Glossary

A

algorithm also algorithms

The wiring of an FM engine’s operators: which are carriers and which modulate which. KiMiA has 16. Lesson 16.3 ›

aliasing also aliases, alias

False partials in digital audio: a frequency above half the sample rate cannot be stored and folds back down, unrelated to the note. Played up a scale, aliases move the wrong way. Crush makes it on purpose; oversampling keeps it out of the other shapers. Lesson 9.2 ›

amplitude

How far a vibration swings: the bigger the swing, the louder the sound. KiMiA’s layer Level is a plain amplitude. Lesson 1.4 ›

analog drift also drift

The slow, random wandering of an analog oscillator’s pitch, a few cents, different for every voice. KiMiA’s Vintage control adds it, with small per-note differences of cutoff and envelope times. Lesson 3.1 ›

B

band-pass filter also band-pass

A filter that keeps a slice of frequencies around its cutoff: a nasal, telephone-like sound. Lesson 5.2 ›

beating also beats

The slow swell and fade you hear when two close frequencies sound together. The beat rate equals the difference between them. Lesson 1.1 ›

C

carrier

In modulation (FM, phase or ring), the oscillator you hear, whose sound the other oscillator, the modulator, changes. In KiMiA’s Modulation row, oscillator 1 is the carrier. Lesson 4.2 ›

cents also cent

A hundredth of a semitone, used for fine tuning. An octave is 1200 cents. Lesson 1.1 ›

chorus

An effect that mixes a sound with copies of itself, each delayed by a few milliseconds that keep changing, and spreads them left and right: one voice sounds like several, and wider. Lesson 9.3 ›

comb filter also comb

A very short echo fed back into itself. It rings at one pitch and all its harmonics, so its curve looks like a comb’s teeth, and a burst of noise through it sounds like a plucked string. Lesson 6.4 ›

compressor also compression

An effect that turns a sound down when it rises above a threshold, by a ratio (at 4:1, 4 dB in becomes 1 dB out), so loud and quiet parts move closer together. Attack and release set how fast it acts. Lesson 9.4 ›

cutoff also cutoff frequency

The frequency where a filter starts to cut. On a low-pass filter, lower means darker. KiMiA’s Cutoff runs from 30 Hz to 18 kHz on a logarithmic knob. Lesson 5.1 ›

cycle also period

One complete repetition of a vibration. A note at 440 Hz completes a cycle every 2.27 milliseconds. Lesson 1.1 ›

D

damping

On KiMiA’s Comb, how fast the high harmonics die away: from a bright, metallic ring at 0% to a palm-muted thud at 100%. Lesson 6.4 ›

decibels also decibel

A scale of level ratios that matches how we hear: −6 dB halves the amplitude, −20 dB is a tenth, whatever the starting level. Lesson 1.4 ›

Detune also detuning, detuned

Tuning two oscillators a few cents apart, so they drift in and out of step: the sound gains movement, warmth and width. KiMiA spreads the pair around the note, so it stays in tune. Lesson 3.1 ›

Diode ladder also diode

A ladder filter built with diodes instead of transistors. Its stages load each other, so the slope starts gentle and steepens and the resonant peak is sharp and rubbery: the squelch of acid basslines. KiMiA’s type is Diode. Lesson 6.1 ›

drawbar also drawbars, registration

One of an organ’s nine sliders, each adding a sine at one harmonic, from 0 (in) to 8 (all the way out). A registration writes their settings as nine digits, the 16-foot bar first. Lesson 18.1 ›

Drive

A soft saturation just before the filter. It squeezes the wave’s peaks and adds harmonics, so a closed filter still has a rich sound to shape. Lesson 5.5 ›

dynamic range

The span between the softest and the loudest a player or a sound can go, in decibels. About 20 dB from pp to ff feels like a piano. Lesson 1.4 ›

E

envelope also envelopes, ADSR

A shape over time that starts with every note: Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. On loudness it decides whether a sound is struck, held or swelled; on a filter or pitch it moves them once per note. KiMiA has five per layer. Lesson 7.1 ›

Envelope amount

How far Filter 1’s envelope moves its cutoff: +100% raises it four octaves at the envelope’s peak, −100% lowers it four. Lesson 5.4 ›

EQ also equalizer, equalization

Equalization: turning bands of frequencies up or down (shelves for the lows and highs, a bell for the mids, cuts at either end) to shape a tone or make room for other sounds. Lesson 9.4 ›

Euclidean rhythm also Euclidean

A rhythm made by spreading a number of hits as evenly as they will go over a number of steps. Three hits in eight steps is x..x..x. Lesson 19.4 ›

F

filter envelope

An envelope that moves the cutoff over the course of each note. Filter 1 has its own (its Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release, under Filter in the envelope panel); Envelope amount sets how far it moves the cutoff, and Filter 2 follows it by its own amount. Lesson 5.4 ›

filter FM also Osc 2 FM

Moving a filter’s cutoff at audio rate with an oscillator, so the filter opens inside every cycle and the sound growls. On KiMiA’s Filter 1 panel it is Osc 2 FM, up to ±4 octaves. Lesson 6.5 ›

flanger

An effect that mixes a sound with a copy delayed by about a millisecond, cutting a comb of evenly spaced notches that sweep together: the metallic jet sound. Feedback makes it ring. Lesson 9.3 ›

FM also FM synthesis, frequency modulation

Frequency modulation: one sine, the modulator, moves the phase of another, the carrier, at audio rate, which adds sidebands. The ratio of their frequencies sets which sidebands appear; the index sets how strong they are. Lesson 16.1 ›

formants also formant

The regions of the spectrum a voice (or an instrument body) boosts, whatever note is played. Their positions tell the ear which vowel it hears. KiMiA’s Vowel filter puts five of them on a sound, placed as a soprano’s, alto’s, tenor’s or bass’s. Lesson 6.4 ›

frequency

How many cycles a vibration completes each second, measured in hertz. It sets the pitch: the higher the frequency, the higher the note. Lesson 1.1 ›

frequency modulation also

Moving one oscillator’s frequency with another at audio rate, which adds sidebands: new partials spaced by the modulator’s frequency. The ratio between the two decides which partials, the amount how many. Lesson 4.2 ›

fundamental

The lowest and usually strongest sine wave in a pitched note: the pitch you hear. C3’s fundamental is 131 Hz. Lesson 1.2 ›

G

General MIDI also

A standard that puts each drum on a set key (kick on 36, snare on 38, closed hat on 42), so drum pads and drum parts play the right sounds on any instrument. Lesson 18.4 ›

granular synthesis also grain, grains

Building a sound from many tiny overlapping slices (grains) of a source, which lets time and pitch move independently: stretched, frozen or scattered into a cloud. KiMiA’s Grain engine does it on any layer. Lesson 19.1 ›

H

hard sync also sync, oscillator sync

Restarting one oscillator every time another starts its cycle. The synced oscillator keeps the master’s pitch, and moving its own pitch sweeps a bright, tearing resonance through the harmonics: the sync lead. Lesson 4.1 ›

harmonic series

The harmonics of a note in order, at 1, 2, 3, 4… times its frequency: an octave, a fifth, a fourth, a major third and ever smaller steps. Lesson 1.2 ›

harmonics also harmonic, overtones, overtone

The sine waves above the fundamental, at 2, 3, 4… times its frequency. Their balance is the sound’s tone color. Lesson 1.2 ›

hertz also kilohertz, kHz

The unit of frequency: cycles per second. A4 is 440 Hz; 1 kHz (kilohertz) is 1000 Hz. Lesson 1.1 ›

high-pass filter also high-pass

A filter that lets frequencies above its cutoff through and turns the lower ones down. Thins a sound and keeps a layer out of the bass. Lesson 5.2 ›

I

inharmonic

Made of partials that are not whole-number multiples of a fundamental, like a bell or a metal bar. The ear hears it as metallic, with an unclear pitch. Lesson 1.3 ›

insert effect also insert, inserts, insert effects

An effect that sits in one layer’s path, after its notes meet: KiMiA has two per layer, each holding one of eighteen effects (Chorus, Phaser, Rotary, Wah, Amp, Compressor, EQ, Delay and more). Lesson 5.5 ›

intermodulation

The new tones a distortion makes when several notes pass through it together: their sums and differences. It makes a distorted power chord heavy and a distorted third muddy. Character, which distorts each note alone, makes none. Lesson 9.4 ›

K

Key tracking also keyboard tracking

Moving the cutoff with the note played. At 100% it moves an octave for every octave, around middle C, so every register keeps the same brightness. Lesson 5.4 ›

L

Ladder filter also ladder

A filter built like the famous 1960s and 70s synthesizer filters: four stages in a feedback loop. Warm and thick, it sings at high resonance and can self-oscillate. Lesson 6.1 ›

Leslie also rotary speaker

A speaker cabinet with a spinning treble horn and bass drum, whose movement makes an organ swirl. Slow and Fast are its two speeds. Lesson 18.2 ›

low-pass filter also low-pass

A filter that lets frequencies below its cutoff through and turns the higher ones down. The “brightness” filter behind most synth sounds. Lesson 5.1 ›

low-pass gate also lpg, vactrol

A low-pass filter whose level closes with its tone, through a slow light-sensitive cell (a vactrol). Struck open, it dies away like a wooden bar, so it plays the note as well as filtering it. KiMiA’s type is Low-pass gate (LPG). Lesson 6.3 ›

LUFS also loudness

Loudness Units relative to Full Scale: a measure of loudness that weights frequencies roughly as the ear does. KiMiA sets every shipped sound to the same LUFS. Lesson 1.4 ›

M

MIDI note number also MIDI note

The number a keyboard sends for each key: 60 for middle C (C4), 69 for A4, one more per semitone. Lesson 1.1 ›

modes

The frequencies an object rings at of its own accord when struck, each dying away at its own speed. A string’s are harmonic; a bar’s or a bell’s are not. Lesson 17.1 ›

modulator also modulators, LFO, low-frequency oscillator

A shape that repeats (or a random value that changes) and moves any control it is routed to: vibrato on pitch, tremolo on level, a wobble on the cutoff. Classic synths call it an LFO. KiMiA has eight per layer. Lesson 8.1 ›

MPE also MIDI Polyphonic Expression

MIDI Polyphonic Expression: each note on its own MIDI channel, so each can carry its own pitch bend, slide and pressure. Lesson 23.4 ›

N

noise

Sound that never repeats: it has no pitch and spreads its energy over every frequency. Breath, bow scrape, cymbals and wind are noise. Lesson 1.3 ›

normal touch

The velocity at which a KiMiA sound plays exactly as set: 100 on the Hard touch keyboard curve, KiMiA’s default. Touch controls move a sound away from it in both directions. Lesson 5.4 ›

notch filter also notch

A filter that removes a slice of frequencies around its cutoff and keeps the rest: a hollow, slightly phasey color. Lesson 5.2 ›

O

octave

A doubling of the frequency, heard as the same note higher up. Twelve semitones; 1200 cents. Lesson 1.1 ›

operator also operators, carrier, carriers

One oscillator of an FM engine, with its own ratio, level and envelope. A carrier is heard; a modulator changes the sound of the operator it modulates. Lesson 16.1 ›

oscillator also oscillators, Osc

The part of a synthesizer that vibrates: it makes the raw wave, with its pitch and its harmonics. Each KiMiA layer has two, Osc 1 and Osc 2, beside a Sub and a noise source. Lesson 3.1 ›

oversampling

Computing a stage at a multiple of the sample rate, then filtering back down, so the harmonics a distortion makes above the hearing range are removed before they can turn into aliasing. KiMiA runs Drive, Warm, Clip and Fold at up to four times the rate where a note needs it. Lesson 9.2 ›

P

partials also partial

All the frequencies a sound vibrates at, whatever their ratios. When they are whole-number multiples of the fundamental they are called harmonics. Lesson 1.3 ›

phaser

An effect that mixes a sound with a copy shifted by a chain of all-pass stages, cutting a few unevenly spaced notches that sweep up and down: a soft swirl. Lesson 9.3 ›

physical model also physical modeling, physical models

A sound made by simulating an object, such as a bar, a tine or a string, and how it is struck, plucked or bowed, instead of by shaping a wave. Lesson 17.1 ›

Position also wavetable position

Where in a wavetable the oscillator plays, from the first frame (0) to the last (100%). Modulating it morphs the sound. Lesson 15.1 ›

pre-delay

A short gap before a reverb starts, which keeps a note’s attack clear of the wash: 20 to 60 ms is typical. Lesson 9.5 ›

pulse width also duty cycle

The share of each cycle a pulse wave spends “on”. At 50% it is a square, odd harmonics only; at a width of 1/n every n-th harmonic is missing, and narrow pulses sound thin and nasal. Lesson 3.2 ›

PWM also pulse-width modulation, pulse width modulation

Pulse-width modulation: the pulse width swept over time, in KiMiA by Modulator 1’s shape and rate. The missing harmonics move with it, which sounds like a chorus or an ensemble from a single oscillator. Lesson 3.2 ›

Q

Q

The engineers’ measure of how sharp a resonant peak is. KiMiA’s Resonance 0% is a Q of 0.5; 90% is a Q of 20. Lesson 5.2 ›

R

resonance

A peak a filter adds at its cutoff, boosting the harmonics there. A little gives focus; a lot makes the filter ring and sing. KiMiA’s Resonance runs from 0% to 90%. Lesson 5.2 ›

Resonator also filter bank

KiMiA’s bank of four tuned band-passes: the first at the Cutoff, the others stacked a Spread apart (thirds, fourths, fifths or octaves), so a burst of noise or a pluck rings a chord. Lesson 6.4 ›

Reverb also reverberation

The thousands of reflections a space adds to a sound, blending into a wash that fades. Its decay time is how long it takes to fall by 60 dB. Lesson 9.5 ›

ring modulation also ring mod

Multiplying two oscillators. With two sine waves only their sum and difference frequencies remain: at uneven ratios, metallic and bell-like. Lesson 4.2 ›

S

sampler also sampling, samples, multisampling

An instrument that plays recordings instead of making a wave. Multisampling records the instrument every few keys and at several touches so no recording is stretched far. Lesson 23.1 ›

saturation

Gentle distortion that rounds off a wave’s peaks, adding harmonics and making loud and soft moments closer together. Warm in small amounts, gritty in large ones. Lesson 5.5 ›

saw wave also sawtooth, saw

A wave that rises steadily and drops suddenly. It contains every harmonic, the n-th at 1/n of the fundamental’s level: the brightest classic wave, and the favorite starting point for filtering. Lesson 5.1 ›

self-oscillation

When a filter’s resonance is so strong that it keeps ringing on its own, producing a sine wave at the cutoff even with no sound going in. KiMiA’s Ladder self-oscillates from about 87%. Lesson 6.1 ›

semitone

The step from one key to the next. In equal temperament every semitone multiplies the frequency by the twelfth root of 2, about 1.0595. Lesson 1.1 ›

send also sends, send level

How much of a layer goes into a shared effect. The effect’s return is mixed with the dry sound, so each layer can sit at its own distance in the same space. Lesson 9.5 ›

sidebands also sideband

The frequencies FM adds on either side of the carrier, at the carrier plus and minus whole multiples of the modulator’s frequency. Lesson 16.1 ›

signal journey also signal flow, signal chain

The order in which a KiMiA layer processes each note: oscillators, Drive, the filters, Character, the amplitude envelope, then the layer’s inserts, Level and effects. Lesson 5.5 ›

sine wave also sine

The simplest vibration, a smooth swing like a pendulum’s: the only sound made of exactly one frequency. Every other sound can be built from sine waves. Lesson 1.1 ›

slope also dB per octave

How quickly a filter turns sound down beyond its cutoff, in decibels per octave. KiMiA’s filters have 12 dB (gentle) and 24 dB (steep). Lesson 5.2 ›

spectrogram

A picture of sound over time: time runs left to right, frequency bottom to top, and brightness shows loudness. Each harmonic is a horizontal line. Lesson 1.5 ›

spectrum

A picture of the frequencies in a sound at one moment, one line per harmonic, its height the level: the sound’s recipe. Lesson 1.5 ›

sub oscillator also sub, sub-oscillator

An extra tone one or two octaves below the note: weight without a change of pitch. KiMiA’s Sub plays a sine, square, saw or 25% pulse, one per note, untouched by Detune and unison; its Fine detunes it into a third oscillator. Lesson 3.3 ›

subtractive synthesis

Making sounds by starting with a bright, rich wave and taking harmonics away with a filter. The oldest and most widely used way of synthesizing sound, and the heart of every KiMiA layer. Lesson 5.1 ›

Supersaw also super saw

Seven saws in one oscillator, a center saw and six detuned around it, made famous by a late-1990s virtual-analog synthesizer. KiMiA’s Supersaw wave has its own Detune and Mix. Lesson 3.4 ›

T

timbre also tone color

The color of a sound, what makes a flute and a violin playing the same note sound different. Mostly decided by the balance of the harmonics and how it changes over time. Lesson 1.3 ›

Touch → brightness

A control on KiMiA’s Filter 1 panel: how many octaves the cutoff moves with your touch. A normal touch plays the cutoff as set; softer is darker, harder is brighter. Lesson 5.4 ›

U

unison also unison voices

Several detuned copies of a layer’s oscillators playing every note, spread across the stereo field; KiMiA plays up to eight. It makes a sound thick and wide, at a cost in computing power. Lesson 3.5 ›

V

velocity

How fast a key goes down, sent by the keyboard as a number from 1 to 127. Synths turn it into loudness, brightness or anything else. Lesson 1.4 ›

velocity curve

How a keyboard’s key speed becomes velocity. KiMiA offers Linear, Soft touch, Hard touch (the default) and Fixed · 100, set per keyboard in Routing. Lesson 5.4 ›

vocoder

A device that measures a modulator (usually a voice) in many frequency bands and shapes a carrier (usually a synth chord) to match, so the chord speaks. Lesson 23.3 ›

W

warp also warp mode, warps

A reshaping of a wavetable’s cycle before it plays: Bend, Sync, Fold, Mirror or Quant. Each one adds harmonics in its own way, set by the warp amount. Lesson 15.3 ›

wavefolding also wavefolder, fold

Distortion that turns the top of a wave back down on itself instead of flattening it. As the drive rises the wave folds again and again, and groups of harmonics rise and fall in turn: the metallic, vocal sweep of West Coast synthesizers. KiMiA’s Character Fold. Lesson 9.2 ›

waveform

A picture of the air pressure over time: the shape of the vibration, a few cycles long. Lesson 1.5 ›

wavetable also wavetables, wavetable synthesis

A series of single-cycle waves, called frames, played one cycle at a time at the note’s pitch. Moving through the frames morphs the sound’s harmonics. Each KiMiA table holds 256 frames. Lesson 15.1 ›