness?
1. Oscillator
2. Filter
3. Amplifier
4. Envelope Generator

A
  1. Amplifier
61
Q

A time-domain graph generally shows which of these functions?
1. Amplitude plotted against pitch
2. Amplitude plotted over time
3. Pitch plotted over ampltiude
4. Loudness plotted over pitch

A
  1. Amplitude plotted over time
62
Q

In the harmonic series, the fifth partial is which multiple of the fundamental?

A

5x

Sound Design for the Electronic Musician (Class) (12 decks)

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