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Bastl Instruments Thyme Manual
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Bastl Instruments Thyme Manual

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9/26/2018
Introduction
This document is intended as a complete reference manual of Thyme's functionality.
Look here if you are searching for explanations of speci c features or if you are one of those
persons who like to read through manuals before they use stuff. If you just want to know the
bare minimum to get started, check out the short manual which gets shipped with the device.
What is Thyme
Thyme is a versatile sound processing unit: It takes an audio input signal, modi es it and
sends it to the output . The digital sound processing performed by Thyme can be summarized
as a "Sequenceable Robot-Operated Digital Tape Machine". Here you see a greatly simpli ed
illustration of its core functionality.
Imagine the tape moving from left to right (motor turning clockwise). The signal that is written
to the tape by the write head will be read by multiple read heads after certain time periods.
These signals are summed, sent to the output and also added back to the input signal,
creating a feedback loop.
All signal processing parameters can be tweaked live; either manually or by modulation
sources which we call "Robots". Robots are similar to LFOs but go much further. On top of
that, you can switch between different con gurations at the push of a button or with the
integrated sequencer.
Functionality Overview
https://bastl-instruments.github.io/thyme/manual.html#/Introduction
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Thyme Manual
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Summary of Contents for Bastl Instruments Thyme

  • Page 1 What is Thyme Thyme is a versatile sound processing unit: It takes an audio input signal, modi es it and sends it to the output . The digital sound processing performed by Thyme can be summarized as a “Sequenceable Robot-Operated Digital Tape Machine”.
  • Page 2 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Before we dive deeper into Thyme’s signal processing, let’s take a bird's eye view on the instrument, its function blocks and how they interact. The core of the instrument is the Digital Tape Machine at which we took a brief look in the previous section.
  • Page 3 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Digital Tape Machine Here’s a complete illustration of Thyme’s Digital Tape Machine. The knobs symbolize parameters that can be manipulated. Input Gain Before the input signal can be processed it needs to be ampli ed or attenuated depending on the signal source. This parameter sets the gain of the preampli er.
  • Page 4 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Spacing Macro control to change the position of the three remaining read heads together. Levels The read heads controlled by Spacing can have individual contributions to the feedback and output signal. This knob controls all of them at simultaneously.
  • Page 5 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Mono Input Mode When you insert a mono cable into the audio input, it would normally be interpreted and output as a stereo signal with one channel being silent. To avoid this, activate Mono Input Mode, which uses the single channel of the input signal for both channels.
  • Page 6 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Knob Freezing Before you start tweaking some knobs, you should be familiar with the special yet intuitive way the knobs react. In different views and different Sounds one single knob is used to set different values. This is realized by a concept we call Knob Freezing. It is based on each knob being equipped with a dimmable LED that indicates the current value of the knob - from 0 to full amount.
  • Page 7 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual its movement. This method allows a quick but glitch-free modi cation of the controlled parameter. Move the knob slowly to the value indicated by the LED. After they match, the knob value will be tracking the physical knob position. This method ensures a very controlled modi cation of the parameter.
  • Page 8 . In other words: Tweaking the tape speed will not affect the nal delay time. Freeze Mode The Freeze Mode turns Thyme into a looping device. To achieve this, the owgraph is dynamically recon gured and some parameters slightly change their meaning: Once you trigger the...
  • Page 9 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual After that the input is disconnected and will only be reconnected once you deactivate freeze mode. There is now a closed loop with the tape and the feedback path. The overall ampli cation of the loop is controlled by the knob.
  • Page 10 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Extended Parameter Settings For some parameters there exist additional switches that allow to slightly alter the behavior of the machine. As they are less performative they are a bit more hidden. Parameter Extended Setting LoFi Tape (LED off; default). When lowering the tape speed, the input signal TAPE SPEED is just resampled at a different rate with no additional ltering.
  • Page 11 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Change Extended Parameter Settings To alter extended parameter settings, hold down and twist the TAPE SPEED , or knob which toggles the corresponding setting on/off. The FEEDBACK SPACING current state of each setting is shown by the knob LED.
  • Page 12 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Switch Sounds You can switch between the Sounds by pressing one of the buttons or BYPASS The active Sound is indicated by an LED. https://bastl-instruments.github.io/thyme/manual.html#/Introduction 12/48...
  • Page 13 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Robots All parameters - except for input gain - each have their dedicated modulation source, called the Robot. This is indicated by the symbol next to the knob. https://bastl-instruments.github.io/thyme/manual.html#/Introduction 13/48...
  • Page 14 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Select a Robot All nine Robots work independently from each other and run simultaneously, but you can only control one at a time. To select the one to control, press and hold down ROBOT SELECT The selected Robot will always be shown with full brightness. All other parameters will display the output of their Robot.
  • Page 15 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Robot Modes A Robot can be one out of eight Modes and controlled inside this Mode by the two parameters Rate and Shape. In every Mode these controls have a speci c meaning but in general you can say that Rate refers to how fast the waveform changes and Shape changes its decoration.
  • Page 16 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Stepped Triangle Triangle Oscillator resolution control: From regular triangle, via stairs up and down to rectangle XOR’ed Flopping The basic waveshape is a triangle oscillator turned off half of the time at Triangle regular intervals during one period. On top of that, parts of the waveform are inverted due to a XOR modulation.
  • Page 17 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Envelope Follower This robot tracks the loudness of the input signal in a speci c frequency range. With the Rate parameter you can select the frequency range you want to track. This allows you to modulate any parameter with the dynamics of the input signal in the bass, low mid, high mid or high frequency region.
  • Page 18 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Change Robot Mode You can select the Mode by holding down and pressing the button ROBOT SELECT corresponding to the Mode symbol. The selected Mode is indicated by an LED. https://bastl-instruments.github.io/thyme/manual.html#/Introduction 18/48...
  • Page 19 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Change Robot Parameters The two parameters Rate and Shape are set by the same knob - hold down to adjust , release it to adjust ROBOT SELECT SHAPE RATE knob - like all other knobs - is always active regardless of the AMOUNT button.
  • Page 20 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Set Robot Sync Press to enable/disable syncing for the selected Robot. The status is ROBOT SYNC indicated by the LED. The possible multiplications / divisions of the tempo are: 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 32, 48, 56 and so forth.
  • Page 21 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Set Robot Polarity You can set the polarity of the selected Robot by holding down ROBOT SELECT pressing one of the buttons . While is being FREEZE LINK SYNC ROBOT SELECT pressed, the current polarity is indicated by an LED.
  • Page 22 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Set Robot Phase You can set the polarity of the selected Robot by holding down ROBOT SELECT pressing one of the four buttons. While is being pressed, the PATTERN ROBOT SELECT current phase setting is indicated by an LED.
  • Page 23 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Set Robot Stereo Polarity You can activate/deactivate stereo polarity of the selected Robot by holding down and pressing . While is being pressed, the ROBOT SELECT ROBOT SYNC ROBOT SELECT LED will indicate the current status. Volt-per-Octave When Tape Speed or Delay Fine is modulated by external control voltage (by setting their Robots to CV Mode), the voltage is not interpreted linearly but as volt-per-octave.
  • Page 24 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Sequencer The sequencer lets you switch between the eight Sounds and the Bypass Sound automatically. The order of the Sounds being activated is de ned by a Pattern. The speed of the play head moving through the pattern is de ned by the active clock source.
  • Page 25 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Play & Stop Sequencer The sequencer is started and stopped by the button. PLAY When it is running, a transition to the next step is indicated by a blink on the LED. WRITE At the start of the sequence - when the rst step is being activated - all...
  • Page 26 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Write and Live Mode There are two modes of operation for the sequencer that differ in the playback and recording behavior. In Live Mode you can temporarily overwrite the Sound and use live recording. The Write Mode lets you precisely view the current position of the sequencer and set individual steps.
  • Page 27 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Playback At any moment inside live mode, the currently active Sound is indicated by the LEDs or the LED. BYPASS Recording When the sequencer is running, you temporarily overwrite Sound changes by pressing and holding the corresponding button or .
  • Page 28 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Write Mode The aim of the write mode is to edit a pattern more precisely and allow edits while the sequencer is not running. Playback buttons and LEDs now indicate the eight steps of the pattern. When you start the sequencer in write mode, you will see a blinking LED travel through the pattern.
  • Page 29 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Select A Sound to Write Press and hold down . The LEDs and the LED will now indicate the SOUND BYPASS selected Sound. Press the corresponding button to change the selection. There are two ways to edit a pattern: on the step level or on the substep level.
  • Page 30 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Step Editing LEDs now indicate in which steps the selected Sound is active. When an LED is on, at least one of the substeps holds the selected Sound. By shortly pressing the corresponding button, set all substeps to Bypass.

  • Page 31: Clock Source

    9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Substep Editing To modify a pattern on the substep level hold down the button that holds the substep you want to edit. After a short moment, the LEDs will indicate the PATTERN status of the substep. If a LED is on, the corresponding substep is set to the selected Sound.
  • Page 32 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual MIDI Using beat clock messages from MIDI input Change Clock Source You can change the clock source by holding down and pressing to cycle through the three options: Tap Tempo / Analog Clock / MIDI Clock. While...
  • Page 33 The average time between two button presses will be taken as the time for one step . If you hit the button only every few steps, this is interpreted as resync events only. Furthermore, Thyme can be used as MIDI clock master when running from Tap clock. Manual Resync...
  • Page 34 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Analog Activate the rst step right now. Clock MIDI Activate the rst step on the next MIDI clock message. Parameter Overwrite While the sequencer is running and switching between different sounds, it is possible to change the parameters of the active sound by tweaking the knobs. Due to knob freezing this is only useful if the sequencer is running rather slow.

  • Page 35: Copy And Paste

    9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Memory Thyme contains static memory storage used to save Sounds, Patterns and general settings. Banks As described in the previous sections, there are four Patterns which can each contain any of the eight Sounds. Together they form a memory Bank.
  • Page 36 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Copy and Paste a Sound To copy the active Sound, hold down and press . To paste the stored copy top WRITE the active Sound, hold down and press PLAY Clear Sound or Pattern You can reset Sounds and Patterns to their default values. For Sounds this means the 'clean setting', for Patterns this means all steps are set to the Bypass Sound.
  • Page 37 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Clear Sound To clear a Sound, either hold down a button and press or hold down BYPASS and press a button. The corresponding LED will blink once shortly to BYPASS indicate success. Clearing a Sound is not possible in Write Mode because the buttons indicate Steps not Sounds.

  • Page 38: Persistent Settings

    9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Save By default all changes to Sounds and Patterns are discarded when the device is turned off or Banks are changed so they must be saved explicitly. Save Bank To save all changes in the current Bank (all eight Sounds and all 4 Patterns), hold down and press .

  • Page 39: Speci Cations

    9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Speci cations Power input 5.5mm/2.1mm barrel jack, 7-12V, positive center, 400mA Audio Input 6.3mm stereo or mono, 10k input impedance, -∞ to +20dB gain Audio Output 2x 6.3mm mono Headphone Output /w 3.5mm stereo level adjust Footswitch Input 3.5mm mono, attach passive switch that connects sleeve and...
  • Page 40 (CC125). Channel Voice Messages Thyme listens to MIDI Voice Messages on a single channel. You can read and set the channel during device startup. The MIDI channel is persistently stored in the device’s memory.
  • Page 41 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Read MIDI Channel When powering on the device, the knob LEDs will fade on and the current MIDI channel will be displayed by the LEDs. When all LEDs are off but a single one is on, its position indicates a channel number from 1 to 8.
  • Page 42 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Command Type Description Scale Change Bank (Ignore values greater than number of banks) CC1-CC9 Multiple Volume Settings Block Scale Knob Value Scale Robot Amount Scale Robot Rate Scale Robot Waveshape Select Robot Mode Select Robot Phase Select...
  • Page 43 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Command Type Description CC68 Switch Delay Freeze CC69 Switch Delay Link CC70 Switch Delay Sync CC71-CC79 Multiple Levels Settings Block CC80-CC88 Multiple Spacing Settings Block CC89 Switch Karplus Strong Decay Time Compensation CC90 Select Change Pattern CC120...
  • Page 44 (simulating the string) that can be excited with short bursts of noise (simulating the plucking). Using the ne delay, lter and feedback knob, Thyme can be con gured for Karplus-Strong- Synthesis allowing separate control over pitch, timbre and decay time.

  • Page 45: Firmware Updates

    To ensure this, we placed the SysEx messages at certain positions in a regular MIDI le. All you have to do is send that MIDI le through the port Thyme is connected to. Unfortunately there are hardly any applications that do this fairly simple job so we wrote one ourselves.

  • Page 46: Hardware Tests

    Send Firmware Update Start the Sysex Playback app. Load the MIDI le containing the rmware update, select the MIDI port Thyme is connect to and start ashing. The whole process will take over two minutes. Do not interrupt data or power connection during ashing.
  • Page 47 9/26/2018 Thyme Manual Name Name Description Description Manual Check Manual Check Special Special Failure Failure Indication Indication Knobs Set all knobs together at a Check if the knobs None set of positions (off, center, reach the middle full). Once all reach the...

  • Page 48: Change Log

    11. May 2018 Improved rmware update section Added Parameter Overwrite section Added display rmware version 5. September 2018 Added more detailed speci cations about maximum delay length Improved description of rmware version display Copyright: Bastl Instruments - CC BY-SA 4.0 https://bastl-instruments.github.io/thyme/manual.html#/Introduction 48/48...