I’ve tried to figure our what reassign does, but I can’t spot any differences to rotate. I’ve tried it with 2 or 3 voices to isolate the effect and with different envelope settings, but the behaviour seems to be always the same: Voice stealing always takes the oldest note first. The manual states that the ‘reassign’ mode would reassign voices dynamically. What does that mean and how is it supposed to work?
If you take a polyphonic preset that have a long release time.
For example take the Default preset. Then add Long Release Time and Attack time.
Then play one note and play that same note again and again. You should be able to hear a difference clearly this way.
The Reassign mode will for each keypress assign the same voice num to the note.
The Rotate mode will for each keypress assign a new voice num.
Reassign mode will/ shall reassign the same voice num to a key from the last time it was played - untill the voice num have been stolen, then another voice num will be assigned.
Hmm, I’m hearing a difference but I’m not fully understanding what it’s there for. With reassign the envelope is being retriggered entirely, while with rotate, it kinda blends in.
So let’s assume I’m playing 3 notes in total with 4 key presses, like this:
1-2-3-1
With rotate I assume, the last 1 will just dynamically get assigned to the place of the first 1, without voice-stealing getting triggered (with the harsh cutoff sound), as long as the first note is still running an active envelope cycle?
So it’s basically a feature that makes the playing a bit smoother as long as the player is alternating between the same notes?
But in that case I wonder what’s actually happening with the first voice. It’s not that the fourth note is just jumping in wherever the envelope cycle currently is at, like with legato. So restarting the cycle would be the only way. How does this not result in a more audible retrigger as with reassign? Or is it really just something like a voice-blend feature.
If you in your example have set the Playmode to Poly 3. Then -
In Pigments when you play the 4. note, then it will steal the 1. notes voice. Release phase of the 1. note will be cut as you have the Playmode set to only 3 notes in total.
The alternative could be that the 4. note would not play, if the 3 first notes keys are held. I would’nt mind Arturia adding this option.
The strange thing about the Rotate mode is a single note can have multiple voices assigned at the same time. That’s what i understand you mean by Blend. As release time end for each voice playing the same note, you can hear it.
One can discuss how natural or correct that is.
The Envelope retrigger in both Rotate and Reassign mode.
I would’nt mind Arturia adding a “Vintage” envelope retrigger options, so the envelope will start at the current level on a new trigger. For example Mini V4 work like this.
I don’t know if i will put it like that. You can say there is a difference.
But if you play only one note at a time without Release time, then Rotate mode will ensure you play a new voice each time and not the same voice.
You can say that’s one konsekvens. But i think if one setting is smoother than the other depend.
If you for example take Piano like preset and use Hold pedal. Then play a note and hold it while playing some other notes. The Retrigger mode can ensure the first note play and ring out for longer time than in Rotate mode.
On the other hand when playing the same note, then in Retrigger mode you might hear the cut of a note more than in Rotate mode. Especially audioble with long attack times. You will also hear more clicks in Retrigger mode.
Voicing and how it work is actually important. Often overlooked.
There’s some sort of overlapping instead of retriggering happening. But since it’s not legato (picking up / continuing at the current envelope cycle stage), nor full retriggering, I suspect there’s just some smooth blend going on between voices.
I’ll check later if I can program a patch that would precisely expose the behaviour further. Maybe with some modulation that really only happens after a few seconds of release, to see (hear) how far it really goes. It’s very difficult to just hear what’s happening under the hood if you test it with the same note that plays the same thing multiple times overlapping with itself. As of now the only difference I was able to spot is that smooth merging of common notes.
You can have that by just setting Pigments to legato, can’t you? Or if you want to have that in poly mode, you can change the retrigger behaviour for all envelopes (except the amp envelope), LFO’s, randomizers and functions to legato while preserving polyphony.
I think you can simply use the Voice Modulator in the Random Section set to 2 steps. Let it modulate a wavetable.
If you modulate between a SAW and a SQUARE waveform, then both will sound after 2 notes i believe.
You will also hear some phasing going on i guess.
Only the new voice retrigger.
No not exactly. You will have to play Legato style for that to work. And still it’s not an option for the VCA ENV.
It does’nt work, if you for example have a Release Time running and not play legato Style. If you play the same note, then it will still retrigger. It does’nt start at the current level.
The Main intention in this regard is, that it shall work pr voice.