Mutable Instruments Tides User Manual page 2

About Tides
Flow: a voltage goes up.
Ebb: a voltage goes back down to its initial level.
All the functions performed by Tides are variations on
this theme. Make ebb and fl ow cyclic and you have an
LFO or VCO. Do it just once in reaction to a trigger and
you have an attack/decay or attack(/sustain)/release
envelope.
Installation
Tides requires a -12V/+12V power supply (2x5 pin
connector). The red stripe of the ribbon cable (-12V side)
must be oriented on the same side as the "Red stripe"
marking on the module and on your power distribution
board. The module draws 50mA from the +12V rail, and
20mA from the -12V rail.
Online manual and help
The full manual can be found online at
mutable-instruments.net/modules/tides/manual
For help and discussions, head to
mutable-instruments.net/forum
Please refer to the online manual for detailed infor-
mation regarding compliance with EMC directives
A B
C
D E
F H
G
I
1
2 4
3
A. Frequency range. Selects the central value of the
FREQUENCY knob: 1/8 Hz (movements), 2 Hz (rhythms
and modulations), or 130.8 Hz (audible tones).
B. Output mode. Selects the relationship between the
four signals generated on Tides' four outputs. Refer to
the next section for more details.
C. Ramp mode. One-shot unipolar AD envelope gen-
eration , cyclic bipolar oscillations , or one-shot
unipolar AR envelope generation .
D. Frequency. Spans a range of ±4 octaves around the
central value set by the frequency range button [A]. The
direction of this knob is reversed compared to the rate
control you would fi nd on classic envelope generators:
when the one-shot AD or AR mode is selected, turn
clockwise for faster envelopes, and counter-clockwise
for slower envelopes.
E. Shape of the ascending and descending segments.
F. Ratio between the durations of the ascending and
descending segments. Classic envelope generators
have separate attack and decay controls. With Tides, one
fi rst adjusts how fast the whole envelope will complete
(with FREQUENCY), then adjusts how much of this time
is spent on the decay or release relatively to the attack
(with SLOPE).
G. Waveshape transformation. From 12 o'clock to 7
o'clock (counter-clockwise), a 2-pole low-pass fi lter is
applied to smooth the edges of the waveform. From 12
o'clock to 5 o'clock (clockwise), a wavefolder adds kinks
and bumps along the slope.
H. Output polarization and shifting. Depending on the
output mode selected by [B], this knob either adjusts the
amplitude and polarity of the fi rst output (LED B off), or
the shift in amplitude/time/frequency between each of
the four outputs (LED B lit).
I. Attenuverters for the CV inputs.
1. CV inputs for Slope, Frequency, Smoothness, Shape
and Shift. Two inputs affect the frequency: the frequency
modulation CV input, which applies exponential FM with
an amount set by the attenuverter, and V/OCT, which
follows the Volt/octave scale.
2. Trigger/Gate input. In AD mode, a trigger will reset
the envelope to 0V and initiate an attack/decay cycle. No
matter how short the trigger is, the attack/decay cycle
will always complete.
In cyclic mode, a trigger will reset the oscillator so that
it starts a new ascending phase.
In AR mode, the rising edge of the gate will cause the
envelope to raise to +8V from its current value, and the
falling edge of the gate will cause the envelope to fall
to 0V from its current value – the same way an ADSR
envelope with a null decay time and a 100% sustain level
would behave.
3. Clock input for tempo or frequency-locked operation.
When this input is patched, the FREQUENCY knob con-
trols the ratio between the frequency of the signal sent
to this input, and the frequency of the signals generated
by Tides.
4. Outputs. Refer to the next section.