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A sound module (sometimes referred to as tone generator) is an electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument

An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. In contrast, the term electric instrument is used to mean instruments whose sound is produced mechanically, and only amplified or altered electronically - for example an electric guitar....
 without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard
Musical keyboard

A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the interval of an octave....
, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device. The external device may be a controller
MIDI controller

MIDI controller is used in two senses.*In one sense, a controller is hardware or software which generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices....
, which is a device that provides the human-playable interface and may or may not produce sounds of its own, or a sequencer
Music sequencer

A music sequencer is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music.Originally, music sequencers did not include the ability to record audio....
, which is computer hardware or software designed to play electronic musical instruments.






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A sound module (sometimes referred to as tone generator) is an electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument

An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. In contrast, the term electric instrument is used to mean instruments whose sound is produced mechanically, and only amplified or altered electronically - for example an electric guitar....
 without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard
Musical keyboard

A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the interval of an octave....
, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device. The external device may be a controller
MIDI controller

MIDI controller is used in two senses.*In one sense, a controller is hardware or software which generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices....
, which is a device that provides the human-playable interface and may or may not produce sounds of its own, or a sequencer
Music sequencer

A music sequencer is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music.Originally, music sequencers did not include the ability to record audio....
, which is computer hardware or software designed to play electronic musical instruments. 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.

Sound modules may use any number of technologies to produce their sounds. A sound module may be a synthesizer
Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
, a sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)

A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a synthesizer. Instead of generating sounds from scratch, however, a sampler starts with multiple recordings of different sounds added by the user, and then plays each back based on how the instrument is configured....
, a digital piano
Digital piano

A digital piano is a modern electronic musical instrument designed to serve primarily as an alternative to a traditional piano, both in the way it feels to play and in the sound produced....
, or a rompler
Rompler

Rompler is a nickname for an electronic musical instrument that playbacks digital samplings stored in Read-only memory chips to generate sound....
.

Drum modules are sound modules which specialize in percussion
Percussion instrument

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration....
 sounds. Drum modules may be triggered by external trigger pads or pickups as well as through MIDI. Drum modules are distinguished from drum machine
Drum machine

A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music....
s through their lack of dedicated on-board triggers and lack of an integrated sequencer.

Sound modules are often rack-mountable
19-inch rack

A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronics modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws....
, but might also have a table-top form factor
Form factor

Form factor may refer to:* Form factor or emissivity, the proportion of energy transmitted by that object which can be transferred to another object...
.

A sound module has the same advantages over a fully-integrated instrument as does any system with a modularized design:

  • Cost — a sound module is cheaper than a comparable instrument equipped with a controller
  • Space — a sound module takes up less room than an instrument equipped with a controller
  • Obsolescence cycles — when it becomes obsolete, a sound module can be replaced without changing a favorite controller, or vice versa.


Because most electronic instruments are designed in a modularized way, manufacturers often release a sound module version of their fully-integrated instruments. A sound module may have all the other features of the controller-equipped version, but it often has a smaller display or limited programming controls. In this case, sounds can be loaded through MIDI or external media. In some cases, sound modules have expanded capacity for sounds in comparison to the controller-equipped version.

Hardware sound modules have in recent years been replaced to a large extent with software equivalents
Software synthesizer

A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth or virtual instrument is a computer program for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks as dedicated hardware....
.

Notable sound modules


  • Yamaha TX16W
    Yamaha TX16W

    The Yamaha TX16W is a rack mount Sampler sound module made by Yamaha Corporation.The TX16W has 12-bit sound with up to 50 kHz mono, and 33 kHz stereo sampling....
     (1988), sound module with an ability to boot OS
    Operating system

    An operating system is an interface between hardware and applications; it is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the limited resources of the computer....
     from diskette; known particularly well for having a third-party OS codenamed Typhoon 2000
    Typhoon 2000

    Typhoon 2000 is the first official release of Typhoon since version 1.0. It will also be the last and final version to be released. As further development on this product has ceased, Typhoon 2000 is released as freeware....
     by NuEdge Development, a group of hackers who were dissatisfied with original OS.
  • Roland Sound Canvas
    Roland Sound Canvas

    Roland/Edirol Sound Canvas lineup is a series of PCM-based MIDI sound modules and PC sound cards primarily intended for computer music usage, created by Roland Corporation....
     series (1991), first sound module to implement General MIDI
    General MIDI

    General MIDI or GM is a standardized specification for music synthesizers that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee and first published in 1991....
     standard with GS
    Roland GS

    Roland Corporation GS, or just GS, sometimes vaguely transcribed as General Standard, is an extension of General MIDI specification....
     extensions.


See also

  • Modular synthesizer
    Modular synthesizer

    The modular synthesizer is a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires to create a so-called patch . Every output generates a signal - an electric voltage of variable strength....
  • Software synthesizer
    Software synthesizer

    A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth or virtual instrument is a computer program for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks as dedicated hardware....
  • Synthesizer
    Synthesizer

    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....