Dave Smith Instruments Evolver Operation Manual
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Dave Smith Instruments Evolver Operation Manual

Dave Smith Instruments Evolver Operation Manual

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  • Page 1 Poly Evolver Keyboard Operation Manual Dave Smith Instruments...
  • Page 3 Poly Evolver Keyboard Operation Manual Version 1.0 April, 2005 Dave Smith Instruments 1590 Sylvaner Avenue St. Helena, CA 94574 USA © 2005 Dave Smith Instruments www.DaveSmithInstruments.com...
  • Page 4 Tested To Comply With FCC Standards FOR OFFICE USE 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...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Contents Quick Start Preset Notes 8 FAQs Chaining Evolvers and Polys 10 Inside Evolver Signal Flow Diagram Basic Operations Naming Programs and Combos Global Parameters Program Parameters Analog Oscillators (1 and 2) Digital Oscillators (3 and 4) Lowpass Filter Amplifier (VCA)

  • Page 6: Quick Start

    4 voices to the same sound, one of the 128 Programs in 4 Banks (512 total). It powers up in Program mode, ready to play. If you are an Evolver owner, you are already familiar with the basic Poly voice – it is the same, but now there...
  • Page 7 OMBO switches select the four parts for quick editing. Your Poly Evolver also has some very cool features for use as a stereo signal processor. In Combo mode you can have one or more voices using the External Signal Input, so the external signal can be routed to all four voices, with each voice doing different processing, such as filtering, envelope following, distortion, feedback, delay, driving a sequence, and so on.
  • Page 8 The Programs and Combos were collected from previous Evolver and Poly Evolver Rack patches, and a bunch of new ones were made up for the keyboard. Special thanks to Program contributors (past and present), including: Tim Ande...

  • Page 9: Faqs

    Frequently Asked Questions The Poly Evolver is a very flexible instrument. While this provides a wide range of operational possibilities, it also means that you can put Evolver into a state where it doesn’t seem to work. Here are some tips: •...

  • Page 10: Chaining Evolvers And Polys

    Chaining Multiple Evolvers Together The Poly Evolver Keyboard has 4 voices that are identical to the 4 voices in a rackmount Poly Evolver, and the single voice in the original desktop Evolver. This compatibility enables you to chain multiple Evolvers together to increase polyphony, using your Poly Keyboard as a controller for all chained Evolvers.
  • Page 11 You can also use one or more mono table-top Evolvers for more voices. If using one to get 5 voices (a magic number!), set the Keyboard to MIDI clock Out, and set Poly Chain to 5. Set the Evolver to MIDI Clock In.

  • Page 12: Inside Evolver

    The Poly Evolver Voice Before going through the individual parameters, following is a brief description of the architecture of a single Poly Evolver voice. The signal flow diagram on the next page is a good starting point for understanding how the Poly works.

  • Page 14: Basic Operations

    Basic Operation Program Mode When you first turn the Poly on, it is in Program Mode with the P LED lit and ROGRAM the following screen active: Program: xxx B:x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The top line shows the Program (1…128) and Bank (1…4) number of the currently selected Program, and the bottom line shows the 16-character name of the Program.
  • Page 15 Program or Combo destination, and P 2 for a different bank. ARAM If there is another Poly Evolver or Evolver Poly Chained, and they have been updated to the latest software revisions, the program/combo will be saved in the chained units also.

  • Page 16: Naming Programs And Combos

    Voice Assignment The Poly has a total of four voices, and as such uses a specific method for assigning them as keys are played. The scheme used by the Poly is a circular assignment; that is, as a new notes are received, the next unused voice is assigned to the new note.
  • Page 17 Poly. Individual Voice Outputs The Poly has a pair of output jacks for each of the four voices on the back panel, allowing separate mixing/processing of each voice. When a plug is inserted in the jack, that signal is disconnected from the mix output.

  • Page 18: Global Parameters

    MIDI Channel: ALL, 1…16 – Selects which MIDI channel to send and receive data, 1 to 16. All receives on any channel. Poly Chain: Off, 5…20 – Use this to link multiple Evolvers and Poly Evolvers into a system with more voices by intelligently processing the keys hit and passing MIDI data through to the Poly Chain MIDI out jack where it can be routed to another Evolver or Poly Evolver.
  • Page 19 Poly Chain) MIDI clock is received, but MIDI MidInNoS/S start/stop/continue messages are ignored. Prog Tempo: Off, On – When set to Off, changing a Program or Combo will not change the tempo- this is useful for keeping a constant tempo but using different sounds.
  • Page 20 MIDI Control:xxx MIDI SysEx:xx MIDI Control: Off, On – When On, the Poly will respond to MIDI controllers, and will transmit controllers from the keyboard to the MIDI Out. Controllers include Pitch Wheel, Mod wheel, Pedal 1, and pedal 2.
  • Page 21 It is handy for saving TART Programs on a computer or sending to another Poly. The dumps include Program and Bank numbers, so when received it will be stored in the same location.

  • Page 22: Program Parameters

    Following are descriptions of each Poly Evolver Program Parameter. Oscillators There are four oscillators per Poly Evolver voice. To select a particular oscillator for editing, press the appropriate oscillator switch, 1–4. Turning a knob will then adjust the parameters of the selected oscillator. Holding one of the four switches will solo that oscillator (the switch will blink) by setting the levels of the other three to zero.

  • Page 23: Digital Oscillators (3 And 4)

    ROM (preset) Waveshapes 32 – 125 in the Prophet-VS. Waveshapes 96 – 128 are user programmable in the Poly via MIDI. In the VS, the user waves were 0 - 31, and wave 127 was noise, which is not included in the Poly since the noise source is...
  • Page 24 The Poly is shipped with waves 96 – 128 the same as 1 – 31. The user waves can be changed using the software Editor. Level: 0…100 – Sets the volume of the selected Oscillator.

  • Page 25: Lowpass Filter

    Level: 0…100 – Controls the volume of external audio input connected to the Left and/or Right Audio Input jack on the back of the Poly Evolver Keyboard. The same signal is routed to all four voices. Note: Use the External Audio input type parameter in the Misc Parameters section to choose the input mode.

  • Page 26: Amplifier (Vca)

    Sustain: 0…100 – Sets the Sustain level. Release: 0…110 – Sets the Release time. Audio Mod: 0…100 – Sets the amount of audio modulation from the analog oscillator to the filter, separate in left and right channels; i.e. Oscillator 1 modulates the left filter, and Oscillator 2 mods the right filter.

  • Page 27: Highpass Filter

    (unlit), the highpass filter is placed after the analog lowpass filter and VCA (but before the Delay) and filters the Evolver’s audio accordingly. Refer to the Signal Flow diagram on page 13 for details on the signal path. There are two separate highpass filters, one for each channel, and they are controlled in tandem.

  • Page 28: Distortion

    Note: Feedback can also be used to implement plucked string physical models. Use Envelope 3 with Noise as a destination (all oscillators off). Play around with different Feedback Levels, and adjust the filter cutoff frequency. Frequency: 0…48 – Sets the base frequency of the main feedback loop. It steps in semitones from C0 to C4 (0 –...
  • Page 29 The delay takes a mix of both channels as input, and provides up to three independent taps, each of which can be individually time or level modulated. To select a delay tap for editing, press the appropriate Delay switch, 1–3. Turning a knob will then adjust the parameters of the selected Delay tap.

  • Page 30: Output Hack

    Delay is 3 steps in length 3 Steps Delay is one and a half steps in 1.5 Step length Delay is two-thirds of a step in 2/3 Step length Delay is one-third step in length 1/3 Step Delay is one-sixth step in length 1/6 Step Amount: 0…100 –...

  • Page 31: Envelope 3

    Release: 0…110 – Sets the Release time. LFOs The Poly Evolver has four identical Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs). To select a specific LFO for editing, press the appropriate switch, 1–4. Turning a knob will then adjust the parameters of the selected LFO. Holding one of the four switches will solo that LFO (the switch will blink) by setting the Amounts of the other three to zero.
  • Page 32 Amount: 0…100 – Sets the amount of LFO routed to the destination. Key Sync: When this switch is enabled (lit) the Poly Evolver re-starts the LFO each time a new note is played (Key Sync). Each LFO can be set independently.

  • Page 33: Modulators

    Mod Wheel, Key Pressure, Velocity, Breath Control, and more. Since each Evolver mod source has a single destination, the four general purpose Mods provide a way to send a mod source (such as a sequence or LFO) to additional destinations, with a different amount.

  • Page 34: Miscellaneous Parameters

    The parameter list is printed on the panel as seen above. Trigger Select: see table – Selects the source of triggers/gates for the envelope generators. In the Poly (different from the Evolver) some of the Trigger modes will automatically turn the Sequencer on. This allows gated-sequence Programs to be played without having to manually hit the S switch.
  • Page 35 There are 4 groups of key modes: Poly, Mono, Unison 1, and Unison 2. Each mode has 6 basic key modes as seen in the table. Poly is for normal polyphonic playing; in Program mode and Poly, the six key modes will have no effect, though they will in Combo when set to Mono.
  • Page 36 Osc Slop: 0…5 – The amount of random oscillator frequency slop. The analog and digital oscillators in Evolver are very accurate, and will not drift. This works great for accurate sounds, and allows precise de-tuning. The Oscillator Slop parameter allows subtle amounts of frequency drift.

  • Page 37: Sequencer Operation

    Sequencer The Poly Evolver features a 4 x 16 “analog-style” step sequencer that can generate four separate sequences of up to 16 steps each. Individual sequences can be routed to any standard modulation destination (see the table on page 41). Using VCA Envelope as a destination, for example, varies the volume of each step;...

  • Page 38: Programming A Sequence

    BPM x 24 Sixty-fourth note triplets 64trip Programming a Sequence Each of the 16 steps in the sequence has its own knob, which can be set to a value from 0-100. Turning a Step knob past 100 sets the step to “Reset.” Reset is useful for creating a sequence of fewer than 16 steps.
  • Page 39 sequence switches while recording to program all of the sequences in one write session. Hit S or W when you are done recording. TART RITE When recording from the keyboard, you cannot reach the half semitone step values. You can program rests by just hitting any key above the highest D key, and you can program a reset by hitting high C.
  • Page 40 Note that overall limits of 30 to 250 BPM still apply; for example, if you have a BPM of 120, and a sequencer step of 10, it will try to go four times faster than 120, which is 480. Since it is greater than 250, it will clamp at 250. With clever choices of BPM (using Clock Divide as necessary) you can develop a pretty wide range of timing possibilities.

  • Page 41: Modulation Destination Table

    Modulation Destinations Display Destination No destination selected Oscillator 1 Frequency Osc 1 Freq Oscillator 2 Frequency Osc 2 Freq Oscillator 3 Frequency Osc 3 Freq Oscillator 4 Frequency Osc 4 Freq Oscillator All Frequency – goes to all four OscAllFreq Oscillator 1 Level Osc1 Level Oscillator 2 Level...
  • Page 42 LFO 1 Frequency LFO 1 Freq LFO 2 Frequency LFO 2 Freq LFO 3 Frequency LFO 3 Freq LFO 4 Frequency LFO 4 Freq LFO All Frequency LFOAllFreq LFO 1 Amount LFO 1 Amt LFO 2 Amount LFO 2 Amt LFO 3 Amount LFO 3 Amt LFO 4 Amount...

  • Page 43: Modulation Source Table

    Modulation Sources Display Source No Source selected Sequence 1 Sequence1 Sequence 2 Sequence2 Sequence 3 Sequence3 Sequence 4 Sequence4 LFO 1 LFO 1 LFO 2 LFO 2 LFO 3 LFO 3 LFO 4 LFO 4 Filter Envelope FilterEnv Amp (VCA) Envelope VCA Env Envelope 3 Envelope3...

  • Page 44: Combo Parameters

    Parts with Part 1. You cannot assign more than 4 voices. For example, if you set both Part 1 and Part 2 to Poly 3, the total would be 6 voices, so it obviously it will not work in a four voice instrument. In this case, it would assign the first 3 voices to Part 1, and the last voice to Part 2, ignoring the rest of the Parts.
  • Page 45 Part. Note that the Sequencer and/or keyboard must be enabled to match the Trigger selected. In the Poly (different from the Evolver) some of the Trigger modes will automatically turn the Sequencer on. This allows gated-sequence Programs to be played without having to manually hit the S switch.
  • Page 46 Display Envelope Trigger Selections The envelopes will be triggered by either the Sequencer or Key sequencer or the keyboard. When triggered by the sequencer, the gates are on for half the step time. Simply adjust the envelope parameters (ADSR) for the desired effect.
  • Page 47 1 is set from C-2 to C2 with one voice (unison), and Part 2 is set from C#2 to C 8 with 3 voices (Poly 3). Or, you may want to stack two voices, by setting two Parts to Poly 2, and setting both keyboard ranges to the same range (C-2 to C8). You can even stack four Unison Parts, each with a different Program, for a super-thick mono synth.

  • Page 48: Midi Implementation

    MIDI data through to the Poly Chain MIDI out jack where it can be routed to another Evolver or Poly Evolver. Note that MIDI clocks are handled separately per the MIDI Clock parameter.
  • Page 49 MIDI Ch: 1…16, All – Selects the MIDI channel to use for this Part. If All is selected, it responds to any MIDI channel. If MIDI Mode is set to Off, this parameter is ignored. switch: Acts as a MIDI all-notes-off, and resets all MIDI controllers when hit ESET while the sequencer is not running.

  • Page 50: Basic Midi Messages

    MIDI Messages Received Channel Messages Status Second Third Description 1000 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note Off. Velocity is ignored 1001 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note On. Note off if vvvvvvv = 0 1010 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Polyphonic Key Pressure 1011 nnnn 0vvvvvvv 0vvvvvvv Control Change;...
  • Page 51 Channel Number 0-15. 0000 0110 Inquiry Message 0000 0010 Inquiry Reply 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 0001 Poly Evolver ID (Family LS) 0000 0000 Family MS 0000 0000 Family Member LS 0000 0000 Family Member MS 0jjj nnnn Main PIC Software version: jjj – Major rev; nnnn – Minor Rev 0jjj nnnn Voice PIC Software version: jjj –...
  • Page 52 Transmitted Channel Messages Status Second Third Description 1000 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0000000 Note Off. 1001 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note On. 1011 nnnn 0vvvvvvv 0vvvvvvv Control Change; see “Received Controller Messages” table following 1100 nnnn 0ppppppp Program change, 0 – 127 for Programs 1 – 128 within current Bank 1101 nnnn 0vvvvvvv...

  • Page 53: System Exclusive Messages

    System Exclusive Messages Note that all the System Exclusive messages use the Evolver ID, rather than the Poly Evolver ID. This maintains compatibility with Evolver, since the Programs are the same. Program Parameters If this message is received while in Combo mode, only the Parts with MIDI enabled will respond to the change.
  • Page 54 This message is ignored if the synth is in Program mode Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 0000 Evolver ID 0000 0001 File Version 0010 1010 Combo Parameter 00vv vvvv Combo Parameter number 0 – 79. See table on page 64. 0000 vvvv...
  • Page 55 End of Exclusive (EOX) 1111 0111 The Poly Evolver will respond by sending out the Program Data in the format described in the Program Data Dump on page 57. It also sends a Program Name Dump message (also on page 57) after the Program dump. This makes it a complete Program dump while maintaining compatibility with Evolvers.
  • Page 56 0vvv vvvv Program Number, 0 - 127 End of Exclusive (EOX) 1111 0111 Evolver will respond by sending out the Combo Data in the format described in the Combo Data Dump on page 57. Request Combo Edit Buffer Dump Status...
  • Page 57 Bank Number, 0 - 3 0vvv vvvv Program Number, 0 - 127 0vvv vvvv 16 name data bytes. Note that the Poly Evolver stores the basic 7 bit data. The assumption is that the data is ACSCII 1111 0111 End of Exclusive (EOX)
  • Page 58 Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 0000 Evolver ID 0000 0001 File Version 0000 0011 Edit Buffer Data 0vvv vvvv 220 bytes in “packed MS bit” format (see page 60). Includes 128 bytes of Program parameters and 64 bytes of Sequence data.
  • Page 59 Waveshape Data 0vvv vvvv Waveshape number, 0 – 127, corresponds to Waveshapes 1 – 128. Only Waveshapes 96 – 127 can be sent to Evolver and saved as user programmable; others will be ignored. 0vvv vvvv 293 bytes in “packed MS bit” format (see page 60). The 293 bytes = 256 data bytes, in the format of LS byte/MS byte, for the 128 16-bit words that make up a waveshape.

  • Page 60: Packed Data Format

    Packed Data Format Data is packed in 8 byte “packets”, with the MS bit stripped from 7 parameter bytes, and packed into an eighth byte, which is sent at the start of the 8 byte packet. Example: Input Data Packed MIDI data 1 A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 A0 00 G7 F7 E7 D7 C7 B7 A7 2 B7 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1 B0...
  • Page 61 0000 0001 File Version 0000 0100 Reset Switch 1111 0111 End of Exclusive (EOX) Only sent when Poly Chain is on and MIDI clock is set to Out Select Program Mode Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001...

  • Page 62: Global Parameter Data

    Use MIDI clock In, and retransmit MIDI clock out No change No change Use MIDI clock In, but ignore MIDI Start/Stop Not used (zero sent in Main Dump) 0 - 16 Poly Chain No Chaining 5 voices total 6 voices total 20 voices total 0 - 8...
  • Page 63 Not used (zero sent in Main Dump) Not used (zero sent in Main Dump) 0 - 16 MIDI Channel; if = 0, data received on all MIDI channels. Otherwise = channel number 1 – 16. Not used (zero sent in Main Dump) 0 –...

  • Page 64: Combo Parameter Data

    There are 4 identical parts in a Combo; they are listed below. The name of the combo follows the other parameters. Range Description 0 - 4 Mode – number of polyphonic voices Poly 4 Poly 3 Poly 2 Unison 0 - 127 Program...
  • Page 65 External Input gates the sequencer and resets the sequencer Keyboard plays sequence once Keyboard plays sequence once, resetting on mulitple notes External Trigger – the sequence plays once on an external signal Keyboard trigger – the sequence plays once when a key is hit 0 - 72 Transpose;...

  • Page 66: Program Parameter Data

    Program Parameter Data Parameter Range Description 0 - 120 Oscillator 1 Frequency, 0 – 120 in semitones (10 octave range) 0 - 100 Oscillator 1 Fine Tune; 0 = -50 cents, 50 = 0 (centered), 100 = + 50 cents 0 - 102 Oscillator 1 Shape Sawtooth...
  • Page 67 Parameter Range Description 0 - 100 VCA Level 0 - 100 VCA Envelope Amount 0 - 110 VCA Envelope Attack 0 - 110 VCA Envelope Decay 0 - 100 VCA Envelope Sustain 0 - 110 VCA Envelope Release 0 - 6 Output Pan Left channel panned fully left, Right fully to the right Left channel panned mostly left, Right mostly to the right...
  • Page 68 0 - 100 LFO 1 Amount 0 - 68 LFO 1 Destination (see destination table on page 72) 0 - 160 LFO 2 Frequency (same as LFO 1) 0 - 4 LFO 2 Shape (same as LFO 1) 0 - 100 LFO 2 Amount 0 - 68 LFO 2 Destination (see destination table on page 72)
  • Page 69 High note priority High note priority with re-trigger Last note hit priority Last note hit priority with re-trigger Add 0 for Poly, 6 for Mono, 12 for Unison 1, and 18 for Unison 2 to the above Parameter Range Description 0 - 200 Glide, Oscillator 3;...
  • Page 70 Parameter Range Description 0 - 1 Linear/Exponential envelopes 0 = Exponential, 1 = Linear 0 - 100 VCA Envelope Velocity 0 - 24 Modulation 2 Source (see Source Table on page 74) 0 - 198 Modulation 2 Amount; -99 to +99 0 - 68 Modulation 2 Destination (see destination table on page 72) 0 - 24...
  • Page 71 Parameter Range Description 0 - 198 Mod Wheel Amount; -99 to +99 0 - 68 Mod Wheel Destination (see destination table on page 72) 0 - 198 Pressure Amount; -99 to +99 0 - 68 Pressure Destination (see destination table on page 72) 0 - 198 Breath Controller Amount;...
  • Page 72 Modulation Destinations No destination selected Oscillator 1 Frequency Oscillator 2 Frequency Oscillator 3 Frequency Oscillator 4 Frequency Oscillator All Frequency – goes to all four Oscillator 1 Level Oscillator 2 Level Oscillator 3 Level Oscillator 4 Level Oscillator All Level Noise Level External In Level Oscillator 1 Pulse width...
  • Page 73 LFO 3 Amount LFO 4 Amount LFO A Amount Envelope 1 Amount Envelope 2 Amount Envelope 3 Amount Envelope A Amount Envelope 1 Attack Envelope 2 Attack Envelope 3 Attack Envelope A Attack Envelope 1 Decay Envelope 2 Decay Envelope 3 Decay Envelope A Decay Envelope 1 Release Envelope 2 Release...
  • Page 74 Modulation Sources No Source selected Sequence 1 Sequence 2 Sequence 3 Sequence 4 LFO 1 LFO 2 LFO 3 LFO 4 Filter Envelope Amp (VCA) Envelope Envelope 3 External Audio Input Peak External Audio Envelope Follower Pitch Bend Mod Wheel Pressure Midi - Breath Controller Midi - Foot Controller...
  • Page 76 Dave Smith Instruments 1590 Sylvaner Ave. St. Helena, CA 94574 USA www.DaveSmithInstruments.com...

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