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Plankton Electronics ANTS! Manual

Analog patchable synthesizer
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ANTS!
PLANKTON ELECTRONICS

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Summary of Contents for Plankton Electronics ANTS!

  • Page 1 ANTS! PLANKTON ELECTRONICS...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    INDEX WARRANTY ................................2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL..............................3 OVERVIEW .................................. 3 TERMINOLOGY ................................4 compatibility ................................ 4 POWER ..................................5 FIRST STEPS................................5 BASICS..................................8 NORMALLED SYSTEM ...............................12 MIDI ....................................14 OSCILLATORS................................17 LFOS ..................................23 VCF....................................24 ENVELOPES................................27 VCAS ..................................30 NOISE ..................................32 MIXER ..................................32 SAMPLE AND HOLD..............................33 AND GATE .................................35 HACKING...................................36 THE END ..................................

  • Page 4: Warranty

    WARRANTY Plankton Electronics warrants this product to be free of any defect in the manufacturing or materials for a period of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover any damage or malfunction caused by incorrect use – such as, but not limited to, power cables connected backwards, excessive voltage levels, or exposure to extreme temperature or moisture levels.

  • Page 5: About This Manual

    If you have any comments, write us to: support@planktonelectronics.com We will be happy to receive them. This manual has been written by: Àlex Ballester PLANKTON ELECTRONICS May 2017 www.planktonelectronics.com Manual version: 1.3 OVERVIEW ANTS! is an analog patchable synthesizer.

  • Page 6: Terminology

    TERMINOLOGY In this manual, we will use some words that may confuse you if you are a newbie in the synth world. CW: Clockwise. --- e.g. Turn the RATE potentiometer CW --- CCW: Counter clockwise. --- e.g. Turn the FREQ potentiometer CCW --- Pot: potentiometer.

  • Page 7: Power

    POWER ANTS! is powered with 12Vac. A power supply is included with the synth. Please, use only the provided power supply. Using the wrong power supply can cause malfunction or even damage the unit. Connect the power supply to the power connector left...
  • Page 8 Now you are hearing the XTOSC·Y through the filter (VCF) and the VCA. Both, VCF and VCA, are controlled by the AD ENV1. We will see more about this routing later in this manual. Change the RATE knob of the XTOSC·Y and play triggering the envelope. You should hear the tone changes.
  • Page 9 Connect a wire from S/H OUT to XTOSC·Y V/OCT. Look at the potentiometers position: ou should hear how the tone changes at each step as a result of the random voltages generated by the S/H . Play with all the activated parameters. Tips: Change the VCF mode to HP, move the XTOSC·Y PWM CCW and move ATTACK, Q and GLIDE CW.

  • Page 10: Basics

    BASICS ANTS! is a modular synth. This means that you must connect cables from the inputs to the outputs to create your patches. White symbol over black background represents inputs. Black symbol over a white box, outputs. This is an input. This is an output.
  • Page 11 Here is an easy way to understand it: We can use CV signals to modulate some parameters. E.g., we can use an LFO to modulate the RATE of an oscillator. In addition, we can use the envelope to modulate the VCA (amplifier) in order to 'open and close' the sound.
  • Page 12 Set this patch: What we are doing here is modulating the tone of the OSC·X with a square wave. Listen how the tone of the oscillator changes with the LFO·Y RATE. The attenuator potentiometer of the OSC·X CV1 determines the amount of modulation that affects the oscillator tone.
  • Page 13 Imagine all the modulation possibilities that you have in your hand. They are endless. Try to modulate the LFO with another LFO wave and see how everything changes. Now modulate the last LFO with a third LFO and you will have complex patterns only with 3 cables. You have a whole world to explore.

  • Page 14: Normalled System

    NORMALLED SYSTEM ANTS! is pre-patched (normalled). This means some connections are already made in order to play it as a standard mono-synth. The pre-patched system is as follow: As you can see the MIDI TO CV outputs are not normalled to the oscillators CV inputs, so unless you connect a cable from the MIDI TO CV outputs to the oscillators CV inputs the pitch of the oscillators will not vary.
  • Page 15 This is how a normalled connection works: This is the normalled system viewed on the synth : This is the normalled system in text mode: XTOSC·Y square wave >> VCF in1 OSC·X saw wave >> VCF in 2 VCF out >> VCA2 in MIDI TO CV gate >>...

  • Page 16: Midi

    MIDI ANTS! uses a 3.5mm MIDI input in the rear part. The package includes a cable which adapts the 3.5mm connector to the standard MIDI DIN connector. The 4 DIP switch is used to control 2 functions: the MIDI channel and the CV2 mode.
  • Page 17 First you need to tune the oscillators. Set this: Connect the audio out at the VCA2 and turn up the volume carefully. You will hear both oscillators, XTOSC·Y and OSC·X, at the same time. Tune them so they have the same pitch. Try to set it as CCW as possible. Patch the MIDI cable to the MIDI IN and set the MIDI channel.
  • Page 18 The oscillators pots should be at the same position that when you tuned it. When you play a note you should listen both oscillators in unison mode. In order to have both oscillators in tune, play low (bass) notes on the MIDI keyboard.

  • Page 19: Oscillators

    NOTES ON THE MIDI TO CV 1. The GATE out works with logic values. 0 (off) or 5V (on). 2. The CV outs have a resolution of 7bit each and they work from 0 to 5V. 3. The CV outs work with the standard of V/oct. They will output 1V for each octave played (on CV2 out this is only when it is set the 2nd note mode).
  • Page 20 XTOSC·X and XTOSC·Y have V/OCT inputs plus an extra CV input with an attenuator (CV1). Both inputs will affects the RATE parameter of the oscillator. The CV1 IN can be used in many ways. For example you can use an LFO to modulate up and down the tone. The attenuator will control the amount of modulation applied to the pitch.
  • Page 21 Notice that XTOSC·Y is normalled to the VCF IN1 so you do not need to patch it. If you have done it properly, you should be listening a fat bass sound. You may have noticed that going too up on the MIDI keyboard the oscillators go out of tune between them.
  • Page 22 voltage (no sound at all). You can use this feature for some complex patching. On XTOSC·X, you can modulate the PW by connecting a wave (or any other signal) to PWM IN. Experiment with LFOs, OSCs, envelopes, S/H, etc. The results can be very interesting.
  • Page 23 tone) of the MASTER wave but with many added harmonics from the SLAVE (OSC·Y). This can be used in many ways. Creating a cool and very known resonance-like effect and another weird sounds and timbres. Let’s see a basic patch where you can start to experiment with. Set this patch.
  • Page 24 9. Patch the synced wave from OSC·Y to the VCF IN1 and play the synth like in the normalled mode. 10. Think, try combinations and enjoy. FREQUENCY MODULATION Instead of modulating the oscillators with voltages we can modulate them with other sound waves. This is better known as frequency modulation or FM.

  • Page 25: Lfos

    Starting from the last patch, connect the XTOSC·Y PULSE OUT to the OSC·X CV1. Turn both attenuators fully CW . Now each oscillator modulates each other. Do you like it? Then try adding another oscillator to the chain. Instead of A to B and B to A try: A to B, B to C and C to A. Do you want to try it with 4 oscillators? And adding an LFO? Filtering it? Enjoy.

  • Page 26: Vcf

    Use the square wave to trigger the AD ENV 1 (we have done it before); modulate between them (xmodulation) and use the output to modulate an oscillator, modulate them with the envelope outputs; use the triangle and sine waves to modulate slightly the oscillators and detune them, use them to modulate the VCAs and the VCF to create movement, …...
  • Page 27 the LPF and a 6db/oct in the HPF. This means that in the HPF the frequencies are reduced more gradually. The Stop Band is the zone where all the frequencies have been removed. Using waves rich in harmonics is the best way to use the filters as we will remove harmonics and shape the waveforms.
  • Page 28 frequencies, as well as the timbre of the sound. The ‘classic’ way of modulating a filter is using an envelope to open and close it, creating the effect of a sound rich in harmonics at the beginning which fade out at the same as the envelope goes down. The AD ENV 1 is already patched to the VCF CV FREQ IN.

  • Page 29: Envelopes

    3. The VCF is in the middle of the normalled system path. All its connections are already prepatched. Check the normalled schematic and remember that you always can break these connections. 4. It has a lot of character. Small changes on its settings can affect the sound in a big way.
  • Page 30 See the 2 situations: By default ANTS! will use AD ENV 1 as a main envelope. If you have followed the manual until here, you will have used the AD ENV 1 a lot. If you want to experiment a bit more set the first patch of the manual and play it with different values.
  • Page 31 envelope. Set the 2 pots at its minimum position and press the button. While you have the button pressed the sound is ‘ON’. When you release the button the sound is ‘OFF’. You’re using a fast ATTACK and RELEASE times and the SUSTAIN is the main player here.

  • Page 32: Vcas

    recreating the classical electronic bass drum. There are 3 main parameters that will affect the drum sound: RATE, CV1 Atten and DECAY. Small changes here will change the drum sound completely. Try to use different waves and the VCF. See what happens when you turn the ATTACK pot CW. NOTES ON THE ENVELOPES 1.
  • Page 33 voltage that is summed to the CV IN. It is used to open the sound constantly. Turn it CW to see how it affects the sound. VOL is used like a volume control at the final stage. As VCA2 is usually used as the final module in the synth this control helps to set a proper volume to feed the mixer, the FX unit or the processor that will follow the synth.

  • Page 34: Noise

    3. Do the same as in ‘2’ but connect an audio wave instead of an LFO. 4. Connect a AD ENV 1 with short ATTACK and RELEASE to the VCA1 and trigger it with medium rated LFO. Connect the ASR ENV 2 to the VCA1 CV with a short ATTACK and a long RELEASE.

  • Page 35: Sample And Hold

    resulting signal to the VCF and the VCA2 CV inputs. You will be able to play expressive sounds while maintaining the curve of the envelope. 2. Some waves of the oscillators are inverted. If you mix directly in the VCF mixer you will subtract one from another.
  • Page 36 You should listen how the XTOSC·Y tone goes up and down in a stepped pattern. The S/H is clocked by the LFO·Y and the LFO·X triangle wave is the signal to be sampled. At each LFO·Y step the S/H takes the current voltage of the LFO·X and sends it to the XTOSC·Y.

  • Page 37: And Gate

    AND GATE The AND gate function is a basic digital logic gate . It works with logic or digital values: HIGH and LOW (or ‘0’ and ‘1’). Anything below 3V will be considered a ‘0’ while anything over it, a ‘1’. In practice the output is HIGH only when the 2 inputs are HIGH: HIGH HIGH...

  • Page 38: Hacking

    Tips: 1. Combine LFOs instead of oscillators to create rhythmic patterns. 2. Combine an LFO and an oscillator to create gated effects. 3. Combine the 2 envelopes. Being AD ENV 1 short and triggered by an LFO and ASR ENV 2 being gated manually. 4.

  • Page 39: The End

    Now you have access inside the unit. Once again: be careful here! The most important parts are the ISP port to update the MIDI software and the 4 blue tuning potentiometers. We will not provide any support on how to hack the unit. Continue at your own risk.

  • Page 40: Specifications

    SPECIFICATIONS MAIN MIXER 27 INPUTS, 24 OUTPUTS 3 INPUT ANALOG CIRCUITRY 2 ATTENUVERTERS EURORACK FRIENDLY (VOLTAGE) AD ENV1 MODULES TRIGGERED ENVELOPE 2 LFOs MANUAL CONTROL 4 OSCs (2 switchable to LFO) ‘TRIG IN’ MIDI TO CV ATTACK: 0.9msec – 1sec AND LOGIC GATE DECAY: 3msec –...

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