4ms Shaped Dual EnvVCA User Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. 4ms Manuals
  4. Recording Equipment
  5. Shaped Dual EnvVCA
  6. User manual

4ms Shaped Dual EnvVCA User Manual

Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
The Shaped Dual EnvVCA is a dual analog envelope generator, waveshaper, slew limiter, and VCA.
Each of the two channels is identical and they can be used separately or together.
Shaped Dual EnvVCA features:
• Versatile linear, exponential, and logarithmic envelope generator/LFO
• Low-noise, low-distortion, DC-coupled linear VCAs
• Shape slider, CV jack and attenuverters for fading between Exponential, Linear, and Logarithmic
envelope shapes without changing envelope timing
• 100% analog
• Sliders and range switches control Rise and Fall times from ~2ms (500Hz) to ~2 min.
Time CV jack extends time range: ~400µs (2.5kHz) to ~1 hour.
•
Independent attenuverters for Rise and Fall time
•
Blue/Red lights indicate strength and polarity
•
• Cycle buttons for looping envelopes (LFO)
• Trigger input jack and switch for toggling between AR, ASR, and Cycle modes of triggering
EOR/F (End of Rise/Fall) gate outputs can be used to chain and sequence events
•
• Env Level and Offset knobs scale and shift ENV output without changing VCA volume
• Audio In and Out jacks for passing audio or CV through the VCA
• VCA CV inputs to use VCAs independently from the envelopes
VCA gain internally connected to envelope output when VCA CV jack is left unpatched
•
• Follow input jacks allow for slew limiting, envelope following/sidechaining, ADSR, and exotic
filtering effects
• Re-trig jumpers allow for re-triggering during rise phase
Shaped Dual EnvVCA
4ms Company
User Manual 1.0 – November 15, 2022
Slow
Med
Fast
Cycle
Trig
Rise
Cycle
Slow
AR
Level
ASR
Fast
Offset
Shape
Shape
Rise
Fall
Time
Audio A
In
Follow
EOR
ENV A
Lin 5V
Out
VCA CV
Shaped Dual EnvVCA
Slow
Med
Fast
Fall
Rise
Fall
Trig
Cycle
Slow
ASR
Fast
Shape
Fall
Rise
Time
Follow
EOF
OR
ENV B
Lin 5V
VCA CV
Cycle
AR
Level
Offset
Shape
Audio B
In
A
Out

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for 4ms Shaped Dual EnvVCA

Summary of Contents for 4ms Shaped Dual EnvVCA

  • Page 1 VCA CV VCA CV Shaped Dual EnvVCA The Shaped Dual EnvVCA is a dual analog envelope generator, waveshaper, slew limiter, and VCA. Each of the two channels is identical and they can be used separately or together. Shaped Dual EnvVCA features: •...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Setting up your Shaped Dual EnvVCA ..............3 Controls and Jacks ....................3 Rise and Fall Time Ranges ..................6 Patch: Making Notes .....................7 Making Notes (basic) ..................7 Making Notes in Stereo ...................7 Synchronizing channels: Making Notes Using Triggers ........8 Creating Stereo Motion ..................8...

  • Page 3: Setting Up Your Shaped Dual Envvca

    Setting up your Shaped Dual EnvVCA 1. Power off your Eurorack system. 2. On the back of the Shaped Dual EnvVCA you will see a 10-pin header. The 10- pin header connects to a Eurorack power header using the included power cable.
  • Page 4 negative voltage will lengthen these durations. The farther you turn the knob from center in either direction, the more effect incoming CV will have. When the knob is centered, the signal on the Time CV jack will have no effect on the rise or fall time. Next to each knob is a light which indicates the strength and polarity of the modulation.
  • Page 5 Env. Level and Offset Knobs The Level knob attenuates and inverts (attenuverts) the envelope output on each Env Out jack. When Offset is centered, turning Level fully clockwise will output a positive envelope, with a maximum peak of about 10V. Turning Level the knob counter-clockwise inverts the envelope;...

  • Page 6: Rise And Fall Time Ranges

    Follow Jack The Follow jack is the input of a slew limiter, and can also be used for complex envelope generation, exotic audio filtering, envelope following and Follow sidechaining. Whenever the internal envelope is not triggered or cycling, the envelope output will rise or fall in order to match the voltage level present on the Follow jack.

  • Page 7: Patch: Making Notes

    Lin 5V VCA CV VCA CV Shaped Dual EnvVCA Making Notes (Basic) Patch a sound source into the Audio In A jack, and patch the Audio Out A jack to your mixer or amp so you can hear it on speakers or headphones. When choosing the sound source, try to find something that makes a continuous tone or drone, such as a VCO like the Ensemble Oscillator.

  • Page 8: Synchronizing Channels: Making Notes Using Triggers

    VCA CV VCA CV waveshape…) Shaped Dual EnvVCA Synchronizing Channels: Making Notes Using Triggers With the previous patch, the tempo of each channel is linked to the rise and fall times of the envelopes. It’s not possible, for example, to have quick, short notes at a slow tempo. It’s also nearly impossible to adjust the sliders so both channels are going at the exact same tempo.

  • Page 9: Using A Keyboard Or Sequencer

    Using a Keyboard or Sequencer Instead of using Channel B to set the tempo, you could use an external CV/Gate keyboard or sequencer. Turn off Cycle and patch the gate output of the keyboard or sequencer into Channel B’s Trig jack. Whenever you fire a gate by pressing a key, Channel B will fire an envelope, and also trigger Channel A.

  • Page 10: Patch: Waveshaping

    Shaped Dual EnvVCA Modulating Waveshape A unique feature of the Shaped Dual EnvVCA is its ability to modulate the envelope waveshape without changing the timing. To demonstrate this, we’ll create a simple patch that makes notes with Channel A and uses Channel B to modulate the waveshape of Channel A. Patch a sound source, such as the Ensemble Oscillator, into Audio In A.

  • Page 11: Different Waveshapes For Rise And Fall

    Lin 5V VCA CV VCA CV Shaped Dual EnvVCA Log Rise With Expo Fall In this patch we’ll take advantage of the EOR jack to create separate waveshapes during the rise and fall portions of an envelope. It’s common to use logarithmic rises with exponential falls in order to create snappy envelopes.

  • Page 12: Patch: Modulating Time

    To mixer/output VCA CV VCA CV Shaped Dual EnvVCA Rapid Bursts In this patch we’ll make a rapid burst effect where the notes play at a steady tempo for a while, and then periodically play in a rapid burst. Start with Cycle on and the Audio In/Out jacks patched to a sound source and mixer.

  • Page 13: Patch: Making An Oscillator And Synth Drums

    Making an Oscillator In this patch we’ll use Channel A of the Shaped Dual EnvVCA as an oscillator. Flip the Rise and Fall switches of Channel A to Fast. Patch the ENV A output jack to a mixer. Engage the Cycle button to begin oscillation.

  • Page 14: Making Other Synth Drum Sounds

    VCA CV VCA CV Shaped Dual EnvVCA In the Making an Oscillator patch, we created a kick drum which decays to an inaudible frequency below the range of human hearing. To create a higher-pitched drum, such as a tom-tom, we will need a VCA to cut off the audio after the drum decays.

  • Page 15: Self-Patching Ideas

    Self-patching ideas Frequency Modulation (FM) Turn both Cycle buttons on, and set all switches to Fast. Start with all sliders in the center position. Use Channel B to modulate the frequency of Channel A by patching ENV B into Channel A’s Time CV jack.

  • Page 16: Creating Envelopes With Trig Jack And Switch, Cycle Button, And Follow Jack

    Creating Envelopes with Trig Jack and Switch, Cycle Button, and Follow Jack There are several ways to generate an envelope with the Shaped Dual EnvVCA: using the Trig jack and switch, pressing the Cycle button or using the Follow jack. Triggering With Switch Set To AR When the switch is set to AR, the Trig jack starts an envelope when it receives a trigger or gate.

  • Page 17: Follow Jack With Gates

    Note that the first pulse in Figure 6 does not stop the envelopes, and the three rapid pulses in Figure 5 only cause one envelope. This illustrates an important aspect of the Shaped Dual EnvVCA: the state of the Cycle button and Trig jack when the switch is set to Cycle only matter when the envelope is stopped (at 0V).

  • Page 18: Audio Filter

    If you’re patched into the pitch input of a VCO, you can adjust the tuning with the Level and Offset knobs. Keep in mind that the Shaped Dual EnvVCA is not designed to be a precision portamento effect, so tuning will not be accurate over a wide range.

  • Page 19: Using Non-Linear Shapes With Follow

    For this example we want to invert the envelope, so turn Level all the way counter-clockwise, and turn Offset to around 2:00. ENV B will now be outputting an inverted envelope that rests at about 5V and then ducks down when the kick drum plays. Patch this inverted envelope into Channel A’s VCA CV jack.

  • Page 20: Creating Adsr Envelopes

    To mixer/output Lin 5V Lin 5V VCA CV VCA CV Shaped Dual EnvVCA ADSR Envelope An ADSR (attack-decay-sustain-release) envelope is like an ASR envelope, except that it adds a fourth stage known as “decay” after the attack stage. After hitting the peak, an ADSR envelope “decays”...
  • Page 21 Set both Offset knobs to center so that the envelope will start and end at 0V. Set Channel A’s Level knob to 2:30, which should produce an envelope with a 5V amplitude on the ENV jack. Channel B’s Level knob controls the sustain level, it must stay between 12:00 and 2:30.

  • Page 22: Table Of Envelope Shapes

    Table of Envelope Shapes Figure 11 shows the output on the ENV jack and the color of the Shape light as the Shape slider is moved from left to right. Figure 12 shows the output of the ENV jack when EOR is patched into Shape CV on Channel A. The Shape slider sets the rise curve, and the Shape knob sets the fall curve.

  • Page 23: Using Offset And Level Knobs

    When the jumper is installed, the Shaped Dual EnvVCA will immediately restart the envelope when it receives a trigger, regardless of whether the envelope is rising or falling. When this happens, the envelope will immediately fall to 0V and begin to rise again.

  • Page 24: Electrical And Mechanical Specifications

    Electrical and Mechanical Specifications • Shaped Dual EnvVCA 20HP Eurorack format module • 0.95” (24mm) maximum depth (includes power cable) • 10-pin Eurorack power header • • Power consumption +12V: 255mA max • -12V: 230mA max • • Audio/VCA 100k input impedance, 1k output impedance, DC-coupled •...

Table of Contents