The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Synthesis & Sound Design – Course Glossary

Additive Synthesis
A type of synthesis where sounds are created through the summing of sine waves. In essence,
by individually creating each of the harmonics in a particular sound (known as the Fourier
series), an approximation of any sound may be created.

ADSR
Attack, Decay, Sustain & Release. The most common type of envelope.

AHDSR
Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain & Release. A type of envelope.

Amplifier
The final stage in the signal path of a synthesiser. Typically controls parameters which affect
the output of the whole synthesiser, such as master volume, polyphony, pitch bend, glide and
legato.

Amplitude
The loudness of a sound. Measured in decibels (dB). Synonym for volume.

Attack
The time taken for a sound to reach its maximum amplitude once triggered. See Envelope.

Band-Pass Filter
A type of filter which allows only sounds within a specified frequency range to pass through.

Cent
A one-hundredth of a semitone.

Chorus
A phase modulation effect used to simulate multiple instruments playing simultaneously.

Comb Filter
A special type of filter used to enhance the resonance of multiple frequencies within a sound.

Compressor / Compression
An effect which is used to even out the dynamic range of a sound.

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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Synthesis & Sound Design – Course Glossary

Cutoff
The frequency at which a filter takes effect.

Decay
The time taken for a sound to fall from its maximum amplitude after the initial attack to the
sustain level. See Envelope.

Delay (with LFO)

The period of time taken for an LFO to take full effect after triggering.

Delay (Effect)
An effect which continuously repeats an input signal after a specified time period, usually at
a steadily decreasing amplitude. Commonly used to simulate echoes.

Distortion
An effect used to clip or otherwise shape an audio signal, which introduces additional
harmonics leading to a distorted or overdriven sound.

Dynamic Range
The difference in decibels (dB) between the quietest and loudest sounds. Sounds with a larger
difference are said to have a higher dynamic range.

Effect
Audio processing modules, such as Reverb, Delay or Distortion, which are used to further
manipulate a sound, typically towards the end of the signal path.

Envelope
Describes how the amplitude of a sound adjusts over time when a note is pressed and
released. See ADSR and AHDSR.

EQ
Stands for equalisation. Used to dynamically reduce or enhance the amplitude of particular
frequency bands within a sound.

Filter
Used to shape sound within a synthesiser, most often by attenuating frequency ranges. Often
referred to as a VCF. The most commonly used types within subtractive synthesis are high-
pass and low-pass filters.

Flanger
A modulation effect that mixes two identical signals separated by a small and gradually
changing time period.

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Frequency
The pitch of a signal in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). Typical human hearing is
approximately in the 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range. Higher pitches have higher frequencies. MIDI
note A4 has a frequency of 440 Hz, whereas MIDI note A1 has a frequency of 55 Hz.

Frequency Modulation (FM) Synthesis

A type of synthesis where the waveform of an oscillator is affected by the frequency of
another modulator.

Fundamental Frequency
The frequency of the specific note played. For example, if an A4 note is played, the
fundamental frequency will be 440 Hz.

Glide
When enabled, the synthesiser emits every tone in sequence between two played notes to
create a sliding or portamento effect. Synthesisers will often allow some configuration of this,
such as the amount of time it should take to glide from one note to another.

Harmonic Frequencies
Other frequencies emitted as overtones to the fundamental. These harmonics define the
instrument's timbre and are decided by the original waveform emitted by the oscillator and
subsequent waveform shaping performed by elements such as filters and effects.

High Pass Filter

A type of filter which allows only frequencies above the cutoff to pass through. Sometimes
referred to as a low-cut filter.

Hold
Used as part of an AHDSR envelope to determine how long a sound should remain at the
maximum amplitude following the attack phase before the decay phase begins.

Key tracking
The automatic adjustment of a parameter relative to the note played. Often used to
dynamically control the cutoff value of a filter.

Legato
Used on monophonic patches to tell the synthesiser not to retrigger modulations such as
envelopes or LFOs when a new overlapping MIDI note is played.

LFO
See Low Frequency Oscillator.

Low Frequency Oscillator

Oscillators which operate at a frequency too low for human hearing. Useful for automatic
modulation of synthesiser parameters.

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Low Pass Filter

A type of filter which allows only frequencies below the cutoff to pass through. Sometimes
referred to as a high-cut filter.

MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A commonly implemented communication standard
designed to allow digital musical instruments and other electronic devices, such as
computers, to interconnect.

Noise Generator
A facility of a synthesiser which generates static noise (white noise, brown noise, pink noise,
etc.). This is often used to add texture during sound design.

Notch Filter
A specific type of filter which removes frequencies within a specified range. Conceptually
opposite to a band-pass filter.

Modulation
The act of changing or controlling a parameter within a synthesiser. This term is often used
when another part of the synthesiser, such as an envelope or LFO, is being used to automate
that change.

Monophonic
See Polyphony.

Oscillator
The first element in the signal path of a subtractive synthesiser. Responsible for producing
the initial waveform. Oscillators commonly generate sine, square, triangle, and sawtooth
waves. Synthesisers may have multiple oscillators.

Patch
The term used to describe the overall set of parameters dialled into the synthesiser to
produce a specific sound.

Phase
The start point of a waveform.

Phaser
A type of modulation effect, similar to a flanger. Phaser’s work by sweeping a set of notch
filters slowly across the frequency spectrum to produce a swirling effect.

Physical Modelling Synthesis

A form of synthesis which uses complex mathematical modelling to generate a waveform.

Pitch bend
The amount the pitch bend wheel affects the pitch of the note. Usually specified in semitones.

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Polyphonic
See Polyphony.

Polyphony
The number of notes which can be played simultaneously. A synthesiser that can play only a
single note at a time is called monophonic. Synthesisers which can play two or more notes
concurrently are polyphonic.

Portamento
See Glide.

Release
The part of an envelope that defines how long it takes for a sound to reduce in amplitude
from the sustain level to zero amplitude once a note is released.

Resonance (Filter)
The boosting of a frequency range just before the cutoff within a filter.

Reverb
An audio effect used to simulate the reverberation of sound as it reflects off hard surfaces.
Often used to emulate the sound of an instrument being played in a room or large concert
hall, for example.

Routing
The method of altering and specifying the signal path.

Signal Path
The conceptual path taken by the sound within the synthesiser from oscillator to amplifier
through filters, envelopes and effects.

Slope (Filters)
The rate of amplitude reduction applied at the filter cutoff. Measured in decibels (dB) per
octave. A higher value signifies a steeper slope, which will make the cutoff more abrupt.

Subtractive Synthesis
The most popular type of synthesis and the one we concentrate on in this course. Oscillators
generate sounds before having filters, envelopes and effects applied.

Sustain
The amplitude at which a note is sustained once the decay phase of an envelope has
completed. The only part of an envelope to be declared in amplitude rather than time.

VCA
Voltage Controlled Amplifier. See Amplifier.

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VCF
Voltage Controlled Filter. See Filter.

VCO
Voltage Controlled Oscillator. See Oscillator.

Velocity
The MIDI standard measurement for how fast a key is pressed. Often used to affect the
amplitude of the sound produced.

Volume
The loudness of a sound. Measured in decibels (dB). Synonym for amplitude.

Waveform
The shape of the generated sound. In the case of oscillators, this will typically be a sine wave,
sawtooth wave, triangle wave or square wave.

Wavetable Synthesis
A popular type of synthesis, similar to subtractive, which uses groups of complex waveforms
for initial sound generation rather than simple oscillators.

This glossary of terms is designed to accompany my Complete Beginner’s Guide to Synthesis and Sound Design online
course. For more info, please click here to be taken to the course on Udemy, or email me at [email protected]

Many thanks,

© Copyright 2022 Steve Lydford.