Sculpture amplitude envelope in MainStage
The parameters discussed in this section apply on a per-voice basis. This is a straightforward ADSR envelope that scales the pickup signals before passing them on to the Waveshaper and filter.
The positioning of the amplitude envelope at this point in the signal path produces more natural-sounding results because you can control signal levels before sending them to the Waveshaper (if used). The Waveshaper can have a significant impact on the spectral content of the sound, which can lead to synthetic-sounding results.
Amplitude envelope parameters
Attack Soft/Hard sliders: Set the attack time for a note played at maximum velocity with the lower slider (Soft). Set the attack time for a note played at minimum velocity with the top slider (Hard). You can adjust both slider halves simultaneously by dragging in the space between them.
Important: The attack time parameters of the amplitude envelope have a major impact on the way a single note is retriggered. When both Attack Soft and Hard are set to a value of 0, the vibrating string is retriggered. If either of these parameters is set to a value above 0, a new note is triggered. Sonically, the retriggering of a vibrating string results in different harmonics being heard during the attack phase.
Decay slider: Set the time it takes for the signal to fall to the sustain level, following the initial strike/attack time.
Sustain slider: Set the sustain level. The sustain level is held until the key is released.
Release slider: Set the time it takes for the signal to fall from the sustain level to a level of 0. Short Release values help to reduce CPU load, because the voice is no longer processed after the release phase has completed.