Nat 4Nat 5HigherAdvanced Higher

Synchronisation

Synchronisation means keeping events accurately aligned in time.

Level relevance: introduced at Nat 4; tagged for every later level where the same concept remains useful.

Explanation

Synchronisation is about making sure recorded or sequenced material happens at the correct time in relation to other material. This could mean keeping loops in time with the project tempo, aligning overdubs, or ensuring multiple musical events happen together accurately. In more advanced work, poor synchronisation can make a project sound messy even if the individual sounds are strong.

Topics

TimingSequencingRecording
Curriculum statussupporting vocabulary
Review statusdraft

Related terms

Tempo

Tempo is the speed of the music, usually measured in beats per minute.

View term

Quantisation

Quantisation moves notes or events closer to a timing grid to make a performance tighter.

View term

Latency

Latency is the delay between an action and when the sound is heard or recorded.

View term

Sequencer

A sequencer records and organises MIDI or audio events in time so they can be played back accurately.

View term