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portion of the sound.  
Low-pass filter type is selected: LED (14) is blue.  In this mode the filter will remove all sounds *above* the cutoff 

frequency.  This means that as you reduce the cutoff frequency, you will hear less and less of the high frequency 

portion of the sound.  
Band-pass filter type is selected: LED (14) is aqua.  Band-pass is a combination low-pass and high-pass.  It only 

allows a narrow range of sound to go through the filter.  At low cutoff frequencies, it allows a narrow band of low 

frequency sound to be heard.  As you increase the cutoff frequency, you hear a higher and higher pitch band of 

sound coming through.  

The filter also has a resonance control.  Resonance boosts the sound at the cutoff frequency.  This adds an 

interesting “squeaky” character to the sound.  Adjust the resonance by holding down CTRL 2 button to activate 

RESONANCE.  You can now use the FILTER lever to adjust the resonance.  Resonance can be applied to any of the 

three filter types.

MODULATION MATRIX

The Modulation Matrix controls which of the three Modulation Sources are applied to the three modulation 

destinations. 
These modulations are also referred to as Control Signals.  Let’s explain the difference between a Control Signal 

and an Audio signal.  Audio signals are waves, but they are cycling very fast so we only hear them as tones, or pitch.  

Control signals cycle more slowly, so we can actually hear them move up and down when they are applied to a 

modulation destination.
The After Dark has three modulation sources, two Low Frequency Oscillators (or LFOs) and one Modulation Envelope.  

When applied to a modulation destination, an LFO creates a repeating “wah-wah-wah-wah” type of sound.  An 

envelope makes a single wave each time a new musical note is played.  Each note will generate a single “weee-oww” 

type of wave from the envelope.
Using the LFO 1 and LFO 2 knobs, the speed of the LFOs can be controlled. Notice the LEDs adjacent to these knobs 

display the speed of the LFO.
Using the center MOD ATTACK knob, the speed of the attack can be controlled.  With the attack time reduced 

(turning MOD ATTACK counter-clockwise), the Mod Envelope will make a fast “we-oww” sound to the destination it is 

applied to.  When the attack time is increased (turning MOD ATTACK clockwise), the Mod Envelope will make a slower 

“weeeeeeeeee-oww” sound.  Notice the MOD ENV LED changes brightness to reflect the value of the modulation 

envelope.

Summary of Contents for Blipblox After Dark

Page 1: ...AFTER DARK Owner s Guide...

Page 2: ...8th St 357 San Francisco California USA 94107 Designed in USA Produced in China www blipblox com CAUTION ELECTRIC TOY Not recommended for children under 3 years of age As with all electric products pr...

Page 3: ...THESIZER PLAY 4 CONTROL CENTER 5 LED DISPLAY GUIDE 7 SYNTHESIS SIGNAL FLOW 9 LIVE PERFORMANCE FEATURES 13 MIDI FUNCTIONS 17 SPECIAL CONTROL SETTINGS 18 UPGRADE MELODIES DRUMS USING MIDI 20 WARRANTY Pu...

Page 4: ...rs are indeed complex But the After Dark makes controlling these algorithms fun so we hope it is easy to connect the sound you are hearing to the systems explained in this Guide While you may want to...

Page 5: ...is on the underside of the After Dark Use a Phillips screwdriver to open the battery cover Place batteries in the order indicated below Warnings Do not mix different types of batteries or new and use...

Page 6: ...icate if your batteries are low or dead LED flashes yellow batteries are running low or you are using low voltage rechargeable batteries The After Dark will operate at slightly lower volume to conserv...

Page 7: ...CS OF SYNTHESIZER PLAY The After Dark was designed to be used right out of the box without any prior knowledge of synthesizers But knowing a few key controls will help you get started with making inte...

Page 8: ...VOLUME knob makes the sound louder or quieter 4 FILTER lever controls the cutoff frequency of the filter Any sound frequencies that are higher lower or away from the cutoff frequency are removed depen...

Page 9: ...except sequencer and drums Pressing this button also stores the most recent settings and parameters r Press and hold RANDOMIZE button to return to the most recent settings and parameters 13 FILTER MOD...

Page 10: ...alid MIDI note on is received Blue indicates a synthesizer note green indicates a drum note 4 Delay effect amount This LED indicates the amount of delay that is applied to the output Blue is no delay...

Page 11: ...e the selected modulation sources for the oscillator and filter CTRL 1 LFO 1 is source lights cascade down left side of the After Dark and illuminate red at 1 LFO 2 is source lights cascade down right...

Page 12: ...LEASE RESONANCE TYPE DELAY MOD 1 MOD 2 FILTER CTRL 1 CTRL 2 FILTER MOD Modulation Matrix Control Signals Button Signal Flow Control Legend Hold Button Knob Lever Synthesizers make music by converting...

Page 13: ...ockwise turn increases the modulation and counter clockwise decreases Each oscillator type uses the two modulation inputs to control different synthesis functions These functions include pulse width m...

Page 14: ...ns These modulations are also referred to as Control Signals Let s explain the difference between a Control Signal and an Audio signal Audio signals are waves but they are cycling very fast so we only...

Page 15: ...ion can be applied to multiple destinations For example LFO 1 can be applied to MOD 1 MOD 2 and FILTER MOD all at the same time AMPLIFIER After the filter the signal moves through the amplifier envelo...

Page 16: ...e sequencer can also be turned off so notes can be played by MIDI DRUMS The After Dark has KICK and SNARE buttons to manually play the drums There is also an automatic drum machine that plays kick and...

Page 17: ...ARE button then press RANDOMIZE while the unit is on and playing NOTE If you want to hear just drums while in Drum Edit mode enter Drum Solo mode first using instruction above Once in Drum Edit mode 3...

Page 18: ...Dark Blue Band pass Aqua High pass Green Adjust Filter Resonance r Press and hold the CTRL 2 button then move FILTER lever forward or back to change the amount of resonance Adjust Multi Tap Delay r P...

Page 19: ...ntrols you can use to change up all parameters of the sound at one time Randomize button Randomizes all the synthesizer parameters including Oscillator type CTRL 1 modulation source CTRL 2 modulation...

Page 20: ...tons to lock selection LEDs 1 16 flash green when setting is locked MIDI Sync Disable MIDI Start The After Dark will instantly synchronize to incoming MIDI START MIDI STOP and MIDI TEMPO commands This...

Page 21: ...LATOR buttons STEP 3 While continuing to press the buttons down turn the After Dark back on STEP 4 Use the MOD 2 knob to turn drum machine on or off Blue LED is on the left side Auto drum machine is O...

Page 22: ...Ds off during play except one to indicate power on STEP 5 Hold down KICK and SNARE buttons to lock selection LEDs 1 16 flash green when setting is locked Volume Limit The maximum volume of the After D...

Page 23: ...k back on STEP 5 Verify LED 12 is illuminated aqua If not repeat steps 1 4 Do not send SYSEX data until this is verified STEP 6 Send the MIDI SYSEX file via computer using online instruction STEP 7 Wh...

Page 24: ...ranty on the original product or for 90 days whichever is longer All replaced parts components boards and equipment become the property of Playtime Engineering If Playtime Engineering determines any p...

Page 25: ...XTENT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW PLAYTIME ENGINEERING SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL INCIDENTAL CONSEQUENTIAL INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES LOSS OF PROFITS DAMAGES TO PURCHASER S PROPERTY OR INJU...

Page 26: ...Playtime Engineering LLC All rights reserved...

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