Erica Synths Acidbox III User guide

Page 1

Thank you for ordering Erica Synths Acidbox lll !

Erica Synths AcidboxIII brings you the core of the famous Polivoks VCF in stereo version with unique audio signal overdrive circuit, built in LFO and envelope follower in a compact, full aluminium case. The AcidboxIII has adjustable input gain, therefore it works with various sound sources – guitars, units with line level signals (synthesizers, grooveboxes, etc.) and modular synths. Conﬁgurable control input allows to connect a bypass footswitch, expression pedal, external cutoff control voltage source and LFO synchronization trigger. This makes the Acidbox ideal companion in almost every production or live performance setup.

FEATURES

Polivoks core stereo lowpass/bandpass VCF with the original programmable opamps

Unique audio overdrive circuit

Versatile syncable LFO with 8 waveforms

Tap tempo button

Envelope follower with modulation level attenuverter

Master modulation control

Manual and CV control over cutoff frequency

Conﬁgurable control input for footswitch, expression pedal and external LFO/cutoff control

Adjustable input gain

What you get

The AcidboxIII Universal AC/DC adapter for worldwide use User manual

SPECS

Input signal level up to 20V ptp Input signal ampliﬁcation up to +20dB Modulation CV level up to 20Vptp LFO Synchronization trigger level 0 - +5V Power supply: universal mains adapter 110 – 220V Mass: 0,7kg Dimensions: 185x140x55mm

Page 2

PLUG and PLAY

Power supply input

Use the PSU supplied with the Acidbox III! It’s universal PSU you can use all over the world.

LFO Speed Knob

Set the initial LFO speed. The LED will indicate LFO output status.

LFO Shape Knob

Select LFO shape. The fully clockwise setting gives you sample and hold effect.

LFO Divider/Multiplier knob

Instantly divide of multiply the LFO frequency. This works especially great when acidbox is synced to drummachine.

LFO Depth Knob

Adjust to achieve desired amount of LFO CV sent to the ﬁlter cutoff!

ON-OFF switch

Slide to activate the unit! LFO LED will go on for visual control.

Gain knob

Adjust input gain of the Acidbox. CW setting boosts input signal for +20dB, so you can use the Acidbox with a guitar.

Left and Right Audio Inputs

The R IN is normalled to L IN, so mono signal patched in L IN is split to both channels.

CTRL IN is conﬁgurable control input

Possible conﬁgurations are: ON/Bypass footswitch Cutoff CV input LFO synchronization input Expression pedal.

L OUT and R OUT

are AcidboxIII audio outputs. These are balanced outputs ready for stage use.

Cutoff Knob

Adjust manually initial cutoff frequency for LP or BP ﬁlters from completely closed to full open. Cutoff knob affects both VCF channels simultaneously.

Resonance Knob

Set desired resonance level from 0 to self-oscillation. It affects both VCF channels simultaneously. Polivoks VCF is famous for it’s crazy resonance sweeps – mind your ears, neighbours and monitor speakers! Use this knob responsibly!

Master Modulation Level Knob

This knob allows to control master modulation (LFO+EG) level. It’s useful, if you want to play with complex modulations during the live performance. Otherwise set the knob full CW and manipulate LFO Depth and Envelope Follower depth knobs.

Envelope Follower Rate Knob

Adjust the envelope follower decay rate. CCW setting is maximum, CW minimum. The LED will give visual feedback on EF status.

Envelope Follower Depth Knob

Adjust desired amount of the envelope follower CV sent to the ﬁlter cutoff. 0 modulation is at 12 o’clock. You can choose direct or inverted envelope follower shape by turning the knob CW or CCW.

Bypass switch

The Acidbox II has true bypass mode. Dry and Wet signals have equal levels unless the cutoff knob is fully CCW.

Filter mode switch

Switch between Lowpass and Bandpass ﬁlter modes.

Tap tempo button

Tap the button to synchronize the LFO to your music beat. The LED will indicate tap rate.

Audio Input Level Knob

Adjust desired input level! This knob has a hidden feature – overdrive. Typically, till 12 o’clock it will gradually increase input signal level, but over 12 o’clock will start to overdrive the signal. The starting point of overdrive will greatly depend on the audio signal level and Gain setting. Experiment with your setup for optimal response!

Page 3

Patch examples

SIMPLE FILTER

With these settings Acibox III works as a simple stereo ﬁlter without any modulation applied to the cutoff.

* Play around input setting to add saturation to the incoming signal as the IN LEVEL knob after 12o clock starts to overdrive it.

SYNTH FOLLOWER

With these settings the envelope follower and the LFO are both in action therefore adding a lot of movement to the ﬁlter.

* Try out these settings with a toy keboard organ and you will be surprized how deep and animated the output sound becomes.

BEAT FOLLOWER

With these settings you can really spice up your beats. The Envelope follower is set to react really quickly to the incoming signal therefore adding a lot of movement to the ﬁlter.

* Play around with input settings as it affects the envelope follower behavior.

Page 4

Patch examples

SUPER COMPUTER

With these settings you don't even need an input source to play Acidbox! Resonance is fully cranked up so the VCF circuit starts to self oscillate and by adding a random modulation from the LFO you instantly get that 70s Sci-Fi movie sound effect.

*Add different inputs and play around with envelope follower as it can "duck" the sample and hold signal created by the LFO.

FEEDBACK

When using a mono sound source plugged in L IN, you can create feedback loop by patching R OUT into CTRL IN*. This way R OUT becomes audio frequency modulation source that results in quite unique effects.

Play around with MODULATION LEVEL as it attenuates the signal patched into the control in.

*NB! Make sure the CTRL IN is set to "CV in for cutoff"

Classic Wah Guitar

This patch works really well with guitar and expression pedal, because you can control the Cutoff frequency with your foot and also envelope follower is taking action therefore adding a lot of dynamics to the guitar sound. Add some reverb or delay and feel like Jimi!

NB! Make sure CTRL IN is conﬁgured to work with expression pedal!

Page 5

CTRL IN options

acidbox lll CTRL IN options

SINGLE FOOTSWITCH: BYPASS ON/OFF

DUAL FOOTSWITCH: BYPASS & TAP TEMPO

TRIG/GATE IN FOR LFO SYNC

TIP - CUTOFF CV, RING – LFO SYNC

EXPRESSION PEDAL, ROLAND-COMPATIBLE

EXPRESSION PEDAL, KORG-COMPATIBLE

PLEASE CHECK THE USER MANUAL FOR CTRL IN CONFIGURATION!

MADE IN LATVIA

SERIAL NUMBER

CV IN FOR CUTOFF

TIP

RING

SINGLE FOOTSWITCH: BYPASS ON/OFF

TIP

RING

DUAL FOOTSWITCH: BYPASS & TAP TEMPO

TRIG/GATE IN FOR LFO SYNC

CV IN FOR CUTOFF

TIP - CUTOFF CV, RING – LFO SYNC

EXPRESSION PEDAL, ROLAND-COMPATIBLE

EXPRESSION PEDAL, KORG-COMPATIBLE

The Control input can be conﬁgured for following applications:

- ON/Bypass footswitch

- Cutoff CV input

- LFO synchronization input

- Expression pedal. AcidboxIII is designed for use with unpowered expression pedals from different manufacturers. These expression pedals have stereo jacks, and most common are Roland-type expression pedals, where tip of the jack outputs CV form the expression pedal, and ring is power supply. Korg-type expression pedals output CV on the ring, and the tip is power supply.

Conﬁguration is done via two rotary encoder switches accessible thru holes on the back of the AcidboxIII. The left switch conﬁgures the tip of the CTRL IN jack, the right switch – the ring of the CTRL IN jack. Typically you will need to conﬁgure only left one – TIP. Default conﬁguration is Cutoff CV for the TIP and NO ASSIGN for the RING

On order to change the conﬁguration, follow instructions below:

Disconnect the AcidboxIII from the power supply

Use a small ﬂat screwdriver to access the rotary switches. Each switch has 16 positions, and active positions are indicated on the label.

Rotate the TIP encoder to set desired conﬁguration.

If you wish to conﬁgure TIP for use with a Roland-type expression pedal, you need to set a TIP for Cutoff CV IN (setting 2) and a RING for Power supply (setting 8).

If you have Korg-type expression pedal, conﬁgure TIP for Power supply (setting 8) and Ring for Cutoff CV IN (setting 2)

Page 6

Safety Instructions

Erica Synths ACIDBOX III is plug and play device, and you must be tempted to turn it on straight away, but before you do so, we strongly recommend to read Safety Instructions below, as well as turn this page around and take a look on the User Manual.

Please follow the instructions for use of the Erica Synths ACIDBOX III below, ‘cause only this will guarantee proper operation of the device and ensure warranty from Erica Synths.

Water is lethal for most of the electric devices, unless they are made waterproof. Erica Synths ACIDBOX II is NOT intended for use in a humid or wet environment. No liquids or other conducting substances must get into the module. Should this happen, the ACIDBOX II should be disconnected from mains power immediately, dried, examined and cleaned by a qualiﬁed technician.

Do not expose the ACIDBOX II to temperatures above +50° C or below -20° C.

Although the module has rigid aluminum case, so you technically can stand on it, it’s not recommended to place objects heavier than 10 kg on the top of the instrument.

Transport the instrument carefully, never let it drop or fall over. Warranty does not apply to ACIDBOXES with visual damages.

You will ﬁnd Erica Synths terms of warranty at www.ericasynths.lv.

Items for return, exchange and/or warranty repair have to be sent to:

Erica Synths

Andrejostas Str 12

Due to solid build and mass of 0,7kg, you can use ACIDBOX II for self-defense, but two year warrantee applies only to the instruments that are used for the purpose described in this User manual.

The ACIDBOX II has to be shipped in the original packaging only. Any module shipped to us for return, exchange and/or warranty repair has to be in its original packaging. All other deliveries will be rejected and returned to you. Make sure you keep the original packaging and technical documentation. In case of a destroyed warranty seal, any warranty claim will be rejected.

This device complies to the EU guidelines and is manufactured RoHS conforming without use of led, mercury, cadmium and chrome. Nevertheless, this device is special waste and disposal in household waste is not recommended.

Riga

Latvia

LV-1045

User manual by Girts Ozolins@Erica Synths

Design by www.carrebranding.com

Copying, distribution or any commercial use in any way is prohibited and needs the written permission by Erica Synths.

In case of any questions, feel free to contact us through www.ericasynths.lv or via e-mail [email protected].

Speciﬁcations are subject to change without notice.