Electro-Harmonix Mono Synth Users Manual

WARNING: Your Mono Synth comes equipped with an Electro-Harmonix 9.6DC-200BI

power supply (same as used by Boss® & Ibanez®: 9.6 Volts DC 200mA). The Mono Synth
requires 125mA at 9VDC with a center negative plug. Using the wrong adapter or a plug
with the wrong polarity may damage your Mono Synth and void the warranty.

MONO SYNTH

Congratulations on your purchase of the Electro-Harmonix Mono Synth. The
Mono Synth allows you to transform your guitar into one of eleven different
synthesizers, from vintage synth emulations, to thick, stacked voices, to deep
pulsing sounds for an array of sonic landscapes and textures. The Mono Synth
was designed to work on your guitar without any modifications or special
pickups. Plug right in and immediately join the ranks of legendary synthesists.

GETTING STARTED

Connect the supplied power adapter to the 9V power jack. Plug your instrument
into the INPUT jack. Connect your amp or other effects pedals to the SYNTH
OUTPUT jack. Set the DRY knob to minimum (fully counterclockwise) and set the
other top row knobs to 12 o’clock. Select a TYPE and step on the BYPASS
footswitch to turn on the LED. Play your guitar and adjust controls to your liking.

ONE NOTE AT A TIME

The Mono Synth is a multi-oscillator monophonic instrument. It synthesizes one
note at a time per oscillator. The oscillators have been pre-tuned for each synth
type—only TINKER and BLISTER allow for user control over an oscillator.
Additionally it can handle only one note from your guitar at a time. It does not
work properly when chords or two note intervals are played. The Mono Synth
behaves unpredictably and erratically when it receives more than one note at the
INPUT jack.

1. NU WAVE – pulsating string-like synth.

2. UNISON – the huge sound of stacking voices on a polyphonic synth.

SYNTH TYPE DESCRIPTIONS

CTRL: the CTRL knob sets the cutoff frequency of the filter.
EXP: the expression pedal sets pitch modulation depth. As the pedal is

swept from heel to toe, modulation depth increases.

SENS: higher settings make for wider filter sweeps.
CTRL: controls the volume of a separate oscillator tuned a Perfect 5th

higher than the incoming pitch.

EXP: controls the cutoff frequency of the filter.

3. BLAST – aggressive and resonant synth with deep filter modulation.

SENS: higher settings make for wider filter sweeps.
CTRL: controls the resonance or frequency peak width of the filter.
EXP: controls the frequency range of the filter envelope. The filter’s

frequency range increases as the pedal is swept from heel to toe.

4. TWIN – a throaty, dual filter synth sound.

SENS: higher settings make for wider filter sweeps.
CTRL: sets the decay time of the filter envelopes.
EXP: controls the filter envelope’s sweep depth or frequency range.

5. BASS – octave-down synth for adding low end.

CTRL: adjusts both the decay time and sweep depth of the filter.
EXP: controls the filter’s cutoff frequency. As the pedal is swept from

heel to toe, the cutoff frequency increases.

6. XOX – fast decaying synth reminiscent of the TB.

SENS: higher settings make for wider filter sweeps.
CTRL: sets the decay time of the filter envelope.
EXP: controls the filter’s cutoff frequency.

7. WUB – pulsating synth with a modulating filter.

SENS: higher settings make for wider filter sweeps.
CTRL: sets the speed of modulation.
EXP: controls the filter’s center frequency.

8. TINKER – quirky synth great for bell-like tones.

CTRL: controls the filter’s cutoff frequency.
EXP: controls the pitch of the added note in half-step increments. The

pitch ranges from -1 octave—at the heel—to +4 octaves—at the toe.

9. LAIR – a dramatic, expressive synth with expression filter control.

SENS: higher settings make for wider filter sweeps.
CTRL: adjusts both the filter’s decay time and frequency range.
EXP: controls the filter’s cutoff frequency.

10. GHOST – haunting synth tone with a warbling modulation effect.

CTRL: this knob sets the depth of VCO pitch modulation.
EXP: sets the rate of modulation which increases as the pedals is swept

from heel to toe.

11. BLISTER – piercing synth with an added adjustable pitched note.

CTRL: detunes the oscillator. The noon position yields no detune. Turn

clockwise from noon to detune sharp or counter-clockwise from noon
for flat detune. The further you turn from noon, the more detune.
EXP: controls the pitch of the added note in half-step increments. The
pitch ranges from -1 octave—at the heel—to +4 octaves—at the toe.

CONTROLS AND I/O JACKS

DRY VOL Knob

The DRY VOL knob controls the volume of the untreated input signal present at
the SYNTH OUTPUT jack.

SYNTH VOL Knob

The SYNTH VOL knob controls the overall volume of the synthesizer sound at the
SYNTH OUTPUT jack.

SENS Knob

The SENS knob (short for sensitivity) adjusts the gain of the input signal before
the signal hits the Mono Synth’s (MS) trigger block. The MS trigger block
generates synth notes that match the pitch of your instrument and also resets all
envelope sweeps. It only triggers new notes when the input signal exceeds its
threshold. Lower settings of SENS will require louder notes to trigger the
synthesizer while higher settings of SENS might trigger new synth notes with
every note you play. The LED lights orange when the input signal to the synth
engine exceeds -4.6dB. Use the LED as an aid when adjusting the SENS knob.
Setting the SENS knob so the LED lights orange on your loudest notes is a good
place to start. Please note: the LED does not indicate when the input signal has
triggered a new note; it lights orange to indicate the loudness output from SENS.
If some of your notes do not trigger the synth, turn up SENS. If you hear many
false triggers or retriggers without playing a new note then turn down SENS.

For all MS synth types, the gain set by SENS also changes the synth volume over
a small range. For some synth types, SENS also adjusts the sweep range of the
filter’s envelope. Higher settings of SENS yield wider filter sweeps and typically
more volume. Check the SYNTH TYPE DESCRIPTIONS on the previous pages to
see which synth type filters are directly affected by the SENS knob.

CTRL Knob

This knob can be used to control a specific parameter for each synth type. See
the SYNTH TYPE DESCRIPTIONS on pages 1 and 2 to learn more.

INPUT Jack

Plug your instrument or the output of another effects pedal into this ¼” jack.
See Tips 1 & 2 on Page 7 for more on connecting your Mono Synth.

DRY OUTPUT Jack

The DRY OUTPUT jack is hardwired to produce a buffered version of the signal
present at the INPUT jack. In either EFFECT or BYPASS mode, the dry signal is
always present at the DRY OUTPUT jack. The DRY knob does not change the
volume of the signal at the DRY output jack.

SYNTH OUTPUT Jack

The SYNTH OUTPUT jack produces the mix set by the DRY and SYNTH volume
controls. In BYPASS mode, SYNTH OUTPUT outputs the buffered bypass signal.