Timbre is a tough thing to quantify, to define numerically. We really don't have a precise definition of it. We can say it's the relative levels of the partials of a complex sound. But it also includes how sounds evolve over time. One definition of timbre involves just relating two things. Like timbre's the difference between an oboe and a violin playing the same note. Which actually is a really good way to describe it. Because they're the same pitches but their sounds are different, and the sounds evolve in different ways. So it's hard to get a precise definition, but hopefully learning a bit about synthesis gives you a way to kind of categorize. And I'd like you to start thinking about that with the sounds you hear around you. And with all these lessons we've done in this course, I'd like you to start listening differently. And actually even being aware of the different ways in which you do listen. We can be focused on the music and the performance, like the pre-production side of things. Where we focused on the song and the performance and the music itself. Or we can get in a, a producer mindset. We start thinking about dynamics, and timbre. And we, or we can think about space. There's so many different ways to listen. I want you to start focusing on those different things. And synthesis gives us that language of timbre. So every time you hear a sound, just give yourself a little thought. Is that a sustaining sound or a non-sustaining sound? Is that bright or dull? Would it have a faster tack or a slower tack? Are there any cyclic variations that you might represent with an LFO? So instead of thinking of kind of a language of timbre, it's kind of a collection of descriptors. And these descriptors are all things we learn about in synthesis. So hopefully we get closer to defining kind of a language of timbre. Now I also want you to consider how all the synthesis terms relate back to what we've done with effects. If I think about a compressor, well that's an envelope follower modulating a VCA, a voltage controlled amplifier, right? All these things kind of connect in really interesting ways. And there are other effects you'll run into, like an auto pan, right? An auto pan is an LFO controlling a pan knob. Just moves back and forth in a cyclic manner, controlled by an LFO. So you'll find a lot of things can actually be described with what we just learned here with synthesis. And another thing I'd want to just kind of clue you in with in synthesizers, they're almost all the same. They really are very similar to each other and synthesizer designers are kind of tricky. If you look at the interface, you'll find they're nearly all laid out in these functional components that we've described here. Most synthesizers will put the oscillator in the top left corner, and then the filters in the middle, and then the amplifier at the end and the modulation kind of going beneath. In fact, I would challenge you to go to any synthesizer or sampler you have and try to define those components. Where's the oscillator section? Probably have more than one oscillator, but where is that section? Where is the filter section, there'll probably be more than one, but where is that section? Where is the amplifier and the amplifier envelope section? And where is the modulation section? Now you may see a couple more elements in a synthesizer. Very often there's an effect section that's actually after the amplifier, which will include all your delay effects. We've already looked at those though, and there'll be direct control component, which is sort of a kind of modulation, but it's things that you do personally. Remember when we were looking at MIDI data, how we had those eight knobs on our controller? Lots of synthesizers have eight knobs designed, just to be controlled by those. And there's other direct control. Velocity. Velocity is a modulation source that can control anything else. So usually you have velocity modulating amplitude. Maybe velocity modulating filter cutoff, so it gets brighter as you play the key harder. Key position, modulating oscillator pitch. So all these things are connected. And hopefully, you're starting to see how synthesis is not connected just to itself. But also to all the other components that we've studied this semester. This has been an excellent semester. I really enjoyed this six weeks, and I hope you did too. But again, there's so much more to know. You want to take this further. Take it to the discussions here in the Coursera course. You have this huge group of people that you've been studying with for these six weeks. And I hope these, these communications and these friends can last longer than this course. You can keep in touch with them. And continue on your journey. One of the beautiful things about the internet and the con, contemporary society we live in, and this internet society is musical collaboration is not confined by geography. We can collaborate over the internet easily and it's becoming the standard way. So what you've built up here. These, these friends you've built here can go on with you for a long time. And you can produce with them, and I hope you do.
