Filter Frequency Increases with Arp

[JasonK]

I've noticed that when I engage the arp, the sound brightens considerably and I have to reduce the filter frequency to get back to the original sound I was intending to use. I did a quick glance through the filter and arp documentation and didn't see this behavior mentioned, so I'm wondering if this is working as intended, and if so, I'd be curious to hear why it behaves that way.

Thank you!

[MPM]

Yup, I get this as well. I just tested it with the new update and it's still an issue. It's a huge change in the filter when you enable the arp, even with a single repeating note in the same octave.

[JasonK]

The easy workaround in Logic (and any other DAW that includes MIDI plugins) is to use the Arpeggiator MIDI plugin. The sound will retain its original frequency cutoff / brightness.

Again, I'd be curious to know if this is how the original Synthex functioned (so it was part of the modeling), and if that's the case, I'd also be curious to learn about the history and reasoning behind the original function.

[cherryaudio Robert]

This may be related to a bug we discovered over the weekend and just squashed, a "bleed" when if the filter envelope release is turned up high but the VCA release is short. Hang tight, Build 83 is coming shortly.

EDIT/ADDED: Build 84 of Elka-X has just been released. It includes the following changes:

-Fixed unusual audio bleed-through bug when filter envelope release is longer than VCA release
-Eliminated effects CPU usage when no audio is playing back through the effects

Hopefully number one will address what you're hearing in the arp. Let us know if it resolves the issue!

[JasonK]

Thanks Robert. Build 84 seems to have solved the issue for some of the sounds, but I'm realizing that part of the issue may be that the Arp seems to default to triggering the highest possible velocity, which on some sounds is much brighter than the sound I was hearing as I gently plunked around.

Two presets that demonstrate this:

"Sunday Train" - engaging the arp doesn't change the brightness much at all (if any), and I'd guess that's because the frequency cutoff doesn't seem to be tied to velocity.

"Tiny Wrench" - engaging the arp makes the arpeggiated sound extremely bright and sharp, unlike the sound when I was striking the keys at a "normal" intensity. This preset definitely seems to have the frequency cutoff tied to velocity.

So maybe that's just the way the arp works - always triggering the highest velocity. No big deal since there's a workaround using my DAW's arp. I'm guessing you don't want to add an additional "velocity" dial to the arp's controls, but it might be cool if the arp could register the velocity level as a key is pressed and then maintain that velocity while the arp is operating on that note (hopefully that makes sense).

Thanks again for the response and all the great work!

[JasonK]

Also...

It's a synthesizer... with knobs... for adjusting the sound.

So I guess I could always just turn the frequency knob to modify the sound. You know... like somebody who's used a synth before.

[cherryaudio Robert]

True, but that doesn't make it a bad suggestion. But, to confirm, the arp (and step sequencer) does sound all notes evenly at full velocity. It wasn't a design decision based on the Synthex, which had neither arp nor velocity. As long as it's something that isn't too complex in practice (including any impact on CPU), we can consider it for the future. Thanks!

[JasonK]

Thank you!