Polyend Dreadbox Medusa User manual

Owner’s Manual

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................ 3
Quick Start .................................................................................. 4
Schematic Diagram .................................................................. 5
Manual ....................................................................................... 6
Overview ............................................................................... 6
The Synthesizer...................................................................... 7
1. The Oscillators ............................................................ 7
2. The Filter ...................................................................... 8
3. The Envelopes ............................................................ 8
4. The Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs) ..................... 9
5. Play Modes ................................................................. 9
6. Mixer and Volume ................................................... 10
The Grid and Sequencer ................................................... 10
1. How it’s Organized .................................................. 10
2. Two Modes: Grid and Notes................................... 11
3. Creating, Playing, and Editing a Sequence......... 12
4. Using the Pads as a Keyboard ............................... 15
Other Info ............................................................................ 17
1. Saving and Loading Programs............................... 17
2. Input and Output..................................................... 17
3. Random Button........................................................ 18
4. The Cong Menu ..................................................... 18
5. Firmware Update Procedure.................................. 20
6. CC Chart ................................................................... 21
Appendices .............................................................................. 24
A. List of Modulation Destinations..................................... 24
B. List of Modes and Scales .............................................. 26

Introduction
A joint development between Dreadbox and Polyend, the Medusa is a 6-oscillator
(3 voltage-controlled analog and 3 digital) hybrid synth, coupling the sound of ana-
log with the control of digital. It is equipped with:
• A multimode analog lter based on the Erebus with 2-pole LP, 4-pole LP,
and 1-pole HP settings
• A 64-step sequencer inheriting the spirit of the Polyend Seq
• An 8 x 8 grid of side-to-side (X), up-and-down (Y), and pressure sensitive
(Z) pads used to play the synthesizer and program the sequencer
• 3 play modes including: 1-voice, unison mono (up to 6 oscillators), 3-voice
(2 oscillators per voice), and 6-voice (1 oscillator per voice)
• 5 envelopes (3 assignable) and 5 LFOs (all assignable)
• 2 OLED displays providing visual feedback on knob and slider settings;
envelopes and LFOs; and menu and conguration settings
• Ability to save up to 128 programs and sequences
As a rst for Dreadbox, you’ll now be able to program patches and sequences, save
them, and then play them directly from the synth using the 8 x 8 grid of pads.
As a rst for Polyend, you’ll now have a myriad of shapeable analog and digital
sounds that can be wildly modulated and directly married to the sequencer.
Playing with the Medusa won’t turn you to stone, but don’t be surprised if you nd
yourself frozen in front of it, playing for hours.
333333
Please before using the Medusa synthesizer, make sure that you have installed
the latest rmware, which can be found in the following links:
www.polyend.com/medusa
www.dreadbox-fx.com/medusa

Quick Start
* manual calibration
CONFIG > Calibration > Start
When the Calibration is completed, press CONFIG to return back
4
enjoy
6In order to turn an Envelope
or an LFO ON or OFF double click
the button
1 Connect the
power adapter and
turn the unit ON
3Let the synthesizer warm up
for at least 20 minutes.
Afterwards you can do a manual calibration*
2 Connect a corresponding
device (monitor, amp, headphones)
to the OUTPUT or PHONES
4We suggest you explore
the 32 factory presets.
LOAD > press any of the 1-32 pads
5 GRID = OFF : The pads are used as a keyboard
GRID = ON : The pads hold stored parameters
and notes

Schematic Diagram
A VCO1
VCA VCA VCA VCA VCA VCA VCA
A VCO2 A VCO3
NOISE
EXTR IN
MIXER
D OSC1 D OSC2 D OSC3
VCO FM
VCF
FM
SyncSync
Headphones OutMain Out
VCF
VCA
5

Manual
Overview
The Medusa has 3 main sections for working with the synthesizer and sequencer.
Section A
This is the 8 x 8 grid of buttons that can be used to play the synth, program the sequenc-
er, and select storage locations for GRID data and Medusa programs.
Section B
This section of the Medusa is used to program, play, and edit the sequencer as well as to
congure various settings for the sequencer and the synth. The OLED at the top of this
section (referred to as the seq OLED in this manual) displays the assorted menu choices
for conguring the sequencer and synth.
Section C
This section of the Medusa is used to program the various parameters and settings for
the synth engine. The OLED in this section (referred to as the synth OLED in this manu-
al) displays various information about patch settings (including knob and slider values)
while they are being changed or edited.
OSC1 OSC2 OSC3
OS
C1
OS
C2
OS
C3
A B C
6

1. The Oscillators
The Medusa is equipped with 3 analog oscillators and
3 digital oscillators (referred to as A OSC1, A OSC2,
A OSC3 and D OSC1, D OSC2, D OSC3 for this manual
and the menu options in the Medusa).
When the Medusa rst powers up, an auto-calibration
routine is launched, tuning the oscillators. This is indicat-
ed by a small dot in the top of the seq OLED in section B
of the Medusa. From the CONFIG menu (see page 14),
calibration can also be manually started if required.
The analog oscillators offer a choice of classic wave-
forms, including: saw tooth (ramp up), pulse wave, tri-
angle, and sine. The digital oscillators have the same
4 classic waveforms plus a 5th wavetable option.
When the wavetable is selected, all four of the LEDs
next to the wave illustrations will light up.
The wavetable oscillator offers 20 wavetables you
can select via the PRESET MENU (see page 17), and
wavetable position can be modulated for each
D OSC manually with the WAVETABLE knob (M), or
automated with envelopes and/or LFOs.
Notice that there are 3 identical sets of controls (A, B,
and C) for both the analog and digital oscillators. If
the DIGITAL button (F) is pressed and lit, then the con-
trols (buttons/knobs A, B, and C) will affect the 3 dig-
ital oscillators. If the DIGITAL button is not lit then the
controls apply to the 3 analog oscillators. The OSC 1,
2, and 3 knobs (A) let you tune either oscillator ±12 semitones (an octave), or with
the FINE TUNE button (M) pressed and lit, the knobs will tune ±100 cents (1 semitone).
By pressing the WAVE button (B), you can cycle through and select the available
analog and digital wave forms. By pressing the OCTAVE (C) button, you can trans-
pose the pitch of the oscillators up or down an octave.
When the OSC 1, 2 button (D) is pressed, the FM knob (E) controls the amount of
exponential frequency modulation of A OSC 1 and A OSC 2 by A OSC 3. When the
FILTER button (G) is pressed, the FM knob (E) controls the amount of frequency mod-
ulation of the lter cutoff by A OSC 3.
The PW knob (H) lets you manually adjust the pulse width of the pulse wave for the
3 analog oscillators, from 50% to 95%. This same value is applied to each oscillator,
but doesn’t affect the digital oscillators. The pulse-width can also be modulated by
both envelopes and LFOs.
The Synthesizer
After toggling on, your Medusa unit will welcome you with an initial auto-calibration
process, the pads will pulse and there will be a progress bar visible on the top of the
middle screen.
A
B
C
EG F
D
H
K L M
I J
7

The NOISE knob (I) lets you mix a balance between brown noise (low-pass 6db/oct)
and violet noise (high-pass 6db/oct). In the middle position it offers grey noise (notch
ltered) equally mixing both the low-pass ltered noise and the high-pass ltered noise.
The SYNC 2 button (K) synchronizes A OSC 2 to A OSC 1, and SYNC 3 button (L) syn-
chronizes A OSC 3 to A OSC 2, letting you add extra harmonics to the wave form.
Important to note, the OSC 1,2 FM, SYNC 2, and SYNC 3 buttons have no effect on
the digital oscillators. They only affect the analog oscillators.
2. The Filter
The Medusa comes with a switchable, 3
state lter, offering 2-pole (12dB/oct) low
pass (LP), 4-pole (24dB/oct) LP lter, and
1-pole (6dB/oct) high pass (HP) settings.
Both resonance and tracking settings offer
further control of the lter, and the lter can self-oscillate.
Use the CUTOFF dial to control the cutoff frequency of the lter, the RESONANCE
knob to apply resonance to the lter, and lastly use the TRACK knob to adjust how
much or how little the lter tracks to the keyboard.
3. The Envelopes
The Medusa offers 5 loop-able, Delay-A-D-S-R
envelopes, with the 4th (FILTER) and 5th (AMP)
envelopes being dedicated to the lter and
amplier respectively. All the envelopes can
be assigned to modulate a list of targets (see
Appendix A - List of Modulation Destinations).
To activate and use envelope 1, 2, 3, or the FIL-
TER envelope (the AMP envelope is always on),
double click the corresponding button, and the
synth OLED will show the word “ON”. To turn off an envelope, simply double click it again.
To link the slider controls to a particular envelope, press and release the button for
that envelope (1, 2, 3, FILTER, or AMP). When you adjust the sliders, the light for the
envelope you’re controlling will blink, and the shape of the envelope will be dis-
played in the synth OLED.
The AMOUNT knob lets you control how much the envelope affects or modulates
the target, and the TARGET knob lets you choose what the envelope will modulate
(see Appendix A - List of Modulation Destinations). A short cut for linking an enve-
lope with a target is to press and hold the desired envelope button, and move the
knob or slider associated with the parameter. This also works for LFOs. Please, notice
that in order to add the FM modulator as a target for ENVs and LFOs you need to use
the choice of OSC 1,2 or Filter buttons instead of the AMOUNT knob.
Offering even more exibility, by pressing the LOOP button, the envelopes can be
set to repeat or loop, behaving more like shapeable LFOs, where the LFO shape and
rate is dened by the Delay-A-D-S-R values and how fast or slow the envelope cy-
cles through each stage.
8

4. The Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs)
The Medusa has 5 LFOs, with each LFO capable of variably
sweeping through sine, pulse/square, saw (ramp up), triangle,
and reverse saw (ramp down) waveforms. As you adjust the
WAVE knob to sweep through the waveforms, the synth OLED
will display the shape. LFO rates range from .01Hz to 30Hz and
can be assigned to a list of parameters (see Appendix A - List of
Modulation Destinations) selected with the TARGET knob.
The buttons numbered 1through 5let you quickly select each
of the independent LFOs, and the 4 knobs let you control the
LFO RATE, the LFO WAVE, the LFO AMOUNT (amplitude), and the
modulation TARGET for each of the LFOs. When lit, the SYNC but-
ton will force the LFOs to synchronize with the overall clock setting
of the sequencer and change the values displayed with the RATE
knob from Herz to note values.
A shortcut for linking an LFO with a TARGET is to press and hold the desired LFO button
and move the knob or slider associated with the desired target parameter. As men-
tioned earlier in the manual, this is also valid for the envelopes.
5. Play Modes
The Medusa offers 3 unique play modes:
M- this mode runs all 6 oscillators (3 analog and 3 digital)
through the lter in one thick, mono voice.
P1 - this mode lets you play up to 3 voices, with 2 oscillators
per voice (pairing A OSC1 with D OSC1 for voice 1, A OSC2
with D OSC2 for voice 2, etc)
P2 - this mode lets you play up to 6 voices, using 1 oscillator per voice, assigning oscil-
lators to chordal voices in sequential order (the rst 1st note in a chord will start with
A OSC1 and continue to the 6th note using D OSC3).
The table below compares the different modes:
For both P1 and P2 modes you can also set the Voice Priority to First, where whatever
note is played will grab the rst available A OSC, D OSC or pair of OSCs. If you play
monophonically in P1 or P2 (one note at a time), it will only use that rst oscillator.
With the Voice Priority set to Next, Medusa will rotate through the available OSCs,
allowing longer releases to sound. These settings are accessed through the CONFIG
menu (see page 18).
The GLIDE knob lets you adjust how quickly a note or notes will glide to their intended pitch.
MODE VOICES OSCs/VOICE FILTER CONFIG AMP CONFIG
M1 6 1 shared lter and envelope 1 shared amp envelope
P1 3 2 1 shared lter and envelope for all voices 1 shared amp envelope
P2 6 1 1 shared lter and envelope for all voices 1 amp envelope per voice (6 total)
9

6. Mixer and Volume
The mixer lets you balance the output
levels of the 3ANALOG oscillators OSC1,
OSC2, and OSC3; the NOISE source; and
the 3DIGITAL oscillators OSC1, OSC2,
and OSC3. When the MIXER amplitude
is turned down to minimum for any osc,
that osc is actually switched off.
The PHONES knob lets you control the volume for headphones
plugged into the headphone jack, and the MASTER dial lets you
control the volume from the line out on the back of the Medusa.
The Grid and Sequencer
1. How it’s Organized
To understand the Medusa,
it is important to understand
how it organizes, stores and
works with data.
When you save a Program on
the Medusa, you’re actually
saving:
1) Data related to the sound
the synthesizer makes (the
Patch Data shown in the il-
lustration at the right) and
2) The Medusa GRID Data
(also shown in the illustra-
tion to the right).
All the Data Saved in a Medusa Program
GRID Data
Notes Data
(for the sequencer)
C2, D2, F#2, E2, D3, etc.
Patch Modifying Data
- Waveforms
- Filter Cutoff
- Resonance
- Amp Envelope Settings
- Filter Envelope Settings
- LFO target
and so on...
- Waveforms
- Filter Cutoff
- Resonance
- Amp Envelope Settings
- Filter Envelope Settings
- LFO target
- LFO rate
- LFO amount
- PW
- FM amount
- Mixer OSC1
- Mixer OSC2
and so on...
Patch Data
Conceptually, the GRID on the Medusa consists of 3 things:
1) The 8 x 8 matrix of pads used to play notes and store parameters.
2) NOTE data determining what the sequencer plays.
3) PATCH Modifying Data (also referred to as PM Data in this manual) that lets you
modulate the Medusa sound on the y or program parameters to modulate the
synth with each step of the sequencer.
10

It’s easiest to think of each pad of the 8 x 8 matrix as 64 little boxes that can contain
NOTE data, PATCH Modifying Data, both, or neither.
Looking at the example to the right, pad 1
contains a NOTE value of C2 and PM Data
where the lter cutoff is 64, the lter reso-
nance is 52, and overall amplitude is 127.
Pad 2 contains a note value of D2 but no PM
data. Pad 3 contains no note data, but does
have PM data where the lter cutoff is 33, the
lter resonance is 52, and FM lter is 48.
The sequencer of the Medusa can be pro-
grammed, controlled, and edited by the 8
x 8 grid of silicon pads and the collection of
knobs and buttons positioned to the left of
the grid.
The pads are numbered 1 to 64, starting in
the top left corner (pad 1) and ending in
the bottom right corner (pad 64). When a
sequence is built or recorded, the rst step
or note value is stored in pad 1, the second
step or note value is stored in pad 2, the
third in pad 3, and so on. An eight step se-
quence would have the note values stored
in pad 1 through pad 8. A sixty-four step
sequence would have the notes stored in pad 1 through pad 64.
Important to note, the Menu Button, a clickable encoder, can be used to scroll
through and select menu items listed in the seq OLED.
2. Two Modes: Grid and Notes
There are 2 modes to work with the 2 types of GRID data: GRID mode and NOTES
mode. The GRID mode is used to program and edit any Patch Modifying Data, and
the aptly named NOTES mode is used to program and edit the notes of the se-
quences you create. By default the Medusa starts in NOTES mode, and this mode is
indicated by the seq OLED showing “Notes Mode” in the top left corner. To enter the
GRID mode, simply press and release the GRID button. The GRID button will now be
lit, and the seq OLED will display “Grid Mode” in the top left corner.
The GRID mode also offers an easy way
to see where both NOTE and Patch Modi-
fying Data are stored in the 8 x 8 grid.
In GRID mode, if a pad is lit:
•0% - contains no data
•25% - contains only PM data
•50% - contains only NOTE data
•75% - contains both NOTE and PM data
11

Additional parameters for controlling and setting up the sequencer can be viewed
and modied through the PRESET MENU. To access the PRESET MENU for the se-
quencer, press the Menu Button (as shown on the previous page). This will let you
access the following sequencer parameters:
Turn the knob to highlight the menu item you want to select, press the knob (clicked
like a button), then select from the possible values, and then press the knob again to
choose the value you want.
2. Creating, Playing, and Editing a Sequence
Creating a sequence is an easy process. To start from scratch, simply pick a pro-
gram, clear any notes or PM Data, choose the length of the sequence, and then
hit the RECORD button and start playing in the notes with the 64 touch pads or an
external midi keyboard. When the sequencer is running, press the RECORD button
and start playing the pads to record notes and chords in an “overdub” manner . For
more specic info how to do that, check out the “How To” matrix on the next page.
Parameter Possible Values Information
Tempo 10-300 bpm
Lets you set the tempo for the Medusa mas-
ter clock, from 10 to 300 beats per minute.
When the LFO rate is synched to the master
clock it will change in relation to this value.
Swing 25-75 A value of 50 is neutral and offers no swing to
the note value.
Seq Length 1-64 A sequence can be 1 to 64 steps long
Seq Mode
Forward
Backward
Ping Pong
Random
Forward -the sequence executes the total
number of steps and then loops to start again
(e.g. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc)
Backward -the sequence starts at the last
step of the total number of steps runs in re-
verse until it reaches the rst step, and then
loops back to the last step again (e.g. 4-3-2-
1, 4-3-2-1, etc)
Ping Pong -sequence runs all steps forward,
then all steps backward, and loops to start
again (e.g. 1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1, 1-2-3-4, etc)
Random -the sequence endlessly loops, ran-
domly picking values from the total sequence
length (e.g. 3-1-2-3, 4-1-2-1, 2-4-2-3, etc)
12

How To Mode Steps
Clear all NOTES
and PM data GRID
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if ac-
tive).
2. Press HOLD + CLEAR and hold.
3. On the seq OLED “Clear Notes & param” appears,
and using the Knob-Button, select “all steps”.
4. All note and patch modifying data should be
deleted
Set up the
sequencer Either
1. Press the Menu Button to access the PRESET MENU
and set up the Tempo, Seq length, and Seq mode
2. Select and click Seq length from the menu and
set the length (1-64) by dialing a value with the
Knob-Button or pressing the pad that will be the
last in the sequence.
3. Select and click Tempo from the menu and dial
in the desired BPM value (min 10 to max 300)
4. Select and click Seq Mode to select Forward,
Backward, Ping Pong, and Random
Enter
sequencer
notes
(NOTES data)
NOTES
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if active)
2. Play the notes you want with either the pads or
an external MIDI keyboard (to enter a blank or rest
for a step, press the CLEAR button instead of a key
or pad)
Edit sequencer
notes
(NOTES data)
Either
You can edit notes from both the NOTES mode and
the GRID mode. From the NOTES mode:
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if active)
2. The current active pad will also be blinking. Dial
the Menu Button to change the active pad to the
step/pad you wish to edit.
3. Play the new note either from the pads or an
external MIDI controller.
From the GRID mode:
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if active).
2. Press the step/pad you wish to change and hold
it. The note will sound and the OLED will display
which step it is and what the note value is (e.g. G3,
C2, etc)
3. While pressing the pad, dial the Menu Button to
select a new note. The OLED will display the notes
as you scroll through them.
13

Copy
sequencer
notes and
PM data
(from one step
or pad to
another)
GRID
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if active)
2. Press the pad you want to copy and hold it (both
note and PM data will be copied). After a couple
seconds, the OLED will indicate the step and note
were copied.
3. While still pressing the rst pad you want to copy,
press the second pad you want to copy the data to.
4. The OLED will show a message that the rst step
was copied to the second step (e.g. “Step 3 cop-
ied to 2”)
Start/Stop
sequencer Either
1. Press the PLAY button to start the sequencer.
The PLAY button will be lit when the sequencer is
playing.
2. While the sequencer is playing, press the PLAY
button again to stop it.
3. If the sequencer is stopped and you restart it,
it starts from the beginning of the sequence, not
where it stopped.
Enter PM data GRID
1. Press the REC button (it should be ashing).
2. Press the pad to select where you want to enter
data (note: there doesn’t have to be note data
already stored in the pad location; pads with only
PM Data can be used like programmable buttons
to instantly modify synth parameters on the y).
3. Adjust any of the synth parameters. The pad will
now have basically a “snapshot” of programming
parameters.
4. Lastly, if you do have a sequence already re-
corded, you can hit PLAY while REC is active and
record PM data by adjusting synth parameters and
values while the sequencer is running.
Edit PM data GRID
1. Press REC button (it should be ashing after be-
ing pressed).
2. Press the pad that contains the PM data you
want to edit (the pad should be ashing after you
press it).
3. Adjust the desired parameters (cutoff, reso-
nance, octave, course tuning, LFO amount, etc).
4. When you’re nished editing, press the REC but-
ton again to stop editing (it should not be ashing),
to avoid accidentally making unwanted chang-
es/edits.
14

Delete PM data GRID
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if active).
2. Press CLEAR button and hold it.
3. On the seq OLED “Clear parameters” appears,
and using the Knob-Button, select either “selected
steps” or “all steps”.
4. To clear only “selected steps”, press and hold
the pads you want to delete, and release the
CLEAR button.
5. To clear “all steps”, select it in the menu, and
release the CLEAR button.
Delete
sequencer
notes
(NOTES data)
GRID
1. Press the REC button (it should be blinking if active).
2. Press HOLD button and hold it.
3. On the seq OLED “Clear Notes” appears, and us-
ing the Knob-Button, select either “selected steps”
or “all steps”.
4. To clear only “selected steps”, press and hold
the pads you want to delete, and release the
HOLD button.
5. To clear “all steps”, select it in the menu, and re-
lease the CLEAR button.
4. Using the Pads as a Keyboard
The 8 x 8 grid of silicon pads can also be used to play the Medusa, using one of 40
predened scales and modes (see Appendix C - “List of Modes and Scales” for the
complete list of options). Just put the Medusa in NOTES mode (ensure the GRID but-
ton isn’t lit), and start hitting the pads to make beautiful music. In addition to play-
ing a note, each pad can modulate up to 3 different targets based on side-to-side
motion (X), up-and-down (Y) motion, and pressure (Z).
X, Y & Z targets are being modulated by the last pressed pad only.
The playable matrix of pads is laid out with the low-
est note value being in the lower left pad (pad 57),
incrementing a semitone with each position to the
right. If pad 57 were a C1, then the next note on
pad 58 would be a C#1, pad 59 would be a D1,
and so on until pad 64 which would be a G1.
How the adjacent pads change pitch de-
pends on the chosen Layout from the Preset
Menu. Choose a pad, and the pad directly
to the right will increase the pitch one semi-
tone regardless of the chosen Layout. For Lay-
out 1, the pad directly above will increase the
pitch 1 semitone. For Layout 2, the pad direct-
ly above will increase the pitch 2 semitones. For Layout 4, (see the illustration above
right) the pad directly above will increase the pitch 4 semitones. And so it goes, up
to Layout 7 where the pad directly above will increase the pitch 7 semitones.
15

When not in GRID mode (when the pads are behaving like a keyboard), the pads
corresponding to the root and octave notes will be lit, letting you know which key-
board layout is selected.
Additional parameters for using the pads as a keyboard can be accessed through the
PRESET MENU. To access the PRESET MENU for the sequencer, press the Menu Button.
Parameter Possible Values Information
Scale
See Appendix C -
List of Modes and
Scales
Offers user a list of 39 modes and scales
to use playing the synth (note: this is only
valid when using the pads to play the
Medusa)
Layout 1-7
Layout offers 7 different intervals for how
notes are laid out on the 8 x 8 GRID. Each
possible value reects the number of
semitones between a pad and the pad
just above it. (See 4. Using the Pads as a
Keyboard for more information)
Root Note C1-D4
Sets the root note of pad 57, letting you
transpose the entire range of notes the 64
pads can play.
X Target
PitchBend
See Appendix A -
List of Modulation
Destinations
Lets you assign a modulation target to re-
spond to either 1) MIDI pitch bend values
from an external MIDI controller or 2) side-
to-side movement of a pad. Can scale
the amount from 100 to 100 (can only
scale positive values for pitch bend).
Y Target
ModWheel
See Appendix A -
List of Modulation
Destinations
Lets you assign a modulation target to
respond to either 1) MIDI mod wheel val-
ues from an external MIDI controller or 2)
up-and-down movement of a pad. Can
scale the amount from 100 to 100 (can
only scale positive values for the mod
wheel).
16

Z Target
AfterTouch
See Appendix A -
List of Modulation
Destinations
Lets you assign a modulation target to
respond to either 1) MIDI channel after-
touch values from an external MIDI con-
troller or 2) adding pressure to a pad. Can
scale the amount from 100 to 100 (can
only scale positive values for aftertouch).
Smoothing ON
OFF
Lets you turn ON or OFF anti-aliasing for
modulations programmed into the GRID
when the sequencer is playing.
Wavetable 1-20
Lets you select 20 different wavetables to
use with the digital oscillators. Note that
D OSC1, D OSC1, and D OSC3 will all use
the same wavetable that is selected from
this menu option, though each digital os-
cillator with a wavetable can be modu-
lated independently.
Other Info
1. Saving and Loading Programs
Though the Medusa comes with 32 presets, you will no doubt want to tweak and save
some of your own programs, and the Medusa will let you save up to 128 programs.
Saving a program on the Medusa is very easy. When you have programmed the
sound and sequence you want, press the SAVE button, dial the Menu Button to select
either Bank A or Bank B, press the pad where you want it saved (any of the pads 1
through 64), and then press the SAVE button again. The seq OLED should say the pad
number and “saved”. Loading the program is as simple as hitting the LOAD button,
selecting the bank (Aor B), and then hitting the pad number you want to load.)
2. Input and Output
The Medusa is equipped with both MIDI in/out/thru and USB ports, and it will respond
to note, mod wheel, and pitch bend MIDI data. It will also transmit MIDI note data
based on notes played on the pads, and transport start/stop messages correspond-
ing to Medusa’s sequencer PLAY button. There is also a 1/4 inch jack for the main
output (mono), a 1/4 inch jack for headphones, and a 1/4 inch jack for inputting an
external audio signal before the Medusa lter.
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Randomize Mode Steps
OSC
section
parameters
NOTES
1. Press the RANDOM button
2. Select “conrm”
3. Various synth OSC parameters including WAVE,
wavetable position, OCTAVE, SYNC 2, and SYNC 3
(excluding FM) will be randomized
Sequencer
notes NOTES
1. Press the REC button
2. Press the RANDOM button
3. Select “conrm”
4. Randomized notes and null values (blanks) an oc-
tave above and below the “Root Note” (set in the Pre-
set Menu) will be randomly generated for all 64 pads
PM data GRID
1. Press the REC button
2. Press the RANDOM button
3. Select “selected steps” or “all steps”
4. The PM data will be randomized for the steps select-
ed on step 3.
Parameter Possible Values Information
MIDI Clock in
Internal
USB
MIDI
Lets you choose the incoming MIDI clock
data from internal or through MIDI-out and
the USB connection.
MIDI Clock
out
OFF
USB
MIDI
Lets you choose the send of MIDI clock data
through MIDI-out and the USB connection.
Transport in
OFF
USB+DIN
USB
MIDI
Lets you choose the incoming start and
stop messages from the chosen external
sources.
Transport out OFF
ON
Lets you choose to send start and stop mes-
sages through MIDI-out and the USB con-
nection.
3. Random Button
The RANDOM button lets you randomize various synth and GRID parameter settings
as described below.
4. The Cong Menu
The cong menu is accessed by pressing the CONFIG button directly under the seq OLED.
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MIDI Channel
In
ALL
1-16
OFF
Channel per
voice
Lets you select if the Medusa receives MIDI
data on all channels, on one channel (1
through 16), or it doesn’t receive MIDI data.
Additionally - Channel per voice allows you
to control, play and sequence each of Me-
dusa’s oscillators on a separate MIDI chan-
nel form 1 to 6 (xed) with external gear.
This works in P2 mode only. Please, notice
that when this function is toggled on the
Medusa pads won’t play polyphonically.
MIDI Channel
Out
OFF
1-16
MPE
Lets you select the channel that Medusa
will transmit MIDI data out or to turn off MIDI
out. There is no soft MIDI thru. MPE - is en-
abling MIDI Polyphonic Expression of the
Medusa’s pads to control external devices.
CC input
OFF
USB+DIN
USB
MIDI
Determines if Medusa is receiving the MIDI
CC modulation signals through MIDI and
the USB connection.
CC output
OFF
USB+DIN
USB
MIDI
Determines if Medusa is sending the MIDI
CC modulation signals through MIDI and
the USB connection.
Voice Priority First
Next
This setting pertains to playing in P1 or P2
mode. With Voice Priority set to First, what-
ever note is played will grab the rst avail-
able A OSC, D OSC or pair of OSCs. If you
play monophonically in P1 or P2 (one note
at a time), it will only use that rst oscillator.
With the Voice Priority set to Next, Medusa
will rotate through the available OSCs, al-
lowing longer releases to sound.
Pot. Mode Absolute
Preset value
Lets you choose whether a control chang-
es a parameter immediately (Absolute) or
has to pass through the preset value before
it changes (Preset value).
X mode Absolute
Relative
Lets you choose whether side-to-side move-
ment of the pad fully controls/modulates
the target or only relative to its initial value.
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5. Firmware update procedure
1. Connect the Medusa to the computer using the USB cable.
2. Turn on the Medusa.
3. Execute the rmware loader le
(win - updateFirmware.bat, mac - Medusa_Firmware_Loader).
4. The terminal window will appear. (while the OSX terminal gives you instructions,
the Windows terminal is blank, just press the reset button now).
5. Press the Reset button on the Medusa’s back panel
(you’ll need a paper clip to do so).
6. The Medusa will restart. You can check the rmware version in the cong menu.
Important notes:
- When ashing - use no USB hubs, no adapters. Use straight connection between
the instrument and the computer only. Power your laptop from the AC adapter.
- If after the update your Medusa unit would start humming, glitching or behaving
strangely just toggle it off and back on after a minute or two, It will resolve the pos-
sible issue.
- In case of trouble, the ashing procedure can be repeated.
- Problems during the process (like power shortage) will not brick the unit. If for any
reason your Medusa unit would go bricked, you can still ash it.
Y mode Absolute
Relative
Lets you choose whether up-and-down
movement of the pad fully controls/mod-
ulates the target or only relative to its initial
value.
Firmware NA Displays installed rmware version
Credits NA Displays the Medusa production credits
Calibration Cancel
Start Calibrates and tunes the analog oscillators
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