{"id":4648,"date":"2022-11-09T10:48:33","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T15:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audioapartment.com\/?p=4648"},"modified":"2023-06-07T22:13:47","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T02:13:47","slug":"can-a-synthesizer-go-out-of-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audioapartment.com\/instruments-and-equipment\/can-a-synthesizer-go-out-of-tune\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Synthesizer Go Out of Tune? (Answered)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you play string instruments, you know how annoying an out-of-tune instrument can be. It’s a real headache. Pianos are string instruments, so they can also go out of tune. But if you’re a keyboard player, specifically a synth player, you might wonder<\/strong> if your synthesizer can also go out of tune.<\/strong> Let’s explore synthesizers, whether they can go out of tune, and how to prevent them so you can keep making beautiful music.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can a synthesizer go out of tune?<\/strong> Digital, virtual analog, and wavetable synthesizers produce notes digitally, which means they don’t go out of tune. On the other hand, analog synthesizers can experience tuning issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a synthesizer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument that can make sound using digital or analog signal processing<\/strong>. Most synthesizers try to mimic (or “synthesize<\/em>“) the sounds of acoustic instruments. But synthesizers that try to sound like acoustic instruments make sounds different from the real ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A piano’s sound is created by a felt hammer hitting tuned strings, which doesnt happens with a synthesizer.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For example, the “piano” preset on many electronic synthesizers makes the instrument sound like an 88-key classical piano, even though it is made by a collection of electronic tone generators. A piano’s sound is created by a felt hammer hitting tuned strings, which doesn’t happen with a synthesizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What does being out of tune mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The key signature of a song indicates which scale notes go well with it. So, to be “out of tune<\/strong>” is to play in a key or scale other than the one intended. So when a singer or musician is “out of tune,” some of their notes are off-pitch and don’t work well within the key signature of the song<\/a> they’re performing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can a synth go out of tune?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Analog synthesizers can go out of tune due to a tiny “drift” in tuning. This is why many people continue to pay exorbitant prices for the “classic” synthesizer sound. The “drift” is caused by several elements inherent to the synthesizer’s circuitry<\/strong>. The following are examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n