How long a note continues to sound after it is played.
Sustain refers to how long a note keeps ringing after it has been struck or played. On an instrument like the piano, the sustain pedal lifts the dampers so notes ring on after the keys are released, while an electric guitar through a loud amp can sustain a single note almost indefinitely. In synthesis, sustain has a more specific meaning as the 'S' in an ADSR envelope: the level a sound holds at while a note is kept pressed, before it is released. In both senses, sustain shapes the character and expressiveness of a sound, determining whether notes are short and detached or long, smooth and connected.
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