EML SynKey Owner's Manual page 13

Introduction
All musical sounds may be described in
terms of just four characteristics: duration,
pitch, loudness and timbre. The duration,
pitch, loudness and timbre of traditional
instruments depend upon the size and shape
of the instrument, the materials of which it is
made, and the manner in which it is bowed,
struck, plucked or blown.
DURATION: Some instruments — strings,
woodwinds and brasses — produce
sustained tones, limited only by bowing
technique or by human lung capacity.
Percussive instuments like the harpsichord or
piano, bells, or plucked strings produce
sounds which fade in a predictable way.
PITCH: Traditional instruments may be
grouped according to the definiteness of
their pitch. Strings, woodwinds and brasses
have well defined pitch; bells, woodblocks
and tympani have less well defined pitch;
and snare drums and gongs have virtually no
pitch.
The pitch of traditional instruments
depends upon the mechanical properties of
the vibrating element; for example, the length
of a column of air, or the weight, tension and
length of a vibrating string. Generally, to
produce lower pitches, traditional musical
instruments must be made larger. The cello
is larger than the violin; the flute is longer
than the piccolo: a tuba is larger than a
trumpet.
LOUDNESS: Each instrument has various
possibilities for loudness and for the way in
which loudness changes in time. In a large
horn, such as a tuba, it takes a while to get a
large amount of air moving, so it takes time
for the tone to reach maximum loudness.
With a percussive or plucked instrument, the
performer controls only the overall loudness.
In an instrument with a sustained tone the
r
performer can control the way in which
loudness changes with time. However, the
" loudness of the tone is somewhat coupled
to the pitch of an instrument and is closely
connected to the timbre of the instrument.
For example, it is impossible to blow a loud
low note on a recorder, and the overtones of
a woodwind or brass instrument change
considerably with loudness.
TIMBRE: Timbre is defined as the quality
of a tone. Because different musical
instruments have different timbre, you are
able to distinguish between them. Timbre
is a many-sided characteristic of sound.
Some elements of timbre depend upon the
nature of the steady tone of an instrument.
The quality of steady tones is determined by
the presence of tones in addition to the
tone which produces the fundamental pitch.
These extra tones are called partials. In the
case of instruments with well defined pitch,
these extra tones are harmonics or
overtones.
When a string player plays an A-440 (the
440 indicates the number of vibrations or
cycles per second being produced by the
string) he also produces 2 x 440 or 880
cycles per second, 3 x 440 or 1320 cycles
per second, 4 x 440 or 1760 cycles per
second, etc. The relative strength of these
harmonics or overtones determines the
timbre and relative brightness of the sound.
Strong overtones mean bright sound; weak
overtones mean a mellow sound. A clarinet
player producing an A-440 will similarly
produce this overtone series; but the even
harmonics 2 x 440, 4 x 440, 6 x 440,
etc. will be very weak, while 3 x 440, 5 x
440, etc. will be relatively strong. This is why
a violin sounds different from a clarinet.
But musical timbre is not completely
determined by the quality of a steady tone.
At least equally important to timbre are
transient effects, particularly the way in
which the strengths of the overtones rise
when a note begins or change with vibrato
or tremelo or with intonation. These dynamic
aspects of a tone are vitally important to
timbre. For example, most of the difference
between a violin tone and a trumpet tone is
due only to these dynamic effects.
Our forebearers have provided us with a
variety of traditional instruments, each of
which provides varying degrees of control
over pitch, timbre, and loudness. Because
these instruments depend on physical con
struction, each has limits on the extent of
control.
THE SYNTHESIZER: The synthesizer is an
electronic instrument which provides the
performer with control over duration, pitch,
loudness, and timbre. The synthesizer does
not depend upon moving air columns,
vibrating reeds or strings to produce sounds.
The synthesizer uses a flow of electrons to
create an electrical wave which can be
amplified and converted into sound waves by
a loudspeaker. With today's technology it is
easy to manipulate electron flow.
The duration of a synthesized tone can be
controlled independently of timbre charac
teristics so that a sound with percussive
character can be sustained.
To change the pitch of a synthesizer by
an octave, we do not have to stretch the
instrument to twice its size, but simply push a
button. The pitch of a synthesized sound can
be precisely controlled, bent, or sent into
motion at superhuman rates.
The loudness, and its variation with time,
of a synthesized sound can be precisely
controlled by a voltage controlled amplifier
without affecting the timbre of the tone.
The timbre of a synthesized sound can be
changed to simulate traditional instruments
or to create sounds of instruments which
never existed. The quality of the sustained
sound can be changed by using different
oscillator waveforms or different settings of a
filter. The flexibility of control of synthesizer
components allows the musician control over
the important dynamic aspects of timbre.
This flexibility, achieved by voltage-controlled
electronics, accounts for the major difference
between a synthesizer and an electronic
organ. It is this flexibility — the fact that the
synthesizer is really a rubber instrument —
which makes it such an attractive and useful
instrument to today's musician.
Naturally, to get the most out of your instru
ment, you will want to learn it thoroughly —
learn its capabilities and limitations — that's
what the next part is about. Have fun!