Amplitude, Frequency & Phase

This lesson explains the nature of sound especially musical sound signals of instruments or music. Three basic properties of an audio signal are its amplitude, frequency and phase. Amplitude is the size of the vibration that determines how loud the sound is. Frequency is the speed of the vibration that determines the pitch of the sound. Phase is a form of music that uses phasing as a primary compositional process.

Wave Shapes

A wave shape is a graphical representation of the shape and form of a signal moving. In this lesson we explain the basic wave shapes used for generating sound in electronic instruments. These basic wave shapes are used ever since synthesizers first came to be.

Complex Wave Shapes

Complex wave shapes are the result of combining the instantaneous amplitudes of two or more sine waves. This lesson explains the complex wave shapes that can also be used as oscillators in certain types of synthesizers. These complex wave shapes are used to create even more complex sounds than what is available using the basic wave shapes.

Spectral Response

This lesson explains the spectral response as seen using an FFT type of analyzer. FFT analyzers can transform a complex signal into separate individual harmonics and show their frequency and amplitude.

Sound Design

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