Atoms

Dynamic range is the dB difference between the loudest and quietest signals in a program

Each additional bit of resolution adds approximately 6 dB of dynamic range

Each additional bit of word length adds approximately 6 dB of dynamic range

Each Hydra save runs `hush()` then re-evals the whole file on the same GL context — frame buffers survive

Early 2-step's ~130 BPM tempo came from DJs pitching up American garage imports

Early Chicago house tracks were validated by club-to-club cassette play before any commercial release

Early Grime producers made instrumentals on FL Studio (Fruity Loops) on basic home computers, treating software limitations as aesthetic constraints

Early minimal techno was constructed around the Roland TR-808 or TR-909 drum machine, both still used today

Early trance tracks ran 8–10 minutes and were built on Roland JP-8000, TB-303, and TR-909 analog hardware

EBM fused Kraftwerk-lineage sequencer electronics with punk and industrial aggression

EBM is defined by 4/4 drum-machine beats, looped monophonic bass, and shouted command-style vocals rather than melodic hooks

Editing a SynthDef without re-running .add spawns the old definition on the server silently

Electro is defined by TR-808 beats, robotic synthesized textures, and minimal or vocoded vocals

Electro treats voices as machines, using vocoders and speech synthesis for robotic vocal content

Electro's mainstream peaked in the early 1980s, then returned in recurring revival waves

Electroclash fuses 1980s electro/new wave/synth-pop with 1990s techno as a reaction to techno's rigid formulas

Electroclash spread geographically from Munich through Berlin and London to New York, with each city adding scene nodes

Electronic genres cluster around characteristic tempo ranges

Electronic instrument development is a conversation between designers, engineers, users, and competitors across brands

Electronic music is performed as a DJ set (mixing others' tracks) or a live PA (playing your own in real time)

Elements enclosed within the same boundary are perceived as a group

Elements that share visual properties are perceived as a group

Enharmonic equivalents are the same pitch spelled two ways (e.g. C# = Db) — context determines spelling

Eno instructed ambient music be played so low it may fall below the threshold of audibility

Envelopes are built from named segments; sustain level is set by the designer but its duration by the performer

Envelopes require a trigger to fire; LFOs cycle continuously without intervention — both share rise and fall stages

EQ and effects decisions must be made with the full mix playing, not on soloed tracks

Equal temperament divides the octave into equal logarithmic steps, trading slight detuning for unlimited modulation

Eskibeat is Wiley's icy, off-kilter grime style — the name he used before 'grime', later a formal subgenre

Euclidean rhythms spread k onsets as evenly as possible over n steps

Eulerroom is the live streaming platform and video archive for Algorave and live coding performances

Eurorack case size is measured in HP (horizontal pitch, width) and 3U rows (height), and modules are sized in HP

Eurorack is a shared electrical standard (12V power, ±10V signals) that lets modules interconnect and 'talk to each other'

Eurorack modules are powered from +12V and -12V bus rails

Eurorack modules are sized in HP (1HP = 5.08mm) width, and module depth must fit the case's clearance

Eurorack portability depends on case size, handle design, and whether the lid accommodates patch cables

Eurorack power runs on three rails (+12V, -12V, +5V) distributed from a PSU through busboards to modules

Eurorack/VCV signals are ~10 Vpp: audio swings ±5 V, CV is 0–10 V unipolar or ±5 V bipolar

Every 3 dBA increase in noise level halves the safe exposure duration

Every audio connection requires both a signal conductor and a ground return, and shielded cable protects longer runs from hum

Every Freesound sound carries its own independently chosen license

Every Hydra patch runs source → geometry/color transforms → .out()

Every major key contains 7 diatonic triads: I, IV, V are major; ii, iii, vi are minor; vii is diminished

Every OSC message carries a type tag string that encodes the data type of each argument

Every Punctual audio or video statement must end with an output operator or its result goes nowhere

Every Pure Data object has an interactive helpfile opened by right-clicking it and choosing Help

Every VCV Rack signal is a voltage; its 'type' is a functional convention, not a physical difference

Existing class instances in P5LIVE retain old methods after a softCompile; only newly-constructed instances get the updated code

Expanded cinema artists broke the flat rectangular screen to create spatial, immersive, and multi-sensory projection experiences

Fader dB scales are logarithmic: small physical moves at the bottom of the fader travel cause large level changes

Fair use (US) and fair dealing (Canada) permit limited unauthorized appropriation for pedagogy, criticism, and parody

Feeding a control-rate .kr signal where audio-rate .ar is required errors or aliases audibly

Film color appears as a transparent layer floating between eye and object; volume color deepens with fluid depth

Filter house evolved from Chicago house's tradition of looping disco, boogie, and funk records

Filter resonance boosts frequencies at the cutoff point; at maximum it causes self-oscillation

Fine adjacent dots of pure color merge in the eye into a single optical mixture more vibrant than a pigment blend

FLAC halves file size with no quality loss; OGG and MP3 trade quality for smaller files

Flanger uses 1-20 ms LFO-modulated delay; chorus uses 20-30 ms; slapback uses 10-120 ms

FM concepts from the DX7 apply to all six-operator and four-operator Yamaha FM synthesizers

FM synth 'ratio' is the pitch of an operator expressed as a multiplier of the root note, not in semitones