Tips on grasping envelope modulation? For filters, etc

e121

Anyone got any good tips for grasping the envelope as a modulator? Maybe a link to an article or a video, or even an explanation right here?
For whatever reason I’ve yet to fully wrap my head around using one for modulation beyond an amp, and get especially thrown off when they can be applied positively or negatively.
Any help is appreciated!

CracklePot

My basic understanding is it gives you an ADSR cycle on the Filter Cutoff when you press a key, or trigger it manually with a button. It differs from an LFO, which gives you some sort or ongoing, repeating cycle.

So the envelope would typically create a WOW or WAH type of effect, with one cycle per trigger, but an LFO would typically give you a WUB-WUB or WAH-WAH type of ongoing effect.
This is applied to the Filter Cutoff, remember.

As far as positive or negative application goes, positive will open the filter and raise the cutoff frequency, while negative will close the filter and lower the cutoff frequency. The key thing to remember is that the value changes relative to where you initially set the Frequency cutoff knob. You would tend to set it low when using a positive envelope, and set it high if using a negative envelope.

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blakkaz

e121

Thanks for the replies. Got it now, I think:

-Attack is how long it takes to get to env amount
-decay how long it takes to get to sustain amount
-sustain amount is the percentage of env amount when key is held and decay reaches it
-and then release is how long it takes to get back to original amount

So if env amount is plus 30, long attack will steadily increase filter by 30. If sustain is at 50%, decay will take it down to 15 as long as the note it held, with release taking it back down from the added 30.

I always sort of knew that, just didn't know that I knew that.

ToMess

@e121 said:
Thanks for the replies. Got it now, I think:

-Attack is how long it takes to get to env amount
-decay how long it takes to get to sustain amount
-sustain amount is the percentage of env amount when key is held and decay reaches it
-and then release is how long it takes to get back to original amount

So if env amount is plus 30, long attack will steadily increase filter by 30. If sustain is at 50%, decay will take it down to 15 as long as the note it held, with release taking it back down from the added 30.

I always sort of knew that, just didn't know that I knew that.

Yep. But the sustain cant know in advance when you will release a key, so its kinda impossible for it to shorten the time by %. Its more like if you have it at max then it will sustain forever, turning it down gives you time of how long it will sustain.

PhilW

I think you got it. But I’m not sure I understand ToMess’s post - sustain is a level, not a time (the AD and R are all times).

MonkeyDrummer

@PhilW said:
I think you got it. But I’m not sure I understand ToMess’s post - sustain is a level, not a time (the AD and R are all times).

Yup, that's the bit that kinda help the penny drop a long time ago for me... I blame it on bad UI/UX design that most synths use for envelope controls. But these days, with WYSIWYG envelope graphics, it should really help noobs grok stuff quicker.

Then, once you get that... Play with SeekBeats... It's envelope design is pure genius...

Daveypoo

@e121 Shameless self promotion right here:

I have a short series of videos on some of the basic functions of synthesizers as well:

Hope they help.