Gentle Electric 101 Owner's Manual

Pitch and envelope follower

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GENTLE ELECTRIC

MODEL 101

PITCH AND ENVELOPE FOLLOWER

OWNER'S MANUAL

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Page 1 GENTLE ELECTRIC MODEL 101 PITCH AND ENVELOPE FOLLOWER OWNER’S MANUAL...
Page 2: Table Of Contents
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..........INSTALLATION ..........FUNCTION DESCRIPTION ........OPTIMUM PITCH EXTRACTION ........HOW TO PICK UP SIGNALS ........RECORDED SOUNDS ..........INITIAL SETUP ..........PATCH DIAGRAMS AND DESCRIPTIONS ......BLANK PATCH DIAGRAM ......... ACCESSORIES ..........MOOG TRIGGER ADAPTOR WAVEFORM DIAGRAMS ......
Page 3: Introduction
INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your purchase of the Gentle Electric Model 101 Pitch and Envelope Follower. This piece of electronic equipment can give you many years of satisfying service. To get the best results from this sophisticated interface you should read this manual carefully to become familiar with the numerous features of the PEF.
Page 6: Function Description
If your oscillator isn't tracking accurately and you don't wish to change the v/oct. trim on it, you can easily adjust the v/oct. trim on the model 101 by following the directions in the initial setup procedure.
Page 7 This output, which is normally at 0 volts, produces a 10 volt, 3 msec. pulse. There are two types of conditions that can produce trigger outputs from the model 101: an initial trigger and a retrigger (see diagram on next page). The initial trigger will occur whenever t he gate comes on (i.e.
Page 9 13) Retrigger The retrigger control adjusts the sensitivity of the retriggering circuit to amplitude increases in the input signal. Retriggering will occur at smaller increases in signal amplitude as the retrigger control knob is turned clockwise. When the retrigger control knob is turned all the way counter clockwise, there will be no retriggering.
Page 10 19) Compress A compressor output is included in the model 101. The amplitude of the signal is 10 volts peak-to-peak. The compressor removes the dynamics from the input signal by boosting low amplitudes and limiting high amplitudes so that the output signal is always at the same amplitude.
Page 11: Optimum Pitch Extraction
OPTIMUM PITCH EXTRACTION To achieve the best results from the pitch and envelope follower, it is necessary to understand some essential points about how to obtain good signals and what kinds of signals the pitch follower needs to track pitch reliably. Of course, pitch following is only one of the many features of this interface.
Page 12 d) Wind, either from the instrument or the weather. e) Miscellaneous extraneous sounds, such as other instruments in the ensemble, traffic noise, or talking. f ) Sound from the synthesizer or PA leaking back into the PEF. g) Reverberation. including that introduced by the room acoustics. Reverberation tends to change a monophonic signal into a polyphonic one by holding previous pitches.
Page 13: How To Pick Up Signals
HOW TO PICK UP SIGNALS In live situations. the best way is co use a high quality contact microphone or pickup, especially one designed for the particular instrument, because it eliminates feedback problems and the sounds of other instruments. Although some musicians don't care for the sound of contact pickups, this is not the main issue for pitch following.
Page 14: Recorded Sounds
On string instruments, strong sound comes out of the holes in the body of the instrument. With open air microphones, one must always be careful to avoid reverberant spaces, or any other sounds in the space, INCLUDING THE OUTPUT OF THE SYNTHESIZER. To get the best results for your applications you will want to experiment with both open- air microphones and contact pickups.
Page 16: Initial Setup
INITIAL SETUP - v/oct. tracking adjustment Refer to Patch #l. Before making the v/oct adjustment on the PEF, be sure your oscillators are all properly tracking at lv/octave. The PEF has been adjusted at the factory for lv/octave tracking within.004v (l/ 20 semitone) over the range of 200 Hz to 3000 Hz, and may be used as a reference for adjusting your oscillators if you wish.
Page 18: Patch Diagrams And Descriptions
PATCH DIAGRAMS AND DESCRIPTIONS"---BASIC PITCH AND ENVELOPE FOLLOWING Refer to Patch #2. Now you are ready to try some pitch and envelope following. Connect a microphone to MIC IN. Connect the PITCH output of the PEF to the control voltage input on your VCO, and connect the LINEAR ENVELOPE output of the PEF to the linear control voltage input on your VCA.
Page 20 PITCH FOLLOWING WITH SYNTHESIZED AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE Refer to Patch #3. Basically, this patch is the same as the last one, but instead of using the LINEAR ENVELOPE output of the PEF, you will use the GATE and TRIGGER outputs to control an envelope generator in your synthesizer, which then controls the VCA.
Page 22 PITCH AND ENVELOPE FOLLOWING WITH FILTER TRACKING PITCH AND/OR ENVELOPE Refer to Patch #4. Connect one PITCH output to the VCO and the other PITCH output to the control voltage input on your VCF. Since there is only one LINEAR ENVELOPE output on the PEF it is necessary, at this point, to split the LINEAR ENVELOPE output signal by either using a Y connector or running the LINEAR ENVELOPE output to a "multiple"...
Page 24 MIC IN. All the pitch and envelope following capabilities of the model 101 are available through the line input. (If you're not using the line input, the microphone signal can still be used for pitch and envelope...
Page 26 If you are using a keyboard gate to activate the hold mode of the PEF, then the PITCH and GATE outputs on the model 101 will be held until a key is depressed. If you "logically"* invert the keyboard voltage, the opposite will occur.
Page 28 CONTROLLED ACOUSTIC FEEDBACK Refer to Patch #7. Connect a microphone to MIC IN and connect the COMPRESSOR output to your monitor amp. Keep the LINE LEVEL control turned up high. The COMPRESSOR changes the amplitude of the input signal to a constant 10 volt peak-to-peak signal, whether the input signal is a whisper or a roar.
Page 30 ENVELOPE MODIFICATION OF ORIGINAL SIGNAL Refer to Patch #8. The COMPRESSOR removes the original dynamics from the signal. By running the compressor output through a VCA and using an envelope generator to control that VCA, new synthesized dynamics can be added to the compressed signal.
Page 33 DYNAMIC REVERSAL Refer to Patch #10. With the COMPRESSOR output connected to the signal input on the VCA, take the LOG ENVELOPE output of the PEF and patch it to an inverter circuit on your synthesizer. Now, connect the output of the inverter to the exponential control input on the VCA.
Page 35 RESYNTHESIZED HARMONIC SPECTRUM Refer to Patch #11. Connect the PULSE WAVE output to the signal input on your VCF, and connect the VCF output to the signal input on your VCA. Now connect the PITCH and LINEAR or LOG ENVELOPE outputs to control inputs on your VCF.
Page 37 ANALYSIS, PROCESSING, AND SYNTHESIS OF SOUND BY COMPUTER Refer to Patch #12. Computer music or computer signal processing applications which can benefit from the use of the PEF include interactive performance systems, both digital and hybrid (analog synthesis controlled by computer) synthesis systems, and voice recognition/analysis.
Page 38 For your convenience, we include a blank PEF patching diagram which you can photocopy for recording your own discoveries. Have fun!
Page 40: Accessories
Moog trigger plug on the other. The phone plug is connected to the GATE output on the model 101. (see diagram on next page. ) ** Moog trigger adaptor #2 is a separate box with "female" phone jacks (gate and trigger inputs from the PEF) on one end and a "male"...
Page 43: Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS Specified Input Level (SIL) : Odb-lv peak @ 500 Hz (or -36db into MIC IN) with LINE LEVEL control set for 6db attenuation (approx. 2 o'clock) Overhead: (onset of clipping): 8db above SIL LINEAR ENVELOPE will be at 12.8v LOG ENVELOPE will be at lO.8v Overload Indicator: 6db above SIL.
Page 44: Warranty
WARRANTY The Gentle Electric Model 101 Pitch and Envelope Follower is warranted to be free from defects 1n materials and workmanship for a period of one year following the date of the original customer's purchase. Service performed by any person other than factory authorized repair stations may void the warranty.