twisted electrons BLAST BEATS User manual

USER MANUAL
Updated March 20th 2023
Please visit our website to stay up-to-date with the latest firmware updates. As
the feature set is expected to evolve, we highly recommend checking the
website for updates to this manual.
We highly value any feedback or ideas you may have, so please do not hesitate
to contact us at [e-mail].
Thank you for choosing Blast Beats!

Features Overview
At the heart of this Groove Box lies a YMF-262 Chip, also known as the OPL3 FM
Chip. This is the same chip that was previously used in the SoundBlaster16/
SoundBlaster PRO2 sound cards, which were found in 90s computers. The Blast
Beats is equipped with two Stereo YAC512 DACs, which allow for four
individually assignable outputs, providing flexibility when it comes to multi-
tracking and instrument routing.
Blast Beats features 10 voices, which include 6 drum voices: kick, SD, tom, closed
hat, open hat, and cymbal; as well as 4 synth voices. Each synth voice can be
dual or quad-operator, depending on the chosen algorithm.
Other notable features of the Blast Beats include 8 waveforms per operator, 56
faders with per-step automation, and 32 illuminated buttons. This includes 3
mode buttons (top left), 3 transport buttons (bottom left), a top row of 10 voice
buttons referred to as "top10" in this manual, and a bottom row of 16 step
buttons referred to as "bottom16."
The Blast Beats also comes equipped with a DIN5 MIDI IN and OUT, allowing
each track to receive and transmit MIDI, as well as USB for firmware updates.
Additionally, it includes 4 assignable MONO T/S 1/4" outputs, 1 MONO T/S 1/4"
MIX output (with all instruments mixed to one output), 1 DUAL MONO T/S 1/4"
headphone output (which is the same as mix on both sides), analog sync in and
out via 1/8" mono TS jack, and a MicroSD for data storage.

About Drum and Synth Voices
The YMF262 FM chip synthesises drum sounds using several FM
operators. Some operators are shared between instruments. As a result
some of Blast Beats’ faders affect several instruments at once:
-Hats and Tom share the same pitch modulation;
-The multiplier of the snare will also affect the pitch of the hats & tom.
This hardware limitation/quirk can however lead to interesting surprises.
There are 4 synth instruments. Synths 1 and 2 are monophonic (one
voice) whereas synths 3 and 4 are duo-phonic (2 voices) and differ in the
way their 2 voices are triggered:
-Synth 3 has 2 overlapping voices useful for duo-phonic chords. You can
record 1 or 2 notes on each step for synth3.
-Synth 4 triggers both voices at once.They can be detuned using the
operator3 tune fader allowing fat bass lines or chord stabs.
You can choose between 5 algorithms for each synth instrument with the
algo fader. The Snare drum is special in that some waveforms silence the
instrument. As a result we have disabled waveforms 4,5,6
Synth Algorithms
The synth voices of Blast Beats comprise up to four oscillators, which are referred
to as operators. The algorithm icons display numbered boxes that represent the
operators, and the arrows represent the modulation signal path. When an
operator receives the signal from a previous operator, its frequency is modulated
by it, also known as frequency modulation (FM). Certain operators feed back into
themselves, which is represented by a line joining the top and bottom of the
operator. Blast Beats has five different algorithms for the synth voices:

Algo1
Operator 4 serves as the carrier. When operators 1 to 3 are
muted, operator 4 produces a pure waveform. However,
operator 4 is modulated by all previous operators in the chain,
making this algorithm capable of producing the most complex
sounds. Operator 1 modulates operator 2, operator 2 (also
known as op1+op2) modulates operator 3, and operator 3 (also
known as op1+op2+op3) modulates operator 4. The amount of
modulation stacks up with each step, so operator 4 is likely to
distort at the end of the modulation chain.
Algo2
Operator 1 is left unmodulated, but applying vibrato with the
op2 fader will cause it to bend. Operators 2-4 are set up similarly
to Algo1. Operator 4 is the carrier and is modulated by operator
3, which is in turn modulated by operator 2.
Algo3
This algorithm splits the chain into a pair of 2op synths that can
be detuned using the tune fader. Operator 4 is a carrier
modulated by operator 3, and operator 2 is a carrier modulated
by operator 1.
Algo4
Operators 1 and 4 are carriers with no operators modulating
them, while operator 3 is a carrier modulated by operator 2.
Algo5
In this final setup, all operators are carriers singing
along together as individuals

Step Edit Mode
Step Edit Mode allows users to edit individual steps of a pattern to create custom
beats. To enter this mode, simply press the "Step" button.
Selecting a page
If a pattern is longer than one page (more than 16 steps), users can select
different pages by pressing the "Step" button to flick through them. The top row
of LEDs labeled "top10" will briefly indicate the current page. A pattern can be
up to four pages (or 64 steps) long. Refer to the "Length Mode" section of the
manual to learn how to add pages.
Selecting an instrument
Blast Beats includes 10 voices, comprising of 6 drum voices and 4 synth voices.
To edit a specific voice, press any of the "top10" voice buttons. If the sequencer
is stopped, selecting a voice will trigger it, allowing you to preview its sound.
Cloning a synth
To copy the sound of a synth to another, hold down the top button of the source
synth and press the top button of the destination synth. For instance, to copy
synth1 to synth3, hold down top button #7 and press top button #9.
Cloning a synth step
It is possible to clone synth steps from one step to another by following a simple
process. Firstly, ensure that the REC button is unlit. Then, hold down the REC
button and press the first step that you wish to copy.
Finally, press any other steps where you want to paste the copied step.
This will change the state of the step, including its on/off status and note number.
X0X style step input
When the REC button is disabled, you can easily switch individual steps on or off
by pressing the lower 16 buttons. If the sequencer is not running, synths 1 to 4
will play the note of the selected step, making it easier to identify which note you
are enabling or disabling.

Transposing a synth step
Hold a synth step and press the kit/patt or function button to transpose the step
up or down respectively by 1 semitone.
Real time drum input
With REC armed and Blast Beats running press top10 buttons 1 to 6 to
punch in a drum beat.
Real time synth input
When REC is armed and Blast Beats is running the 16 bottom buttons
can be used to punch notes into the sequencer in real time. The bottom
LEDs represent the keys of a piano - the lit LEDs are white keys
Synth monitor mode
To practice playing a synth using the 16 bottom buttons prior to recording it
without arming REC, you may activate the synth monitor mode. To do so, simply
double-tap any of the last four top buttons to toggle the synth monitor mode on
or off. When activated, the bottom LEDs of the Blast Beats will represent the keys
of a piano, with the lit LEDs indicating the white keys. This feature is a useful tool
for honing your skills before recording, and can be easily disabled by double-
tapping the top buttons once again to resume normal operation.
Changing the synth input octave
To change the playback octave for synths and drums, hold down the REC button
and select the low, normal, or high octave by pressing the kit/patt, step, or
function buttons, respectively.
To transpose the octave of a specific voice, hold down its corresponding top10
button and use the following menu buttons:
The kit/patt button transposes the playback down one octave
The step button maintains the current octave
The function button transposes the playback up one octave
If you want to transpose all voices at once, simply double-tap any of the above
buttons.

Step by step synth input
To activate or deactivate the step-by-step synth mode, hold the REC button and
press the run button. In this mode, when Blast Beats is stopped and REC is
armed, you can input a melody step-by-step by tapping the bottom 16 buttons.
A blinking bottom 16 LED indicates the currently edited step. The LEDs will
chase from left to right once step-by-step mode is activated.
If you reach the end of the sequence, which is 16 steps for a one-page song, it
will loop back to step 1 and overwrite endlessly. You can input a rest by pressing
the step button. Additionally, you can input notes via MIDI using channels 1-4, or
other channels depending on the MIDI channel routing.
If you wish to start over at any time, toggle REC off, then on again to reset the
step recorder to the first step.
Undo/redo
Whenever you press REC before recording some changes, Blast Beats
creates a snapshot of the current pattern and its parameters. You can
undo (and redo) the changes by holding function and pressing REC in
step mode.

Kit / Pattern Mode
In this mode you can change and chain patterns, and assign different kits
to each pattern. Press kit/pat to enter this mode.
Changing Kit
Press a top10 button at any time to change the kit assigned to the
current pattern.
Each of the 16 patterns can have any of the 10 kits assigned to it.
You can automate kit changes per step: simply change the kit with REC
lit!
Cloning Kits
Cloning kits comes in handy when you want to create variations of the same kit.
To clone a kit, hold down the top10 button of the kit you wish to duplicate, and
press the destination kit's button (any other top10 button) to paste it. You can
make multiple clones at once.
Cloning Banks
Each kit has 10 versions (only 1 of which is available at a time per song).
To duplicate a kit from one bank to another, first select the kit you want to
duplicate by pressing its corresponding top button. Then, hold down the kit/patt
button and press any other top button without releasing the kit/patt button. This
will copy the current bank to the other banks. For instance, if for kit 1 you have
Bank 1 loaded and want to duplicate it to Bank 3, press and hold the top button
for Kit 1, then press and hold the kit/patt button. Next, release the Kit 1 button
and press the top button for Bank 3 without releasing kit/patt.
Changing Pattern
To change patterns, press any of the bottom 16 buttons. If the sequencer is
stopped, the new pattern will start playing immediately. However, if the
sequencer is running, Blast Beats will cue the next pattern and make the change

when it reaches the last step of the current pattern. In this case, the next pattern
will be indicated by a blinking bottom 16 LED.
Cloning Pattern
To clone a pattern, simply hold down the bottom 16 button of the pattern you
want to clone, and press any other bottom 16 button where you want to paste it.
Note that when changing patterns, the assigned kit will be loaded automatically.
Chaining Patterns
You can chain together up to 256 patterns to create a song. To do so, first press
the REC button to arm the sequencer (the REC LED should begin blinking). Then,
press the first pattern in your song to begin recording the chain. This will
overwrite any previously recorded chain.
During the chain recording phase, the current pattern will blink to indicate that it
is armed. You can include multiple repetitions of the same pattern in your chain.
Once you have reached the end of your desired chain, press REC again to
finalize the sequence. The current pattern will stop blinking and Blast Beats will
automatically return to the first pattern in the chain and loop the entire sequence
endlessly.
If you stop the sequencer, it will reset to the first pattern in the chain.
Clear the chain
Suppose we want to play only pattern 1
- press REC to arm Blast Beats,
- press bottom16 button1,
- press REC again to un-arm Blast Beats (before pattern 1 reaches the
end of its cycle if the sequencer is running).
Add or replace patterns in the chain
Start the song by pressing run. Now you can arm the REC button at any
point and press bottom16 buttons to swap patterns in the chain. If the
end of the chain is reached with REC still armed, you will extend the
chain until you disarm REC or stop the sequencer.

Freeze the chain
To temporarily disable the chain (and repeat any pattern) without clearing
it you can freeze it. hold REC and press freeze to freeze and unfreeze the
chain.
Press kit/patt and function at the same time to enter song mode. Both
kit/patt and function LEDS will light at the same time.
The 160 available songs are arranged in 10 folders/banks of 16 songs
To load a new song tap a top10 button to select a folder, Then tap a
bottom16 button to load a song.
1 song consists of:
16 patterns (up to 64 steps per pattern (arranged in 4 pages of 16 steps))
A chain of up to 256 pattern changes can be recorded per song.
Kits and songs are saved separately. The songs share the same kits.
Song Mode
Press kit/patt and function at the same time to enter song mode. Both
kit/patt and function LEDS will light at the same time.
The 160 available songs are arranged in 10 folders/banks of 16 songs
To load a new song tap a top10 button to select a folder, Then tap a
bottom16 button to load a song.
1 song consists of:
16 patterns (up to 64 steps per pattern (arranged in 4 pages of 16 steps))
A chain of up to 256 pattern changes can be recorded per song.
Kits and songs are saved separately. The songs share the same kits.

Function Mode
Press function to enter this mode to edit the following functions:
Save Song (Patterns only!)
updates the SD card. You can save the current song to any location (1 to
16) within any folder (1 to 10). Blast Beats will select the current folder
and location by default, press any top10 button to select a destination
folder 1 to 0 (10), then press any bottom 16 to confirm location. Blast
Beats only writes to SD when the synth is stopped. If it is running, it will
wait for the next time you stop it (by pressing run) and save then.
Note: The song saving system is optimised to only update the files that
have changed resulting in variable save times ranging from instant
(when updating some steps) to 6 seconds ( when saving an entire song to
a new slot).
Save Kit
Kits are saved by pressing the flashing kit/patt button when you are in
save mode.
Clear
-fader automation: Hold clear and move a fader to erase its automation.
-All automation: Hold clear and press REC to clear all automation.
-pattern clear (single voice): Hold clear and press a top10 button to
erase the enabled steps.
-pattern initialise: Hold clear and press kit/patt to erase the current
pattern resulting in a blank 16-step pattern.
-wiggle automation: hold clear and press wiggle to reset the wiggle
depth automation.
-vibrato rate automation: hold clear and press vibrato to reset the
vibrato rate automation.
-tremolo rate automation: hold clear and press tremolo to reset the
tremolo rate automation.
-swing automation: hold clear and press the swing button to clear the
swing automation.
-Clear Kit (set all faders to zero): double tap the clear button when in
clear mode.

Wiggle
This function adds randomness to any fader. To assign the wiggler to a
fader, hold wiggle and move a fader. Set the depth of the wiggler: press
any of the top10 buttons once to apply the wiggle depth to the current
pattern. Double click any top10 buttons to apply the depth to all
patterns of the song at once. You can also automate the wiggle depth.
Simply light the REC button and wiggle depth changes will be recorded
and played back.
To clear all faders assigned to the wiggler: hold wiggle and press clear.
Shuffle kit: Hold wiggle and press kit/patt to randomise the kit
(automatically move some random faders)
Shuffle pattern: Hold wiggle and press step to randomise the pattern
(automatically enable or disable steps)
Swing
Use the top10 buttons to set the amount of swing. Each pattern of a
song has its own swing setting.
You can also automate the swing setting. Simply light the REC button
and swing setting changes will be recorded and played back.
Mute
In this mode use the top10 buttons to mute/unmute a channel
Solo
in this mode use the top10 buttons to solo a channel
Prob
In this mode set the trigger probability of a channel.
Select a channel: hold prob and use a top10 button
Now release prob and set the level of probability (chances out of 10 of
triggering) with the top10 buttons.

Stutter
This is a performance function, enabling you to re-trigger the same
instrument rapidly (like a Blast Beat). Hold the top10 buttons to repeat
the current step at various rates. The rates are divisions of the current
tempo. Hold function during a stutter and press a bottom button to
change the stutter step!
Tip: try holding wiggle during a stutter :)

Bend (spindown effect)
Hold bend to bend the global tuning of the FM chip downwards. Use the
top10 buttons to set the bend strength.
Freeze
When freeze is held, the communication between Blast Beats and the
FM chips is suspended leading to sustained notes and glitches
(can be combined with bend and stutter)
Vibrato / Tremolo waveform
By default vibrato and tremolo oscillate up and down (sine waveform).
There are 9 other waveforms to choose from to modulate volume and
pitch of your operators. In function mode hold trem or vibr and press the
top10 buttons to change the waveform. The first 8 buttons represent the
8 waveforms printed on the top of the device. 9th and 10th waveforms
are random waveforms.
Note: waveform changes can be automated per step! Just change the
waveform with REC lit.
Tremolo
Use the top10 buttons to set the tremolo rate (each pattern has its own
tremolo rate).
This function will continuously modulate the volume of the operator.
A different tremolo rate can be assigned to each pattern.
You can also automate the tremolo rate on each step. Simply light the
REC button and tremolo rate changes will be recorded and played back.
Vibrato
Use the top10 buttons to set the vibrato speed (each pattern has its own
vibrato rate).
This function will modulate the pitch of the operator. A different vibrato
rate can be assigned to each pattern.
You can also automate the vibrato rate. Simply light the REC button and
vibrato rate changes will be recorded and played back.

Phones
Use the top10 buttons to set the phones level (recalled at startup).
You can automate this parameter per step, just change it with REC lit.
Mix
Use the top10 buttons to set the mix level (recalled at startup).
You can automate this parameter per step, just change it with REC lit.
Route
With this function you can assign the instruments to any of the 4 outputs.
Note some instruments are locked together (snare+hats , tom+cymbal).
This is a hardware limitation due to the way the voices are created by the
YMF262. Hold route and press a top10 button select a target instrument.
Release route and now press the first 4 top10 buttons to
attach/detach the target voice to outputs 1-4 (you can route a voice to
multiple outputs to make it louder in the main mix).
You can also automate this parameter per step, just change it with REC
lit.

Internal Mode Synching
Blast Beats will automatically start up in internal clock mode.
Analog & MIDI Clock Out
Blast Beats will send a 5V pulse every 2 steps (2PPQ) at all times.
It also transmits MIDI clock through the MIDI OUT jack.
Analog Slave Mode
Plug a 1/8” mono TS cable into the sync input to activate Analog Slave
mode. In this mode Blast Beats will advance 2 steps on every received
pulse (2PPQ). MIDI clock is ignored in analog Slave mode.
Blast Beats will automatically reset to step 1 if no pulses have been
received for several seconds. Pressing run in this mode will reset the
sequencer to step 1.
MIDI Slave Mode
Blast Beats will automatically sync to incoming MIDI clock. MIDI slave
mode is activated when Blast Beats receives a MIDI Start command.
Pressing run in this mode will reset the sequencer to step 1. Blast Beats
will go back to Master mode after receiving a MIDI Stop command.
Note: MIDI clock is read/handled but not sent by Blast Beats.

Setting The Tempo (Master Mode)
Tap tempo
Press a tempo button at least 3 times to tap the tempo. If Blast Beats
isn’t running it will start on the third tap.
Manual a.k.a BPM tempo
Press and hold the tempo button then press the top10 buttons to input
the tempo in beats per minute. You can input either 2 or 3 digit BPM
values.
Example 1: Set Blast Beats to 123 BPM
-Hold tempo and tap first, second then third top10 button
Example2: Set Blast Beats to 51 BPM
-Hold tempo and tap fifth then first top10 button
-Release tempo button to set to 51.
Fader Automation
When in step mode you can record and automate the faders.
Recording a fader
To record a fader simply press the REC button in step mode (the REC
LED will flash). Now the sequencer will record and repeat the fader
movements. Press REC again to no longer record the faders.
Deleting automation for a single fader
To delete the automation of a single fader press function to enter
function mode. Now hold clear and move the fader for which you wish to
delete the automation.

Step lock automation (A.K.A parameter locks)
You can record a fader position in non-real-time to any step.
hold a bottom button to define the step and move the fader.
Note REC must be off
Deleting all fader automation
To delete all the fader automation of the current pattern press function
to enter function mode. Now hold clear and press REC.
Trick Automation and step edit
In function mode you can record and play back the 3 available trick
functions that are stutter, bend and freeze
Recording a trick
To record a trick simply press the REC button in function mode (the REC
LED will flash). Now the bends, freezes, and stutters that you activate will
be recorded and played back.
Deleting trick automation
To delete trick automation press function to enter function mode. Now
hold clear and press stutter, freeze or bend to the delete the respective
automation
Step Editing trick automation
You can edit the automation using the 16 step buttons just like you would
edit the steps of a regular beat.
To access the trick step edit page hold step and press stutter, bend or
freeze to access the respective editors. Now you can flick through the
pages of the pattern by pressing step and the bottom 16 LEDs will light
up when automation of the trick is present on a step.
To exit trick step editor press function, kit/patt or step + any top10
button
Bend and Freeze step edit
Bend and freeze trick automation are edited the same way in that a single
press of the bottom 16 buttons will turn the trick on or off for any step.

Stutter step edit
Stutter trick step edit allows you to activate and deactivate the stutter on
any step, but it also allows you to choose the stutter rate per step. Press a
bottom 16 button to select a step. If no stutter automation is present on
the step the LED will light and stutter will be added. Next press any of
the top10 buttons to select the rate of the stutter for the selected step.
To clear a stutter on a step, press any LIT bottom 16 button twice
Special Startup Settings
There are special settings that can be changed by holding a specific
button at startup. These settings can also be changed with the TOOL
Visit twistedelectrons.com/tool for more information.
Safe envelope ranges
Hold length button at startup to toggle safe envelope ranges on or off.
The length LED will blink once or twice to indicate the new setting. 1
blink = on. 2 blinks =off. When Safe mode is on, the att(ack) and dec(ay)
faders keep the envelope speeds within pre set ranges judged useful for
drum machines.
When safe is off, the faders reach the full range of the chip allowing very
long to infinite attack and release times (drones).
Faster pitch fall (default=off)
Hold bend button at startup to toggle this on setting or off.
the LED of the button will blink once or twice to indicate the setting.
Once=on twice=off.
When faster pitch fall is on the fall faders will pull the tune of the
instrument up or down 4x faster.
Useful for fast paced music.

MIDI channel routing
Hold route at startup to enter MIDI channel routing.
Blast Beats listens and transmits to 5 MIDI channels of your choice:
Drums (default CH10)
SYNTH 1 (default CH1)
SYNTH 2 (default CH2)
SYNTH 3 (default CH3)
SYNTH 4 (default CH4)
To change the channel select a target by pressing the following top
buttons:
Top button 1-6 selects the drum voice
Top button 7-10 selects SYNTH1 to SYNTH4 respectively
Now press any bottom button (1-16) to choose the channel.
Power-cycle Blast Beats to resume normal operation.
Factory reset
Hold clear at startup to reset the settings to factory default. This can be
useful if Blast Beats isn’t behaving as expected after an accidental setting
change.
These are the default settings:
Fall rate=normal
Current song=1
Current folder=1
Swing=off
Phones and Mix volume=6
All voices routed to all outputs
Safe envelope ranges = on
MIDI Channel routing:
Drums=CH10
Synth1=CH1
Synth2=CH2
Synth3=CH3
Synth4=CH4
Factory resetting won’t affect the SD card data