What makes a synth 'sound' loud? If you have 2 synths with different presets set at the same volume, sometimes one sounds louder than the other. Why is this?
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Synth Volume
What makes a synth 'sound' loud? If you have 2 synths with different presets set at the same volume, sometimes one sounds louder than the other. Why is this?
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Could be a few things, but the frequency content will be a huge factor in perceived volume. Lower frequency content is often felt to be quieter than sounds in the 3-6kHz range.
The envelope will also play a factor. Shorter sounds won't sound as loud as we perceive 0dB for 3seconds as being louder than 3dB for 3ms. Both sounds will peak at the same level, yet we will describe one (the longer duration) as being louder than the other.
This is essentially how RMS differs from Peak - Peak measures the loudest moment, whereas RMS averages (root mean square) the level over time (I can't rmemeber the length of time) and provides that information instead.