Dave Smith Instruments POLY EVOLVER KEYBOARD User Manual

Poly Evolver

Keyboard

Operation Manual

Poly Evolver Keyboard

Operation Manual

Dave Smith Instruments

1210 Cabrillo Hwy N

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1449

© 2005-2009 Dave Smith Instruments

www.DaveSmithInstruments.com

Version 1.4

October, 2009

USA

Tested To Comply
With FCC Standards
FOR OFFICE USE

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.

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference­Causing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numerique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Reglement
sur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.

For Technical Support, email [e-mail]

4

Contents

Quick Start 6

Preset Notes 8

FAQs 9

Chaining Evolvers and Polys 10

Inside Evolver 12

Signal Flow Diagram 13

Basic Operations 14

Naming Programs and Combos 16

Global Parameters 18

Program Parameters 22 Analog Oscillators (1 and 2) 22 Digital Oscillators (3 and 4) 23 Lowpass Filter 25 Amplifier (VCA) 26 Highpass Filter 27

Feedback 27
Distortion 28

Delay 28

Envelope 3 31
Low Frequency Oscillators (LFO) 31
Modulators 33
Miscellaneous Parameters 34

Sequencer Operation 37

Modulation Destination Table 41

Modulation Source Table 43

Combo Parameters 44

MIDI Implementation 48

MIDI Parameters 48
Basic MIDI Messages 50
System exclusive Messages 54
Global Parameter Data 62
Combo Parameter Data 64
Program Parameter Data 66

5

Welcome…

Thanks for purchasing the Poly Evolver Keyboard! Listen to the sounds, twiddle
some knobs, have some fun!

Register

If you purchased your Poly directly from us, there is no need to register – we
already have your contact information. If you purchased it from a music dealer,
please go to www.davesmithinstruments.com and register.

Quick Start

Here’s how to quickly get started with your new keyboard:

First, plug in the power supply. The power supply will work anywhere in the
world; use the included Euro AC adapter if necessary. Next, plug the stereo
audio outputs into your mixer/sound system and switch on the power.

The Poly Evolver has two main modes, Program and Combo. Program mode
sets all 4 voices to the same sound, one of the 128 Programs in 4 Banks (512
total). It powers up in Program mode, ready to play. If you are an Evolver owner,
you are already familiar with the basic Poly voice – it is the same, but now there
are four of them!

Programs are usually meant to be played from the keyboard, but you have the
option of hitting the Sequencer’s S
sequence associated with that Program. You can then play along with the other 3
voices. Not all Programs have pre-programmed sequences.

Try applying keyboard pressure (aftertouch) and the mod wheel. Many sounds
are fairly simple at first, then come alive when you use the controllers. With other
sounds, you may need to hold the notes a while to let the sound unfold. Playing
in different ways has a big effect on the Programs.

TART/STOP switch, and voice 1 will play the

Selecting and Editing Programs, Combos, and Global Settings

There are a number of ways to change Programs; you can use the ten-key pad
to directly select any Program, and use the 4 Bank switches to select banks. Or,
you can use the +/- switches to step through the Programs. Finally, the P
knob changes the Program number, and the P
Check the diagram on the next page for reference.

If you want to edit a Program, just turn any knob. The new value will be displayed
in the LCD. Once a parameter has been selected, the P
change the value, and the +/- switches will increment or decrement the value.

That’s the whole idea with this instrument – grabbing knobs and changing the
sound!

6

ARAM 2 knob changes the Bank.

ARAM 1 knob will also

ARAM 1

To select Combo mode, press the COMBO switch. Combos give you complete
flexibility configuring the four voices; you can stack or split the keyboard, assign
different Programs to different MIDI channels, set it to play multiple different
sequences synchronously, and so on.

There are 3 banks of 128 Combos for a total of 384. There are up to 4 Parts in
each Combo, though all four do not have to be used. For example, a split
Combo, with one voice for bass on the low end of the keyboard, and 3
polyphonic voices on the upper end, would only require 2 parts. The COMBO PART
switches select the four parts for quick editing.

Your Poly Evolver also has some very cool features for use as a stereo signal
processor. In Combo mode you can have one or more voices using the External
Signal Input, so the external signal can be routed to all four voices, with each
voice doing different processing, such as filtering, envelope following, distortion,
feedback, delay, driving a sequence, and so on.

Press the GLOBAL switch to change higher level parameters, such as MIDI
channel number, Transpose/Detune, and so on. These are remembered when
the synth is turned off. Note that in Global Mode, the screen displays two
parameters at a time. The top parameter is changed by the P
the lower parameter is edited by the P
pages.

ARAM 2 knob. The +/- switches select new

ARAM 1 knob and

Summary

You should be up and running now; for more operation information, read on. Or,
just look up specific parameters for detailed notes. Pages 41 through 43 contain
a handy reference for mod destinations and sources. At some point you should
read through the manual to discover all the little features that you might not
notice at first.

I should mention that this manual does not include explanations of basic
synthesizer functions. It assumes you already know what an oscillator is, how a
lowpass filter affects the sound, what an ADSR envelope looks like, and so on.

Fortunately, these days it is quite easy to find such resources on the Internet. If
you want to learn the lingo and the basics, just try a search in Google (or the
search engine of your choice), something like “analog synthesizer tutorial”. You’ll
find plenty of good reading material.

Have fun!

Dave Smith

Special thanks to the “bragging rights” team for their assistance during

development:

Tim Ande, David Bryce, Robert Shanks, Ravi Ivan Sharma, and Stefan Trippler. Also
to Mark Wilcox for assistance on this manual.

7

About the Presets

There are 512 Programs and 384 Combos in your Poly Evolver. The factory
sound set is on our website if you ever need to refresh it. There are additional
banks of Programs at:

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/polyevolver/sounds.html

Remember to save your sounds via program dumps occasionally!

The Programs are not set up in any particular order, so you might just want to
listen through them to see what you like. Bank 4 programs are used for most of
the combo sequences, so some may not make sense as a program.There are
some test Programs at the end of Bank 4 that you might want to erase. Also,
Program 128 in all four banks is a simple basic Program that you can use as a
starting point.

Combos are also mixed, again with some test Combos at the end of bank 3. You
will also see that there is only one bank of Combos. You will likely want to make
your own Combos based on the specific combinations of Programs that fit your
music.

When using Combos, remember that changing a Program will affect any Combo
that refers to it.

The Programs and Combos were collected from previous Evolver and Poly Evolver Rack patches, and a bunch of new ones were made up for the keyboard. Special thanks to Program contributors (past and present), including:

Tim Ande
Andrew Bode
Cameron Brand
David Bryce
Chris Curtis
Mike Estee
Don Gothard
Damon Menne
Eric Norlander
Mike Peake
Ravi Ivan Sharma
Doug Terrebonne
Goffe Torgerson
Stefan Trippler
Dave Wyatt

8

Frequently Asked Questions

The Poly Evolver is a very flexible instrument. While this provides a wide range of
operational possibilities, it also means that you can put Evolver into a state where it
doesn’t seem to work. Here are some tips:

• How do I save a Program or Combo? Hit the W

ES switch when prompted. All other switches are locked out, though you can

+/Y
hit the -/N

O switch if you change your mind. You can change the Program and/or

Bank and store in a different location using the knobs. You can also press

OMPARE to check the sounds in the Program destinations.

C

• When I change Programs, the Sequencer speed always stays the same.

Check the Global Prog Tempo parameter – if it is Off, then the speed is not
updated when Programs change. Set it to On.

• I can’t get the filter to oscillate. Check the 4/2/P

oscillates when in 4-pole mode. (The filter is in 4-pole mode when the 4/2/P
switch is lit.)

• I seem to be getting distortion in my output. Assuming that Distortion and

Output Hack are off, you are likely just overloading the signal somewhere. There
are many signal sources in the Poly, and many sources of gain. If too many are
used at levels that are too high, you will likely get some distortion. For example, if
you are using all four oscillators, lower the L
40 – 60 range. Likewise, if using all three delay taps, lower the A
each.

• I can’t hear the External Audio input. In addition to increasing External In

EVEL, the filter and VCA must be open to hear the signal. You can initially turn

L
up the Lowpass Filter F

REQUENCY and the initial VCA LEVEL to hear the signal.

The Peak Hold or Envelope Follower can be used to control the VCA or Filter
level, or the sequencer can trigger the envelopes. There are many different ways
to use different modulation sources to control the VCA and Filter when using
external inputs.

RITE switch. Then press the

OLE switch – the filter only

OLE

EVEL setting of each oscillator to the

MOUNT setting of

9

Chaining Multiple Evolvers Together

The Poly Evolver Keyboard has 4 voices that are identical to the 4 voices in a
rackmount Poly Evolver, and the single voice in the original desktop Evolver. This
compatibility enables you to chain multiple Evolvers together to increase polyphony,
using your Poly Keyboard as a controller for all chained Evolvers.

Note that if the Poly Chain parameter is Off, the Poly Chain MIDI Output jack acts as
a second MIDI Out jack.

To chain a single Poly Rack to your Poly Evolver Keyboard:

1. Connect the Poly Chain MIDI output on the back of your Poly Evolver
Keyboard to the MIDI In of the Poly Rack.

2. Connect the stereo outputs of the keyboard to the right and left Mix Inputs of
the Rack, then connect the output of the Rack to your mixer/sound system.

3. On the Keyboard, in Global select the Poly Chain screen, and set it to the
total number of voices you have chained, ie 8 for a keyboard and a rack in
this case.

4. Next set the MIDI clock parameter to MIDI Out on the keyboard (or MIDI
In/Out if using an external MIDI clock to drive the keyboard). On the Rack,
select MIDI Clock In.

You should be all set to play! You can now virtually ignore the Rack, since the
controls on the keyboard will control both units as if they were a single 8 voice. This
includes saving a Program/Combo; if you save an edited program on the keyboard, it
will also save the program on any Poly Chained instruments (updated with the latest
revision software).

Note: Remember that if you change a Main parameter on the Keyboard, the Rack
will change also. For example, changing MIDI channels on the Keyboard will also
change the MIDI channels on the Rack, which is likely what you would want.
There are a couple exceptions: if you change Poly Chain or MIDI clock, it is not
chained, since these parameters are usually different in each unit.

While everything is transparent in Program mode, there are some differences in
Combo mode operation. For example, Combos that have Mono parts will be handled
differently. This is due to the fact that in Mono, Poly chain does not function, since the
Part interprets new notes per the Key Mode (low note, last note, and so on), and does
not re-transmit the notes. If, for example, you have a 1/3 split with Part 1 playing a
mono Program, and Part 2 playing 3 voices polyphonically, with two Polys chained
you will still only have a single mono voice in Part 1, but Part 2 will now be 6 voices.
So, you will lose a voice in this configuration.

Other configurations work as you would expect; for example, if you have a Combo
with 2 programs stacked, it will play them as a 4 voice with two Polys.

Using Multiple Poly Racks

You can also chain more than a single Rack in the same manner. With two Racks, set
the main parameter Poly Chain on the Keyboard to 12, and set Poly Chain on the first
Rack to 8. The second Rack Poly Chain should be set to Off.

10

On the Keyboard MIDI clock is again set to Out, the first Rack set to In/out, and the
second Rack to In.

Chaining Mono Evolvers

You can also use one or more mono table-top Evolvers for more voices. If using one
to get 5 voices (a magic number!), set the Keyboard to MIDI clock Out, and set Poly
Chain to 5. Set the Evolver to MIDI Clock In.

A Note on Versions

The same basic voice structure is used on all three instruments, the mono Evolver,
the Poly Rack, and the Poly Keyboard. Though there has been great care to keep
backwards compatibility, there have been a few changes necessary in both the mono
Evolver and the Poly Rack to make them work more seamlessly with the keyboard.

As a result, you will likely have to update your current synths to be compatible. Please
check our website to get the latest information on these updates.

11

The Poly Evolver Voice

Before going through the individual parameters, following is a brief description of the
architecture of a single Poly Evolver voice. The signal flow diagram on the next page
is a good starting point for understanding how the Poly works.

The Analog Side

The analog electronics for each voice consist of two identical (Left/Right) synth
sections, each with an analog waveshape oscillator, a 2/4 pole resonant lowpass
filter, and a Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA). Control voltages are generated by the
processors to control the analog components.

The Digital Side

Surrounding the Analog electronics is a high-speed Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
that both pre- and post-processes the audio signal. Since the DSP also computes the
control voltages for the analog circuitry, it can handle a wide range of modulation with
high precision.

The DSP provides audio functions such as the Digital Oscillators, Envelope Follower,
the Peak/Hold detector (and associated external trigger generator), Highpass filter,
Distortion (with noise gate), Pan, Delay, and Hack. It also handles the tuned
feedback, as well as the additional Delay feedback paths. And all the modulation
calculations (envelopes, LFOs, routing, and so on).

Analog-to-Digital (A/D) and Digital-to-Analog (D/A) converters are used to connect the
analog and digital sections. There are two sets of stereo converters running at a
48 kHz sampling rate with 24 bits of precision for minimum impact on the analog
sound.

Each voice is completely independent, except that the single stereo external Audio In
signal is routed to all four voices.

Inputs and Outputs

There are several audio jacks on the rear panel. All are unbalanced stereo pairs (two
mono jacks). First, there are the Audio Inputs, which can be routed to the input of any
or all of the voices, for using the Poly as a signal processor.

Next, there are individual voice outputs for all 4 voices. When a plug is inserted into
one of these jacks, that signal is disconnected from the mix output. This allows each
channel to go to a different mixer channel for separate EQ/processing. It also allows
the output of one voice to be routed to the Audio Input jacks, where it can then be
routed to another voice’s input for some interesting effects.

Next are the mixed Stereo Outputs. If you only use the Left/Mono jack, you will get a
mono mix of both channels – but you really should use both channels! Finally, there is
a stereo headphone jack on the rear panel.

Note: Always turn down your mixer/amplifier volume when turning the Poly on or
off to prevent pops!

12

13

Basic Operation

Program Mode

When you first turn the Poly

e following screen active:

th

on, it is in Program Mode with the P

Program: xxx B:x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The top line shows the Program (1…128) and Bank (1…4) number of the currently
selected Program, and the bottom line shows the 16-character name of the Program.

ARAM 1 knob changes the Program, and the PARAM 2 knob changes the Bank.

The P
T

he Program can also be incremented or decremented by pressing the +/Y

witch respectively or selected with the numeric program selection switches.

s

ROGRAM LED lit and

ES

or -/N

O

o edit a Program, simply turn any knob while in Program mode. See the PrograT m
arameters section for a detailed list of all parameters and their functionality.

P

Combo Mode

When you press the COMBO
fo

llowing screen active:

Combo: xxx B:x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

switch, the Poly switches to Combo Mode with the

The top line shows the Combo and Bank number of the currently selected Combo,
and the bottom line shows the 16-character name of the Combo. The P

hanges the Combo, and the P

d

ecrement the Combo, press the +/Y

ARAM 2 knob changes the Bank. To inc crement or

ES or -/NO switch respectively.

14

ARAM 1 knob

To edit the Combo parameters, first hit the desired C
knob now selects the parameter, and the P
– switches will increment/decrement the value also. See the Combo Parameters
section for a detailed list of all parameters and their functionality.

ARAM 2 knob changes the value. The + and

OMBO PART Switch. The PARAM 1

Saving a Program or Combo

To save a Program or Combo, press the WRITE switch and the following screen
appears:

Write? P:xxx B:x
Hit: Yes or No

Press the +/YES switch to save the current Program or Combo, or -/NO (or the WRITE
switch again) to cancel. To store in a different location, use P
Program or Combo destination, and P

If there is another Poly Evolver or Evolver Poly Chained, and they have been updated
to the latest software revisions, the program/combo will be saved in the chained units
also.

Compare Feature: While editing a Program or Combo, you can press the C
switch to listen to the original version. If you press the switch again, the Poly returns
to the edited version.

Audition Destination Feature: While there is a write pending (see screen above),
you can press the C
before saving. Just be sure to turn Compare off again before you actually hit the

ES switch to save.

+/Y

OMPARE switch to hear the target Program or Combo destination

ARAM 2 for a different bank.

ARAM 1 to select a new

OMPARE

15

Transposing the Keyboard Range

Use the UP and DOWN Transpose switches to transpose the Poly Keyboard up or
down by octaves. The LED indicates the current keyboard transposition state. The
transposition changes the MIDI note number of the keys, so MIDI notes sent will also
be transposed. The transposition can also affect the key ranges in Combos.

Renaming a Program or Combo

To rename a Program or Combo, press the NAME switch. The lower LCD line displays
the name of the Program. The P
active, which is displayed by blinking the letter. The P
character.

ARAM 1 knob selects which character is currently

ARAM 2 knob changes the

Voice Assignment

The Poly has a total of four voices, and as such uses a specific method for assigning
them as keys are played. The scheme used by the Poly is a circular assignment; that
is, as a new notes are received, the next unused voice is assigned to the new note.
You can see how this works by watching the 4 voice LEDs as you play.

When all 4 voices are held and a new note is received, it is necessary to “steal” a
voice to play the new note, since you always want to hear any new key hit. The
algorithm used in the Poly steals the oldest note held of the 4 voices playing. This is
done to be consistent; you can always predict which note will be stolen.

When in Combo mode, each Part acts as a separate mini-synthesizer, so the same
voice assignment rules apply within the Part.

16

An exception to the voice stealing rule is when Poly Chain is On. In this case rather
than stealing an already-used voice, the Poly will transmit the new note over MIDI so
it can be played by another linked Poly.

Individual Voice Outputs

The Poly has a pair of output jacks for each of the four voices on the back panel,
allowing separate mixing/processing of each voice. When a plug is inserted in the
jack, that signal is disconnected from the mix output.

Another trick is to route the output of one voice to the external audio inputs; then, in
Combo mode, you can use one (or more) voices to process a different voice. Or take
two different voice outputs (programmed in mono) and run one to the Left input and
one to the Right input for even wilder results.

Note: The individual outputs will normally be used in Combo mode only, where
you have complete control over the individual voices.

17

Global Parameters

To edit the Global parameters, press the G
displayed. The P

ARAM 2 knob changes the lower parameter. The +/YES and -/NO switches select the

P

ARAM 1 knob changes the parameter on the upper LCD line, and the

other pages.

Note: If you hold the -/N

O switch while you hit the +/YES switch, it will jump to the

last page. Similarly, if you hold the +/Y
will jump to the first page.

Note: When in Combo mode, some of the Global parameters will be overwritten
by the Combo parameters.

Page 1:

Transpose: xx
Fine Tune: xx

Transpose: -36…+36 – Master Transpose control, 0 is centered. Steps in semitones.

Fine Tune: -50…+50 – Master Fine Tune control; 0 centered. Steps in cents (50

cents = ½ semitone).

Page 2:

MIDI Channel: xx
Poly Chain: xx

MIDI Channel: ALL, 1…16 – Selects which MIDI channel to send and receive data, 1
to 16. All receives on any channel.

Poly Chain: Off, 5…20 – Use this to link multiple Evolvers and Poly Evolvers into a
system with more voices by intelligently processing the keys hit and passing MIDI
data through to the Poly Chain MIDI out jack where it can be routed to another
Evolver or Poly Evolver. Note that MIDI clocks are handled separately per the MIDI
Clock parameter. Check page

10 for more details.

Page 3:

Clock: xxxxxxxx
Prog Tempo: xx

Clock: see table – Selects the MIDI clock status, and enables External sequencer
triggers, as follows:

Display MIDI Clock Setting

Internal
MIDI Out

MIDI In

MidiIn/Out

MIDI clock is neither sent nor received

MIDI clock is sent

MIDI clock is received

MIDI clock is received and transmitted (use

LOBAL switch and Global page 1 is

ES switch when you hit the -/NO switch, it

with Poly Chain)

MidInNoS/S

MIDI clock is received, but MIDI
start/stop/continue messages are ignored.

Prog Tempo: Off, On – When set to Off, changing a Program or Combo will not
change the tempo- this is useful for keeping a constant tempo but using different
sounds. If set to On, a Program change will change the tempo to the BPM and Clock
Divide values saved with the Program. When on, changing the main BPM will also
change the Program BPM, and vice-versa. When off, changing one has no effect on
the other.

Page 4:

Tempo (BPM): xxx
Clock Div:xxxxxx

Tempo: 30…250 – Sets the basic speed for the sequencer in BPM. Actual speed also
depends on the Clock Divide setting. If using MIDI clock, it will display the BPM of the
incoming MIDI clocks. If Prog Tempo is On, the Tempo and Clock Divide will both be
updated on every Program or Combo change.

Clock Divide: see table – Used as a clock divider to provide a wider range of
sequencer speeds. When set to Quartr (quarter notes), the BPM setting is exact, i.e.
120 BPM = 120 BPM. If set to Half (half note), the actual speed is half, so a setting of
120 BPM will actually play at 60 BPM.

Swing settings add a delay to every the odd steps (1, 3, 5, and so on), while
shortening the even steps by the same amount, for a swing feel to the timing. Half
swing is the same with less delay.

Here are all the possible settings, with the effect on the overall tempo:

Display Tempo Timing Division

Half
Quartr
Eighth

8 half

8swing

8 trip

16th
16half
16swng
16trip

32nd
32trip
64trip

BPM/2 Half note

BPM Quarter note

BPM x 2 Eighth note

BPM x 2 Eighth note, half swing timing

BPM x 2 Eighth note, full swing timing

BPM x 3 Eighth note triplets

BPM x 4 Sixteenth note

BPM x 4 Sixteenth note, half swing timing

BPM x 4 Sixteenth note, full swing timing

BPM x 6 Sixteenth note triplets

BPM x 8 Thirty-second note

BPM x 12 Thirty-second note triplets

BPM x 24 Sixty-fourth note triplets

Page 5:

19

MIDI Program:xxx
MIDI Pressure:xx

MIDI Program: Off, On – When On, the Poly will respond to MIDI program changes
received, and will transmit Program changes to MIDI Out.

MIDI Pressure: Off, On – When On, the Poly will respond to MIDI pressure
(aftertouch) received, and will transmit Keyboard Pressure to MIDI Out.

Page 6:

MIDI Control:xxx
MIDI SysEx:xx

MIDI Control: Off, On – When On, the Poly will respond to MIDI controllers, and will
transmit controllers from the keyboard to the MIDI Out. Controllers include Pitch
Wheel, Mod wheel, Pedal 1, and pedal 2.

MIDI SysEx: Off, On – When On, the Poly will respond to MIDI SysEx messages,
and will transmit them from the keyboard to the MIDI Out. Note that all
knobs/parameters on the keyboard are sent as SysEx messages when enabled.

Page 7:

Input Gain:xxxxx
LCD Contrast: xx

Input Gain: 0db… 24d – Provides extra gain on the Left and Right External Inputs.
You can select no gain (0 dB), or a gain in steps of 3 dB up to 24 db.

LCD Contrast: 1…100 – This sets the contrast level for the LCD. Normally it will be
around 15.

Page 8:

Pedal 1:xxxxxxxx
Pedal 2:xxxxxxxx

Pedal 1: see table – Sets the destination for the Pedal/CV1 input. Note that this input
is heavily filtered for clean operation, so there is a limit to the speed it will respond to
an external control voltage.

Pedal 2: see table – Same for Pedal/CV 2.

Display Pedal Routing

FootCtrl

Breath

Expressn

Volume

LpFilter

Routed to the Foot Control Modulation

Routed to the Breath Control Modulation

Routed to the Expression Modulation

Controls Master Volume

Routed to the low pass filter

20

LpF Half

Page 9:

Routed to the low pass filter, but with half
the range

Velocity Curve:x
Pressure Curve:x

Velocity Curve: 1…4 – Sets one of the four velocity curves for the keyboard; this
gives you the ability to adjust the keyboard to your playing style.

Pressure Curve:

gives you the ability to adjust the keyboard to your playing style.

Page 10:

1…4 – Sets one of the four pressure curves for the keyboard; this

LocalControl:xxx
DamperPolarity:x

Local Control: Off, On – Enables or disables the internal connection between the
keyboard and panel controls and the synth electronics. This is useful with external
sequencer operation.

DamperPolarity: -, + – For compatibility with different sustain (Damper) pedals
connected to the Sustain jack on the rear panel. Use + for normally Open switches,
and use – for normally closed switches.

Page 11:

Dump: (Hit S/S)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MIDI Dumps: see table – Allows dumping of Programs and Combos over MIDI in a
number of ways.

All Program Banks

All Combo Banks

When this screen is active, the sequencer S

TART/STOP switch is hit, the transmission will start. It is handy for saving

the S
Programs on a computer or sending to another Poly. The dumps include Program
and Bank numbers, so when received it will be stored in the same location.

Display MIDI Transmit Operation

Single Program

Program Bank

Single Combo

Combo Bank

Everything

Send current program

Send all 128 programs in current bank

Send all programs in all four banks

Send current combo

Send all 128 combos in current bank

Send all combos in all three banks

Sends the whole banana (all of the above)

TART/STOP LED will start blinking. When

21

Program Parameters

All Program parameters can be edited using the front panel controls. To edit a
program, simply turn the desired parameter knob. The selected parameter and value
appears in the LCD display.

After a parameter is selected by turning its knob, you can also use the P
to change the value of the selected parameter. The +/Y
incrementally adjust parameter values as well.

ES or -/NO switches

ARAM 2 knob

Following are descriptions of each Poly Evolver Program Parameter.

Oscillators

There are four oscillators per Poly Evolver voice. To select a particular oscillator for
editing, press the appropriate oscillator switch, 1–4. Turning a knob will then adjust
the parameters of the selected oscillator. Holding one of the four switches will solo
that oscillator (the switch will blink) by setting the levels of the other three to zero. It
does not affect any modulation that is routed to oscillator level, though, so at times it
may not completely turn off all other levels.

Oscillators 1 and 2

Oscillators 1 and 2 are analog oscillators. Oscillator 1 is hardwired to the Left channel;
Oscillator 2 is hardwired to the Right channel.

Note: There are additional modulation controls that affect Oscillators 1 and 2.
These are covered in other sections of the Parameter definitions.

22

Frequency: C -2…C 8 – Selects the base oscillator frequency over a 10 octave

range, from 8 Hz to 8KHz, stepping in semitones. C3 is middle C, the first octave is –2
(C-2, C#-2, and so on), the second octave is –1 (C-1, C#-1, and so on), the third is
zero (C 0, C# 0…), and so on.

Fine: -50…+50 – Fine Tune control; 0 centered. Steps in cents (50 cents = ½
semitone).

Shape/PW: see table – Selects the analog waveshape as follows:

Display Waveshape

Sawtooth
Triangle

Saw-Tri

Pulse xx

Sawtooth

Triangle

Sawtooth – Triangle mix

Pulse Wave, with pulse width ranging from minimum
(0) to maximum (99). The pulse width will turn off at the
two extremes – this allows some interesting modulation
possibilities. A square wave will be around P50.

Level: 0…100 – Sets the volume of the selected Oscillator.

Glide: Normal 0…100; Finger 02…Finger 100; Keybd Off – Sets the Oscillator

Glide rate. Glide can be set independently for each oscillator. Low settings are faster.
Normal Glide covers the range from 1 to 100 (0 is no glide). A “fingered” mode that
only glides when more than one note is held down is selected by setting glide over
100, where it ranges from Finger 02 to Finger 100 (equivalent to glides of 2 to 100).

Note: If you set glide all the way to maximum, it goes to Keybd Off, which has the
effect of disconnecting the selected oscillator from the keyboard.

Note: Fingered Glide only works in Mono or Unison key assign modes.

Sync 2-> 1 – When enabled (lit), turns oscillator hard sync on. With sync on,

whenever oscillator 2 resets, it will also reset oscillator 1 for the classic hard sync
sound.

Oscillators 3 and 4

Oscillators 3 and 4 are digital waveshape oscillators. Oscillator 3 is hardwired to the
Left channel; Oscillator 4 is hardwired to the Right channel. Like the original Prophet
VS, the digital oscillators in Evolvers get quite trashy at higher frequencies.

Frequency: C -2…C 8 – Selects base frequency over a 10 octave range, from 8 Hz
to 8KHz, stepping in semitones. C3 is middle C, the first octave is –2 (C-2, C#-2, and
so on), the second octave is –1 (C-1, C#-1, and so on), the third is zero (C 0, C# 0…),
and so on.

Fine: -50…+50 – Fine Tune control; 0 centered. Steps in cents (50 cents = ½
semitone).

Shape/PW: 1…128 – Selects a digital waveshape. Waveshapes 1 - 95 correspond to
ROM (preset) Waveshapes 32 – 126 in the Prophet-VS. Waveshapes 97 – 128 are
user programmable via the software editor. In the VS, the user waves were 0 - 31,
and wave 127 was noise, which is not included because the Poly Evolver has a
separate noise generator. Wave 96 has a Waveshape that is unique to Evolver in

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