Dubreq GEN R-8 User Manual

USER
MANUAL
IMPORTANT
PLEASE READ THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL BEFORE USE AND KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
CONTENTS
WARNING
If operating the unit with headphones, earbuds or similar: To prevent possible hearing damage, do not listen at high volume levels for long periods.
WARNING
This product contains
ashing lights.
WARNING
CHOKING HAZARD
Product contains small parts – not suitable for children under 3 years old.
WARNING
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
If appliance or power supply becomes damaged, do not use.
The appliance must only be used with the power supply provided – Fidus EDA1812-C14
The appliance should
be placed on a at and
stable surface.
• Keep these instructions for reference as they contain important safety and operating information.
• Do not allow liquids to spill into the appliance or subject
the appliance to excessive
smoke, dust, mechanical vibration or shock.
• The appliance and power supply are only intended for indoor use.
• Do not tamper with any internal components. There are no serviceable parts inside the unit and opening
the unit will invalidate the warranty.
• If the appliance malfunctions, do not attempt to repair yourself. Contact your retailer or our customer service department.
• Clean the appliance with a dry soft cloth. Do not clean with liquids or solvents.
• This appliance meets all appropriate compliance directives regarding safety and performance when used correctly with the appropriate approved accessories.
IMPORTANT
The plug severed from the mains lead must be destroyed, as
plugs with bared exible cords are hazardous if engaged in a
live socket outlet.
The wires in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following code: Green and Yellow – Earth Blue – Neutral Brown – Live
As the colour of the wiring in the mains lead may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:
• The green and yellow wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug marked as ‘E’ or by the earth symbol.
• The blue wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug marked as ‘N’.
• The brown wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug marked as ‘L’.
OVERVIEW
CONTROL
OSCILLATORS
LFO
FILTER
ENVELOPE
DELAY
MIXER
SEQUENCER
DRIVE
REAR CONNECTORS
DIP SWITCHES
SPECIFICATIONS
BATTERY INFORMATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 12 12 13 14
Power Supply
AC Input Rating: 90 – 264VAC
AC Input Frequency: 47 - 63Hz
DC Output Voltage: 12VDC DC Output Power: 19.2W
Stylophone Unit
DC Input: 12VDC (Centre pin positive) Operating Temperature: 0-60°C Relative Humidity: 20-80%
Battery operation: 4 x AA non-rechargeable
USER NOTES
MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN
15
OVERVIEW KEYBOARD
The Stylophone GEN R-8 is
QUICK
a dual VCO British made boutique synthesizer with a fully analog signal path.
Both VCOs have “divide-down analog” sub-oscillators (one octave down) and subsub oscillators (two octaves down)
that all can be switched on at the same time for a total of six
oscillators sounding at once.
Self-oscillating proprietary British design 12 dB state
variable lter with Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass and Wide
Notch modes.
LFO with eight waveforms including Sample & Hold, and
dual CV outputs for maximum patching exibility.
ADSR envelope with exponential response, augmented with a
short hold stage at the Attack/Decay peak for a punchier sound.
Analog style Delay modulatable with a Time CV input.
Mixer section with a unity AUX input which allows external sound sources to be processed through the GEN R-8s Filter/ Delay/Drive audio chain.
Classic British silicon diode Drive circuit with an added JFET boost stage, custom designed for synths as it retains the low end.
Step sequencer with 8 banks and 16 steps per sequence that
can play the GEN R-8 synthesizer engine or external synthesizers through the CV/Gate or MIDI outputs.
DAW integration and MIDI controller keyboard exibility with MIDI Local on/o.
CV/Gate controller keyboard feature where the CV/Gate outputs on the sequencer doubles as keyboard CV/Gate outputs when the sequencer is not playing.
3-octave touch keyboard with two additional momentary performance keys for Glide and Modulation.
Line Out is transformer isolated with an iron core transformer imparting transformer saturation on the low end when the volume is cranked up.
01 02
START
The Stylophone GEN R-8’s analog oscillators need to warm up for a few minutes after you’ve switched it on.
When there’s no detectable drift in the oscillators, press and hold the RING MOD and OSC SYNC keys simultaneously for a few seconds. The GEN R-8 will enter the oscillator calibration mode that tunes the oscillators so that they track correctly over the keyboard range.
The oscillators will sound as they’re being calibrated so you can monitor progress. When the calibration cycle comes to an end, the GEN
R-8 will automatically exit
calibration mode.
You can perform this calibration as often as you like, and the shorter it takes, the closer the GEN R-8 was to optimal calibration.
The keyboard is a 3-octave touch keyboard that you
can play with your nger. It
has two extra performance keys on the left, MOD and
GLIDE that allows the player
to instantly add deeper modulation from the LFO,
and glide between notes.
MOD
This key adds extra
modulation depth from the LFO, the level of which is set with the MOD DEPTH knob in the CONTROL section. The MOD key is momentary just like the note keys, so when you let go, the depth goes back to normal as set with the DEPTH knob in the LFO section.
GLIDE
This key adds a glide between two notes, it’s momentary like the MOD key, so the Glide function is only active as long as the GLIDE key is held down. With this performance control you can not only perform traditional glides, but also precise pitch bends making it a very powerful performance tool.
The way the GLIDE key behaves is set with the GLIDE CONSTANT button and the TIME/SPEED knob in the CONTROL section.
NOTE! The MOD and GLIDE keys double as REST and TIE keys when the sequencer is in Record mode, more on this in the Sequencer section in this manual.
FIRST/LAST NOTE PRIORITY
DIP switch 5 on the side switches between rst and last note priority.
LEGATO MODE ON/OFF
DIP switch 6 on the side switches Legato mode on and o.
MIDI CONTROLLER (MIDI LOCAL ON/OFF)
DIP switch 3 on the side switches MIDI local on and o. This
is useful if you wish to integrate the GEN R-8 into your DAW setup as a MIDI controller keyboard.
CV/GATE CONTROLLER
The CV/Gate outputs on the sequencer doubles as keyboard CV/Gate outputs when the sequencer is not playing.
CONTROL OSCILLATORS
The CONTROL section on
the front panel is for setting
the behaviour of the MOD
and GLIDE performance keys on the keyboard.
GLIDE CONSTANT
This button determines which parameter is held constant when performing a glide using the GLIDE key on the keyboard. The button toggles between TIME and SPEED as the constant parameter. The default is SPEED being held constant and the button is dimmed to signify this. When the button is lit, TIME is the glide parameter that is held constant.
TIME/SPEED
This is the only dual function knob on the GEN R-8, it either controls the constant length of time a glide takes or the speed of the glide. When TIME is selected as the GLIDE CONSTANT parameter, use this knob to set the time, or when SPEED is selected as the GLIDE CONSTANT, use this knob to set the speed.
MOD DEPTH
This knob sets the amount of extra LFO modulation
depth that is applied to a sound when using the MOD key on the keyboard.
03 04
The OSCILLATOR section
is where you select waveforms and tune the
oscillators. RING MOD and
OSC SYNC are also found here, and you also use
these keys to engage the oscillator calibration mode.
OSC SYNC
This button engages the Osc Sync mode where the two oscillators are synced to each others frequency, or their harmonics in the case of detuning to an interval. It syncs the oscillators in perfect tune with each other removing the
“beating” chorus eect of
two oscillators, and instead creates a new waveform with new harmonic content for single oscillator sounds. If one of the oscillators is frequency modulated, weird
pitch stepping eects can
be achieved as one oscillator latches on to the harmonics of the other.
OSC1 WAVE
Oscillator 1 has two basic waveforms, sawtooth and square. In addition, it also has a square sub-oscillator (one octave down) and a subsub-oscillator (two octaves down). The audio of the oscillator can also be switched to OFF using this knob. The combination of the basic waveform and sub/subsub­oscillators are denoted as follows: square + subsub-oscillator square + sub-oscillator square
OFF oscillator audio switched o
sawtooth sawtooth + sub-oscillator sawtooth + subsub-oscillator sawtooth + sub-oscillator + subsub-oscillator
OSC2 WAVE
As OSC1 WAVE, see above.
MASTER TUNE
Tunes both oscillators up or down by seven semi-tones.
OSC2 DETUNE
Detunes oscillator 2 only,
to a tuning oset of up to
one octave up or down. This
tuning oset is maintained
when using the MASTER TUNE knob.
OCTAVE
Transposes both oscillators up or down by one or two octaves. When using the GEN R-8 as a MIDI controller, this knob also transposes the keyboard up or down by one or two octaves.
RING MOD
This button engages oscillator Ring Modulation, it can produce atonal clangy and bell like sounds when the oscillators are detuned.
OSCILLATOR CALIBRATION
Press and hold the RING MOD and OSC SYNC keys simultaneously for a few seconds. The GEN R-8 will enter the oscillator calibration mode that tunes the oscillators so that they track correctly over the keyboard range. The oscillators will sound as they’re being calibrated so you can monitor progress. When the calibration cycle comes to an end, the GEN
R-8 will automatically exit the calibration mode.
You can perform this calibration as often as you like, and the shorter it takes, the closer the GEN R-8 was to optimal calibration.
LFO
CV PATCH POINTS FOR THE OSCILLATORS
OSC1 CV CV input for oscillator 1 FM PWM1 CV input for Pulse Width
Modulation of oscillator 1 OSC2 CV CV input for oscillator 2 FM SQR2 OUT CV output of square
waveform from oscillator 2
as an FM source CV IN Calibrated 1V/OCT CV input
for pitch of both oscillators
(use this to control pitch in a
standard CV/Gate setup)
DESTINATION
These buttons route the LFO to the most common destinations. They are on/o latching buttons, so all three can be on at the same time. The available destinations are: OSC1 oscillator 1 pitch OSC2 oscillator 2 pitch
FILTER lter cutto frequency
CV PATCH POINTS FOR THE LFO
LFO OUT CV outputs for the LFO modulation signal, the
two outputs are identical
RESET CV input for LFO reset, LFO cycle resets to start
when receiving a gate signal SPEED CV input for control of LFO speed DEPTH CV input for control of LFO depth
FILTER
ONE SHOT
This button resets the LFO cycle to it’s starting point whenever a note is played, and it also limits the LFO to one cycle only. This makes it possible to use the LFO as a second envelope. For
example it can be used for
auto pitch bends at the start of a note or to control the
lter cuto seperately from
the main envelope. Sample & Hold in One Shot mode plays a little cycle of random values before settling.
The LFO section on the front panel is home to the
GEN R-8’s most advanced
modulation source and is where you select LFO waveforms and set
speed and depth. Use the DESTINATION buttons
to route the modulation, or patch it out from the
LFO OUT patch points to anywhere you desire.
05 06
WAVE
The LFO has eight waveforms that are selected with this knob. The waveforms are as follows (going around the knob clockwise): Sine, triangle, sawtooth, ramp, square, narrow pulse, falling staircase, sample & hold.
SPEED
This knob sets the speed of the LFO, the range is from slow undulating sweeps to low frequency audio spectrum rate.
DEPTH
This knob sets the depth of the LFO modulation. It has a wide
range for deep modulation eects. (Even deeper modulation
can be achieved with the MOD key by setting the MOD DEPTH
in the CONTROL section for extra modulation depth.)
The lter section is where
you select what type of
lter you want and set lter Cuto frequency and Resonance. The inuence of the envelope on the lter
is also controlled from here
with the Envelope Depth.
LOW PASS / HIGH PASS
Use these buttons to select the Low Pass or High Pass lter.
They’re latching buttons that can be switched on at the same time. If both the LOW PASS and HIGH PASS buttons are
switched on it will result in a Band Pass lter. If both LOW PASS and HIGH PASS buttons are switched o it will result in a wide Notch lter that scoops out the mid frequencies.
CUTOFF
This knob sets the cuto frequency of the lter. When the Low Pass lter has been selected, frequencies above the cuto point will be rolled o by 12 dB per octave, and when the lter is set to High Pass, frequencies below the cuto point will be rolled o by 12 dB per octave. It’s a full audio range cuto so for example if it’s set to max in Low Pass mode chances are you won’t hear the lter working and if it’s set to min you
might not hear any sound at all.
RESONANCE
This knob determines the amount of lter emphasis around the cuto frequency. Use it sparingly to sculpt the timbre
of a sound, or go wild and crank it all the way up until it self­resonates, you’ll then hear a distinct whistling sound where the
pitch is set by the cuto frequency.
CV PATCH POINTS FOR THE FILTER
CUTOFF CV input for control of the lter cuto
frequency
RESONANCE CV input for control of the lter resonance
ENVELOPE
ENV DEPTH
Use this knob to set the
eect of the envelope on the lter cuto frequency. If it’s set to zero the envelope will have no eect on the lter, you may want that so that the cuto can be
controlled by the LFO only, or you may want to turn up the level of envelope depth to let the envelope control
the cuto frequency.
CV PATCH POINTS FOR THE ENVELOPE
GATE IN CV input for a gate signal to trigger the envelope
and holding it open in the Sustain stage until
the gate signal goes low (use this to control the
envelope in a standard CV/Gate setup) ENV OUT CV output of the envelope signal as set up with
the ADSR knobs
DELAY
RELEASE
This knob sets the last time parameter which determines how long it takes the sound to fade away after you have released the key.
The analog style delay is based on the popular lo-
Princeton PT2399 Delay chip and is implemented
with a CV input for The envelope controls the loudness of the
sound as it’s hardwired to the amplier stage.
There are four knobs that determine the shape of the envelope,
where Attack, Decay
and Release are time parameters, while Sustain
is a volume parameter. Collectively they’re often referred to as ADSR.
07 08
ATTACK
This knob sets the amount of time it takes for the envelope to ramp up the sound, if you want a snappy sound that starts
straight away when you press a key, set it to zero.
DECAY
After the Attack portion of the envelope has played out, this knob sets the time it takes the sound to come down to the
Sustain level. Most of the time you don’t want this set to zero.
SUSTAIN
This knob sets the volume parameter that determines how loud the sound is as long as you keep holding down a key.
time modulation, it’s
also capable of innite
regeneration.
TIME
This knob sets the length of time between each delay repeat.
The maximum is around 750ms and the longer the delay is, the
more grungy it becomes.
REPEAT
This knob sets the number of repeats of the delay. At
maximum it can self-oscillate and keep repeating forever,
but the sound gets more and more mangled the longer it goes on for.
CV PATCH POINT FOR THE DELAY
TIME CV input for control of the delay time
MIXER SEQUENCER
The mixer section adds
together the dierent
audio sources within the
GEN R-8.
VOLUME
This knob sets the level of the direct sound from the
analog synthesizer engine.
DELAY LEVEL
This knob sets the level of the Delay signal that is mixed in
with the direct signal.
AUX IN
Unity gain input for an external sound source that is processed
through the GEN R-8s FILTER/DELAY/DRIVE audio chain.
PHONES
This is an audio output on a 3.5mm jack designed for headphones.
09 10
The step sequencer is used
to play a repeated sequence
of programmed notes on
the GEN R-8. The sequence
is also transmitted to the
MIDI OUT socket on the rear
and the CV/GATE sockets
at the top of the sequencer
section. The sequencer has
two modes, Record mode
and Play mode respectively
for recording a sequence
and for playing it back.
PLAY/STOP
This button activates the
Play mode, when pressed
once it becomes lit and the
sequencer starts playing
the sequence of recorded
notes in the selected pattern
memory. Press it again to
stop the sequence playing.
RECORD
This button activates the Record mode and becomes lit
when pressed once, press it again to exit Record mode and
it goes dim.
When in Record mode, up to 16 steps can be input by pressing a key, which then advances the sequence
programming one step and waits for the next key. When you reach the maximum of 16 steps, the sequencer automatically exits Record mode and the RECORD button
goes dim. You can also program sequences shorter than
16 steps, just exit Record mode at any time by pressing the
RECORD button.
When in Record mode, pressing the REST key on the keyboard inserts a rest (silent note) and advances the sequence one step. Pressing and holding the TIE key on the keyboard while pressing a note key will “tie” the note with the previous note, meaning the gate is held open between the two notes so the envelope doesn’t retrigger.
When Record mode is activated it deletes the existing
sequence in the selected pattern memory as soon as
the rst key is pressed, until then it’s only “armed”, so if
RECORD was pressed in error, you can come out of Record mode and the old sequence will be intact.
GATE TIME
DIP switch 1 on the side sets gate time, you can choose between long or short gate times.
SPEED
This knob sets the speed at which the sequence is played back in Play mode. It has no function in Record mode.
SEQUENCE TRANSPOSE AND RESET
The sequencer is a powerful performance tool with which you can improvise sequence variations while it’s playing in time.
When the sequencer is playing you can transpose the sequence seamlessly up and down by using the keyboard. Middle F is the original pitch, pressing any other keyboard key instantly transposes the sequence up or down while still playing in time.
You can also choose to have the sequence reset to the beginning every time you press a key, this feature is set with DIP switch 2 on the side.
CV PATCH POINTS FOR THE SEQUENCER
CV OUT CV output for pitch to control an external
instrument
GATE OUT Gate output to trigger the envelope of an
external instrument
NOTE! When the sequencer is not playing, the CV/GATE outputs will transmit the notes that are played on the keyboard.
DRIVE
PATTERN
This knob selects which of the 8 pattern memories that is active in both Play mode and Record mode.
In Play mode the GEN R-8 will play back the sequence stored in the selected pattern memory. You can switch patterns seamlessly with this knob while the sequencer is playing and it will keep playing in time and pick up the sequence in the new pattern memory that is selected.
In Record mode, the newly recorded sequence will be stored in the selected pattern memory. Switching patterns
will have no eect, the new
sequence will be stored in the pattern memory that was selected when activating Record mode.
MIDI PROGRAMMING
MIDI CHANNEL PROGRAMMING
DIP switch 4 engages the MIDI Channel Programming mode. This alters the functionality of the
note keys and you use them to program the MIDI channel number and more as laid out in the
graphic below.
2 147
4 169 11
1 3 5 6 128 1310 15
OMNI
OFF
OMNI
ON
MIDI
SLAVE
MIDI
MASTER
REAR CONNECTORS
LINE OUT
Output socket for the audio line level signal.
This is a transformer isolated output.
MIDI IN
Input socket for a MIDI in signal. If the
instrument or device you’re connecting
has an old type 5-pin DIN MIDI socket,
you’ll need a converter cable to the 3.5mm
(stereo) socket on the GEN R-8. Our MIDI
cable adheres to the ocial MIDI standard.
MIDI OUT
Output socket for the MIDI out signal from the GEN R-8. If the instrument or device you’re connecting has an old type 5-pin DIN MIDI socket, you’ll need a converter cable to the
3.5mm (stereo) socket on the GEN R-8.
POWER SOCKET
Input socket for the power. Connect only a grounded 12V DC power supply as the ground
connection aects the ability to properly
trigger the keys.
DIP SWITCHES
DIP 1 – Sequencer gate time, short/long
DIP 2 – Sequencer transpose reset on/o
DIP 3 – MIDI local on/o
DIP 4 – MIDI channel programming mode on/o
DIP 5 – First/last note priority
DIP 6 – Legato on/o
SPECIFICATIONS
The Drive is a diode-clipping overdrive circuit with an added JFET transistor boost stage. It has been designed specically for synthesizer sounds and is dierent from
many other overdrive/distortion circuits, in that it retains
the low end while still being able to mangle the sound.
11 12
GAIN
This knob sets the level of
the Drive eect, the further
clockwise you turn it, the more severe the Drive
eect becomes.
Power Supply Voltage: Grounded 12V DC
Dimensions (HxWxD): 58mm Height x 366mm Width X 167mm Depth
Weight: 2.5kg
Output Impedances: LINE OUT 200 Ohm
PHONES 60 Ohm
Input Impedance: AUX IN 10k Ohm
IMPORTANT: Battery Information
IMPROPER BATTERY USE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE, EXPLOSION, OR OTHER HAZARD
• Only adults should handle batteries.
• Keep batteries from children and pets.
• Do not mix old and new batteries or batteries of dierent types: alkaline, lithium, standard(carbon-zinc), or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium, nickel metal-hydride).
• Use only batteries of the same or equivalent types as recommended.
• Insert the batteries observing the proper polarity (+/-) as illustrated or indicated inside the battery compartment.
• Exhausted batteries are to be removed from device. Depleted batteries may cause the unit
to malfunction.
• Remove the batteries when the product will not be used for an extended period.
• The supply terminals are not to be short-circuited.
• Do not use rechargeable batteries.
• Non-rechargeable batteries ate NOT to be recharged.
• Never throw batteries into a re or other hear sources.
• Do not overtighten battery compartment screw.
BATTERY DISPOSAL: Spend or discharged batteries must be properly disposed of and recycled in compliance with all applicable national legislation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Like any project this couldn’t be done without a group of dedicated, talented and enthusiastic people. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to work with you
We would like to thank:
Jorn Bilse – Head of Design & Concept Design Louis Norwood – Head of Technical Design & Development
Alex, Marco and Mark from GBE
Jon Collyer from Meanred Kate at Katielove Design
For creating something we can all be proud of:
Dubreq
John Simpson Marcella Kavanagh
The symbol on the product, packaging or accompanying documents indicates that this product must not be disposed of with your other general household waste.
Instead, it is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by handing it over to a designated collection point for the proper
FCC Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference
by one or more of the following measures: Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. The user is cautioned that changes and modications made to the equipment without the approval of the
manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
13 14
treatment, recovery and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
The separate collection and recycling of your waste equipment at the time of disposal will help conserve natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
For more information about where you can take your waste equipment for recycling, please contact either your Local Authority, or where you purchased your product.
Penalties may be applicable for incorrect disposal of this waste, in accordance with your national legislation.
@stylophoneofcial
@the_stylophone
stylophone_ofcial
www.dubreq.com
+44 1424 439 151 For all enquiries: info@dubreq.com
USER NOTES
THE
ORIGINAL
POCKET
SYNTHESIZER
PORTABLE
ANALOG
SYNTHESIZER
15
Loading...