When using a VCA + ADSR combo with an external audio input and trigger it with a gate I get a very loud clipping noise every time the VCA triggers. What I do is to assign an input, then add a VCA and then inside the VCA unit I add the ADSR. Is this right ? When I do the same feeding an analog envelope to an analog vca it doesn’t happen, so I guess I’m doing it wrong ?
I trigger the VCA with a gate and inside the VCA I add the envelope, that’s the way I’m doing it. It’s probably wrong because the gain amount attenuates or increases the clipping but it doesn’t disappear
Oh. Are we having a terminology problem? Clipping means that the tops of the wave are being flattened. A click is usually caused by a discontinuity in the waveform like (that in the saw or square wave).
This is something that when it’s done right is incredibly useful and can sound amazing!
It’s not the easiest of things to work with though because of the way the envelope interacts with the sound. When you’re using envelopes of a few ms there is often a disparity between where in the cycle the sound waveform signal is and when the envelope opens… sync can help but it’s the sound source that matters most in my experience.
I’d love to hear more hints and tips about working with very short envelopes and working with the clicky if anyone has any
I have observed that triggering the VCA with a sine wave pulse makes the click fade smoothly, seems obvious … But then the snappiness is not as extreme.
I also had some great results from sending feedback from the envelope to itself - specifically the Attack and Decay portions, but this requires dedicating the envelope to it’s own channel on the ER-301.
At one point it really sounded almost like a vactrol!
See here for some more details, you might find what you are looking for there!
I find a helpful way to think of it is that a pulse is a variable width square wave!
I am finding the Pamela’s New Workout one of the most useful modules in my system. You can send square, sine, ramp and random waveshapes from it, or even feed it CV and then spit it through it’s outputs !
I see pulse as :
2- a single vibration or short burst of sound, electric current, light, or other wave
Ahh yes, I see… you’re not wrong, but for the purposes of discussions re. synthesis it is a technical term that means something quite specific in this domain: