Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@...> wrote:
>
> This "puzzle" got my curiosity, so I am taking a look. Here are the steps I am using (probably what you used, but as long as I am doing it, I will spell it out in case others are interested):
> 
> Note: I am using the audition riff
> 
> 1. Identify what ROM instruments are being used.
> ---> 0347 bas:Sonics on L1 and L2
> 2. Identify which layer(s) has(have) the thud/click.
> ---> L2
> 3. Check the L2 parameters one by one.
> -->(a) Sound [Sample] Start looks promising.
> ----->at Start = 16, the thud/click/pluck is mostly gone.
> ----->at Start = 28, it is gone even more, 
> ------->but still there for the start of the phrase (riff).
> ----->at Start = 48, it is gone even more.
> Hypothesis: The click/thud/pluck is in the ROM Instrument (sample).
>  
> -->(b) Interesting: L2 Filter (HPF) differs from L1 Filter (LPF).
> ----->Thud/click/pluck is present with some filters and not others.
> ----->With HPFs, raising the Freq gets rid of the low end (non-click)
> ----->With LPFs, raising the Freq adds the click.
> Conclusion: The click/thud/pluck is in the sample
> Corollary: You can get change it by modifying the sample start and filter settings.
> 
> 4. I changed the L2 ROM Instrument (bas:xxxx at 1st and then others). Got some interesting attacks with other samples on L2.
> 
> 5. To see if there were patchcords involved too, I started turning the source controller to off in each patchcord.
> --> (a) L2 cord #08 is interesting
> ------> VEnvSus amount also affects the amount of thud/click
> 
> Anyhow, I hope this helps explain what seems to be going on in this patch. 

Thanks Steve for doing the research. I'm still bewildered about the fact that the thud/pop is not there if the sound is played repeatedly. With the filter and sample start parameters affecting it, one would expect that an envelope would be playing in somehow, but there's no envelope set up that would seem to match the behavior. Although your 5th point above is interesting, it could have something to do with the loudness envelope, something which I'd ruled out initially as the sound quite audibly does not have a long release so I never thought of looking more closely at it.

My reason for wanting to get to the bottom of this, apart from the fact that it is intriguing, is that I rather like the patch, but the arbitraryness of the thud/pop is rather irritating, I'd like to get rid of it without affecting other aspects of the sound.

/Ricard


> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "Ricard" <ricard2010@> wrote:
> >
> > Playing XL-7 preset 21:2 (bas:Sonic), there's a 'thud' at the start of the sound which however is only present if the sound hasn't been played for half a second or so. That is, when playing a continous melody, the 'thud' is only heard at the beginning of the melody.
> > 
> > It seems the 'thud' is present already in the basic waveform (instrument) used, and somehow it sounds like the START parameter is modulated somehow. For instance, one way I guess would be if the auxilliary envelope were set up in such a way that it would advance the START parameter (due to a long release) if a note were repeated. However, I can't find a patch cord which actually does this, and the aux envelope doesn't look like it's doing anything in this patch.
> > 
> > Has anyone managed to figure out why this patch sounds the way it does?
> >
>