Output bypassing Envelope Generators on Output VCA's?

[davidbrucesmith]

Hi!

I am an old synth guy (having learned on a Mg Series III at American University in the early 70's), and I was delighted to find this simulation of the Mg stuff.

However, I am either disapointed or can not figure out how to get past the forced application of the output Envelope generators.  On the original Mg, any generator created a +10v analog output that could be directly applied to the mixer.  Many of my patches and techniques did not rely on a keyboard triggering an amplitude envelope generator, and in fact this seems very limiting.  Is there a way that I can take a signal and apply it directly to the output?  

Thanks for any info.

[Vincent T]

Is there a way that I can take a signal and apply it directly to the output?

humm..Not really.. What kind of patch do you want to create? Can't  you use the 'hold' option of the envelope?

[davidbrucesmith]

I would like to be able to develop patches that create continuous, complex audio environments, where the output of sound does not require the initial triggering of an Envelope generator tied to a VCA.  Very often I start with a single oscillator pure output, and then start applying successive levels of modullation and modification to it.  In these cases, I do not want to have to keep hitting a keyboard to trigger an event, and using the other options of AM is always causing some sort of cycling of the sound's level.  Then, I often take keyboard-triggered envelope generators, and apply them to parameters not associated with amplitude envelope.

I also think that this would make a good teaching aid for my music technology class:  I think there is nothing better than straight modular synthesis to teach signal flow and interconnectivity of different module.  However, by forcing the output VCA to be part of every patch, it is difficult for students to ingest the relationship between VCA and EG.

[Sweep]

This may sound like a daft question, but couldn't you just set the keyboard trigger on the output EG to `off?'  That gives you a continuous sound that isn't being shaped.

[Vincent T]

you can also set the sustain at '1.0' (maximum) and the release at 'hold' (maximum value, too) and trig a note.

[davidbrucesmith]

Well, both of these in combination sort of got what I was looking for.  Thanks!  However, it does waste an EG and a VCA, and still requires an intitial keyboard trigger to activate it.  This would be confusing to new synthesis students, who may not understand exactly why this has to be done.

However, what can one expect for $129?  I decided to build some classic analog modules in Max/MSP for purposees of instruction.

Thanks again.