Modal craftsynth Manual de usuario
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Modal CRAFTsynth
Digital Monophonic Synthesiser Kit
User Manual
OS Version - 1.00-00
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Important Safety Information
CRAFTsynth is not a toy, it is a musical instrument. Please:
• Read this manual fully before assembly and use
• Do not put any part of the kit in your mouth
• Do not attempt to service the synthesiser
• Do not expose any part of the synthesiser to dusty or moist environments, excess
temperatures or vibration
• Do not apply excessive force to any part of the unit
• Keep the synthesiser away from all liquid
• Always unplug the USB cable and battery pack when not in use
• Do not leave the batteries inside the battery case when not in use for a long period of
time
• Always keep out of reach of children under 10 years of age
• If the synth appears to be damaged, do not attempt to use it
• Use appropriate eye protection when assembling the synth
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Index
00. Introduction
01. Getting Started
Parts List
Assembly
Connecting Hardware
Basic Functions
Touch Pads
Sound Presets
Default Presets
02. Synthesis Engine
Oscillators
LFO
Filter
Effects
03. MIDI
MIDI
MIDI Implementation Chart
04. Update
05. CraftApp
Appendix A
Troubleshooting
Appendix B
Binary LEDs
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Introduction
CRAFTsynth is a powerfully versatile monophonic synthesiser, with a unique no-soldering
assembly process. It is intended to bring the pleasure of synthesis to everybody, without
sacrificing sound quality or features.
The kit format and stripped-back design provides the opportunity for you to customise and
augment your CRAFTsynth, from making your own knobs and enclosures to interfacing with
microcontrollers and sensors.
We hope you get as much pleasure from using it as we did making it!
SPECIFICATION:
• Two oscillators with 6 wave shapes
• Oscillator mix and detune
• FM
• Unison & chord modes
• LFO with wide frequency range and 6 destinations
• Variable state resonant filter
• Amplifier and filter envelopes
• Portamento glide
• Overdrive distortion
• Delay
• 16 patch storage
• Full USB MIDI control
• Updatable firmware
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01
Getting Started
Parts List
Customisation ideas:
Paint a pointer:
You can use some paint or tip-ex to mark the pointer position on the pot shafts.
Simply turn the pot shaft all the way to the left, and paint on a line that lines up with the left
leg of the pot. Test it out and see if you got it in the right place before doing the others!
Add some knobs:
You can find or make your own knobs to add over the shafts provided. 6mm knobs that
attach with a worm screw work the best!
Add enclosure:
You can use 3D printing, moldable plastic, cardboard or pretty much anything to encase and
make the craft synth your own!
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Assembly
Troubleshooting
Please see the Troubleshooting section in Appendix A of this manual.
Connecting Hardware
The Craft has three external connections: USB, Line out and Headphones out.
USB
USB Mini B Connection for power, MIDI input and MIDI output.
Simply connect CRAFTsynth to a powered USB socket, such as on your computer, or a
powered hub with a standard USB mini cable.
To use MIDI, connect to your computer or tablet with a USB Mini cable and find ‘Craft Synth’
listed as a MIDI port on your computer.
Line Output
Line level output on 3.5mm Stereo jack.
This output can be connected to any line level input for monitoring and recording.
The line output is higher quality than the headphone output, so always use it when recording
or performing.
Note: In order to preserve maximum dynamic range, and therefore get the best sound quality,
there is no line output volume control on the unit. Control the volume using your interface,
mixer or amplifier.
Headphones Output
Headphone output on 3.5mm jack.
The volume can be adjusted using the VOL function (see the Getting Started section), the
CRAFTsynth app, or through MDI CC (See the MIDI section).
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Basic Functions
Powering on
CRAFTsynth can be powered either through the USB socket, or by a battery pack.
To use USB power, simply connect a USB cable to a power source as described in the
Connecting Hardware section.
To use the battery pack, simply attach the battery pack lead to the connector and ensure it is
turned on, with charged batteries inside.
The battery pack we recommend is Adafruit Industries’ 727 3xAAA switched JST-PH, available
from many retailers.
You can use double-sided sticky foam to attach the battery pack to the back to underside of
Craftsynth.
Note: The JST-PH battery connector requires 100mA and 4.5v – 5v to power craft.
WARNING!!
DO NOT hold the PAGE/PRESET button whilst powering on CRAFTsynth.
Doing so and holding the button for a further 4 seconds will erase the firmware and stop
the synth from working. You can restore the firmware via the update process, but it’s best to
avoid doing this unintentionally.
Pages
When powered on, a single LED should be lit, indicating that you are on page 1 of the
controls. On page 1, the knobs control the parameters listed directly underneath, for example
WAVE, MIX and DETUNE.
To switch to page 2, simply tap the PAGE/PRESET button, and the knobs will control the
second indicated parameters, for example DISTORT, FM and FINE.
Be sure not to be touching any of the touch pads when trying to change page, as this will
trigger the touch pad secondary functions, as described in the following section.
The top LED also indicates the status of the LFO, fading in and out with the level of the
oscillator.
Touch Pads
Playing notes
The 5 touch pads allow you to play the synthesiser without sending it MIDI from another
device. The octave and scale that these 5 pads trigger can be configured, as detailed in the
secondary functions below.
The pads also send MIDI notes out, which you can use to control other instruments or features
on your DAW.
Secondary functions
The pads all have a secondary function that can be accessed by holding only the relevant pad
and tapping the PAGE/PRESET button.
All of the following parameters can be controlled fully through the Craft App and through
MIDI CCs (See the MIDI section).
OCT
Holding just this pad whist tapping the PAGE/PRESET button will shift the octave of the
current sound. When on page 1, the octave will shift up, when on page 2, the octave will
shift down.
SCALE
Holding just this pad whist tapping the PAGE/PRESET button will change the musical scale that
is assigned to the 5 pads. The LEDs indicate the current selection:
LEDs Selected Scale
0 C Major
1 C Minor
2 C Diminished
3 C Major Augmented
4 C Blues Pentatonic
When on page 1, the scale will shift up, when on page 2, the scale will shift down.
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Touch Pads
GLIDE
Holding the touch segment labeled GLIDE and tapping the PAGE/PRESET button will step
through the portamento glide time presets. The LEDs indicate the length of the glide time
from 0s, to ~2.5s. When on page 1, the glide time will shift up, when on page 2, the glide
time will shift down.
EG
CRAFTsynth has two configurable envelope generators, one modulating the filter cutoff, one
modulating the amplitude. 16 useful presets of these are accessible through this function. To
change the envelope preset, hold the EG pad and tap the PAGE/PRESET button. The number
of active LEDs will indicate which EG preset you are on, between 0 and 15 (Displayed in
binary.)
Preset Number EG Style
0 Snappy
1 Fade In Amp
2 Fade Out Amp
3 Fade In/Out Amp
4 Fade In Filter
5 Fade Out Filter
6 Fade In/Out Filter
7 Filter Closing Quick
8 Percussive 1
9 Percussive 2
10 Percussive 3
11 Percussive 4
12 Pad 1
13 Pad 2
14 Pad 3
15 Pad 4
When on page 1, the EG preset will shift up, when on page 2, the EG preset will shift down.
Full ADSR envelope controls for both amp and filter are configurable via MIDI CCs and the
Craft App!
Touch Pads
VOL (Headphones)
Holding the touch segment labeled VOL and tapping the PAGE/PRESET button will alter the
headphone output volume. On Page 1, the volume will increase each step and wrap around to
being quiet. On Page 2, the volume will decrease, but not wrap around to loud (So you don’t
get a shock!)
Be careful not to damage your ears when adjusting the headphone volume!
MIDI Panic
If the synth won’t stop making sound, it’s likely that you have a ‘hung’ MIDI note. This means
the synth has been sent a ‘note on’ message without ever receiving a ‘note off’.
To manually stop the sound by performing a ‘MIDI Panic’, hold just the OCT and VOL touch
pads and tap the ‘page/preset’ button.
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Sound Presets
CRAFTsynth comes with 16 preset sounds, detailed in the table below. You can save your own
sound over any of these, and restore all factory presets at any time.
To load or save a sound, first enter ‘Preset mode’ by holding the PAGE/PRESET button until
the LEDs start spinning. Now you can scroll through the presets by tapping the PAGE/PRESET
button. The preset number is displayed as a pattern on the LEDs (which is the patch number
in binary for those of you who like that sort of thing!).
Once you reach the preset number you would like to load, simply hold the button until the
LEDs start spinning, and then let go.
To save over a preset, use the same process, but hold the button a bit longer, until the LEDs
Flash.
To exit preset mode without loading or saving, simply press nothing and wait a few seconds
until the LEDs go back to normal, indicating you are on page 1.
To re-load all factory-preset sounds, enter preset mode and hold all 5 touch pads. This will
overwrite any sounds you have made!
You can send CRAFTsynth program change MIDI messages to change preset, which means you
can automate sound changes during a composition from your DAW!
Default Presets
Preset Number EG Style
0 Space Mission
1 Corporation
2 Rave Keys
3 Big Lead
4 Alarm
5 Acid Stab
6 Spooky Organ
7 Metallic
8 Distorted Bass
9 Tinkle
10 LoFi Drum
11 Wobble Bass
12 Pulsar
13 Ambient
14 Aliens
15 Basic Sine
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02
Synthesis engine
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