Envelope generation isn't too difficult, once you know the basics. The idea is similar to an LFO, i.e. you have a modulation source that is more-or-less automated to produce a varying control signal in time. The difference is that while an LFO produces a repeating waveshape, an envelope is (in its most common form anyway), unique in time. Examine this ascii-matic: LFO: /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ ...and so on / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ ENVELOPE: | A |D| S | R /\ / \___________ / \ / \_______________________ Notice the four little lines above the envelope? They separate it into sections: 1. Attack (A) 2. Decay (D) 3. Sustain (S) 4. Release (R) (in that order). How it works is this: when you hit a note, the attack section starts and the envelope goes up to the peak value. When it reachs that, we enter the decay section, in which it decays down to a constant level, called the sustain. Here it sits until you let go of the key, at which time you enter the release section, where the envelope decays back down to zero. So, when you program an envelope generator, you usually have 4 main parameters, "attack" "Decay" "sustain" and "Release" (which is why this kind of envelope generator is often called an "ADSR"). The attack, decay and release parameters all tell the generator how long each stage should last. so, for instance, a small attack setting would cause it to shoot right up to full value as soon as you hit the key, and a short release setting would cause it to cut right off when you let go of the key. The sustain parameter tells the generator what level the sustain portion should be at (since its duration is dictated by you letting go of the key, it's pointless to specify any kind of length here). Let's look at the example of an envelope generator being used to control volume. With a long attack setting, the note will take longer to "fade in". The sustain setting will control the volue the note plays at while you are holding the note, and the release setting will control how long the note takes to "fade out". The decay setting will control how long it takes to get from the loudest volume down to the sustain level. Obviously, different relative settings are more suitable to modeling different instruments (this is why there are those envelope generator presets in the s2000 like "piano" and "synth bass"). For instance, a piano note dies off very quickly when you let go of the key (due to the damper moving back against the string), whereas a guitar rings for longer (unless you mute the string). Of course, there are more complicated kinds of envelope generators, like the multistage ones in akais. In the multi-stage generator, you have the freedom to simply specify four different levels and the time it takes to reach each one, rather than having an "attack" stage that automatically goes to peak value and a sustain level that sits there until you stop playing the note. There are even more complicated versions out there, such as "DAHDSR"s (Delay-Attack-Hold-Decay-Sustain-Release) or e-mu's function generators, which are similar to the four-stage akai multi-stage envelope except with 8-stages, each of which can be programmed to jump to any other segment depending on the value of a given modulation source and each of which can have any of 63 "shapes" (instead of the straight lines i've been drawing to connect points on the envelopes, it uses different curves, zig-zags or random lines-most generators use a simple exponential). Also, the level of a given segment can be, instead of a constant value, a bounded random value, a given difference from the previous segment's value or even a bounded random difference from the previous segment's value. This system allows you to use the function generator as an envelope, an arpeggiator or a combination of all three, many parameters of which can respond to your playing. With 2 of these generators (as well as 2 regular LFOs, 2 regular volume envlopes and one regular envelope) along with the morpheus' 200 different kinds of filters (all of which have at least 2 modulatable parameters, if not three), things can get pretty wild.. though, as you can imagine, it is something of a pain in the ass to program really fancy function generator curves on a 2X16 LCD.. anyway.. Ethan