JP Charlotte help

[Faastwalker]

I've been trying to get my head around this one again. I don't mind admitting I'm completely confused by it. Or more so how to cable it up with other devices. I kind of thought I could just put a synth (for example) through the audio inputs, set my envelope & hey presto. But nothing seems to happen. The envelope triggers if I have both devices in a Combinator but the audio is completely unaffected. I'm obviously approaching this all wrong & need some help. Can someone please point me in the right direction? Maybe upload some examples? I'm stuck!



EDIT: I notice this is only $19 in the RE shop. Not sure if it's on sale or the price has been reduced.
https://shop.propellerheads.se/product/ ... generator/

[Benedict]

Hi

Firstly, Charlotte is far more a CV device than an audio effect. You might use it to create an ADSR style Env to control something like a Filter in a Combi.

Generally to do something like that you would ensure Charlotte is receiving a Gate either from another synth via CV or directly from the Combi with Receives Notes checked in the Combi Programmer. Then once the Gate is firing, make an Env and route that CV to something you want to control over time.

[Faastwalker]

Charlotte is far more a CV device than an audio effect.

I thought this was the case. But the audio i/o confused me on this point when I first got hold of Charlotte. There is an example on YouTube of Charlotte being used to modulate audio in from a Dr.Rex player. Presumably you need a gate input (a note on the sequencer for example) to trigger the envelope for this to work. I did try this with a Malstrom going through Charlotte, in a Combinator with Charlotte set to receive notes. After setting an envelope the signal was completely unaffected!

Generally to do something like that you would ensure Charlotte is receiving a Gate either from another synth via CV or directly from the Combi with Receives Notes checked in the Combi Programmer. Then once the Gate is firing, make an Env and route that CV to something you want to control over time.

All makes sense. But how do you route the envelope to a CV parameter, lets say for example a filter cut off? There are CV outputs for each stage of the envelope. So how do you patch this in? There's another example video that has each stage going of to a different parameter on different devices. All very cool. But how do you control one CV parameter on a single device?

[Benedict]

For now ignore the Tuts that show advanced features. Get the basics. I am assuming the Audio In is for Audio to CV stuff. File with side-chaining as useful but not necessary right now.

Focus on the flow of what you want to have happen (and if you don't know what you want to have happen then result can be only confusion) and map that out in your head, or on paper. Then build it.

There must be a Global Env CV Out. Wire that to a Thor Filter CV In.



https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2015/09/0 ... aking-art/

[Faastwalker]

I am assuming the Audio In is for Audio to CV stuff.

I don't think so. That's not what's going on here at least;

There must be a Global Env CV Out. Wire that to a Thor Filter CV In.

You would think so wouldn’t you. At least that’s what I expected. Doesn't seem to be there though! There are only out for each stage.

EDIT: Hang on - Is it 8 outputs with the envelope going out on each? I'll try this when I'm home. This must be it. Jeez, why didn't I try this before?!

[Benedict]

Yup, that would be 8xEG Out.

And ok yes the Audio In Level is controlled by the Env via the knobs bottom right. Pretty cool in many ways. 8-Stage Envs are a bit of a chore at first but most times you can choose now many stages you want and three is the same as ADSR.

[electrochoc (PRX-A)]

Hi! It would be difficult to explain everything about Charlotte in one small post! This device really offers many features, clustered into one compact device. I don't myself understand all the features of Charlotte, but I could give you some hints to help you start using it and discovering its power, based on what you said before.

1) Don't be distracted too much by the Audio ins and out. Their purpose is to let you apply the envelop made with Charlotte to the volume of an incoming and running audio signal. You can, for example, use a playing Dr. Octorex as an incoming sound signal. As long as you don't trigger the envelop, you won't hear it (the volume will be zero), but, if you trigger Charlotte's envelop, it will control the volume of that incoming sound. The important part of that is that you need a constantly playing sound to use the audio ins and outs correctly. It's a little like if you were using the envelop of, let's say, a Subtractor to control the volume of a channel of your mix. That feature is not the most interesting one on Charlotte, so I would recommand you just to not look at it too much at first. Mostly, it's not really meant to be used with a synth.

2) There's a lot of CV outs on the back, but you can limit yourself to only a few of them at first, and, in fact, in most cases. You see, Charlotte can be used in about the same way as Distributor: it can be used to send gate, note and envelop signals to different instances of some synth, to create a bigger polyphonic modular device. That's why, if you look at the back of Charlotte, you have three CV outs for each of the eight voices you can make with Charlotte within a modular setting: EG (the envelop itself), Gate and Note. For basic settings, like controlling the filter of a monophonic external synth, you'll only need the CV outs of the first voice. The Stage Trigger CV outs (that send a triggering CV signal when one stage of the envelop is reached) are not really for beginners either, so you should focus only on EG, Gate and Note of Voice 1 at first.

3) To get you first envelop CV signal and use it to modulate something, try this. First, put a synth and Charlotte into a Combinator. Make sure that both can receive MIDI notes, and that the synth's audio outs are plugged into the "from device" audios ins of the Combinator. Design an envelop with Charlotte. Then, plug the EG CV out of Voice 1 on Charlotte to the synth's CV in of your choice (turn to its minimum the knob of fader of the synth's feature you want to control that way). Now, you should be able to control that feature with Charlotte's envelop if you press one key.

I'm not sure if what I say is very clear (it's late here, and I'm about to go to sleep)... Maybe you could tell us an example of something you'd like to do, and I could try to give you a more step-by-step way to do it!

[decibel]

i think it would be great if developers included youtube tutorials and combinator patches using stock devices with the purchase of these kind of devices so as to make them more attractive and usable for people who dont have extensive knowledge of cv routing etc, i suspect a lot of people avoid buying cv devices all together because they are intimidating to understand and there is usually not much clear and easy to understand information around to get acquainted with the devices or grasp their potential ?

that being said, if anybody here wants to make a few basic combinator patches and upload them here for us cv novices to dissect it would be greatly appreciated
i brought charlotte on sale a long time ago and have never really used it because i couldnt get my head around it properly back then and have been distracted by other new devices that have been released since then , so it would be nice to get some value out of it yeah

[Benedict]

I think that esp smaller Devs are poor at manuals etc. Often they assume everyone else thinks like they do, or just knows, so assumes something saying that the Filter Cutoff knob changes the Filter Cutoff position is unnecessary. While there are many who will never read the documentation, I still think the what and some of the why should be explained - and I say that as a very experienced synthesist.

[JiggeryPokery]

how do you route the envelope to a CV parameter, lets say for example a filter cut off?

Connect one of the eight EG CV Outs on the Charlotte to the filter frequency CV on the synth.

[JiggeryPokery]

combinator patches using stock devices with the purchase of these kind of devices so as to make them more attractive and usable for people who dont have extensive knowledge of cv routing etc

"Basic ADSR SubT Charley.cmb"

[decibel]

combinator patches using stock devices with the purchase of these kind of devices so as to make them more attractive and usable for people who dont have extensive knowledge of cv routing etc

"Basic ADSR SubT Charley.cmb"

cheers i might go back and take another look, maybe try to build on that patch a bit

[Faastwalker]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys Makes more sense now. I was hoping to try all this out yesterday evening but I wasn't able to launch Reason for one reason or another! Okay now though so my Friday night is laid out