Future Retro Orb Owner Manual

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Written and produced by Jered Flickinger

Copyright 2008

Future Retro Synthesizers

1. Credits

2. Table of Contents

3. Introduction

4. Controls

5. Maintenance

6. Support

7. Analog Connections

8. MIDI Connections

9. Sequencer Overview

10. Playing Patterns

11. Selecting Patterns

12. Editing Patterns

13. Entering Notes

14. Note On, Sustain, Rest

15. Clearing Notes

16. Changing the Pitch

17. Accents, Glides

18. Loop Point

19. Swing, Time Signature

20. Transposing Patterns

21. Shifting Patterns

22. Remixing Patterns

23. Remixing Patterns

24. Blank Pattern Sheet

25. Working with Songs

26. Patterns, Transposing

27. Loop Point, Tempo

28. Advanced Song Editing

29. Blank Song Sheet

30. Blank Song Sheet

TABLE OF CONTENTS

31. Playing MIDI Modules

32. MIDI Example

33. Playing CV Synths

34. CV Example

35. Acting as Master Clock

36. Master Clock Example

37. Syncing to Ext Clock

38. Ext Clock Example

39. MIDI to CV
Conversion

40. MIDI to CV Example

41. MIDI Program Change

42. MIDI Program Change

43. MIDI SysEx

44. MIDI SysEx

45. SysEx Information

46. SysEx Packet Size

47. Default Pattern,
Syncing, Resetting a
Song

48. Playing Patterns
Backwards, Remixing
Patterns

49. Remixing Sliced Audio

50. Tips on playing the XS

51. Transposing the XS
using MIDI

52. Using Multiple Orbs

53. Calibration Procedure

54. Trimmer Location

55. Specifications

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INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing the Orb. Please take time to read through
the entire manual for a compete understanding of the operations
and procedures needed to master this device.

OVERVIEW

The Orb is a single-track programmable digital step sequencer
designed to play analog and MIDI instruments.
The Orb is a perfect choice for sequencing our XS
semi-modular synthesizer, and various other MIDI and CV/Gate
type synthesizers.
This step-based sequencer provides 256 storable patterns that users
can create and edit in real-time while the unit plays. Patterns may
be selected and played in any order live, or prearranged into one of
the 16 song locations stored in memory. In addition, the Orb offers
our Remix feature that provides 256 variations for every pattern
and song, for more than 65,000 possible patterns right out of the
box.
The Orb can play external MIDI sound modules and CV/Gate type
synthesizers, sync playback with other MIDI sequencers, and also
act as a MIDI to CV/Gate converter.

PHILOSOPHY

The Orb is based on the same sequencer design used in our
Revolution synthesizer/sequencer. In fact, patterns created in the
Orb can also be used in the Revolution units and vice versa. The
Orb is designed to illustrate loop-based music in a much more
natural way than has been provided in the past with traditional
instruments. Think about it….
The basis of music is time. Time is nothing more than our
perception of the heavenly bodies spinning through their celestial
orbits.
From ancient sundials to modern analog clocks, time has been
represented as the circle, a cycle which never ends, illustrating the
infinite within a finite amount of space. So why not use this same
knowledge to represent music?

Enjoy the power of the Orb!

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MAINTENANCE

POWER

Use only the 12 volt AC/AC 1 Amp output power supply provided
with this unit. If you should ever lose this power supply, please
contact us for a replacement. Never use DC output power supplies,
as they will not provide enough current to power the unit properly.

CARE

Avoid exposing the unit to smoke or to damp, dusty, or extreme
hot and cold environments. To clean the unit, use a soft damp
cloth. Do not use abrasive cleaners, as these may harm the surface
and finish of the unit.

BACKUP BATTERY

The Orb contains an internal 3.6 volt lithium backup battery for the
sequencer’s RAM. This battery will last for approximately
10 years in this unit. However, at some point in the future, this
battery may need to be replaced.

As a general rule, always back up your patterns and songs
using the SysEx Dump feature to prevent the accidental loss of
your work. Definitely save your work before the battery is
replaced, since all information will be lost when the battery is
removed.

To replace the battery yourself, use the following procedure:

Loosen the Phillips screws holding the side panels on the unit.
Remove the 4 black and 4 silver Phillips screws on the bottom of
the unit. Pull the bottom chassis away from the top chassis. Locate
the battery and its holder on the jack board. Remove the old battery
from its holder and replace with a TL-5104/S type lithium battery
of +3.6 volts rated at 2,100 mAh. Make sure the battery is installed
with the correct polarity! Once the battery has been replaced,
reinstall the bottom chassis and the Phillips screws. Other lithium
batteries may be used as long as they are of the AA size, rated at
+3.6 volts, and have a current rating of 1,900 mAh or more. Note
that the mAh rating of the battery determines the life span of being

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able to back up the internal memory. So a higher mAh rating
provides a longer battery life.

FUSE

Should the fuse in the Orb need replacing, use the following
procedure to change the fuse:

Loosen the Phillips screws holding the side panels on the unit.
Remove the 4 black and 4 silver Phillips screws on the bottom of
the unit. Pull the bottom chassis away from the top chassis and
locate the fuse near the Power jack. Remove the old fuse and
replace only with a 1 amp fast-acting fuse. Once the fuse has been
replaced, reinstall the bottom chassis and the Phillips screws.

PRODUCT WARRANTY AND SUPPORT

The Orb comes with a 1 year limited warranty covering any
mechanical or electrical defects. This warranty does not cover
damage due to misuse or abuse of this product. To validate your
warranty, you must register your product online within 1 month of
the original purchase date at the following URL:

www.future-retro.com/register.html

Should you experience problems with your machine, we
recommend you first check the Support page of our website for
up-to-date help on common problems.

Support URL:
www.future-retro.com/support.html

If you find that you still have questions after reading the Support
page of our website, you may contact us by phone or email. You
must have an authorization to return a unit to us for repairs.

Our office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Standard Time (CST).

Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

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jack located on the bottom of the unit. Use only 12V AC output

CONNECTIONS

12V AC

Connect the power supply provided with your unit in the Power

power supplies rated at 1 Amp to power the unit.

DC output power supplies will not provide enough current to
power the unit properly.

POWER
This is the main power switch. Push this switch to turn the unit on
and off.

CV OUT
When notes are played in the Orb, a 1 volt per octave control
voltage is generated at this output. Typically, you will want to
connect this to the Pitch CV Input of an analog synthesizer,
although it could also be used to modulate other analog parameters
such as a filter’s cutoff frequency, and so forth.

GATE OUT
When notes are played in the Orb, a +12 volt (positive polarity)
gate signal is generated at this output. Typically, you will want to
connect this output to the Gate Input of an analog synthesizer to
trigger its envelopes.

ACCENT OUT
When the Orb plays a note written with an Accent on that step, a
+10 volt (positive polarity) gate signal is generated at this output
for controlling analog equipment. The duration of this Accented
gate signal will last for 100% of a pattern’s step. Typically, you
will connect this output to the Velocity Input of an analog
synthesizer.

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MIDI IN

Use a MIDI cable to connect this input to another device’s MIDI
Out, so that the Orb will sync its playback to the other MIDI
devices, or act as a MIDI to CV/Gate converter. You may also use
this connection when receiving a SysEx Dump of patterns and
songs from another device.

MIDI THRU
All information being received by the Orb’s MIDI IN will be sent
directly to the MIDI THRU output. Use a MIDI cable to connect
this output to the MIDI Input of another device for creating a daisy
chain between multiple units.

MIDI OUT
Use a MIDI cable to connect this output to the MIDI Input of
another device, so that the other device can be played by or sync its
playback to the Orb. You may also use this connection when
sending a SysEx Dump of patterns and songs to another device.

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In Song mode, you can do the following:

In Pattern mode, you can do the following:

SEQUENCER OVERVIEW

The Orb is a single-track programmable digital step sequencer for
recording and playing back musical patterns and songs. All the
information for a pattern can be edited while the sequencer is either
playing or stopped. The sequencer automatically saves all changes
made to patterns and songs. This allows users to create and
manipulate patterns live and hear the changes as they are made.

With the Orb’s sequencer, you can play external MIDI sound
modules, as well as analog CV/Gate type synthesizers.

STRUCTURE

There are 256 user patterns arranged as 16 banks of 16 patterns.
Each pattern can be up to 1 measure in length, which is then
divided into 12 or 16 equal steps depending on the time signature.

Each pattern records the time signature, notes, pitches, accents,
glides, loop point, and swing amount. Patterns can also be copied
and pasted, shifted in time, transposed, and remixed, as well as be
played forward or in reverse.

Patterns can be selected and played live in any order while in
Pattern mode. Patterns can also be prearranged into one of the 16
song locations. Each song will record the order that patterns will
play, along with the transpose setting for each pattern, and the loop
point for the song. Each song can arrange up to 3,580 measures’
worth of music. Songs can also have their patterns remixed or be
played forward or in reverse for all sorts of interesting variations.

Patterns and songs created in the Orb are universally
compatible with those in our Revolution synthesizer. Using the
SysEx Dump feature in these products allows you to transfer
patterns and songs from one unit into the other.

In addition, you may also use the SysEx feature to transfer
patterns and songs created in the Orb to a computer for storage
purposes.

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USING THE SEQUENCER

The Orb’s sequencer has two main modes that you will work with.
This is what we call Pattern mode and Song mode. When the Song
key indicator is on, the machine is in Song mode. When the Song
key indicator is off, the machine is in Pattern mode. To change
from one mode to the other, the sequencer must first be stopped;
then by pressing the Song key, you can change modes.

• Select a song

• Edit and arrange patterns to form a song

• Play a song

• Remix a song

• Change a song’s tempo

• Set up the global MIDI parameters

• Perform a SysEx MIDI dump

• Select patterns

• Edit a pattern

• Play patterns

• Remix patterns

• Adjust the global tempo setting for all patterns

• Set the global transpose setting for all patterns

PLAYING PATTERNS

The Play key is used to start and stop the playback of patterns and
songs. To play a pattern or song forward, simply press the Play
key. The Play key indicator will blink at the tempo the sequencer is
playing at. To stop playback of the sequencer, press the Play key
again. The Play key indicator will be off, showing that the
sequencer is stopped.
Patterns can also be played in reverse. If the unit is stopped and
you wish to play a pattern backward, hold the Shift/Clear key and
then press the Play key. The pattern will now be playing backward.
To stop the sequencer, press the Play key.

Note: If the Orb’s MIDI pa

By doing so, you will overwrite the old pattern with new data. To

While a pattern is playing, you can change its direction to play
forward or backward by using the same technique as above. Hold
the Shift/Clear key and then press the Play key. When the loop
point for the currently playing pattern is reached, the sequencer
will change the playback direction.

rameter has been set to EXTernal, when
the Play key is pressed, its indicator will light up and stay on,
showing that the unit is cued up and waiting for an external MIDI
sequencer to send a Start command.

SELECTING PATTERNS

Patterns are arranged as 16 banks of 16 patterns for a total of 256
patterns in all. Before selecting a pattern, you must first make sure
that you are in Pattern mode. This is shown by the Song key
indicator being off.

To enter Pattern Select mode, press the Pattern key so that its
indicator turns on. The numeric display (in the center of the unit)
will now show the bank number 1–16 that is currently selected.
One of the 16 selector key indicators (located around the outside of
the display) will be on to show which pattern is selected for the
bank you are currently in. If none of the selector key indicators are
on, the current pattern selected is in another bank. If this is the
case, use the Up/Down keys to go through the other banks and see
what pattern is currently selected. To select a different pattern, use
the Up/Down keys to select the bank and then press one of the 16
selector keys that represent the pattern within the bank.

Selecting a pattern can be done while the sequencer is playing.
If one pattern is currently playing and you select another, the new
pattern’s key indicator will be on at half the brightness than that of
the pattern currently playing. This shows that the pattern is cued
and waiting until the pattern currently playing has reached its loop
point. Once the loop point has been reached, the cued pattern will
begin its playback. You can change the pattern that is cued and
ready to play next at any time until the current pattern reaches its
loop point.

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Each pattern will play continuously until either a new pattern is

selected or the sequencer is stopped.

Patterns may also be selected remotely from another MIDI
device by setting up the Orb to respond to MIDI Program Change
messages. Please refer to the MIDI section about Program Change
messages on page 41 for more details on how to do this.

MULTIPLE PATTERN CUEING

It is possible to chain the playback of up to 16 patterns in a bank to
create longer looping arrangements. To do so, enter Pattern Select
mode as you normally do when selecting patterns. Press and hold
the first pattern you wish to play and then press the last pattern that
is to be included in the loop.

Notice that patterns will be played sequentially from the lowest
pattern number to the highest pattern number. The first pattern
selected to play in the arrangement must have a lower pattern
number than that of the last pattern selected to be included in the
loop.

Once multiple patterns have been cued and are playing, you
can select another group of patterns to play when the first group
reaches its last step. When cueing up a second group of patterns,
you can select patterns in any bank and even partially overlapping
the patterns currently playing.

EDITING PATTERNS

Pattern Edit mode is where one measure of music can be recorded
or edited for each pattern.

These patterns can later be arranged into a song. Each pattern
records the note durations and their pitches, accents, glides, loop
point, time signature, and swing amount. Every time a pattern is
edited, the changes are automatically saved by the sequencer.

You must make sure not to change a pattern that you wish to keep.

avoid this, use the Copy/Paste function described on page 21.

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Notice that the last step of a sust

To edit patterns, you must be in Pattern mode (the Song key
indicator will be off). First select the desired bank and pattern for
the pattern you wish to edit. Once the pattern is selected, press the
Pattern key to enter Pattern Edit mode (the Pattern key indicator
will turn off).

All pattern editing can be done while the sequencer is stopped
or playing, which allows you to hear the changes you make. In this
way you can select a pattern, edit it, and then select another pattern
to play or edit while the sequencer continues to play. Instant live
improv! Since the sequencer automatically saves all changes made,
there is no need to stop the music.

When multiple patterns have been cued and are playing, you
can enter Pattern Edit mode to edit individual patterns. To edit a
cued pattern, wait until the desired pattern is playing and then enter
Pattern Edit mode by pressing the Pattern key. The current pattern
will loop by itself so you can hear all the changes you are making.
Once the pattern has been edited as desired, you may exit Pattern
Edit mode. The cued patterns will continue playing sequentially as
before.

When the sequencer is playing and a pattern is being edited,
you will notice that the 16 Step key indicators will blink to show
the current step being played. You can use this as a quick way to
pinpoint steps that you wish to edit. It can also serve as a visual
indication of where the loop point is set for that pattern.

ENTERING NOTES

When in Pattern Edit mode, the 16 Step key indicators will be used
to display where notes are placed in that pattern. The brightness of
the indicators will determine where notes start, the length of their
sustain duration, and where rests occur.

• A Note On (where a note begins) will be shown by a Step
key indicator being on at full brightness.

• The sustained portion for a note will be shown by the Step
key indicator being on, but only half as bright as a Note On.

• A rest is shown by the Step key indicator being off.

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NOTE ON

To enter notes, you must be in Pattern Edit mode (Pattern key
indicator will be off). Placing 16th or 12th notes (depending on
which time signature is selected) is done using the same method.
By using the 16 Step keys, simply press the keys one at a time
where you wish notes to exist. The indicators for the notes you
enter will now be on at their brightest state.

SUSTAIN
To place sustained notes, press and hold the Step key where the
note is to start, and then press the Step key that represents the last
step that you want this note to sustain to. The first Step key
indicator of a sustained note will be on at full brightness, showing
that that is where the note starts. The sustained portion of the note
will cause those Step key indicators to be on at half brightness.

As an example, place and hold a 16th note and press the next
Step key in the clockwise direction. Doing this just wrote an 8th
note. Use this method to create notes of various durations.

than where the note starts. For instance, a note may start on Step 1
and sustain to Step 16. A note can’t start at Step 9 and sustain to
Step 5. If you need a note to sustain past Step 16, you will need to
use the glide function discussed later in this manual.

REST
Placing rests is done by simply leaving notes off, or clearing notes
that appear in the position you want to be a rest. Rests will be
shown as the Step key indicator being off. To write a rest to a step
where a note already exists, press and hold the Shift/Clear key and
then press the Step key where you want the rest to be placed.

There is a way to write new notes without having to clear
previous notes. For instance, if you place a new note in the
sustained portion of a note, the new note will now be in the
position you selected. This now shortens the previous sustained
note, which then will sustain until the step where the new note is
written.

ained note must be higher in value

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Notice that clearing notes only erases where notes are placed and

Notice that pressing any Step keys other than where a note starts

Notice that pitches programmed into the sequencer can actually

pitches in the range of C1 to D#6. The extended range of E6

pattern when it is transposed up to +36 half

The Step key indicators for these positions will also change to

show how the previous sustained note was shortened.

By writing a sustained note over previous notes, the previous
notes will no longer be heard. You can use this method to change a
sustained note’s duration. Any new notes written over a sustained
note’s Note On will override the entire sustained note. The only
exception is that you cannot write a 16th note over a sustained
note’s Note On. To do this, you must first clear the sustained note
and then write the 16th note.

CLEARING NOTES

There are two ways to clear previous note data that exists within a
pattern. You can either clear all the notes at once or clear
individual notes one at a time.

To clear all notes from a pattern, first make sure you are in
Pattern Select mode (the Pattern key indicator will be on). Select
and hold the Step key for the pattern you wish to clear all the notes
from, and then press the Shift/Clear key. You can press the Pattern
key and enter Pattern Edit mode to verify that all the Step key
indicators are now off.

To clear individual notes, enter Pattern Edit mode (the Pattern
key indicator will be off). Press and hold the Shift/Clear key and
press the Step key that represents the Note On for the note you
want to clear. You can clear as many notes as you want while
holding the Shift/Clear key. Once you are done clearing individual
notes, you may release the Shift/Clear key. All the notes you
cleared will be shown with their Step key indicator being off.

their durations. Other pattern information such as the step’s pitch,
accent, glide, loop point, time signature, and swing amount will
still retain their values. This is a safety in case you accidentally
erase notes or an entire pattern by mistake. You then only need to
re-enter where notes are located and their duration.

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CHANGING A NOTE’S PITCH

Once notes exist in a pattern, you can change the pitch that each
one is to play. Select a pattern you would like to edit and then enter
Pattern Edit mode. When in Pattern Edit mode, one of the 16 Step
key indicators will be flashing to indicate that it is the current step
selected and ready to be edited. You can select a different note to
edit by pressing the Step key where that note starts.

will write a new note, as described in the previous section.

Once a note is selected, the display will show the pitch of that note,
ranging from C1 to D#6. Notice that the display will show an =
sign for sharp notes. Using the Up/Down keys, select the desired
pitch for the currently selected step. When the sequencer is playing
and you change a note’s pitch in this way, each time that the
pattern reaches this step the new note pitch will be played. If you
hold a note’s Step key while you change the note’s pitch, the new
pitch will not take effect until you release that note’s Step key. You
can use this method to ensure that only the desired pitches will be
heard while the sequencer is playing.

range from C1 to C9. However, the sequencer will only play back

through C9 is provided only to retain the original pitches of a

-steps.

There is also an offset to the pitch values transmitted and
received via MIDI, so that a pitch of C1 in the sequencer is equal
to MIDI note C2, and pitch D#6 in the sequencer is equal to MIDI
note D#7.

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