-9-
-8-
gradually).
Note that this control doesn’t
a
ffect the ENV which VCA i
s
fed
internally. The VCA is always driven by the natural input signal envelope.
11)
Side chain switch
- While pitch detection will always be controlled by
the main input, the ConVertor has an additional ENV follower on the side
chain-audio input (#). The idea is to provide an optional alternative envelope
source with its own ENV follower with
the
decay time constant of about
9ms for fast response. At its bottom position
,
the S. C. ENV won’t have any
effect. In the middle pos
i
tion
,
the S. C. ENV will be engaged at unity gain and
its top pos
i
tion the input will be a
m
p15 dBu to help adjust the audio
level of weaker sources. Using the ENV AMT knob but you cannot increase the
maximum ENV value detected by the ENV follower. So make sure you set the
input level high
enough.
The oscillator of the ConVertor synthesizer is the ACO 100 chip. Unlike
other analog oscillators,
i
t locks to an audio’s
frequency without needing to be tuned.
23)
WAVE mix knob
- This control is used to mix be-
tween the ACO’s 2 audio outputs: the square wave
and the sawtooth wave. You can smoothly mix be-
tween them to create any combination of the two
sounds. A square wave has only odd harmonics and
sounds “hollow” while the sawtooth wave has both
even and odd harmonics
and thus sounds “sharper”.
24)
OCTAVE knob
- Use this control to shift the oscillator’s octave from -2 to
+2. The 12 o’clock position (indicated with U) will keep the oscillator play-ing
in unison with the audio input. This OCTAVE control can be simultaneously
controlled from the “octave” CV input (#).
25)
HARMONY knob
-
Use this control to shift the oscillator’s pitch from -7
to
+5 semitones on a just intonation scale. This scale does not adhere to the
familiar western equal-tempered scale and should be experimented with to
find your favorite settings. The table below shows a comparison between
the western scale and the ACO’s just intonation scale. This HARMONY
control can be simultaneously controlled from the “harmony” CV input (#).
The oscillator section
The output section
SRC MIX
knob - Mixes between the source coming from the main input (count-
er clockwise) and the synth sound.
OUTPUT knob
- Attenuates the main output from its line level output all the
way down to mute (counter clockwise). If you connect the main output to any
guitar oriented gear like preamps, amps or effects pedals, make sure to set
this knob to around 9 o’clock.
No sound
1)
Make sure you have input signal and the level meter shows it’s loud enough
2)
Make sure the output knob is not set too low
3)
Make sure the side-chain switch is not engaged, and if it is
,
make sure you
have a healthy signal into the S. Chain input.
4)
Make sure the filter is not set too low
Noisy output
1)
Disconnect the main input.
If
the noise
stops
,
try using a new cable or
troubleshoot the source instrument.
2)
Make sure the LPF TO switch (#9) is
set
to the left (input) and set the
input filter (#8) to fully counter clockwise.
3)
Turn the OUTPUT knob all the way counterclockwise.
If
you still hear
the
noise
,
continue troubleshooting at the destination of the output/cable.
Troubleshooting
Outro
This audio controlled synth is a brand new technology and should be
experimented with.
Feel free to send us content you may create to our email:
,
so we can show the world
(
th
rough
our social
media channel
s)
what one can do with it.
We hope you have fun with your ConVertor and let us know your feedback!
