Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Gain staging is managing signal level across a chain of sources, processors and outputs. The goal is clean operation with enough headroom—not making every meter hit an arbitrary target. What…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 An oscillator is a repeating or noise-generating sound source, but the type of waveform is only the starting point. Pitch, pulse width, mixing, filtering and modulation determine how an oscillator…
Overview Filter slope describes how quickly a filter reduces frequencies beyond the cutoff point. It is usually measured in: 👉 decibels per octave (dB/oct) What Does “dB per Octave” Mean? Example If a filter has a 12 dB/oct slope: Common…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Signal flow is the route sound takes from its source through processing, routing and output. Understanding that path makes it easier to troubleshoot silence, manage levels and distinguish audio signals…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Modulation means changing one parameter by means of another signal. Slow periodic modulation can create tremolo or vibrato; faster or audio-rate modulation can create new spectral structures. Overview Modulation is…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 ADSR envelopes control how a parameter changes over time in response to a note or gate. Attack, decay, sustain and release describe stages of movement, not a fixed sound in…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Filters select or attenuate parts of the frequency spectrum. Cutoff frequency, slope and resonance work together, so a filter sweep is more than a simple change from bright to dark.…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Frequency describes how quickly a sound wave repeats; amplitude describes the strength of the variation; and waveform shape influences its harmonic character. These are distinct properties: pitch, level and timbre…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Every recording, synthesizer patch and live performance begins with the same physical event: something vibrates. A loudspeaker moves air, a guitar string oscillates, or a drum skin flexes after being…
Frequency State / Music Production Reference Library · Volume 1 Sample rate determines how frequently a digital audio signal is measured; bit depth determines the number of quantisation levels available to store each PCM sample. They affect different technical limits,…