Qu-Bit Electronix Surface User manual

Surface
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Contents
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Specs..................................... 3
Marked Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
General Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.Trig .................................. 5
2.Choke................................. 5
3. Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.Model................................. 6
5. Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.Tone ................................. 8
7.Decay................................. 8
8. Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9. Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Edit Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Stereo Output Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Dark Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Example Patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Strummed Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Keyboard Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Updating Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Checking Firmware Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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Description
Surface is a multi-timbral physical modeling voice capable of emulating the sonic qualities
of acoustic instruments or morphing into otherworldly synthetic textures. Physical models
contain plucked strings, prepared piano, and an assortment of melodic percussion, with up
to 8 voices of polyphony. Creating a sense of space is easy with the true stereo outputs
and their configurable spatialization modes.
Surface provides a unique take on physical modeling which blurs the line between emulation
and synthesis to create entirely new worlds of sound.
• Multi-timbral Physical Modeling Voice
• Various sound models: plucked strings, prepared piano, tuned percussion, and
waveguides
• 8 Voice Polyphony
• True stereo outputs with unique spatialization modes
Specs
Width: 10HP
Depth: 28mm
Power: +12V: 60mA, -12V: 60mA, +5V: 0mA
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Marked Diagram
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General Overview
1. Trig
Triggers a new voice, depending on the number of active voices and the Voices setting this
will take over the oldest voice.
The LED for this will be indicated by the color of the active model.
2. Choke
Silence all voices by damping them.
The LED for this will be indicated by the color of the active model.
3. Frequency
Sets the pitch of the Root note of the active voice.
3a. Coarse
Quantized to semitones (5 octaves)
3b. Fine
Unquantized fine tune (+/- a perfect fourth from center.)
3c. V/Oct
1 volt per octave input for musical pitch tracking. Responds to +/-5V
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4. Model
Selects the model to be used for the next triggered voice.
The following models are mapped evenly across the knob from left to right:
• Pluck
• Bell
• E. Piano 1
• E. Piano 2
• Kick
• Snare
• Prepared Piano
CV responds to +/-5V.
Pluck
Plucked String Model
•Tone: Brightness, Filter Quality, and Cutoff
•Strike: Attack Strength
•LED Color: Purple
•Split Model Output Routing: Left
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Bell
Modal Bar Model
•Tone: Controls ratios of the Bar to be struck. Morphs between Vibraphones and
Tablas.
•Strike: Mallet Weight and Material
•LED Color: Blue
•Split Model Output Routing: Left
Bell Types (in order across the Tone knob):
• Vibraphone
• Steel Drum
• Bayan Tabla
• Dahina Tabla
E. Piano 1
Rhodes-like Electric Piano Model
•Tone: Blend between two FM sources
•Strike: FM Index control for the secondary sound source (No effect when tone is all
the way down)
•LED Color: Cyan
•Split Model Output Routing: Left
E. Piano 2
Wurlitzer-like Electric Piano Model
•Tone: FM Index Control
•Strike: Attack Amplitude (Click sound silenced when all the way down)
•LED Color: Green
•Split Model Output Routing: Left
Kick
Sine Wave Based Kick Drum Model With Saturation
•Tone: Amount of Saturation applied
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•Strike: Attack time and Pitch Envelope amount (Slight audible attack time when all
the way down)
•LED Color: Yellow
•Split Model Output Routing: Right
Snare
Snare Drum Model
•Tone: Noise Amount
•Strike: Pitch Envelope Amount
•LED Color: Orange
•Split Model Output Routing: Right
Prepared Piano
Prepared Piano Model
•Tone: Detune/Space Amount
•Strike: Semirandom Rattle/Restrike Amount
•LED Color: Red
•Split Model Output Routing: Right
5. Strike
Unique parameter for each model that affects the attack characteristics of the model.
See Each model for details.
CV responds to +/-5V.
6. Tone
Unique parameter for each model that has a general effect on the sound of the model.
See Each model for details.
CV responds to +/-5V.
7. Decay
Controls the decay time of the given model.
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Generally in the range of 500 microseconds to 5 or 10 seconds (Pluck and Kick are on the
longer side).
CV responds to +/-5V.
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8. Voices
Sets the number of voices that can be active at a time.
Pressing the button will advance through each setting with the LED indicating the current
selection.
Number of Voices Color
1 Blue
2 Cyan
4 Green
8 Purple
9. Outputs
Stereo Outputs. See Stereo Settings below for details on how these can be configured.
Average 10Vpp depending on settings.
Edit Functions
Accessing the Extra Settings Menu is as easy as holding down the voices button for longer
than 1 second.
The Voices LED will begin to blink white while in this mode.
The mode can be exited immediately by pressing voices again, otherwise the mode will exit
automatically if no buttons have been pressed for 30 seconds.
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Stereo Output Modes
Tapping the Choke button while in the Extra Settings Mode will switch between output
modes, and display the corresponding color on the Choke LED.
Mode Color Description
Mono Blue Left/Right outputs are identical
Split Models Green All voices of a given model will output on a
specific output
Split Voices Purple Even number voices will output from Left, and
odd number voices output from the right
Random Red Each trigger will pan the new voices in a
particular direction.
Regarding split model mode, the Model table in the section above includes which output
will be used for each model.
Dark Mode
Dark mode features extreme parameter settings for all models. The settings here don’t
blend as well from model to model, but make each model more versatile, or different on
their own.
To enter Dark Mode, tap the Trig button while in the Extra Settings Mode. This will toggle
between normal and Dark modes, and display the corresponding color on the Trig LED.
Mode Color
Normal Mode Blue
Dark Mode Green
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Example Patches
Getting Started
A basic patch to get your Surface singing!
Modules: Surface, Step Sequencer (Qu-Bit Bloom)
Patch Bloom’s OUT 1 to V/OCT on Surface. Then, patch the CLOCK out or GATE 1 from
Bloom to Surface’s TRIG CV input. Make sure to send LEFT and RIGHT audio outputs to
a stereo mixer to hear Surface’s unique spatialization modes.
Your Surface should now be playing your sequence and is ready for modulation, model
changes, and more!
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Strummed Guitar
Using Surface to emulate a chord strummed on an acoustic guitar.
Modules: Surface, Step Sequencer (Qu-Bit Bloom)
Surface Settings:
• Model: Plucked String
• Strike: 100%
• Tone: Subjective
• Decay: 60%
• Voices: 8
Bloom Settings:
• Channel 1 (Blue):
• Steps: 32
• Div/Mult: x8
• Branches: 0
• Path: 0
• Rate: ~40%
Sequence your “chord” using the first 3 to 6 notes of your Channel one sequence. Leave
the rest of the sequence empty. The Surface should now be strumming a single chord!
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To add variety, use Branches and paths to add additional plucking, strumming, and guitar-
like flair. Patching CV into TONE, DECAY, and CHOKE can help emulate palm mutes and
varying picking styles.
To play a fixed chord progression, patch OUT 2 to the ROOT CV. On Channel 2 (Green),
sequence your root notes for as many steps as you like. Set Div/Mult to /4 to cycle one
Green step for every 32 Blue steps. Feel free to adjust step amounts and settings to your
preference!
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Keyboard Tracking
Mimic natural acoustic timbres as they move between lower to higher registers
Modules: Surface, Step Sequencer (Qu-Bit Bloom), Buffered Multiplier*
Surface Settings:
• Tone: 0
Patch your sequence out to a buffered multiplier. Send out your multed CV signal to the
V/OCT as well as the TONE CV input on the Surface. Your sequence will now “keyboard
track” across the tone knob, applying higher CV levels in proportion to higher V/Oct notes
in your sequence. You can also send your split signal to STRIKE and DECAY for additional
keyboard tracking goodness.
*Our Patch image uses a Qu-Splitter to demonstrate multiplying the step sequencer signal,
which is not a buffered multiplier. We recommend using a buffered multiplier for a more
accurate signal.
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Calibration
1. With no jacks plugged into the CVs of the module, Hold the CHOKE button while
you turn the module on. The Voices LED will begin to blink blue.
2. Insert 1V from a reliable source and tap voices again. The LED will begin blinking
purple.
3. Insert 3V from a reliable source and tap voices again. The module is now calibrated.
If, for some reason, the module is accidentally calibrated incorrectly, and there are no avail-
able accurate CV sources to recalibrate it, the calibration can be reset to the default factory
settings by pressing Trig from within the Calibration Mode.
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Updating Firmware
Download the latest firmware from the internet.
Go to the Electro-smith Web Programmer for the Daisy and follow the instructions to con-
nect the Daisy to your computer. (You can leave it mounted on the module throughout this
process).
Select the file you downloaded, and click the ‘Program’ button on the page
Checking Firmware Version
On boot up the module indicates the firmware with the following colors indicating numbers
(This will get updated as more versions become available):
• Off = 0
• Blue = 1
• Green = 2
• Cyan = 3
• Purple = 4
The Trig LED will indicate the Major Firmware Version.
The Choke LED will indicate the Minor Firmware Version.
The Voices LED will indicate the Revision Firmware Version.
For example, v1.0.2 would be indicated by:
• Trig being Blue
• Choke being Off
• Voices being Green
After Three seconds the normal user interface will take over.
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