25
Prophet-6 Operation Manual
Amplifier Envelope
To give you a real-world example, the main difference between the
sound of the wind and the sound of a snare drum is that they have very
different volume envelopes. Otherwise, they are essentially both white
noise. Wind has a relatively slow attack, a long sustain, and a long decay
and release. A snare drum has a sharp attack, no sustain, and virtually no
decay or release. But again, they are both fundamentally white noise.
ENV AMOUNT
ATTACK
DECAY
SUSTAIN
RELEASE
AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE
VELOCITY
Amplifier envelope
Attack
Decay
Sustain
Release
Amplitude
Time
A typical four-stage, ADSR envelope shape
Attack:
Sets the attack time of the envelope. The higher the setting, the
slower the attack time and the longer it takes for a sound to reach its full
volume. Pads typically have softer (longer) attacks. Percussive sounds
have sharper (shorter) attacks.
Decay:
Sets the decay time of the envelope. After a sound reaches its full
volume at its attack stage,
decay
controls how quickly the sound transi-
tions to the level set with the
sustain
control. The higher the setting, the
longer the decay. Percussive sounds, such as synth bass, typically have
shorter decays.
Sustain:
Sets the sustain level of the envelope. The higher the setting,
the louder the sustained portion of the sound will be. The sound will stay
at this level for as long as a note is held on the keyboard.
