Motas 6 User manual

User Guide
document version 1.29 (non-printed)
for rmware version 06020119
January 31, 2021

Contents
1Foreword ................................... 1
2Proper use and maintenance............................. 2
3Document conventions .............................. 3
4Introduction .................................. 4
5Top and rear panel ................................ 6
6Quick-start ................................... 7
7Control Overview ................................ 8
8Parameter pages.................................10
8.1 Parameter page display overview ..........................11
9Modulation...................................13
9.1 Global Modulation Sources ............................13
9.2 Low-Frequency Oscillator (LFO) waveforms .......................16
9.3 Global Low-Frequency Oscillators (LFOx) ........................16
9.4 Dedicated Low-Frequency Oscillators (LFO) .......................18
9.5 Envelope Generators (EG) .............................20
9.6 Editing parameters with rotary knobs .........................22
10 Parameter pages - in depth .............................23
10.1 Master Pitch .................................23
10.2 Oscillator 1..................................23
10.3 Oscillator 2..................................25
10.4 Oscillator 3..................................26
User Guide v1.29 page i

10.5 Mixer section .................................28
10.6 Low-pass lter 1 ................................29
10.7 High-pass lter ................................30
10.8 Low-pass lter 2 ................................30
10.9 Output stage .................................31
11 Patch summary .................................32
11.1 Parameter mapping ...............................32
12 Load, Save and Copy/Reset/Randomise .........................33
12.1 Load patch ..................................33
12.2 Save and erase patches ..............................33
12.3 Copy/Reset/Randomise .............................34
13 Vector morphing .................................35
14 Arpeggiator ..................................36
14.1 Main arpeggiator settings .............................36
14.2 More arpeggiator settings.............................36
14.3 Internal arpeggiator settings ............................37
15 Pattern sequencer ................................38
15.1 Control overview ................................38
15.2 Pattern edit mode ...............................38
15.3 Load/save/copy patterns .............................40
15.4 Sequence edit mode...............................40
15.5 Load/save sequences ..............................40
16 Monitor ....................................41
16.1 Volume level monitor ..............................41
16.2 MIDI in monitor ................................41
16.3 Oscilloscope .................................42
16.4 Spectrum analyser ...............................42
17 Setup.....................................44
17.1 Patch settings 1 ................................44
17.2 Patch settings 2 ................................44
17.3 Tempo settings ................................45
User Guide v1.29 CONTENTS page ii

17.4 Parameter mapping ...............................45
17.5 MIDI channels .................................46
17.6 Modulators..................................46
17.7 EG Triggers ..................................47
17.8 Morph/patch change ..............................47
17.9 CV/Gate inputs ................................48
17.10 CV/gate oset and scaling.............................48
17.11 Tuning ...................................48
17.12 SysEx data backup ...............................49
17.13 Param map control ...............................50
17.14 NRPN / SysEx/ THRU ..............................50
17.15 Poly chain ..................................50
17.16 System settings ................................51
17.17 Custom settings ................................51
17.18 Calibration ..................................51
17.19 Calibration values ...............................52
17.20 System status .................................52
17.21 Version info .................................52
18 Real-time patch change recording ...........................53
18.1 NRPNs ...................................53
ISignal path diagram (simplied) ...........................55
II MIDI Implementation Chart .............................56
III MIDI SysEx messages ...............................59
IV Specications ..................................60
VEU Declaration of Conformity ............................61
User Guide v1.29 CONTENTS page iii

1Foreword
Thank you for taking the time to read this user guide.
The synthesizer is the result of many years of development to create a great-sounding instrument with very
comprehensive modulation capabilities and an easy to use and responsive interface.
To get the most out of this powerful synthesizer we recommend that you study this guide carefully whilst practising and
listening at the same time. You cannot beat hands-on experience!
We hope that you will enjoy using as you explore creating interesting new sounds.
For the latest news, rmware and user guide updates please visit www.motas-synth.uk. For technical support, general en-
quiries or user feedback (gratefully received) please email [email protected].
Whilst every eort has been made to ensure that this guide is as accurate as possible Motas Electronics Limited will not
be liable for any erroneous information. This manual may be updated at any time without prior notice. Please check the
website for updates.
This guide or any portion of it may not be reproduced in any form without the manufacturer’s express consent.
User Guide v1.29 page 1

2Proper use and maintenance
Please read the following instructions care-
fully and keep them with the apparatus. Do not op-
erate the apparatus until you have read and under-
stood this section.
Proper use
• Only use a correctly specied power supply otherwise
damage may occur to the apparatus and/or other con-
nected equipment.
• Place the apparatus on a stable surface.
• Never use the apparatus under damp conditions. Do not
expose the apparatus to rain. Use the apparatus in en-
closed rooms only.
• Unplug the apparatus during lightning storms or when
unused for long periods of time.
• Never operate the apparatus or power supply with wet
hands and never place objects containing liquids on or
near the apparatus.
• Do not use the apparatus in extremely dusty or dirty en-
vironments.
• The rear left of the chassis gets very warm in normal use
– make sure that adequate ventilation is available. Do
not place the apparatus near heat sources such as radi-
ators.
• Make sure no foreign objects nd their way into the chas-
sis. If for some reason this should occur, switch the power
o, unplug the device and consult qualied service per-
sonnel.
• Do not expose the apparatus to direct sunlight as this
could damage the display and fade the surface nish.
• Do not expose the apparatus to extreme vibrations.
• Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servic-
ing is required when the apparatus has been damaged
(or potentially has been damaged) e.g.power connections
damaged, liquid spilled or objects have fallen into the
apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or
moisture, apparatus does not operate normally or has
been dropped.
• The apparatus, used on its own or with ampliers, speak-
ers or headphones, can generate volume levels that may
do irreparable damage to your hearing.
• The apparatus is designed exclusively to produce low-
frequency audio signals for the purpose of generating
sound. Any other use is prohibited. Motas Electronics
Limited is not liable for damages due to incorrect use.
Maintenance
• Do not open the apparatus or remove the cover. Refer
all service and repair tasks to qualied personnel. The
interior of the chassis contains no components that re-
quire user maintenance.
• Use a soft cloth (e.g. a micro-bre cloth) or brush to
clean the device. Never use alcohol, cleaning solutions
or similar chemicals as they will likely damage the sur-
face nish of the chassis and/or the markings.
i
The symbol below indicates that this prod-
uct must not be disposed of with your other house-
hold waste. Instead, it is your responsibility to dis-
pose of your waste equipment by handing it over
to a designated collection point for the recycling
of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The
separate collection and recycling of your waste
equipment at the time of disposal will help con-
serve natural resources and ensure that it is re-
cycled in a manner that protects human health
and the environment. For more information about
where you can drop o your waste for recycling,
please contact your Local Authority, or where you
purchased your product.
User Guide v1.29 page 2

3Document conventions
You will nd many screenshots taken from
throughout this guide. An example is shown
below:
The following document formatting conventions are used:
•Link (blue text) is a weblink or a link to another part of
this document.
•1(number) refers to an item on the top panel of the
unit.
•A(letter) refers to an item on the rear panel of the unit.
•this or this shows text you may see on the dis-
play.
•Ishows a symbol you may see on the display.
•text or refers to a push button on the top
panel labelled with that text or symbol.
•text or refers to a rotary knob on the
top panel labelled with that text or symbol.
• refers to the rotary encoder data-entry wheel on the
lower RHS of the front panel.
Tip section highlighted with a ’lightbulb’ icon.
i
Information section highlighted with an ’i’
icon.
Advanced information section highlighted
with a ’gears’ icon. These may be advanced
patch tips or details of the inner workings of
.
Warning section highlighted with a ’warn-
ing’ icon. It is important to ensure that you read
and understand these sections.
User Guide v1.29 page 3

4Introduction
is a paraphonic vector-morphing synthesizer
with classic analogue subtractive synthesis and powerful
digital control.
• Vector morphing between patches
• Fully analogue audio signal path
• Three analogue oscillators (VCOs) with freely mixable
waveforms:
–triangle (oscillators 1, 2 and 3)
–sawtooth (oscillators 1, 2 and 3)
–variable-width pulse (oscillators 1 & 3)
–square and sub-oscillator (oscillator 2)
• Oscillator hard-syncing (multiple options)
• Analogue phase modulation (oscillators 2 & 3)
• Analogue noise souce (white or pink)
• Internal audio feedback or external audio input
• 4 CV/gate inputs for analogue control
• Three independent analogue lters (VCFs) with exible
routing:
–Low-pass resonant lter (6-pole with selectable out-
puts and resonance character adjustment)
–Second low-pass resonant lter (4-pole)
–High-pass lter (2-pole)
• Multiple output distortion options
• Powerful modulation architecture:
–4 global LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators)
–4 global EGs (Envelope Generators)
–33 parameter-local LFOs
–33 parameter-local EGs
–Four freely congurable global modulation sources
e.g. MIDI, CV/gate input or internal global LFOs/EGs
• 5 fast-access patches
• Copy/reset/randomise feature
• Full MIDI control and USB MIDI interface
• Oscilloscope and spectrum analyser
• Flexible arpeggiator
• Built-in pattern sequencer
• Non-volatile internal memory for saving 500 patches, 56
patterns, 16 sequences and user settings
• High-resolution OLED graphic display
• Compact high-quality tabletop case
Vector morphing
has a unique ’vector morphing’ feature. This
allows blending of the parameters for the active patch in
a 2-D space from a set of 4 patches using the morph-x and
morph-y modulators (which can be freely assigned to any
MIDI controller or CV signal).
Analogue oscillators
has three analogue voltage-controlled os-
cillators (VCOs) with various hard-sync, pulse-width and phase
modulation options. These are true analogue oscillators
and not DCOs. The oscillators, analogue noise source (with
white/pink output option) and an internal feedback rout-
ing or external audio input all feed into a mixer before the
lters.
Analogue lters
has very powerful ltering capabilities. There
is a 6-pole voltage-controlled low-pass lter (VCF) with ad-
justable resonance to self-oscillation (with selectable 1, 2,
3, 4, 5 and 6-pole outputs), a 2-pole high-pass lter and a
second 4-pole low-pass lter with adjustable resonance to
self-oscillation.
The lters can be chained in parallel or in series and the
outputs are separately mixable giving huge sound-creation
potential. The nal audio output has a variety of clipping
distortion options.
Modulation
Each analogue-controlled parameter has its own dedicated
LFO and EG. In addition, each parameter has dedicated mod-
ulation amount settings from velocity, pitch, the global
modulation sources and the global LFOs and EGs. Secondary
’modulation of the modulators’ is also possible, for exam-
ple, a global modulation source can control the LFO fre-
quency. This allows very exible and powerful control of
the analogue sound.
Up to four global modulation sources can be freely dened
from incoming MIDI controller data and/or analogue sig-
nals on the CV/gate inputs.
The internal architecture uses high-
resolution digital signals for the modulation allow-
ing a total of 37 LFOs and 37 EGs.
User Guide v1.29 page 4

User interface
Dedicated analogue rotary potentiometers are used
to access the basic analogue parameter pages and to al-
low fast ’tweaking’ in real-time. In addition
uses a rotary rotary encoder in combination with tactile
push buttons for data entry and editing.
Display
has an OLED (organic light emitting diode)
display with a fast update rate and wide viewing angle.
The display intensity can be adjusted.
External connections
has traditional MIDI input and MIDI output
connectors in addition to USB MIDI. USB MIDI allows faster
data transfer to and from a PC and is recog-
nised as a standard MIDI device (no special drivers should
be needed).
There are four independent analogue CV/gate inputs to al-
low playing/modulation from external analogue sequencers,
controllers and modular synthesizers.
The main audio output is monophonic and in addition there
is a mono headphone output (on a stereo connector).
Other features
has a exible arpeggiator. There are global
and patch-specic arpeggiator settings. The play mode,
octave range, pattern, note length and swing can be ad-
justed and synced to MIDI, CV or internal clock. A special
global mode allows rapid patch changing as the arpeggia-
tor plays.
The pattern sequencer allows 1-bar patterns to be entered
where each note in each pattern can be adjusted for pitch,
velocity, time, duration, micro-tune and patch change. Real-
time sound parameter changes can be recorded and edited
too. Patterns can be arranged into a 2-line simple sequence
with pattern repeat, transpose, time oset and patch set-
tings.
More than 500 sound patches can be saved to non-volatile
memory.
has 32 built-in microtuning scales and al-
lows a further 32 scales to be dened and stored using
standard MIDI bulk tuning commands.
There is a useful oscilloscope and spectrum analyser fea-
ture that allow the user to study the output signals on the
display.
Integration with external software
Free software including DAW plugin software is available
to download from www.motas-synth.uk/downloads.html.
This allows live control between and your
computer and patch/sequence archiving, rmware updat-
ing and more.
Firmware updates
rmware updates are available from time-
to-time to add new features and make other improvements.
These can be downloaded and applied using the free soft-
ware provided from www.motas-synth.uk/downloads.html.
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 4. INTRODUCTION page 5

5Top and rear panel
copy
note velocity M1 M2 M3 M4
monitor
save load
arpeg. pattern
volume
setup
sequence
time duration m-tunevelocitypitch
lock
page
lock
value
modulation
envelope generator
lfo x lfo
a b c d e f
g h i j k l
m n o p q r
s t u
v w x
y z spc
23 4 1
pitch
master pitch
sub
pwm
mod
phase
mod
phase
oscillator 2
oscillator 1
oscillator 3
low-pass filter 1
low-pass filter 2
high-pass filter
output
mixer
5
pwm
pitch
pitch
notes params params-c mods
/
p/s
frequency frequency
patch
bk
del
1sound editing ’parameter’ knobs with LEDs [x 33]
2fast-access patch-change buttons with LEDs [x 5]
3OLED display (monochrome yellow or white), main
volume knob and monitor button
4modulation settings / sequence control buttons
[x 18]
5rotary encoder and buttons [x 4]for data entry/options†
6buttons to access other features [x 9]
†Panic combination: pressing the rotary encoder and
simultaneously will turn o all playing notes and
reset controllers. Useful if, for example, a controller key-
board is unplugged leaving notes hanging.
The lettering at the top of the rear panel is printed upside
down so that the user can read the lettering when peering
over from the front of the unit.
Aheadphones out (2 channel mono)
[Stereo 6.35mm phone socket ]
Bmain audio out (mono)
[Mono 6.35mm phone socket ]
Cexternal audio input (leave unconnected for internal
feedback routing)
[Mono 6.35mm phone socket ]
DCV/gate inputs [Mono 3.5mm sockets x 4]
EMIDI out [5-pin DIN socket ]
FMIDI in [5-pin DIN socket ]
GUSB MIDI socket for connection to PC
[USB type-B ]
Hpower supply in
[2.1mm. 12V DC, 1A, centre positive ]
Jpower on/o push switch
[button in = power on ]
User Guide v1.29 page 6

6Quick-start
1. Firstly ensure that the power button Jis o and the
main volume control 3is set to minimum.
2. Plug a MIDI cable from your MIDI keyboard to the
MIDI IN connector F. Turn on your MIDI keyboard
and set it up to send MIDI notes as you play.
Alternatively connect to your PC with
a USB cable – it should appear as a standard MIDI de-
vice (once powered on). Use your sequencer or other
software to send note data.
Ensure the receive MIDI channel matches
the send channel number – for more info see 17.5.
3. Plug a mono audio patch cable from the main audio
out Bto your external amplication system. Set the
gain level low initially, to avoid any audio pops when
is switched on. Alternatively monitor
on headphones A.
4. Plug in the 12V DC power supply into connection H.
5. Turn on using the power button J.
The display will show the start-up image.
6. Press monitor (in the 3group) and then the
right arrow button . The display will change
and show MIDI diagnosics monitoring information for
the incoming MIDI data if everything is working cor-
rectly. If you don’t see this check your connections
and external settings. For more information on the
MIDI monitoring see chapter 16.
7. Press load (button in the 6group). and then
use the rotary encoder to scroll through the avail-
able patches (in bank 0). As each patch is selected
the settings are loaded in and you should be able
to hear audio as you play. For more information on
loading sounds see chapter 12. Adjust the volume
level control 3to a suitable listening level.
User Guide v1.29 page 7

7Control Overview
To access the settings (parameters) that determine the sound
you turn a rotary knob 1corresponding to the setting
that you want to change. Each rotary knob 1is associ-
ated with it’s own ’parameter page’. Normally the display
will then change to show the settings for the parameter
page associated with that knob.
For example, the gure above shows the parameter page
for the low-pass lter 1 cut-o frequency.
Turning a rotary knob 1normally has the side-eect
of also changing the oset value for that parameter page.
Use the ’value lock’ feature prevent this. Press the
value lock button to toggle ’value-lock’ on and o.
When ’locked’ the adjacent LED will ash. Conversely, use
the ’page-lock’ mode to allow rapid hands-on changes of
parameter basic osets such as sweeping lter cut-o, chang-
ing oscillator mix levels etc. without changing the active
parameter page. Press the page lock button to tog-
gle ’page-lock’ on and o. When ’locked’ the adjacent LED
will ash.
Use the rotary encoder or or buttons to
change values. For faster data entry when using the ro-
tary encoder , push the rotary encoder down at the
same time as turning. You can also press and hold or
to rapidly change a value. Hold down value lock
and use the rotary encoder to edit values at the highest
resolution possible.
In the case of any ’stuck’ notes e.g. if a MIDI keyboard is
unplugged whilst a note is ’on’, press and hold the rotary
encoder wheel down and simultaneously press
to turn all notes o.
Adjust volume to set the output volume level.
Patch parameter editing
The sound generated by is controlled by
the settings on 33 parameter ’pages’ – each parameter has
its own ’page’ shown on the display. These are explained
in detail in chapter 10. To access a particular parameter
page turn the appropriate rotary knob 1. The active
parameter page is shown by the adjacent ashing LED.
Fast patch changing
has 5 patches (sound setups) in memory
ready for fast access. To change the active patch press one
of the fast-access patch 2buttons 1,2,3,
4or 5. The corresponding fast-access patch 2
LED will be lit to show the active patch. See chapter 11 for
more details.
Load/save/copy
To load or save patches, patterns or sequences press load
or save . To copy patch settings, reset settings or ran-
domise parameter page settings press copy . See chap-
ter 12 for more details.
Vector morphing
has a vector morphing feature to allow smooth
transition from the sound parameters of one patch to an-
other using external controllers. To access the vector mor-
phing feature press whilst the patch overview page
is displayed. See chapter 13 for more details.
Arpeggiator
has a powerful arpeggiator feature – press
arpeg. . See chapter 14 for more details.
Pattern sequence
has a pattern sequencer. Press pattern
to access the patterns and sequence to access the
sequencer. See chapter 15 for more details.
Monitor
To view signal level, the incoming MIDI signals and out-
put signals and access the oscilloscope and spectrum anal-
yser features use the ’monitor’ feature monitor . See
chapter 16 for more details.
Setup
To access various global settings and parameters (such as
MIDI receive channel, calibration and modulation sources)
press setup . See chapter 17 for more details.
Live patch editing
can send and receive MIDI NRPN messages
to allow external recording and full high-resolution con-
trol of all patch settings. See chapter 18 for more details
of NRPNs.
User Guide v1.29 page 8

has a parameter mapping feature that can
be used to send and receive simple MIDI CCs to control up
to 24 patch parameters. See section 17.4.
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 7. CONTROL OVERVIEW page 9

8Parameter pages
The sound generated by is controlled by
the settings on 33 parameter ’pages’ – each parameter has
its own ’page’ shown on the display. These are listed below
and explained in detail in chapter 10. To access a particu-
lar parameter page turn the appropriate rotary knob
1. The active parameter page is shown by the adjacent
ashing LED indicator.
Use the ’value lock’ feature to allow
changing of the active parameter page with-
out changing the sound parameters. Press the
value lock button to toggle ’value-lock’ on
and o. When ’locked’ the LED will ash next to
the value lock button.
The listing below is a summary of each parameter page
starting from the top left of the front panel moving from
left-to-right and then down in rows.
Parameter page summary
•master pitch page:
master pitch pitch control applied
to all 3 oscillators
•oscillator 1 pages:
overall volume level
pitch pitch control and
hard sync. options
triangle waveform volume level
sawtooth waveform volume level
pwm pulse-width control
pulse waveform volume level
•oscillator 2 pages:
phase mod phase modulation level
overall volume level
pitch pitch control and
hard sync. options
triangle waveform
volume level
sawtooth waveform
volume level
square waveform
volume level
sub sub-oscillator waveform
volume level
•oscillator 3 pages:
phase mod phase modulation level
overall volume level
pitch pitch control
triangle waveform
volume level
sawtooth waveform
volume level
pwm pulse-width control
pulse waveform
volume level
•mixer pages:
noise source volume level
and white/pink option
overall volume level from mixer
and boost option
feedback/external audio
input volume level
•low-pass filter 1 pages:
cut-o frequency and
input routing options
resonance amount and
character option
output volume level and
routing options
•high-pass filter pages:
cut-o frequency and
input routing options
output volume level and
routing options
User Guide v1.29 page 10

•low-pass filter 2 pages:
cut-o frequency and
input routing options
resonance amount
output volume level and
routing options
•output page:
output volume level and
clipping options
Use the ’page-lock’ mode to allow rapid
hands-on changes of parameter basic osets such
as sweeping lter cut-o, changing oscillator mix
levels etc. without changing the active parameter
page. Press the page lock button to toggle
’page-lock’ on and o. When ’locked’ the LED will
ash next to the page lock button.
i
If ’page-lock’ and ’value-lock’ are simultane-
ously enabled the rotary knobs then allow live edit-
ing of other patch parameters. See section 9.6 and
17.4
8.1 Parameter page display overview
Although controlling the sound in may ap-
pear to be rather daunting at rst given the number of
parameter pages and the large number options on each
page, once you have mastered operation of one of the pa-
rameter pages you will understand most of all the others
as the basic operations are common to all pages.
So let’s start by explaining operation of one of the param-
eter pages. Start by reseting the current patch by pressing
copy and selecting ’reset patch’. Then turn the low-
pass lter 1 cut-o control to access that pa-
rameter page. You should now see something similar on
the display to that shown in the gure below.
Page title
Each page has a ’destination’ i.e. what aspect of the syn-
thesizer it controls, and this is labelled at the top left of
the display. In this case it is
lpf-1 :freq - the cut-o frequency of low-pass
lter 1.
Basic oset
Each parameter page has a basic oset level that can be
adjusted using the rotary knobs 1or rotary encoder
and up and down buttons 5. All of the mod-
ulation sources (see chapter 9) add (or subtract) from this
oset to generate the nal level. The rotary encoder
, and adjust the basic oset for the active
page only when the basic oset is the active editable item
(shown as ashing), otherwise they will control other pa-
rameters. However, the rotary knobs 1always control
the basic oset for their parameter page (except when
’value-lock’ is enabled). Press and hold or to
continuously change the oset in large steps. To reset the
oset to its default value (zero for levels, standard pitch
for pitch pages) press and simultaneously.
Use the rotary knobs 1for smooth ne con-
trol of the parameter page oset. Use the
and buttons to jump set amounts in oset.
Push the rotary encoder and turn at
the same time to change values in larger steps for
rapid sound adjustments.
Page options
Some parameter pages have additional options unique to
that page. Press or to see and change
these options. Then press and to select the
options (if there is more than one option) and the rotary
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 8. PARAMETER PAGES page 11

encoder to change the value. Press and
simultaneously to jump to the rst option. Press or
again, or press and simultaneously
to return to the main parameter page.
You can only change the page option when the active item
is the basic oet (shown by ashing value at the bottom
right-hand of the display) otherwise and
control other options (more on this later!).
In the screenshot example shown above the option for the
LPF-1 cut-o frequency page is the source of the audio in-
put to the lter. In this case this input is set to ’mix’.
Current values
At the far right of the main parameter display a horizontal
bar shows the current level of the destination signal in real
time. The current value is the sum of the basic oset for
the page with all the modulation signals (see chapter 9for
explanation of the modulation options).
If the controlling signal rises above the maximum of the
destination then an ’up’ arrow kis shown instead of the
bar, and if the controlling signal falls below the minimum
a ’down’ arrow lis shown instead of the bar.
The horizontal arrow next to the solid vertical bar shows
the current position of the rotary knob 1.
i
When the parameter page displays
modulations not active
the current value will follow the basic oset, since
all the modulations amounts are set to zero.
i
The current value bar tries to follow the pa-
rameter page value in real-time. However, if the
modulation is very fast this display will not be able
to ’keep-up’ and so you will only see a snapshot of
the value at that point in time.
Active patch
has 5 fast-access patch slots. The current
active patch for editing is shown as a number in the bot-
tom left corner (patch 1 in this case). In addition a corre-
sponding fast-access patch 2LED will be brightly lit. When
the arpeggiator or pattern sequencer changes the played
patch the LED for that patch will be dimly lit, whilst the
patch for editing will still be brightly lit. To change be-
tween then 5 patches press one of the fast-access patch
2buttons.
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 8. PARAMETER PAGES page 12

9Modulation
Modulation means changing parameter values from a mod-
ulation source. This could be a freely-changing modula-
tion with time, such as from a low-frequency oscillator (LFO)
that is not synchronised or modulation that is synchronised
to the start of a key press, such as from an envelope gen-
erator (EG) triggered by a note-on event.
Conventional analogue synthesizers typically have a small
number of LFOs and EGs (usually 1 or 2) that are used for
modulation. In some cases the modulation sources have
xed destinations (such as a dedicated EG for output level)
or can be set to only a limited number of destinations (such
as lter cut-o frequency or pitch).
is dierent – every parameter has its own
dedicated LFO and dedicated EG in addition to dedicated
modulation amount settings from velocity, pitch, 4 global
LFOs, 4 global EGs and 4 denable global modulation sources
(MIDI, CV or global LFOs/EGs)! This powerful architecture
allows complete freedom to modulate and control almost
every aspect of the sound generation. You can freely set
the modulation for every parameter separately if desired
or have coupled modulation between parameters using the
global modulation sources, if you wish.
Each parameter page allows you to set the levels and rout-
ings of the various parameters that determine the sound,
but things get a lot more interesting once some modu-
lation is used. Modulation allows creation of interesting
sounds that change in character over time.
i
Perhaps the most common ’modulation’
used in synthesizing sounds (and often not really
considered as modulation) is simply applying an
envelope modulation to the output signal level.
With this ’modulation’ the volume increases once a
key is pressed and decays away once the key is re-
leased. Without this modulation a constant sound
volume would be heard whether or not a key was
pressed, which would be used for a ’drone’ sound
patch.
Each and every parameter page has dedicated modulation
control amounts from 9 sources:
IMIDI/CV note-on value
KMIDI/CV note velocity
Gglobal modulation M1
Hglobal modulation M2
Iglobal modulation M3
Jglobal modulation M4
lfox choice of global LFO x = 1–4
lfo dedicated LFO for
each parameter page
egx choice of global EG x = 1 – 4, or
dedicated EG
The modulation amount can be zero (for no modulation),
positive or negative. The actual modulation signal applied
to the parameter page value is the product (i.e. multiplica-
tion) of the modulation amount and the modulation source
signal at that point in time. All of the modulation signals
are added together with the parameter page basic oset
value to give the resulting value for the parameter page
value.
i
The modulations can be set to either a ’bipo-
lar’ or ’unipolar’ response (except for the LFOs
which are xed in ’bipolar’ reponse). Bipolar means
that when the source is at its mid-value the mod-
ulation eect will be zero whilst in unipolar mode
the eect is zero when the source is also at its zero
value.
i
The modulation amount displayed shows
the modulation peak-to-peak maximum change.
For example, if the modulation amount for LFO
on the oscillator 1 pitch parameter page is set to
12.00s then the modulation of the pitch will vary
over 12 semitones (1 octave) as the LFO waveform
cycles from it’s minimum to maximum values.
9.1 Global Modulation Sources
There are 6 MIDI / CV / Global modulation sources avail-
able on each parameter page: MIDI note-on value (or CV
pitch), MIDI velocity (or CV velocity) and 4 globally assigned
modulation sources (from MIDI input, CV input or global
EGs/LFOs).
The interface for all these modulations is the same. Each
source has it’s own icon on the display running along the
User Guide v1.29 page 13

second row.
Each modulation source has two amount settings. The rst
(primary) sets the amount of the modulation signal to add
or subtract to the parameter page basic oset e.g if set on
the parameter page lpf-1 :freq it would directly
increase or decrease the cut-o frequency of low-pass l-
ter 1 as the modulation signal increases or decreases.
It is also possible to modulate the modulations. This is
where the secondary destination and secondary amount
is used.
From a patch parameter page press the modulation but-
ton desired (i.e. note ,velocity ,M1 ,M2
,M3 or M4 ). The modulation icon ashes to show
it is in edit mode (i.e. one of I,K,G,H,Ior
Jashes). Now turn the rotary encoder 5or push the
up or down buttons - the amount of this mod-
ulation source applied to the parameter page (the primary
destination) is shown as a small vertical bar on the left-
hand side above the modulation icon. Set positive values
to increase the parameter page basic oset with increas-
ing modulation signal or set negative values to decrease
the parameter page basic oset with increasing modula-
tion signal.
Press and hold or to continuously change the
primary modulation amount in large steps. Press
and simultaneously to reset the primary and sec-
ondary modulation amounts to zero.
i
Positive modulation amounts are shown by
a solid bar whilst negative amounts are shown with
a hollow bar.
Modulator secondary options
Now, with the modulation still in edit mode, press
or to access the secondary options. The display
show 3 choices: the secondary destination for this mod-
ulator, the amount of modulation to this destination and
the choice between unipolar or bipolar operation. Use the
and buttons to choose which parameter to
edit and the rotary encoder to change the values.
The secondary destination can be set to one of the follow-
ing nine options:
Mlfox level
selected global LFO 1–4 level
Nlfo freq
dedicated LFO frequency
Olfo level
dedicated LFO level
Peg time
dedicated EG time (aects the attack, decay and
release times simultaneously)
Qeg attack
dedicated EG attack time
Reg decay
dedicated EG decay time
Seg sustain
dedicated EG sustain level
Teg release
dedicated EG release time
Ueg level
EG level
Response
bipolar – in this mode when the modulation signal
is at its mid-way value there is zero modulation eect.
unipolar – in this mode when the modulation sig-
nal is at zero the modulation eect is also zero.
i
The page overview icon for the modulator
will change depending whether the modulator is
in unipolar or bipolar mode.
Press and simultaneously to always jump to
the rst option.
Press or again, or press and
simultaneously to return to the main parameter page dis-
play.
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 9. MODULATION page 14

On the main parameter page the amount of secondary mod-
ulation is shown as a small vertical bar on the right-hand
side (next to the bar for the the primary destination). The
secondary modulation destination is shown as a number
as listed above.
Details of each modulation source is given in the subsec-
tions below.
On the master pitch parameter
page set a secondary destination of LFO amount
(and set an appropriate secondary level amount)
for a global modulation source which is assigned to
the MIDI modulation wheel. Now the MIDI modula-
tion wheel will control the depth of vibrato eect
of the LFO.
On the output parameter page set a
secondary destination of eg time and a neg-
ative secondary level amount for the note modula-
tion source. Set the output page to use the unique
EG. Now higher pitch notes will have an EG enve-
lope which processes faster such as is common for
real-world stringed instruments.
Note pitch modulation
On row 2 of the display, starting at the left-hand side is
shown the note modulation setting, indicated by the I
symbol. This controls how much the MIDI note-on signals
or CV pitch voltage aect the page’s destination (which in
the example shown is the LPF-1 cut-o frequency) or how
note-on signals aect other modulations for this page (if
the secondary destination is used).
The higher the incoming MIDI note-on pitch or CV pitch
voltage the higher the modulation signal.
i
The note pitch modulation signal is derived
from the ’latest’ (i.e. most recent) note currently
being played, including the eects of portamento,
but excluding pitch-bend signals.
Velocity modulation
To the right of the note modulation setting is shown the
velocity modulation setting indicated by the Ksymbol.
This section controls how note velocity signals aect the
page’s destination and levels or setttings of other mod-
ulators for this page, in exactly the same way as for the
note-on modulation.
The velocity is the source of this modulation signal. The
harder the key is struck (on a touch sensitive MIDI keyboard)
the higher this signal.
Modulation sources M1, M2, M3 and M4
Each of these separate modulation sources can be assigned
to various MIDI controls e.g. modulation wheel, pitch bend
or from the analogue CV/gate signal inputs or even global
LFOs or EGs. The source is stored with the patch but can be
overridden by a global modulation source setting. See sec-
tion 17.6 for how to setup these global modulation sources.
Set the global modulation sources G–J
to lfo1 –lfo4 to allow modulation from 5
separate LFOs on each parameter page i.e. from 1
dedicated and 4 global LFOs!
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 9. MODULATION page 15

9.2 Low-Frequency Oscillator (LFO) waveforms
Both the global and dedicated LFOs (unique to each pa-
rameter page) have a wide choice of 55 waveforms. The
rst 33 waveforms are:
dsine sin
5sine phase-shifted by
90 degrees sin-90
Ftriangle tri
0triangle phase-shifted by
90 degrees tri-90
hsquare square
apulse short pulse1
bpulse medium pulse2
cpulse long pulse3
Hramp wave ramp
2ramp phase-shifted by
90 degrees ramp90
Mramp-hold rmphld
i3-step 3-step
j4-step 4-step
6sample-and-hold s+h
dsampled noise noise
mrandom triangle rantri
npulse short reverse plse1r
opulse medium reverse plse2r
ppulse long reverse plse3r
qramp-hold reverse rmph-r
rpulsed wave speeding up bounce
spulsed wave speeding up variant boing
tpulsed wave slowing down retard
udamped sine sindec
0damped sine reversed sininv
1very fast burst burst
2fast burst burst2
3sine + sine at twice frequency sin+2
4sine + sine at three-times frequency sin+3
5half sin and half triangle combo sintri
6half triangle, half constant combo tri/2
7modulated sine beat
8modulated sine variation beat2
The next 17 waveforms are primarily aimed at pitch modu-
lation of the oscillators to play tuned notes (but of course
you don’t have to do that!). They give the intended pitch
with an LFO amount set to 12.00s
9chromatic increasing chrom
:major chord triad major
;minor chord triad minor
<augmented chord triad aug
=diminished chord triad dim
>diminished 7th chord dim7
?half-diminished seventh 7th chord 2dim7
@minor seventh 7th chord min7
Aminor major 7th chord minmaj
Bdominant 7th chord dom7
Cmajor seventh 7th chord maj7
Daugmented seventh 7th chord aug7
Eaug. major seventh 7th chord amaj7
Fmini sequence 1 seq1
Gmini sequence 2 seq2
Hmini sequence 3 seq3
Imini sequence 4 seq4
Finally we have a slewed sample-and-hold waveform and 4
custom waveforms. See section 17.2.1 for details on how
to edit the custom waveforms.
Usample-and-hold slewed s+h sl
Qcustom waveform 1 cust1
Rcustom waveform 2 cust2
Scustom waveform 3 cust3
Tcustom waveform 4 cust4
9.3 Global Low-Frequency Oscillators (LFOx)
The LFOx modulation source for each parameter page is
one from a choice of four LFOs which are globally avail-
able to the current patch. This allows exactly the same LFO
modulation frequency and waveform to be applied to sev-
eral parameter page destinations. This is in contrast to the
unique LFO for each parameter page. Although the LFOx
waveform and frequency is global the level of modulation
User Guide v1.29 CHAPTER 9. MODULATION page 16