monofonisk

Monofonisk is a term used in Norwegian to describe something that has a single voice, line, or channel of sound. In English, the closest equivalent is monophonic. The term appears in musicology, audio engineering, and information technology to denote a single-sound-source condition, as opposed to polyphonic or stereo configurations.

In music theory, monophony refers to a texture consisting of a single melodic line without harmonic accompaniment. A performance may involve a solo instrument or voices singing in unison or in octaves, but there are no independent simultaneous melodies. Monophony is the simplest of musical textures and contrasts with polyphony, which features two or more independent lines, and with homophony, where a primary melody is supported by harmonic accompaniment.

In instruments and audio devices, monophonic design means the ability to produce only one note at a time. Monophonic synthesizers and keyboards require the player to rearticulate notes to create melodies, a characteristic associated with many classic analog synths such as the Minimoog. By contrast, polyphonic instruments can play multiple notes simultaneously. The term is also used to describe mono audio recordings or playback, which use a single channel, as opposed to stereo, which uses two or more channels.