A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which the most common type is the musical keyboard. Another common way of controlling a sound module is through a sequencer, which is computer hardware or software designed to record and playback control information for sound-generating hardware. Connections between sound modules, controllers, and sequencers are generally made with MIDI, which is a standardized interface designed for this purpose.
Korg Triton rack-mountable sound module.
A Studio Electronics Omega 2 rackmount module.
A WERSI OX7 micro, a clonewheel organ module.
The Access Virus A module.
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into a power amplifier which drives a loudspeaker, creating the sound heard by the performer and listener.
Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer
Diagram of the clavecin électrique
Telharmonium console by Thaddeus Cahill 1897
Theremin (1924)