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Electronic Music Production Terms
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Autotune
A processor that corrects the pitch of a vocal or solo instrument to the nearest true semitone (or chosen scale tones).
LFO
Stands for Low-Frequency Oscillator, a type of non-audio signal used to modulate synthesis parameters, like pitch or filter cutoff, in a rhythmic fashion.
MIDI
An acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and connectors that allow electronic musical instruments to connect and communicate with computers.
Filter Cutoff
The frequency at which an audio filter begins to attenuate the amplitude of signal components above or below a certain threshold.
Granular Synthesis
A method of sound synthesis based on splitting audio into small particles or 'grains' and then rearranging, modulating, or resynthesizing the sound.
Noise Gate
A type of dynamic range expander that attenuates an audio signal when it falls below a set threshold, often used to reduce background noise or hiss.
Oscillator
In synthesis, a component that generates periodic waveforms to produce pitch and is the primary source of sound in a synthesizer.
Ducking
A technique similar to sidechain compression where a signal's volume is reduced when another signal is present, used to create more space in the mix for elements like vocals.
Delay
An effect that records an audio signal for playback after a period of time, creating an echo or repetition of the sound.
Distortion
An effect used to change the sound quality by creating harmonics or 'dirty' texture, through various methods such as overdrive, saturation, and fuzz.
Arpeggiator
A feature found in synthesizers and music software that automatically steps through a sequence of notes based on an input chord, thus creating an arpeggio.
Clipping
A form of waveform distortion that occurs when an amplifier is overdriven and attempts to deliver an output voltage or current beyond its maximum capability.
Wavetable Synthesis
A technique that employs a series of waveforms, or 'wavetables', that can be scanned through or morphed to create complex sounds and tones.
Quantization
The process of aligning musical notes to a grid in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). This can be used to correct timing errors and rigidify rhythmic patterns.
Chorus
An effect that simulates the slight variations in pitch and timing that occur when multiple performers play or sing the same part.
Multiband Compression
A type of dynamic range compression that allows for the independent compression of different frequency bands within an audio signal.
Limiting
A type of dynamic range compression with a very high ratio and a fast attack time, used to prevent an audio signal from peaking above a certain level.
Compression
A dynamic range processing effect that reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds by narrowing the dynamic range of an audio signal.
Vocoder
An effect by which the spectral character of one sound is imposed upon another, often used to create a 'robotic' voice effect.
Reverb
An effect that simulates the reflection of sounds in a physical space, adding ambience or a sense of space to the source audio.
Waveform
A graphical representation of the shape of a sound wave which can be a sine, square, triangle, or sawtooth in a synthesizer.
ADSR
Stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release, which are the four stages that define the sound envelope of a musical note.
Phaser
An effect that creates a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum of a sound, creating a sweeping effect reminiscent of a jet plane.
Sampler
An electronic or digital musical instrument that uses sound recordings (or 'samples') of real instrument sounds or other audio material, which can be played back in various ways.
EQ
Short for 'Equalization', the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal.
Saturation
A form of mild distortion coming from overdriving analog equipment, typically characterized by 'warming up' the sound.
Synthesizer
An electronic instrument capable of generating audio signals to create sounds through various methods such as subtractive, additive, FM, and physical modeling synthesis.
Subtractive Synthesis
A method of sound synthesis where harmonically rich waveforms are shaped by filters to reduce certain frequencies, thus creating the final sound.
Sidechain
A production technique where the level of one sound is reduced by the presence of another (e.g. the kick drum reducing the volume of a bass line). Commonly used in dance music for the 'pumping' effect.
Low-Pass Filter
An electronic filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a certain cutoff frequency and attenuates frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency.
Bitcrusher
An effect that reduces the bit depth or sample rate of digital audio, resulting in audible distortion and a 'lo-fi' sonic texture.
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