RADIKAL TECHNOLOGIES Spectralis User manual

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SPECTRALIS
Spectralis

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SPECTRALIS
Spectralis
Spectralis manual
Vers. 1.5.
Jörg Schaaf, Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH, http://www.raditec.de
Copyright © 2007
Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH
Mariahilfstr. 8
81541 München, Germany
Maintaining the highest quality standards is the top priority for Radikal Technologies
GmbH. This is why the design process for any of our new products continues even
after they are released to the public. Technical changes are implemented at any time
without prior notification, if we feel they serve to improve the product. According to
this statement the technical specifications and/or the look of the instrument might
vary from the specs and pictures shown in this Manual.
Any duplication, of all or parts of this manual, in any form and for any reason, requires
prior written permission from Radikal Technologies GmbH.
© 2007, Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH

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SPECTRALIS
Declaration of Conformity
We herewith confirm that the following product
SPECTRALIS
conforms to the requirements of the council Directive 89/336/FWG for radio frequency
interference. It also complies with regulations for radio interference of electronic
devices (EMVG) dated August 30th, 1995.
The following standards have been used to determine conformity:
-EN 50082-1:1992, EN 50081-1:1992, EN 60065:1993
This declaration has been made solely on behalf of the manufacturer:
Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH
Mariahilfstr. 8
D-81541 München
Munich/Germany, 15.12.2004
Jurgen Korduletsch, Managing Director

Declaration of Conformity ........................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Warranty ................................................................................................................................................ 7
1.1.1 Term .................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.1.2 Coverage ....................................................................................................................... 7
1.1.3 Transfer of warranty ..................................................................................................... 7
1.1.4 Liability ........................................................................................................................ 7
1.2 Safety notices ......................................................................................................................................... 8
2. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 9
2.1 What is the Spectralis? ................................................................................................. 10
2.2 Preparations ......................................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.1 Unpacking ................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.2 Set-Up .......................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.3 Firmware update ........................................................................................................ 10
2.3 Connections and File operation ............................................................................................................ 11
2.3.1 Audio connections ...................................................................................................... 11
2.3.2 MIDI connections ........................................................................................................ 12
2.3.3 The USB port and storage media ............................................................................... 12
2.3.4 Safe file operation .......................................................................................................13
2.3.5 USB Troubleshooting ................................................................................................. 13
3.5.6 Spectralis Realtime Clock ......................................................................................... 14
2.3.7 Filetypes and the directory structure of the Spectralis flash memory ...................... 15
3.3.8 Restoring the factory patterns, songs, sounds and samples ...................................... 17
2.3.9 Switching the Sample-Set file-type from "fix" to "dynamic" loading ....................... 17
2.3.10 Formating Media (internal Flash and Smart-Media Cards) .................................... 18
2.3.11 Power connection ...................................................................................................... 18
2.4 Explanations of basic terms .................................................................................................................. 18
2.5 Frontpanel overview .............................................................................................................................. 21
2.5.1 „Part“-button section ................................................................................................. 21
2.5.2 „Num-Button-Assignment“-section .......................................................................... 22
2.5.3 "Sequence-Edit"-section ............................................................................................ 22
2.5.4 "Groove-Edit"-section ................................................................................................ 23
2.5.5 "Filterbank"-section .................................................................................................. 24
2.5.6 "Mixing-desk"-section ............................................................................................... 24
2.5.7 "Master"-section ........................................................................................................ 25
2.5.8 "Creativator"-section ................................................................................................. 25
2.5.9 "Synth-Edit"-section (LFO, VCO, VCF, VCA) .......................................................... 26
2.5.10 "Transport"-section (the section with the green button) ......................................... 26
2.5.11 Numeric buttons ...................................................................................................... 27
2.6 Control elements .................................................................................................................................. 27
2.6.1 Buttons........................................................................................................................ 27
2.6.2 Rotary encoders .......................................................................................................... 27
2.6.3 Display ........................................................................................................................ 27
3.0 "How to...?"-chapters: It's finally time to get started!......................................................................... 29
3.0.1 Preparations ............................................................................................................... 29
3.0.2 Establishing audio connections .................................................................................. 29
3.0.3 Connect MIDI-keyboard ............................................................................................. 29
3.1 Select, play and adjust patterns - the ”Pattern-Jam” mode ................................................................ 30
3.1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 30
3.1.2 The first “Pattern-Jam”-session ............................................................................... 30
3.1.3 "Mute"-function – Muting individual parts .............................................................. 30
3.1.4 "Solo"-mode ............................................................................................................... 31
3.1.5 Adjusting levels to your liking ................................................................................... 31

3.1.6 Editing panorama and FX-sends ................................................................................. 31
3.1.7 Sound selection for your parts ................................................................................. 31
3.1.7a The pattern transpose function ............................................................................. 32
3.1.8 Saving patterns ......................................................................................................... 33
3.1.9 What data are saved inside a pattern? ................................................................... 34
3.1.10 Turning off the “Default”-sound .......................................................................... 34
3.1.11. Deactivating the “Pattern changed, Save First”-messages ................................ 35
3.2 Editing DSP-synthesizer sounds ....................................................................................................... 37
3.2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 37
3.2.2 Selecting a sample or multisample for the sound .................................................. 37
3.2.3 Tuning the sample set ............................................................................................... 38
3.2.4 Further Sample-Oscillator parameters .................................................................. 38
3.2.5 Reverse sample playback ......................................................................................... 39
3.2.6 Changing the volume envelopes .............................................................................. 40
3.2.7 Velocity Sensitivity and adjusting the VCA-level .................................................. 41
3.2.8 Using the digital multimode filter .......................................................................... 41
3.2.9 Playing filtered sounds ............................................................................................. 41
3.2.10 Envelope control of the filter frequency ............................................................... 42
3.2.11 Filter frequency keyboard scaling ......................................................................... 42
3.2.12 The DSP synth LFO section ................................................................................... 43
3.2.13 Assigning LFO and MIDI modulation to the cutoff frequency ......................... 44
3.2.14 Assigning LFO and MIDI modulation to the resonance, volume, panpot position
and sample-oscillator pitch ..................................................................................... 44
3.3 Playing the "Analog"-synthesizer .................................................................................................... 45
3.3.1 Differences to other synthesizers ............................................................................. 46
3.3.2 Let's go - Getting familiar with the analog filters. ................................................ 47
3.3.3 Short excursion: oscillators and envelopes ............................................................ 49
3.3.4 Back to analog-technology – the multimode filter and filter-routing. ................. 51
3.3.5 The LFO section of the analog-synth ...................................................................... 55
3.3.6 Oscillators – the improved LFO’s! .......................................................................... 63
3.3.7 The fixed filterbank .................................................................................................. 64
3.3.8 The envelopes of the Spectralis analog-synth ........................................................ 67
3.3.9 Note priority and multitrigger settings ................................................................... 67
3.4 Step-sequencer basics
3.4.1 Filterbank rhythms .................................................................................................... 70
3.4.2 Tonal sequences .......................................................................................................... 72
3.5 Step-sequencer advanced I
3.5.1 Tonal Sequences ......................................................................................................... 75
3.5.2 Option 1: Adjusting preset values and entering steps ............................................... 76
3.5.3 Option 2: Setting pitch, length, probability and dynamic value separately ............... 76
3.5.4 Option 3: Input and editing of notes in the single-step editor .................................... 77
3.5.5 MIDI learn function for pitch ..................................................................................... 78
3.5.6 Line rotation ............................................................................................................... 78
3.6 Target selection .................................................................................................................................... 79
3.6.1 Special features for MIDI targets .............................................................................. 80
3.7 Creating triggergroups - multiple analog synth parts ........................................................................80
3.7.1 Playing the triggergroups.......................................................................................... 81
3.7.2 The definition of triggergroups ................................................................................. 82
3.8 Step-sequencer advanced II
3.8.1 Parameter lines .......................................................................................................... 84
3.8.2 Triggerpoint muting and overwriting ........................................................................ 86
3.8.3 Single step editor ....................................................................................................... 86

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SPECTRALIS
3.8.4 Single parameter editor ............................................................................................ 87
3.9 Editing motifs and patterns ............................................................................................................... 88
3.9.1 Exchanging motifs .................................................................................................... 88
3.9.2 The motif edit menu ................................................................................................. 89
3.9.3 Initialising motifs and part parameters .................................................................. 90
3.9.4 Exchanging drum grooves ....................................................................................... 90
3.9.6 Recording your own motifs ...................................................................................... 91
3.9.7 Realtime recording ................................................................................................... 91
3.9.8 Step by Step Input .................................................................................................... 92
3.9.9 "Chord-Record" recording - independent note and rhythm input ..................... 93
3.9.10 Programming new rhythms with the beat-matrix ............................................... 95
3.10 The song-chain mode ....................................................................................................................... 97
3.10.1 Playing a song .......................................................................................................... 97
3.10.2 Jumping into pattern-jam mode ........................................................................... 98
3.10.3 Editing a song chain ............................................................................................... 98
3.11 External synchronisation and metronome settings ..................................................................... 100
3.11.1 External synchronisation ..................................................................................... 100
3.11.2 Metronome settings ............................................................................................... 100
3.12 Part activity monitoring................................................................................................................. 101
3.13 The arpeggiator .............................................................................................................................. 102
3.14 Signal routings - foreword ............................................................................................................. 105
3.14.1 Routing DSP-parts to the analog-synthesizer .................................................... 105
3.14.2 Routing external signals to the analog synth ..................................................... 106
3.14.3 Feed parts to individual outputs ......................................................................... 107
3.15 Storing sounds ................................................................................................................................ 108
3.15.1 Saving a new sound in an existing soundbank ................................................... 108
3.15.2 Creating a new soundbank .................................................................................. 110
3.16 Randomize sound ............................................................................................................................ 111
3.17 Using your own samples .................................................................................................................111
3.18 Controlling external MIDI gear .................................................................................................... 113
3.18.1 Assigning a part to MIDI ..................................................................................... 114
4.0 Help needed? The integrated spectralis help-system .................................................................... 116
4.1 Final comments ................................................................................................................................. 117
4.2 Spectralis accessories ....................................................................................................................... 117

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SPECTRALIS
1.1 Warranty
1.1.1 Term
Radikal Technologies warrants all electronic und mechanical components of this
product,subjects to the conditions herein described, for a period of 12 months from
purchase. If any covered malfunctions arise during the warranty period, the unit will
either be repaired or replaced at the Manufacturer’s election. The general business
terms and conditions of Radikal Technologies GmbH Germany shall apply.
1.1.2 Coverage
Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH reserves the right to perform warranty
repairs or product replacement only subject to prior warranty registration by the
customer. Such registration needs to be submitted together with a copy of dealer
invoice or sales receipt. The final decision concerning validity of the warranty is
made by Radikal Technologies GmbH. In case of a justified warranty claim the
submitted product will be repaired or replaced within 30 days of receipt at Radikal
Technologies offices.
Any physical damage to the instrument or unauthorized attempts to open or fix the
unit will render the warranty null and void. Repair of non-registered products or
products with a lapsed warranty will be performed at customer’s expense. We
strongly recommended that customers ask for an estimate of costs before sending in
their instruments for repair. Cost of packaging and shipping will be charged additionally.
In case of covered warranty claims the product will be shipped back to the customer
free of charge. Shipment to customers residing outside of Germany will take place at
the cost of the customer.
1.1.3 Transfer of warranty
This warranty is exclusive and personal to the original owner and may not be
transferred. Other than Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH, no third party
(retailer, etc.) is authorized to promise or perform warranty services. Services other
than ones specified herein are not covered under this warranty
1.1.4 Liability
Claims for additional damages of any kind, including all claims of financial damages
as a result of malfunction of a product, are specifically excluded hereunder. The
liability of Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH in all cases is expressly limited
to the purchase price or the adjusted value of the product only. All warranty services
and shipments are performed subject exclusively to Radikal Technologies Deutsch-
land GmbH’general business terms and conditions.
Warranty

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SPECTRALIS
1.2 Safety notices
CAUTION: Please do not open the instrument’s case at any time, to avoid the
possibility of electric shock. There are no functions or features inside the unit intended
for the user. Do not ever make any attempt to repair the instrument yourself! Any
technical problems should be addressed with qualified service personnel only.
WARNING: Do not expose the unit to rain or humidity to avoid electric shock or
shorts.
- Before using your unit please read the security and user instructions carefully.
- Store the safety and user instructions in a readily accessible place.
- Never use the unit close to water (i.e. bathtub, sink, swimming-pool)!
- Do not to set your unit up too close to heat-sources (heaters, Amps, etc.). To
ensure proper air ventilation it is important not to obstruct the unit’s heat vents.
- Make sure to place the unit on a solid surface strong enough to support its weight.
- Connect the unit only with the correct and sufficient power sources.
- Position the power-cord carefully, so nobody will fall over it.
- Only use undamaged and fully functioning power-cords
- Turn your unit off and remove the power-cord before moving or transporting the
unit.
- Unplug the power-cord before cleaning the unit
- When you’re not using the unit for any extended period of time make sure to turn
it off and to remove the power-cord.
- Clean the unit only with a dry or slightly damp cloth. NEVER use cleaning solutions!
- Make sure that no hard particles or liquid can get inside the unit.
- As a result of rapid temperature-changes it is possible that condensation can
form inside the unit. Make sure your unit has sufficient time for the condensation
to dry off, before reconnecting it to a power-supply after such temperature change.
The unit needs to be checked by a qualified service-technician in case:
- The power-cord or the plug has been damaged
- Hard particles or liquid have managed to get inside the unit
- The unit has been exposed to rain or humidity
- The unit has been dropped and/or shows physical damage
- The unit is not functioning in the usual or described fashion
Safety notices

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SPECTRALIS
2. Introduction
We first would like to thank you for purchasing the Spectralis. You have purchased a
modern music instrument, which not only sounds great, but also doubles as a powerful
”music-machine”, which will provide new impulses for your future LIVE-performances
as well as production activities. This manual is intended to help you to utilize as much of
the Spectralis’ potential right from the get-go. It should accompany you through the basic
exploration period and introduce you to a number of its special features. One thing this
quick guide is not however – a reference manual. It is more of a practical users
guide and workshop handbook, which can provide you with a pretty extensive
overview of the Spectralis’ potential. The emphasis is on practical, repetitive and
repeatable lessons. The Spectralis comes with an integrated help system which
works a little bit like an on board reference manual. If you need further information
about the meaning of an displayed parameter name just press the shift button and
touch the encoder button of the assigned rotary encoder.
2.1 What is the Spectralis?
The Spectralis is a performance-oriented music instrument with multiple sequencer-sections
optimized for LIVE-operation. In addition it is also an extravagant and powerful
sound-design tool. The Spectralis also doubles as a workstation and can handle
complete music production jobs - due to its sampling engine which comes with
digital multimode-filters.
What the Spectralis has to offer:
– A pattern-based 17-track sequencer with unique performance-possibilities,
drum-grid, „Step by Step“- and realtime programming/editing
– A complex, subtractive synthesizer with 4 digital oscillators and analog filters
– Sample/DSP based sound-engine with 32 stereo-voices, sound processing
with 128 MB RAM, 64 MB internal flash rom as well as two Smart Media
Card slots for data storaging.
– A 32 track analog-style step-sequencer, which not only plays notes, but can
also modulate all of the sound-parameters of the Spectralis.
– A filterbank with ten bands (8 bandpass-, plus one high- and one lowpass
filter), controllable with the help of the step sequencer.
– A DSP based effect section and an internal audiomixer with various In- and
Outputs.
– 2 Smart media card slots for storage of sounds, patterns, songs and samples.
As you spend more time with your Spectralis you’re sure to realize and master its full
potential. Hopefully this manual will prove to be a valuable companion on your path to
enlightenment! In case you do come across questions not sufficiently addressed in this
guide it is probably something we overlooked. In any such case we invite you to visit the
spectralis user forum at our Spectralis website:
http://www.spectralis.de/phpBB2/
We will be posting additional tips and tricks, FAQ-entries and example patterns regularly,
in the beginning probably quite frequently.
Introduction

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SPECTRALIS
2.2 Preparations
2.2.1 Unpacking
You should find the following contents in your shipping box:
- Spectralis
- the power-cord
- 1 USB-cable
- this quick guide manual
- a backup CD-Rom with the current patterns and samples/factory presets.
Please contact your retailer right away if any of the above items are missing. You may
also contact Radikal Technologies Deutschland GmbH ([email protected]). If you
do notice any physical damage to the Spectralis after shipping, please immediately
contact the shipping company with your complaint. We will be happy to assist you
with further documentation if needed.
2.2.2 Set-Up
Place the Spectralis on a level, clean and sufficiently spacious surface or a suitable
Keyboard stand. Make sure that there is no obstruction to the ventilation slots. Avoid
operating the Spectralis close to technical equipment which generates heat.
In case you wish to install the Spectralis in a 19” rack you can order the optional
rack-ears available at your retailer or directly from Radikal Technologies. The
Spectralis will take up 5 rack spaces plus a little extra head-room room for the
cables connected to it. Make sure to follow the instructions described in the rack-
setup instructions.
2.2.3 Firmware update
We currently are working full steam on adding more and more features to the Spectralis
firmware. For this reason we advise you to update your Spectralis whenever new
firmware versions are announced. To check for and obtain the latest versions you
can visit the user-forum of the Spectralis website http://www.spectralis.de/phpBB2.
In the section ”updates” you can easily download the latest versions - free of charge
of course. There are usually detailed descriptions available of the new features or
differences to previous releases. Please take time to read the information provided
for the respective firmware expansions or updates. The update process is rather
simple. However, it is definitely recommended to read the update Info on the website
first and to follow the instructions carefully to ensure a successful upgrade process.
At the time of the initial Spectralis shipouts some parts of the firmware were not fully
completed or only implemented in a temporary pre-release version.
Unpacking, Set-Up, Firmware Update
Firmware:
The Firmware is the
program operating
the Spectralis hard-
ware platform.
Contrary to the
hardware, which is
fixed, the firmware can
be updated to add new
functions or to improve
functionality

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SPECTRALIS
2.3 Connections and operation
2.3.1 Audio connections
I. Connect the outputs ”Sum R” and ”Sum L” with your audio/monitoring system. You
can use the inputs of a normal stereo-system, the inputs of a mixer, a soundcard with
hardware monitoring or active monitors. If you’re connecting the Spectralis to a stereo
system or a separate stereo preamp, select inputs with suitable impedance. In no case
should you use the phono-inputs of your stereo-system! Suitable inputs for the Spectralis
are ”cd”, ”aux” or ”line in”. All audio signals of our preset patterns from the various
sections of the Spectralis are output via the sum-outs. Signals can also be routed to the
sum outputs just as well as to the individual outs. In an extreme case you can even add
the signal of a single oscillator to a sum output, in order to modulate an external analog
sound generator.
II. Signals of the hybrid synth section can be recorded individually via the “A SYNTH
R” und “A SYNTH L” Outputs.
Due to the analog sounds and the analog filters, we have are using the term
analog synth on the frontpanel, to create a clearer distinction between
samplebased tone-generation and the hybrid synth. From here on in and for
these same reasons we will use the term ”analog-synthesizer” instead of ”hy-
brid-synthesizer” frequently, even though a large part of the sound creation was
accomplished digitally.
Please keep in mind, that direct outputs always deliver a dry signal. Potential effects,
which you may have used in the other DSP for processing of the analog-synth sound,will
not be part of the signal on these outputs.
III. You can add random signals of the DSP/sample or the analog-synthesizer section to
the"DIRECT“ 1 – 4 outputs with adjustable level.
IV. Connect the"PHONES“-Output with your headphones. The signal is equivalent to
the level of the sum-out pair. The level of the headphone signal can be controlled with the
(master-volume)-encoder
V. Connect the external inputs with the audio-outs of external instruments if you wish to
process their audio-signals with the Spectralis.
Connection and operation
Hybrid-
Synthesizer
indicates a tone
generator
where the resulting
sounds consist of a
combination of
digital and analog
components

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2.3.2 MIDI connections
The MIDI port enables the communication between different synthesizers, serves to
synch up various music-machines (synchronizing tempos and the start/stop process)
and is used to connect to a computer. No audio signals are transmitted via the MIDI
port –only control-data. The control data are uniform for all manufacturers and
make it possible to use instruments by a variety of companies together.
I. Connect the MIDI OUT of a keyboard or a MIDI-interface with the MIDI IN on
your Spectralis, to play Spectralis sounds via an external controller-keyboard.
II. Connect the MIDI OUT of your Spectralis with the MIDI IN of another MIDI-
device, such as another synth, MIDI-interface and the like, to control any such external
devices/ soundsources with the Spectralis. You can find additional information in the
manual of the respective MIDI-instrument.
III. Connect the MIDI THRU port of the Spectralis with other soundsources, in
case you want to transmit MIDI-data received by the Spectralis to other instruments.
Generally you should not connect more than 3 instruments serially via MIDI THRU
and MIDI IN, because you might encounter data transmission lost depending on the
quality of the optocopplers used in the instruments. It is advisable to centrally connect
your studio equipment using a MIDI-interface. For this purpose you will need MIDI-
interfaces with multiple outputs or MIDI THRU-boxes, which can distribute an
incoming MIDI-signal to multiple MIDI THRU ports.
2.3.3 The USB port and storage media
Using the USB port on your Spectralis you can easily:
- exchange data with your computer
- save your data
- Transfer new samples
- do firmware upgrades
The Spectralis uses generic drivers for data transfer, which are integrated in the
firmware. This eliminates the need for driver installations. Once you’ve made a
successful connection additional drive icons will appear on your computer’s desktop,
which can be used to exchange data with. Normally you should now see three diffe-
rent drives.
a.) SPCFlash – this drive represents the internal 64 MB resident memory drive
which can be re-written multiple times and saves its contents when the instrument is
being powered down. This is where you want to store all your files - samples, songs
and sounds, which you want to have readily available to you after turning your
Spectralis on. For now the Spectralis loads all samples from this memory bank
automatically into the sample RAM memory.
b.) Slot1 and Slot2 or SmartMedia 1 and 2.
Some computers will only make these drives visible, if you already have inserted a
Smart Media Card.
MIDI:
The shortcut „MIDI“
stands for Musical
Instrument Digital
Interfac and is used for
unified digital control of
different electronic
musical instruments.
Before MIDI wasinven-
ted, it used to be very
difficult to connect
electronic sound gene-
rators by different
manufacturers.
MIDI connections, USB connections
USB:
Stands for „Universal
Serial Bus“. All
Modern
Computers come fitted
with this useful con-
nection port which
enables simple and
problem-free con-
nection of peripheral
instruments to a
Computer.

13
SPECTRALIS
You should only establish a USB connection if you are planning to copy data. The USB
connection is not necessary for the normal Spectralis operation.
Background:
It is rather unusual for operating systems to ”mount” a hard-drive, which
can rewrite itself. When storing data in the flash-rom the data on your media
are being changed without notification of the operating system. Only after
use of the ”refresh” function does the operating system ”know” what it is
dealing with and what changes may have taken place. This could have
dramatic consequences! On the other hand the operating system constantly
keeps busy with files. You may not even have started doing anything, yet your
computer already has generated or changed data on your media – even if it’s
only applying a timestamp documenting your most recent access. All of this
takes place without you even knowing. Just ”mounting” the drives is enough.
For this reason we have compiled a few security rules you should observe, to
ensure that your symbiosis with the Spectralis is a happy and productive
experience.
2.3.4 Safe file operation
I. Under normal use you should always disconnect the USB cable from the Spectralis
It is not needed for standard or effective operation! There is no downside to removing
the USB cable!
II.If you are working with an Apple Macintosh do not forget to unmount the drives after
you’re done copying data to flash rom, ramdisc or a smart media card. This is easily
accomplished by dragging the drive icon onto the trashcan. If you don’t do it data will not
be written completely. In a worst case scenario incomplete data or interrupted data
transfer can lead to data-loss on your media!!
III. Avoid renaming files directly on the Spectralis Disk mediums. In case you want to
rename files, please copy the files to your computers harddisk, rename the files at your
computer and copy the files back to the Spectralis mediums.
IV. Please don't copy files directly from one Spectralis Medium to another. Always copy
the files to your computer harddisk first and then from the computer back to the desired
medium of the Spectralis.
2.3.5 USB Troubleshooting
In case, you connected the USB cable to your computer and the computer is not mounting
the Spectralis drives, you should first make sure to connect the spectralis directly to your
computer. The Spectralis is a highspeed USB device. A couple of USB HUB's can't
handle these devices.
Older computers are maybe only running USB1.1 and are not configuring USB2 devices
correctly, that are trying to connect via Highspeed. In the USB specification is exactly
described, how a host should handle that. A 100% compliant host will set the client into
USB1.1 mode automaticly, if the host is not USB2 compatible.
However - some older computers with outdated bios versions are maybe not handling
that this way and are only reporting an error message or nothing. In this case you can set
the Spectralis to USB1.1 Fullspeed mode manually in the system menu.
Datatransfer, USB Troubleshooting, Safe file operation
When ”Mounting“ a
Drive it becomes
accessible
for the operating
system
Once the operating
system
senses a new drive it
will try to access it.
This process is
called ”moun-ting”.
During this process
the drive is as-
signed to an
identifying letter

14
SPECTRALIS
Press and hold the[Shift]-button and push the [System]-button to enter the system-
menu. The following display dialog will appear:
1/3:System SN:00xxxxxx V0.95
Drum:OFF Contr:100 Save:Yes Load:ASK
Press[Page-Up] to reach the second menu page:
2/3:System SN:00xxxxxx V0.95
USB:FULL DSnd:YES Sync:DIS Play:YES
The first rotary encoder allows to change the USB communication speed:
USB: FULL - Fullspeed Mode, USB 1.1 compatible
USB: HIGH - Highspeed Mode, USB2 compatible
USB: OFF - USB turned Off - the lowest available speed;-)
3.5.6 Spectralis Realtime Clock
When you browse the spectralis files at your computer, you will recognize, that the
files created by the Spectralis have a normal timestamp. This functionality makes it
necessary to supply the Spectralis with a realtime clock. The realtime clock runs,
even when you have turned off the unit. The clock is powered by a goldcap - a
special capacitor with a very big capacity. However - after around three months
without any power, the goldcap will not have enough power to drive the realtime
clock anymore. In this case, the Spectralis will prompt a "set time"-dialog on power
up.
If your spectralis clock is running fine but shows a different date and time as your
computer, you should set the time manually. Especcially when you are living in a
different time-zone from from the Middle-European Timezone MEZ, setting the time
is essential.
Press and hold the[Shift]-button and push the [System]-button to enter the system-
menu. The following display dialog will appear:
1/3:System SN:00xxxxxx V0.95
Drum:OFF Contr:100 Save:Yes Load:ASK
Press[Page-Up] to reach the second menu page:
2/3:System SN:00xxxxxx V0.95
USB:FULL DSnd:YES Sync:DIS Play:YES
Press[Page-Up] to reach the third menu page:
3/3:System SN:00xxxxxx V0.95
SetTime Upgrade AdjFlt
Spectralis Realtime Clock

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SPECTRALIS
Push the[SetTime]-encoder-button to open the "Set-Time" dialog. The following display
message should appear:
2005 - Okt-12 - 18:36:05
Year | Day | Time |
You can dial the date and the time with the first three encoders until the time equals with
your computer realtime clock. You can leave the menu with the [Exit]-button.
2.3.7 Filetypes and the directory structure of the Spectralis flash memory
The Spectralis Flash Memory holds usually all data, the Spectralis reads during startup.
We have different file-types, which are also mentioned inside the "How to..." chapters of
the manual. We just want to give you an overview about everything, you will find at the
flash memory.
Song Folders and patterns
On the flash memory you will see a number of folders named "SONG01", "SONG02"
etc. The songfolders make it very easy to manage all files of an entire song. If you
open a song-folder, you will find the following file-types:
Song.INI -The songdata file
The songdata file contains the name of the song, the tempo setting for the song and the
programmed song-chain.
Pattxx.SPT - The pattern data file
This file contains all motifs and sound data of a pattern. "xx" is the pattern number,
under which the pattern can be recalled inside the song-chain editor or the pattern-
jam mode. Patterns can easily be transfered with the computer by copying a pattern
from one song-folder to another. But take care to not overwrite an existing pattern in
the target folder. The best way to do the transfer is copying the desired patterns onto
the computer harddrive, checking which pattern numbers are not in use in the target
songfolder, renaming the patterns at the computer and copying the files to the target
songfolder.
All other filetypes are at the root directory of the Flash-memory.
anyname.SLI and anyname.SLC
The *.SLC and *.SLI-files are sample-data files for the Spectralis. SLI-files contain
one single sample or multisample and *.SLC-files contain a collection of samples or
multisamples. These files can be set to "dynamic loading" or "fix loading" in the browse
menu of the Spectralis. Sample-Sets, set to "dynamic loading", will only be loaded, if
you select a song or a sound preset, that uses this sample-set. Sample-Sets set to "fix
loading" will always be loaded at startup automaticly independent from their usage.
Sample-Sets can be provided via the Smartmedia Cards as well. The Spectralis
automaticly browses all inserted cards during startup and loads "fixed"-Sample-Set
directly into the memory and enumerates all sample-names it can found in any dynamic
Filetypes and the dirtectory structure

16
SPECTRALIS
loadable Sample-Set-files - that allows to create a sample list for the DSP-Synth
Oscillator menu, that shows up samples as well, which are not already loaded
into the RAM memory.
anyname.SSB - Soundbank files
SSB-files are Spectralis soundbank-files and contain sound-presets. Up to 24
soundbank files are supported by the Spectralis - 8 banks for Drumsounds, 8
banks for DSP-synth sounds and 8 banks for analog-synth sounds.
Spec_En.hlp - english Help System files
The spectralis has a help system that allows to recall a helpstring for all spectralis
parameters. The file itself contains the help strings. It's easy to create your own
messages for the help system. Just open the file into a writing application and
produce your own helpfile. Feel free to send us other language versions;-) From
Inside any of the parameter menus just press and hold [Shift] and the encoder
button of the parameter, you would like to get some infos about. The strings will
be dispalyed immediatly. The help function can be left by pressing the [Exit]-
button or by pressing any other button.
Spectralis.ini - holds system settings of the Spectralis.
SpectralisXXX.cod - Firmware files for firmware updates.
From time to time you should delete former versions of the firmware files. Three
of these files are eating 1 MB of your Flash Memory.
default.spt- Default pattern settings
This file is a default pattern. If you delete a pattern or when you start your pattern
programming with an empty pattern, the sound- and motif-data will be read from
this default pattern. All the basic work you normally have to do like selecting
sounds or samples for the parts, setting measure-formats and defining the pattern
length can be preprogrammed in this default pattern. You may want to overwrite
the existing pattern with your customized version. Just select an empty pattern,
change your settings and safe the empty pattern as current. Hook the Spectralis
up to the computer, copy the file to the computers harddisk and rename the
pattern to default.spt. After that simply copy the renamed file to the root directory
of the flash rom.
anyname.SFI- Spectralis-Flash-Image
The *.SFI files are backup files. They are normally used to restore the factory
sounds, samples and patterns but may will be used in the future as well for updates,
containing samples, songs and sounds. These files should be saved on smartmedia-
cards only. During the image restore operation, the internal flash memory will be
formatted. Make sure to backup all your own data, before starting the image
restoring! You may have received a Smartmedia-Card from the service department
with a valid image file or you received a image file on a CDR. Also the CDR, that
ships with the Spectralis contains such a image file to give you the opportunity to
reset the machine to the factory defaults.
Filetypes and the directory structure

17
SPECTRALIS
3.3.8 Restoring the factory patterns, songs, sounds and samples
The image restore function can be activated from the file browser of the Spectralis.
Please follow the step by step instruction below:
1.) Backup all files of the internal flash memory to your computer.
2.) If not already done copy the *.SFI File to a formatted smartmedia card.
3.) Select the Browse function by holding down the[Shift]-button and pushing the
[Browse]-button underneath the 4 display encoders. The following display message will
appear:
Select Device for Browsing:
Flash Slot1 Slot2
Select the slot, where you have inserted the smartmedia-card with the *.SFI-File by
pushing the rotary encoder button[Slot1]or [Slot2]
4.)Use the[Page]-buttons to select the *.SFI file. The display should now look like this:
94Set.SFI
2005-10-06 08:16 58154496
5.)By hitting the[Enter]-button the restore function will start automaticly with the formatting
procedure. When the restore function is done, please reboot the Spectralis.
2.3.9 Switching the Sample-Set file-type from "fix" to "dynamic" loading
At the Spectralis panel press and hold the [Shift]-button and press[Browse]. The
file browser dialog will appear in the display:
Select Device for Browsing:
Flash Slot1 Slot2
Press the encoder-button next to the memory location "Flash", "Slot1" or "Slot2" where
you want to edit the sample-set loading mechanism. After pressing for example the
encoder-button under the "Flash" entry, the display will show up the first file on that
medium together with the creation date and the memory usage of this file:
Analogie.SSB:
2005-09-24 18.57 63584
The file Analogie has been changed for the last time at the 24th of september 2005 at
6.57pm and contains 63584 bytes. With the[Page-Up]-button, you can browse thru
the file list. As soon as you reach a *.slc or *.sli-file, you will notice additional information
in the display:
CR78SSSPEC.SLC(FIX, loaded):
2005-05-27 15.27 298880
By hitting the [Enter]-button you can now toggle between "Fix" and "Dynamic" loading.
Leave the menu with the[Exit]-button.
Restoring the factory patterns, songs, sounds and samples

18
SPECTRALIS
2.3.10Formatting Media (internal Flash and Smart-Media Cards)
In case something goes wrong after all or when using a Smart Media Card for the
first time it will be necessary to format the media. The formatting should have to be
done in the Spectralis. Formatting via your computer systems is possible as well.
To start formatting use the[Shift]-button and hold it down while simultaneously
pushing the [Browse]-button. All 3 of the media in the Spectralis will now show up
in the 2x40 character display of the Spectralis. When pushing any of the encoders
assigned to one of the drives showing in the display, drive information will be displayed.
Using the [Page-Up]- and [Page-Down]-buttons you can browse the selected
medium.To begin formatting use the [Record]-button, after selection of the desired
medium. You will need to confirm your intent to format by pushing the [Enter]-
button.
Use the [Exit]-button to leave the browse menu.
Once you’re done formatting you might be looking at an empty display
window. Don’t panic! As soon as you push one of the select buttons on the
Spectralis text will appear once again in the Display.
2.3.11 Power connection
The Spectralis has a power connection on the back of the instrument, right next to
the power switch. Please use the enclosed power-cord to connect your Spectralis
with a wall socket or power strip. The Spectralis has an internal switching AC-
Transformer which can be operated from 100 to 240 Volts and at 50 and 60 Hz.
This means the Spectralis will work just fine in other countries which may have
different voltage than yours.
You should unplug the power-cord if you’re not using the Spectralis for any exten-
ded period of time.
Smart Media Cards:
Smart Media Cards are
compact storage media
with storage capacity of
anywhere from 1MB to
128 MB. The Spectralis
supports Smart Media
Cards with a voltage
of 3.3 Volts and storage
capacity of 4-128 MB.
However - nowadays
Smartmedia Cards are
becoming more and
more obsolete.
Please contact
[email protected]. We
have an alternative
storage solution for
Spectralis Users with a
smartmedia/xD Card
conversion adapter and
a 128 MB xD-Card.
2.4 Explanations of basic terms
To make this manual easy to understand we would like to explain a few frequently
used terms, which are of significance with the Spectralis..
2.4.1 Sound:
A Sound-Program of the Hybrid Synthesizer or a sample-based Sound of the
DSP-Synth.
2.4.2 Part:
A part is a track in the sequencer, played by a particular instrument. Each part of
the Spectralis has its own sound parameters and a special set channel on the
internal mixer of the Spectralis. Due to the pre-assignment of various part categories
it becomes easy to create new patterns simply by swapping motifs. You will find
the following parts in the Spectralis:Kick, Snare, Closed HiHat, Open HiHat,
Clap, HiTom, MidTom and LoTom,three Percussion-parts, the Analog Synth-
part plus three additional polyphonic DSP Synthesizer parts.
formatting , power connection and explanation of terms

19
SPECTRALIS
2.4.3 Motif:
An exchangeable musical phrase consisting of a series of notes, which can be assigned
to a part.
2.4.5 Drum Groove:
The Parts 1 – 11 (Kick – Perc3)can be treated as a Group independent of the Parts
with tonal Instruments and are referred to jointly as ”Drum Groove”.
2.4.6 Pattern:
Consists of up to 16 parallel parts. Patterns can be changed in real-time sonically and
musically by selecting and swapping songs, motifs and drum-grooves.
The pattern is also the most important storage level of the Spectralis. When you add
a new motif to a part, the contents of the motif will be automatically copied to the
Pattern Slot. In short the Spectralis automatically creates a copy of the motif. The
same applies for the sound parameters. Rather than administering a program number
in the pattern, the pattern always contains the complete set of parameters for the
sound. Due to this form of storage management you never run the risk to lose a setting
for instance in pattern ”xy” when making changes in pattern ”yz”.
2.4.7 Song:
You can combine up to 32 Patterns in a song, which can be played back either in a
predetermined order which can be accessed, changed, varied or transposed during
LIVE operation.
2.4.8 Sequence:
With the Spectralis a ”sequence” is a succession of notes or sound-parameter changes,
which are generated by the internal ”quasi-analog” step-sequencer. This means you
can not only control the note-output but also the sound of the Spectralis rhythmically.
Contrary to the data of the drum-grid and the realtime sequencer the settings of the
step-sequencer are stored within an "analog-synthesizer"-sound.
2.4.9 Fixed Filterbank:
In recent years it’s become a bad habit to refer to any instrument with more than one
filter as a filterbank. This can be rather confusing for the user, which is why we would
like to describe what actually constitutes a fixed filterbank. There are very few musical
instruments which don’t have at least some kind of filter. Most feature a lowpass filter,
which cut off overtones upward of a predetermined frequency more or less steeply.
You may be used to decreasing or increasing the cutoff-frequency to create the typical
synthetic sounds. However, it is not possible with this kind of filter, to selectively
boost multiple different frequency bands simultaneously, while other bands above,
below or in between these bands are being limited. In nature this kind of behavior is
quite common.
Your oral cavity serves as a prime example. Different vocal sounds can be shaped by
unconsciously changing your oral cavity’s shape to form different types of resonance
bodies which will emphasize some frequencies and dampen others. The fixed filterbank
of the Spectralis can effectively do the same thing. For this reason they consist of
multiple, parallel bandpasses, fed thru amplifiers allowing you to emphasize or limit
selected frequencies.
These levels of these amplifiers can be controlled by the step-sequencer of the
Spectralis. This set-up allows you to create quite unusual sounds, which far exceed
the sound-repertoire of a normal ”subtractive” synthesizer.
The Step Sequencer
originated at a time
when the possibility
of recording musical
Motifs simply by
playing them was just
a fantasy. The
classical Step
Sequencer consisted
of one or more rows
of potentio-meters
which were read in
sequential order -
sending an indi-
vidual value per step.
If you applied the
control frequency to
the pitch modulation
input of
an VCO, the Sequen-
cer changed the pitch
ac-cording to the
potentio-meter
Settings.
Explanations of terms

20
SPECTRALIS
2.5 Frontpanel Overview