miller-book/node64.html

162 lines
5.3 KiB
HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--Converted with LaTeX2HTML 2002-2-1 (1.71)
original version by: Nikos Drakos, CBLU, University of Leeds
* revised and updated by: Marcus Hennecke, Ross Moore, Herb Swan
* with significant contributions from:
Jens Lippmann, Marek Rouchal, Martin Wilck and others -->
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<TITLE>Polyphony</TITLE>
<META NAME="description" CONTENT="Polyphony">
<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="book">
<META NAME="resource-type" CONTENT="document">
<META NAME="distribution" CONTENT="global">
<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="LaTeX2HTML v2002-2-1">
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Style-Type" CONTENT="text/css">
<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" HREF="book.css">
<LINK REL="next" HREF="node65.html">
<LINK REL="previous" HREF="node61.html">
<LINK REL="up" HREF="node58.html">
<LINK REL="next" HREF="node65.html">
</HEAD>
<BODY >
<!--Navigation Panel-->
<A NAME="tex2html1501"
HREF="node65.html">
<IMG WIDTH="37" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next"
SRC="next.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1495"
HREF="node58.html">
<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="up"
SRC="up.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1489"
HREF="node63.html">
<IMG WIDTH="63" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="previous"
SRC="prev.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1497"
HREF="node4.html">
<IMG WIDTH="65" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="contents"
SRC="contents.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1499"
HREF="node201.html">
<IMG WIDTH="43" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="index"
SRC="index.png"></A>
<BR>
<B> Next:</B> <A NAME="tex2html1502"
HREF="node65.html">Voice allocation</A>
<B> Up:</B> <A NAME="tex2html1496"
HREF="node58.html">Automation and voice management</A>
<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME="tex2html1490"
HREF="node63.html">Switch-and-ramp</A>
&nbsp; <B> <A NAME="tex2html1498"
HREF="node4.html">Contents</A></B>
&nbsp; <B> <A NAME="tex2html1500"
HREF="node201.html">Index</A></B>
<BR>
<BR>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
<H1><A NAME="SECTION00840000000000000000"></A>
<A NAME="sect4.polyphony"></A>
<BR>
Polyphony
</H1>
<P>
In music, the term
<A NAME="4665"></A><I>polyphony</I>
is usually used to mean "more than one separate voices singing or playing at
different pitches one from another". When speaking of electronic musical
instruments we use the term to mean "maintaining several copies of some
process in parallel." We usually call each copy a "voice" in keeping with the
analogy, although the voices needn't be playing separately distinguishable
sounds.
<P>
In this language, a piano is a polyphonic instrument, with 88 "voices". Each
voice of the piano is normally capable of playing exactly one pitch. There
is never a question of which voice to use to play a note of a given pitch,
and no question, either, of playing several notes simultaneously at the
same pitch.
<P>
Many polyphonic electronic musical instruments take a more flexible approach
to voice management. Most software synthesis programs (like Csound) use
a dynamic voice allocation scheme, so that, in effect, a new voice is
created for every note in the score. In systems such as Max or Pd, which are
oriented toward real-time interactive use, a
<A NAME="4667"></A><I>voice bank</I> is allocated in advance, and the work to be done (playing
notes, or whatever) is distributed among the voices in the bank.
<P>
<DIV ALIGN="CENTER"><A NAME="fig04.08"></A><A NAME="4671"></A>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION ALIGN="BOTTOM"><STRONG>Figure 4.8:</STRONG>
A voice bank for polyphonic synthesis.</CAPTION>
<TR><TD><IMG
WIDTH="146" HEIGHT="305" BORDER="0"
SRC="img371.png"
ALT="\begin{figure}\psfig{file=figs/fig04.08.ps}\end{figure}"></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
</DIV>
<P>
This is diagrammed in Figure <A HREF="#fig04.08">4.8</A>, where the several voices each
produce one output signal, which are all added to make the total output of the
voice bank. Frequently the individual voices will need several
separate outputs; for instance, they might output several channels so that
they may be panned individually; or they might have individual effect
sends so that each may have its own send level.
<P>
<HR>
<!--Navigation Panel-->
<A NAME="tex2html1501"
HREF="node65.html">
<IMG WIDTH="37" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next"
SRC="next.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1495"
HREF="node58.html">
<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="up"
SRC="up.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1489"
HREF="node63.html">
<IMG WIDTH="63" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="previous"
SRC="prev.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1497"
HREF="node4.html">
<IMG WIDTH="65" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="contents"
SRC="contents.png"></A>
<A NAME="tex2html1499"
HREF="node201.html">
<IMG WIDTH="43" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="index"
SRC="index.png"></A>
<BR>
<B> Next:</B> <A NAME="tex2html1502"
HREF="node65.html">Voice allocation</A>
<B> Up:</B> <A NAME="tex2html1496"
HREF="node58.html">Automation and voice management</A>
<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME="tex2html1490"
HREF="node63.html">Switch-and-ramp</A>
&nbsp; <B> <A NAME="tex2html1498"
HREF="node4.html">Contents</A></B>
&nbsp; <B> <A NAME="tex2html1500"
HREF="node201.html">Index</A></B>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
<ADDRESS>
Miller Puckette
2006-12-30
</ADDRESS>
</BODY>
</HTML>