Analog Synth Gallery

Envelope:

An envelope generator generates a signal that changes through the length of a sound, normally to control the loudness of that sound. An example of its use is to control the volume of a piano sound. It creates a signal that goes from low to high very quickly (the loud bit when the key is pressed), then goes down slowly as the sounds gets quieter. They are also used to drive other parts of the synthesizer, for example the filter....

Unveiled in 1970 under the name, Tonus, Inc., this was ARP's first synthesizer. Modular in design, it uses [color-coded] sliders for patching, doing away with other modulars' messy cords. However, the sliders introduced problems with cross-talk. [Where patch cords are necessary, and they are for some things, the 2600 uses mini-jacks, not 1/4-inch] It was available in custom configurations. Along with Philip Dodds [ARP vice-president of engineering], the 2500 made a cameo appearance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977,1980), where it helped man communicate with the visitors from outer space through music and mathematics.

Synth Glossary