ARTURIA – Matrix-12 V – USER MANUAL
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Though these are basic on/off controls, you can see that their settings can have a
significant impact on the overall sound and responsiveness of a Voice.
4.2.3.5
VCAs
As with the VCOs, VCA 1 and VCA 2 are basically identical so we’ll cover them both
in this section. The main difference between them is that they are “wired” in series;
in other words, VCA 1 comes first in the signal path and VCA 2 comes last.
The VCAs are the final stage in getting the signal out of Matrix-12 V and into the
world, a journey that began with the VCOs, traveled through the VCF, and now
needs to be allowed to pass through these two parameters.
Assuming no mods are active, if both VCAs are set to zero then no sound will be
heard. But simply raising their levels isn’t always a good idea: when the output is
wide open and not being shaped in some way, it means any note that has been
played will come on and stay on.
So the thing to do when starting out is to set VCA 1 to a value higher than 0 (63 is
max) and use at least one mod routing to control the VCA 2 level. This job is usually
handled by an envelope being triggered by the keyboard, which is the most
predictable way of controlling how quickly the sound begins and how long it sticks
around.
So why are there two VCAs? Wouldn’t it be simpler just to control one?
Simpler, yes, but also much less flexible. For example, velocity, aftertouch, a tracking
generator and/or a couple of LFOs can be routed to VCA 1 for certain types of level
control while still leaving the envelope controlling the overarching output
characteristics of VCA 2.
In fact, between the two VCAs a combined total of 12 mod routings can be set up
for the final output stage (6 per VCA). With the VCAs serving as the gatekeepers for
the output of a Voice, that much control can be a good thing.
4.2.4
Lag
Simply put, a lag generator affects the rate of change between two data points. In
synthesis terms this is often thought of in relationship to pitch, as in “this is what
controls the speed and type of the glide between two notes” (i.e., the “portamento
speed” or “glide time”).
But the output of the Matrix-12 V lag generator can be applied to any number of
targets, not just pitch, and use a source such as an LFO or a Lever, not just the
keyboard. Generally the mod routes are handled through the Modulation Page, but
the Page 2 button reveals hardwired routings for the VCOs, the Filter, and the LFOs.
