(3)Sound Waves Properties

Velocity

A MIDI parameter that represents the force or speed with which a note is played.

Wavelength

The physical distance between identical points on successive cycles of a sound wave.

Acoustical Phase

The position of a sound wave in its cycle at a given point in time.

Constructive Interference

The phenomenon where two or more sound waves combine to create a resulting wave with a larger amplitude.

Destructive Interference

A phenomenon where two or more sound waves combine in a way that reduces or completely cancels out certain frequencies.

Sine Wave (Pure tone)

Representing a sound with a single, constant frequency and no harmonics, resulting in a smooth, unadulterated waveform that repeats in a perfect sinusoidal pattern.

Waveform

The graphical representation of an audio signal, showing its amplitude over time.

Timbre

The unique "tone color" or "quality" of a sound, which distinguishes different instruments and voices even when playing the same note at the same loudness.

Harmonics

Frequencies that are integer multiples of a sound’s fundamental frequency.

Inharmonic Overtone

An overtone whose frequency is not a whole-number multiple of the fundamental frequency.

Sound Envelope

A control that dictates how a sound’s amplitude changes over time after it is triggered.

Attack

The initial part of a sound, describing how quickly a note or sound reaches its peak amplitude after being triggered.

Initial Decay

The second stage of a sound’s envelope, or its overall loudness contour. This stage measures the amount of time it takes for a sound to drop from its maximum peak amplitude to its sustained volume level.

Sustain

A musical sound’s steady-state volume level after it has reached its peak and while a note is still held.

Release

A parameter on dynamic processors like compressors that controls how quickly the processor stops reducing the gain after the audio signal falls below the established threshold.