Synthesizer voice: Difference between revisions

[[File:Block diagram of a very basic synth voice.svg|thumb|right|350px|The block diagram for a very basic synth voice. Inputs on the left, outputs on the right and control inputs below.]]A '''synthesizer voice''' is an individual audio circuit path thatin a synthesizer which produces an individual sound.

The simplest standard voice is made up of a [[VCO]], a [[VCF]], a [[VCA]] and the [[envelope generator]] to give the note [[timbre]] and dynamics (changes in loudness). In a polyphonic synthesizer, each voice is a parallel signal path with its own oscillator, amplifierfilter and filteramplifier. A paraphonic synthesizer plays several notes at once, however they all go to a single filter.<ref name="basics"/><ref name="tcs">''The complete synthesizer'' by David Crombie, Omnibus Press, 1982, {{ISBN|0711900566}}, p. 15</ref><ref name="ncs">''The new complete synthesizer'' by David Crombie, Omnibus Press, 1986, {{ISBN|0711907013}}, pp. 23-26</ref>

Sometimes ''voice'' is also used to refer to a [[patch]] or a preset instrument-like sound.<ref name="basics"/><ref name="rola">[https://www.roland.com/uk/blog/digital-pianos-faqs/ Roland - Digital pianos FAQ]</ref>

Rather than have a voice for each key, a polyphonic synth's keyboard will use [[Voicevoice allocation|]] to allocate a voice]] to whichever key is pressed. Exceeding the maximum polyphony results in voices cutting out abruptly.<ref name="rola" />