Dictionary of Music - Birding America

418 syrinxscores to rock groups, and for live performance aswell as composition. The synthesizers used primarilyfor live performance tended to be self-contained,or integrated, meaning that all the functions arebuilt into the system. In contrast, modular systemsare composed of interchangeable units, or modules,each of which provides a specific function or closelyrelated set of functions (oscillators in one module,filters in another, etc.). These more complex andmore versatile systems remained more expensiveand were used mainly in electronic studios.The next major advance was the introduction ofcomputerized or digital synthesizers, including adigital sequencer that could play the entire synthesizer.A sequencer is a device that generates controlinformation (in the form of adjustable voltages) tocreate a series or sequence of events. The digitalsequencer, in effect a microcomputer memory, cancontrol many voltage lines and steps of variablelength, and can store hundreds of steps. No separatecontrols are required for each step (as in playing akeyboard); the computer simply stores the “numbers”and feeds them to a digital/analog converter.The “numbers” are control voltages, so thesequencer can control any aspect of sound that canbe put under voltage control. Thus, with a good digital/analogconverter, which changes “numbers” intoaudible sounds, a computer can become a highlyversatile musical instrument. Moreover, when linkedwith both a sequencer and the technology calledMIDI (see under ELECTRONIC MUSIC), several synthesizerscan be marshaled by a single player.Almost all electronic musical instruments andrecording equipment made today are digital. (TheMoog, an analog synthesizer, is an exception thathas survived.) Although many synthesizers are controlledby a keyboard, their popularity among rockmusicians prompted the invention of guitar anddrum synthesizers. The former are controlled bymeans of an electric guitar, usually with a specialpickup. The Avatar, for example, requires a specialhexaphonic pickup on the guitar, that is, a separateoutput for each string. There are two basic kinds ofdrum synthesizer or drum machine. One is arhythm generator that provides fixed rhythmic patternsusing imitative drum voices; the other is a percussion-orientedsynthesizer that allows drummersto create new voices. The former can play only presetpatterns—for example, bossa nova, fox trot,Latin, rock, waltz—and the user can vary only thespeed. A programmable synthesizer, in contrast, canbe used to create and play back electronic drumsounds created by samples stored inside the machine(also see SAMPLING).Among the primary uses of synthesizers, in additionto live performance, are the creation of newsounds and new compositions; use by composers tohear works in progress without having to hire anorchestra or other performing group; making a smallensemble sound larger or, in effect, mimicking thesound of a band or other large instrumental ensemblefor a variety of purposes (radio broadcast, filmsoundtrack, etc.); and help in teaching the principlesof music. See also ELECTRONIC MUSIC; ENVELOPE;MODULATION, def. 2; OSCILLATOR; PATCHING;SOUND; VIRTUAL ORCHESTRA.syrinxSee PANPIPES.system Two or more musical staves, joinedtogether on the left by a line or brace, that representthe entire texture of a line of music. The musicalexample accompanying CLOSE HARMONY shows thefirst system of a song’s score.