The Andromeda A6 signal path is really ALL analog?

[mao]

Looking all the posts on the P08 signal path... what about the A6 signal path?

The A6 manual says that all the digital stff like envelopes and LFO are converted to analog before being applied to the analog signal path. Let's suppose it's true... ok... but what about the digital effect section?
When you use the digital FX the signal chain must be converted AD+FX+DA or not? And what happens when you disengage the digital FX? does the signal path includes AD-DA conversion or it's switched to no conversion? How can be applied a digital FX on an analog signal path ?

Someone knows how is really the A6 signal path?

[Dave Bryce]

I believe the effects are side-chained into Andromeda's signal path in the analog domain.

dB

[Bitexion]

The sound signal path is completely analog. The LFO's and EG's are digital, but they don't directly affect the sound path, they just modulate it separately.

None of the LFOs or EG's lie inside the signal path. They are peripheral units you assign to modulate your signal path. So nothing travels "through" the envelopes or LFO's to get to the output. They just affect the signal from the side, so to speak. The digital effects are side-chained, as mentioned above, so nothing goes through anything digital.

This is one of the first things I had to learn when I started to use my modular synth. I thought you put the EG's and stuff INSIDE the signal path. But you don't, you hook an EG output to modulate whatever module inside the path you want, like an oscillator. You don't connect the filter output to the EG input. The sound path is still pure from VCO's to mixer to filter to output. All the other stuff is just lying around reaching out to modulate the sound path when you tell them to.

[mao]

Clear. I understood.

Thanks.

But isn't quite different for the digital FX? I mean... the signal MUST be processed or... a "copy" of the signal goes to the fx (like a SEND) and the only fx portion (RETURN) is mixed to the source?

[synthetic88]

Right, the digital effects send and return like you say. You can switch off the digital effects with a dedicated button and they are completely out of the loop. There is also analog distortion, but you can mix this with the clean signal if you want. Don't forget it also has a pair of aux outs (no digital effects) and individual outs for each voice.

The A6 has 32 VCOs, 32 VCFs and 16 VCAs (pannable stereo). The envelopes and LFOs are created by the microprocessor and converted to DC voltage to control the analog components. They do this because you can create much more sophisticated envelopes (6-stage, looping, variable slopes per segment, etc.) and LFOs (different shapes, phases, modulations) for not a lot of money. And they don't affect the sound quality at all, they're just modulating the VCO, VCF and VCA.

[elmacaco]

Yes, the A6 digital effects even have this in the whole wet dry mix screen IIRC. even the analog distortion is a send effect.

[cl516]

to me, the aux out sounds better.
i could just be imagining things though.