Amp Envelope - Alesis QS6.1 Reference Manual

Part 8: Editing Programs
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MP NVELOPE
The Amp Envelope function (press [110]) is crucial for all sounds because it sets the
basic characteristics of the note--whether it attacks quickly or slowly, sustains or
decays. Some Programs may leave the Amp Envelope in a sustaining mode, and
provide attack and decay using the Filter Envelope; the effect is slightly different.
Unlike the Pitch and Filter Envelopes, the Amp Envelope is always fully active (there
is no parameter in the Amp/Range function adjusting how much envelope is applied
to the Amp).
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 give a sharp edge to the sound (if the Delay is also
set to 0 in Amp Envelope Page 5 -- see below); 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)
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 the sustain level back down to nothing. Setting
the Release time to 0 is good for playing those short funky riffs that you hear on a
clavinet. Setting the Release time to 99 will make the envelope take a very long time
to reach zero level.
Delay (00 to 99)
This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything; very
useful if you want to affect one element of a sound sometime after the sound starts.
When the Delay is set to 0, the envelope begins its attack segment right away,
without any delay. Play some notes while turning up the delay and see that the time
between playing the note and hearing the effect of the Amp Envelope gets
progressively longer as the Delay control is turned up.
If the Delay is set above 99, the display will read ÒHoldÓ. This indicates that the
Delay stage of the envelope will wait indefinitely until the key is released before
continuing on to the remaining envelope stages (Attack, Decay, etc.). With a value of
ÒHoldÓ, the Pitch EnvelopeÕs Trigger parameter is automatically set to ÒFreerunÓ in
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QS6.1 Reference Manual