Genuine Ems trapezoid generator featuring Attack, On, Decay, Off and Trapezoid output level. With v.c of Decay time, status led, Sig in and Sig out, Gate in and Outputs A and B this classic timing generator when used with RS-500e captures the essence of the VCS3 and Synthi A. This module is made under license from EMS.
The combined contour generator and VCA used in the EMS VCS3 and various Synthis (the "Shaper") is a very clever piece of electronic design, and it allows you to create sounds and effects that are all but impossible on more conventional synthesizers.
The RS-510e incorporates both elements of the VCS3 Shaper, comprising two modules that would often be found as separate modules. The first of these is the envelope generator itself, referred to as the Trapezoid Generator. The second is a VCA. We will deal with each of these in turn.
The Background to the Trapezoid
The Trapezoid Generator was perhaps the most confusing module within the VCS3 and Synthis, largely because it acted in an unusual way that was not intuitive to users of other manufacturers' instruments. In retrospect, it's hardly surprising that players considered it arcane and impenetrable, but this is unfortunate, because it is a flexible and powerful tool.
To understand how the Trapezoid Generator differs from conventional contour generators, let's first consider the common ADSR envelope.
This has four stages, as follows:
A: The Attack stage determines the speed at which the voltage achieves its full value.
D: The Decay determines the speed at which the voltage drops until it reaches...
S: The Sustain Level, the level the voltage maintains while a Gate is detected, and ...
R: The Release, which determines the speed at which the envelope voltage decays back to zero after the Gate is released.
(For more information about the standard ADSR envelope generator please refer to Appendix 3.)
The Synthi Trapezoid also comprises four stages, but these are called Attack, On, Decay, and Off. It works as follows:
Manual operation (Contour Generator):
A: When a Gate is detected, the contour enters its Attack phase, like a conventional ADSR. If the Gate is very brief (a trigger)the Attack is completed nonetheless, and the contour moves to the next stage...
ON: After the Attack, the contour is "ON", and maintains its maximum voltage for as long as the Gate is present. Once the Gate is removed the contour remains ON for an additional time determined by the ON control.
D: At the end of the ON period, the contour decays to zero.
Free running operation (LFO):
A: From its initial state, the contour enters its Attack phase.
ON: After the Attack, the contour is "ON" for a time determined by the ON control.
D: At the end of the ON period, the contour decays to zero.
OFF: Once the decay is complete, the contour remains at zero (i.e. "OFF") for a period determined by the OFF control, and then enters the Attack phase again.
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
Genuine Ems trapezoid generator featuring Attack, On, Decay, Off and Trapezoid output level. With v.c of Decay time, status led, Sig in and Sig out, Gate in and Outputs A and B this classic timing generator when used with RS-500e captures the essence of the VCS3 and Synthi A. This module is made under license from EMS.
The combined contour generator and VCA used in the EMS VCS3 and various Synthis (the "Shaper") is a very clever piece of electronic design, and it allows you to create sounds and effects that are all but impossible on more conventional synthesizers.
The RS-510e incorporates both elements of the VCS3 Shaper, comprising two modules that would often be found as separate modules. The first of these is the envelope generator itself, referred to as the Trapezoid Generator. The second is a VCA. We will deal with each of these in turn.
The Background to the Trapezoid
The Trapezoid Generator was perhaps the most confusing module within the VCS3 and Synthis, largely because it acted in an unusual way that was not intuitive to users of other manufacturers' instruments. In retrospect, it's hardly surprising that players considered it arcane and impenetrable, but this is unfortunate, because it is a flexible and powerful tool.
To understand how the Trapezoid Generator differs from conventional contour generators, let's first consider the common ADSR envelope.
This has four stages, as follows:
A: The Attack stage determines the speed at which the voltage achieves its full value.
D: The Decay determines the speed at which the voltage drops until it reaches...
S: The Sustain Level, the level the voltage maintains while a Gate is detected, and ...
R: The Release, which determines the speed at which the envelope voltage decays back to zero after the Gate is released.
(For more information about the standard ADSR envelope generator please refer to Appendix 3.)
The Synthi Trapezoid also comprises four stages, but these are called Attack, On, Decay, and Off. It works as follows:
Manual operation (Contour Generator):
A: When a Gate is detected, the contour enters its Attack phase, like a conventional ADSR. If the Gate is very brief (a trigger)the Attack is completed nonetheless, and the contour moves to the next stage...
ON: After the Attack, the contour is "ON", and maintains its maximum voltage for as long as the Gate is present. Once the Gate is removed the contour remains ON for an additional time determined by the ON control.
D: At the end of the ON period, the contour decays to zero.
Free running operation (LFO):
A: From its initial state, the contour enters its Attack phase.
ON: After the Attack, the contour is "ON" for a time determined by the ON control.
D: At the end of the ON period, the contour decays to zero.
OFF: Once the decay is complete, the contour remains at zero (i.e. "OFF") for a period determined by the OFF control, and then enters the Attack phase again.
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
