Sound module
Encyclopedia
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device. The external device may be a controller
MIDI controller
MIDI controller is used in two senses.*In one sense, a controller is hardware or software which generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices....
, which is a device that provides the human-playable interface and may or may not produce sounds of its own, or a sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
, which is computer hardware or software designed to play electronic musical instruments. Connections between sound modules, controllers, and sequencers are generally made with MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), which is a standardized protocol designed for this purpose.
Sound modules may use any number of technologies to produce their sounds. A sound module may be a synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, a sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
, a digital piano
Digital piano
A digital piano is a modern electronic musical instrument, different from the electronic keyboard, designed to serve primarily as an alternative to a traditional piano, both in the way it feels to play and in the sound produced. It is meant to provide an accurate simulation of a real piano. Some...
, or a rompler
Rompler
A rompler is an electronic musical instrument that plays back samples stored in ROM chips to generate sound. Romplers lack the ability to record such samples and have limited or no capability for generating original waveforms...
.
Drum modules are sound modules which specialize in percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
sounds. Drum modules may be triggered by external trigger pads or pickups as well as through MIDI. Drum modules are distinguished from drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s through their lack of dedicated on-board triggers and lack of an integrated sequencer.
Sound modules are often rack-mountable
19-inch rack
A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.-Overview and history:Equipment designed...
, but might also have a table-top form factor
Form factor
Form factor may refer to:*Form factor or emissivity, the proportion of energy transmitted by that object which can be transferred to another object...
.
A sound module has the same advantages over a fully integrated instrument as does any system with a modularized design:
- Cost — a sound module is cheaper than a comparable instrument equipped with a controller
- Space — a sound module takes up less room than an instrument equipped with a controller
- Obsolescence cycles — when it becomes obsolete, a sound module can be replaced without changing a favorite controller, or vice versa.
Because most electronic instruments are designed in a modularized way, manufacturers often release a sound module version of their fully integrated instruments. A sound module may have all the other features of the controller-equipped version, but it often has a smaller display or limited programming controls. In this case, sounds can be loaded through MIDI or external media. In some cases, sound modules have expanded capacity for sounds in comparison to the controller-equipped version.
Hardware sound modules have in recent years been replaced to a large extent with software equivalents
Software synthesizer
A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth is a computer program or plug-in for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required dedicated...
.
Notable sound modules
- Roland MKS20, Piano sound module used by many acts in the 80s to early 90s. Based on engine from RD1000.
- Yamaha TX16WYamaha TX16WThe Yamaha TX16W is a rack mount sampler sound module made by Yamaha.The TX16W has 12-bit sound with up to 50 kHz mono, and 33 kHz stereo sampling. Its filter is digital, allowing 17 different types, with 1 per voice. On the rear along with a regular stereo output, there are 8 individual outputs. ...
(1988), sound module with an ability to boot OSOperating systemAn operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
from diskette; known particularly well for having a third-party OS codenamed Typhoon 2000Typhoon 2000Typhoon 2000 is the first official release of Typhoon since version 1.0. It will also be the last and final version to be released. As further development on this product has ceased, Typhoon 2000 is released as freeware....
by NuEdge Development, a group of hackers who were dissatisfied with original OS. - Roland Sound CanvasRoland Sound CanvasRoland/Edirol Sound Canvas lineup is a series of PCM-based MIDI sound modules and PC sound cards primarily intended for computer music usage, created by Roland Corporation. All Sound Canvas modules are General MIDI compatible...
series (1991), first sound module to implement General MIDIGeneral MIDIGeneral MIDI or GM is a standardized specification for music synthesizers that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee and first published in 1991...
standard with GSRoland GSRoland GS, or just GS, sometimes expanded as General Standard or General Sound, is an extension of General MIDI specification. It requires that all GS-compatible equipment must meet a certain set of features and it documents interpretations of some MIDI commands and bytes sequences, thus defining...
extensions.
See also
- Modular synthesizerModular synthesizerThe modular synthesizer is a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires to create a so-called patch. Every output generates a signal – an electric voltage of variable strength...
- Software synthesizerSoftware synthesizerA software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth is a computer program or plug-in for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required dedicated...
- SynthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...