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Pluck & Stab SoundsLesson 1 of 5

Anatomy of a Pluck

THE CONCEPT

A pluck sound is defined by its transient — the sharp initial burst of energy when a string is struck or plucked. After that burst, the sound decays quickly to silence. In synthesis terms: near-zero attack, very short decay, zero sustain, and a short release. But the waveform you choose shapes the character of the pluck just as much as the envelope. A sawtooth pluck is bright and guitar-like because it contains all harmonics. A sine pluck is soft and mallet-like because it has none. The envelope controls the shape in time; the waveform controls the tonal colour.

TRY IT

The module starts on SAWTOOTH — trigger a pluck and hear the bright, guitar-like character. Then switch to SINE and trigger again. Notice how much softer and rounder it becomes. Work through all four waveforms and compare. Then experiment with the DECAY knob — longer decay gives a more resonant, guitar-like body. Keep SUSTAIN at zero: that's what makes it a pluck rather than a held note.

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THINGS TO NOTICE
Zero sustain is the key — the sound must die even while the key is held.
Decay length controls the 'body' of the pluck — short is percussive, long is resonant.
SINE: pure and mallet-like. TRIANGLE: warm and woody. SQUARE: hollow and nasal. SAWTOOTH: bright and guitar-like.
The waveform selector changes the harmonic content — more harmonics = brighter, more complex pluck.
Try a very short decay on SAWTOOTH vs SINE — the difference in brightness is most obvious at short decays.