AR

A gated Attack-Sustain-Release envelope and amplifier with Analog, Relative, and Digital response models.

What it does #

AR rises toward full level while the gate is high, remains at full level for as long as the gate stays open, and follows Release back to zero when the gate closes. It is the compact choice when a variable sustain level and separate Decay stage are unnecessary.

Controls and ports #

Gate In and the optional device-gate pre-cord control the envelope. Attack sets the rise, Release sets the fall after gate-off, Model selects Analog, Relative, or Digital, the non-Analog modes expose curve controls, and Affect Voice Lifetime can extend a polyphonic voice through Release. Envelope, amplified audio, and modulator outputs are available.

Practical uses #

• Shape organ-like, drone, or held-note sounds that should stay at full level until note-off.
• Use a slow Attack and Release for pads without managing a separate Sustain value.
• Use the signal output to open a filter or move another parameter while the internal amplifier controls audio.

Things to know #

• The middle stage is a full-level hold, not an adjustable Sustain level.
• Release starts immediately when Gate In becomes low, including if Attack has not yet reached one.
• With the pre-cord enabled, the device gate can keep the envelope high even when a patched cable goes low.
• The three Models share the same stage structure but use different internal response and timing behavior.

Technical details #

A high-confidence Nitro implementation candidate supports the technical summary, but the visible-module mapping remains inferred.

The mapped envelope/grid_ar wrapper configures the shared engine as AR and dispatches Model 0/1/2 to Relative, Analog, and Digital. It calls the engine with Sustain fixed to one and routes the Release time and curve into the relevant fall-stage arguments. The companion AR body confirms a 0.5 gate threshold, Attack increments until state 1 while the gate is high, a constant state at one after Attack, and Release from the current level after gate-off. Its Relative curve-rate multiplier matches the other companion envelope bodies.

Nitro port	Type
gateIn	InputAudioPortType
useDeviceGateIn	InputValuePortType
deviceGateIn	InputAudioPortType
attack	InputAudioPortType
release	InputAudioPortType
attackCurve	InputAudioPortType
releaseCurve	InputAudioPortType
affectVoiceLifetime	InputValuePortType
character	InputValuePortType
out	OutputAudioPortType
outGateScalar	OutputAudioPortType
outScalar	OutputAudioPortType
outVCA	OutputAudioPortType

Open questions #

• Measure release duration when gate-off occurs partway through Attack for every Model and curve setting.
• Confirm gate pre-cord behavior, zero-time stages, Analog VCA response, and high-rate gate changes.
• Verify whether visible time values describe nominal full-scale duration or current-level-relative duration in each Model.

Version and sources #

Checked against Bitwig Studio 6.0.6. This page combines Bitwig's module metadata, the existing Grid course and guides, and Nitro analysis where the mapping is strong enough to support a technical statement.

Related material #

• Grid Modules course reference

Return to Bitwig Grid Modules or the Grid Modules course lesson.