Kodamo Essence FM MKII User manual

Preliminary Version
12-12-2019
For reference only

Welcome to the Kodamo EssenceFM! Thanks for urchasing our instrument, which re resents
another and new vision of FM synthesis. We were always focused on making the EssenceFM
“musician oriented”, aiming for reliability and comfort of use in every situation.
This manual was written to offer you the best ex erience you’d get from the EssenceFM. We
recommend to read at least the first section and store this handbook reciously in case you want
to get further information.
Main features
- 300-voice oly hony 6-o erator FM sound engine,
- 16- art multitimbral,
- 6- oint loo able envelo es,
- Free Algorithm and Envelo e Design,
- 8-cord Modulation matrix with 138 sources/228 destinations,
- 24 user-editable Waveforms,
- 2 inde endent Multi-Effect DSPs
- Powerful Voice Sequencer
Safety Precautions
- Use only the su lied ower ada ter.
- Ensure your outlet is ro erly grounded
- Do not cover the vent holes to revent overheating
- Do not o en the device.
- Do not ex ose the device to water or any kind of liquid. If this ha ens, immediately turn
it off and un lug it, then ut it in a warm lace. Try turning it on again only when it’s
com letely dried.
- Do not use the device in excessively hot environments (>40°C)
- Do not ut any heavy objects on the device, the touch screen could be easily damaged.
- Ensure the device is in a stable osition before using it
- Never ower off the device when you are saving
Please regularly save your data to a USB storage device (see Global > Storage). Like on most
synthesizers, a ower loss while saving may corru t your sounds!

Table of Contents
Making connections...............................................................................................................7
Let’s lay !..............................................................................................................................7
Introducing the Front Panel...................................................................................................8
User Interface Elements.........................................................................................................9
First ste s.............................................................................................................................10
Introducing FM synthesis...............................................................................................10
Sound design ti s...........................................................................................................11
Voice mode..........................................................................................................................12
Voice List..................................................................................................................12
Voice Editor....................................................................................................................12
Algorithm design......................................................................................................13
Editing voice/o erator arameters..........................................................................13
Voice settings...........................................................................................................13
O erator settings.....................................................................................................16
Envelo e Edit ..........................................................................................................17
Patch mode..........................................................................................................................18
Patch editor...................................................................................................................18
Layer management..................................................................................................18
Patch settings...........................................................................................................19
Layer settings...........................................................................................................19
Voice Sequencer......................................................................................................20
Performance mode..............................................................................................................21
Manager.........................................................................................................................22
Part Editor......................................................................................................................22
Effects / Routing.............................................................................................................23
Effect selection........................................................................................................23
Knob Assign....................................................................................................................23
Global mode.........................................................................................................................24
Global > MIDI.................................................................................................................24
Global > Tuning..............................................................................................................25
Global > Waveforms.......................................................................................................25
Waveform Editor.....................................................................................................26
Sorting............................................................................................................................26
Dis lay...........................................................................................................................27
Storage...........................................................................................................................27
Audio..............................................................................................................................28
System...........................................................................................................................28
Reset........................................................................................................................28
Demo.......................................................................................................................28

TouchPiano....................................................................................................................28
Automation..........................................................................................................................29
Effect List..............................................................................................................................29
Troubleshooting...................................................................................................................30
Making connections
It’s the moment to lug your EssenceFM!
All the back anel connectors are detailed below:
-Audio Out ut Pairs 1 to 4 (¼ inch / 6,35 mm TRS hone jacks): Each air can o erate as a
stereo bus (cf. FX and Routing section). Each out ut delivers balanced signal, but still can
be connected to an unbalanced TS jack.
-USB (Ty e B): Connects to a host system for USB-MIDI transmission.
-Ethernet (8- in RJ45): Connects to a network to carry MIDI-RTP ackets.
-MIDI Out (5- in DIN): Connects to any MIDI instrument to be controlled by the
EssenceFM.
-MIDI Thru (5- in DIN): Any MIDI data fed into the MIDI In ort will be out ut here
directly.
-MIDI In (5- in DIN): Connects to any MIDI controlling device (e.g. master keyboard,
synth, sequencer, com uter MIDI interface, wind controller, etc.)
-DC Power su ly: Connects to the su lied 12V DC 2A ower unit.
Let’s play !
When owered u , the EssenceFM starts in
Patch mode by default, letting you lay with its
resets sounds.
Just scroll down the list and select a atch by
ressing on its name to use it.

The EssenceFM ower resides into its structure,
smaller elements are stacked to make big
ensembles. Let’s familiarize with it.
Voice: The Voice is the smallest element that the
EssenceFM uses to make a sound. It’s the basic
starting oint to make a sound.
Patch: The Patch is basically gathering one or
more voice(s), by stacking, layering, sequencing them together and adding effects. It’s the main
element to lay with the EssenceFM.
Performance: The Performance is the dedicated mode to multitimbral o eration. It allows you to
assign a atch to each MIDI channel. In this mode the effects DSPs are shared, ignoring atch effect
settings.
Introd cing the Front Panel
The EssenceFM’s front anel is based on the combination of a large touchscreen and hardware
controls. Hardware controls rovide a quick access to the most common features.
MODE KEYS
- Performance
- Patch
- Voice
- Global
Those keys rovides direct access to the
associated modes. See the
Performance/Patch/Voice/Global sections to
know more about them.
DATA ENTRY
-Direct Access knobs: Those 6 knobs are used for the Direct Access feature described
below, exce t on the main age of the Performance mode, where they act as real-time
MIDI controllers.
-Main Dial: Modifies the focused element on screen (which will be detailed in the next
section).
-Inc / Dec: Works in the same way as Main Dial (increments and decrements value)
EDIT KEYS

Copy: Places the focused element into the cli board for further use.
Paste: Places the cli board content into the focused element.
Undo: Discards the last o eration, u to 1000 times. Note: leaving a age resets the undo/redo
history.
Redo: Restores the reviously discarded o eration.
Save: Saves the current element into the internal memory. A art from some global settings, an
element is never automatically saved when co ied, moved or edited, you need to ex licitly ress
Save. Pressing save on a general age (e.g. Patch list) will o en a o u allowing you to save some
s ecific elements, or to save them all.
Recall: Reloads the edited element ( erformance, atch, voice, scale or waveform) from its last
saved state.
MISC.
Preview (♪): Plays a few notes to quickly listen to an element without having to use a MIDI
controller. To customize review, take a look at the Preview tab in Global > MIDI age.
Panic: Immediately sto s all notes currently laying.
User Interface Elements
The EssenceFM user interface is organized into ages. After ressing a mode key, the main age of
the mode is dis layed, then you can access more sub- ages from it.
The breadcrumb located at the to of the screen always shows you were you are in the age tree.
You can navigate back by ressing on a age's name.
Note the asterisks (*) on some age names. It means that the related element was modified but
wasn't saved. When the asterisk is not on a age re resenting a s ecific element but on a
«general» age (like Patch here, which is the atch list), that means at least one atch is unsaved.
As described above, ressing Save here will allow you to save all or some of the modified elements,
without having to reach all of them one by one.
If you are not familiar with com uters and user interfaces, here is a descri tion of the elements
you'll find in the EssenceFM :
Foc s notion: Focus is the gra hical re resentation of which element is currently editable, it’s
re resented by a frame surrounding the focused element. A focused element is directly editable by
turning the Main Dial knob, ushing INC/DEC keys, and is eligible to a COPY/PASTE o eration.
Direct Access feat re: The 6 knobs located on the right side of the touchscreen allow you to edit
values without needing to focus the element. Elements concerned by Direct Access are always
flagged with the associated knob number. It’s mostly sliders, but envelo e oints can be directly

accessed this way too. (see Architecture Reference cha ter to see how the Envelo e Editor works)
Pop p: A window that a ears in front of the rest of the age for an action confirmation, or to
show you more arameters relative to the button you ressed.
B tton: Clicking it triggers an action, exactly as a hysical key can do. It’s used to go to a sub age,
confirm an o eration, etc.
Slider: Allows you to set a value. To modify it, sim ly drag horizontally the slider gauge. You can
also ty e directly a numerical value by using the virtual key ad. To access it, focus the slider you
want to modify, then click on the Key ad button at the to right corner.
List: Allows you to select an element in a list. You can swi e it vertically to quickly scroll across the
elements, or slowly move your fingerti to reach recisely what you are seeking in the list. Any list
element can also be accessed by entering its index with the virtual numerical key ad (by clicking
on the button after it’s focused, like the
slider).
Text field: Allows you to enter text data
(e.g. atch name). Clicking on it o ens the
al hanumeric virtual keyboard.
Checkbox: A arameter that can be
activated (checked) or deactivated
(unchecked).
Radio B tton: Allows to make a choice
between several o tions. Unlike
checkboxes, radio buttons are at least two, and only one can be selected at a time into a set.
Tab field: S lits interface elements into several tabs, which are like small ages. Accessing a
articular tab is done by clicking on its header.
First steps
Introd cing FM synthesis
FM stands for “Frequency Modulation”. A waveform is multi lied (“modulated”) with another
waveform to create a new one. It’s the same as vibrato, exce t that it is much faster, so much
faster that it sounds like a different timbre to the ear, rather than a quick vibrato.
If you’re familiar with the subtractive synthesis used in analog synths, FM is the o osite: you
usually start from sounds with low harmonic content (e.g. a
Sine Wave), that once modulated will create the desired
harmonics.
The new harmonics created, sometimes called “Partials”,
de ends on the frequency ratio between the carrier (the base
sound) and the modulator (the one modulating the carrier’s

signal).
In FM synthesis, a block generating sound is usually called an O erator, and the O erator
arrangement is called an Algorithm.
An FM Algorithm is usually re resented as below, and is to be read from to to bottom.
When an o erator is feeding its signal into another one under it (1, 5 and 6) it is called a Modulator
-you don’t hear its direct sound-, while o erators at the bottommost (2, 3 and 4) are Carriers.
Changing the volume of a carrier will effectively change your sound’s volume, but doing the same
thing on a modulator with modify the harmonic content of the sound. This is where the ower of
FM synthesis resides! Cou led with envelo e generators, harmonic content that changes over time
is easily achieved.
There may be several modulators for one carrier, in this case their out ut is sim ly summed before
the modulation ha ens (additive synthesis). Or there may be a modulator modulating several
carriers, in that case its out ut is sim ly sent to each carrier.
The quickest way to learn FM synthesis is by looking at existing sounds. Go into Voice mode, select
one from the list and ress “Edit”. Now you're free to modify it, destroy it or make it better!
FM synthesis has the big advantage of being really fun to work with - after about 10 years
ex erimenting with it, we are still sur rised by the variety of sounds we can get from it.
We ho e you’ll like it as much as we do!
So nd design tips
Start with a single audible o erator (mute the others), then build your sound from it, by adding
o erators as you need them. Instead of using a single modulator with a very high volume, try using
several of them chained in different ways, with a lower volume to achieve a more refined sound.
When trying to achieve a articular sound, try to s lit it into several sub-sounds to make them
easier to manage. For exam le, for a an flute, you may want to create a short noise attack sound
+ a sustained, cleaner i e sound.
Use the sine wave first. They are the most flexible and useful in FM synthesis. Use other
waveforms with care, as their aliasing limit is easily exceeded. You will find that some waveforms
are well suited to some instruments (like the Square wave for cymbals, or the HSine for bowed
strings).
When you have a good sound that is just a bit “thin” sounding, try detuning an o erator (“Fine”
arameter) to create a rotating hase shift. If the wobbly effect isn’t a ro riate, try instead
overla ing two instances of the voice in Patch mode, with a slight detune a lied to one of it.
Also, don’t underestimate the effects. Some chorus or haser may do wonders.

Voice mode
In Voice mode you can organize, lay and edit a 6-o FM voice. This mode res onds to the Global
Channel, see Global > MIDI configuration.
Voice List
Bank / Voice Lists: Those lists allows
you to select the voice you want to lay
or edit in this mode
By Category: Shows the voices/ atches
sorted by Category instead of sorting
them by Bank.
Find : Allows to search a voice by
name.
MIDI activity indicator : Shows the
Pan (light vertical bar), Volume (height),
Channel (channel number or G for
global channel) and MIDI activity (color) in a very com act way.
Edit: Goes into the Voice Edit Mode
Swap: Swa s the current voice with another one, select via a o u .
Clear: Resets com letely the current voice
Show Patches: Shows all atches using the selected voice. It’s useful to see which atches will be
affected when editing this voice.
These arameters on the aren’t stored within the voice, they are for laying ur oses:
P.Bend Range (0 ~ 96): Pitch Bend range in semitone
Vol me (0 ~ 127): Volume of the voice
Pan (0 ~ 127): Pan of the voice
Mono: Toggles voice to monodic lay
mode
PortSpd (0 ~ 127): Portamento S eed,
works only when the voice is in Mono
Mode
Voice Editor
The voice editor is s lit into two arts:
the left art of the screen always
dis lays the algorithm, while the right