EML SynKey Owner's Manual page 15

VOLTAGE CONTROUED OSCILLATOR
I OCUVl -I I .) j -J } 4 4* J mt, 6 .7
06CIUAKM CONfBOl
KMlAMlNlO «OOt WAVUOtM
MOOUIATKX OSClllATOB
VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER
* * tr
1 J J J s •
\.
U&ONANCf MOOt
FIITEB ENVELOPf
J * 6 j * 6 2 /
VOLTAGE CONTROLLED AMPLIFIER
• ING » ->
/
AMPLIFIES ENVELOPE
Fig. 2 Source Controls
:. BuUnCES. The SynKey sources are com
prised of the thirteen semitone select push
buttons and the NOISE select button. The
OCTAVE select push buttons, PORTAMENTO
and ROOT WAVEFORM (WAVESHAPE on
early instruments) are closely associated
with the sources. The sources provide the
raw pitches for the synthesizer.
A. Set the controls on your SynKey as
shown in figure 1. Note the controls shown
as SOURCE CONTROLS in figure 2.
B. Hold down a key — press the R (root)
semitone select push button and adjust the
level at either your amp or the VOLUME
control (far right) on your SynKey to obtain a
comfortable listening level. Play a little riff.
(Note: if none of the semitone push buttons
are selected — and the NOISE is not
selected you will get no sound.)
C. Depress the -1 OCTAVE push button
and play. The pitch has been transposed 1
octave lower. Push again to release and you
are back where you started. Push the + 1
push button and transpose one octave
higher. Push again to release. Note that if
both the —1 and + 1 octave buttons are
depressed + 1 always wins!
D. Depress the m2 button and release the
root. The pitch is transposed up 1 semitone.
You can repeat this for each push button
until you reach 8 va. Each button will raise
the pitch by 1 semitone until you have
covered a complete octave. With SynKey
you can learn a tune in one key and play it in
any other simply by selecting the proper
semitone push button.
E. Now depress R, 3, 5, and play. By
depressing the proper semitone select push
button you can readily play any parallel
chord. Try the following chords.
Major - R, 3, 5
Minor — R, m3, 5
Suspended- R, 4, 5
Major 7th - R, 3, 5, 7
Minor 7th - R, m3, 5, m7
Dominant — R, 3, 5, m7
Sixth - R, 3, 5, 6
Augmented— R, 3, m6
Diminished - R, m3, +4,6
F. Now release all semitone push buttons
except R and play while gradually rotating
the PORTAMENTO dial clockwise. PORT
AMENTO causes the pitch to glide to succes
sive notes. The pitch will continue to glide to
the last key depressed even if it is released
prematurely. A footswitch or footpedal may
be used to control portamento. See page 10.
G. ROOT WAVEFORM (WAVESHAPE on
early instruments) determines the basic timbre
or quality of sound on the SynKey. Rotate
this control fully clockwise. Play a simple
tune in a lower register and slowly rotate the
control counterclockwise. Note that:
the nj (square) waveform is rather
"hollow" like a clarinet.
The AA (double sawtooth) is stringlike and
up an octave.
The /\ (sawtooth) is string or brass like.
The _J1 (pulse) is very bright — reedy.
When listening to the pulse with the synthesizer
set as in fig. 1, you should hear a change in
timbre with key depression. The pulse is
being "width modulated" by the Filter En
velope to make it even brighter. More about
that later. As you become more familiar with
SynKey you will find that the ROOT WAVE
FORM control will be very useful in developing
particular timbres.
H. NOISE. Release all of the semitone select
push buttons and depress NOISE. Noise is
really the presence of all pitches at the same
time. It will prove useful later to develop surf,
wind, thunder, and percussive effects. Note
that if you depress all thirteen semitone
select buttons the result will be rather like
noise — even though you are using just 13
pitches and their overtones rather than all
pitches.
II. CONTROLLERS: Figure 3 indicates
those functions we have designated as
CONTROLLERS. The controllers are used
basically to introduce time varying changes
in pitch, timbre, and loudness.
A. MODULATION OSCILLATOR-The
MODULATION OSCILLATOR produces a
voltage which varies reasonably slowly with
time. The position of the SHAPE control
determines the way in which the voltage
changes with time, and the SPEED control
determines how often the changes occur.
1. Begin with the SHAPE at /\ and SPEED
at 5. Now hold down a key and slowly rotate
the modulation oscillator (MOD. OSC.) dial in
the OSCILLATOR CONTROL clockwise. You
will hear a vibrato which begins as a small
part of a semitone and increases to about ± 2
octaves. The MOD. OSC. control determines
the amount of modulation oscillator signal
which is applied to the SynKey VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR. The more
MOD. OSC. you apply, the greater the pitch
change. -
2. Now slowly adjust both the SPEED control
and the MOD. OSC. control (key depressed)*
You will be able to achieve a wide variety
of effects.
3. With the SPEED set rather slow and MOD.
OSC. set to about midpoint, move the shape
alternately to m\ (double sawtooth), /\
(triangle), and ru (square). You will hear a
pitch change represented by the shapes.