Basic Sound Synthesis: Part 7 – Miscellaneous Stuff
Monophonic/Polyphonic: Early synthesizers were only capable of producing one note at a time, but through evolution of technology they became more and more powerful (and cheaper to produce), to the point that modern synthesizers can play a near-infinite amount of notes simultaneously (like a piano). However, most synthesizers still have the option of playing in a monophonic or polyphonic mode. Quite simply, a monophonic (think ‘mono’) synthesizer can only play one note at a time, and a polyphonic one can play two or more. The monophonic setting can be useful for some lead and bass sounds, as it prevents two keys from being held down accidentally and overlapping each other.
Portamento/Glide: Gives the ability to slide between notes. The effect of portamento is best used on monophonic sounds to create a bending between notes, but can also be used polyphonically when played in the style of block chords. The time (and occasionally scale) of the glide effect can be changed, allowing...