subtractive

technique synthesis

synth secrets
et’s recap. In the first two parts of this PART 7: ENVELOPES, GATES & TRIGGERS
L series, we discussed the nature of vibrations
and the waveforms of sounds. In part three,
we looked at the relationship between
signals, modifiers and controllers, and became
familiar with the concept of an envelope
click. The common sawtooth and pulse waveforms
(which can be, but are not, strictly speaking,
symmetrical) also repeat in this fashion. Now, with
these images in your head, consider Figure 1,
You press a key
on your synth. It
generator, which helps to illustrate this point. below. This shows a remarkably simple waveform plays a note. That’s
Then, over the following three months, we looked that is neither symmetrical, nor repeated.
at some of the many attributes of filters. You Now, remember what happens when we apply
it, right? Wrong.
might think that, with all this under our electronic the output of this circuit to another part of the Gordon Reid
belts, we are now in a position to discuss the synthesizer such as a voltage-controlled amplifier
secrets of creating amazing synth sounds. (see Figure 2, below). If the amplifier’s gain at any explains the role of
Unfortunately, we have still got a long way to
go before we have covered all the background for
instant is proportional to the voltage shown in
Figure 1, the waveform becomes the loudness
envelopes, triggers,
programming even a simple monophonic contour of the sound. If the destination is a and gates in this
synthesizer. For example (and ignoring the relative voltage-controlled low-pass filter (a VCF) the curve
qualities of the keyboards themselves) we haven’t shown in Figure 1 becomes the brightness contour deceptively simple
explained why some synths not only sound of the sound. Clearly, the contour in Figure 1 can process.
different, but feel so different to play. So this be used as the output from what we usually call an
month we are going to take a detailed look at Envelope Generator. OK, so I covered this point in
Gates and Triggers. Along the way, we will part three of this series, but it bears repeating.
discover why the two most revered monosynths of A good definition of an envelope is this: the
the early ’70s — the Minimoog and the ARP graph of the way a parameter changes over time is
Odyssey — can respond so differently when you a visual representation of its envelope. But, in a
play them. But before we can do this, we must typical synthesizer, you can — at any given
revisit a topic first raised in part three. We are moment — change the value of a parameter using
going to talk some more about envelopes. any number of modifiers (see Figure 3, on page
If you’ve been keeping up with this series, you 130). The total envelope, therefore, may be the
probably think that you understand analogue sum of the simultaneous actions of numerous
envelope generators. After all, they’re all ADSRs, devices. So here’s this month’s first Synth Secret
aren’t they? The Attack time determines how (and it’s a biggie!):
percussive a sound is, and the Decay determines
how long the sound takes to fall to the Sustain What we usually call an envelope generator may be
level after the initial accent. After that, the Release only one contributor to the true envelope of a given
controls the time it takes for the note to die away parameter.
when you release the key. Simple huh? Yeah… too
simple. In fact, there are many other envelope It is for this reason, perhaps, that some of the
shapes, some more complex than ADSRs, some earliest synthesizer manufacturers adopted a
less so. Furthermore, many envelopes are different term for the devices that we now call
themselves modified by other controls with names Envelope Generators. They called them ‘Transient
such as Amount and Invert. But these will have to Generators’. It’s a more precise term, and the one
▲

remain matters for another instalment of this that we will use from now on.
series. This month, we’re going to look at some
unexpected ways in which the common envelopes
Voltage
in your synth can affect the sounds you make and Figure 1:
Tone
the way you play. An irregular, Generator Amplifier

non-repeating
Envelopes & Contours waveform.
Figure 2: Contour
Picture a common waveform, such as a sine or Applying Generator

square wave. These have nice, symmetrical shapes a contour to

that repeat time, after time, after time… Indeed, if a VCA.
Time
Trigger
they didn’t repeat, you wouldn’t be able to perceive
Trigger
the pitch of the sound — at best you would hear a

128 SOUND ON SOUND • november 1999

 subtractive
technique synthesis
Figure 3:
Other CV
Creating a composite
Generators VCA envelope using
multiple CV sources.
▲

So now we are in a position to apply some

standard terminology to Figure 1. The first stage is Tone
Amplifier
Generator
the Attack of the transient, and the second stage is
its Decay. The figure represents, therefore, a
functional ‘AD’ transient generator. Simple as these
Contour
devices appear, you should not underestimate the Generator

power of AD generators. Figure 4 (opposite) shows

what happens when you apply two dissimilar AD
contours to a single modifier such as a VCA or Trigger Figure 4:
Applying two simple
VCF. As you can see, the envelope generated by
transients to the same modifier.
the summation of the two contours is a more
complex 4-stage contour. Furthermore, it’s one Voltage

that you cannot obtain from what is commonly

Voltage Voltage
called a 4-stage ADSR envelope generator. Food
for thought, huh?
+ =
Triggers & Gates Time Time Time

Trigger Trigger Trigger

Figure 4 shows what happens when you apply more
than one transient to a single parameter at any given
time. But that’s just one plot in this month’s story. 6 and 7 again. Each of Voltage

There’s a second, and it’s related to what happens these assumes that
Pitch CV
when we play more than one note sequentially… every transient exists in
Time
As you know, most analogue monosynths are isolation, and that
controlled by keyboards. What you may not know is every contour has the Trigger pulse
that many of these generate three signals every time time to run its course Time

you press a key. The first is the pitch CV; it helps to before you initiate the
Gate signal
determine the pitch of the sound produced, for any next. But, even on a Time
given key. The second is the Trigger. This is a pulse monosynth, this simply
Press a key Release the key
of short duration that, at the exact moment you won’t be true in the
press a key, can trigger the actions of devices such majority of cases.
as transient generators. The third is the Gate. Like For reasons that should be obvious, we call Figure 5:
the Trigger, the Gate’s leading edge tells other parts Triggers and Gates timing signals, and every synth Examples of a Trigger,
a Gate, and a pitch CV.
of the synth that you have pressed a key. However needs them. But why both? Surely the Gate is
(and unlike the Trigger) the Gate remains ‘Open’ for performing the trigger function, and the Trigger
the whole time that you depress the key. This means itself is unnecessary? This is a question that
that it can also tell the rest of the synth the exact dogged me for many years, until I was fortunate
moment that you release the key. Figure 5 (opposite) enough to have both a Minimoog and an ARP
shows these signals. Knowing about Gates and Odyssey sitting next to each other in my ‘live’
Triggers lets us extend our ideas about transients keyboard rig. I often used these to play a heavily
considerably, and leads us to our next Synth Secret: contoured solo sound, with an instantaneous
(Attack = 0) percussive ‘spike’ of loudness and
Although a Trigger will initiate a transient brightness at the start of each note. This spike
generator, it’s the Gate that tells the synth to was, of course, created by applying a pair of
continue developing the contour until the key is contours to the VCF and VCA.
released. Without a Gate, all you would hear would Strangely, and despite the outstanding
be a short ‘blip’ at the start of the sound, but reputation of the Minimoog’s contour generators,
nothing thereafter. I knew that I preferred to play my fast solos on the
Odyssey, but I did not know why. All I knew was
Figure 6 (see page 132) shows a 3-stage transient that my playing sounded punchier on the Odyssey,
generator that uses the timing information in the and that I could play at higher speeds than I could
Gate signal to complete the Attack stage and then on the Minimoog. The reason for this was nothing
maintain the maximum voltage for the entire to do with my playing (I was rubbish on both) nor
duration that the key is pressed. For reasons that was it anything to do with the relative quality of
are obvious if you studied geometry, we call this the instruments’ keyboards. The answer lay in the
device a Trapezoid transient generator. The EMS engineering within the instruments: the Odyssey
VCS3 is one of the few synthesizers that offers a uses triggers, while the Minimoog does not.
Trapezoid, and in the early ’70s I thought that it Look at Figure 8 (on page 132). This shows
must be a very grand device indeed because it had what happens when I play lines very quickly on an
such a grand name. Oh well… Odyssey. As you can see, the notes overlap
The next level of complexity is the one that because I can’t remove my fingers quickly enough
everybody knows; it’s the ADSR. In the ’70s the from previous notes before playing the next. But
4-stage ADSR contour was so standard that many you can also see that the contour remains dynamic,
players called all transient generators ‘ADSRs’, and that the start of each note is clearly defined.
▲

whether they were or not. Now look at Figures 1, This is because the Odyssey re-triggers its transient

130 SOUND ON SOUND • november 1999

 subtractive
technique synthesis
Voltage
Figure 6:
A Trapezoid
contour.
▲

generators every time I play a note, regardless of

whether previous ones are released or not, and
regardless of whether the Gate is Open or not. This
means that my sounds are correctly articulated, no
matter how unevenly I release the keys. Time

Let’s contrast this with the Minimoog, a

synthesizer that does not generate triggers. Its Gate
OPEN
Gate
CLOSED
single, unconventional timing signal is called an
S-Trigger, but is, in fact, a Gate. So the same line
Trigger
played identically on the Minimoog produces the
filter and amplitude contour shown in Figure 9 Figure 7:
Voltage
(opposite, below). As you can see, the envelope is A standard
far less interesting and, although you will still hear ADSR transient.
the second and successive notes at the sustain
level, the punch is lost. The synth solo becomes
dull and uninteresting, and the audience remains Sustain
unimpressed. Indeed, the only way to recapture Level

the dynamics and punch of the Odyssey solo

would be to release each note before the next, and Attack Decay Release
Time Time Time
I have already admitted that I am not capable of
that at high speed. Consequently, for average
Key pressed Key released
players rattling off fast solos at the limits of their (Gate Open) (Gate CLOSED)

abilities, the Odyssey is superior to the Minimoog

(the fact that the Odyssey keyboard is duophonic Trigger

and the Minimoog’s is monophonic also helps, but

Figure 8:
that’s a topic for another day). Voltage
Re-triggering on
At this point, it’s probably worth asking yourself an ARP Odyssey.
what the result would be if the transient generators The bold arrows
on the Odyssey and the Minimoog were merely ADs show the triggers
or trapezoids. The answers may surprise you. If the on each Key On.
contours were ADs, the Odyssey solo would sound
much the same, but the Minimoog solo would Time

disappear to silence after the first note or two (see

Figures 10 and 11, on page 134). Key
on
Key
off
Key
on
Key
off
Key
on
Key
off
Strangely, if the contours were trapezoids, the
Key Key Key Key
two solos would sound identical, provided that on off on off

the Odyssey’s contours did not reset to zero at the Gate

start of each note (see Figures 12 and 13, on page
134). Hang on… what’s all this about resetting to Figure 9:
Voltage
zero? Check out Figure 14 (also on page 134). This The lack of
shows the contour of a series of ‘reset to zero’ re-triggering
trapezoid transients. Some synths reset in this on a Minimoog.
way, and it can lead to a very disjointed sound
indeed. Because of their slower Attacks and
Releases, this is particularly noticeable on some
string ensembles where the single envelope Time

generator resets every time it is initialised. Some

early polysynths do this, too. It’s horrible, and Key
on
Key
off
Key
on
Key
off
Key
on
Key
off

sounds like the instrument is swallowing its Key Key Key Key
on off on off
tongue. Glump!
Gate
Putting It Together
We have covered a lot of ground this month, but
please don’t think that we’ve done more than pitches than at low ones — just as happens on
scratch the surface of this topic. There are many acoustic instruments such as pianos and guitars).
other facets to transient generators and timing Also, there are other useful destinations for the
signals. After all, we have only come as far as contours. One of these is the pitch of the sound.
4-stage contours, and even analogue synths can Many instruments are slightly sharp at the start of
have five or more, with Hold stages and Break each note, and a simple transient generator such
points amongst other extra goodies. And then as an AD allows you to recreate this effect.
there are the synths that allow you to control each Another useful destination is the modulation
stage of the contour using Control Voltages as well speed. ‘Real’ players do not add vibrato, growl or
as the generator’s own knobs or sliders (a common tremolo with electronic regularity, and changing
▲

use for this is to make a transient quicker at high the effect by applying contours to the LFO speed

132 SOUND ON SOUND • november 1999

 subtractive
technique synthesis

Voltage Voltage Figure 11:

The failure of the
AD transient with
no triggers.

Time Time

Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key
on off on off on off on off on off on off

Key Key Key Key Key Key Key Key

on off on off on off on off

Gate Gate

Figure 10: A re-triggered AD transient.

Voltage
Figure 12:
A re-triggered
trapezoid
▲

and depth can be most affective (this was one of

transient.
the rare facilities that made the Yamaha GX1 and
CS80 so revered). And what about extending the
ideas of applying two contours to a single VCO or
VCF, and even delaying the trigger of one slightly
Time
with respect to the other…?
Unfortunately, there’s no space this month to
Key Key Key Key Key Key
delve into these issues, so I’m going to finish this on off on of f on off

article with a little story. When you hear a sound, Key

on
Key
off
Key
on
Key
off

your brain uses just the first few milliseconds to

ascertain what instrument is producing it. Roland Gate

was the first manufacturer to take advantage of

this, and its (albeit digital) Linear Arithmetic Voltage
Figure 13:
Synthesis included a brilliant trick: a short sample A set of gated
generated the beginning of each sound, with a trapezoid transients.
standard synthesized tone for the Sustain and
Release stages. So, if the sample was the ‘chiff’ of a
flute, it hardly mattered (within reason) what came
next, the patch sounded pretty much like a flute.
Time
Of course, you can’t add samples to the sounds
on an analogue synthesizer. But if your synth can
Key Key Key Key Key Key
recreate the initial waveform of a flute (it’s only a on off on off on off

filtered sawtooth plus a little noise, after all), it Key Key Key Key
on off on off
follows that you need only use a transient
generator (or two, or three…) to recreate the initial Gate

contours of the flute. Then you will be able to play

a single note that sounds very much like a flute. Figure 14:
Voltage
And that’s exactly how it is. A contour generated
So this month’s final Synth Secret, and the by a ‘reset to zero’
one that explains why some Contour Generators transient generator.
are calibrated in milliseconds rather than just
‘0’ to ‘10’ is:

If you want to recreate acoustic sounds or Time

program interesting synthesizer sounds

Key Key Key Key Key Key
deterministically (rather than rely on blind on off on off on off

chance) then, at the very least, you must be able to

analyse and create the brightness and loudness
contours of the sound. overlapping them) much as the real flautist would
do. When some people realise this — that particular
But will you be able to use your wonderful flute synths are more suitable for certain tasks than
patch to play a complete line or phrase in a way that others — they start collecting synths. In this case,
sounds like a flute? If you are using an Odyssey the Minimoog is capable of producing a more
(the decidedly superior synth a few paragraphs realistic flute solo — but of course, you could always
ago) the answer is “probably not”. After all, no hunt down one of the rare instruments with a
flautist chiffs every note individually, so permanent single/multi triggering switch, and then you would
multi-triggering is a disadvantage. The Minimoog, on have the best of both worlds... If you start to think
the other hand, allows you to retrigger some notes like this, watch out. A room full of synths is but an
(by releasing the previous ones) and slur others (by understanding bank manager away! SOS

134 SOUND ON SOUND • november 1999