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If I didn’t want to dive into a single synthesizers’ inner mechanics too too much, couldn’t I just use my own little abstraction that I would hang behind one of each synthesizer, which then just checks its output and [switch~]es off the upper layer, e.g. a subpatch as mentioned in another answer?
Tracing the output volume of your synth is not that easy, because you really have to wait until all sound has decayed, and not just gone below a certain threshold. But this wait time should only be there when turning off. Turning on should be instantaneous. Hence some hysteresis mechanism might help. See C.07.envelope.follower in the Help Browser. And what about synths whose output amplitude momentarily decays below your threshold but will then continue to play?
But before I do some Schwarzmalerei, simply give it a try!
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And yes, I do have a user in mind:) Maybe it is interesting to mention that for now it is planned to use this matrix-instrument digitally only, probably on iPad. And the iPad should almost be the only instrument while someone performs with it, so the setup is actually quite reduced. There is actually no real knob-turning going on. It is just tipping and sliding around on a display.
The better to reduce user interface elements further for touch-only displays.
The nice thing about the matrix-instrument here is that you actually don’t get confused too easily because although you change between different instruments, the gui always looks the same. The only thing that changes visually is the chosen sequencer-steps and the particular values for an effect per matrix, which are just little black lines of [hsliders]. But the effect gui containing those [hsliders] does not change visually at any time.
Nice! Sounds good!
best, P