Oz inventions Xpression fX User manual

Xpression fx Enhancer —TRS, Operation & Description V1.13 © Oz Inventions 2018
Xpression fX Enhancer —TRS
Description
Xpression fX Enhancer – TRS, from Oz Inventions, is an ex-
pression pedal enhancer. It is compatible with most effects
units and keyboards with a foot controller port.
Important message
1. The position of the sensitivity, minimum depth and maxi-
mum depth controls are important in obtaining the cor-
rect amount of control. Having these controls in the incor-
rect position may mean no control, minimal control or
erratic control. If in doubt set minimum depth to mini-
mum, maximum depth to maximum and set the sensitivi-
ties as shown overleaf.
2. Polarity and resistance settings will also have a significant
effect. Polarity and resistance can be set in the system
menu.
TRS polarity & 12Kohm resistance commonly function but
are not universal. The device is widely compatible and has
been show to work with the following products and oth-
ers.
1.
 Bidirectional switch – Bidirectional sweep
 Minimum depth – sets how low the control output can
fall
 Maximum depth – sets how high the control output
can rise
2.
Menu access
System/ADSR menu entry and exit
1. Press and hold on/off/calibrate/recording switch
2. Hold mode switch forward and release
Step size menu entry and exit
1. Hold mode switch forward
2. Press and hold on/off/calibrate/recording switch and
release
Preset menu entry and exit
1. Rotate maximum depth control fully anti-clockwise (0)
2. Rotate minimum depth control fully clockwise (127)
Navigating a menu
The minimum and maximum depth controls function as menu
controls when inside a menu. They will retain their depth val-
ues when in a menu, but will revert to the knobs current posi-
tion when a menu is exited. And so they would be returned to
the position they were in before the menu was entered.
Use minimum depth to move through menu items and maxi-
mum depth to change menu item parameters
Default settings
The default settings can be restored by resetting the system.
(Hold mode switch forward whilst powering on)
Saving menu parameters
Quit/save is the last menu item in all menus. Select ‘Save’ in
menu, and exit menu to save. This saves all menu settings and
calibration settings for the current preset.
3.
Manufacturer Polarity Resistance
(Kohm)
Boss® TRS 12
Digitech® RTS 12
EHX® TRS 12
Eleven rack® TRS 12
Line 6® TS 12
M-Audio® TRS 12
Mooger Fooger® TRS or CV 50
Pigtronix® TRS 12
Strymon® TRS 25
TC Electronic® TRS 25
TC Helicon® TRS 50
Yamaha® RTS 50
Zoom® RTS 50

Xpression fx Enhancer —TRS, Operation & Description V1.13 © Oz Inventions 2018
4.
5.
Preset items
Item Identifier Range
Preset PS 0 – 9
Step size mapping
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
Modes
Modes are accessed via the mode switch in the following order
1. Automatic ADSR (A) - Continuously plays the ADSR enve-
lope using the ADSR settings in the menu
2. External (E) - Receives data from the external input and
sends it to the output.
3. Playback recorded ADSR (P) - Plays the recorded ADSR
envelope as recorded in record mode.
Suggested starting sensitivities
6.
Mode Sensitivity
function Suggested start point
Automatic Step size 0
External Step size 0
Playback Trim recording 0
System menu items
Item Identifier Range
Use mode Free / Atg1 /
Atg2 / Rec Free / Atg1 / Atg2 / Rec
Resistance r12, 25, 50
Polarity PtrS, rtS, tS, rS,
CV
Trigger level tL 0 – 99
Record time rt 1 – 99 ( x 10 sec)
Reverse sweep rS No / Yes
Off Level L0—128
ADSR items
Item Identifier Range
Attack rate Ar 0 – 99 x 10mS
Decay rate dr 0 – 99 x 10mS
Sustain level SL 0 – 99 x 10mS
Sustain time St 0 – 99 x 10mS
Release rate rr 0 – 99 x 10mS
Scale SC 1 – 99 x envelop
Trigger mode Tnnr / nni /
nnH / nnr
quit / save quit /save quit / save
Step size items
Item Identifier Range
Step size S0 – 127
Custom step 1 10 – 127
Through to -
Custom step 16 16 0 – 127
quit / save quit /save quit / save

Xpression fx Enhancer —TRS, Operation & Description V1.13 © Oz Inventions 2018
Operation
1. Access the system menu see ‘Menu access’
2. Set polarity and resistance to match the device being
controlled.
3. Select ‘Save’ from the menu and exit
4. Remover power from the enhancer
5. Connect TRS socket on the enhancer to the TRS socket
on the device to be controlled.
6. Connect the enhancer and the device to be controlled
to power.
7. Set min depth to zero (fully anti-clockwise)
8. Set max depth to 127 (fully clockwise)
9. Select ‘A’ (Automatic mode) with the mode switch
10. Turn control on by pressing the on/off/calibration/
record switch. (the ON indicator will illuminate)
11. The output will be moving up and down relative to the
ADSR envelope shape.
7.
Calibrating external input
External mode may require calibration.
1. Set the external device at the required starting position
2. Press and hold the on/off/calibration/record button on
the enhancer. The ON indicator will start to flash, sig-
nalling that the start position has been set and that an
output of zero will be at that point.
3. Continue to hold the button and set the external device
to its finishing position
4. Release the button. The end position has now been set
and output will be at maximum at that point.
No other modes require calibration but they may require sensi-
tivity adjustment. See sensitivity settings pg 6.
Recording a motion pattern
Calibrate the mode if required
1. Enter the system menu and select ‘Rec-‘ (1st menu
item)
2. Scroll further through the menu and select a maximum
recording time (1 equates to 10 seconds, 2 to 20 etc)
3. Exit the menu, and a flashing dot will appear under the
last digit on the display to signify that record mode has
been entered
4. Set the external device at your chosen start position,
this does not need to be the calibrated starting position
5. Press and hold the On/Off/Calibration/Record button,
until the indicator light starts to flash
6. Release the On/Off/Calibration/Record button. The
indicator light will cease flashing and the system is
armed for recording, but will not start recording yet.
7. Activate the external device as required for the current
mode
8. When the control output moves past the trigger level as
set in the system menu, and defaulting at ‘10’, the sys-
tem will begin to record motion data and the indicator
light will flash continuously.
9. Move the external device as you wish
10. Recording will cease when the On/Off/Calibration/
Record button is pressed, or when the recording time,
as set in the menu, has elapsed, whichever is sooner.
8.
Playing back a recording
1. Select ‘P’ with the mode switch and the recording will
play back continuously, modulating the output
2. Trim the recording in ‘Playback’ mode if required with
the sensitivity control. Work from fully anti-clockwise
(0).
Automatic ADSR mode
1. Start the enhancer with the default settings (see sys-
tem reset pg 3).
2. Select ‘A’ using the mode switch and the ADSR envelop
will immediately start repeating.
3. Press the on/off/calibration switch so that the ON LED
lights
4. Choose a parameter to be controlled on an effects unit
and the modulation will be heard. The control wave-
form will be using the default ADSR parameters in the
system menu.
5. Access the menu (on/off/calibration switch + sensor
select switch)
6. Rotate the minimum depth control to find “Ar” (Attack
rate). This sets how quickly the envelop rises. Set this
to 10 using the max depth control.
7. Rotate the min depth control further until “dr” (decay
rate) is found. This sets how quickly the envelope will
fall to the sustain level. Set this to 10 using the max
depth control.
8. Continue to rotate the minimum depth control and set
SL (sustain level), St (sustain time) and rr (release
rate) to zero.
9. Rotate the min depth control to find the Sc (scale set-
ting). This adjusts the overall time for the envelope. Set
this at 5.
10. Play a note on the instrument connected to the effects
unit and the modulation will be heard.
11. Adjust the scale setting for the overall length required.
9.

Xpression fx Enhancer —TRS, Operation & Description V1.13 © Oz Inventions 2018
ADSR trigger mode
1. Start the enhancer with the default settings (See sys-
tem reset pg 3)
2. Choose a parameter to control on an effect unit.
3. Open the system menu (on/off/calibration switch +
mode switch).
4. Set ADSR trigger mode from the 1st menu item (‘Atg1’
from ‘Free / Rec / Atg1 / Atrg2’ )
5. Scroll through the menu and set AR to 30 (Attack rate
30 x 10mS = 300 milliseconds). Use the default set-
tings for the other envelope values.
6. Scroll through the menu and set the trigger mode to
trigger the envelope just once (‘tnno – Trigger mode
once)
7. Exit the menu and change to External mode (E)
8. Activate the external device so that an output of 127 is
read on the display
9. The envelope will play once using the ADSR settings.
Attack rate is 30 so there will be a slow rise before the
envelope moves through its remaining stages.
10. Change the trigger mode to hold. (‘tnnH’ – Trigger
Hold)
11. Activate the external device so that an output of 127 is
read on the display. The ADSR envelop will start and
stay in the sustain section indefinitely. Activate the
external device to the maximum depth again, and the
envelop will complete
12. Change the trigger mode to repeat. (‘tnnr’ – Trigger
Repeat)
13. Activate the external device so that an output of 127 is
read on the display. The ADSR envelop will repeat
continuously.
14. Activate the external device to the maximum depth,
and the envelop will stop playing
*The trigger for all modes is the maximum depth.
10.
About the step size menu
By default the sweep ranges from 0—127 in steps of 1. This can
be changed to steps of 2, 3, 4 …. etc within the step size menu
or by using the sensitivity control outside of the menu.
Choosing a step size of ‘0’ enables the custom step size option
which is particularly useful for controlling a pitch parameter.
The custom step sizes are accessed with the minimum depth
control and modified with the maximum depth control.
There are 16 possible custom steps and these can be set to any
interval such as semi-tone, tone, 3rd, 5th, octave etc.
The steps do not need to be set in ascending order but instead
can be set in any order such as C, E, G, D, E, G, F, E, G …. Etc
Rotate to the quit/save menu item to save any changes.
Setting custom intervals
Setting intervals is a process of playing a note on an instrument
and rotating the minimum depth control to determine which
sweep value equates to which musical note. Repeating this
process enables mapping out semitone intervals for a effect
unit.
To set the intervals accurately requires a good ear or a chro-
matic tuner.
1. Choose a pitch parameter to control on an effects unit
and set it with a range of at least one octave
2. Set the step size to zero and exit the step menu
3. Set minimum depth to zero (fully left)
4. Choose external mode and ON/OFF switch ON
5. Play a note on the instrument
6. Rotate the minimum depth control until the interval
has increased by one semi-tone and physically record
the setting on paper or electronically.
7. Repeat until all intervals in an octave are mapped.
8. The custom step sizes can now be set as you wish based
on your interval mapping.
For example the 1st semitone may equate to 11, the 2nd to 16,
the 3rd to 26 etc.
Different brand and model devices will require different set-
tings. These can be saved as presets.
11.
About the preset menu
There are 10 presets numbered from 0—9. By default all pre-
sets contain the same values.
The preset menu is selected by rotating the minimum depth
control fully right (127), the maximum depth control fully left
(0) .
The presets can then be cycled through using the mode switch.
Exit from the preset menu by rotating either the minimum
depth or maximum depth control.
Before changing presets be sure to save any changes in the
current preset else the changes will be lost.
About the System/ADSR menu
The system/ADSR menu contains many settings for advanced
operation such as ADSR and recording options. At a minimum
the polarity and resistance must be set to match the device
being controlled.
Assigning ADSR control to the external device
All ADSR parameters such as attack rate and scale can be as-
signed to the external device. To do that, enter the ADSR menu
and choose the item to be controlled. Then fully rotate right the
maximum depth control until ‘0.’ is seen on the display. The
item is now under external control.
Full user manual — www.ozinventions.com
12.