DEFINE POLYPHONIC HOW TO
DEFINE POLYPHONIC SERIES

To produce affordable polyphonic synths that stayed in tune, engineers developed analog oscillators whose pitch could be controlled by a digital source. Early analog VCOs were expensive and could not always maintain stable pitch. Clock can be supplied by MIDI or control voltage.Ĭontrol Voltage – Control Voltage is the electrical signal that analog synthesizers use to communicate between modules such as VCOs, VCFs and VCAsĬutoff Frequency – Cutoff frequency is the pitch at which a filter begins attenuating frequency content.įor a low-pass filter, the cutoff frequency defines where the high frequencies will begin decreasing in intensity.ĭCO – DCO stands for digitally controlled oscillator. Modulators and carriers can be arranged in various configurations known as algorithms.Ĭlock – Clock is the signal that controls the timing of the functions in a synthesizer.

DEFINE POLYPHONIC SERIES

Amplitude modulation occurs when the amplifier section of a synthesizer is modulated by an LFO.Īmplitude modulation is often used for tremolo effects.Īrpeggiator – An arpeggiator is a device or plugin that takes a series of notes at its input and cycles through them in a predetermined pattern at the rate defined by a MIDI or CV clock signal.īand Pass Filter/BPF – A band pass filter is a type of filter that cuts all frequencies except those in a narrow band of frequencies.Ĭarrier wave – A carrier wave provides the signal for a modulator to act on in an FM synthesizer. If you're looking at a waveform in a DAW or on an oscilloscope, amplitude will be represented on the y-axis and frequency will be represented on the x-axis.Įnvelope generators shape your sound’s amplitude characteristics over type to create expressive tones.Īnalog – Analog synthesizers create sound using traditional electronics like transistors, op-amps and ICs.Ī synthesizer can be considered analog if its audio signal path contains no digital elements.Īnalog synths can still contain digital preset management systems, or DCOs.ĪM – AM stands for amplitude modulation. Large numbers of sine waves of different frequencies are required to approximate complex timbres.Īftertouch – Aftertouch is an additional dimension for adding expression to MIDI information.Īftertouch is entered by applying pressure to held notes after the notes have already been struck.Īftertouch is commonly used to create vibrato or other musical gestures that add to the expressiveness of a performance.Īlgorithm – An algorithm is an configuration of operators in an FM synthesizer.ĭifferent algorithms rearrange the order of carrier and modulator waves inside the synthesis engine to produce different sonic textures.Īmplitude – Amplitude is the intensity, or volume of a waveform. 2-pole is the gentler 12 dB/octave slope and 4-pole is the more common 24 dB/octave type.Īdditive Synthesis – Additive synthesis is a method of generating sound that works by combining multiple sine waves together. From analog to wavetable, here’s every synth definition you’ll ever need.Ģ-Pole/4-pole – The slope of a synthesizers low pass filter.

This article is a complete glossary of synthesizer terms.

DEFINE POLYPHONIC HOW TO

If you know the name and purpose of each element of a synthesizer you’ll have a much clearer idea of how to make the sounds you’re searching for.

Synthesizers are some of the most challenging musical instruments to use well.Įven basic synth plugins have enough parameters to get completely lost.īut almost all synthesizers are made up of similar component functions.

Define polyphonic