Moog Music Forum

Hi Ive heard this term many times through out the years but I actualkly have no understanding of what it means nor any understanding of it as it pertains to the minimoog. Has it something to do with the modulation?
Can someone more knowledgable than I give up an explaination or definition?

I think it is the old trick of taking the output and sending it back into the external audio input. Essentially overdriving the sound and adding feedback (regeneration). Depending on the external input levels, it can make for some very interesting timbres.

I do it all the time, especially when playing screaming leads... And on bass sounds, it can really growl!

Oh, it could also have to do with filter feedback (resonance or emphasis), which is technically called regeneration too.

thanks I might get it, so if I calibrate it I can basically make the emphasis of the regeneration of the filter's gate more or less?
I find this difficult to explain;
I have regen set calibrated per the manual, however I find the difference in levels between the fast attack and the legato touch a bit extreme as the clean press is way louder(too loud for me anyways) than if I roll a bit or stay on the keys.

Hmm, I'm not sure I follow you...

Are you talking about the regen trimpot for the filter ?

Based on your last post I think it might just be a envelope setting.

I agree with Jeepo. Depending on envelope attack setting, the behavior of that envelope will be influenced by the playing, legato or staccato...

For a setting of 2 second attack time for example, playing rapidly in succession while releasing each key stroke before the next (staccato) will raise the envelope level with each new key stroke until the sustain level is reached (provided that the decay knob is fairly slow too).

While playing without releasing the previous key (legato) will not re-trigger the envelope and the envelope level will drop at the speed set by the decay/release knob, since the envelope will complete its cycle from the moment the first key was pressed down.

thealien666 wrote:I agree with Jeepo. Depending on envelope attack setting, the behavior of that envelope will be influenced by the playing, legato or staccato...

For a setting of 2 second attack time for example, playing rapidly in succession while releasing each key stroke before the next (staccato) will raise the envelope level with each new key stroke until the sustain level is reached (provided that the decay knob is fairly slow too).

While playing without releasing the previous key (legato) will not re-trigger the envelope and the envelope level will drop at the speed set by the decay/release knob, since the envelope will complete its cycle from the moment the first key was pressed down.

thanks much, I think I ws getting re-trigger and re-generation mixed up, so if I reduce the attack level then the retrigger will be shallower. Im just trying to blend the legato and normal volumes closer together.

Wilby wrote:... Im just trying to blend the legato and normal volumes closer together.

The sustain level is the maximum level that the envelope will reach. The time it will take to reach it is set by both the attack and decay time knobs. At minimum setting for both, there should not be any difference in envelope level between legato and staccato playing style.

Of course, since there are two separate envelopes, one for filter and one for VCA, the closing of the cutoff frequency of the filter by its own dedicated independant envelope can lower the volume too, depending on "amount of contour" knob setting, simply by filtering everything above that frequency, and give the impression that it's the loudness contour doing it, when in reality it's not.

I think turning down the decay and up the sustain will probably have the effect you're looking for between legato notes.

Im not a scientist but I think it means if you hack off part of the synth it will grow back

TheZombieHolocaust wrote:Im not a scientist but I think it means if you hack off part of the synth it will grow back

If they are like worms maybe it will grow into two synths.

Regeneration, Emphasis and Q are all the same thing as applied to synth terminologies.

Technically, it is the (inverted) output of the filter being sent back into the input.
(The signal is inverted 180 degrees before it's sent back in.)

thanks to all, I think I got the