Donner MEDO - Portable Synthesizer Manual

PANELS AND CONTROLS

1. Volume Button
   Increase and decrease the volume of MEDO's speaker
2. Power Button
   Press and hold to turn MEDO on and off
3. Mic
   Used to collect external timbre in Sample mode
4. Headphone/Aux Output
   1/8" audio output for headphones or speakers
5. USB-C Port
   Charge MEDO and data transfer
6. Speaker
   3W active speaker system

THE BUTTON
You can treat as a function button or a menu button, which is similar to the combination keys on a computer, such as the Command key on a Mac or the Control key on Windows. Try it, for example:

• A single tap of the button can quickly cycle through each of the 5 Modes (Drum, Bass, Chord, Lead, and Sample). Alternatively, you can hold the button, and then press one of the Modes (Pads 1-5) to activate that mode.
• In sample mode, press and hold (key 16), then press and hold button 5 (sampling) to collect sound samples and use them for playing timbres.
• The button can also be used to select different options in specified modes, hold and press the button and Options (Pads 9-15) simultaneously to change BPM, adjust octave, etc.

PRODUCT FUNCTION

MODES

1. Drum
2. Bass
3. Chord
4. Lead
5. Sample

OPTIONS

9. -PLAY/Pause
10. Adjust Music Progress
11. OCT-Change Octave
12. SCALE-Select Scale
13. REC-Record
14. BPM-Adjust Tempo
15. KEY-Transpose
16. Menu

Function	Corresponding buttons
Enable Loop recording	+PAD 13 (Rec)
After enabling the Loop recording, enter the loop function
Stop recording	+PAD 13 (Rec)
Play/Pause Loop	+PAD9(Play/Pause)
Clear the loop for the current voice mode	Press and hold + Pad 13 (Rec) until a series of red lights run from PAD1 to PAD8 to complete the current track clearance
Clear the loop for all modes	Press and hold + Pad 13 (Rec) and shake MEDO
Change BPM	Press and hold , and continuously tap PAD 14 (BPM) at the required tempo for at least three times
Octave up	Press and hold + Pad 11 (octave) and slide to the right
Octave down	Press and hold + Pad 11(octave) and slide to the left
Next mode
Switch to Drum	+Drum(PAD1)
Switch to Bass	+Bass(PAD2)
Switch to Chord	+Chord(PAD3)
Switch to Lead	+Lead(PAD4)
Switch to Sample	+Sample(PAD5)
Volume-per-part	To adjust the individual volume for Drum, Bass, Chord, Lead, and sample, First, press and hold the button . Then, single-click to select the track you want to adjust from PAD1 to PAD5. Finally, press the volume control to adjust the track volume. For example, to decrease the volume of the BASS track: first, press and hold the button without releasing it, then single-click PAD2 to select the BASS track, and finally press the volume down button to adjust the volume of the single track.
Activate/Deactivate Metronome	In recording mode, press and hold + BPM for 2 seconds

DRUM MODE

In this mode, there are a total of 16 different drum sounds, with a corresponding sound of each performance interface (PAD1-PAD15). Trigger a hit sound by directly tapping the side of the MEDO. Alternatively, press PAD6 and shake the MEDO to trigger the shaker sound. The following is the default factory arrangement for the drum set (DRUM AND BASS 1).

Note: The position arrangement may vary for different drum sets.
The drum has force feedback, which will give corresponding sound feedback based on your hard or gentle tapping, and also respond based on the length of time your fingers stay. Please try tapping with your fingertips on the performance interface and feel the charm of the drum.

BASS MODE

In this mode, only single notes can be played, with the last note given priority. By default, the bass is in the C major scale. According to the timbre properties, some timbres can use gestures such as shaking and tilting to change the sound. You can also customize gesture controls using the Medo Synth software.

CHORD MODE

In this mode:
The PAD1-PAD8 touch buttons are block chord (also known as "one button chord"), which means that pressing a single button can trigger multiple notes simultaneously.
PAD9-PAD15 is a chord arpeggio that can trigger multiple notes in sequence by pressing a single button. There are four options for the order of arpeggios, namely: 1. Scale up 2. Scale down 3. UP and down 4. Random (available to switch in the APP). The factory default is UP and down. The tempo of the arpeggio is synchronized with the engineering tempo of the loop, and the factory default arpeggio is considered the eighth note. If you want to modify the note duration of arpeggios, you can quickly select the arpeggios duration you want to modify on the App. The note rate can be selected as the crotchets, the eight note, or the sixteenth note. It can also be quickly selected on MEDO by pressing the combination buttons: +PAD6/7/8, with corresponding values of the crotchets, the eighth note, and the sixteenth note.
Chord mode is a magical way to quickly feel the colors of music. Like bass, depending on the timbre properties, some timbres can use gestures such as shaking or tilting to change the sound.

LEAD MODE

Lead supports polyphonic mode (meaning you can play several different notes at the same time). In order to better meet the performance requirements, the LEAD mode supports natural major and minor scale and pentatonic major and minor scales, with a default factory setting of C natural major scale. This is an interesting scale with seven notes per octave, which can meet most melodic needs.

SAMPLE MODE

MEDO supports powerful sampling functions, allowing you to capture the world's beautiful sounds and integrate them into your music creation. Whether it's street or home noise, they all can be collected to be your voice materials.
In this mode, press the combination buttons +PAD5 in sequence, and the light flashes three times before starting to collect sound. Release your finger to complete the sound sample collection. After the collection is completed, the sound sample will be automatically assigned to each touch button, and the note arrangement is consistent with the LEAD mode. Up to 5 seconds of sound samples can be collected.
Note: Each collected sound sample will cover the previous sound sample, which can be saved in combination with the App or realize more patterns.

LOOP RECORDING

MEDO has the internal loop creation function, which is an interesting and intuitive way for you to record and edit music loops in five voice modes, quickly creating and recording music creativity. This allows you to capture the inspiration of improvisation and create it into a loop.

Starting a loop:

1. Choose one of the five voice modes (it is recommended to prioritize creating in Drum mode)
2. Press +Pad 13 (REC) in sequence. When your fingers are released, the metronome clicks, indicating the tempo of the song and allowing you to start recording your first loop. Although the metronome has been activated, the loop does not start recording until you play the first note.
3. Play some notes and then lightly press when the loop is about to end. The note you just played will enter loop recording and automatically start playback from scratch.

Note: Recording is based on bars as the minimum unit, and the song length will always be the same as the first loop you recorded. MEDO can record up to 128 bars.

LOOP OVERDUBBING

When you enter the first loop to continue playing, you can continue to lightly press to switch the voice mode, and you can overdub notes and loop in the other voice modes. MEDO will remain in loop recording mode until you press +Pad 9 (Play/Pause) to pause the song or stop playing, or if you press +Pad 13 (REC) to cancel recording.

Try it:

1. First, press +Pad 13 (REC) in sequence to start loop recording
2. Select the drum mode and tap the basic rhythm of a kick+snare based on your feelings.
3. Press to start loop recording. Add your hi-hat on the second pass, then keep adding the drumming until you notice that your head has been swinging up and down for a few minutes; Excellent, you have already completed the creation in drum mode.
4. Try adding Bass, Chord, and more according to your creative needs, and boldly unleash your imagination.

LOOP QUANTIZE

During loop recording, maybe you're worried that you will play slightly inaccurate notes or beats. Fortunately, our MEDO comes with a quantized mode, only need to activate this mode in the app, and the played note will automatically snap to the nearest sixteenth note. It will assist you in adjusting to a precise measure interval. The default factory quantization mode will be turned off. There are 3 quantized modes available in the Donner Play App:

1. As Recorded: The quantize function is disabled and the playback is consistent with the beat played.
2. Snap to Grid: It's a process that snaps the notes in the loop to the nearest sixteenth note, often resulting in a rather rigid, inhumanly rhythmic playback.
3. MEDO Groove: It's a process that snaps the notes in the loop to the nearest sixteenth note, and this version sounds less mechanical.

Note: Once "Quantize" is applied to your loop recording, it cannot be restored or turned off. The reason is that MIDI notes are repositioned and recorded to align with your speed grid while playing MEDO.

ADJUSTING TEMPO BY TAPPING

When in LOOP recording mode of MEDO, the default tempo is 120 taps per minute (BPM). There are two different ways to adjust the tempo of the song. You can quickly configure it in the App or you can complete this task on the device itself. Now, we will adjust the tempo by tapping the device itself lightly:

1. Press and hold
2. Continuously and evenly tap PAD 14 (BPM) three times according to the required tempo, and MEDO will complete the tempo setting based on the average tempo of tapping.

PLAY/PAUSE

1. To pause or resume playback, press +Pad 9 (Play/Pause) button in sequence.
2. To restart playback from the beginning of the loop, press and hold +Pad 9 (Play/Pause) for one second.

PROGRESS MOVEMENT

MEDO allows progress movement during the loop recording. You can move backward or move forward the playback progress in the loop so that helps you to create notes quickly.

1. Press the combination buttons and PAD10 with your fingers in sequence, slide your fingers one button from 10 (Pad) to the left, and the playback progress will move backward. When it moves to the desired position, release your fingers to continue playing the loop.
   
2. Press the combination buttons and PAD10 with your fingers in sequence, slide your fingers one button from 10 (Pad) to the right, and the playback progress will move forward. When it moves to the desired position, release your fingers to continue playing the loop.
   

CLEAR THE LOOP FOR THE CURRENT VOICE MODE

To clear one loop at once:

1. Select the mode needed to be cleared +(Pad 1-PAD5)
2. Press and hold + 13 (REC) for two seconds, and wait for the indicator light to flash from PAD1 to PAD8 to clear the current mode

CLEAR THE LOOP FOR ALL MODES

To clear all loops at once:
You can press and hold + Pad13 (REC), then shake MEDO to clear all loops of your song.

MODE AND OCTAVE

Change the octave

You can directly transpose the octave scale on MEDO. To move an octave interval up or down, moving an octave only takes effect for the current mode, and the method is as follows:

1. If you want to descend one octave interval, press and hold + Pad11 (OCT) and slide your finger from the octave Pad 11 to the left of Pad 10 to descend one octave interval. Sliding twice will move two octaves.
   
2. If you want to ascend one octave interval, press and hold + Pad11 (OCT) and slide your finger from the octave interval Pad 11 to Pad 12 to ascend one octave interval. Sliding twice will move two octaves.
   

Rapid transposing

In creation or performance, you may want to be able to quickly transpose notes and easily achieve them on MEDO. When pressing +PAD15 (key), you can see the currently selected button (the corresponding PAD will light up), which is set to C by default. You can quickly select from PAD1-PAD 12.

Select the mode

In the LEAD mode, MEDO can quickly switch between the natural major scale, natural minor scale, pentatonic major scale, and pentatonic minor scale by combining keys. After switching the scale in LEAD mode, the BASS, CHORD, and SAMPLE modes also distinguish the corresponding major and minor arrangements. In lead mode, press and hold +PAD12 (SCALE), you can see the currently selected SCALE (the corresponding PAD will light up), which defaults to C natural major. Also, you can quickly choose between PAD1 and PAD4.

WIRELESS BLUETOOTH

MEDO can connect to other devices via Bluetooth. This means you can connect MEDO to Bluetooth devices such as your smartphone, tablet, or computer. The main application scenarios are as follows:

1. Data Transmission: MEDO's accompanying application can be connected for timbre switching, visual creation, etc.
2. Bluetooth MIDI: You can use MEDO to wirelessly interact with music production software, taking MEDO as a controller or MIDI device that emits MIDI signals. This way, you can easily connect MEDO to your DAWs and use it to play virtual instruments, trigger notes, record music, and more.
3. Bluetooth Audio: MEDO can receive audio information from external devices after connection. Once connected you will be able to play audio from MEDO's speaker.

Note: When MEDO uses Bluetooth MIDI, it will automatically disconnect the Bluetooth audio. To ensure stable transmission between Bluetooth and the app, Bluetooth MIDI has the highest priority.

GESTURES

MEDO can not only play various tones through the touch surface but also combine with an internal motion sensor to control more parameters in real time. The combination of touch surface and motion sensor captures your subtle control over sound in multiple dimensions, making creativity more interesting. When you are playing notes, you can try shaking the MEDO or tapping the side in DURM mode, which will bring you unexpected surprises.
Perhaps you are still curious about some interesting gesture interaction methods in MEDO. Next, let me introduce you to more information about each interaction gesture and how to enable these interactions.
Note: Sound effects are not fixed by gestures controlling, since they may vary depending on the timbre presets you load.

1. Click it
   
   MIDI information: note on/off
   Click to play the note, with force feedback. The harder the force, the louder the sound.
2. Vibrato
   
   MIDI information: Pitch Bend
   Click and move your fingers left and right on a single PAD. Vibrato produces a change in pitch. You can adjust the pitch range using the bend scaling settings in the Donner PlayApp.
3. Press
   
   MIDI information: channel pressure
   Tap lightly with your fingers on a single PAD and maintain contact with the touch surface. Activated by allowing fingers to occupy more (and less) surface area. The more fingers extend, the larger the activated area. Continuous pressure can have an impact on the synthesizer. Some factory presets will have Press enabled by default, but you can also enable customization in the Medo Synth software.
4. Tilt
   
   MIDI Information: Mod Wheel - CC # 1
   The internal motion sensor of MEDO can recognize tilting gestures, and tilting MEDO while playing in specific timbres can produce interesting sound effects. The tilt gesture is similar to the modulation wheel on a keyboard controller. Tilt gestures can be adapted to most software synthesizers and applications.
   The Tilt feature is enabled by default on some factory presets, but you can also enable custom features in the MEDO Synth software.
5. Move
   
   MIDI Information: CC # 113
   The internal motion sensor of MEDO can recognize translation gestures and adjust the sound and effect by moving MEDO horizontally in space while playing in specific timbres. Some factory presets will have Move enabled by default, but you can also enable customization in the Medo Synth software.
6. Shake
   
   MIDI Information: MIDI Notes 69 and CC # 2
   In drum mode, press and hold PAD6 (the sound of the sand hammer) and shake it. While shaking, MEDO will emit a tone corresponding to the shaking action.
7. Tapping
   
   MIDI Information: MIDI Notes 39
   In DRUM mode, tap the side of MEDO: you can hear a "clap" sound! Isn't it amazing? You should also give it a try.
8. Slide button sliding up and down
   
   In a specific voice, press and move your fingers up and down within a single PAD, sliding them up and down from the center of the single PAD. When playing, long pressing and moving your fingers up and down may affect volume, envelope, and other effects. Some factory presets will have Slide enabled by default, but you can also enable customization in the Medo Synth software.

THE WIRELESS BLUETOOTH

MEDO can connect to other devices via Bluetooth. This means you can connect MEDO to Bluetooth devices such as smartphones, tablets, or computers. The main use cases are as follows:

1. Data Transfer: You can connect to the Medo companion app for sound switching, visual creation, and more.
2. Bluetooth MIDI: You can use Medo to wirelessly interact with music production software, using Medo as a controller or MIDI device that outputs MIDI signals. This allows you to easily integrate Medo into your music production workflow, using it to play virtual instruments, trigger notes, record music, and more.
3. Bluetooth Audio: After connecting, Medo can receive audio information from external devices and play it through Medo's speakers.

Note: When using Bluetooth MIDI, Bluetooth audio will be automatically disconnected. To ensure stable transmission between Bluetooth and the app, Bluetooth MIDI has the highest priority. Factory ResetPerforming a factory reset will erase all user data and restore the instrument to its initial state, allowing you to start fresh with setup and configuration. To perform a factory reset, follow these steps:

1. In the playing interface, press and hold the +PAD7 button simultaneously.
2. After the light flashes for 3 seconds, the device will enter factory reset mode.
3. Wait a moment for the process to complete, and the device will return to its factory state.

Firmware Upgrade

Upgrading the firmware is an important step to ensure your instrument product maintains the latest features and performance. We regularly provide firmware updates to bring you the newest features and improvements. To perform a firmware upgrade, follow these steps:

1. Download and install DONNER PLAY. Once the installation is complete, open DONNER PLAY.
2. Connect the device: Use the provided data cable to connect your device to a computer or mobile device. Ensure the connection is stable and uninterrupted.
3. In the settings page, check the current version number. If a new version is available, click the upgrade button and wait for the firmware to update.
4. After the upgrade is complete, restart the device to enter the latest firmware version.

Power Indicator

After powering on, the light on PAD16 will indicate the current battery level. The power indicator works as follows:

• When MEDO battery is 0-20%, the PAD16 light will flash red.
• When MEDO battery is 20-30%, the PAD16 light will be solid red.
• When MEDO battery is 30-80%, the PAD16 light will be solid yellow.
• When MEDO battery is 80-100%, the PAD16 light will be solid green.

When charging, the indicator works as follows:

• After connecting to a power source, the PAD16 light will be solid white.
• Once fully charged, the PAD16 light will be solid green.

SPECIFICATIONS