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Glossary of Terms ?

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bob dreste

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Sep 7, 1996, 3:00:00 AM9/7/96

Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. I was out looking at
Synths the other day and some of the newer ones can do everything but wipe
your glasses (you thought it didn't ya ?). My problem is, I would like to
know what some of the features are and what they mean. Is there a
"beginners guide to synthesizers" that explains all functions and terms
associated with them ? You know, something right from ground zero: patches,
loops, multitimbral, voices, styles, polyphonic, etc. Thanks for any help.

Soundwave [Chad Gould]

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Sep 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM9/9/96

bob dreste (radr...@cyber1.servtech.com) wrote:
: associated with them ? You know, something right from ground zero: patches,

: loops, multitimbral, voices, styles, polyphonic, etc. Thanks for any help.

PATCHES: A synthesizer sound, usually. Originally derived from the old
synths when patch chords were used to make the various sounds between
modules, it has since evolved into a term for your basic synthesizer
sound. Also called "programs" and "instruments".
Can also be called "combinations" if
combined several ways.

LOOPS: A sample that simply loops around itself somehow, so that it can
play continuously. Sometimes it refers to pre-defined rhythm loops (ie,
a drum beat that is played constantly by looping it over and over)
specifically, but loops are used on all sample-based keyboards.

MULTITIMBRAL: Can play more than one instrument at once, via MIDI,
sequencer, etc.

VOICES: Number of actual notes that can be played simultaneously. This can be
confusing if an instrument/patch uses more than one voice (as can
happen sometimes). Also called "polyphony".

GROUND ZERO: Start off small. A unit like a QS6, a CS1X, or a X5D is a
great synth to learn about things. Starting off with a K2000, with so
many features that you won't have a clue about, is not the best idea.
They don't make synths as easy as they used to (I started off on a
Yamaha DX27; I consider THAT easy compared to today's stuff), but it's
better to start off small then to dive into workstations with high
learning curves.

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