Paraphonic

A term used to describe a synthesizer where multiple oscillators can be used to play different notes, but all of those oscillators route through the same signal path (VCF/DCF, VCA/DCA, etc.), as opposed to true polyphony, where each oscillator feeds its own filter, amplifier, and so on. String synths were made using this technique in the 1970s as a way to control costs. Recently, some analog synthesizers that normally would be monophonic instruments have been released that utilize this technique to provide limited semi-polyphonic capability.