Apps from the FAC stable are fast becoming some of my most used AUv3 apps at the moment. Fred’s Maxima, and Transient seem to get used almost all the time, but his Envolver app is one that had, so far, not really hit my radar. That is, until now, with version 2, and the reason that version 2 has caught my attention, is that it is a seriously significant upgrade in this app’s capability. First it’s probably worth giving you a quick idea of what the app itself does. Here’s the description from the app store.
Being a MIDI effect in its essence, controlling your synthesizers parameters (e.g volume, cutoff, res) with MIDI CC and notes, FAC Envolver is also able to transform the input audio via two exclusive effects: a Noise Gate and a Trance Gate. This combination is the key to breathe life into your sound, providing interesting natural modulation and sequences that will always be different by nature.
Under the hood, FAC Envolver is an envelope follower delivering MIDI data generated from the contour of a signal. The source of this signal may come from two distinctive circuits: the first one is a classic envelope follower and the second one is a rythmical pattern called trigger gate. Both circuits are responsible for providing a signal envelope that can be altered by a set of parameters and delivered as MIDI control change messages (CC).
The generated signal envelope also passes through a gate detection mechanism driven by a threshold. When the signal goes above the threshold, the gate is open and when the signal goes below, the gate is closed. This open/close sequence provides a second envelope which is delivered as MIDI CC (on/off) and notes. The pitch of the note may be set within the effect or from an external value provided by MIDI input. Both may follow a particular scale progression.
The envelope follower circuit also provides a noise gate to control precisely the level of your audio signal. This uses the same open/close sequence built by the gate detection mechanism that delivers MIDI data but acts on the audio. Following the same logic, when the second circuit – the trigger gate – is engaged, the open/close sequence provides a trance gate style effect to the audio.
FAC Envolver is a stereo effect and provides two slots, one slot per channel. Both can be linked to facilitate the manipulation. The audio can also be turned to mono and the dry and wet audio can be mixed.
What’s arrived in version 2.0 really does take this AUv3 up to the next level though:
• Two circuits: Env Follower and Trigger Gate (Audio/MIDI fx)
• Each circuit provides MIDI out (CC/Note) and optional audio transformation
• Env Follower provides a Noise Gate with threshold, hysteresis and curve smoother
• Trigger Gate provides a Trance Gate Style fx with optional resolution and patterns
• Stereo/Mono processing – a slot per channel
• Fine tuning of each slot; rising and falling time, bias, depth and inverter
• MIDI IN/OUT support: CC#, channels, int/ext note pitch and scale progression
• Multi-waveform graph: input signal, env contour, gate signal and threshold
• Host tempo sync
Note: The MIDI/AUDIO combo makes FAC Envolver usable in every host, even the ones that still do not provide MIDI out support, in this case the MIDI generator is disabled and the fx can be used as standard AUDIO fx.
I’m really looking forward to getting to grips with FAC Envolver very soon, as I can image that it’s going to be yet another FAC app that ends up being heavily used by me on a regular basis.
FAC Envolver is on the app store and costs $9.99