In the most general terms, a stage is the next change in voltage among a series of changes. In an 8-step sequencer, for example, each new note that it produces in order is a stage.
In an envelope generator such as an ADSR (Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release), each phase – such as attack, where the envelope generally rises from 0 volts to the highest voltage it can output – is a stage. If an envelope generator has a lot of stages, you might hear them referred to as “segments” instead (see the listing for the MArF).
You might also hear it used to describe the number of sample stages in a BBD (Bucket Brigade Delay), described elsewhere.
« Back to Glossary Index