Alternate Volume Envelope - E-Mu Planet Phatt Operation Manual

STEP-BY-STEP
Percussion
Organ
String
Plucked
••• The generalized volume
envelope shapes of a few
types of sounds are shown
above.

ALTERNATE VOLUME ENVELOPE

Every sound you hear, be it a piano note, a drum, a bell or whatever,
has a characteristic volume curve or envelope, which grows louder or
softer in various ways during the course of the sound. The volume
envelope of a sound is one of the clues that our brain uses to
determine what type of sound is being produced.
Each instrument has it's own volume envelope which is used when
the Alternate Envelope parameter is turned Off. By turning the Alter-
nate Envelope On, we can re-shape the instrument's natural volume
envelope any way we want. By reshaping the volume envelope of a
instrument, you can dramatically change the way the sound is per-
ceived. For example, by adjusting the envelope parameters, you can
make "bowed" pianos or backwards gongs. The diagrams at the left
show the volume envelopes of a few common sounds.
In preparation for this experiment choose a fairly "normal" preset (like
an organ or synth) which continues to sustain when the key is held
down. Go to the Secondary Instrument screen and set it to "None".
Next go to the Alt. Volume Envelope screen and turn the Primary
Volume Envelope On.
Now move on to the next screen:
Increase the Attack time and play a note. The attack controls the time
it takes for the sound to reach full volume when a key is pressed and
held.
Now increase the Release time and note the effect as you release the
note. The Release time controls the time it takes for the sound to die
away when a note is released.
• Anatomy of an Envelope
When a key is pressed, the envelope generator starts increasing at the
Attack rate. When it reaches full level, it Holds at that level for the
Hold time. After the Hold time has elapsed, the envelope begins to
Decay back down at the specified Decay rate until it reaches the
Sustain Level. Note that all the other parameters are Times, but the
Sustain is a Level.
86 Planet Phatt Operation Manual
ALT VOL ENVELOPE
pri:On sec:Off
P: A H D S
00 00 10 99 10
R