Portamento, also known as glide, is a feature on a synthesizer that allows for a smooth transition between pitches when playing a melody. When portamento is activated, a note’s pitch will gradually change from one pitch to the next rather than spiking. The Portamento time, which can be changed on the synthesizer, controls how quickly the pitch shifts between notes.
As it mimics how a musician would naturally slide their fingers between notes on a traditional instrument like a guitar or saxophone, portamento can give an expressive and human-like performance. It can also give a melody a sense of continuity and flow.
Others may have a “portamento time” parameter that can be adjusted to control the speed of the glide. Some synthesizers have a dedicated “portamento” or “glide” knob or button that can be used to enable or disable the feature. Depending on the playing style, some synthesizers have different types of portamento, such as legato portamento and staccato portamento, which alter how the notes glide.
Portamento is a flexible and expressive feature that can give a synthesizer performance a distinct personality and human-like quality. It can be used in a wide range of musical genres, including retro synth pop and avant-garde electronic music.
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