Quasimidi POLYMORPH Operating Instructions Manual

Operating Instructions

POLYMORPH

QUASIMIDI

32 OHM

++

+

+

+ + + + + + + +

+

+

PW

PW

PW

EXPANSION-SLOTS

SEE BOTTOM-PLATE

QUASIMIDI POLYMORPH

R

ESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

ANALOG-EMULATION-SYNTHESIS BY QUASIMIDI

P

OWER

ON / OFF

INMIDI: OUT-1OUT OUT-2 AUDIOTHRU OUT-3 IN-1OUT-4 IN-2

PAGE

WAVE-1

WAVE-2

WAVE-3

LFO-WAVE

VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE MIX-VOL-1 MIX-VOL-2 MIX-VOL-3 MIX-VOL-4

PWM

SQR

SIN

TRL

SWD

RND

SWU

PITCH

STEP-MUTE

STEP-HOLD

CYCLE­LENGTH

SEQUENCE­SELECT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SEL-1 SEL-2 SEL-3 SEL-4

LINE-1 LINE-2 LINE-3 FORWARDNOTE-FWD BACKWARD RANDOM

UNISON ROTATE MULTI STACK

VCO-FM VCF-MOD

F1 F2

LFO-RATE LFO-DEPTH

TUNE ENV-MOD

TUNE SYNC

TUNE

LEVEL-1 CUTOFF RESONANCE ENV-MOD ATTACK

ATTAC K

ATTAC K

EDIT

COMPARE

WRITE

EXIT

START/STOP

VALUE-TEMPO SOUND

DECAY

DECAY

DECAY

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

RELEASE

RELEASE

RELEASE

ENV-MODRESONANCECUTOFFLEVEL-2

LEVEL-3 LP 24 dB

VOLUME

PHONES

OSCILLATOR-1

HIGH­PASS

HP-ENV

LP-ENV

VCA-ENV

LOW­PASS

OSCILLATOR-2

OSCILLATOR-3

OR EXTERNAL
INPUTS

dB

RESO.

CUTOFF-FREQ.

Space-Distortion 1

Space-Distortion 2

Bright-Distortion 1

Bright-Distortion 2

EQ-Pan-Delay

Super-Chorus

Super-Flanger

Multitap-Delay

MULTI-EFFECT-

ALGORITHMS

OSCILLATORS

R

ESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

LFO 1-3

OSCILLATORS

MIXER

MORPH-SEQUENCER

Contents

Important Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Conventions used in this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Installation and Audio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Trying Out The Setups (Factory Presets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Playing of the single sounds from a MIDI keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Description of the operating surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

An overview of the operating elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The functions of the controls and buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Display area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Functions of the mixer

/ Turning sequencer on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Oscillators – waveform generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Resonance-filters - Resonance capable filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Envelope-Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

LFO 1-3 Modulation Oscillators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Sequencer section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

The Synthesizers of the POLYMORPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Initializing to a neutral single sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Oscillator section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Oscillator 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Waveform of Oscillator 1: menu page 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Oscillator synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Coarse-tuning of synthesizer part: menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Fine-tuning of synthesizer part: menu page 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Volume of Oscillator 1: MENU PAGE 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Oscillator 2&3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Waveforms of Oscillators 2&3: menu page 5 and 9 . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Ext-In 1 and Ext-In 2*: Processing external signals with the synthesizer. . 24

Interval of Oscillators 2 & 3: menu page 6 and 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Fine-tuning of Oscillators 2 & 3: menu page 7 and 11 . . . . . . . . . . 24

Volume of Oscillator 2 & 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Switching polyphony - switching between 8 and 16 voices . . . . . . . 25

Part play mode and portamento effect (glide): menu page 13 15 . . . . 25

The Oscillator envelope:menu pages 16 - 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

The LFOs in the Oscillator section: menu pages 20 - 27 . . . . . . . . . 26

Pulse width modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The filter section of the POLYMORPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Initializing to a neutral single sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

First filter experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Filter menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Filter routing: menu page 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Filter couple: menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Filter drive (overdrive): menu page 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

High-pass filter parameters: menu pages 4 - 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

High-pass filter dynamic: menu page 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Low-pass filter parameters: menu pages 12 - 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Low pass filter dynamic: menu page 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Low-pass filter key follow: menu page 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Filter modulations: menu pages 21 - 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The amp (amplifier) section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The amp (amplifier) menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Mix volume: menu page 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Panorama: menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

VCA level: menu page 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

VCA key dynamic: menu page 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Volume modulation: menu page 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Volume envelope: menu pages 6 - 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

The effects of the POLYMORPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Multi-effect algorithms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

The distortion section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

The Equalizer Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

The FX-1 and the FX-2 sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The FX basic types: menu page 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Effect volume (level): menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2

Contents

Reverb time (delay time): menu page 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Feedback: menu page 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Feedback filter: menu page 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Modulation speed (rate): menu page 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Modulation intensity: menu page 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

The controller edit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Key velocity curve: menu page 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Hold pedal: menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Pitch bender sensitivity: menu page 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Modulations wheel assignment: menu page 4-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Aftertouch assignment: menu pages 6-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

The morphing sequencers of the POLYMORPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Basics: Analog sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

The sequencers edit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Groove factor: menu page 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Resolution: menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Transposing: menu page 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Start triggering the sequences: menu pages 4 and 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

"Free" Standard setting for starting normal using [START/STOP] . . . . . 39

SEQ 1 - 4 - adjustments to mutual starting of the sequences. . . . . . . 39

Producing longer sequences with more than 16 steps . . . . . . . . . . 39

"Ext1 - 16" Starting a sequence from an external MIDI note . . . . . . . 40

Moving the first beat: menu page 6: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Real-time transposing: Menu pages 7 - 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Transpose / muting subsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Remote control of the transpose / muting subsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Suggestions for the operation of the sequencers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

The combination of the synthesizer parts with the sequencer setups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The System Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Master transposing: Menu page 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Master tuning: Menu page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Master channel: Menu page 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

The functions of the single outputs: Menu page 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Local On/Off: Menu page 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

MIDI-Synchronization: Menu page 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

MIDI input filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

MIDI output filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Sysex dump tempo: Menu page 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Control (regulator) characteristics: Menu pages 16-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The write menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Storing a setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Storing a sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Storing a sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Initializing the complete Memory/

reloading of the factory settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

In general to initializing single memory areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Initializing a setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Initializing a sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Initializing the effect section of a sound/FX-Bypass function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Initializing a sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

In general to the theme saving of data and System exclusive data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Send Temp - Sending the momentary settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Send sounds - Sending the user sound memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Send sequences - Sending the sequencer memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Send setups - Sending of the setup memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Send all - Send all POLYMORPH settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

MIDI Implementation of the POLYMORPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

List of the MIDI-Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

POLYMORPH System-Exclusive Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Graphical Overview of the edit menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

List of the Single-Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

List of the Setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Warranty conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Technical data of POLYMORPH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Contact address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

3

Contents

ATTENTION: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIC NE PAS OUVRIR

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol,
within an equilateral triangle, is intended to
alert the user to presence of uninsulated
"dangerous voltage" within the product's
enclosure that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric
shock to persons.

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,

DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).

NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and
maintanance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the product.

INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO A RISK OF FIRE, ELECTRIC SHOCK, OR INJURI TO PERSONS

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

WARNING - When using electric products, basic precautions should always be followed, including the following:

1. Read all the instructions before using the product.

2. Do not use this product near water - for example, near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, or near a
swimming pool, or the like.

3. This product should be used only with a cart or stand that is
recommended by the manufacturer.

4. This product, either alone or in combination with an amplifier
and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing
sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not
operate for long period of time at a high volume level or at a
level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss
or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.

5. The product should be located so that its location or position
does not interfere with its proper ventilation.

6. The product should be located away from heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, or other products that produce heat.

7. Avoid using the product where it may be affected by dust.

8. The product should be connected to a power-supply of the type
described in the operating instructions or as marked on the
product.

9. The power supply of the product should be unplugged from the
outlet when left unused for a long period of time.

10. Do not tread on the power-supply chord.

11. Do not pull the cord but hold the plug when unplugging.

12. When setting up with any other instruments, the procedure
should be followed in accordance with instruction manual.

13. Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are
not spilled into the enclosure through openings.

14. The product should be serviced by qualified personnel when:
A. The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the

product; or
C. The product has been exposed to rain; or
D. The product does not appear to operate normally or

exhibits a marked change in performance; or
E. The product has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged.

15. Do not attempt to service the product beyond that descibed in
the user-maintainance instructions. All other servicing should be
referred to qualified personnel.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

The CE sign on our products declares that our electrical devices are in conformity with the EN 55014
and EN 50082-1 (in accordance with 89/336 EMC- and EEC directive). The manufacturer also declares
the conformity of above mentioned product with the actual required safety standards.

4

Important safety instructions

For the U.K.
WARNING: THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED
IMPORTANT: THE WIRES IN THIS MAIN LEAD ARE COLOURED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING CODE.

GREEN-AND-YELLOW: EARTH; BLUE:NEUTRAL; BROWN: LIVE.
As the colours of the wires in the mains lead of this apparatus may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying
the terminals in your plug proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured GREEN-AND-YELLOW must be connected to the terminal in the plug which ist marked by the
letter E or by the safety earth symbol or coloured GREEN or GREEN-AND-YELLOW.
The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter N or coloured BLACK.
The wire which is coloured BROWN must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter L or coloured RED.

2

In addition to the "IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS" on the previous page please note the
following:

Important Notes

Connecting to the Mains:

- Do not connect the unit to a socket which is already feeding other units that can cause
interference (for instance electric motors, light controls, fridges etc.)

- The heat generated by the mains adaptor is completely normal.

- Whenever you intend to connect the Sirius to other units, first turn off all units. This will prevent
possible malfunctions and damage to speakers and other equipment.

Installation:

- Using the unit close to heavy power sources (or other units containing larger mains transformers)
can cause "humming" or other electrical interference.

- The unit might cause disturbances to television and radio. Do not set up your unit near any of
these receivers.

- Do not expose the unit to extreme temperatures (like for instance direct sun light in a closed
vehicle or extreme frost in winter). The unit could be damaged or the varnish on the casing might
disintegrate.

Maintenance:

- To clean the unit wipe it with a soft, dry or damp cloth. To remove persistent stains you can use a
damp cloth and a neutral cleaning agent. Wipe the unit dry afterwards.

- Never use Petrol, Thinner, Alcohol or similar cleaning agents to clean your unit. These can
dissolve the markings and varnish and might deface the casing.

Repairs and Data:

- Please remember that you might lose the memory of your unit when you send it in for repair.
Important information should therefore be stored on a different MIDI-unit (for instance
Sequencer). Although every care is taken when repairing your unit it can happen, especially when
work to the storage/memory or affiliated groups is necessary, that information is lost. Please note
that it is not possible for us to restore lost data.

5

Important Notes

See page 52

Storage Protection:

- The memory of the unit is secured with a Lithium battery (CR 2025). The storage contents will
remain even when the unit is switched off. Depending on how it is treated, the battery will last for
several years. Should you have to exchange it, please contact our Service-Department. Please
make sure that the old batteries are disposed of properly. Batteries of all kinds do not belong in the
domestic trash, as they contain dangerous heavy metals.

Additional precautions:

- Please consider that the storage contents can also be irrevocably lost through mal-function or
improper use. Important data should therefore be stored regularly on another MIDI-unit (for
instance a sequencer)

- For these cases we point out that it is not possible to restore lost data.

- Treat the keys and dials as well as the connection sockets with care - improper use can lead to
mal-functions.

- Never press or hit the buttons or the display hard.

- Whenever you are connecting or disconnecting cables, always pull the plug itself, do not pull the
cable. This will avoid short-circuits and cable damage.

- Should you wish to transport the unit, it is best to use the original carton (including the
polystyrene inlays)

The CE-Sign on our products declares that our electrical devices are in
conformity with the EN 55014 and EN 50082-1 (in accordance with 89/336
EMC- and EEC directive). The manufacturer also declares the conformity of
above mentioned product with the actual required safety standards.

6

Important Notes

See page 52

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the QUASIMIDI POLYMORPH. You can be sure that you
have acquired one of the most modern electronic music instruments with many innovative
features. By integrating the Morphing Sequencers with the expressive synthesizer engine, you have
the ability to easily create sounds which most other synthesizers would find difficult if not
impossible to copy.
The POLYMORPH is a sophisticated instrument with many complex features and facilities which
are described in full in this manual. To get started, we recommend you read the Basics section
first to familiarize yourself with the layout, controls and fundamentals of operation.

Basics

Conventions used in this manual

The POLYMORPH has numerous keys, which control various functions of the synthesizer. All of
the keys have fixed names which will be shown in square brackets in this manual. Whenever we
refer to a sequence of button pushes it will look something like this:

e.g. Push [BUTTON 1] followed by [BUTTON 2]

In the manual we have simplified statements such as: Push the Start / stop button, with Push
[START/STOP]

To simply distinguish between pushbuttons and rotary knobs in this manual, we have used angled
brackets for the rotary knobs:

e.g. Turn the <CONTROL KNOB> completely to the left

instead of EXAMPLE in the pointed brackets the button description will be shown.

Other logical abbreviations will also be used for simplicity and convenience.

e.g. Turn the <LOW PASS CUTOFF> completely to the left, rather than explicitly stating turn the
"knob labeled <CUTOFF> in the low-pass filter section..." etc.

For better orientation you will find the following little helpers in this manual:

This symbol marks the useful tips given in
this manual.

This marks text passages to which you
should pay special attention.

Copyright © 1998 QUASIMIDI-Musikelektronik GmbH

7

Introduction

Tip

!

Installation and Audio Connections

The box in which the POLYMORPH is packaged is ideal for transportation. It is secured by
molded-polystyrene supports. One of these also holds the power supply adaptor in a small box.

We recommend that you keep the box and polystyrene for future use, in case you want to
transport the POLYMORPH for instance, or if you send it to QUASIMIDI for a software version
update, it must be in the original packing.
The following parts should be contained:
1 POLYPMORPH
1 stereo ( or two mono) audio cable with phono / RCA plugs and jack adaptors
1 power adaptor
1 owners manual
1 warranty form

After unpacking, the POLYMORPH
should be placed on a stable surface
and the power adaptor can be
plugged into the Power Input socket
at the back panel of the
POLYMORPH. The main plug can go
into a wall socket, but you should
ideally make all audio and MIDI
connections first before turning it on.
To listen to the POLYMORPH you
can either plug in headphones to the
top panel, or connect its stereo audio
outputs into a amplification system
such as a keyboard combo amp or a
hi-fi system, or run it through a mixing
desk or outboard processors such as an instrument preamplifier, compressor or equaliser before
injecting it into your signal chain if you prefer. We have supplied suitable audio cables for
connections. The POLYMORPH's main output is stereo, unbalanced and has a nominal line level
of around -10dBV. It also has two more additional audio outputs which you may also want to use
as well, but they are not necessary to begin with. They would be treated the same way as the main
stereo outputs.

Connecting the POLYMORPH to a mixing desk

The POLYMORPH's audio outputs are at line level and should require hardly any gain through the
mixer input stages. it is best to make connections with all the equipment switched off in case there
is any electrical fault, but if it is on, the mixer's channel faders that you are going to use for the
POLYMORPH input must be turned down or muted to prevent any electrical burst noises going
through to the outputs. These switch-on transients and plugging-in pops can cause severe damage
to loudspeakers, headphones and your ears, and will easily overload most equipment. Check that

8

Basics

power supply

Tip

not only are the relevant channel faders muted, but also any aux sends, effects sends, direct outs,
inserts, or bus routing switches on these channels as they too can pass the dangerous noises on
from that channel's input to their destinations.

Pressing the [START/STOP] button on the POLYMORPH will begin a drum pattern, which you can
use as a test signal. Start with the <MAIN VOLUME> knob low and gradually bring it up to a
reasonable level.
If your mixer has a gain pot, start at the lowest setting, bring the faders up to unity and gradually
increase the gain pot until you get a healthy signal level, checking that it is not distorting anywhere
along the signal path. If you have a mixer with a Line/Phono input switch, such as many DJ
turntable mixing desks, then select the Line input. (The phono input is for low level turntable
cartridges only and will be severely overloaded by the high level output of the POLYMORPH.)
If you have stereo inputs on your mixer, the left/right balance knob should be set to the centre
position. If you use two separate input channels, then the panpot for POLYMORPH channel 1
should be panned to the left and POLYMORPH channel 2 should be panned to the right.

Connecting the POLYMORPH to a hi-fi system or portable stereo etc.

From the point of view of connections, the POLYMORPH can be treated as if it were another CD
player. Its output will be a similarly high line level and require a similar high impedance audio
input stage such as any labelled LINE, AUX, TAPE, CD, DAT which usually have RCA/phono plugs
and hence will fit the cables supplied by QUASIMIDI with your POLYMORPH. However, you
should never use the record player / MC / MM / PHONO input because the high level output of
the POLYMORPH will overload it.
(If the only available input is something else such as a 5-pin DIN plug, or two XLR inputs then you
will need to purchase the appropriate adaptor or cable for your application.)
Make sure that the volumes are turned fully off before plugging in and powering up, preferably the
hi-fi amplifier should be the last component to switch on, and the first to switch off. Press the
[START/STOP] button on the POLYMORPH to begin a drum pattern to listen to, and starting with
the volumes at low levels, gradually increase them to a comfortable level. If your portable stereo
has a "Loudness" button or some kind of "Hyper / Mega Bass Boost" button it is probably best to
turn it off at first unless you are listening at low volumes because the POLYMORPH has resonant
filters that can tune down to very low / subsonic frequencies that may easily distort with these
processes applied, and this could damage your speakers etc
.

9

Basics

A

U

D

I

O

-

1

R

I

G

H

T

A

U

D

I

O

-

2

L

E

F

T

A

mplifier

INININININININI

N

LR

AUX-SEND

MAIN-OUT

1234

5 6 7 8

LR

MIX

3

2OHM

++

+

+

+ + + + + + + +

+

+

P

W

PW

PW

E

XPANSION-SLOTS

SEEBOTTOM-PLATE

QUASIMIDI POL YMORPH

RESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

A

NALOG-EMULATION-SYNTHESIS BY QUASIMIDI

P

OWER

ON/ OFF

INMIDI: OUT-1OUT OUT-2 AUDIOTHRU OUT-3 IN-1OUT-4 IN-2

PAGE

W

AVE-1

WAVE-2

WAVE-3

LFO-WAVE

VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE MIX-VOL-1 MIX-VOL-2 MIX-VOL-3 MIX-VOL-4

PWM

SQR

SIN

TRL

SWD

RND

SWU

PITCH

STEP-MUTE

STEP-HOLD

CYCLE­LENGTH

SEQUENCE­SELECT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SEL-1 SEL-2 SEL-3 SEL-4

LINE-1 LINE-2 LINE-3 FORWARDNOTE-FWD BA CKWARD RANDOM

UNISON ROTATE MULTI STACK

VCO-FM VCF-MOD

F1 F2

LFO-RATE LFO-DEPTH

TUNE ENV-MOD

TUNE SYNC

TUNE

LEVEL-1 CUTOFF RESONANCE ENV-MOD ATTACK

ATTACK

ATTACK

EDIT

COMPARE

WRITE

EXIT

START/STOP

VALUE-TEMPO SOUND

DECAY

DECAY

DECAY

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

RELEASE

RELEASE

RELEASE

ENV-MODRESONANCECUTOFFLEVEL-2

LEVEL-3 LP 24 dB

VOLUME

PHONES

O

SCILLATOR-1

HIGH­PASS

HP-ENV

LP-ENV

VCA-ENV

LOW­PASS

OSCILLATOR-2

OSCILLATOR-3

OREXTERNAL
INPUTS

d

B

RESO.

CUTOFF-FREQ.

S

pace-Distortion1

Space-Distortion2

Bright-Distortion 1

Bright-Distortion 2

EQ-Pan-Delay

Super-Chorus

Super-Flanger

Multitap-Delay

MULTI-EFFECT-

ALGORITHMS

OSCILLATORS

RESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

LFO1-3

O

SCILLATORS

MIXER

MORPH-SEQUENCER

!

Connecting the POLYMORPH to a Keyboard Combo Amplifier

Some keyboard amplifiers will also have microphone inputs, on jacks or XLRs and these are NOT
suitable for the POLYMORPH as their input impedance is too low (overtaxing the POLYMORPH's
output stage) while their gain range is too high, and they will be overloaded.
Use only the Line inputs, which are sometimes labelled "Keyboard Inputs". If your keyboard
combo is stereo, then connect POLYMORPH's channel 1 to the Left and Channel 2 to the right
input. Switch the amp on last, and start off with the volumes low until you have optimised the
settings such as treble / mid / bass etc. The POLYMORPH will playback some drum patterns if you
press the [START/STOP] button.
If you have to plug into a guitar combo, use a clean channel, high impedance input and start with
the <MASTER VOLUME> knob very low and the amp's input gain should not be turned up too
much.

Trying Out The Setups (Factory Presets)

When first switched on, the POLYMORPH defaults to its "SETUP" operation mode. A setup is the
overall status of all the main controls and adjustable parameters, for the whole POLYMORPH synth
at a given moment, and all this information may be stored in the memory. The global System
Menu however, is not affected by the Setup modes.
In this way, the sound programming of the four parts, the four sequences, all effect settings, and
the tempo adjustments can be recalled instantly from a Setup memory.
Ultimately, each Setup is like a performance patch for the whole synthesizer and determines the
complete function of the four synth engines. The POLYMORPH's four synthesis engines make it
four part multitimbral, and it has 16 voice polyphony and dynamic voice allocation. By turning the
<SOUND> knob, you can scroll through different Setups, which will let you hear some of the
different patches by pressing [START/STOP] to hear some of the preset drum loops / sequences etc.
Now is a good time to play around and listen to these, and hear for yourself the type of effects and
grooves the POLYMORPH is built for. Later on in the manual we will explain how to control the
four synth engines, and how program and save your own sounds and sequences.

Playing of the single sounds from a MIDI keyboard

On its own, the POLYMORPH is a groovey drum machine, but to play melodies or basslines live
you would need to give it MIDI data from a realtime controller such as a master keyboard, another
synth, a digital piano or a MIDI guitar or wind controller etc. Alternatively you can connect it
directly to a MIDI sequencer, either stand alone or computer based, to play back programmed
tracks.
Connect the MIDI output (MIDI OUT) of the master keyboard controller or sequencer to the MIDI
input (MIDI IN) of the POLYMORPH. In this chapter, we will assume you are simply transmitting
on MIDI channel 1, so you would need to verify this on your controller keyboard or sequencer etc.

10

Basics

!

When it receives MIDI messages, the [SEL1] button in the mixer section of the POLYMORPH
should flicker, and obviously you would also hear the sounds you are playing.

Choosing Sounds
Directly after turning the POLYMORPH on it is in the "SETUP" mode. If you turn the <SOUND>
dial in this mode, not only the sound of the chosen parts will be changed, but also the sound of all
4 parts and the assigned sequencer memories. The display would show:

Setupxx:xxxxxxxx
[Sound-Sel][---]

...instead of the "xx" the number and name of the chosen setup will be displayed. To change only
the sounds within the current setup, push [SOUND]. Then the following display message will
appear:

A001: EXAMPLE
[Bank-up][Setup]

This mode selects the single sounds from the different memory banks of the POLYMORPH.
With the softkey [F1] under the display, you can select the memory banks for the sound you wish
to call up. In the banks A-D you have the single sounds which are used in the setups. Those
intended for use as single sounds and especially pre-programmed for solo performance are the
sounds in bank "U". Select this bank by repeatedly pushing [F1]. Now you can recall up the desired
sound to play by scrolling the <SOUND> dial.
With [F2] you can return to the setup mode.

11

Basics

Masterkeyboard/
Synthesizer

3

2OHM

N

ATURAL

DRUMS

BASS­SOUNDS

DIRTY
NATURAL

DIRTY
BASS

ELECTRONIC
DRUMS

PAD­SOUNDS

909-TYPE

PLUCKED
SOUNDS

808-TYPE

LEVEL

B

D SNARE HIHAT PERC. SYNTH 1 SYNTH2 SYNTH3

M

OD.-WHEEL
ASSIGN

PART
SELECT

SOUND
SELECT

MODULATION

WHEEL

PITCH
BEND

TRACK-MUTING

PATTERN
SELECT

SONG

SELECT

PART
MUTE

PART/SEQ.

TOMIDI

PANORAMA FX1/FX2

12

SNARE HIHAT

DETUNE FILTER-

OVERDRIVE

Q-FACTOR VCF-EG

MACRO

VCA-EG
MACRO

MOD.-

DEPTH

MOD.­RATE

SPECIAL-LOOP
TRACK-FADER

OVERBLAST

MOD.­MACRO

WAVE-

MACRO

GLIDE

LPF24dB RELEASE

0

32

64

96

127

LPF12dB

HPF12dB

PAGE/BANK

MASTER
VOLUME

MICROPHONE
CONNECTOR

VALUE
TEMPO

RECALL EXIT

EDIT WRITE

SHIFT

KEY-TRACKINGOCTAVE-UPOCTAVE-DOWN VCF-DYN. VCA-DYN. RANDOM-SOUND

PRESSBUTTON

FORSOUND-CREATION

TAP­TEMPO

DEMO

SYNC.
EXTERN

AUDIO
SYNC

CUTOFF ENV.-MOD VCA

LEVEL

PERCUSSION

PATTERN BREAK SPECIALLOOP TRACKS

SYNTH1 SYNTH 2 SYNTH 3 VOCODER

HOLDBUTTONAND

SELECTPART

ANALYSE CARRIER CARRIER-EXT. MICRO.

HOLD

TO

SELECT

REW

ARPEG.
ON/OFF

START

SONG-STEP

STOP

FWD

PHONES

KICK/BD

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

SOLO­SOUNDS

DRUM-SFX

EFFECT­SOUNDS

SIRIUS

SIRIUS

by QUASIMIDI

CATEGORIES

MIXER 11CHANNELVOCODER SEQUENCER

MODULATOR OSCILLATORS RESONANCE-FILTER

AMPLIFIER

EG-MACROS PHONETISCHERSPEKTRALTRANSFORMATOR

R

ECORD

MIDI-IN

MIDI-OUT

3

2OHM

++

+

+

+ + + + + + + +

+

+

PW

PW

PW

E

XPANSION-SLOTS

SEEBOTTOM-PLATE

QUASIMIDI POLYMORPH

R

ESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

A

NALOG-EMULATION-SYNTHESIS BY QUASIMIDI

POWER
ON/ OFF

INMIDI: OUT-1OUT OUT-2 AUDIOTHRU OUT-3 IN-1OUT-4 IN-2

PAGE

W

AVE-1

WAVE-2

WAVE-3

LFO-WAVE

VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE MIX-VOL-1 MIX-VOL-2 MIX-VOL-3 MIX-VOL-4

PWM

SQR

SIN

TRL

SWD

RND

SWU

PITCH

STEP-MUTE

STEP-HOLD

CYCLE­LENGTH

SEQUENCE­SELECT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SEL-1 SEL-2 SEL-3 SEL- 4

LINE-1 LINE-2 LINE-3 FORWARDNOTE-FWD BACKWARD RANDOM

UNISON ROTATE MULTI STACK

VCO-FM VCF-MOD

F1 F2

LFO-RATE LFO-DEPTH

TUNE ENV-MOD

TUNE SYNC

TUNE

LEVEL-1 CUTOFF RESONANCE ENV-MOD ATTACK

ATTACK

ATTACK

EDIT

COMPARE

WRITE

EXIT

START/STOP

VALUE-TEMPO S OUND

DECAY

DECAY

DECAY

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

RELEASE

RELEASE

RELEASE

ENV-MODRESONANCECUTOFFLEVEL-2

LEVEL-3 LP24 dB

VOLUME

PHONES

O

SCILLATOR-1

HIGH­PASS

HP-ENV

LP-ENV

VCA-ENV

LOW­PASS

OSCILLATOR-2

OSCILLATOR-3

OREXTERNAL
INPUTS

d

B

RESO.

CUTOFF-FREQ.

S

pace-Distortion1

Space-Distortion2

Bright-Distortion1

Bright-Distortion2

EQ-Pan-Delay

Super-Chorus

Super-Flanger

Multitap-Delay

M

ULTI-EFFECT­ALGORITHMS

OSCILLATORS

R

ESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

L

FO1-3

O

SCILLATORS

MIXER

MORPH-SEQUENCER

Tip

Description of the operating surface

On the illustration below you see the operator controls of the POLYMORPH. This diagram in
conjunction with the explanations will clarify 80% of the operation of the POLYMORPH.
In this chapter you'll find the answers to most of your questions.

An overview of the operating elements

The functions of the controls and buttons

DISPLAY AREA

On the right and directly beneath the display you will find more buttons and dials, whose functions
are dependant upon the respective menu.

[F1] AND [F2] SOFTKEYS

These buttons are found directly below the display. Their present function is shown in brackets in
the display. If a parameter value is displayed above [F2], it can be set to a standard value by
pressing [F2].

[EDIT] - CALLING UP THE EDIT MENU

With this button you can go into different menus for extensive editing of the sounds, sequences,
effects etc. There you find all of the parameters of the operating surface and many more.

12

Basics

32 OHM

++

+

+

+ + + + + + + +

+

+

P

W

PW

PW

EXPANSION-SLOTS

SEE BOTTOM-PLATE

QUASIMIDI POLYMORPH

RESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

ANALOG-EMULATION-SYNTHESIS BY QUASIMIDI

POWER

ON / OFF

INMIDI: OUT-1OUT OUT-2 AUDIOTHRU OUT-3 IN-1OUT-4 IN-2

PAGE

WAVE-1

WAVE-2

WAVE-3

LFO-WAVE

VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE MIX-VOL-1 MIX-VOL-2 MIX-VOL-3 MIX-VOL-4

PWM

SQR

SIN

TRL

SWD

RND

SWU

PITCH

STEP-MUTE

STEP-HOLD

CYCLE­LENGTH

SEQUENCE­SELECT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SEL-1 SEL-2 SEL-3 SEL-4

LINE-1 LINE-2 LINE-3 FORWARDNOTE-FWD BACKWARD RANDOM

UNISON ROTATE MULTI STACK

VCO-FM VCF-MOD

F1 F2

LFO-RATE LFO-DEPTH

TUNE ENV-MOD

TUNE SYNC

TUNE

LEVEL-1 CUTOFF RESONANCE ENV-MOD ATT ACK

ATTAC K

ATTAC K

EDIT

COMPARE

WRITE

EXIT

START/STOP

VALUE-TEMPO SOUND

DECAY

DECAY

DECAY

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

RELEASE

RELEASE

RELEASE

ENV-MODRESONANCECUTOFFLEVEL-2

LEVEL-3 LP 24 dB

VOLUME

PHONES

OSCILLATOR-1

HIGH­PASS

HP-ENV

LP-ENV

VCA-ENV

LOW­PASS

OSCILLATOR-2

OSCILLATOR-3

OR EXTERNAL
INPUTS

dB

RESO.

CUTOFF-FREQ.

Space-Distortion 1

Space-Distortion 2

Bright-Distortion 1

Bright-Distortion 2

EQ-Pan-Delay

Super-Chorus

Super-Flanger

Multitap-Delay

MULTI-EFFECT-

ALGORITHMS

OSCILLATORS

RESONANCE-FILTERS ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

OUTPUT

MODE

LFO 1-3

OSCILLATORS

MIXER

MORPH-SEQUENCER

PAGE

F1 F2

EDIT

COMPARE

WRITE

EXIT

START/ST OP

VALUE-TEMPO SOUND

[COMPARE] – TOGGLES BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL SOUND AND THE CHANGED SOUND

After you have been through a sound adventure tour, and do not know if your new sound is better
than the original, you can push [COMPARE] to jump back and forth between the original and your
edited sound.

[WRITE] – CALLING UP THE MEMORY MENUS

Enables the selection of the memory slot in which you will store your setups, sounds or sequences.

[PAGE<>] - MAIN MENU: CHANGING BETWEEN SEQUENCER STEPS 1-8 AND 9-16 /

- EDIT MENU: SUB MENU SELECTION

There are various parameters available in all of the edit menus and these are spread across several
pages. To view all of these pages, simply step through them with the [PAGE<>} buttons. Pages
are numbered in the display:

|1> You are on the first page of the edit menu. More can be found on the right of this menu.

Press [>] to go to the next page.

<9| You are in the ninth and last page of the edit menu. More can be found on the left side of

this menu. Press [<] to go to the previous page.

<5> You are on the fifth page of the edit menu. More can be found on the left and right of this

menu. Press [<] or [>] to reach these pages.

[EXIT] - LEAVING THE SUB MENU

To leave an edit menu, push this button.

<VALUE/TEMPO – TEMPO ADJUSTMENT / PARAMETER CHANGE

If you are not in an edit menu, this data knob controls the tempo of the sequencer. If you are in an
edit menu you can use the data knob to change the selected parameter.

<SOUND> - SOUND / SETUP SELECTIONS

This dial is for the selection of sounds or to call up complete setups. After turning on the
POLYMORPH is in the "setup" mode. A setup can be thought as a complete memory copy of the
preset settings. All parameters are saved in setups except system menus. This mode is confirmed on
the top left side of the display. "Setupxx:" is always displayed in the setup operation. When you
want to change one of the sounds, push [F1] and the POLYMORPH will go into the mode for
changing the single sound. Using [SEL. 1-4] you select the desired synth to change and with
<SOUND> you search for the desired sound. In addition you can change the sound banks with
[F1].

[START/STOP] – STARTING AND STOPPING THE SEQUENCER

With this button you can start and stop the sequences. If the sequencer does not start, check to see
if at least one sequencer is activated and if the external synchronization is turned off.

FUNCTIONS OF THE MIXER
/ TURNING SEQUENCER ON AND OFF

Mixer-Section

13

Basics

13

MIXER

MODE

MIX-VOL-1 MIX-VOL-2 MIX-VOL-3 MIX-VOL-4

SEL-1 SEL-2 SEL-3 SEL-4

UNISON ROTATE MULTI ST A CK

MIXER

MODE

The POLYMORPH mixer section is used to adjust the volume ratio between the single synthesizer
parts. In addition, it contro0ls the selection of one of the four synthesizers [SEL-1] – [SEL-4] or
assigns the sequencer tracks.

[MIX-VOL-1] – [MIX-VOL-4] – VOLUME CONTROL

With these you can control the volume of each synthesizer engine respectively.

[SEL-1] – [SEL-4] – PART SELECTION BUTTONS

Here you can select one of the four synthesizers and one of the four sequencers that you would
like to edit. At the same time the button lights are used as a monitor. When they blink, parts are
receiving MIDI note information. If you can't hear a sound change, you have probably selected the
wrong part. You can find out quickly with the monitor, which part has been selected for editing.
Select the part that blinks while playing. In addition, parts can also be controlled by the morphing
sequencers. While holding down [SEQUENCE-SELECT] you can turn the sequences 1-4 on or off
by pressing the corresponding [SEL1-4]. The current activation state of the four sequencers is
displayed through the button lights. (If the sequence is not active, the notes are not output via
MIDI either.)

MODE – CHANGE

The following four buttons decide how the synthesizer parts will be played.

[UNISON]

In this operating mode the sounds of synthesizer part 1 are laid fourfold over another. Use this
mode for fat and floating synthesizer sounds. In this operation mode the POLYMORPH will only
receive on one MIDI channel. In addition, only the first of the four sequencers is active in this
operation mode.

[ROTATE]

Also in this operation mode all four synthesizer parts are controlled from one channel, or to be
precise controlled only from the first of the four sequencers. This time the different sounds of each
part remain. The four parts do not sound simultaneously. Rather they are driven one after another.
The first note plays part 1, the second note part 2 and etc. At the fifth note it starts from the
beginning with part 1. In this operation mode it's easy to create wave sequences.

[MULTI]

This operation mode is the simplest, and at the same time the most popular way to drive the parts.
All four parts are independent from each other and can be driven on 4 MIDI channels. The specific
MIDI channels can be set in the system menu of the POLYMORPH. The first part reacts on the
MIDI channel that is set as master channel in the system menu. Parts 2-4 lay behind with a rising
MIDI channel number.

[STACK]

In the stack operation mode all four synthesizer parts will be driven with the master channel or
with the first sequencer. In this mode every part plays a different sound. This is suitable for big
layers. eg. You can combine a percussive sound with a soft pad sound and turn off the other two
parts. Turning off parts is done as follows:

1.) Press [EDIT]

2.) Press [F2]

3.) Select menu page 13 with [PAGE<>].

4.) Select the part you want to mute with [SEL1-4].

5.) Use <VALUE> to mute the part.

OSCILLATORS – WAVEFORM GENERATORS

The oscillators create the actual waveforms at the appropriate audio frequency that the synthesizer
sound is based on. The different tone characteristics depend on the waveform shape and on the
subsequent signal path of the POLYMORPH. They can be widely altered.

14

Basics

Tip

Tip

Oscillator-Section

<WAVE1>, <WAVE2>, <WAVE3> - WAVE FORM SELECTION

With these controls the waveforms of the oscillators are selected.

<TUNE> - TUNING

With these controls the pitch of the oscillators is adjusted. <TUNE> controls the basic pitch of all
oscillators into octave lengths with oscillator 1 being the reference, while oscillator 2 and 3 can be
de-tuned independently from each other up to 2 octaves from each other against oscillator 1

<ENV-MOD> PITCH – ENVELOPE - SENSITIVITY

With this control the pitch of the three oscillators can be modulated by an envelope.
When the control is in the middle position there is no sound change, turning to left creates a droop
in pitch and to the right a rise in pitch. (The envelope is found in the edit–osc–menu.)
If the [SYNC] is activated the pitch envelope effects only an auxiliary oscillator, which is synced
with oscillator 1.

[SYNC] - OSCILLATOR-SYNCHRONIZATION

This button starts the oscillator synchronization operation of oscillator 1. It will be synchronized
with an additional auxiliary oscillator. The pitch of the auxiliary oscillator is controlled with
<WAVE-1> when this Sync operation is active. This has the advantage that in Sync operation the
basic sound is controlled with <WAVE-1>. In addition the oscillators 2 and 3 are still independent
from the sync operation and are at your disposal.

<LEVEL1-3> - LEVELS 1-3

These controls set the volume of each oscillator independently from one another. When <LEVEL
3> is turned completely to the left, the 3rd oscillator is turned off and the POLYMORPH's
polyphony is doubled from 8 to 16 voices.

RESONANCE-FILTERS - RESONANCE CAPABLE FILTERS

Filter-Section

15

Basics

+

+

RESONANCE-FILTERS

CUTOFF RESONANCE ENV-MOD

ENV-MODRESONANCECUTOFF

LP 24 dB

HIGH­PASS

LOW­PASS

dB

RESO.

CUTOFF-FREQ.

RESONANCE-FILTERS

++

+

+

P

W

PW

PW

WA VE-1

WA VE-2

WA VE-3

TUNE ENV-MOD

TUNE SYNC

TUNE

LEVEL-1

LEVEL-2

LEVEL-3

OSCILLATOR-1

OSCILLATOR-2

OSCILLATOR-3

OR EXTERNAL
INPUTS

OSCILLATORSOSCILLATORS

The POLYMORPH has two filters working independently from another, to influence the sound of
the oscillators. They can be arranged either in series or parallel. This way you can create band
passes and band stops.

HIGHPASS - HIGH-PASS FILTER

The first filter is a high-pass filter with a roll off curve of 12dB per octave below the cutoff
frequency. Only frequencies above the set Cutoff point can pass through this filter unaffected.

<HIGHPASS-CUTOFF> - HIGH-PASS CUTOFF FREQUENCY

This parameter varies the frequency below which the bass is filtered out.

<HIGHPASS-RESONANCE> - HIGH-PASS RESONANCE

With this parameter you control the characteristics of the filter at the cutoff frequency. High
resonance settings cause an increase of the level in the area of the cutoff frequency. As a result the
filter has a nasal sound characteristic. An extreme resonance setting causes the filter to go into
self-oscillation and creates a sine tone, at the cutoff frequency. This is the reason the pitch of this
sine tone can be adjusted with <HIGHPASS-CUTOFF>.

<HIGHPASS-ENV-MOD> - HIGH-PASS FILTER - ENVELOPE SENSITIVITY

This parameter varies the amount by which the envelope generator modifies the HPF cutoff
frequency. When the control is positioned in the middle it has no influence. With negative values,
the greater the deflection of the envelope the lower the cutoff frequency of the filter. (ie. during
the envelope's attack, the HPF opens up letting more bass through.) With the knob set at positive
values, the cutoff frequency is made higher in proportion to the envelope amplitude, so the HPF
effect becomes much more severe on the peaks.

LOWPASS - LOW PASS FILTER

The POLYMORPH's other filter is a low-pass filter, which has a switchable rolloff curve of either
12dB or 24dB per octave. The LPF filters out the treble above the set cutoff frequency and only lets
the bass through.

16

Basics

CUTOFF-FREQ.

dB

f

RESONANCE

Highpass-Filte r

dB

f

RESONANCE

CUTOFF-FREQ.

Lowpass-Filter

[LP24DB] - 24DB ROLL OFF CURVE

With this button you can switch the rolloff curve of the low-pass filter between 12dB and 24 dB
per octave. The rolloff curve decides how much the frequencies above the cutoff frequency are
attenuated. At 12dB rolloff the over- tones with double the frequency of the cutoff frequency will
be damped down to -12dB (one quarter) of the original level. With a rolloff of 24dB per octave the
overtones would be reduced by 24dB (one sixteenth ) or the previous level at every successive
octave.

<LOWPASS-CUTOFF> - LOW-PASS CUTOFF FREQUENCY

This knob varies the frequency above which the treble is filtered out.

<LOWPASS-RESONANCE> - LOW-PASS RESONANCE

With this parameter you control the characteristics of the filter at the cutoff frequency. High
resonance settings cause an increase of the level in the area of the cutoff frequency. As a result the
filter has a boomy sound characteristic. An extreme resonance setting causes the filter to go into
self-oscillation and create a sine tone, at the cutoff frequency. This is the reason the pitch of this
sine tone can be adjusted with <LOWPASS-CUTOFF>.

<LOWPASS-ENV-MOD> - LOW-PASS FILTER ENVELOPE-SENSITIVITY

This parameter varies the amount by which the envelope generator modifies the LPF cutoff
frequency. When the control is positioned in the middle it has no influence. With negative values,
the greater the deflection of the envelope the lower the cutoff frequency of the filter. (ie. during
the envelope's attack, the LPF closes down more letting less treble through.) With the knob set at
positive values, the cutoff frequency is made higher in proportion to the envelope amplitude, so
the LPF effect becomes much less severe on the peaks.

ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

Envelope generators can automatically modify certain characteristics of your sounds over time. The
severity of their action can be adjusted with these controls. The envelope starts when it is triggered
by the user eg. by playing a key on the keyboard.
The POLYMORPH has four independent envelope generators. Three of these can be controlled
directly on the operating surface. These three envelopes each have four parameters and are placed
under each other in order. The first one controls the cutoff frequency of the High-pass filters, the
middle one the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter and the third the volume of the sound. The
four adjustable control knobs are the same in their behaviour for each of the three envelope
generators. The fourth envelope is provided for the pitch, and can be found in the oscillator edit
menu.

17

Basics

ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

ATTACK

ATTACK

ATTACK

DECAY

DECAY

DECAY

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

RELEASE

RELEASE

RELEASE

HP-ENV

LP-ENV

VCA-ENV

ENVELOPE-GENERATORS

<ATTACK> RISE TIME

This parameter determines the amount of time it takes for the envelope level to travel from the
initial to the peak level (when the key is struck). In the case of the VCA-EG this means, how much
time has passed until the highest volume is reached. Percussive instruments need a very short
attack time and string sounds are usually quite long. For the filters, it controls how fast the filter
opens (or closes depending on the <ENV-MOD> setting.)

<DECAY> DECAY TIME

This parameter determines how fast the envelope falls from the peak to the sustain-level after
passing through the attack phase.

<SUSTAIN> HOLD LEVEL

This parameter is not an indication of time. Rather it is a level that is held after the decay time until
the key on the keyboard is released. For the VCA-EG, if the sustain level is regulated to 0, the
POLYMORPH sound would end after the decay phase regardless of how long the key is held. If the
sustain level is higher than 0, the corresponding tone will be held until the key is released and the
release time is finished.

<RELEASE> RELEASE TIME

This is the length of time that the sound can be heard after releasing a key. You can adjust the
release time between stopping abruptly or slowly fading away, or in the case of the filters, how long
before the filter closes after the key is released.

LFO 1-3 MODULATION OSCILLATORS

18

Basics

A

Ke y held down

AMP

Time

D

S

R

Attack

Decay

Sustain

Release

Envelope

LFO-WAVE

PWM

SQR

SIN

TRL

SWD

RND

SWU

VCO-FM VCF-MOD

LFO-RATE LFO-DEPTH

LFO 1- 3LFO1-3

LFO-Section

The LFO provides a cyclical (recurring or repeating) change of a parameter. The POLYMORPH has
3 LFOs. You have 3 buttons to choose which of the 3 LFOs you would like to work with. All of
these LFOs have a fixed modulation destination.

[PWM] PULSE WIDTH MODULATION (LFO-1)
This button puts the parameter of the pulse width modulation LFO under the control of the LFO
section (hence varying its amplitude / volume over time for a tremolo effect.) This LFO creates a
modulation of the pulse width of oscillator 1. If oscillator 1 is in the sync operation mode, the
frequency of the auxiliary oscillator is controlled by this LFO.

[VCO-FM] FREQUENCY MODULATION OF THE OSCILLATORS (VIBRATO) (LFO-2)
This button puts the parameter of the frequency modulation LFO under the control of the LFO
section. This LFO creates a vibrato.

[VCF-MOD] FILTER CUTOFF FREQUENCY MODULATION (LFO-3)
This button puts the parameter of the filter cutoff frequency LFO under the control of the LFO
section. This LFO causes the opening and closing of the filter. In the edit menu the modulation
depth for the high and low-pass filter can be varied. In addition this LFO can influence the volume
of the signals. Check the "Amp" menu for that.

<LFO-WAVE> WAVEFORM OF THE MODULATION GENERATOR
This control is used for the selection of the waveform, with which the LFO swings. The available
waveforms are printed on the operating surface.

KEY

SIN = sine
SWD = sawtooth down
SWU = sawtooth up
SQR = square
TRL = triangle
RND = random

<LFO RATE> SPEED OF THE MODULATION GENERATOR
This control is for the adjustment of the modulation speed. A special function is available with
values higher than 120. These are synchronized speeds. With this settings, the LFO's adapt their
speed to the speed of the internal or external sequencer.

1/16 - The modulation frequency represents 16 periods per bar.
1/8 - The modulation frequency represents 8 periods per bar.
_ - The modulation frequency represents 4 periods per bar.
_ - The modulation frequency represents 2 periods per bar.
1/1 - The modulation frequency represents 1 period per bar.
2/1 - A cycle passes through after two bars.
4/1 - A cycle passes through after four bars.

<LFO DEPTH> LEVEL OF THE MODULATION
This control sets the depth of the modulation effect.

19

Basics

SQR

SIN

TRL

SWD

RND

SWU

LFO-Waves of the POLYMORPH

See page 32

SEQUENCER SECTION

The user surface of the Morph sequencer is at the bottom left side of the front plate.
The POLYMORPH provides four morph sequencers simultaneously. A morph sequencer is used to
create lively synthesizer lines or perhaps a periodic sound effect.
The morph sequencer of the POLYMORPH has 4 rows each with 16 steps. On the POLYMORPH
the first row is called the pitch row, since it's responsible for the pitch. The second, third and fourth
row each control a freely selectable sound parameter. The steps of the rows are called up one after
another in a selectable sequence. When the sequencer is started the sound parameter is changed
automatically. Every sound parameter row and also the order of the pitches can have various
numbers of steps, which create sequences that repeat themselves after several cycles. In addition
the sound parameter sequence can be played in a different order from the pitch. Some single steps
can be turned off to achieve a rhythmic variation. To present all of the parameters of the
sequencers simultaneously, a much large user surface would be needed.
8 steps of the sequencer can always be edited at the same time. In addition only one row can be
edited, there is a choice of the pitch or one of the three parameters stepping order. The 8 number
buttons can be setup to have different functions. If we had put all parameters on the panel with
one button per function, you would have additional 112 buttons and 56 controls to look over.
Instead, you will find more parameters in the edit sequencer menu. Here are the functions of the
buttons and dials:

[PAGE] – TOGGLES BETWEEN STEPS 1-8 AND 9-16

With these buttons you can switch back and forth between steps 1-8 and 9-16. When pushing
[PAGE-RIGHT] the lower line on the display will show for a short time the following:

Seq Steps 9-16

If this does not occur you are in an edit menu of the POLYMORPH and will have to push [EXIT] to
leave the edit sector.

[PITCH] SELECTION OF THE PITCH ROW

This button puts the [NUMBER 1-8] and the <VALUES> on the pitch row. With <VALUE> you
change the pitch of the respective step.

[LINE 1-3] SELECTION OF THE PARAMETER ROWS AND ASSIGNING THE PARAMETER
ROWS

This button puts the [NUMBER 1-8] and the <VALUES> on the corresponding number of the
parameter row. All of the rows 1-3 (line 1-3) can control a sound parameter. When you hold down
one of the 3 [LINE]'s the display will show which sound parameter is controlled by the chosen row.
There are two possibilities to select the controlled sound parameter:

1.) You hold down one of the [Line 1-3] and turn the desired parameter on the Polymorph
surface.

2.) You hold down one of the [Line 1-3] and turn the <VALUE-TEMPO>. With
<VALUE-TEMPO> you can select the desired parameter.

20

Basics

+ + + + + + + +

MORPH-SEQUENCER

VALUE VALUE VALUE V ALUE VALUE V ALUE V ALUE V ALUE

PITCH

STEP-MUTE

STEP-HOLD

CYCLE­LENGTH

SEQUENCE­SELECT

12345678

LINE-1 LINE-2 LINE-3 FOR WARDNOTE-FWD BACKWARD RANDOM

MORPH-SEQUENCER

In two cases the 2nd variation is more likely to use:
a.) When you do not want to control a parameter with the selected row simply choose "not

assgn" (first value in the list - turn to the left).
and
b.) When you want to control a parameter that can not be found on the surface.

[NOTE-FWD] - PLAYING NOTES FORWARD

Independent from the selected playing direction the note sequence will be played forward.

[FORWARD] – PLAY FORWARD

All four rows will be played forward.

[BACKWARD] – PLAY BACKWARD

All rows will be played backwards. If you push [NOTE-FWD] in addition the note sequence will
run forward independently.

[RANDOM]

The single steps are played in a random sequence. By pushing [NOTE-FWD] you can run the notes
forward independently.

[STEP-MUTE] - MUTING OF NOTE STEPS

When you have selected this button, you turn off the single steps with [NUMBER1-8]. Turning off
means that the note output will be suppressed on the corresponding position. The parameter of
the rest of the three step rows will be sent even when the notes are turned off.

[STEP-HOLD] – THE FREEZING OF A STEP

With an activated hold function you can freeze the single steps with [NUMBER1-8]. In this
operating mode the pushed [NUMBER1-8] corresponding step will be continuously repeated.
This function is very helpful during the editing of a sequence. A sequence of notes can be entered
more specifically.

[CYCLE-LENGTH] – ADJUSTMENT OF THE ROW LENGTH

With an activated cycle length function you can adjust the length of the row for every parameter.
For example, a note sequence with [NUMBER1-8]: A length of 8 steps for the note sequence but a
length of 7 steps for filter control on line-1 could be created. The sequence would reach the
beginning after 56 steps were played.

[SEQUENCE-SELECT] – SEQUENCE SELECTION / CALLING UP MUTING AND TRANSPOSE
SUBSETS

With an activated [SEQUENCE-SELECT] you can call up different mute/transpose subsets with the
[NUMBER1-8]. In these subsets every sequence can have its own transpose value. So it is no
problem to transpose one of the four sequences up and the others down.
In the preprogrammed setups you find many examples for using the subsets. In live operation you
can call up the setups over the MIDI notes. There will be more in the chapter "The Morphing
sequencer of the POLYMORPH" on page 38.
In addition the POLYMORPH has a sequencer memory, independent from the setup memory,
with 50-memory locations. This memory storage can be selected by holding down
[SEQUENCE-SELECT] and turning <VALUE-TEMPO>. The sequence of the selected part will
always be changed.
Remember: While holding down [SEQUENCE-SELECT], you can turn the sequences on or off with
the buttons [SEL1-4].

21

Basics

See page 38