The envelope pool

Aconite gives you a pool of six routable envelopes. Two are wired by default (the amp envelope controls overall volume, and the filter envelope shapes the cutoff), but all six are full, independent envelopes you can route to any destination in the modulation matrix. Env 3 through 6 start with nothing connected; they exist so you can put a third, fourth, fifth, or sixth moving shape anywhere in the patch.

Every envelope is identical in capability. Switching tabs in the Envelopes card swaps in that envelope’s own controls (shape, model, times, and cycle mode) without touching the others.

The ADSR controls

Each envelope has four time controls: Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release. Attack is how long the envelope takes to rise from zero, Decay is how long it falls to the Sustain level, Sustain is the held level while the key is down, and Release is how long it takes to fall to zero after you let go.

Two additional controls refine the shape:

• Velocity: scales how much a harder keystroke deepens the envelope’s output. The amp envelope defaults to full velocity sensitivity (harder playing is louder). The filter envelope defaults to zero, so velocity does not move the filter cutoff until you dial it in. The free envelopes (Env 3–6) also default to velocity-independent; they modulate their destination at a fixed depth until you route them, at which point their output tracks velocity according to this setting.
• Key Follow: scales the envelope times with pitch, pivoting around middle C. Notes above middle C get shorter attack, decay, and release times; notes below get longer ones. At zero it has no effect.

And two toggles reshape the contour’s output curve:

• Curve (C): applies a soft S-shape to the contour, rounding the attacks and releases into a smoother arc.
• Quantize (Q): steps the output into discrete levels for a jagged, lo-fi contour.

Both are off by default and can be combined with any model.

The five voicing models

Each envelope independently chooses a voicing model that sets the character of its attack, decay, and release curves:

Model	Character
ADS	Punchy three-stage: the release reuses the decay time for a snappy gate.
Analogue	Rounded, RC-style exponential, the everyday analog default.
Digital	Near-linear, precise, and fast.
Vintage	Linear attack into a rounded-exponential decay and release.
Classic	Rounded-exponential attack into a linear decay and release.

The ADS model also has an ADS Release toggle. With it on, the release stage shares the decay time, giving a true three-stage attack/decay/sustain; with it off, note-off collapses to a fast stop. On the other four models, the dedicated Release knob always applies.

Cycle mode

Every envelope has a Cycle setting that changes what happens when it reaches the sustain level:

• Normal: the classic behavior. The envelope rises, falls to sustain, holds while the key is down, and releases on note-off.
• Loop: on reaching sustain, the envelope jumps back to attack and re-runs the attack-to-decay arc while the key is held. Release still fires on note-off. This turns the envelope into a note-synced, tempo-lockable shape, a natural complement to the LFOs.
• One-shot: the envelope plays straight through to release on note-on, ignoring when you let go. Useful for percussion, transients, or any shape that must complete regardless of note length.

In Loop mode each envelope can also lock to the transport. When Sync is on you choose a beat division, and one loop cycle lasts exactly that musical length.

Restart behavior

Restart decides where the envelope begins when a new note triggers while it is already running:

• From Current: retriggers from wherever the envelope already is. This is the analog behavior: no click, smooth re-attack.
• From Zero: re-attacks from silence, giving a consistent, clean start on every note.

Restart governs the envelope’s starting level only. It is separate and orthogonal from the Transient control on the Voice/Play card, which resets oscillator and filter state on retrigger. The two controls are independent; you can combine any Restart setting with any Transient setting.

Routing an envelope to a destination

All six envelopes are modulation sources. The quickest way to connect one:

1. Right-click the knob you want to move.
2. Choose Add modulation, then pick the envelope by name: Amp Env, Filter Env, Env 3, and so on.
3. A modulation route is created at a sensible starting depth. A small dot on the knob marks that it now has a source, and a colored arc animates to show the live push.

To set a precise depth or add a Via transform, open the modulation matrix and adjust the row there.

Tip

Envelope 3 through 6 start free; nothing is routed to them. Think of them as blank shapes you can assign once you know what needs to move in your patch: LFO rate, oscillator detune, filter morph, waveshaper depth, or anything else the matrix lists.

Draw mode and the ADSR knobs

Any envelope can switch to Draw mode, replacing the ADSR shape with a hand-drawn multi-segment contour. The two views stay in sync: edits you make in the draw canvas mirror back to the A/D/S/R knobs, and adjusting the knobs reshapes the drawn contour to match. You can move between the two representations freely without losing your intent.

Each envelope’s drawn contour, its sustain marker, and its loop region are stored per scene and saved with the preset, so different scenes can carry entirely different drawn shapes.

The live playhead

While a tab is selected, the envelope display shows a live playhead riding the current position in real time. In normal ADSR mode it moves through the attack, decay, sustain, and release stages as the voice runs. In Draw mode it tracks the hand-drawn contour instead.