Expert Sleepers FH-2 factotum User manual

Firmware v1.1
User Manual
Page 1

Copyright © 2018 Expert Sleepers Ltd. All rights reserved.
This man al, as well as the hardware and software described in it, is f rnished nder licence and
may be sed or copied only in accordance with the terms of s ch licence. The content of this
man al is f rnished for informational se only, is s bject to change witho t notice, and sho ld not
be constr ed as a commitment by Expert Sleepers Ltd. Expert Sleepers Ltd ass mes no
responsibility or liability for any errors or inacc racies that may appear in this doc ment.
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Table of Contents
Introd ction........................................................4
Typical sages....................................................5
With a MIDI keyboard..................................5
With an MPE controller................................5
With a MIDI controller.................................5
With a 'groovebox'........................................6
With a comp ter/tablet/phone.......................6
As a clock generator......................................6
Installation.........................................................7
Power req irements.......................................7
Understanding USB 'hosts' and 'devices'.......7
Connecting and powering a USB device......7
Connecting to a USB host.............................8
Connecting expansion mod les.....................8
Inp ts and O tp ts.............................................8
Controls..............................................................8
Display Modes...................................................9
Overview.......................................................9
Men .............................................................9
Edit screens.................................................10
A to-blank...................................................10
Key concepts....................................................10
Signal flow..................................................10
Clocking......................................................11
Understanding 'config rations' and 'presets'....11
Config rations men ........................................11
Edit config ration........................................11
Load config ration......................................11
Save config ration......................................12
Reset config ration.....................................12
Name config ration.....................................12
Presets men ....................................................12
Edit preset....................................................12
Load preset..................................................12
Save preset..................................................12
Reset preset.................................................13
Name Preset................................................13
Settings.............................................................13
Calibration...................................................13
Reset Settings..............................................14
Miscellaneo s..................................................14
Resets...............................................................14
Reset LFOs..................................................14
Reset MIDI/CV...........................................14
Config rations.................................................15
Name...........................................................15
Globals........................................................15
Tap Tempo..................................................16
MIDI/CV converters...................................16
Converter types: Monophonic, Polyphonic
& MPE....................................................17
Mappings.....................................................18
14 bit MIDI CCs..........................................18
Voltage range..............................................19
Clocks..........................................................19
Triggers.......................................................19
E clidean Patterns.......................................20
Gate levels...................................................20
Using the Config ration Tool.....................20
Presets..............................................................22
Name...........................................................22
Internal clock tempo....................................22
Direct o tp t levels.....................................22
LFOs............................................................22
Smoothing...................................................23
Arpeggiator.................................................24
Portamento..................................................24
E clidean Patterns.......................................24
Calibrations......................................................25
A to-calibrate..............................................25
T ner...........................................................26
Load calibration..........................................26
Save calibration...........................................26
Reset calibration..........................................26
Name calibration.........................................27
5-pin DIN MIDI I/O........................................28
Connections.................................................28
MIDI "Low-Voltage Signaling"..................28
MIDI System Excl sive (SysEx).....................29
SysEx Header..............................................29
Received SysEx messages...........................29
01H – Take screenshot...........................29
02H – Display message..........................29
10H – Install config ration.....................29
21H – Req est config ration d mp........29
22H – Req est version string.................30
Sent SysEx messages..................................30
10H – Install script.................................30
32H – Message.......................................30
33H – Screenshot....................................30
Firmware Updates............................................31
Acknowledgments...........................................32
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Introduction
Congrat lations on yo r p rchase of an Expert Sleepers FH-2. Please read this ser man al before
operating yo r new mod le.
The key f nctions of the FH-2 are
•MIDI-to-CV conversion, or more generally, generating CVs in response to MIDI messages.
•'MIDI-to-CV conversion' is often sed to mean simply generating CV/gate from MIDI
notes. The FH-2's capabilities go way beyond that.
•Clocking.
•Generating analog e clocks from MIDI clock, or generating MIDI clock from analog e
clocks, or generating MIDI and/or analog e clocks from the mod le's own internal
clock.
All this and more is spelled o t in detail below.
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Typical usages
With a MIDI keyboard
Up to 16 note polyphonic conversion, with optional pitch/gate/velocity etc. CVs per note. Also
feat res arpeggiation, keyboard splits and more.
With an MPE controller
Up to 16 sim ltaneo s to ches converted with f ll position/press re/glide etc. per to ch.
With a MIDI controller
Up to 64 o tp ts. Direct control of CVs from faders, flexible and syncable LFOs, triggers from pads
etc.
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CV
USB
MIDI
Clock
CV
USB
MIDI
CV
USB
MIDI
Clock
Multiple devices
via USB hub
Power

With a 'groovebox'
M ltiple clock o ts at different divisions, r n/stop triggers etc. Groovebox, FH-2, or another
mod le can be the clock master.
With a computer/tablet/phone
All of the above, pl s SysEx for config ration of the FH-2.
As a clock generator
The FH-2 can operate as the clocking centre of yo r mod lar, also generating (syncable) LFOs,
with no USB connection.
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CV
USB
MIDI
Clock Clock
CV
USB
MIDI
Clock Clock
SysEx
CV
Clock

Installation
Ho se the mod le in a E rorack case of yo r choosing. The power connector is Doepfer standard1.
If sing the power cable s pplied with the mod le, the red edge of the cable is f rthest from the top
edge of the PCB, and carries -12V. ("-12V" is marked on the PCB itself next to this end of the
connector.) Be s re to connect the other end of the power cable correctly, again so -12V
corresponds to the red stripe on the cable.
Po er requirements
The FH-2 draws 118mA on the +12V rail, and 48mA on the -12V rail.
It does not se the 5V rail, except for powering USB devices if so config red, as described below.
Understanding USB 'hosts' and 'devices'
In USB there is a clear distinction between 'hosts' and 'devices'. A 'device' has to connect to a 'host'.
A 'host' can connect to one or more 'devices' ( sing a h b for m ltiple connections). A 'host' may
power a 'device', or a 'device' may be self-powered.
In normal comp ting terms, the host is s ally the PC, laptop, tablet etc. Devices are things like
mice, keyboards, drives etc. and most USB MIDI hardware also falls into this category.
The FH-2 can operate both as a host and as a device (and can do both at the same time). The USB A
socket (the pper, larger one) operates as a host – this is where yo connect USB devices (incl ding
h bs). The USB C socket (the lower, smaller one) operates as a device – sing this yo can connect
the FH-2 directly to a USB host s ch as a comp ter.
There is (c rrently) no difference in behavio r depending on whether the FH-2 receives its MIDI
from the host or device port – both are handled in exactly the same way.
Connecting and po ering a USB device
Connect any class-compliant USB MIDI device to the FH-2's USB A socket.
When a USB device is connected and s ccessf lly comm nicating with the FH-2, an 'A' appears in
the USB indicator section at the left side of the display.
The FH-2 will provide b s power to devices which req ire it. Remember tho gh that this power
load will be passed on to yo r E rorack PSU.
The FH-2's own reg lator will provide the USB specification's theoretical maxim m of 500mA.
The reg lator is abo t 83% efficient, which means that the c rrent draw on the +12V rail is abo t
half that drawn by the USB device. For example, if the USB device draws 100mA, the draw on the
+12V rail wo ld be abo t 50mA.
If yo have ins fficient power on yo r +12V rail, yo r options are
•If possible, provide power to the USB device directly (e.g. if it has a wall-wart inp t).
•Use the j mper to take power from the E rorack 5V b s, if available.
The j mper is labelled 'JP1' and is located close to the mod le's power connector. It has three pins,
1 http://www.doepfer.de/a100_man/a100t_e.htm
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and its f nction is as follows:
•J mper across pins 1 & 2: take USB power from the FH-2's own reg lator
•J mper across pins 2 & 3: take USB power from the E roack 5V b s.
Needless to say, to make se of the second option yo r E rorack PSU needs to be one that s pplies
5V in addition to the s al ±12V.
Connecting to a USB host
Connect any class-compliant USB MIDI host to the FH-2's USB C socket. Note that this does not
req ire the host to have a USB C socket, or to s pport USB 3.0. For hosts witho t a USB C socket,
se a 'Type A to type C' cable, specified for USB 2.0 or USB 3.0.
The FH-2 does not draw power from the USB C socket.
When a USB host is connected and s ccessf lly comm nicating with the FH-2, a 'C' appears in the
USB indicator section at the left side of the display.
Connecting expansion modules
The 10 pin header labelled GT2 provides expansion in conj nction with the FHX-1 O tp t
Expander2. Connect the cable provided with the FHX-1 to this header, oriented the same way as it is
on the FHX-1.
An FH-1 mod le may also be sed as an expander, connected via a USB A to USB C cable to the
FH-2's USB C socket. The FH-1 sho ld be config red in its defa lt state. On the FH-2, enable the
FH-1 as an expander in the Settings. The FH-1 takes the place of the first FHX-1 ('Show FHX-1
Expander O tp t Config rator 1' in the config tool).
Inputs and Outputs
The FH-2 has eight o tp ts, n mbered 1-8, and two inp ts, named X & Y.
The o tp ts are all eq ivalent, and any o tp t can be assigned any f nction.
The digital-to-analog e conversion is at 14 bit resol tion.
The voltage range of an o tp t is either 0-10V or ±5V, as set in the config ration (see below).
The f nction of the inp ts is also set in the config ration. In some cases the inp ts are digital inp ts,
responding to simple on/off signals, and in some cases the inp ts are analog e, in which case the
analog e-to-digital conversion is 12 bit. In both cases, the preferred inp t voltage range is 0-5V, b t
voltages o tside of this range will not damage the mod le.
Controls
The FH-2 has two controls
–a rotary encoder, which is also a p sh b tton, to the lower right of the display
–a p sh b tton, to the lower left of the display.
2 http://expert-sleepers.co. k/fhx1.html
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From here on these will be referred to as 'the encoder' and 'the left b tton'.
Display Modes
The FH-2's display is s ally in one of a small n mber of modes.
Overvie
This is the FH-2's defa lt display mode.
At the left of the screen are activity indicators for the possible MIDI connections:
•'A' indicates that a USB device is connected on the USB A port.
•The n mber below 'A' shows the n mber of devices connected, if sing a h b.
•'C' indicates that a USB host is connected on the the USB C port.
•'D' always appears, since there's no way of telling if a 5-pin DIN MIDI device is physically
connected or not.
An 'I' next to the USB indicator shows that MIDI data is being received.
An 'O' next to the USB indicator shows that MIDI data is being sent.
The top right of the screen shows the c rrent clock so rce. The possibilities are "None", "Int"
(internal clock), "Ext" (external analog e clock), "USB A", "USB C", or "DIN".
Below the clock so rce is the c rrent tempo in BPM.
At the bottom of the screen the FH-2 shows the most recently received MIDI message, formatted as
so rce (A/C/D) / channel / message type (e.g. CC) / byte 1 (e.g. CC n mber) / byte 2 (e.g. val e)
In this display mode, pressing the encoder enters the men system.
T rning the encoder and pressing the left b tton can have vario s f nctions, config red in the
Settings.
Menu
While in the men s, the encoder is sed to select or modify items, and to descend to lower men
levels. The left b tton goes back p one men level.
Holding the left b tton for more than half a second exits the men entirely and ret rns to the
overview screen.
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Edit screens
Many men pages which allow yo to edit config ration or preset parameters share a common way
of working, ill strated here with the Preset/Edit preset/LFOs page.
The rectangle is the 'c rsor'. When the c rsor is drawn sing a dotted line, t rning the encoder
moves the c rsor between items – in the images above, between the o tp t n mber, the c rrent item
('Speed') and the val e.
Pressing the encoder changes the c rsor to a contin o s line:
Now, t rning the encoder changes the highlighted val e, here the LFO Speed.
Pressing the encoder again ret rns the c rsor to a dotted line.
Pressing the left b tton at any time goes back p one men level, as s al.
Note that all changes are immediate – yo do not need to press the encoder to 'accept' the change.
Auto-blank
To extend the display lifetime, the mod le will a tomatically t rn the display off after a period of
inactivity (the d ration of which can be changed in the Settings). T rning or pressing the encoder
will t rn it back on.
Key concepts
Signal flo
The basic signal flow in the FH-2 is
•CVs are generated
•LFOs are added
•smoothing is applied.
Generators of CVs are: the MIDI/CV Converters, the Clocks, the Triggers, the E clidean Patterns,
or the Direct control. All of these can generate CVs destined for one or more o tp ts.
The LFOs, if active, are always added to the CV generated by one of the above.
Finally smoothing, if active, is applied to the s m of the LFO and generated CV.
In this doc ment, the term 'CV' (Control Voltage) is sed interchangeably to mean either an act al
voltage on one of the mod le o tp ts, or a digital signal within the mod le's processing that will
event ally emerge as a control signal.
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Clocking
All clocking in the FH-2 is in terms of 24ppqn (p lse-per-q arter-note) p lses. This is the rate sed
by MIDI clock messages, and also by the analog e DINsync standard. Th s if for example an LFO
rate is given as '24' it means it will cycle at the speed of q arter notes; '12' means an eighth note etc.
When sing the FH-2 to bridge between analog e and MIDI devices, in either direction, if possible
choose 24ppqn clocks (i.e. a divider val e of 1). Then the analog e and MIDI clocks are in one-to-
one correspondence and there's no scope for error when generating the 'in between' p lses.
Understanding 'configurations' and 'presets'
The FH-2's state is divided into two separate concepts - 'config rations' and 'presets'.
The 'configuration' defines what the mod le's inp ts and o tp ts do (e.g. are they clocks, are they
MIDI/CV converters), and how they're mapped to MIDI messages (e.g. MIDI CC assignments for
controlling the LFOs).
The 'preset' defines the mod le's state, in response to the incoming MIDI – for example, the
directly-controlled o tp ts levels, the LFO rates etc.
To p t it another way, the 'preset' is everything that is expected to change in real time – the
'config ration' defines how the preset will be controlled.
Presets and config rations can be separately saved to and recalled from flash memory. For example,
yo might have two config rations saved, one for when yo want to se the FH-2 with a MIDI
keyboard, which might define all 8 o tp ts as MIDI/CV converter o tp ts, and another for when
yo want to se the FH-2 with a MIDI controller, which might define all 8 o tp ts as being directly
controlled from knobs. When switching between these two se cases, yo wo ld simply recall the
appropriate config ration. Similarly, yo might save two presets, one applying smoothing to some
o tp ts (for example, the afterto ch o tp t from the MIDI/CV converters), and one setting p
defa lt levels and speeds for some LFOs.
Configurations menu
Config rations can be stored to flash memory. There are 30 config ration slots in flash.
In what follows, the 'c rrent config ration' means the c rrent mod le state, in RAM, not any of the
flash config ration locations.
The Config rations men is accessed at the top men level; the s bmen items are as follows.
Edit configuration
Allows yo to edit the c rrent config ration directly. See below for details of what makes p a
config ration.
Note that yo may find it more convenient to edit the config ration sing the browser-based tool –
see below.
Load configuration
The 'Load config ration' men allows yo to select one of the config ration slots, displaying its
n mber and the name of the config ration stored in that slot. Pressing the encoder shows the
message 'Are yo s re?' - press the encoder again to load the config ration.
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Save configuration
The 'Save config ration' men allows yo to select one of the config ration slots, displaying its
n mber and the name of the config ration stored in that slot. Pressing the encoder shows the
message 'Are yo s re?' - press the encoder again to save the c rrent config ration into the selected
slot.
Reset configuration
This men allows yo to reset the c rrent config ration to defa lt val es. It has no effect on the
presets in flash memory.
Name configuration
This allows yo to edit the name of the c rrent config ration. Typically yo wo ld do this before
saving it to flash.
A dotted rectangle indicates the c rrent c rsor position. T rning the encoder moves the c rsor.
Pressing the encoder t rns the rectangle into an nderscore; t rning the encoder now changes the
character above the c rsor.
Pressing the encoder again ret rns to the dotted c rsor.
Presets menu
Presets can be stored to flash memory. There are 100 preset slots in flash.
In what follows, the 'c rrent preset' means the c rrent mod le state, in RAM, not any of the flash
preset locations.
The Presets men is accessed at the top men level; the s bmen items are as follows.
Edit preset
Allows yo to edit the c rrent preset directly (rather than in response to MIDI). See below for
details of what makes p a preset.
Load preset
The 'Load preset' men allows yo to select one of the preset slots, displaying its n mber and the
name of the preset stored in that slot. Pressing the encoder shows the message 'Are yo s re?' -
press the encoder again to load the preset.
Save preset
The 'Save preset' men allows yo to select one of the preset slots, displaying its n mber and the
name of the preset stored in that slot. Pressing the encoder shows the message 'Are yo s re?' -
press the encoder again to save the c rrent preset into the selected slot.
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Reset preset
This men allows yo to reset the c rrent preset to defa lt val es. It has no effect on the presets in
flash memory.
Name Preset
This allows yo to edit the name of the c rrent preset. Typically yo wo ld do this before saving it
to flash.
Editing the preset name works in the same way as editing the config ration name, above.
Settings
The Settings men provides access to some global settings which are not part of a config ration or a
preset. These settings are stored and reapplied when the mod le powers p.
The available settings are as follows.
Setting Value range Function
Contrast 0-255 Sets the display contrast/brightness.
Top-level encoder 0-1 Sets the f nction of t rning the encoder when not
in a men .
The options are "Off" and "Tempo".
Top-level b tton 0-2 Sets the f nction of pressing the left b tton when
not in a men .
The options are "Off", "Start/Stop", and "Tap
Tempo/Stop".
Start p preset 0-100 The preset n mber to load at start p, or '0' for
none.
Start p config ration 0-30 The config ration n mber to load at start p, or '0'
for none.
Enable MIDI clock o t 0-1 Enable o tp t of MIDI clock.
Enable DIN MIDI o t 0-1 Enable the 5-pin DIN MIDI o tp t.
Clk stop=>LFOs stop 0-1 When set to 1, ca ses tempo-synced LFOs to stop
when all internal and external clocks are stopped.
Display blank 1-30 The time in min tes after which the display will
be t rned off, if idle.
Use FH-1 as expander 0-1 Enables the se of an FH-1 as an expansion
mod le.
Calibration
The settings contain basic scale and offset calibration for each o tp t, which can be adj sted to get
a precise 0V o tp t for a nominally zero CV, and a proper 1V/octave slope. For more elaborate
calibration, see also Calibrations, below.
The edit men for the basic calibrations looks like this:
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The top item lets yo select the o tp t yo want to edit.
The centre item lets yo set the 'centre' CV, which will be 0V if the o tp t range is set to ±5V. It
corresponds to MIDI note 60 (C4).
The lower item lets yo set the '+3 octaves' CV, which sho ld o tp t 3V more than the centre CV,
or in terms of pitch, a note 3 octaves higher. It corresponds to MIDI note 96.
The o tp t is set to the val e yo 're editing as soon as yo move the c rsor over it.
Reset Settings
This men allows yo to reset the settings to defa lt val es.
Miscellaneous
The top level men item 'Misc' provides access to some miscellaneo s f nctions that don't fit
anywhere else.
Misc menu item Function
Show firmware version Displays the c rrent firmware version.
Reboot Ca ses the mod le to reboot.
Show MIDI history Contin o sly shows the last fo r MIDI messages received.
Test inp ts Enters a mode which displays an oscilloscope-like view of the inp ts.
Intended for factory se only.
Test o tp ts Enters a mode which generates a contin o s test signal on all eight of
the mod le's o tp ts. Intended for factory se only.
Resets
The 'Resets' men allows yo to reset certain aspects of the c rrent preset to defa lt val es.
Reset LFOs
Resets all LFOs to defa lts:
•M ltiplier to maxim m (16383).
•Waveform levels to zero, except saw, which is set to 64 (off).
•P lse width to 64 (50%).
•Tempo Base to 24 and Tempo M lt to 1.
•Speed to zero, and the LFO rate is set as Hz.
Reset MIDI/CV
Resets all MIDI/CV converters to their initial state.
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Configurations
A config ration consists of the following:
•the config ration name
•some global settings (trigger length, global transpose etc.)
•set p of the MIDI/CV converters
•set p of the MIDI CC assignments ('mappings')
•set p of the Clocks
•set p of the Triggers
•set p of the E clidean Patterns
•for every o tp t:
•the voltage range setting
•the o tp t levels sed if the o tp t is a gate/trigger
Config rations can be edited directly via the men system, or via SysEx. A browser-based tool is
provided to edit config rations via SysEx, here3.
Name
The config ration name is 16 characters long.
Globals
These are items that don't refer to a specific o tp t or f nction.
Name Value
range
Description
Trigger length 1-100 Length of all triggers, in milliseconds.
Global transpose -48 - 48 Applies a transposition to all MIDI/CV converters.
Legato velocity 0-1 When enabled, playing legato in monophonic MIDI/CV
modes will se the note velocity only from the first note in a
phrase.
Ext Clock M ltiplier 1-96 Sets the m ltiplier relating the (incoming) external clock to
the internal 24ppqn timebase.
Ext Clock R n Control 0-1 Sets the r n control option (see below).
Example val es for 'Ext Clock M ltiplier' wo ld be '24' for q arter note clocks, and '1' for 24ppqn
clocks e.g. a DINsync clock.
The options for 'R n Control' are as follows:
•"None" (0) – the external clock is considered to start as soon as a clock p lse is received on
the X inp t, and to stop when clock p lses stop arriving. The mod le waits p to 2 seconds
after each clock p lse, and if another clock does not arrive in that time, the clock is
3 http://expert-sleepers.co. k/webapps/fh2_config_tool.html
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considered to have stopped.
•"R n/Stop on Y" (1) – the Y inp t is sed as a DINsync-style r n/stop control. The clock
r ns while the signal is high, and stops when it is low.
Tap Tempo
Tap tempo can be controlled via the front panel b tton (if config red in the Settings) or via an
incoming MIDI note or CC. This is set p in the config ration as follows:
Name Value
range
Description
Type 0-2 Sets how tap tempo is controlled via MIDI.
Channel 1-16 Sets the MIDI channel for the tap tempo control.
Note or CC 0-127 Sets the note or CC n mber for tap tempo control.
The options for Type are "None", "Note", or "CC".
If the Type is Note, tap tempo happens when a Note On message is received matching the specified
note n mber. If the Type is CC, tap tempo happens when a CC message is received matching the
specified CC n mber, with a val e of 64 or more.
MIDI/CV converters
There are 16 MIDI/CV converters available, any n mber of which can be active in any given
config ration. Each converter has the following properties:
Name Value
range
Description
Enable 0-1 Enable the converter
Channel 1-16 MIDI channel
Min Note 0-127 Lowest MIDI note (incl sive) to respond to
Max Note 0-127 Highest MIDI note (incl sive) to respond to
Type 0-2 Converter type: Monophonic, Polyphonic, or MPE
Polyphony 1-16 N mber of voices.
(Polyphonic or MPE types only.)
Bend range 0-48 Pitch bend depth, in semitones
Allocation 0-2 Voice allocation scheme: Ro nd robin, Lowest voice, or Unison
(Polyphonic or MPE types only.)
No stealing 0-1 If '1' prevent voice stealing - any keys pressed beyond the polyphony of the
converter are ignored. Witho t this option, new notes replace any old ones
being held.
(Polyphonic or MPE types only.)
Gated After 0-1 If enabled, the afterto ch o tp t is a tomatically set to zero when all keys
are released.
S stain 0-1 If enabled, MIDI CC 64 is sed in its normal role as a s stain pedal.
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Name Value
range
Description
Base o tp t 1-64 The base o tp t of the converter. (O tp ts 9-64 are expander o tp ts.)
Stride 0-32 Sets the spacing between the per-voice sets of CVs. For example, if a
polyphonic converter has j st CV and gate per voice, and a base o tp t of
1, then the voice o tp ts will be 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 etc. If however the stride is set
to 3, then the o tp ts will be 1/2, 4/5, 7/8 etc.
(Polyphonic or MPE types only.)
Last channel 2-16 The last MIDI channel to respond to, if the converter type is MPE.
Afterto ch 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have an afterto ch (aka channel press re)
o tp t.
Para Gate 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a paraphonic gate o tp t, that is, a gate
o tp t that is high when one or more notes are held down.
CV o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a (pitch) CV o tp t.
Gate o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a gate o tp t.
VelGate o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a velocity gate o tp t, that is, a gate
o tp t the level of which is scaled by the note on velocity.
Velocity o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a velocity o tp t.
Rel Vel o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a release velocity o tp t.
Trigger o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a trigger o tp t.
Press re o t 0-1 If enabled, the converter will have a per-voice afterto ch o tp t.
(MPE type only.)
MPE Y CC 0-127 The MIDI CC n mber for the MPE 'y control', or 0 for off.
(MPE type only.)
The assignment of f nctions to o tp ts is as follows: the first (lowest n mbered) o tp t sed by the
converter is specified by the 'Base o tp t'. Then o tp ts are assigned in seq ence in the order
above, that is, CV/Gate/VelGate/Velocity/Rel Vel/Trigger/Press re/MPE Y, for any o tp ts that are
enabled. For polyphonic converters, the o tp ts for each voice are assigned in this manner in t rn.
Finally, if enabled, the Afterto ch and Para Gate o tp ts are assigned.
Con erter types: Monophonic, Polyphonic & MPE
The type of the converter is f ndamental to how it generates o tp t CVs from incoming MIDI
notes.
–Monophonic converters generate a single voice's set of CVs – one pitch, gate etc. A
monophonic converter receives on one MIDI channel only. Incoming MIDI notes replace
the c rrent note.
–Polyphonic converters generate CVs for a n mber of voices, controlled by the converter's
polyphony setting. Each voice has the same set of CVs; there are also two CVs that apply
globally (the paraphonic gate and afterto ch CVs). A polyphonic converter receives on one
MIDI channel only. Incoming MIDI notes are assigned to the voices according to the Voice
Allocation and Prevent Stealing settings.
–MPE converters are m ch like polyphonic converters, b t also make se of MIDI
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Polyphonic Expression or MPE4. An MPE converter receives on a n mber of MIDI
channels. The Channel setting is taken as the MPE 'global' channel, so the voice channels
will begin one channel p from that. The last channel to receive on is set by the Last
Channel setting. So for example if Channel is 2 and Last Channel is 14, the converter will
receive MIDI notes on channels 3 to 14.
MPE converters may have per-channel afterto ch and 'Y dimension' CVs. The y dimension
CV is enabled by choosing its CC n mber; 0 means off. Typically MPE controllers defa lt
to CC #74 for the y dimension.
Mappings
The mappings section defines how the FH-2 will respond to MIDI controllers, typically MIDI CCs
(contin o s controllers).
A config ration can have a maxim m of 256 mappings. Each mapping has
–a so rce MIDI channel
–a so rce MIDI message type (c rrently only CC is implemented)
–a target.
The target of a mapping can be one of
–a per-o tp t preset item: the direct level, or one of the LFO parameters.
–a per-MIDI/CV converter item: the arpeggiator parameters, or portamento.
–a per-E clidean pattern item.
Many items that can be controlled by mappings have a range of 0-127 anyway, so the MIDI CC
val e is simply sed directly. In other cases the MIDI CC range of 0-127 is scaled to map onto the
range of the controlled parameter.
14 bit MIDI CCs
Some of the FH-2 parameters se a 14 bit representation for higher acc racy: specifically, the
Direct levels, the LFO Speed and the LFO M ltiplier.
A convention exists for sending 14 bit val es via MIDI CCs, sing two CCs (of 7 bits each).5 The
high 7 bits are sent on a CC in the range 0-31, and the low 7 bits are sent on the CC n mbered 32
higher (which is therefore in the range 32-63). The low 7 bits are sent first.
The FH-2 config res this a tomatically, if
–one of the three 14 bit q antities is mapped to CC in the range 0-31, and
–the corresponding low bits CC is not mapped to anything else.
For example, say the direct level on o tp t 5 is mapped to CC 4 on MIDI channel 1 (as it is in the
defa lt config ration). Then CC 36 (36 being 4 + 32) on MIDI channel 1 is a tomatically mapped
as the low 7 bits, nless that CC has been explicitly mapped to control something else.
Note that this doesn't mean yo have to control these q antities with 14 bit controllers. Sending a
single CC to control the mapped val e will control it perfectly well, j st at a coarser resol tion.
4https://www.midi.org/articles/midi-polyphonic-expression-mpe
https://www.midi.org/specifications/item/the-midi-1-0-specification (at bottom of page)
5 Hardware controllers s pporting this convention incl de the Faderfox UC3.
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Voltage range
Each o tp t of the FH-2 can be switched between a voltage range of 0-10V and ±5V.
The same is tr e of the FHX-1 expanders, b t for the FHX-1 this is done via a physical j mper on
the mod le, rather than being software-config rable.
Clocks
There are 32 clock generators available. These parameters define the clock:
Name Value range Description
Clock Type 0-6 The type of clock o tp t: one of None, Clock, R n/Stop, Stop/R n,
Start Trig, Stop Trig, or Both Trig
Clock Base 1-96 The rate of the clock, in terms of 24ppqn p lses. Some convenient
val es incl de:
24 q arter notes
12 eighth notes
8 eighth note triplets
6 sixteenth notes
M ltiplier 1-127 M ltiplies the 'clock base' to give the act al clock rate. So for example
if 'clock base' is 12 (1/8th notes) and 'm ltiplier' is 3, the clock will r n
at a rate of 3/8th notes.
Length 0-127 The length of the clock p lse in milliseconds. The special val e '0'
means that the clock is not a p lse, b t a 50% d ty cycle sq are wave.
O tp t 1-64 The clock o tp t. (O tp ts 9-64 are expander o tp ts.)
Shift 0-127 The amo nt by which to advance the clock, in terms of 24ppqn p lses.
For example a half note clock advanced by a q arter note will fall on
the off beats (2 & 4 of a 4/4 pattern).
Triggers
There are 32 trigger generators available, which take an incoming MIDI note and generate a trigger
or gate signal in response. These parameters define the trigger generator:
Name Value range Description
Trig Type 0-6 The type of trigger o tp t: one of None, Trigger, Gate, Vel Trig, Vel
Gate, Acc Trig, Acc Gate
Channel 1-16 The MIDI channel.
Note 1-127 The MIDI note n mber.
O tp t 1-64 The trigger o tp t. (O tp ts 9-64 are expander o tp ts.)
The type of the trigger can be 'Trigger', a p lse (set by the config ration's global trigger length), or
'Gate', which stays high as long as the MIDI note is held.
'Vel Trig' and 'Vel Gate' se the MIDI note's velocity to set the o tp t trigger level.
'Acc Trig' and 'Acc Gate' generate both the base trigger/gate and an additional accent trigger/gate,
on the next o tp t p (e.g. if the trigger o tp t is set to 7, the accent will be on 8). The accent fires
when the MIDI note velocity is 96 or more.
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Euclidean Patterns
Most of the E clidean Pattern set p is in the preset – see below. The config ration only defines the
o tp t that each pattern generator ses.
Gate levels
Two val es define the low and high o tp t val es to be sed if the o tp t in q estion is sed as a
gate, clock, trigger etc. These are given in terms of DAC codes for maxim m control. The DACs
are 14 bit, so the range of possible val es is 0 to 16383. Note that the act al o tp t voltage also
depends on the o tp t voltage range setting for the o tp t (in the config ration for the FH-2 or
depending on the j mper setting for an FHX-1). Some example settings are:
Level setting Output range Resulting voltage
0 0-10V 0V
8192 0-10V 5V
16383 0-10V 10V
0 ±5V -5V
8192 ±5V 0V
16383 ±5V 5V
Using the Configuration Tool
A browser-based tool is provided to edit config rations via SysEx, here6. This ses the Web MIDI
API, which at the time of writing will work only in Google's Chrome browser.
All is well if the tool shows Web MIDI status: OK
If it shows Web MIDI status: No MIDI support in your browser then yo need to se a different browser.
The tool needs a MIDI connection to the FH-2. It is most convenient to connect the FH-2 directly to
the comp ter r nning the tool via its USB C port, b t it will work j st as well connected indirectly
via its USB A port or 5-pin DIN connection.
At the top of the tool are these controls:
The Send to/Listen on MIDI port men s sho ld say “FH-2” if the FH-2 is connected directly, or
whichever MIDI device leads to the FH-2 if it is connected indirectly.
The Send Msg b tton tests the send connection – it sends a SysEx message to the FH-2 which
displays a friendly greeting on the FH-2's screen.
The Req est FH-2 Version b tton sends and receives short SysEx messages to report the FH-2's
firmware version. It is sef l to q ickly test the connection. It will look something like this, in the
tool's stat s boxes:
6 http://expert-sleepers.co. k/webapps/fh2_config_tool.html
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