Modulation1. (n.) The act of modulating, or the state of being modulated; as, the modulation of the voice.
2. (n.) Sound modulated; melody.
3. (n.) A change of key, whether transient, or until the music becomes established in the new key; a shifting of the tonality of a piece, so that the harmonies all center upon a new keynote or tonic; the art of transition out of the original key into one nearly related, and so on, it may be, by successive changes, into a key quite remote. There are also sudden and unprepared modulations.
Thesaurus Entries
AM, FM, PM, abatement, about-face, accommodation, adaptation, adjustment, allayment, alleviation, alteration, amelioration, amplitude modulation, apostasy, arrangement, assuagement, betterment, blunting, break, calming, change, change of heart, changeableness, constructive change, continuity, conversion, damping, deadening, defection, degeneration, degenerative change, demulsion, deterioration, deviation, difference, diminution, discontinuity, divergence, diversification, diversion, diversity, double sideband, dulcification, dulling, easing, falling-off, fitting, flip-flop, gradual change, harmonization, hushing, improvement, inflection, instrumentation, intonation, intonation pattern, leniency, lessening, letdown, letup, lightening, loosening, lulling, melioration, mitigation, modification, mollification, orchestration, overthrow, pacification, palliation, phrasing, pitch, pitch accent, preparation, qualification, quietening, quieting, radical change, re-creation, realignment, redesign, reduction, reform, reformation, relaxation, remaking, remission, renewal, reshaping, resolution, restructuring, reversal, revival, revivification, revolution, setting, shift, side frequency, sideband, slackening, softening, solution, soothing, speech tune, subduement, sudden change, suprasegmental, suspension, switch, tempering, tone, tone painting, total change, tranquilization, transcription, transition, turn, turnabout, upheaval, variation, variety, violent change, worsening