Sound module
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which the most common type is the musical keyboard (although wind controllers, guitar controllers and electronic drum pads are also used). Controllers are devices that provide the human-playable interface and which may or may not produce sounds of their own. Another common way of controlling a sound module is through a sequencer, which is computer hardware or software designed to record and playback control information for sound-generating hardware (e.g., a DJ may program a bassline and use the sound module to produce the sound). 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, which includes special ports (jacks) and cables.
Sound modules are often rack-mountable, but might also have a table-top form factor, particularly when the intended user is a DJ or record producer. The height of a sound module is often described in rack units ("U") or unit. Small sound modules are mostly 1U in height, the larger models a multiplication e.g. 2U or 3U. Despite their name, most sound modules do not produce any audible sound until their output is plugged into a keyboard amplifier or a PA system.
There are a wide variety of sound modules, ranging from more generalist modules that can be used for a number of controllers or instruments (e.g., a rack mount synthesizer with hundreds of commonly used presets of instrument sounds, from piano and organ to synth brass and string pads) to specialized modules designed for use with wind controllers, electronic drum pads, digital accordions, or to produce clonewheel organ sounds.
Hardware sound modules have largely been replaced by software synthesizers, due to the increased speed and processing power of computers and their decrease in price. Nevertheless, some DJs, EDM musicians and record producers continue to use vintage 1980s sound modules like the Yamaha TX16W (1988) for their unique, retro sound.
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