Novation UltraNova User Manual

Important Safety InStructIonS

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Clean only with dry cloth.

6. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliﬁers) that produce heat.

7. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

8. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

9. Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

10. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

11. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

12. Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

No naked ﬂames, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.

WARNING: Excessive sound pressure levels from earphones and headphones can cause hearing loss.

WARNING: This equipment must only be connected to USB 1.0 , 1.1 or 2.0 type reports.

envIronmental DeclaratIon

Compliance Information Statement: Declaration of Compliance procedure

Product Identiﬁcation: Novation UltraNova Responsible party: American Music and Sound Address: 5304 Derry Avenue #C Agoura Hills, CA 91301 Telephone: 800-994-4984

This device complies with part 15 of the FC C Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

For USA To the User:

1. Do not modify this unit! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modiﬁcations not expressly approved by Novation may void your authority, granted by the FC C, to use this product.

2. Important: This product satisﬁes FCC regulations when high quality shielded cables are used to connect with other equipment. Failure to use high quality shielded cables or to follow the installation instructions within this manual may cause magnetic interference with appliances such as radios and televisions and void your FCC authorization to use this product in the USA.

3. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful inter ference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful inter ference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures :

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that

• to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

For Canada To the User:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

RoHS Notice

Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited has conformed and [its/this] product[s] conform[s], where applicable, to the European Union’s Directive 2002/95/ EC on Restrictions of Hazardous Substances ( RoHS) as well as the following sections of California law which refer to RoHS, namely sections 25214.10, 25214.10.2, and 58012, Health and Safety Code; Section 42475.2, Public Resources Code.

Novation and Automap are registered trade marks of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. UltraNova is a trade mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited.

Sony/Philips Digital Interface (SPDIF) is a trade mark of Sony Corporation and Philips Electronics VST is a trade mark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH Audio Units (AU ) is a trade mark of Apple, Inc. RTAS is a trade marks of Avid, Inc.

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englISh.................2

DeutSch.............46

françaIS............91

FA0424-01

contentS

Introduction ...................................................................................................3

Key Features: ..................................................................................................................3

About this manual .......................................................................................................... 3

What’s in the box? .......................................................................................3

Power requirements ....................................................................................3

Hardware Overview .....................................................................................4

Top view - controls ......................................................................................................... 4

Rear view – connec tions .............................................................................................. 5

Getting Started .............................................................................................6

Standalone and computer operation – a foreword ............................................. 6

Standalone operation – audio and MIDI connections ....................................... 6

Using headphones ........................................................................................................ 6

A word about Menu Navigation .................................................................................6

Scrolling through Patches .........................................................................7

Searching through Categories .................................................................7

Comparing patches .....................................................................................7

Storing a Patch ............................................................................................7

Entering patch name (Page 1).................................................................................... 7

Saving a patch (Page 2) ...............................................................................................8

Updating the UltraNova’s Operating System (PC) .............................................. 8

Synthesis Tutorial .........................................................................................8

Pitch .................................................................................................................................... 8

Tone .................................................................................................................................... 8

Volume ............................................................................................................................... 9

The Oscillators And Mixer ...........................................................................................9

Envelopes And Ampliﬁer .............................................................................................11

LFOs.................................................................................................................................... 12

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 12

UltraNova signal ﬂow diagram .................................................................12

Synth Edit section ........................................................................................13

Hardware Navigation ....................................................................................................13

Oscillators 1, 2 and 3 ...................................................................................13

Per-oscillator parameters (Page 1) .......................................................................... 13

Per-oscillator parameters (Page 2) .......................................................................... 14

Common Oscillator parameters ................................................................................14

The Mixer ........................................................................................................14

Mixer parameters (Page 1) ..........................................................................................14

Mixer parameters (Page 2 ) .........................................................................................15

Filters 1 and 2 ................................................................................................16

Per-ﬁlter parameters ( Page 1) ...................................................................................16

Common Filter parameters (Page 2 ) .......................................................................17

Voices ...............................................................................................................18

Envelopes .......................................................................................................19

Envelope 1 (Amplitude) parameters (Page 1) ......................................................19

Envelope 1 (Amplitude) parameters (Page 2) ......................................................20

Common Envelope Parameter ................................................................................... 21

Envelope 2 (Filter) parameters ( Page 1) ................................................................ 21

Envelope 2 (Filter) parameters ( Page 2) ................................................................ 22

Common Envelope Parameter ................................................................................... 22

Envelopes 3 to 6 parameters ( Page 1) .................................................................... 22

Envelope 3 parameters (Page 2) ............................................................................... 23

Common Envelope Parameter ................................................................................... 23

LFOs .................................................................................................................23

LFO 1 parameters ( Page 1) .........................................................................................23

LFO 1 parameters ( Page 2) ......................................................................................... 25

The Modulation Matrix ...............................................................................25

Modulation Matrix Menu .............................................................................................25

Control Section .............................................................................................26

The Animate controls .................................................................................................... 26

Tweak Controls ...............................................................................................................26

Touched/Filter Knob ..................................................................................................... 27

The Filter button ............................................................................................................. 27

The Lock button .............................................................................................................. 27

The Arpeggiator ............................................................................................27

The Chorder ....................................................................................................28

Effects (FX) ....................................................................................................28

FX Menu Page 1 – Panning ......................................................................................... 28

FX Menu Page 2 – Routing .........................................................................................29

FX Menu Page 3 – FX Level controls....................................................................... 29

FX Menu Page 4 – FX parameters ............................................................................ 30

EQ Menu ............................................................................................................................ 30

Compressor Menu .........................................................................................................30

Distortion Menu .............................................................................................................. 31

Delay Menu....................................................................................................................... 31

Reverb Menu .................................................................................................................... 32

Chorus Menu ................................................................................................................... 32

Gator Menu ......................................................................................................................33

The Vocoder ...................................................................................................34

Automap

® .................................................................................................................................................................................. 35

Using the UltraNova as a software controller ......................................................35

Audio Menu Page 1 – Inputs ....................................................................................... 35

Audio Routing in the UltraNova ...............................................................35

Audio Menu Page 2 – Headphones .......................................................................... 36

Audio Menu Page 3 – Outputs 1 and 2, and Host source .................................. 36

Audio Menu Page 4 – Outputs 3 and 4 .................................................................... 36

Audio Menu Page 5 – SPDIF Output ........................................................................ 37

Global settings ..............................................................................................37

Global Menu Page 1 – MIDI and other settings ...................................................37

Global Menu Page 2 – Tuning, Velocity, sampling frequency and footswitch 37

Global Menu Page 3 – Clock ...................................................................................... 38

Global Menu Page 4 – Patch transfer ...................................................................... 38

Global Menu Page 5 – Global and Audio settings dump ..................................39

Global Menu Page 6 – Calibration ............................................................................ 39

Global Menu Page 7 – OS Transmit.......................................................................... 39

Waveform Table ............................................................................................40

Sync Values Table ........................................................................................40

LFO Waveform Table ...................................................................................41

Modulation Matrix Sources Table ...........................................................41

Modulation Matrix Destination Table ....................................................42

Tweak Parameters........................................................................................42

Filter Table ......................................................................................................44

Arp Pattern Table .........................................................................................44

Gator Modes Table .......................................................................................44

Effects Type Table ........................................................................................44

IntroDuctIon

Thank you for purchasing the UltraNova synthesizer. The UltraNova is a powerful digital synthesizer equally at home in live performance or a recording environment. NOTE:The UltraNova is capable of generating audio with a large dynamic range, the extremes of which can cause damage to loudspeakers or other components, and also to your hearing

Key Features:

• Full polyphony, with up to 20 voices

• Classic analogue synth waveforms

• 36 wavetables

• 14 ﬁlter types

• Built-in digital FX section with compression, panning, EQ, reverb, delay, distortion, chorus and Gator effects

• 12-band Vocoder with dynamic gooseneck microphone (supplied)

• 37-note velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch

• Full MIDI Automap integration

• LCD display with 8 touch-sensitive, rotary multi-function controls

• 2-in/4-out USB audio interface (Sound Card) The following features are available in conjunction with the appropriate UltraNova/Novation software (downloadable):

• Automap - plug-in control of MIDI devices and Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs).

• UltraNova Editor (VST

, AUTM, RTASTM plug-in) for DAW

• Mac/Windows-based librarian software for management of patches

About this manual

We don’t know whether you’ve got years of experience with electronic keyboards, or if this is your very ﬁrst synth. In all probability, you’re somewhere between the two. So we’ve tried to make this manual as helpful as possible for all types of user, and this inevitably means that more experienced users will want to skip over certain parts of it, while relative novices will want to avoid certain parts of it until they’re conﬁdent they’ve mastered the basics.

However, there are a few general points that are useful to know about before you continue reading this manual. We’ve adopted some graphical conventions within the text, which we hope all types of user will ﬁnd helpful in navigating through the information to ﬁnd what they need to know quickly:

Abbreviations, conventions, etc.

As the eight rotary encoders are referred to repeatedly throughout the manual, we’ve abbreviated them to REn, where n is a number between 1 and 8, referring to the encoder in question.

Where top panel controls or rear panel connectors are referred to, we’ve used a number thus: [x] to cross-reference to the top panel diagram, and thus: {x} to cross-refernce to the rear panel diagram. ( See pages4 and 5)

We’ve used BOLD CAPS to name top panel controls or rear panel connectors. We’ve used LC D dot-m atrix text to denote text which appears on the LCD at the beginning of each parameter description and within the parameter tables, but Bold to indicate this text within the main manual paragraphs.

Tips

These do what it says on the tin: we include bits of advice, relevant to the topic being discussed that should simplify setting up the UltraNova to do what you want. It’s not mandatory that you follow them, but generally they should make life easier.

Extra Info

These are additions to the text that will be of interest to the more advanced user and can generally be avoided by the novice. They are intended to provide a clariﬁcation or explanation of a particular area of operation.

What’S In the box?

The UltraNova has been carefully packed in the factory and the packaging was designed to withstand rough handling. Should the unit appear to have been damaged in transit, do not discard any of the packing material and notify your music dealer. Save all the packing materials for future use if you ever need to ship the unit again.

Please check the list below against the contents of the packaging. If any items are missing or damaged, contact the Novation dealer or distributor where you purchased the unit.

• UltraNova synthesizer

• Gooseneck microphone

• DC power supply unit (PSU)

• Easy Start Guide

• This manual

• USB cable

• Automap PRO unlock code

• Warranty Registration card

poWer reQuIrementS

The UltraNova is shipped with a 12 V DC, 1250 mA power supply. The centre pin of the coaxial conector is the positive (+ve) side of the supply. The UltraNova can either be powered by this AC-to-DC mains adaptor, or by the USB connection to a computer. The PSU comes with detachable adaptors to ﬁt sockets in most countries; when powering the UltraNova from the mains PSU, please ensure that your local AC supply is within the range of voltages required by the adaptor – i.e., 100 to 240 VAC - BEFORE you plug it into the mains.

We strongly recommend that you only use the supplied PSU. Failure to do so will invalidate your warranty. Power supplies for your Novation product can be purchased form your music dealer if you have lost yours.

If powering the UltraNova via the USB connection you should be aware that although the USB speciﬁcation agreed by the IT industry states that a USB por t should be able to supply 0.5 A at 5V, some computers - particularly laptops - are

unable to supply this current. Unreliable operation of the synth will result in such a case. When powering the UltraNova from a laptop’s USB port, it is strongly recommended that the laptop is powered from AC mains rather than its internal battery.

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Top view - controls

[1] 37-note (3 octaves) keyboard with velocity and aftertouch sensing. [2] PITCH and MOD wheels. The PITCH wheel is mechanically biased to return to the centre position when released. [3] 2-row x 72-character LCD dot matrix display. For most menus, the display is divided into eight zones from left to right, with each zone corresponding to one of the rotary encoders [5 ].

CONTROL sec tion

[4] PAGE BACK and NEXT buttons: these are used to step forwards and backwards between menu pages. They illuminate to indicate that additional pages are available. They have no function if the current menu only has one page. [5] Rotary encoders – 8 touch-sensitive, detented rotary controls for parameter selection. Touching each control selects a parameter for adjustment, the parameters being indicated in the upper row of the LCD display [3] immediately below it. Multiple parameters may be be selected for simultaneous adjustment if wished. (Use of a rotary encoder in the manual text is indicated by ‘REn’, where n is the number of the encoder; e.g. ‘RE1’ refers to rotary encoder 1). The touch sensitivity of the conductive knobs is also used to make them active touch controllers, and envelope re-triggering and other effects can be performed by simply touching the knobs. [6] VALUE + and – buttons: These adjust the value of the currently-selected parameter – as indicated by the LED below the encoder in use – either up or down. The parameter value is indicated in the lower row of the LCD display. [7] Automap controls: the LEARN, VIEW, USER, FX, INST and MIXER buttons are used, in conjunction with the rotary encoders, with Novation’s Automap software (see [26]). [8] LOCK and FILTER buttons: these operate in conjunction with the TOUCHED/FILTER knob [9]. FILTER assigns the knob to control the cut-off frequency of Filter 1; LOCK ﬁxes the function of the knob to the last touched parameter. [9] TOUCHED/FILTER: this is a large, touch-sensitive, “smooth-action” control intended to aid more expressive performance when playing live. It either duplicates the action of the last-touched rotary encoder, or, if the FILTER button [8] has been pressed, Filter 1’s frequency.

SYNTH EDIT section

The buttons in the Synth Edit area of the control panel are laid out in logical order of sound generation and treatment.

[10] SELECT K and J buttons: several of the main synth blocks are duplicated: there are 3 oscillators, 6 envelope generators, 5 FX blocks, 3 LFOs and 2 ﬁlters. Each block has its own menu, and the SELECT buttons let you select which block is to be controlled. The 1 to 6 LEDs alongside indicate the block currently selected. [11] OSCILLATOR button: opens an Oscillator Menu (two pages). The UltraNova has 3 oscillators, and the oscillator to be controlled can be chosen with the SELEC T K and J buttons. [12] MIXE R button: opens the Mixer Menu (two pages). [13] FILTER button: opens a Filter Menu (two pages). The UltraNova has 2 ﬁlters, each with its own menu. The ﬁlter to be controlled is selected with the SELECT K and J buttons. [14] VOICE button: opens the Voice Menu (one page). [15] ENVELOPE button; opens an Envelope Menu ( two pages). The UltraNova has 6 envelope generators, each with its own menu. The envelope generator to be controlled is selected with the SELECT K and J buttons. [16] LFO button: opens an LFO Menu (two pages). The UltraNova has 3 LFOs (low frequency oscillators), each with its own menu. The LFO to be controlled is selected with the SELECT K and J buttons. The set of 3 dedicated LEDs adjacent to the LFO button blink to indicate the current frequency of each LFO. [17] MODULATION button: opens the Modulation Menu (one page). [18] EFFECT button: opens an Effects (FX) Menu (four pages). The UltraNova has 5 FX sections and the section to be controlled can be chosen with the Select K and J buttons. [19] VOCODER button: opens the Vocoder Menu (one page). An LED illuminates when the Vocoder is active. [20] ARP controls: the ON, SETTINGS and LATCH buttons control the UltraNova’s Arpeggiator functions. The Arp Menu (one page) is displayed by pressing the SETTINGS button, the ON button enables/disables the arpeggiator and the

4 5

21 22

2829

11 12 13 14

LATCH button applies the arpeggiator effect to the last note(s) played continuously, until a subsequent key is pressed. LATCH can be pre-selected so that it is effective as soon as the Arpeggiator is enabled. [21] CHORD controls: the UltraNova lets you play a chord with a single keyboard note. The ON button enables the Chorder function; the EDIT button opens the Chord Edit Menu, from where chord deﬁnition and transposition can be performed. [22] Animate controls: the TWE AK and TOUCH buttons enable alternative modes of the eight rotar y encoders, allowing them to be used dynamically in performance. TWE AK lets you set up a custom “control panel” of sound parameters for each patch that you use, so that you can readily access those most needed; TOUCH activates the encoders’ touch sensitivity, letting you introduce pre-programmed alterations to your sound just by touching a knob.

MODE /SOUND controls

[23] Patch controls : the PATCH BROWSE button, together with the COMPARE and WRITE buttons, lets you audition the UltraNova’s stored patches, compare them with the current synth settings (par ticularly useful when modifying sounds) and overwrite the patch with the current settings if wished. [24] PATCH SELECT/SPEED DIAL rotary control: used in patch selection. Note that this control has a push as well as a rotary function. [25] SYNTH BUTTON: this puts the UltraNova into Synth mode, enabling the internal sound generation and sound card functions. [26] AUTOMAP BUTTON: Automap mode is the alternative to Synth mode, and effectively disables the synthesizer control functions, allowing the UltraNova to act as an Automap controller for plug-ins and DAWs. Use of this function requires Novation’s Automap software package. Note that the synthesiser will still output audio when triggered by MIDI from your DAW software.

GLOBAL controls

[27] Dynamic Mic Input : an XLR socket for the connection of the supplied gooseneck microphone, or alternative dynamic microphone (i.e. a mic not requiring phantom power to operate). The mic signal can be routed to the vocoder, mixed internally with the synth and routed to the audio outputs. Additionally the mic input may be routed directly to the DAW using the internal sound card. This input is overridden when a jack plug is plugged in to Input 1 [11] on the rear panel. [28] MONITOR : this rotary control adjusts the balance between audio from the Host (PC or Mac, if connected) and the combined audio from the synth and audio inputs. [29] MASTER VOLUME: the level control for the main audio outputs (and also for the headphone output if the default setting for headphone level control in the Audio Menu is retained.) [30 ] AUDIO BUT TON : opens the Audio Menu (seven pages), allowing audio routing and level adjustments to be made. [31] GLOBAL BUTTON: opens the Global Menu (seven pages). [32] OCTAVE + and – buttons: these two buttons transpose the keyboard up or down one octave each time they are pressed, to a maximum of ﬁve octaves down or four octaves up. When both LEDs are off (the default state), the lowest note on the keyboard is one octave

Middle C

2 3

Rear view – connections

{1} DC power connector: standard 2.2 mm socket for connecting the external 12 V DC PSU (supplied). See page 3. {2} On/off switch: 3-position switch:

POSITION ACTION

Left Enables external 12 V DC input [1]

Centre Off

Right Enables power via USB port [3]

{3} USB port : Type B USB 1.1 (USB 2.0-compatible) socket for connection to PC or Mac {4} MIDI connectors: standard MIDI In/Out/Thru sockets (5-pin DINs) {5} Sustain pedal socket: 2-pole (mono) ¼” jack socket for connection of a sustain pedal. Both NO and NC pedal types are compatible; if the pedal is connected when the UltraNova is powered on, the type will be automatically sensed during boot-up (provided your foot is not on the pedal! ). {6} Expression pedal socket: 3-pole (stereo) ¼” jack socket for connection of an expression pedal. A full list of supported pedals can be found on the Novation answerbase at w ww.novationmusic.com /answerbase {7} SPDIF output: phono socket (RCA jack) carrying digital version of main outputs 1 & 2 in S-PDIF format. {8} Headphone socket: 3-pole ¼” jack socket for stereo headphones. Phones volume and mix can be adjusted independently from the Audio menu.

{9} Aux Outputs 3 & 4: 2 x ¼” jack sockets. Outputs are unbalanced, at +6 dBu maximum level. {10} Main outputs 1 & 2 : 2 x ¼” jack sockets carrying main stereo output. Outputs are unbalanced, at +6 dBu maximum level. {11} Input 2 : ¼” jack socket for ex ternal mic or line level audio inputs. The signal at Input 2 may be mixed internally with Input 1 using the Audio Menu. Inputs are balanced, and can accept a maximum input level of +2 dBu. {12} Input 1: ¼” jack socket for external mic or line level audio inputs. This input overrides an XLR connector plugged into the Dynamic Mic Input [27] on the top panel. Inputs are balanced, and can accept a maximum input level of +2 dBu. {13} Kensington Lock Port : to secure your synthesizer.

gettIng StarteD

Standalone and computer operation – a foreword

The UltraNova may be used as a standalone synthesizer, with or without MIDI connections to/from other sound modules or keyboards. It may also be connected - via its USB port - to a computer (Windows or Mac) running a DAW application. The UltraNova can then be controlled entirely from the computer by using the UltraNova Editor plug-in. The UltraNova Librarian is a separate software application which greatly assists in the organising, saving and recall of patches.

The methods of connecting the UltraNova to accommodate the various methods of working are covered in the documentation supplied with the UltraNova Editor and UltraNova Librarian software packages. The Installers for this software, and the related USB drivers may be downloaded from

http://novationmusic.com/support /ultranova.

Standalone operation – audio and MIDI connections

The simplest and quickest way of getting started with the UltraNova is to connect the two rear panel jack sockets marked Master Output 1 and 2 {10} to the inputs of a stereo ampliﬁ er, audio mixer, powered speakers, third-party computer sound card or other means of monitoring the output.

If using the UltraNova with other sound modules, connect MIDI OUT {4} on the UltraNova to MIDI IN on the ﬁ rst sound module, and daisy-chain further modules in the usual way. If using the UltraNova with a master keyboard, connect the controller’s MIDI OUT to MIDI IN on the UltraNova, and ensure that the master keyboard is set to MIDI channel 1 (the UltraNova’s default channel).

With the ampliﬁ er or mixer off or muted, connect the AC adaptor to the UltraNova {1}, and plug it into the AC mains. Turn the UltraNova on by moving the rear panel switch {2} to E xt DC. During power-up the display shows the ﬁ rmware version number for a few seconds:

after which the Patch Menu appears:

Turn on the mixer/ampliﬁ er/powered speakers, and set the Monitor Balance [28] to 12 o’clock, and turn up the Master Volume control [29 ] until you have a healthy sound level from the speakers when you play the keyboard.

Using headphones

Instead of speakers via an ampliﬁ er and /or an audio mixer, you may wish to use a pair of stereo headphones. These may be plugged into the rear panel headphone output socket {8}. The main outputs are still active when headphones are plugged in.

NOTE : The UltraNova headphone ampliﬁ er is capable of outputting a high signal level please take care when setting the output level.

The factory default setting for headphones’ level is for their volume to be controlled by the Master Volume control. However, it is possible to set the headphones’ level independently; although the Audio Menu is discussed in detail later in the manual, it may be useful to know how to do this now. Press the AUDIO button [30] to open the Audio Menu, then press the PAGE NEXT button [4] to access the Headphone Page:

Turning RE1 anticlockwise changes the Headphone Level Control setting to Us e Level and Balan ce 1+2/3 +4. Then the headphone level can be adjusted independently of the main outputs with RE6 (and any balance between synth sounds and inputs with RE7).

A word about Menu Navigation

The UltraNova has been designed to give the player maximum control over sound character and system operation with the minimum of hassle. All the main menus are selected by a single press on a dedicated button; for example, pressing the OSCILLATOR button will always open the Oscillator Menu regardless of whereabouts in the menu system you might currently be. There is no need to “back up” or “Exit” any menu, you can always go directly from one menu to another with a single button press.

Several of the synth processing blocks - such as the Oscillator and Envelope Menus – are duplicated; for example, there are 3 separate oscillators, each with its own menu. When you re-select a menu for such a multiple block, it will open at the one you last used. For example, if you adjust parameters of Envelope 4, then go to another menu to adjust some other parameters, and then press the ENVELOPE button again, the Envelope Menu will re-open with the parameters for Envelope 4 visible. The same principle applies to menus which have multiple pages – UltraNova remembers which parameters you were last adjusting, and re-opens the menu at the last-used page.

Audio In

Audio Out

USB

UltraNova connected to a computer via USB. USB transmits audio and MIDI to and from the computer

Audio In

Audio Out

USB

FireWire/USB

UltraNova connected to computer soundcard via analogue audio outs. USB transmits MIDI to and from computer

MIDI In

Controller Keyboard

MIDI Out

Sound Modules

Novation UltraNova

Version 1.0.00

Novation UltraNova

Version 1.0.00

Patch Name

A000

Circuit Motion

COMPRES1 C1Ratio C1Thrsh C1Attack C1Rel C1Hold C1Gain

2.0 -20 0 64 32 127

DISTORT1 Dst1Type Dst1Comp Dst1Lvl

Diode 100 0

REVERB1 Rvb1Type Rvb1Dec

LrgHall 90

Off On 1 Off Set by Patch

TuneCent Transpse KbdVel VelResp DfltRate FootSwth Whlights

0 0 Curve 4 Medium 48KHz Auto On

ClockSource Clock} 120 BPM

Auto Status} Internal Clock

DUMP to Bank Patch Name Current OnePatch OneBank AllBanks USBport A 0 Init Program

DUMP to ^^

USBport GLOBALS & AUDIO

Calibrate BendWhl ModWhl Aftouch SetAftouch

Current O/S Transmit ^^

Current O/S Version 1.0.00

Startup O/S Version 1.0.00

0dB

Indept Off Off In2 -60

0dB 0 0

HeadPhones Level Control Level Balance 1+2/3+4 Follow master volume (1+2 only) 127 0

Note: the UltraNova is not a computer MIDI interface. MIDI can be transmitted between UltraNova synth and computer but MIDI cannot be transmitted to and from the UltraNova MIDI DIN ports from the computer.

ScrollIng through patcheS

Your UltraNova comes pre-loaded with a set of factor y patches, which may be auditioned from the opening Patch Menu. The opening Patch Menu can always be accessed by pressing the SYNTH button [25]. The patches are arranged as 4 banks (A to D), each with 127 patches (000 to 126). Rotate RE1 to scroll through the patches. The new sound is loaded as soon as the patch data shows in the display. Alternatively, the PATCH/BANK knob [24] can be used to dial through the whole set; in this case, rotate the PATCH/BANK knob to select the patch and push and rotate the knob select the bank. Note that the name of the patch is also displayed.

SearchIng through categorIeS

Apart from being arranged in 4 banks, the patches are also categorised for you according to the type of sound; this makes ﬁnding suitable sounds much easier. Each patch belongs to both a Genre and a Categor y; the Genre broadly indicates the musical area for which the patch might be suitable, the Category further subdivides the set by sonic characteristics. Press the PATCH BROWSE button [23 ], and the display below appears:

The display shows the location and name of the currently-selected patch. The default is for all patches to be available, because the Genre and Category search criteria are both set to ‘All’. RE8 and RE7 let you reduce the number of available patches by ﬁltering only those which belong to a selected Genre and/or Category respectively.

Once the ﬁlter criteria have been set, the reduced patch set can be browsed either in location order (the default), or by name, alphanumerically. This choice is set by RE5, which sets the ‘Find By’ parameter to either ‘A000-D127’ (location order) or ‘A-Z’ (alpha sort).

If there are no matches for the Genre/Category combination selected you will not be able to change the patch – try a dif ferent combination!

The Genres and Categories are listed below:

CATEGORY DISPLAY SHOWS:

Bass

Bell

Classic

Drum

Keyboard

Keyb oard

Lead

Movement

Move ment

Pad

Poly

SFX

String

External Input

ExtInput

Vocoder

Voco der

GENRE DISPLAY SHOWS:

Classic

Drum ‘n’ Bass/ Breaks

D&B/ Brks

House

Hous e

Industrial

Industri

Jazz

R ‘n’ B/ Hip Hop

R&B/ HHop

Rock and Pop

Rock/Po p

Techno

Dubstep

Dubst ep

comparIng patcheS

When editing stored patches to create new sounds it may be useful to compare the edited version with the original stored patch. This is achieved by using the COMPARE [23] button. Press the COMPARE button and play a key, and you will hear the original stored patch. Release the COMPARE button play the key again and you will hear the patch in its currently edited state. If you press the COMPAR E button while in any of the menu pages (except the Write menu), the stored patch parameters will be displayed. You can compare the currently edited patch with any preset stored in the UltraNova. This is useful when selecting a new location for the patch to be saved to. To do this, press the

WRITE [23] button twice to access page 2 of the Write menu. Using RE2 (Bank) and RE3 (Patch) select the stored patch that you want to compare. Pressing and holding the COMPARE button and a key will enable the stored patch to sound.

Note: If the WRITE button is pressed again (while in page 2 of the Write menu ), the currently edited patch will be saved in the location selected by RE2 and RE3. To avoid saving the edited patch press any other synth button to exit the Write menu (e.g., SYNTH [25]).

StorIng a patch

It is possible to store or write your own patches directly into the UltraNova without using the UltraNova Librarian sof tware application. The Write menu consists of two pages and both can be accessed by pressing the WR ITE [23] button. A third press of the WRITE button will store the preset. It is also possible to move between the pages using the PAGE

BACK and NEXT buttons [4].

Entering patch name (Page 1)

RE1: Not used.

RE2 : Cursor Position

This moves the cursor position up and down the text string for the purpose of editing characters.

RE3 : Charac ter select

Turning RE3 scrolls through the entire character set (A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and special characters). The location of the character being edited is determined by RE2.

RE4 : not used

RE5: Uppercase characters

The parameter scrolls through the uppercase character set ‘A’ to ‘Z’. The location of the character being edited is determined by RE2. Press the ﬂashing button directly below RE5 to enter the character and automatically increment the cursor to its next position.

RE6 : Lowercase characters

The parameter scrolls through the lowercase character set ‘a’ to ‘z’. The location of the character being edited is determined by RE2. Press the ﬂashing button directly below RE6 to enter the character and automatically increment the cursor to its next position.

RE7: Numerical characters

The parameter scrolls through the numerical character set ‘0’ to ‘9’. The location of the character being edited is determined by RE2. Press the ﬂashing button directly below RE7 to enter the character and automatically increment the cursor to its next position.

RE8: Punctuation and special charac ters

The parameter scrolls through a set of punctuation and special characters. The location of the character being edited is determined by RE2. Press the ﬂashing button directly below RE8 to enter the character and automatically increment the cursor to its next position.

0 0 0 64 64 64

DELAY1 Dly1Time Dly1Sync Dly1Fbck Dly1L/R Dly1Wdth DLy1Slew

64 Off 64 1/1 127 127

CHORUS1 Ch1Type Ch1Rate Ch1Sync Ch1Fbck Ch1Depth Ch1Delay

Chorus 20 Off +10 64 64

GATOR GtOn/Off GtLatch GtRSync GtKSync GtSlew GtDecay GtL/Rdel

On Off 16th On 16 64 0

GATOR GtMode EditGroup EEEE---- --------

Mono16 1 -------- --------

A000 Init Program

Patch Name Find By Category Genre

A000 Init Program A000-D127 All All

0 0 0 64 64 64

DELAY1 Dly1Time Dly1Sync Dly1Fbck Dly1L/R Dly1Wdth DLy1Slew

64 Off 64 1/1 127 127

CHORUS1 Ch1Type Ch1Rate Ch1Sync Ch1Fbck Ch1Depth Ch1Delay

Chorus 20 Off +10 64 64

GATOR GtOn/Off GtLatch GtRSync GtKSync GtSlew GtDecay GtL/Rdel

On Off 16th On 16 64 0

GATOR GtMode EditGroup EEEE---- --------

Mono16 1 -------- --------

A000 Init Program

Patch Name Find By Category Genre

A000 Init Program A000-D127 All All

PATCHSAVE Posng *------- -------- Upper Lower Number Punctuate

A o Init Program A a 0 space

Saving a patch (Page 2)

RE1: Not used.

RE2 : Bank selection

Use this control to select which bank (A ,B,C or D) the patch is to be written to.

RE3 : Patch position Use this control to select the patch destination number where the currently edited sound will be written to. The current destination patch name will be displayed under RE4 and RE5 for reference, although this will be overwritten with the new patch name if the patch is saved without changing the position.

Use the COMPARE button to listen to the patch selected by RE2 and RE3.

RE4 – RE5: Not used.

RE6 : Category select

Select a category for the new patch. See page 7 for the list of categories.

RE7: Genre select

Select a genre for the new patch. See page 7 for the list of available genres.

RE8: Not used.

To exit the Write menu press any other synth button (e.g., SYNTH [25]).

Note: A faster method of managing patches (writing, loading, renaming, reordering etc. ) is by using the downloadable UltraNova Librarian. This can be downloaded free of charge from

http://novationmusic.com/support /ultranova.

Updating the UltraNova’s Operating System (PC)

OS update ﬁles will be available from time to time at www.novationmusic.com/support/ultranova in the form of a MIDI SysE x ﬁle. The update procedure requires the UltraNova to be connected via USB to a computer which has ﬁrst had the necessary USB drivers installed. Full instructions on performing the update will be supplied with the download.

SyntheSIS tutorIal

This section covers the subject of sound generation in more detail and discusses the various basic features available in the UltraNova’s sound generation and processing blocks.

It is recommended that this chapter is read carefully if analogue sound synthesis is an unfamiliar subject. Users familiar with this subject can skip this chapter and move on to the next chapter.

To gain an understanding of how a synthesizer generates sound it is helpful to have an appreciation of the components that make up a sound, both musical and non-musical.

The only way that a sound may be detected is by air vibrating the eardrum in a regular, periodic manner. The brain interprets these vibrations (very accurately) into one of an inﬁnite number of different types of sound.

Remarkably, any sound may be described in terms of just three properties, and all sounds always have them. They are:

• Pitch

• Tone

• Volume

What makes one sound different from another is the relative magnitudes of the three properties as initially present in the sound, and how the properties change over the duration of the sound.

With a musical synthesizer, we deliberately set out to have precise control over these three properties and, in particular, how they can be changed during the “lifetime” of the sound. The properties are often given different names: Volume may be referred to as Amplitude, Loudness or Level, Pitch as Frequency and Tone as Timbre.

Pitch

As stated, sound is perceived by air vibrating the ear drum. The pitch of the sound is determined by how fast the vibrations are. For an adult human, the slowest vibration perceived as sound is about twenty times a second, which the brain interprets as a bass type sound; the fastest is many thousands of times a second, which the brain interprets as an high treble type sound.

If the number of peaks in the two waveforms (vibrations) are counted, it will be seen that there are exactly twice as many peaks in Wave B as in Wave A. (Wave B is actually an octave higher in pitch than Wave A). It is the number of vibrations in a given period that determines the pitch of a sound. This is the reason that pitch is sometimes referred to as frequency. It is the number of waveform peaks counted during a given period of time which deﬁnes the pitch, or frequency.

Tone

Musical sounds consist of several different, related pitches occurring simultaneously. The loudest is referred to as the ‘fundamental’ pitch and corresponds to the perceived note of the sound. Other pitches making up the sound which are related to the fundamental in simple mathematical ratios are called harmonics. The relative loudness of each harmonic as compared to the loudness of the fundamental determines the overall tone or ‘timbre’ of the sound.

Consider two instruments such as a harpsichord and a piano playing the same note on the keyboard and at equal volume. Despite having the same volume and pitch, the instruments still sound distinctly different. This is because the different note-making mechanisms of the two instruments generate different sets of harmonics; the harmonics present in a piano sound are different to those found in a harpsichord sound.

Time Time

A B

0 0 0 64 64 64

DELAY1 Dly1Time Dly1Sync Dly1Fbck Dly1L/R Dly1Wdth DLy1Slew

64 Off 64 1/1 127 127

CHORUS1 Ch1Type Ch1Rate Ch1Sync Ch1Fbck Ch1Depth Ch1Delay

Chorus 20 Off +10 64 64

GATOR GtOn/Off GtLatch GtRSync GtKSync GtSlew GtDecay GtL/Rdel

On Off 16th On 16 64 0

GATOR GtMode EditGroup EEEE---- --------

Mono16 1 -------- --------

A000 Init Program

Patch Name Find By Category Genre

A000 Init Program A000-D127 All All

PATCHSAVE Posng *------- -------- Upper Lower Number Punctuate

A o Init Program A a 0 space

PATCHSAVE Bank Patch Destination SaveCatg SaveGenre

Dest+C&G A 0 Init Program None None

Volume

Volume, which is often referred to as the amplitude or loudness of the sound is determined by how large the vibrations are. Very simply, listening to a piano from a metre away would sound louder than if it were ﬁfty metres away.

Having shown that just three elements may deﬁne any sound, these elements now have to be related to a Musical synthesizer. It is logical that a dif ferent section of the Synthesizer ‘synthesizes’ (or creates) these different elements.

One section of the synthesizer, the Oscillators, provide raw waveform signals which deﬁne the pitch of the sound along with its raw harmonic content (tone). These signals are then mixed together in a section called the Mixer, and the resulting mixture is then fed into a section called the Filter. This makes further alterations to the tone of the sound, by removing (ﬁltering) or enhancing certain of the harmonics. Lastly, the ﬁltered signal is fed into the Ampliﬁer, which determines the ﬁnal volume of the sound.

Additional synthesizer sections - LFOs and Envelopes - provide further ways of altering the pitch, tone and volume of a sound by interacting with the Oscillators, Filter and Ampliﬁer, providing changes in the character of the sound which can evolve over time. Because LFOs’ and Envelopes’ only purpose is to control (modulate) the other synthesizer sections, they are commonly known as ‘modulators’.

These various synthesizer sections will now be covered in more detail.

The Oscillators And Mixer

The Oscillator is really the heartbeat of the Synthesizer. It generates an electronic wave (which creates the vibrations when eventually fed to a loudspeaker). This Waveform is produced at a controllable musical pitch, initially determined by the note played on the keyboard or contained in a received MIDI note message. The initial distinctive tone or timbre of the waveform is actually determined by the waveform’s shape.

Many years ago, pioneers of musical synthesis discovered that just a few distinctive waveforms contained many of the most useful harmonics for making musical sounds. The names of these waves reﬂect their actual shape when viewed on an instrument called an Oscilloscope, and these are: Sine waves, Square waves, Sawtooth waves, Triangle waves and Noise.

Each waveform shape (except noise) has a speciﬁc set of musically-related harmonics which can be manipulated by further sections of the synthesizer.

The diagrams below show how these waveforms look on an oscilloscope, and illustrate the relative levels of their harmonics. Remember, it is the relative levels of the various harmonics present in a waveform which determine the tone of the ﬁnal sound.

Sine Waves

These possess just a single harmonic. A sine waveform produces the “purest” sound because it only has its single pitch (frequency).

Triangle Waves

These contain only odd harmonics. The volume of each decreases as the square of its position in the harmonic series. For example, the 5th harmonic has a volume 1/25th of the volume of the fundamental.

Sawtooth Waves

These are rich in harmonics, and containing both even and odd harmonics of the fundamental frequency. The volume of each is inversely proportional to its position in the harmonic series.

Square / Pulse Waves

These only have odd harmonics, which are at the same volume as the odd harmonics in a sawtooth wave. It will be noticed that the square waveform spends equal amounts of time in its ‘high’ state and its ‘low’ state. This ratio is known as the ‘duty cycle’. A square wave always has a duty cycle of 50% which means it is ‘high’ for half the cycle and ‘low’ for the other half. In the Ultranova, it is possible to adjust the duty cycle of the basic square waveform to produce a waveform which is more ‘rectangular’ in shape. These are often known as Pulse waveforms. As the waveform becomes more and more rectangular, more even harmonics are introduced and the waveform changes its character, becoming more ‘nasal’ sounding.

The width of the pulse waveform (the ‘Pulse Width’) can be altered dynamically by a modulator, which results in the harmonic content of the waveform constantly changing. This can give the waveform a very ‘fat’ quality when the pulse width is altered at a moderate rate.

It does not make any difference to how a pulse waveform sounds whether the duty cycle is 40% or 60% , since the waveform is just “inverted” and the harmonic content is exactly the same.

Volume

A B

Oscillators Mixer Filter Amplifier

Volume

Harmonic

Sine Wave

Volume

Harmonic

1 3 5 7

Triangle Wave

Sawtooth Wave

Volume

Harmonic

1 2 3 4 5

Square Wave

Volume

Harmonic

1 2 3 4 5

50%

40%

10%

60%

Noise Waves

Volume

1 2 3 4 5

These are basically random signals, and have no one fundamental frequency (and therefore no pitch proper ty). All frequencies are at the same volume. Because they possess no pitch, noise signals are often useful for creating sound effects and percussion type sounds.

Digital Waveforms

In addition to the traditional types of Oscillator waveforms detailed above, the UltraNova also offers a set of carefully selected, digitally-generated waveforms containing useful harmonic elements normally difﬁcult to produce using traditional Oscillators.

Wavetables

A “wavetable” is essentially a group of digital waveforms. The UltraNova’s 36 wavetables each contain 9 separate digital waveforms. The beneﬁt of a wavetable is that consecutive waveforms in the wavetable can be blended. Some of the UltraNova’s wavetables contain waveforms with similar harmonic content, while others contain waveforms with greatly differing harmonic content. Wavetables come alive when the ‘wavetable index’ – the position within the wavetable - is modulated, resulting in a sound that continually changes character, either smoothly or abruptly.

9 Waves make up a wave table

Ring Modulation

A Ring Modulator is a sound generator that takes signals from two of the UltraNova’s osclillators and effectively “multiplies” them together. The Ultranova has 2 Ring Modulators, one takes Osc 1 and Osc 3 as inputs, and the other takes Osc 2 and Osc 3. The resulting output depends on the various frequencies and harmonic content present in each of the two oscillator signals, and will consist of a series of sum and difference frequencies as well as the frequencies present in the original signals.

The Mixer

To extend the range of sounds that may be produced, typical analogue synthesizers have more than one Oscillator. By using multiple Oscillators to create a sound, it is possible to achieve very interesting harmonic mixes. It is also possible to slightly detune individual Oscillators against each other, which creates a very warm, ‘fat’ sound. The UltraNova’s Mixer allows mixing of three independent Oscillators, a separate Noise Oscillator and two Ring Modulator sources.

The Filter

The Ultranova is a subtractive music synthesizer. Subtractive implies that part of the sound is subtracted somewhere in the synthesis process.

The Oscillators provide the raw waveforms with plenty of harmonic content and the Filter section subtracts some of the harmonics in a controlled manner.

14 types of Filter are available on the UltraNova, though these are varieties of three basic ﬁlter types: Low Pass, Band Pass and High Pass. The type of Filter most commonly found on synthesizers is the Low Pass type. With a Low Pass Filter, a cut-off point (or cut-off frequency) is chosen and any frequencies below the point are passed, and frequencies above are ﬁltered out. The setting of the Filter Frequency parameter dictates the point below which frequencies are removed. This process of removing harmonics from the waveforms has the effect of changing the sound’s character or timbre. When the Frequency parameter is at maximum, the ﬁlter is completely “open” and no frequencies are removed from the raw Oscillator waveforms.

In practice, there is a gradual (rather than a sudden) reduction in the volume of the harmonics above the cut-off point of a Low Pass Filter. How rapidly these harmonics reduce in volume as frequency increases above the cut-off point is determined by the Filter’s slope. The slope is measured in ‘volume units per octave’. Since Volume is measured in decibels, this slope is usually quoted as so many decibels per octave (dB/oct). Typical values are 12 dB/oct and 24 dB /oct. The higher the number, the greater the rejection of harmonics above the cut-off point, and the more pronounced the ﬁltering effect.

A further important parameter of the Filter is its Resonance. Frequencies at the cut-off point may be increased in volume by the Filter Resonance control. This is useful for emphasizing certain harmonics of the sound.

As Resonance is increased, a whistling-like quality will be introduced to the sound passing through the ﬁlter. When set to very high levels, Resonance actually causes the ﬁlter to self

- oscillate whenever a signal is being passed through it. The resulting whistling tone being produced is actually a pure sine wave, the pitch of which depends on the setting of the Frequency knob (the ﬁlter’s cut-off point). This resonance-produced sine wave can actually be used for some sounds as an additional sound source if wished.

The diagram below shows the response of a typical low pass ﬁlter. Frequencies above the cut-off point are reduced in volume.

When resonance is added, frequencies at the cut off point are boosted in volume.

OSC 1

OSC 3

OSC 1

OSC 1 VOLUME

OSC 2 VOLUME

OSC 3 VOLUME

COMPLEX WAVEFORM MIX OF OSC1, 2 AND 3

MIXE R

INPUT TO FILTER

OSC 2

OSC 3

Volume

Frequency

Cutoff

Frequency

Volume

Frequency

Cutoff

Frequency

In addition to the traditional Low Pass Filter type, there are also High Pass and Band Pass types. The type of Filter used is selected with the Filter Type parameter.

A High Pass Filter is similar to a Low Pass Filter, but works in the “opposite sense”, so that frequencies below the cut-off point are removed. Frequencies above the cut-off point are passed. When the Filter Frequency parameter is set to zero, the ﬁlter is completely open and no frequencies are removed from the raw Oscillator waveforms.

Volume

Frequency

Cutoff

Frequency

When a Band Pass Filter is used, only a narrow band of frequencies centered around the cut- off point are passed. Frequencies above and below the band are removed. It is not possible to fully open this type of Filter, and allow all frequencies to pass.

Envelopes And Ampliﬁer

In earlier paragraphs, the synthesis of the pitch and the timbre of a sound were described. The next part of the Synthesis Tutorial describes how the volume of the sound is controlled. The volume of a note created by a musical instrument often varies greatly over the duration of the note, according to the type of instrument.

For example, a note played on an Organ quickly attains full volume when a key is pressed. It stays at full volume until the key is released, at which point the volume level falls instantly to zero.

A Piano note quickly attains full volume after a key is pressed, and gradually falls in volume to zero after several seconds, even if the key is held.

A String Section emulation only attains full volume gradually when a key is pressed. It remains at full volume while the key is held down, but once the key is released, the volume falls zero fairly slowly.

In an analogue synthesizer, changes to a sound’s character which occur over the duration of a note are controlled by a section called an Envelope Generator. The UltraNova has 6

Envelope Generators (called Env 1 to Env 6). Env 1 is always related to an Ampliﬁer, which controls the note’s amplitude – i.e., the volume of the sound - when the note is played.

Each envelope generator has four main controls which are used to adjust the shape of the envelope.

Attack Time

Adjusts the time it takes after a key is pressed for the volume to climb from zero to full volume. It can be used to create a sound with a slow fade-in.

Decay Time

Adjusts the time it takes for the volume to fall from its initial full volume to the level set by the Sustain control while a key is held down.

Sustain Level

This is unlike the other Envelope controls in that it sets a level rather than a period of time. It sets the volume level that the envelope remains at while the key is held down, af ter the Decay Time has expired.

Release Time

Adjusts the time it takes for the volume to fall from the Sustain level to zero once the key is released. It can be used to create sounds that have a “fade-out” quality.

A typical synthesizer will have one or more envelopes. One envelope is always applied to the ampliﬁer to shape the volume of each note played. Additional envelopes can be used to dynamically alter other sections of the synthesizer during the lifetime of each note. The UltraNova’s second Envelope Generator (Env 2) is used to modify the ﬁlter cut-off frequency over the lifetime of a note.

Volume

Frequency

Cutoff

Frequency

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

ATTACK DECAY R ELEASE

SUSTAIN

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

In the UltraNova, Envelope Generators 3 to 6 can be used for special purposes, such as Modulating the Wavetable index or FX levels.

LFOs

Like the Envelope Generators, the LFO section of a synthesizer is a Modulator. Thus instead of being a part of the sound synthesis itself, it is used to change (or modulate ) other sections of the synthesizer. For example, an LFO can be used to alter Oscillator pitch, or Filter cutoff frequency.

Most musical instruments produce sounds that vary over time both in volume and in pitch and timbre. Sometimes these variations can be quite subtle, but still contribute greatly towards characterising the ﬁnal sound.

Whereas an Envelope is used to control a one-off modulation over during the lifetime of a single note, LFOs modulate by using a repeating cyclic waveform or pattern. As discussed earlier, Oscillators produce a constant waveform which can take the shape of a repeating sine wave, triangle wave etc. LFOs produce waveforms in a similar way, but normally at a frequency which is too low to produce a sound that the human ear could perceive. (In fact, LFO stands for Low Frequency Oscillator.) As with an Envelope, the waveforms generated by the LFOs may be fed to other parts of the synthesizer to create the desired changes over time – or ‘movements’ - to the sound. The UltraNova has three independent LFOs, which may be used to modulate different synthesizer sections and can run at different speeds.

A typical waveshape for an LFO would be a Triangle wave.

Imagine this very low frequency wave being applied to an Oscillator’s pitch. The result is that the pitch of the Oscillator slowly rises and falls above and below its original pitch. This would simulate, for example, a violinist moving a ﬁnger up and down the string of the instrument whilst it is being bowed. This subtle up and down movement of pitch is referred to as the ‘Vibrato’ effect. Alternatively, if the same LFO signal were to modulate the Filter cut-off frequency instead of the Oscillator pitch, a familiar wobbling effect known as ‘wah- wah’ would be result. As well as setting up various sections of the synthesizer to be modulated by LFOs, additional Envelopes may also be used as modulators at the same time. Clearly, the more Oscillators, Filters, Envelopes and LFOs there are in a synthesizer, the more powerful it is.

Summary

A synthesizer can be broken down into ﬁve main sound generating or sound modifying (modulating) blocks.

1 Oscillators that generate waveforms at a various pitches. 2 A Mixer that mixes the outputs from the Oscillators together. 3 Filters that remove certain harmonics, changing the character or timbre of the sound. 4 An Ampliﬁer controlled by an Envelope generator, which alters the volume of a sound

over time when a note is played. 5 LFOs and Envelopes that can be used to modulate any of the above.

Much of the enjoyment to be had with a Synthesizer is with experimenting with the factory preset sounds and creating new ones. There is no substitute for ‘hands on‘ experience. Experiments with adjusting the UltraNova’s many parameters will eventually lead to a fuller understanding of how the various controls alter and help shape new sounds. Armed with the knowledge in this chapter, and an understanding of what is actually happening in the machine when tweaks to the knobs and switches are made, the process of creating new and exciting sounds will become easy - Have fun.

ATTACK DECAY R ELEASE

SUSTAIN

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

FILTER CUT-OFF

TIME

PITCH

OSCILLATOR 1

FX 1

FX 2

FX 3

FX 4

FX 5

OSCILLATOR 2

OSCILLATOR 3

NOISE

AMP OUT

MIXE R

RING MOD 1*3

RING MOD 2*3

FILTER 1 DISTORTION

FILTER 2 DISTORTION

FILTER 1

FILTER 2

ENVELOPE 1

ENVELOPE 2

ENVELOPE S 3 - 6 LFO 1 - 3

ultranova SIgnal floW DIagram

Synth eDIt SectIon

Hardware Navigation

See page 4 for an overview of the UltraNova and a brief description of what each of the top panel controls do.

On the UltraNova, all the menus which control the sound generation and sound processing blocks are accessed by the buttons in the Synth Edit area of the top panel.

When a menu is called up, the parameter values displayed are those of the currentlyselected patch.

Each menu is accessed by its own dedicated button, and has between one and four pages. If a menu has more than one page, one of the two PAGE buttons [4] will be illuminated, and these can be used to scroll through the additional pages. Up to eight parameters of the menu are displayed on the LCD, and each is varied with the rotary encoder immediately above the parameter text.

Using the menu buttons [11] to [22] , you can go directly from one menu to another with a single button press. Some of the sound generation/processing blocks are duplicated (e.g. Oscillator), and the SELECT buttons [10] are used to select which particular block of that type is to be controlled. The UltraNova remembers which block was last accessed, and also which menu page, and when that menu is recalled, it re-opens with the last settings visible.

oScIllatorS 1, 2 anD 3

The UltraNova has three identical oscillators and a noise source; these are the synth’s sound generators. Pressing the OSCILLATOR button [11] opens the Oscillator Menu, which has two pages for each oscillator. One of the SELECT buttons and one of the PAGE buttons will be illuminated, indicating that more than one oscillator is available to be controlled and that further menu pages are available. A total of 16 parameters per oscillator is displayed for adjustment, eight per page. However, note that ﬁve of these are common to all three oscillators, and another to the noise source; these six parameters appear on menu Page 2 for every oscillator.

Per-oscillator parameters (Page 1)

Oscillator 1 is used as the example in the descriptions which follow, however all 3 oscillators are identical in operation.

RE1: Coarse tuning

Displayed as: O1Semi Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This parameter sets the basic per-oscillator tuning. Incrementing its value by 1 shifts the pitch of every note on the keyboard up by one semitone for the selected oscillator only, thus setting it to +12 effectively shifts the oscillator tuning up one octave. Negative values detune in the same manner. See also Transpose at page 38.

RE2 : Fine tuning

Displayed as: O1Cents Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -50 to +50 This parameter lets you make ﬁner adjustments to the tuning. The increments are cents (1/100 of a semitone), and thus setting the value to 50 tunes the oscillator to a quartertone midway between two semitones.

RE3 : Virtual Oscillator Sync

Displayed as: O1VSync Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 Oscillator Sync is a technique of using an additional “virtual” oscillator to add harmonics to the ﬁrst, by using the virtual oscillator’s waveform to retrigger that of the ﬁrst. This technique produces an interesting range of sonic effects. The nature of the resulting sound varies as the parameter value is altered because the virtual oscillator frequency increases as a multiple of the main oscillator frequency as the parameter value increases. When the Vsync value is a multiple of 16, the virtual oscillator frequency is a musical harmonic of the main oscillator frequency. The overall effect is a transposition of the oscillator that moves up the harmonic series, with values in between multiples of 16 producing more discordant effects.

To get the best out of Vsync, try modulating it using the LFO. Try assigning it to the MOD wheel for ‘hands-on’ control.

RE4 : Oscillator waveform

Displayed as: O1Wave Initial value: Sawtooth Range of adjustment: See table at page 40 for full details This selects the oscillator’s waveform from a range of 72 options. As well as analogue synth-type waveforms like sine, square, sawtooth, pulse and 9 ratios of sawtooth/pulse mix, there are various digital waveforms and 36 wavetables consisting of nine individual waveforms per wavetable, plus the two audio input sources.

If audio input sources are selected, then any additional oscillator parameters will have no effect on the sound. The audio input will be used as the source for subsequent manipulation (e.g., ﬁlters, modulation, etc). To hear either of the audio inputs a note must be played on the keyboard.

It is possible to create a MIDI gate effect on vocals using audio inputs as the source.

RE5: Pulse Width/ Wave Table Index

Displayed as: O1Pw/Idx Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This control has two functions, depending on the waveform selected by RE4. With pulse waveforms, it varies the pulse width of the oscillator output. This basic effect can most easily be heard by adjusting RE5 with RE4 set to PW; you will note how the harmonic content varies and at high settings the sound becomes quite thin and metallic. A pulse wave is essentially an asymmetric square wave; when set to zero, the waveform is a normal square wave. (See page 9.) RE 5 has a different function if the oscillator waveform is set to be one of the 36 Wave Tables (see RE4 above). Each Wave Table consists of nine related waveforms, and the setting of RE5 determines which is in use. The total parameter value range of 128 is divided into 9 (approximately) equal segments of 14 value units, so setting the value to anything between -64 and -50 will generate the ﬁrst of the 9 waveforms, -49 to -35 the second, and so on. See also the Wave Table Interpolation parameter (RE2 on Oscillator Menu Page 2), which can be used to introduce further variation in the way wavetables are used.

RE6 : Hardness

Displayed as: O1Hard Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The Hardeness parameter modiﬁes the harmonic content of the waveform, reducing the level of the upper harmonics as the value is decreased. Its effect is akin to that of a lowpass ﬁlter, but operates at oscillator level. You will note it has no effect on a sine waveform, as this is the one waveform with no harmonics.

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

VSync = 0

VSync = 5

VSync = 16

RE7: Density

Displayed as: O1Dense Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The density parameter effectively adds copies of the oscillator waveform to itself. Up to eight additional vir tual oscillators are used for this, depending on the value of the parameter. This produces a “thicker” sound at low to medium values, but if the virtual oscillators are detuned slightly (see RE8 below), a more interesting effect is obtained.

RE8: Density Detuning

Displayed as: O1DnsDtn Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter should be used in conjunction with the Density control. It detunes the virtual density oscillators, and you will notice not only a thicker sound, but the effect of beating as well.

The Density and Density Detune parameters can be used to “thicken” the sound, and simulate the effect of adding additional Voices. The Unison and Unison Detune parameters in the Voice Menu can be used to create a very similar effect, but using Density and Density Detune have the advantage of not needing to use

additional Voices, which are ﬁnite in number.

Per-oscillator parameters (Page 2)

RE1: Pitch wheel range

Displayed as: O1PtchW h Initial value: +12 Range of adjustment: -12 to +12 The pitch wheel can vary the oscillator pitch by up to an octave, up or down. The units are in semitones, so with a value of +12, moving the pitchwheel up increases the pitch of the notes being played by one octave, and moving it down takes them down an octave. Setting the parameter to a negative value has the effect of reversing the operating sense of the pitch wheel. You will ﬁnd that many of the factory patches have this parameter set to +2, allowing a pitch wheel range of 1 tone. It is worth noting that (like all per-oscillator parameters) the value can be set independently for each oscillator.

RE2 : Wave Table Interpolation

Displayed as: O1WTInt Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets how smooth the transition is between adjacent waveforms in the same wavetable. A value of 127 will create a very smooth transition, with the adjacent waveforms blending together. With a value of zero the transitions will be abrupt and obvious. With a high 01WInt value set, it is possible retain a mix of adjacent waveforms if the modulation value remains ﬁxed. When modulating the wavetable Index (via LFO, etc.), the wavetable interpolation parameter sets how smooth (or not!) the transition is.

Common Oscillator parameters

The remaining parameters in the Oscillator Menu are common to all 3 oscillators. They are available whichever oscillator is selected by the SELECT button [10] .

RE3 : Single Fixed Note

Displayed as: FixNote Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, C# -2 to G 8 Some sounds need not be chromatically-dependent. Examples would be certain percussion sounds (e.g., bass drums), and sound effects, such as a laser gun. It is possible to assign a ﬁxed note to a patch, such that playing any key on the keyboard generates the same sound. The pitch on which the sound is based may be any semitone note in a range of over ten octaves. With the parameter set Off, the keyboard behaves as normal. With it set to any other value, every key plays the sound at the pitch corresponding to the value.

RE4 : Vibrato depth

Displayed as: ModVib Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 Adding vibrato to an oscillator modulates (or varies) the pitch of the note cyclically, adding a “wobble” to the tone. This parameter determines the vibrato depth, and hence how obvious the “wobble” is. The mod wheel is used to apply vibrato, with the ModVib parameter

value representing the maximum depth of vibrato that can be obtained with the mod wheel in its fully ‘up’ position. On the UltraNova, VibMod and MvibRate (below) are common parameters that affect all oscillators and do not require the use of the LFO section.

RE5: Vibrato Rate

Displayed as: MVibRate Initial value: 65 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the rate (or frequency) of the vibrato from very slow (value= 0) to very fast (value =127).

RE6 : Oscillator Drift

Displayed as: OscD rift Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 When the three oscillators are set to the same tuning, their waveforms are perfectly synchronised. Old analogue synthesizers were unable to stay perfectly in tune, and Oscillator Drift ‘emulates’ this imperfection by applying a controlled amount of detuning so that the oscillators are slightly out of tune with each other. This adds a “fuller” character to the sound.

RE7: Oscillator Phase

Displayed as: OscP hase Initial value: 0deg Range of adjustment: Free, 0deg to 357deg This adjusts the point in the waveform at which the oscillators start, and is adjustable in 3 degree increments over one whole waveform cycle (360). The effect of this is to add a slight “click” or “edge” to the start of the note, as the instantaneous output voltage when the key is pressed is not zero. Setting the parameter to 90 or 270 produces the most obvious effect. With the parameter set to 0º, the oscillators always start precisely in step. If Free is set, the phase relationship of the waveforms is unrelated to when a key is pressed.

RE8: Noise Source Type

Displayed as: NoiseTyp Initial value: White Range of adjustment: White, High, Band or High-band In addition to the three main oscillators, the UltraNova also has a noise generator. White noise is deﬁned as a signal with “equal power at all frequencies”, and is a familiar “hissing” sound. Restricting the bandwidth of the noise generator alters the characteristic of the “hiss”, and the other three options for this parameter apply such ﬁltering. Note that the noise generator has its own input to the mixer, and in order to hear it in isolation, its input will need to be turned up and the oscillator inputs turned down. (See 15.)

the mIxer

The outputs of the three oscillators and the noise source are passed to a simple audio mixer, where their individual contributions to the overall sound output can be adjusted. Most of the factory patches use either two, or all three oscillators, but with their outputs summed in various combinations of levels. Pressing the MIXER button [12] opens the Mixer Menu, which has two pages. One of the PAGE buttons will be illuminated, indicating that further menu pages are available. A total of 6 inputs and two FX sends are available for adjustment on Page 1, and each input can be solo’d on Page 2.

As with any other audio mixer, don’t be tempted to turn all the inputs up. The mixer should be used to balance sounds. If multiple sources are in use, then each input setting should be about halfway – about 64 or so, and the more inputs you are using, the more careful you need to be. If you get this wrong, you risk internal signal clipping, which will sound extremely unpleasant.

Mixer parameters (Page 1)

RE1: Oscillator 1 Level

Displayed as: O1Level Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the amount of Oscillator 1’s signal present in the overall sound.

O1PtchWh O1WTInt ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase FixNote NoiseTyp

+12 127 0 65 0 0deg Off White

O1Level O2Level O3Level RM1*3Lvl RM2*3Lvl NoiseLvl PreFXLvl PstFXLvl

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

RE2 : Oscillator 2 Level

Displayed as: O2Le vel Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the amount of Oscillator 2’s signal present in the overall sound.

RE3 : Oscillator 3 Level

Displayed as: O3Le vel Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the amount of Oscillator 3’s signal present in the overall sound.

RE4 : Noise Source Level

Displayed as: NoiseLvl Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the amount of Noise present in the overall sound.

RE5: Ring Modulator Level (Oscs. 1 * 3 )

Displayed as: RM1*3Lvl Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 In its simplest form, a Ring Modulator is a processing block with two inputs and one output, which effectively “multiplies” the two input signals together. Depending on the relative frequencies and harmonic content of the two inputs, the resulting output will contain a series of sum and difference frequencies as well as the fundamentals. The UltraNova has two Ring Modulators; both use Oscillator 3 as one input, one combines this with Oscillator 1, the other with Oscillator 2. The Ring Modulator outputs are available as two additional inputs to the mixer, controlled by RE5 and RE6. The parameter controlled by RE5 sets the amount of the Osc. 1 * 3 Ring Modulator output present in the overall sound.

Try the following settings to get a good idea of what a Ring Modulator sounds like. On Mixer Menu Page 1, turn down the levels of Oscs 1, 2 & 3 and turn up RM1*3Lvl. Then go to the Oscillator Menu page. Set Osc3 to an interval either +5, +7 or +12 semitones above Osc1 and the sound will be harmonious. Changing the pitch of Osc 1 to other semitone values creates discordant, but interesting sounds. O1 Cents can be varied to introduce a ‘beating’ effect.

RE6 : Ring Modulator Level (Oscs. 2 * 3)

Displayed as: RM2* 3Lvl Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The parameter controlled by RE6 sets the amount of the Osc. 2 * 3 Ring Modulator output present in the overall sound.

RE7: Pre-FX level send

Displayed as: PreF XLvl Initial value: 0dB Range of adjustment: -12dB to +18dB The summed mixer inputs are routed through the FX block (even if no effects are active) at a level determined by RE7. This control should be adjusted with care to avoid overloading the FX processing.

RE8: Post-FX level return

Displayed as: PstFXLvl Initial value: 0dB Range of adjustment: -12dB to +12dB This parameter adjusts the level returned from the output of the FX processor. Thus both

RE7 and RE8 will alter the signal level even when all FX slots in the FX block are bypassed.

PreFXLvl and PstFXLvl are critical controls and incorrect adjustment can

produce clipping in the FX processing section and elsewhere. It is always a good idea to set up the FX parameters you think you need ﬁrst (in the Effects Menu, see page 28), and then increase these two parameters carefully until you get the amount of FX you’re after.

Mixer parameters (Page 2)

The Solo functions on Mixer Menu Page 2 operate just like the Solo buttons on a hardware (or indeed software) mixer. Activating a Solo lets you listen to that input’s contribution to the overall sound alone. You can also solo more than one input if you wish, and what you hear will be the sum of the inputs.

There are two methods of enabling Solo: touching the appropriate encoder knob(s) enables solo temporarily while the knob is touched (note that the LCD text does not reﬂect this). turning the knob activates solo mode until the knob is turned back again.

Solo settings are not saved with the Patch.

RE1: Oscillator 1 Solo

Displayed as: O1Solo Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Mutes all mixer inputs except Oscillator 1.

RE2 : Oscillator 2 Solo

Displayed as: O2Solo Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Mutes all mixer inputs except Oscillator 2.

RE3 : Oscillator 3 Solo

Displayed as: O3Solo Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Mutes all mixer inputs except Oscillator 3.

RE4 : Noise Source Solo

Displayed as: NoisSolo Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Mutes all mixer inputs except the Noise Source.

RE5: Ring Modulator (Oscs 1 & 3) Solo

Displayed as: RM13Solo Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Mutes all mixer inputs except that from the Ring modulator (Oscillators 1 and 3).

RE6 : Ring Modulator (Oscs 2 & 3) Solo

Displayed as: RM23 Solo Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Mutes all mixer inputs except that from the Ring modulator (Oscillators 2 and 3).

RE7/8 : not used

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

O1Solo O2Solo O3Solo NoisSolo RM13Solo RM23Solo

Off Off Off Off Off Off

fIlterS 1 anD 2

The UltraNova has two identical ﬁlter sections, which modify the harmonic content of the oscillators’ outputs. They can be thought of as elaborate tone controls, with the additional ability of being dynamically controllable by other parts of the synth. Pressing the FILTER button [13] opens the Filter Menu, which has two pages for each ﬁlter. One of the SELEC T buttons and one of the PAGE buttons will be illuminated, indicating that more than one ﬁlter is available to be controlled and that further menu pages are available. A total of 12 parameters per ﬁlter is displayed for adjustment, eight on Page 1, four on Page 2. Note that those on Page 2 are common to both ﬁlters, and these appear whichever ﬁlter is selected. Note that it is possible to use the two ﬁlter blocks together, placing them in various series / parallel conﬁgurations, by adjustment of the common parameter Filter Routing.

Per-ﬁlter parameters (Page 1)

Filter 1 is used as the example in the descriptions which follow, but the two are identical in operation.

RE1: Filter frequency

Displayed as: F1Freq Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the frequency at which the ﬁlter type selected by RE5 operates. In the case of hi-pass or low-pass ﬁlters, it is the “cut-off” frequency; for band-pass ﬁlters, it is the “centre” frequency. Sweeping the ﬁlter manually will impose a “hard-to-soft” characteristic on almost any sound.

If Filter Frequency Link is set On (see Filter Menu page 2, RE3, below), RE1 assumes a different function in the case of Filter 2 only: RE1: Filter 2 frequency offset Displayed as: Fq1<>Fq2 Initial value: +63 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 See page 18 for more info

RE2 : Filter resonance

Displayed as: F1Res Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter adds gain to the signal in a narrow band of frequencies around the frequency set by RE1. It can accentuate the swept-ﬁlter effect considerably. Increasing the resonance parameter is ver y good for enhancing modulation of the cut-off frequency, creating a very edgy sound. Increasing Resonance also accentuates the action of the Filter Frequency parameter, so that as the Filter knob is moved, a more pronounced effect is obtained.

If Filter Resonance Link is set On (see Filter Menu page 2, RE4, below), RE2 assumes a slightly different function. RE1: Filter 1 & 2 Resonance Displayed as: F1&F2Res Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE3 : Filter c ontrol by Envelope 2

Displayed as: F1Env2 Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 The ﬁlter’s action may be triggered by Envelope Generator 2. Envelope 2’s own menu provides comprehensive control over precisely how this shape of the envelope is derived, see page 21. RE3 lets you control the “depth” and “direction” of this external control; the higher the value, the greater the range of frequencies over which the ﬁlter will sweep. Positive and negative values make the ﬁlter sweep in opposite directions, but the audible result of this will be further modiﬁed by the ﬁlter type in use.

RE4 : Filter tracking

Displayed as: F1Track Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The pitch of the note played can be made to alter the cut-off frequency of the ﬁlter. At the maximum value (127), this frequency moves in semitone steps with the notes played on the keyboard – i.e., the ﬁlter tracks the pitch changes in a 1:1 ratio (e.g., when playing two

notes an octave apart, the ﬁlter cut off frequency will also change by one octave). At minimum setting (value 0), the ﬁlter frequency remains constant, whatever note(s) are played on the keyboard.

RE5: Filter t ype

Displayed as: F1Type Initial value: LP24 Range of adjustment: See table at page 44 The UltraNova ﬁlter sections offer 14 different types of ﬁlter: four hi-pass and four low-pass (with different slopes), and 6 band-pass ﬁlters of various types. Each ﬁlter type differentiates between frequency bands in a different way, rejecting some frequencies and passing others, and thus each imposes a subtly different character on the sound.

RE6 : Distortion Amount

Displayed as: F1DAmnt Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The ﬁlter section includes a dedicated distortion generator; this parameter adjusts the degree of distortion treatment applied to the signal. The basic ‘type’ of distortion added is set by RE7 (see below). The distortion is added pre-ﬁlter (but see below).

Filter Distortion is always added before the ﬁlter, and therefore the ﬁlter frequency affects the amount of distortion you hear. If you want to ﬁlter your sound before it is distorted, try settings similar to the following :

PARAMETER VALUE

Frouting S eries

Fbalanc e 127

F1DAmnt 0

F2Da mnt

As required

RE7: Filter Distortion Type

Displayed as: F1Dtype Initial value: Diode Range of adjustment: See Page 31 The distortion generator for each ﬁlter is located immediately before the ﬁlter section itself. The type of distortion generated can be selected with the Distortion Type parameter.

RE8: Filter Q Normalisation

Displayed as: F1Qnorm Initial value: 64 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter alters the bandwidth of the peak created by the resonance control F1Res. The value of F1Res has to be set to something other than zero for this parameter to have any effect. This feature enables the Filter section to emulate many of the ﬁlter responses found on various classic analogue and digital synths.

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

F1Freq F1Res F1Env2 F1Track F1Type F1DAmnt F1DType F1QNorm

127 0

127 LP24 0 Diode 64

Low Resonance, Low Q Normalization

High Resonance, Low Q Normalization

High Resonance, High Q Normalization

Cutoff Frequency

Common Filter parameters (Page 2)

The remaining parameters in the Filter Menu are common to all both ﬁlters. They are available whichever ﬁlter is selected by the SELECT button [10].

RE1: Filter balance

Displayed as: FBalanc e Initial value: -64 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 UltraNova’s two ﬁlter sections may be used simultaneously, but conﬁgured in different ways (see RE2 below). Low-pass and band-pass ﬁlters could be combined in parallel to create speech-like sounds ( see Tips below). For conﬁgurations using both ﬁlters, RE1 lets you mix the outputs of the two ﬁlter sections together in whatever combination you want. The minimum parameter value of -64 represents maximum output from Filter 1 and no output from Filter 2, and the maximum value of +63 represents maximum output from Filter 2 and no output from Filter 1. With a value of 0, the outputs of the two ﬁlter sections are mixed in equal propor tion.

RE2 : Filter Routing

Displayed as: F1Routing Initial value: Parallel Range of adjustment: Bypass, Single, Series, Parallel, Paral2, Drum UltraNova provides ﬁve possible combinations of the two ﬁlter blocks, plus bypass. Single mode uses Filter 1 only, the other modes interconnect the two ﬁlter sections in various ways.

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting FreqLink ResLink

-64 Parallel Off Off

NOISE

2*3

1*3

OSC 3

OSC 2

OSC 1

FILTER

BALANCE

EFFECTS

NOISE

2*3

1*3

OSC 3

OSC 2

OSC 1

FILTER

BALANCE

EFFECTS

FILTER 1

FILTER 2

NOISE

2*3

1*3

OSC 3

OSC 2

OSC 1

FILTER

BALANCE

EFFECTS

FILTER 1

FILTER 2

NOISE

2*3

1*3

OSC 3

OSC 2

OSC 1

FILTER

BALANCE

EFFECTS

FILTER 1

FILTER 2

NOISE

2*3

1*3

OSC 3

OSC 2

OSC 1

FILTER

BALANCE

EFFECTS

FILTER 1

FILTER 2

NOISE

2*3

1*3

OSC 3

OSC 2

OSC 1

FILTER

BALANCE

EFFECTS

FILTER 1

FILTER 2

Bypass

No ﬁliters in circuit

Filter 1 only

Single

Series

Filter 1 feeds Filter 2, but output is still derived from Filter Balance control

Filter sections are driven with the same input signal, and their output balance is adjusted by RE1

As Parallel Mode, but Filter 1 is driven by Osc 3 and Noise source, remaining sources feed Filter 2.

As Parallel Mode 2, but Filter 1’s output is added to Filter 2’s input signals.

Parallel

Parallel 2

Drum

Note that Parallel 2 and Drum modes differ in an important respect from the others in that the Filter 1 and Filter 2 are fed from different sources. This allows the noise source and Osc 3 to be ﬁltered in a different way from Oscillators 1 and 2 and the Ring Modulator Outputs, an important requirement when creating certain percussive sounds.

Two examples of Filter routings…

…a Notch Filter: …a Wideband Bandpass Filter F1Type: LP F1Type: LP F2Type: HP F2Type: HP F1Routing: Parallel F1Routing: Series

RE3 : Filter Frequency Link

Displayed as: FreqLink Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Setting Frequency Linking to On creates a relationship between the frequencies of the two Filter sections, and re-assigns the function of RE1 for Filter 2 from Frequency to Frequency Of fset (see Filter Menu Page 1, RE1, above). Filter 2’s offset is relative to Filter 1’s frequency.

RE4 : Filter Resonance Link

Displayed as: ResLink Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Setting Resonance Linking to On applies the same Resonance parameter value to both Filter 1 and Filter 2. The Filter Resonance control (RE2, Page 1) affects both ﬁlters, regardless of which ﬁlter is currently selected for adjustment.

RE5-RE8: Not used

voIceS

The UltraNova is a multi-voice, polyphonic synthesizer, which basically means you can play chords on the keyboard, and every note you hold down will sound. Each note is termed a ‘voice’, and the UltraNova’s DSP engine is sufﬁciently powerful to ensure that you will always run out of ﬁngers before you run out of voices! (But this does depend on how many voices are assigned to each note – see the Unison parameter in the Voice Menu below). However, if you are controlling the UltraNova from a MIDI sequencer, it is theoretically possible to run out (there are a maximum of 20 voices internally). Although this is likely to happen only rarely, users may occasionally observe this phenomenon, which is termed ‘voice stealing’.

The alternative to polyphonic voicing is mono. With mono voicing, only one note sounds at a time; pressing a second key while holding the ﬁrst down will cancel the ﬁrst and play the second – and so on. The last note played is always the only one that you hear. All the early synths were mono, and if you are trying to emulate a 1970s analogue synth, you may wish to set the voicing to mono as the mode imposes a certain restriction on playing style that will add to authenticity.

Pressing the VOICE button [14] opens the Voice Menu, which is a single page. In addition to selecting polyphonic or mono voicing, the menu also lets you set the portamento and other related voicing parameters.

RE1: Unison Voices

Displayed as: Unison Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, 2, 3, 4 Unison can be used to “thicken” the sound by assigning additional voices (up to 4 in total) for each note. Be aware that the “reservoir” of voices is ﬁnite and with multiple voices assigned, polyphony is accordingly reduced. With 4 voices per note, a four-note chord approaches the UltraNova’s limit, and if further notes are added to the chord, “voice stealing” is implemented and the initial note( s) played may be cancelled.

If the limitation on polyphony imposed by Unison Voices is restrictive, a similar effect can be obtained by using multiple oscillators and adjusting their Density and Detune parameters. In fact, most of the factor y patches use Density and Detune rather than Unison to achieve their multi-timbral effect.

RE2 : Unison Detune

Displayed as: UnDe tune Initial value: 25 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 Unison Detune applies only when Unison Voices is set to something than Off. The parameter determines how much each voice is detuned relative to the others; you will be able to hear a difference in the sound of the same note with different numbers of voices even if Unison Detune is set to zero, but the sound gets more interesting as it is increased in value.

Changing the settings of Unison Voices or Unison Detune while holding a note down has no effect on the sound. The new settings will only be effective when a fresh note is played.

An increase in ﬁlter 1 frequency will also increase ﬁlter 2 frequency

An increase in ﬁlter 2 frequency will decrease ﬁlter 1 frequency

A decrease in ﬁlter 2 frequency will increase ﬁlter 1 frequency

Frequency

Volume

Filter 1 Filter 2

Frequency

Volume

Filter 1 Filter 2

Frequency

Volume

Filter 1 Filter 2

Frequency

Volume

Filter 1 Filter 2

Frequency

Volume

Filter 1 Filter 2

Unison UnDetune PortTime PortMode PreGlide PolyMode

Off 25 Off Expo 0 Poly1

RE3 : Not used.

RE4 : Portamento Time

Displayed as: PortTime Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, 1 to 127 With Portamento active, notes played sequentially glide from one to the next, rather than immediately jumping to the desired note pitch. The synth remembers the last note played and the glide will start from that note even after the key has been released. The Porta- mento Time is the duration of the glide, and a value of 70 equates to approximately 1 second. Portamento is primarily intended for use in a mono Mode (see RE5 below), where it is par ticularly effective. It can also be used in a Poly mode, but its operation can be unpredictable, particularly when chords are played. Note that Pre-Glide must be set to zero in order for Portamento to be operative.

RE5: Portamento Mode

Displayed as: Port Mode Initial value: Expo Range of adjustment: Expo or Linear This sets the ‘shape’ of the Portamento and Pre- Glide (see RE6 below) transitions from one note to the next. In Linear mode, the glide alters the pitch evenly between the previous note and that being played. In Expo mode, the pitch changes more rapidly at ﬁrst, and then approaches the ‘target’ note more slowly, i.e., exponentially.

RE6 : Pre- Glide

Displayed as: PreGlide Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0, -12 to +12 Pre-Glide takes priority over Portamento, though it does use the Portamento Time parameter to set its duration. Pre-Glide is calibrated in semitones, and each note played will actually begin a on a chromatically-related note up to an octave above (value = +12) or below (value = -12) the note corresponding to the key pressed, and glide towards the ‘target’ note. This differs from Portamento in that, e.g., two notes played in sequence will each have their own Pre-Glide, related to the notes played, and there will be no glide ‘between’ the notes.

Although the use of Portamento is not recommended in Poly modes when playing more than one note at a time, this restriction does not apply to Pre-Glide, which can be very effective with full chords.

RE7: Polyphony Mode

Displayed as: PolyMode Initial value: Poly1 Range of adjustment: Mono, MonoAG, Poly1, Poly2, Mono2 As the names imply, three of the possible modes are mono and two are polyphonic. Mono – this is standard monophonic mode; only one note sounds at a time, and the “last played” rule applies. MonoAG – AG stands for Auto-Glide. This is an alternative mono mode, which differs from Mono in the way Portamento and Pre-Glide work. In Mono mode, Por tamento and

Pre-Glide apply both if notes are played separately, or in a legato style (when one note is played when another is already held down). In MonoAG mode, Por tamento and Pre-Glide only work if the keys are played in a legato style; playing notes separately produces no glide effect. Poly1 – in this polyphonic mode successively playing the same note(s) uses separate voices and the notes are therefore ‘stacked’, so the sound gets louder as more notes are played. The effect will only be evident on patches with a long amplitude release time. Poly2 – in this alternative mode, successively playing the same note(s) uses the original voices, so the volume increase inherent in Poly1 mode is avoided. Mono 2 – this differs from Mono in the way the Attack phases of the Envelopes are triggered. In Mono mode, when playing Legato style, the envelopes are only triggered once, by the initial key press. In Mono 2 mode, every key press will re-trigger all the Envelopes.

RE8: Not used

envelopeS

The UltraNova provides a great deal of ﬂexibility in the use of envelopes in sound creation, based on the familiar ADSR concept.

The ADSR envelope can be most easily visualised by considering the amplitude (volume) of a note over time. The envelope describing the “lifetime” of a note can be split into four distinct phases, and adjustments are provided for each of these: Attack – the time it takes for the note to increase from zero (e.g. when the key is pressed) to its maximum level. A long attack time produces a “fade-in” effect. Decay – the time it takes for the note to drop in level from the maximum value reached at the end of the attack phase to a new level, deﬁned by the Sustain parameter. Sustain – this is an amplitude value, and represents the volume of the note after the initial attack and decay phases – i.e., while holding the key down. Setting a low value of Sustain can give a very short, percussive ef fect (providing the attack and decay times are short). Release – This is the time it takes for the note’s volume to drop back to zero after the key is released. A high value of Release will cause the sound to remain audible (though diminishing in volume) after the key is released.

Although the above discusses ADSR in terms of volume, note that the UltraNova is equipped with six separate Envelope generators, allowing control of other synth blocks as well as amplitude – e.g., ﬁlters, oscillators, etc.

Pressing the E NVELOPE button [15] opens the Envelope Menu, which has two pages for each envelope. One of the SELECT buttons and one of the PAGE buttons will be illuminated, indicating that more than one envelope is available to be controlled and that further menu pages are available. A total of 16 parameters per envelope is displayed for adjustment, eight per Page. Note that the last parameter on Page 2 is common to all envelopes, and this appears on Page 2 for all envelopes.

Envelope 1 (Amplitude) parameters (Page 1)

Envelope generator 1 controls the ADSR parameters of the notes’ amplitudes.

RE1: Amplitude Attack Time

Displayed as: AmpA tt Initial value: 2 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the note’s attack time. With a value of 0 the note is at its maximum level immediately the key is pressed; with a value of 127, the note takes over 20 seconds to reach its maximum level. At the mid-setting ( 64), the time is approx. 220 ms (provided Amplitude Attack Slope (Page 2, RE1) has a value of zero).

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "ON"

PITCH

Portamento Time

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "ON"

PITCH

Portamento Time

ATTACK DECAY RELEAS E

SUSTAIN

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

RE2 : Amplitude Decay Time

Displayed as: AmpD ec Initial value: 90 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets the notes’ decay time. Decay time only has meaning if the Sustain parameter value is set to less than 127, as the Decay phase will be inaudible if the sustain level is the same as the level reached during the attack phase. At the mid-setting (64), the time is approx. 150 ms (provided Amplitude Decay Slope (Page 2, RE2) has a value of

127).

RE3 : Amplitude Sustain Level

Displayed as: AmpS us Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The value of the Sustain parameter sets the volume of the note after the completion of the decay phase. Setting a low value will obviously have the ef fect of emphasising the start of the note; setting it to zero will render the note silent after the decay phase has elapsed.

RE4 : Amplitude Release Time

Displayed as: AmpR el Initial value: 40 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 Many sounds acquire some of their character from the notes remaining audible after the key is released; this “hanging” or “fade-out” effect, with the note gently dying away naturally (as with many real instruments) can be very effective. A setting of 64 gives a Release Time of approx. 300 ms. The UltraNova has a maximum release time of approx. 30 seconds (with Release set to 127), but shorter times will probably be more useful! The relationship between the parameter value and the Release Time is not linear – see the graph below.

Note that when playing polyphonically with sounds having long release times, it is possible for ‘Voice Stealing’ to occur. This means that some notes still sounding (in their Release phase) might suddenly cut off when other notes are played. This is more likely to happen when multiple Voices are in use. See page 18 for more information on this topic.

RE5: Amplitude Velocity

Displayed as: AmpV eloc Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 Amplitude Velocity does not modify the shape of the ADSR amplitude envelope in any way, but adds touch sensitivity to overall volume, so that with positive parameter values, the harder you play the keys, the louder will be the sound. With Amplitude Velocity set to zero, the volume is the same regardless of how the keys are played. The relationship between the velocity at which a note is played and volume is determined by the value. Note that negative values have the inverse effect.

For the most “natural” playing style, try setting Amplitude Velocity to about +40.

RE6 : Amplitude Envelope Repeat

Displayed as: AmpR ept Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 126, KeyOff By using Amplitude Repeat, it is possible to repeat the Attack and Decay phases of the envelope before the Sustain phase is initiated. This can produce an interesting “stuttering” effect at the start of the note if the Attack and Decay times are set appropriately. The value of the Repeat parameter (from 0 to 126) is the actual number of repeats, so that if you set it to, e.g. 3, you will hear a total of four attack /decay phases of the envelope – the initial one, plus three repeats. The maximum setting of KeyOff generates an inﬁnite number of repeats.

RE7: Amplitude Touch Trigger

Displayed as: AmpTTrig Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, T1ReTrig to T8ReTrig You will have noticed that the UltraNova’s rotar y encoders are touch-sensitive – the associated LED illuminates as soon as the knob is touched. This touch sensitivity can be utilised in real time to provide creative control over the sound, which is especially useful when playing live.

Amplitude Touch Trigger assigns any one of the encoder knobs to act as a re-trigger button – as soon as the knob is touched, the amplitude envelope is re-triggered. After making the assignment, in order to use the feature it is necessary to open the Animate Touch mode by pressing the TOUCH button [22] (select Page 1 if it is not already visible); you will see

that an ‘R’ appears under RE1, below the selected encoder to conﬁrm the assignment of Envelope1 to that encoder. The touch-sensitive knob is now active.

RE8: Amplitude Multi-trigger

Displayed as: AmpM Trig Initial value: Re-Trig Range of adjustment: Legato or Re-Trig When this parameter is set to Re-Trig, each note played will trigger its full ADSR amplitude envelope, even if other keys are held down. In Legato mode, only the ﬁrst key to be pressed will produce a note with the full envelope, all subsequent notes will omit the attack and decay phases, and sound only from the start of the Sustain phase. “Legato” literally means “smoothly”, and this mode aids this style of playing.

It is important to appreciate that for the Legato mode to be operative, mono voicing must be selected – it will not work with polyphonic voicing. See page 19

What is Legato? As stated above, the musical term Legato means “smoothly”. A Legato keyboard style is one where at least two notes overlap. This means that as you play the melody, you keep the previous (or an earlier) note sounding as you play another

note. Once that note is sounding, you then release the earlier note.

Legato style playing is relevant to some of the UltraNova’s sonic possibilities. In the case of Amplitude Multi-Trigger, for example, it is impor tant to appreciate that the envelope will re-trigger if any ‘gap’ is left between notes.

Envelope 1 (Amplitude) parameters (Page 2)

RE1: Amplitude Attack Slope

Displayed as: AmpA tSlp Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter controls the “shape” of the attack characteristic. With a value of 0, the volume increases linearly during the attack phase – that is to say, increases by equal amounts in equal time intervals. A non-linear attack characteristic may be selected as an alternative, where the volume increases more rapidly at ﬁrst. The diagram below illustrates this:

RE2 : Amplitude Decay Slope

Displayed as: AmpD cSlp Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter applies the same function as Amplitude Attack Slope to the Decay phase of the envelope. With a value of 0, the volume drops linearly from the maximum value to that deﬁned by the Sustain parameter, but setting Decay Slope to a higher value will cause the volume to reduce more rapidly initially. The diagram below illustrates this:

RE3 : Amplitude Attack Track

Displayed as: AmpA ttTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This parameter relates a note’s attack time to its position on the keyboard. When Amplitude Attack Track has a positive value, the attack time of a note decreases the higher up the keyboard it is played. Conversely, lower notes have a longer attack time. This aids in simulating the effect of a real stringed instrument (such as a grand piano), where the mass of the strings on the lower notes have a slower response time when struck. When a negative value is applied, the relationships are reversed.

0 0 0 64 64 64

DELAY1 Dly1Time Dly1Sync Dly1Fbck Dly1L/R Dly1Wdth DLy1Slew

64 Off 64 1/1 127 127

CHORUS1 Ch1Type Ch1Rate Ch1Sync Ch1Fbck Ch1Depth Ch1Delay

Chorus 20 Off +10 64 64

GATOR GtOn/Off GtLatch GtRSync GtKSync GtSlew GtDecay GtL/Rdel

On Off 16th On 16 64 0

GATOR GtMode EditGroup EEEE---- --------

Mono16 1 -------- --------

A000 Init Program

Patch Name Find By Category Genre

A000 Init Program A000-D127 All All

PATCHSAVE Posng *------- -------- Upper Lower Number Punctuate

A o Init Program A a 0 space

PATCHSAVE Bank Patch Destination SaveCatg SaveGenre

Dest+C&G A 0 Init Program None None

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------

NmbrMods NmbrMods NmbrMods NmbrMods NmbrMods NmbrMods NmbrMods NmbrMods

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

E123456 E123456 E123456 E123456 E123456 E123456 E123456 E123456

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 0 R----- 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

AmpAtSlp AmpDcSlp AmpAttTk AmpDecTk AmpSusRt AmpSusTm AmpLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

ATTACK DECAY RE LEASE

SUSTAIN

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

RE4 : Amplitude Decay Track

Displayed as: AmpD ecTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This parameter works in exactly the same way as Attack Track, except that it is the Decay time of a note that becomes dependent on its position on the keyboard.

RE5: Amplitude Sustain Rate

Displayed as: AmpS usRt Initial value: Flat Range of adjustment: -64 to Flat to + 63 With this parameter set to Flat, the volume during the Sustain phase of the envelope remains constant. Additional variations to a note’s character can be obtained by causing the note to become louder or quieter while the key is held. A positive value of Sustain Rate will cause the volume to increase during the Sustain phase, and it will continue to do so until maximum level is reached. The parameter controls the rate at which the note increases volume, and the higher the value, the faster the rate of increase. Any Release time set will act as normal when the key is released, whether or not the maximum volume has been reached. If a negative value is set, the volume during the Sustain phase drops, and if the key is not released, the note will eventually become inaudible.

Lower values (positive or negative) of Amplitude Sustain Rate are generally more useful.

RE6 : Amplitude Sustain Time

Displayed as: AmpS usTm Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 126, KeyOff This parameter sets the duration of the Sustain phase. With a value of KeyOff, the note will remain audible continuously until the key is released (unless a negative value of Sustain Rate has been applied to reduce its volume). Any other value of Sustain Time will cut the note off automatically after a pre-determined time if the key is still held down. Release Time still applies if the key is released sooner. A value of 126 sets the Sustain time to approx. 10 seconds, while values around 60 set it to about 1 second.

RE7: Amplitude Level Track

Displayed as: AmpLvlTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This parameter works in a similar way to the other “tracking” parameters Attack Track and Decay Track (RE3 & RE4), but it is the volume of the note which is changed, according to the interval between it and the Track Note set by RE8. With a positive value, notes higher than the Track Note get progressively louder the further from the Track Note they are, and vice-versa . With a negative value, notes higher than the Track Note get progressively quieter the further from the Track Note they are, and again, vice-versa. Note that this volume modiﬁcation is applied to all phases of the amplitude envelope equally; it is the overall volume of the note which changes with Level Track. The effect should be used sparingly; low values have a better effect.

Note that although Amplitude Level Track appears to operate in a very similar manner to Amplitude Attack Track and Amplitude Decay Track, only Level Track uses a user-deﬁnable note as the reference (set by RE8 ), above which notes

get louder and below which get softer. The Attack and Decay Track parameters (RE3 and

RE4 ) have a ﬁxed reference note at C 3.

Common Envelope Parameter

This parameter is available on Page 2 of the menu for every Envelope.

RE8: Level Track Reference Note

Displayed as: LvlTkNte Initial value: C 3 Range of adjustment: C -2 to G 8 This sets the reference note used for Amplitude Level Track. When active, this parameter increases the volume for notes above the chosen Track Note, and reduces it for notes below it. C 3, the default value, is Middle C on the keyboard; this is the C one octave above the lowest note on the keyboard (also C), providing no OC TAVE buttons [32] are selected.

Envelope 2 (Filter) parameters (Page 1)

The parameters available for adjustment with Envelope generator 2 closely match those for Envelope generator 1. Whereas Envelope 1 is concerned with modiﬁcations to the sound’s amplitude envelope, Envelope 2 gives you “dynamic” ﬁltering, by establishing a relationship between the ﬁlter section and ADSR Filter Envelope 2, resulting in the ﬁlter frequency being varied by the shape of the envelope.

In order to hear the effect of any of the Filter Envelope parameters, you will ﬁrst need to go to the Filter Menus and set up some ﬁltering. Then set RE5 on Filter Menu Page 1 (F1Env2 or F2Env2 ) to an initial value of approx. +30 and ensure that the ﬁlter is not fully open – i.e., set F1Freq to mid-range.

RE1: Filter Attack Time

Displayed as: FltAtt Initial value: 2 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets how the ﬁlter section acts during the note’s Attack phase. The higher the value, the longer it takes for the ﬁlter to react during this phase.

To evaluate the action of the Filter Envelope parameters for each of the ADSR phases (RE1 to RE4), it may be helpful not to set all three to zero.

RE2 : Filter Decay Time

Displayed as: FltDec Initial value: 75 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter sets how the ﬁlter section acts during the note’s Decay phase. Again, the higher the parameter value, the longer the period for which ﬁltering is applied .

RE3 : Filter Sustain Level

Displayed as: FltSus Initial value: 35 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 The frequency of the ﬁlter (cut-off or centre, depending on ﬁlter type) “settles” at a value set by the Filter Sustain Level. Thus, once the Attack and Decay stages of the envelope are completed, the harmonic content that will be most evident in the sound will be determined by this parameter. Remember that if the ﬁlter frequency parameter (as set in the Filter Menu) is set at a too low or too high a value, the envelope’s ef fect will be limited.

RE4 : Filter Release Time

Displayed as: FltRel Initial value: 45 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 As Filter Release is increased in value, the note undergoes increasingly more ﬁlter action once the key is released.

Note that the Amplitude Release time (in Envelope 1’s parameters) must be set sufﬁciently high to produce an audible “fade-out” before the ef fect of ﬁltering on the “tail” of the note is evident.

ATTACK DECAY

RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN RATE

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

ATTACK DECAY

RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN TIME

TIME

KEY "ON" KEY "OFF"

VOLUME

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

AmpAtSlp AmpDcSlp AmpAttTk AmpDecTk AmpSusRt AmpSusTm AmpLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

FltAtt FltDec FltSus FltRel FltVeloc FltRept FltTTrig FltMTrig

2 75 35 45 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

RE5: Filter Velocity

Displayed as: FltVeloc Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 As Amplitude Velocity adds touch sensitivity to volume, so Filter Velocity can be set to make ﬁlter action touch sensitive. With positive parameter values, the harder you play the keys, the greater will be the effect of the ﬁlter. With Filter Velocity set to zero, the sound’s characteristics are the same regardless of how the keys are played. Note that negative values have the inverse ef fect.

RE6 : Filter Repeat

Displayed as: FltRept Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 126, Inﬁnity When Filter Repeat is set to a value other than zero, the Attack and Decay phases of the envelope are repeated before the Sustain phase is initiated. This has a similar effect to Amplitude Repeat and use of either both repeat parameters can create some be quite striking sounds.

RE7: Filter Touch Trigger

Displayed as: FltTTrig Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, T1ReTrig to T8ReTrig, T1Trig to T8Trig, T1Enable to T8Enable Unlike Amplitude Touch Trigger, Filter Touch Trigger has three options per touchsensitive control: Trigger, Re-trigger and Enable. However, as with Amplitude Touch Trigger, it is necessary to enable the Animate Touch mode by pressing the TOUCH button [22] in order to use the function. Re-Trigger – acts in a similar way to Amplitude Re-Trigger, except that it is the ﬁlter action which is re-triggered by touching the selected encoder knob. The note plays as normal when the key is pressed, touching the knob re-triggers the entire envelope. Re-Trigger mode is conﬁrmed on Page 1 of the Animate Touch menu by the letter ‘R’ in the appropriate position. Trigger - in this mode, the envelope-triggered ﬁlter action is not initiated by pressing a key, and the note will initially sound with no envelope acting on the ﬁlter. Touching the knob (while the key is pressed) will trigger the ﬁlter envelope. Trigger mode is conﬁrmed on Page 1 of the Animate Touch menu by the letter ‘T’ in the appropriate position. Enable – in this mode, the envelope-triggered ﬁlter action is initiated by the keyboard, but only while the knob is being touched. Thus you can very easily ﬂip between the sound with and without the action of the envelope on the ﬁlter. Enable mode is conﬁrmed on Page 1 of the Animate Touch menu by the letter ‘E’ in the appropriate position.

RE8: Filter Multi-trigger

Displayed as: FltMTrig Initial value: Re-Trig Range of adjustment: Legato or Re-Trig This operates in a very similar way to Amplitude Multi-trigger. When set to Re-Trig, each note played will trigger its full ADSR envelope, even if other keys are held down. With the envelope applied to the ﬁlter section, this means that the effect of any envelopetriggered ﬁltering will be heard on every note. When set to Legato, only the ﬁrst key to be pressed will produce a note with the full envelope and thus produce any ﬁltering effect. All subsequent notes will lack any dynamic ﬁltering. Remember that for the Legato mode to be operative, mono voicing must be selected – it will not work with polyphonic voicing. See page 18.

See page 20for more details about Legato style.

Envelope 2 (Filter) parameters (Page 2)

RE1: Filter Attack Slope

Displayed as: FltAtSlp Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter controls the “shape” of the attack characteristic as applied to the ﬁlters. With a value of 0, any ﬁltering effect applied to the Attack phase increases linearly – that is to say, increases by equal amounts in equal time intervals. A non-linear attack characteristic may be selected as an alternative, where the ﬁlter effect increases more rapidly at ﬁrst.

RE2 : Filter Decay Slope

Displayed as: FltDcSlp Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This corresponds to Filter Attack Slope in the same manner that Amplitude Decay Slope corresponds to Amplitude Attack Slope. Thus the linearity of the reaction of the ﬁlter section during the Decay phase of the envelope can be varied, from linear to a more exponential slope, where any ﬁlter effect is more pronounced during the ﬁrst part of the Decay phase.

RE3 : Filter Attack Track

Displayed as: FltAttTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 Like Amplitude Attack Track, this parameter relates a note’s attack time to its position on the keyboard. When Filter Attack Track has a positive value, the ﬁltering effect during the Attack phase of a note is shortened as you go up the keyboard. Conversely, lower notes have their attack time increased. When a negative value is applied, the relationships are reversed.

RE4 : Filter Decay Track

Displayed as: FltDecTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This parameter works in exactly the same way as Attack Track, except that it is the ﬁlter effect during the Decay phase of a note that becomes dependent on its keyboard position.

RE5: Filter Sustain Rate

Displayed as: FltSusRt Initial value: Flat Range of adjustment: -64 to Flat to + 63 With a value of Flat, ﬁlter frequency remains constant during the Sustain phase of the note. If Filter Sustain Rate is given a positive value, the ﬁlter frequency continues to increase during the Sustain phase, thus the character of the note continues altering audibly for longer. With low values of Filter Sustain Rate, the change is slow, and increases in rapidity as the value is increased. With negative values, the ﬁlter frequency decreases during the Sustain phase. See page 21 for an illustration.

RE6 : Filter Sustain Time

Displayed as: FltSusTm Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 126, Keyoff This parameter also applies to the Sustain phase, and sets how long any envelope-triggered ﬁltering remains active. When set to Keyoff, the ﬁltering remains applied continuously until the key is released. Any lower value of Sustain Time will cause the ﬁltering effect to suddenly stop before the note ends, and you will be left with release phase of the envelope. This does, of course, only occur if the Amplitude Sustain Time is longer than the Filter Sustain Time, otherwise the note will stop sounding altogether before the ﬁlter has cut off.

RE7: Filter Level Track

Displayed as: FltLvlTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This parameter works in a similar way to the other “tracking” parameters, but it is the depth with which the envelope is applied to the ﬁlter which alters, in relation to the interval between the note played and the Track Note set by RE8. With a positive value, the envelopetriggered ﬁltering effect becomes progressively more pronounced for notes higher than the Track Note the further from the Track Note they are, and vice-versa. With a negative value, notes higher than the Track Note undergo progressively less ﬁltering the further from the Track Note they are, and again, vice-versa.

Common Envelope Parameter

See page 21. The Track Reference Note parameter is available at RE8 on Page 2 of the menu for every Envelope.

Envelopes 3 to 6 parameters (Page 1)

In addition to dedicated Amplitude and Filter envelopes, the UltraNova is equipped with four fur ther assignable envelopes, Envelopes 3 to 6. Control of these can be selected with the SELECT button [10]. These envelopes have virtually the same set of parameters as the

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

AmpAtSlp AmpDcSlp AmpAttTk AmpDecTk AmpSusRt AmpSusTm AmpLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

FltAtt FltDec FltSus FltRel FltVeloc FltRept FltTTrig FltMTrig

2 75 35 45 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

FltAtSlp FltDcSlp FltAttTk FltDecTk FltSusRt FltSusTm FltLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

AmpAtSlp AmpDcSlp AmpAttTk AmpDecTk AmpSusRt AmpSusTm AmpLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

FltAtt FltDec FltSus FltRel FltVeloc FltRept FltTTrig FltMTrig

2 75 35 45 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

FltAtSlp FltDcSlp FltAttTk FltDecTk FltSusRt FltSusTm FltLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

10 70 64 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

Amplitude and Filter envelopes, but they can be assigned at will to control many other synth functions, including most oscillator parameters, ﬁlters, EQ and panning among others. The assignment of Envelopes 3 to 6 to other synth parameters is performed in the Modulation Menu (see page 25 for full details). In order to audition their effects, you must ﬁrst open the Modulation Menu and set Modulation Patch 1’s Source to Env3 and the Destination to a parameter of your choice ( e.g. Global Oscillator Pitch – 0123Ptch).

The arrangement of parameters for Envelopes 3 to 6 is identical, and the arrangement closely follows that of Envelopes 1 and 2 (Amplitude and Filters). Although denoted as Envelope 3, the parameter summaries below apply equally to Envelopes 3, 4, 5 & 6, so are not repeated.

The actual function of Envelopes 3 to 6 will obviously depend on what they are routed to control in the Modulation Menu. However, the derivation of the envelope parameters themselves follow those already described for the Amplitude and Filter envelopes, with the exception of the Delay parameter (Page 1, RE5), whose function is described below.

RE1: Envelope 3 Attack Time

Displayed as: E3Att Initial value: 10 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE2 : Envelope 3 Decay Time

Displayed as: E3De c Initial value: 70 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE3 : Envelope 3 Sustain Level

Displayed as: E3Su s Initial value: 64 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE4 : Envelope 3 Release Time

Displayed as: E3Rel Initial value: 40 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE5: Envelope 3 Delay

Displayed as: E3Delay Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter delays the start of the entire envelope. When a key is pressed, its note sounds normally, with Envelopes 1 and 2 acting as they are programmed. But any further modulation ef fects triggered by Envelopes 3 to 6 will be delayed by a time set by the Delay parameter. The maximum value of 127 represents a delay of 10 seconds, while a value of about 60~70 represents a delay of approximately 1 second.

RE6 : Envelope 3 Repeat

Displayed as: E3Re peat Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE7: Envelope 3 Touch Trigger

Displayed as: E3TTrig Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, T1ReTrig to T8ReTrig, T1Trig to T8Trig, T1Enable to T8Enable

RE8: Envelope 3 Multi-trigger

Displayed as: E3MTrig Initial value: Re-Trig Range of adjustment: Legato or Re-Trig

Envelope 3 parameters (Page 2)

RE1: Envelope 3 Attack Slope

Displayed as: E3At Slp Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE2 : Envelope 3 Decay Slope

Displayed as: E3Dc Slp Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE3 : Envelope 3 Attack Track

Displayed as: E3AttTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63

RE4 : Envelope 3 Decay Track

Displayed as: E3De cTk Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63

RE5: Envelope 3 Sustain Rate

Displayed as: E3Su sRat Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63

RE6 : Envelope 3 Sustain Time

Displayed as: E3Su sTim Initial value: 127 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

RE7: Envelope 3 Level Track

Displayed as: E3LvlT k Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63

Common Envelope Parameter

See page 21. The Track Reference Note parameter is available at RE8 on Page 2 of the menu for every Envelope.

lfoS

The UltraNova has three separate Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs). These are designated LFO1, 2 and 3, are identical in terms of features, and can be used freely to modify many other synth parameters, such as oscillator pitch or level, ﬁlters, panning, etc.

The assignment of LFOs 1 to 3 to other synth parameters is performed in the Modulation Menu (see page 25 for full details). In order to audition their effects, you should ﬁrst open the Modulation Menu and set Modulation Patch 1’s Source to Lfo1+/- or Lfo1+

and the

Destination to a parameter of your choice. Note also that the Depth control on this menu (RE6) determines the amount of LFO modulation applied to the Destination parameter, and increasing this value will have a different effect depending on what the Destination parameter is, but can generally be taken to mean “more effect”. The interpretation of negative values of Depth will also depend on the chosen Destination parameter.

The LFO section has its own set of three LEDs, one per LFO. These monitor the output of each LFO to provide a convenient visual reference as to their frequency, waveform and phase.

Pressing the LFO button [16] opens the LFO Menu, which has two pages for each LFO. One of the SELECT buttons and one of the PAGE buttons will be illuminated, indicating that more than one LFO is available to be controlled and that further menu pages are available. A total of 12 parameters per LFO is displayed for adjustment, eight on Page 1 and four on Page 2. Because the three LFOs’ parameters are identical, only the functions of LFO1 are described.

Selecting Lfo1+ as the source makes the LFO vary the controlled parameter in a

positive sense (i.e. increasing ) only. Selecting it as Lfo1+/- varies it in both a positive and a negative sense. These options, and others related to them, are discussed in greater detail at page 25.

LFO 1 parameters (Page 1)

RE1: LFO 1 Rate

Displayed as: L1Rate Initial value: 68 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 Rate is the oscillator’s frequency. A value of 0 disables the LFO, and most musical effects

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

AmpAtSlp AmpDcSlp AmpAttTk AmpDecTk AmpSusRt AmpSusTm AmpLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

FltAtt FltDec FltSus FltRel FltVeloc FltRept FltTTrig FltMTrig

2 75 35 45 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

FltAtSlp FltDcSlp FltAttTk FltDecTk FltSusRt FltSusTm FltLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

10 70 64 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

E3AtSlp E3DcSlp E3AttTk E3DecTk E3SusRat E3SusTim E3LvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Off Expo 0 Poly1 Off 25

L1Rate L1RSync L1Wave L1Phase L1Slew L1KSync L1Comn L1OneSht

NOTE 1

KEY "ON"

NOTE 2

KEY "ON"

NOTE 1

KEY "ON"

NOTE 2

KEY "ON"

NOTE 1

NOTE 2

KEY "ON"

NOTE 1

NOTE 2

KEY "ON"

are likely to use values in the 40~70 range, though higher or lower values may be appropriate for certain sound effects.

When the LFO Rate is set to zero, the LFO is “stopped”, but will still apply an offset to the parameter it is modulating of a magnitude dependent on where it stopped in its cycle.

RE2 : LFO 1 Rate Sync

Displayed as: L1RSync Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: See table at page 40. This control allows the frequency of the LFO to be synchronised to an internal/external MIDI clock. When set to Off, the LFOs run at a frequency set by the Rate parameter (RE1). At all other settings RE1 becomes inoperative, and the LFO rate is determined by Rate Sync , which in turn is derived from the MIDI clock. When using inernal MIDI clock, the rate can be set in the Arp Edit Menu with RE8.

RE3 : LFO 1 Waveform

Displayed as: L1Wave Initial value: Sine Range of adjustment: see table at page 41. The UltraNova’s LFOs are able to generate not only the familiar sine, sawtooth, triangle and square waveforms for modulation purposes, but are also able to produce a wide range of preset sequences of various lengths and random waveforms. A common use of an LFO is to modulate the main oscillator(s), and with many of the sequenced waveforms, setting the Depth parameter in the Modulation Menu to either 30 or 36 ( see table) will ensure that the resulting oscillator pitches will be musically associated in some way.

RE4 : LFO 1 Phase

Displayed as: L1Phase Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0deg to 357deg This control is only active if L1KSync ( RE6 ) is set On. It determines the start point of the LFO waveform when the key is pressed. A complete waveform has 360º, and the control’s increments are in 3º steps. Thus a half-way setting (180deg) will cause the modulating waveform to start at half-way through its cycle.

RE5: LFO 1 Slew

Displayed as: L1Slew Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, 1 to 127 Slew has the effect of modifying the shape of the LFO waveform. Sharp edges become less sharp as Slew is increased. The effect of this can be easily observed by selecting Square as the LFO waveform and setting the rate fairly low so that the output when a key is pressed alternates between just two tones. Increasing the value of Slew will cause the transition between the two tones to become a “glide” rather than a sharp change. This is caused by the ver tical edges of the square LFO waveform being slewed.

Note that Slew has an effect on all LFO waveforms, including sine. The effect of LFO Slew differs somewhat with different LFO waveforms. As Slew is increased, the time taken to reach maximum amplitude is increased, and can ultimately result in it never being achieved at all, though the setting at which this point is reached will vary with waveform.

RE6 : LFO 1 Key Sync On/Off

Displayed as: L1KSync Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: On or Off Each LFO is runs continuously, ‘in the background’. If the Key Sync setting is Off, there is no way of predicting where the waveform will be when a key is pressed. Consecutive presses of a key will inevitably produce varying results. Setting Key Sync to On re-starts the LFO at the same point on the waveform every time a key is pressed. The actual point is set by the Phase parameter (RE3).

RE7: LFO 1 Common Sync

Displayed as: L1Comn Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: On or Off Common Sync is only applicable to polyphonic voices. It ensures that the phase of the LFO waveform is synchronised for every note being played. When to set Off, there is no such synchronisation, and playing a second note while one is already pressed will result in an unsynchronised sound as the modulations will be out of time.

Common Sync OFF Common Sync OFF

Set LFO Common Sync to On for an emulation of early analogue polyphonic synths.

RE8: LFO 1 One -Shot

Displayed as: L1OneSht Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: On or Off As its name suggests, setting this parameter to On causes the LFO to generate just a single cycle of its waveform. Note that a full waveform cycle is always generated regardless of the setting of LFO Phase; if LFO Phase is set to 90, the one-shot waveform will star t at the 90 point, execute a full cycle, and end at 90.

KEY "ON"

PHASE = 0

PHASE = 90

PHASE = 180

KEY "ON"

OFFSET

LFO RATE = X LFO RATE = 0

SQUARE WAVE

NO SLEW

SMALL SLEW VALUE

LARGE SLEW VALUE

Key Sync OFF Key Sync ON

Pressing the MODULATION button [17] opens the Modulation Menu, which is a single page. The menu may be visualised as a system for connecting controlling sources to a speciﬁc area of the synth. Each such connection assignment is termed a ‘slot’, and there are 20 such slots, accessed by RE1 (see below). Each slot deﬁnes how one or two control sources are routed to a controlled parameter. The routing possibilities available in each of the 20 slots are identical, and the control description below is applicable to all of them.

The Modulation Matrix is both variable and additive. What do we mean by a ‘variable’ and ‘additive’ matrix?

By ‘variable’, we mean that it is not just the routing of a controlling source to a controlled parameter which is deﬁned in each slot, but also the “magnitude” of the control. Thus the ‘amount’ of control – or control ‘range’ – used is up to you.

By ‘additive’ we mean that a parameter may be varied by more than one source, if wished. Each slot allows for two sources to be routed to a parameter, and their effects are multiplied together. This means that if either of them is at zero, there will be no modulation. However, there is no reason why you can’t have further slots routing these or other sources to the same parameter. In this case, the control signals from different slots “add” to produce the overall effect. Mod Wheel Position

You need to be careful when setting up patches like this to ensure that the combined effect of all the controllers acting simultaneously still creates the sound that you want.

In addition, the Modulation Menu lets you assign the touch-sensitive knobs on any of the eight rotary encoders as additional controllers, so as long as the Animate Touch mode is enabled (see page 26).

Modulation Matrix Menu

RE1: Patch number

Displayed as: Num ber Initial value: 1 Range of adjustment: 1 to 20 The Modulation Matrix has 20 ‘slots’, each deﬁning a routing assignment of one (or two) sources to a destination. All the patches have the same selection of sources and destinations and any or all can be used. The same source can control multiple destinations, and one destination can be controlled by multiple sources.

LFO 1 parameters (Page 2)

RE1: LFO 1 Delay Displayed as: L1Dela y Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127

LFO Delay is a time parameter whose function is determined by L1InOut (RE3).

RE2 : LFO 1 Delay Sync

Displayed as: L1DSync Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: See table at page 40. When this parameter is set to Off, the LFO delay is controlled by the Delay parameter (RE1). At all other settings RE1 becomes inoperative, and the LFO delay is derived from the internal/external MIDI clock.

RE3 : LFO 1 Fade In/Fade Out

Displayed as: L1In Out Initial value: FadeIn Range of adjustment: FadeIn, FadeOut, GateIn, GateOut The function of the four possible settings of Intro are as follows: FadeIn - the LFO’s modulation is gradually increased over the time period set by the Delay parameter (RE1). GateIn – the onset of the LFO’s modulation is delayed by the time period set by the LFO Delay parameter, and then starts immediately at full level. FadeOut – the LFO’s modulation is gradually decreased over the time period set by the Delay parameter (RE1), leaving the note with no LFO modulation. GateOut – the note is fully modulated by the LFO for the time period set by the Delay parameter (RE1). At this time, the modulation stops abruptly.

RE4 : LFO1 Delay Trigger

Displayed as: L1DTrig Initial value: Legato Range of adjustment: Legato or Re-Trig This parameter works in conjunction with the Fade In/ Fade Out function set by RE3. In Re-Trig mode, every note played has its own delay time, as set by the Delay parameter ( or MIDI clock if L1Dsync is active). In Legato mode, it is only the ﬁrst note of a legato-style passage which determines the Delay time – i.e. second and subsequent notes do not retrigger the Delay function. For the Legato setting of Delay Trigger to be operative, mono voicing must be selected – it will not work with polyphonic voicing. See page 18.

See page 21 for more details about Legato style.

RE5-RE8: Not used

the moDulatIon matrIx

The heart of a versatile synthesizer lies in the ability to interconnect the various controllers, sound generators and processing blocks such that one is controlling – or “modulating” another, in as many ways as possible. UltraNova provides tremendous ﬂexibility of control routing, and there is a dedicated menu for this, the Modulation Menu.

O1Semi O1Cents O1VSync O1Wave O1PW/Idx O1Hard O1Dense O1DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O1PtchWh O1WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O2Semi O2Cents O2VSync O2Wave O2PW/Idx O2Hard O2Dense O2DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O2PtchWh O2WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

O3Semi O3Cents O3VSync O3Wave O3PW/Idx O3Hard O3Dense O3DnsDtn

0 0 0 Sawtooth 0 127 0 0

O3PtchWh O3WTInt FixNote ModVib MVibRate OscDrift OscPhase NoiseTyp

+12 127 Off 0 65 0 0deg White

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

127 0

FBalance FRouting

-64 Parallel Off Off

AmpAtt AmpDec AmpSus AmpRel AmpVeloc AmpRept AmpTTrig AmpMTrig

2 90 127 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

AmpAtSlp AmpDcSlp AmpAttTk AmpDecTk AmpSusRt AmpSusTm AmpLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

FltAtt FltDec FltSus FltRel FltVeloc FltRept FltTTrig FltMTrig

2 75 35 45 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

FltAtSlp FltDcSlp FltAttTk FltDecTk FltSusRt FltSusTm FltLvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

10 70 64 40 0 0 OFF Re-Trig

E3AtSlp E3DcSlp E3AttTk E3DecTk E3SusRat E3SusTim E3LvlTk LvlTkNte

0 127 0 0 0 127 0 C 3

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Off Expo 0 Poly1 Off 25

0 Off FadeIn Legato

Off v67 m 0 127 40 HighPass

Transpose ^^ ^^ Bass I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9

0 START ACCEPT - - - - - - - - - -

Number Source1 Source2 TouchSel Destin Depth

1 Direct Direct Off O123Ptch 0

SOURCE 1

NUM BER 1

NUM BER 20

TOUCH SELECT

DEPTH

DESTINATION

SOURCE 2

SOURCE 1: LFO

SOURCE 2: MOD WHEE L

SOURCE 1: LFO

MOD SLOT NO 1

MOD SLOT NO 2

SOURCE 2: MOD WHEE L

SOURCE 1: MOD WHEE L

SOURCE 2:

SOURCE 1: LFO

SOURCE 2:

SOURCE 1: MOD WHEE L

SOURCE 2:

SOURCE 1: LFO

SOURCE 2:

RE2 : Source 1

Displayed as: Sour ce1 Initial value: Direct Range of adjustment: see table at page 41 This selects a control source ( modulator), which will be routed to the destination set by

RE5. Setting both RE2 and RE3 to Direct means no modulation is deﬁned.

RE3 : Source 2

Displayed as: Sour ce2 Initial value: Direct Range of adjustment: see table at 41 This selects a second control source for the chosen destination. If only one source per patch is being used, set RE3 to Direct.

RE4 : Touch controller enable

Displayed as: TouchSel Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, Touch1 to Touch8 The touch-sensitive knobs of the eight rotary encoders can be programmed as touch controllers, initiating a change to a parameter value (deﬁned by Destination - RE5 ) when touched. Note that Animate Touch mode must be enabled for the touch controllers to be active. The Animate Touch menu will conﬁrm that a controller has been assigned by the appropriate M number being something other than zero. See next chapter for more details regarding using the touch controllers. Note that when both a touch controller and other sources (Source1 and/or Source 2 ) are assigned in the same slot, the touch controller acts as a switch for the other sources, whose effect will only be heard when the touch control is activated.

Note that the Touch controls can also be directly assigned to re-trigger/trigger the envelopes via the Envelope Menus (RE7 on Page 2 of each Menu)

RE5: Destination

Displayed as: Destin Initial value: 0123Ptch Range of adjustment: see table at page 42 This sets which UltraNova parameter is to be controlled by the selected source (or sources) in the current patch. The range of possibilities comprises: Parameters that directly affect the sound:

• all oscillator pitch (0123Ptch)

• four parameters per oscillator

• the six mixer inputs from the oscillators, noise source and ring modulators

• per-ﬁlter distortion amount, frequency and resonance, plus ﬁlter balance

• 34 assorted FX parameters including chorus, delay, EQ etc.

Parameters that can also act as modulating sources (thus permitting recursive modulation):

• LFO 1 to 3 rate

• the Decay phases of Envelope 1 (amplitude) and Envelope 2 (Filter)

RE6 : Depth

Displayed as: Dept h Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -63 to +64 The Depth control sets the level of the control being applied to the Destination – i.e., the parameter being modulated. If both Source 1 and Source 2 are active in the slot in question, Depth controls their combined effect.

Depth effectively deﬁnes the “amount” by which the controlled parameter varies when under modulation control. Think of it as the “range” of control. It also determines the “sense” or polarity of the control – positive Depth will increase the

value of the controlled parameter and negative Depth will decrease it, for the same control input. Note that having deﬁned source and destination in a patch, no modulation will occur until the Depth control is set to something other than zero.

With both sources set to Direct and TouchSel set to Off, the Depth control becomes a “manual” modulation control which will always affect whichever parameter is set as the Destination.

RE7-RE8: Not used

control SectIon

The Animate controls

The Touch Controls

As already mentioned in preceding sections of the manual, the UltraNova’s eight rotary encoders are ﬁtted with conductive rubber knobs, making them touch-sensitive. You can program them to trigger a change in a parameter, and use them in performance to produce changes in your sound, or effects which may be either subtle or dramatic.

What each Touch Control actually does is programmed in the Envelope and/or Modulation Menus, and the options available for parameter control by touch are discussed in the relevant manual sections (see pages 20 and 25). However, the touch controls are only active when Touch Mode has been enabled by pressing the TOUCH button [22].

Unlike the other UltraNova menus, the Touch Menu does not provide any parameter adjustment, it merely conﬁrms the touch control assignments that have been made in other menus.

While the upper row of the display remains constant, the lower row provides two items of information: If Touch Controls have been assigned to trigger modulations set up in the Modulation Matrix, the number of modulation assignments appears under the letter ‘M’. The value displayed represents how many individual modulation slots have been set to be triggered by each touch control. The use of Touch Controls with the Modulation Matrix is described in full detail on this page. If a Touch Control has been assigned to one of the envelopes, an ‘R’, ‘T ’ or ‘E’ appears below one of the digits 1 to 6, the number corresponding to the Envelope number. The use of Touch Controls with Envelopes is described in full detail at page 20.

Thus if Touch Control 1 has been assigned to re-trigger Envelope 1 (Amplitude) and Touch Control 2 to trigger Envelope 2 (Filters), the display looks like this:

If two further assignments of parameters to a Touch Control have been made in the Modulation Matrix, a ‘2’ will show below the ‘M’:

Note that with Envelope 1 (Amplitude), re-triggering (R) of the envelope is the only option available. Envelopes 2 to 5 permit a choice of re-triggering (R), triggering (T) or enable (E) functions.

Tweak Controls

While playing live, it is often desirable to manually adjust some aspect or other of the sound – i.e., “ tweak” a particular parameter. Although the UltraNova’s design allows access to most parameters with a minimum of button presses, an even more elegant solution is to arrange for the main parameters that you may need to tweak to all be available simultaneously, regardless in which menu they are normally found. You will ﬁnd that all the factory Patches have some Tweak Controls assigned to them already, but you can change their function or add others if you wish.

The eight rotary encoders can act as Tweak Controls, and any of 127 parameters may be assigned to them, in any order. Fur thermore, Tweak assignments and settings are saved along with any other parameter changes, so are always there once you have set them up and re-saved the Patch. Note that saving Patches to certain categories will automatically add some Tweak Control assignments for you. But if you have made your own Tweak Control assignments as part of your Patch creation, these will take priority.

The Tweak Controls are activated by pressing the TWEAK button [22], which opens the Tweak Menu. The menu has two pages: Page 2 is used for setting up the Tweak controls, while Page 1 is used during performance and displays the parameter name and value assigned to each rotary encoder.

0 0 0 64 64 64

DELAY1 Dly1Time Dly1Sync Dly1Fbck Dly1L/R Dly1Wdth DLy1Slew

64 Off 64 1/1 127 127

CHORUS1 Ch1Type Ch1Rate Ch1Sync Ch1Fbck Ch1Depth Ch1Delay

Chorus 20 Off +10 64 64

GATOR GtOn/Off GtLatch GtRSync GtKSync GtSlew GtDecay GtL/Rdel

On Off 16th On 16 64 0

GATOR GtMode EditGroup EEEE---- --------

Mono16 1 -------- --------

A000 Init Program

Patch Name Find By Category Genre

A000 Init Program A000-D127 All All

PATCHSAVE Posng *------- -------- Upper Lower Number Punctuate

A o Init Program A a 0 space

PATCHSAVE Bank Patch Destination SaveCatg SaveGenre

Dest+C&G A 0 Init Program None None

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------

M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 0 R----- 0 T----- 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------

M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 M 123456 0 R----- 0 T----- 2 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------ 0 ------

Tweak1 Tweak2 Tweak3 Tweak4 Tweak5 Tweak6 Tweak7 Tweak8

Osc1Cents Osc2Cents F1Freq F1Res FltDec L1Rate FX1Amnt FX2Amnt

the arpeggIator

The UltraNova has a powerful Arpeggiator feature which allows arpeggios of varying complexity and rhythm to be played. If a single key is pressed, the note will be retriggered by the Arpeggiator. If you play a chord, the Arpeggiator identiﬁes its notes and plays them individually in sequence (this is termed an arpeggio pattern or “arp sequence”); thus if you play a C major triad, the selected notes will be C, E and G.

Arpeggiator operation in the UltraNova is controlled by the three ARP buttons [20], ON,

SETTINGS and LATCH. The ON button enables or disables the Arpeggiator, while the LATCH button plays the currently selected arp sequence repeatedly without the keys being

held. L ATCH can also be pressed before the Arpeggiator is enabled. When the Arpeggiator is enabled, the UltraNova will immediately play the arp sequence deﬁned by the last set of notes played, and will do so indeﬁnitely.

Editing of all Arpeggiator functions is carried out in the Arpeggiator Menu, which is opened by pressing the SETTINGS button.

RE1: Arpeggiator Rate Sync

Displayed as: ArpS ync Initial value: 16th Range of adjustment: see table at page 40 This parameter effectively determines the beat of the arp sequence, based on the tempo rate set by RE8.

RE2 : Arpeggiator Mode

Displayed as: ArpM ode Initial value: Up Range of adjustment: see table at page 44 When enabled, the Arpeggiator will play all notes held down in a sequence which is determined by the ArpMode parameter. The third column of the table describes the nature of the sequence in each case.

RE3 : Arpeggiator Pattern

Displayed as: ArpPatt Initial value: 1 Range of adjustment: 1 to 33 As well as being able to set the basic timing and mode of the arp sequence (with RE1 and RE2), you can also introduce further rhythmic variations with the Arpeggiator Pattern parameter.

You should spend some time experimenting with dif ferent combinations of Arp Mode and Arp Pattern. Some patterns work better in cer tain Modes.

RE4 : Arpeggiator Gate Time

Displayed as: ArpG Tim e Initial value: 64 Range of adjustment: 1 to 127 This parameter sets the basic duration of the notes played by the Arpeggiator (though this will be further amended by both the ArpPatt and ArpSync settings). The lower the parameter value, the shorter the duration of the note played. At its maximum value, one note in the sequence is immediately followed by the next without a gap. At the default value of 64, the note duration is exactly half the beat interval (as set by R E8 Tempo Clock), and each note is followed by a rest of equal length.

RE5: Arpeggiator Octaves

Displayed as: ArpO ctve Initial value: 1 Range of adjustment: 1 to 8 This setting adds upper octaves to the arp sequence. If ArpOctve is set to 2, the sequence is played as normal, then immediately played again an octave higher. Higher values of ArpOctve extend this process by adding additional higher octaves. ArpOctve values greater than 1 have the effect of doubling, tripling, etc., the length of the sequence. The additional notes added duplicate the complete original sequence, but octave-shifted. Thus a four-note sequence played with ArpOctve set to 1, will consist of eight notes when ArpOctve is set to 2.

Tweak Menu Page 2:

Each encoder may have any of the available parameters (see list at page 42) assigned to it for adjustment. Any Tweak Control assignments which form part of a fcatory Patch will be displayed.

Tweak Menu Page 1:

When a parameter is been assigned to a rotary encoder – either as part of the Patch or via manual assignment - the upper row shows the parameter name and the lower row the parameter value, just as they are displayed in their “native” menu.

Note that Tweak and Touch modes are mutually exclusive – the encoders cannot be assigned to both functions simultaneously, either globally or individually.

Touched/Filter Knob

The large TOUC HED/FILTER knob [9] is a further very useful control in live performance, particularly if TOUCH or T WEAK functions are being used. It is used in conjunction with the adjacent buttons FILTER and LOCK [8].

The knob’s function is to mimic that of the last-touched rotar y encoder (this includes Tweak mode ). This continues to apply even when the currently-open menu or menu page is changed. Thus if you have the Mix Menu open, and are using RE6 to vary Noise Level, you will ﬁnd that you can also vary Noise Level with the Touched/Filter knob. But if you change to the Filter Menu, the Touched/Filter knob will assume control of Filter 1 Distortion Amount (assuming the Filter Menu opens at Page 1) without any of the rotary encoders being touched, because it remains assigned to mimic RE6. Think of Touched/ Filter as a “copy” of the last-touched rotary encoder when you are in parameter adjustment mode, using the menus as normal.

If you are using either Tweak or Touch modes, then the rotary encoders are no longer available to control any sound parameters in the ‘normal’ way, but you can still control the last parameter adjusted with the Touched/ Filter knob. This functionality is always available, as long as both FILTER and LOCK functions [8] are not enabled.

The Filter button

The parameter most often needed for dynamic adjustment is probably Filter 1 frequency, and pressing the FILTER button [ 8] assigns control of this single parameter to the Touched /Filter knob (hence its name! ). Thus whatever else is going on, you can always have control of your main ﬁlter frequency.

The TOUCHED/FILTER knob’s function may be given control of Filter 1’s cut-off frequency permanently, if wished. This can be set up on Page 1 of the Global Menu with RE6. See page 37 for more details.

The Lock button

As described above, the function of the TOUCHED/FILTER knob will change with the currently-selected menu, because the knob mimics a physical encoder rather than the parameter the encoder is currently controlling. If LOCK is active, the parameter currently being adjusted, and not the physical encoder, is assigned to the knob. Thus if there is a parameter you want access to continuously, while perhaps retaining access to other parameters in other menus, using LOCK will ﬁx control of that parameter to the TOUCHED/ FILTER knob and it will remain so until LOCK is deselected.

Note that some factory Patches include activation of the LOCK button; this will be indicated by the button being illuminated. This will mean that a parameter is already assigned to the TOUCHED/FILTER knob, Try adjusting it to see what happens !

Osc1Cents Osc2Cents F1Freq F1Res FltDec L1Rate FX1Amnt FX2Amnt

+25 -25 13 45 76 4 64 4

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Off Expo 0 Poly1 Off 25

0 Off FadeIn Legato

Off v67 m 0 127 40 HighPass

16th

Up 1 64 1 Off Off 120

RE6 : Arpeggiator Key Sync

Displayed as: ArpK Sync Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On Arpeggiator Key Sync determines how the sequence behaves when an extra note is played. When Off, the new note is simply added to the sequence at the appropriate point. When On, the sequence restarts every time a new note is played. Note that ArpKSync only applies if LATCH [20] is On.

RE7: Arpeggiator Velocity

Displayed as: ArpV el Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off or On When set to On, the note velocities used for each note in the arp sequence will be those pre-programmed with the pattern. When set to Off, the velocities of the notes as you play them are used by the Arpeggiator. This lets you include dynamics in the Arpeggiator sequence.

For Arpeggiator Velocity to work, you need to set AmpVeloc (RE5 in Envelope 1 Menu Page 1) to a value greater than 0, otherwise there will be no variation in dynamics.

Try assigning Velocity to other parameters in the Modulation Matrix for some interesting results.

RE8: Tempo clock

Displayed as: ClockBPM Initial value: 120 Range of adjustment: 40 to 250 This parameter sets the tempo in BPM (Beats Per Minute) on which the arp sequence is based, when using its internal clock . It also deﬁnes the Tempo for all synchronised aspects of the Patch, thus its setting will be used by the various Sync parameters in the FX and Sync Menus.

IMPORTANT – If the UltraNova is set to receive an external MIDI clock, the ClockBPM setting will be ignored. Note also that the displayed value for ClockBPM will remain at its last ‘internal’ value if external sync is selected. See page 38 for more details about external sync.

the chorDer

The UltraNova’s Chorder is a very useful feature which permits you to play chords containing up to ten notes by pressing a single key. The resulting chord uses the lowest note played as its bass; all the other notes in the chord will be above the bass.

The two top panel CHORD buttons control the Chorder [21]; ON simply enables or disables the Chorder function, EDIT opens the Chord Edit Menu.

Programming the chord:

With the Chord Edit Menu open, press the VIEW button [7], (indicated by START on the display). Its LED will be ﬂashing, but this will go off when the button is pressed, and the LED in the adjacent USER button (indicated by ACCEPT in the display) will ﬂash instead.

Now play the chord you want to program; you can play it in any key or inversion you wish. The Chorder will identify the keys being pressed and indicate them in the lower row of the display, with the lowest note of the chord always showing as a 0. The semitone inter vals of the other notes in the chord will be shown counting from the left. Thus if you play a ﬂattened seventh chord, the display will show:

Now press the USER key to accept your selection. The chorder function can now be enabled by pressing the ON button. You will ﬁnd that pressing any key on the keyboard now plays a ﬂattened seventh chord, with the key pressed forming the lowest note of the chord.

Be aware that the semitone intervals displayed are those from the whole twelve-tone scale, not those from the eight-note tonic sol-fa usually used to describe the notes comprising a chord – thus the major third in the example above appears as ‘4’ because it is four semitones above the root, the natural ﬁfth as ‘7’ because it is 7 semitones above, and so on.

Note that the Arpeggiator precedes the Chorder within the UltraNova’s synth

engine. This has the consequence that if both the Arpeggiator and Chorder are in

use, the entire chord resulting from each key press will be arpeggiated.

RE1: Transposition control

Displayed as: Transpose Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -11 to +11 The transposition control is calibrated in semitone intervals, and the pitch of the chord can be shif ted up to 11 semitones, either up or down.

RE2 to RE8: Not used.

effectS (fx)

The UltraNova comes equipped with a comprehensive set of DSP-based effects processors, which can be applied to both the synth sound and any audio applied to the UltraNova’s audio inputs.

The FX section comprises ﬁve processing “slots”, each of which may be “loaded” with an FX processor from a pool of devices that includes panning, equalisation, compression, delay, chorus, distortion, reverb and Gator effects. In addition to the slots, controls are also provided for global FX parameters like panning, FX level, FX feedback, etc.

The FX Menus are opened with the EFFECT button [18]. Either three or four menu pages are available, depending whether any slots have been loaded with FX devices. The ﬁrst three pages provide controls for panning, FX levels, FX device selection and device routing, and are constant. The fourth page is the control page for the processing slot currently selected by the SELEC T buttons [10], so if multiple slots are in use, then additional menu pages can be accessed by using the SELECT buttons.

FX Menu Page 1 – Panning

RE1: not used.

RE2 Pan c ontrol

Displayed as: PanPos n Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: -64 to +63 This is the main manual pan control and positions the dr y (pre-FX) synth sound/Input audio in the stereo image between outputs 1 and 2, and also between outputs 3 and 4, if they are in use. Negative values of PanPosn move the sound to the left and positive values to the right. Note that some FX (e.g. reverb, chorus ) are inherently stereo, and these are added post-panning. Thus if you are using a sound that uses FX such as these, PanPosn will appear to not entirely localise the sound fully left or right at its extreme settings.

RE3 : Pan Rate

Displayed as: PanRat e Initial value: 40 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 Automatic panning is also possible, and the Pan section has a dedicated sinewave LFO which controls this. The PanRate parameter controls the LFO frequency, and thus how rapidly the sound moves between left and right and back again. With a value of 40, the sound takes approx. 3 seconds to complete a full cycle, and the range of control allows extremely slow or extremely fast panning.

For the most effective results with Pan Rate, ensure that PanPosn is set 0 (i.e.

centre panning)

RE4 : Pan Rate Sync

Displayed as: PanSy nc Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: see table at page 40 Auto-panning rate may synchronised to the internal or external MIDI clock, using a wide variety of tempos.

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Off Expo 0 Poly1 Off 25

0 Off FadeIn Legato

Off v67 m 0 127 40 HighPass

Transpose ^^ ^^ Bass I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9

0 START ACCEPT - - - - - - - - - -

Transpose ^^ ^^ Bass I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9

0 START ACCEPT 0 4 7 10 - - - - - -

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Off Expo 0 Poly1 Off 25

0 Off FadeIn Legato

Off v67 m 0 127 40 HighPass

Transpose ^^ ^^ Bass I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9

0 START ACCEPT - - - - - - - - - -

Number Source1 Source2 TouchSel Destin Depth

1 Direct Direct Off O123Ptch 0

PAN PanPosn PanRate PanSync PanDepth

0 40 Off 0

RE5: Pan Depth

Displayed as: PanDe pth Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This control determines the amount of image shift applied by the auto-panner. At its maximum value of 127, the auto-panner will pan the sound both fully left and fully right; lower values will pan less extremely, with the sound remaining more centrally located. The auto-panner is effectively off when the parameter value is zero (but the manual pan control

RE2 is still operative).

RE6 to RE8: Not used.

FX Menu Page 2 – Routing

This menu page is where you assign the effects you need. You can also specify their conﬁguration – whether they are “connected” serially, with the output of one feeding the input of another, or are in parallel, where the synth sound is fed to the inputs of more than one FX device simultaneously, the device outputs then being mixed together.

RE1: FX Slot routing

Displayed as: Routing Initial value: 1(2+3+4+5) Range of adjustment: see diagrams below This parameter lets you conﬁgure the interconnection of the FX slots. The ﬁve slots may be interconnected in serial, in parallel, or in various combinations of serial and parallel.

The FX types can be categorised in various ways: some are time-based (chorus, delay), others are static (EQ, distortion). Some should be used as an F X send /

return loop (implying a parallel connection), others as an insert (implying a serial connection). Depending on the synth sound itself and the actual effects being used, some conﬁgurations will clearly work better than others. When using multiple effects, try a few different interconnections to see which works best.

RE2 : Not used.

RE3 to RE7: Slot Effec t Selection

Displayed as: SlotnFX (where n=1 to 5) Initial value: Bypass Range of adjustment: see table at page 44 Each of the ﬁve slots may be loaded with one of the available FX processors. Use the rotary encoder for any slot to select an ef fect from the list of those available. The table shows the “pool” of FX devices available. As DSP capacity is ﬁnite, each device in the list may only be loaded into one slot, and once it has been loaded, it will no longer appear in the list of available processors for the other slots. You will see that multiples of most of the F X devices are provided, to allow the most creative use of the FX.

RE8: Not used.

FX Menu Page 3 – FX Level controls

RE1: Effect feedback Displayed as: FXFedb ck Initial value: 0 Range of adjustment: 0 to 127 This parameter controls how much signal is fed back to the input of the effects chain from its output. The FX Slot from which the feedback is derived varies with the FX Routing conﬁguration in use – see diagram. However, with all routing conﬁgurations, the feedback is added back into the chain at FX Slot 1. Note that not all conﬁgurations employ feedback.

RE2 Not used.

127 0 0 0 0 0 0dB 0dB

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Off Expo 0 Poly1 Off 25

0 Off FadeIn Legato

Off v67 m 0 127 40 HighPass

Transpose ^^ ^^ Bass I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9

0 START ACCEPT - - - - - - - - - -

Number Source1 Source2 TouchSel Destin Depth

1 Direct Direct Off O123Ptch 0

0 40 Off 0

Routing Slot1FX Slot2FX Slot3FX Slot4FX Slot5FX

1>(2+3+4+5) Bypass Bypass Bypass Bypass Bypass

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

(DISABLED)

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

DRY/WET

OUTPUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT

SLOT

1>(2+3+4+5)

1>2>(3+4+5)

1>2>3(4+5)

1>2 + 3+4+5

1>2>3>4>5

1>2>3 + 4+5

1+2+3+4+5

1>2>3>4 + 5

FXFedbck FX1Amnt FX2Amnt FX3Amnt FX4Amnt FX5Amnt FXWetLvl

0 64 64 64 64 64 0

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Novation UltraNova User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual