Question: ADSR Envelope

[libertine]

Hi Guys

So I have a quick question about the ADSR envelope.

If I have a sample and take the 'sustain' down to zero so I can control & automate the length of the sample with the 'decay'.

So my question, if I take the sustain down to zero and the decay up to the max., is this the same result as the original sample or does the sample lose some 'tightness' if the sustain is at zero

thx

[Stomper]

No, its not the same result.
as the name suggests, the amplitude decays from maximum volume to zero.
one way to do it, is to set attack and decay to zero and sustain to its max value and very short release (zero might produce a click), than change the lenght of the midi note to change the sample lenght.
takes a bit of manual work, but thats my way to do it.
of course it is also depends on the original sample. if the original sample also decay from its start, automating the decay might not change the original sound.

[damagedgoods]

Max decay is typically around 60s, so for samples of less than 10 seconds or so (very roughly speaking), the amplitude won't really vary *that* much if you have the decay at max and sustain at zero. Depends on the sample and how long the max decay is, obviously.

[libertine]

I usually use this on HiHats and little Stabs, they are always <1sec and the decay can go up to 60sec.

So its basicly the same? I find it this way quite useful, so I only have to automate the decay and not the whole midi notes.

thx

[damagedgoods]

I usually use this on HiHats and little Stabs, they are always <1sec and the decay can go up to 60sec.

So its basicly the same? I find it this way quite useful, so I only have to automate the decay and not the whole midi notes.

thx

Yeah, I mean, in most cases the ADSR decay stage is an exponential envelope so the decay time is the time taken for the level to decay to 0.36 of the start value (sometimes it's 0.5 depending on the manufacturer). Either way, with a 60sec decay time that means after 10 seconds the volume is still at 0.84, and after 1 second it's still at 0.98, so for short samples you don't really have to worry. When in doubt, use your ears and compare with how it sounds with sustain at 100%.

In any case, it rarely hurts to decay the amplitude of percussive samples anyway; that's more or less what a transient shaper does.