Built-in timbres
The number of built-in sounds provided in the synthesizer.
The number of timbres is often described as the number of instruments that a given model can imitate. However, this is not entirely true — rather, this parameter can be called "the number of instruments and sound effects." For example, the same instrument — an electric guitar — with different "gadgets" (distortion, overdrive) will sound differently, and in the synthesizer each such gadget will be considered a separate timbre. The “drums” timbre usually combines different types of drums and other percussion instruments — in other words, it allows you to portray both the “bass drum” and the cymbals without switching settings, just by pressing the desired keys. And some timbres may not have analogues among real instruments at all.
The more built-in timbres, the more extensive the possibilities of the synthesizer, the more diverse the sounds that can be extracted from it. At the same time, in high-end models like workstations (see "Type"), this number can reach 1000 or even more.
Accompaniment styles
The number of auto accompaniment styles (see above) originally provided in the synthesizer, in other words, the number of accompaniment options available to the user.
The more extensive this set, the higher the probability of finding among these melodies suitable options for a particular case. At the same time, the abundance of styles in itself is not yet a 100% guarantee that among them there will be a suitable one, especially since different synthesizer models can differ markedly in a specific set of melodies. So the list does not hurt to clarify before buying. Also note that the situation can be corrected by user styles (see below) — many synthesizers with auto accompaniment support them.
Learning mode
The presence
of a learning mode in the design of the synthesizer.
The purpose of this function is clear from the name. It is most often based on the following principle: the synthesizer itself tells the student which keys to press, displaying the keyboard on the display or highlighting the necessary keys using the backlight (if available, see above). Of course, at different levels of learning, the format of such prompts will also be different: for example, at the very beginning, the synthesizer highlights the necessary notes until they are pressed, and at the final stage it highlights them at the tempo at which you need to play the melody, and evaluates the accuracy of the student pressing the desired keys. There are also other features and nuances of learning — for example, the mode of separate learning of parts for the left and right hands, when the instrument itself plays one part and tells the student how to play the second. In addition, a metronome function is practically mandatory for a synthesizer with this mode (see below).
Regardless of the specific functionality, this mode will be very useful for those who are just developing their keyboard playing skills.
Tempo change
The range in which you can change the tempo of the programme played by the synthesizer — auto accompaniment, lesson tune (see above), metronome (see below), recorded sample, etc.
Pace is measured in beats per minute. Changing it allows you to adjust the speed of the synthesizer to the specifics of the situation — for example, slightly slow down the tutorial if it is too hard to master at the initial pace. The wider the range of tempo adjustment, the more options the musician has to choose from, especially in the area of very slow and very fast tempos.
Note that the traditional range of musical tempos covers values from 40 beats / min (“grave”, “very slowly”) to 208 beats / min (“prestissimo”, “very fast”), however, in synthesizers it can be more extensive — for example, 30 – 255 bpm.
Metronome
The presence of a built-in metronome in the design of the synthesizer.
A metronome is a device that produces sharp sound signals (beats) at certain short intervals specified by the user. In music, such a device is used primarily to maintain a given tempo. A metronome can be useful both for a beginner musician, for developing a sense of rhythm, and for a professional, for example, when learning a new melody, especially if it is to be played without accompaniment and you will need to maintain the rhythm yourself. In addition, the sound of the metronome can also be used as an effect in musical compositions.
Sampling
Synthesizer support for sampling.
Samples are short sound fragments used in the creation of musical compositions. Such a fragment can contain almost any sound — from a note on a musical instrument or a fragment of a drum part to a siren signal, a bird's chirp, the sound of a mechanism, etc. Specifically,
the sampling function implies the ability to use the synthesizer to record samples for further use. Recording can be done either through the built-in microphone or through the audio input (from an external microphone or other audio device). At the same time, many synthesizers with this function are able not only to keep the sound not only "as is", but also to pass the incoming signal through the processing circuits, adding various effects to it — echo, "wah-wah", metallic sound coloring, etc. And ready-made samples can usually be "bound" to individual synthesizer keys and played back in real time. Other functions are possible, depending on the level of the instrument.
Mixer
The presence of a mixer in the design of the synthesizer.
A mixer in this case is a device designed to control individual audio channels that make up the sound of a synthesizer as a whole. The list of these channels includes, in particular, the main voice, the layered voice (see “Dubbing voices”), several auto accompaniment channels (main, bass, drums, etc.). With a mixer, the musician can manually control these channels — turn some of them on and off, switch the timbre, tempo, key, etc. This greatly expands the possibilities for using the synthesizer.
Built-in compositions
The presence of built-in compositions in the design of the synthesizer.
This function is similar to the auto accompaniment described above — in the sense that it involves playing songs on the synthesizer itself. However, unlike Auto Accompaniment, Preset Songs play strictly by note and cannot be controlled using chords on the left half of the keyboard. In other words, with auto accompaniment, the musician has a lot of freedom, and you have to play along with melodies in strict accordance with it.
Built-in compositions can be used for a variety of purposes. One of the options is training: the musician listens to a reference recording and then tries to reproduce it, either plays along with the melodies according to the given notes, or improvises to it. In addition, in some cases (for example, at mass events), the ability to turn on the synthesizer as a player can be very useful. Also, built-in songs are used to test and demonstrate the general capabilities of the instrument: it is assumed that the recorded song can be repeated using the synthesizer itself.
Timbres layering
The ability to
overlay different timbres of the synthesizer sound on top of each other. This creates the effect of the sound of two (or even more) instruments at once — for example, piano and violin. At the same time, in advanced models, it may be possible to set different settings for different timbres so that the sameness of the extracted notes is not so noticeable — for example, the same "violin" can be set to smooth transitions between notes, while on the "piano" they will sound jerky.
