Understanding Sound; The Basics Of Sound; The Three Elements Of Sound; Partials - Roland JP-8080 Owner's Manual

Understanding Sound

Since moving the controllers on the JP-8080's front panel will modify the sound, it's easy to make new sounds. However if
you have a certain sound in mind, moving the controllers at random will not get you any closer to the desired sound. In
order to create the sound you want, you will need a basic understanding of sound. This section will provide the basic under-
standing of "sound" that you need. Reading and understanding it will help you create the sounds you want.

The Basics of Sound

In our lives we are surrounded by all types of sound. These
sounds exist as "waves," or vibrations in the air. When
these vibrations reach our ear and are conveyed to the
brain, they are interpreted as "sound." The shape of these
"waves" determines the type of sound that they are per-
ceived as.

The Three Elements of Sound

The three elements of sound are "pitch," "brightness," and
"volume."
Pitch
Pitch is determined by the speed at which the wave repeats.
A wave which repeats at a frequency of once each second is
referred to as a "1 Hz" (Hertz) wave.
As the frequency increases, the pitch will rise. As the fre-
quency decreases, the pitch will be lower. For example, A4
(middle A) has a frequency of 440.0 Hz, but if this is raised
an octave the frequency will be doubled (A5 = 880.0 Hz),
and if it is lowered an octave the frequency will be halved
(A3 = 220.00 Hz).
A5
1 Hz sound wave
(= 880 Hz)
A4
(= 440 Hz)
time
A3
1 second
(= 220 Hz)
OSC COMMON OSC SHIFT [-OCT]/[+OCT] (p.71)
Brightness
Brightness is determined by the form (shape) of the wave.
For example if you compare a piano waveform with a sine
waveform, you will see that the piano waveform is much
more complex than the sine waveform. Such differences in
complexity are interpreted by our ears as the "brightness"
of the sound.
Brightness is also closely related to the "partials" (over-
tones) that will be discussed later.
Piano waveform (complex)
Sine waveform (simple)
OSC 1 [WAVEFORM] (p.66)
OSC 2 [WAVEFORM] (p.68)
Volume
Volume is determined by the amplitude (size) of the wave-
form. Greater amplitude means louder volume, and lesser
amplitude means softer volume.
AMP [LEVEL] (p.76)

Partials

time
time We have mentioned that the brightness is determined by
the shape of the waveform, but how is the shape of the
waveform determined?
time
It is generally known that waveforms are made up of multi-
ple sine waves. For example, sawtooth waves or square
waves consist of a fundamental (the "basic" frequency) plus
integer multiples of the fundamental frequency such as 2x,
3x, ... and so on. These multiples of the fundamental fre-
quency are referred to as "overtones" or "partials."
Partials which are integer multiples of the fundamental are
referred to as "harmonic partials," and partials which are
not integer multiples of the fundamental are referred to as
"inharmonic partials." By combining these partials, an infi-
nite range of sounds can be created.
"clang"
time
"pohhh"
time
time
loud sound
time
soft sound
165