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SoundArt Chromasonic User Manual

Professional audio multi-effects processor
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USER'S MANUAL
revision 2 | 11.2003
soundskin version 1.11
www.soundart-hot.com

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Summary of Contents for SoundArt Chromasonic

  • Page 1 USER’S MANUAL revision 2 | 11.2003 soundskin version 1.11 www.soundart-hot.com...
  • Page 2 Soundart software is subject to the terms of the Soundart Tools Software license. Third party software is subject to the terms of their respective owners license. Third party trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    ....................................................40 40 40 A A A A Midi Implementation ........ Midi Implementation ............................42 Midi Implementation Midi Implementation ..................................42 42 B B B B Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 4: Overview

    Chromasonic is a soundskin that turns your Soundart Chameleon multi- purpose DSP hardware into a professional audio multi-effects processor. Once Chromasonic is loaded by MIDI, the Chameleon behaves in exactly the same way as any other multi-effects unit. 1.1 Main features You can run up to three stereo effects at any one time, and chain them together in a wide variety of ways.
  • Page 5 11) to virtually any effect parameter Signal meters - Input, Output and Gain Reduction (gain reduction meters only show when you are using the relevant effects - a Compressor, a Limiter, or a Gate - in one of the three FX Slots) Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 6: Sound Architecture

    EXAMPLES AND DIAGRAMS EXAMPLES AND DIAGRAMS So as you can imagine it is possible to configure Chromasonic to run three different FX side by side, each taking the input signal, processing it and sending it to the output. Or you might configure it so that each FX Slot...
  • Page 7 FX Slot. There is, of course, a whole world of mixing subtleties in between. The next figure shows a block diagram of the audio signal path inside Chromasonic as described above. You can see that the three FX Slots are essentially identical, except that FX2 and FX3 have more and more input options.

  • Page 8: Getting Started

    So you have to first make sure you have saved your personal settings and user data stored in the soundskin you are about to replace with Chromasonic. You can save it by making a quick MIDI SYSEX dump.
  • Page 9 Remember if you have an older version of Chromasonic or a different Remember if you have an older version of Chromasonic or a different Remember if you have an older version of Chromasonic or a different Remember if you have an older version of Chromasonic or a different...

  • Page 10: Operating Modes

    Chapter Operating Modes Chromasonic can work in four different operating modes. These are: Preset Mode Preset Mode : Typical preset sound navigation, for choosing Preset Mode Preset Mode between different FX set-ups stored in the memory. Edit Mode Edit Mode...
  • Page 11 THE NAVIGATION AND CONTROL BUTTONS The following diagram highlights the main buttons and knobs used for controlling Chromasonic. These are referred to throughout this manual. The only controller not magnified here is the BIG DIAL on the left of the Realtime controllers, in the centre.

  • Page 12: Operating Modes

    2.1 Preset Mode Preset Mode is for selecting from the bank of 128 presets. A Chromasonic preset is a combination of FX settings, routings and other such parameter values stored in memory. When you switch on the Chameleon with Chromasonic loaded, it automatically defaults to this Preset Mode. (the default start-up preset number can be selected from the System Mode).
  • Page 13 EQ5: 5 band parametric EQ. • COM: Compressor • LIM: Limiter • GAT: Gate • TRE: Tremolo • CHO: Chorus • FLA: Flanger • PHA: Phaser • REV: Reverb • PAN: Autopanner • WAH: Wah-Wah • PIT: Pitch Shifter Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 14: Working In Preset Mode

    Finally, on the right of the lower line, the current potentiometer group (Pot Group) number is indicated, from 1 to 4. You can change this with the PART UP/DOWN buttons. To explain - there are the three physical Realtime controller potentiometers (or ‘pots’) that you can assign to internal parameters, and you can configure up to four sets of these pots, and cycle between them controlling up to 12 parameters - hence Pot Groups.
  • Page 15 Assign Info Mode. Here you can see detailed info about the status of all the Realtime controllers. To leave this mode press SHIFT. See section 2.4 for more details on Assign Info mode. Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 16: Edit Mode

    2.2 Edit Mode This mode allows you to “go inside” the current preset and modify all the parameters. As you leave Edit Mode by pressing EDIT again, you will be given the option to save what you have been doing (see section 2.2.6 for more information on saving your edits).
  • Page 17 DELAY, as you go back up the list again you will see a different set of parameters that now correspond to the new effect that you have loaded. In this sense the PARAM list is dynamic here, as it changes according to what effect type you select. Chromasonic User’s Manual...
  • Page 18 For clarity, we have laid out all the menus that you navigate through in the tables below, with additional descriptions. The first table shows the whole structure of EDIT MODE, and the following subtables show more specifically the different parameters you find for each effect type once it is loaded, and a brief description for each effect.
  • Page 19 OutLevelL 0 - 127 For adjusting the left output volume OutLevelR 0 - 127 For adjusting the right output volume Balances the FX Slots processed output with the Wet/Dry 0% - 100% input signal it has processed Chromasonic User’s Manual...
  • Page 20 Group Page Parameter Value Description Reverb Delay ParamEQ FX Sel This is where Compressor you select the FX Limiter type to put into this Gate Slot (as listed on the See above… Tremolo right - you pick the Chorus effect using VALUE UP/DOWN) Flanger Phaser...
  • Page 21 Common you want to create specific stereo FX or dual mono set-ups.) Stereo In L This selects what the FX are to be mixed with using Dry Source In R the Global Wet/Dry mix controls In L+R Chromasonic User’s Manual...
  • Page 22 As explained in the subsection ‘NAVIGATION’ above, for FX1 FX1, FX2 FX2 and FX3 FX3, depending on the effect type loaded the parameter menus show different things. The following sections below give a brief introduction to each type of effect, its potential uses and descriptions of the parameters you can edit once it is loaded.
  • Page 23 The Chromasonic digital delay has two delay lines that can be set up independently, synchronised to MIDI and staggered in time in relation to each other.
  • Page 24 PARAMETRIC EQ PARAMETRIC EQ PARAMETRIC EQ PARAMETRIC EQ This parametric EQ is set up to have 5 bands. You use it like a tone control, to pick out 5 certain frequency areas and then decrease or enhance the volume there using the GAIN control. E.g. boost the bass and add light to the high range.
  • Page 25 The main difference is that the gain Attack 0,3ms - 100ms Limiter reduction curve of the limiter is specially shaped Release 20ms - 7s to obtain better results with loud signals that Gain -100dB .. +15dB exceed the threshold very frequently Chromasonic User’s Manual...
  • Page 26 GATE GATE GATE GATE A gate is commonly used to clean up a signal, especially where there is background noise. At a certain point as the volume of the signal drops the gate will ‘close’ and no longer allow any sound to pass through. But it can also be used with very creative results depending on what you pass through FxSel FxSel...
  • Page 27 The Chromasonic Flanger reproduces the signal on top of itself and it moves the sound around in pitch, drifting it slightly higher or lower than the original, causing the same effect.
  • Page 28 AUTOPAN AUTOPAN AUTOPAN AUTOPAN This simple effect takes the sound and moves it around in the stereo field automatically using an internal LFO. FxSel FxSel Parameter Parameter Value Value Description Description FxSel FxSel Parameter Parameter Value Value Description Description Triangle / Square / Shape You can choose the contour of the movement with Sine...
  • Page 29 Pan 4 50 Left - 50 Right Level 1 - inf .. 0 dB Level 2 - inf .. 0 dB Level 3 - inf .. 0 dB Level 4 - inf .. 0 dB Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 30: Activating/Deactivating An Effect Slot

    If you try to load a Reverb into an FX slot, and you find that the name blinks instead of loading it means there is a reverb currently activated in another FX Slot. Remember that the reverb algorithms employed in Chromasonic, as in many other quality FX units, are very DSP intensive. So you can activate one FX Slot with a reverb effect at any one time.

  • Page 31: The Real-Time Controllers

    Edit Mode as well. When you move it, the screen will always briefly show you details of what you are doing. Note that there are some specific parameters that cannot be assigned. If you try to assign them, the display will show the following message: Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 32: Potentiometer Groups

    Potentiometer Groups Instead of just three Realtime controllers to play with, in this version of Chromasonic you can now assign up to nine controllers to whatever parameter you like, split into three sets or ‘Pot Groups’ that you can toggle between.

  • Page 33: Comparing Your Edits With The Stored Preset

    - and you will still be able to store it later. Note that SHIFT also acts like a ‘cancel’ command, and will abort the saving dialogue and return to the Preset Mode without storing in just the same way. Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 34: Naming And Numbering

    (Discard Edits) If you don’t like what you have been creating and you would like to return straight away to the original saved version of the preset, choose this. Once selected, press EDIT to proceed. If you want to start over with the original preset from memory, from Preset Mode you can also use VALUE UP/DOWN to change to another preset, and then change back to load the original sound from memory.
  • Page 35 In reality this should never be a problem, even though you should have regular back-ups of all your presets anyway, because you need to make SysEx backups every time you change SoundSkin… Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 36: System Mode

    Chameleon and save it as a MIDI file, just like the other Chameleon files from us that you use to load soundskins and presets. To reload these back into Chromasonic later you simply play them to the Chameleon on any MIDI channel and the Chameleon will do the rest.
  • Page 37 SysEx information to them independently on the same MIDI chain, you can uniquely identify them using this setting MIDI Chromasonic will respond to MIDI controller change messages Rx CtlChg On / Off when this parameter is On and ignore them when Off When this is “on”, whenever you adjust a parameter,...
  • Page 38 5m/15m the Screen Saver. Levels Input -inf dB .. 0 dB Control the input signal level that goes into Chromasonic You can reset a preset’s parameters (but without losing it’s Init Preset Do it... name) so you can start again. Note: you still have to save the...

  • Page 39: Assign Info Mode

    Expression pedal info screen. (shown by a small ‘E’) Use PAGE UP and DOWN to change between Pots 1, 2 and 3 in each Pot Group. To exit this mode and go back to the mode you were working in, just press SHIFT. Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 40: Loading Soundskins

    With different soundskins it is possible that the exact configuration of commands to execute the dump may differ, but for Chromasonic it goes like this: Connect the MIDI OUT of the Chameleon to the MIDI IN of the Sequencer/Recorder machine.
  • Page 41 BEFORE you load a new soundskin, even if it is just a version update. NOTE: NOTE: There’s no risk of damaging the Chameleon with wrong or NOTE: NOTE: corrupted data, as the Chameleon simply won’t accept it. In case of error, the old soundskin will remain unharmed. Chromasonic User’s Manual...

  • Page 42: Midi Implementation

    (see table 2). Trying to modify a parameter controller that does not exist for a specific effect will not cause any effect. MIDI Ctrl Chromasonic Parameter Master Volume Expression FX1 Param0 FX1 Param1...
  • Page 43 FX2 Param22 FX2 Param23 FX2 Param24 FX2 Param25 FX2 Routing Active Fx2 Input Select FX2 Input Level FX2 Output Level L FX2 Output Level R FX2 Wet/Dry FX2 Effect Select FX3 Param0 FX3 Param1 FX3 Param2 FX3 Param3 Chromasonic User’s Manual...
  • Page 44 PROGRAM CHANGE Sending a standard MIDI program change (0xCn, program number) message to the Chameleon will cause the soundskin to load the preset with the number of the program. Preset numbers in Chromasonic have the range 001 to 128. Midi Implementation...

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