Xaoc Devices JENA User manual

binary
transfunc-
tioner
Model of 1989
operator’s manual rev. 1989/X1/1.2
JENA THE LEIBNIZ BINARY SUBSYSTEM

SALUT
Thank you for purchasing this Xaoc Devices
product. Jena  is a digital module that
        
and audio signals, a wavetable oscillator, a
Walsh function generator, or a rhythm genera-
tor. Jena is a new member of the Leibniz Binary
Subsystem which operates on signals and volt-
ages by manipulating binary 8-bit numbers.
The Leibniz subsystem offers direct access to
all individual bits of data which can be mixed
and cross-patched (like in the popular circuit
bending experimental technique, but without
the risk of damaging your device). Please note
that for analog inputs and outputs it needs to
be paired with other Leibniz modules, such as
Drezno. Complex chains will be possible as more
components are added to the system. For ex-
ample, you can use two Lipsk expanders (one
before Jena, and another one after Jena in the
chain) for unlimited patching.
INSTALLATION
The module requires 8hp worth of free space
in the eurorack cabinet. Always turn the pow-
er off before plugging the module into the bus
board using the supplied ribbon cable. Pay
close attention to power cable pinout and ori-
entation. The red stripe indicates the negative
rail and should match the dot or –12V mark on
the bus board as well as the unit. Jena is inter-
nally secured against reversed power connec-
tion, however rotating the 16-pin header may
cause serious damage to other components
of your system, because it will short circuit the
+12V and +5V power lines. Always pay partic-
ularly close attention to the proper orientation
of your ribbon cable on both sides! Besides the
power cable, you will also need to connect Jena
to other components of your Leibniz Subsys-
tem. For this purpose, Jena comes equipped
with a single 10/10-pin ribbon cable, and
there should also be at least one such cable
included with your other Leibniz module(s).
The general logic is simple: connect inputs to
outputs. For example, you can use one ribbon
to join the out header of your Drezno to the
in header of Jena, and another to connect the
out header of Jena to the in header in Drezno.
This will make the data from the ADC section
in Drezno pass through Jena before returning
to the DAC section in Drezno.
It is a good idea to have all your Leibniz mod-
ules connected before mounting them in the
2
module
explained
2550
0
255
leibniz data bus
leibniz data bus
modulo 256
Phase CV
Output
Input
data processing principle of jena

case. Again, pay attention to the markings on
the boards and always connect the ribbon ca-
ble so that the red stripe matches the dot mark
on the board. For technical reasons, these dot
marks may not always face down. be care-
ful, as wrong connections may damage
the delicate digital circuits! All units
should be fastened by mounting the supplied
screws before powering up.
MODULE OVERVIEW
The main purpose of Jena is to map incoming
digital data to some other digital data through
a transfer function selected from its waveform
shape bank. For example, Jena may be con-
nected in a loopback to a Drezno module so
as to transform input analog waveforms to
some other output analog waveforms via the
ADC and DAC sections in Drezno. Jena allows
one to waveshape signals through the classic
table look-up technique: input 8-bit values are
treated as arguments of a function stored in
memory and values read from successive loca-

1). You can also feed a simple sawtooth or a tri-
angle wave from your VCO and it will be trans-
formed into variety of waveshapes (from 11
wavetable banks) with the additional option
of through-zero (DX-style) phase modulation.
The shape of the wave may be also morphed
with the panel knob and/or external CV.
Individual bit outputs on Jena may also be
used to produce interesting signals. There is a
dedicated bank of Walsh functions that can be
used for an unusual twist on additive synthe-
sis. Also, transforming slow waveforms to se-
quences of binary signals using the individual
bit outputs is a great way to create rhythmic
drum patterns. Jena comes with a special bank
of 256 modern drum loops split to individual
voice triggers.

controls as well as a 1+3 digit LED display.
During normal operation, the display shows
the currently selected bank of shapes or func-
tions 1 as well as the current shape number
within the bank 2. Additional information
is displayed during operating mode selection.
The endless rotary encoder below the display
3 allows for manual selection of the current
bank or shape. A short press on the encoder
switches between the bank and shape layer. A
small dot on the display indicates which layer
is currently selected for editing. Both the bank
number and shape/function number may be
additionally controlled via the corresponding
bank 4 and shape 5 CV inputs that accept
-5V to +10V. The voltage values add to the panel
selection. The second knob, phase 6 , sets the
initial phase of the waveform which can also be
modulated by external CV via the phase jack
7. The range of modulation is -5V to 5V which
corresponds to the phase change of four full cy-
cles. The blue link button 8 controls whether
the processed input data in Jena is passed to its
Leibniz output (the ribbon cable connected at
the back). When unlinked, the incoming data
is passed through unaffected. Regardless of the
status of the link button, the processed data is
always available from eight bit outputs jacks
9 in the form of eight binary gate (5V) signals
corresponding to individual bits (as with the
other Leibniz modules). The cluster of yellow
LEDs 10 indicates the bit outputs' activity.
The central red LED 11 indicates whether Jena
is operating in the asynchronous (waveshaper)
or synchronous (oscillator) regime.
CLOCKING AND SYNCHRONOUS/
ASYNCHRONOUS OPERATION
The incoming data is delivered to Jena through
the Leibniz interface which transmits all bits
alongside the data clock. For example, if you
connect Jena to Drezno, samples will be trans-
3

4
front panel
overview
1
3
11
10
9
8
6
2
4
7
5
the interface

mitted at a rate of nearly 2MHz unless you
patch an external clock signal to the adc clk
jack in Drezno. Jena’s processed data may be
delivered to its output synchronously with the
incoming clock period, or it can be re-sampled
with the internal (also very fast) clock. Ex-
ternal/internal clocking is selected using the
setup mode. Setting the internal clock may be
advantageous when your data is clocked slow-
ly at the source (e.g. Drezno) but you still want
to apply a quick modulation to the wave.
Regardless of the currently selected clock
source, processing in Jena occurs within
two distinctive regimes. With asynchronous
operation, every new input digital value is
translated almost instantly (there is a several
microsecond delay due to processing) to the
sample value of the current shape. This type
of operation is best suited for waveshaping
applications (e.g. folding and warping CV sig-

However, if you want to use Jena as an oscil-
lator you may prefer the input data to scan
the entire phase range of the waveform to
avoid the cycle being abruptly cut off before
        
edge of your ramp scans the waveshape and
may produce an audible glitch when not per-
fectly sharp. The synchronous regime does
not require the input data to scan the entire
range of 0…255 accurately and with a sharp
returning edge. Instead, it uses an algorithm
to analyze the incoming data and determine
its current frequency and phase. It then inter-
nally generates a perfect virtual ramp that
scans the function cycle in accordance with
the input cycles. This enables easy generation
of undistorted waveforms from the bank, like
in a classic wavetable oscillator, but with the
addition of through-zero phase modulation
from the phase jack. The disadvantage of the
synchronous operation is that there is a little
lag after each abrupt pitch change when the
new period length is computed. Also, modu-
lating the shape of the driving wave may con-
fuse the algorithm and cause pitch artifacts.
To select between external or internal clock
as well as to select between asynchronous
and synchronous regimes, press and hold the
encoder knob for a second. The display then
shows e or i
clock source, and a semi-graphical represen-
tation of the signal model (rising or falling
ramp) or off (indicating asynchronous op-
eration). Turn the encoder knob to cycle be-
5
xxxxxx
various input cv signals
transformed with the same
nonlinear shaping function
max
min
Input CVInput CV
max
min
Output CVOutput CV
max
min
Input CVInput CV
max
min
Output CVOutput CV
max
min
Input CVInput CV
max
min
Output CVOutput CV

tween all combinations of settings, and press
again to select.
TRANSFORM BANKS
Jena offers 15 banks of digital transform data.
Please refer to the online version of the manual
        
banks (numbered 0 to 9, and a) are wavetables
intended mostly for audio waveform genera-
tion. Each wavetable contains 256 smoothly
morphing waves that are arranged circularly
so that there is no audible step while jump-
ing from wave 255 to 0. The wavetables have
been carefully designed to suit various sound
synthesis needs. For example, bank 7 contains
smooth curves consisting of low-order Cheby-
      
for experiments with deep, through-zero phase
modulation, while bank 0 contains waveforms
with distinctive human speech formants.
      -
cient warping of CV signals, like LFO waveforms
or simple envelopes. For example, bank b fea-
tures a simple shape that gradually morphs be-
tween linear ramp through triangle to inverted
ramp, while bank c introduces an increasing
number of symmetric as well as asymmetric
folds to an initially linear (1:1) transform.
A special bank d contains a very particular
set of waveforms. Besides being interesting
shapes, each of them is a combination of 8
so-called Walsh functions. Similar to sinu-
    
6) can be used for additive synthesis. We have
selected 256 different Walsh combinations
that are generated at the individual binary
outputs of Jena, and at the same time, their
sum with corresponding factors (A7=1/2,
A6=1/4, A5=1/8, A4=1/16… etc.) yields the
main output signal.
Bank e has a special purpose: it generates
drum patterns instead of waveshapes. With
this bank, the individual binary outputs of Jena
are used to produce sequences of short gate
    
your rack.
There are 256 patterns of 32 steps corre-
sponding to a single bar that may be selected
by function or waveshape controls. They are
arranged so that several consecutive positions
6
max
min
Scanning signalScanning signal
255
0
Output waveshapeOutput waveshape
max
min
Scanning signalScanning signal
255
0
Output waveshapeOutput waveshape
max
min
Scanning signalScanning signal
255
0
Output waveshapeOutput waveshape
distortions of wavetable sinusoid
signal resulting from inaccurate
scanning of the cycle
underscan overscan imperfect edge

offer mutations of the same pattern. Please
refer to the online version of this manual for
a complete listing of available rhythms. We
strongly advise using the synchronous regime
with this bank. To produce loops with proper
tempo, the period of the sequence should be
derived from an appropriately slow wave.
For example, if Jena is linked with Drezno, use
an LFO signal whose period corresponds to
a 32nd note in Drezno’s ADC input. You can
then beat match your sequence with other
loops synced to the same LFO by adjusting the
phase knob on Jena. phase CV input remains
active as well.
CONNECTIVITY
Jena connects to all modules compatible with
the Leibniz binary subsystem: Drezno, Gera,
Lipsk, Jena, Erfurt, Poczdam, Ostankino, and
Odessa.
ACCESSORY
Our Coal Mine black panels are available for
all Xaoc Devices modules. Sold separately. Ask
your favorite retailer. •
example waves from bank 7
consisting of low-order chebyshev
polynomials
7
example wave example wave
from bank d and from bank d and
its walsh its walsh
components components

MAIN
FEATURES
Component of
Leibniz Binary
Subsystem
15 banks of 256
digital transform
functions
Digital
waveshaper
Wavetable
oscillator
Through-zero
linear phase
modulation
Walsh function
generator
Drum pattern
generator
TECHNICAL
DETAILS
Eurorack synth
compatible
8hp, skiff
friendly
Current draw:
+95mA / -30mA
Reverse power
protection
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