Hyperdyne Labs Vortex 3 Dark Lord User manual

Vortex 3 Voice Effects Unit, Hyperdyne Labs LLC
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Vortex 3 Real-Time Voice Changing Module
Dark Lord Version
2016, Hyperdyne Labs
http://www.hyperdynelabs.com
This document explains how to setup your Vortex 3 voice changer, operate it correctly, and use all the features
available on the unit.
This package includes:
1) Programmed Vortex 3 voice effects interface board stack + processing board
2) 1/8” remote pushbutton cable
3) 1/8” stereo output cable
4) 9V 6AA battery holder
5) Project box enclosure and optional heatshrink
NOTE: Handle your board as you would any piece of delicate electronics! Do not get it wet and do not handle it
without grounding yourself first! Even a static shock can destroy the delicate components on the board. I suggest
when installing the board, insulate it with non-static foam, hot glue, or other material. Handle the board around its
edges when moving it. We are not responsible for boards that are rendered useless by improper handling.
If you are not familiar with static electricity handling procedures, please refer to ESD procedures. Basic
information on ESD can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge
SECTION A. - OVERVIEW
Your voice changer transforms your voice in real time to sound like a dark lord - adding helmeted reverb, echo, and
shifting your voice down in pitch so it replicates the effect heard in the movies.
This Vortex 3 voice changer features several innovations not found in any other voice effects unit in its class:
1) 16-bit CD quality output and DSP technology.
2) Stereo output – voice + sound fx
3) Different pitch settings to fine tune your voice effect.
4) 4 different breath sounds to choose from - auto mixed in with voice (stored on microSD card)

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5) Programmable breath volume and silence time between breaths
6) Push-to-talk mode, enables voice output and disables breathing so you can talk at will.
7) Auto VOX mode automatically disables breathing sound fx while talking.
8) Programmable microphone gain
9) Tunable helmet echo effect
10) FX mode to access onboard music files and breath sounds.
11) 6’ remote pushbutton cable to control sound features with a single fingertip
12) Compatible with all portable stereo speakers, Aker, OnTour Ipod speakers, PA speakers, etc
13) Uses any electret mic – board even supplies phantom mic power
14) Interchangeable processing cards so multiple voice effects can be used with one unit
The voice board will run off any DC power supply from 7V-12V. A 9V battery is sufficient to use, but alkalines will
not last long and not recommended (ONLY AN HR). Use lithium batteries (9V) for added life. You can also use a
6AA battery pack for extended costuming sessions. When the batteries are getting low, the board may misbehave.
This is your cue that the batteries need replacing soon!
LOW VOLTAGE MONITOR**
STARTING WITH FIRMWARE REV V1.2, a low-voltage monitor has been added to the feature list. This tells the
use when the batteries are too weak. If the battery is too low for reliable operation, the Vortex 3 board will play out
a warning tone! The LEDs on the board will also flash quickly in unison. The tone will continue to play as long as
the battery has too low a voltage.
If the tone plays out, PLEASE TURN OFF THE UNIT AND CHANGE BATTERIES ASAP. A more rare
critical tone will play out if a critical voltage is encountered, but normally the warning tone will play out when the
batteries need to be changed.
Note, the sound files on the microSD card named “warn.wav” and “critical.wav” are necessary for this feature – DO
NOT DELETE THEM OFF THE SD CARD. (You can certainly replace the sounds with your own if you like, just keep the same
file names)
This unit contains very sophisticated software that requires you to follow the setup procedures in
order to get the best performance from the voice unit. PLEASE READ FULLY!!!
BOARD DIAGRAM
The dimensions of the Vortex 3 module are (not including battery or cables): 2.75” L x 2” W x 0.75” H.
Here is a picture of the Vortex 3 unit with all of the major parts listed on the INTERFACE (top) board.

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A. On/Off power switch
B. Mic input jack – 1/8” mono input jack for microphone.
C. Headphones out 1/8” jack. Do not use for amplified speakers. Normally left unconnected.
D. Push-to-talk (PTT) LED indicator
E. ACTIVE LED indicator
F. Output line-level jack – 1/8” stereo output jack for voice and sound fx output. Connect to an external
amplified speaker.
G. PTT jack – 1/8” mono jack that controls push-to-talk feature. Can be used with remote pushbutton cable.
H. Programming button – Allows user to change board settings for fine tuning effect.
I. STATUS LED indicator
J. Power source header. Allows the board to either use the onboard 5v regulator or direct battery power.
NOTE: You should not move the jumper to "batt" mode if your battery supply is over 6V. This will
damage the board! If using a 9V battery or any source over 6V DC, make sure the jumper is on the "reg"
side of the header pins.
There are also 3 LEDs on the Vortex INTERFACE module for power and status. They operate as follows:
•When PTT mode is enabled, the PTT LED will light up when the mic is “open”. The LED will go off when
the mic is “closed”.
•When PTT mode is disabled, the PTT LED will light up when your voice surpasses the auto VOX
threshold.
•The ACT LED will light up each time you depress the programming button or the PTT remote pushbutton.
After keying in button presses and no subsequent button presses are detected within 1 sec, the board will
update the feature selected and blink this LED to let the user know the EPROM memory onboard has been
updated.
•The STAT LED lights up to report the current setting after the user modifies any settings on the board.
•The STAT LED also acts as a heartbeat LED. It flashes once every 5 sec if the board is operating properly.

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The Vortex 3 module consists of two board stacks, the upper INTERFACE board stack and the lower
PROCESSING board. The board stacks are sandwiched together using header pins. The boards must not be
separated, as both are necessary for proper operation!
The processing card has female header pins and can be removed from the interface board stack. It is connected via
friction fit. This allows you to use other processing cards with different voice effects loaded onto them.

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SECTION B. – BASIC SETUP AND OPERATION
Initial operation:
When you turn on the unit, the voice changer becomes active. The default mode is auto VOX, enabled breathing
effect, 2 sec breath cadence, auto VOX channel squelch timeout of 5 sec.
Once the board has booted up, the mic by default is “closed”. This means the mic is electronically disconnected
from the speaker. This feature rids of any feedback that you would normally hear when the volume is up too loud or
if the mic were constantly “open”.
VOX thresholds (opening and closing the mic):
When you have broken squelch by talking into the mic (the VOX on threshold), the mic will electrically “open” and
send your modified voice to the speaker for you to hear. Once you stop talking and have gone below squelch (the
VOX off threshold), the unit will close the mic. When you have broken squelch, the onboard PTT LED will also
light while you are talking. The PTT LED extinguishes once you are done talking or the VOX timeout has expired.
Microphone setup:
Plug in your microphone and amplified speaker using an 1/8” cable. If you already own an amplified speaker you
can use this with your unit. You may have to dial down the output volume or mic gain in order to avoid too much
feedback. See Section C on how to do this.
Hooking all the components up:
Here is a diagram of how to connect up all the different jacks to your equipment.
Vortex 3 board (top view)
STAT PTT ACT
PTT remote
pushbutton cable
Mic in
(mono) Amplified speaker setup
(stereo)
9V battery or
6AA pack
on/off switch
LEDs
PROG button
not used

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SECTION C. – CHANGING BOARD SETTINGS AND OPERATION
This section outlines how to change any of the settings for tuning your voice effect.
The voice amp has 12 functions that are accessed via the onboard programming pushbutton. These functions are
included to help mitigate feedback and to enable different features. The programmable settings are:
(1) increase VOX on threshold
(2) increase VOX off threshold
(3) increase auto talk squelch time (mic open time) in VOX mode
(4) enable PTT or VOX mode
(5) Change vocal pitch
(6) Change bulk input mic gain
(7) Change fine input mic gain
(8) Enable the breath FX sound
(9) Set breath volume
(10) Change silence gap between breath playback
(11) Change amount of helmet echo
(12) Reset all saved parameters to factory defaults
CHANGING SETTINGS
The onboard programming pushbutton allows you to set up and use the features of the board. Each feature on the
board is accessed by pressing the programming button the desired number of times. The board will then increment
the setting mapped to the number of button presses you entered. Below is a table outlining each feature and the
button press mapping.
NOTE: If any of the settings are changed, they are automatically saved in EPROM memory, which is not lost after
powerdown. Thus you only need to change the setting once, and the unit will remember your settings upon each
powerup.

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Number of
programming
button presses
Voice board feature
(DARK LORD)
Default setting
1x Increase VOX on threshold (5 settings, 0 default)
Table values: ([Lowest], low, medium, med-high, high)
Lowest
2x Increase VOX off threshold (5 settings, 0 default)
Table values: ([Lowest], low, medium, med-high, high)
Lowest
3x Auto talk squelch timeout (mic open time) in VOX mode
Table values: (3, 4, [5], 6, 7, 8) sec
5 sec
4x PTT enable/[disable]
PTT enabled: Must use remote button to open mic
PTT disabled: VOX mode is active and will open mic
Disabled
5x Change pitch of your voice (larger number is deeper)
Table values: (2.75, 2.5, [2.25], ...,1.25, 1.0) 8 settings
2.25
6x Change bulk mic gain
Table values: (15, 20, 25, [30], 35, 40) dB
30 dB
7x Change fine mic gain
Table values: (0, 1, 2, 3, 4) dB
0 dB
8x [Enable]/disable breath FX Enabled
9x Change breath volume gain
Table values: (0.1, [0.2], 0.5, 0.75, 1.0)
0.2
10x Change silence gap between breath playback
Table values: ([2], 3, 4, 5, 6 sec)
2 sec
11x Change amount of helmeted effect (low, med, [high]) high
12x Reset all parameters to factory defaults Reboots board on
completion
NOTE: For every programming change, the board will report back to you in the following manner:
1) The ACT LED will acknowledge the number of presses you entered by blinking the number of presses back
to you.
2) The STAT LED will report the index of the table value that is currently selected.
By looking at the table values above, the STAT LED will blink accordingly between 1 time and the max table
size. For example, pressing the PROG button 10x will change the breathing silence time gap. The board will
respond by blinking the ACT LED 10x, then the STAT LED will blink 2x (assuming you started at default
values) to denote that 3 sec has been selected. So in order to find the setting, reference the TABLE VALUES
above - using the number of times the STAT LED reports back. One blink from STAT is the first value, 2 is the
second value, and so on...
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL SETTINGS
Setting 1: Changing the auto VOX "ON" threshold
Pressing the programming button 1x will increase the VOX voice threshold. This is also known as the squelch point.
When you talk into the mic, you voice volume must surpass this threshold before the external breathing/sound effect
is automatically disabled (see Setting 8). This is only used if VOX mode is active.
The higher the VOX threshold setting, the more voice volume you need to trigger the auto breath fade out. The
default setting is the lowest VOX threshold. If background noise is cutting the external sound effect in and out,
increment this setting by one level and try again. There are 5 VOX threshold values you can cycle through, each one

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is higher than the last one. After the last value is selected, the next VOX threshold change cycles back the lowest in
the table. This way you can cycle through all values to find the best threshold for your mic.
NOTE: You can tell if the auto VOX is picking up any mic activity by observing the PTT LED. If you blow into the
mic with PTT mode disabled, this LED will light up when the mic input surpasses the current VOX threshold. The
LED will go off when no voice input is detected. If the LED is always on then your mic is too sensitive and you
should try and increase the VOX threshold. If the LED is never on, the VOX threshold may be set too high or you
may have a faulty mic, input jack, etc.
Setting 2: Changing the auto VOX “OFF” threshold
Instead of using one squelch point (like in a CB radio), your voice board uses a dual squelch. After you have
triggered the mic using the VOX on threshold, the board monitors your voice volume until it goes below a second
(lower) threshold. Once your voice volume tapers off below the VOX off threshold, the board determines that you
are done talking and proceeds to automatically output a random click/static sound effect.
The default setting is the lowest value, which is a nominal VOX off level. If the mic is never closing after saying a
couple words, increment this setting by one value by pressing the PROG button 2x.
Here is a diagram of how the squelch works. Once your voice volume surpasses the VOX on thresh, the mic is
opened. The mic stays open until your voice volume goes below the VOX off threshold. You can see if you make
the VOX off thresh greater than the VOX on thresh, the unit will always keep the mic opened once triggered.
Setting 3: Changing the VOX auto timeout squelch
When the unit is turned on, the mic is “closed”, meaning that you can turn up your speaker as loud as you like with
no feedback. Once the mic “opens”, you can hear your voice but also experience feedback if the volume is up too
loud. The VOX auto timeout helps combat constant feedback by closing the mic after a specified time period. By
default, once you start talking, the VOX auto timeout is set to 5 seconds. If you continue talking after 5 sec, the
board will close the mic no matter what. By pressing the PROG pushbutton 3x, you can increment the timeout
period. The max timeout is 8 sec, which should cover most long talking conversations.
Voice volume
VOX off thresh
time
Mic is open
Mic is closed
VOX on thresh
Voice passed through

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Rule of thumb: The shorter the timeout period, the shorter sentences you can say before being auto cut off – but you
will not experience much feedback with this method since the mic is automatically closed after a short speaking
session. The longer you make the timeout period, the longer you can talk in a session – but feedback can start up if
you stop talking well before the timeout period. This is a tradeoff you will have to experiment with.
Setting 4: Push to talk (PTT) mode enable/disable
Pushing the PROG button 4x toggles the PTT mode on and off. PTT mode is off by default. When PTT mode is
off, the VOX mode is automatically active. When PTT mode is active, it disables the mic output so you will only be
able to talk through the speaker when you press the remote pushbutton and hold it in. Now the mic will open and
allow you to talk.
When you release the button in PTT mode, the mic is automatically closed. PTT mode is best used if you are
experiencing too much feedback and need to mic to close after talking, or if you just want absolute control of when
the mic opens and closes (can be used for secure comm also). Pushing the programming button 4x again will disable
PTT mode and enable VOX mode.
NOTE: When the mic opens in PTT mode the external sound effect/breathing sound will be disabled as well. You
will hear the breathing fade out when you start talking. This allows you to have maximum voice volume without the
breathing sound interfering. When you are done talking, the breathing sound will automatically start back up after 2
sec (unless you have disabled the breathing FX).
TIP: The PTT trigger is run off the second 1/8” jack on the board labeled “PTT”. This jack is right next to Line out
jack. You can connect your remote pushbutton cable to this jack if you plan to use the PTT mode in your costume.
Also, the PTT LED will go on whenever you press the PTT pushbutton while PTT mode is enabled. This will allow
you to see when the mic is opened and closed.
Setting 5: Changing pitch setting
There are 8 different pitch settings to help match your voice pitch to a proper dark lord voice. If the default setting
does not give your voice the proper amount of shift (which varies between the user’s own voice), you can press the
button 5x to change the pitch setting. The internal pitch table wraps around after 8 pitch settings so you can search
for the best effect using your own voice.
The pitch table is measured in semitones. The default pitch when the board powers up is 2.25 semitones of
downward pitch. The available pitch settings in the pitch table are 2.75, 2.5, 2.25, 2.0, 1.75, 1.5, 1.25, 1.0
semitones. Every time you change the pitch (by pressing the button 5x), the pitch advances through the table one
setting at a time. Since the default pitch setting is 2.25, then successive presses of the pushbutton to access the pitch
table would correspond to 2.0, 1.75, 1.5, 1.25, 1.0, 2.75, 2.5, ……, etc. So, the largest amount of pitch is 2.75
semitones and the smallest amount of pitch is 1.0 semitones.
Setting 6: Change the bulk mic gain
Depending on the sensitivity of your microphone, you may need to change the gain on the mic in order to get a good
voice output. You can program in the mic gain by using the PROG button on the interface card.
By pressing the PROG button 6 times, you will increment to the next mic gain table setting. The default gain is 30
dB. The table values are as follows: 15 dB, 20 dB, 25 dB, [30 dB], 35 dB, 40 dB.
The [] shows the default value. When you press the PROG button 6x, the board will reply with 6 blinks on the ACT
LED, then the STAT LED will report the selected index of mic gain value. That is, LED blinks of 1 = 15dB,
2=20dB, ..., 6=40 dB.
From the default value of 30 dB, if you wanted to program 40 dB of total gain - you would press the PROG button
6x - wait for the report - press the PROG button 6x again - wait for report - verify the gain index returned counts 6
blinks. You are now set with a 40 dB of mic gain.

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Setting 7: Change the fine tuning mic gain
You will see that the bulk mic gain setup changes by +5 dB each table entry. If you want finer control, say your mic
really does the best with 36 dB of gain. When you press the PROG button 7x, this will increment the current
selected mic gain by + 1dB. So to get 36 dB of total gain (from the default settings), press the PROG button 6x,
check the report. It should of changed the bulk gain to 35 dB. Now press the PROG button 7x. This will increment
the mic gain 1 dB for a total of 36 dB.
NOTE: Once you increment +4 dB, the fine gain will roll back to 0 dB. You should increment the bulk gain if you
need to go up by 5 dB. The table values for fine gain are [0 dB], 1 dB, 2 dB, 3 dB, 4 dB
Setting 8: Enable/disable breath sound effect
You can easily add background breathing or other sound effects that will be mixed in with your voice.
The Vortex 3 board has a microSD slot to store breathing sounds. You can have up to 4 different breathing sounds
and also change the playback on the fly. For example, you can have breath sounds for normal breathing, fast
breathing, strained breathing, aux.
You can enable or disable auto playback of the breath sound effect by pressing the programming pushbutton 8x. The
default setting is “on”, so any WAV files on the SD card will be accessed.
On the SD card, the files "BREATH1.WAV", "BREATH2.WAV", "BREATH3.WAV", and "BREATH4.WAV" are
valid breath file names. They should be WAV files with 44.1kHz sample rate and 16 bit sample depth.
By default, breath 1 is selected to play out. You can also change the breath sound currently being played out by
using the PTT remote pushbutton cable (explained later in Section D).
Setting 9: Change breath volume
You can also change the volume of the breathing sound so it is either softer or at the same volume as your voice.
There are several volumes to choose from. Many times the volume of the breathing is lower than your voice so this
option allows you to fine tune it to your liking.
Setting 10: Changing silent time between breaths
This setting allows you to set the silent time between breath sounds. The default is 2 sec and you can go up to 6 sec
of silence between breaths.
Setting 11: Changing the amount of helmeted effect
You can also fine tune the amount of reverb for the helmeted effect that Vader has. The default is high, and options
for low or medium are also available. Sometimes the actual wearing of a helmet will increase reverb - depending on
the mic used - so this option lets you tune the amount based on your setup.
Setting 12: Reset all settings to factory defaults
Pushing the PROG button 12x will reset all the saved settings back to their default values. If you ever want to
reprogram the user settings for your board (as outlined in Section C), or just go back to the default settings, this
feature allows you to do that. Reference the table above for all default settings.

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Section D. On-Demand FX MODE
The PTT remote pushbutton has a dual purpose. If PTT mode is enabled, when you hold the PTT button down for 1
sec, the mic will open and you can start talking. If VOX mode is enabled, the mic will not open if you hold the PTT
button down. This 1 sec delay allows for other features to be accessed using the PTT button cable with shorter
button presses. It also prevents unwanted PTT triggering.
If you key in multiple short PTT button presses that are < 1 sec apart, the unit will automatically access a sound FX
mode that allows you to play out sounds on demand (and also change some of the unit's sound parameters). That
way, even if you are not using PTT mode, you can still use the remote pushbutton cable to access these added
sounds/features.
The following table outlines what the PTT pushbutton does in FX MODE. Note that a single button press is defined
as a momentary depress and release (< 1sec):
Number of PTT
button presses
Board responds
with…
(DARK LORD)
2 Enables/disables
breathing FX
3 Cycles to next breathing
sound for playback (if
breath FX enabled)
4 Play out WAV audio
"VMUSIC1.WAV"
5 Play out WAV audio
"VMUSIC2.WAV"
6 Play out WAV audio
"VMUSIC3.WAV"
8 Enable/disable PTT
mode
Hold button in > 1
sec
Opens mic if PTT mode
enabled
In FX MODE, you can also enable/disable the PTT mode at will so you don’t have to access the unit to change from
VOX to PTT mode while in costume. This is useful if you are in a very noisy environment and want to better control
your voice output by enabling PTT mode on the fly.
PTT presses of 4-6 access music tracks. Again these can be stereo or mono wav files with 44.1kHz sample rate and
16 bit sample depth (standard CD). These can be music or sound fx tracks, depending on what you prefer.
NOTE: If you are playing out a long music track, you can stop the playback at any time if you press and release the
PTT button 1x.
ACCESSING THE SD CARD
The microSD card is found under the interface board on the 2nd card. It is a friction fit connector. You can remove
the SD card with some needlenose pliers if you want to change any of the sound files.

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You must use the proper names for the files as listed previously (for breath sounds or FX/music). You can use a free
audio editor tool like Audacity to create/convert wav files to 44.1kHz and 16 bit.
The file names expected: BREATH1.WAV
BREATH2.WAV
BREATH3.WAV
BREATH4.WAV
VMUSIC1.WAV
VMUSIC2.WAV
VMUSIC3.WAV
Note if any of the files are missing, the board will just skip over them and not play that sound.
SD CARD NOT INSTALLED
If the SD card is missing, on powerup the unit will blink all of its LEDs for 5 sec. This tells the user that the board is
unable to locate an SD card. After 5 sec, the board will continue booting up. The SD card does not have to contain
files on it, just reside in the card socket.
If the SD card is installed and the LEDs are blinking, the card may not be making good contact in the socket.
Remove the SD card and reinstall it into the socket. It is a friction fit housing!
RESETTING THE UNIT
A second (and quick) way to reset all settings on the board is to hold the PROG button in while you power up the
unit. When you do this, wait until all 3 LEDS blink quickly in unison. You can let go of the PROG button. The
board will reset all saved settings to defaults and boot the voice board using those settings.
VOICE TIPS
When you talk the unit will automatically pitch shift your voice down and also add reverb and echo. The amount of
pitch shift, reverb, and echo was carefully researched and calibrated to match the movie voice.

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If the amount of pitch shifting performed on your voice is not enough to make your natural voice sound like the exact
movie, try to lower your voice while you talk into the mic. You will find that by fine tuning your own voice, you can
achieve the spirit of the movie speech much more readily. Nothing can automatically turn your voice into the dark
lord, but if you study his speech patterns, talking speed, and word emphasis in the movies, you too can achieve a near
perfect effect that is indistinguishable to most people. Perfecting these intricacies will transform your voice effect
from good to great!
BIG WHITE BUTTON
The lower processing card has a white button on it that SHOULD NOT BE PRESSED. It is used for factory
programming only. If your unit is powered on and you press this button, it will erase the voice effect program from
your board, rendering it useless!!
Access to the button is not easy (on purpose), so this is a proper warning.
When the board is not powered on, the button has no effect. So if you are changing out processing cards for a
different voice effect (and the board is off as it should be) this warning will not apply.
CHANGING POWER INPUT SOURCE TO THE UNIT (ADVANCED)**
The board is setup to run off 9V, or any battery source that is 7-12V DC. When using a battery over 6V, you must
make sure the header pins next to the on/off switch have a black jumper on the "reg" side of the 3 pins. This forces
the battery to go through the regulator and supply the board power.
If you are using 4 AA or AAA batteries (giving 6V), or even a USB power supply (5V) you can bypass the regulator
by putting the black jumper over the "batt" header pins. This powers the board directly from the batteries.
NOTE: If you use a 9V battery and do not change the jumper back to "reg", you will
destroy the board!! So use this with caution and only if you are experienced.

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MIC RECOMMENDATIONS
A headset mic gives you the best flexibility. We recommend the Nady HM-5U headset mic for use with the V3 unit.
This can be purchased from many different online music shops.
Orient the mic so you talk directly into the open mic grill. Also use the foam wind guard as this will help too. This
gives you maximum sensitivity and loudness. Experimentation on location will give the best results. The Nady mic
is also a unidirectional mic, which will help reduce feedback. If you choose to use an omni-directional mic,
feedback can be a bigger issue. You may get better voice pickup but with a helmet on the feedback paths multiply
quickly. A uni-directional or cardiod mic is best.
You can use other types of microphones (throat mics, wireless) but they have not been all tested with the units. So
you may run into compatibility issues. A wireless 2.4G mic with low latency should also work well.
SPEAKER -> MIC FEEDBACK TROUBLESHOOTING
Feedback will be the biggest issue with some setups. If you are having problems with audio feedback (high-pitched
whining), you will have to try one or more of the following:
1) Use PTT mode
2) Move the mic farther away from the speaker
3) Turn the volume down on the amplified speaker
4) Use a uni-directional microphone
TIP: The closer the mic and speaker are, the worse this feedback is. Even if you eliminate feedback in this extreme
case, the slightest movement of your head will cause a new feedback path. As the speaker and mic are separated,
you will have more “leeway” in your head movement before feedback ensues.
This unit has its own natural algorithmic feedback attenuator. If you turn up the speaker volume too much, or move
the mic too close to the speaker, you will begin to hear a reverberant type noise. You must lower the volume or
place the speaker farther away from the mic. Otherwise you risk having the unpleasant sounds continue, which is
known as feedback.
Feedback is caused by the output of the speaker being picked up by the mic, and that sound amplified over and over,
until the amplifier “howls” or otherwise makes unpleasant noises. You should experiment where to place the speaker
and mic in order to find the “sweet spot” in your setup. The anti-feedback mechanism in the software can only
handle a certain amount of feedback. You must remember that feedback always exists. Physical placement of the
mic and speaker are the main variables in combating feedback. Feedback also increases when you put a helmet on
your head, so some trial and error is necessary to find the best configuration and mic/speaker placement. Using the
boom mic will also help with feedback since it is a unidirectional mic. The easiest way to combat feedback is to
lower the volume until it disappears. Also, separating the mic and speaker will reduce feedback immensely.
Also, as a stopgap measure for complete feedback mitigation you can close the mic and open it manually by enabling
PTT mode. This feature rids of any feedback that you would normally hear when the volume is up too loud or if the
mic were constantly “open”.
Remember, feedback is always there, it is just a matter of how much you can attenuate it. Feedback is also directly
proportional to volume, so the more you turn up your speaker, the more feedback you will experience. Our Vortex
voice amp is the only unit capable of tackling difficult feedback paths by using advanced algorithms.

Vortex 3 Voice Effects Unit, Hyperdyne Labs LLC
15
SWAPPING PROCESSING CARDS
You can purchase different voice effects from us, which come in the form of a new processing card. You can
remove the old card from the INTERFACE STACK and insert the new processing card. Keep the old processing
card as it will be your other voice board. And it will still have all your tuned settings on it.
Swapping the card involves prying the processing card off the header pins. First make sure power is off to the board!
Also follow anti-static procedures!!
It may be easier using a screwdriver to leverage the processing card. Do not pull down on one side of the processing
card too much or the pins on the interface stack will bend making install difficult.
Also make sure you line up the new board correctly as it has polarity to it. You want to make sure that the
processing card side that has the white button is facing the interface board stack side that has the microSD connector
slot. Press the processing card onto the header pins with equal force.
TROUBLESHOOTING FAQ
Q: I am experiencing more feedback than my previous system, why?
A: Feedback for one system is not the same for a different system. Since the gain for different boards is not
constant, feedback can increase/decrease for a given speaker/mic configuration you have set up. That is the nature
of feedback. If you want to reduce feedback, try repositioning the speakers and mic, turn down the compressor until
you have a 1:1 gain, and use a directional microphone. Feedback is a direct function of gain, which includes the
compressor gain, the speaker gain (volume), system gain, and distant between mic and speakers.
Q: My board is not behaving correctly
A: First try a new battery. This is the main cause of the board stopping to work properly. And use a NEW alkaline
or even a 9V lithium battery.
Q: I am not hearing my voice
A: Make sure you have a working mic. Check the mic gain setting. Also check to see that PTT mode is not
currently active. You can check that your mic is working by directly plugging it into your amplified speaker if it has
a mic input. Also try and resetting the board to use factory defaults, since this will turn off PTT and reset the mic
gain.

Vortex 3 Voice Effects Unit, Hyperdyne Labs LLC
16
Q: I dont get any sounds
A: Check to make sure the files are on the SD card and spelled correctly. Also double check the sample rate for
each file.
Any questions, email: [e-mail] if you are having difficulties setting up the unit. Good luck
and enjoy!!!
NOTICE: There is no warranty on kits. It is your responsibility to install the board. Opened kits cannot be returned. Be careful if
you plan to use a battery source that is capable of delivering alot of current. Contact a professional if you need assistance.
Hyperdyne Labs assumes no responsibility for the misuse of this kit.

Vortex 3 Voice Effects Unit, Hyperdyne Labs LLC
17
CHEAT SHEET (PRINT OUT)
PROG
button
presses
Voice board feature
(DARK LORD)
Default
setting
1x Increase VOX on threshold (5 settings, 0 default)
Table values: ([Lowest], low, medium, med-high, high)
Lowest
2x Increase VOX off threshold (5 settings, 0 default)
Table values: ([Lowest], low, medium, med-high, high)
Lowest
3x Auto talk squelch timeout (mic open time) in VOX
mode
Table values: (3, 4, [5], 6, 7, 8) sec
5 sec
4x PTT enable/[disable]
PTT enabled: Must use remote button to open mic
PTT disabled: VOX mode is active and will open mic
Disabled
5x Change pitch of your voice (smaller number is deeper)
Table values: (2.75, 2.5, [2.25], ...,1.25, 1.0) 8 settings
1.5
6x Change bulk mic gain
Table values: (15, 20, 25, [30], 35, 40) dB
30 dB
7x Change fine mic gain
Table values: (0, 1, 2, 3, 4) dB
0 dB
8x [Enable]/disable breath FX Enabled
9x Change breath volume gain
Table values: (0.1, [0.2], 0.5, 0.75, 1.0)
0.2
10x Change silence gap between breath playback
Table values: ([2], 3, 4, 5, 6 sec)
2 sec
11x Change amount of helmeted effect (low, med, [high]) high
12x Reset all parameters to factory defaults Reboots
PTT
button
presses
Board responds with…
(DARK LORD)
2 Enables/disables breathing FX
3 Cycles to next breathing sound for
playback (if breath FX enabled)
4 Play out WAV audio
"VMUSIC1.WAV"
5 Play out WAV audio
"VMUSIC2.WAV"
6 Play out WAV audio
"VMUSIC3.WAV"
8 Enable/disable PTT mode
Hold
button in
> 1 sec
Opens mic if PTT mode enabled