Limited warranty Elektron synthesizers are sold with one year full warranty.This warranty covers all malfunctions that may occur from normal use. Damage caused by careless handling (improper voltage connected, exposure to damp, abuse etc.) is not covered. The unit can only be returned for repair after agreement from Elektron. Customer covers cost of shipping of malfunctioning unit from customer to Elektron.
INTRODUCTION......................1-1 CONVENTIONS IN THIS MANUAL..................... 1-1 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MONOMACHINE ............1-2 KEEP IN MIND ............................ 1-2 HIGHLIGHTS ............................1-2 USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS..............1-3 FRONT / MAIN CONTROL PANEL ..................... 1-3 KEYBOARD INTERFACE, SFX-6......................1-5 REAR CONNECTORS ........................1-6 ADDITIONAL REAR CONNECTORS, SFX-6..................1-7 RACK MOUNT KIT (SFX-60MKII ACCESSORY)................
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MONOMACHINE THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MONOMACHINE Synthesizers are available in many different types and forms. Nevertheless, for most part they follow the norm how a synthesizer of its era is expected to be. Development for musi- cal tools generally comes in the form of new synthesis techniques or an increase in polyph- ony, memory or other quantitative elements.
USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS FRONT / MAIN CONTROL PANEL The Monomachine SFX-60 MKII front panel / SFX-6 main control panel: Master volume control. Sets the volume for the main output and the headphone jack. The LCD graphical interface display. LEVEL knob.
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USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS [TRIG] keys 1 to 16. Main functions of these keys are as keyboard for trigging notes, and for editing notes in GRID RECORDING mode. They are also used for choosing pat- terns, if pressed while holding one of the [BANK] keys. When functioning as a keyboard, the notes are played with velocity 80.
USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS KEYBOARD INTERFACE, SFX-6 Joystick, for real-time expression control. The joystick can individually control parame- ters for all tracks. Keyboard, for real-time playing and for use in the GRID RECORDING and LIVE RECORDING modes. [MULTI TRIG] key, used for toggling the MULTI TRIG mode. The current state of the MULTI TRIG mode is being indicated by the <MULTI TRIG>...
USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS REAR CONNECTORS Power On/Off switch. Power in. • Caution! Use only an Elektron-approved power supply with your Monomachine SFX-60 MKII. It allows the unit to be used all over the globe without the need of voltage converters. If you need a new power supply the specifications are 6VDC, 3A, 5.5x2.5mm (2.5mm inner diameter) DC power plug (power at center), ungrounded 2 prong inlet (IEC320-C8).
ADDITIONAL REAR CONNECTORS, SFX-6 AC 115/230V 50/60Hz Input with integrated fuse holder and spare fuse storage. Caution! Although the Monomachine SFX-6 can accept both 115 and 230 Volts • main current, both the voltage selector and the fuse need to be matched to the voltage.
USER INTERFACE AND CONNECTORS Switch all units on. If you do not have any previous experience of the Monomachine we suggest that you fol- low the “QUICK START” on page 10. CARE INSTRUCTIONS To ensure many years of trouble free operation, please follow the advice below: •...
THE LCD USER INTERFACE THE LCD USER INTERFACE The center of the Monomachine SFX-6/SFX-60MKII editing is the LCD graphical interface display. The interface screen for the SYNTHESIS page is printed below: The current tempo. This will show “EXT” when synced to external tempo.
+1/-1. When pressed, the step length is higher, allowing quicker adjustments. This guide assumes you have a Monomachine SFX-6 Keyboard or SFX-60MKII tabletop module with a MIDI keyboard connected. If you have a SFX-60MKII you need to take care to set the midi keyboard to play on the correct MIDI channel.
QUICK START PLAYING IN MULTI TRIG MODE Select a pattern, ranging from A01-D16. All the Monomachine presets are located in this range. Make sure the sequencer is stopped. Enter MULTI TRIG mode. On SFX-6 press the [MULTI TRIG] key and check that the <MULTI TRIG>...
QUICK START Choose to active a track using the [TRACK] keys. Below is a screen shot of how the SYNTHESIS page could look like after selecting a track. Press a [TRIG] key to add a note trig. A note trig is indicated by a red <TRIG> LED. Pressing the same [TRIG] key once more removes the note trig.
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QUICK START In LIVE RECORDING mode, you can lock parameters by turning a knob while recording. Parameters can be locked for any parameter and track. To lock parameters for a new track, select that track with the [TRACK] button and repeat the steps above. To remove a single lock in GRID RECORDING mode, press and hold the [TRIG] key and click the knob connected to the parameter you wish to remove.
MONOMACHINE OVERVIEW MONOMACHINE OVERVIEW The sound generating structure of the Monomachine differs in many ways from what is common for contemporary sound synthesizers and sequencers. The SFX-6/SFX-60MKII offers six tracks of audio synthesis/FX, effects and sequencing. All six tracks can be equipped with a sound generating or sound effecting machine of your choice, Track Effect engine including amplifier envelope, LP/BP/HP filter, synchronised tape-style delay, three LFO’s and the most refined step sequencer.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT The basic sound generating unit in the Monomachine is called a machine. Each machine is designed for generating sounds from a specific technique or method, such as analogue style pulse, SID MOS 6581 or dynamic FM. The sound generating machines allow you to get many different starting points with varied sound characteristics.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT MONOMACHINE KITS The Monomachine does not arrange sounds in what is commonly referred to as “patches”. The Monomachine equivalence of a “patch” depends on which way you are using it. • If you use the six tracks as individual synthesizers, or in POLY mode, then you could see a kit as carrying six “patches”.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT LOADING A KIT Open the KIT window by pressing the [KIT] key and select the LOAD icon using the [ARROW] keys. Press [ENTER/YES] to open the LOAD KIT window. The window presents a list of the kits stored in memory. Use the [UP] and [DOWN] keys to choose among the 128 kit slots.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT Use the arrow keys to move to the “SAVE” icon. Press [ENTER/YES] to open the KIT SAVE menu. The screen presents a list of the kits stored in memory. Use the [UP] and [DOWN] keys to choose from the 128 kit slots. Press [ENTER/YES] to select the slot where you want to save your kit.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT You can load the “UNDO KIT” to restore your most recent unintentionally lost kit. This can be useful when accidentally changing pattern and the kit is changed so that your unsaved changes are lost. When you have restored your kit using the undo kit, don’t forget to save COPY KIT When in the KIT SAVE or KIT LOAD menus you can copy and paste kits.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT • It is also possible to undo this operation. To undo the action, hold the function [FUNCTION] button and press the [PLAY] button. The message saying “UNDO KIT” indicates that the clear operation has been undone. KIT EDITING You can either create your kit from scratch, or modify an existing one and then save it to a new position.
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT Press [RIGHT] once to move the focus to the MACHINE column. Select the machine using [UP] and [DOWN]. Finally you need to press the [ENTER/YES] key to confirm your selection. The Mono-synth and the machine currently assigned to the track are indicated by •...
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT • Once the machine is copied into the copy buffer, it can be pasted many times to several tracks or kits. It will stay in the buffer until it is replaced by a new one. See section “SUPER COPY”, on page 53 for a variant of the copy operation. •...
MONOMACHINE SYNTHESIS ARRANGEMENT PARAMETER EDITING Each Monomachine track offers up to 56 parameters for the sound generation and effects. They are divided into seven pages with at most eight parameters in each. The sound generating machines form their sound from one page of up to eight parameters, called the SYNTHESIS parameters.
TRACK EFFECTS TRACK EFFECTS The track effects are independent effects systems, available to the six tracks as extensions to the machine synthesis. This chapter is a reference to all the functions you will find on the AMPLIFICATION, EFFECT and FILTER pages. The stereo track effects are applied to the sound signal as described in the figure below: LEVEL This parameter is available from all DATA pages.
TRACK EFFECTS AMP-trig can be controlled individually from the sequencer, see section “TRIG TRACKS”, on page 57 for more information. ATK (attack). This parameter controls how long time the envelope takes to reach full level. HOLD (hold) specifies the amount of time the signal is held at full level. DEC (decay) dictates the amount of time it takes for the audio signal to completely fade out after the HOLD phase has been passed.
TRACK EFFECTS audio level decline, and if the audio level would decrease when Q is raised, it would feel like a loss of bass and a weaker sound. Always leaving full headroom would result in decreased signal quality, with increased noise. Therefore we allow you to adjust the distortion to allow for the headroom your sound needs.
TRACK EFFECTS Here the panning for the stereo output is controlled. It operates in stereo when needed (balance), for example when effecting FX Machines. The default value is center. PAN (pan) positions the sound in the stereo field. A value of -64 will pan the sound hard left, a value of + 63 will pan the sound hard right.
TRACK EFFECTS BASIC FILTER CONTROLS The track effect system offers a resonant 24dB low/high/band-pass filter. The parameters are untraditional, giving the user control of both the low and high filter cut-offs, as well as a variable gap band-pass filter. BASE (filter base) controls the base filter cut-off frequency. When WDTH is set to its max- imal value, the BASE parameter functions as the cut off parameter of a high-pass filter.
TRACK EFFECTS FILTER ENVELOPE The filter envelope is trigged every time a FILTER-trig is received. This normally happens when a key on the keyboard or one of the [TRIG] keys has been pressed, or played from the sequencer or received over MIDI. The FILTER-trig can be controlled individually from the sequencer, see section “TRIG TRACKS”, on page 57 for more information.
TRACK EFFECTS EFFECTS PAGE In the EFFECTS page you find the controls for the 1-band EQ, sample rate reduction, and the tempo-synchronised tape-style delay. Using the 1-band parametric EQ, you can boost or reduce a certain frequency band. EQF (EQ frequency) sets the frequency that will be affected by the EQG parameter. EQG (EQ gain) parameter controls how much the EQ will boost (gain) or reduce the signal around the EQF frequency.
TRACK EFFECTS DELAY The delay of the Monomachine is a single tap delay with real-time adjustable delay time. Some of its functionality can resemble tape loops and solid state CCD delays. The delay time is always synchronised to the global tempo setting. DSND (delay send) controls the level of sound that will be sent to the delay loop.
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TRACK EFFECTS FIGURE 5. The function of the delay DELAY SEND LEVEL: DSND=DELAY SEND DELAY FEEDBACK: DELAY FILTER: DBAS=FILTER BASE DFB=DELAY FEEDBACK DWID=FILTER WIDTH • For using the delay for delay-line style sound sculpturing, try setting DTIM very low together with a DFB value above 32. Then play around with the delay filter set- tings.
LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATORS LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATORS Each of the 6 tracks in the Monomachine offers 3 interlaced low frequency oscillators (LFO’s), which can be used to modulate any track parameter. A typical application of an LFO is to let it sweep a filter cut-off frequency. The 18 interlaced LFO’s offer 11 waveforms and 5 trig modes.
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LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATORS SPD (speed) is a linear controller that sets a base speed that is multiplied with the MULT parameter, always in relation to the master tempo. The use of both a speed controller and a multiplier allows a very wide range of speeds, but still provides a high degree of control. To get the finest resolution keep the MULT parameter set as low as possible.
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LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATORS • If you select the same destination for two different LFO tracks their outputs will be added, making advanced layered LFO’s possible. You can create complex modulations by letting an LFO control a parameter of • another one. In the Monomachine you can sequence LFO-trig separately from other trigs.
ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS This chapter deals with all kit settings not covered in the previous chapters. ASSIGN This menu allows the joystick, note velocity and note position tracking to be assigned to up to two parameters of choice. This can allow for a lot of dynamic depth of the sound with lit- tle effort.
ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS The copy, clear, paste and undo commands are available in the ASSIGN menu. • Press [FUNCTION] + [REC], [PLAY] and [STOP] to conduct these operations. All tabs are copied as a whole, for easy transformation to other tracks or kits. JOYSTICK The first two to four tabs contain the parameters for the joystick.
ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS KEY TRACKING The Key Tracking is connected to the note index from the last key pressed. For example, if C-1 was pressed, the key tracking value will be low, and if C-8 was pressed it would reach almost its maximum value.
ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS PORTAMENTO (portamento has two options. ALWAYS means the portamento will always be active, gliding between all notes played. ONLY LEGATO makes the portamento active only when playing overlapped so called legato notes. LEGATO TRIG MODES The three parameters at the bottom of the window control which of the AMP, FILTER and LFO trigs will be active for notes played legato.
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ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS ALL TRK (all track) makes the multi trig channel control all six tracks at once. Note events received on the multi trig channel will be distributed to all six tracks for parallel mono operation. The joystick controllers, velocity and key tracking will control all tracks simultaneously, as assigned in the Assign window (see page 37).
ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS SEQ TRNSP (sequencer transpose) makes a sequence start and transposes the sequence for the first note received on the multi trig channel. Subsequent notes will only transpose the sequence and trig the multi envelope, so that the sequence loop is never broken.
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ADDITIONAL KIT SETTINGS PORT (portamento) sets the amount time it will take the for pitch of the sequence to slide between two different notes. • Sound played on the individual tracks while the multi trig is active will be under the influence of the multi envelope, so the sound level might be lower than usual.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER THE PATTERN SEQUENCER The pattern step sequencer is a central part of the Monomachine sound. It is designed to be an inspirational tool for pattern based music, or a component in the creation of dynamic multi-track monophonic sounds. The sequencer is designed both for live and studio use.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER PATTERN CHAINING You can use pattern chaining to cue up patterns to be played after one another in a loop, like a simple live sequencer for patterns. In pattern mode, hold a [BANK] button and then press the [TRIG] key for the pattern you want to be first in the chain. As long as you keep the first [TRIG] key down, subsequent [TRIG] keys pressed will add patterns to the end of the chain.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER The third parameter is the tempo multiplier. There are four possible settings, “1X”, “2X”, “3/4X” and “3/2X”. 2X allows a pattern to be played back at twice the global tempo. 3/4X allows a pattern to be played back at three quarters of the global tempo. 3/2X will play back a pattern twice as fast as the 3/4X setting.
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THE PATTERN SEQUENCER Enter GRID RECORDING mode by pressing the [RECORD] key. The <RECORD> LED above the key should now be firmly lit. You can press [PLAY] if you prefer to listen to the pattern playing while composing. It will loop over and over, until you press [STOP] to stop the playback or [PLAY] to pause it.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER • In the Monomachine, you work directly in the pattern memory. There is no need to save patterns. If you wish to keep the pattern intact you will have to copy it to another pattern before you begin editing it. See section “PATTERN COPY”, on page 52 for more information on copying patterns.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER STEP RECORDING The third method of recording notes differs a bit from the other two methods as data is input on a step by step basis. You can input notes from the keyboard and the [TRIG] keys Begin with following the instruction in section “RECORDING PREPARATIONS”, on page 46.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER Hold and press the [TRIG] key you whose content you want to clear. Then press [PLAY] to clear the note. The message “CLEAR NOTE LOCKS” will appear. The clear note lock operation can be undone by performing the clear note operation one more time.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER Make sure you are in GRID RECORDING mode. When you are on the track you wish to clear, press and hold [SCALE SETUP]. Then press [PLAY] to clear the track. The message “CLEAR PAGE” will appear. The clear track page operation can be undone by holding the [SCALE KEY] and •...
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER CLEAR TRACK While in GRID RECORDING mode, it is possible to clear a track. Make sure you are in GRID RECORDING mode. The <RECORD> LED should be lit. When you are on the track you wish to clear, press and hold [FUNCTION]. Then press [PLAY] to clear the track.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER • The paste pattern operation can be undone by holding the [FUNCTION] key and then pressing the [STOP] key. A message saying “UNDO PATTERN” will be shown in the display. CLEAR PATTERN It is also possible to completely clear a pattern of all its content. Make sure you are not in GRID RECORDING mode.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER • Melody copy is a special copy function which copies all pitch data from the track, but excludes parameter locks and machine selection and settings. Use this to transport a melody between tracks you are using different machines for. •...
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER THE TEMPO SCREEN The tempo screen is opened by pressing the [TEMPO] key. From here you can use the LEVEL knob to change the current tempo in integer steps. The [UP] and [DOWN] arrow keys change the decimal part of the tempo. Holding [FUNCTION] while editing the tempo will delay the change of tempo until you release the [FUNCTION] key.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER • The tempo is not stored in patterns or kits. However, songs can store tempo changes. PARAMETER LOCKS One major advantage of the Monomachine is the straightforward method to lock parameter settings to specific trigs steps. These snapshots are called parameter locks. A lock is a snapshot of a parameter setting.
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER note copy. Then hold the [TRIG] key for the step you want to paste the trig to, and press [STOP] to perform the paste note operation. In GRID RECORDING mode, you can verify which steps have parameter locks by •...
THE PATTERN SEQUENCER Traditionally synthesizers retrig all envelopes when a NOTE ON event (a key pressed on the keyboard) occurs. In the Monomachine NOTE ON events can be split up, allowing you to trig the amplitude envelope (AMP trig),filter envelope (FILTER trig) or the LFO’s (LFO trig) at any step of the sequence.
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THE PATTERN SEQUENCER FIGURE 7. Trig track illustrations...
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES THE ARPEGGIATOR Each track of the Monomachine (including the MIDI sequencer tracks) offers an advanced arpeggiator. The arpeggiator is a note processor that generates rhythmic note patterns from the arpeggiator settings and notes played. Most commonly arpeggiators are used for making automated real-time monophonic cycled notes based on the chord played.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES added to the cycle by pressing and releasing keys while still at least one key is pressed. This way you can build up large note-cycles quickly in auto-play sequencer style. The arpeggiator stops when all keys are released. PLAY (play direction) selects between five modes of arpeggiator playback.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES • It can be useful to turn all envelope trigging off for fast arpeggiato speeds, and allow the envelopes to give the impression of the arpeggiated chord as one sound. • If you are using a trigged LFO for a slow modulation of a parameter it can be use- ful to turn off LFO Envelope Trigging in the arpeggiator to let the LFO modulate without being restarted for each note.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES Select the track you want to edit the transpose settings for using the [TRACK] keys. TRACK (track transpose) sets the individual track transpose in semitones for the selected track. The parameter is controlled with DATA ENTRY knob A. PAT (pattern transpose) controls the transpose setting for the full pattern.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES maximal value is 80%. The swing amount parameter is the same for all the tracks of the pattern. Each track however has its own swing track. Green <TRIG> LED’s indicate the steps that will be time-shifted by swing, and the [TRIG] keys are used to switch their state.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES SLIDE The default behavior for parameter locks is that the value changes exactly when the step is played. By using the slide function, the parameter value changes made by parameter locks can be slid smoothly between the locked values. The slide tracks are saved as part of the pattern.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES FIGURE 9. Slide illustration SLIDE ILLUSTRATION. NORMAL (UNLOCKED) PARAMETER VALUE = 0 NOTE TRIGS SLIDE- TRACK PARAM. LOCK PARAM. OUTPUT THE MUTE MODE Track muting is normally performed by pressing the [TRACK] keys while holding [FUNC- TION]. The Monomachine offers an additional interface for controlling the track muting. When one hand operation is preferred, or when you want simultaneous access to both the internal and the MIDI sequencer mute tracks at once, the MUTE window is the solution.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES In addition to the <TRIG> LED’s, the Mute-state is indicated in the MUTE window. Boxes means that the track is un-muted, and a dash means it is muted. The <TRACK> LED’s will also be updated. If you press the [TRIG] keys while holding [FUNCTION] the mute change is held until [FUNCTION] is released.
ADDITIONAL SEQUENCER FEATURES POLY MODE In normal operation the Monomachine offers six tracks of multitimbral monophonic sound synthesis. Ensemble machines (see Appendix A for more information) can be used to make up to four notes chords using only one track, but for using the other machines poly- phonically you need to enter the POLY mode.
THE MIDI SEQUENCER THE MIDI SEQUENCER Each of the six internal sequencer tracks of the Monomachine sequencer is teamed with a MIDI sequencer track for controlling external MIDI gear. The six MIDI sequencer tracks are part of each pattern and operate individually, although with a few connections with the inter- nal tracks since the LFO’s are shared between the internal tracks and the MIDI sequencer tracks.
THE MIDI SEQUENCER THE MAIN MIDI SEQUENCER INTERFACE LEN (note length) sets the maximum time the note will be played until a NOTE OFF is sent. Notes can also be interrupted with NOTE OFF trigs (set by pressing a [TRIG] key while holding [FUNCTION]).
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THE MIDI SEQUENCER sequencer tracks. Read more about how to configure the MIDI output of the inter- nal sequencer in section “CONTROL OUT1”, on page 89. The Monomachine makes distinction between MIDI sent out of the unit and MIDI • received.
THE SONG MODE THE SONG MODE The Monomachine song sequencer is a tool for setting up sequences of patterns. Each song row can have unique settings for selected parameters such as pattern start, offset and length, repeats, tempo, mute information, and transposes. The song mode can be used for making a fully arranged song or for setting up looped sets of patterns for live use.
THE SONG MODE SAVE SONG Open the SONG window by pressing the [KIT/SONG] key. Use the [LEFT] and [RIGHT] keys to move to the SAVE icon. Press [ENTER/YES] to call the SAVE SONG menu. In the menu, you find a list of the songs stored in memory. Use the [UP] and [DOWN] keys to choose among the 24 song slots.
THE SONG MODE • Accurate playback of a previous song depends on the patterns it uses being unchanged since saving. Otherwise, the song will sound different. SONG PLAY To start playing a song, make sure that you are in SONG mode, and that a song is pres- ently loaded or created.
THE SONG MODE SONG EDITING The song editor is where the song is built. Here patterns are assigned to the song. The behavior of the patterns is also set in the song editor. Press the [KIT/SONG] key to open the SONG window. Move the cursor to the EDIT icon using the [ARROW] keys.
THE SONG MODE TRN (transpose) sets a pattern transpose for the song row. Use the LEVEL knob to control the value. By pressing [ENTER/YES] you enter the SONG TRACK TRANSPOSE window, where individual transpose can be set for the tracks. If an individual song track transpose is set for a row, it is indicated by a bold “T“...
THE SONG MODE SONG LOOPS Song loops are a useful tool when creating a song. By using this command you can limit the number of rows and make the structure of the song clearer. They can also be used for setting up pattern loops in order to extend the limit of maximum 64 steps per pattern.
THE SONG MODE the song transport controls as described in “SONG EDIT TRANSPORT” on page 76 to select a new position to start from. SONG TRACK TRANSPOSE Here the transpose settings for the patterns in a song are controlled. By pressing [ENTER/YES] in the transpose column of the EDIT SONG window you reach the SONG TRACK TRANSPOSE menu.
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THE SONG MODE Reach it by pressing [ENTER/YES] in the SONG EXTRA column in the EDIT SONG window.. From here you can set the mutes for the song row. Use the [TRIG] keys 1 to 6 to set the mute mask for the internal tracks, and [TRIG] keys 9 to 14 for the MIDI sequencer tracks. A muted track will be displayed as a “-”...
MONOMACHINE ROUTING MONOMACHINE ROUTING The Monomachine offers a flexible routing system for addressing the audio outputs, as well as using the audio inputs and routing between the synthesis and FX machines. Most of the routing is controlled from the EDIT KIT window. Please check section “ASSIGNING A MACHINE TO A TRACK”, on page 21 for information on how to find, open and manoeuvre it.
MONOMACHINE ROUTING USING THE AUDIO INPUTS Audio can be routed from the external inputs and be effected with both track effects and FX machines. The audio inputs are available to the FX machines found in the Monosynth named “FX”. Follow the steps below to assign Press the [KIT/SONG SETUP] key to open the KIT window.
MONOMACHINE ROUTING • All track effects, the LFO’s and the sequencer are still at your hands when using the audio inputs! Set up six tracks with various track effect settings, LFO settings and use the sequencer on top of this, and you have a unique and powerful effects processor.
MONOMACHINE ROUTING machine in NEIBOR mode to the track after, and all the track effects of the second track will be applied after the first one. Just remember to turn off the outputs of the first track. • NEIBOR mode is good for quick FX routing, when no more than one track need to be fed into the FX.
MONOMACHINE ROUTING In the example above the two first tracks are sent on the AB bus, and are thus effected by the FX machine on track 3. Track 4 and 5 are sent to the CD mix bus. Track 6 is an FX machine with input taken from the CD Mix bus, which now contains the mixed signal of track 4 and 5.
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MONOMACHINE ROUTING The example above visualises how a global routing configuration of 6xMONO configures the outputs. Like all machines, the FX machines need to be trigged before they make any • sound. The track effects are active as always, so if you want the sound to go through without decaying you need to set the DEC and REL parameters to their maximum values (127).
GLOBAL SETTINGS GLOBAL SETTINGS The Monomachine offers 8 individual slots for storing global settings. The multiple global slots are useful for using the unit in different settings. You can have one setup for studio use and another for the live set, or maybe different setups for different parts of the live set. The items listed below are available in the GLOBAL menu.
GLOBAL SETTINGS Select the AUDIO in the GLOBAL menu. Then select MASTER TUNE using the [ARROW] keys and press [ENTER/YES]. Use [UP]/[DOWN] keys to set the integer part, and [RIGHT]/[LEFT] keys to set the frac- tion. The default value is 440.0 HZ. GLOBAL ROUTING In this menu one of three audio routing selections can be set.
GLOBAL SETTINGS clock, Start, Stop) and Song Pointer Position. It is also ready for a large number of control methods to fit in a wide range of environments. MIDI CHANNELS Here the MIDI channel setup of the Monomachine is found. Select CONTROL in the GLOBAL menu.
PROGRAM CHANGE can be disabled for MIDI input and output. See section “CONTROL OUT2”, on page 90 for more information. The Monomachine SFX-6 joystick sends pitch-bend for right and left directions, CTRL CHANGE 1 (mod wheel) for the upward direction and CTRL CHANGE 2 (breath control) for the downward direction.
GLOBAL SETTINGS The available selections for all the parameters are: INT - Only internal control, no external MIDI data will be sent. • OUT - No internal control, only external MIDI data will be sent. • INT+OUT - Internal control, and MIDI data will be sent. •...
GLOBAL SETTINGS main screen shows “EXT”. If no clock signal is received, the Monomachine will fall back to its internal tempo after a few seconds. When a clock signal is received again the Monoma- chine will be synced to the external tempo. TRANSPORT (transport) controls if the Monomachine should respond to MIDI Start, Stop and Song Pointer Position.
GLOBAL SETTINGS OFS LEN (offset and length) is where the playback start and range of a pattern can be adjusted. The OFS column can set a start point for the pattern to begin to play and loop. The LEN column sets a maximum length of the pattern. Note; the offset need to be set for the LEN parameter to be accessible.
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GLOBAL SETTINGS PAT+KIT - Only the patterns and their associated kits, as selected in the RANGE tab, • will be sent. SONG+PAT+KITS - The songs specified in the RANGE tab, together with their associ- • ated patterns and kits, will be sent. RANGE (range) is where the range for the KIT, PAT+KIT and SONG+PAT+KIT transfer methods is set.
GLOBAL SETTINGS To perform the send, press [ENTER/YES]. You will see a sysex message counter on the bottom of the screen indicating how many sysex messages have been sent of the total amount of messages. SYSEX send mode “ALL” may take several minutes to complete, because of the •...
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GLOBAL SETTINGS ing on the positions you specify. If you specify KIT 03 and receive four kits, positions 3 to 6 will be written over no matter where the kits received were originally placed. VERF - The SYSEX data received is only verified to be correct, they are not stored in •...
GLOBAL SETTINGS Press [ENTER/YES] to start receiving data. A message displaying “WAITING...” shows up in the menu. Initiate the data send from the sending device. A counter will display how many messages have been received, and, if you have a bad transmission, how many erroneous messages that have been received and ignored.
GLOBAL SETTINGS port section of the Elektron homepage. Supported formats are wav and aiff. Waveforms are sent and received via MIDI. Select FILE in the GLOBAL menu. Then select DIGIPRO MGR using the [ARROW] keys and press [ENTER/YES]. Use the [UP] and [DOWN] keys to choose the different options in the MODE column. Use the [RIGHT] and [LEFT] keys to move between the MODE and POS NAME columns.
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GLOBAL SETTINGS When all waveforms have been sent to the Monomachine, press [EXIT/NO]. “WRITING WAVEFORMS” will be displayed on the screen. The transfer is now complete. If the waveforms sent to the Monomachine are newly made, after being converted • to a syx file in C6, they will be stored starting from position 1 when using the ORG method of receival.
GLOBAL SETTINGS • Note that user waveforms previously stored at the positions you send new wave- forms to will be overwritten. You can always exit the state where the Monomachine is waiting to receive wave- • forms. When the screen shows “WAITING...”, just press the [EXIT/NO] key. Use the TM-1 MIDI interface available from Elektron for up to 10x the normal MIDI •...
GLOBAL SETTINGS Put the receiving device into a waiting state, ready to receive data. Press [ENTER/YES] to make the Monomachine send the waveform. The screen will indicate that a waveform has been sent. It is not possible to send factory waveforms. If you try to do so, the message “NOT •...
GLOBAL SETTINGS When in the DIGIPRO MGR, choose ERASE and then press the [RIGHT] arrow key to move the focus to the POS NAME column. Choose the waveform you want to erase by pressing the [UP] and [DOWN] keys. Press [ENTER/YES]. A prompt will appear on the screen as seen below. Press [ENTER/YES] to erase the waveform.
GLOBAL SETTINGS • Pressing the [FUNCTION] while in the WAVEFORM NAME window key gives access to the “high score” selection method, in which you see all characters at the same time. Keep the [FUNCTION] key held while navigating using the [ARROW] keys.
EARLY STARTUP MENU EARLY STARTUP MENU To access this menu, hold the [FUNCTION] key while powering up the Monomachine. From here you can perform a variety of maintenance tasks. To choose the different alterna- tives, press the corresponding [TRIG] key. TEST MODE To enter this mode, press the first [TRIG] key.
EARLY STARTUP MENU MIDI UPGRADE By choosing this option, the Monomachine prepares itself to receive an OS upgrade via MIDI. Check that all MIDI cables are connected correctly. Load the new OS in an appropriate computer program capable of sending sysex files. We recommend the program C6 which can be found on the Elektron website.
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EARLY STARTUP MENU • If you have installed OS 1.07 or above you will experience the speed of the Ele- ktron TurboCharge protocol. You will need to have the MIDI IN port of the receiv- ing machine connected to the MIDI OUT port of the transmitting machine and vice versa for this to function.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MKI AND MKII MODELS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MKI AND MKII MODELS There exist a number of hardware differences between the MKI and MKII models of the Monomachine. Below is a compilation of the most important differences. DESIGN The height of the SFX-60MKII is 63mm including rubber feet and knobs.
CREDITS CREDITS PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Anders Andersson Magnus Forsell Anders Gärder Daniel Hansson David Möllerstedt Danjel Rydén Henrik Sallander Fredrik Åhfeldt INDUSTRIAL DESIGN Thomas Ekelund Jesper Kouthoofd ADDITIONAL DESIGN Göran Finnberg Charlie Storm USER’S MANUAL Thomas Ekelund Daniel Hansson Jon Mårtensson FACTORY DEFAULT SOUND DESIGN Pattern A01-A15...
CONTACT INFORMATION CONTACT INFORMATION ELEKTRON SUPPORT support@elektron.se ELEKTRON WEBSITE http://www.elektron.se POSTAL ADDRESS Elektron Music Machines MAV AB Erik Dahlbergsgatan 3 SE-411 26 Gothenburg Sweden...
Appendix A: MACHINE REFERENCE In this section all the Mono-synths of the Monomachine are introduced, including specifications for individual machines. SUPERWAVE SAW ILLUSTRATION BASE PITCH OSC. SUPERWAVE UNISON OSC. SuperWave takes its inspiration from the analogue world. It gives warm and thick EXTENDED UNISON OSC.
SUBX controls a square wave suboscillator, the PWAD parameter from the PW position located one octave below the base pitch. each time a note is played. SUB1 controls a sine sub oscillator, located TUNE (tune) sets the tune of the oscillator. one octave below the base pitch.
WAVE (waveform) selects the basic wave- form to be used. The available waveforms are: - TRIANGLE SAW - SAW TOOTH PULS - PULSE - MIXED The Mono-synth SID is based on the synthe- NOIS - NOISE sis of the legendary SID chip, found in the Commodore 64.
SYNC (hard sync) offers the following selec- tions: - Hard Sync is turned off SFRQ - Hard Sync is active, frequency from SFRQ PRCH - H. Sync is active, frq from previous channel DIGIPRO If SYNC is set to SFRQ, the source fre- DigiPRO offers raw digital waveforms, which quency is taken from the SFRQ parameter.
A total of 24 percussive sounds are available TIME (glide time) sets the interpolation time in the BeatBox. The sounds fill two octaves when a waveform is changed. If set to 0 the starting at C-3 and are repeated for the waveform change will be instant.The higher octaves above and under with adjusted pitch.
FM+STATIC “FM+STAT” FM+STATIC is the most versatile of the FM+ machines, and the best bet for successful FM synthesis. FM+ is 21st century FM synthesis. It imple- ments world class frequency modulation algorithms that address the complexity prob- lem normally associated with FM. All three FM+ machines are based around a number of custom made FM blocks.
TONE (tone) is a general controller for the FM+DYNAMIC “FM+DYN” FM frequencies generated in the system. FM+DYNAMIC is the wildest of the FM+ High settings introduce more high frequency machines, where the frequencies are set harmonic contents. continuously instead of using the listed fre- quency.
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CLEN (consonant length) controls how long the selected consonant will be pronounced. CVOL (consonant volume) controls the vol- ume of the consonant. Using this parameter it is possible to change the dynamics of the speech, for instance making the pro- VO is inspired by classic voice modelling grammed words sound more or less emo- methods using formant synthesis.
VO-6 TUTORIAL In GRID RECORDING mode, set a trig on Getting words out of the VO-6 is pretty step 1. Hold it while clicking the knobs for straight forward once you get to know it. In VOC1, VOC2, CONS and CLEN, so that this section we offer a short tutorial to get you these parameters get locked.
generated when the parameter is set to its max value. GND MACHINES TUNE (tune) sets the tune of the oscillator. The GND synthesis consists of three machines with very basic functionality. They can be used for adding extra tonality to other sounds.
REVERB The reverb machine is a specially designed FX MACHINES version of the Elektron Gate reverb. It offers a characteristic gated reverb known from the The FX machine group differs from the other Machinedrum. machines of the Monomachine in that they do not generate any sound by themselves.
CHORUS DYNAMIX The Chorus machine implements a 2 x 3 tap The Dynamix dynamics processor can be stereo chorus. used for increasing the overall sound level of a track or pattern. It can also be used to enhance or reduce transients. DEL (delay) controls the delay time of the taps.
DYNAMIX TUTORIAL RING MODULATOR This is just a general overview of one way The ring modulator of the Monomachine you can approach the Dynamix processor. allows you to ringmodulate an incoming sig- No exact parameter values can be given as nal with an internal carrier oscillator.
Appendix B: MIDI CONTROL REFERENCE All Data Entry parameters of the Monomachine are accessible by both MIDI control change messages and NRPN MIDI messages. This appendix lists the full MIDI implementation of the Monomachine, except SYSEX mes- sages. MONOMACHINE MIDI SPECIFICATION The Monomachine uses up to 6 midi channels starting from the Base channel for the internal sequencer and to control the six tracks of sound generation.
+------+----------------+--------------+---------------------------+-----+-----+ | NOTE | MIDI Channel Mode | Action | Trn | Rec | +------+----------------+--------------+---------------------------+-----+-----+ | ON Multi Trig All Track | Distributed to track 1-6 +------+----------------+--------------+---------------------------+-----+-----+ | OFF Multi Trig All Track | Distributed to track 1-6 +------+----------------+--------------+---------------------------+-----+-----+ | ON Multi Trig Split Key | Distributed...
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+---------+--------------------------------------------------------+ | MIDI base channel + 1: +---------+--------------------------------------------------------+ | Same as MIDI Base Channel + 0, | but exchange Track 1 to Track 2 +---------+--------------------------------------------------------+ +---------+--------------------------------------------------------+ | MIDI base channel + 2: +---------+--------------------------------------------------------+ | Same as MIDI Base Channel + 0, | but exchange Track 1 to Track 3 +---------+--------------------------------------------------------+ +---------+--------------------------------------------------------+...
Appendix C: SYSEX REFERENCE This appendix lists all Monomachine SFX-6/SFX-60/SFX-60 MKII SYSEX messages available for external control. Conventions: SYSEX kit sysex dump: Data printed with a $ sign is written in hexadecimal format. MIDI Byte | Purpose Data printed with a % sign is written in a binary bitfield ------------+---------------------------- format.
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SYSEX load pattern: b , BUS EF MIDI Byte | Purpose c , BUS CD ------------+---------------------------- d , BUS AB (SYSEX init)| $57 | Load pattern ID e:0 , NEIGHBOR %0aaaaaaa | Load pattern %aaaaaaa (0 to 127) e:1 , INP A $f7 | SYSEX end e:2 , INP B e:3 , INP A+B...
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SYSEX unused: SYSEX song request: MIDI Byte | Purpose MIDI Byte | Purpose ------------+---------------------------- ------------+---------------------------- (SYSEX init)| (SYSEX init)| $6a | Song request ID $62 | None %000aaaaa | send song %aaaaa (0 to 23) $f7 | SYSEX end $f7 | SYSEX end SYSEX unused: SYSEX unused: MIDI Byte | Purpose...
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SYSEX set status: SYSEX turbomidi speed answer MIDI Byte | Purpose MIDI Byte | Purpose ------------+---------------------------- ------------+---------------------------- (SYSEX init)| (SYSEX init)| $71 | Set status ID $11 | Speed answer ID %00aaaaaa | Set parameter %aaaaaa to ... %aaaaaaaa | bit 0 = speed 2, bit 1, = speed 3.3... %0bbbbbbb | ...
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SYSEX turboMIDI speed test 2 (master) MIDI Byte | Purpose ------------+---------------------------- (SYSEX init)| $16 | Speed test 2 (master) ID $f7 | SYSEX end SYSEX turboMIDI speed result 2 (slave) MIDI Byte | Purpose ------------+---------------------------- (SYSEX init)| $17 | Speed test 2 (result) ID $f7 | SYSEX end After reception of “speed result 2”...
INDEX DATA PAGES Amplification page Effects page Filter page Lfo pages ARPEGGIATOR 60 DELAY 32 Envelope trigging DIGIPRO MANAGER Mode Erase waveforms Octave jump Receive waveforms Play Rename waveforms Range Send waveforms Rhythm and offset DISTORTION 26 Speed EARLY START UP MENU 103 CLEAR EDIT Arpeggiator...
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Velocity MKI specifications MKII specifications LFO 34 LIVE RECORDING 48 RACK MOUNT KIT 7 LOAD RECORDING Grid recording Live recording Step recording MASTER TUNE 86 RESET MIDI Empty Auto track channel Factory Base channel Soft Channel span ROUTING 80 Control in Audio inputs Control out 1 Fx machines...
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Tempo sync UNDO TEMPO SYNC 90 Arpeggiator clear TEST MODE 103 Arpeggiator paste TRACK EFFECTS 25 Amplifier envelope Machine clear Basic filter controls Machine paste Delay Parameter lock clear Distortion Pattern clear Pattern copy Filter Slide clear Level Slide paste Song clear Portamento Song paste...
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