Modulators Modulators

Modulators allow changing emitter or filter parameter values over time to produce a more complex and dynamic sound. Each modulator can be set to an envelope, a periodic wave, a slow randomized noise or even MIDI input. A modulator can be routed to one of the available targets. Multiple modulators can be routed to the same target.

On the Tempera, there are ten modulators per voice played, plus a a full ADSR amplitude envelope generator.

ADSR envelope

The first page of the Modulators Modulators menu is a main ADSR envelope with Attack, Delay, Sustain and Release parameters. This amplitude envelope applies to each voice played.

Apart from the main ADSR envelope, each emitter can have its distinct Grain shape (grain envelope) configured in the Emitters Emitters menu.

Modulator options

Subsequent Modulators Modulators menu pages each correspond to one of the ten modulators. Each modulator can be of different source, destination, speed and scaling.

The leftmost knob selects the modulation source.

The second knob adjusts either the modulation destination (Target) or modulation amount (Size), controlling how strongly the modulator affects the target value. The Target/Size buttons toggle between the two.

Many per-voice modulation targets are available: filter cutoff, a number of emitter parameters and even other modulator’s parameters.

The remaining two knobs adjust modulator parameters such as speed or offset which depend on the selected source.

Modulation sources

Envelopes

The AR and AD modulators are two-stage simplified variants of the full ADSR envelope which can be controlled by Attack-Decay and Attack-Release parameters.

LFO modulators

The Sine, Triangle, Square and Saw modulators are periodic LFOs with controllable Speed and Phase offset.

The LFO Speed has options to enable tempo Sync, and to reset the modulator on each note with Retrig.

The +- button switches between bipolar and unipolar waveform.

Noise modulators

The Noise S&H and Slow noise modulators provide sampled and periodic randomized noise with adjustable Speed and Phase offset as well.

MIDI modulators

The MIDI modulators allow external MIDI input or keys played on Tempera to be used as modulation sources.

  • Modwheel corresponds to MIDI CC 1.

  • Aftertouch corresponds to MIDI Channel Pressure.

  • Key track and Velocity correspond to the note number and velocity of keys played over MIDI or the Overlay Keyboard.

  • PolyAT (polyphonic aftertouch) corresponds to the Key Pressure MIDI message, or to the polyphonic pressure of keys played on the Overlay Keyboard.

The MIDI input can be scaled with Size or toggled between bipolar and unipolar using the +- button.

Step modulator

The Step modulator is a stepped LFO with up to 16 steps whose entire cycle of steps runs at the rate defined by the Speed parameter. For example, if Speed is set to 1/4, the full sequence will take one quarter note to complete.

The number of steps can be adjusted using the encoder while holding the Length button, while the Scroll button selects the step currently being edited.

When no button is pressed, the encoder adjusts the amplitude of the selected step. The overall output is then scaled by the Size parameter.

Like other LFO modulators, the Step modulator can run in sync with tempo or freely.

Holding the Round button reveals a +- polarity switch and for select targets a Quant switch to quantize step lengths to whole numbers. The quantization is available for Pitch, Relative X/Y, Spray X/Y and Grain length.

Audio modulators

The Audio envelope and External audio envelope modulators are envelope followers for internal and external audio sources.

Both envelope followers variants can be used as sources for multiple modulators at once, each with its own response shaped by the Attack and Release knobs and the +- polarity switch.

Feeding the internal audio into an envelope follower makes it respond to the sound Tempera is currently playing, which is then altered and fed back into the envelope follower again. With slower Attack/Release, this can create various “parameter-feedback” evolving sounds.

The external audio variant can also be used as a sidechain compressor by modulating an emitter’s volume.

Modulators modulating modulators

The parameters of each modulator (Size, Speed and Phase) are also available as modulation targets, making it possible to modulate or even cross-modulate modulators among themselves.

In the case of envelope modulators, the Speed and Phase targets correspond to Attack and Release (or Attack and Decay for AD envelopes).

Tips

  • When a parameter is modulated, a small vertical line will appear over its display for each voice played.

  • The modulator shape is shown in real time on the first display for each voice played.

  • Hold the Round button while scrolling through modulation sources to jump quickly between groups.

  • You can freely grain-scrub through a track by modulating Emitter Relative Y with e.g. the Modwheel. Make sure the modulated emitter has enough grain density.

  • If you try modulating Speed of a synced LFO modulator, it will immediately re-sync and jump in phase.