Applied Acoustics Systems CHROMAPHONE Users Manual
USER MANUAL
2
Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on
the part of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. The software described in this manual is furnished under a
license agreement. The software may be used only in accordance of the terms of this license agreement. It is
against the law to copy this software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.
No part of this manual may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, distributed or converted to any
electronic or machine-readable form in whole or in part without prior written approval of Applied Acoustics
Systems DVM Inc.
Copyrightc2016 Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.
Program Copyrightc2011-2016 Applied Acoustics Systems, Inc. All right reserved.
Chromaphone is a registered Trademark of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. Windows and Windows Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Mac OS and Audio Units are registered trademarks of Apple Corporation. VST Instruments and ASIO
are trademarks of Steinberg Soft Und Hardware GmbH. RTAS and AAX are registered trademarks of Avid
Technology Inc. All other product and company names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owner. Unauthorized copying, renting or lending of the software is strictly prohibited.
Visit Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. on the World Wide Web at
www.applied-acoustics.com
Contents
1 Introduction 7
1.1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3 Authorization and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.1 Your Computer is Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.2 Your Computer is Offline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.4.1 Using Chromaphone in Standalone Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.4.2 Exploring the Factory Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.4.3 Using Chromaphone as a Plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.5 Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.6 About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2 Architecture of Chromaphone 13
2.1 General Organization and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.2.1 The Play View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.2.2 The Edit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2.3 The FX view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Bank and Program Management 17
3.1 Banks and Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.2 Saving Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.3 The Bank Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.4 Using MIDI Bank and Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.5 Backups of Banks and Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.6 Exchanging Banks and Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.7 Restoring the Factory Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.8 Importing Programs from Chromaphone 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4 CONTENTS
4 Parameters 21
4.1 General Functioning of the Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.1.1 Knobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.1.2 Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.1.3 Drop-down Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.1.4 Modulation Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.1.5 Synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.2 General Notions of Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.2.1 Normal Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.2.2 Coupling of Resonators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.3 The Edit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.4 The Mixer Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.5 The Mallet Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.6 The Noise Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.7 The Resonator Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.8 The Noise Envelope Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.9 The LFO Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.10 The FX View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.10.1 EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.10.2 Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.10.3 Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.10.4 Distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.10.5 Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.10.6 Flanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.10.7 Phaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4.10.8 Wah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.10.9 Notch Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.10.10 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.11 The Play View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.11.1 The Clock Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.11.2 Unison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.11.3 The Vibrato Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
CONTENTS 5
4.11.4 The Arpeggiator Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.11.5 Pitch Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.11.6 Modulation Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.11.7 Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5 Utility Section 52
5.1 The MIDI LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.2 Polyphony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.3 Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.4 History and Compare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.5 Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.6 Level Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.7 The About Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
6 Audio and MIDI Settings 55
6.1 Audio Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.1.1 Selecting an Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.1.2 Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.2 MIDI Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2.1 Selecting a MIDI Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2.2 Creating MIDI Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2.3 Creating a default MIDI Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2.4 MIDI Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.5 MIDI Bank Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.6 Pitch bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.7 Modulation wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7 Using Chromaphone as a Plug-In 58
7.1 Audio and MIDI Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.2 Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.3 Multiple Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.4 MIDI Program Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.5 Saving Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.6 Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6 CONTENTS
8 License Agreement 60
Introduction 7
1 Introduction
Chromaphone is a synthesizer dedicated to the creation of acoustic instruments. It is based on
the combination of acoustic resonators to create drums, percussion, string and hybrid synth-like
instruments. Membranes, bars, marimbas, plates, strings, and tubes form pairs that are excited
by a mallet and a flexible noise source. Access to different parameters such as the material of
the resonators, their tuning and hit position allow for the creation of a vast range of realistic and
creative instruments and sonic colors.
Chromaphone is entirely based on Applied Acoustics Systems (AAS) physical modeling technology and uses no sampling nor wave tables. Sound is produced by solving, on the fly, mathematical equations modeling the different types of resonators and how they interact. This elaborate
synthesis engine responds dynamically to the control signals it receives while you play reproducing
the richness and responsiveness of real acoustic instruments. Chromaphone features a brand-new
coupling technology allowing an accurate description of the exchange of energy between the resonators resulting in rich and natural sounding tones.
Before discussing the synthesizer in more detail, we would like to take this opportunity to thank
you for choosing an AAS product. We sincerely hope that this product will bring you inspiration,
pleasure and fulfill your creative needs.
1.1 System Requirements
The following minimum computer configuration is necessary to run Chromaphone:
Mac OS
• Mac OS X 10.7 or later
• Intel Core processor or later
• 512 MB of RAM
• 70 MB of free hard drive space
• 1024 x 768 screen resolution
• Built-in audio interface
Windows
• Windows 7 or later 32-bit/64-bit
• Intel Core or equivalent processor
8 Introduction
• 512 MB of RAM
• 70 MB of free hard drive space
• 1024 x 768 screen resolution
• Windows-compatible audio interface
• Windows-compatible MIDI interface/keyboard
Keep in mind that the computational power required by Chromaphone depends on the number
of voices of polyphony and the sampling rate used. These computer configurations will enable
you to play the factory sounds with a reasonable number of voices but performances will vary
depending on your specific computer configuration.
1.2 Installation
Simply double-click on the installer file that you have downloaded and follow the instructions of
the installer.
1.3 Authorization and Registration
Chromaphone uses a proprietary challenge/response copy protection system which requires authorization of the product. A challenge code is a long string of capital letters and numbers that is
generated uniquely for each machine during the registration process. The response code is another
unique string of capital letters and numbers generated from the data encrypted in the challenge
code. As the keys are unique to each machine, it is necessary to go through this procedure every
time the program is installed on a new computer.
Note that it is possible to use the program during 15 days before completing the authorization
process. After that period, the program will not function unless it is authorized.
1.3.1 Your Computer is Online
The authorization process is very simple if your music computer is connected to the internet since
the Chromaphone program will connect to the AAS server and take care of the key exchange
automatically.
After starting the application, a message will appear telling you that the application needs to be
authorized as shown in Figure 1. Enter your serial number and click on the Authorize button. The
program will then connect to the AAS server and complete the authorization process.
If this is the first AAS product that you authorize on your computer, or if no registration information can be related to your serial number by our server, you will be asked to provide your name
1.3 Authorization and Registration 9
Figure 1: Online Authorization.
and email address for registration purposes. Note that only a valid email address is required to register your product. Registration of your product will entitle you to receive support and download
updates when available, as well as take advantage of special upgrade prices offered from time to
time to registered AAS users.
1.3.2 Your Computer is Offline
If your music computer is not connected to the internet you will need to obtain the response code
from an internet connected computer or by contacting AAS.
After starting the application, a message will appear telling you that the application needs to
be authorized. After clicking on the Authorize button, a pop-up window will appear as shown in
Figure 1. Enter your serial number and click on the Authorize button. The program will then inform
you that your computer is not connected to the internet, click on the Offline Options button and a
new pop-up window will appear as shown in Figure 2.
Your serial number as well as the automatically generated challenge code are displayed but you
need to obtain the response code. To do so, take note of your serial number and challenge code
and proceed to an internet connected computer. Launch your browser and go to the unlock page of
the AAS website located at:
www.applied-acoustics.com/unlock/
Enter your serial number and challenge code in the form, follow the instructions, and the re-
sponse code will appear on screen. Write it down, go back to your music computer, and enter the
10 Introduction
Figure 2: Offline Authorization.
response code in the authorization pop-up window. This will complete the authorization procedure.
If you prefer, you can also contact us by email at support@applied-acoustics.com with your
serial number and challenge code and we will send you back your response code.
Should you not have access to the internet, AAS support representatives are available to assist
you in the unlock and registration process Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm EST. You may contact
us by phone at:
• North America Toll-free number: 1-888-441-8277
• Outside North America: 1-514-871-8100
1.4 Getting Started 11
1.4 Getting Started
1.4.1 Using Chromaphone in Standalone Mode
Chromaphone comes with a standalone versions allowing you to play it without having to open
your sequencer. This can be convenient to explore Chromaphone and its library, play it live or do
some sound design work. To start Chromaphone in standalone mode, simply follow the instructions
below:
• Windows - Double-click on the Chromaphone icon located on your desktop or select Chroma-
phone from the Start > All Programs > menu.
• Mac OS - Double-click on the Chromaphone icon located in the Applications folder.
Before you start exploring the program, take a moment to set up you audio and MIDI configuration as explained below.
Audio and MIDI Configuration
Audio and MIDI configuration tools are available by clicking on the Audio Setup button located
in the lower left corner of the Chromaphone interface. The Audio Setup dialog first allows you to
select an audio output device from those available on your computer. Multi-channel interfaces will
have their outputs listed as stereo pairs.
On Windows, the audio output list is organized by driver type. The device type is first selected
from the Audio Device Type drop-down list. If you have ASIO drivers available, these should be
selected for optimum performance. The Configure Audio Device button allows you to open the
manufacturer’s setup program for your audio interface when available.
Once the audio input has been selected, you can then select a sampling rate and a buffer size
from those offered by your audio interface.
The list of available MIDI inputs appears at the bottom of the dialog. Click on the checkbox
corresponding to any of the inputs you wish to use.
1.4.2 Exploring the Factory Sounds
Chromaphone comes with a wide range of factory programs right out of the box which amounts
to a huge range of sounds before you have even turned a single knob. As you would expect, the
best way of coming to grips with the possibilities Chromaphone offers is simply to go through the
programs one at a time.
Chromaphone uses the notions of Banks and Programs to organize and classify sounds. A
program or preset is a stored set of parameters corresponding to a given sound. The programs are
grouped and organized in banks.
12 Introduction
The name of the currently loaded bank and program are displayed at the top of the interface.
One navigates among the different banks and programs by using the arrows in each of the corresponding boxes or by opening the associated drop-down menu by clicking inside these boxes.
Banks and programs are managed using the Bank Manager which is revealed by clicking on the
Manage button appearing above the right-top corner of the Bank box. Playing programs and organizing them is pretty straightforward, please refer to Chapter 3 for a complete description of the
bank and program management operations.
1.4.3 Using Chromaphone as a Plug-in
Chromaphone integrates seamlessly into the industry’s most popular multi-track recording and
sequencing environments as a virtual instrument plug-in. Chromaphone works as any other plug-in
in these environments so we recommend that you refer to your sequencer documentation in case
you have problems running Chromaphone as a plug-in. Note that in plug-in mode the audio and
MIDI inputs, sampling rate, and buffer size are determined by the host sequencer.
1.5 Getting Help
AAS technical support representatives are on hand from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm EST.
Whether you have a question on Chromaphone, or need a hand getting it up and running as a
plug-in in your favorite sequencer, we are here to help. Contact us by phone or email at:
• North America Toll Free: 1-888-441-8277
• Worldwide: 1-514-871-8100
• Email: support@applied-acoustics.com
Our online support pages contain downloads of the most recent product updates, and answers
to frequently asked questions on all AAS products. The support pages are located at:
1.6 About this Manual
Throughout this manual, the following conventions are used:
• Bold characters are used to name modules, commands and menu names.
• Italic characters are used to name controls on the interface.
• Windows and Mac OS keyboard shortcuts are written as Windows shortcut/Mac OS shortcut.
Architecture of Chromaphone 13
2 Architecture of Chromaphone
Chromaphone is synthesizer built around the combination of acoustic resonators. The resulting instruments are played using a mallet or the signal from a noise source. It is very simple yet the range
of sounds it is capable of is surprisingly wide, from realistic reproductions of acoustic percussion
instruments to creative and innovative tones simply not possible with traditional synthesizers.
2.1 General Organization and Signal Flow
Available resonator types are: string, open and closed tube, plate, drumhead, membrane, bar,
marimba bar and a manual mode. Resonators can be configured to be in parallel or coupled mode
as shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 3: Signal flow of Chromaphone. Resonators in parallel mode.
In parallel mode, both resonators are excited by the sources and the output signal from the
resonators is a simple mix between the output of both resonators, the balance between the sources
being determined by the position of the Balance slider. In coupled mode, resonator A is excited and
energy is transmitted to the second resonator at their junction point. At first sight this configuration
could appear like a simple series configuration in which the signal from Resonator A is sent to
Resonator B but Chromaphone really takes into account the bidirectional nature of the energy flow
that occurs in real life when two objects are coupled. In other words, once energy is received
by Resonator B, it starts to vibrate which in return influences the motion of Resonator A. The
modeling of these complex interactions results in tones and timbres that reproduce the richness
of sounds from real acoustic instruments. The amount of coupling between the two resonators is
controlled with the help of the Balance slider.
14 Architecture of Chromaphone
Figure 4: Signal flow of Chromaphone. Resonators in coupling mode.
2.2 Interface
The graphical user interface has been organized around three different views as shown in Figures 5,
6 and 7.
The first view, called the Play view of the instrument, gives access to different performance
parameters as well as to a step sequencer. The second and third views, called the Edit and FX
views respectively, are used for in-depth editing of the synthesis and effect parameters.
One can switch from one view to the other by using the Play, Edit and FX buttons located in the
Utility section at the top of the interface. This section of the interface is common to all the views
and includes the bank manager, used to access and manage sounds, as well as general settings and
indicators. These tools are described in details in Chapter 3 and Chapter 5 respectively.
2.2.1 The Play View
The lower section of this view includes a master clock, unisson, vibrato and arpeggiator modules
which will be described in more details in Chapter 4. This part also includes a resonator display
giving information on the type of resonators used in the instrument currently being played and its
configuration.
On the left of these parameters, one finds a pitch bend wheel and a modulation wheel. The
modulation wheel is normally used to control the amount of vibrato in the sound but it can also be
used to adjust any other parameter through MIDI links which will be described in Chapter 6. Just
below is a clickable eight octave ribbon allowing one to play different notes on the range of the
piano which can be useful when no MIDI keyboard is connected to the computer.
2.2 Interface 15
The middle section of this view allows one to turn the effects from the multi-effects module,
compression and equalizer on and off and to rapidly adjust their main parameters.
Figure 5: The Play view.
2.2.2 The Edit View
The Edit view gives access to the synthesis parameters described in details in Chapter 4 and allows
one to really go under the hood. In this view, one can choose the sound source, the type of resonators used and how they are configured. All module parameters and modulations are adjusted in
this view.
2.2.3 The FX view
The FX view includes an equalizer, a compressor a multi-effects, and a reverb module. The multieffects module consists in two effects in series. The effect list includes a delay, distortion, chorus,
flanger, phaser, wah wah, auto wah, tremolo, and a notch filter. The functioning of the effect
modules is described in details in Chapter 4.
16 Architecture of Chromaphone
Figure 6: The Edit view.
Figure 7: The FX view.
Bank and Program Management 17
3 Bank and Program Management
Chromaphone comes with several factory presets, called programs, covering a wide range of
sounds. This collection of programs lets you play and familiarize yourself with this synthesizer
without having to tweak a single knob. Soon, however, you will be experimenting and creating
your own sounds and projects that you will need to archive or exchange with other users. In this
section, we review the management of programs.
3.1 Banks and Programs
Sounds are stored in banks contaning so-called programs. The name of the currently selected bank
is shown in the Bank drop-down display located at the top of the Chromaphone interface. The list
of available banks is viewed by clicking on the Bank display. A bank can be selected by navigating
in the list of banks using the left and right-pointing arrows in the display or by clicking on its name
when the list of banks is open. Clicking on the bank display brings focus on this section of the
interface, the display is then outlined by an orange line, and one can then navigate through the list
of banks using the up, down, left, or right arrows of the computer keyboard.
The list of programs included in the currently selected bank can be viewed by clicking on the
Program display located below the Bank display. A program is selected by using the left and right-
pointing arrows or by clicking directly on its name. Once a program is selected, the value of the
different parameters of the synthesizer are updated and it can then be played. As for the bank list,
one can navigate through the program list using the computer arrows after clicking on the Program
display.
3.2 Saving Programs
Programs are saved by clicking on the Save button located on the top of the Program display. When
a program has just been loaded, this command is greyed and therefore inactive. It is activated as
soon as a parameter of the interface is modified. Clicking on this command replaces the stored
version of the program with the new one.
The Save As command is activated by clicking on the corresponding button which opens the
Save Program pop-up window. It is then possible to save the program under a new name or its
current one in any of the available program banks. Note that if the original name of the program
is used, a new program with the same name will be created at the end of the program list meaning
that the original program is not erased. This also implies that it is possible to have many programs
with the same name in the same bank.
3.3 The Bank Manager
Banks and Programs can be edited using the Bank Manager. The manager window is displayed
by clicking on the Manager button located above the Bank display. It is closed by clicking again
18 Bank and Program Management
on the same button. On the left of the window, one finds the list of banks. Clicking on a bank name
fills the list of programs located in the center of the window with the name of these included in the
selected bank.
Figure 8: Bank and program manager window.
A new bank can be created by clicking on the + button below the bank list. This opens the
Create New Bank window in which the name of the new bank can be entered. A bank can be
deleted by first selecting it in the bank list and then clicking on the - button. Be careful, this
command erases a bank and all the programs it contains; this operation is permanent and can not
be undone. In order to rename a bank, simply click on the Rename button and enter a new name.
Banks and the information corresponding to each of its programs is stored in a simple text file
on your computer hard disk. In order to view these bank files, click on the Show Files button under
the bank list. On Windows, this command will open an Explorer window at the location where the
files are stored. On Mac OSX, the command has a similar effect and opens a Finder window. All
the bank file names follow the same format and begin with the bank name. These files can be used
for backups or to exchange presets with other users.
The list of programs included in the selected bank is displayed in the program list in the center
of the manager window. Presets are selected by clicking on their name which updates the program
information appearing on the right of the preset list. Program information includes the name of the
preset, its author and comments. This information can be updated by clicking on the corresponding
box which opens an edition window. Note that multiple presets can be updated simultaneously by
selecting more than one preset at once and clicking on a preset information box.
A multiple selection consisting of adjacent programs is obtained by holding down the Shift key
on the computer keyboard and then clicking on the name of the first program to be copied and then
the last one. A non-adjacent multiple selection is obtained by holding down the Ctrl/command
computer key and clicking on the name of the different programs to be copied. It is also possible
to select all programs at once by clicking on the Select All button at the bottom of the program list.
Programs can be copied to another bank by clicking on the Copy button. A program must first
3.4 Using MIDI Bank and Program Changes 19
be selected by clicking on its name on the program list; it is then copied by moving the mouse to
a given bank in the Bank list on the right and clicking on the bank name. The Move command is
activated by clicking on the Move button; it copies a preset to a new bank but also erases it in the
original bank. A multiple selection of programs can be used with the Copy and Move commands
Programs can be deleted from a bank by first selecting them and then clicking on the Delete
button. This will move the programs to a special bank called Trash which is located below the
regular list of banks. This means that deleted programs can always be recuperated as long as they
are not deleted from the Trash bank. The content of the Trash bank is viewed by clicking on its
name; the different programs can then be moved to the other banks as explained above. The Trash
bank can be emptied by clicking on the Empty Trash button which appears below the program list
when the Trash bank is selected. Be careful as this command can not be undone.
3.4 Using MIDI Bank and Program Changes
Banks and programs can be changed using MIDI bank and program change commands. For more
information on how to use these commands, please refer to sections 6.2.4 and 6.2.5.
3.5 Backups of Banks and Programs
User banks are stored on disk as simple text files located in the following folders:
On Mac OS:
/Users/[user name]/Library/Application Support/Applied Acoustics Systems/Chromaphone 2/Banks
On Windows:
%AppData%\Applied Acoustics Systems\Chromaphone 2\Banks
The bank files saved by Chromaphone are named using the following convention:
[name of bank].Chromaphone 2 Bank
These file contain all the information corresponding to the programs they include. These files can
be displayed directly from Chromaphone by opening the Bank manager and clicking on the Show
Files button. This will open an Explorer or Finder window on Windows or Mac OS respectively at
the right location.
The simplest way to create a backup of banks and programs is to make a copy on an external
media of the above mentioned folders. Individual banks can be backed-up by making copies of
individual bank files.
3.6 Exchanging Banks and Programs
Banks and programs can easily be shared with other Chromaphone users. This operation simply
involves the exchange of the above mentioned user bank files. When a new bank file is copied to
the bank folder, it is automatically available to Chromaphone.
20 Bank and Program Management
Note that individual programs can not be exported. They always appear inside a bank file. If
you only wish to share a few programs, create a new bank, copy the programs you wish to exchange
to this bank and share the corresponding bank file.
3.7 Restoring the Factory Library
If necessary, it is possible to restore the original factory library of banks and programs. The original
factory bank files are located in the following folders:
On Windows 64-bit:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Applied Acoustics Systems\Chromaphone 2\Factory Library
On Windows 32-bit:
C:\Program Files\Applied Acoustics Systems\Chromaphone 2\Factory Library
On Mac OS startup disk:
/Library/Application Support/Applied Acoustics Systems/Chromaphone 2/Factory Library
Restoring the factory library simply involves copying the files contained in these folders and
pasting them in the user bank folders listed in Section 3.5. The user bank folders can be opened
directly in an Explorer or Finder window, on Windows and Mac OS respectively, or by using the
Show Files command directly from the Chromaphone bank manager.
Note that if you have bank files with the original factory bank names in your user bank folder,
they will be replaced by the original factory files. This means that you will lose programs that you
would have modified or created in these banks. This operation must therefore be done with caution
and it is recommended that you make copies or rename your user banks before proceeding with the
restore.
3.8 Importing Programs from Chromaphone 1
Chromaphone 2 includes a converter allowing one to import programs from version 1 to version
2. The conversion itself is automatic but first involves to copy program bank files from the folder
where version 1 banks are stored to the folder where version 2 banks are stored.
Banks are stored in the folders mentioned in section 3.5. The simplest way to access them,
consists in using the Show Files button in the bank manager of each product version which will
open a Finder or Explorer window on Mac OS X or Windows respectively at the right location.
Bank files that are to be converted then simply need to be copied from the version 1 bank folder to
that corresponding to version 2.
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