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

words4sounds.speak (en)

Natural/Artificial

The words natural and artificial refer to two different ways used to produce sounds. A natural sound is produced by a physical source. One may also use the word acoustic. An artificial sound is produced or modified by digital or electro-acoustic technologies. One may also use the word synthesized.

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