Help with potential-logaritmic adsr
Hi everyone! I am learning max msp, and I am a really really new user. I'm studying with the textbook "Electronic Music and Sound Design - Theory and Practice with Max/MSP."
I finished recently the first chapter of theory, and it was said that acoustic instruments have either a logaritmic or potential envelope. So, my immediate idea, was to create an adsr that could follow a curvature instead of a line. It seemed a small idea for a newbie like me, but it's a couple of days that I'm trying to figure out a way to make it work unsuccesfully. I think i got something with the function object: it permits me to create points and curvature between the points, but the problem is that i can't find a way to control each point. I found ways to set them through messages (which is probably really basic), but not to control them. I see that, in order to get what I want, I should be able to set x, y and curvature float of any given point, and the idea was to be able to control each one of them through number objects, but I can't manage to find a way to make that happen.
My idea, for the moment, was to create a percussive sound with a logaritmic-potential envelope, just out of curiosity.
Am I on the right track, or are there other ways to do what I want? Can you give me some suggestions?
Thank you greatly!
I think perhaps you mean "exponential", not potential. In any event...
In addition to the Puckette book, which is terrific, you might want to read this about human perception:The Weber-Fechner law
As for ways to achieve exponential and logarithmic curves in Max, here are a few examples and ideas.Plot an exponential curveCurve in a transfer functionLinear vs. exponential audio fadeLinear vs. exponential change in frequency and amplitude
For introducing logarithmic and exponential curves in amplitude envelopes, the objects you probably want to look at are pow~ (with line~) and curve~.