Glossary - Waldorf Pulse User Manual

Glossary

Aftertouch
The majority of contemporary keyboards are capable of generating aftertouch messages. On
this type of keyboard, when you press harder on a key you are already holding down, a
MIDI Aftertouch message is generated. This feature makes sounds even more expressive
(e.g. through vibrato).
Amount
Describes to which extent a modulation influences a given parameter.
Attack
An envelope parameter. "Attack" is a term that describes the ascent rate of an envelope
from its starting point to the point where it reaches its highest value. The Attack phase is
initiated immediately after a trigger signal is received, i.e. after you play a note on the
keyboard.
Control Change (Controllers)
MIDI messages enable you to manipulate the response of a sound generator to a significant
degree.
This message essentially consists of two components:
• The Controller number, which defines the element to be influenced. It can be
between 0 and 127.
• The Controller value, which determines the extent of the modification.
Controllers can be used for effects such as slowly swelling vibrato, changing the stereo
panorama position and influencing filter frequency.
CV
CV is the abbreviation for control voltage. In analog synthesizers, control voltages are used
to control sound parameters like pitch, cutoff frequency etc. E.g. to get a tremolo effect, the
output signal of a LFO must be routed to the CV input of an (or several) oscillator(s).
Decay
"Decay" describes the descent rate of an envelope once the Attack phase has reached its
zenith and the envelope drops to the level defined for the Sustain value.
Filter
A filter is a component that allows some of a signal's frequencies to pass through it and
stops other frequencies. The most important aspect of a filter is the filter cutoff frequency.
Filters generally come in four categories: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-stop. A
low-pass filter dampens all frequencies above the cutoff frequency. A high-pass filter in turn
dampens the frequencies below the cutoff. The band-pass filter allows only those
frequencies around the cutoff frequency to pass, all others are dampened. A band-stop filter
does just the opposite, i.e. it dampens only the frequencies around the cutoff frequency.
The most common type is the low-pass filter.
Filter Cutoff Frequency
The filter cutoff frequency is a significant factor for filters. A low-pass filter dampens the
portion of the signal that lies above this frequency. Frequencies below this value are
allowed to pass through without being processed.
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