Atoms

Parallel compression blends a heavily compressed copy under the dry signal to add sustain while preserving transients

Parallel distortion adds harmonic density to a specific frequency range without altering the dry signal's dynamics

Parallel harmony transposes a fixed voicing by the same interval for each chord, producing the signature sound of house and electronic music

Parameterising phase offset across objects produces overlapping-action animation generatively without per-object keyframing

Parameterized randomness lets artists control how much chance enters a system via explicit ranges

Parody qualifies as fair use because it requires conjuring the original to comment on it

Partial quantization, selective instrument quantization, and manual velocity editing create human feel in programmed drums

Patching an oscillator to Maths trigger input and mixing EOR with the main VCO generates sub-harmonics

Patching Maths Variable OUT back to RISE or FALL CV independently controls each slope's response curve

Pattern chains sequence multiple patterns for one-shot playback without a saved song

Pattern trigger sequencers that run from a clock alone give an always-on rhythmic foundation

Pbindef modifies individual keys of a running Pbind without restarting the stream

Pbjorklund2(k,n) emits Euclidean duration patterns that can be modulated by nesting other pattern classes

Pchain and Ppar compose event patterns by layering key sources or running multiple patterns in parallel

Pdef and Tdef are SuperCollider's client-side proxies for live-replacing running patterns and scheduled tasks

Pdefn holds a named pattern value that can be derived and reused across multiple running streams in SuperCollider

Pelog is a seven-note Indonesian scale whose pitches do not correspond to any notes in 12-TET

Per-grain processing applies a different transformation to each grain, producing granular heterogeneity

Perceived loudness comes from arrangement space and saturation — a mix with gaps sounds louder than a full, crushed one

Perceptual quality depends on the group character of spectral evolution, not the precise amplitude curve of each partial

Performance modulation sources each route to up to four parameter destinations with independent depth

Performing live coding requires accepting public errors and resisting the pressure to meet conventional definitions of music

Perlin noise is a repeatable pseudo-random function of 3D position used for procedural textures

Perlin noise mapped to angles at each grid cell creates a smooth flow field that steers particles or arrows organically

perlin produces smooth cycle-to-cycle random modulation unlike the per-event jitter of rand

Pfunc generates pattern values by calling a function, and Pkey cross-references values from an earlier key

Physical model pitch is inversely proportional to delay time, requiring reciprocal computation from note number

Physical modeling synthesis approximates acoustic instrument physics using mathematical models of wave propagation

Physical modelling synthesis uses an excitation signal driving a resonant body model

Pink (1/f) noise has equal energy per octave and models the long-range correlations found in many natural signals including music

Pitch correction should fix obvious errors while preserving the micro-variations that make a voice sound human

Pitch-synchronous granular synthesis aligns grain envelopes with the waveform period to reduce audio artifacts

Placing an exceptional track between average ones amplifies its impact through the contrast effect

Placing with_fx inside a loop creates one FX instance per iteration, wasting CPU

Planet Mu's Bangs and Works compilations (2010–11) and Hyperdub broke footwork to an international audience

play, synth, and sample return a SynthNode reference that enables post-trigger parameter changes

Playing at slow tempos exposes the quality of individual sounds because sparse arrangement gives each element nowhere to hide

Playing dubplates for a year before vinyl release uses live audience response as A&R

Playing on a large sound system immediately exposes production problems that studio monitors mask

Playing records at the wrong RPM (33 instead of 45, or heavily pitch-shifted) reveals hidden qualities and creates new textures

Plunderphonics proposes crediting source artists rather than seeking permission as the appropriate norm for transformative sampling

ply n repeats each event in a pattern n times within the event's original time slot

ply subdivides each event into n repeats; segment resamples the whole pattern at n events per cycle

Points on a sphere's surface are computed from two angles using nested sin and cos

Poking contacts on an LCD display with a battery wire causes segments to distort and produces audible signals from the display's own oscillator

polymeter aligns patterns by step so patterns of different lengths phase against each other

Polynomial smooth-min functions preserve SDF shape outside the blend zone; exponential versions distort the whole field

Polyphonic MIDI in SuperCollider uses an array of 128 Synths indexed by note number

Polyphonic overlapping grains form a grain cloud — granular synthesis's characteristic dense texture

Portamento on the Digitakt II offers constant-rate and constant-time glide with legato and gating options

Postminimalism builds soundscapes through expressive timbre rather than harmonic complexity

PRE and NEI conditions chain trig outcomes across steps and tracks

Pre-computing KV-cache for the text prompt eliminates repeated text-encoder work across frames

Pre-rendered audio analysis APIs supply timestamped beats and pitch for offline sync

Preparing the studio environment before inspiration arrives prevents creativity-killing interruptions

Preset locks swap a track's sound mid-pattern to a different preset from the pool

Procedural sound synthesis layers independent filtered noise generators to build one complex texture

Procedurally painted occlusion using model-aware distance signals fills gaps left by sampled AO

Process only when you can name what you are hearing that needs to change

Processing all drums together on a shared bus glues them into one cohesive instrument