Often used in the realm of digital keyboard synthesisers, an instrument that is multitimbral is one which allows you to combine several voices or timbres at the same time. This may be done by splitting the keyboard at a given point and being able to play, for example, a bass sample with the left hand and a piano sample with the right hand. Another possibility would be to have several separate instruments connected via MIDI to a multitimbral synthesiser and to play different sounds from the same synthesiser with each instrument. The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is an industry-standard protocol that defines each note precisely and concisely, allowing electronic musical instruments and computers to talk to each other. ...

Background

Multitimbrality is achieved by having a synthesiser with more than one sound producing module. In a fully digital system, each sound module is virtual, since in reality algorithms combine samples together in real time for output to a single D-A (digital to analogue) circuit. Virtual reality (abbreviated VR) describes an environment that is simulated by a computer. ... Flowcharts are often used to represent algorithms. ...

Synthesisers that can combine n timbres together are called n voice multitimbral. For example, a synthesiser capable of playing eight voices or timbres at one time would be an eight voice multitimbral instrument.

Applications

Inexpensive multitimbral synthesisers combined with a MIDI equipped computer (such as the Atari ST, before PCs became equipped as standard with a MIDI interface) made home studio recording much more accessible to the digital musician, particularly instrumental keyboard players. By capturing information digitally via MIDI, one could play back an entire work with several voices on a single multitimbral synthesiser. This, combined with a relatively cheap four track tape machine (or higher end 16 and 24 track reel-to-reel machines would allow a musician to layer a number of keyboard tracks digitally, and then use a single track for MIDI information and the rest for analogue sounds, without requiring intermediate mix-downs to gain additional needed synth tracks. Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is an industry-standard protocol that defines each note precisely and concisely, allowing electronic musical instruments and computers to talk to each other. ... The Atari ST was a home/personal computer system released by Atari in 1985. ... The tower of a personal computer. ... Historical records of events have been made for thousands of years in one form or another. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is an industry-standard protocol that defines each note precisely and concisely, allowing electronic musical instruments and computers to talk to each other. ... A Sony TC-630 reel-to-reel recorder, once a common household object. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is an industry-standard protocol that defines each note precisely and concisely, allowing electronic musical instruments and computers to talk to each other. ...

See also

• monotimbral