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Bastl Instruments SOFTPOP SP2 Quick Start Manual

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Summary of Contents for Bastl Instruments SOFTPOP SP2

  • Page 2 Softpop SP2 reference manual Softpop SP2 is a  radical subtractive synth under the influence of unconventional digital control. It’s a rare beast that excels both at melody and noise in equal measure. SP2’s  favorite sounds include bassline bangers, angelic chord progressions, distorted beats, and water droplets. Softpop also has an external input with enough gain and saturation to process any sound thru its filter and VCA.
  • Page 3 Manual Links: QUICK START VIDEO CONTENT PRODUCT PAGE Reference Manual: ARCHITECTURE PATCHBAY BUTTON COMBOS SECTIONS OSCILLATOR SCALE QUANTIZER FILTER ENVELOPE/VCA/SAMPLE & HOLD INPUTS AND OUTPUTS TEMPO SEQUENCER UTILITY MIDI BANK LOAD-SAVE-COPY PATCH IDEAS EFFECT PATCH IDEAS FIRMWARE UPLOAD...
  • Page 4 MANUAL In this manual, we will gradually uncover all the secrets of the Softpop SP2. Feel free to jump around to the sections that are of the most interest (see SECTIONS) or follow this guide from beginning to end for a  full understanding of SP2’s wily ways.
  • Page 5 Architecture At first glance, SP2 has a conventional subtractive synthesizer structure with an oscillator producing a harmonic-rich waveform (PULSE) fed thru a filter that takes away some of the harmonics to shape the timbre and finally an envelope that controls the loudness of the output thru a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier).
  • Page 6 Patchbay OUTPUTS are labeled with inverted text (black in the white field). INPUTS are labeled with normal text (white on black). All inputs and outputs are safe to use with modular/eurorack signals. The analog outputs (TRI, PULSE, BP, ENV, HOLD, DYNAMICS, AMP) have slightly lower levels than the standard eurorack signal, but that won’t be an issue in most situations.
  • Page 7 PATCHBAY ● S&H>(PITCH) MOD - the chaotic stepped voltage output from Sample & Hold is normalized to the pitch MOD jack. The amplitude of this input signal is then adjusted using the filter MOD fader. ● SEQ>TRIG - the sequencer produces 3 output signals called CV, SLIDE G (slide gate), and ENV G (envelope gate).

  • Page 8: Button Combinations

    Button combinations There are many features on the SP2 that are accessed by button combinations. When combining buttons, the PLAY and TRIG buttons are referred to as UP and DOWN buttons. The GATE buttons are often used as selectors when used with other context buttons. Usually, one press of one GATE makes the selection, and the context button should be released.

  • Page 9: Firmware Update

    BUTTONS COMBINATIONS FIRMWARE UPDATE Hold MIDI at startup and play wav file into Reset input. SEQUENCER PATTERN+GATE=select a pattern PATTERN+GATES=chain patterns PATTERN+     /      =shift a whole pattern by 1 step PATTERN+TEMPO=copy currently selected pattern to the next selected pattern SLIDE+GATE=activate/deactivate slide on that step SLIDE+     /      =set slide rate (1=no slide) PLAY (short)=start and stop sequencer PLAY+GATE=select playmode...
  • Page 10 Sections UTILITY INPUT/OUTPUT SEQUENCER OSCILLATOR FILTER ENVELOPE/MODULATION TEMPO...

  • Page 11: Oscillator Section

    Oscillator section The oscillator is Softpop’s source of tonality. It is an analog oscillator that is digitally analyzed and controlled. TUNING Because it is an analog triangle core oscillator, it has the typical warmth and moodiness of classic analog synths, which means it likes to warm up for a while in order to stay in tune.
  • Page 12 OSCILLATOR SECTION PITCH There are several factors that contribute to the final pitch of the oscillator. MOD CV PITCH fader MOD fader SEQUENCER SCALE CV OUT SCALE TRANSPOSE CV MIDI automatic tuning FINE–TUNE OSC PITCH The primary control that sets the pitch is the PITCH fader. It is used for recording sequences and can further transpose them.
  • Page 13 OSCILLATOR SECTION through the Scale Quantizer. The quantizer will search for the nearest active semitone in the SCALE and snap the pitch to that semitone. You can save 8 user-definable scales that can be set to any number of semitones. See more in the Scale section. After the SCALE, the TRANSPOSE CV is added.
  • Page 14 OSCILLATOR SECTION Note: To select a scale, hold the SCALE button, then press and release any one of the GATES. If you press multiple GATES while holding SCALE, you will create a chain that will play back in the order the GATES were pressed.

  • Page 15: Patch Points

    OSCILLATOR SECTION While still holding the SCALE button: Use the UP/DOWN buttons to navigate through the semitones. Combinations of GATE LEDs show which semitone is selected. Both GATE 1 and PLAY light will indicate whether the semitone is active or not. Use the TEMPO button to activate/deactivate a semitone.
  • Page 16 OSCILLATOR SECTION used as the input for the S&H, and it also slightly modulates the RATE of the envelope. TRI is 5Vpp. ● PULSE is the primary source for Softpop’s filter. It is the variable pulse output derived from the TRI output. It is based on a comparator output internally comparing the TRI and PWM signals.

  • Page 17: Filter Section

    Filter section The filter is the main timbral shaping tool on the Softpop. You can use it to take away specific frequencies and harmonics while accentuating others. You can also animate that process and create the iconic filter sweep. Softpop’s filter is also a unique sound source: it is optimized for extended filter techniques such as overdriving, pinging, self-oscillation, or filter FM.
  • Page 18 FILTER SECTION Resonance Cutoff LP Lowpass BP Bandpass HP Highpass RESONANCE fader sets how much the CUTOFF frequency is emphasized. It creates a resonant peak in the spectrum, and when pushed even further, it will make the filter ring out (pinging technique) or even self-oscillate. CUTOFF MOD fader says how much of the signal connected to the MOD input will affect the cutoff frequency.
  • Page 19 FILTER SECTION Nerd note: In the historical timeline of synthesis, there has been analog synthesis being replaced by digital synthesis. Eventually, digital technology has become good enough to emulate analog gear, glorifying the imperfections of analog technology. Imperfections of digital technology, such as digital compression and glitches, have also been used in music and found their way into the design of several niche instruments (Bastl has made several of those too).
  • Page 20 Envelope / Sample & Hold / VCA section ENVELOPE Envelope and Sample & Hold are the two primary modulation sources of Softpop. An envelope is a  simple time function that, once triggered, goes up (attack) and down (decay). It can also be cycled to function as an LFO (low-frequency oscillator).
  • Page 21 ENVELOPE / SAMPLE & HOLD / VCA SECTION Rate Shape Cycle Trig Attack Decay The SP2’s  envelope is very flexible when it comes to voltage control. Use the RATE input to control the RATE parameter or send gates to the REVERSE input to invert the proportion of attack and decay times set by the SHAPE fader.
  • Page 22 ENVELOPE / SAMPLE & HOLD / VCA SECTION VCA – Voltage-Controlled Amplifier The DRONE/ENV switch allows you to quickly dial in a  VCA that will change the loudness of the output signal based on the state of the envelope. That means it will be silent until the envelope is triggered or cycled.
  • Page 23 ENVELOPE / SAMPLE & HOLD / VCA SECTION Patch points ● RATE input controls the speed of the envelope. It sets both the attack and decay times. ● TRIG input triggers the envelope. The SEQ is normalized to this input, and it triggers the envelope at the beginning of every step that has ENV GATE enabled.

  • Page 24: Inputs And Outputs

    Inputs and Outputs Softpop is equipped to interface with other instruments in several different ways. OUTPUT can drive headphones or be connected to any line-level input. Audio INPUT can accept a wide range of signals to be processed with the Softpop. It has a  Zener saturation pre-amp for added character, a ...
  • Page 25 INPUTS & OUTPUTS Patch points ● CLOCK output generates a pulse each time the sequencer would be advanced. It obeys the divider/multiplier TEMPO settings and the selected clock source. See the TEMPO section for more on that. Use CLOCK to interface with external gear or use it to modulate/trigger processes within the Softpop.
  • Page 26 Tempo (Clock) TEMPO+TEMPO=tap tempo TEMPO+     /      =increase/decrease tempo TEMPO+      /      >1s= gradually increase/decrease tempo TEMPO+GATE=select divider/multiplier TEMPO+      +      =learn tempo from looping envelope This section takes care of clocking the sequencer. Press PLAY to start or stop the sequencer. When playing, the PLAY light blinks each time the tempo section sends a signal to advance the step on the sequencer.
  • Page 27 TEMPO (CLOCK) TEMPO TAP TEMPO+UP/DOWN INTERNAL CLOCK SYNC IN 24ppqn IS SYNC IN ACTIVE? MIDI CLOCK DIVIDER/MULTIPLIER DIVIDER TEMPO+GATES TEMPO+GATES IS MIDI CLOCK SELECTED? MIDI+PLAY CLOCK OUT SEQUENCER Hold the MIDI button and press PLAY to select/deselect the MIDI clock (indicated by the PLAY light).
  • Page 28 TEMPO (CLOCK) Both TEMPO tapping and SYNC IN pulses go through the same divider/ multiplier that will set the speed at which the sequencer is clocked. Because analog clocks are relative, and each device can use a different standard of PPQN (pulses per quarter note), the speed is not necessarily related to a 4/4 bar.

  • Page 29: Sequencer Section

    Sequencer section The sequencer is the brain of the Softpop. It makes it very musical and yet still very experimental. SP2’s sequencer is built around simple 8-step loops of notes, gates, and slides called PATTERNS. These PATTERNS (8 per BANK) can be played and chained in any order (and in real-time) to create longer sequences.

  • Page 30: Step Edit Mode

    SEQUENCER SECTION PATTERN+TEMPO=copy currently selected pattern to the next selected pattern SLIDE+GATE=activate/deactivate slide on that step SLIDE+     /       =set slide rate (1=no slide) PLAY (short)=start and stop sequencer PLAY+GATE=select playmode PLAY+GATES=chain playmodes TRIG=trigger envelope TRIG+GATE=activate temporary FX (hold several to combine) TRIG+PLAY+GATES=record loop of temporary FX TRIG+PLAY=erase loop of temporary FX STEP EDIT MODE PATTERN+SLIDE (when seq.
  • Page 31 SEQUENCER SECTION MAKING A PATTERN Each pattern has 8 steps, and each step has 3 components: envelope gate, slide gate, and oscillator pitch. To edit envelope gates, press the GATE buttons to turn them on/off. To edit slide gates, hold the SLIDE button and press the GATE buttons to activate/deactivate slide on that step.
  • Page 32 SEQUENCER SECTION STEP EDIT mode. Once in the STEP EDIT mode, one of the steps will blink, and the buttons can be released. Pressing GATEs will select the step to edit and trigger the envelope (via the normalized trigger that can be disabled by plugging in a cable to the TRIG input).

  • Page 33: Play Modes

    SEQUENCER SECTION CV is the voltage output of the sequencer. It only outputs the voltage coming from the sequencer, and it is not affected by the oscillator controls: PITCH FADER, PITCH MOD, TRANSPOSE, FINE-TUNE. The CV output can also be set to output the voltage corresponding to the velocity of the incoming note (MIDI+PATTERN).
  • Page 34 SEQUENCER SECTION 4 STEP 5–8 5 STEP 1–3 6 STEP 6–8 5–6–7–8–5–6–7–8 1–2–3–1–2–3–1–2 6–7–8–6–7–8–6–7 7 RANDOM STEP 1–4 8 RANDOM TEMPORARY FX Temporary FX bring a few extra possibilities for sound design, build-ups, and sequencing. They are utilizing the tight integration of the digital brain and the analog heart of the SP2.

  • Page 35: Sequencing Overview

    SEQUENCER SECTION 1 Tremolo - switching the VCO rhythmically to LFO range (speed is affected by RE-TRIG) 2 Fast RE-TRIG 3 RE-TRIG - combine with fast RE-TRIG to get 3rd speed ratchets 4 Arpeggio - fast four-octave jumps - combine with RE-TRIG to change the speed 5 Pitch Envelope - combined with FX 6 makes less depth 6 Long Slide - just slow slew rate - affects everything pitch-related...
  • Page 36 Utility XY CROSSFADER XY crossfader is a simple and yet powerful utility. It allows you to mix two signals, X and Y, and crossfade between them with the knob. If only X or Y (or neither) are connected, the function changes. The XY crossfader is a simple but powerful utility that can function as a mixer, a crossfader, an attenuverter, a signal offset, or a variable bipolar voltage source, depending on how it is patched.
  • Page 37 UTILITY the positive voltage of +2V normalized into the Y input. This is useful to offset the X signal. Both X and Y are connected: XY mixes the signals in a ratio set by the XY knob. Use it to mix/crossfade audio, gates, voltages or create a dry/ wet mix of your audio.
  • Page 38 MIDI Softpop can receive a MIDI clock to sync the sequencer. Hold the MIDI button and press one of the GATES to set the input channel. Press the selected channel again to select channels 9-16, and the light indication will invert. MIDI >5s=MIDI learn MIDI+GATE=set MIDI channel to 1 to 8 MIDI+selected GATE=set MIDI channel to 8+1 to 8...
  • Page 39 MIDI To activate the MIDI clock hold the MIDI button and press PLAY, so the PLAY light is on. TEMPO + GATE will set the divider for the MIDI clock. See the TEMPO section for more information. There are 2 modes for interpreting MIDI notes. To alter between the 2 modes, hold the MIDI button and press SCALE.
  • Page 40 BANK LOAD/SAVE/COPY Softpop can permanently store 8 banks where one bank consists of 8 patterns (pitch, gate slide), 8 user scales, and both of their chains. These settings need to be SAVED by the user by pressing SCALE+SLIDE. Softpop also stores tempo, divider, and MIDI settings (MIDI clock selection, MIDI channel, MIDI Pitch mode, MIDI Velocity mode).

  • Page 41: Patch Ideas

    Patch Ideas 1 Patch TRI to INPUT and use INPUT FADER to add more bass. Push the fader even further to saturate the triangle and overload the filter. This way, the filter gets a whole new character. 2 Patch HOLD to REVERSE for randomized envelope shape variations. 3 Patch HOLD to RATE for randomization of envelope speed.
  • Page 42 PATCH IDEAS 15 Patch ENV to Y, patch XY to RATE, and use the XY knob to change the curve of the envelope. Turning XY to the right will make it more exponential. Turning the knob left will linearise the envelope. Going further will even make it logarithmic.
  • Page 43 Effect Patch Ideas Plug any external audio signal into the SP2 to radically transform its sound with the built-in filter, VCA, and input gain saturation. Create stepped modulation with the sequencer and auto-wah style effects with the input-tracking envelope follower. Randomize it all with the Sample & Hold, use the 37-point patchbay, and dive into the modulation madness.
  • Page 44 EFFECT PATCH IDEAS 4 Stepped filter (S&H): patch HOLD to FILTER MOD, CYCLE the envelope, and use the RATE fader to control the speed of the modulation. Set pitch high for a seemingly random character; set it low for a staircase effect. 5 Distortion/audio modulated filter: bring up the POP to hear the oscillator PULSE affecting the filter.

  • Page 45: Firmware Upload

    Firmware upload The Softpop’s  firmware can be updated by playing a  wav file into its RESET jack. Hold the MIDI button at startup to enter bootloader mode. To upload new firmware, connect a cable from the RESET input to your computer/phone audio output, and play the wav file downloaded from product page at maximum volume.
  • Page 46 FIRMWARE UPLOAD SCALE+GATE=select a scale SCALE+GATES=chain scales SCALE+           =select a semitone SCALE+TEMPO=semitone on/off (indicated by PLAY LED and GATE 1) SCALE+TEMPO+           =transpose whole scale by one semitone SCALE+MIDI=copy MIDI defined scale to currently edited scale MIDI MIDI >5s=MIDI learn MIDI+GATE=set MIDI channel to 1 to 8 MIDI+selected GATE=set MIDI channel to 8+1 to 8 MIDI+PLAY=activate/deactivate MIDI clock MIDI+SCALE=activate/deactivate MIDI scale mode...
  • Page 47 FIRMWARE UPLOAD TRIG=TRIGGER ENVELOPE TRIG+GATE=activate temporary FX (hold several to combine) TRIG+PLAY+GATES=record loop of temporary FX TRIG+PLAY=erase loop of temporary FX Step edit mode PATTERN+SLIDE (when seq. stopped)=enter/leave step edit mode In the step edit mode (one step is blinking): GATE=preview and select step (always triggers envelope) GATE+move PITCH FADER=edit steps pitch GATE+  ...

  • Page 48: Technical Specs

    MIDI input for sync and musical control XY crossfader utility section and 4-way multiple for advanced patches IN THE BOX: Softpop SP2 Quickstart guide 5 patch cables (15cm: Green, Dark Green, Brown, Black, and White) Micro USB cable (excl. power supply)
  • Page 49 Midi out implementation (for hacking) Midi recording/step editing Digital VCO CREDITS Softpop SP2 was developed by Bastl Instruments and Casper Electronics. Lead designers are Peter Edwards and Václav Peloušek. Additional circuit design, manufacturing optimization, and circuit layout by Martin Klecl.
  • Page 50 more info and video tutorials WWW.BASTL-INSTRUMENTS.COM...

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