full-bucket-music Full Bucket Music Six-Traq Full Bucket Music 30-Six-Traq-manual_1_0

Six-Traq

Software Synthesizer

Version 1.0

© 2024 by Björn Arlt @ Full Bucket Music

http://www.fullbucket.de/music

VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

The Audio Units logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

AAX is a trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc.

Six-Traq Manual Page 2

Table of Contents

Introduction‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥3

About This Manual‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 3

Six Tracks To Rule Them All‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥4

Simulation Part I‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥4
Simulation Part II‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 4
Simulation Part III‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥5
Words Of Wisdom‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 5
Acknowledgments‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥5

Overview‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥6

Presets And Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥6
Selecting Presets‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 6
Selecting Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 6
Playing A Program‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥7
Running A Sequence‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 7
Running The Arpeggiator‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 7
Common Controls‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 7
Track Outputs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥7
Editing Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥8
Recording Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥8
Browsing Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 9
A Word About Factory Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 9

The Configuration Section‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥10

Original Six-Trak Keyboard Modes‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥10
The Six-Traq Configurations‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥10
Link Programs‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥11
Configuration Templates‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 11

Sequencer‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥13

Sequencing The Six-Traq Way‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥13
Recording A Sequence‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 13
Overdubbing An Existing Sequencer‥‥‥ ‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥14
Erasing A Track‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 14

Arpeggiator‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥14
Stack Mode‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥14
Synthesizer Section‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 15

Parameter Resolution‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥15
Unison Mode‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 15
Oscillator‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥15
Filter‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥15
Amplifier‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 16
LFO‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 16
MIDI Parameter Control‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥16

Plugin Handling‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥17

Options Menu‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥17
Program Menu‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 18
Sequencer Menu‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 18
The sixtraq.ini Configuration File‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥ 19
MIDI Control Change Messages‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥19
MIDI Learn‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ 19

Plug-In Parameters‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥20

General Parameters‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥20
Track Parameters‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥20
Sound Parameters‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥21

Frequently Asked Questions‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥23

Six-Traq Manual Page 3

Introduction

The Six-Traq is a software synthesizer plug-in (VST2/VST3/AU/CLAP/AAX) for
Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS simulating the classic Sequential Circuits Six-
Trak synthesizer from 1984. It is written in native C++ code for high performance
even on “lighter” systems. The main features are:

● Close simulation of the original hardware

● Visual sound editor and program browser

● Up to 96 voices polyphony

● Extended Poly/Multi modes

● Oscillator with three waveforms, additional white noise generator

● Classic self-resonating four-pole lowpass filter

● Individual envelopes for oscillator, filter and amplifier

● Low frequency oscillator (LFO)

● Onboard sequencer and arpeggiator

● SysEx import/export

● MTS-ESP (https://oddsound.com/) dynamic micro-tuning support

● All parameters can be controlled by MIDI controllers

● Plug-in supports Windows and macOS

The Six-Traq is based on the iPlug2 framework maintained by Oli Larkin and the
iPlug2 team. Big thanks, guys!!! Without your work it would not have been possible

to create a resizable Six-Traq user interface.

To resize the plug-in you just grab the yellow triangle at the bottom right of the
window and drag it. You can save the current window size using the menu entry
“Save Window Size” in the Options Menu.

If you have trouble with the standard version of the Six-Traq, please grab the (sound­wise identical) “N” version of the plug-in which is based on the original iPlug
framework.

About This Manual

I strongly recommend to search the Internet for the original Six-Trak Operation
Manual and study it thoroughly. It will teach you a lot about working with the Six-Traq

plug-in too, since I tried to implement most of the original features –including
recording sequences and most of the “hidden functions”.

Sometimes it is required to “press and hold a button” while doing something (for
example changing a track’s volume) or to access a special function (for example
initialize a sound program).

In case of the Six-Traq plug-in, right-click the respective button to simulate
the “pressed button” state.

Six-Traq Manual Page 4

Six Tracks To Rule Them All

Another hardware simulation, this time a famous synthesizer from a long gone and
later resurrected company called Sequential Circuits. No, not the Prophet, but the Six­Trak. Being the very first multi-timbral synthesizer, it offered a new way to record at
home – a bold step beyond! The Six-Trak’s impact on the music community and
industry cannot be underestimated.

In my younger days I always wanted to have this machine. Six different tracks (albeit
monophonic) simultaneously available from a single device were pure luxury. But it
came with a price, and that was usability. Today, I would not have the patience to
work with the original hardware (nor its successor, the Multi-Track), but in the 80s the
world was different...

I never got a Six-Trak – although it was rather cheap at the time, it still was to
expensive for me. That (and because Nostalgia overwhelmed me) is the reason why I
recreated the Six-Trak here in software.

Simulation Part I

Again I wanted to simulate a device that I do not own myself – almost impossible. But
the manual and schematics of the Six-Trak as well as images of its firmware ROM are
available on the Internet. Thus, I did the same as with my Bucket ONE plug-in: I built
a prototype that simulates the micro-processor (a classic Zilog Z80) plus the hardware
of the Six-Trak from which I modeled the final Six-Traq plug-in. The individual steps
were straight forward:

● Translate the byte code of the ROM into a human readable assembler code

using DASMx.

● Identify the specific input/output registers controlling the hardware components

of the Six-Trak (oscillator, filter, amplifiers etc.) from the assembler code and
the schematics.

● Emulate the Z80 and integrated it into the prototype plugin.

So far I got a reasonably working simulation of the Six-Trak’s controller section, but
not of the analog sound generator itself.

Simulation Part II

A single voice of the Six-Trak is built around a single CEM 33941 chip which basically
does everything: It includes a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator), a simple mixer for
an additional input signal (white noise in case of the Six-Trak), a VCF (Voltage
Controlled Filter), and a VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier). Only eight voltage lines
are needed to control this chip (oscillator frequency, waveform selection, pulse width,
mixer balance, filter cutoff, filter resonance, filter FM, and amplifier gain) – these
voltages are calculated by the Six-Trak in real-time.

Now it would have been no problem to simulate all this stuff in the prototype, but
there is an annoying fact about the original hardware: The oscillators are analog and
tend to get out of tune pretty quickly. That’s why the Sequential Circuits engineers
implemented (as recommended by Curtis, the manufacturer of the CEM 3394) a

1 The CEM 3394 is also used in the Akai AX-60 and the Doepfer Dark Energy I.

Six-Traq Manual Page 5

sophisticated algorithm to auto-tune the oscillators using additional hardware, bells
and whistles. The analysis and simulation of the auto-tune mechanism turned out to
be quite cumbersome while at the same time not very purposeful. Being a lazy guy, I
skipped all that stuff and started to build the final Six-Traq plug-in, using the
prototype as a reference for the Six-Trak’s controller behavior.

Simulation Part III

Not much to say here, except that the Six-Trak turned out to be a machine that lacks
user-friendliness. Thus, I decided to add some extras like the sound editor and the
Configuration section, and I removed some restrictions, for example the impossibility
to edit programs while in Sequencer mode etc.

Of course there is much more in the plug-in: Full polyphony in Multi mode, MIDI
import and Sync-to-Host for the sequencer, program browser and much more.

Words Of Wisdom

So here is Six-Traq plug-in – feature-wise in no way a competitor to modern software
instruments. And of course it does not sound like the original Six-Trak – but you
would not have expected that, do you? 

Acknowledgments

 Oli Larkin and the iPlug2 team.

 kraftraum (https://soundcloud.com/kraftraum) – I was able to win him for Beta

Testing again – thank you!!!

 My family for bearing me and my crude hobby.

No, I am not affiliated with Sequential Circuits (nor KORG) in what relation ever
except that I find myself entangled with their instruments. 

Six-Traq Manual Page 6

Overview

The Six-Traq plug-in features six tracks that can play individual sound programs, a
sequencer and an arpeggiator. It is up to 96 voices polyphonic.

Presets And Programs

Originally, the Six-Trak provided 100 sound programs or patches (called “programs”)
and up to two multi-track sequences. All the track settings (volume and program),
which can be referred to as a “multi-track project”, where bound to one of the two
sequences. Thus, if you wanted to create a new project, you had to erase at least one
of the existing sequences and freshly setup your project – often from scratch. Ouch.

The Six-Traq plug-in comes with 64 presets (called “presets”): Each preset features a
full set of 100 programs, up to two sequences, and individual settings for each of the
six tracks (including potentially edited versions of the sound programs). This way you
can immediately switch between “projects” without redoing and potentially loosing
your project settings.

Note that the 64 presets do not share the 100 sound programs: Each preset can have
its own set of 100 different sounds! Furthermore, the Six-Trak programs only had
numbers (0–99) – Six-Traq adds a convenient naming capability for Programs.

Selecting Presets

Just click on the number of the preset in the
top section of the Six-Traq to open a context
menu with available presets, or click the
arrows to select the next or previous preset.

Selecting Programs

Click the PROGRAM button in the Control
section and type the two-digit program
number in the Select section.

64 presets

preset

100 programs 6 tracks

2 sequences

2 stack prgs.

Six-Traq

6 edit prgs.

Six-Traq Manual Page 7

Alternatively, you can select a program similar to the presets in the lower EDIT TRACK
section. When the LINK PROGRAMS checkbox is activated, the same program is
selected for all tracks – else it is selected only for the current track.

Another way is to select the program from the Configuration section (see The
Configuration Section).

Playing A Program

How a program is played depends on the current configuration. Normally – in the
standard “Six-Trak” configuration – it will be played six-voice polyphonically using the
six tracks. However, there are multiple ways to change this behavior…

Running A Sequence

Provided that a sequences are already loaded, just click on one of the
two sequence buttons SEQ A or SEQ B in the Sequencer section. More on
sequences see section Sequencer.

Running The Arpeggiator

Click on the UP/DOWN or ASSIGN button in the Arpeggiator section,
then press some keys on the keyboard. If nothing happens, check the
current configuration (see The Configuration Section). More on the
arpeggiator see section Arpeggiator.

Common Controls

This section contains four knobs that handle overall parameters – note
that all these parameters will be stored per preset.

● Master Tune

The overall tuning of the Six-Traq.

● Pitch Bend

The amount of bending applied when receiving MIDI Pitch Bend
data (up to ± 24 notes).

● Wheel To LFO

The amount of modulation applied to the LFO when receiving MIDI
Modulation Wheel data.

● Master Volume

The final volume of the instrument.

Track Outputs

In addition to the main stereo output, the Six-Traq plug-in can send the stereo signal
of each track to its own individual output, provided your DAW/hosts supports this
feature (nowadays, most will do).

Six-Traq Manual Page 8

Editing Programs

Here is the hard way: In the Control section, click the PARAM button and type the
number of the desired parameter (e.g. “19” for Filter Cutoff) in the Select section.
Now wiggle the VALUE knob to change the parameter’s value. If you want to see the
new value, click the VALUE button. Do this for all parameters of the program you
would like to change. Don’t forget so record (store) your program!

Sounds like a bad joke, but in 1984 this was the way to go. But modern technology
and German inventive spirit  provide a solution for the 21st century: Just edit your
parameters using the Sound Editor of the Six-Traq plug-in. And if LINK PROGRAMS is
deactivated, you can even edit the programs of each track individually!

Once the value of a parameter deviates from the value stored in the program, the
color of the program’s name changes from white to amber. Now if you wan to change
the current program without recording (storing) it, you will get a warning (you can
turn this warning off via the Options Menu).

Recording Programs

[Why did Sequential Circuits use the term “Record” instead of “Store”? No idea.]

To record (store) a program, you can click the RECORD button in the Control section –
the LED above button will be lit. Then type the number of the destination program in
the Select section. After that the LED will get off, and the sound data is stored to the
new program number.

Another way is to right-click the PROGRAM button in the Control section. Now a
context menu opens from where you can store your current sound data to one of the
100 programs (see section Program Menu).

And yet another way is to use the Browser.

Six-Traq Manual Page 9

Browsing Programs

The Browser of the Six-Traq is a very helpful yet sophisticated tool for managing
programs. Just click the BROWSE button to open the browser panel.

On the left-hand side you can select the source of the programs to browse.

● When INTERNAL is active, the list below will show all the 64 presets that are

currently “loaded” within the Six-Traq.

● When FILE is active, you can select a file on your computer (FXP, FXB or

SysEx). The list below will show all presets contained in that file.

Once you click a preset in the left-hand list, its contents (programs) are shown in the
main window under PROGRAMS. Clicking one of these programs will load it to the
current program number of the current track which you can select on the top of the
browser panel. When browsing an INTERNAL preset, the browser will display the
current sound programs of the six tracks (named “T1” to “T6”), too: Since a preset
stores the potentially edited sound data of a track program as well, these programs
may differ from the stored programs.

To record (store) the selected program under the current program number, just press
RECORD. If you want to store all enlisted programs (i.e. the contents of the whole
preset) click RECORD ALL PROGRAMS. You can also save the selected program or the
whole bank to a SysEx file.

In the beginning, handling the Browser can be a bit confusing – sometimes it might
not be clear what is getting where, and you really have to understand the concept of
Presets and Programs. But don’t worry, you’ll get used to it… maybe.

A Word About Factory Programs

All the factory programs of the Six-Traq are “backed into” the plug-in itself – there is
no way of “losing” them. Restoring factory programs can be done by right-clicking the
PROGRAM button in the Control section and selecting the respective command in the
context menu.

Six-Traq Manual Page 10

The Configuration Section

If you want to dive more into setting up the Six-Traq, it is crucial to understand the
various possible configurations and track settings.

Original Six-Trak Keyboard Modes

The original Six-Trak basically sports five “keyboard modes” (the Six-Trak manual
does not explicitly denote these modes, so I chose my own names for them):

● “Play Mode”:

Just plays a program six-voice polyphonically and homophonically: All voices
play the same sound! The notes themselves are more or less sequentially
scheduled to the six tracks.

● “Sequencer Mode”:

Plays one of the two sequences A or B. Each track can have its own program
and volume setting. You can play along on the remaining tracks (if any) using
your on program.

● “Arpeggiator Mode”:

Plays a monophonic arpeggio on track 6. If the arpeggio is latched, you can
play a different program on the remaining 5 tracks (five-voice polyphonically).

● “Stack Mode”:

Plays up to six tracks in unison – each track can have its own program and
volume setting.

● “Multi Mode”:

This mode sets the Six-Trak to the MIDI Mono Mode. Each track can have its
own program and volume setting and responds only to MIDI data sent to its
respective MIDI channel.

Note that each track of the Six-Trak corresponds to exactly one voice and thus is
monophonic!

The Six-Traq Configurations

Well, I think the five “keyboard modes” are
pretty limited, and the Six-Traq plug-in
should have more options. So I moved to
something I call “configurations”.

A configuration consists of the individual
settings of the six tracks, namely:

● MIDI channel (1–16, omni, off)

Sets the MIDI channel of the track.

● Mode (M/L/P)

A track can be Monophonic with or
without “Legato” (single trigger) of
fully Polyphonic – that’s something
new!

Six-Traq Manual Page 11

● Cycle (on/off)

Defines if the next played note will be scheduled to the next cycled track or
“remains” within the current track.

● Program number

Defines the sound program for the track (if LINK PROGRAMS is active, all tracks
use the same program).

● Tuning

2

(De)tunes the track. This way you can detune tracks against each other.

● Transpose

2

Transposes the track by ±24 notes.

● Volume

Sets the track volume.

● Panorama

Sets the track panorama (stereo position).

To see and edit the details of a configuration, just activate the CONFIG button in the
top section of Six-Traq.

Note that clicking the RESET button will set Volume, Panorama, Tuning and Transpose
to default values.

Link Programs

As stated above, if LINK PROGRAMS is active, all tracks will use the same program
(homophonic, see above). But if it is deactivated, each voice can have its individual
sound program – that is not possible on the original hardware and can lead to weird
results!

Configuration Templates

The drop-down box at the top middle of the Configuration section allows you to select
one of the configuration templates which are starting points for different project
scenarios:

● “Six-Trak”

This corresponds to the original Six-Trak’s “Play Mode”: All tracks are set to
monophonic and cycled. Thus, Six-Traq is setup to six-voice polyphony with
cyclic note-to-track scheduling.

● “Six-Track Legato”

Similar to “Six-Trak”, but now all tracks are set to “Monophonic Legato” (single
trigger).

● “Single Poly”

All tracks are set to “Polyphonic”, but only tracks 1 is active. Now select a
program and play Six-Traq up to 96-voice polyphonically!

● “Double Poly”

All tracks are set to “Polyphonic”, but only the tracks 1 and 2 are active. Now
select a program, detune tracks 1+2, tweak the panorama etc. and play Six-
Traq up to 96-voice polyphonically!

2 To view this parameter, you may have to toggle the TUN/TRP box in the header row.

Six-Traq Manual Page 12

● “Multi Mono”

This corresponds to the original Six-Trak’s “Multi Mode”: All tracks are set to
monophonic but to different MIDI channels. Thus, Six-Traq is setup to a six-fold
monophonic multi-timbral mode.

● “Multi Poly”

Similar to “Multi Mono”, but now all tracks are set to “Polyphonic” – Six-Traq is
setup to a six-fold polyphonic multi-timbral mode.

● “Super Stack”

All tracks are set to non-cycled polyphonic and to the same MIDI “channel”
(omni). Thus, all six tracks are stacked – but polyphonically!

● “Double Poly Arpeggiated”

… also known as “kraftraum’s Arpeggiator Mode”: Same as “Double Poly”, but
now the tracks 1 and 2 are set to MIDI channel 6 of the arpeggiator.

● “All Arpeggiated”

Same as “Six-Trak”, but now all tracks are set to MIDI channel 6 of the
arpeggiator. When you start the arpeggiator, the notes will be cycled through
the six tracks, and with different track settings you can get some weird results!

Note 1: If a track setting does not correspond to one of the template configurations,
the template drop-down box will display “User Configuration”.

Note 2: Of course you still can deactivate LINK PROGRAMS and select individual
programs per track. No limits!

Six-Traq Manual Page 13

Sequencer

According to today’s standards, the sequencer of the Six-Track is pretty basic, but in
1983 it was an incredible fantastic addition to a synthesizer – and it was multi-timbral,
although limited to 800 notes. Thus, the Six-Track was something like the very first
Work Station (it just lacked effects like delay or reverb)!

OK, I could have left out the sequencer from the Six-Traq plug-in – it’s so old school,
and especially programming a sequence is somehow a nuisance. But I wanted to have
that 80s feeling…

Sequencing The Six-Traq Way

Just click on any of the buttons SEQ A or SEQ B and the sequencer will start to play –
provided that a sequence already exists. Playback speed can be adjusted using the
SPEED knob. It is also possible to synchronize the sequencer to the host’s tempo via
the SYNC knob (on the Six-Trak you had to turn the SPEED knob to the very left to
activate MIDI Temp Synchronization).

Right-clicking on the buttons SEQ A or SEQ B will open a context menu where you can
load an existing MIDI file into the respective sequence slot A or B (see section
Sequencer Menu). However, note the following limitations:

● Track 1 to 6 will only playback notes of their respective MIDI channels 1 to 6.

Notes for MIDI channels 7 to 16 will be ignored!

● In contrary to the original hardware, polyphonic playback per track is possible

provided the track is set to Polyphonic mode (see The Configuration Section).

Each sequence slot A or B will have its own individual track settings (volume, program
etc.). For accessing and editing them, I strongly recommend to use the Configuration
section of Six-Traq, although it is possible to do it as described in the original Six-
Trak’s Operation Manual via short cuts: For example, to change the track volume you
typically right-click the respective TRACK button (this will simulate a pressed button
state) and wiggle the TRACK VOLUME knob.

Recording A Sequence

[You really want to do this? OK, get ready…]

The plug-in features a metronome-like click for recording – I guess that many Six-
Trak users desperately missed such a feature for recording purposes, and I
recommend to activate the click pressing the CLICK button. Note that the click will
only appear on the main stereo output. The volume of the click signal can be set by
right-clicking the CLICK button and wiggling the TRACK VOLUME knob.

To start recording click the TRACK RECORD button and the button of the sequence to
record (SEQ A or SEQ B). Select the track(s) you want to record by clicking the
respective TRACK button(s). Now play along – with the first note played on the
keyboard, recording will start. To stop recording, press the TRACK RECORD or the
sequence button again. Done.

Six-Traq Manual Page 14

Overdubbing An Existing Sequencer

Start playback of the sequence to overdub. Click the TRACK RECORD button and
select the tracks to overdub. During the first loop of the sequence, the TRACK
RECORD button will blink without recording anything – this is to “get ready” for
recording. In the next loop, recording is “hot” and starts overdubbing once you play
the first note. After that loop has finished, TRACK RECORD will get off and
overdubbing is stopped.

Erasing A Track

Start playback of the sequence, right-click the TRACK RECORD button and click the
TRACK button of the track to erase. Done.

Arpeggiator

The arpeggiator is pretty basic as well and offers two modes: UP/DOWN and ASSIGN.
Click on the respective button, press some notes, and the arpeggiator will start
immediately. In ASSIGN mode, the notes will be played in the order you have pressed
them. Thus, you can emulate almost any other arpeggiator mode unavailable on the
Six-Trak/q) like UP or DOWN – with the exception of a random mode.

To hold the currently arpeggiated notes, you can click the TRACK RECORD button.
Now it is not possible to add anymore notes, so you better might use a sustain pedal
instead.

Note that the arpeggiator always plays its notes at MIDI channel 6. By default – as on
the original Six-Trak – track 6 is solely running the arpeggio, but the plug-in allows
you to change this behavior: As soon as you assign another track to MIDI channel 6,
this track will be arpeggiated as well (see also section Configuration Templates). And
when the Cycle property is activated, the arpeggio while cycle through the respective
tracks (as for example on the KORG Mono/Poly when “Poly” mode is selected for the
arpeggiator).

Stack Mode

Stack mode is something like a “super unison mode” where you can stack up to 6
voices with different track settings and play them monophonically. Of course, with the
Polyphonic track mode of the Six-Traq plug-in, it is now possible to play the
polyphonically as well! There are two Stack program slots (A and B) that will store two
different stacks.

Six-Traq Manual Page 15

Synthesizer Section

This section covers the synthesizer part of Six-Traq and its parameters.

Parameter Resolution

Originally, the resolution of Six-Trak’s sound parameters is pretty low. For example,
there are only 16 different values (0 to 15) available for each of the four envelope
parameters Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. This has to do with limitations of the
hardware (think 1984!) etc.

Now I didn't wanted to inflate the memory requirements of the plug-in too much, so I
went for a compromise: The resolution of all the “continuous” parameters can be
increased to 8 bits which in most cases is enough (and of course is somehow in line
with the 8-bit-architecture of Six-Trak’s micro computer ). You can change the
resolution using the PARAM switch: Clicking this parameter toggles between “Six-Trak”
(original low resolution) and “Extended” (higher 8 bit resolution).

Unison Mode

Six-Traq also sports a Unison mode where 6 voices are slightly detuned, stacked and
played monophonically all together. It can be activated using the MODE switch.

With the original hardware it is not always possible to have all six voices available for
Unison mode, because the six voices are shared between sequencer, arpeggiator and
keyboard. But if you set a track of the Six-Traq plug-in to Polyphonic mode, a Unison
program will be guaranteed to have six voices!

Oscillator

The oscillator features the three waveforms Triangle, Sawtooth and Pulse (with
variable pulse width) which can be activated individually. The frequency can be
coarsely adjusted from 0 to 48 notes and finely adjusted from 0 to one note. Of
course, the LFO is able to modulate frequency as well as pulse width. There is also a
separate invertible ADSR envelope for frequency modulation and a Glide (Portamento)
function.

Filter

The filter input is derived from an adjustable mixture of the oscillator signal and a
white noise source. The filter itself is a four-pole lowpass and capable of self­resonating. It has its own ADSR envelope and can be modulated by both the LFO and
the oscillator, resulting in cool distortion or Ring modulator-like sounds.

Six-Traq Manual Page 16

Amplifier

The amplifier has a programmable volume parameter and its own ADSR envelope.
Note that the original Six-Trak is not velocity-sensitive – I added this standard feature
for convenience.

LFO

The LFO comes with two waveforms, Triangle and Rectangle. Speed and modulation
amount are the only other parameters here. Furthermore, the modulation wheel will
control the LFO amount with respect to the setting of the WHEEL TO LFO knob (see
section Common Controls).

MIDI Parameter Control

Like the hardware, Six-Traq allows all 36 original sound parameters to be controlled
by MIDI Control Change (CC) commands (this functionality can be turned on or off via
the Options Menu). The default number of the MIDI CC controller is given in the

Sound Parameters table and can be overridden by the Learn function (see sections
MIDI Control Change Messages and MIDI Learn).

Note that MIDI CCs depend on their associated MIDI channel: If for example a MIDI
CC is sent on channel 4 and tracks 1 and 2 of Six-Traq are both set to receive on
channel 4 while track 3 receives on channel 5, then the MIDI CC will affect the
respective sound parameter of both tracks 1 and 2 but not of track 3. Thus it works
the same as with played notes. 

Six-Traq Manual Page 17

Plugin Handling

The Six-Traq plug-in has many other features/functions hidden in various (context)
menus which will be explained in this section.

Options Menu

This menu open when you click the MENU button in the top section.

Copy Preset Copy current preset to internal clipboard

Paste Preset Paste internal clipboard to current preset

Init Preset Initialize the current preset

Load Preset Load a FXP file containing a preset to Six-Traq’s current

preset

Save Preset Save Six-Traq's current preset to a FXP file

Load Bank Load a FXB bank file containing 64 presets into Six-Traq

Save Bank Save Six-Traq's 64 presets to a FXB bank file

Select Startup Bank Select the bank file that should always be loaded when

Six-Traq is started

Load Startup Bank Load the Startup bank file; can also be used to check

what the current Startup bank is

Unselect Startup Bank Unselect the current Startup bank

Default Path for Preset
Files...

Sets the default path for preset and bank files

Show Configuration At
Startup

Sets if the Configuration section should be opened at
startup

Receive Parameter CCs Sets if Six-Traq should receive the original Six-Trak

MIDI CCs for parameter control

Don’t Ask To Commit Set globally if Six-Traq should not asked to commit any

of your changes (use at your own risk!)

MIDI Thru Set globally if MIDI data sent to the Six-Traq should be

sent through to its MIDI output

Ignore Program
Change

Set globally if MIDI Program Change data sent to the
Six-Traq should be ignored

Reload Configuration Reload the Six-Traq's configuration file (see section The

sixtraq.ini Configuration File)

Save Configuration Save the Six-Traq's configuration file (see section The

sixtraq.ini Configuration File)

Window Size… Change the window size of the Six-Traq

Save Window Size Stores the current window size to the configuration file

so that it will be restored next time you load the Six­Traq

Six-Traq Manual Page 18

Check Online for
Update

When connected to the Internet, this function will check
if a newer version of the Six-Traq is available at
fullbucket.de

Visit fullbucket.de Open fullbucket.de in your standard browser

Program Menu

This context menu opens when you right-click on the PROGRAM button in the Control
section.

Record/Store
Program...

Record/store the current program, potentially under a
different program number

Init Program Initialize the current program

Load Program SysEx
File

Load a SysEx file to the current program

Save Program SysEx
File

Save the current program to a SysEx file

Load Program Bank
SysEx File

Load a SysEx bank file into Six-Traq’s current preset

Save Program Bank
SysEx File

Save the 100 programs of Six-Traq's current preset to a
SysEx bank file

Additionally Save
Enhanced Program
Data

When saving a SysEx program file, additionally save the
enhanced parameter values, too (see section Parameter
Resolution)

Restore Factory
Program

Restore the current factory program

Restore All Factory
Programs

Restore all 100 factory programs

Default Path for
Program Files...

Sets the default path for program and bank SysEx files

Sequencer Menu

This context menu opens when you right-click on the SEQ A or SEQ B buttons in the
Control section.

Load Sequence A/B
From MIDI File

Load a MIDI file to sequence A or B

Save Sequence A/B To
MIDI File Type 0

Save sequence A or B to a MIDI file of type 0

Save Sequence A/B To
MIDI File Type 1

Save sequence A or B to a MIDI file of type 1

Clear Sequence A/B Clear sequence A or B

Default Path for
Sequence Files...

Sets the default path for sequence/MIDI files

Six-Traq Manual Page 19

The sixtraq.ini Configuration File

The Six-Traq is able to read some settings from a configuration file (sixtraq.ini).
The exact location of this file depends on your operating system and will be displayed
when you click on “Reload” or “Save Configuration”.

MIDI Control Change Messages

Apart from the default MIDI Control Change associations (see section MIDI Parameter
Control) it is possible to control all parameters of the Six-Traq by MIDI controllers, or

more precise: Each MIDI controller (except Modulation Wheel and Sustain Pedal) can
control one of Six-Traq's parameters. The mapping is defined in the sixtraq.ini for

example like this:

[MIDI Control]
CC7 = 3 # Master Volume
CC70 = 100 # Track 1 Filter Cutoff
CC71 = 101 # Track 1 Filter Resonance
...

The syntax is straight forward:

CC<controllernumber> = <parameterID>

Given the above example, controller 7 directly controls the overall Volume parameter,
controller 70 the Filter Cutoff of the first track etc. As you can see, comments are
introduced by the Pound sign (#); they are here just for description purposes and
completely optional. Note that the controller number can run from 0 to 110, with the
exception of 1 (Modulation Wheel) and 64 (Sustain Pedal); the latter two are simply
ignored.

MIDI Learn

The easiest way to (re)assign MIDI controllers to Six-Traq parameters is to use the
MIDI Learn function. To activate MIDI Learn, click on the LEARN button and wiggle

both the MIDI controller and the Six-Traq's parameter that you want to link. If you
want to unlearn the assignment, right-click the LEARN button (the label now reads
“UNLEARN”) and activate it. Now wiggle the MIDI controller or the parameter that you
want to unlearn.

Six-Traq Manual Page 20

Plug-In Parameters

General Parameters

parameter id description

Master Tune 0 Master tune (± 1 note)

Pitch Bend 1 Pitch Bend amount (± 12 note)

Wheel To LFO 2 Mod. Wheel to LFO amount

Master Volume 3 Master volume

Mode 4 Six-Traq’s operation mode: Normal, Sequence A,

Sequence B, Arpeggiator Up/Down, Arpeggiator Assign,
Stack A, Stack B

Link Programs 5 Link the track’s programs (On or Off)

Param. Resolution 6 Resolution of the sound parameters (Six-Trak or

Extended)

Speed 37 Sequencer/Arpeggiator speed

Sync to Host 38 Sequencer/Arpeggiator synchronization to host/DAW

Track Prg 1-6 7–12 Selected program for each track

Seq A Prg 1-6 13–18 Track programs for Sequence A

Seq B Prg 1-6 19–24 Track programs for Sequence B

Stack A Prg 1-6 25–30 Track programs for Stack A

Stack B Prg 1-6 31–36 Track programs for Stack B

Track Parameters

The parameters listed here for track 1 are repeated for track 2 (id 46–52), track 3 (id
53–59), track 4 (id 60–66), track 5 (id 67–73), and track 3 (id 74–80).

parameter id description

Track 1 MIDI
Channel

39 MIDI channel for track 1 (1 to 16, All/Omni, X/Off)

Track 1 Mode 40 Track mode: Monophonic, Polyphonic, Legato

Track 1 Cycle 41 Track cycling (On or Off)

Track 1 Tune 42 Track tuning (± 1 note)

Track 1 Transpose 43 Track transpose (± 24 note)

Track 1 Volume 44 Track volume

Track 2 Panorama 45 Track panorama

Six-Traq Manual Page 21

Sound Parameters

The parameters listed here for track 1 are repeated for track 2 (id 118–154), track 3
(id 155–191), track 4 (id 192–228), track 5 (id 229–265), and track 6 (id 266–302).

parameter id MIDI CC description

Coarse Frequency 81 2 Oscillator transpose (0–48 notes)

Fine Frequency 82 3 Oscillator tuning (up to one note)

Glide Rate 83 4 Portamento speed

LFO to OSC 84 5 Frequency modulation by LFO (Off/On)

OSC Env Amount 85 6 Frequency modulation by oscillator envelope

OSC Env Invert 86 7 Invert oscillator envelope (Off/On)

OSC Env Attack 87 8 Attack time of oscillator envelope

OSC Env Decay 88 9 Decay time of oscillator envelope

OSC Env Sustain 89 10 Sustain level of oscillator envelope

OSC Env Release 90 11 Release time of oscillator envelope

OSC Sawtooth 91 12 Sawtooth wave (Off/On)

OSC Triangle 92 13 Triangle wave (Off/On)

OSC Pulse 93 14 Pulse wave (Off/On)

OSC Pulse Width 94 15 Manual pulse width

OSC LFO to PW 95 16 Pulse width modulation by LFO (Off/On)

LFO Frequency 96 17 Speed of LFO

LFO Amount 97 18 Modulation amount of LFO

LFO Shape 98 19 Waveform of LFO (Triangle/Rectangle)

OSC/Noise Mixer 99 20 Oscillator and white noise mixer

Filter Cutoff 100 21 Filter cutoff frequency

Filter Resonance 101 22 Filter resonance

Filter Env Amount 102 23 Filter cutoff modulation by filter envelope

Filter Env Invert 103 24 Invert filter envelope (Off/On)

Filter Env Attack 104 25 Attack time of filter envelope

Filter Env Decay 105 26 Decay time of filter envelope

Filter Env Sustain 106 27 Sustain level of filter envelope

Filter Env Release 107 28 Release time of filter envelope

LFO to Filter 108 29 Filter cutoff modulation by LFO (Off/On)

Filter Key Track 109 30 Filter keyboard tracking

Filter Osc Mod
Amount

110 31 Filter cutoff modulation by oscillator’s

triangle wave

Amp Env Attack 111 32 Attack time of amplifier envelope

Six-Traq Manual Page 22

parameter id MIDI CC description

Amp Env Decay 112 33 Decay time of amplifier envelope

Amp Env Sustain 113 34 Sustain level of amplifier envelope

Amp Env Release 114 35 Release time of amplifier envelope

Voice Volume 115 36 Amplifier volume

Voice Mode 116 37 Voice mode: Single or Unison

Amp Velocity 117 – Amplifier velocity sensitivity

Six-Traq Manual Page 23

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install the Six-Traq (Windows VST2 32 bit version)?

Copy the files sixtraq.dll from the ZIP archive you have downloaded to your
system's or favorite DAW's VST2 plug-in folder. Your DAW should automatically

register the Six-Traq VST2 plug-in the next time you start it.

How do I install the Six-Traq (Windows VST2 64 bit version)?

Copy the file sixtraq64.dll from the ZIP archive you have downloaded to your
system's or favorite DAW's VST2 plug-in folder. Your DAW should automatically

register the Six-Traq VST2 plug-in the next time you start it.

Note: You may have to remove any existing (32 bit) sixtraq.dll from your VST2
plug-in folder or else your DAW may screw the versions up…

How do I install the Six-Traq (Windows CLAP 32/64bit version)?

Copy the file sixtraq32.clap (32 bit) or sxtraq64.clap (64 bit) from the ZIP archive
you have downloaded to the C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP folder. If your
DAW supports the CLAP format, it will automatically register the Six-Traq CLAP plug-in

the next time you start it.

How do I install the Six-Traq (Windows VST3 64 bit version)?

Copy the file sixtraq.vst3 from the ZIP archive you have downloaded to your
system's or favorite DAW's VST3 plug-in folder. Your DAW should automatically

register the Six-Traq VST3 plug-in the next time you start it.

How do I install the Six-Traq (Windows AAX 64 bit version)?

Copy the file sixtraq_AAX_installer.exe from the ZIP archive you have downloaded
to any of your system's folder and run it. Your AAX-enabled DAW (Pro Tools etc.)
should automatically register the Six-Traq AAX plug-in the next time you start it.

How do I install the Six-Traq (Mac)?

Locate the downloaded PKG package file in Finder (!) and do a right- or control-click
on it. In the context menu, click on “Open”. You will be asked if you really want to
install the package because it comes from an “unidentified developer” (me ). Click
“OK” and follow the installation instructions.

What is the plug-in ID of the Six-Traq?

The ID is 6 t r q .

Come on, Bucketeer, yet another boring simulation?

Yup, nostalgia. If you get bored, don’t download it. The trash bin is your friend, too.