Polyend Play User Manual Download Page 2

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Perform Mode
MIDI Sequencer
Main Menu

File
Samples
Scales
MIDI
Settings

Firmware

Firmware Updates
In case of trouble

Warranty & Safety

EU regulations

Appendix

Audio Architecture
Predefined MIDI Chords List
Musical Scales List
Randomize Types
What's In The Box?
Device Dimensions
Polyend Play Battery Powering
Credits
Polyend Play Licences

First Steps

Quick Guide

Play is a pattern and performance-based Audio and MIDI groovebox, capable of great
complexity while remaining easy to operate. Play offers an inspiring workflow for both

Summary of Contents for Play

Page 1: ...Enhanced Playability Tips Tricks Introduction Interface User Interface Back Panel Connectors Audio Port Specifications Project Management Project Naming Sample Pool Sample Pack Audio Sequencer The Grid View Controller Variations Step Edit Quick Copy Knobs Live Recording Master FX Fill Tool Pattern Mode ...

Page 2: ...Architecture Predefined MIDI Chords List Musical Scales List Randomize Types What s In The Box Device Dimensions Polyend Play Battery Powering Credits Polyend Play Licences First Steps Quick Guide Play is a pattern and performance based Audio and MIDI groovebox capable of great complexity while remaining easy to operate Play offers an inspiring workflow for both ...

Page 3: ...ing the grid pad and use the knobs to modify its parameters You can select One or more steps by pressing and holding the grid pads A group of multiple steps by pressing the grid pads while holding the Shift button A whole track by pressing the Select pad on the right side of the grid A rectangular block of multiple steps across multiple tracks by holding the Shift key and then pressing pads on opp...

Page 4: ...by the screen encoder Entering Notes You can choose a note by holding a step and turning the Note knob Alternatively you can use the View controller function or even by sending note data from external MIDI gear Live Rec Press the Live Rec screen button to use it it will turn red when active When the sequencer is running it will register all the knob automation for existing steps It will also recor...

Page 5: ... on these packs Most significantly the Fill and Randomizing tool ideas rely on them Of course you are not obligated to follow this formula you can do things your own way but it helps to make the audio outcome very musical Quick Copy Press and hold a grid pad for about half a second The pad will be highlighted in purple and its parameter values will now be copied to the clipboard While still holdin...

Page 6: ...them to act independently from one another For example each Track s Length can be set from 1 to 64 Steps Speed allows you to choose different BPM related divisions Swing is provided and it even works per track Additionally 35 custom Play Modes let the playhead flow in different directions while using the track content Chance and Action This pair works in conjunction and allows you to set up some a...

Page 7: ...tion Select one step a block of steps a single track or an entire pattern Mute and Solo You can perform these actions to all the audio and MIDI tracks separately using the dedicated function pads Reverse sample Set the sample endpoint before its start point to reverse its playback Swing This is a per track function But you can apply it to all the tracks at the same time for global swing Default Va...

Page 8: ... playback functions Flexible sequencing with 8 audio tracks and 8 polyphonic MIDI tracks for controlling your outboard gear Polyend Play really wants to be at the centerpiece of your studio This is quite possibly the most fun groovebox ever created Polyend Play isn t really about satisfying your expectations It is about taking you to new and different musical places you didn t even know existed We...

Page 9: ...obs You will be using these knobs to manage the step and track parameters as well as the global project status Each knob controls two described parameters The operational parameter is highlighted in the display Double tap a knob to switch its active parameter C On the right side there are six mechanical function buttons Besides the Shift key itself they offer two actions Hold the Shift button to a...

Page 10: ...MIDI DIN adapter to connect to MIDI Out of an external MIDI device MicroSD card slot use the included 16 GB micro SD card as data storage The MicroSD card must be formatted to a FAT32 MBR partition This is the only file system supported by Play The MicroSD card needs to be inserted into the port in order to make the Polyend Play operational Use the included MicroSD card to USB type A dongle adapto...

Page 11: ... Port Specifications Sharing the same physical port Line Output Output impedance 10k Output level 9 dBu peak SNR 97 dB Headphone Output Output impedance 16 Output level 17 6 dBm SNR 98 dB Project Management ...

Page 12: ...ess bar will appear In the Main menu file browser the project folders are displayed in orange Both left screen buttons function as an Enter in the same way as the encoder click If Open Project or New Project is selected and the current project isn t saved a warning popup will be displayed New Project and Save Project actions will be performed immediately while Open Project or Save Project As will ...

Page 13: ...istinctively prepared sample packs This approach was chosen to make it as playable and intuitive as possible Sample packs allow functions like Randomizer Chance or the Fill tool to produce very musical output Nonetheless users are not forced to use sample packs only In fact the project s sample pool is highly customizable You can use your own sounds and omit the proposed folder structure if you pr...

Page 14: ...tion of files and folders into the project s sample pool from the SD card Use the Load Wav Load Folder screen button to load selected content to the sample pool Select multiple sample files or folders by holding the Shift button After loading single files the browser gets back to the SD card content In order to load a selected audio file to the sample pool you have to designate a target folder Whe...

Page 15: ...nic Sample Pack As mentioned in the previous manual section Polyend Play s workflow is based on an idea of a Sample Pack Besides the available factory and extension packs users can create their own Two approaches can be considered here The first one is arbitrary up to one s will and can be just one folder full of random samples as long as it works for the intended effect Then the suggested way to ...

Page 16: ... profile pads are smooth and as comfortable as possible Take a look at your instrument The grid is vertically split into two parts The left side is occupied by 8 x 16 step columns representing the sequencer tracks These pads serve different purposes in the Pattern and Perform modes explained in the next chapters On the right side of the grid you ll find a section consisting of 8 x 4 function pads ...

Page 17: ...track is selected for editing then by turning the knobs you will pick modify the work step values Next by pressing the grid pads the previously adjusted work step with all its already existing parameters are placed copied on the track as ready steps Deselect all the steps and tracks to get back to work step editing The Play will usually greet you with its multi colored grid of pads Step colors ind...

Page 18: ...h is indicated by the longest track in that pattern If you want to manipulate the pattern length as a whole select all the tracks at the same time and use the Track Length knob Press the Shift key while editing the pattern steps to visualize the length of certain tracks on the four rightmost function pad columns Use Shift one of the four function pads on a corresponding track to expand the next pa...

Page 19: ...between Keyboard and Grid type in the Main menu The View controller can be used as an input source in the following scenarios When no step or track is selected the Note controller will use the work step with its previously selected parameter values You can press and hold one or more of the steps and input the desired note In the Live Rec mode you can record notes by playing them in real time from ...

Page 20: ... Press a pad to change the active variation The Variation switches instantly if the pattern is not being played or sequentially at the end of the currently playing pattern when the sequencer is running During the sequencer playback you can press a Variation pad while holding the Shift key to perform an immediate switch on the next step Press and hold a pad to select a variation and then Press anot...

Page 21: ...ith parameter knobs Most step edit actions can be done on individual steps or multiple selected steps The steps can be selected for editing in a few different ways You can press and hold one or more pads The selection is active while the pads are held Add steps to active selection by pressing pads while holding Shift Edit selection by pressing the Shift key again Select a rectangular block of mult...

Page 22: ...y existing steps A Copy Paste action performed on an entire track will preserve the Track Length Swing Track Speed and Play Mode values of the source track Important When the sequencer is not running the Turn Preview function allows you to hear any changes you make Press click and hold the encoder then press a step pad containing a note to hear it This is called Step Preview The project state is a...

Page 23: ... the front panel The operational parameter is highlighted Some of the basic rules applying to knob use are Turn the desired knob to change its active parameter value The currently selected knob parameter can also be controlled by the screen encoder Touch a knob to see its dual parameter values for the selected step Double touch the knob or press one of the function buttons located on the left side...

Page 24: ... following function knobs are available for your use Master Volume controls the main output amplification in dB It s a global setting not related to any particular project When you want to cut a long sample that plays through decaying after stopping the sequencer touch this knob Limiter a classic and often essential dynamics processor You can use this to prevent signals above a specific volume lev...

Page 25: ...creen and on the grid Press and hold the Shift key The function pads will indicate available track step pages with up to four pages indicated depending on the selected number of steps Switch between them to edit the track steps in intervals between the 16 32 48 and 64 steps You can perform the Quick Copy action on the track pages and it is possible to copy and paste between different tracks When t...

Page 26: ...elpful but you re not obligated to follow this rule The sample pack s role and rules are explained in both the Project Management and Main Menu sections of the below manual Sample Start trims sample start point Sample End trims sample endpoint Set the sample endpoint before its start point to reverse its playback Both sample start and endpoints are very useful to chop longer samples and loops into...

Page 27: ...king it possible to link steps with a random probability Either none or all are played Play N Skip M determines step playback in subsequent loops of the pattern e g Play 2 Skip 3 will play the step twice Then ignore the step in the next 3 loops and then play twice again and so on Skip N Play M same as above but starts with skipping N times When working on a single pattern in Play the Chance Action...

Page 28: ...turn the Move knob to move steps in the track to the left or right Select a single step or multiple steps and turn the Move Knob to cut them and paste to the desired destination Cut selection of steps will be highlighted in blue and pasted after the knob is released This action will overwrite any existing steps Micromove Use this to make small adjustments in the timing of a step A given step can b...

Page 29: ... This means if a triad chord is played while live recording it will consume three of its 8 tracks However MIDI tracks are polyphonic and work on a different basis Additionally there is a chord function available In the Live Rec mode the playhead will follow scroll to the next step page if the track is longer than 16 steps Enabling the Live Rec mode will disable the Perform mode and vice versa Mast...

Page 30: ...fferent musical genres Acoustic Breakbeat Drum Bass Electro Exotic Garage HipHop House IDM Techno and Trap The Beat Fill type requires a selection of one to three tracks The algorithm will populate them with the kick snare and hi hat sequences using samples from the pool The first selected track is a kick the second is a snare third is a hi hat Kick Snare and HiHat same as the Beat Fill but this o...

Page 31: ...folders Please note that these subfolders cannot contain any additional subfolders If they do they will not be loaded into the sample pool Beat type Fill workflow tip after generating the sequences use the Folder knob to set some tonal sounds then randomize an octave This way you can effortlessly achieve interesting melodic lines In both audio and MIDI sequencing modes the Fill tool will populate ...

Page 32: ...chained to any adjacent pattern You can make one long sequence and play it as a whole Or make a few discrete separate shorter pattern sequences representing different parts of your composition You can then manually switch between them while performing live Basic Patterns mode rules and operations Press Pattern to switch to pattern selection mode Press a pad to load the pattern or to create a new o...

Page 33: ...ing grid pads and use the Delete command Shift Fill key combo The pattern to be played next triggered by hand or by playing the pattern sequentially will flash orange and light blue Only one pattern at a time may be copied Important It is not necessary to leave Pattern mode to use the knob modulators Just select the tracks you want to edit and use the knobs to modulate the existing step values whi...

Page 34: ...hing of a safety net while performing live Choose one or more tracks using the Select function pads on the right side of the grid and start using the grid pads and knobs In the case of most of the punch in effects only the selected tracks will be affected If no track is selected then changes will not be audible The exceptions are the eight Reverb preset and all the Loop effects These are master ef...

Page 35: ...pe punch in effect presets it s a master effect and does not require selecting tracks to be audible Important Perform mode is available only for audio tracks Entering the Perform mode disables the Live Rec mode and vice versa Toggling between Perform and Patterns mode is not disabling the Perform effects The Chance Action Repeat Type Repeat Grid and Move Micromove knob functions are not available ...

Page 36: ...cks are available in MIDI tracks as well You can choose which CCs are mapped to the particular knobs for each MIDI track independently Further you can output chords program and bank changes pitch bend clock and other communications You can also use MIDI input to enter notes to the sequencer and even record them polyphonically on the fly In the MIDI sequencing mode the following MIDI value paramete...

Page 37: ...en button corresponding to the selected knob parameter value and its automation will restore its value to its default setting When an external clock is enabled the displayed tempo value reflects the tempo provided by the incoming MIDI clock Quantization of notes recorded over MIDI works destructively overwriting any recorded micromove values You can use the Randomize utility in the MIDI mode for O...

Page 38: ...ng back information received via its MIDI inputs and when no track or step is selected it will use values from the work step except the note because this one is taken from the MIDI input information In such a scenario Play becomes sort of a MIDI hub and its Smart Soft thru mechanism redirects notes from input to any selected output and channel Length is ignored Scale and Chord apply Main Menu Clic...

Page 39: ...pen Project or Save Project As will open the card browser allowing you to select the project location Open Project action will be performed immediately after selecting the location After choosing the location for Save as enter the name of the project and confirm it If a current project wasn t saved before the Save Project command will behave like Save Project As If the name entered in Save Project...

Page 40: ...oad Sample Pack function to load a pack with its entire folder tree into the project s sample pool from the SD card A sample pack with its folder structure will be recognized by the sample loader when placed in a Sample Packs folder on the SD card Press the Load Pack screen button and Play s sample loader will load a pack with its entire folder tree intact Sample packs are organized as a folder wi...

Page 41: ...pulate tracks with the appropriate sounds For example when using the Beat Fill kick snare and hi hat samples from the analogically named pack folders will be used These particular sample folders must contain the words kick snare and hat in their name s strings of characters to be properly recognized by the Fill tool algorithm When there are two folders containing the same string of characters requ...

Page 42: ... not limited to the View controller A selected musical scale will influence all the existing sequences and the MIDI notes output as well When changing the track root note or scale the notes in each step will be adjusted to fit the new scale each being transposed up by one or two semitones Using a scale on an existing sequence will quantize all of its notes and chords to that selected musical scale...

Page 43: ...e of a Sample Folder knob Settings With the following available options View Layout sets the layout of the View controller Piano Notes Grid Notes Grid Brightness sets the brightness of the pads High Medium Low Double Tap toggles the knob touch function selection Off On Variation Page allows you to set if the use of a single Variation slot will display available Variation slots for Separate tracks ...

Page 44: ...her files to the Play MicroSD card Find the latest official firmware release here https www youtube com embed Z6AlNAaQkqM feature oembed In case of trouble Start by disconnecting the USB C cable connector from its port located on the back panel This will cause a complete shutdown This usually helps The SD file structure might get damaged if your device loses power during a firmware update If that ...

Page 45: ...ature requests Please respect that while we appreciate our customers opinions and wishes we cannot guarantee or promise to implement them Warranty Safety Polyend warrants this product to the original owner to be free of defects in materials or construction for one year from the date of purchase Proof of purchase is necessary when a warranty claim is processed Malfunctions resulting from improper p...

Page 46: ...d levels Do not operate at levels that are uncomfortable Protect your ears Unplug your instrument from the power sources during lightning storms or when it is not used for long periods of time Make sure that the power cord is safe from harm Do not open up the instrument chassis It is not user repairable Leave all servicing to qualified service technicians Servicing may be required when the unit ha...

Page 47: ...Power 5th Major Minor Diminished Augmented Sustained2 Sustained4 Major 6th Minor 6th Major 7th Minor 7th Minor Major 7th Dominant 7th Major 9th Minor 9th Major 11th Minor 11th Major 13th Minor 13th Musical Scales List Chromatic Minor Major ...

Page 48: ...Minor BeBop Major BeBop Dorian BeBop Mixolydian Blues Minor Blues Major Pentatonic Minor Pentatonic Major Hungarian Minor Ukrainian Marva Todi Whole Tone Diminished Super Locrian Hirajoshi In Sen Yo Iwato Whole Half Kumoi Overtone Double Harmonic Indian Gypsy Neapolitan Neapolitan Minor Enigmatic ...

Page 49: ...e Length Sample Start Sample End Texture Filter Cutoff Resonance Overdrive 1 Octave Plays notes within one octave 2 Octaves Plays notes within two octaves Space Panning Delay Send Reverb Send Nuke Samples in Folder Filter Cutoff Resonance Overdrive Panning Duke Nuke Samples in Pool Filter Cutoff Filter Resonance Overdrive Panning What s In The Box Polyend Play onboard original accessories ...

Page 50: ...ccessories 2 2 lbs 1 kg without accessories Polyend Play Battery Powering Polyend Play runs on 5V 1A and can be powered up from a power bank The best method to power up your instrument is to use the original AC adapter or any other stable wall charger Notice that an intelligent power bank with advanced power management systems or even a smart computer USB port used for powering your unit can possi...

Page 51: ...Qebo Petr E C Rice Julien Guillot Stazma Jerome Guiton Renoizer Paul Bohnencamp Arcologies Benn Jordan Ziv Eliraz Riku Annala Recue Martin Krajcir Isobutane Orchestral Tools Team Polyend Play Licences Software licenses Sample sounds license agreement ...

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