XERXES INSTRUCTION MANUAL
REV 0.7
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11
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21
DENSITY
Adjusts how far apart each individual note is being detuned, in cents. With a setting of
0 there is no detune and the note frequencies are extremely precise. With a setting of
10 the notes are being detuned to a random value from 0 up to 20 cents maximum
with a regularity selected with the Speed knob.
OSC 2 SYNC
The controls in this section can be used to precisely synchronize oscillator 2 with oscillator 1. When
enabled, oscillator 2 waveform will restart at a precise time when oscillator 1 waveform is restarting.
Variable phase control is a unique feature to the Xerxes synthesizer. It allows adjusting the phase of the
oscillator 2 waveform against oscillator 1 by introducing a delay to the oscillator 2 phase starting point
with respect to oscillator 1. Phase control is most effective if both oscillators are using the same octave
settings; if the octaves are further apart it will have a smaller effect. When the LFO is set modulate the
phase, it can be used to produce small pitch changes to oscillator 2 without changing the actual pitch of
the oscillator.
SYNC ON
PHASE
When set to ON (left LED), oscillator 2 is precisely synchronized with oscillator 1, at 0
degrees phase difference. Oscillator 2 waveform always restarts every time oscillator
1 waveform is restarting, regardless of what waveform or modulation is selected.
When set to PHASE (left and right LEDs on), oscillator 2 is synchronized with oscillator
1, but the synchronization phase can be adjusted using the DEGREES knob. This can
also be modulated by the LFO Phase destination. This can produce very rich sound
textures, especially when combined with other LFO modulation settings.
When Sync is OFF, oscillator 2 is always free-running with respect to oscillator 1.
DEGREES
When PHASE is enabled, the Degrees knob adjusts the oscillator 2 synchronization to
a specific phase in oscillator 1 waveform over a range from 0 degrees to almost 360
degrees. If both oscillators are using the same frequency, a mid-point in the knob
represents the oscillator frequencies 180 degrees out of phase.
NOTE:
When the knob is set close to minimum 0, or maximum 360 degrees, the
oscillator will lose the synchronization lock until the knob is turned back slightly. This
is also more pronounced in upper keyboard ranges, so test the entire keyboard range
when designing sounds. This feature can be used to produce interesting sound
textures when an LFO is set to control the phase, as oscillator 2 will sync and lose sync
