Synthesis, Sampling & Sequencing Lecture Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering foundational terms, technologies, and historical examples from the lecture on synthesis, sampling, and sequencing.

Synthesizer

An electronic instrument that creates sounds by generating electrical signals with oscillators and routing them through an amplifier and speaker.

Sampler

An electronic instrument that plays back recorded sounds (samples) loaded by the user or manufacturer, often allowing extensive editing of those sounds.

Sequencer

Hardware or software that records musical performance data and replays it in a specified order of events.

Oscillator

The sound-generating component of a synthesizer that produces basic waveforms such as sawtooth, square, and sine waves.

DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)

The circuit inside a sampler that converts stored digital audio data into an analog signal that can be amplified and heard.

Sound Envelope

The overall shape of a sound’s amplitude changes over time, typically visualized in four stages.

ADSR

An acronym for Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release—the four stages of a standard sound envelope.

Attack (ADSR)

The time it takes for a sound’s amplitude to rise from silence to its peak level.

Decay (ADSR)

The stage after attack during which amplitude decreases until it reaches the sustain level.

Sustain (ADSR)

The period in which a sound is held at a steady level before it begins to fade.

Release (ADSR)

The final stage where amplitude falls from the sustain level back to silence.

Amplitude

The height or strength of a sound wave, perceived as loudness.

Theremin

One of the earliest electronic instruments, patented by Leon Theremin in 1919–1920, played without physical contact.

Ondes Martenot

A 1928 electronic instrument by Maurice Martenot that uses a keyboard and ring controller for pitch and timbre manipulation.

Moog Synthesizer

The first commercial modular synthesizer, created by Robert Moog between 1964–1968, foundational to modern synth design.

Minimoog

A portable version of the Moog synthesizer; first recorded on Sun Ra’s 1969 album ‘My Brother the Wind.’

Akai MPC

A 1988 sampler/drum machine designed by Roger Linn that revolutionized sampling in hip-hop and popular music.

Synthesis

The creation of new sounds electronically using oscillators rather than prerecorded samples.

Sampling

The playback of prerecorded sounds via a sampler, using a DAC to convert them to audio.

808

A reference to the synthesized drum sounds of the Roland TR-808; often sampled and played back in samplers.

TONTO

An expansive synth system used by Stevie Wonder, created by Malcolm Cecil, illustrating early large-scale synthesis in the 1970s.