©2015 - Compiled by Robert Anselmi
for full manual
Make Noise Mysteron
Digital Waveguide Module
The
Mysteron
is a voltage controlled dual digital waveguide algorithm that is a bit of a mystery even to those of us involved in its design. Despite being
completely digital, it is highly organic, displaying variation in outcome often seen only in nature. It is a formless blob of DSP that you grow, modulate and patch
program into new sounds, some vaguely recognizable and others completely otherworldly. The range of sounds possible is quite large. From pianissimo to
fortissimo, short percussive bursts to bowed, sustaining pitches. The two waveguides can be pitched together or independently, mutated with harmonic or inhar-
monic waveforms and fed back into themselves or each other.
COARSE PITCH ROTARY & LED:
Sets length of waveguide or
perceived pitch of sound, roughly 5 octaves. Quantized mode when set
fully CCW. The
“Mystery” LED
indicates mutations. It flashes slowly on
bowed/cross-feedback modes, and flashes quickly in quantized mode.
OUTPUT:
AC coupled audio
output. Range: ~10Vpp (de-
pending on settings; especially
Impulse).
DEPTH CV INPUT & ATTENUATOR:
The
Depth CV Input
is unipolar. Range: 0V to
+5V. The associated
Depth Attenuator
sets
how much the waveguides are mutated. It is a
unipolar combo control. With nothing patched
to Depth CV In, it works as a standard panel
control. With a signal patched, it works as a
level control for that signal.
GENERATION ROTARY, ATTENUVER-
TOR & CV INPUT:
The
Generation Rotary
sets feedback of the output of the waveguides
back to their inputs. At 12 noon there is no
feedback. Degenerative feedback is CCW
from NOON, and Regenerative feedback is
CW from NOON. The
Generation CV Attenu-
vertor
is a bipolar attenuator for Generation
CV In. The
Generation CV Input
is a bipolar
signal input. Range: +/-4V.
FINE PITCH ROTARY:
Adjust per-
ceived pitch by +/- 12%.
IMPULSE CV INPUT & ATTENUATOR:
The
Impulse CV Input
is unipolar. Range: 0V
to +5V. The associated
Impulse Attenuator
sets the strength of excitation, allowing for
control over amplitude and harmonics. It is a
unipolar combo control. With nothing patched
to Impulse CV In, it works as a standard
panel control. With a signal patched, it works
as a level control for that signal. Must be set
greater than 0% to achieve an audible sound.
EXCITE INPUTS & LEDS:
Gate
inputs for excitation. Mysteron will create
no sound unless you patch something
to at least one of these inputs. Requires
a clock/gate signal amplitude of at least
1.5V and width of at least 6ms. The
associated
Excite LEDs
provide visual
indication of the Mysteron’s excitation.
PITCH 2 CV INPUT:
The exponential
pitch control input. Range: 0V to +5V.
Quantized mode range: 0V to +3V. Re-
sponse is 1V/Oct. Engage quantize mode
for superior tracking.
!! IN (GATE):
This is the gate input for deter-
mining the algorithm behavior. With Mutation
Depth fully CCW, this changes the response of
the Excite parameter for bowed attack. When
not fully CCW, cross couples feedback paths
of waveguides into each other (the “Mystery”
LED Flashes to indicate the status). Requires
a clock/gate signal amplitude of at least 1.5V
and width of at least 6ms to operate.
TYPE ROTARY, ATTENUATOR &
CV INPUT:
The
Type Rotary
sets the
Type of Mutation. The
Type CV Attenu-
ator
is a unipolar level control for the
Type CV Input. The
Type CV Input
is a
unipolar CV input for the Type parameter.
Range: 0V to +5V.
PITCH 1 CV INPUT & ATTENU-
VERTOR:
The
Pitch 1 CV Input
is the
exponential pitch control input. It is not
applicable in quantized mode. Range: +/-
5V. The associated
Pitch 1 Attenuvertor
is a bipolar control which adjusts the level
of the signal coming into the Pitch 1 CV
Input.
Mysteron 101
Making Sound:
When the Mysteron is Excited (via the Excite Inputs), a burst of energy (in the form of noise and other waveforms) is injected into the wave-
guide. The Impulse parameter sets the strength of this excitation, thus allowing for control over both amplitude and harmonics. Impulse must be set greater
then 0% to achieve audible sound. At lower settings, the sound will have fewer harmonics and less impact. This parameter could also be used as a digital
VCA while the Mysteron is self-oscillating.The Excite inputs are wired in a normalization scheme, so that with either one patched, the other is triggered as
well. Using both Excite inputs results in the two waveguides having different lengths, with the possibility of creating two independent pitches and timbres.
Controlling Pitch:
The Pitch control sets the length of both waveguides. The length of the waveguide determines perceived pitch of the resulting sound. It
will also alter the timbre of the sound. The Pitch Rotary, Pitch 1 and Pitch 2 all have an exponential response with a range of roughly 5 octaves. At the lowest
end, the sounds are lower pitched and take longer to decay. Therefore, it is harder to discern the pitch, as there are greater harmonics. At the middle, the
sounds are shorter and have fewer harmonics, making it easier to discern their pitch. At the highest end, the sounds have the potential to become so short
it is hard to determine the pitch. Changes to the Pitch controls are applied to the most recently excited waveguide. If both waveguides are excited together,
then both are the same length. The Excite inputs are normalled so patching into just one excites both together. Using both Excite Inputs independently, it
is possible to have the two waveguides at different lengths, thus making two differently-pitched sounds. Removing all modulation from the Pitch 1 CV In,
and setting the Pitch Rotary fully CCW engages quantize mode. The Mysteron remains in quantize mode as long as the Pitch Rotary remains at 0% with
nothing patched into Pitch 1 CV In. Quantize mode is indicated by the double flashing of the “Mystery” LED. This forces the Mysteron to adhere to a 12-tone
chromatic scale, with the pitch determined by Pitch 2 CV In. This is excellent for using the Mysteron in a melodic way alongside other sound sources such as
an STO or DPO VCO.
Sound Sculpting:
Once the Mysteron is excited, the Generation Rotary sets the feedback of the output of the waveguide back to the input. Degenerative
feedback saps energy from the algorithm, making the sounds shorter and more percussive. Regenerative Feedback grows energy in the algorithm, making
the sounds longer and less percussive. At 100% feedback, the sound is almost a bowed type dynamic. With Depth fully CCW (no Mutation), the “!!” Gate
Input engages an alternate response to the Excite inputs for a bowing effect. With Depth greater than 0%, the “!!” Gate Input cross couples the output of
each waveguide into the input of the other waveguide. This is influenced by the analog acoustic modeling synthesis of Ron Berry. With Mutations occurring,
the results are more complex and depend upon the Type and Depth settings. The Mystery LED flashes to indicate these behaviors. The Mutation section
features contains the Depth and Type controls. With Depth set fully CCW, Type will do nothing. To hear the effects of Type, Depth must be turned to at least
10%. Depth sets the amount of mutated energy injected into the waveguide and Type selects the form of mutation. What is actually happening is that the
waveguide is being excited more than just noise. The Type control is scanning through other waveforms to be used to excite the waveguide. Depth blends
these other waveforms with the noise (from 0% WT/100% Noise to 100% WT/0% Noise). This dramatically changes the timbre and pitch of the sound. The
“Mystery” LED lights to indicate Mutation. All other controls (Pitch, Impulse, Generation, !!) are still effective during Mutation.
Tips & Tricks:
1) The Impulse parameter could be used as digital VCA. 2) For melodic tracking, set the Pitch Rotary fully CCW (quantize mode), and use
only Pitch 2. Fine Tune will help to match the Mysteron to a VCO tuning. 3) For simplest usage, patch a gate or clock to only one Excite input.
