Xaoc Devices JENA User manual

binary
transfunc-
tioner
Model of 1989
operator’s manual rev. 1989/X/1.0
jena the leibniz binary subsystem

salut
Thank you for purchasing this Xaoc Devices
product. Jena is a digital module that may

audio signals, a wavetable oscillator, a Walsh
function generator, or a rhythm generator.
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 example, 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
orientation. The red stripe indicates the neg-
ative rail and should match the dot or –12V
mark on the bus board as well as the unit.
Jena is internally secured against reversed
power connection, 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 particularly 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 com-
ponents of your Leibniz Subsystem. 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 exam-
ple, 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.
2
module
explained
2550
0
255
leibniz data bus
leibniz data bus
modulo 256
Phase CV
Output
Input

data processing
principle of jena

It is a good idea to have all your Leibniz mod-
ules connected before mounting them in the
case. Again, pay attention to the markings
on the boards and always connect the rib-
bon cable so that the red stripe matches the
dot mark on the board. For technical reasons,
these dot marks may not always face down.
be careful, 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 incom-
ing digital data to some other digital data
through a transfer function selected from
its waveform shape bank. For example, Jena
may be connected in a loopback to a Drezno
module so as to transform input analog wave-
forms to some other output analog wave-
forms 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 suc-
cessive locations in memory are passed to the
-
tooth or a triangle wave from your VCO and
it will be transformed into variety of wave-
shapes (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
synthesis. Also, transforming slow waveforms
to sequences of binary signals using the in-
dividual 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 1as 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
3allows 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 4and shape 5CV 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 cycles. The blue link button 8con-
trols 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 9in the form of eight
binary gate (5V) signals corresponding to in-
dividual bits (as with the other Leibniz mod-
ules). 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.
3

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

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
transmitted 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-sam-
pled with the internal (also very fast) clock.
External/internal clocking is selected using
the setup mode. Setting the internal clock may
be advantageous when your data is clocked
slowly 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 sev-
eral microsecond delay due to processing) to
the sample value of the current shape. This
type of operation is best suited for wavesh-
aping applications (e.g. folding and warping

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 in-
ternally generates a perfect virtual ramp
that scans the function cycle in accordance
with the input cycles. This enables easy gen-
eration 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 dis-
advantage of the synchronous operation is
that there is a little lag after each abrupt
pitch change when the new period length
is computed. Also, modulating the shape of
the driving wave may confuse the algorithm
and cause pitch artifacts. To select between
5
xxxxxx

various input cv signals transformed with the same
nonlinear shaping function
max
min
Input CV
max
min
Output CV
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Input CV
max
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Output CV
max
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Input CV
max
min
Output CV

external or internal clock as well as to select
between asynchronous and synchronous re-
gimes, press and hold the encoder knob for
a second. The display then shows eor ion
       
and a semi-graphical representation of the
signal model (rising or falling ramp) or off
(indicating asynchronous operation). Turn
the encoder knob to cycle between all combi-
nations 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 for a detailed list with diagrams. The
  0to 9, and a) are
wavetables intended mostly for audio wave-
form generation. Each wavetable contains
256 smoothly morphing waves that are ar-
ranged circularly so that there is no audible
step while jumping from wave 255 to 0. The
wavetables have been carefully designed to
suit various sound synthesis needs. For exam-
ple, bank 7contains smooth curves consist-
  
5) that are well-suited for experiments with
deep, through-zero phase modulation, while
bank 0contains waveforms with distinctive
human speech formants.
-
-
forms or simple envelopes. For example, bank
bfeatures a simple shape that gradually
morphs between linear ramp through trian-
gle to inverted ramp, while bank cintroduces
an increasing number of symmetric as well
as asymmetric folds to an initially linear
(1:1) transform.
A special bank dcontains a very particular
set of waveforms. Besides being interesting
shapes, each of them is a combination of 8 so-
called Walsh functions. Similar to sinusoids,
    
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.
6
max
min
Scanning signal
255
0
Output waveshape
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Scanning signal
255
0
Output waveshape
max
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Scanning signal
255
0
Output waveshape

distortions of wavetable sinusoid signal resulting
from inaccurate scanning of the cycle
underscan overscan imperfect edge

Bank ehas 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

in 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
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


example waves from bank 7 consisting of low-order
chebyshev polynomials
7

example wave from bank d
and its walsh 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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WRITTEN BY m. BARTKOWIAK. PROOfREADINg AND EDITINg BY B. NOLL. DESIgNED BY m. ŁOJEK.
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