Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

My wife is an experienced pianist and piano teacher.  She is 
particularly interested in the piano sounds, and noticed that the 
sustain on most of the SD-1 piano programs is quite limited.  I 
searched through the Musician's Manual, but can't find any control 
that changes the amount of sustain a program has.  The sustain pedal 
works, only the sustain is limited.  I suspect there is an answer 
somewhere in Section 8  of the Musician's manual, "Voice Programming" 
but none of the parameters seem directly related to sustain.  Does 
anyone have any suggestions?  


Jim

> My wife is an experienced pianist and piano teacher.  She is 
> particularly interested in the piano sounds, and noticed that the 
> sustain on most of the SD-1 piano programs is quite limited.  I 
> searched through the Musician's Manual, but can't find any control 
> that changes the amount of sustain a program has.  The sustain pedal 
> works, only the sustain is limited.  I suspect there is an answer 
> somewhere in Section 8  of the Musician's manual, "Voice Programming" 
> but none of the parameters seem directly related to sustain.  Does 
> anyone have any suggestions?  

Sounds like you want to change the envelopes.  From memory, probably
Env3 (always? routed to volume), probably the second to last time on
the (second?)  page (press Env3 twice?).

However, you need to understand the "select voice" buttons, as each
patch (or "program" as ensoniq referred to them) can use up to six
voices, and in most cases you'd only be editing one of the voices if
you go straight to the Env3 page.

If you check out the sections of the manual that touch on those two
subjects, you'll probably get what you want.

One more thing to "note", lengthening the sustain will increase the
number of voices playing at one time.  The VFX family has only 21
voices (except the SD1-32 voice, which has 32), you may find you get
into voice stealing (abruptly stopping one sound to start playing
another) if you "push the envelope" too far.

--> Steve Wahl

Citeren Steve Wahl <steve@...>:

>
>> My wife is an experienced pianist and piano teacher.  She is
>> particularly interested in the piano sounds, and noticed that the
>> sustain on most of the SD-1 piano programs is quite limited.  I
>> searched through the Musician's Manual, but can't find any control
>> that changes the amount of sustain a program has.  The sustain pedal
>> works, only the sustain is limited.  I suspect there is an answer
>> somewhere in Section 8  of the Musician's manual, "Voice Programming"
>> but none of the parameters seem directly related to sustain.  Does
>> anyone have any suggestions?
>
> Sounds like you want to change the envelopes.  From memory, probably
> Env3 (always? routed to volume), probably the second to last time on
> the (second?)  page (press Env3 twice?).
>
> However, you need to understand the "select voice" buttons, as each
> patch (or "program" as ensoniq referred to them) can use up to six
> voices, and in most cases you'd only be editing one of the voices if
> you go straight to the Env3 page.
>
> If you check out the sections of the manual that touch on those two
> subjects, you'll probably get what you want.
>
> One more thing to "note", lengthening the sustain will increase the
> number of voices playing at one time.  The VFX family has only 21
> voices (except the SD1-32 voice, which has 32), you may find you get
> into voice stealing (abruptly stopping one sound to start playing
> another) if you "push the envelope" too far.
>
> --> Steve Wahl
>
>


DOn't know by hart, but there is another parameter for sustain, not in 
voice menu but in performance menu....

I have found if you press the envelope 3 button twice and increase the
release time it will increase the sustain, Go to select voice first
though, and it will show you what voice you are modifying, If you want
to modify all the voices being used push the select voice twice
quickly and it will put you into group mode and allow you to modify
all the voices together.


--- In Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com, "kubko56" <kubko56@...> wrote:

>
> My wife is an experienced pianist and piano teacher.  She is 
> particularly interested in the piano sounds, and noticed that the 
> sustain on most of the SD-1 piano programs is quite limited.  I 
> searched through the Musician's Manual, but can't find any control 
> that changes the amount of sustain a program has.  The sustain pedal 
> works, only the sustain is limited.  I suspect there is an answer 
> somewhere in Section 8  of the Musician's manual, "Voice Programming" 
> but none of the parameters seem directly related to sustain.  Does 
> anyone have any suggestions?  
> 
> 
> Jim
>