Mixer Section - Novation KS Rack User Manual

MAIN FEATURES AND OPERATION
Oscillator Waveforms
No. Description
0 Sine
1 Tri-Angle
2 Sawtooth
3 Square (Pulse)
4 White Noise
5 Hi-Pass Noise
6 Band Pass Noise
7 Hi / Band Pass Noise
8 Organ
9 Harpiscord
10 Electric Piano
11 Slap Bass
12 Rhodes Piano
13 Rhodes Tine
14 Whirly EP
15 Clavinet
16 Analogue Bass
Rhythm Sounds
17 Kick 1
18 Kick 2
19 Kick 3
20 Snare 1
21 Snare 2
22 Snare 3
23 Tom Tom (Front)
24 Rimshot
25 Stick
26 Closed Hi-Hat
27 Open Hi-Hat
28 Tamborine
29 Conga
30 Cow Bell
31 Cymbal
SEMITONE Knob
Raises or lowers the selected Oscillator's pitch in semitone increments up
to a full octave. Setting the pitch of Oscillator 1 to zero and adjusting the
pitch of Oscillator 2 and 3 by differing amounts results in some musically
pleasing intervals. Settings 5 (a perfect 4th), 7 (a perfect 5th), 3 (minor
3rd), 4 (major 3rd), 8 (minor 6th) and 9 (major 6th) offer the best results.
Use other settings for intentionally discordant sounds.
DETUNE Knob
Sets the detune amount in Cents for the selected Oscillator 1,2 or 3. If it is
set fully clockwise, the Oscillator's pitch will be 50 cents sharper than its
basic pitch. Fully anticlockwise and it will be 50 cents flat.
Slight detuning between each Oscillator will enrich the sound by introduc-
ing a beating between the Oscillators (in the same way a 12-string guitar
sounds richer than a 6-string). Bass and lead sounds can be fattened up
using a small amount of detune. Large amounts of detuning will lead to
more extreme effects.
MOD ENV DEPTH Knob
Controls the amount of pitch modulation to the currently selected
Oscillator from the Mod Envelope. In the centre position there is no effect
on the oscillator's pitch. Anticlockwise the effect is negative (i.e. the pitch
drops and then rises) and clockwise, positive (the pitch rises and then
falls).
See Envelopes Section, on Page 26 for the setting of the rise and fall
times.
LFO 1 DEPTH Knob
Controls the amount of pitch modulation to an Oscillator from LFO 1. It
controls how much above and below the basic pitch the Oscillator regular-
ly rises and falls. If the LFO 1 is set to a Triangle wave and the LFO's
speed knob is above the centre of its range, this will produce a vibrato
effect. Other effects like a siren or sea gull cry are possible with more
extreme settings.
Other functions associated with the Oscillators can be found in the
Oscillators Menu. See Page 34.
Oscillator Section - Mixer Section

Mixer Section

The Mixer makes it it possible to combine the outputs of Oscillators 1,2
and 3, the Noise source, the Ring modulator and the external Audio Input.
The ability to mix together any or all of these sound sources makes it
easy to create complex timbres.
OSC 1, OSC 2 & OSC 3 Knobs
Normally controls the volumes of the three Oscillators. Fully anticlockwise
results in no signal. In this position and with all the other Mixer levels
turned down, there will be no audio output. Fully clockwise results in full
volume for the appropriate Oscillator.
When the MODULATION LED is lit (see below) these knobs control the
amount of modulation applied to the mixer. In the central position, no
modulation is applied. Turning the knobs clockwise introduces positive
modulation (the mixer levels become louder). Turning the knobs anticlock-
wise introduces negative modulation (the mixer levels become quieter).
MODULATION Button
This determines how the various knobs in the Mixer Section are used.
When this button is pressed, the LED above the MODULATION button is
lit and each of the Mixer Section knobs control the amount of modulation
applied from the source specified by the knob. The level of Oscillator 1 is
modulated by LFO 1. The level of Oscillator 2 by LFO 2, the level of
Oscillator 3 by the AD Envelope (see page 39 for setting the AD Envelope
parameters) and the level of the Noise / Ring Modulator / External input
also by LFO 1. These modulation assignments are fixed and cannot be
redefined.
Note : The AD Envelope is a special, dedicated Envelope used for FM
synthesis or to control the level of OSC 3 in the Mixer. It should not be
confused with the AMP or MOD Envelopes found on the KS 4 / KS 5 front
panel.
When the MODULATION button LED is not lit, the Mixer section knobs
control the levels of the various signals fed through the Mixer.
NOISE / RING / EXT Button and Knob
The NOISE / RING / EXT button selects which sound source the NOISE /
RING / EXT knob will control.
With the NOISE position selected, it controls volume of the White Noise
Generator. White Noise is useful for creating sound effects such as Wind.
With the RING 1 * 2 position selected, it controls the volume of the Ring
Modulator. Ring Modulation is useful for creating harder Metallic tones.
With the EXT position selected, it controls the volume of an external audio
signal connected to the INPUT socket on the KS Rack's rear panel. This
signal can be processed by the filter, envelopes and effects. An external
audio signal may be a microphone, CD player, guitar etc. With a little
experimentation, quite effective and dramatic changes to the sound can
be produced : Filtering, wah-wah, gating, using the Effects Section for
adding reverb, chorus etc. Experiment !
Note: All three of these sound sources may be used simultaneously and if
so, it may become necessary to reduce the Program Level dB in order to
avoid signal distortion (see page 39).
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