A column devoted to answering your questions about PAIA, electronic music or any other area which might be of interest to our readers.

Dear PAIA,

On the first page of your catalog #974, you said you can synthesize the sound of a Galactic Explosion. I'd love to know how to do this.
Roger Lippineott, Connersville, Indiana

Dear Roger,
Recently, Allen Fairfield of Wakefield, Mass, sent us a patch he devised. His letter and patch should answer your question.

"Your catalog mentioned being able to synthesize a galactic explosion. Well, after getting a nifty idea from the "Jetliner Take-Off" in the 1/76 issue of Polyphony, I figured out a pretty good explosion.

The bias controls for both filters should be adjusted for the best explosion. I used a function generator in the patch, but the ADSR would most likely give a better result. A reverb unit might be nice, too, but I don't have one (yet). Also, how about changing attack time to about 50% and adding reverb to get a thunder sound."
(Also, see the Patch section of this issue for more thunder patches.)

Comments:
Bandpass Filter Q: 75% to 100%
-5 to +5 bias: -1 volt
0 to +5 bias: 4 volts
Inverter: 5 volt offset
AR: Expand off
Attack - minimum
Release - maximum
Variable output - 60%

Try setting envelope attack to maximum and release to minimum for humorous "backwards" explosion effect.