The MATHS OR output passes whichever channel is currently highest, acting as a maximum-voltage selector and half-wave rectifier

Alongside the SUM, MATHS normals its four channels to an analog-logic OR bus. The OR output always passes whichever input voltage is highest at each instant — a ‘maximum voltage selector.’ Combining several modulations through OR therefore gives an envelope that follows the loudest/highest source moment to moment, rather than their sum. Because the OR circuit ignores negative voltages (output range 0–10V), it also works as a half-wave rectifier: feed a bipolar signal in and only its positive half emerges. The attenuverters weight each channel before the comparison, so relative levels decide which source wins.

Examples

A slow LFO and a fast envelope both routed to OR: whichever is momentarily higher controls a filter, producing a combined contour. A bipolar LFO to OR alone -> half-wave rectified (positive-only) output.

Assessment

What does the OR output pass when several channels are active at once? Why can the OR output also be used to rectify a bipolar signal, and what happens to the negative portion?