wavetable


wavetable

(hardware, music)A type of sound generator often built in asound card. A wavetable contains digitised samples of realinstrument sounds or effect (FX) sounds. A wavetable chipoften also contains a drum kit sound to faciliate rhythmaccompaniment.

A recorded wavetable sound may be edited and enhanced byvarious effects (reverb, chorus) and layered with otherwaveforms before writing it to ROM or RAM. The lattertype serves as user sound memory.

A wavetable generator is typically controlled by MIDI input.When a MIDI note-on signal is detected, the output part of awavetable generator generates a sound with definitive pitch,typically a musical note.

Wavetable sounds are used in games and music. The morerealistic wavetable sounds have all but replaced the earliersynthetic FM (frequency modulation) sound generation in soundcards but to ensure compatibility with older games etc., an FMpart is usually included.

The best known wavetable sound generators includes the E-mu 8000 chip, used in Creative Labs' Sound Blaster AWE-32card family and in E-mu keyboards. Other wavetable cards areGravis Ultra-Sound (GUS), ESS Cards, Opti, Zoltrix and manyRoland cards.

E-Mu.AWE-32.Creative Labs.

wavetable

A group of sampled sound waves used in MIDI. See wavetable synthesis and MIDI.