Program Mode and the Program Editor
Program Editor—Amplitude Envelope (AMPENV) Page
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Program Editor—Amplitude Envelope (AMPENV) Page
Amplitude envelopes have three sections:  attack, decay, and release. The attack section 
determines how long each note takes to reach its assigned amplitude level after you trigger a 
Note On event. The decay section determines how quickly and how much a sustained sound 
fades before a Note Off is triggered. The release section determines how quickly a sound fades 
to silence after a Note Off is triggered.
Press the AMPENV soft button to reach the Amplitude Envelope page. For many programs, it 
will look like the diagram below, which tells you that the amplitude for the current layer is the 
default, “natural” ROM amplitude envelope that’s applied to each sample and waveform 
during its original development process. You’ll leave the amplitude envelope in Natural mode 
when you don’t want to change the way the current layer’s loudness develops.
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If you want to build your own amplitude envelope, just turn the Alpha Wheel a click. The word 
“Natural” will change to “User,” and a set of AMPENV parameters will appear. The sound will 
change when you do this, because the default settings for the User envelope, as shown in the 
diagram below, take effect as soon as you leave Natural mode. Returning to Natural mode 
applies the original amplitude envelope once again.
You’ll tweak the parameters on the AMPENV page when you want to shape the amplitude 
characteristics of your sounds. A graphic view of the amplitude envelope will appear on the 
display to give you a visual sense of the envelope’s characteristics. The dots along the envelope 
graphic indicate the breakpoints between the envelope’s various segments. The small 
horizontal arrow represents the end of the decay section. The small downward-pointing arrow 
represents the beginning of the release section.
Because the K2500’s ROM samples are stored in a compressed format, applying an altered 
amplitude envelope can change more than just the amplitude of your sound, since it also 
changes the rate at which the samples are decompressed for playback. When the samples are 
made to play back with altered envelopes, the timbres can evolve in new and interesting ways.
The AMPENV page’s top line gives you the usual location reminder, points out the currently 
selected layer, and tells you the relative scale of the envelope’s graphic view. The envelope 
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