Baloran The River User manual

User's Manual
Version 2.0, November 2018

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 1
I. Welcome
Welcome to the community of users of The River and thank you for your vote of confidence.
The River is the result of 4 years of work. This project would not have been possible without the unconditional
support and the unwavering patience of my family who have all my gratitude. I would also like to thank our
online community, especially the members of Anafrog and Audiofanzine, for their precious encouragements
and their relevant suggestions.
I hope you will enjoy The River as much as I did while creating it and now using it.
Baloran SAS is a small and young enterprise. I have started a forum and a wiki to bring together a FAQ, support,
discussions and news about The River.
http://forum.baloran.com
http://wiki.baloran.com
All this could greatly benefit from your collaboration. 
Kind regards,
--
Laurent Lecatelier
Baloran SAS
Hardware, software, design : Laurent Lecatelier
Sound design : Laurent Lecatelier, Stéphane Garganigo, Laurent Pelletier
User's Manual : Eric Inglebert, Laurent Lecatelier

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 2
II. Safety Warning
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING THIS APPLIANCE. KEEP THIS INSTRUCTION
MANUAL FOR FURTHER REFERENCE. THE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS MENTIONED IN THIS USER'S GUIDE CAN'T
COVER ALL POSSIBLE CONDITIONS AND SITUATIONS. USERS SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN USING THIS
APPLIANCE.
The above symbols warn the users of potential danger in case of misuse of electrical appliances. The symbol of
a thunderbolt in a triangle shows that there is danger of electrocution.
Do not open the appliance under any circumstances. Do not try to repair or to make any modifications (except
when your users' manual gives you specific instructions to do so). Contact the manufacturer or your nearest
reseller for all repairs or alterations. When disposing of the appliance at the end of its usable life, The River
should be recycled through an electronic recycling scheme.
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
THIS APPLIANCE MUST BE EARTHED.
Do not remove the protection offered by the earthed or polarised connectors. A polarised power plug has one
pin bigger than the other. An earthed power plug has a receptacle for an equipotential link. If the connector
you received does not fit your power point in the wall, have one installed by a qualified electrician according to
the local regulations.
Use only the power cable received with The River and do not use that cable with any other appliance.
Take good care of the power cord. Do not let it become twisted, do not walk on it and do not put other things
on it. A damaged cord could easily cause electrocution or a fire!
Before using the appliance overseas, check with your reseller, an approved repair centre or the manufacturer
for compatibility with the local standards.
Do not use or store the appliance in extreme temperatures (in direct sunlight, near heating devices) or humid
conditions (bathrooms, floodable cellars etc.). Do not expose the appliance to rain, dust or strong vibrations.
Take care to always put the appliance on a flat and stable surface. Do not ever install it in unstable positions.
Do not ever install the appliance on feet, supports or racks other than those indicated by the manufacturer. If
using in a rack, avoid rocking it while moving it. Do not obstruct the ventilation holes.
Do not let any foreign objects (flammables, paper clips, pins etc.) or liquids (water, soda, alcohol, cleaning
products) get inside the appliance.
If there is a risk of thunderstorms or if not using the product for a longer period of time, unplug the appliance
from the wall.
This appliance, used alone, with an amplifier or with earphones, can produce sound levels which could provoke
terminal loss of hearing. Never use it at high levels for long periods of time or in any circumstance where the
listening could become uncomfortable. In case of loss of hearing, consult a specialist immediately.
Only use the accessories advised by the manufacturer.

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 3
IMPORTANT
Unplug immediately the appliance and contact your reseller, an authorised repair centre or the manufacturer
in the following situations:
The power cable or its plug have been damaged;
Smoke or unusual odours come out of the appliance;
Foreign objects or liquids have accidentally come in contact with the appliance;
The appliance has been exposed to rain or excessive humidity;
The appliance seems to not function properly or its performance is diminished.
The manufacturer's legal warranty does not cover the costs of repairs or replacement in case of improper or
incorrect use. These costs are not covered by the manufacturer warranty and therefore will be supported by
the owner of the appliance.

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 4
III. SUMMARY
I. WELCOME __________________________________________________________________ 1
II. SAFETY WARNING_____________________________________________________________ 2
IV. DISCOVERING THE RIVER _______________________________________________________ 6
1. The control panel set up.......................................................................................................................6
a. The Shift button________________________________________________________________________________6
b. Channels, voices, outputs and FX organiser __________________________________________________________7
c. General commands _____________________________________________________________________________7
d. Synthesis commands. ___________________________________________________________________________8
e. The Riverkey, manager of play inputs/outputs _______________________________________________________8
1. Discovering the Sounds banks ............................................................................................................10
2. Discovering the Multis .......................................................................................................................10
3. MULTIs and Sounds Models ...............................................................................................................10
a. Les modèles de Multis, Templates________________________________________________________________11
b. Sounds models _______________________________________________________________________________11
V. MORE ADVANCED TUTORIALS __________________________________________________ 12
1. Split, Mode, Level and Pan .................................................................................................................12
2. Layers and connecting with a sequencer software .............................................................................12
3. Split, arpeggios and sequences...........................................................................................................13
4. Detune and Unison.............................................................................................................................14
5. Propagating the commands in All and Redirection.............................................................................14
6. MPE....................................................................................................................................................14
7. External Clock.....................................................................................................................................15
8. Synchronising the digital LFO (DLFO)..................................................................................................15
9. Compare Function..............................................................................................................................16
VI. REFERENCES ________________________________________________________________ 17
1. Allocation of channels and voices, MODE and UNISON buttons.........................................................17
2. Loading SINGLEs and FXs ....................................................................................................................18
3. Saving a SINGLE..................................................................................................................................18
4. Loading MULTIs..................................................................................................................................19
5. Saving a MULTI...................................................................................................................................19
6. Sound Options....................................................................................................................................19
7. System Settings..................................................................................................................................20
8. Tune...................................................................................................................................................22
9. Level Page ..........................................................................................................................................22
10. Page Pan ............................................................................................................................................22
11. Chorus 1..3 Page.................................................................................................................................23

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 5
12. FX Page ..............................................................................................................................................24
13. Other Page .........................................................................................................................................25
14. Mixer Page .........................................................................................................................................26
15. TRANS Page and RDIR Page ................................................................................................................26
VII. SYNTHESIS PARAMETERS ______________________________________________________ 27
1. OSCILLATOR 1 / 2 ...............................................................................................................................27
a. Parameters Identical for VCO 1 and VCO 2 _________________________________________________________27
b. Parameters found only in VCO2 __________________________________________________________________28
c. Common parameters __________________________________________________________________________28
2. MIXER ................................................................................................................................................29
3. VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER - FILTER CONTOUR .............................................................................30
4. LOUDNESS CONTOUR .........................................................................................................................31
5. ANALOG LFO ......................................................................................................................................32
6. DLFO (DIGITAL LFO)............................................................................................................................33
7. MOTION SEQ ......................................................................................................................................34
a. Enregistrer une séquence _______________________________________________________________________34
b. Ending a recording_____________________________________________________________________________34
c. Starting the sequence __________________________________________________________________________35
VIII. GLOBAL SECTION COMMANDS__________________________________________________ 35
IX. THE RIVERKEY _______________________________________________________________ 36
1. GLOBAL Setup Parameters .................................................................................................................36
2. LAYER Setup Parameters....................................................................................................................38
3. ARP Setup parameters .......................................................................................................................40
4. SEQ Setup Parameters........................................................................................................................40
5. LFO Setup Parameters........................................................................................................................41
6. SPLIT setting.......................................................................................................................................42
7. CHORD and HOLD Modes ...................................................................................................................42
8. Autres commandes ............................................................................................................................43
9. Calibration of the physical controllers................................................................................................43
X. THE BACK PANEL ____________________________________________________________ 44
1. Inputs / Outputs.................................................................................................................................44
2. Energy supply, start/stop switch and fuses. .......................................................................................46
XI. ANNEXES __________________________________________________________________ 47

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 6
IV. Discovering The River
The River brings together several interactive elements:
•A polyphonic analog synthesizer with 8 voices, multitimbral with 8 channels (see the general diagram in
the appendix).
•An effects module formed by an analog triple chorus / flanger and a two channels digital module for
echo / reverberation. The analog path of the signal is preserved throughout. The resulting space and
richness are unanimously appreciated (see the general diagram in the appendix).
•An Inputs / Outputs management tool called in this document The Riverkey. Four independent layers
(called Layer in this document) allow each one to define the input (integrated keyboard, MIDI and/or
USB, pedals), the output (The River, MIDI and/or USB, CV + Gates) and the transformation of events
(sequence/arpeggio, transposition, filtering, channels, type of CV/Gates, etc.).
All the parameters can be saved in The River. A Single contains the information of a sound and of effects, a
Profile contains the configuration of The Riverkey, a Multi contains the complete configuration of the machine
(sounds of each channel/voice, tuning of multitimbrality, effects and all the adjustments of The Riverkey).
An optional function Autosave saves continuously the state of your instrument. This way, when you plug it in,
you find your environment as you left it at the last switch off.
1. The control panel set up
a. The Shift button
Une commande (bouton, pote A command (button, potentiometer, encoder) can have several functions, the
secondary function is written in "yellow-orange" under the command, preceded by the symbol *S+ . To get
access to this function, press the button *S , on the right hand side of the most central screen (Panel Screen).
As long as the button *S blinks, it is active. Therefore you don't need to keep this button pressed
continuously to get access to the secondary function.
Double click on the S button allows to lock the *S function while a new click unlocks it.
From now on in this document, *S LOAD SINGLE means either:
Press the *S button then, while holding it, press the button LOAD SINGLE, then release the *S button
or
Press the *S button then release it and press the LOAD SINGLE button before *S stops blinking.

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 7
b. Channels, voices, outputs and FX organiser
This section of the panel allows to manage the allocation of voices to channels as well as the access to the main
menus of The River and the adjustment of outputs and the effects.
The first row of 8 buttons (red) allows to choose the active channel. The secondary function of these buttons
allows you to access the main menus of The River.
The second row of 8 buttons (yellow) allows to select the voices allocated to the channel. The secondary
function of these buttons (as well as the last button, channel 8) is to select the page in which the 8 encoders
are active: level, panoramic, chorus, effects and mixing, transposition of voice and channels redirection.
Under the lit buttons there are 8 encoders (1 to 8) which allow to modify the parameters of the page selected.
Each encoder's role is mentioned under each encoder at the bottom of the panel. For example: on the FX
page, encoder 1 allows to change the type of effect. To select the FX page, you press the *S button and the
sixth voice button (yellow). To go into the System menu, press the *S button and the sixth channel button
(red).
When you record a Multi, all the settings of this section of the panel are included in the Multi.
c. General commands
This section of the panel assigns the volume settings, the Detune of voices and the global tuning, as well as
Glide / Glissando which is a parameter connected to the sound.
Two encoders on each side of the screen allow to select either the bank (left encoder) and the sound index
(right encoder) in this bank, or the parameter to be modified (left encoder) and its value (right encoder).
These two encoders can be pressed. The corresponding function is written above each.

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 8
d. Synthesis commands.
This section of the panel brings together all the commands allocated to the sound synthesis. These commands
are active for the selected channel (see above) or optionally for all the channels if the ALL mode is selected or if
a redirection channel is defined (see Propagating the commands in All and Redirection).
When you modify a parameter, the screen shows the new value and the original value. This allows you to go
back to the old setting easily.
Some commands allow to set two parameters (Example: EMPHASIS and Modulation of EMPHASIS through
DLFO). In this case, the second function is indicated under the command after *S . To access the secondary
function, use the*S button (see Shift button). If the command is active, the Shift mode is extended as long as
needed.
For the oscillators row and the wave forms, the buttons are single-use: it is pointless to try to have two wave
forms at the output of an oscillator .
To access Row 4' of the oscillators, press twice row 8'. In this case, the buttons of rows 16' and 8' light up,
showing the choice of row 4' .
e. The Riverkey, manager of play inputs/outputs
The left side of The River is reserved to the earphone socket and its control level . On the right, the screen of
The Riverkey is flanked by its two encoders.
Practically all the settings can be done with these two encoders.

The River, User’s Manual PAGE 9
But for all the playing functions there is a simpler and quicker way. Above the
knobs, the Key Shift button allows to use the keyboard as a controller.
When you press this button, the notes are not played. They are interpreted as setting commands of The River
key. From this point on, this button will be called S KEY.
A magnetic reminder has been placed on your instrument. The word OCTAVE must be centred above the first
black C#3, Off/On and Tap Tempo respectively above C3 and D3.
Example: to access Tap Tempo, push down the S KEY button and without releasing it press several times on D3
to give the tempo. Then release the S KEY button.
Functionally it could be said that The Riverkey is the internal and external traffic controller of the performance
data. In order to achieve this, it has a clock which gives you a common tempo to all the controls of The River, as
well as a management system of the inputs and outputs of four layers. Each defines an input (integrated
keyboard, MIDI and/or USB socket, pedals, etc.), an output (TheRiver, MIDI and/or USB socket, CV + Gates) and
one or more processing between the two.
Examples of layer definitions:
As source the integrated keyboard, as destination the Channel 1 of The River, a range from A0 to C8, no
transposition.
As source the MIDI socket in, as destination a monophonic high priority CV + Gate, a range from C3 to B5,
transposition of -12 semitons and arpeggio motif 5 on 2 octaves.
To create a Split, all you have to do is to create two layers which juxtapose (see Split). But the layers range can
also be superimposed.
The destination of each of these layers can be different so that two different sounds can be driven by areas of
the keyboard but can also be identical having as objective, for example, to be able to sequence a section of the
keyboard and to allow a normal play on another section.
A set of controls for playing using The Riverkey is called a profile: it is completely defining the four layers. The
Profile Editor software allows to configure up to 10 profiles which can be stored permanently on The River and
recalled with a simple S KEY shortcut.
The Riverkey has also an Autosave function. All your settings are automatically recorded in order to be
available at the next power up of your instrument.
When you record a Multi, all the settings of The Riverkey are included.