Envelope A, D & R Knob Scales

Tips and techniques for Minimoog Analog Synthesizers
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Simon
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:56 pm
Location: England

Envelope A, D & R Knob Scales

Post by Simon » Sun Sep 04, 2005 6:31 am

A question for the mathematically inclined:

The Voyager Attack, Decay and Release knobs have logarithmic scales on them. What I want to know is what durations do the unmarked scale lines represent, and are there formula for working out the pot value (0-255) for a required duration, and the duration obtained for a specific pot value?

All I can currently determine are these approximate values:

0 = 0.001s
60 = .01s
190 = 1s
254 = 10s

Regards
Simon

Qwave
Posts: 296
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:56 am

Post by Qwave » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:19 pm

Simon,

these value pairs are not in a logarithmic scale.
The needed parameter value change for a fac tor 10 in time is
60 values
150 values
64 values

And this is not a logarithmic scale.

If it would one, it would look more like this:
146 values
73 values
37 values

Question:
How did you measured your timings?
Using a software sampler/application?

Actually, I don't care for the used timings. I judge the setting with my ears. And the scalling just feels very OK to me. Way better then on some softsynth by a wellknown company that had the scalling on their so called "Software Minimoog" linear if you listen to it and showing logarithmic scalled timings on the screen. I complained at their Frankfurt Musik Messe booth two years ago. And they (a developer and a company representiv) asked me what is wrong with it. And some other well known Minimoog software clone company spells the name of one of the well known Klaus Schulze right in the credit screen, but then wrong again in the naming of the factory sound banks. I wrote an email when they released their first demo version. No responce. I told them a few month later on the Frankfurt music fair again (Just b efore Klaus Schulze showed up at the booth).
You see: some companies care more. Some less for details.
That's why I traded in my Alesis A6 for a Voyager. But now I am totally OT. Sorry ;)
keep on turning these Moog knobs

Till "Qwave" Kopper

[url=http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Squarewave/]Squarewave Group[/url] member "waldorfian_qwave"

Simon
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:56 pm
Location: England

Post by Simon » Sun Sep 04, 2005 2:06 pm

Qwave

I didn't make any measurements - these are just the pot display values on the Voyager LCD when the pot is at the 1ms, 10ms, 1s and 10s markings - it gives 0, 60, 190 and 254 respectively. What I wanted to be able to do is answer questions such as:

a) what pot value should I see on the screen for a 3s attack phase?
b) what length of attack will I get when the value on the LCD reads 110?
c) etc...

Just to help me understand things better - I would like to plot a graph to see what shape the curve is, etc.

Regards
Simon

Simon
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:56 pm
Location: England

Post by Simon » Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:00 pm

OK, I think I've worked it out using the LOGEST function in Excel to calculate the equation constants for the curve y=b*m^x, where b=0.001027667 and m=1.036630425.

Looking at the divisions on the knob and taking approximate pot values for x from the LCD, we get:

000 = 1ms
020 = 2ms
040 = 4ms
062 = 10ms
089 = 25ms
105 = 45ms
127 = 0.1s
152 = 0.25s
172 = 0.5s
192 = 1s
212 = 2.1s
234 = 4.7s
255 = 10s

and working back for certain times, approximate pot values are:

1ms = 000
2ms = 018
5ms = 044
10ms = 063
15ms = 075
20ms = 083
30ms = 094
40ms = 102
50ms = 108
60ms = 113
70ms = 117
80ms = 121
90ms = 124
0.1s = 127
0.2s = 147
0.3s = 158
0.4s = 166
0.5s = 172
0.6s = 177
0.7s = 181
0.8s = 185
0.9s = 188
1s = 191
2s = 211
3s = 222
4s = 229
5s = 236
6s = 242
7s = 245
8s = 249
9s = 252
10s = 255

That's me happy! :wink:

Simon

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