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Black Corporation DECKARD'S DREAM MK2 Operation Manual

8-voice analog synthesizer
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  • Page 2 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 8-VOICE ANALOG SYNTHESIZER BY BLACK CORPORATION 2.3.0...

  • Page 3: Fcc Compliance Statement

    FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. EUROPEAN UNION REGULATION COMPLIANCE STATEMENT This product complies with the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2004/108/EC.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PACKAGE CONTENTS OVERVIEW & FEATURES SYNTHESIZER FEATURES ARCHITECTURE MASTER CONTROLS DISPLAY & CONNECTIONS PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS PANEL LAYOUT SETUP & CONNECTIONS POWER AUDIO/HEADPHONES OUTPUT MIDI CONNECTIONS DIN MIDI USB MIDI CONTROL VOLTAGE (CV) MODULATION (MK1 Only) BANKS & PRESET SELECTION PATCH BANK OVERVIEW SELECTING BANKS SELECTING PATCH PRESETS...
  • Page 5 A (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) D (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) R (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) VOLTAGE CONTROLLED AMPLIFIER (VCA) SINE Waveform (10=Max/0=Min) A (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) D (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) S (10=Max/0=Min) R (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) TOUCH RESPONSE SUB-OSCILLATOR FUNCTION TOUCH RESPONSE KEYBOARD CONTROL PORTAMENTO / GLISSANDO TONE SELECTOR ACCESSING THE SETTINGS MENU RETUNE MIDI CC74 REPLACE (GLOBAL) SLIDERS (GLOBAL) MOD WHEEL DESTINATION (PER-PATCH)

  • Page 6: Introduction

    ● 12.0V 2.5A 30W power supply with US, EU, UK, and AU local adapters ● Rack Ears and Mounting Screws (Caution: Please use the screws provided or you could damage your unit!) ● 4 Self-Adhesive Felt Pads ● Black Corporation Logo Stickers...

  • Page 7: Overview & Features

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 OVERVIEW & FEATURES DECKARD’S DREAM is an 8-voice, dual-layered polyphonic analogue synthesizer inspired by the iconic CS-80, a dramatically cinematic synthesizer of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a time before digital and FM synthesis became dominant. It's not a clone of those legendary machines, but rather a revival of a unique palette of sound design that was somewhat forgotten when newer technologies emerged.

  • Page 8: Display & Connections

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 ● MIDI over USB ● 128 factory presets and 8 user banks. (User banks 1-3 come pre-loaded with presets) ● Alternate scales and tunings DISPLAY & CONNECTIONS ● 128×64 OLED display ● DC input jack (12V/2A) ●...

  • Page 9: Panel Layout

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 PANEL LAYOUT *Layer I and Layer II Controls 1 – 26 are identical. 1. SPEED (PWM LFO Speed): Controls the speed of the PWM LFO on the Pulse Wave. Minimum and maximum speeds can be adjusted in the TIME menu. 2.
  • Page 10 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 13. A (Attack): Filter envelope attack length. 14. D (Decay): Filter envelope decay length. 15. R (Release): Filter envelope release length. 16. VCF Level: Determines how much of the oscillator/noise → VCF signal to let through. When set to minimum, the only possible remaining sound source for this layer is the sine wave (see 17).
  • Page 11 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 35. Sub-Oscillator (LFO) VCF mod: Controls how much the LAYER I and II VCFs are modulated by the global LFO (a kind of tremolo). The lower the slider, the more modulation. 36. Sub-Oscillator (LFO) VCA mod: Controls how much the layer I and II VCAs are modulated by the global LFO (i.e.
  • Page 12 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 4. SUSTAIN I / II Switch (MK2 Only): Sets playback mode to determine how the sustain of notes or chords is handled when new notes or chords are played. ● SUSTAIN I: All notes sustain and release independently regardless of other notes or chords played, and each note has the same release time.

  • Page 13: Setup & Connections

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 SETUP & CONNECTIONS POWER Insert the barrel end of the power supply into the input labeled POWER on the back of the unit. Plug the other end of the power supply into an AC outlet. Note that it may take a few minutes for the oscillators to reach stable tuning.

  • Page 14: Control Voltage (Cv) Modulation (Mk1 Only)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 CONTROL VOLTAGE (CV) MODULATION (MK1 Only) External control voltages (generated by expression pedals, modular synthesizers, or other types of CV equipment) can be used to modulate DECKARD’S DREAM. To use external CV modulation, set the SUB OSCILLATOR FUNCTION to EXT. For more detail on how to use the external SUB OSCILLATOR FUNCTION, see the PATCH PROGRAMMING section of the manual.

  • Page 15: Banks & Preset Selection

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 BANKS & PRESET SELECTION When first exploring DECKARD’S DREAM, it may be helpful to experiment with the factory presets to understand the capabilities of the synthesizer. DECKARD’S DREAM’s factory patches have been designed to demonstrate the vast range range of capabilities and expressivity the synthesizer is capable of.

  • Page 16: Selecting Banks

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 SELECTING BANKS To scroll through the available banks, press and hold the SHIFT button and UP or DOWN. To begin exploration of DECKARD’S DREAM by building original patches from the panel settings, Press the PANEL button (MK2 only, on MK1, press SHIFT+ENTER). Note: DECKARD’S DREAM responds to standard Program Change and Bank Change MIDI messages.

  • Page 17: Editing Patch Presets

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 1. Hold the SHIFT Button and select the desired bank by pressing UP (BNK1) or DOWN (BNK2). 2. Press ENTER (SAVE). The Active Voices display will be replaced by the word SAVE to confirm DECKARD’S DREAM is in Save mode. 3.

  • Page 18: Patch Programming

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 PATCH PROGRAMMING TERMINOLOGY DECKARD’S DREAM uses some terminology inspired by CS-80 that may be unfamiliar in modern synthesis: ● LAYER I/LAYER II: DECKARD’S DREAM features two independent synthesis layers with identical controls, allowing for more complex patches than single-layer analogue polyphonic synthesizers.
  • Page 19 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 ● Attack/Decay/Release (ADR) envelope for the VCF ● Master and VCF level controls for the voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) ● Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release (ADSR) envelope for the VCA ● Initial and After sensitivity controls for both Brilliance and Level The master section controls settings that affect both layers, including: ●...

  • Page 20: Layer I / Layer Ii Synthesis Parameters

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 LAYER I / LAYER II SYNTHESIS PARAMETERS Layer I and Layer II controls are identical and will be described in this manual only once. While the same value can be set independently for each layer, the functionality of each parameter is the same across both layers.

  • Page 21: Pw (90%=Max/50%=Min)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 PW (90%=Max/50%=Min) Controls the Pulse Width (duty cycle) of the square waveform. The percentage value describes the positive percent of the cycle. At 50%, the positive and negative cycles of the waveform are present in equal amounts. As the value is increased (up to 90%), the positive cycle of the waveform becomes more prominent, altering the timbre of the waveform.

  • Page 22: Voltage Controlled Filter (Vcf)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER (VCF) This section covers the voltage-controlled filter. DECKARD’S DREAM has separate 12dB/octave (2-pole) low-pass and high-pass filters per layer. Square and saw waveforms (but not sine) and white noise are processed by the VCF’s parameters. HPF (Top=Max/Low=Min) HIGH PASS FILTER: Controls the cutoff frequency of the high-pass filter.

  • Page 23: Resl (High=Max/Low=Min)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 Note that the high-pass filter may separately be configured to let sound through; setting the slider to the top may not entirely eliminate sound from the layer. RESL (HIGH=Max/LOW=Min) Controls the depth of the resonance (or the point at which the VCF begins to feed back) for the low-pass filter.

  • Page 24: R (Long=Max/Short=Min)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 R (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) Release: controls the length of release phase of the VCF’s envelope. Release determines the length of time it takes for the filter to close after note off. Moving the slider toward the top results in a longer release time.

  • Page 25: A (Long=Max/Short=Min)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 A (LONG=Max/SHORT=Min) ATTACK: Controls the length of the VCA envelope’s attack. Attack determines the time it takes for the volume to reach its maximum level following note on. Moving the slider toward the top results in a longer attack time. Note that the maximum length of the attack phase of the envelope can be adjusted in the TIME section of the SETTINGS menu.

  • Page 26: Touch Response

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 TOUCH RESPONSE INITIAL BRILLIANCE (10=Max/0=Min) Controls the depth that velocity will open up the filter, resulting in a brighter sound. At 0, there is no effect, and the patch will sound exactly as programmed in the VCF section. Moving the slider up (toward the maximum of 10) will result in velocity having a greater effect on the sound.
  • Page 27 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 To demonstrate how harder key presses result in a brighter sound, while softer key presses result in a thinner sound, close the HPF and/or the LPF sliders and raise the AFTER BRILLIANCE slider to maximum while playing with a controller that sends aftertouch messages. AFTER LEVEL (10=Max/0=Min) Controls the depth that aftertouch will increase the volume of the patch.
  • Page 28 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 MASTER SYNTHESIS PARAMETERS The master synthesis parameters are global, affecting both layers I and II. Adjustments made to these parameters can have a dramatic effect on the sound and expressivity of a patch. PITCH The pitch section adjusts the oscillators’ pitches, including coarse and fine master pitch adjustments, detuning for layer II to get thicker sounds, and per-layer pitch adjustment in FEET.
  • Page 29 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 FEET I (Top=Low/Bottom=High) Controls the pitch of the oscillator in layer I only, functioning as an octave-/fifths-switch. At the top (16’), the pitch will be lowest. At the bottom (2’), the pitch will be highest. Even numbers represent an octave above the lower number, with 8’...

  • Page 30: Sub-Oscillator

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 SUB-OSCILLATOR The sub oscillator functions as DECKARD’S DREAM’s low-frequency oscillator (LFO). The LFO has variable speed and multiple shapes, including an external CV source (only MK1), and can modulate the following destinations: VCO pitch, VCF cutoff frequency, and VCA volume. FUNCTION Controls the shape of the LFO waveform.
  • Page 31 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 VCF (Top=Min/Bottom=Max) Controls the depth of the LFO’s modulation of VCF’s cutoff frequency in both layers I and II. At the top, there is no effect. At the bottom, the modulation depth is highest. VCA (Top=Min/Bottom=Max) Controls the depth of the LFO’s modulation of VCA’s volume in both layers I and II.
  • Page 32 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 TONE The tone parameters offer global control over the tone of the patch. This section controls the mix of the patch between layers I and II, as well as the global filter cutoff frequency and resonance. MIX I - II Controls the balance of layers I and II in the final output mix and functions as a crossfader.

  • Page 33: Touch Response

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 TOUCH RESPONSE The touch response parameters offer additional expressivity controls over pitch bend (via velocity messages) and the effect of aftertouch messages on the depth of sub oscillator (LFO) modulation. P BEND (Top=Min/Bottom=Max) Controls the impact of velocity on pitch bend. At the top, there is no effect. Moving the slider toward the bottom will increase the depth of the pitch bend affect.
  • Page 34 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 VCO (Top=Min/Bottom=Max) Controls the depth of the sub oscillator (LFO) modulation of the VCO’s pitch, based on aftertouch. At the top, there is no affect. Moving the slider toward the bottom of its travel will increase the effect of aftertouch on VCO pitch modulation.

  • Page 35: Keyboard Control

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 KEYBOARD CONTROL The keyboard control parameters offer additional levels of expressivity over the filter cutoff frequency and volume of the patch, based on the range of the notes played. The controls are split between high and low notes, but there is no exact note on the keyboard that determines the divide between high and low.
  • Page 36 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 LEVEL LOW Increases or decreases volume for notes below the center key. At the slider’s center detent, there is no effect on the patch. Moving the slider toward the top will decrease volume for notes below the center key, effectively decreasing volume further as lower notes are played.

  • Page 37: Portamento / Glissando

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 PORTAMENTO / GLISSANDO The portamento/glissando parameters control how pitch transitions between notes or chords. A slider and switch work together in tandem to create variations in pitch transition. Portamento is a smooth, gliding transition between pitches. Glissando is a stepped transition between notes, increasing or decreasing pitch from the previous note in ½...
  • Page 38 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 LONG/SHORT slider (Top=Max/Bottom=Min) Controls the time it takes for pitch to transition from one note or chord to the next. At the bottom, there will be a barely noticeable effect on pitch transition. At the top, the transition time is at maximum.

  • Page 39: Tone Selector

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 TONE SELECTOR The tone selector buttons and display select, save, and store patches, as well as change DECKARD’S DREAM’s per-patch and global settings. The functions of the tone selector section are covered elsewhere in this manual: ●...
  • Page 40 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 Before plugging DECKARD’S DREAM into an amplifier or mixer, always turn the volume knob fully counter-clockwise to minimum, then slowly increase volume as necessary until the desired level is reached. SETTINGS MENU DECKARD’S DREAM’s settings menu controls not only the global settings of DECKARD’S DREAM, but also a subset of per-patch settings not accessible elsewhere on the front panel.

  • Page 41: Accessing The Settings Menu

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 ACCESSING THE SETTINGS MENU To access the settings menu, hold SHIFT and press CANCEL (STNG). In the settings menu, use the UP and DOWN buttons to navigate through the settings menu sections. Press ENTER (RUN) to select a section, and CANCEL (BACK) to return to the patch selection screen.

  • Page 42: Cc74 Replace (Global)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 and other expressivity controls per voice. DECKARD’S DREAM assigns the channels above this base channel to each of its 8 voices. The master MIDI channel selected (1-8) assigns the master channel DECKARD’S DREAM will receive. Press UP (↑) or DOWN (↓) to select a new channel, then press ENTER (SAVE) to save the selection.

  • Page 43: Sliders (Global)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 SLIDERS (GLOBAL) Changes DECKARD’S DREAM’s behavior when the physical position of a switch or slider is different than the value stored in the current saved patch. Available options are PICK UP, MERGE, and INSTANT. ● PICK UP: Moving sliders has no effect until the slider position moves through the current patch’s stored value.

  • Page 44: Mod Wheel Destination (Per-Patch)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 MOD WHEEL DESTINATION (PER-PATCH) Determines what continuous control (CC) message the connected controller’s mod wheel will modulate. Available destinations include: ● LFO DEPTH - VCO (CC 106) ● LFO DEPTH - VCF (CC 107) ● LFO DEPTH - VCA (CC 108) ●...
  • Page 45 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 ● MONOPHONIC: DECKARD’S DREAM becomes a monophonic synthesizer, using 1 of its 8 analogue voices. Pressing a new key will override the previous note, with the most recently played note taking priority. ● POLYPHONIC: DECKARD’S DREAM becomes a polyphonic synthesizer, allowing up to 8 of its analogue voices to be played simultaneously (depending on the NUMBER OF VOICES setting under the VOICE menu).
  • Page 46 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 Press CANCEL (CNCL) at any time to cancel changes to DETUNE settings and return to the VOICE settings menu. CARDS PER VOICE (GLOBAL) CARDS PER VOICE determines how many of DECKARD’S DREAM’s voice cards are dedicated to a single voice.
  • Page 47 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 LFO MIN controls the minimum frequency of the SUB OSCILLATOR. This determines the value of the top of the SUB OSCILLATOR SPEED slider. The default value is 0.7 Hz. The allowable range is 0.1 Hz to 5.0 Hz. Press UP (↑) or DOWN (↓) to select the desired frequency, then press ENTER (SAVE) to save the selection.
  • Page 48 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 Press UP (↑) or DOWN (↓) to select the desired number of seconds, then press ENTER (SAVE) to save the selection. Press CANCEL (CNCL) at any time to cancel changes to ATTACK TIME settings and return to the TIME settings menu.

  • Page 49: Microtuning

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 Press CANCEL (BACK) to cancel the reset process and return to the main TIME settings page. Press ENTER to start the reset process. The display will read: “CONFIRM RESET.” Press ENTER (OK) to proceed with reset, or press CANCEL (BACK) to return to the main TIME settings screen.

  • Page 50: Keyboard

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 KEYBOARD KEYBOARD controls the pitchbend range, tracking width, and middle octave of the connected MIDI controller. PITCHBEND RANGE (GLOBAL) PITCHBEND RANGE sets the maximum pitchbend range of the connected controller. The default setting is 3 semitones. The allowable range is 1 to 99 semitones. Press UP (↑) or DOWN (↓) to select the desired number of semitones, then press ENTER (SAVE) to save the selection.

  • Page 51: Calibration

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 MIDDLE OCTAVE selects the center octave that the TRACKING WIDTH uses to determine its starting point. Note that if TRACKING WIDTH is set to 10 octaves, MIDDLE OCTAVE will have no effect. Press UP (↑) or DOWN (↓) to select the desired center octave, then press ENTER (SAVE) to save the selection.

  • Page 52: Screen Saver

    ● 10 MINUTES ● 30 MINUTES ● 1 HOUR ABOUT ABOUT displays the following information about the device: ● Hardware Revision Number ● Firmware Revision Number ● Black Corporation Copyright Information Press CANCEL (BACK) to return to the main settings menu.

  • Page 53: Reset Settings (Global)

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 RESET SETTINGS (GLOBAL) RESET SETTINGS reverts all DECKARD’S DREAM settings to their default. Selecting this will display the following message: “TO RESET SETTINGS PRESS ENTER.” Press CANCEL (BACK) to cancel the reset process and return to the main settings page. Press ENTER to start the reset process.

  • Page 54: Midi Cc Chart

    OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 MIDI CC CHART MIDI CC RANGE FUNCTION BANK SELECT 0-127 MODULATION WHEEL 0-127 SLIDER PORT / GLIS 0-64-127 SLIDER MIX I / II 0-64 / 65-127 SUSTAIN SWITCH CC10 0-127 SUSTAIN SLIDER CC32 0-127 SLIDER DETUNE CC40 0-127 SLIDER PWM SPEED A...
  • Page 55 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 CC62 0-127 SLIDER TR INIT BR A CC63 0-127 SLIDER TR INIT LVL A CC64 0-127 SUSTAIN PEDAL CC65 0-127 SLIDER TR AFTER BR A CC66 0-127 SLIDER TR AFTER LVL A CC67 0-127 SLIDER PWM SPEED B CC68 0-127 SLIDER PWM B...
  • Page 56 OPERATION MANUAL DECKARD’S DREAM MK2 CC94 0-64-127 SLIDER FINE CC102 0-21/22-42/43-63/64-84/85-105/106-127 SLIDER FEET1 CC103 0-21/22-42/43-63/64-84/85-105/106-127 SLIDER FEET2 CC104 0-21/22-42/43-63/64-84/85-105/106-127 SLIDER SUBOSC FUNC CC105 0-127 SLIDER SUBOSC SPEED CC106 0-127 SLIDER SUBOSC VCO CC107 0-127 SLIDER SUBOSC VCF CC108 0-127 SLIDER SUBOSC VCA CC109 0-64-127 SLIDER BRIL...
  • Page 57 OPERATION MANUAL XERXES Roman Filippov Bob Akber Aleksandr Kholenko Black Corporation G.K., All Rights Reserved 2024.

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