Quadrax 1.1 Manual
Quadrax
(Including Optional Qx Expander)
4-Channel CV-Controllable Function Generator
With Cycling, Pulse Burst Generation and Morphing LFO
Firmware Version: 1.1
Manual Revision: 2020.03.04
Page 1: ...adrax 1 1 Manual Quadrax Including Optional Qx Expander 4 Channel CV Controllable Function Generator With Cycling Pulse Burst Generation and Morphing LFO Firmware Version 1 1 Manual Revision 2020 03 0...
Page 2: ...and Outputs 14 Channel Mode Options 16 AD Mode 16 AHR Mode 17 CYCLE Mode 18 BURST Mode 18 LFO Mode 19 Channel Link Options 20 No Link 20 Trigger Link 21 End Of Rise Link 21 End of Fall Link 22 Multip...
Page 3: ...V Matrix 33 Clearing CV Assignments 36 Using the Optional Qx Module 37 EOR EOF for AD Mode 37 EOR EOF for AHR Mode 38 EOR EOF for CYCLE Mode 38 EOR EOF for BURST Mode 39 EOR EOF for LFO Mode 40 System...
Page 4: ...ith the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated...
Page 5: ...r case s power supply Only proceed with installation if none of the values exceeds the power supply s specifications Otherwise you must remove modules to free up capacity or upgrade your power supply...
Page 6: ...the words red stripe or some combination of these Additionally some modules may have shrouded headers thus preventing backward connections Most modules will come with the cable already connected but i...
Page 7: ...all your modules have powered on and are functioning correctly If you notice any anomalies turn your system off right away and check your cabling again for mistakes Connecting the Optional Qx Expande...
Page 8: ...t creates numerous variations of the selected waveshape LFOs can be either free running or beat synchronized using the channel s TRIG input Each of the five modes AD AHR Cycling Burst and LFO provide...
Page 9: ...for each assignment 1 v oct CV inputs enable you to use LFO and Burst modes as oscillators Quadrax remembers its current state Mode and CV assignments channel links etc and retains that state even if...
Page 10: ...r times are used for snappy percussive sounds When fully counterclockwise rise time is about 0 3 ms slowing to about 50 ms at the noon position Rotating past noon results in increasingly lethargic ris...
Page 11: ...r 2 FALL x4 Each channel has its own FALL knob whose function depends on the channel s mode assignment as selected by the MODE DESTINATION 6 button AD AHR and CYCLE modes Sets the amount of time it ta...
Page 12: ...LTERNATE operation toggled by long pressing 1 sec the MODE DESTINATION 6 button In STANDARD operation Rotating the knob clockwise from center results in an increasingly exponential shape This is the c...
Page 13: ...IGN LINK The button s primary function as indicated by the graphics beneath is to determine whether or not the prior channel triggers this channel and if so how Specifically the LINK button on Channel...
Page 14: ...tack portion of the envelope is triggered by the rising edge of a gate signal sent to the corresponding TRIG input The envelope holds sustains its maximum value for as long as the gate signal is high...
Page 15: ...ck detection you can have free running LFOs by simply leaving the TRIG input disconnected B OUTS x4 Outputs for each of the four channel function generators Channels assigned to AD AHR CYCLE or BURST...
Page 16: ...RISE function For more information about CV inputs and how to make assignments see Making CV Assignments later in this manual NOTE Although the range of CV modulation is 5V the CV inputs accept voltag...
Page 17: ...input AD envelopes ignore the gate time of the incoming signal In STANDARD operation the RISE and FALL curves are logarithmic when the SHAPE 3 knob is counter clockwise from center and exponential whe...
Page 18: ...he gate signal is high then triggers the release stage when the gate signal goes low If the gate length is shorter than the rise time the envelope will begin to fall before reaching its maximum value...
Page 19: ...nored ALTERNATE operation As with AD Mode and AHR Modes both discussed previously CYCLE Mode also supports both STANDARD and ALTERNATE operations Toggle ALTERNATE on off by long pressing the MODE DEST...
Page 20: ...s TRIG input or they can be free running if the TRIG input is left unpatched Clocked LFO Send a clock to the channel s TRIG input and use the RATE RISE knob to multiply or divide that rate by as much...
Page 21: ...K button together with the TRIG inputs to fire off multiple functions with a single trigger or to create complex envelope shapes and rhythms using multiple triggers Pushing the LINK button repeatedly...
Page 22: ...when the previous channel s function completes its RISE time While the meaning of End of Rise EOR is obvious for envelope based functions such as AD AHR and CYCLE it may be less obvious how a channel...
Page 23: ...mode triggers an EOF every time the LFO completes a full cycle while in ALTERNATE LFO mode the EOF is high whenever the LFO voltage is moving in a positive direction For a complete description of exa...
Page 24: ...nctions 1 RISE PULSES knob In Burst Mode the RISE knob functions as RATE knob It sets the rate at which the pulses repeat during the length of the pulse burst When the RISE knob is fully counter clock...
Page 25: ...tionality and between sawtooth triangle and ramp in ALTERNATE operation Specifically STANDARD operation generates square waves at either extreme that morph into sine waves at the noon position Notice...
Page 26: ...Burst channel s TRIG in jack resets the phase of the burst but does not retrigger the Burst envelope The entire Burst envelope must complete before it can be retriggered This option creates the clean...
Page 27: ...Quadrax s panel works as follows 1 RISE RATE knob In STANDARD LFO mode the RISE knob functions as a RATE knob It s used to set the LFO rate or a division multiplication of any clock present at the cha...
Page 28: ...d a red LED indicates a negative voltage 5 LINK button An LFO can be retriggered in various ways using this button to connect it to the previous channel s EOR or EOF trigger If you set a channel to LF...
Page 29: ...l 1 s by pressing Channel 2 s LINK button 5 until it turns red 3 Patch a clock into TRIG 1 4 Use Channel 1 s RISE RATE knob 1 to set the LFO 1 rate to some multiplication or division of the incoming T...
Page 30: ...shapes and Morphing The following chart shows how the FALL MORPH knob 2 and the SHAPE knob 3 work together to create numerous LFO wave shapes All shapes are continuously variable and the examples show...
Page 31: ...s 1 RISE RATE knob In ALTERNATE LFO mode the RISE knob functions as a RATE knob It s used to set the vacillation rate or a division multiplication of any clock present at the channel s TRIG input If t...
Page 32: ...e unaffected The more clockwise you rotate the SHAPE SLEW knob the more you ll round off these peaks reducing both their amplitude and sharpness which is ideal for creating slowly changing or evolving...
Page 33: ...s own CV assignment mode To enter it 1 Long press 1 sec the LINK CV button for the channel to which you want to assign CV control For example to assign CV inputs to Channel 1 long press the top LINK C...
Page 34: ...ram the CV Matrix 1 Enter CV assignment mode by long pressing the LINK CV button next to the channel to which you d like to apply CV control For example if you want to assign CV control to Channel 1 l...
Page 35: ...MODE DESTINATION button The destination button glows red when the CV input is inverted and green when it is not The same four levels of attenuation are available for inverted CV giving you 8 possible...
Page 36: ...f what the various button colors indicate in CV Assignment mode 9 When you re done making CV assignments for all channels long press the LINK CV button that s currently flashing magenta Quadrax return...
Page 37: ...gnments you wish to clear long press 1 second the channel s LINK CV and MODE DESTINATION buttons simultaneously The channel s LINK CV button will flash blue along with all four DESTINATION buttons and...
Page 38: ...ections discuss exactly what triggers the Qx module s EOR and EOF outputs for each of Quadrax s five modes EOR EOF for AD Mode If a channel is set to AD mode then the EOR and EOF outputs perform as fo...
Page 39: ...d phase and stays low until the envelope completes its release cycle at which point the EOF goes high 5V EOR EOF for CYCLE Mode If a channel is set to CYCLE mode then the EOR and EOF outputs perform a...
Page 40: ...d stays high for as long as the pulse remains above 0V This lets you trigger events in time with each individual pulse EOF Stays at 0V for the entire length of the pulse burst set with the FALL knob o...
Page 41: ...LFO EOR The EOR output goes high 5V half way through the cycle and remains high until dropping to 0V when the cycle resets EOF The EOF output is high 5V for the first half of an LFO cycle and low 0V f...
Page 42: ...s green 3 Press the RISE button to toggle re triggering of the BURST evenlope on off See Burst Mode In Detail for a detailed description of what this means Burst Retrigger OFF The RISE button is blue...
Page 43: ...laying the y value In each column the top LED is bit 0 and the bottom LED is bit 3 For example the illustration on the right indicates firmware version 1 5 2 The Major version 1 x x is implied while t...
Page 44: ...PE knob is fully counterclockwise tilts into a triangle at the noon position then further tilts into a ramp wave when fully clockwise See Burst Mode In Detail earlier in the manual for a complete desc...
Page 45: ...curves MODIFIED 10V is the new default FIXED Distorted expo log curves fixed 1 0 2 December 2019 FIXED Modified dithering algorithm to remove quantize error noise discovered when processing certain lo...
Page 46: ...Quadrax 1 1 Manual Technical Speci cations QUADRAX Width 14 hp Maximum Depth 38 mm Current Draw 106 mA 12V 9 mA 12V Qx EXPANDER Width 4 hp Maximum Depth 22 mm Current Draw 8 mA 12V 0 mA 12V Page 45...
