Pitch Envelope - Alesis QS6.1 Reference Manual

Part 8: Editing Programs

PITCH ENVELOPE

The Pitch Envelope function (press [90]) can lead to dramatic effects, since it can
cause the pitch of a single key to change drastically over time. ItÕs typically used in
special-effect synthesizer programs, but it may also be used more subtly in an
acoustic program to simulate the characteristic of some instruments to go sharp on
the initial attack, especially when played hard.
The following Pitch Envelope variables will have an effect only if the PITCH ENVELOPE
DEPTH (on Page 7 of the PITCH function) is set to a value other than 0, or if Pitch Envelope
is a source in the MOD function.
Attack (00 to 99)
This is the amount of time the envelope will take until it reaches its maximum output
level. Setting the Attack to 0 will make the pitch go to maximum immediately on
hitting the key (if the Delay is also set to 0 in Pitch Envelope, Page 5 -- see next page);
a setting of 99 will result in a much slower attack, taking many seconds before the
envelope gets to maximum.
Decay & Sustain (00 to 99)
As soon as the attack portion of the envelope finishes (when the level reaches
maximum), the envelope will decay (decrease in level). The level it reaches is set by
the Sustain control; how long it takes to get there is set by the Decay control. In the
special case where the Sustain level is all the way up (99), then there is no decrease
and the Decay time segment is bypassed. Depending on the setting of the Sustain
Decay control (see below), the envelope will either hold at the sustain level until you
release the note on the keyboard, or decay to 0 at the Sustain Decay rate (which is on
page 6 of the envelope function). You can create a long "plateau" at the start of a note
by setting the Sustain to 98 and the Decay to 99. This will cause the envelope to take
the maximum amount of time to get from peak level to a level of 98, before the
Sustain Decay portion of the envelope begins.
Release (00 to 99, Hold)
Eventually, you will let go of the note that youÕve been holding (either by releasing the
note on the keyboard, or releasing the sustain pedal if it was pressed). It is at this point
that the Release portion of the envelope takes effect. The Release is the time that the
envelope takes to get from its current level back down to nothing. Setting the Release
time to 99 will make the envelope take a very long time to reach zero level.
The Pitch Envelope is unique from the other two envelopes in that its Release time
can be set above 99. When this is done, the value in the display will read ÒHoldÓ.
This indicates that the Pitch Envelope will remain where it is even after the note is
released. This is important when you want the pitch effect to continue even after
releasing the key. Example: If the Pitch Envelope is bending a note up, and you donÕt
want the pitch to fall when you release the key, set the Release parameter to ÒHoldÓ.
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QS6.1 Reference Manual