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Fred’s Lab Buzzzy User And Service Manual

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BUZZZY! module
User and service Manual
Revision 1.0 EN - 27/01/2020
for Firmware V1.21 - 08/10/2019
Fr ´ e d ´ e ric Meslin / Fred's Lab
January 27, 2020
1

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Summary of Contents for Fred’s Lab Buzzzy

  • Page 1 BUZZZY! module User and service Manual Revision 1.0 EN - 27/01/2020 for Firmware V1.21 - 08/10/2019 Fr ´ e d ´ e ric Meslin / Fred’s Lab January 27, 2020...
  • Page 2 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Buzzzy! Be sure I have put all my talent, skills and efforts to design this music instrument! Hopefully, you will like its compactness, love its sonic personality ... and come up with so many great ideas and new sounds for your music.
  • Page 3 Benoit Ruelle. Also, this project wouldn’t have been possible without the financial support from the Kickstarter Backers. Thank you for your trust! Precautions Before plugging in the Buzzzy! and go rocking the World, have a sit and read this precautions through: Always use the device in a dry and warm environment...

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Contents Contents Contents 1 Presentation 2 Requirements 3 Instrument setup 4 Instrument operation 4.1 Connections ........4.2 Potentiometers .
  • Page 5 Contents Contents 10 Arpeggiator 10.1 On & Hold ........26 10.2 Tempo &...

  • Page 6: Presentation

    / connectors formats. A MIDI connection carries notes, controller changes, clocks and various configuration data. The Buzzzy! is a digital instrument, it computes the sounds using mathematical models and algorithms, executed by a powerful ARM micro-processor.
  • Page 7 Remarks on USB noise If you keep hearing irritating hum and noises when the Buzzzy! is connected via USB, you may experience a USB ground loop problem. Fortunately, there are several solu- tions to overcome this problem.

  • Page 8: Instrument Setup

    3 INSTRUMENT SETUP 3 Instrument setup Step 1: Audio Connect the Buzzzy! line-level outputs (left & right) to your audio system inputs using two 6.35mm unbalanced jacks. Connect the headphones output (head) to your headphones pair using the 3.5mm stereo jack cable.

  • Page 9: Instrument Operation

    1 USB - 5V This is the USB-B connector for both power and MIDI over USB function. It should be attached to a source to power up the Buzzzy!. 2 MIDI IN This is the MIDI Input DIN connector for a MIDI compatible controller or sequencer. It should be attached to a MIDI Output DIN connector of an other device.

  • Page 10: Potentiometers

    4.2 Potentiometers 4 INSTRUMENT OPERATION 4.2 Potentiometers Turning a potentiometer adjusts the principal sound parameter, labeled above it, in white with the bigger font. This parameter is only modified for the currently selected part. To access the secondary sound parameter, labeled below the potentiometer, the Alt switch must be pressed or the alt function locked.

  • Page 11: Switches & Indicators

    4.3 Switches & indicators 4 INSTRUMENT OPERATION 4.3 Switches & indicators 1 PART This is the Part switch. By pressing it multiple times, the currently edited part can be selected. The LEDs below the switch display the edited part. This switch also allows: 1.
  • Page 12 4.3 Switches & indicators 4 INSTRUMENT OPERATION 5 SPACE This is the Space switch. By pressing it, one of the Space FX is either enabled or disabled. The FX is enabled for the edited part. If a Delay FX was previously enabled, it is immediately disabled as Space and Delay FXs are mutually exclusive.

  • Page 13: The Synthesis

    6 ENGINES 5 The synthesis 6 Engines The Buzzzy! is equipped with 4 distinct sound engines: Pulse, FM, Wave and Noise. Each engine offers a set of sound variations. The selected engine makes the core of a note sound and a unique timbre palette. Let’s explore the different facets of these engines.
  • Page 14 6.2 FM 6 ENGINES 6.2 FM FM is an engine made to produce both rounder and grittier waveforms based on tra- ditional linear phase modulation, using 2 operators in series. It generates classic and distorted FM tones, with sinus, triangle or sawtooth waveforms as carrier and modulator. Vibrato is also available for this engine.

  • Page 15: Wave

    6.3 Wave 6 ENGINES 6.3 Wave Wave is an engine made to produce low resolution waveforms, as they would be directly played from a ROM, like in some early sound generators. Vibrato is also available for this engine. List of variations available: Name Description Sinus...

  • Page 16: Noise

    6.4 Noise 6 ENGINES 6.4 Noise Noise is an engine made to produce colored noises with different kind of filtering (low pass and band pass), loudness compensation, as well as at different sampling rates. Pitch-bend control can be used to adjust the noise filters respective cutoff frequencies. List of variations available: Name Description...

  • Page 17: Envelope

    The envelope controls the dynamic level of a note. It also acts on several other sound pa- rameters (depending on selected engine and variation). The Buzzzy! offers one envelope per voice. While this can sound limited, the envelopes offer different modes.

  • Page 18: Hold, Velocity & Looping

    7.2 Hold, Velocity & Looping 7 ENVELOPE 7.2 Hold, Velocity & Looping For longer notes or chords, an additional hold stage is often required. By pressing the hold switch several times, the AHD mode can be enabled or disabled. To select the envelope looping mode, press the hold switch long enough.

  • Page 19: Looping Envelope

    If the envelope velocity is enabled, notes velocity information sent by the MIDI controller or the sequencer to the Buzzzy! affects the volume of the notes played on the edited part. This gives more expressiveness to an instrument by letting the musician control the loud- ness of the notes separately.

  • Page 20: Mixer

    To avoid sound distortion or even hard-clipping when mixing together several parts or instruments, try to leave some safe level margin. The Buzzzy! has no master level control. The overall volume is the result of the sum of each part sound volume.

  • Page 21: Fxs

    9 FXS 9 FXs The Buzzzy! incorporates a wide selection of quality sound effects, with several delays, reverbs and filters. These effects can be chained and set differently on every part. Important Sound effects require processing power. Some effects as filters or delays not that much, some others like flanger and reverbs much more.

  • Page 22: Space Fxs

    Here, they are deliberately not called reverbs, as this term refers to a specific category of effects, the algorithmic reverberations. Models used in the Buzzzy! are very simplified and were designed empirically. The goal was to obtain the best sound character and musicality using a quite limited comput- ing power.

  • Page 23: Delay Fxs

    filtering. Remark In the Buzzzy! sound engine, the delay lengths are tuned. They respect an exponential law and therefore the Delays FX can also be used as resonators or comb filters. 9.3.1 Mono The mono delay repeats the original signal a defined number of times.

  • Page 24: Filter Fxs

    9.4 Filter FXs 9 FXS 9.4 Filter FXs The filter is an effect shaping the frequency content (audio spectrum) of the sound of a part. It can attenuate or amplify full bands of frequencies. The filter can always be activated and is applied prior to any other effect (Space FX or a Delay FX ). The filter exists in 3 modes: Low-pass (LP), Band-pass (BP) and High-pass (HP).

  • Page 25: High-Pass

    9.4 Filter FXs 9 FXS 9.4.3 High-pass The high-pass filter only keeps frequencies above its cutoff frequency. The frequencies below this limit are progressively attenuated. Resonance parameter creates an adjustable ”bump” that accentuates the frequencies right after the cutoff frequency. 9.4.4 Modulation Filter FXs do not have a mix parameter but they come with a built-in LFO to enliven the sound by animating the filter center or cutoff...

  • Page 26: Arpeggiator

    The Arpeggiator is a handy function allowing the creation of complete melodic patterns from chords or single notes. Buzzzy! Arpeggiator always plays notes respecting the order (in time) in which they have been entered. Each part has its own Arpeggiator that can be used independently.

  • Page 27: Parts

    When MIDI learn is activated on a specific part, the channel of the next MIDI Note on event received by the Buzzzy! (either on MIDI USB or MIDI DIN) will be attributed to this part. The MIDI learn state will automatically be deactivated.

  • Page 28: Store

    12 STORE 12 Store The store is used as the user configuration memory and allows to save up to 4 multis for a later recall. A multi consist in the state of all parameters from the 4 parts. The multis are stored in the machine internal Flash memory.

  • Page 29: Midi Implementation

    13 MIDI IMPLEMENTATION 13 MIDI implementation 13.1 Channel Voice Messages Channel Voice Messages are used to send basic music events to one specific channel or part. They consists in 3 bytes: the status byte, followed by two data bytes. Here follows the list of supported messages.

  • Page 30: System Real Time Messages

    13.2 System Real Time Messages 13 MIDI IMPLEMENTATION 13.2 System Real Time Messages System Real Time Messages are used to send high-priority messages relative to music timing and sequences. Clock start Start all parts arpeggiators if enabled. Byte: 0 Data: 0xFA Clock continue Re-start all parts arpeggiators if enabled.

  • Page 31: Controller Changes / Ccs

    13.3 Controller Changes / CCs 13 MIDI IMPLEMENTATION 13.3 Controller Changes / CCs Controller Change Messages are used to alter sound parameters of a given channel. They allow more musical expressivity by adjusting the sound character while playing or allow the editing of the part parameters from an extended / remote MIDI interface or a computer software (sequencer or preset editor).
  • Page 32 13.3 Controller Changes / CCs 13 MIDI IMPLEMENTATION List of the implemented MIDI CC. Parameter Decimal Hexa Description Modwheel 0x01 Modulation wheel (vibrato level) Volume 0x07 Mixer level 0x0A Mixer pan Coarse 0x0C Oscillator coarse (semitones) Fine 0x0D Oscillator fine (cents) Tempo 0x10 Arpeggiator tempo (when not clocked)

  • Page 33: Sysex Implementation

    14 SYSEX IMPLEMENTATION 14 Sysex implementation Sysex or System Exclusive Messages are lengthier MIDI messages used to transfer, save and load multis and global parameters. Two types of messages exist: requests and dumps. Requests Requests are sent to the music instrument to ask for a dump of a specific multi or the globals.
  • Page 34 14.2 Sysex dumps 14 SYSEX IMPLEMENTATION Data content: Byte Description master tune, lowest 5 bits (-512 to +511) master tune, highest 5 bits bendrange, lowest 5 bits (-16 to +15) bendrange, highest 5 bits part 1 MIDI channel (0 to 15) part 2 MIDI channel (0 to 15) part 3 MIDI channel (0 to 15) part 4 MIDI channel (0 to 15)
  • Page 35 14.2 Sysex dumps 14 SYSEX IMPLEMENTATION Data packing: Byte Description byte 0, lowest 7 bits byte 1, lowest 7 bits byte 2, lowest 7 bits byte 3, lowest 7 bits tops, top 7th bits of the 4 preceeding bytes byte 4, lowest 7 bits byte 5, lowest 7 bits byte 6, lowest 7 bits byte 7, lowest 7 bits...

  • Page 36: Firmware Update

    Failing to observe the update procedure may simply brick your device! Therefore, please proceed carefully. To update your Buzzzy! instrument to the latest firmware revision, please refer to the appropriate update documentation and read the following tutorials: How to get the internal revision: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1304489933/...

  • Page 37: Technical Details

    16 TECHNICAL DETAILS 16 Technical details Here you will find all technical data concerning the Buzzzy!. Number of parts & maximal polyphony: 4 parts / 16 voices Number of effects: 3 Space effects: Fort, Reservoir & Abyss 3 Delay effects: Echo, Ping-pong & Flanger 3 Filter effects: LP, BP &...

  • Page 38: Schematics And Bom

    17 SCHEMATICS AND BOM 17 Schematics and BOM To minimize electronic waste and ensure long product life, Fred’s Lab is willing to provide all technical documents needed to repair or adapt his products for final users needs. The following schematics and bill-of-material documents are provided ”as is” with no warranty of any kind.
  • Page 39 17 SCHEMATICS AND BOM...
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  • Page 45: Norms

    18.1 Europe: CE CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY 1. Product unique identification: Buzzzy! digital sound module Belonging to the category ”multimedia electronic equipment” 2. Address of the manufacturer and his authorized representative: Fr´ e d´ e ric Meslin Audioger¨ a te Herwarthstraße, 20...

  • Page 46: Canada: Interference Regulation

    18.2 Canada: Interference regulation 18 NORMS 18.2 Canada: Interference regulation This device does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the radio interference regulation of the Canadian Department of Communications. Cet ´ e quipement n’´ e met pas de bruits radiofr´ e quence d´ e passant les limites applicables aux appareils num´...

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