mutable-instruments/elements
Elements
Full-blown modal synthesis voice with three exciter generators (BOW, BLOW, STRIKE) feeding a resonator that models vibrating structures such as plates, strings, bars, tubes, and bowls.529
Capabilities 1
- Physical Modelingphysical-modeling
- Implements modal synthesis: a bank of band-pass filters (the resonator) is excited by bursty/impulsive signals from three generators (BOW, BLOW, STRIKE) to simulate vibrating structures.529
Jacks 10 — 8 in / 2 out
| Name | Signal | Voltage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inputs (8) | |||
| EXT IN 1 | audio | — | External audio input that follows the same path as the BLOW generator: diffused, enveloped by the BOW/BLOW contour, amplified by the STRENGTH VCA, then sent to the resonator.529 |
| EXT IN 2 | audio | — | Second external audio input; unprocessed and directly sent to the resonator without envelope or diffusion.529 |
| Exciter CV inputs | cv | — | 529 |
| FM | cv | — | Additional CV modulation source for the fundamental frequency of the resonator.529 |
| GATE | gate | — | Enables the exciter: triggers the percussive generator and starts the BOW/BLOW envelope. Equivalent to pressing the PLAY button.529 |
| Resonator CV inputs | cv | — | 529 |
| STRENGTH | cv | — | VCA for the excitation signal. Positive CV boosts, negative CV attenuates. Scale is 3dB/V with ±15dB maximum range.529 |
| V/OCT | cv | — | Controls the fundamental frequency of the resonator and the perceived pitch of the note.529 |
| Outputs (2) | |||
| OUT L | audio | — | Left channel of the dual audio output. At minimum SPACE contains exciter output; as SPACE increases becomes true stereo left.529 |
| OUT R | audio | — | Right channel of the dual audio output. At minimum SPACE contains resonator output; as SPACE increases becomes true stereo right.529 |
Parameters 16
| Name | Type | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLOW | knob | — | Controls the amount of granular blowing noise sent to the resonator.529 |
| BOW | knob | — | Controls amplitude of bowing/scratching noise sent to the resonator; also simulates increased bow pressure at higher values, producing a brighter and noisier sound.529 |
| BRIGHTNESS | knob | — | Controls damping of high-frequency modes. Low values simulate wood/nylon materials; high values simulate glass/steel materials.529 |
| COARSE | knob | — | Sets the fundamental frequency of the resonator in semitone increments spanning 5 octaves.529 |
| CONTOUR | knob | — | Morphs through preset envelope shapes for the BOW and BLOW exciters: short AD envelopes becoming longer and slower, then ADSR shapes, then faster AR envelopes.529 |
| DAMPING | knob | — | Controls how quickly energy dissipates through the resonating material. CV modulation recreates damping/muting effects.529 |
| FINE | knob | -2semitone – 2semitone | Unquantized fine-tuning of the fundamental frequency, spanning -2 to +2 semitones.529 |
| FLOW | knob | — | Scans through various colors of noise for the BLOW generator, similar to wavetable scanning. Automating with a slow LFO creates evolving turbulent-air textures.529 |
| FM attenuverter | knob | — | Controls amount and polarity of FM CV modulation with an exponential scale providing very progressive attenuation away from center.529 |
| GEOMETRY | knob | — | Controls the geometry and stiffness of the resonating structure, morphing from plates to strings to bars/tubes to bells/bowls.529 |
| MALLET | knob | — | Morphs through percussive noise types for the STRIKE generator: hammer/mallet/stick samples, damped mallet models, plectrum models, and bouncing particle models.529 Zones
|
| PLAY | button | — | Triggers the exciter and its envelope while held. Equivalent to sending a positive gate to the GATE input.529 |
| POSITION | knob | — | Controls the excitation point on the resonating surface. Center position cancels even harmonics producing a hollow square-wave-like sound similar to PWM or phaser comb-filtering.529 |
| SPACE | knob | — | Controls stereo width and reverb. At minimum: left=exciter, right=resonator. Increasing SPACE widens stereo angle. Past 12 o'clock adds algorithmic reverb. A very high CV at maximum position freezes the reverb tail.529 |
| STRIKE | knob | — | Controls the amount of percussive noise sent to the resonator. Past 2 o'clock the signal also bleeds to the main output for a more biting percussive sound.529 Zones
|
| TIMBRE | knob | — | Tone color control for each exciter generator: for BOW sets smoothness/granularity; for BLOW sets pitch/granulation rate; for STRIKE sets brightness/speed of the percussive excitation.529 |
Firmware history 0 versions
No firmware history recorded.
References 2
- [529]
- [530]