General qualities

Quiet/Loud
Low/High
Short/Long
Close/Distant
Non Dynamic/Dynamic
Tonal/Noisy
Natural/Artificial

Timbre

Dull/Bright
Smooth/Rough
Dry/Resonnant
Non Nasal/Nasal
Non Rich/Rich
Non Round/Round
Warm
Strident
Metallic

Morphology

Fast/Slow Attack
Fast/Slow Release
Crescendo/Decrescendo
Ascending/Descending
Constant/Fluctuating
Continuous/Discontinuous

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Ascending/Descending

Ascending and descending profiles refer to the direction of pitch variation over time. One may use the word glissando. An ascending sound is a sound whose pitch evolves from low to high. A descending sound is a sound whose pitch evolves from high to low.

Musical instruments Female/Male voices Environmental sounds Simple sounds Complex sounds