Moog Stage Edition, Little Phatty User Manual

Table of Contents

THE BASICS

Setup and Connections ........................................

Overview and Features ........................................

Signal Flow ....................................................................

THE COMPONENTS

A. Oscillator Section ................................................

C. Envelope Generators Section .....................

G. Input/Output Panel ............................................

THE USER INTERFACE

A. Menus ........................................................................

C. System Exclusive .................................................

APPENDICES

A – Master Mode Menu Flow Chart ......................

C – Tutorial .............................................................................

G – Using the CP-251 with the Little Phatty .....

GLOSSARY ......................................................................................

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chosen to be a Moog customer. We look forward to serving you with this product and many more Moog

The Little Phatty Stage Edition is a great performance synth. If you read through

this manual carefully and

The Little Phatty sounds great and is intuitively easy to use. We are hoping you are reading this manual after

a week or so of sleepless but blissful nights of playing the Little Phatty. The Phatty user interface was de-

signed to have you up and running in a matter of minutes.

The Little Phatty is built with care and pride by our team in Asheville, N.C. If you have a chance to come to

the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, call and come by and see us. We would be happy to

take you on a tour of the factory.

The look of the Stage Edition is something we hope you appreciate as well. Moog products are known for

their durability and we are con dent the Phatty will uphold that tradition. One of the new features of the

aspect of the product.

for the product. The Engineering team of Cyril Lance, Steve Dunnington, and Mike Peio made it happen.

The design of any product is always the product of many minds but the Phatty design starts with Axel

The software for the LP was developed by the team of Chuck Carlson, Cyril Lance, and Peter Ning. Thanks

to Barry Darnell, one hard working dude, for our board designs. Thanks also to our Beta unit testers: Amos

sign process: Brian Kehew, Roger O’Donnell, Tom Brislin, Nigel Hopkins, Michael Vallarella, Keiichi Goto, Tomo

the success of this project. And  nally, nobody takes more pride in what they do than the production folks

at Moog Music led by Mike Peio, Plant Manager.

you and expect this product will provide a lifetime of musical enjoyment.

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LP User’s Manual - The Basics

The Setup and Connections section below explains how to unpack, setup and connect the Little Phatty, and

The Components section offers detailed explanations of the components that create and modify sound.

and subtractive synthesis.

well as the MIDI Interface Speci cation, Appendix D.

Throughout the manual you will see icons that point out additional information:

This icon indicates an important note concerning the operation of the Little Phatty.

This icon indicates a useful performance or programming tip.

This icon indicates technical information for the advanced user or the technically curious.

The Little Phatty is shipped with the following items:

2. Power cord

4. Warranty registration card

What you will need

2. A 1⁄4” instrument cable and ampli er, or a pair of headphones

Setup and Connections

LP User’s Manual - The Basics

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LP User’s Manual - The Basics

Set up

You will need a sturdy keyboard stand or table that will support a 22 lb. analog synthesizer and will not

topple if you play hard. Use caution when lifting the Little Phatty out of the carton, and be sure to save the

carton and all packing material in case you need to ship the Little Phatty for any reason.

cord.

The Little Phatty’s universal power supply will operate with a power source from 90 to 250 Volts AC,

50/60Hz.

Turn the power on. You will see the LCD screen light up and display the message:

Version X.x

After a few seconds the start-up screen disappears and the current preset will appear in the display. The

button will be illuminated in amber, the name of the current preset location and preset name will be

displayed on the top line of the LCD screen, and the message ‘PRESET ACTIVE’ will be displayed on the lower

Set the Little Phatty’s Volume control to minimum before connecting to an ampli er or headphones. Adjust the

ampli er level for a comfortable listening level, and then slowly bring up the Little Phatty’s volume. Make sure

the

Output ON/OFF

switch is illuminated red – this means the output is turned on.

Start Playing!

VALUE

dial to scroll through the presets. All preset locations (00 – 99) are loaded with sounds from

the factory. There are a total of 100 locations in memory for presets – all are user programmable. Note that

once a preset is called up, you can tweak the parameters to your liking using the front panel controls. Any

changes made to the current preset will cause the

button to change its illumination from amber to red,

and the lower line of the LCD screen will change to ‘PANEL ACTIVE’.

to return to the original sound, press

button until you change presets. If you wish to save your changes – refer to the

section on Storing Presets on page 23. Any changes made to a preset will be lost if they are not saved once you

change to a new preset.

Warranty registration

web site at www.moogmusic.com and click on the “Product Register” tab. If you complete all the requested

and 125 degrees F), but the LP’s voltage controlled oscilators (VCOs) may not remain in tune.

The LP’s VCOs use a heated chip design that take a short time to warm up. The warm up period

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LP User’s Manual - The Basics

The Little Phatty (LP for short) is a monophonic analog synthesizer that is a descendant of the classic Minimoog

analog envelope generators and a  exible modulation matrix. The LP’s front panel has four variable-function

edit controls for real time adjustment of the Modulation, Oscillator, Filter and Envelope Generator parameters,

the controls for Preset selection and management, adjustment of global parameters, and System Exclusive MIDI

function and utilities. The LP features 100 factory preset sounds, which can be modi ed or replaced by your

own sounds.

The LCD display and User Interface - provides controls to access presets and other software functions.

The Fine Tune control is located here, along with switches for Glide On/Off and Octave transpose.

The Modulation section - features a programmable modulation matrix. The Modulation section has

controls to select the modulation Source (LFO Triangle, LFO Square, LFO Sawtooth, LFO Ramp,

through the Modulation Wheel; when the Mod Wheel is all the way forward the Mod Source passes to

the Mod Destination at the level set by the Mod Amount.

The Oscillators section - features two analog oscillators, each with individual Octave, Level and Wave-

form controls. Additional controls are provided for tuning the second oscillator relative to the  rst,

setting the Glide Rate, and engaging Oscillator Sync. The oscillator outputs are summed together along

with the External Audio Input and routed to the Filter section.

The Filter section - features the classic Moog 24 dB/Octave ‘ladder  lter’, and includes controls for

adjusting Cutoff Frequency, Resonance, Keyboard Amount, Envelope Amount, and Overload. The output

of the Filter is routed to the output Voltage Controlled Ampli er (VCA), which is controlled by the

Volume Envelope Generator.

The Envelope Generator (EG) section - contains two ADSR-style envelopes, one for the Filter and one

for the Volume. The EG section includes controls for adjusting the Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release

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LP User’s Manual - The Basics

The Output section - includes controls for adjusting the Master Volume, a switch to toggle the output

on and off, and a headphone jack. The Master Volume is used for setting the levels of both the output

and the headphones. The Output On/Off switch affects the Audio Output, but not the headphones.

Side Panel:

The side panel provides connections for Power, MIDI, Control Voltage Input and Audio I/O:

Audio jacks – provides monophonic audio input and audio output connections. The Audio Input jack

allows external signals to be processed by the Little Phatty.

signal. These inputs allow the LP to be controlled from expression pedals, or CV devices like the

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LP User’s Manual - The Basics

To understand the operation of the Little Phatty, take a look at the diagram below. The diagram shows the

 ow of the audio, control voltage and modulation signals in the Little Phatty. Heavy lines are used to indicate

audio signals, which  ow from left to right. Lighter lines indicate the control voltages (CV’s), which  ow from

the top and bottom. Dotted lines indicate programmable modulation routings.

and are mixed together with the external audio input signal. This combined audio signal is passed to the

ADSR envelope. The signal then passes to the ampli er stage, where the Volume ADSR envelope shapes it.

The keyboard is the main control source of the Little Phatty. Each time a key is pressed, the keyboard

also applied to the Filter to control the  lter cutoff. The Gate signal is used to simultaneously trigger the

shown), or through the CV and Gate trigger connections. The resulting sound depends on the various

Signal Flow

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LP User’s Manual - The Basics

The LP has two operating modes: Master and Preset.

A complete list of the Master mode functions and parameters is shown on page 25.

controls. The Preset mode is the main operating mode for editing and playing the LP. Information

on Preset mode is found on page 23.

When the LP is powered on, it starts up in Preset mode. In

this mode, you select presets using the

VALUE

encoder. Press

the

VALUE

encoder to increment by single presets, or rotate

the encoder to step through the presets in either direction.

button changes from amber to red, indicating that you

are editing the preset sound. By pressing the

button

you can toggle between the preset (stored) and edited (panel)

sounds. Note that once you change preset numbers, any

changes to the previous preset will be lost unless the changes

are saved.

one for each of the four sound shaping sections (Modulation, Oscillators, Filter, and

approximately the stored or edited value of the current parameter. The parameters

for each section are chosen by pushing the switch for the desired parameter in that

section. That switch then becomes illuminated in amber. Only one parameter can be

activated at a time for editing in each section.

Some parameters offer multiple selections (such as the Modulation SOURCE switch,

shown at right). Pressing that switch advances through the six possible Modulation

sources. For the On/Off type switches like GLIDE ON/OFF (above), 1-2 SYNC or

and goes out when the parameter is turned off.

TECH NOTE:

The LP’s editing controls are actually analog potentiometers. When

certain key parameters are selected, the analog control signal is switched to control

that parameter directly. This is called RAC™ (Real Analog Control). RAC gives the LP a

to the analog control signal path; straight to the synthesizer circuits. In the Stage Edition,

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

of the Filter, Envelope Generator and Output sections. Then we’ll cover the Modulation section, the Key-

A. The Oscillator Section

The Oscillators are the main sound source of the Little Phatty. The oscillators in the LP are analog Voltage

The Components

are adjusted by their variable waveform (Wave)

controls. There is also a switch for syncing Oscillator

2 to Oscillator 1, and a control for adjusting the glide

The frequencies of the oscillators are controlled by a

The keyboard creates a voltage that allows the

oscillators to be played in an equal tempered scale.

The glide circuit can be switched in between the

control (Oscillator 2), the Pitch Bend Wheel, the

and the output of the Mod Matrix when the “Pitch”

destination is selected.

OCTAVE

that selects the relative frequency range. To select the octave,

simply press the switch. Each press of the switch advances the setting, as indicated by the corresponding

on the keyboard is A440.

OSC LEVEL

that allows the analog edit control to adjust the oscillator

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

Waveform:

WAVE

that allows the analog edit control to modify the waveform.

The waveform is continuously variable from triangle, to sawtooth, to square, to rectangular. The waveform

edit control for the oscillator section indicates the knob positions to obtain the triangle, sawtooth, square

and skinniest pulse waveforms.

changes. By limiting the modulation between the square and thin

analog synthesizer sound. Although the waveforms can be set from

the front panel individually for each oscillator, modulation is applied

to both waveform controls simultaneously. When using modulation,

that it becomes silent.

Sync:

This is an ON/OFF type switch that

1-2 SYNC

switch is lit. With sync

on, Oscillator 2 is synchronized (synced) to Oscillator 1, forcing Oscillator 2 to restart its waveform from

the beginning each time Oscillator 1 starts a new waveform cycle.

The effect is noticeable if the synced Oscillator is a higher frequency

than the Reset Oscillator. The main frequency heard is that of the

2 Frequency control to hear this effect. Depending on how it is ap-

OSC 2 FREQ

that allows the analog edit control to adjust the frequency

of Oscillator 2 relative to Oscillator 1. The pitch of Oscillator 2 can be adjusted up or down 7 semitones

slightly out of tune. Note that Oscillator 1 does not have a frequency control because it is designed to

serve as a reference oscillator

When this is selected, the analog edit

control is used to set the glide rate (portamento) between notes. A Glide switch on the User Interface

the lowest C to the highest C on the keyboard).

Additional CV control:

The

PITCH

jack on the side-panel is a CV input for external control of the oscillator pitch. This input

controls the frequencies of both oscillators. A 1-volt change of this voltage will change the pitch by

The jack accepts -5 to +5 volts, or an expression pedal like the EP-1.

A steady control voltage applied to the PITCH jack will offset the base

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

quencies while allowing others to pass through unaffected. An important term to understand regarding

 lters is “Cutoff Frequency”. This is the point at which frequencies begin to be rejected. The LP features

a lowpass  lter, which behaves as its name indicates: it allows low frequencies to pass and rejects high

frequencies.

Another important aspect of  lters is the cutoff slope. The cutoff slope

de nes how well the  lter rejects signals above the cutoff frequency.

The cutoff slope is measured in decibels per octave (dB/Octave), and is

speci ed as a multiple of six. A 6dB/Octave slope (the simplest pos-

sible  lter design) exhibits a gentle roll-off with a minimum rejection of

frequencies above the cutoff. By comparison, a 12dB/Octave slope is

twice as steep, and rejects frequencies above the cutoff twice as fast.

An 18dB/Octave slope is steeper still, with a corresponding frequency

of frequencies above the cutoff point. The classic Moog  lter is a 24dB/

The Moog  lter also features a parameter called Resonance. This

This gives the  lter a character that can sound vocal, buzzy or zappy,

depending on how it’s used. When the resonance is turned up past

about 3 o’clock on the analog edit dial, the  lter begins to self-oscillate

at the cutoff frequency, producing a sine wave tone.

The KB AMOUNT parameter allows you to set the degree to which the  lter cutoff frequency tracks the

off will rise by an octave each time you play an octave higher on the keyboard. This setting allows you to

AMOUNT is set to zero, the  lter cutoff remains at the value determined by the analog edit control, regard-

cutoff to follow the glide of the notes being played (when GLIDE is switched ON). Using the KB AMOUNT

control, you can adjust the amount of Glide that will affect the  lter cutoff.

The EGR AMNT parameter allows you to set the degree to which the Filter EG affects the  lter cutoff

frequency. The EGR AMNT parameter is bi-polar, meaning the Filter EG can affect the  lter cutoff either in

a positive or negative way.

A positive amount will cause the Filter EG to raise the cutoff frequency, while a

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

clipping as the amount is increased. The results you get with OVERLOAD will depend on the settings of

the oscillator waves and levels, and the  lter cutoff and the  lter resonance settings in addition to Overload

amount. Overload is not the same distortion you’d get from a fuzz box – it must be played with to get the

edginess to the sound.

When the

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the  lter cutoff frequency.

The cutoff frequency is adjustable from about 20 Hz to 16 Khz.

As the edit control is rotated clockwise, the

cutoff frequency is increased, allowing more of the signal harmonics to pass through the  lter.

When the

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the  lter resonance.

end of the signal as the Cutoff control is turned down. As Resonance is increased, the  lter begins to form

a peak at the cutoff frequency. This emphasizes harmonics near the cutoff frequency, and can result in a ‘wah-

wah’ effect when resonance is set fairly high and the  lter cutoff is varied. As the resonance is turned up the

the cutoff frequency.

When the

KB AMOUNT

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the amount of post-

glide keyboard voltage that is routed to the  lter cutoff frequency. When the edit control is rotated fully

clockwise, the  lter cutoff follows the key played on the keyboard. A higher key will cause a higher cutoff

frequency. This allows a sound to retain its brightness as it is played higher on the keyboard.

When the

switch is selected, the analog edit control adjusts the amount of the Filter Envelope

the legend on the panel, so the amount is 0 when the edit control dial is at the 12 o’clock position. Rotat-

When the

OVERLOAD

switch is selected, the analog edit control adjusts the amount of pre- lter and post-

 lter clipping. Overload can be used to warm up sounds and give them a distinctive tonal edge. Advancing

the edit control increases the amount of clipping from the subtle warmth of soft clipping to the ‘growl’ pro-

vided by the beginnings of hard clipping. When set to 100%, Overload adds a volume boost of about +6dB.

Additional CV control:

The

jack on the side-panel is a CV input for external control of the  lter cutoff parameter. The jack

accepts -5 to +5 volts, or an expression pedal like the EP-1. A voltage applied to this jack is added to the

setting of the  lter cutoff control. A one-volt change in the control voltage will change the cutoff frequency

of the  lter by about one octave.

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

TECH NOTES:

differently. Asymmetrical clipping circuits tend to produce tones with unique richness and character.

2. The Overload circuit has no effect on the sound when the analog edit control is set fully counter-

clockwise. Advancing the control gradually introduces the effect, starting with a gentle overdrive-like

quality that becomes increasingly aggressive and edgy as the control reaches 100%. Because the

Overload uses clipping, some sounds, such as a squarewave with the  lter cutoff all the way up,

aren’t affected much by increasing the Overload amount. Try sounds tuned to intervals other than

3. The name “Overload” came from the Overload indicator on the Minimoog, where if the output

was patched back into the audio input the Overload indicator would go on. Mixing the Audio in

would provide a “fatter” sound by increasing the level of signal coming out of the mixer and going

envelope – a shape that de nes the changes that occur in a sound over time. An envelope can de ne any

aspect of change in a sound – volume, timbre, or pitch. The circuits that create envelope control signals in

synthesizers are called Envelope Generators (EGs).

The Little Phatty has two identical EG circuits. When trig-

gered, these circuits produce time-var ying control voltages

specify this progression are the Attack, Decay, Sustain and

Attack determines the character of the onset of the sound.

The Attack control adjusts the time it takes when a key is

fade-in time). The Decay control adjusts the second stage

the full level to the level set by the Sustain control. The

envelope will stay at the sustain level as long as a key is held

down. When the key is released, the Release control de-

termines how long it takes for the sound to fade out (see

ADSR Envelope Signal below).

The Little Phatty has one EG dedicated to the  lter (to control

the cutoff frequency), and one EG dedicated to the ampli er

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Attack:

When the

ATTACK

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the Attack time of the corre-

sponding envelope from 1 msec to 10 seconds.

When the

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the Decay time of the cor-

Sustain:

When the

SUSTAIN

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to set the Sustain level of the corre-

sponding envelope.

When the

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the Release time (the time

for the envelope to return to zero) from 1 msec to 10 seconds.

Additional Control:

The

jack on the side panel is a trigger input that accepts a footswitch (momentary, normally

closed like the Moog FS-1) or a gate signal. Pressing the footswitch or applying a gate signal (+5V) causes

or sustain a note using your foot without playing the keyboard – useful if you want to free-up

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

synthesis. The LP’s Modulation section opens up a world of modulation possibili-

ties that were not available on the original Minimoog. The Modulation section

allows you to select from six modulation sources, four destinations, and set the

To try out a simple modulation effect, make the following settings:

- Set the LFO RATE to 6 Hz (about 11 o’clock on the analog edit control)

- Set the SOURCE to Triangle wave

- Set the DESTINATION to Pitch

- Set the AMOUNT to 50%

These settings will produce a vibrato effect with variable depth when the

Section Controls:

When the

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the frequency of the LFO.

The frequency is adjustable from 0.2 Hz to 500 Hz.

Since the LFO rate extends well into the audio range,

this allows the LFO to be used for clangorous (FM-like) modulations.

Amount:

When the

AMOUNT

switch is selected, the analog edit control is used to adjust the maximum amount of

Source:

The

SOURCE

switch selects the source of the modulation. Each time the switch is pressed, it advances to

the next modulation source, as indicated by the corresponding LED. Four of the selections allow you to use

the LFO as a modulation source. When any of the LFO waves is selected, the associated LED will  ash in

time with the LFO rate. The available Source selections are:

- LFO Sawtooth Wave

- LFO Square Wave

- LFO Triangle Wave

- LFO Ramp Wave

- Filt. Env. (Filter Envelope)/Sample & Hold

- Osc 2 (Oscillator 2)/Noise

The

switch selects the destination of the modulation. The modulation destination is chosen

- Filter (affects  lter cutoff)

- Pitch (affects the pitch of both oscillators)

- Wave (affects the waveform of both oscillators)

- Osc 2 (affects the pitch of Oscillator 2)

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

The Little Phatty has a single monophonic audio output. The level of the audio output

signal while keeping the Headphone signal active.

Section Controls:

Volume:

VOLUME

is the main volume control. Rotating the control fully clockwise produces the maximum output.

stored with the preset.

The

OUTPUT ON/OFF

switch controls the audio that appears at the audio output jack. This switch has no

effect on the Headphone jack. This arrangement allows you to monitor and adjust the sound of the LP using

OUTPUT ON/OFF

switch

to turn off the output if you are using the LP as a controller and wish to control external gear without hear-

The

jack is a 1/4” headphone output for use with standard headphones. The Volume control

adjusts the level at this jack.

Additional CV control:

The

VOLUME

jack on the side panel is a CV input for external control of the

The jack accepts

a positive control voltage from 0 to 5 Volts, or an expression pedal like the Moog EP-1. A voltage of 0 volts

silences the LP, and a voltage of 5 volts corresponds to the output level set by the Volume control.

The headphone volume can be scaled using the System Utilities

and your desired Output Volume setting.

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

The Little Phatty has a 37-note keyboard (3 octaves,

tons, the keyboard has a playable range of 7 octaves.

The keyboard produces velocity control voltages, and

transmits MIDI Note On and Note Off messages poly-

To the left of the keyboard is the Left Hand

Wheel controls.

This spring-loaded control affects the pitch of both oscillators.

The amount of pitch bend can be set for

each direction (UP/DOWN) independently via the Advanced Preset Menu (see page 31) and saved in each

This control sets the amount of modulation that is sent to the modulation destination of the Modulation

sound. As you explore the presets, don’t forget to try the Modulation Wheel to hear this added effect on

the sound.

the key to breathing musical life into your performances. For example, a small amount of

or it can control something less expected, like EG-swept oscillator sync. Although the

actual performance technique with these controls is beyond the scope of this manual, we

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

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LP User’s Manual - The Components

The Side Panel provides all of the input and

output connects. In addition to the Audio Out-

for MIDI, and the power connector and power

switch.

This is a standard AC power inlet, Use only a power cord designed to mate with this receptacle. The Little

– Do not alter the power connector in any way. Doing so can

Audio IN:

The Audio In jack allows an external audio source to be mixed with the LP’s VCOs, and then routed to the

 lter for processing. The LP has no provisions for adjusting the level of this input, it must be controlled ex-

ternally. The audio input is designed to distor t as the level of the external audio gets very high, adding color

to the sound.

Audio OUT:

The Audio Out jack provides an unbalanced line-level signal for connecting to an ampli er or mixer.

These are connections for MIDI In and Out. There is no MIDI thru function.

The Pitch, Filter and Volume CV jacks supply power and will accept an expression pedal such as the

–5 to +5 Volts.

The KB Gate Input accepts a footswitch (a momentary, normally-closed footswitch like the

To hear the external audio signal without having to hold down a key on the keyboard, plug a

dummy plug (or a patch cord with nothing connected to the other end) into the KB Gate jack.

This will leave the keyboard gate open, and the volume envelope will remain at its Sustain

turn the envelope Decay parameter down below 12:00 in order for the Sustain level to remain

constant. If you notice that the volume of the external signal begins to slowly fade away, check

to be sure the envelope Decay parameters are not set too high.

2. The LP’s Audio Input is not limited to processing monophonic signals - it can work well for

Audio In jack. Now you have a POLYPHONIC source that is being affected by the LP’s Filter,

Overload and EGR circuits.

Page 20

+ 41 hidden pages

Moog Stage Edition, Little Phatty User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual