# Can someone please tell me what "Synth Comp" means?



## Dylanguitar (May 25, 2022)

I know what all the other synth articulations are, but I'm seeing this as one of the categories when I'm managing my Cubase track presets.
Does it mean Synth composite? I googled, but couldn't really find an explanation. Figured I would get a quick answer here.
Thanks


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## doctoremmet (May 25, 2022)

Isn’t it short for “accompaniment”, like in a jazz sense, where a piano player “comps” and plays the basis for the rest of the band / or the singer/soloist to play over? Done with a synth patch?


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## Dylanguitar (May 25, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> Isn’t it short for “accompaniment”, like in a jazz sense, where a piano player “comps” and plays the basis for the rest of the band / or the singer/soloist to play over? Done with a synth patch?


I really don't know. I have a background in jazz, so I know that meaning of the word, but I thought maybe with synths it means something different? I dont' know.


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## Bee_Abney (May 25, 2022)

Comping as a verb is also a contraction of compositional editing. Where you edit together parts of different takes and combine them into one 'performance'.

A non-midi hardware synth would likely require comping in that sense.

Accompaniment is also a viable option. Perhaps (though I don't think this is a standard abbreviation), it could be short for compression; that seems unlikely, but it is the sort of thing I'd want to have presets for when tracking specific live instruments.


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## Dylanguitar (May 25, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Comping as a verb is also a contraction of compositional editing. Where you edit together parts of different takes and combine them into one 'performance'.
> 
> A non-midi hardware synth would likely require comping in that sense.
> 
> Accompaniment is also a viable option. Perhaps (though I don't think this is a standard abbreviation), it could be short for compression; that seems unlikely, but it is the sort of thing I'd want to have presets for when tracking specific live instruments.


I am aware of that meaning of the word as well, as in "comping a vocal." But I see that this abbreviation is actually a thing in the synth world, alongside other articulations like "pluck, bass, pad, " etc...so I want to know exactly what it means. I'll post a picture to give a little context.


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## Bee_Abney (May 25, 2022)

Dylanguitar said:


> I am aware of that meaning of the word as well, as in "comping a vocal." But I see that this abbreviation is actually a thing in the synth world, alongside other articulations like "pluck, bass, pad, " etc...so I want to know exactly what it means. I'll post a picture to give a little context.


Oh, okay, I misunderstood the context. That's my mistake. Yes, this is new on me. I don't think I've seen it written that way before, but my guess is 'Complex'. I've seen that used as a tag for presets.


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## gamma-ut (May 25, 2022)

In that context, acCOMPaniment: one that isn't a pad, so harder attack, and is set up to play chords or polyphonic lines, whereas a lead you'd expect more often than not to be monophonic.


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## doctoremmet (May 25, 2022)

gamma-ut said:


> In that context, acCOMPaniment: one that isn't a pad, so harder attack, and is set up to play chords or polyphonic lines, whereas a lead you'd expect more often than not to be monophonic.


Yes. i still think this is it


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## ArtAt (Jun 7, 2022)

Dylanguitar said:


> I know what all the other synth articulations are, but I'm seeing this as one of the categories when I'm managing my Cubase track presets.
> Does it mean Synth composite? I googled, but couldn't really find an explanation. Figured I would get a quick answer here.
> Thanks


This question is getting asked all over the web and no one seems quite sure. It might be a Cubase thing because I also have Cubase and I've been wondering the same thing myself. 

To me they don't 'sound' like accompaniment sounds but I'm just a noob in EDM. So far I've been using them as *Leads* b/c I feel like the ones in Cubase categorized as "lead" are too plain and simple. So I've been treating the "comp" part as meaning "complex".


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## lux (Jun 7, 2022)

Yes, from the photo definitely it looks like "complex". Basically a stacked/modulated patch.


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