Mono + glide/portamento
Concept · First taught in LD1 One voice (Lead)
Singing a phrase versus chopping it into separate words. Mono mode is the singer; poly mode is a chord.
▸What it is
Mono mode forces the synth to play one note at a time. Press a new key while holding the old one and the synth retunes the existing voice to the new pitch rather than starting a fresh voice. Glide (also called portamento) adds a smooth pitch slide between the old note and the new one; the glide time decides how long that slide takes. Together they make a synth feel like a single expressive voice — bass lines that slur, leads that bend between notes. Legato mode is a softer variant: the envelopes only re-trigger when notes do not overlap, so a held phrase does not reset the filter envelope on every note.
▸Questions
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When should I use mono instead of poly?
For basses (almost always), leads (usually), and anything where you want each note to feel like the same voice continuing. Pads and chords need poly.
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What is a musical glide time?
50–200 ms feels intentional but quick. Past 500 ms the slides become a feature you are playing with, not a polish.
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What is the difference between mono and legato modes?
Mono retriggers the envelopes on every note. Legato only retriggers when there is a gap between notes — overlapping notes keep the existing envelope state.
▸In the curriculum
First taught
LD1 · One voice — Go mono, add glide. Part of the Lead track.
This concept is taught once and is not directly reused in another lesson.
▸Related concepts
Concepts that share a lesson with mono + glide/portamento:
Hear what mono + glide/portamento does to a sound. The PatchPond studio runs in your browser — load a lesson patch and move the knob this concept controls.
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