Mutable Instruments ambika User manual

Thank you!
Olivier Gillet for this amazing instrument!! It’s really inspiring to have something so
unique and special as the Ambika. I also want to thank you for sharing some Mutable
Instruments’ graphics with me, so I could make something that follows the original brand
design.
Adam Armstrong for giving me the opportunity of playing this amazing instrument, which
was build exactly to my taste. It took a long time, but he was thoughtful enough to record a
particular video for me. It’s a great build coming from a very good person and hopefully a
new friend.
My girlfriend, Camila Mendonça, for all your support and design ideas for this manual. I
also want to thank her for not getting mad at me for spending the whole weekend making
this manual possible. It took a lot more time than I’ve expected, but it’s done!
The whole DIY community for continued support and free content sharing. Following that
spirit, this is my attempt to create something that I could offer to you.
Igor Cristo

Overview
5
Connections
6
Some terminology...
7
Controls and navigation
8
Controls
9
Editing parameters
9
Using the encoder
10
Voice allocation
11
Synthesis
12
Digital oscillators (S1)
13
Mixer (S1)
20
Filter (S2)
22
Envelopes and LFOs (S3)
22
Voice LFO (S3)
24
Modulation matrix and modifiers (S4)
24
Keyboard and sequencing
27
Keyboard and tuning (S5)
27
Sequencer and arpeggiator settings (S5)
28
Sequence editor (S5)
30
Multi settings
31
Clock settings (S6)
31
Performance page (S7)
31
The library
33
Selecting an object
34
Loading programs/multis/sequences/patches
34
Reinitializing programs/multis/sequences/patches
34
Dumping programs/multis/sequences/patches as SysEx
35
Saving programs/multis/sequences/patches
35
Clipboard and version manager
36
Firmware update
37
Firmware update through SD-card
37
Emergency firmware update
38
Resetting the unit to factory settings
38
Dirty technical details...
39

Overview
You have successfully built Ambika, Congratulations!
Ambika is a multi-voice hybrid synthesizer. You can play it as a 6-voice polysynth, an
ensemble of 6 monosynths, or anything in between due to its easily configurable voicing
architecture.
The sound generation is hybrid, combining the warmth and sonic character of a true 4-
pole analog filter, with the large array of waveforms offered by digital wavetables, fm and
phase modulation. The digital control of the analogue filter and VCA also means a very
large palette of modulation possibilities.
Some of the key features of Ambika include:
•6 voices with individual outputs.
•2 digital oscillators per voice, with 36 oscillator algorithms/wavetables.
•1 sub-oscillator, also configurable as a transient generator.
•Pre-filter overdrive and bit-crushing effect.
•Analog 4-pole filter (or 2-pole multimode filter depending on the type of
voicecard used) and VCA.
•3 ADSR envelopes, 3 patch-level LFOs, 1 voice-level LFO.
•Modulation matrix with 14 slots and 4 modulation modifiers.
•1 arpeggiator, 1 note sequencer and 2 step sequencers per part.
•Flexible mapping of the 6 voices. A single patch with 6 voice-polyphony,
6 independent mono parts, 2 layered patches with 3-voices polyphony, a
3-voice unison bass line on the lower half of the keyboard with a 3-voice
unison lead on the upper half… all are possible!
•SD-card storage allows the storing of a life-long of patches, programs
and multis, along with the history of editing operations for undo/redo.
5

Connections
The following connectors are available on the rear panel:
1:SD-card slot. Insert here a SD-card (SDHC supported), FAT16 or FAT32 formatted. At
the exception of system settings, everything Ambika needs to store goes on the SD-card. A
capacity of at least 256 MB is recommended.
2:MIDI in connector. This input should be connected to the MIDI output of a computer MIDI
interface, master keyboard, sequencer…
3:MIDI out connector. This output is by default used as a MIDI-thru, but you can also use it
to transmit the notes generated by the Ambika sequencer, arpeggiator ; or to do SysEx
dumps of patches.
4:Mix line output. This audio output contains a mix of all voices.
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10:Individual outputs.
11:AC power jack. Use a 9V AC, 1A power source. Higher voltage will cause more heating
of the voltage regulators and shorten the lifespan of the module.
6

Some terminology...
A voice is a physical monophonic sound production device, consisting of digital oscillators,
CV sources, an analog VCF and a VCA. A voice is only capable of producing a single-note
sound. Ambika contains 6 voices, each of them being a physically different circuit board.
A part is one or many voices sharing the same synthesis settings. Ambika can manage up
to 6 parts. Each part stores its own synthesis, arpeggiator and sequencer settings. Each
part listens to a MIDI channel, and is assigned a range of keys on the keyboard.
Each of the 6 voices in Ambika needs to be linked to (assigned to) a part. This is a bit like
showing each musician (voice) in an orchestra which staff they must play on a musical
score! If you assign the 6 voices to the same part, Ambika will behave like a classic
monotimbral polysynth. If you assign each voice to a different part, Ambika will behave like
6 independent monophonic synths. If you want to play a bassline on the lower part of the
keyboard, and a brass riff on the upper part of the keyboard, you need to use two parts:
one part with 1 voice for the bass, and a second part with 5 voices for the brass sound.
A patch is a specific combination of synthesis settings stored into a part.
A program consists of a patch, and additional sequencer/arpeggiator settings.
A multi stores 6 programs (one for each part of Ambika) along with the mappings between
voices, parts, midi channels and keyboard range. This is a complete snapshot of the
Ambika configuration!
7

Controls and navigation
The 2x40 characters LCD display Ddisplays, most of the time, the name and values of the
8 synthesis parameters accessible by the 8 potentiometers P. The parameters are
organized as two rows of 4 parameters.
The clickable encoder Eis used to scroll between parameters/pages, or to fine-tune the
value of a parameter.
The 8 LEDs L1...L8 indicate which page is active.
The 8 switches S1...S8 are used to display synthesis pages. For example, S1 shows the
oscillators and mixer page ; S2 shows the filter page, etc.
The part and voice LEDs LP1...LP6 indicate which part is active (green lights), and which
voicecards are currently playing notes (yellow lights).
The status LED LS is used to visualize the rate of a LFO or the beats in a sequence —
depending on which module you are editing.
8

Controls
Editing parameters
The Ambika parameters are organized in pages. To jump to a page, press one of the 7
switches S1...S7. Some pages share the same switch ; and you will need to repeatedly
press a switch to cycle between those pages. The active page is indicated by the LEDs
L1...L7 next to the navigation switches.
The following table lists which page is associated with each switch:
Switch
Pages
S1
Oscillators, Mixer
S2
Filter
S3
Envelopes and LFOs, voice LFO
S4
Modulation matrix
S5
Keyboard & tuning, sequencer & arpeggiator, sequence editor
S6
Voice and parts mappings, Tempo/clock
S7
Performance, knob assignments
Each page displays up to eight related synthesis parameters. Each parameter can be
edited by turning the knob sitting at its top (for the first row of the display) or at its bottom
(for the second row of the display).
Here is an example:
After having powered up the unit, press S1 to bring the oscillators page. L1 lights up in
green, and the LCD display shows the following parameters:
Wave saw
| para 0
| rang 0
| tune 0
wave squa
| para 32
| rang -12
| tune 12
You can use the first row of knobs to edit the shape, parameter, range and detune of the
first oscillator ; and the second row of knobs to edit the shape, parameter, range and
detune of the second oscillator.
9

Observe that when you are turning a knob, the explicit name of the parameter is
temporarily shown on the screen:
oscillator
__1
| waveform saw
| waveform saw
wave squa
| para 32
| rang -12
| tune 12
After a short delay, the four names and values are shown again.
Press S1 again to bring the mixer page. L2 lights up in yellow, and the LCD display shows
the following parameters:
Mix 32
| nois 0
| sub 0
| wave squ1
xmod off
| amnt 31
| fuzz 0
| crsh 0
Press S1 again to get back to the oscillators page.
Using the encoder
When Ambika displays a parameters page, the rotary encoder can be used to scroll
through the parameters. The name of the active parameter is capitalized. For example,
oscillator 1 range is here the active parameter:
wave saw
| para 0
| Rang 0
| tune 0
wave squa
| para 32
| rang -12
| tune 12
Rotate the encoder clockwise to make tune the active parameter, rotate the encoder
counter-clockwise to make para the active parameter. If you continue rotating the encoder
clockwise, the next page will become active.
Once a parameter is selected (capitalized), click the encoder to edit it. The full name of the
parameter is displayed on the screen. The encoder can now be used to increment/
decrement the parameter value. Once the value has been set, click the encoder again.
Knob and encoder editing can be combined. Use a knob to rapidly adjust the value of a
parameter, and then, while the parameter name is still displayed on the screen, use the
encoder to fine-tune the value.
Shortcut: Hold the S8 switch while turning the encoder to
increment/decrement values by 8 instead of 1.
10