On the hunt for envelope generators

I'm looking for some envelope generators to pair with the Itenllijel Quad VCA I already own.

My initial idea was to get the Intelijjel Quadrax with the Qx expander for added outputs. However, it turns out that the price is much higher than the one listed in MG, and I'm now considering different options.

For the price the Quadrax would cost me, I could add a couple of Cosmotronic Delta-V function generators instead, which in turn would also provide some extra VCAs.

On the cheaper side, the Hikari Instruments Triple AD is quite interesting too, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere in Europe, and having it shipped from Japan will probably add to the price. The Nano Modules Quart is also looking good, though neither of those would provide additional outputs.

And just recently, I discovered the After Later Audio QARV, which is quite large at 20HP, but includes four function generators and VCAs plus a mixer. The price for this one looks incredibly good too, and it would probably allow me to get rid of the Quad VCA or at least use it for other duties.

Do you guys have any opinion on those modules? I already own some modules from Intellijel and Nano Modules, and I like both the build quality and user interface, but I've never used anything from Hikari or After Later. Are there any other options I'm overlooking? Maybe you can suggest some other alternatives.

Hi,

Without VCA's but with 6 AD EG channels, and can act like LFO's, Slew limiters and AD EG
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/tesseract-modular-selam
Best regards,

Hi there !

I have no opinion on the modules you mentioned as I haven't tried any of them (except for the Quadrax which is well worth the price IMO), but I'd like to put one more on to your radar:

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/klavis-quadigy

This powerhouse of a module can deliver 4 ADSR envelopes and offers a lot of configuration options which you can conveniently save as presets and then recall. Freely assignable button on the interface, clockable LFO's with a clever stretching mechanism, etc. Worth a look, I think, I'm very happy with mine.

Check out the Doepfer Dual Micro ADSR. 8 hp with 4 outputs and it's well priced

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/doepfer-a-140-2

Without VCA's but with 6 AD EG channels, and can act like LFO's, Slew limiters and AD EG
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/tesseract-modular-selam
-- ferranadsr

Looks good, and the price is more than affordable too, I will check it out, thanks.

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/klavis-quadigy
-- toodee

A powerhouse indeed. I'm not sold on menu based modules and I would rather use a simple interface with no menu diving. I'll check it out anyway and see if it fits my needs, thanks for the suggestion.

Check out the Doepfer Dual Micro ADSR. 8 hp with 4 outputs and it's well priced
-- padmasan

Doepfer's "mini" modules are quite cool, I bought an A-138n mixer some time ago and I'm more than happy with it. It doesn't take much space, is well priced and works flawlessly. I'll definitively check this ADSR out, thanks.

I'm very happy with the Zadar. It's basically a list of digital envelopes that you can chose from. Some of them look very ADSR-like, though the module doesn't support sustain with a gate or something like that. Instead, you get a huge variety of non-ADSR shaped envelopes. You can use CV to change duration, voltage (= attenuation) and many other skewing parameters. The only thing I’m missing is the Nin expander, so I could have 2 cvs per channel. Anyway. Short summary: 4 super flexible channels in 10 hp. I love it!

Some of them look very ADSR-like, though the module doesn't support sustain with a gate or something like that.
-- Arrandan

The sus/level encoder let you set the point on the shape to be held when a gate signal is send to the input trigger. (page 5 in the manual)

EDITED Jan 24th 2023, 23:04

I'm very happy with the Zadar.
-- Arrandan

In fact, I'm replacing the Zadar with the new envelope generator. Zadar is a fantastic module, but I'm only using it for envelopes, and most of the waveforms are unused, so I'm trying to simplify things a bit. I would also prefer to have knobs for each channel, instead of just sharing a set of knobs, so I can easily see and modify the attack and decay settings.

I guess I'm not a huge fan of menu diving, and the way I'm using Zadar is to set it up and forget about it, as I find it a bit inconvenient for quickly changing things on the fly. Lately I find myself using the "Make Noise Function" much more, so I want to try and add more envelope generators in that vein.

Other than that, the Zadar is a great module with small footprint, and I think is perfect for long evolving modulations.