Vactrol Model and Parameteric EQ issues

[jorp11]

Just upgraded from v collection 5 to 7 last night. I have been enjoying playing around with the Easel but noticed a couple of things...

1) The GUI switches for selecting vactrol model appear to be backwards(Fast is slower than medium, which is slower than slow). However, when setting the gate time with CC in my DAW, a higher value corresponds to a longer release time which is expected.

(not sure if this is the place for feature requests, but would it be possible to make the GUI control of LPG response continuous(or at least higher resolution) and add it as a modulation destination? This would be useful for freeing up the envelope for other duties and using the pulsar to trigger the LPG with more control over the response. Currently even with CC control it looks like you only just get the 3 responses.

2) In the FX section, the parametric EQ high frequency setting has incorrect bounds of 1-20hz (I'm assuming it should be khz).


I'm running the Buchla Easel V 1.4.0.2695 on OSX FWIW.

I've attached screenshots of a sequence going from "slow" to "fast" and you can see the waveforms indicate the opposite occurring. I've also attached of the GUI maxing out at 20hz in the EQ.

[LBH]

1) The GUI switches for selecting vactrol model appear to be backwards(Fast is slower than medium, which is slower than slow). However, when setting the gate time with CC in my DAW, a higher value corresponds to a longer release time which is expected.

I've attached screenshots of a sequence going from "slow" to "fast" and you can see the waveforms indicate the opposite occurring.

Hi and welcome to Arturia forums.


I'm in doubt about how to understand this myself.

Are you sure you understand? I see you audio, but i'm not sure that tell the behavior as the audio do not tell anything about what's Decay and what's Release.

In the manual you can read this:
"The three Gate response settings enable you to set the characteristics of the Vactrols in the
Lo Pass Gates; from "FAST" for sharper percussive types of attack and decay to "SLOW" for
a softer attack and a more gradual decay. The Pulser Gate setting determines whether the
Pulser has a gate behavior (hold/release) or a trigger behavior (release only)."

If you hear the response from a FAST Gate response setting, then you hear more Release than Decay. It's actually more percussion type, like the manual text indicate, is'nt it?
The SLOW setting have more like a held note response - more decay and no Release?

FAST, MEDIUM and SLOW does perhaps is most about the Hold/ Decay time and therefor can't be seen in the length of a audio Wave?

It's true, that when you use automation parameters to set the values, then a knob have FAST to the left and SLOW to the right. But it you think of it as a frequency, then the frequency normally is faster to the right, and in this regard that would be towards FAST as that's where the Hold/ Decay is shortest, even if the Release is longer.
Perhaps it would make more sense, if the GUI parametrs was turned around so it was SLOW, MED, FAST instead of FAST, MID, SLOW?

But again, i'm not sure about this my self.
The effect is more or less audioble on different sounds.

The audioble difference in the Pulser Gate Response settings seems to be very subtle, if there is any difference at all. I'm not sure, if it work correct.

[jorp11]

I appreciate the response!

I'm in doubt about how to understand this myself.

Are you sure you understand? I see you audio, but i'm not sure that tell the behavior as the audio do not tell anything about what's Decay and what's Release.

Yes, I am sure I understand. Vactrols have attack and decay/release(terms are used interchangeably, unfortunately) characteristics, not ADSR, if I'm understanding you correctly. In general, the decay is orders of magnitude larger than the attack, so the attack is harder to see. The waveforms clearly show the decay/release times increasing as the model is set to "faster" vales.

If you hear the response from a FAST Gate response setting, then you hear more Release than Decay. It's actually more percussion type, like the manual text indicate, is'nt it?

See above, but "more percussive" generally refers to shorter release values. Again, I think you may be confused about the terminology here.

The audioble difference in the Pulser Gate Response settings seems to be very subtle, if there is any difference at all. I'm not sure, if it work correct.

Pulsar gate response settings determine the length of the pulse. For example, when the pulsar is driven by a keyboard, a "trigger" will generate a short pulse at each note onset no matter how long you press the key and a "gate" will stay high as long as the key is held down.

[LBH]

Thanks. It's nice to learn something new. It make much more sense to me now. I have been wondering about this, but have never dived into it. I'm not very familiar to Buchla synths.

And yes in this light, then the SLOW and the FAST responses is turned around.