Chunk Systems Octavius Squeezer User Manual

User Manual

Version 1.0 – 22 September 2008

Introduction

Software (Firmware) Agreement

This product contains embedded software (firmware), the use of which is governed by the following agreement. By unpacking the unit and switching it on you indicate your acceptance of the conditions. If you do not accept the conditions of this agreement, please return your unit, with all packaging, to the place of purchase.

By unpacking and switching on the unit you agree not to decompile, disassemble, dump, reverse engineer or create derivative works of the embedded software contained in the unit. You also agree not to allow a third party to do any of these things on your behalf.

FCC Compliance Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. this device may not cause harmful interference, and

2. this device must accept any interference received, including

interference that may cause undesired operation.

Introduction

Contents

1 Introduction 8

1.1 What’s an Octavius Squeezer? 8

1.2 Analog? But it Looks Digital! 9

1.3 About this Document 9

2 Getting Started 10

2.1 Introduction 10

2.2 Software (Firmware) Agreement 10

2.3 Register 10

2.4 Installing a battery 10

2.5 Connecting a Power Supply 11

2.6 Switching the Power On 11

2.7 Connecting your Leads 11

2.8 Switching on an Effect 11

2.9 Using the Effects Screen 11

2.10 Using the Menus 12

2.11 Set Power Mode 12

2.12 Optimise for Your Instrument 12

3 Menus 13

3.1 Introduction 13

3.2 Menus and Menu Items 13

3.3 Entering the Menu System 13

3.4 The Menu Display 13

3.5 Navigating the Menus 14

3.6 Menu Reference 14

3.6.1 Effect menu 14

3.6.2 Bank menu 15

3.6.3 Rhythm menu 16

3.6.4 Footswitch menu 16

3.6.5 Settings menu 17

4 Effects 18

4.1 Introduction 18

4.2 The Effects Library 18

4.3 The Effects Screen 18

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Introduction

4.4 The Status Line 19

4.5 Selecting Effects 20

4.6 Effect Parameters 20

4.7 Hiding and showing parameters 20

4.8 Saving and Undoing Effect Changes 21

4.9 Copying and Pasting Effects 21

4.10 Deleting Effects 22

4.11 Editing Effect Names 22

4.12 Effect Randomizer 23

5 Banks 24

5.1 Introduction 24

5.2 Banks and the Effects Library 24

5.3 Modifying Banks 25

5.4 Saving and Undoing Bank Changes 26

6 Footswitches 27

6.1 Introduction 27

6.2 Basic Operation 27

6.3 Footswitch Modes 27

6.4 Footswitch Schemes 28

6.5 Custom Footswitch Schemes 29

6.6 Footswitch Latency 29

7 Rhythms 31

7.1 Introduction 31

7.2 Beat Status 31

7.3 Using Beat-Locked Effects 31

7.4 Rhythm Settings 32

7.5 Starting and Stopping the Beat 33

7.6 Tapping a Tempo 33

7.7 Resynchronising 33

8 Tuner 34

8.1 Introduction 34

8.2 Muted Tuning Mode 34

8.3 Tuner Effect 35

8.4 Quick Tuning Display 35

Introduction

9 Files 36

9.1 Introduction 36

9.2 Supported Cards 36

9.3 File types 37

9.4 Inserting and Removing a Card 37

9.5 Saving Effects 37

9.6 Saving Banks 38

9.7 Loading Effects 39

9.8 Loading Banks 40

9.9 Updating the Firmware 41

9.10 Reloading the Firmware 42

10 Settings 43

10.1 Introduction 43

10.2 Storage of Settings 43

10.3 Aux mode 43

10.4 Power 44

10.5 Display Contrast 44

10.6 Swap Knobs 45

10.7 Reset All 45

11 Modifying Effects 46

11.1 Introduction 46

11.2 Signal Flow Overview 46

11.3 The Fuzz 47

11.4 Synthesizing Tones 47

11.5 Filtering 48

11.6 LFO 49

11.7 Beat-locked effects 49

11.8 Mixing and Patching 50

11.8.1 Synthesizers 50

11.8.2 Octavers 50

11.8.3 Filters 50

11.8.4 Fuzz 50

11.8.5 Fuzz-Filter 50

11.8.6 Filter-Fuzz 51

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Introduction

11.9 Effect Parameter Reference 51

11.9.1 Input mode 51

11.9.2 Output mode 51

11.9.3 Output src 51

11.9.4 Output dB 51

11.9.5 Premix src 51

11.9.6 Premix dB 52

11.9.7 Postmix src 52

11.9.8 Postmix dB 52

11.9.9 VCF mode 52

11.9.10 VCF law 52

11.9.11 VCF peak 53

11.9.12 VCF ini frq 53

11.9.13 VCF att frq 53

11.9.14 VCF sus frq 53

11.9.15 VCF sweep 53

11.9.16 VCF att spd 54

11.9.17 VCF dec spd 54

11.9.18 VCF rel spd 54

11.9.19 LFO rate 54

11.9.20 LFO ini dth 54

11.9.21 LFO att dth 54

11.9.22 LFO att spd 54

11.9.23 LFO rel spd 54

11.9.24 LFO mod 55

11.9.25 beat rate 55

11.9.26 beat wave 55

11.9.27 beat depth 56

11.9.28 beat smooth 56

11.9.29 fuzz source 56

11.9.30 fuzz drv dB 56

11.9.31 gate mode 56

11.9.32 VCO->VCF 56

11.9.33 VCO pitch 57

Introduction

11.9.34 VCO duty 57

11.9.35 VCO dB 57

11.9.36 VCO stop 57

11.9.37 VCO att pto 58

11.9.38 VCO sus pto 58

11.9.39 VCA mode 58

11.9.40 VCA att spd 58

11.9.41 VCA dec spd 58

11.9.42 VCA rel spd 58

11.9.43 VCA att lvl 58

11.9.44 VCA sus lvl 59

11.9.45 VCA reatt. 59

11.9.46 protect 59

12 Index 60

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Introduction

1 Introduction

1.1 What’s an Octavius Squeezer?

Congratulations! You have the world’s coolest synth pedal for bass guitar.

Octavius Squeezer is an analog synthesizer pedal for electric bass

guitars. It contains the analog filter circuit that we’ve been refining

for years in our Agent 00Funk series of envelope filter pedals. It also contains the analog fuzz circuit from our Brown Dog gated bass fuzz pedal.

But Octavius Squeezer is a lot more than just a filter and a fuzz – it can track the notes you play and synthesize new waveforms. It can sweep and step the filter in all kinds of new exciting ways. It has state of the art reconfigurable analog circuitry which allows you to change the order of the effects circuits and mix and patch signals in a variety of ways.

As you’d expect from such a pedal, Octavius Squeezer has true

bypass switching, connecting the input directly to the output by a mechanical switch when it is bypassed. When it’s off it’s really off!

All this analog grunt is controlled by a digital control system which

makes it easy to get the same sound every time. Octavius Squeezer’s

flexible firmware lets you manage up to 50 effects at once, program the functions of the footswitches, sort effects into banks for easy selection and even swap effects with your friends by saving and loading them from SD card. You can also download new versions of the firmware from our website and use your SD card to update Octavius Squeezer as new features become available.

Introduction

1.2 Analog? But it Looks Digital!

Looking at it, you might think Octavius Squeezer is a purely digital piece of equipment. It’s got a liquid crystal display with text written on it and a slot for a digital SD card, for example.

However, under the hood the signal processing is analog and there’s a good reason for that. The characteristics of resonant filters and analog fuzz circuits are extremely complex, especially when you drive them hard. These are notoriously difficult to model nicely using digital signal processing techniques. Also, digital resonant filters have a variety of stability and linearity issues associated with them. And, let’s face it, analog is just cooler.

1.3 About this Document

This manual is the main source of information on the Octavius Squeezer.

Chunk Systems is a small manufacturer that builds in low volume. We would likely have to print this document in high quantities and stockpile them for months to do it economically. This would severely

restrict our ability to provide you with the latest information. We’ve

therefore chosen to provide this document in electronic form only, so that you can always download the most recent version from our website at www.chunksystems.com.

Throughout this document, bold type is used for the names of

controls, menu items and other text that you’ll see printed on the

Octavius Squeezer enclosure or on the display. Italic type is used where terms are being introduced.

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Getting Started

2 Getting Started

2.1 Introduction

In this chapter, we’ll discuss the basic operation of your pedal. Start

here to learn how to plug in, power up and start using your Octavius Squeezer.

2.2 Software (Firmware) Agreement

Before continuing, ensure you have read and understood the terms of the software agreement at the start of this manual. Unpacking and powering up the unit indicates your acceptance of the agreement.

2.3 Register

Please visit our website at www.chunksystems.com and register your details with us for warranty purposes. Registration gives you full access to all the available downloads and support information for the Octavius Squeezer.

2.4 Installing a battery

The first thing you’ll need is a way to power your Octavius Squeezer.

You can use either a standard 9V battery or an external 9VDC supply.

To install a battery, unscrew the battery drawer thumbscrew on the front panel of the unit and slide out the battery drawer. Attach the battery clip securely to the battery terminals and push the end of the battery with the clip attached right to the back of the drawer. You can now push down on the other end of the battery to fit it down into the battery drawer - it’s a snug fit to stop the battery rattling around. Once the battery is installed in the drawer, slide the drawer closed and tighten the thumbscrew to secure it.

Getting Started

2.5 Connecting a Power Supply

If you’re going to use your Octavius Squeezer a lot, and let’s face it,

you probably will, we recommend you get yourself an external power supply. The power supply must be 9VDC with a 2.1mm tip-negative plug – the kind used for most effect pedals. Your power supply must be capable of delivering up to 300 mA to the Octavius Squeezer. Chunk Systems recommends using a well regulated supply such as the Godlyke Powerall, available from Godlyke Inc. (www.godlyke.com).

2.6 Switching the Power On

When you connect an external power supply, Octavius Squeezer turns on immediately. If running from battery, Octavius Squeezer does not switch on until a plug is inserted into the in socket. To save

battery power, unplug your input lead when you’re not using your

Octavius Squeezer.

2.7 Connecting your Leads

Connect a lead from your instrument to Octavius Squeezer’s in socket. Connect another lead from the out socket to the input of your amplifier. Leave the aux socket unconnected for the moment.

2.8 Switching on an Effect

Octavius Squeezer should now be powered on and ready to use. Push and release the right footswitch to take it out of bypass mode so you can hear an effect. The active LED glows to indicate that the effect is on. Play some notes on your instrument to hear the effect.

To turn the effect off and go back to your instrument’s standard

sound, push and release the right footswitch again. The active LED turns off to indicate that Octavius Squeezer is bypassed. When bypassed, the out socket is connected directly to the in socket with a mechanical switch.

2.9 Using the Effects Screen

The main screen which Octavius Squeezer displays is called the Effects Screen. Turn the effect knob clockwise to move up through the available effects. Turn it anticlockwise to move down through the effects.

Each effect has parameters that change how it sounds. Turn the param knob to change the currently-selected parameter. To choose which parameter is selected, push the param knob. You can push it once to move forward by one parameter, hold it down to cycle through them or turn it while holding it down to manually scroll through them.

To enter the menu system, push the effect knob.

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Getting Started

2.10 Using the Menus

Once in the menu system, turn the effect knob to scroll through the items on the current menu. Push the effect knob to enter a submenu or execute a command.

Menu parameters show their current value on the bottom line after an equals sign (=). Turn the param knob to change the value of a parameter.

To exit a submenu, scroll all the way to the last item, which is always labelled Back. With Back selected, push the effect knob to exit the submenu. The last item on the main menu is labelled Exit menu. Push the effect knob with Exit menu selected to return to the effects screen.

2.11 Set Power Mode

Octavius Squeezer has a sophisticated power management system which lets you trade off battery life against sound quality. If you want your battery to last as long as possible, it’s a good idea to set the Power setting to medium or low. Do it like this:

 Push and release the effect knob to enter the menu system.  Find the Settings menu and click the effect knob to enter it.  Find the Power parameter on the Settings menu.  Change the Power setting to med or low using the param

knob.

 Back out of the Settings menu.  Use Exit menu to return to the effects screen.

2.12 Optimise for Your Instrument

Different bass guitars can produce vastly different volume levels. Some adjustment is therefore necessary to get the best results with your Octavius Squeezer.

You’ll probably find you need to adjust the Track sens. parameter on the Settings menu to get the best pitch-tracking performance with your instrument. You’ll almost certainly need to turn it down if you play an active bass with a hot output.

The VCF sens. parameter, also on the Settings menu provides a global sensitivity adjustment for all the effects that use an envelope

follower, so that you don’t need to change the parameters of all your effects when you plug in a new instrument. You’ll also want to turn

this down if you play a hot active bass.

Menus

Figure 3-1: A command menu item.

3 Menus

3.1 Introduction

The effects screen, covered in chapter 4, gives you control over the

effects system. However, to access all of Octavius Squeezer’s other features, you need to understand how to use the menu system. It’s pretty easy really, but we’ll cover it in detail in this chapter.

3.2 Menus and Menu Items

Octavius Squeezer has an hierarchical system of menus. Each menu contains a list of menu items. Each menu item is one of the following types:

 Parameter – Used for settings which are numbers or where

you can choose one of several options.

 Command – Allows you to perform an action, such as saving

changes to an effect (see Figure 3-1).

 Text – Used for entering and editing names, such as effect

names and file names.

 Browse – Lists the existing files on the SD card.  Submenu – Another level of related menu items.

3.3 Entering the Menu System

To enter Octavius Squeezer’s menu system from the main effect screen, push the effect knob on the right. The first item on the main menu will be displayed.

3.4 The Menu Display

While the menu system is active, Octavius Squeezer displays the name of the currently-selected item on the top line of its display, surrounded by square brackets [] as shown in Figure 3-1. To the left

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Menus

Figure 3-3: A submenu menu item.

Figure 3-4: The Back command.

Figure 3-5: The Exit Menu command.

Figure 3-2: A parameter menu item.

and right of the brackets are scroll arrows, which tell you whether it’s possible to scroll forwards or backwards from the current menu item. The left scroll arrow disappears when the first item on a menu

is selected because it’s not possible to scroll backwards from the first

item. Similarly, the right scroll arrow disappears when the last item on a menu is selected because you can’t scroll forwards from the last item.

On the bottom line of its display, Octavius Squeezer shows information about the currently-selected menu item. For parameter menu items, an equals sign (=) is displayed, followed by the current value of the parameter (see Figure 3-2). For other menu items, the type of the item is shown (see Figure 3-1 and Figure 3-3).

3.5 Navigating the Menus

Scroll through the items on the menu by turning the effect knob. To change the value of a parameter, turn the param knob. To enter a submenu (see Figure 3-3), execute a command, or edit text, push the effect knob. For more information about editing text, see section

4.11 on page 22.

To exit a submenu and return to the main menu, scroll all the way to the last item on the menu by turning the effect knob clockwise. The last item on each submenu is labelled Back (see Figure 3-4). Push the effect knob while Back is selected to return to the main menu.

The last item on the main menu is Exit Menu (see Figure 3-5). To exit the main menu and return to the effect screen, scroll all the way to the end of the main menu and push the effect knob while Exit Menu is selected.

3.6 Menu Reference

This section describes all of the items found in each of the menus on

Octavius Squeezer’s main menu along with a reference to the section

and page on which you can find further information about it.

The Exit Menu item (see Figure 3-5) is the last item on the main menu. Use it to exit the menu system and return to the effect screen.

3.6.1 Effect menu

The Effect menu contains parameters and commands that affect the effect library. The items on the Effect menu are:

 Effect name – Edit the name of the current effect. Section

4.11, page 22.

 Copy – Mark the current effect for copying to another

location in the library. Section 4.9, page 21.

Menus

 Paste – Paste an effect into the current location in the

library. This item will only be available if you have previously marked an effect with the Copy command. Section 4.9, page

21.

 Delete – Delete the current effect, marking the location as

empty in the library. Section 4.10, page 22.

 Save changes – Save any changes you have made to the

current effect to the effect library. This command will only be available if you’ve modified the current effect. Section

4.8, page 21.

 Undo changes – Undo any changes you have made to the

current effect by reloading it from the effect library. This command will only be available if you’ve modified the current effect. Section 4.8, page 21.

 Save all – Save to the library all the changes you’ve made to

all the effects. This command will only be available if you’ve

modified one or more effects. Section 4.8, page 21.

 Undo all – Undo all changes to all effects by reloading them

from the library. This will only be available if you’ve modified

one or more effects. Section 4.8, page 21.

 Param mode – Choose the parameter editing mode. Use

edit (default) mode to change the value of effect parameters

or show mode to choose which parameters are displayed for the current effect. Section 4.7, page 20.

 All params – Enable this option to display all parameters on

all effects regardless of the parameter’s display status.

Section 4.7, page 20.

 Randomize – Set all the parameters of the current effect to

random values. Section 4.12, page 23.

 Back – Return to the main menu.

3.6.2 Bank menu

The Bank menu allows you to select and modify banks. The items on the Bank menu are:

 Active bank – Select which bank is currently active. Section

5.2 page 24.

 Edit bank – Add, remove and reorder effects in the current

bank. Section 5.3, page 25.

 Save changes – Save any changes you’ve made the current

bank. This command will only become available if you’ve

used the Edit bank command. Section 5.4, page 26.

 Undo changes – Undo any unsaved changes you’ve made to

the current bank using the Edit bank command. Section 5.4, page 26.

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Menus

 Back – Return to the main menu.

3.6.3 Rhythm menu

The Rhythm menu allows you to control Octavius Squeezer’s rhythm machine. The items on the Rhythm menu are:

 Tap – Tap a tempo for the rhythm machine by clicking the

right knob instead of switching to TAP footswitch mode. Section 7.4, page 32.

 Stop – Stop the rhythm machine. Section 7.4, page 32.  BPM – Adjust the tempo (in beats per minute) of the rhythm

machine. Section 7.4, page 32.

 Beats in bar – Adjust the time signiture of the rhythm by

selecting the number of quarter notes (crotchets) per bar. Section 7.4, page 32.

 Bars in loop – Adjusts the number of bars the rhythm

machine plays before returning to the start of the loop and resetting the beat-locked effects. Section 7.4, page 32.

 Tap averages – Adjust the minimum number of taps that are

used to determine the tempo in tap tempo mode. Section

7.4, page 32.

 Click out – Control whether a click track is mixed into the

main output when the rhythm machine is running. Section

7.4, page 32.

 Click sound – Choose which of the inbuilt sounds is used for

the click track. Section 7.4, page 32.

 One level – Adjust the volume level of the click played on the

One (the first beat of each bar). Section 7.4, page 32.

 Click level – Adjust the volume level of the click played on

any beat of the bar other than the One. Section 7.4, page 32.

 Click decay – Adjusts the decay speed of the click

synthesizer. Section 7.4, page 32.

 Back – Return to the main menu.

3.6.4 Footswitch menu

The Footswitch menu controls the behaviour of Octavius Squeezer’s footswitches. The items on the Footswitch menu are:

 Mode – Change the current footswitch mode. Section 6.3,

page 27.

 Scheme – Change the current footswitch scheme. Section

6.4, page 28.

 Custm scheme – Program in a custom footswitch scheme

containing a custom sequence of footswitch modes. Section

6.5, page 29.

Menus

 Latency – Adjusts the latency between pushing a footswitch

and the Octavius Squeezer’s response. Section 6.6, page 29.

 Back – Return to the main menu.

3.6.5 Settings menu

Global settings that don’t belong on any of the other menus can be

found on the Settings menu. These are:

 Track sens. – Adjust the sensitivity of the pitch tracking

system for the level of your instrument. Section 2.12, page

12.

 VCF sens. – Adjust the global sensitivity of envelope follower

effects for the level of your instrument. Section 11.9.15, page 53.

 Power – Choose how much power to use, trading off battery

life against noise performance. Section 10.4, page 44.

 Bklight time – Choose how long the display backlight stays

on for. Section 10.4, page 44.

 LCD contrast – Adjust the contrast of the display. Section

10.5, page 44.

 Swap knobs – Swap the function of the effect and param

knobs, which is useful for left-handed players. Section 10.6, page 45.

 Aux mode – Choose the function of the aux connector.

Section 10.3, page 43.

 Tuner effect – Choose which effect is heard when the tuner

is engaged. Section 8.3, page 35.

 Allow reset – Enable the Reset all command. Section 10.7,

page 45.

 Reset all – Return all settings to factory defaults, delete all

effects, empty all banks. Section 10.7, page 45.

 Back – Return to the main menu.

Octavius Squeezer user manual

Effects

Figure 4-1: The effects screen.

4 Effects

4.1 Introduction

This chapter covers the meat of Octavius Squeezer operation, how to turn the effects on and off, switch between them, edit their parameters and how the main effects screen works.

4.2 The Effects Library

Octavius Squeezer stores a library of up to fifty effect definitions in its onboard flash memory. These effect locations are numbered 00 to

49. Each effect has a name and a set of effect parameters that may be adjusted using the param knob. Details on all the parameters and how to use them can be found in section 10.

To help you organise this library and make it easy to quickly select the right effect when playing live, effects can be assigned into userdefined banks. You can program the order of the effects in a bank so

it’s easy to switch to the next effect you need with the left

footswitch. See section 5 starting on page 24 for more information about banks.

4.3 The Effects Screen

The main screen which Octavius Squeezer displays is called the effects screen, and is shown in Figure 4-1. The top line of the display gives information about which effect is currently loaded. The bottom line of the display operates in one of two modes: status line mode, or parameter mode.

At the top left of the effects screen you’ll see the two digit location of the current effect within the effect library. The first location in the library is numbered 00, and the last location is numbered 49.

Effects

Figure 4-2: A modified effect.

Figure 4-3: Parameter mode.

Figure 4-4: The status line.

Figure 4-5: Blank time, blank note.

To the right of the effect number is the change indicator. When an effect has been modified from its original definition in the library, a right double angle bracket (») is shown (see Figure 4-2). If you

haven’t modified an effect from its original definition in the library, a

colon (:) is shown (see Figure 4-3). This provides an easy way to tell whether you’ve modified the current effect.

The remainder of the top line is used to display the name of the current effect. If the name of the effect is too long to fit here, it automatically scrolls to display all the characters in the name after a

short time. So, if you can’t read all the name of the current effect,

just wait, and Octavius Squeezer will scroll it for you.

Anytime you switch effects or change an effect parameter, the bottom line of the effects screen automatically switches to parameter mode. In parameter mode, the abbreviated name of the currently selected parameter is shown on the left and the current value of that parameter is shown on the right (refer to Figure 4-3).

If you don’t switch effects or change effect parameters for a few seconds, the bottom line will switch to status line mode. The status line displays current information about the current footswitch mode, the tempo and beat position of the rhythm machine, and the pitch of the note you are currently playing.

In the following sections we’ll cover the contents of the status line

and the parameter display in further detail.

4.4 The Status Line

The status line is displayed automatically on the bottom line of the effects screen a few seconds after your last interaction with the knobs. That is, it’s like a screen saver and you’ll see if you don’t switch effects or modify parameters for a few seconds.

The leftmost part of the status line is the current footswitch mode (TAP in Figure 4-4). See section 6.3 on page 27 for more information about footswitch modes.

To the right of the footswitch mode is the current tempo of the rhythm machine. To the right of the tempo is the current sequence time. The example in Figure 4-4 has the tempo set at 120 bpm and the rhythm machine is currently playing the first beat of the first bar. If the rhythm machine is currently stopped, ---- is displayed as shown in Figure 4-5.

The rightmost part of the status line shows the current pitch tracking status, which you can use as a kind of “mini-tuner”. In the example of Figure 4-4, a G is being played and it is tuned flat, as indicated by

Octavius Squeezer user manual

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Chunk Systems Octavius Squeezer User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

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User Manual