Endless envelopes

[electrique]

If you think about what an endless envelope is, you may will get the result, that it's simply a complex LFO. Well, LFOs in the Alesis Fusion are sync-able and they provide some simple waveforms, but nothing complex like an envelope is, but there's a solution:

In the modulation matrix, every modulation has its own so called table. So you can use them to create a complex LFO waveform.

- first, set the LFO to a "saw up" waveform
- set the modulation and add a new table
- now use the table to create your complex LFO waveform

Finished! In this way you can not only create envelopes but use the Table as step sequencer - think of the sync feature in the LFO parameters!

Have fun!

[psionic11]

Thanks for the idea, this was another area I've been trying to experiment in.

This idea of an "endless envelope" -- I wonder if this is anything similar to the envelopes in either the Waldorf series where you can set an envelope to select portions of a waveform/wavetable playback, or similar to what the Omnisphere demos show as a "rhythmic" envelope. I've experimented in the Fusion with taking an LFO that modulates the pitch, and made some crazy "envelope" in the table, and I do get a pseudo-random effect on the pitch. But I have a sneaking suspicion the table parameter could be used for much, much more subtle and not-so-subtle effects. With 16 "points", it does seem to suggest that it might be used as a step sequencer.

If this is true, then that "step-sequencer" could be used for what? -- bubbling-type sounds? in-sync rhythmic LFO FX? Perhaps it could even be assigned to "gritty" parameters like FM modulation amount or filter/resonance cutoff points? Better yet, I wonder if it might be possible to simulate some of the Waldorf wavetable type sounds by routing a custom table to the OSC Start point your multisamples?

And also, regarding "complex LFOs" -- don't forget you can also have one LFO modulate another LFO to create complexity. For example, with a typical sine-wave LFO assigned to pitch, you could assign another, very slow (less than 1.0 MHz) sine or saw LFO to the first LFO. The result is a repeating LFO that varies over time, creating a new interesting pitch vibrato.

Then again, you could also assign Aftertouch to vary the rate of the LFO for pitch... there are so many creative possibilites with the Mod Matrix...

[electrique]

A few answers:

"Step" is a mode in a table and you have until 16 "points", so that are the 16 steps.
The disadvantage is: there's no grid for that points (also could be an advantage )

Of course you can set FM modulations as destination. Setting start sample point as destination would have no effect when the sample is already played.
E.g. you could use "start sample point" to "hide" the organ click in samples by the S1 button etc.

BTW: You could also use aftertouch to modulate the amount of your step sequencer

[psionic11]

"Setting start sample point as destination would have no effect when the sample is already played. "

Good point, I forgot about that part. Unless the sound is re-triggered, you only get that first chance to decide where to start the sample from. But you still have several choices to simulate wavetable sequencing:

1) use a custom sample that already has multiple waveforms in it, and cycle through it normally as any other sample- or VA-type sound (ADSR)
2) use a complex LFO or Sample&Hold to modulate the pulse-width of the OSC, perhaps strengthening this already-used not-so-wavetable-like effect by using OSC sync where the slave OSC's pitch is manipulated separately from the LFO's that modulate filter cutoff and resonance
3) use a sample whose harmonic spectrum "opens up with the filter" differently than the typical simple waves like a sawtooth getting brighter -- metallic or gritty FM sounds come to mind -- then of course using something like S&H to play random parts of that spectrum which might then sound like wavetable sequencing
4) somehow re-trigger the OSC indefinitely while sustaining it
5) use a combination of these techniques simultaneously

Regarding #4 above, as the only viable way to do this repetitively on a millisecond scale is using machines, one way to accomplish this is using a MIDI merger to re-assign a continuous controller to the footswitch up/down parameter, with a table converting the continuous motions of say aftertouch or the footpedal into discrete jumps of footswitch up/down, all happening in the ms time domain. Sheesh, sounds like complex math talk, but it's really just clever mechanical manipulations.

Alternatively, one could maybe use key up/down to re-trigger the OSCs, and by holding down the sustain pedal, execute a "one-note" keyboard trill that steps thru the sample's waveform start points according to the table....

Ah well, fun to theorize first thing in the morning with the caffeine buzz still happening.

[electrique]

You could also use 4 Oscs for using 4 different samples and control the volume of each osc separatey by one LFO. You only need to create 4 modulations from LFO to OSC1-4 volume and create a custom table for every modulation.
Set the LFO waveform to noise and set S&H for every of this 4 modulations with the same frequency (tempo synced welcome;)).

[cb]

The manual states (pg.247) that you can have only one modulation table per program.
I played with the Fusion and it looks like that you can have a modulation table per modulation route.
Can anybody confirm this?

[Hollow Sun]

May 3, 2009 18:30:30 GMT cb said:

The manual states (pg.247) that you can have only one modulation table per program.
I played with the Fusion and it looks like that you can have a modulation table per modulation route.
Can anybody confirm this?

Yes - you can have a table per route.

You can also have a sample&hold per route as well.

[cb]

Wow! Endless possibilities...

Thanks Steve!

[Shreddie]

I found a nice little use for the tables a few weeks ago...

You can use a table to give your assignable knobs a 'preset' of sorts. Table values/positions go from -100 to +100... The knobs values go from 0 to 100. Put in a break point at position 1 with a value of 0. Next put in a break point at position 0 and adjust its value to whatever you want for the mod route to which that knob is assigned. Now, whenever you call up that preset or turn the knob to 0 it will have your preset value... But should you wish to tweak, any knob values above 0 will work normally.

For example, if you assigned that knob to reverb send, whenever you call up that preset it will start with whatever value you have assigned to it at position 0 in the table but by turning the knob you will still have full access to the full range... That's presuming that in the effects section of the Fusion you have set the reverb send level to zero of course.

The down side to that is that you will hear an audible step when the value suddenly jumps.

That's probably not the best explanation but try it out and experiment, you'll make sense of it.

Another thing I've tried is using the 'step' mode for the table (assigned to a knob) and setting 16 equally spaced points (in terms of position) at random values. I've then set the mod route to control volume, pitch, filter etc. By sweeping the knob you can get a kind of pseudo random S+H effect.

It's also worth playing with the smoothing parameter there too... At smoothing values above 60% you can start to get a nice little smoothed but stepped effect going... Kinda like an S+H but with portamento when assigned to pitch!

[suilebhain]

Sept 7, 2008 21:05:15 GMT electrique said:

You could also use 4 Oscs for using 4 different samples and control the volume of each osc separatey by one LFO. You only need to create 4 modulations from LFO to OSC1-4 volume and create a custom table for every modulation.
Set the LFO waveform to noise and set S&H for every of this 4 modulations with the same frequency (tempo synced welcome;)).

I have a question about this. I thought that you could only have two Oscillators in effect under Sample playback. I guess I am not understanding this.

[Shreddie]

In OS versions before 1.20, you could have only 2 sample oscillators, since OS version 1.20, you can have 4.

I think it was V1.20 when it changed anyway.

[suilebhain]

Cool!

I'll have to fiddle with that and see what happens.

One the matter of the Table, I guess I misunderstood what a table did. When I started playing with it, I found very little utility. I am probably not programming it correctly.

I'll have to try some of these examples.

[electrique]

September again...so sorry for pushing that thread, but I still have to clarify something about the tables.

suilebhain: Consider a table always goes from -100 to +100 (on x- and y-axis), so if you using e.g. velocity as source, only the right half of the table will be used. But nevertheless you can modulate negative by a table...