PWM Malevolent User manual

Malevolent
Modular Pure Analogue Synthesiser

PWM Malevolent
Thank you purchasing Malevolent, the Modular Pure Analogue Synthesiser from PWM.
Malevolent is everything you want from a true analogue design yet will sit happily in
your studio with US -C, MIDI and Clock I/O, and easy interfacing between digital and
analogue worlds. All this is achieved without compromise on the analogue side as
Malevolent has two proper VCOs derived from a 4046-based core that will sing and snarl
in equal measure!
The opto-FET controlled 2-pole Sallen-Key filter will whistle and burble unlike anything
you can get out of a digital model. Indeed this is the whole point of Malevolent – it lives
and breathes.
We hope you will enjoy learning to master the Malevolent’s controls including the
joystick which has variable-rate vibrato and variable-speed glide as well as pitch bend.
Malevolent is an instrument to be learned and loved. We love it. We hope you do too!
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Getting Started
This guide will help you get set up and making your first sound with Malevolent.
As it is an analogue synth please do read through this guide to help your first experience
go as smoothly as possible.
1. Check your box contents
2. Connect power
3. Connect headphones or speakers
4. Making your first sound
5. What to try next
6. Tuning tips
7. US -MIDI and additional functions
8. Troubleshooting
9. Warranty
10. lank patch sheet
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1. Check Your Box Contents
Malevolent comes with the following in the box. If anything is missing please contact
your retailer immediately.
The PWM Malevolent Synthesiser
This guide 
9V DC 600mA Power Supply (with interchangeable heads to suit your country)
US -A to US -C Cable
5x 3.5mm Patch Cables in lovely colours
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2. Connect Power
Remove the Malevolent from its packaging and set it down on a nice flat surface.
Remove the Power supply from its box – you will find it inside of one of the foam end
pieces in the box. Have a look through the included interchangeable heads and select
the correct one for your country. Carefully clip this on.
Make sure the Malevolent is switched off.
Connect the small end of the wire to the power socket on the back of the Malevolent
and plug the Power Supply in to an available mains socket.
Switch on Malevolent and you will see some of the LEDs light up. The LFO LED will be
flashing.
Note: Malevolent can be bus-powered from USB if that is more convenient. We
recommend using the Power Suppl first time though to make sure ever thing is
working correctl .
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3. Connect eadphones or Speakers
Malevolent has a Line Out ¼" TS jack on the rear panel for connecting to a mixer,
amplifier or powered speaker.
It has a headphone ¼" TRS jack on the rear panel for connecting headphones.
We recommend you connect the synth in one of the above ways to hear it. Make sure the
‘Master Vol’ is first turned all the way down.
Note 1: Malevolent can be LOUD depending on where the controls have been left.
Please be careful and take things stead when ou first turn up the master volume.
Note 2: Malevolent also has a 3.5mm Out socket on the top panel for patching into
other modular gear. Please take care if using this socket because its level is not
affected b the Master Volume control.
Note 3: Please make sure our amp and speakers are turned down low when Malevolent
is first switched on. It can create loud transients!
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4. Making your First Sound
a) Looking at the guide below set the knob positions as follows:
lue are at minimum or turned fully anti-clockwise Green are at mid-position or 12 o’clock
Red are at maximum or turned fully clockwise
b) Next press one of the wave select buttons in the VCO 1 section to turn it on.
The LED will light up.
c) Now play the keyboard. You will hear Oscillator 1!
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5. What to try next...
Suggestions:
Press one of the wave select buttons in the VCO 2 section to turn it on (LED lights
up). Now when you play you’ll hear both oscillators
Try different combinations of waveforms by turning them on and off in each VCO
section
Use the Coarse and Fine tune controls to tune your oscillators – in tune or out of
tune!
Add some release to ENV 2 to make your sound a little less abrupt when you let go
of a key
Turn up the Resonance in the VCF section and slowly turn down the Cut Off while
playing. Add some Drive to enhance the effect
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6. Tuning Tips
Malevolent is made using true analogue electronics. This means its tuning may not be
perfect when you first receive it. ecause of this we have added a couple of useful
features to help you set tuning for your environment.
Malevolent includes temperature-compensating components to make tuning as stable as
possible but it is a good idea to allow a minute or two before you start tuning.
Hold down the ‘Vibrato’ button and press and release a key in the middle of the
keyboard. You will hear a repeating pattern of notes including the note you’ve played, a
note one octave above and a note one octave below.
Continue to hold the ‘Vibrato’ button while gently tapping the Octave + or – buttons to
stretch or shrink the octave tuning. When you are satisfied release the ‘Vibrato’ button.
If, during tuning, you get lost then press both Octave buttons together to reset to the
factory default setting. Your tuning adjustments will be saved automatically.
Please check the PWM website for further information.
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7. USB-MIDI and Additional Functions
Malevolent is a class-compliant US device which means it can be connected to your
computer via US and will your computer will recognise it automatically without the
need to install additional drivers.
It can be used as a standard controller keyboard and the joystick will transmit
Modulation and Vibrato messages which can be used to control any soft synth or other
MIDI instrument. The HOLD function also works over US -MIDI and Malevolent can be
used as a polyphonic MIDI controller even though it is a mono-synth.
When using US or MIDI In, Malevolent receives and transmits messages on MIDI Channel
1 by default. This can be changed by holding down a key on the keyboard while
powering on where the lowest ‘F’ selects MIDI Channel 1 and the highest ‘G’ selects
channel 16. Channel selection is remembered over a power-cycle.
Malevolent has a Local Off mode which you can enable by holding down ‘Arp’ while
powering on. The status of Local Off mode is not saved when you switch off.
To reset MIDI Tx/Rx Channel, Stretch tuning value, Pitch end range and HOLD mode to
factory defaults, hold down the top ‘C’ on the keyboard while switching on.
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