Aodyo Instruments anyma Phi User manual

User manual
VERSION 0.8.90
JULY 8, 2021
www.aodyo.com

www.aodyo.com

Contents
Overview ............................................ 5
Front panel (7) • Rear panel (9) • Included accessories (10) • First steps
(11) • Playing with a wind controller (12) • Updang your Anyma Phi (13)
The matrix ........................................... 15
Introducon (15) • The Animate line (16) • External controls (A/B/C/D)
(17) • Morphing (19)
The anatomy of a patch ................................. 21
Introducon (21) • Oscillators (22) • Eects (24) • Audio signal path (26)
• Mappings (28) • Modulators (29) • Velocity Envelope and expression
(31) • Connecng the synth to the matrix (32) • Patch structure (32) •
The bank (34)
Eding patches ........................................ 35
Zooming on a parameter (35) • Jumping to a module (39) • The module
editor screen (39) • Using the PC/Mac editor (40)
Sengs .............................................. 45
While in the matrix (45) • Patch commands (45) • MIDI sengs (46) •
Patch commands (46) • MIDI sengs (47) • System sengs (48) • System
sengs (51)
Shortcuts ............................................ 53
Global acons (53) • While in the matrix (54) • In a Related mappings
screen (54) • In a Module editor screen (54) • In the sengs menu (55)
• On startup (55)
Release notes ......................................... 57
Complementary informaon ............................. 59
Technical features (59) • Credits and licenses (60) • Trademarks (63) •
Disclaimer (63)
3

Contents
Appendix: Module reference ............................. 65
General (65) • Oscillators (76) • Eects (110) •
Modulators (135) • Mappings (162)
4

Overview
A warm thank you from the Aodyo team for believing in us and supporng
our work! We hope you will love using your Anyma Phi as much as we do.
Anyma Phi is a hybrid monophonic synthesizer that allows you to create
and play with new sound universes inspired from the real world, where
objects collide, vibrate, and resonate.
Anyma Phi blends the classic ingredients of electronic music with physi-
cal modelling technology, allowing it to simulate acousc sound sources,
such as strings or reeds, as well as resonang structures, like wood,
glass, or metal.
Anyma Phi is compact enough to stand on your keyboard, or anywhere
on your desk, and is compable with any MIDI controller, such as key-
boards, sequencers, or even wind controllers, including our own Syl-
phyo.
Whether you play live or record in the studio, design sounds or play
presets, Anyma Phi will become an indispensable tool. It can even be
used as a stand-alone eects processor, or as part of a guitar eects
pedal setup.
No maer your level of experse, synth veteran or total novice, you
will nd that Anyma Phi provides an easy way to play a wide variety
of expressive sounds and oers very deep eding and sound design
5

Overview
capabilies, without forcing you to dive into the details if you don’t
want to.
The Anyma Phi is a monophonic synthesizer, meaning it is designed to
play a single voice at a me; that is, a melody played by a single instru-
ment player or sequencer, generally without chords or harmony1.
You might already be familiar with several hardware or soware syn-
thesizers, and you will see that this one shares many similaries, but is
also a bit dierent. Of course, you can play this synth using a standard
MIDI keyboard or sequencer, but contrary to most synths, this one also
strives to make it easy to create very rich sounds to be controlled using
expressive controllers such as the Sylphyo.
This manual will guide you through all you need to know to master the
ins and outs of your Anyma Phi. Feel free to skim the chapters you’re
interested in, and to come back later when you need more informa-
on about any topic. If you cannot nd what you’re looking for, you
might want to exchange with other users, or contact us directly at sup-
[email protected].
1It is possible to create patches that play chords, or to use an arpeggiator, but remem-
ber that the synth is sll designed to be controlled a single note at a me.
6

Front panel
f
h
g
a
b
d
e
c
aVolume knob
Controls the output volume of your Anyma Phi.
bPatch LED
Indicates the color of the current patch.
cDisplay
Shows the currently accessible parameters that can be modied
using the encoders, as well as relevant informaon or menus.
dDisplay encoder D
While in the matrix, turn the display encoder to select another
patch.
In menus and other screens, turn it to select another element.
7

Overview
Press it from anywhere to go to the sengs menu.
ePrevious and Next buons ◄ ►
Press the ◄or the ►buon to switch to the previous or next
screen.
Inside a menu, press ►to conrm your selecon, and ◄to go
back.
Outside of a menu, hold and press the ►buon to save the
current patch.
fMatrix buons
While in the matrix, press the buons to switch to the correspond-
ing line of the matrix: Excite,Vibrate,Diuse,Global,
and Animate.
In a module editor screen, press the illuminated matrix buons to
access more parameters for the selected module.
gParameter encoders 1234
Turn the encoders to modify the parameters described in the bot-
tom part of the display.
Press an encoder to access related mappings or go to its parent
module.
hShi buon
While in the matrix, press the buon to shi to the alternave
version of the matrix.
Also provides various shortcuts to edit patch modules.
8

PERCUSSIVE PLAYING SURFACE
When no external input is plugged into your Anyma Phi, the right audio input is auto-
macally connected to the internal piezoelectric contact microphone that is placed
behind the logo on the front panel.
When audio input is used in a sound (which is the case, for instance, with patch #7
Piezo Pling), this means you can tap and scratch around on the enre case of your
Anyma Phi to create a wide variety of percussive eects.
Rear panel
aHeadphone output port (6.35mm stereo jack)
Play the Anyma Phi with headphones.
bLine input port (6.35mm stereo jack)
Use any audio input as a supplementary sound source for your
patches.
When the line input port is plugged in, the internal percussive
surface cannot be used.
cLine output ports (le and right 6.35mm mono jacks)
Play the Anyma Phi on an amp, a mixer, or a hi- system.
dMIDI ports (DIN)
Connect a MIDI keyboard, controller, or device to play or control
the Anyma Phi (MIDI in), or route MIDI from the USB device port
to an external MIDI device (MIDI out).
eUSB host port (USB A)
Connect a USB-MIDI keyboard, controller, or device to play or
9

Overview
control the Anyma Phi, or route MIDI from the USB device port
to an external MIDI device.
fUSB device port (USB Mini-B)
Connect your Anyma Phi to a computer to update its internal so-
ware, to edit sounds with the PC/Mac editor, or to control it from
a DAW.
gPower supply port (DC 5V 1A, center posive)
Provides power to your Anyma Phi, using the included cable and
power supply.
hPower switch
Toggle the power switch to turn your Anyma Phi on and o.
In order to avoid undesired noises, always make sure you rst
lower the volume on the mixer, amp, or speakers it is connected
to.
Included accessories
aPower supply cable
Connect the included power supply to the power supply port of
your Anyma Phi.
bPower supply (10.5 W)
Plug the power supply into a mains socket in order to power your
Anyma Phi.
cUSB cable (USB Mini-B)
10

Use the USB cable to connect your Anyma Phi to your computer
in order to update its internal soware, to edit sounds with the
PC/Mac editor, or to control it from a DAW.
First steps
Connect your Anyma Phi to the mains using the included cable and
power supply. The cable must be connected to the USB port of the
power supply, and to the power supply port labeled DC 5V 1A of the
Anyma Phi at the other end.
To play most sounds produced by your Anyma Phi, you will need to
use a MIDI keyboard or controller. Connect it to the Anyma Phi, either
through USB via its USB Host port, or by using a MIDI DIN cable plugged
into the MIDI IN port.
You will also need to connect your Anyma Phi to a mixer, an amp, speak-
ers, or headphones, using the relevant audio output ports on the back
of your Anyma Phi.
Now, turn on your Anyma Phi using the power
switch on the back. The display will light up, and
aer a few seconds you will see the main screen.
You can now play notes from your MIDI keyboard or controller and hear
the sound through your audio system.
If you can’t hear anything, adjust the volume using the volume knob.
Try to change the mbre your sound by turning any of the parameter en-
coders 1234, and use the matrix buons to reach
other controls that impact your sound in somemes drasc ways. Don’t
11

Overview
be afraid to experiment with dierent combinaons. You’ll always be
able to revert to the inial sound later.
The sound you’re playing, as well as all its possible variaons, is called a
patch. Your Anyma Phi can contain up to 200 dierent patches, allow-
ing as many dierent sonic universes and experiences. It’s up to you
to decide how you will ll all this available space, be it by downloading
patches made by others, or by creang your own.
Inially, your Anyma Phi comes with a number of patches made by the
Aodyo team, and the remaining ones are le blank and labelled (empty).
Now, switch to another non-empty patch by turning the display encoder
D, and feel free to play and explore its variaons2.
Some patches also allow you to directly control variaons using your
MIDI keyboard or controller. For instance, if your keyboard has a mod-
ulaon wheel, try to turn it up and down while playing patch #3 Muta-
Flutes, and listen to how it reacts to your gestures.
Playing with a wind controller
Your Anyma Phi is also compable with wind controllers, or any MIDI
controller that can send breath control or expression messages (usually
through CC 2 or 11).
When such a controller is detected, the Anyma Phi automacally uses
it as an expression signal that can modulate the volume of your sound,
or the amount of excitaon energy when using percussive or physical
models. When you use a more typical MIDI keyboard, this expression
2Note that all your previous modicaons will be lost when you switch to another
patch, unless you explicitly save them by pressing + ►.
12

signal is replaced by a velocity envelope, setup by the patch designer,
that describes how volume or excitaon energy evolves over me in
reacon to the velocity of your notes.
This way, you can design patches that sound and feel good when played
with both keyboards and wind controllers, and all patches are guaran-
teed to oer a basic level of expressiveness when played with a wind
controller.
Updang your Anyma Phi
Chances are that while you are reading this, a new version of the inter-
nal soware of your Anyma Phi is available. Thanks to updates, your
Anyma Phi will keep evolving over the years.
The latest update is always available on our website. Regularly check it,
or subscribe to our newsleer, to stay informed of new updates.
Please make sure you download the update package corresponding to
the operang system version of your computer.
If you’re using a computer running another operang system, such as
Linux, or a tablet, you will sll be able to update your Anyma Phi, but
you will not be able to use the editor applicaon. In this case, just down-
load the update package for Mac and perform the update as indicated
below.
Each update package contains the following:
−the internal soware for your Anyma Phi, packaged as a .ayo up-
date le that you will use during the update procedure,
−the user manual for that specic version in the PDF format,
13

Overview
−the editor applicaon you can use aer the update to edit and
manage your patches from your computer,
−and a readme.txt le containing all the instrucons for updang
and geng started with the editor applicaon.
To update your Anyma Phi, please use the following instrucons:
−Power o your Anyma Phi.
−Power on your Anyma Phi while holding the buon. The dis-
play should read ANYMA PHI UPDATER.
−Connect the USB DEVICE port of your Anyma Phi to your com-
puter using a mini-USB cable.
−Your computer should detect a new removable disk named ANYMAPHI.
−Drop the .ayo update le from this package to the disk.
−The update will begin. You can see the progress on the display of
your Anyma Phi3.
−If the update has not begun, try ejecng the ANYMAPHI disk from
your computer using your le explorer. This should start the up-
date.
−Once the update is done, the display will read UPDATE DONE.
−You can now eject the ANYMAPHI disk from your computer.
−Once the disk has been ejected, you can turn o your Anyma Phi,
and turn it on again to enjoy your new update.
If there is any problem during the update, just follow the instrucons
again from the beginning. If you’re sll not able to update, please con-
tact us at [email protected].
3Do not worry if your le explorer seems to have freezed, it will return to normal as
soon as the update is over (about 1 minute).
14

The matrix
At this point, you can already play and explore all the included patches of
your Anyma Phi. In this chapter, we will learn the logic behind these vari-
aons we've experimented with.
Introducon
The starng point of your Anyma Phi is its matrix, which provides a
quick and easy way to tweak your sounds by following a physical metaphor,
with four parameters for each of the ve stages of sound generaon:
Excite Timbre,Color,Chaos, and Posion
How the sound is iniated or sustained with external energy. In the real world,
it could be a bow or a plectrum.
Vibrate Geometry,Material,Decay, and Tuning
How the excitaon energy propagates into a medium, such as a string or a
tube, giving it its mbre and response.
Diuse Resonate,Drive,Body, and Space
How the sound is shaped by the overarching resonang structure, such as the
body of a violin.
Global Morph,Source 2,FX 1, and FX 2
How the sound is blended with another source or eects (which depend on
the patch).
Animate Envelope,LFO,Map, and Arp
How the sound moves and comes to life.
15

The matrix
If you’ve ever dealt with synthesizers before, you might noce that
this matrix looks fairly dierent from the world of oscillators and l-
ters you’re used to. You might even wonder whether you can get any
electronic-sounding stu out of such a machine. And the answer is:
yes you can, and even though it doesn’t look like it, there may well be
oscillators and lters behind this matrix.
In fact, it doesn’t maer whether the sound you hear actually resembles
that of an acousc instrument or not, because you could always apply
this metaphor to it. With an acid bass, for instance, controls more re-
lated to the aack of the sound will likely be at the Excite stage, while
the Vibrate controls will probably be more about the overall mbre.
This way, the matrix oers a sort of common tongue spoken by all Anyma
Phi users, allowing you to more easily tweak any sound you can load
into your Anyma Phi in ways that have been carefully designed by the
creator of this sound.
In other words, the matrix is the interface of a sound. It’s the command
panel its designer has le you to play with their sound and make it go
to unexpected places. Once you’re condent enough to start designing
your own sounds1, you’ll nd the matrix an ideal place for controlling
complex variaons in just a few turns of a buon, which is especially
useful in live situaons.
The Animate line
The last line of the matrix, Animate, operates a bit dierently from
the ones above: instead of providing direct access to controls you can
1Which hopefully you’ll have a blast doing very soon!
16

directly manipulate, it allows you to monitor the dierent sources of
variaons in your patch. These variaons can come from internal mod-
ulators like envelope generators and low-frequency oscillators (LFO), or
from an external source, such as your MIDI keyboard or controller.
Each of the three rst parameters of the Animate line allows you to
focus on a specic source, each with a dierent list2:
1Env Envelope generators
Scroll through all the envelope generators in the patch.
2LFO Low-frequency oscillators
Scroll through all the LFOs in the patch.
3Map Mapping sources
Scroll through all the variaon sources (internal or external) in the patch.
Turning one of the parameter encoders allows you
to select a parcular source, which changes the
corresponding name and value visible at the bot-
tom of the screen, and also displays a scope view
of the signal generated by the source.
You can also press the parameter encoder to focus on its selected source
without scrolling through the list3.
External controls (A/B/C/D)
If you press Animate a second me, you will switch to a view of the
four external controls, called A,B,C, and D. These controls correspond
2At this point, Arp is not used, but is planned for a future update.
3If you make a long press by mistake, another screen might appear, but as we won’t
cover in-depth patch eding just yet, press the ◄buon to return to the matrix.
17

The matrix
to actual MIDI messages, especially control changes (CC), that your MIDI
keyboard or controller can send to your Anyma Phi.
When viewing external controls, you will see the CTRL tab highlighted
at the top of the display. You will also see a scope view of whichever
external control was last selected. To select a dierent external control,
press the corresponding parameter encoder4. You can also turn a pa-
rameter encoder to directly change the value of A/B/C/D, resulng in
exactly the same change in sound as what would have happened if you
were to change the value of A/B/C/D using your MIDI controller5.
To go back to the Animate line, just press again, and you will see the
ANIMATE tab highlighted at the top of the display.
We will see later in this chapter how to setup your Anyma Phi to map
A/B/C/D to specic MIDI messages sent by your keyboard or controller.
By default, the setup is as follows:
External control is mapped to… and…
ACC 1 Mod. wheel
BCC 75 CC 74
CCC 76 AT Aertouch6
DCC 77
4Again, don’t forget that if you press the encoder for too long and go to a weird screen,
you can sll press ◄to go back to the matrix.
5But keep in mind that moving the value of A/B/C/D directly using a parameter en-
coder will not bring this change back to your MIDI controller. The change will con-
cern your Anyma Phi only.
6While not technically a MIDI CC message, you can map any external control to chan-
nel aertouch for convenience.
18

Morphing
Hidden at the beginning of the Global line is a very special param-
eter, Morph, that allows you to gradually turn the current matrix into
its alternate state. What this means is that you can actually have two
versions of the matrix in a patch, which could lead to two drascally
dierent sounds, and cross-fade between both using Morph.
In some sounds, Morph can even move according to an external control7,
making it eortless to span a wide range of dierent mbres.
Thus far, you’ve interacted with the matrix in its normal state, the state
it’s in when Morph is set at 0%. When Morph is set at 100%, the patch
only uses the alternate state of the matrix.
To access this alternate state, press . The lights on the matrix will
then blink unl you press again to return to the normal state. In the
alternate state, you will be able to switch to any line of the matrix and
modify any parameter, but your changes will not impact the matrix in
its normal state.
Remember that switching to the alternate state doesn’t guarantee you
will hear the changes you’re making, as you will also need to set Morph
at 100% in order to make sure it only uses the alternate state of the
matrix.
7In the 7 rst sounds that came with your Anyma Phi, you can move Morph using the
modulaon wheel of your MIDI keyboard, or the equivalent on your controller.
19