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ENVELOPES (CONTINUED)
moment to die away completely, or it may stop suddenly. This final drop in amplitude and brightness
is called its release. The attack and release, along with variations in amplitude and timbre that occur
between the attack and release, make up the sound’s envelope.
The Sub 37 shapes electronic sounds using two envelope generators (abbreviated EG). One envelope
affects the Sub 37’s filter, which controls timbre, and the other affects its amplifier, which controls
amplitude. When you press a key on the keyboard, it sends a signal that tells the envelope generator to
begin the attack. In voltage-controlled synthesizers like the Sub 37, this signal is called a gate. The gate
ends when you release the key, telling the envelope generator to begin the release.
Both of the Sub 37’s envelope generators have six stages: delay, attack, hold, decay, sustain, and
release (abbreviated DAHDSR). In the default mode, the four front-panel envelope generator knobs are
assigned to control the attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR). Just as attack is the time it takes a
level to peak, the decay is the time it takes to fall to a steady level, called the sustain. The sustain level
is held until the key is released. At that point, the signal returns to zero at a rate determined by the
release setting. Whereas the attack, decay, and release stages are specified as lengths of time, sustain
is a control-signal level.
When you play the Sub 37, your keyboard technique determines how the envelope generators respond,
which impacts your musical expression and articulation. If you release the key before the envelope
reaches either its maximum or sustain level, the release stage immediately takes effect. When you play
staccato (very short notes), the envelope may never reach its decay stage, depending on its attack
setting. Playing legato—holding down each key for the note’s full duration without lifting your fingers
between notes—prevents the envelope from retriggering its attack stage on subsequent notes. In that
case, the envelope maintains its sustain level until you trigger the release stage by lifting your finger.
When the KNOB SHIFT button (between the filter and amplitude attack knobs) is pressed and blinking,
the first two envelope generator knobs become DELAY and HOLD knobs while the third and fourth
knobs adjust the amount that keyboard velocity and keyboard tracking affect the envelope amounts.
FILTER ENVELOPE CONTROLS
ATTACK
Use this knob to specify the time it takes
the filter frequency to ascend from the
CUTOFF knob’s manual setting to its
maximum level, which is determined by
the filter’s EG AMOUNT setting. Its value
ranges from 1 millisecond to 10 seconds.
When you use the filter envelope to
modulate pitch or wave amount, the
ATTACK knob specifies the time it
takes the control level to ascend to its
maximum value.
DECAY
Use this knob to specify the time it takes
the filter frequency to descend from its
maximum level to its sustain level. Its
value ranges from 1 millisecond to 10
seconds. When you use the filter envelope
to modulate pitch or wave amount, the
DECAY knob specifies the time it takes the
control level to descend from its maximum
value to its sustain level.
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