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SOMA METACONFORMER User Manual

Modular midi processor
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USER
MANUAL

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Summary of Contents for SOMA METACONFORMER

  • Page 1 USER MANUAL...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    CONTENT | USER MANUAL METACONFORMER CONTENT GENERAL OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 COMBINER TUTORIAL .

  • Page 3: General Overview

    . You will be able to play multiple instruments at the same time as if they were part of one larger instrument . Metaconformer also opens up the possibility of sound control through pressing the keys on your MIDI keyboard, instead of having to reach for the knobs on your gear .
  • Page 4 . The mini-TRS MIDI connectors are equipped with a type A and B switch to make the Metaconformer compatible with any instrument . It is recommended to connect only stereo mini-jack TRS to MIDI cables . This switch can act as an hardware on/off switch for each MIDI connector .
  • Page 5 . FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION Metaconformer can be used as a MIDI splitter . Messages from each MIDI input are collected separately, and then combined into a single stream . To avoid various unexpected situations and conflicts, it is recommended not to send messages from the same MIDI channel to both MIDI inputs of the Metaconformer .
  • Page 6 . The second channel is responsible for selecting the value of the synth parameter through the number of MIDI note presses . Of course, you can use two keyboards, but it's easier to use a second Metaconformer in Keyboard...
  • Page 7 2. Connect at least one synthesizer to the MIDI output of the Metaconformer 3. Connect USB-mini cable to power on . 4. Metaconformer turns on and enters the waiting state . Now you need to select one of the operating modes .
  • Page 8 METACONFORMER USER INTERFACE Metaconformer is made to be not only useful in practice, but also easy to use . Instead of text and numbers on a matrix display, it communicates with the user through the sound of your instruments and a minimum of information on the 8-bit STATE / DATA indicator .
  • Page 9 Feedback and General Function Tutorial . Metaconformer is designed so that you don’t need to interact with binary coded numbers at all if you prefer, as all feedback is available in the form of sounds from the connected instruments . However, Metaconformer still outputs a minimum of information in binary form .

  • Page 10: Combiner Tutorial

    COMBINER TUTORIAL | USER MANUAL METACONFORMER COMBINER TUTORIAL Connection 1. Connect the mini-USB cable to power Metaconformer 2. Connect the MIDI output of your MIDI keyboard to the MIDI input of the Metaconformer MIDI In MIDI Thru MIDI In Synth/...
  • Page 11 METACONFORMER The Communication knob allows you to configure Metaconformer when you are in the different menus . In this case, CC messages will be consumed by Metaconformer . Otherwise, CC messages are sent to the MIDI output unchanged . When the Communication knob is selected, only the CC number of the message is stored, not its channel .
  • Page 12 . It is like a dialogue between user and Metaconformer . If there are other messages, Metaconformer may misunderstand your intent and set up cells incorrectly .
  • Page 13 Metaconformer sets up the cell according to the last received message Play Mode On your MIDI keyboard, switch to the input channel of Metaconformer . By default, this is channel 1 . It'll be shown how to change this channel below .
  • Page 14 Metaconformer saves it to the waiting list . As soon as one of the cells is freed by an incoming noteOff message, Metaconformer checks the waiting list . If it is not empty, then a note from the waiting list is placed in this cell .
  • Page 15 . This allows the rotation of a single СС knob to configure several instruments at once . Metaconformer searches for a free voice starting from the cell pointed to by the cursor . Move the cursor with the and ...
  • Page 16 4. Release LRN to exit Input channel When you enter the Configuration menu by pressing the CFG button, you enter the Global Configuration menu of Metaconformer . The green LED starts blinking . See the for details on the Global Configuration Feedback and General Function Tutorial menu .

  • Page 17: Splitter Tutorial

    1. Connect the USB-mini cable to power Metaconformer 2. Connect the MIDI output of your MIDI keyboard to the MIDI input of the Metaconformer Use only stereo mini-TRS to MIDI cables to connect to MIDI inputs and outputs . Using mono cables may damage the device .
  • Page 18 METACONFORMER The Communication knob allows you to configure Metaconformer when you’re in the different menus . In this case, CC messages will be consumed by the Metaconformer . Otherwise, CC messages are sent to the MIDI output unchanged . When the Communication knob is selected, only the CC number of the message is stored, not its channel .
  • Page 19 To play several instruments at once from a single MIDI channel, depending on the position of the note on the keyboard, you first need to set up the Metaconformer cells . It is important to set up cells in complete MIDI silence, when there are no other messages on the channels, the sequencer is turned off, and all keys are released .
  • Page 20 5. The high nibble displays 1 of 16 range transposition options in inverted binary representation . By default, this value is 8 or 0001 on the Metaconformer LEDs . Another value can be selected by turning the communication knob . For more details, see the transposition setting section .
  • Page 21 Note ranges can overlap . If a note matches multiple ranges, it sends to all those ranges . If CC, pitch bend, modulation wheel or channel aftertouch messages come from the input channel of Metaconformer, then these messages are duplicated to the channels of all ranges active at that moment .
  • Page 22 METACONFORMER Transposition Metaconformer allows you to change the note value before sending it to the instrument . To do this, in each cell, you can choose 1 of 16 transposition options . Go to the Learn menu and use the Communication knob to select one of the values that are set by a binary number, where 1 corresponds to the off LED, and 0 to the on LED .
  • Page 23 USER MANUAL | SPLITTER TUTORIAL METACONFORMER Input channel When pressing the CFG button, you enter the Global Configuration menu of Metaconformer . The green LED starts blinking . See the Feedback and General Function Tutorial for details on the Global Configuration menu .

  • Page 24: Translator Tutorial

    1. Connect the mini-USB cable to power Metaconformer 2. Connect the MIDI output of your MIDI keyboard to the MIDI input of the Metaconformer Use only stereo mini-TRS to MIDI cables to connect to MIDI inputs and outputs . Using mono cables may damage the device .
  • Page 25 The passage of each note is accompanied by a flashing green LED . One blink on noteOn and one on noteOff . Messages from the input channels of the cells are sent to the processing unit of Metaconformer and sent to the output already converted .
  • Page 26 100 . Learn Menu To translate notes coming to the input of Metaconformer cells into CC messages to control the sound parameters, you first need to set up the Metaconformer cells . It is important there is complete MIDI silence when you set up cells, with no other messages on the channels, the sequencer is turned off, and all keys are released .
  • Page 27 3. Go to the Learn menu (LRN button) . The green LED indicates it’s active . 4. Turn the knob on the MIDI controller to send messages to the Metaconformer CC that change the desired parameter of the instrument .
  • Page 28 So, you need to take notes from another MIDI channel . For example, channel 4 . In this case, when receiving a note from channel 4, the Metaconformer will take its value from this note and turn it into the value of the parameter on channel 5 .
  • Page 29 If the note does not correspond to any enabled cell of the translator, then the message is sent to the output unchanged . When a noteOff message is received by Metaconformer, it checks in which enabled cells of the translator the input channel matches that note . If the note does not correspond to any cell of the translator, then the message is sent to the output unchanged .
  • Page 30 2. Run it in Combiner mode . 3. Set cell 1 to the channel that activates VCA . 4. Set cell 2 to the channel that sends notes . 5. Set your MIDI keyboard to the input channel of the Metaconformer in Combiner mode .

  • Page 31: Feedback And General Function Tutorial

    If no buttons are pressed, the state/data display shows active cells . When the and  buttons are pressed, the display shows a blinking cursor corresponding to the selected cell . As soon as the user has chosen a cell, Metaconformer returns to displaying active cells .
  • Page 32 FEEDBACK AND GENERAL FUNCTION TUTORIAL | USER MANUAL METACONFORMER Learn menu By pressing the LRN button, Metaconformer enters the Learn menu of the selected cell . To avoid errors in the MIDI stream, Metaconformer allows access to the Learn menu only when all cells are inactive .
  • Page 33 . Hybrid Output The fourth output of Metaconformer is hybrid and can work either as a MIDI output or as a sync signal source . To set it up to work in MIDI output mode, you need to go to the Global Config menu by pressing CFG, and move the cursor to the first position from the left .
  • Page 34 1. Connect Metaconformer to the computer via USB . 2. While the CFG button is held, press the RST button . Metaconformer will start in flash drive mode and will be detected as such on your computer, and all its LEDs will turn on .

  • Page 35: Extras

    .e . when a key is pressed and released, if it is in Play mode . If it doesn't flash when pressed, you may be on a Metaconformer input channel . Change to a different MIDI channel on the keyboard and try sending notes from it .
  • Page 36 EXTRAS | USER MANUAL METACONFORMER Binary coded numbers Metaconformer has a minimum of situations where you need to interact with binary numbers . 1. Input channel setup in Splitter and Combiner configuration menus 2. Setting the prescaler for the sync signal 3.
  • Page 37 USER MANUAL | EXTRAS METACONFORMER Another alternative system is the unary number system . For example, eight apples are . Or 11111111 apples . In this system, the presence of something is indicated by writing the number 1 (essentially a notch) as many times as there is this something .
  • Page 38 2, 4, 8, 16, etc . Let's get back to Metaconformer . It displays binary numbers, where the units are located on the left side of the LEDs, and each subsequent digit is 1 position to the right . If the LED is off, it is 0, and if it is on, it is 1 .
  • Page 39 USER MANUAL | EXTRAS METACONFORMER The smallest number that can be written in a byte is 0b00000000 = 0 The largest number that can be written in a byte is 0b11111111 = 128+64+32+16+8+4+2+1 = 255 . 256 will no longer fit in a byte, since all bits will go from 1 to 0 and it will take the 9th bit to store 1 in it .
  • Page 40 EXTRAS | USER MANUAL METACONFORMER MIDI message types NoteOff 0b1000_CCCC 0b0NNN_NNNN 0b0VVV_VVVVV NoteOn 0b1001_CCCC 0b0NNN_NNNN 0b0VVV_VVVVV Polyphonic Aftertouch 0b1010_CCCC 0b0KKK_KKKK 0b0VVV_VVVV Control Change 0b1011_CCCC 0b0NNN_NNNN 0b0VVV_VVVV Program Change 0b1100_CCCC 0b0NNN_NNNN Channel Aftertouch 0b1101_CCCC 0b0VVV_VVVV Pitch Bend 0b1110_CCCC 0b0LLL_LLLL 0b0HHH_HHHH Messages common to all channels System Exclusive 0b1111_0000 0b0VVV_VVVV 0b0VVV_VVVV …...
  • Page 41 USER MANUAL | EXTRAS METACONFORMER Active Sensing 0b1111_1110 Reset 0b1111_1111 Compression Existing MIDI controllers and sequencers can send messages in a compressed format, where fewer bytes are required to send the same information to the channel . Let's say there is a sequence of messages with a chord whose 4 notes are first pressed and then released after a while .
  • Page 42 Maria Atlasyuk — front panel design, animation . Regina Volkova — management, communications, website . Valeriy Zaveryaev — manual design and layout . Thomas Lundberg — editor and proofreader . www .somasynths .com Vadim Minkin SOMA lab • 2023 год...
  • Page 43 Manual version 1 .0 2023 . Designed in Russia...