Fred’s Lab Buzzzy Troubleshooting guide

BUZZZY! module
User and service Manual
Revision 1.0 EN - 27/01/2020
for Firmware V1.21 - 08/10/2019
Fr´ ed´ eric Meslin / Fred’s Lab
January 27, 2020
1

Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Buzzzy!
Be sure I have put all my talent, skills and efforts to design this music instrument!
Hopefully, you will like its compactness, love its sonic personality ... and come up with so
many great ideas and new sounds for your music.
Love from Germany!
Fred, from Fred’s Lab
Legal notices
Fred’s Lab cannot be liable for any erroneous information contained in this manual. The
contents of this manual may be updated at any time without prior notice. We have put
best effort to ensure the information provided here is useful and accurate. Fred’s Lab
extends no liabilities in regard to this manual other than those required by the local laws.
Fr´ed´eric Meslin Audioger¨ate
Herwarthstraße, 20
53115 Bonn, Germany
[email protected]
http://fredslab.net
Support requests
For support requests, you can reach me per e-mail at:
[email protected]
or per post, using the previously mentioned company address.
For each support request, please include the instrument model, serial number and a pre-
cise description of the problem encountered with a maximum of details and supporting
elements for a quick resolution.
Copyright information
This original manual, its content, including the graphics & descriptions are the property
of Fred’s Lab. No part of this manual should be reproduced other than for customer
personal use and backup needs without a written permission from Fred’s Lab.
Copyright Fred’s Lab - Fr´ed´eric Meslin 2019
2

Warranty
Fred’s Lab warranty this product free of defects 3 years from its date of purchase.
This warranty covers product from manufacturing defects, when the product is used ob-
serving normal operating conditions. However, the warranty does not cover:
•normal product wear-out
•damages caused by failure to observe the rules of use
•damages due to negligence of the user
•products having been modified or repaired by the user or a third person
More information about product warranty can be found in the General Terms and
Conditions of Sale document available at: https://fredslab.net/en/terms.html
Special thanks
I would like to personally thank all friends, relatives and colleagues, for their support,
advises and reviews during the development of the Buzzzy!.
•Fanny & Neal Homberger
•Jacques & Marie-Francoise Meslin
•Serge Beauchamp,Benoit Ruelle,Emilie Gillet,Oliver Rockstedt
Front panel graphics (except the Bee) were designed by Serge Beauchamp. The German
version of this user manual was translated by Fanny Homberger and the French version
by Benoit Ruelle. Also, this project wouldn’t have been possible without the financial
support from the Kickstarter Backers. Thank you for your trust!
Precautions
Before plugging in the Buzzzy! and go rocking the World, have a sit and read this
precautions through:
•Always use the device in a dry and warm environment
•Never drop the device or expose to too much pressure or vibration
•Never spill liquids or bath the device in beer
•Never clean the device with an aggressive solvent
•Only use quality and certified USB power adapters to power the device
•Never wiggle the plugs to disconnect the cords
•Never connect the line outputs to the power outputs of an amplifier
•Never connect the headphone output to a line output of any device
•Only modify the unit at your own risk!
The Buzzzy! used in conjunction with headphones and speaker systems can produce
very loud sounds in a wide range of frequencies.
Human hearing is very sensitive and can be damaged quickly. So watch out your hears
and those of your audience!
3

Contents Contents
Contents
1 Presentation 6
2 Requirements 6
3 Instrument setup 8
4 Instrument operation 9
4.1 Connections.................................... 9
4.2 Potentiometers .................................. 10
4.3 Switches&indicators .............................. 11
5 The synthesis 13
6 Engines 13
6.1 Pulse........................................ 13
6.2 FM......................................... 14
6.3 Wave........................................ 15
6.4 Noise........................................ 16
7 Envelope 17
7.1 AttackandDecay ................................ 17
7.1.1 ADenvelope ............................... 17
7.2 Hold, Velocity & Looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.2.1 AHDenvelope .............................. 18
7.2.2 Loopingenvelope............................. 19
7.2.3 Velocity.................................. 19
8 Mixer 20
8.1 Volume&Pan .................................. 20
9 FXs 21
9.1 Selection & configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.2 SpaceFXs..................................... 22
9.2.1 Fort .................................... 22
9.2.2 Reservoir ................................. 22
9.2.3 Abyss ................................... 22
9.3 DelayFXs..................................... 23
9.3.1 Mono ................................... 23
9.3.2 Ping-pong................................. 23
9.3.3 Chorus/Flanger............................. 23
9.4 FilterFXs..................................... 24
9.4.1 Low-pass ................................. 24
9.4.2 Band-pass................................. 24
9.4.3 High-pass ................................. 25
9.4.4 Modulation ................................ 25
9.4.5 Distortion................................. 25
9.4.6 Editing .................................. 25
4

Contents Contents
10 Arpeggiator 26
10.1On&Hold .................................... 26
10.2Tempo&Clocking ................................ 26
10.3 Divisions, Repetitions & Gate length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
11 Parts 27
11.1Initializingapart................................. 27
11.2 Setting a part MIDI channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
12 Store 28
12.1Loadingamulti.................................. 28
12.2Savingamulti .................................. 28
13 MIDI implementation 29
13.1 Channel Voice Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
13.2 System Real Time Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
13.3 Controller Changes / CCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
14 Sysex implementation 33
14.1Sysexrequests .................................. 33
14.2Sysexdumps ................................... 33
15 Firmware update 36
16 Technical details 37
17 Schematics and BOM 38
18 Norms 45
18.1Europe:CE.................................... 45
18.2 Canada: Interference regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
18.3USA:FCCInformation ............................. 46
5

2 REQUIREMENTS
1 Presentation
The Buzzzy! is a 16-voices polyphonic, 4-parts multi-timbral, digital sound MIDI module.
•Polyphonic means it can play several notes at the same time.
•Multi-timbral means it can play several instruments at the same time.
•Digital sound means the sound is created using audio algorithms.
•MIDI module means it needs a MIDI controller to generate notes.
What is MIDI?
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is a technical standard
allowing music instruments to communicate and be used in concerto. It defines a protocol,
messages, a digital interface and cables / connectors formats.
A MIDI connection carries notes, controller changes, clocks and various configuration data.
The Buzzzy! is a digital instrument, it computes the sounds using mathematical models
and algorithms, executed by a powerful ARM micro-processor.
Remarks on polyphony
The 16-voices polyphony is the absolute maximal number of notes that can be played
at the same time. If you try to play more notes simultaneously, the older voices will be
muted and reused for newer notes. This mechanism is called ”voice-stealing” and will
result in audio artifacts or parts of your music not being played when triggered. In order
to avoid it, keep in mind the module limitations while composing your music.
The Buzzzy! uses a dynamic allocation mechanism for the processor resources. When
using multiple audio FXs and more processing hungry voices, polyphony decreases. Always
disable the FXs and mute the voices you are not actively using to get the maximum
polyphony out of this instrument.
2 Requirements
To play with the Buzzzy! you need:
•An audio system with line-level inputs or a pair of headphones
•A MIDI controller, a sequencer or a computer
•A USB power source
An audio system
can be a HiFi stereo system, a power mixing desk connected to speakers or a pair of active
speakers.
A MIDI controller
can be any master-keyboard, wind-controller, surface ... that sends MIDI notes. You can
also attach the instrument to a hardware or a software MIDI sequencer. It can run on a
computer, a laptop or a tablet / smartphone. You may need a dedicated external MIDI
interface or just use the USB connection.
6

2 REQUIREMENTS
A USB power source
can be a USB host, a power bank or a USB wall adapter / charger. Never use cheap USB
chargers that can be very noisy.
Remarks on USB noise
If you keep hearing irritating hum and noises when the Buzzzy! is connected via USB,
you may experience a USB ground loop problem. Fortunately, there are several solu-
tions to overcome this problem.
Solution 1:
•Use an other USB power source (power bank or wall adapter)
•Connect the instrument to the computer with a MIDI DIN cable
Solution 2:
•Use a USB galvanic isolator
Example: Olimex USB-ISO module
https://www.olimex.com/Products/USB-Modules/USB-ISO
MIDI DIN connections are, by design, prevented from ground loop problems. It is the
preferred solution to avoid these annoying issues.
7

3 INSTRUMENT SETUP
3 Instrument setup
Step 1: Audio
Connect the Buzzzy! line-level outputs (left & right) to your audio system inputs using
two 6.35mm unbalanced jacks.
Or
Connect the headphones output (head) to your headphones pair using the 3.5mm stereo
jack cable. An adapter is required if your headphones have a 6.35mm jack cable.
Step 2: MIDI
Connect the Buzzzy! MIDI DIN input (MIDI IN) to your MIDI compatible controller or
sequencer / computer using a MIDI DIN cable.
Or
Connect the USB port (USB - 5V) to your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Step 3: Power
Connect the Buzzzy! power input (USB - 5V) to your power source of choice.
Switch on you audio system, adjust the volume and play some notes!
8

4 INSTRUMENT OPERATION
4 Instrument operation
Once the instrument is properly installed and you can hear some sounds when playing
notes, let’s have a good look at its front panel:
4.1 Connections
1USB - 5V
This is the USB-B connector for both power and MIDI over USB function. It should be
attached to a source to power up the Buzzzy!.
2MIDI IN
This is the MIDI Input DIN connector for a MIDI compatible controller or sequencer. It
should be attached to a MIDI Output DIN connector of an other device.
3HEAD
This is the headphones output connector to attach an headphones pair. The amplifier is
designed for low to medium impedance headphones. It can also be used as an additional
line-level stereo audio output.
4 5 LEFT & RIGHT
This is the headphones output connector to attach an headphones pair. The amplifier is
designed for low to medium impedance headphones. It can also be used as an additional
line-level stereo audio output.
9

4.2 Potentiometers 4 INSTRUMENT OPERATION
4.2 Potentiometers
Turning a potentiometer adjusts the principal sound parameter, labeled above it, in white
with the bigger font. This parameter is only modified for the currently selected part.
To access the secondary sound parameter, labeled below the potentiometer, the Alt switch
must be pressed or the alt function locked.
Arpeggiator parameters, in italic font, can be adjusted by turning the potentiometer
WHILE maintaining the Arp switch pressed.
WAVE
this potentiometer
1. selects which variation of sound algorithm
2. selects which engine (Pulse, FM, Waves, Noise)
for the next note played.
With the Arp switch pressed, the Arpeggiator tempo
can be adjusted.
DECAY
This potentiometer
1. adjusts the envelope decay time
2. adjusts the envelope attack time
of all notes currently played.
With the Arp switch pressed, the Arpeggiator clock division
can be adjusted.
LEVEL
This potentiometer
1. adjusts the volume
2. adjusts the panning
of all notes currently played.
With the Arp switch pressed, the Arpeggiator
”note repeat count” or pattern can be adjusted.
RANGE
This potentiometer
1. adjusts the FX range parameter
2. adjusts the FX depth parameter
3. controls the FX mix level or the filter modulation
amount and rate of the FX currently selected.
With the Arp switch pressed, the Arpeggiator gate length
can be adjusted. While a specific FX switch is still pressed,
turning the RANGE potentiometer adjusts the FX mix or
the modulation amount.
10