etterklang

Etterklang is a term used in sound studies and contemporary music production to describe the lingering sonic tail that persists after the initial attack of a sound. It refers to the instrument’s or signal’s own decay characteristics, including how spectral content evolves as energy dissipates, rather than to environmental effects such as reverberation or discrete echoes. In practice, etterklang is shaped by synthesis, filtering, and subtle reverb to create a sense of continuous presence after a note or hit.

The term is a neologism formed from Norwegian etter “after” and German Klang “sound.” It emerged in Scandinavian experimental scenes in the early 2010s and has since appeared in discussions of timbral design and post‑attack ambience. Because it is a relatively new concept, definitions vary and writers may use it to describe slightly different post‑attack colorations in a sound.

Characteristics of etterklang include the decay envelope of a signal and ongoing spectral shifts that give a sense of continuity beyond the initial transient. It is distinct from room reverberation, which is environment-driven, and from discrete echoes, which are clearly separated repetitions of a sound. In practice, producers exploit etterklang through careful shaping of envelopes, filtering, and subtle processing to preserve cohesion in a mix or a virtual instrument’s sound.

Related concepts include reverberation, echo, decay, tail, and timbre.