Dynamic Allocation

A system used in electronic polyphonic instruments to ensure that a note will always sound when you press a key, even if all the notes an instrument can produce at once are sounding. Currently all polyphonic keyboards and modules use what has commonly become known as a “voice architecture,” whereby some finite number of voices, or sound generating elements are used to play notes. Without dynamic allocation when you run out of voices you run out of notes that can be played. Additional notes would not sound until more voices become available. Dynamic allocation is the “stealing” of a voice from some other note to sound the new note, which cuts off the old note. Often the new note will replace the earliest note played, though in some systems a more advanced voice stealing algorithm is used to enable the keyboard to steal a voice from the note that the listener is least likely to miss. This is also known as voice stealing. Some type of dynamic allocation or voice stealing algorithm is employed in virtually all modern polyphonic keyboards.