Glossary

Brightness

also brilliance, edge

How much high-frequency energy a sound carries.

Brightness is the overall tilt of the spectrum. A dark sound leans on the fundamental and lower harmonics, so it reads as round and mellow; a bright sound has stronger upper partials and cuts through. It is usually the first difference you hear between two tones at the same pitch.

• Dark. Mostly the fundamental, with little energy up high. Round, mellow, and covered, like a flute low in its range or a plain sine tone. also mellow, muffled, covered, dull.
• Neutral. A balanced spread of harmonics, neither dull nor piercing. also balanced, even.
• Bright. Strong, present upper partials that cut through. Vivid and edgy, like a trumpet or a bowed violin string. also brilliant, edgy, cutting, present.

Hollow

also reedy, nasal

Whether the sound keeps its even harmonics or leans toward odd harmonics.

Suppressing the even-numbered harmonics leaves an odd-harmonic emphasis, which sounds hollow and reedy, the woody honk of a clarinet-like tone. A fuller harmonic mix sounds rounder and more complete.

• Full. Both odd and even harmonics are present, for a round, complete tone. also round, complete.
• Balanced. The even harmonics are softened but still audible, a mild hollowing. also mixed.
• Hollow. Odd-numbered harmonics dominate, giving the woody, reedy, slightly nasal sound of a clarinet-like tone. also reedy, woody, nasal.

Damping

also mellowing

Whether the brightness holds as a note rings, or fades faster than the body.

Damping is about the color of a note's decay, not its length. When the upper harmonics fade faster than the lower ones, a tone starts bright and mellows as it rings, the bright-then-warm arc of a plucked string or a piano. When the harmonics fade together, the color stays constant, like an organ. The Decay slider sets how long a note takes to settle; Damping sets whether it darkens while it does.

• Even. The harmonics fade at similar rates, so the color stays constant as the note rings, like an organ. also uniform, ringing.
• Tapered. The highs fade a little faster than the lows, a gentle mellowing over time. also mellowing.
• Damped. The upper harmonics die away quickly while the low body lingers, the bright-attack, warm-tail shape of a plucked or struck string. also plucky, muted.

Metallic

also inharmonic, clangy

Whether the partials line up as a clean harmonic series or fall off the grid.

In many pitched sounds the important partials sit close to whole-number multiples of the fundamental, which reads as clearly pitched. When strong partials fall away from that harmonic grid, the sound takes on a bell-like ring, and at the extreme a clangorous, barely pitched character, like a gong.

• Harmonic. Partials on a clean whole-number harmonic series, for a clearly pitched, ordinary musical tone. also pitched, pure.
• Bell-like. Some strong partials sit slightly off the harmonic grid, adding a glassy, bell-like shimmer. also glassy, chiming, bell.
• Clangorous. Strong partials sit far off the harmonic grid, a clangy, metallic, barely pitched ring like a gong or a struck pipe. also clangy, gong-like, jangly.

Warmth

also body, fullness

A boost in the low-mid range that gives a sound body and weight.

Warmth is a resonance low in the body of the sound, the chestiness of a cello or a warm voice. It is separate from brightness: a sound can be both bright and warm at once. A lean sound has little of it and can feel thin; a full sound feels rounded and supported.

• Lean. Little low-mid body, so the tone can feel thin or hollow. also thin, light.
• Warm. A comfortable low-mid resonance that rounds the sound out. also rounded, mellow.
• Full. A strong low-mid bloom, chesty and weighty, like a cello's body. also fat, chesty, rich.

Presence

also brilliance, sheen

An upper-range resonance that brings a sound forward.

Presence is a lift in the upper-mid resonance range, the sheen that makes a sound feel close and in focus rather than distant. Unlike overall brightness it is a focused band, the polish on a voice or a forward brass tone.

• Plain. No upper lift, so the sound can feel a little distant or veiled. also recessed, veiled.
• Present. A clear upper sheen that brings the tone forward. also forward, focused.
• Brilliant. A strong upper-range lift, glossy and right in front of you. also glossy, sparkly.

Attack

also onset, articulation

How quickly a sound rises to its peak level.

The attack is the onset of a note. A sharp attack rises to its peak level very quickly, the way a plucked or struck sound begins; a soft attack swells in gradually, like a bowed string or a slow pad. It is one of the strongest cues for how a sound was made.

• Soft. The note swells in gradually, with no hard edge at the start, like a bowed string or a slow synth pad. also gentle, gradual, slow.
• Moderate. A definite but unhurried onset, neither a swell nor a strike. also medium.
• Sharp. A very fast rise to peak level, the immediate front edge of a pluck, a key, or a mallet. also percussive, hard, immediate, snappy.

Decay

also ring, fall

How long the sound takes to settle after its initial peak.

After the attack peak, a sound decays toward its sustained level. A short decay drops away at once; a long decay lets the body of the tone bloom and ring before settling.

• Short. Settles almost immediately after the attack, with little ring. also quick, abrupt.
• Medium. A moderate settling time, audible but not drawn out.
• Long. Blooms and rings for a while after the attack before settling. also ringing, lingering.

Sustain

also hold

Whether a note holds while you press the key or fades on its own.

Sustain is the level a note holds at while it is sounding. A plucked or struck sound has almost no sustain: it decays away whether or not you keep holding. A bowed or blown sound holds steady for as long as energy is fed in. This is the biggest single cue for plucked versus held instruments.

• Plucked. Almost no held level: the note rings out and fades on its own, like a guitar or a piano. also decaying, percussive.
• Partial. Some held level, but the tone still sags noticeably while it sounds. also fading.
• Sustained. Holds at a steady level for as long as it is played, like a bowed string, an organ, or a flute. also held, singing, continuous.

Release

also tail, ring-out

How the sound ends after the note is let go.

When a note is released it does not always stop at once. The release is the tail: an abrupt cutoff, a natural fade, or a long lingering ring-out that hangs in the air after you let go.

• Abrupt. The sound stops almost immediately when the note ends. also clipped, short.
• Natural. A brief, ordinary fade as the note lets go. also smooth.
• Lingering. A long tail that rings on after you release, hanging in the air. also ringing, long.

Timbral evolution

also evolution, animation, spectral evolution

Whether the tone color holds still or changes while the note sounds.

Some sounds keep a fixed color from start to finish; others change as they play. A note can brighten as it blooms in, the way a brass tone opens up, or shift and morph over its length. Timbral evolution is that change in tone color over time.

• Static. The color stays put for the whole note, like an organ or a steady synth pad. also still, fixed.
• Evolving. The color shifts noticeably while the note sounds, never quite sitting still. also morphing, moving, animated.
• Blooming. The tone opens and brightens as it starts, the way a brass note swells into focus. also swelling, opening.

Chiff

also click, attack noise

The little burst of noise right at the start of a note.

Many real sounds begin with a brief noisy transient before the tone settles: the chiff of air in a flute or organ pipe, the click of a plucked string, the scrape of a bow catching. A smooth onset has none; a clicky one is all front edge.

• Smooth. No noise at the start, just the tone arriving cleanly. also clean, seamless.
• Chiff. A soft puff of air at the onset, like a flute or an organ pipe speaking. also puff, breath.
• Click. A sharp transient right at the front, the tick of a hard pluck or a struck key. also tick, snap, scratch.

Breath

also air, noise

How much airy, unpitched noise rides along with the tone.

Many instruments include noise components: the rush of air in a flute, the scrape of a bow, the breath in a singer's voice. A clean tone has almost none; a breathy tone mixes in a layer of filtered noise that softens and humanizes it. You can also shift where that air sits, from low and tubby to high and hissy.

• Clean. Pure tone with almost no noise, the way a synth oscillator sounds on its own. also pure, clear.
• Breathy. An audible layer of air rides with the tone, softening it, like a gently blown flute. also airy, soft.
• Airy. Noise is a prominent part of the sound, the breathy rush of a whistle or a heavily bowed string. also hissy, windy, noisy.

Vibrato

also wobble, shimmer

Whether the pitch is steady or wavers expressively.

Vibrato is a small, regular wobble in pitch. A steady tone holds a stable pitch; a wide vibrato sweeps the pitch up and down a few times a second, the expressive shimmer of a singer or a violinist. You can also set how fast it wavers. It lives in pitch motion over time, not in static tone color.

• Steady. The pitch holds steady, with no wobble, like an organ or a plain oscillator. also flat, straight.
• Gentle. A light, narrow waver in pitch, adding warmth without drawing attention. also subtle, light.
• Wide. A strong, sweeping pitch wobble, the expressive vibrato of a singer or a violinist. also deep, operatic, expressive.

Tremolo

also shimmer, pulsing

A regular wobble in loudness, not pitch.

Tremolo is a steady rise and fall in level, the shimmer of a tremolo guitar or a pulsing pad. It is the amplitude cousin of vibrato: vibrato wavers the pitch, tremolo wavers the level.

• Steady. A constant level, with no pulsing. also flat, even.
• Pulsing. A gentle, regular swell and dip in level. also throbbing, wavering.
• Shimmering. A strong, fast tremble in loudness, glittering and restless. also trembling, fluttering.

Drive

also grit, saturation, overdrive

Adds harmonic grit, from clean to overdriven.

Drive runs the tone through a soft saturation, the way a tube amp or a pushed preamp warms and then frays a sound. A little fills it out and adds body; more folds in extra upper harmonics for a rough, buzzy edge. It works on any source.

• Clean. No saturation: the tone passes through untouched. also pure.
• Warm. A gentle push that thickens and rounds the tone, adding body. also thick.
• Gritty. Hard saturation that frays the tone with a rough, buzzy edge. also overdriven, raspy.

Drift

also wander, analog, instability

Adds slow, analog-style wander so a held note never sits perfectly still.

Real instruments and analog synths never hold a perfectly steady tone: the level drifts a little as a note sounds. Drift adds that gentle, seeded wander to a sustained sound, so it breathes and feels alive instead of sitting frozen like a plain digital oscillator.

• Static. Perfectly steady, the frozen stillness of a plain oscillator. also still.
• Living. A subtle, organic wander in level across the note, so it breathes. also breathing, organic.

Touch

also dynamics, sensitivity, response

Makes the sound respond to how hard you play, brighter when you dig in.

On a real instrument, playing harder does not just get louder, it gets brighter. Touch adds that response: with it engaged, the tone opens up and gains high end as the playing strength rises, and softens when you ease off. The level is held steady so this reads as a change in color, not loudness. (The on-screen keyboard has no velocity of its own, so the slider sets how hard each note is played.)

• Even. The tone color stays the same however hard the note is played. also flat.
• Responsive. Harder playing opens the sound up brighter, softer playing darkens it. also dynamic, expressive.

Scoop

also bend, slide

Bends the pitch up into each note, a brass-like onset scoop.

Some sounds do not start dead on pitch: brass and winds slide up into the note, and synth leads scoop for expression. Scoop bends the pitch up from below at the very start of each note, then settles, giving the onset a vocal, brass-like lift. It applies only to the pitched sources (Harmonic and Electric).

• Straight. The note starts exactly on pitch, with no bend. also flat.
• Scooped. The pitch slides up into the note from below before settling. also bent, swooping.

Nasal

also honky, pinched, reedy

A nasal sound has a pinched midrange focus, often with hollow or reedy odd-harmonic emphasis, the honk of a clarinet-like tone, an oboe, or a kazoo.

Tinny

also thin, cheap, boxy

Tinny sounds are bright and edgy but with no low-mid body, often a touch metallic, the sound of a tiny speaker. It is brightness without warmth.

Muddy

also murky, cloudy, woolly

A muddy sound is dark with heavy low-mid energy and little definition up top, so detail gets lost. Too much warmth and not enough brightness.

Boomy

also thunderous, bass-heavy

Boomy sounds are ruled by their low frequencies, big and resonant down low to the point of overwhelming the rest.

Harsh

also abrasive, grating, piercing

A harsh sound is so bright and edgy, often with metallic or noisy content, that it grates on the ear. Brightness pushed past pleasant.

Shrill

also piercing, screechy

Shrill sounds have extreme upper-frequency energy, thin and piercing enough to make you wince, like a whistle or a screeching violin.

Rich

also full, lush, complex

A rich sound is full-bodied with plenty of harmonic content and often some tone-color evolution, dense and satisfying, like a grand piano or a full string section.

Woody

also dry, knocky

Woody sounds have a hollow, slightly reedy core with a soft, quick mellowing, the dry knock of a marimba or the body of a clarinet.

Glassy

also crystalline, chiming, shiny

Glassy sounds are bright and clean with a touch of inharmonic shimmer, smooth and crystalline like a glass harmonica or a struck wine glass.

Buzzy

also gritty, raspy, fuzzy

Buzzy sounds are bright and rich in upper harmonics, with a rough, noisy grain, the rasp of a reed or a distorted string.

Harmonic

also additive, tonal

Builds a tone by stacking pure harmonics, the way an organ or a voice does.

The Harmonic source adds together a stack of pure tones at whole-number multiples of the pitch (this is called additive synthesis). It is the most blendable, controllable source, the natural home for organs, voices, and (with breath and a body resonance) flutes, clarinets, and oboes. It is the Playground's default, and the one source whose every shape control is its own slider.

Plucked

also string, Karplus-Strong

Models a plucked string: an excited string that rings and decays on its own.

The Plucked source simulates a real string set vibrating and left to ring (a physical model called Karplus-Strong, the same maths behind guitars, harps, and koto). You do not set its harmonics directly; you pluck a modelled string and shape how it is struck and how it decays, so it always sounds like a real string, never a synth imitating one.

Struck

also modal, mallet

Models a struck object ringing in its natural modes, like a bar or a bell.

The Struck source hits an object and lets it ring in its natural resonant modes (a modal model). Those modes are often inharmonic, sitting off the tidy harmonic grid, which is exactly why bells and metal bars sound metallic rather than clearly pitched. It covers marimbas, vibraphones, music boxes, and church bells. Because its energy sits between the harmonics, the Struck source leads with the envelope and waveform, not the harmonic-bar spectrum.

Bowed

also string, sustained

Models a bow dragging a string into a steady, singing tone.

The Bowed source drives a string with a modelled bow (a stick-slip waveguide), so it sustains and sings for as long as the bow moves, the way a cello or a violin does. Unlike a pluck it does not just decay; the bow keeps feeding it energy. Vibrato here is real bow vibrato, carried by the model itself rather than added on top.

Electric

also FM, digital

Builds a tone by using one tone to modulate another, the classic electric-piano sound.

The Electric source uses one oscillator to bend the pitch of another (this is FM synthesis, the engine behind 1980s electric pianos and tines). Small amounts add bite and bell-like overtones; pushed further it grows clangy and metallic. It is the home for Rhodes-style keys, bell tines, and (with brass formants and breath) brass.

Waveform

A time-domain picture of a sound's changing amplitude.

A waveform shows how the audio signal moves over time. It is useful for seeing cycles, sharp transients, and long tails, but it is not a complete map of tone color by itself: two sounds can have similar-looking waveforms and different spectra.

Spectrum

A frequency-domain picture of the energy inside a sound.

A spectrum breaks a sound into its frequency components. Timbre Match's bar chart is a harmonic spectrum: it shows the strength of the harmonic partials at integer multiples of the fundamental. Noise and off-grid partials also shape timbre even when they do not fit neatly into those bars. (The spectral qualities you can hear and shape are in the Spectral family above.)

Envelope

A picture of how a sound's level rises, holds, and fades over time.

An envelope traces a sound's loudness from the moment it starts to the moment it dies away, read left to right as attack, decay, sustain, and release. It captures how a note is shaped in time rather than what it is made of: a plucked sound spikes and falls, a bowed sound swells and holds. (The timing qualities you can hear and shape are in the Envelope family above.)

Pitch over time

A picture of how a sound's pitch holds or wavers over time.

A pitch line follows the note's pitch from start to finish, drawn against a flat guide that marks its steady pitch. It is the one view that shows pitch motion: a steady tone sits flat on the guide, while a vibrato waves it up and down a few times a second. The waveform, spectrum, and envelope cannot show this, so the pitch line appears wherever vibrato is in play (the Vibrato & tremolo family above).

Spectrum

How closely the harmonic spectrum and overall brightness line up.

The spectrum component compares the shape of the two harmonic spectra and their overall brightness. It is the heaviest part of the score, because which harmonics stand out is the first thing the ear judges. Match the brightness and the full-versus-hollow balance and this rises.

Envelope

How closely the level shape over time matches: attack, decay, sustain, release.

The envelope component compares how each sound rises, holds, and fades: its attack, its decay, the level it sustains at, and its release. Two tones with the same harmonics still score apart here if one is plucked and the other is bowed, because the timing shape gives the gesture away.

Noise

How closely the breathy and transient noise content matches.

The noise component compares the unpitched air in each sound: the steady breath that rides along with the tone, and the brief noisy transient right at the onset. It is what separates a clean oscillator from a breathy flute or a chiffy organ pipe.

Metallic

How closely the inharmonic, bell-like content matches.

The metallic component compares how far each sound's partials sit from a clean harmonic series. A clearly pitched tone and a clangorous bell score far apart here even when everything else lines up, so it is weighed on its own.

Character

The finer perceptual cues, such as damping, vibrato, and tone-color movement.

The character component gathers the subtler cues that do not fit the other groups, such as how the bright edge fades as a note rings (damping), any waver in the pitch (vibrato), and whether the tone color holds still or shifts while the note sounds. It also picks up fine details like how evenly the partials start. Small on its own, it is the polish that tells two close matches apart.