SonicProjects OP-X PRO-II Rack Edition User Manual
SonicProjects
OP-X PRO-II
RACK EDITION MANUAL
www.sonicprojects.ch
Introduction
Welcome to the SonicProjects OP-X PRO-II Rack Edition manual!
The Rack Edition has the exact same features and functionality as the standard
synth interface version, but forgoes the keyboard and empty chassis areas to
save space. Some controls had to be moved to fit the new format.
The technical structure of the OP-X PRO-II engine is quite unique. It's based
on 12 completely independent single voices which correspond to the voice
boards of real analog polyphonic synths. There's no digital voice cloning as it's
usually the case in vst instruments. Each single voice in fact is an independent
monosynth, each voice has its own signal path and each voice differs very
slightly in its sound by default, as it was the case in real analog synths too,
caused by device tolerances. This unintended imperfectness was one of the
main reasons for the organic and lively sound of the old originals.
Although detuned voices are great for some sounds (especially pads), they're
not so great for others (brass, fm, ...) which sound better with evenly tuned
voices. Some sounds profitate from just a slight bit of detuning. The voice
boards of real voltage controlled analog synths offered tuning trimpots which
had to be tuned by a service technician to make the voices sound even, and
advanced synths furthermore offered an autotune button which calibrated the
voices. But there was no further control over detunings, no way to play and
experiment with them. OP-X PRO-II however offers total control over these.
On one hand it offers virtual trimpots which represent the trimpots of the
voicecards in real synths, which allow to edit the voices' detunings in every tiny
detail if needed. On the other hand it offers four global auto-tune buttons,
which allow to switch or also seamlessly blend between detuned and tuned
state globally in a very fast and intuitive way, separatly for oscillators, filters,
envelopes and portamento times. All of this is savable per patch and gives you
tremendous control over the general character of the whole system before you
even start to edit the usual synth parameters. This allows the synth to copy the
root characters of many different synths which apart from the filter often mainly
differed in their stability and so amount of detunings.
We call this concept Separate Voice Design (SVD).
A welcome side effect of the separate voice design is the presence of stereo
pan controls for each voice channel. This popular feature of old analog synths
allows for mind-blowing real stereo without the need of diluting chorus effects.
A further thought went to the design of the filter. It's inspired by the famous
SEM filter, but offers a bunch of extensions which makes it way more flexible
and capable of delivering a wide range of different sound characters. It's a
parallel lp / multimode filter design offering seamless filter mix and continuous
blending from high pass to band pass to notch, a switchable 24db mode and
switchable self oscillation. The filter mix can be modulated by lfo and envelope.
Furthermore there are four brightness modes which determine the maximum
pass frequency and the behaviour at the top border.
Installation
Mac:
NOTE: The minimum supported system is OS-X 10.8.0
If Gatekeeper is active OS-X will block normal double-click installation of
software not coming from the Appstore.
To install right-click / ctrl + click the installer and choose „Open“ from the
context menu:
In the upcoming warning window then once more confirm by clicking „Open“:
Now the installer will launch and take you through the steps. We recommend
to install all items. The items will be installed to these places:
AU plugin:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
VST3 plugin:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
Presetbase:
/Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II/Presetbase
These locations are required in order your sequencers can see the plugins and
the synth can see the presetbase. If you need to access these places goto the
top menu of the finder and choose Go > Computer > Macintosh HD and then
follow the above pathes.
By re-installing the Presetbase over an existing one installed before eventual
own created custom presets and banks will remain.
Uninstallation:
Simply again delete the installed items.
Windows:
NOTE: The plugin needs a 64bit sequencer supporting VST2 or VST3
Doubleclick the installer and follow the steps. If Windows SmartScreen blocks
the installer then click on „More info“ and then on „Run anyway“. If there's a
warning window after installation saying „This program may not have installed
correctly“ then choose „This program installed correctly“.
The VST3 installation path can't be changed since VST3 plugins need to be in
a fixed place in order sequencers can see them, which is:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3
The presetbase will be installed to this location:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II\Presetbase
This location is required as well in order the synth can see the banks. By reinstalling the Presetbase over an existing one installed before eventual own
created custom presets and banks will remain.
If you move the VST2 plugin then only move the whole „OP-X PRO-II“ folder.
Uninstallation:
To cleanly uninstall simply delete the installed items. There are no registry
keys written.
What's new in version 1.2 - Coming from version 1.1 (windows 32bit)
1. For cross-platform and cross-plugin-format compatibility we needed to
create a completely new self-contained and host-independent patch system
using its own preset format (.opxpreset and .opxbank). That's why the synth
can't load the former fxp/fxb format presets and banks. We however provide
dedicated transfer-plugins (check your user area) which allow to transfer your
own custom fxp/fxb presets and banks forth and back. The advantage of this
new patch system is that it's host and platform independent, so you can use
the same presets everywhere (mac/pc/au/vst2/vst3). Apart from the new
format and a new library location (pathes see installation section) the patch
system works exactly the same as before, except for:
2. When you edit a preset within a bank the edited state won't remain anymore
after switching presets, except you click on the COPY button which will freeze
it. So the COPY button has this new function now.
3. Since the synth is built around the VST3 SDK midi program changes don't
work anymore since VST3 doesn't offer it. To compensate this we however
implemented 4 ways to switch programs by Controllers. Check page 85 ff.
4. ALL controls except for the small grey env / port trimpots can be learned
now, including filter trimpots and effects section. There's no default mapping
anymore. Single controls can be unlearned now. Check page 83 ff.
What's new - Coming from OP-X PRO
This „what's new“ section is dedicated to former OP-X PRO users who want to
gain a brief overview on what's all new compared to the standard OP-X PRO.
You may read the dedicated sections in the manual to learn all details related
to the brief listings here (which still is 4 full pages). For better overview the
different changements are grouped into individual sections:
Popyphony and voice allocation:
The polyphony has been doubled to 12 voices by adding a second bank of 6
voices. The new lower bank shares the tuning trimpots, pan controls and mute
buttons with the upper bank. That's why we speak of 6 voice channels, each
for 2 voices. Polyphony can be switched between 6, 8 and 12 voices with the
blue square button next to „6“ on the right side of the levers. For the 8 and 12
voice mode the lower bank is involved too. In the eight voice setting the middle
two voices of the lower bank are involved to avoid sound repetitions since the
corresponding channel voices share their fine tunings.
The voice muting section now not only mutes the voices, but also completely
deactivates them. The voice allocation engine will distribute the voices only
between the active voices then, and this still always in rotating mode. This
allows for any custom polphony setting with any voices of choice involved, with
the resulting total cpu usage dropping if fewer voices are involved. The only
limitation is that the two voices of the same channel only can be deactivated
both at the same time.
Patch Browser:
A new patch bowser allows for host-independent loading, saving, renaming
and browsing of presets and banks, which are loaded and saved to a fixed
central location. This makes the creation of own custom banks fast and easy.
The increment/decrement buttons access the patch change smoother for
artefact free preset change, and the list can be temporary up (left down arrow)
or locked (right down arrow). 1.2 uses a new host-independent file format.
MIDI Learn:
A MIDI Learn engine now allows for easy learning of external controllers to the
synth's controls, just by tweaking the controller and the GUI control that should
be learned to it. In OP-X PRO-II version 1.2 there's no implemented standard
mapping anymore to avoid unwanted parameter changes by eventual incoming
controller messages. In 1.2 the filter tuning trimpots now can be mapped too.
MIDI CC Processor:
A new MIDI CC processor allows for relative (REL) and fetched (FET)
response to incoming MIDI CC data to get rid of parameter value jumps. Since
MIDI feedback isn't supported anymore in OP-X PRO-II version 1.2 (because
there's no MIDI output) this comes in handy to compensate it.
Effects Unit:
There's an integradted effects unit included now, which offers a great sounding
reverb and a mono delay (0 - 1000 ms) with normal, triolic (triples) and dotted
synchronization option to both song tempo and arpeggiator. Sync switches to
arpeggiator automativcally when it's on. Apart from manual editing the unit
offers a bunch of built in presets (click on the small down-arrow between the
delay and reverb parameter controls) that can initialize a suitable complex
setting with a single mouseclick for various applications. The effects unit can
be switched to dual engine mode on demand (with PP ON) so that the effects
of the previous preset can finish unchanged into the new preset after preset
change while the new setting can be used immediatly by the new preset.
LFO: New waveforms, manual trigger, delay and sampled vibrato
Two new waveforms, triangle and sawtooth, can be switched by different
combinations of the three wave buttons. The mixed waveforms sine & square
and square & s/h are still available. The rising sawtooth wave can be changed
to falling sawtooth by inverting it in the „Lfo Phase“ section. S/H now can be
turned into sampled vibrato by clicking on AMP two times (LED blue). In this
mode the S/H input is fed by the lever LFO instead of noise, which leads to
repeated patterns. The LFO now can be triggered by played notes on demand
by clicking on „Lfo Phase: OSC“ two times (blue mode). The starting phase
can be freely adjusted with the beat trimpot just above „CONTROL“. The LFO
furthermore can be delayed and faded in triggered by notes by clicking two
times on „Lfo Phase: PW-FILT“. A third click will additionally invert LFO to PWFILT as in normal (orange) mode. The delay time can be regulated with the
„Velo/Mode“ knob located on the right side of the voice mute buttons, the
fading in time with the „Stp/Speed“ knob next to it. The fading in will start only
after the delay.
Seamless control of detunings, oscillator and noise levels
The detunings (OSC/FILT/ENV/Porta DET) and the main oscillator and noise
levels (OSC1 on, OSC2 full, NOISE full) now can be continuously controlled on
demand by clicking into the dedicated text labels just above the buttons and
dragging the mouse vertically up or down. Small popping up digital displays will
show the current value ranging from 0 - 127. These fine adjusted values
always will stay active in the background and can be saved with the patch. The
buttons' LED only changes its state when 50% is surpassed, so they just can
indicate if the fine adjusted value is in the lower (dark) or higher (shinig) half.
Clicking on the buttons as usual will reset the values to either 0 or 127. So the
buttons still can be used as you're used to, with the option to fine adjust the
value if needed. Deactivate the „HALF“ buttons to use full range of continuous
control since those still are only on/off and add their level to the sum value.
Wheel LFO: also exchanges pan mod LFOs
Apart from the wheel LFO this button now also exchanges the pan mod LFOs,
so that the wheel LFO instead of the main one modulates the panning.
One-click calibration of trimpots, pan controls, master tune and envmod
The voice-based tuning trimpots (FILT, DEC/REL/POR), the filter trimpots, the
pan knobs, master tune and envmod controls now can be calibrated by simple
mouseclicks on the small grey calibrate buttons next to the controls. In the
synth interface version these are specific areas on the GUI - for details check
the standard synth interface manual. Filter trimpots: click on the right calibrate
button to calibrate the trimpots to equally tuned, and click on the left calibrate
button to return to the standard detuning (all trimpots 12 o'clock again). DEC:
Click on the lower calibrate button on the right to tune the trimpots, and on the
upper one to return to the stadard detuning. The same for REL and POR. Filter
section: Click on the „Reset“ button to reset all trimpots to 0 for pure low pass
mode. Voice pans: Click on the very left calibrate button to set all six pans to
mono, move the small trimpot on the right to alternatingly spread all six pans in
common countinuously, click on the other 6 button to access various preconfigured pan setting presets. Master tune: Click on the button to center it.
OM/PM: Click on the calibration buttons to set them to 0.
Freely choosable pitch lever interval and further modes
Click into the number above the blue square button and drag the mouse
vertically up or down to access all intervals from 1 to 12 semitones and a lot of
further modes featuring different upbend/downbend intervals and different
functions for the modwheel (to filter, to pitch). Have a look at the table on page
69 (LEVERS: 2/12) to get to know all modes in detail. The square button still
lets you switch between the two mostly common modes (2 and 12 semitones).
Also new and improved: Pitch bend data from older masterkeyboards that only
has a range of 0 - 127, and so has no exact center position, is processed in
that way that it nevertheless produces an exact interval. For this the center
point has been slightly shiftet, which may ask for re-calibration of some older
patches that have a sensible setting (osc2 only and 12 semitones). For this
just move the lever, let it jump back and save the patch.
DMP: Two new bright modes available
The DMP button, formerly just used to reduce the general cutoff level by a
fixed amount for key tracking, now can access two further modes, which are
two „bright“ modes, that are inspired by the brightness behaviour of very early
voltage controlled poly synths like OB-X, which could be very bright, and
sometimes even a bit harsh. The former DMP mode of course is still available
(LED orange/DMP). The blue (CLR) and red (BRL) mode are the two new
bright modes. CLR/blue: The filter opens up fully in maximum cutoff setting
which lets pass the oscillator signal uninfluenced (in normal mode it's always
tamed a bit when it passes the filter, even with cutoff set to max, like in e.g.
Minimoog), which leads to a brighter tone, also if the filter cutoff is driven by
modulation sources (envelope, LFO). BRL/red: Similar, but the top end
additionally receives some extra edge and brightness, which may be near to
harsh, very close the e.g. discrete OB-X. These two modes may be useful
when you try to copy a sound that needs this extra brightness to be authentic.
But in most cases the standard (NOR) mode will still be the most pleasing, fat
sounding and well balanced one, as you will notice by yourself.
ENV: Two modes now, including linear amp env attack
Some sounds, especially juicy legato strings with very slow attack, can be too
impulsive with logarithmic attack, and work better with a linear attack segment,
which can be activated with the new second function if the ENV button: LIN
(LED blue): The attack segment of the amplifier envelope is switched to linear.
It's recommended to activate „Lega ON“ in this mode which now also has an
effect in polyphonic mode and forces the envelopes to start at 0.
Filter: Switchable self oscillation
Two clicks on „24db“ activates filter self oscillation, indicated by a small lamp.
Triangle waves for oscillators
If both oscillators are switched to sine waves, the sine waves can be tunred
into triangle waves by increasing the pulse width knob to maximum.
LFO rate / Pitch1: wider ranges
LFO rate can be slower (very slow) now, and pitch 1 has 5 octaves now.
Filter ADSR: now invertable
The filter envelope now can be inverted (like in Jupiter 8) on demand by
clicking two times on the right one „\“ of the „Filterenv Modulation“ buttons
group (the button below „Invert“), which sets the LED to blue mode. Inverted
pw-envmod can't be accessed then, but is rarely used anyway and also can be
achieved with a different default pulse width setting.
A new arpeggiator/MIDI processor
The new OP-X PRO features a very sophisticated new arpeggiator/MIDI
processor that is controlled with only the same controls as before plus
additionally with the two velocity knobs on the left. It offers 32 modes that can
be accessed and changed on the fly by turning the „Arpeg Mode“ knob. The
modes include all kinds of arpeggios, up/down/combined, 1-4 octaves, notes
sorted by input order (Order) or note pitch (Pitch), and some randomized. The
modes also include 3 different stepped modes (known from former OP-X) with
2 different repeated modes. Apart from the arpeggios there's a record mode
(record up to 8 notes, play them back, edit on the fly), a manual chord hold
mode (volatile), a preset chord mode with 16 chord presets (choosable with
„Chrd“), and a double mode that outputs two notes on one key for very fat
slightly detuned notes (use SPREAD and pans!). The preset chords and
doubled notes can be arpeggiated as well by clicking a second time on „ARP
ON“. The arpeggiator controls then are the two knobs on the left side. Apart
from using the „ARP On/Hold“ and „Hold VEL“ (for double/chord arpeggios)
button hold and playback for record can by activated and deactivated with the
damper pedal by quickly depressing and releasing it again within less than half
a second. This is very practical if both hands are busy with playing, and it still
allows to sustain notes by depressing it in a normal way.
The TOP BAR
The new grey top bar probably is the most striking new controls section
compared to the former OP-X PRO.
It combines three different function areas:
1. Patch browser
2. Effects section
3. MIDI CC processing engine
Let's go to the individual sections:
Patch Browser
This section lets you browse, choose, rename, load and save presets and
banks in a very quick and easy way without the need to reach the vst host for
this task. It lets you easily explore the included banks library and create own
new custom banks using existing or your own presets.
The synth in its current 1.2 cross-platform and 64bit version now uses a new
proprietary host-independent patch format (.opxpreset and .opxbank). So you
can use the same presets in all hosts and systems. The library location in Mac
is /Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II/Presetbase and in Windows
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II\Presetbase. The
patch browser's buttons to load and save banks or single presets always
should point to these places by default.
Banks (mac/win):
/Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II/Presetbase/Banks
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II\Presetbase\Banks
Single Presets (mac/win):
/Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II/Presetbase/Presets
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II\Presetbase\Presets
In some occasions the buttons may not point to the correct locations by default
initially, e.g. pointing to the place of the last saved song instead. In this case
click all 4 load/save (preset/bank) buttons once or twice to re-set the location.
You're free to create any custom sub-folder structure within these places.
After the theory let's now come to the practical application. Let's have a look at
the single elements of the browser and what they do:
Name field:
The name field on the left on one hand shows the name of the chosen preset
within the loaded bank and on the other hand lets you rename the preset if you
want to create a new preset. For this click into the field and type in the new
name. If necessary confirm with „enter“ or by clicking somewhere outside.
In vst hosts with „always on top“ active it may be necessary to temporary
deactivate this state if any keyboard letters are mappeed to sequencer
functions (shortcuts).
The new name of course only will be persistent when you save the bank (to a
new one when it's a preset bank) or the single preset.
Down arrows:
These two arrows will launch a white on black preset list in the lower area of
the GUI. These are the presets of the loaded bank (128). This allows to have a
quick overview on what's available in this bank.
You of course can directly choose presets from the list. But be aware that the
patch change smoothing engine (see dedicated sections) will not be active
using this way of choosing presets. For completely smooth and artefact free
operation (e.g. in live events) use the increment/decrement buttons or MIDI
program change instead, which both feature smoothing.
But why are there two arrows?
Left down-arrow:
When the preset list is launched with this arrow, it will disappear again after
choosing a preset, which is convenient for quick patch selection when you
already know where the preset is located.
Right down-arrow:
When the preset list is launched with this arrow, it will remain permanently on
top, even when you choose a preset, until the arrow is clicked on a second
time. This can be useful to browse around a bit to see what's there. You also
can lock the list afterwards with this arrow if it was launched with the left one.
Number field:
This field indicates the ordinal number of the chosen preset within a bank,
going from 1 to 128. If using MIDI Controllers to initiate a program change (see
page 85 ff) the correlating CC numbers will be 0 - 127 instead.
Increment / decrement arrows:
With these buttons you can switch presets forward or backward. Using this
method of preset change smooths the crossings with the patch change
smoother by quickly fading out the previous preset, releasing all notes and
quickly fading in again the new one, for smooth and artefact free changes,
which can be important in critical live application. Note that the same type of
smoothing is also performed using external program changes via MIDI CC.
New: The increment/decrement buttons can be learned! See page 86 ff.
Load Bank:
Clicking on the „LOAD“ button below „BANK“ will open the file browser to
choose and load a bank. The default loading location always is the same, in
Mac /Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II/Presetbase/Banks, in windows
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II\Presetbase\Banks.
The load bank button automatically should point to this location by default. If
not then simply click all load and save (preset/bank) buttons once or twice
which should re-set the buttons to the default path. To load a bank you either
can choose „open“ after having chosen a bank or just doubleclick it. Apart from
the root selection there are two separate folders containing further banks. You
are free to create any sub-folder structure of choice to keep things clean and
organized. E.g. you could save your custom banks to a separate folder.
Clicking on the bank load button always resets the chosen preset to preset 1,
so that you can start exploring the new bank beginning at preset number 1
immediatly. This reset to preset 1 also will take place when no bank is loaded.
Save Bank:
Clicking on the „SAVE“ button below „BANK“ will open the file browser to save
the current bank to the standard banks location. Read the „Load Bank“ section
above for details on this. We highly recommend not to overwrite existing library
banks, so always give an edited bank a new custom name on saving. You can
create sub-folders to keep thigs clean and organized. You e.g. could save your
own banks all to a dedicated folder.
Load Preset:
Clicking on the „LOAD“ button below „PRESET“ will open the file browser to
choose and load a preset. There are only some init presets available at factory
state since all available presets are collected in banks. So the preset file menu
is mainly thought for saving your own custom presets, which you may collect in
a new custom bank later on.
The default loading location always is the same central place. In Mac it's
/Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II/Presetbase/Presets, in windows
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II\Presetbase\Presets.
The preset load button automatically should point to this location by default. If
not then simply click all load and save (preset/bank) buttons once or twice
which should re-set the buttons to the default path.
Save Preset:
Clicking on the „SAVE“ button below „PRESET“ will open the file browser to
save the currently chosen preset. The preset will be saved with all changes
you've done, including the name which you might edit too (text field) to make it
unique and to describe it. The default file name always is the same as the
preset name defined in the text field. You of course can edit the saved file
name, but you should be aware that the preset name as displayed in the text
field and the file name are not linked and can be different. So it might still be
useful to use the default save file name (same as displayed name) as base
and add eventual additions afterwards to avoid a mess.
The default saving location is always the same, for details read the „Load
Presets“ section above. This is extremely handy since you can save preset
immediatly on the fly and don't need to care about file locations. If the path is
not changed you can always again immediatly recall the preset again with
„PRESET: LOAD“ which points to the same location. So you can simply go
ahead and collect presets on the fly while working, and organize or collect
them in new banks anytime later. Of course you're free to create new subfolders if needed. You only should be aware that presets by default will be
loaded and saved from the last location you've loaded or saved from/to. The
default loading location will only be reset to the root folder on re-launching the
plugin again.
Copy:
NEW in 1.2: This button „freezes“ (copies edits to bank slot) eventual edits so
that they remain after changing presets. Otherwise the edit gets lost and after
switching forth and back again the original unchanged preset is loaded. So you
have the choice. You can save an edited preset as single preset for later use
using PRESET->SAVE, so there's no need to freeze it within the current bank.
This anyway would get lost again after loading a new bank.
Effects Section
Now let's have a look at the controls of the second area of the top bar, the
effects section. The buttons related to the effects section which are viewable
by default are ON and EDIT below „EFFECTS“. These however are just the
upper level controls. By clicking on EDIT a lot of further controls will appear
that alow to edit effects in detail.
Lets have a look at the main upper level controls first:
EFFECTS: ON
With this button all effects can be globally switched on or off. Grey mode
means off, blue mode means on. This can be useful to compare the wet to the
dry signal, or to prepare an effect setting in the background, that can be
activated on demand. Some dry presets in the factory bank offer this option,
others don't. The color of the button also gives an immediate indication if a
preset uses effects or not. Don't forget to activate this button if you want to edit
effects, otherwise there will be no audible effect.
EFFECTS: EDIT
Clicking on this button brings the detailed effects controls to the foreground.
You can switch back anytime if you need to access the controls that are
hidden behind in this mode. This setting is not saved with the preset and
remains unchanged when changing presets.
Now let's have a look at the detailed controls that can be accessed by clicking
on EDIT:
PP: ON
In the synth interface version this button is on the main bar, in the Rack Edition
it's inside Edit. Setting this button to blue state (=active) activates dual engine
effects processing (PP = Parallel Processing). What is it? Normally, a VSTi
uses the same effects unit for all patches. Since the effects settings normally
are saved with the patch they will change immediatly when you switch presets,
and dependent on how different the settings are the remaining effects finishing
of the previous patch is cut immediatly. With parallel processing activated two
identical effect units will begin to work, which are allocated alternately to the
presets. So the previous preset keeps „its“ engine while the new one drives the
other „free“ one. This allows the previous preset to finish its effects (e.g.
delays) while the new one can be immetiatly used with the new settings. This
allows for seamless preset changes without cut effects. Too long decays still
can be cut by deactivating the PP button. Only use this feature with fast CPUs,
on older ones the small CPU peak can lead to audible artefacts.
1/1000 DISPLAY
This display shows the delay time in milliseconds when clicking on the DEL
delay time trimpot on the right of the SYNC button. When the DEL trimpot is
not tweaked the display just shows an „1“ which has no meaning. Delay time
can vary from 0 to 1000 ms. If SYNC is on, the delay time only will change in
big quantized steps.
DEL
The left side „DEL“ trimpot regulates the amount of the delay effect, which is
always added to the dry signal. So it might be necessary sometimes to reduce
the main volume when the delay level is very high to avoid clipping. There will
only be an audible effect when „EFFECTS ON“ is active and the delay time is
greater than 0.
RVB
The left side „RVB“ trimpot regulates the amount of the reverb effect, which is
always added to the dry signal. So it might be necessary sometimes to reduce
the main volume when the reverb level is very high to avoid clipping. There will
only be an audible effect when „EFFECTS ON“ is active and the reverb size
parameter (SIZ) is greater than 0.
The effect parameters can be found on the right side of the SYNC knob. As
already mentioned the levels get inactive when EFFECTS ON is inactive, but
they are immediatly recalled when EFFECTS ON is active. So you can prepare
a whole effects setting including absolute delay and reverb levels and make it
active on demand with EFFECTS ON.
DEL: SYNC
With this knob you can synchronize the delay to the song tempo or to the
arpeggiator. If the arpeggiator is on it will be synced automatically to the
arpeggiator instead of to the song tempo. Since the arpeggiator itself can be
synchronized to the song tempo („ARP“ below „Sync to Songtemmpo“ below
the envelopes section), both can be synced at the same time. There are three
modes of synchronization:
SYNC (blue): even/normal synchronization
3: Triolic (triple note) synchronization
DOT: Dotted (punctuated) synchronization
When synchronization is on the delay time only will react in big steps, based
on the current measure and mode. Delay time only can be regulated in a linear
way as long as the maximum delay time of 1000 ms is not overridden. If so the
delay time will be halfed which can lead to even mode again.
Now let's advance to the controls on the right side of SYNC, which are the
actual effect parameters. The small triangle in the black bar between the delay
and reverb controls serves for launching a useful presets choice. More about
the presets on the next page
Left side: delay parameters:
DEL
Lets you regulate the delay time from 0 to 1000 ms. While clicking on it the
current value is displayed in the 1/1000 number display. The display will return
to 1 afterwards again, but the 1 has no meaning. Since it's only a mono delay
there's only one control for delay time. When SYNC is on, the delay time only
will change in big steps, determined by the song/arpeggiator tempo and the
used synchronization mode (even, triolic, dotted).
If the synchronization mode overrides the available maximum delay time of
1000 ms, the delay time automatically is halved, which can lead to even mode
instead of dotted or triolic. So use the lower possible setting then.
The delay is not interpolated, so delay time changes can't be performed
neathlessly. To avoid artefacts the delay output is automatically stopped as
long as the delay time is changed. So it's not suited for realtime tempo
changes in synchonized mode.
FBK
Lets you regulate the delay feedback. Set to maximum this can lead to
endlessly repeated delays, so be careful with it.
Preset triangle: See next page.
Right side: reverb parameters:
SIZ
Lets you regulate the reverb size from 0 to very big (cathedral like).
WID
Lets you regulate the stereo width of the reverb signal. Note that the reverb
has an m->s design, so also a mono sound can become stereo.
DMP
Lets you regulate the damping of the reverb, which in the real world is given by
the material of the reflecting walls. For very crisp sound you may use more
damping to avoid a harsh sounding reverb tail.
Delay and reverb always work in parallel, so they don't feed each other.
As you will have noticed in your experiences so far it can take some time to set
the controls for a suitable effect setting for the current sound, including the
levels and the effect parameters, even if there only are a few, especially if the
controls all are in default 0 setting in untreated patches.
That's why we've implemented a very handy quick presets choice, which
allows to set all controls inluding levels by a single mouseclick.
The preset settings have been chosen based on favoured settings used in
already existing patches, and too with the aim to include often used standard
settings.
This lets you immediatly put an effect over a dry preset, and try out different
settings on the fly by stepping through the available presets.
The only pre-condition is that EFFECTS ON is set to active. Levels are set too
by choosing a preset, but not too high to rather stay subtle than forced, so you
may adjust them to a higher level once a preset is finally chosen.
The blue presets window can be opened and closed by clicking on the small
down arrow (or triangle) in the black bar between the effect units:
Now you can choose an effect by clicking into one of the preset rectangles.
The setting gets immediatly active. So you can check out different settings on
the fly and listen to the audible result while playing:
To close the window again click a second time on the down arrow:
Since the presets are very usable, either directly, or with a bit of additional
tweaking, you will quickly notice that you'll soon won't do without them any
more. Let's have a brief overview what's there:
Delay only:
Delay:
A simple usable 500ms delay without any reverb
Reverb only:
Reverb:
A usable standard reverb with medium size
Church:
A very big and warm reverb with a long tail, like in a church or cathedral
Room:
A very short and transparent reverb, comparable to an empty room
Mono:
A vintage type mono reverb; can be a nice contrast to stereo presets
Reverb and Delay:
Solo:
Church reverb (warm and long) combined with some standard delay. Very well
suitable for all kinds of solo sounds that need to take off.
Lead:
A smaller and more transparent reverb combined with standard delay. Suitable
for less washed out rock leads that need to keep some bite.
Chord:
A fat sounding reverb/delay combination for punchy polyphonic patches similar
to Jump!
String:
A subtle and warm sounding reverb/delay combination that can give strings
some added room feeling.
Pad:
A fat and warm sounding reverb/delay combination that is especially suitable to
fatten pads and make them creamy and „hoovering“.
Of course these are only bold describtions to make it easier to remember a
preset. Of course you can use any preset for anything if it suits well!
MIDI CC Processing
LEARN / CC
The three buttons below LEARN and CC are dedicated to MIDI Continuous
Controller (MIDI CC) processing, so the kind of MIDI data that is sent from
external hardware to remotely control a knob or button of OP-X PRO-II.
Tweaking parameters with external hardware controls is much more fun than
tweaking knobs with the computer mouse and can make the software feel like
a real hardware instrument.
As you will see OP-X PRO-II offers a lot of options for this, including relative or
fetched response for parameter-jump-free operation.
Let's have a look at the CC-related controls:
MIDI LEARN
New in 1.2: To avoid unwanted manipulations of knobs and buttons by
incoming controller data OP-X PRO-II now in version 1.2 has no default
mapping anymore, except for modulation (CC 01) and damper pedal (CC 64)
which are fixed and can't be changed.
But OP-X PRO-II allows you to learn almost all knobs and buttons in the way
you like it. New in 1.2: You now can learn ALL controls except for the small
grey env / port trimpots. Also you now can unlearn single controls.
The dedicated controls for this are LEA and RES below LEARN, but you also
can do it with the blue square button next to the „A“ label in the levers section
alternatively (e.g. if the learn buttons are covered by the effects window). You'll
find a separate section in the manual for this way too.
LEARN: LEA
Using this button you can „learn“ an external hardware control to a knob or
button of OP-X PRO-II in a very easy way. When you click on LEA a small
blue bar in the filters section will appear saying: CC learn...
Now just move the external control you want to learn (only a tad bit is enough)
and then the control on OP-X PRO-II you want to assign to it. Finished! The
display will disappear again and the controls are learned to each other. It also
works vice versa. If nothing happens the chosen control can't be learned.
You of course can do this for as many controls as you like, one after another.
The complete setting will be saved to a text file called „Controllers.txt“, in Mac
in /Users/Shared/SonicProjects/OP-X PRO-II and in windows computers in
C:\Users\Public\Documents\SonicProjects\OP-X PRO-II and so will stay
persistent even after closing the plugin. Technically seen you even could make
a backup copy of this assignment file.
You also again can leave the learn mode without having done anything by just
clicking a second time on LEA.
The only controls that can't be learned are the small grey envelope trimpots.
But you probably won't miss this. To learn the effects section controls you
simply need to open and close the edit view between the actions to be able to
access the learn or reset (see below) buttons.
LEARN: RES
This button either can be used to reset a single control (new in 1.2) or to reset
all controls at once so that everythinbg is unlearned again.
To unlearn a single knob/button first on click on LEA, then move the control
you want to unlearn, and then click on RES. Then this control is unlearned and
won't respond to incoming controllers anymore.
To reset/unlearn all controls at once click the RES button and keep the button
depressed for about 4 seconds until the display quickly shows „Reset done!“.
This is a protection against an unwanted reset by mistake.
As you can see learning controllers is fast, flexible and easy. You even can do
it on the fly while playing, if you should feel the urge of tweaking a chosen
knob with an external controller immediatly.
New in 1.2:
Program change learn:
Since the used VST3 SDK offers no MIDI program changes we implemented
various methods to perform remotely controlled program changes by MIDI
controllers. You can perform program changes by rotary knobs, by preparing a
program change number and then send it on demand, by before converting
standard MIDI program changes to CC (must be done in your host) and then
treat it like a standard program change, and you even can remotely control the
increment/decrement buttons by MIDI CC now, which all offers a fantastic on
the fly control! Read more about it on page 85 ff.
CC PROCESSOR
The button below CC (Countinuous Controller) is dedicated to processing
functions for incoming MIDI CC messages. In the synth interface version this
section is entitled PROCC and has two buttons below, from which the right one
(CC output) however is non-functional in the Mac and x64 versions.
CC Button
States:
CC: RCE (grey)
In this standard mode (grey color) the incoming MIDI CCs stay unprocessed.
Advantage:
Immediate reaction, GUI knob imediatly has the same value
Disadvantage:
Annoying value jumps
CC: REL
REL means relative response. Incoming MIDI CCs don't change the controls
abruptly to the current value (which can lead to the well known value jumps),
but instead adds or subtracts the relative movement of the external controller
to the GUI control. So there are no value jumps any more.
Advantage:
No value jumps, immediate reaction to a controller movement
Disadvantage:
You need to turn the knob fully up and down to again reach the full value
range, dependent on the direction and relative values
CC: FET
FET means fetch. Incoming MIDI CCs don't change the controls abrupltly to
the current value (which can lead to the well known value jumps), but will only
start to change the GUI control when it „fetches“ its current value, or in other
terms, overrides its value.
Advantage:
No value jumps, always access to full value range
Disadvantage:
Values only will start being changed after having „fetched“ the current value
So, as you can see, the CC processing offers a lot of options to by-pass the
well known annoying problem of value jumps when using normal standard
controllers. For some parameters it's not that relevant, but for parameters like
filter cutoff it can be essential in a live performance.
In fact, historically seen this is not a new problem of the virtual instruments'
age. Early voltage controlled analog synths with patch saving capabilities had
to solve this problem as well.
The controls of these machines were scanned by a cpu to send the values to
the analog voltage controlled engine. When a new preset was loaded from the
patch memory the controls of course did not match the new settings. So they
did use exactly the same methods as offered in the CC Processor engine to
allow intuitive parameter control without value jumps. Some did use the relative
method (e.g. OB-X rev.2), others the fetch method.
CC: BLO
Blocks all incoming CCs, exept for damper pedal and modulation wheel. This
can be useful when you want to cut unwanted controller activities.
PROCC: OUT
This button, which in the synth interface version is located on the right side of
the CC button described above, has been removed completely in the Rack
Edition, since in version 1.2 (Mac / x64) this button anyway is non-functional in
the synth interface version since the plugin doesn't offer MIDI output as it did in
1.1. The former functions were:
PROCC: OUT (grey)
Non-functional in 1.2. Former function in 1.1: Passes MIDI to the plugin's MIDI
output.
PROCC: BLO (blue)
Non-functional in 1.2. Former function in 1.1: Blocks MIDI to the plugin's MIDI
output.
Savability of the top-bar controls:
The current state of the buttons that have a global fuction and keep their state
during preset changes only can be saved and recalled from the first preset of a
bank. So to save a bank in order to recall these settings make your settings in
the bank's 1st preset and then save the bank. Then the gloabal settings will be
recalled upon loading the bank.
The voice LEDs
These LEDs indicate voice activity. Each voice has its propriate LED. That
means, when a voice is receiving trigger data to play, its propriate LED shines.
There are two rows of it, the upper one for voices 1 to 6 and the lower one for
the voices 7 to 12. Dependent on the polyphony setting (next to the levers) the
lower LEDs will show activity too. In the 8-Voice setting only the two middle
ones will show activity (voice 9 and 10).
In unisono mode, all six LEDs of the upper row are glowing at the same time.
Unisono always only uses the first six voices, so the lower LEDs won't shine,
independently from the current polyphony setting.
These LEDs are the digital counterpart of the activity control LEDs that often
were placed on the individual voice boards of vintage voltage controlled poly
synth to indicate that a voice was receiving trigger voltage.
The MANUAL section:
At the top and at the bottom there are placed the voice activity LEDs, the top
row for voices 1 to 6 and the bottom row for voices 7 to 12. The basic version
of OP-X PRO only has six voices. A second bank of additional six voices has
been added in OP-X PRO-II.
To keep the general overall sound untouched the tuning settings of the voices
7 - 12 always correspond to the settings of voices 1 - 6, which means: voice 7
sounds the same as voice 1, voice 8 the same as voice 2, and so on.
Have a look at the dedicated sections for more info.
VOLUME
Master volume. Its setting is stored with the preset.
TUNER
The individually and slightly detuned voices can be tuned here. Read the intro
for comprehensive info on the backgrounds of voice tuning. Note: All detunings
now also can be continuosly controlled, more about it on the following page.
Here are the controls of this section:
OSC
Tunes the oscillators. In released state, each voice is slightly and individually
detuned as it would be on startup in the originals. More subtle detunings can
be achieved with the spread knob which also works in polyphonic mode.
FILT
Tunes the filters. In released state, the filter cutoff of every voice is slightly
different, as it is the case in every original device that is not freshly serviced.
These detunings can be altered for each voice with the FILT trimpot row in the
MANUAL section (see MANUAL and „Tuning Trimpots“).
ENV
Tunes the attack and decay times of the filter envelopes. In released mode,
the attack and release time of every voices' filter envelope is slightly different.
This gives organic life to pads and sweep sounds. These times can be tuned
with the DEC / REL trimpot rows above the keyboard. See „Additional Knobs
row“ and „Tuning Trimpots“ for more information.
The fourth element of the op-x' tuning capabilities is located in the addidional
functions section below the filters section: the portamento detuner "Port DET".
See "PORTAMENTO", "ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS SECTION" and „Tuning
Trimpots“ section for detailed info.
Continuous detuning control:
Based on many user requests the amount of tuning/detuning now also can be
controlled continuously instead of just on/off, for each of the four sections. This
allows to choose any amount of detuning influence based on the current
settings of the dedicated trimpots. This gives you incredibly detailed and subtle
control over detunings.
The continuos amount is hidden in the background and can be accessed and
adjusted by clicking into the text labels above the buttons and dragging the
mouse vertically up or down. A blue digital display will pop up then and show
the current values of each section.
The buttons of course still only are able to display two states. So LED dark
means anything lower than 50%, and the LED shining means the amount is
anything more than 50%. By clicking on the buttons themselves (as usual) the
values will be reset to either 0 (LED dark) or maximum (=127, LED shinig). So
it's up to you if you just want to use the buttons as usual (on/off) or access the
hidden continuous control. The current value aways is saved with the patch,
may it be just 0 or 127, or anything between.
To fine-adjust one section, just click into the dedicated text label just above the
button (OSC, FILT, ENV) and drag the mouse vertically up and down. The
popping up display will always show all three values:
The same can be done with the portamento detuning by clicking into the small
area just above the button and again drag the mouse vertically up or down.
The dedicated display will pop up in the filters section however:
SPREAD
Spreads the oscillator tuning of the voices - good for fattening up unisono
sounds, but also for continuosly controlled detuning of polyphonic sounds in
order to give them a tad bit of analog type warm-up-drift imperfection.
FILT Trimpots
These trimpots let you tune the filters of voice one to six, and at the same time
the ones of the corresponding voices in the second row. This setting is only
active when the FILT tune button is reseased (detuned mode). The standard
detuning is the 12 o'clock setting (and this means not tuned equally). You can
hear the settings with resonance set to a high amount. Find more info about
the trimpot tuning in the „Tuning Trimpots“ section of the manual.
The slightly different filter setting of the individual voices shows its strenght in
the following situations:
Unisono patches with high resonance setting:
The slightly different settings spread the peaks a bit within the pitch spectrum
which leads to a more gentle and natural tone. If the filters are tuned
absolutely equally the peaks can add up to a too aggressive „one-frequency
peak“ which sounds stiff and one-dimensional.
Polyphonic filter-sweeps:
Sweeps will sound more organic and analog when filters are detuned a bit.
The bigger effect will have the ENV detune in this case, which causes the
envelopes not to rise and fall with the exactly same speed. However the
individual filter settings will be added to it.
Sequences: Fine-adjust the filter settings for the individual steps
Calibrate by mouseclick:
The filter trimpots, as all other voice trimpots too, now can be quickly
calibrated with a simple mouseclick. This makes it easy to find the „non
detuned“ starting point as base to create your own custom detunings, and to
quickly reset them to the standard detuning.
Calibrate to equally tuned: Click the right small grey calibration button.
Reset to standard detuning: Click the left small grey calibration button.
The CONTROL section
PORTAMENTO
Also called "glide" sometimes. Makes the pitch change continuously between
the notes. Short settings in unisono sounds makes the sound "squeak". The
function also works in polyphonic mode. The portamento can be detuned with
"Porta DET" in the additional functions section (bottom section). In released
"Porta DET" mode, the portamento times of each voice are equal. In pushed
mode the times slightly vary from voice to voice which was typical for the
originals. The sonic result in solo sounds is a special "depth" while gliding.
UNISON
Stacks all six voices of the first voice bank for fat solo sounds. Use the spread
knob or release the osc tune knob to fatten up the sound. The unisono mode
always uses 6 voices, independently from the polyphony setting. Use the voice
mutes to involve fewer voices than 6 and „Lega ON“ for legato mode.
OSC 2 DETUNE
Fine tuning for oscillator 2. This is used to produce beats when both oscillators
are on. This results in a fat and lively sound.
Trimpot
The trimpot below the detune knob lets you adjust the subtle beats between
oscillator 1 and 2. In zero setting this is really zero which actually never is the
case in VCOs, but in DCOs. In this setting the sound is determined by the
random phase difference between oscillator 1 and 2. Fully turned right there
are subtle and individual beats for each voice as it is normally the case in
hardware devices even in „tuned“ mode. This setting brings back the real
hardware feel to the virtual world. For absolutely equal even-phase tuning you
have to use the „SYNC“ button in the oscillators section. So there are three
variants for „tuned“ mode in fact.
With manual LFO trigger activated („OSC“ button below „Lfo Phase“ in blue
mode), this trimpot becomes the control to adjust the starting phase of the
LFO wave. The influence on the beating is still active then, but is negligible
then. Learn more in the dedicated section of this manual.
The MODULATION section
This is the section where the main LFO is controled and routed to the desired
modulation aims. For the modulation lever, there's a separate and independent
sine LFO (rate control above levers). The modulation lever can be switched
back to the main LFO (ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS SECTION, "Wheel LFO") if
needed. The LFO on demand can be triggered by notes, delayed and faded in
(see „Lfo Phase“ in ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS).
RATE
Regulates the LFO rate. The rate response is logarithmical. If the LFO is
synchronized to song tempo (which can be done in the ADDITIONAL
FUNCTIONS section with the LFO button, III for triolic behaviour), the knob will
react in three big steps (multiplied by the song tempo).
The waveforms: Several waveform buttons can be switched on at the same
time. This either will combine the chosen waveforms to a resulting new wave
by adding their outputs or, corresponding to the printed marking below the
buttons, it will result in a new pure waveform (sawtooth or triangle).
The available waveforms:
SINE
Switches on the sine wave of the LFO.
SQUARE
Switches on the square wave of the LFO.
S/H
Switches on the sample & hold wave of the LFO. Technically explained, white
noise is "sampled" with the speed of the LFO rate. This results in a random
step wave. Alternatively, the output of the Lever LFO can be switched to the
input to be sampled, often called „sampled vibrato“ (e.g. OB-8). Switch the
„AMP“ button in this section to blue mode for this (two clicks), so until the LED
shines blue (S. Vib mode). This mode will lead to repeated patterns instead of
randomized ones. The result is dependent on the rates of both LFOs.
SAW: SINE & S/H
If the SINE and S/H button are activated at the same time, the LFO wave will
become a rising sawtooth. You can convert it to a falling sawtooth by activating
the Lfo Phase buttons (OSC, PW-FILT) in the additional buttons row (below
oscillators section). This can be done individually for the wave sent to the
oscillators and the one sent to filters, pulse width and amp. So one section can
receive a rising sawtooth while the other one receives a falling one.
TRIANGLE: SINE & SQU & S/H
If all three buttons are pushed, the LFO wave will become a triangle wave.
While this wave is similar to the sine wave it has a different behaviour in the
extreme positions. A triangle wave does keep its rising and falling speed
always the same and changes its direction abruptly at the max and min. A sine
wave does constantly change its rising anf falling speed. It's flat at the extreme
position and then becomes faster and faster until half way, then slows down
again. While a sine wave is more convenient for a natural sounding vibrato a
triangle is better for very slow modulations, e.g. of the filter cutoff frequency.
Combined with the very slow possible LFO speed this can lead to great
sounding slightly moving patches.
The other combinations will not switch on a new waveform. The waveforms will
be added then to each other, which will result in a combined waveform which
can deliver a quite interesting sonic result. Just experiment or try preset
patches using it.
So the left combinations are:
- Sine & Square (gives a wider modulation with rounded edges)
- Square & S/H (the square is being randomized with steps)
FREQUENCY DEPTH
Regulates the modulation intensity of the LFO to the oscillators and the filter.
The response of this knob is specially designed. In the first quarter, you have
double logarithmic response which allows to make finest adjustments in very
low modulation settings, e.g. for almoust imperceptible oscillator vibrato. The
rest of the scale does react linear for fast changes.
OSC 1
Switches the above regulated LFO output to oscillator 1 pitch.
OSC 2
Switches the above regulated LFO output to oscillator 2 pitch.
FILTER
Switches the above regulated LFO output to the filter cutoff. The influence
amount is dependent on the filter cutoff. Low cutoff settings result in lower LFO
influence. This is again is behaviour copied from the analog originals.
PULSE WIDTH DEPTH
Regulates the modulation intensity of the LFO output to the pulse width of the
oscillators' pulse waves and the amplifier. Its influence is added to the
"WIDTH" setting in the oscillators section.
OSC 1
Switches the above regulated LFO output to oscillator 1 pulse width.
OSC 2
Switches the above regulated LFO output to oscillator 2 pulse width.
AMP / S. Vib
Two funtions are mapped here now:
LED orange: Switches the above regulated LFO output to the amplifier.
LED blue: When S/H is on, the input of the S/H sampling unit is fed by the
modulation lever LFO (Speed: „Lever LFO“ knob at the bottom left ) instead of
noise. This often is called „sampled vibrato“ and results in repeated patterns
rather than randomized steps. Read more in the S/H section.
The OSCILLATORS section
PITCH 1
Sets the pitch of oscillator 1 in five octave steps (QUA mode). In LIN mode
the frequency can be adjusted continuously.
The waveforms:
You can choose between sawtooth, pulse and sine for each oscillator, or
triangle for both. SAW and SQU on leads to pulse (so not two waves).
SAW
Switches on the saw wave of oscillator 1
SQU
Switches on the pulse wave of oscillator 1
SINE
The SINE wave will be activated when both buttons are released.
WIDTH
Manual regulation of the pulse width of both oscillator's pulse waves.
Modulations for each pulse wave are added individually.
PITCH 2
Sets the pitch of oscillator 2 in semitones (QUA) or linear (LIN). The range is
five octaves and 3 semitones. If sync is on, it controls the sync spectrum.
SAW
Switches on the saw wave of oscillator 2
SQU
Switches on the pulse wave of oscillator 2
SINE
The SINE wave will be activated when both buttons are released.
Triangle for both oscillators (new):
When both osillators are set to sine wave, the sine waves can be turned into
triangle waves when the WITH knob is set to maximum.
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