Slew Limiter

Smooths abrupt changes in a signal by limiting how fast it can move, with independent control over upward and downward speed. Use it to add glide (portamento) to pitch CV, soften stepped sequences, turn gates into ramps, or round off the edges of any control voltage — and it works on audio too.

How it works

The output chases the input but can only travel so far each sample. Rise sets how long it takes to climb to a higher value; Fall how long to drop to a lower one. Different times give asymmetric shapes — a fast rise and slow fall turns a gate into a plucky AR-style envelope. With both at zero the limiter bypasses and the signal passes straight through.

Controls

• Rise / Fall — glide time up and down, from instant to one second each. Equal values give symmetric smoothing; unequal values shape attack and release independently.
• Glide — a live readout of the output dot chasing its target, coloured by whether it's rising, falling, or settled.

Inputs & outputs

• In — the signal to smooth; patch CV (pitch, envelopes, sequencer steps) or audio.
• Rate — CV that modulates both rise and fall times together (±5V maps to roughly ±1s). Positive voltage lengthens the glide; negative shortens it, and far enough negative drives the limiter into bypass.
• Out — the slewed signal.

Tips

• Patch a sequencer's pitch CV through In for classic portamento — short times for a subtle lag, longer for sliding leads.
• Feed a square LFO or gate and crank Fall for instant pluck-style envelopes, no envelope generator needed.