Alesis Andromeda - Part 5 - Envelopes

This is part 5 of my exploration of the A6

The previous parts are here:

 

+ Andromeda A6 - Part 1 - Basic intro

+ Andromeda A6 - Part 2 - Ribbon Controller & Modulation Wheel

+ Andromeda A6 - Alesis Part 3 - Oscillators, FM, & Pre-filter mixer

+ Andromeda A6 - Alesis Part 4 - Filters, the post filter mixer

 

The A6 provides lots of forms of modulation (keyboards, pedals, LFOs, mod wheels

ribbons, envelopes). It also incorporates a "Modulation Matrix" allowing you to route virtually

 any source to any destination. 

 

This post mostly covers the A6's envelopes. 

These envelopes are very flexible and quite complicated.

They offer endless possibilities.

 

This post really only covers the basics but should get you started.

Refer to the manual for more depth.

At it's most basic level, the Andromeda has three 7-stage loop-able envelope generators per voice.

 

 

The envelopes are essential modulation sources for every Program in the A6.

 

Envelopes can be used to effect many things like:

The VCO frequency (ENV 1)

The filter (ENV 2)

The loudness (ENV 3)... connected to the output VCA.

They can shape the amplitude of an LFO or alter the shape of a VCO’s waveform.

 

Default Modulation Paths.

Many of the modulation paths in the A6 are already routed in the instrument’s design.

These are called default modulation paths and are included because they are used so often.

Pre-routing makes setting them up much easier.

 

There are 3 basic default envelopes.

ENV 1 defaults to the frequency of OSC 1 and OSC 2 (It is Bipolar)

ENV 2 defaults to FILTER 1 FREQ and FILTER 2 FREQ (Also Bipolar)

ENV 3, which defaults to the A6’s amplifer -- (positive only)

Of course, you don’t have to use the default settings. 

You can route any of the default modulation sources to a whole slew of other destinations.

 

The A6 has three 7-stage loop-able envelope generators per voice. 

Normally, each of the A6’s three envelope generators has a start level of 0, 

and end at a level of 0. They have four target levels in between.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 7 stages are: 

DELAY TIME

ATTACK TIME

Decay 1 TIME  (D1 time)

Decay 2 TIME  (D2 time)

SUSTAIN Stage

Release 1 TIME (R1 Time)

Release 2 TIME (R2 time)

Pressing a button or turning a knob on any of the three envelope areas displays that parameter. 

You can also press the VIEW button on the desired envelope and then use any of the

display’s soft knobs and buttons to work with a specific parameter as well as its dedicated panel controls.

The 8 Soft knobs (in the above pic) correspond to Delay, Attack, D1, D2, Shape, R1. R2, blank.

The 8 Soft buttons  correspond to Time, Level, Trig, Dym, Loop, Mod 1, Mod2, Mod3.

 

 

 Envelope Polarity

As mentioned earlier, ENV1 and ENV2 are bi-polar.  

(In the pic above, you can see ENV2 is negative, and R1 & D1 are off)

Each stage level setting has a user range of - 100 through +100. 

They can create unusual envelope shapes

Some synths like the Jupiter 6 allow you to invert  envelopes to -ve values

If the initial setting of the module is at the max , you can subtract from this.

 

ENV3 is positive only because it is hardwired to the final output of the voice. 

It's hard wired to the VCA -- thus you cant reduce loudness to below zero

Its stage level ranges, therefore, are 0 through +100. 

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As mentioned earlier, the A6's LED display breaks up the various envelope properties.

 

The 8 Soft knobs (in the above pic) correspond to Delay, Attack, D1, D2, Shape, R1. R2, blank.

The 8 Soft buttons  correspond to Time, Level, Trig, Dym, Loop, Mod 1, Mod2, Mod3.

Looking at the buttons, first.

Time Page

Press the TIME soft button to enter this page.

Use the soft knobs to adjust the time settings of the various stages ...

OR press the same button (TIME)  to jump between the various

stages eg Delay, attack, Decay 1, Decay 2, and Release 1 & R2. if you don't wish to touch the knobs.

 

TIME stages can be bypassed by setting their TIME page 

parameters to 0. 

Sustain Level is bypassed by setting its level on the LEVEL page to 0.

 

LEVEL Page Parameters

This page of parameters is where the four levels of the envelope are set. 

Notice that you can use a negative value for any or all of the levels in Envelopes 1 and 2.

 

The TIME & LEVEL page are most often used together to shape the envelope.

+ Level sets the amt of change the envelope will provide

+ Offset  produces fine adjustment of the level amt.

+ Polarity will establish whether the envelope is normal or inverted

 

 TRIG and RETRIG Pages Parameters

An envelope starts its cycle when it receives a trigger. 

The most typical and often used trigger source is the keyboard.

Triggers can also be generated from  incoming MIDI ,the A6’s Sequencer and Arpeggiator, 

and a slew of other trig sources. 

You can even trigger an envelope using the level of one of the other envelopes.

 

 

The TRIG and RETRIG pages let you determine:

 • where the trigger comes from – the keyboard/MIDI, another envelope,

    an LFO, the Sequencer and so forth

 • under what conditions an envelope responds to a received trigger

 • how an envelope proceeds through its cycle once a trigger is received 

  • if an envelope is re-triggered and how responds

 

There are seven modes.

(Turn soft knob 7 to access these) 

This parameter instructs the envelope how to execute 

its Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release stages.

The modes are:

NORM 1 

NORM 2 

FRERUN 

FR-SUS 

SUSREL 

MODTRG 

MOD-TG

 

NORM 1  --- triggers with Key ON. 

That is, the envelope will proceed through its cycle to the Sustain stage

as long as a key is being held down (Note On). 

But if the key is let go before the Sustain stage is reached,

 the envelope “jumps” to the Release 1 stage.

NORM 2 

The envelope jumps to the Release 2 stage (instead of the Release 1 stage in NORM 1)

 if the key is released before the Sustain stage is reached.

 

FRERUN (Free Run)

envelope plays through its (every stage) cycle even if the key or pedal is released before reaching the Sustain stage.

 

FR-SUS 

Free - sustain

 

SUSREL 

(Sustain-Release) envelope mode merges Sustain and Release 1 stages.

 

MODTRG 

(“modulation trigger”) envelope mode is very similar in function to FRERUN, except that the envelope is triggered by a user selectable modulation source instead of the keyboard or other “note source” (the A6’s Sequencer, Arpeggiator, or a received MIDI Note).

 

Trigger Polarity 

 

You can choose between six types of trigger polarity

negative

bipolar,

positive

ABS negative

ABS bipolar,

ABS positive

NEGATIVE The trigger will occur only when the source is “moving in a negative direction.”

BIPOLAR The trigger occurs when the LEVEL is reached but the source can be either increasing or decreasing in amplitude.

POSITIVE The trigger will occur only when the source is “moving in a positive direction.”

ABS: Absolute – the following polarities treat positive and negative LEVEL settings as if they were all positive. Thus a value of -50 is treated the same as +50.

MOD-TG 

 (“modulation trigger-gate”) envelope mode is very similar in function to the NORM 1 mode, except that the envelope is triggered by a user selectable modulation input instead of the keyboard.

 

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TRIG  vs RETRIG 

Not only are envelopes triggered, they can also be configured to be re-triggered.

Use soft knob 8 to toggle between the TRIG page and the RETRIG pages of parameters.

 DYN Page Parameters 

The DYN or Dynamics functions permit you to modulate certain parameters of an

envelope “live” or as you are playing the A6. 

 

Access this page with soft button 4.

 

The parameters are

RESET - Normal, Legato, Re-assign, Analog (Soft knob 1)

              Determines what the envelop will do when new notes are played.

              Normal will always reset the note from the beginning.

              Legato will always maintain the current envelope stage, where-ever it may be.

               RE-ASSIGN …the envelope will behave as in Legato mode, with the exception

               that if the voice is being reassigned from a different Program in a Mix, it will

               continue on from the present stage according to the new Program's envelope.

               ANALOG …the envelope will start its attack stage from the present level, 

               not necessarily zero.

SUSPDL - Sustain Pedal Control (Soft knob 2)

                Turns Sustain Pedal control on and off for the envelope.

KEYTRK - Key Tracking (Soft knob 3)

                  adds and subtracts decay & release times depending on the Note Number 

                  that triggered this envelope.

KTBASE - Key Tracking Base Note (Soft knob 4)

                 sets the midpoint between the range of notes where adding time

                  to the envelope and subtracting time occurs.

LVLTRK - Level Tracking (Soft knob5)

                  You can alter the  overall output level – of the selected envelope

                   by the Note Number that triggered this envelope.

VELMOD Level Velocity Modulation (Soft knob 6)

                   You can alter the  overall output level – of the selected envelope

                   by the Velocity of the key that triggered this envelope.

RELMOD Release 2 Modulation (Soft knob7)

 

These parameters relate to how you are playing.

If you play short notes ... its called STACCATO.

Long smooth notes that blend into each other is called LEGATO.

Velocity relates to how fast or slow the key is pressed.

LOOP Page Parameters

Each of the three envelopes has the ability to loop – repeat selected stages over and over. 

The parameters in the Loop page allow you specify how the loop behaves.

 

Access this page with soft button 5.  

This is a great feature.

The envelope can be made to behave a bit like an LFO.

 

There are three conditions.

1.When it starts (eg you can set the envelope to start looping when 

    the DECAY 2 stage is complete)

2. Where it starts (eg which stage?)

3. How it continues. (eg does it repeat, and for how many times)

The page parameters are:

Start

End

Count - This parameter determines how many times the selected envelope will loop

Type (forward, reverse, rock-n-roll)

Smooth

SSshape - selects the slope (EXP/LOG 1, 2 & 3 and SCURV1 & 2)

 

SHAPE: Selecting the Stage Slope

Each time parameter of an envelope (except Delay) has a user-selectable property called slope. 

This term refers to how the attack, decay and release stages accelerate (speed up) or decelerate (slow down) as each stage approaches its target level.

 

The slopes can be 

1. Linear (Rising or falling)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Exponential 1 (Rising or falling)

    Exponential 2 (Rising or falling)

    Exponential 3 (Rising or falling)

 

3. Logarithmic 1 (Rising or falling)

     Logarithmic 2 (Rising or falling)

     Logarithmic 3 (Rising or falling)

 

 

 

4. S-Curve 1 (Rising or falling)

    S-curve 2  (Rising or falling)

   

The Attack, Decay and Release stages can have different slopes. 

You can mix and match slopes any way you want within the same envelope.

 MOD Pages

 In addition to the modifications offered by the TRIG and DYN pages, 

each envelope can be modulated by any of the A6’s 71 mod sources. 

 

 

In fact, three separate mod paths can be created per envelope from the

three MOD 1, MOD 2 and MOD 3 pages.