OMNISPHERE

COURSE NOTES
MODULE 4
ENVELOPES
This module teaches about the most common type of modulation, found on all synths,
and thats envelope modulation. This is used to shape the amplitude (level) of a synth
patch, for example, as well as control its frequency content over time, and many other
parameters.

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COURSE NOTES
MODULE 4
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ENVELOPES SECTION
In the Edit window, there are three switches for choosing the The attack sets how quickly the envelope acts when it is
envelope you want to view or edit. This allows the ADSR settings triggered, normally by playing a note. Having a short attack will
to be viewed on the sliders below. These are the standard make the envelope more abrupt, whereas a longer attack makes
envelope parameters, and set the timing of each of the main it fade in more gradually. The sustain then sets what happens
stages of the envelope. The parameters are Attack, Decay, after the attack, as it controls the level of the envelope when a
Sustain and Release. note is held down. The decay sets the length of time to go from
the end of the attack to the sustain level, so only normally has
an effect when the sustain is set lower than the max position.
Then, the release sets how the envelope behaves when the
envelope ends, typically by letting go of a note. The envelopes
zoom window display can also be used to edit the envelopes, by < Home
dragging around the points and curves, and this can be syncd to
allow the envelope to be more easily aligned with the timing of
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your session. < Back

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COURSE NOTES
MODULE 4
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AMP ENVELOPE
The amplitude envelope is assigned to control the level of each
layer as default (you can set it to control both layers by linking
them with the switch and then making adjustments to it dont
forget), so it controls how loud the sound is over time. Therefore,
the attack sets how punchy the sound is, with a very short attack or
none at all making the sound punchier as it becomes loud straight
away, whereas a longer attack creates a gentler sound that fades in
more slowly. Note that having no attack time can create a click at
the beginning of sounds, so this is something to watch out for on
all envelopes. The sustain then sets how loud the sound is when
a note is held down, so if set to max then the volume will stay < Home
at full level. Alternatively, you can set it to a lower level to make
the level drop to that volume after the attack phase is complete. Next >
When doing this, the decay time sets how quickly the level drops < Back
to that sustain level, so a long decay will create a gentler decrease
in level. Setting the sustain to zero will mean that the level fades in
and out with whatever timing you set with the attack and The release slider sets how long the sound takes to fade out
decay sliders. when a note is released. This will have no effect if the level has
already faded out of course! So, when the amp envelope is fairly
short, youll need to release a note quickly to hear the releases
effect. Having the decay and release set the same with a brief
amp envelope like this will mean that a note is generally the same
length whether its held down or played briefly.

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COURSE NOTES
MODULE 4
FILTER ENVELOPE
The filter envelope acts on the cutoff dial in the filter section,
so can be used to make it go up and down in whatever way
you like. The amount of modulation the envelope creates is
controlled by the envelope dial in the filter section. So, set to
full (as default) the filter envelope will make the cutoff go up
and down as much as possible. A common example is when
using a low-pass filter with a low cutoff to remove the high
frequencies in the sound, but having them come in and out
when a note is played. When doing this, setting no attack and
a brief decay, with zero sustain, will make the cutoff jump up
straight away and then slide down according to the length of
the decay. So, when wanting to have a very fast filter sweep, so
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4
the high frequencies only appear at the very start of the note,
adding more definition to the transient, then use a very short
decay. Or, when wanting a longer, more obvious filter sweep,
then a longer decay time can be used.
The attack and decay parameters of the filter envelope can
change the sound quite dramatically in very different ways, with
one setting how long the filter takes to open and the other
how long it takes to close. So, having a longer attack normally
produces a waa type sound as the high frequencies are
brought in, whilst extending the decay creates a longer oww
< Home
sound as the high frequencies are taken away. A very short
attack can be good on bass sounds, for making classic, old
school basslines.
< Back
When wanting to add some filter envelope release, so that the
filter closes more gradually after you let go of a note, make
sure that you extend the amp envelope release first, otherwise
you wont hear any effect. The amp envelope timing must be
considered when creating a sound as, if the sound is very brief,
the effect of other envelope parameters may not be heard.