AD Envelope
Bitwig Platform
The AD Envelope in Bitwig Grid is a compact attack-decay signal generator used for fast modulation and percussive shaping.
Use this topic for AD Envelope guides and attack-decay shaping workflows in Bitwig Grid.
Also matches: Bitwig AD Envelope, AD envelope
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The AD envelope module in Bitwig Studio's Grid is a versatile tool for shaping sounds, offering attack and decay controls with multiple modes, analog, relative, and digital, that affect timing and curve behavior. It can be triggered in various ways, looped for LFO-like effects, and used together with other envelopes for complex sound design, such as crafting kick drums. The AD module stands out for its simplicity and flexibility compared to more complex envelope modules, making it a go-to choice for quick and effective sound shaping.
In this video, I'm going to show you my setup for synthesizing snare and rimshot sounds using the pulley grid in my DAW. I use the pulse oscillator because it already has a lot of overtones, so I don't need to use as much post-effects distortion. I set the frequency to around 150-160 Hz for a deep snare sound. I use an AD envelope to trigger the sound and apply an EQ5 in the PostFX to analyze and shape the signal. By adjusting the sync, I can create two partials or amplify the second harmonic. I add a Moog low pass filter and use the shape output of the AD envelope for frequency modulation. This creates a nice snare sound. I also add some noise using a noise burst and a mixer. I shape the noise with segments and use a high pass filter. I then apply a hard clip and use dither and diffusion for added spice. The EQ is crucial for shaping the sound, and by cutting below 1k and boosting around 1k, I can create a rimshot sound. I can also tweak the settings to create deep snare sounds. I can detune the oscillator slightly for a wider sound. Overall, there are many possibilities for customization using these knobs and EQs. I can also add pitch modulation if desired. Finally, I can apply a convolution effect to add roominess to the sound. This setup is great for drum and bass, dubstep, and other genres, providing a clean and focused sound.
In this video, I explain why Sine-Oscillators can give back crackles when triggered with an AD, and I share a trick to solve this issue. When using a short attack time and triggering the Sine-Oscillator, we start at minus one, which causes a crackle. To solve this, we can ease out the attack time, or we can move the cycle to a zero crossing by using a constant and the phase knob. However, a long decay time can still cause crackles when re-triggering the oscillator. To solve this, we can use a comparison with the AD output and a gate input to wait until the decay phase is finished before re-triggering the oscillator. Additionally, I suggest starting at zero value to prevent crackles and explain how this applies to other sounds. Overall, following these tips can help solve crackle issues in Sine-Oscillators.