Rob Papen Predator User Manual

User Guide

Rob Papen and Jon Ayres

Instrument by

Jon Ayres

Mac programming by

Jacek Kusmierczyk

Graphics by

Shaun Ellwood

Sounds by

Rob Papen

Manual by

Rob Papen, Jon Ayres, 'TONAL AXiS', Armand ten Dam. Tobias Birkenbeil, Patrick Anglard and Frans Rutten

Thanks to (in alphabetical order):

TONAL Axis, Patrick

Anglard

, Pedro Camacho (www.musicbypedro.com), Armand ten Dam,

Eightysix (www.djeightysix.com), Joel Heatly, DJ Starfighter (www.studiobelverdere.com), Sinus, Sola of Giana Brothers (www.giana-brotherz.com) Mandy Rayment, team of Time+Space and all beta testers!

All technical specifications of the products specified

in this manual may be subject to change without notice. The documents may not be changed, especially copyright notices may not be removed or changed. Rob Papen is a trademark of Rob Papen Sound Design & Music. Predator is a trademark of Rob Papen ConcreteF

X (RPCX). VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. LCD font type by Samuel Reynolds www.dafont.com

Registering of box version and 2nd activation request:

Extra

install on a second computer For the second 'activation code', say for use on a second computer, please create an account on the

www.robpapen.com

website and there you can obtain a 2nd activation code.

To request the second activation you will need to ad y

our Predator product inside the section 'Software registration'. Use the Predator 'activation code' which you can find at the cardboard sleeve in your packaging (box version) or inside the ShareIt registration e-mail to add Predator inside your product lis

Welcome

Thank you for purchasing the Rob Papen Predator. Predator is a killer synthesizer that combines inspiring presets and first-class features to make this

your 'go-to'

synth

for contemporary music production.

The user interface has been d

esigned so that almost all controls are visible on screen, making it fun and incredibly easy-to-use. And if you're unsure about a particular synth function, simply right click your mouse to access the help screen.

Predator is packed with powerful feature

s such as Preset Morphing, Intelligent Preset Variation,

MIDI and

Synth

Controllable FX, Unison Detune, Chord Memory and an extremely versatile

Arpeggiator

Included preset banks: HipHop (NY, Club, DirtySouth and Gfunk) banks. Jump, hardcore, breakbeat,

dubsteb, various trance styles, DnB banks and much more...

Last but not least Predator also includes PredatorFX, allowing you to use the incredible filters, modulations, effects and vocoder as an FX plug-in within your music host.

Predator really is a s

wiss-army knife for making cutting-edge contemporary music tracks.

Rob Papen and the RPCX team, January 2007

Table of contents

WELCOME

..................................................

INSTALLATION ON PC (

VST)

....................

INSTALLATION ON PC (RTAS)

..................

INST.ALLATION ON MAC

(VST, AU AND

RTAS)

..........................................................

PREDATOR FEATURES

.............................

INTRODUCTION INTO PR

EDATOR

.........11

UDIO SIGNAL FLOW

...............................11

GUI DESIGN

USER INTERFACE

................11

SER GUIDE SETTINGS

............................11

PREDATOR CONTROLS

..........................12

[ PRESET ]

................................................14

[PRESET / BANK MANAG

ER ]

................17

[ PREDATOR OSCILLATO

R ]

..................19

[ PITCH MODULATION ]

...........................22

ITCH MODULATION

LFO

........................22

ITCH BEND

............................................22

[

FILTER

]..................................................23

AIN FILTER

...........................................23

ODULATION AMOUNTS OF CUTOFF

FREQUE

NCY

............................................25

ILTER ENVELOPE

...................................26

ILTER

LFO

............................................27

[

AMP

] .......................................................29

OLUME ENVELOPE

................................29

[

FREE

MODULATION ]

..........................31

NVELOPE 1 AND

.................................31

LFO

AND

..........................................33

[

ARPEGGIATOR

]...................................36

PATTERN/

SEQUENCER SECTION

...............38

[ PLAY MODE

].........................................39

[

ADVANCED

PANEL ]

............................41

UDIO INPUT (P

REDATORFX ONLY

)

.........42

NFO

FIELDS

............................................42

[

BACK

PANEL ]

......................................43

[

FX ]

........................................................44

ONO DELAY

.........................................45

TEREO DELAY

......................................45

COMB

....................................................45

EVERB

.................................................45

HORUS

.................................................46

HORUS/D

ELAY

.....................................46

LANGER

...............................................46

HASER

.................................................46

AH/D

ELAY

...........................................47

ISTORT (DISTORTION

)

...........................47

LOW-FI

..................................................47

MP SIM

................................................47

AVESHAPER

........................................47

TEREO WIDENER

..................................48

UTOPAN

...............................................48

ATOR

...................................................48

VOCODER..............................................48

ILTER

..............................................50

QUALIZER

.............................................50

OMPRESSOR

........................................50

NSEMBLE

.............................................51

ABINET

.................................................51

ULTIDISTORT

.......................................51

UTOWAH

..............................................51

X MODULATION MATRIX

..........................52

MIDI IMPLEMENTATION

CHART

............53

APPENDIX A: WAVE TYPES...................54

APPENDIX B: LFOSYNC

SETTINGS

.......54

APPENDIX C: DELAY SY

NC SETTINGS.54

APPENDIX D: MODULATI

ON SOURCES

AND DESTINATIONS

...............................55

Installation on PC (VST)

Software box version

Predator comes with an installer "

Predator_1_5_Installer.exe

", which can

be found on the installation CD

ROM. Double-click on this program starts the installation process. The Installer will guide you through the installation process.

Please note: In order to authorize Predator you will need to be connected to the internet.

he installer will then request you to enter your personal 'activation code' which can be found on the

cardboard sleeve which contains the CD-ROM. Read now 'Next steps' below.

Software online version

If you have purchased the online version of Predator, t

he installer program can be found on the

www.robpapen.com

download page.

To get access to the download page, first create an account at the

www.robpapen.com

To create an account look for the login box which can be found at the left side of the homepage. N

ext step is adding your Predator product inside the section 'Software registration'. Use the Predator 'activation code' which you can find in the ShareIt registration e-mail to add Predator into your product list. Once added, the product will show up in yo

ur product list and also the link to the download

page will show up. Click at the download page link and it will open. The installer "

Predator_Setup.exe"

, can

be found inside and please download it.

Next steps

;

When the installer runs, first select the l

anguage for the 'Quick manual' and then choose the directory to install. Make sure you choose the right directory, so your host software is able to find the Predator VSTi. Refer to your host software's manual if you are unsure about where the host software

plug-in directory is located. The instrument files 'Predator.DLL' and 'PredatorFX.dll' together with their preset banks can be found in the 'Rob Papen' directory. The next time you start your host software Predator will be listed in the VST Instrument li

st and PredatorFX in your FX list.

During the installation process,

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

will be installed and then run. When the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

runs, it will open the License Download Wizard page. In the Enter Activation Code box please enter your Predator 'activation code' into the 'Enter Activation Code' printed on the cardboard sleeve containing the CD-ROM or the 'activation code' inside your ShareIt registration e-mail. After activation it should show 'Rob Papen Pred

ator' in the License download screen. Whilst on the 'License Download' Page, click on Start and the license for Predator will be downloaded. You will need to be connected to the internet to download a license. After this Predator should be licensed and us

able in your host.

Options

Syncrosoft dongle

If you own a Syncrosoft dongle you can transfer the Predator license onto it by using the 'License Transfer' wizard in

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

software.

Syncrosoft dongles can be also purchased

at www.robpapen.com

2. Registration, updates and additional installation on a second computer

For registration, updates or a second activation code to install for example on a second computer, please create an account on the

www.robpapen.com

website and

there you can obtain a 2nd activation code. To request the second activation you will need to add your Predator product inside the section 'Software registration'. Use the Predator 'activation code' which you can find on the cardboard sleeve containing t

he CD-ROM or the 'activation code' inside your ShareIt registration e-mail.

If you have any questions regarding the installation of Predator please look at FAQ or contact our support team at

www.robpapen.com

Installation on PC (RTAS)

Software box vers

ion

Predator comes with an installer "Predator_RTAS_1_5_Installer.exe

", which can be found on the installation CD-ROM. Double-click on this program starts the installation process. The Installer will guide you through the installation process.

Please note

: In order to authorize Predator you will need to be connected to the internet.

The installer will then request you to enter your personal 'activation code' which can be found on the cardboard sleeve which contains the CD-ROM. Read now 'Next steps' below

Software online version

If you have purchased the online version of Predator, the installer program can be found on the

www.robpapen.com

download page.

To get access to the download page, first create an account at the

www.robpapen.com

To create an acc

ount look for the login box which can be found at the left side of the homepage.

Next step is adding your Predator product inside the section 'Software registration'. Use the Predator 'activation code' which you can find in the ShareIt registration e-mail

to add Predator into your product list. Once added, the product will show up in your product list and also the link to the download page will show up. Click at the download page link and it will open. The installer "

Predator_RTAS_1_5_Setup.exe"

, can be fo

und inside and please download it.

Next steps :

When the installer runs, first select the language for the 'Quick manual'. Next choose the directory C:\Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\DAE\Plug-Ins

, so your host software is

able to find the Predato

r instrument.

The instrument files 'Predator.dpm' and 'PredatorFX.dpm' together with their preset banks can be found in the 'Rob Papen' directory. The next time you start your host software Predator will be listed in the RTAS Instrument list and Predato

rFX in your RTAS FX list.

During the installation process,

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

will be installed and then run. When the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

runs, it will open the License Download Wizard page.

In the Enter Activation Code bo

x please enter your Predator 'activation code' into the 'Enter Activation Code' printed on the cardboard sleeve containing the CD-ROM or the 'activation code' inside your ShareIt registration e-mail. After activation it should show 'Rob Papen Predator' in

the License download screen.

Whilst on the 'License Download' Page, click on Start and the license for Predator will be downloaded. You will need to be connected to the internet to download a license. After this Predator should be licensed and usable in

your host.

Options

Syncrosoft dongle

If you own a Syncrosoft dongle you can transfer the Predator license onto it by using the License Transfer wizard in

Syncrosoft's License Control

Center

software.

Syncrosoft dongles can be also purchased at w

ww.robpapen.com

2. Registration, updates and additional installation on a second computer

For registration, updates or a second activation code to install for example on a second computer, please create an account on the

www.robpapen.com

website where yo

u can obtain a 2nd activation code. To request the second activation you will need to add your Predator product inside the section 'Software registration'. Use the Predator 'activation code' which you can find on the cardboard sleeve containing the CD-RO

M or the 'activation code' inside your ShareIt registration e-mail

If you have any questions regarding the installation of Predator please look at the FAQs or contact our support team at

www.robpapen.com

Installat

ion on Mac (VST, AU and RTAS)

Software box version

Predator comes as a disc image "Predator_1_5_Installer.dmg

", which can be found on the installation CD

ROM. Double-click this file to decompress and mount this image. Double click the installer program t

o begin

the installation process. You will then be guided though the installation process.

Please note: In order to authorize Predator you will need to be connected to the internet.

The installer will ask you for you to enter your personal 'activation c

ode' which can be found on the

cardboard sleeve containing the CD-ROM.

Read now 'Next steps' below.

Software online version

If you have purchased the online version of Predator, the installer program can be found on the

www.robpapen.com

download page.

get access to the download page, first create an account at the

www.robpapen.com

To create an account look for the login box which can be found at the left side of the homepage. Next step is adding your Predator product inside the section 'Software regi

stration'. Use the Predator 'activation code' which you can find in the ShareIt registration e-mail to add Predator into your product list. Once added, the product will show up in your product list, and also the link to the download page will show up. Cli

ck at the download page link and it will open. The installer '

Predator_1_5_Installer.dmg'

, can be

found and please download it.

Next steps

During the software installation process,

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

will be installed and will appear

on y

our screen or it will be shown in the dock.

When the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

runs, click on the Wizards menu and select the 'Wizards License Download' menu item. In the 'Enter Activation Code' please enter Predator's 'activation code' printed o

n the cardboard sleeve containing the CD-ROM or the 'activation code' inside your ShareIt registration e

mail. After activation it should show 'Rob Papen Predator' in the download License screen. Whilst in the 'License Download' page, click on Start and

the license for Predator will be downloaded. You

will need to be connected to the internet to download a license. Then 'Quit' the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

after you have finished downloading the license and t

installer will then finish the ins

tallation process

. After this Predator should be licensed and usable in your host. So next time you start your host software, Predator and PredatorFX will be listed in the VST / AU / RTAS instrument list.

Notes

1. If you run the installer and do have t

he 'Rob Papen Predator' already on a 'Syncrosoft dongle'.

Run the installer and the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

will be installed. Select the

Syncrosoft License

Control

Center

from the dock if it does not appear on the screen Then click on 'refresh'

and the license will

appear. Then 'quit' the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center. The installer will then finish the installation

process

. After this Predator should be licensed and usable in your host as long as the 'Syncrosoft dongle' is

connected. So nex

t time you start your host software, Predator and PredatorFX will be listed in the VST / AU

/ RTAS instrument list

2. Running an installer to update Predator.

If you have already installed Predator, run the installer and the Syncrosoft License Control

Cen

ter

will be

installed. Select the

Syncrosoft License Control

Center

from the dock if it does not appear on the screen and

select Quit from the menu.

The installer will then finish the installation process.

The next time you start your host software, the

updated Predator and PredatorFX will be listed in the VST /

AU / RTAS instrument list..

Options:

Syncrosoft dongle

If you own a Syncrosoft dongle you can transfer the Predator license onto it by using the License Transfer wizard in

Syncrosoft's License Control

Center

software.

Syncrosoft dongles can be also purchased at www.robpapen.com

2. Registration, updates and additional installation on a second computer

For registration, updates or a second activation code to install for example on a secon

d computer, please

create an account on the

www.robpapen.com

website where you can obtain a 2nd activation code. To request the second activation you will need to add your Predator product inside the section 'Software registration'. Use the Predator 'acti

vation code' which you can find on the cardboard sleeve containing

the CD-ROM or the 'activation code' inside your ShareIt registration e-mail. If you have any questions regarding the installation of Predator please look at the FAQs or contact our

supp

ort team at

www.robpapen.com

Predator Features

VST2.4, AU and RTAS plug-in synthesizer for PC and Mac

Oscillators section:

3 Oscillators with 128 waves included Analogue, Additive and Spectral type of waveforms

plus pink & white noise generators. Oscillator waveform Symmetry control for each oscillator. Free running option for each oscillator and Oscillator Syncing of oscillator 2 or 3 to oscillator 1. Extended semitone range going from -48 semitones up to +48

semitones. Separate octave control and fine-tuning. Keyboard tracking on/off for each oscillator. Each Oscillator offers Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) using an independent LFO for each oscillator with individual speed and amount controls. FM and Ring modul

ation modes for Oscillator 2 and 3. Each oscillator has a PWM square wave Sub-oscillator. Spread function for detuned multiple oscillator sound within one Oscillator. Volume control for each oscillator and output on/off for Oscillator 1 and 2.

Overall Pi

tch modulation section:

Tempo sync-able global Pitch LFO. You can set the amount and also which wave is used for this LFO. Pitch bend with separate settings for up and down pitch-bends.

Filter section:

Main filter is an analogue modelled stereo Multimo

de Filter, offering 6dB LowPass and HighPass, 12dB, 18dB and 24dB LowPass and HighPass, 12dB and 24dB BandPass, 12dB and 24dB Notch, Comb and Vocal Filter Pre-filtering distortion with smooth or edgy mode option. Easy Filter control by pre-defined Cutoff

Frequency modulation controllers: Envelope, Velocity, Key-tracking, LFO and Modulation Wheel. Built-in Filter Envelope with Attack, Decay, Sustain, Fade and Release. Build in Filter LFO with various waveforms, modulation amount control and tempo sync opti

on with speed settings between 16/1 and 1/32t. LFO Poly, free or mono mode options.

Filter2 section

Additional Filter with cutoff control offering 6dB, 12dB and 24dB LowPass, HighPass, Split-1 and Split-2 setting.

Amp section:

Built-in Amp/Volume Enve

lope with Attack, Decay, Sustain, Fade and Release. Volume control. Velocity> Volume amount. Panning control.

Free modulation section: Free Envelopes

2 Envelopes with Attack, Decay Sustain, Fade and Release. Option to control the Envelopes times using "v

elocity" or "key played". Modulation Amount Envelope 1&2 and amount control for Envelope 1. 65 modulation destinations.

Free LFO's

2 LFO's with various waveforms. Tempo sync option with speed settings between 16/1 and 1/32t. Poly, free or mono mode optio

ns. Modulation Amount LFO 1&2 and amount control for LFO 1. 65 modulation destinations.

Free Modulation Matrix

8 free modulation routings. 40 modulation sources. 65 modulation destinations. Secondary modulation source & control.

Play modes section:

Pol

y/Mono/Mono2/Legato/Arp/Unison2/Unison4/Unsion6 synthesizer play modes. Portamento featuring constant rate/constant time or held(legato) constant rate/constant time. Unison detune amount, if Predator is in Unison2, Unison4 or Unsion6 mode. 8 note Chord mem

ory, saved within the preset, including syncalbe strum timing.

Demo C3 button to preview sounds.

Arpgeggiator section:

16 step

arpeggiator

, which can be used as a step sequencer or as modulation source. Arpeggiator patterns can be 1-16 steps long. Speed s

etting of 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 3/2, 2, 3 and 4x BPM. Up, down, up/down, down/up, random, ordered, reverse ordered, ordered up/down, ordered down/up, chord and modulation mode. 1-

4 octaves settings.

Overall step length. Swing amount. Slide amount for slid

ing steps. Velocity control knob which mixes between keyboard (midi) velocity input and the steps velocity settings. Each step has on/off, Tie, Slide, Tune, Velocity and Free row. Tie modes normal and special which allows Slide, Tune, Velocity and Free settings inside a step if that step is set to Tie. Toggle modes 1 and 2 which toggle between normal and special. Arpeggiator Latch which can be controlled by the midi sustain pedal. You can load, save, copy, paste and reset

arpeggiator

patterns, so you can

reuse them in different presets.

Right mouse menu

in the arp screen brings up an arp menu which allows you to copy, paste, clear, move, reverse,

randomize and turn off / on controls, for both selected steps or all steps

Advanced section:

Adjustable Ana

logness setting to simulate the instability of vintage analogue synthesizers. Global Tuning. Attack Shape. This changes the curvature of Predator's envelopes attack stage. From exponential to linear to logarithmic. Decay/Release Shape. This Changes the cur

vature of Predator's envelopes decay and release stages. From exponential to linear to logarithmic. Velocity Shape. Changes Predator's velocity curvature. From exponential to linear to logarithmic. Over-sampling mode: Sets the over-sampling from 1x / 2x /

4x / 8x / 16x / 32x Over-sampling filter on/off: optional post-over-sampling lowpass filter. Strum timing for use with chord mode, with timing in ms or tempo synced Filter stereo spread function in case the Filter 1 is in Split-1 or Split-2 mode. Audio i

nput selector >FX or >Filter (PredatorFX only). Audio input gain control (PredatorFX only). Synth Amp Hold on/off. Turn off the PredatorFX's Amp envelope and so the sound plays without changing volume. (PredatorFX only). All advance settings are saved with

in each individual preset.

External controller hardware (fader-box or synth) settings can be saved and restored.

Overall:

16-voice polyphony. Parameter read-out field at lower right corner. Help function for most controls.

FX section:

HQ effects blocks i

n serial mode. Available effects: Mono Delay, Stereo Delay, Comb, Reverb, Chorus, Chorus/Delay, Flanger, Phaser, Wah/Delay, Distortion, Low Fi, Amp Simulator with 5 models, Waveshaper, Stereo Widener, Autopan, Gator, Vocoder, FX multi-filter, 5 Band Equ

alizer, Compressor, Ensemble, Cabinet Simulator, Multi-distortion and AutoWah Midi tempo based settings in most effects. Option to use ms settings instead of tempo based settings. 2 FX modulation sources for connecting midi or synth controls to FX paramete

rs.

Preset section:

Uses sound banks composed of 128 presets. Quick browser with browse history and favourites Preset handling with copy, paste, clear and compare function. All settings included the Advance panel settings are stored inside each preset. Presets are stored in clear categories. Four 'Preset variation' buttons with amount control of the variation. Preset morphing with amount control to morph between two presets within the selected bank. Preset / Bank Manager screen, with powerful find preset

capabilities.

Introduction into Predator

Audio Signal flow

Predator is a subtractive virtual synthesis synthesizer with 16 note polyphony including some extraordinary new ideas and features. The synthesizer is designed so that it makes use of subtract

ive synthesis but also a bit of FM synthesis is possible. The block diagram below shows the audio signal flow within Predator and Predator FX.

GUI design / user interface

The GUI design of Predator can be divided into 9 main sections: Oscillator secti

on, Pitch modulation section, Filter section, Amp section, Free modulation section, Arpeggiator section, Play modes section, Preset section and Advance section. Below at the right corner is the parameter readout field.

The Arpeggiator section and Free

modulation occupy the same space, to toggle between these two screens

press the

to Arp

to Mod

buttons. Similar you can select between the Preset section and Advance section,

by clicking on the

to Adv

to Preset

buttons.

User guide settings [ Big Bol

d ]

= Header of 'synth-section' inside Pred

ator.

Bold regular

= Header sub-part inside a 'synth-section' of Predator.

Underlined

= parameter inside Predator.

setting =

setting of a parameter.

'section' = refers to a section of Predator. For instance the

Filter section.

Predator Controls

Predator uses controller knobs and buttons to adjust its parameters. If you move your mouse over a control the controller name and its value is shown in Predators read-

out screen, which is located at the bottom right

hand side. Knobs

Knobs are controlled by left clicking on them and moving the mouse up and down, you can see the value in the read-out screen. Pressing shift and moving up / down allows you to fine tune the control and pressing ctrl + mouse button sets

the control to its default value. Buttons come in two kinds: On / Off buttons

On / Off buttons: when you left click these they toggle between being on and off. An example of this is the Oscillator tracking button.

Menu buttons When you left click on th

ese a pop-up menu appears, this allows you to select the value for this control.

Right clicking Right clicking (or control-click on Mac) on a control will bring up the midi / help menu. Here is shown the control name, the current value and which midi con

trol this control is latched to.

Also you can do the following.

Help

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Bring up a help screen for that control.

Set to default

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Set the control to its default value.

- Set to Minimum

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Set the control to its minimum value.

Set to Maximum

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Set the control to its maximum value.

Set to Mid

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Set the con

trol to its medium value.

Set to Random

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Set the control to a random value.

Increase

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Increases the control value by 1%

Decrease

(right clicking or control-click on M

ac)

Decreases the control value by 1%

Set Value

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Brings up an entry box so you can directly set the value of a control.

Latch to midi

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Latches that control to the next m

idi control received.

For instance to latch

Osc 1 volume

to midi expression, right click on

Osc 1 volume knob

, click on

Latch to

Mid

and then move the midi expression control, this should move the Osc 1 volume knob as well.

These addressed midi controlle

r settings are overall and will work for all presets and active Predators in your

host.

Unlatch midi

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Unlatches that Predator control from any midi controls.

Set Midi CC (right clicking or control-click on Mac

)

Allows you to set directly which midi cc will be latched to the control.

Clear midi

(right clicking or control-click on Mac)

Clears all of the midi latching. Note: in the preset section you can save or load your whole midi (latch) controller setup t

o Hard Disk. This

file button is called ECS.

Computer Keyboard Controls

You can alter the current preset and banks using the computers keyboard. The functions can be turned

off

at the back panel of Predator.

To access the back panel, click at the Predator

logo. This setting is global.

Up arrow button

Previous preset

Down arrow button

Next preset

Left Arrow button

Increase preset number by 32. This is useful in the manager screen.

Right Arrow button

Decrease preset number by 32. This is usef

ul in the manager screen.

Page Down

Next Predator bank

Page Up

Previous Predator bank

Mouse Scroll Wheel Controls

Scrolling the mouse wheel up and down scrolls through the presets

[ Preset ]

In this section you control th

e presets, banks, the preset variations and the preset morphing options of

Predator. Preset

Here you can select the preset, either by clicking on the preset screen itself which pops up a menu where you can select the preset. You can also use the < and >

to scroll through the presets of the selected bank as well. Next to that the preset screen has load / save / rename / copy / paste & clear presets. You can also generate morph & variant presets here Note: if you change a preset inside a bank, you need to

save that preset within the whole bank to keep the

changed preset. To keep the original preset banks, always save the bank with a new name. Bank

This is where you can select the bank, either by clicking on the bank screen and selecting from the menu or b

y using the < and > to scroll through the different types of banks. All Predator banks are saved inside Predator/Banks folder on your computer. PredatorFX saves its banks inside the Predator/FXBanks folder. It is recommended that you save your own Predator

or PredatorFX banks inside their own folder/file. In the factory banks of Predator the last preset 110 up to 128 are left empty as morphing preset spots (read preset morphing section below). To save a bank or to load a bank you need to use the

file

functi

on inside this section.

Note

: if you change a preset inside a bank, you need to save that preset within the whole bank to keep the

changed preset. To keep the original preset banks, always save the bank with a new name. Manager

Brings up the preset / bank

manager, see Preset / Bank Manager section for more details

Edit / Orig Once you have edited a preset, the Edit/Orig button will light up. If you then the click on the

Orig

button it will return the preset to its original settings, if you then click

on the

Edit

button, it will return it to its edited version. This allows you to toggle between the original preset and the edited one, to hear the differences to any changes that you have made. Note

: if you change a preset inside a bank, you need to save

that preset within the whole bank to keep the changed preset. To keep the original preset banks, always save the bank with a new name.

Variation A-D, Amount This is a unique feature that only Predator offers. It is an intelligent tool to produce usefu

l preset variations. Unlike many other "random" systems this produces 99% useful preset variations. You have 4 options, the button A, B, C & D. Each option only changes certain preset controls. A-

C changes the synthesizer parameters.

D changes only t

he FX section properties.

Amount The amount of variation is set by the variation amount

control knob, a small value produces small changes, and big values produce big changes. If you use this function you can always go back to the original preset by pre

ssing

orig

or return back again by

pressing

edit.

File

load bank

loads a bank from the computer HD. Default directory is the Predator/Banks (synth) and Predator/FXbanks (PredatorFX).

save bank

saves a bank to the computer HD. Default directory is the Pred

ator/Banks (synth) and

Predator/FXbanks (PredatorFX).

load preset

loads a preset inside the selected bank.

save preset saves a preset to the computer HD. copy preset copies a preset, which allows you to move it to another spot in the bank or to another bank.

Note: bank needs to be saved again.

paste preset paste a copied preset to another spot in the bank or to another bank. rename preset sets the name of the selected preset.

Note: bank or preset needs to be saved again.

default preset sets the preset t

o a default preset.

preset manager brings up the preset / bank manager screen

ECS This allows you to load / save an external midi controller setup. Once set it is shared by all of the presets. You can latch one of Predators controls to a midi controller

by using the right button (or control-click on Mac) menu and selecting latch midi. You can also unlatch midi controls the same way or clear all of the midi controls. For example try latching the filter cutoff control or one of the envelope knobs.

load esc

this opens the folder that holds ECS setups. Installer of Predator installed a folder called ECS and it loads .ECS files.

save esc

this gives the user the option to save the midi setup you made and use them in other songs, it is saved as an .ECS file.

set all midi this clears all the midi settings for the Predator synth. Handy if you want to start from

scratch.

Preset morphing This feature allows you to morph two presets from the selected bank/banks into a new preset. Browse through the bank to find t

wo presets that you would like to morph into each other. If you find a preset you'd like to morph, select "Store as Morph A" or "Store as Morph B" using the preset menu and this will store the current chosen preset as one of the morphing sources. Then pi

ck an empty spot in the preset bank, for instance the factory preset banks all have empty spots from preset 110 - 128. Then, click on the A or B field

and select "Stored Morph A or B" in the preset selection box (in the Morphing

section). This then sets mo

rph source A or B to the previously stored preset.

Open the

amount

knob to set the morphing, between the A and B preset and then hit

GEN

to generate a

morphing preset. You can do this as often as you like until you find a nice morphing setting. You must s

ave the newly generated preset either with the bank or as a separate preset, if you wish to use it again. Note

: in preset box A and B you can also select a preset from the regular preset list. Quick Browser Use the right mouse button (or control-click o

n Mac) inside the Preset display menu to open the

"QuickBrowser".

This "Quick Browser" shows all the available banks and its presets. If you then click on a preset, that bank and preset will be loaded in.

Recently Browsed

This shows a list of all the rec

ently used presets. Clicking on an entry loads in that

preset again. Clicking on "Clear Recent" removes all entries

Favorites

This shows a list of presets selected as being

Favorites

presets.

Clicking on an entry loads in that preset. You can select a p

reset to be a

Favorite

by clicking on "Add Current to Favourites". "Remove Current from

Favorites

" removes the current preset from the

Favorite

list,

and "Clear

Favorites

" removes all entries.

The

Favorite

list is stored on the computer's hard-disc, so t

he list will be

remembered the next time you use the plug-in.

[Preset / Bank Manager ]

The manager screen allows you to see all the presets & banks at one time. Also it allows you to alter presets and banks, and search for presets within all the ba

nks.

You enter the Manager screen by clicking on the

Manager

button in the Preset section or clicking on the

Preset Manager entry in the file menu. To return to the main screen, click on the

button.

In the Manager screen, the left hand screen shows

the presets in the current bank, and the right hand screen the installed banks. At the bottom are the preset / bank controls. In the Preset screen, the current preset is shown in red, and clicking on a preset loads it in. Clicking and moving a preset al

lows you to move the preset from it's current position to a new position. Shift + clicking allows you to select a range of presets and Ctrl + clicking allows you to select unconnected presets. These multi-presets can be saved to disk via the

save

button

/ menu entry. Alt + clicking & moving allows you to swap presets. Right clicking brings up the preset command menu. In the Bank Screen, the current bank is shown in red, clicking on a bank loads it in and right clicking bring up

the bank command menu. M

oving the scroll bar at the right moves the displayed banks.

Preset Commands

Load

Loads in a saved preset / presets

Save

Saves the current preset/presets as a fxp file.

Copy

Copies current preset

Paste

Pastes last copied preset

Swap

Swaps the cu

rrent preset with another one

Move

Moves the current preset to another position

Insert

Inserts a blank preset at the current position, moving the rest of the presets forward one.

Original

Returns the current preset to it's original settings

Edited

Returns the current preset to it's last edited settings

Default

Sets the current preset to the default settings

Delete

Deletes the current preset, move the rest of presets back one

Rename

Renames the current preset

Find

Read find section below

Hel

Brings up the Manager help screen

Undo

Undo last preset command

Preview

Previews the current preset

Bank Commands

Load

Loads in a bank, if the current bank has been changed from its original state, then a back up

of it as a ~fx file is created.

Save

Save current bank

Copy

Makes a copy of current bank

New

Creates a new bank

Delete

Deletes the current bank (actually renames it as a ~fxb file so it's not shown)

Rename

Renames current bank

About Find Clicking on the find button brings up

the file dialog. This searches all the banks for presets which includes the searched for string. In the Preset screen, all found presets are shown in white (the others are shown in gray). In the Bank screen, all the found preset in all the banks are shown

, these are shown as firstly bank name then list of presets within that bank. Clicking on a bank loads in that bank, clicking on a preset within a bank loads in that preset.

+ 39 hidden pages

Rob Papen Predator User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual