In electronic music, a pitch wheel, pitch bend or bender is a control on a synthesizer to vary the pitch in a continuously variable manner (portamento).
The first synthesizer with a pitch wheel was the Minimoog, in 1970.[1]
Alternatively, pitch bend controllers on synthesizers may be implemented as a joystick, knob, or touch-sensitive ribbon.[2]
MIDI represents pitch bend as a 14-bit integer, allowing for 16,384 possible values. General MIDI implementations default to a range of ±2 semitones.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Kovarsky, Jerry (2022-04-04). "History of the Synthesizer, Part 1". Yamaha Music. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ "Pitch Bend". Nick Maclean - Pianist/Synthist. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ "General MIDI System Level 1". The Complete MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification (document version 96.1, third ed.). The MIDI Manufacturers Association. 2014.
External links
edit- Pitch Bend Wheel, at Dailyanalog
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