Adding gate to Slim-O with CEMvelope

Hi,

Total modular newbie here - got my first setup at the weekend!

I have a Boomstar Slim-O oscillator and a Frequency Central CEMvelope connected to my midi keyboard controller through a CV.OCD midi-cv box.

I can change the pitch of the Slim-O by passing the Channel-1 note pitch into the 1 v/o input but I can’t figure out how to get the note on/off when I press a key on my keyboard.

Can I achieve this using just the CEMvelope which has gate and trigger inputs as well as normal/inverse outputs, or do I need to add an additional VCA module to my setup?

Thanks,

Maff

You need the VCA. That, in fact, is exactly why they exist. For audio, use an exponential so that the response behavior works in line with what we psychoacoustically expect as a "loudness curve". Or better still, plan ahead by adding something like an Intellijel Quad VCA, which not only gives you four to work with, but tailorable response curves as well, plus mixing capabilities. As your system grows, you WILL need more VCAs, both for audio as well as linear ones that're DC-coupled (which the Quad VCA ones are) for CV/modulation level control.

Also, if the VCO and EG are all you have at present, you're going to need a VCF so that you can use the EG to also vary the timbre. One I'd suggest as a great starter would be TipTop's Forbidden Planet, which is a clone of the Steiner Synthacon multimode VCF...and I can tell you from experience with the actual thing that that's a VCF with character for days. Plus, for what it is, it's quite cost and space-effective.

Thanks Lugia that's very helpful and thanks also for the module recommendations.

After speaking with the shop I bought the modules from it turns out that my Ripples filter has a VCA output on it, so I got it working by patching my gate CV into the Gain on the Ripples, and then patching out from the Ripples VCA :)