Waldorf Q Rack User Manual Download

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Sound Parameters – Modulation Speed Levels

Waldorf Q User’s Manual

MAXIMUM

constant for maximum modulation (1)

Button 1

assignable button 1

Button 2

assignable button 2

LastBtn

last button status

PrevBtn

previous button status

S. Cutoff

Step sequencer filter cutoff modulation

Seq. CV1, CV2

Step sequencer control value 1 and 2

S.CV1 run, CV2 run

Step sequencer control value 1 and 2 start

Seq. Step

Step sequencer step

S.Steplen

Step sequencer step length

S.Notelen

Step sequencer note length

Voice Num

Note number of played voices

Voice %16, %8, %4, %2

Number of played voices

Unisono V

Number of played unisono voices

Table 8:

Standard Modulation Matrix sources

Summary of Contents for Q Rack

Page 1: ...User s Manual Q Keyboard Q Rack ...

Page 2: ...even the discovery of electronic power a timeless process the electronic listening music is a prime example of an art form derived from and stimulated by countless influences a timeless process composers of electronic music use and ever will use state of the art instruments in their incredible productions a timeless process always build a sound generator that stands apart as something wholly uniqu...

Page 3: ...anty for you To ensure your unit has full warranty coverage mail the receipt and the fully completed warranty card back within 14 days of purchase This warranty covers all defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original purchase During this time Waldorf Electronics will repair or replace the product without charge for materials or labor provided the product w...

Page 4: ...abel Schicken Sie uns einen Brief Etwas langsamer dafür jedoch genauso zuverlässig wie ein Telefax Und wenn es ganz dringend ist rufen Sie uns an Wir versuchen Ihre Fragen möglichst sofort zu beantworten Send us an e mail message This is the most efficient and fastest way to contact us Your questions will be forwarded immediately to the resident expert and you will quickly receive an answer Send u...

Page 5: ...Berg H P Bonni Bonnenberg Piera Caccia Mike Caroll Geoff Farr Gunther Gräfe Peter Grandl Florian Gypser Christian Halten Martin Herbst Thilo Kloft Achim Lenzgen Evi Mognol Wolfgang Mörs Werner Mohrlok Dr Georg Müller Martin Neideck Drew Neumann Stefan Profitlich Amanda and Mark Pulver Alex Sauff Holger Tsching Steinbrink Beate Walkowiak Kurt Lu Wangard K D Warnecke Sabine Weiland Hubertus Hubi Wel...

Page 6: ...Global Multi Xphorm Sound Matrix LFOs Oscillators Mixer Routing FX1 FX2 Arpeggiator Amp Filter Envelopes Sequencer Amp EFX Left Right 2 1 3 1 Tri Sine Alt1 Alt2 Saw Pulse Tri Sine Saw Pulse 2 3 Sync Filter Pan Pan Filter 2 2 1 1 7 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 0 Mixer Osc 1 Ring Mod Osc 2 Osc 3 Noise Ext 1 5 9 13 2 6 10 14 3 7 11 15 4 8 12 16 S Y N T H E S I Z E R Picture 1 Front Panel Q Keyboard 햲 System Volum...

Page 7: ... Pan 2 Pan 1 Filter 1 Filter 2 Volume Velo Power Panic Demo Card 1 5 9 13 2 6 10 14 3 7 11 15 4 8 12 16 Instruments 햲 햳 햴 햵 햶 햷 햸 햹 햺 햻 햽 햾 2 Frontpanel Q Rack 햲 System Volume rotary Controls the overall volume 햳 LFO Section Contains all the knobs and buttons associated with the LFOs 햴 Oscillators Section Contains all the knobs and buttons associated with the oscillators 햵 Mixer Section Contains a...

Page 8: ...rol voltages only Q Keyboard 쐋 Stereo External In jack for feeding external audio signals into the Mixer section 쐏 Main Out jacks Deliver a stereo line level output signal for connection to a mixing desk or amplifier 쐄 Sub Out 1 jacks Deliver a stereo line level output signal for connection to a mixing desk or amplifier 쐂 Sub Out 2 jacks Deliver a stereo line level output signal for connection to ...

Page 9: ...ds 28 Category Search 29 Instruments and Sounds 30 Switching between Instruments 30 Creating Sound Layers with Instruments 30 Replacing Sounds in Layers 30 Editing Sounds in Layers 31 Deactivating Sound Layers 31 Editing Parameters 31 Edit Buffers 31 Editing Panel Parameters 32 Editing Alternative Panel Parameters 33 Control and Button Types 33 Editing Display Menu Parameters 34 Viewing Parameters...

Page 10: ...scillator Panel Controls 128 LFO Edit Menu 129 Modulation Matrix 131 Matrix Edit Menu 131 Modifier Matrix 132 Matrix Edit Menu 132 Control Delay 133 Drum Map 134 Drum Map Sound Menu 134 Global Parameters 136 Global Menu 136 Utility Menu 147 MIDI Control 149 Channel Based MIDI Messages 149 Program Change Messages 149 Note On and Note Off Messages 149 Aftertouch Messages 149 Poly Pressure Messages 1...

Page 11: ...ents that follow this symbol will help you avoid errors and malfunctions Instruction Follow these guidelines to execute a desired function Info Additional information on a given topic Example Real world examples to try out Highlighted Control Features and Parameters All of the Q s buttons controls and parameters are highlighted in bold letters throughout the manual Example Press the Play button Al...

Page 12: ...we recommend the purchase of a good book explaining synthesizers and sound synthesis in general This book might help you when you don t understand a certain term that is used in the manual The appendix of the Q manual contains a glossary but it is possible that you want or need even deeper explanation A good book explaining analog sound synthesis named Analog Sound Synthesis can be obtained from t...

Page 13: ...Menu Step Data all chapters Envelopes Mode ADS1DS2R Envelope One Shot Envelope LoopS1S2 Envelope Loop All Envelope LFOs Sync Delay Keytrack Fade Clocked Phase Modulation Matrix all chapters Modifier Matrix all chapters Sound Parameters Drum Map all chapters Global Parameters Global Menu Sysex Device ID Clock HMT function Controller Send Input Gain Mix In parameter Channel Based MIDI Messages Progr...

Page 14: ...eration Editing Parameters all chapters Multi Parameters Ctrl W Z Multi Mode Instrument Parameters Selecting an Instrument for editing Instrument settings Step Sequencer all chapters The Tempo Clock Modulation Speed Levels Xphorm Oscillators FM and FM Source Wavetable Oscillators Mixer Balance Noise Ext Balance N E Select F1 F2 Feed Routing Filter Selecting and Editing Filters FM and FM Source Pan...

Page 15: ...let doesn t provide this current consult a qualified technician Never use a different power cable than the one that came with the Q Never install a different plug If the included cable is not equipped with a suitable plug for your local sockets take the Q and the cable to a qualified electrician Unplug the device when you are not using it for longer periods Never touch the plug with wet hands Alwa...

Page 16: ... the surface of the chassis Proper Use This device is designed exclusively to produce low frequency audio signals for the purpose of generating sound Any other use is prohibited and voids the warranty extended by Waldorf Electronics GmbH Waldorf Electronics GmbH is not liable for damages due to incorrect use Don t let your Q beside children or animals This could leads into critical interactions ...

Page 17: ... the only way we can keep you informed of updates and upgrades Other available services are listed on the warranty card Setup Place the Q on a clean even surface If you choose to take the device on the road we suggest transporting it in a special keyboard or rack case which should be available from your dealer We recommended the installation in a stable 19 rack for the Q Rack version Connections I...

Page 18: ...xternal In from mixing desk or audio source Tip Left Signal Ring Right Signal Sub Output 1 to mixing desk or amplifier Left Stereo Tip Left Signal Ring Right Signal MIDI Thru to MIDI In of further tone generators MIDI In from MIDI Out of a Computer or other MIDI Controller MIDI Out to MIDI In of a Computer or tone generator Connections To connect the devices 1 Turn all units off 2 Connect the Q s ...

Page 19: ...nect an output stereophonically with one stereo cable Only connect the Left Stereo jack of the output with a 1 4 inch stereo plug Don t plug any cable into the Right Mono jack of the output pair To connect an output monophonically Only connect the Right Mono jack of the output pair with a 1 4 inch mono plug Don t plug any cable into the Left Stereo jack of the output pair To connect a headphone Co...

Page 20: ... can adjust the behaviour of each pedal separately in the Global menu The Switch Pedal Jack on the Q is a stereophonic 1 4 inch phono jack You can connect one switch pedal to it with a monophonic 1 4 inch phono plug or two switches using a stereophonic plug If you do so the plug has to be connected as follows Footswitch 1 is connected to the tip and the ground Footswitch 2 is connected to the ring...

Page 21: ...01 010 Drum Map E Memory Card 001 100 001 020 Bank B Bank A Drum Map 001 020 Picture 3 Memory Structure 100 Multi programs Multi 001 100 A Multi program stores information about how up to 16 Sound programs sound at once 300 Sound programs Sound A001 C100 A Sound program stores information about the character of a sound 20 Drum Maps Drum Map D001 D020 A Drum Map contains up to 32 Single Sound Progr...

Page 22: ...the card just stops moving The card slot at the Q Rack is located at the left side of the front panel The text TOP should point to the right side 3 Now the card is ready to be used Maintenance Although it is nearly impossible to destroy the Q Card you should handle it with the same care as you would do with a floppy disk However it might be that you have to clean the contact plate if the card stop...

Page 23: ...rial number will differ from the numbers shown here Thereafter the number of voices of the Q will be shown in the upper line of the display In the basic version the Q offers 16 voices With the optional available expansion board you can get up to 32 voices 16 Voices Zeitlos T Please take into consideration that we re releasing new Operating Systems for our Synthesizers at regular intervals These ne...

Page 24: ... its unique features They should give you a quick overview of the Q s sound character and the possibilities you can expect when you start working with your Q To listen to the songs in highest quality you should make sure that the Q is connected stereophonically to a good amplifier loudspeaker combination Alternatively you could use good headphones The Demo Playback mode clears all edit buffers If ...

Page 25: ...d Shift that is used to activate alternative functions of knobs and buttons labelled in light blue color A button labelled Play OK Pressing this button will bring back the Q to Play mode where sounds can be selected A button labelled Multimode It is used to activate or deactivate the Multimode A button labelled Peek Pressing this button allows you to check parameter values without changing them Th...

Page 26: ...LED is off press one of the Instrument buttons Inst 1 Inst 4 to select an Instrument that holds the Sound or Pattern The LED above the button lights up and the display content will change to show the current Sound for this Instrument 3 Use the Page Dial to select an appropriate Program Turning the dial clockwise increases the Program number turning the dial counterclockwise decreases it When you a...

Page 27: ... the current bank To select a Program with the Number Buttons 1 Make sure that the Play LED is lit If not press Play 햷 2 If you are in Single Mode Multimode LED is off press one of the Instrument buttons Inst 1 Inst 4 햷 to select an Instrument that holds the Sound or Pattern The LED above the button lights up and the display content will change to show the current Sound for this Instrument 3 Press...

Page 28: ...ill light up again instead of flashing Please note that you can also use the page dial to select programs at any time i e even when Bank Hold is activated Switching Banks As described before the Q s sound program memory consists of several banks named A to C Each of these banks contains 100 Sounds giving you a total of 300 sounds The bank D contains 20 Drum Maps There is also a Bank X that is used...

Page 29: ...a special sound categroy 1 Hold down the Shift button 2 Chose a category with the red dial The following message shows up on the display Sel Category Pad 3 Release the Shift button 4 Use the red dial to scroll through the patches of the selected category The following categories are available Arp Atmo Bass Bell Brs Drum Ext FX Init Keys Lead Pad Perc Pluk Poly Seq Strg Voc and Wave By using the st...

Page 30: ...to create Sound Layers This is very handy and allows you to build up big sounds without any deeper programming as you would have to do in Multi Mode However if you are very happy with a Sound Layer you should think about building a Multi with the same settings to store it permanently To create a Sound Layer by selecting several Instruments at once 1 Set up the Instruments to hold the Sounds that y...

Page 31: ...eral sections each containing knobs and buttons associated with that section By adjusting the controls on the panel you have instant access to the sound These parameters are called panel parameters Most sections offer an Edit button Pressing this button calls up the display menu for that section The display menu contains additional parameters that are not accessible directly via the control elemen...

Page 32: ... Tri Sine Alt1 Alt2 Saw Pulse Octave Semi Detune Pitch Mod Source Shape Pulsewidth PWM Source Octave Semi Detune Pitch Mod Source Shape Pulsewidth PWM Source Octave Semi Detune Pitch Mod Source Shape Pulsewidth PWM Source Active Glide Rate Mode Pitch Mod Source Edit Oscillators 1 Tri Sine Alt1 Alt2 Saw Pulse Tri Sine Saw Pulse 2 3 Sync Picture 7 Oscillator Section Q Keyboard To access a specific p...

Page 33: ...Continuous Controls Most controls on the front panel are of this type They control parameters with continuous values All rotary controls are made of dials Turning a dial clockwise increases the corresponding value turning it counterclockwise decreases it The dials have a built in dynamic response feature If you turn the control slowly the value changes very smoothly too If you turn it faster it ac...

Page 34: ...ust the corresponding parameters Some display menus only consist of one single parameter Only the leftmost value dial will be active then 6 After finishing all edits press the Play button in the Master section to return to normal mode While editing display menu parameters you can also adjust panel parameters and vice versa In addition to the display menu parameters of the different sections five b...

Page 35: ...enu parameters Press the Edit button of a desired section and scroll through the display menu via the page dial or by pressing the Edit button repeatedly The same procedure is also valid for all display menu parameters accessible via the Global Multi Matrix Xphorm or Sound buttons 4 Press the Peek button again The LED beside the button will go off indicating that peek mode has been terminated If y...

Page 36: ... the Multi page If you want to recall a Sequencer Pattern select the Step Sequencer Edit menu If you want to recall a Drum Map select the Drum Map Edit menu 2 Press Shift Recall 3 The e or c in the display after the program number will disappear All edits will be recalled and the program returns back to its stored state Storing Programs After you have finished editing a program you must save it if...

Page 37: ...ding your sound later You can get more information on how to search for a Sound category in the chapter Category Search on page 29 This is how the display looks Store Sound to A001 01 Pad category 7 Press Shift Store to store the Program to the selected location Whenever you store a program the selected memory location is overwritten Therefore any previously stored program under this location will...

Page 38: ...rument 5 Instrument 6 Instrument Parameters Instrument 12 Instrument 11 Instrument 9 Instrument 10 Instrument Parameters Instrument 16 Instrument 15 Instrument 13 Instrument 14 Instrument Parameters Sound Pattern Sound Pattern Sound Pattern Picture 8 Multi Program architecture Setting up a Multi requires some administrative work as it does on all synthesizers but you should do it anyway because it...

Page 39: ...that the Multimode LED is lit to indicate that the Multi mode is active 2 Press Multi The display changes to the Multi or Instrument parameter page that was active before you left the Multi parameter pages the last time Instrument settings The instrument parameters specify the individual settings of each instrument in a Multi Program You can edit the audio output transpose function or tuning key r...

Page 40: ...o have the sound in the mid position select center With this function you can set the stereo outputs of the Q to mono outputs by selecting the full left or full right position for the panning If stereo effects are active e g delay the effect will still sound in both outputs even if the basic sound is set to full left or full right Channel Output 1 01 Main Out Channel global omni 1 16 Channel sets ...

Page 41: ...ed Multi All other Instruments are played back without effects unless you route them to one of the effect busses FX1 FX4 If you do so these particular Instruments automatically use the same physical outputs that are set up in the respective Instrument 1 4 If you have choose aux for an instrument you don t hear its audio signal on the physical outputs Rx Stat Tx Stat 1 Midi Direct Rx Status Off Mid...

Page 42: ...e or not Disable Modwheel Enable Disable Determines whether the chosen instrument transmits and receives modwheel data Enable or not Disable Aftertch Sustain 1 Enable Enable Aftertouch Aftertch Enable Disable Determines whether the chosen instrument transmits and receives aftertouch data Enable or not Disable Sustain Enable Disable Determines whether the chosen instrument transmits and receives su...

Page 43: ...ower than it was originally programmed Detune 64 63 Detunes the Instrument in steps of 1 64th of a semitone You can set up nice layer sounds with Transpose and Detune Activate two Instruments and set their parameters to identical values including the sound number Then just transpose one Instrument by one octave and you got a fat layer sound Or set them both to the same octave and set Detune of one...

Page 44: ...r Pattern off Turn the right display dial all the way to the left until the display reads Seq Pattern Off 1 When you set up several Instruments to use different Sequencer Patterns you can build up complex multi track patterns that i e play back a whole rhythm section In combination with the LowKey and HiKey parameters you can even set up zones of the keyboard to transpose these Sequencer Patterns ...

Page 45: ...t possible Signal to Noise ratio Multi Mixer VOL ˇ_____ˇ____ˇ____ 127 The Multi Mixer offers fast graphical editing of Volume Panning and Effect Send for all 16 instruments The Mute and Solo functions enable fast and intuitive changes to the Multi setup The Multi mixer is found after the Multi Volume Menu The 16 horizontal segments represent the 16 available instruments A small cursor below the co...

Page 46: ...Y MUT SOL The Multi Mixer offers the possibility to mute or unmute instruments during a live performance Multi Tempo 40 300 Multi Tempo 120 Multi Tempo sets the global tempo for all instruments in the selected Multi program It affects all step sequencers all arpeggiators and all LFO that are set to clocked Please read the chapter The Tempo on page 56 for further information The Multi Tempo paramet...

Page 47: ...tep 25 32 Bank A Step 1 8 Pattern Multi Sound Edit Start Stop Grab Control Select Sequencer Multi Pattern Sound Pause Hold 7 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 0 Picture 9 Sequencer Section Q Keyboard Editing Sequence Patterns It doesn t matter if the step sequencer is stopped or running All changes are immediate and you can listen to them instantly Activating the Step Sequencer Controls The step sequencer uses the ...

Page 48: ...t of steps If only one bank is selected the step bank is also advanced when you program a note or chord This gives you the ability to program a whole sequence pattern in one run without selecting individual steps or banks However if more than one bank is selected the step banks aren t advanced although the selected steps are still advanced in the selected bank It is a handy feature to program more...

Page 49: ...e Bank Select LED flashes rapidly to indicate that you listen only to this particular bank of steps To deactivate this feature perform the above action again Limiting the audible range to one bank is only a temporary function It isn t meant to set the length of the sequence pattern To change the length of the sequence pattern use the Pattern Length function Changing Modulation Signal Values for Se...

Page 50: ...just the parameter to the desired value Sequencer Panel Controls Grab Control Used to switch the number buttons and envelope controls to control the step sequencer This is the first button you have to press to edit a sequence pattern The panel controls described in the following paragraphs only work when Grab Control is active The only Step Sequencer controls that you can use without activating Gr...

Page 51: ...ween the step with the notes and the step you set to Hold otherwise the notes aren t held Control Select Button Cutoff Velocity Option Button Switches the eight rotary controls to control the following parameters per step Cutoff performs relative changes to the Cutoff parameters of Filter 1 and Filter 2 Velocity sets the velocity for all notes of the step Option controls further parameters Availab...

Page 52: ...matrix Every step can create a different modulation Please read the chapter Modulation matrix on page 131 for detailed information Use Control Value to control various sound parameters like Resonance and Filter Envelope Decay for instance A Control Value can drive different Controllers at the same time when the necessary settings are made in the Modulation Matrix StepLen Step Length Each step and ...

Page 53: ...tern Length to a value smaller than 32 you can still edit the steps that are outside this range but you won t hear them when the Step Sequencer is running Transpose Mode 1 Octave Transpose Mode Off On 1 Octave Used to activate or deactivate the transpose of the pattern when Grab Control is off or no step is selected Off means that the sequence isn t transposed The keyboard acts as usual On means t...

Page 54: ...lly change the sequence So use them with care and after you ve read this description As long as you turn one of these controls the banks or cycles are moved back or forth in the sequence When you i e turn Rotate Steps Banks to 01 the first bank is moved to the second the second to the third and so on The same behaviour is available for cycle After you ve released the control it is reset to 0 but t...

Page 55: ...dulator Noise Generator External Audio Signal Mixer Filters Amplifier Effects These modules represent the audio signal flow Sound generation actually occurs within the Oscillators They produce square sawtooth triangular sine and alternative waveforms The Mixer follows the Oscillators in the signal chain which is where the Oscillators output signals are mixed Noise or signals received through the a...

Page 56: ...e Depending on the setting of Clock the actual sound tempo is set as follows Internal means that the Q doesn t react on incoming MIDI Clock nor does it send MIDI Clock The Q only syncs to its own tempo base that is set by Tempo Send means that the Q doesn t react on incoming MIDI Clock but sends it as MIDI Clock messages through its MIDI Out Use this setting when you want to sync other devices to ...

Page 57: ...cy Modulation This is the fastest modulation speed level These calculations are performed for each generated sample or in other words 48000 times per second 48kHz Five modules of the Q s sound generation offer FM the three oscillators and the two filters When you browse the list of available sources for this type of modulation you will almost only find those sources that make sense to modulate the...

Page 58: ...t Amplifier AmpMod Amplitude modulation Amplifier Volume Output shaped by the Amplifier Envelope Table 4 Pre routed Modulation destinations In addition to the pre routed Fast Modulation destinations the Q offers eight slots for individual routing connections that are updated at the same speed level the Fast Modulation Matrix The following table lists all available destinations for a Fast Modulatio...

Page 59: ...ulation slots The Standard Modulation speed level is only available in the Modulation Matrix all other modulations are performed as Fast Modulations or FM Standard Modulation Matrix destinations Description Pitch Global pitch of all three Oscillators at once O1 Pitch O2 Pitch O3 Pitch Pitch of Oscillator 1 3 O1 PW O2 PW O3 PW Pulse width of Oscillator 1 3 O1 FM O2 FM O3 FM FM Amount modulation of ...

Page 60: ...Div 02SubDiv Frequency divide of the sub oscillator1 2 01SubVol 02SubVol Volume of the sub oscillators 1 2 Table 7 Standard Modulation Matrix destinations The following table shows all available Standard Modulation sources Standard Modulation Matrix sources Description Off No modulation LFO1 LFO 1 Signal LFO1 MW LFO 1 Signal shaped by the Modwheel LFO2 LFO 2 Signal LFO2 Prs LFO 2 Signal shaped by ...

Page 61: ...atus S Cutoff Step sequencer filter cutoff modulation Seq CV1 CV2 Step sequencer control value 1 and 2 S CV1 run CV2 run Step sequencer control value 1 and 2 start Seq Step Step sequencer step S Steplen Step sequencer step length S Notelen Step sequencer note length Voice Num Note number of played voices Voice 16 8 4 2 Number of played voices Unisono V Number of played unisono voices Table 8 Stand...

Page 62: ...the parameters are changed I e Cutoff was set to 32 in the original sound and to 96 in the Xphorm sound so the 50 interpolation is in the middle 64 The same is true for bipolar parameters like Env Amount You also see that Xphorm is a blending of parameters not a fade out and fade in of two different sounds Xphorm can change all continuous parameters but no switch parameters So the basic functional...

Page 63: ...would raise the volume of the high cutoff part It wouldn t create any cutoff values in between Xphorm Edit Menu The Xphorm menu features two parameters to setup the Xphorm function Xphorm Mode off Modwheel Pressure This parameter sets the source that controls the Xphorm interpolation off means that Xphorm is deactivated Modwheel means that the Modulation Wheel is used to control the Xphorm interpo...

Page 64: ... a decaying volume envelope for the selected Sound you might not hear anything after playing several notes because of the envelopes decaying to 0 Unisono Off Dual 3 6 Controls how many voices are triggered when a note is played Off means that a note triggers one voice This is the standard mode Dual means that a note triggers two voices Both voices have high priority so they can cut off other voice...

Page 65: ...elected program behave like a single envelope This common envelope starts as soon as the first note is played The sustain level remains until the last note is released Afterwards the release phase is active This setting is only active as long as the Parameter Mode is set to Mono Otherwise the envelope behaves as being set to Normal Trig E3 E4 mono Normal Single Triggering of the Envelopes 3 Trig E...

Page 66: ...damental and has no overtones The following picture shows the sine wave and its frequency representation 1 4 8 12 16 Frequency Magnitude Time Amplitude Harmonics The Sine Wave There is no acoustic music instrument that generates a pure sine wave the only instrument that comes close to it is the pitch fork Therefore the sine wave sounds a little artificial to the ear However the sine wave can be an...

Page 67: ...itude 1 2 3rd Harmonic Magnitude 1 3 4th Harmonic Magnitude 1 4 Harmonics Picture 11 Additive components of the Sawtooth wave The sawtooth wave was thought as an abstraction of the timbre of string and brass instruments You can easily understand that when you think of a violin Imagine a bow pulling the string slightly into one direction At one point the string abruptly comes off the bow and swings...

Page 68: ...l magnitude the third harmonic has a third magnitude the fifth harmonic has a fifth magnitude and so on The following picture shows how the individual harmonics build up the sawtooth wave 1 3 5 7 9 Frequency Magnitude Time Amplitude 1st Harmonic Magnitude 1 5th Harmonic Magnitude 1 5 7th Harmonic Magnitude 1 7 Harmonics 11 13 15 3rd Harmonic Magnitude 1 3 Picture 12 Additive components of the squa...

Page 69: ...fset As you could read in the previous chapter the harmonic content of a 50 pulse wave is a special case It has a very symmetrical harmonic content while all other pulse widths create peaks or holes at certain frequencies Another special case is a pulse wave with a very narrow pulse width in the above picture labelled with 1 An infinitely thin pulse creates a spectrum that has all harmonics with e...

Page 70: ...t 1 3 5 7 9 Frequency Magnitude Time Amplitude 1st Harmonic Magnitude 1 5th Harmonic Magnitude 1 25 7th Harmonic Magnitude 1 49 Harmonics 11 13 15 3rd Harmonic Magnitude 1 9 Picture 14 Additive components of the Triangle wave The reason why the triangle wave is so popular in classic synthesizers is because it was easier to generate than a sine wave but could be used for the same purpose It could a...

Page 71: ...t modulations Therefore you can create wavetable sweeps The results can be very drastic much more than any sample playback based system could ever produce That is a unique feature of wavetable synthesis The capabilities of this principle are very strong To give some examples Each note on a keyboard can access a different wave of the wavetable Different waves can be played depending on key velocity...

Page 72: ...nt based on the length of organ pipes The reference pitch for the oscillator is generated at MIDI note A3 note no 69 when Octave is set to 8 Semi and Detune are set to 0 and no pitch modulation is applied In this case the oscillator s frequency will be the same as set in the global Tune parameter usually 440Hz Set Octave to 16 for bass sounds Set Octave to 8 if you are creating typical keyboard so...

Page 73: ...waveform for the FM Source If you want to bias the FM over the keyboard so that higher notes aren t modulated as strong as lower notes use the Standard Modulation Matrix and apply Keytrack to the respective oscillator FM with a negative amount To change the amount of FM dynamically use the Fast Modulation Matrix or Standard Modulation Matrix to apply an Envelope or an LFO to the respective oscilla...

Page 74: ...tors Both can create a wavetable with 128 waves each Please refer the chapter Wavetable synthesis When Alt1 or Alt2 are selected the knobs Pulsewidth and PWM serve for selecting the startpoint of the waves Furthermore the modulation sources 01PW and 02PW are active subject to which Oscillator is set to Alt In the Oscillator Edit Menu you additionally have Suboscillators at your disposal please rea...

Page 75: ... Table Fast Modulation Sources on page 58 Selects the source of the pulsewidth modulation or the wavetable modulation Common sources for pulsewidth modulation are envelopes and LFO but other sources like the modulation wheel or aftertouch can create nice effects as well To create a thick oscillator sound use a triangular LFO as PWM Source with full PWM and a Pulsewidth of around 80 This basic sett...

Page 76: ...always use modulators when using the Wavetables of Alt1 and Alt2 When you like to create a wavetable sweep you should set the starting point roughly to the wanted position with Pulsewidth before programming the modulation This proceeding can help to find the basic character of the sound the modulation is moving around Please note that you can use unipolar as well as bipolar modulation sources For ...

Page 77: ...ve modulation is applied e g by pressing aftertouch on the keyboard Negative amounts will lower the pitch when positive modulation is applied PitchMod Source see Table Fast Modulation Sources on page 58 Selects the source of the pitch modulation for all oscillators A common source for pitch modulation is an LFO whose strength is controlled by the modwheel or aftertouch To create a common pitch vib...

Page 78: ...tion Try to use values in the range 0 75 or even negative settings for one oscillator while leaving the second at 100 Keytrack BendRg 24 24 Determines the intensity of the pitchbend via MIDI Pitchbend messages in semitones Suboscillator 01Sub Vol Frq divide 127 24 The parameters for the Suboscillator settings are only available when Alt1 or Alt2 are chosen as Waveform Therefore Oscillator 3 cannot...

Page 79: ...accessed via the Oscillator edit menu of the Q Rack or the front panel of the Q Keyboard Glide Rate 0 127 Determines the glide time Low values will give a short glide time in the range of milliseconds that gives a special character to the sound High values will result in a long glide time up to several seconds which can be useful for solo and effect sounds Glide Mode Portamento Fingered Portamento...

Page 80: ...cted Oscillator s Balance F1 64 mid F2 63 Determines the ratio of the selected Oscillator s signal that is sent to the inputs of Filter 1 and Filter 2 see routing picture If set to F1 64 the signal is sent to Filter 1 only Higher values will increase the amount of signal that feeds Filter 2 and decrease the amount of signal that feeds Filter 1 If set to mid both filters will receive the same signa...

Page 81: ...nt of view ring modulation is the multiplication of two oscillators signals The result of this operation is a waveform that contains the sums and the differences of the source frequency components Since the ring modulation generates disharmonic components it can be used to add metallic distorted sound characteristics This is useful e g when generating synth percussion Please note that in a complex...

Page 82: ... F2 feed in the Mixer Edit menu Noise is a fundamental source for any kind of analog type percussion Also wind and other sound effects can be created by using the noise generator Please note that if you use an external sound source you still have to trigger the Q s envelopes to get the signal passed through So you have to generate MIDI notes by the keyboard a connected sequencer or the internal st...

Page 83: ...n t move the signals between the filters F1 Feed is always routed to Filter 1 while F2 Feed is always routed to Filter 2 The available sources are Noise selects the Noise Generator as input for the respective filter 1 10 100 1000 10000 Frequency Hz Magnitude Time Amplitude Picture 21 Noise ExtLeft selects the Left input signal as input for the respective filter ExtRight selects the right input sig...

Page 84: ... external input has an individual Balance control in the Mixer By means of these controls you can determine what portion of each source s signal is routed to the inputs of Filter 1 and Filter 2 E g this makes it possible to send the signal of Oscillator 1 and 2 to Filter 1 and the ring modulation signal to Filter 2 The output of Filter 1 is split up into two paths The Routing knob determines the r...

Page 85: ...band range The Q s filter dampens frequencies in the stop band with a certain slope The slope can be 12dB or 24dB per octave This means that the level of a frequency that lies an octave above the cutoff point will be 12dB or 24dB less than those frequencies of the signal that fall into the pass band Frequency Level Cutoff Picture 23 Low Pass Filter principle To give you an idea of the extent of da...

Page 86: ...ter the setting of the corresponding parameter for Filter 1 and Filter 2 Please note that all edits are relative Therefore the relationship of the parameters will be retained E g the display may look like this when turning the Cutoff knob F1 Cutoff 80 F2 Cutoff 93 In the given example turning the Cutoff control two steps clockwise will result in the following F1 Cutoff 82 F2 Cutoff 95 If the value...

Page 87: ...ge of 0 80 to give more brilliance to the sound At higher values of 80 113 the sound gets the typical filter character with a strong boost around the cutoff frequency When the setting is raised to values above 113 the filter starts to self oscillate generating a pure sine wave This feature can be used to create analog style effects and percussion like electronic toms kicks zaps etc Keytrack 200 19...

Page 88: ... Time Key Velocity 127 Key Velocity 1 Time Key Velocity 127 Picture 26 Envelope depth influence of different Velo parameter settings The overall modulation applied to the filter s cutoff frequency is calculated as the sum of both parameters Env and Velo Therefore you should always bear in mind what the result is especially when the filter does not behave as you expect You can also create interesti...

Page 89: ...ource FM Source See Table FM Sources on page 57 Selects the source of the frequency modulation PanMod 64 63 Determines the amount of panorama modulation PanMod Source see Table Fast Modulation Sources on page 58 Selects the source of the panorama modulation Filter Edit Menu The following parameters can be accessed via the display menu of the Q Rack only Press the Filter section s Edit button to ac...

Page 90: ...ype PPG LP Lowpass The PPG LP is a resonance lowpass filter with a slope rate of 24dB per octave Its characteristics were modeled after the legendary PPG Wave synthesizer and its integrated SSM 2044 chip The resonance of the SSM 2044 had a very special tonal character which has not been implemented in this way in any other filter circuit or IC If you have the chance to directly compare the origina...

Page 91: ... a sound starting at its high harmonics and then coming up to its full frequency range Use the 24dB slope if you want to create sounds with a typical audible filtered character use the 12dB slope if you want to get softer results Frequency Level Cutoff Resonance Picture 29 High Pass Filter Type 24dB Notch and 12dB Notch The notch filters 24db Notch and 12dB Notch are the opposites to the band pass...

Page 92: ...ly because they actually don t damp any part of the signal but add a delayed version of the input signal to the output But what is a Comb filter A Comb filter is basically a very short delay that can be controlled in length and feedback The delay time is so short that you can t hear its individual taps but a colorization of the original signal created by peaks or holes in the frequency spectrum Th...

Page 93: ...lect an LFO as Cutoff Mod Source 5 Set Cutoff Mod to a medium positive or negative amount 6 Adjust the LFO to generate a slow triangle oscillation 7 Fine tune Cutoff Cutoff Mod and LFO Speed until you get the desired Chorus effect You can also use both filters to create a Chorus and pan them to different stereo positions You can also pan the original i e low pass filtered signal to one stereo side...

Page 94: ...late a string or a tube A Comb filter is one of the most basic building blocks of the so called Physical Modeling which is an algorithmic description of an acoustic instrument The Q is definitely not meant to replace a good physical modeling synthesizer so you shouldn t expect to get a perfect emulation of any acoustic instrument like a trumpet or a violin out of the Q However the Comb filter enab...

Page 95: ...ff change with well tempered scaling 4 Set Cutoff to 23 35 47 or 59 to have it oscillating in the same pitch as the oscillators are usually tuned Please note that Comb oscillates one octave higher than Comb 5 Feed the Comb filter with a signal of any kind The incoming signal s pitch isn t important for the resulting tuning but both pitch and timbre of the input signal affect the timbre of the Comb...

Page 96: ...ffect on the volume Classic organs work in this way because they do not have dynamic response For positive settings the volume rises up to higher velocities This is the most commonly used setting which gives a piano like character For negative settings the volume falls up to higher velocities This gives an untypical character suitable for effect sounds As the Amplifier always works in conjunction ...

Page 97: ...Edit Menu The following parameters can be accessed via the display menu of the Q Rack only Press the Amplifer section s Edit button to activate the display menu AmpMod See Additional Controls on the Q Keyboard AmpMod Source See Additional Controls on the Q Keyboard ...

Page 98: ... FX1 FX2 Picture 35 Effects Section Q Keyboard As you can see the Q offers two independent effect units per sound named FX1 and FX2 Additional Controls on the Q Keyboard Mix 0 127 The only parameter that is common to all types of effects is the Mix parameter This parameter controls the volume ratio between the original signal and the effect output If set to 0 the dry signal is sent to the outputs ...

Page 99: ...th the Cutoff parameter A Mix setting of 48 to 96 produces the strongest effect because both the unaffected signal and the processed signal are mixed together Speed Depth 064 064 Speed 0 127 Sets the LFO speed of the Chorus effect Depth 0 127 Sets the modulation depth of the Chorus effect Delay 0 127 Delay 064 Sets the initial delay that is added to the Chorus delay line Flanger The Flanger effect...

Page 100: ...ral allpass filters working in parallel This generates an effect with equally spaced frequency peaks or holes The result is a strongly colorized signal with a spacey character A Mix setting of 48 to 96 produces the strongest effect because both the unaffected signal and the processed signal are mixed together Speed Depth 064 064 Speed 0 127 Sets the LFO speed of the Phaser effect Depth 0 127 Sets ...

Page 101: ... versa depending on the setting of Auto Pan An important feature of the Q s Delay effect is that the Delay length can be changed without clicks or pitch changes This allows you to experiment with different Delay lengths without getting annoying side effects in the output signal Clocked off on Clocked Off If Clocked is set to on the delay length is adjusted in note values If it set to off the delay...

Page 102: ...ue for the right signal and the right delay line If Auto Pan is set to On the left input signal is fed into the right delay line and the right signal is fed into the left delay line The output of the delay lines are fed back into the opposite delay line The result is a so called Ping Pong delay You can only hear that effect if the left signal input is different from the right signal input Overdriv...

Page 103: ...ng Mod allows to ring modulate the effect input signal with another signal Chor Dlay is a combination of a Chorus and a Delay effect You should turn the Mix control fully up with this effect type because you probably want the sample rate reduction to process the whole signal The Ring Mod and the Chor Dlay effect have their own mix control Sample Hold 44 1kHz 2 6Hz Sample Hold 44 1kHz Controls the ...

Page 104: ...bly the most widely used effect in music production It is used to add a realistic ambience to clean and dry audio recorded in a studio Very complicated mathematical algorithms are needed to simulate the complexity of a natural reverb As a result good reverb processors are very expensive The Q s reverb effects don t intend to simulate the perfect natural room rather they are an addition to the Q s ...

Page 105: ... by a uneven surface Settings above 100 change the room characteristic even further Size Shape 010 0 m 064 Size 3m 30m Determines the length of the longest room side in meters Lower settings simulate a normal room while higher settings simulate a big hall or church Shape 0 127 Changes the characteristic of the reverb In most effect units you can select different rooms and reverb types like plate o...

Page 106: ...y A setting of 50 doesn t change the timing while lower or higher settings spread the delay time forwards or backwards Selection and Editing of the Delay Taps Single taps are chosen with the left display dial while the right display dial change its corresponding value You can see the selected tap displayed as a number in the left corner The current value of this tap is simultaneously shown in the ...

Page 107: ...e center channel speaker build up the normal 5 tone channels 5 x where the loudspeakers surround the listener in a circle The sixth channel supports the so called LFE channel Low Frequency Effects which is almost always connected to a subwoofer x 1 To use the full performance of the surround delays please connect the Q s audio outputs to your mixing unit or to a special surround amplifier as follo...

Page 108: ...y ML 0 400 Determines the relative delay of the effect signal pertaining to the setting of the Delay parameter FSR V Delay MR 127 100 0 FSR Volume 0 127 Determines the volume of the effect signal for the right Front Speaker Main Out R Delay MR 0 400 Determines the relative delay of the effect signal pertaining to the setting of the Delay parameter CntrS V Delay S2L 127 100 0 CntrS Volume 0 127 Det...

Page 109: ...Delay parameter 5 1 D Clk This surround delay type is similar to the 5 1 Delay With this delay type the delay time is synchronized to the Q s internal tempo For more information about tempo settings refer to the chapter The Tempo on page 56 Delay Feedback 1 4 100 0 Delay 1 128 8 4 Sets the length of the delay tap in note values A t behind the number means a triplet note value while a Behind means ...

Page 110: ... the synthesis filters The analyzed signal always comes from a different source either the external input or one of the internal routing busses The synthesis signal is the current sound but if you like to use a different synthesis signal set up the N E Select parameter in the Mixer Edit menu to feed the filters with e g the External In or one of the internal routing busses It might even be interes...

Page 111: ...Lo Frq to around 220Hz and A Hi Frq to 14kHz for voice analysis the default values or to around 100Hz and 16kHz for drum loops or other signals with a lot of bass and treble All other analysis bands are spread equally between these two bands If you find that the Vocoder sounds too nervous you might want to narrow the frequency range of the analysis bands If you want to extract one instrument from ...

Page 112: ...of the synthesis bands until they reach minimum volume For real Vocoder sounds set it between 10 and 25 Shorter values might result in nervous volume changes of individual bands while longer values smear the signal Both can be nice but if the results aren t as you ve expected them try to change this parameter When you set Decay to 127 you get a Resonator effect Be careful with the input signal vol...

Page 113: ...board The basic tempo of the Arpeggiator is set by the global Tempo control that also controls the Step Sequencer and the behaviour of the LFO and Envelopes This allows you to change all tempo related aspects of the sound with one single turn of the Tempo control Mode Off On One Shot Hold This parameter sets the way the Arpeggiator works If Off is selected the Arpeggiator is not active If On is se...

Page 114: ...1 192 and 1 1 the Arp Steplen parameter may change the actual length of each step relatively However when Length is set to legato all arpeggio notes are played without pauses between each step and Arp Steplen therefore has no effect Range 1 Oct 10 Oct Determines the range of the single notes in octaves When it is set to 1 Oct the note list will be played back in the same octave as it was originall...

Page 115: ...e If Off is selected the Arpeggiator plays back a continuous sequence of notes with the current Clock setting User gives you the ability to create your own custom rhythm pattern This pattern is stored in the sound See the section Arpeggiator Edit Menu Step Data below for the pattern settings you can perform 1 15 selects one of the 15 internal ROM rhythm patterns See the table below for an overview...

Page 116: ...ack the arpeggio This parameter is closely related with Range and Sort Order If Up is selected the note list is played forward and the octaves are transposed upward The arpeggio starts in the original octave and goes up to the highest octave set by Range Then the arpeggio is repeated If Down is selected the note list is played backward and the octaves are transposed downward The arpeggio starts in...

Page 117: ...rpeggio step might have an additional positive or negative offset set by the Arp Accent parameter If Each Note is selected each note of the arpeggio is played back with the velocity that you originally played If First Note is selected the first note you played sets the velocity for all arpeggio steps If Last Note is selected the last note you played sets the velocity for all arpeggio steps T Facto...

Page 118: ...n as the rhythm pattern is restarted The same arpeggio might now look like this note the two C1s in sequence Pattern Step 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Note C1 E1 G1 C1 E1 G1 C1 E1 G1 C1 E1 G1 C1 E1 G1 C1 Table 13 Arpeggio with Pattern Reset set to On Pattern Length 1 16 Pattern Length 16 Sets the length of the rhythm pattern This parameter is also valid when Pattern is set to Off or if one of t...

Page 119: ... Make sure that you set up a reasonable glide effect in the Glide section If off is selected empty space the glide effect is disabled for this step If is selected legato symbol the glide effect is enabled for this step This means that the previous note glides to the note that has to be played at this particular position in the arpeggio Please note that Glide Active in the Oscillators section must ...

Page 120: ...set up here The following arpeggio shows an example of the effect when the notes C1 E1 and G1 are pressed Ú Û Ù ı ˆ C1 E1 E1 G1 C1 E1 C1 G1 C1 G1 C1 G1 E1 C1 E1 G1 G1 C1 or E1 or G1 Table 14 Arp Step example Arp Timing ˆ Arp Timing 01 Moves the playback time of a step forward or backward Forward means here that a step is played later while backward means that it is played earlier The overall stren...

Page 121: ...might not have an audible effect when you set it to a negative value You can create very nice staccato and legato effects with this parameter If is selected the notes of this step are hold until the next step has to be played Empty steps force to still hold the notes of the step that was set to legato Values pointing to the left shorten the length of the notes of this step If a vertical line is sh...

Page 122: ... 3 Sustain Release Rel Level Attack Decay Sustain Release Envelopes Picture 38 Envelope Section Before you make any edits to the envelopes you must select whether to edit the Filter and the Amplifier Envelope or Envelope 3 and 4 This is done by pressing the Select button on the right hand of the Envelopes section The two LED above the button indicate which envelopes are selected for editing If Fil...

Page 123: ...tack parameter It then descends at the rate determined by the Decay value until it reaches the predetermined Sustain value It remains at this value until the key is released The envelope then descends to zero at the rate determined by the Release parameter Attack 0 127 Determines the attack rate or amount of time it takes for a signal to go from zero to maximum level Decay 0 127 Determines the dec...

Page 124: ...ermines the attack rate or amount of time it takes for a signal to go from zero to Attack level Attack Level 0 127 Controls the level where the Attack phase ends and the Decay phase starts Decay 0 127 Determines the decay rate or amount of time it takes for a signal to reach the Sustain level Sustain 0 127 As soon as the Sustain level is reached the envelope proceeds with the second Decay Sustain ...

Page 125: ...to set a level breakpoint This allows creating One Shot envelopes with a very percussive attack or with a Gate effect Attack Decay Sustain Release Key pressed or hit shortly Time Level 100 Picture 41 One Shot Envelope Attack 0 127 Determines the attack rate or amount of time it takes for a signal to go from zero to maximum level Decay 0 127 Determines the decay rate or amount of time it takes for ...

Page 126: ...takes for a signal to go from zero to Attack level Attack Level 0 127 Controls the level where the Attack phase ends and the Decay phase starts Decay 0 127 Determines the decay rate or amount of time it takes for a signal to reach the Sustain level This phase is also used in the loop to go from Sustain 2 to Sustain Sustain 0 127 As soon as the Sustain level is reached the envelope proceeds with th...

Page 127: ...rom zero to Attack level Attack Level 0 127 Controls the level where the Attack phase ends and the Decay phase starts Decay 0 127 Determines the decay rate or amount of time it takes for a signal to reach the Sustain level This phase is also used in the loop to go from Sustain 2 to Sustain Sustain 0 127 As soon as the Sustain level is reached the envelope proceeds with the second Decay Sustain pai...

Page 128: ...2 1 3 Picture 44 LFO Panel Controls Q Keyboard The most commonly used controls of the LFO can be found on the front panel Selecting a LFO on the Q Rack Press one or more LFO Select buttons to select one or more LFO on the Q Rack to be edited with the Panel Controls Shape Sine Triangle Square Saw Random S H Sets the type of waveform generated by the respective LFO The following picture shows the av...

Page 129: ...ey sound as one LFO This can be interesting when the LFO is applied to modulate Filter Cutoff or Panning When Sync is set to Off the LFO run independently which is better suited for pitch modulation to get bigger sounds Sync does not mean that the LFO is synced to MIDI Clock or to note start This is done with the Clocked parameter or the Phase parameter Delay 0 127 The Delay parameter works differ...

Page 130: ...elay parameter on page 129 for further information Clocked Off On When Clocked is activated the LFO is synced to the global Tempo of the Q The LFO Speed setting is changed to offer musically meaningful values Please read the section The Tempo on page 56 for further information Phase free 000 357 Controls the initial phase of the LFO when a new note is started Free means that the LFO isn t restarte...

Page 131: ... the various available sources and destinations read the chapter Modulation Speed Levels on page 57 Matrix Edit Menu All parameters related to the Modulation Matrix are located in the Matrix Edit Menu Press the Master section s Matrix button and select the respective pages M1F M8F or M1S M8S with the Page Dial Source see Tables Fast Modulation Sources and Standard Modulation Sources Defines the mo...

Page 132: ...Source 1 with one exception Off is replaced by constant meaning that the calculation is performed with a constant value that you can set up with the Constant parameter Operation Oper see Table Modifier functions Determines which kind of operation will be performed on the selected input sources The following types are available Setting Description Addition Subtraction Multiplication XOR Exclusive O...

Page 133: ...parameter can be found in the Modulation Matrix after the Modifiers Additionally the Control Delay can be used as Standard Modulation Source M1S M8S Ctr Delay Source 000 off Ctr Delay 0 127 Determines the amount of time delaying the selected modulation signal after a note is triggered Previously values would be reset to their default value With this update parameter changes are now audible Please ...

Page 134: ...33 With the Page Dial you can select the various pages for the selected Drum Sound When you turn the Page Dial further than the last page the Q automatically jumps to the next Drum Sound s first page and vice versa 02 TR66 Sidestk WMF C C060 Sound Bank and Number A C 001 100 Each Drum Map entry points to one Sound in memory The display shows the Sound name in the upper row and the Sound bank and n...

Page 135: ...us but it might be a trap Transpose 60 60 Controls the transpose offset of the selected Drum Map entry In the Drum Map Sound programs still keep their various Keytrack settings so melodic sounds still play the pitch of the notes they are mapped to With Transpose you can change the Keytrack offset to the tuning you like Please note that this parameter shifts the incoming note When you ve set the os...

Page 136: ...set to another value than off With this function it is easily possible to send up to 16 notes at once when you ve pressed only one key Please use omni only for test purposes where you want to check the basic MIDI send and receive functionality As soon as you know that the Q receives MIDI properly set Global MIDI Channel to any other value than omni SysEx ID 0 126 Defines the device identification ...

Page 137: ... is selected no notes are sent If On is selected all notes are sent over MIDI Out in case of the Arpeggiator is active Ctl Send Ctl Recv Ctl SysEx on Controller Send Ctl Send Off Ctl SysEx Ctl SysEx Determines how Real Time Sound Parameter Changes are sent by the Q over MIDI If Off is selected no data is sent If Ctl is selected only controller messages are sent Parameters without a dedicated contr...

Page 138: ... deep information about the Clock parameter HMT Tune Mode tempered HMT tonal HMT 3 5 HMT 3 5ref HMT 3 5 7 Import Tune Mode HMT depth tempered 000 HMT tunes the Q dynamically to fit the music being performed This leads to a warmer more pleasant sound with clean highs and precise bass sounds For deeper information about HMT please refer to the chapter The HMT function on page 156 The HMT function in...

Page 139: ...s the corresponding frequency positions in a major seventh chord The down tuned position of the natural seventh as tone F in the chord G B D F Import accommodates different note tuning formats like octave scale tuning GM Level 2 or single note retuning through Midi Take this setting when the Q should react to incoming tuned scales HMT depth 000 100 Determines the degree of impact of the HMT functi...

Page 140: ...u send Sound parameter changes by tweaking parameters on the front panel The Sound parameter is sent out as Controller but can t be received as long as you don t change Ctrl W Ctrl Z to other MIDI Continuous Controller messages Rx PrgChg Tx PrgChg off off Rx PrgChange Off Num Num Bank Determines how incoming Midi Program and Bank Changes will be handled Incoming program and bank changes will be ig...

Page 141: ...al circumstances only Rel Velocity Curve exp 2 exp 1 linear log 1 log 2 fix 32 127 Rel Velocity Curve linear Sets the curve that is used for release velocities when played on the keyboard It changes the release velocity behaviour of the internal tone generation and the outgoing MIDI Note Off messages It doesn t affect incoming MIDI Note Off messages The various curves are identical to the ones sho...

Page 142: ...itch Pedal that is open when pressed and closed when not pressed The Q then generates a Control value of 127 on the first press and a value of 0 on the next press and so on Footsw1 Ctrl Sustain Sostenuto Control W Z Foot Ctrl Sets the controller that is used for Switch Pedal 1 Sustain sends the Sustain controller controller 64 with a value of 127 to the internal tone generation and over MIDI Out T...

Page 143: ... to connect a microphone or guitar directly to the Q Low signal level instruments should be amplified by a special pre amplifier before they are routed into the Q s External In Mix In to Off Aux Inst 1 4 FX Main Out Sub1 out Sub2 out Mix In to Mix Level Inst 1 FX 082 This parameter allows you to send an external audio signal directly into the Q s effect section without the need of a note trigger N...

Page 144: ...e latest Operating and Boot system of your Q For more information about updating your Q please read Updating the System software on page 154 Additional Global menu parameter of the Q Keyboard Pedal CV1 Offset 64 63 Pedal CV1 Offset 00 Sets the initial gain for Control Pedal CV 1 that is used when the pedal is at its minimum position To find out which value is suited for the Control Pedal CV you wa...

Page 145: ...127 Sets the curve that is used for Control Pedal CV 1 It changes the behaviour of the internal tone generation and the outgoing MIDI messages It doesn t affect incoming MIDI messages Depending on the Control Pedal CV you use different values might apply Please try to find out the best setting yourself Pedal CV1 Ctrl Off Volume Control W Z F1 Cutoff F2 Cutoff Pedal CV1 Ctrl Volume Sets the control...

Page 146: ...127 Sets the curve that is used for Control Pedal CV 2 It changes the behaviour of the internal tone generation and the outgoing MIDI messages It doesn t affect incoming MIDI messages Depending on the Control Pedal CV you use different values might apply Please try to find out the best setting yourself Pedal CV2 Ctrl Off Volume Control W Z F1 Cutoff F2 Cutof Pedal CV2 Ctrl Volume Sets the controll...

Page 147: ...riated Sound program Press Shift Utility and choose the option Init Sound Press Shift Utility again to activate the function The selected program is now initialized When you initialize a program all action takes place inside an edit buffer Therefore no data will be lost until you store the program Init Multi Init Multi A001 Utility The Q provides a special function for setting all parameters of a ...

Page 148: ...alizes all parameters of a Sound Program with random values This is how you randomize a program Select the appropriated Sound program Press Shift Utility and choose the option Random Sound Press Shift Utility again to activate the function The selected program is now randomized When you ranomize a program all action takes place inside an edit buffer Therefore no data will be lost until you store t...

Page 149: ... MIDI Program Change messages together with MIDI Bank Select messages As the Q contains 100 programs in each bank it recognizes the program numbers 1 100 on zero based MIDI senders this means 0 99 The Bank Select LSB message Controller 32 is used to switch between different banks Bank 0 contains Sound Programs A001 A100 Bank 1 contains Sound Programs B001 B100 Bank 2 contains Sound Programs C001 C...

Page 150: ...these settings Pan Messages The Q receives Pan Messages Controller 10 and balances the two Filter outputs by that value A value of 64 means that the Filter Pan settings are kept as they are while smaller values weigh the signal to the left output and bigger values weigh the signal to the right output Sustain Pedal Messages The Q receives Sustain Pedal Messages Controller 64 and evaluates them as f...

Page 151: ...default values usually 0 except for Pan 64 Volume 127 Pitchbend 64 Influencing Editing Sounds over MIDI Controllers as Modulation Sources The controllers mentioned above are always used as modulation sources The freely definable Control W Z can also be used as modulation source W Z stands for definable controller numbers 1 120 Use these controllers in the Modifiers and the Modulation Matrix Changi...

Page 152: ...t sent This function is only available in Multimode If Pattern is selected the current Pattern will be sent When used in Multimode the Pattern of the currently selected instrument will be sent If Arrangement is selected the current Multi program with all its used Sound and Pattern programs is sent Use this function to dump all settings of a Multi This function is only available in Multimode If Dru...

Page 153: ...ut the parameter SysEx ID Data transmission will only be executed successfully if the sender and receiver setting coincide After activating the dump command at the sender device the Q will receive data and store these in its memory If a single Sound Multi Drum Map Pattern or Arrangement dump is received they are temporarily stored in the respective edit buffers If you want to keep these edits you ...

Page 154: ...nd the BOOT file to it The Q Keyboard and the Q Rack use the same operating system The Q Keyboard Rack do not use the same operating system as the microQ microQ Keyboard To update the Q s system software 1 Load the respective Standard MIDI File into your sequencer Follow the instructions from your sequencer s manual 2 The MIDI file consists of one single track with several sysex messages in it Mak...

Page 155: ... If this message appears Timeout the file wasn t transmitted completely to the Q or played back too slowly Try to download the file from the Internet again New functions in future OS will be documented in PDF files which are available at our ftp server ftp ftp waldorf gmbh de pub waldorf q Erasing internal data flash memory Holding the Multi button during power up erases all data flash memory All ...

Page 156: ...tonation to achieve the best clean sounding chords The HMT Mode in the Q works nearly the same way The Q doesn t use its ears however It uses an intelligent program that s part of its operating system the HMT function The clarity and presence derived from scaled tuning isn t everything Compatibility with normal tempered tuning is equally important the key being that the changes need to be nearly i...

Page 157: ... two filters and you can use them to perform other tasks e g filtering noise for a snare drum sound or the like Use the LFO as FM Sources With this technique you get up to six oscillators frequency modulating each other to create extremely complex timbres Just keep in mind that the LFO have a maximum speed of around 2500Hz and that they can produce aliasing side effects Use the wavetables as FM so...

Page 158: ...ge 110dB Frequency range 0Hz 24kHz Audio Inputs 1 x stereo Maximum level 0dBm Dynamic range 86dB Frequency range 5Hz 24kHz Digital Out S PDIF RCA jack CV Inputs Switch Pedal 2 Switches Stereo Jack polarity programmable only Q Keyboard CV 1 0 5V 5V out at Ring Stereo Jack CV 2 0 5V 5V out at Ring Stereo Jack Dimensions and Weight Q Q Rack Width 987mm 483mm Height incl control rotaries 120mm 92mm De...

Page 159: ... 1 Delay FX 108 Bypass FX 99 HighPass Reverb FX 104 Release Envelope 123 C Center Phaser FX 100 Hi Offset Vocoder FX 111 Release Vel Curve Global Menu 141 Channel Multi 40 Hi Velo Multi 43 Resonance Filter 87 Chor Dlay Five FX 104 HMT depth Global Menu 139 Resonance Vocoder FX 112 Clock Arpeggiator 116 HMT MIDI Export Global Menu 139 RingMod 5 FX 103 Clock Global Menu 138 I Init all Lengths StepSe...

Page 160: ...agram Keyboard Wheels CV In Pedals MIDI In Engine Key Vel Filter MIDI Message Filter Step Sequencer Mute Off Midi Loc Midi Off Local Loc Midi Off On Mute Play Solo Note only Note only Rx Status Local Engine Direct Tx Status Off MIDI Out Arpeggiator Seq Arp MIDI signalflow diagram ...

Page 161: ...oes the opposite to a band pass filter i e it dampens only the frequencies around the cutoff point and lets all other frequencies pass through Clipping Clipping is a sort of distortion that occurs when a signal exceeds its maximum value The curve of a clipped signal is dependent of the system where the clipping takes place In the analog domain clipping works like limiting the signal to its maximum...

Page 162: ...A keyboard generates an active gate signal as long as a key is held down When the key is released the gate signal becomes inactive again An envelope generator can use this signal for its trigger purposes and as a result a VCA unit can be controlled High Pass Filter A high pass filter dampens all frequencies below its cutoff frequency Frequencies above the cutoff point are not affected LFO LFO is a...

Page 163: ...gram numbers 1 through 128 can be changed via program change messages Release An envelope parameter The term Release describes the descent rate of an envelope to its minimum value after a trigger is terminated The Release phase begins immediately after the trigger is terminated regardless of the envelope s current status For instance the Release phase may be initiated during the Attack phase Reson...

Page 164: ...orf Q User s Manual 164 VCF VCF is the acronym for voltage controlled filter It is a filter component that allows you to manipulate the filter parameters via control voltages Volume The term describes a sound s output level ...

Page 165: ...1 not used Expression not used 12 0 9 Arp Range 1 10 octaves 13 0 15 Arp Length 1 16 steps 14 0 3 Arp Active off on one shot hold 15 0 5 LFO 1 Shape sine triangle square sawtooth random S H 16 0 127 LFO 1 Speed 0 127 or 256 bars 1 96 17 0 1 LFO 1 Sync off on 18 0 127 LFO 1 Delay 0 127 19 0 5 LFO 2 Shape sine triangle square sawtooth random S H 20 0 127 LFO 2 Speed 0 127 or 256 bars 1 96 21 0 1 LFO...

Page 166: ...28 1 2 43 52 76 Osc 3 Semitone 12 12 44 0 127 Osc 3 Detune 64 63 45 0 127 Osc 3 FM 0 127 46 0 5 Osc 3 Shape pulse saw triangle sine alt 1 alt 2 47 0 127 Osc 3 PW 0 127 48 0 127 Osc 3 PWM 64 63 49 0 1 Sync off on 50 0 127 Pitchmod 64 63 51 0 9 Glide Mode see Glide Mode 52 0 127 Osc 1 Level 0 127 53 0 127 Osc 1 Balance F1 64 mid F2 63 54 0 127 Ringmod Level 0 127 55 0 127 Ringmod Balance F1 64 mid F...

Page 167: ...Velocity 64 63 75 0 127 Filter 1 CutoffMod 64 63 76 0 127 Filter 1 FM off 1 127 77 0 127 Filter 1 Pan L64 center R63 78 0 127 Filter 1 Panmod 64 63 79 0 10 Filter 2 Type see Filter Types 80 0 127 Filter 2 Cutoff 0 127 81 0 127 Filter 2 Resonance 0 127 82 0 127 Filter 2 Drive 0 127 83 0 127 Filter 2 Keytrack 200 197 84 0 127 Filter 2 Env Amount 64 63 85 0 127 Filter 2 Env Velocity 64 63 86 0 127 Fi...

Page 168: ...08 0 127 E3 Decay 0 127 109 0 127 E3 Sustain 0 127 110 0 127 E3 Decay 2 0 127 111 0 127 E3 Sustain 2 0 127 112 0 127 E3 Release 0 127 113 0 127 E4 Attack 0 127 114 0 127 E4 Decay 0 127 115 0 127 E4 Sustain 0 127 116 0 127 E4 Decay 2 0 127 117 0 127 E4 Sustain 2 0 127 118 0 127 E4 Release 0 127 119 not used undefined not used 120 0 All Sound Off immediate silence 121 0 Reset All Controllers resets ...

Page 169: ...mento Time Channel Volume Pan Bank Select LSB Sustain Pedal Portamento On Off Sostenuto Pedal Prog Change True 1 100 1 100 4 System Exclusive System Song Pos Common Song Sel Tune 쎹 쎹 쎹 쎹 쎹 System Clock Real Time Commands MIDI Clock Start Stop Continue Local ON OFF Aux All Notes OFF Messages Active Sense Reset All Sound OFF 쎹 쎹 쎹 Memorized Issued by Power button Issued by Power button Notes 1 Mode ...

Page 170: ...Appendix MIDI Implementation Chart Waldorf Q User s Manual 170 ...

Page 171: ...e try to eliminate the problem by using one of the following measures Relocate either this product or the device that is being affected by the interference Utilise power outlets that are on branch Circuit breaker or fuse circuits or install AC line filter s In the case of radio or TV interference relocate reorient the antenna If the antenna lead in is 300 ohm ribbon lead change the lead in to co a...

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Page 174: ...ronics 2001 All rights reserved Printed in Germany Waldorf Electronics GmbH Schloß Ahrenthal D 53489 Sinzig Germany Phone 49 0 180 5 874000 9764 0 Fax 49 0 2642 9940 77 http www waldorf music de info waldorf music de ...

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