Audiothingies Micromonsta User manual

Audiothingies Micromonsta
User manual preliminary version

Overview
Specifications
The Micromonsta is an 8-voice polyphonic desktop synthesizer.
Small, powerful, great sound, usa ility and easy editing were key elements while designing the
Micromonsta.
It features:
•8 voices of polyphony
•2 oscillators, 1 su oscillator, 1 multimode filter, 3 envelopes, 3 LFOs, 6 modulation slots, 3
scalers, 1 lag operator per voice
•12 oscillator types + 30 (multi-sampled) waveta les (15 factory featuring oth evolving
sweeps and totally random waveta les + 15 user for your own creations)
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•8 filter types
•Powerful detuning options ( oth per voice and per oscillator)
•Powerful arpeggiator with step pattern editor, slide and accent capa le for 303-ish
arpeggiated phrases
•Deep modulation matrix (with for example filter parameters, envelope or LFO speeds as
destination)
•A chorder module allowing the generation of 4-note chords within a key/scale
•Internal FXs
•384 preset slots to store your sound creations
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Front panel
On the front panel you will find:
•2 x 24 characters LCD screen – Black on white
•6 encoders
•9 push uttons with their associated LEDs
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Rear panel
On the rear panel, from left to right on the a ove picture
•Audio outputs (use left output when using mono)
•MIDI connectors
•USB port – used only for firmware update and user waveta le update
•9V DC input socket
•Power switch
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Quick start
1. Connect audio outs to a mix ta le, turn the volume kno fully clockwise.
2. Connect a MIDI key oard into the MIDI Input
3. Power the MM with a 9V DC 2.1mm PSU.
4. Play some notes on MIDI channel 1, you should hear patch num er 1 playing
5. Press Load
6. Turn encoder 6 to navigate thru the patches. Press Load again to load selected patch, press
Home to cancel and return to previously loaded sound.
7. Alternatively, you can push encoder 1 & 2 to navigate and load the previous or next patch
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Using the Micromonsta
The MM has een developed with easy editing in mind and we do think it is really easy to edit
given the synthesis complexity featured on oard. However, some parameters may need some
explanations that you will find in this manual.
Navigating pages
How to navigate throughout the MM architecture?
Parameters are mapped across different sections accessed y pressing a corresponding utton on the
front panel.
When a section has several pages, you access them y successively pressing the same utton several
times. When you are on the last page, it returns to the first one.
For example, pressing OSC several times will make you travel the following pages: OSC1 > OSC2
> SUB > OSC1 > OSC2 etc.
Some sections (the ones la elled in green) are accessi le y simultaneously pressing Home [shift] +
another utton. For example [shift] + OSC will take you to the Mixer page.
E iting parameters
The LCD provides up to 6 parameters to edit.
Use encoders 1-6 to change their corresponding parameter value.
Some parameters can e reset to a default value when pushing the corresponding encoder (all
ipolar parameters for example).
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HOME | Main page
This is where you land when you power your MM polyphonic synthesizer
P038 cut res mix bpm
RandJuno 0 100 74 100
You get the program num er and name as well as shortcuts to 4 different parameters.
You can set these parameters, per preset, in the Glo als menu (2nd page)
You can navigate presets from this screen y pressing encoder uttons 1 and 2.
Quite useful in a live situation.
NOTE: When in this mode, LEDs 2 to 9 will show the activit of voices 1 to 8.
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OSC | Oscillators
Oscillator 1
Oscillator 1 is the main oscillator. It also drives the su oscillator.
OSC1 trs tun shp lfo1 mix
sa +3 [phone]
•OSC1 oscillator algorithm selector
•trs patch transpose (+- 2 octaves per semitone step)
•tun oscillator fine tune
•shp oscillator shape modifier
•lfo1 lfo1 modulation amount (targets shape parameter)
•mix oscillator mix level
Oscillator 2
Oscillator 2 is functionally the same as oscillator 1, ut its tune can e offset from -24 to 24
semitones.
OSC2 rng tun shp env3 mix
sin -7 -15 100 +10 99
•OSC2 oscillator algorithm selector
•rng oscillator coarse tune
•tun oscillator fine tune
•shp oscillator shape modifier
•env3 env3 modulation amount
•mix oscillator mix level
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Sub / Noise
In this page, you access oscillator 1′ su oscillator and noise parameters.
SUB oct mix NZE mix
squ -1 127 -9 25
•SUB su shape
•oct su oscillator octave num er
•mix su oscillator mix level
•nze noise filter
•mix noise mix level
The oscillator algorithms
12 oscillators, 15 factory waveta les and 15 user waveta les are availa le for each of the 2 main
oscillators.
mph
Morphing oscillator, when turning the shape parameter, it morphs from triangle (shape = 0), to
sawtooth (shape = 42), to square (shape = 84) to pulse width.
Quite a very versatile oscillator, it can do lots of things other algorithms aren’t capa le of doing.
sin
A sinus oscillator that turns into a asic FM operator with the shape control
tri
A triangle oscillator into a fold ack digital distortion. Shape controls the gain.
When shape is set to 127, the oscillator will produce a triangle wave with its pitch one octave and a
fifth higher.
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saw
The classic sawtooth waveform.
Shape adds a second phase shifted sawtooth to the first one.When shape is set to 127, the oscillator
will produce a sawtooth wave with its pitch of 1 octave higher.
squ
The classic square oscillator with PW.
Shape controls the pulse width.
ss1
This oscillator produces 3 detuned saws for that Roland-ish “supers@w” sound, ut without the
nasty aliasing.
Shape controls the detuning of 3 oscillators
ss2
Same as ss2, ut the detuning etween oscillators is un alanced, which gives slightly different
results.
Shape controls the amount of detuning.
sws
This oscillator internally has 2 oscillators, 1 master, and 1 sawtooth slave oscillator that is hard
synced to the master.
The shape parameter controls the pitch of the slave oscillator.
sqs
Same as sws ut with a square slave oscillator
rz1, rz2 an rz3
Those are phase distortion algorithms from the Casio CZ series.
They all simulate a filter sweep with the shape parameter.
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rz1 is the saw version, rz2 the triangle, and rz3 the trapezoidal one.
w01 to w15
Factory waveta les
•w01 sawtooth with formant shift
•w02 square with formant shift
•w03 random waveta le
•w04 sine + random partials
•w05 guitar note with formant shift
•w06 sample 1
•w07 sample 2
•w08 sample 3
•w09 sample 4
•w10 random organ waveforms
•w11 sine + even harmonics sweep
•w12 sine + odd harmonics sweep
•w13 sine + even + odd harmonics sweep
•w14 vowels
•w15 spoken words
Each waveta le contains 33 slices. The shape parameter controls the position of the reading index
and will interpolate etween the slices.
w16 to w30
User waveta les. By default, these waveta les produce no sound… until you upload your own :)
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Oscillator tips
While oth oscillators are essentially the same, they do not have the same direct shape modulation
source, lfo1 for osc1 and env3 for osc2.
So if you want to do the classic pwm sound, osc1 is etter suited as you can directly modulate the
pulse width with lfo1, while if you want to do the classic hard sync sound, osc2 might e a wiser
choice as you’ll e a le to control the pitch of the slave oscillator with env3.
This makes a etter use of the internal architecture and can save modulation matrix slots.
About the noise filter (an all bipolar-value filters insi e
the MM)
Throughout the synthesis architecture, several ipolar-value filters are availa le (noise filter, delay
filter, glo al filter for example).
These filters are all working in the same way:
•When the value is negative, it acts as a 6dB lowpass filter
•When the value is positive, it acts as a 6dB hipass filter
•When set to 0, it has no effect
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Source mixer | MIXER
This is the mixer section, where you can adjust all sources volumes, as well as a VCA drive
parameter, allowing adjustments to the overall patch volume (if you want to alance patches
volumes, this is the parameter you need).
osc1 osc2 sub rmd nze vca
100 99 50 0 0 +6
You have access to the 2 oscillators mix level, as well as the Su and noise level.
You can also set the rmd level, which is the level of the output of osc1 and osc2 thru a ring
modulator.
When adjusting patch volume, always compare the patch level compared to one of the factory
presets, pushing this parameter too hard (especially for polyphonic patches) may end with unwanted
nasty distortion.
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Filter | FILTER
This is the page where you control one of the main component of a su tractive synthesis capa le
synthesizer: the filter. The filter allows to remove and emphasize the frequencies generated y the
oscillators.
FLTR cut res env2 lfo2 kbd
LP4 50 60 +50 -15 50%
•FLTR Filter type
•cut cutoff frequency (in semitones)
•res resonance amount
•env2 envelope 2 modulation amount (targets cutoff)
•lfo2 lfo2 modulation amount (targets cutoff)
•k d key oard tracking amount (0, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
Filter types
The Micromonsta filter topology allows different filter types
•LP1 1-pole lowpass filter
•LP2 2-pole lowpass filter
•LP3 3-pole lowpass filter
•LP4 4-pole lowpass filter
•HP2 2-pole hipass filter
•BP2 2-pole andpass filter
•Not Notch filter
•Pha Phaser filter
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All the lowpass filters have resonance compensation = no ass frequency loss with increased
resonance values.
The voice settings page | Voice
This is where you will find the settings related to the voices
mod uni detunin – pan -
p2 1 32 20 lin 28
•mod synth mode (polyphonic 1, polyphonic 2, mono, legato)
•uni num er of unison voices (1/2/4)
•detunin voice detune amount
oscillator random detune amount
•pan pan spread algo (lin/equ)
pan spread amount
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Envelopes | ENV
The Micromonsta features 3 envelopes per voice. They all have the same parameters and their
ehavior is the same.
ENV1 atk dcy sus rel rst
exp 0 60 95 25 off
•ENV1 envelope curve (fast | exponential | linear)
•atk attack time
•dcy decay time
•sus sustain level
•rel release time
•rst reset switch, when on, the envelope is reset to zero when the voice is
re-triggered (off = analog mode)
Attack, decay and release times can e set from 1ms to 30s, and they are availa le as destinations in
the modulation matrix.
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The Global page | Global
Per preset global settings
Here you will find the glo al settings for the preset
bnd gld eq bpm
2 25 0 125
•nd pitch end range (0 – 24 semitones)
•gld glide time
•eq glo al eq
•pm patch tempo (only used if midi clock sync is off)
Home page parameter assignments
In this menu, you can set the 4 shortcuts to parameters availa le in the Home page.
encoder en3 en4 en5 en6
assign cut res bpm mix
•en3 encoder 3 assignment
•en4 encoder 4 assignment
•en5 encoder 5 assignment
•en6 encoder 6 assignment
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Low frequency oscillators | LFO
The Micromonsta has 3 LFOs per voice that can optionally e synced to the patch tempo
LFO1 spd dly atk phs rst
tri 1/8 0 30 45 on
•LFO1 waveform
•spd speed (around 0.05Hz to 78Hz – values a ove 127 are tempo sync values)
•dly delay time (0 to 10s – values a ove 127 are tempo sync values)
•atk attack time (0 to 30s)
•phs phase (0° to 315°)
•rst key-trig reset
LFO speed is availa le as a destination in the modulation matrix.
LFO waveforms
Different waveforms are availa le, they are:
•sin sinus
•tri triangle
•saw sawtooth
•squ square
•s&h sample and hold
•rnd continuously randomly moving waveform
•stp step sequence (uses the steps programmed in the step page)
The influence of the key-trig reset parameter
The LFOs ehave differently whether the reset parameter is set to on or off.
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Rst = on
When set to on, the phase of the LFO will e set to the phase programmed with the phase parameter
when the voice is trigged y a key.
If delay is applied, then it will reset to this phase value when the delay time has elapsed.
Rst = off
When set to off, the phase is never reset to any value, the LFOs are free-running, however the phase
parameter now controls the phase offset etween the 8 voices.
Example: if the phase is set to 90°, voice 2 and voice 1 will have their phase offset y 90°. Same for
voice 3 and voice 2. Etc… So if the phase is set to 0, you now have locked free running LFOs.
Note: This phase relationship will e true unless you modulate the LFO speed in the modulation
matrix. If you applied modulation and removed it, you can resync the LFOs either y:
•sending a MIDI start command
•turning the phase parameter encoders
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