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MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer User Manual

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1. ieii aa eiee 12 Note Length Trie Problemi ccoo licitar Tne E Eea EE lisa ette 12 Edit Sounds rile 14 Changing the Current Patch circuit tatiana ona 14 The Structure OL a SOUnd sass cis inpre aa e ila iii 14 Oscillator Aci A A Ai 14 Oscillator Bicis ai in ara ea eae es Rael Bande eA ee esate 15 Tamne swith PAW 1 NWS Cuota cdas 15 Pitch Wheel 2 2 9 naar A ini 15 Mixersa s lella tte he A as Dein i eo e ii ie See 16 Entera noia tan hire ina 16 A word about the SID Tiltericnciic tidad edit 17 AMPI ET dat A EA da A DAA anali 17 A word about the SID envelopes nono ncnn conocio conan nc cnnccnnncnnncinnos 17 Initialize Envelopes iii contr ii Se a i ia 17 Envelope Modulation ticas 18 A A 18 How to Improve Audio Quality i 19 O NR 20 http www mssiah com 2 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Second Dimite ea ae eee ee ee ae ed 20 DUN ii A A AAA eA a eae ATA lan OBC ale Boeke NAT 20 Using Control Change riei eteerinen o ea EE E E a EEE NEERA 20 The Pattern Sequence ws c cscsssssescecisoncvonssensseesssossnvessstseedovosoons sess sees sosenevess sbeacbessceestoesssesdoese 21 Playing Patterns cm A lla Weis tages 21 Open the Demo Patterns lla ioe eS ee ian 21 Select Pallet daa rai 21 A NN 21 EMP A ot MA led aM i ae dalle i EL 22 Shuttle cacti ke in ene A diel an eel 22 Chain Plain ies cand ab hes Ae ah GP a 22 ETANS POSE ran ian cask A Reato TI se 22 External Synchronizing ciare tisebe coed para
2. MIDI channel and bend ranges are saved in between sessions and even when the computer is switched off if you choose to save your changes when shutting down the MSSIAH http www mssiah com 52
3. All sixteen white keys between C and D on your MIDI keyboard correspond to pattern 1 to 16 in the current group It is possible to play this on the MIDI receive channel during external MIDI synchronization and have the Mono Synthesizer change pattern accordingly For this to work the Mono Synthesizer s sync mode must be set to MIDI PSEL in the sync settings see the Settings chapter http www mssiah com 23 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Editing Patterns Editing patterns with the MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer is much like using the Roland TB 303 s step sequencer Even though beginners find the concept a bit confusing at first it is quite simple once you learn how to use it If one seeks to create different harmonic textures that stand out the TB 303 way of editing surely is a good place to start Mono Synthesizer offers some extra help by laying out the time code visually The procedure is to first enter the notes included in the pattern Second is to edit a time line i e when and where to trigger the notes This is quite the opposite of other sequencers where notes and time lines are blended together like grid editors Note and time edits affect the currently selected pattern When chaining patterns only the first one will be edited Pitch Mode The notes are entered into the pattern in Pitch Mode Enter Pitch Mode by pressing the F1 key FUNC O Pitch mode disables sound parameters and general controls All you can do is ent
4. Conto 65 104 X o 2 Change 120 X 0 123 X o Program X Change True X 1 8 2 3 System Exclusive X X System Song pos X X Common Song sel Xx X Tune X X System Clock X O Real Time Commands X O Start Stop Aux All Sound OFF X o 120 Messages Reset Cntrl X 0 Pitch Wheel only Local ON OFF X X All Notes OFF X o 123 Active Sens X X System Res x x 1 MSSIAH Cartridge does not transmit MIDI Notes 2 Values outside of limits are recognized as top or bottom value 3 Program changes switches patch immediately Mode 1 OMNI ON POLY Mode 3 OMNI OFF POLY http www mssiah com Mode 2 OMNI ON MONO Mode 4 OMNI OFF MONO O Yes X No 49 MIDI SID SOFTWARE MIDI Controller List No Function Limit Remarks 1 Modulation Wheel 0 127 7 Patch Volume 0 15 65 Envelope Init hard restart 0 8 0 ADSR 0000 Trig 0 1 ADSR 0000 Trig 8 2 ADSR 0F00 Trig 8 3 ADSR 00FF Trig 8 4 ADSR FFFF Trig 8 5 ADSR 0F0F Trig 8 6 ADSR reload Trig 8 7 ADSR 0000 Trig 9 8 ADSR 0000 Trig 1 66 Slide Time 1 4 67 Envelope Modulation 0 31 68 Envelope Mod Frequency 0 3 0 None 1 Frequency Osc A 2 Frequency Osc B 3 Both 69 Envelope Mod Pulse Width 0 3 0 None 1 Pulse Width Osc A 2 Pulse Width Osc B 3 Both 70 Osc A Waveform 0 32 See separate table below 71 Osc B Waveform 0 8 See
5. 7 Lowpass Bandpass Highpass 8 Lowpass Ext 9 Bandpass Ext 10 Highpass Ext 11 Lowpass Bandpass Ext 12 Lowpass Highpass Ext 13 Bandpass Highpass Ext 14 Lowpass Bandpass Highpass Ext 15 Ext 91 Filter Cutoff Quick 0 127 True multiply by 2 92 Filter Cutoff Lower 0 127 True 0 127 93 Filter Cutoff Upper 0 127 True 128 255 94 Filter Resonance 0 15 95 Filter Envelope Amount 0 31 96 Filter Envelope Attack 0 15 97 Filter Envelope Decay 0 15 http www mssiah com 51 MIDI SID SOFTWARE 98 Filter Envelope Sustain 0 15 99 Filter Envelope Release 0 15 100 VCA Attack 0 15 101 VCA Decay 0 15 102 VCA Sustain 0 15 103 VCA Release 0 15 104 SID 1 SID 2 Detune 0 9 120 All Sound OFF Any 121 Reset All Controllers Any Resets pitch wheel only 123 All Notes OFF Any Limit is 0 13 when LFO runs in clock Notes mode Use cc 82 to set LFO speed in clock mode since 81 multiplies by 2 and 83 constantly sets top value 32 Selectable Waveforms Control Change 70 71 Ringmod Sync Ringmod Sync 0 OFF 1 Sine 9 17 25 2 Saw 10 18 26 3 Pulse 11 19 27 4 Noise 12 20 28 5 Sine Saw 13 21 29 6 Sine Pulse 14 22 30 7 Saw Pulse 15 23 31 8 Saw Sine Pulse 16 24 32
6. MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer It accepts cc messages with an interval of approximately 2 ms That means you shouldn t put two control change messages on the same MIDI event http www mssiah com 20 MIDI SID SOFTWARE The Pattern Sequencer Playing Patterns Playing patterns on the Mono Synthesizer is pretty straightforward If you are only interested in using the Mono Synthesizer for MIDI playing you can skip this and the next chapter Open the Demo Patterns To have some patterns to play around with you can start by opening the demo project patterns The demo contains both sounds and patterns to try out the software Now we will only open the patterns Enter the Setup Screen using the CTRL key Then using the CRSR keys to navigate and RETURN key to select choose to Open in the FILE menu Now select the last item DEMO select PATTERNS and press RETURN key Press Y key to confirm when asked if you are sure to load the demo Loading is ready in a split second Use key to return to the Main Screen Select Patterns Mono Synthesizer memorizes a total of 64 patterns organized into four groups With a specific group selected you can play any of its 16 patterns Patterns are arranged into sections of two with eight patterns in each section To select a pattern use keys 1 8 Parrser To switch sections use key for section A and CLR HOME for section B Selecting a pattern while another one is playing will put the next
7. Press RETURN key and continue to read the section for your media choice below Use CRSR keys to select Disk as media source and then press RETURN key Select device 8 is default Select a file in the directory list If the disk you have inserted does not contain any patches you are notified with the No files message box Press RETURN key to start loading or to cancel When done loading press key to return to the Main Screen Use the CRSR keys to select Tape as media source and press RETURN key A dialog asks you to press PLAY on your tape recorder and then press SPACE key to start loading The tape motor is now unlocked for you to first rewind or forward the tape to the correct position Press SPACE key to start loading and the screen goes blank When a patch file PCH is found the screen color turns green and the file continues to load If a different file type is found the operation is halted When loading is done press key to return to the Main Screen You can break the load operation anytime during the load process by pressing the RUN STOP key However this opens the initialize screen asking you to clear the memory Read more about it in the Open Project section Use CRSR keys to select SDR as media source and then press RETURN key Press SPACE key Start playing back data on your digital device When done loading press key to return to the Main Screen If a file is found with a different file type load
8. no way of auto detecting the control currently attached to your computer Unless you just started up the application and intend to run a joystick default you will have to take care of setting the controls yourself Open the Setup Screen by pressing the CTRL key Navigate with the CRSR keys to the second menu from the left SETTINGS Open up the drop down menu and select Controls http www mssiah com 9 MIDI SID SOFTWARE The first option sets the current control type either joystick or potentiometers POT JOY As you select POT all four potentiometers can be turned on or off individually CONTROLS The second option blocks the potentiometers unless the LEFT SHIFT key is depressed Why Well as you will notice potentiometers can be a bit shaky switching values periodically It s not so much of a problem when turning the VCF frequency or LFO amount but causes unintentional tweaks in case you select the wrong parameter by accident The L Shift option only passes through your pot movements whenever the LEFT SHIFT key is depressed Release it and the pots have no effect on the parameter value I i i 2 2 n S POT POT POT POT 1111 CALA oo NOOO TMZ With the L Shift option activated it is fully possible to hit the CAPS LOCK key and manually cancel the shift key prevention This is not recommended as it may cause C64 keyboard conflicts and select unwanted parameters Assigning Potentiomet
9. one for the PAL TV system Since NTSC versions run a little faster and play music at a slightly higher pitch it s a good idea to adjust the Mono Synthesizer to whatever system your computer was built for So how do you know what system your C64 is adapted to Well it s a matter of knowing what type of TV system your country region has got Generally one can say that most countries in Europe run the PAL system whereas North America and Japan use NTSC n SEA EN SLI Slide Time The slide time is adjustable in four steps on the Mono Synthesizer That means it can be used both as a legato portamento effect as well as a 303 slide A setting of 3 default is equal to the TB 303 slide MIDI Check out the chapter MIDI Mode for more info on MIDI settings http www mssiah com 29 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Advanced Random Composer The Advanced Random Composer A R C is a built in randomize feature where you can create harmonically interesting results from a set of rudimentary input parameters The program then uses those parameters to fill a pattern with total random notes though pre determined out of your settings The result can be anything from totally awesome new inspiring music to a complete mayhem it all depends on your inputs Your C64 needs to be equipped with a fully operational SID in the original socket SID oscillator 3 is used to obtain random numbers The A R C is located in the Setup screen Press the CTRL ke
10. one on hold until it s time to play it Patterns that are currently playing flash in sync with the current tempo Patterns put on hold do not flash until they start playing Run Mode Press the RUN STOP key to start playing The LED on the run stop button lights RUN ERT up to indicate that the machine is now in run mode Press RUN STOP key again to stop playing RUN STOP If Mono Synthesizer is synced to MIDI clock then the pattern sequencer starts when the MIDI master device sends a start signal The run stop button has no effect http www mssiah com 21 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Tempo You set the internal tempo in the general controls section The BPM value displayed is an estimated value J 11 SHF 0 If you are running the software on an NTSC machine make sure to adjust the system setting to NTSC see the Settings chapter for more info Shuffle The shuffle setting is next to the tempo setting J 114 SHF 3 Shuffle alters the swing of the playback with various amounts and manipulates the sync signal accordingly Too high a shuffle set at higher tempos may cause drop outs Chain Play You can play a row of up to eight consecutive patterns by holding down the key for the first one and then the last one The row of patterns lights up with the active one flashing afata tata When selecting new patterns or a new chain of patterns Mono Synthesizer first plays through the old row of patterns before mov
11. press lt to return to the Main Screen Save Project A project save includes all the patterns and patches and as well as control settings Make sure to save often to avoid losing your work To save a Mono Synthesizer project Disk e Select Save in the FILE menu e Use CRSR keys and select DISK as media source and press RETURN key Enter a non existing filename in the filename dialog You can use all letters from a z and 0 9 as well as some additional characters Use http www mssiah com 37 MIDI SID SOFTWARE INST DEL key with and without the LEFT SHIFT key to insert delete text Press RETURN when ready or to cancel and go back Select device 8 is default File saves onto disk After saving is done press key to return to the Main Screen If the disk already contains a project file with the same filename the drive light flashes and you are notified with a Save Error message box Tape e Select Save in the FILE menu e User CRSR keys to select Tape as media source and press RETURN key e Enter a filename in the dialog and press RETURN when ready or lt to cancel e A dialog box asks you to press REC PLAY on your tape recorder and then press SPACE key to start the save The tape motor is now unlocked for you to first rewind or forward the tape to the correct position e Press SPACE key to start saving e Screen goes blank while saving e When saving is done press key to return to the Main Screen e You
12. s a good idea to leave cutoff frequency at a zero value That way the filter won t jump up to whatever setting the frequency parameter has got when you reach the parameter bottom as zero envelope amount releases the filter modulation Envelope and LFO modulation can be used at the same time Activate filter LFO mod in the LFO section Envelope The envelope parameters Attack Decay Sustain and Release operate a SID envelope especially dedicated to the filter It can also be routed to modulate other parameters in the Mono Synthesizer Beware of that SID envelopes have some flaws that make them behave irrationally Read more about it below in the section A word about the SID envelopes http www mssiah com 16 MIDI SID SOFTWARE A word about the SID filter In a perfect SID world the filters would work just like any other analog digital or software filter Unfortunately the filters were inconsistent in between the SID revisions All of this is covered in the booklet MSSIAH Getting Started available for download on our site In short filters on older SIDs do not sound as good as the newer ones In fact some really old ones are completely silent when the filters are turned on In that case Mono Synthesizer and Bassline applications might appear not to work at all Amplifier The amplifier section controls the volume envelope that shapes the volume curve of the sound Attack Decay Sustain and Release all affects the built in SI
13. separate table below 72 Osc A Frequency 40 88 64 zero 73 Osc B Frequency 40 88 64 zero 74 Osc B Fine Tune 14 114 64 zero 75 Osc A Pulse Width Quick 0 127 True multiply by 2 76 Osc A Pulse Width Lower 0 127 True 0 127 77 Osc A Pulse Width Upper 0 127 True 128 255 78 Osc B Pulse Width Quick 0 127 True multiply by 2 79 Osc B Pulse Width Lower 0 127 True 0 127 80 Osc B Pulse Width Upper 0 127 True 128 255 81 LFO Frequency Quick 0 127 True multiply by 2 82 LFO Frequency Lower 0 127 True 0 127 83 LFO Frequency Upper 0 127 True 128 255 84 LFO Amount 0 31 http www mssiah com 50 MIDI SID SOFTWARE 85 LFO Control 0 None 1 Key Trig 2 MIDI clk sync LFO 3 Key Trig MIDI clk sync LFO 86 LFO Waveform 0 4 0 None 1 Sine 2 Saw 3 Pulse 4 Noise 87 LFO Destination Freq 0 3 0 None 1 Osc A Frequency 2 Osc B Frequency 3 Osc A B Frequency 88 LFO Destination Pulse Filter 0 7 0 None 1 Filter 2 Osc A Pulse Width 3 Osc B Pulse Width 4 Osc A B Pulse Width 5 Filter Osc A Pulse Width 6 Filter Osc B Pulse Width 7 Filter Osc A B Pulse Width 89 Mixer 57 71 57 A 7 64 middle 71 B 7 90 Filter Type 0 15 0 OFF 1 Lowpass 2 Bandpass 3 Highpass 4 Lowpass Bandpass 5 Lowpass Highpass 6 Bandpass Highpass
14. with the same name the drive light flashes and you are notified with a Save Error message box User CRSR keys to select Tape as media source and press RETURN key Enter a filename in the dialog and press RETURN when ready or to cancel A dialog asks you to press REC PLAY on your tape recorder and then press SPACE key to start the save The tape motor is now unlocked for you to first rewind or forward the tape to the correct position Press SPACE key to start saving Screen goes blank while saving When saving is done press key to return to the Main Screen You can break the save operation anytime during saving by pressing the RUN STOP key Use CRSR keys to select SDR as media source and then press RETURN key Enter a filename in the dialog and press RETURN when ready Select the SDR speed Now make your digital device ready start recording Press SPACE key Screen goes blank and flashes as data is transmitted When saving is done press key to return to the Main Screen You can break the save operation anytime during saving by pressing the RUN STOP key Import Patch An exported patch can be imported back into any of the eight patches in the Mono Synthesizer The current patch selected on the Main Screen is used as destination when importing To import a patch http www mssiah com 43 SDR MIDI SID SOFTWARE Select Import in the FILE menu Use CRSR keys to select to import a patch then press RETURN key
15. your MIDI sequencer plays it back 33 milliseconds ahead of the others If 33 ms doesn t cut it try slightly lower or ais higher delay settings Also play around with the init type 0 8 Gate Time When you nail it you 1l have a perfectly triggered SID envelope Envelope Modulation The envelope modulation section routes the filter envelope to other destinations Filter Envelope The amount of filter envelope is set with the Fil Env knob Zero means no modulation but does not turn it off As long as any of the destination buttons are activated the Mono Synthesizer has locked the filter envelope modulation to that particular destination Frequency Filter envelope can be applied to the frequency of both oscillator A and B Good examples of this are sirens and drum sounds with a pitch slope It makes a perfect sync and ring mod effect too Pulse Width The pulse width of both oscillators A and B can be modulated by the filter envelope You won t hear the effect unless the oscillator is set to a pulse waveform LFO The LFO used in the Mono Synthesizer app is in fact SID oscillator 3 running at a lower frequency rate It can be used to modulate several 1 LFO parameters and set to operate in any of the four standard oo DADO SID waveforms As an extra feature you can synchronize the LFO to the FREQ e 3 internal or external MIDI clock So ar FIL TRIG OJO pe AMOUNT FREQ PH http w
16. D VCA envelope A word about the SID envelopes SID envelope anomalies make them fail to trigger properly every five to eight notes or so The effect is apparent when you lower the sustain value and start applying decay settings To overcome the constant hiccups one trick is to set the attack time to a non zero value like 1 If you don t wish an audible envelope attack don t worry the value of 1 is hardly noticeable Initialize Envelopes The trick with a low attack is not always helpful e g when using extreme ADSR settings Luckily there is another way to tame the stubborn SID envelopes and that is to brutally initialize it before the next note triggers a technique often referred to as Hard restart The best timing considered is to restart it approx 33 milliseconds before the new note triggers Mono Synthesizer offers two ways of achieving this Init Envelope on Release This is the simplest form of initialization and works with both MIDI data and the internal pattern sequencer By setting this parameter every note release causes the envelope to reset For example playing the pattern sequencer makes every note trig off a hard restart Playing your MIDI keyboard makes a hard restart to occur whenever you release the current key legato playing is not affected Note that with the Init Env setting you cannot use envelope release cycles The audio is completely shut off on release This is by far the simplest f
17. Filter Input Filter Type Frequency Resonance Envelope Amount Attack Decay Sustain Release Attack Decay Sustain Release Pattern Sequencer Pitch Mode F1 F7 RETURN INST DEL Q2W3ERST6Y7UI CLR HOME RIGHT SHIFT INST DEL COMMODORE C INST DEL Reset step counter restart editing Normal Mode Tap one step forward edit current One step backward Note keys Toggle 1 octave down Toggle 1 octave up Toggle 2 octaves Toggle slide Insert note at current position Delete note at current position Pattern Sequencer Time Mode F3 F7 RETURN INST DEL RIGHT SHIFT INST DEL COMMODORE C INST DEL http www mssiah com Reset step counter restart editing Normal Mode Tap one step forward One step backward Note on Note off Pause Insert note at current position Delete note at current position MIDI SID SOFTWARE MIDI Implementation Chart MSSIAH Version 1 00 Mono Synthesizer MIDI Implementation Chart Function Transmitted 1 Recognized Remarks Basic Default X 1 16 off Memorized Channel Changed X 1 16 off Memorized Mode Default X Mode 4 Messages X X Note X 24 107 Co Be Number True Voice X 24 107 Co Be Velocity Note On x 9nH v 1 127 Note Off x 9nH v 0 or 8nH After Key s X X Touch Channel s X X 0 24 semitone steps Piter Bend x 9 14 bit resolution 1 X o 7 X 0 2
18. MSSIAH MIDI SID SOFTWARE Mono Synthesizer MIDI SID SOFTWARE Introduction 5 Using the Mono Synthesizer sicccctscscsessisnsecstessesnsesduccssdecsesnnessenovcdecseyevesdvecvssscsevesesseoecsvensessveases 6 Starting Up A alari 6 Main Screen nia aa A SO Ras tas 6 Sound CONTO ie e E AN E E AN ee E a 7 General Control iaia aia 7 Sequencer fatine di n 7 SETUP Creatas lira ala la nr 7 Sequencer Modes ciarlatani 8 Normal Mode 5 0000 ts di lei il 8 Pitch Modena tic tios lacas ist ble nadia bastado liscio 8 Time Mod rn a nta na ei ia 8 Franspose Moderne ci ie ea une late ca geese 8 MIDI Modest n alan data ds 8 NV elle ainsi ica 8 QUIUReDO Obs cccoosccocneneconinonococo EEA E AREER E EEEE ER AREA TE EEAS EAER EN EARE Ea 8 User Input Control siis sisssccssicsssseccssecesscescosescesacsescessesoncscosabsdessocsssess suas tocsebosseosdebsdevcssessoshcvastese 9 TOYS sei Mele ie ieee bees A e 9 Potentiometers mis nri Haven vaste ee Geek ia iii 9 Select Control iio A AA A ie 9 Assignino POLENTIOMELELS cocida aaa AR added 10 MIDI Md A E ET T 11 Connect your MIDI Cable ua cano aaa aiar 11 MIDE Chanel iii dei alii eee ani 11 Mode isos dai a hire lia 11 Bend Range UD tintas dni ail 12 Bend Range lO WIiida dalai da A dol tee lai 12 Mod wheel Sensitivity cisco neern iii piazze cnc E EE E Ea AGE 12 Velocity Sens Vivos tic Ii a dc 12 Velocity Modulationi cptane iaia pia 12 Escasa 12 Synchronization in MIDI mode
19. OD On m4 S D S 0 Ss C 4 0 Drie DD ra The procedure for saving and loading SDR data is very simple You are asked to start your digital device and then press space to start the C64 read write sequence Saving can be switched to verifying instead That makes the program read from the SDR device comparing the saved data to the current memory The save is then considered valid if the SDR data is identical to the memory data Several speeds are available for SDR save enabling the output to fit various devices Speed is selected when saving SDR loading automatically adjusts to incoming data While saving and loading the screen flashes in different colors Every new block of 256 bytes makes the colors change If the type of the file found when loading is wrong loading halts and you are notified Note that the C64 does not have any control of the SDR device s current state i e it cannot control the player to actually start or stop Opening the Demo Files To open the demo patterns or patches e Select Open in the FILE menu e Navigate with the CRSR keys to the menu item DEMO http www mssiah com 36 ESA n MIDI SID SOFTWARE e Press RETURN key to select to open the demo project e Choose whether to load the demo patterns or demo patches 1 leads or 2 bass sounds PATCHES 2 e Press Y key or RETURN key to confirm The N key or key cancels e When loading is done takes a split second
20. W Random When you have completed the A R C settings enter the Random menu item in the SETTINGS menu and the random NGS process starts RANDOM Note that if you haven t locked any notes for this process the EDIT task exits a When the A R C is done creating your random RANDOMIZING pattern it automatically opens it with the editor SAO Oooo window Example Look at the picture of the overall A R C settings in the top of this chapter and input the same parameters Those settings have proved to produce interesting results more than often Try it out add some notes try it with and without slide Learn to use the Advanced Random Composer as a tool to complement your creativity or for that matter a last minute help in absence thereof Editor There is an alternative way of editing patterns featured in the A R C It is opened automatically when a random pattern has been created You can open it manually by selecting the Edit item in the A R C menu http www mssiah com 31 MIDI SID SOFTWARE The editor is a simple form of piano bar grid editor where the horizontal positioning of the dot represents the timing and the vertical position its note value Navigating Use the CRSR keys to move the cursor forward and backwards The cursor is the vertical bar just above and below the grid The lower left corner of the window shows the note value at the current position in plain text Each note octave is represented by
21. ay to manipulate the volume is through the VCA envelope The balance setting is therefore a software compromise It adjusts the VCA sustain value for the oscillators respectively to match the balance setting It works really well when using an envelope with a maximum sustain value and preferably a zero decay Keep this in mind when relying on balance in your current patch tweaking the envelope may cancel the balance effect Volume The volume parameter directly affects the overall SID volume level If you experience distortion when using the filters try to lower this level one to three steps and see if it helps out Filter The filter section gives you direct control of filter type frequency tweaks and the filter envelope sass 005 00 CUTOFF RES ENV Filter Type j s You can set the SID filter to low pass band pass or POTES E ee high pass Any of the three filter types can be DEC SUS REL combined with various results If you wish to input an external signal through the C64 audio input output activate the EXT parameter Cutoff Frequency The cutoff frequency is directly routed to the SID filter frequency It works as long as no other modulator affects it When using LFO on the filter the cutoff setting determines the lowest point of the LFO modulation Resonance This parameter sets the SID filter resonance Envelope Modulation This parameter applies envelope modulation to the filter When tweaking it it
22. can break the save operation anytime during saving by pressing the RUN STOP key SDR e Select Save in the FILE menu e Use CRSR keys to select SDR as media source and press RETURN key e Enter a filename in the dialog and press RETURN when ready or lt to cancel e Select a speed for SDR Start by using slower speeds and gradually try out the device with faster settings e Now make your digital device ready start recording e Press SPACE key e Screen goes blank and flashes while saving e When saving is done press lt key to return to the Main Screen e You can break the save operation anytime during saving by pressing the RUN STOP key Verifying SDR Saves After an SDR save data can be verified Go through the save process once again from the start and enter the exact same filename When the message box asks you to press space there is also an option to press CTRL key to start the verifying process Press CTRL key Screen goes blank Start supplying data from your digital device that is play it back not record If data is found to deviate from the current memory the verify process is interrupted and you are notified If not the verify process continues until the file is fully compared and you are notified that everything is ok Open Project To open a Mono Synthesizer project http www mssiah com 38 Disk SDR MIDI SID SOFTWARE Select Open in the FILE menu Insert the disk with the project file
23. changed S Slides Use CLR HOME key to toggle a slide for the note at the cursor s position If there is no note there no data is changed Change Pattern When you start up the editor it holds the current pattern selected You can change this at any time F1 F2 keys change banks F3 key toggle section A B F5 F6 keys select pattern GRP i SEC A PAT 1 If you change the pattern in the editor it stays selected as you return to the Main Screen Toggle grid You can toggle the grid on off by pressing the F7 key E une essi ME a SL 2 1 i GRP i SEC A PAT i http www mssiah com 33 MESS VAY N MIDI SID SOFTWARE Files Press CTRL key to open the setup screen From here you access the Mono Synthesizer file operations Use CRSR keys and RIGHT SHIFT to navigate and RETURN key to execute a function select file etc Use key to cancel step back Media Mono Synthesizer uses three types of media to load and save data disk tape and SDR Disk All disk operations start by asking you to choose device number Unless you have changed your disk drive s device number 8 is default use CRSR keys to change device number Loading from disk means that a directory window opens with a list of valid files on your floppy You then select the file you wish to load The directory window shows the amount of free blocks in the upper right corner The file operations for the floppy driv
24. different colors Blue notes reside one octave down green notes are played back at normal pitch whereas light green notes are transposed one octave up and yellow ones are the ones in the highest octave 2 GRP i SEC A PAT i Delete If you press the INST DEL key all the notes to the right are shifted one step to the left overwriting the note at the cursor s position Note that even the pattern length is decreased at the same time If you wish to keep the same pattern length you will need to make the appropriate insertion to make up for the shortened length Insert Insert is the opposite of delete When inserting a note all the ones to the right are pushed one step forward Use RIGHT SHIFT key together with the INST DEL to perform an insertion As you make the insert the rest of the pattern is moved one step to the right and leaves an open space at the cursor s position for you to insert a new note Notes that are pushed out of the window are lost Clear Pattern Press RIGHT SHIFT key and CLR HOME key to clear the whole pattern You are asked to confirm your choice before the pattern is cleared http www mssiah com 32 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Alter Notes Use the note keys Q2W3ER5T6Y7UD to alter the note value at the cursor s position Octaves and slides are not affected Octaves Use and keys to toggle the octave on the note at the cursor s position If you try this at a point where there is no note no data is
25. e Sequencer application it is of lesser importance for the Mono Synthesizer To not cause misbehavior of the application you are advised to initialize memory if you for any reason have interrupted a load operation v o i O WIAA a TO00CD OMacmz omz I T Y T L D P MO OTOOZ A lt 1 UC TO VD mo x oc DOSIN ei lt z OM DINDIA m o NO Press Y key or RETURN key to go through and initialize the memory If you do not carry out this initialization now you can do it later at any time with the New function in the FILE menu This message pops up if you interrupt an import also However imports cannot do any harm whatsoever so you can just ignore it Export Pattern You can export the full content of a pattern onto disk tape or SDR The exported pattern can be imported back into the Mono Synthesizer and Bassline editions To export a pattern e Select Export in the FILE menu http www mssiah com 40 Disk Tape SDR MIDI SID SOFTWARE The pattern that is exported is the current pattern selected in the Main Screen If you have selected a chain of patterns only the first one is exported Continue to read the section for your media choice below Use CRSR keys to select Disk as media source and then press RETURN key Enter a non existing filename in the filename dialog You can use all letters from a z and 0 9 as well as some additional characters Use INST DEL key with or without th
26. e LEFT SHIFT key to insert delete text Press RETURN key to start saving or lt to cancel Select device 8 is default When done saving press lt key to return to the Main Screen If the disk you have inserted already contains a pattern file with the same name the drive light flashes and you are notified with a Save Error message box User CRSR keys to select Tape as media source and press RETURN key Enter a filename in the dialog and press RETURN when ready or lt to cancel A dialog asks you to press REC PLAY on your tape recorder and then press SPACE key to start the save The tape motor is now unlocked for you to first rewind or forward the tape to the correct position Press SPACE key to start saving Screen goes blank while saving When saving is done press key to return to the Main Screen You can break the save operation anytime during saving by pressing the RUN STOP key Use CRSR keys to select SDR as media source and then press RETURN key Enter a filename in the dialog and press RETURN when ready Select the SDR speed Now make your digital device ready start recording Press SPACE key Screen goes blank and flashes while saving When done saving press lt key to return to the Main Screen You can break the save operation anytime during saving by pressing the RUN STOP key SDR saves can be verified as described in Verifying SDR Saves earlier in this chapter Import Pattern Exported patterns can be
27. e in the booklet MSSIAH Getting Started available for download at http www mssiah com Main Screen The Mono Synthesizer Main Screen is the default outlook when started up From here you alter sound parameters change patches and edit patterns to play The Main Screen consists of three sections Sound Controls General Controls Pattern Sequencer http www mssiah com 6 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Sound Controls The Sound Controls reside on the upper part of the screen Every parameter is assigned a special key on the C64 s keyboard Some parameters share the same key thus requiring multiple key presses to activate When a knob is active you can tweak it with your joystick or game paddle The knob visualizes its current value virtually on a circular scale That way you can roughly read out the value with just a quick look at the knob s position When using potentiometers game paddles you can have four knobs active at the same time General Controls The General Controls section is where to change patches assign the current input control change tempo and banks activate MIDI mode etc The CRSR UP DOWN and CRSR LEFT RIGHT keys select the General Control The active control is underlined with a dotted line Holding COMMODORE C key while pressing the CRSR keys alters the value Sequencer The pattern sequencer provided is accessed from the bottom of the screen It closely resembles the Roland TB 303 step sequ
28. e inactivated Transpose Mode Not really an operating mode but a special state in Normal Mode this mode is activated to alter the transpose setting for the current pattern playing MIDI Mode MIDI mode is the opposite of the Sequencer mode To activate MIDI mode press COMMODORE C key and CRSR UP key with the cursor on the MIDI Seq parameter in the controls section The screen goes blank and awaits MIDI input If you haven t plugged in your MIDI cable into the MIDI input of the MSSIAH cartridge yet now is the time to do so Press the RUN STOP key to exit MIDI mode New In the Setup screen CTRL key you can erase all the patterns currently residing in the pattern sequencer Select the New item in the FILE menu This does not affect the current patches Patterns are also lost when quitting the application Quit Reboot You can quit the Mono Synthesizer and return to the startup menu at anytime by entering the Setup screen CTRL key and select the Reboot menu item in the QUIT menu All the sound and general controls are saved in between sessions and even if the computer is switched off if you choose to save changes before turning off the MSSIAH Pattern data is not saved http www mssiah com MIDI SID SOFTWARE User Input Controls MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer uses two types of input controls Joystick and Potentiometers Joystick Joystick is the default input control Moving the joystick up and down makes the current para
29. e make use of the operating system s basic disk functionality There are no delete functions and no replace and save options built in If you try to save the file onto disk using an already existing name the save is interrupted and the drive light flashes When you need to scratch files use the Disk File Manager in the startup menu When reading the directory the correct type of files is automatically collected If there are no files of that particular type on the disk you will get a No Files error It does not necessarily mean that the disk is empty rather than empty of that type of files The file type depends on the file operation you selected whether it s a full project load or a specific import http www mssiah com 34 MIDI SID SOFTWARE MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer File Types File suffix Disk space Tape no Size P64 11 blocks 23 2 5 Kb Mono Synthesizer project PAT 1 block 7 lt 1Kb Single pattern export PCH 1 block 6 lt 1Kb Single patch export Pattern export files are compatible with the MSSIAH Bassline and vice versa Note the suffix P64 comes from its predecessor the Prophet64 www prophet64 com MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer reads Prophet64 Mono Synthesizer p64 files Tape The tape functions are standard C64 and not turbo tape A small modification bypasses the regular start and record button sensitivity so that 1t s up to the user to initiate the start of a tape load or save This opens up the possibili
30. e the copy buffer data into the pattern selected e RUN STOP key Cancel operation As you can see Mono Synthesizer uses the same standard keys like any other PC operating system for cutting copying and pasting so 1t s quite easy to remember When you have performed the copy paste the screen border returns to black and you regain control of the program http www mssiah com 27 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Settings The Mono Synthesizer settings 1 e MIDL controls synchronization etc are available in the Setup Screen Access the screen by pressing the CTRL key and use the CRSR keys key and RETURN key to navigate cancel and select action Controls Pot Joy settings were covered earlier in this manual Check out the section Select Control in the chapter User Input Controls to learn how to select controls for this application Synchronization Sync Sync selects the input for synchronization to play the sequencer patterns via MIDI MIDI CLK MIDI clock through the MIDI Input of the MSSIAH MIDI interface on the cartridge MIDI PSEL MIDI clock pattern select USER PORT Use Sync24 input on the user port When Mono Synthesizer is switched to external sync mode these settings determine how the program responds to external sync signals The MIDI PSEL accepts MIDI note input on the MIDI receive channel see the MIDI Mode chapter Any white key between C and D corresponds to pattern 1 16 in the current group The USERPORT opt
31. encer and operates in three different modes Normal Mode playing Pitch Mode enter note data and Time Mode enter a time line If you are a TB 303 sequencer novice you may have some difficulties to grasp the concept at first Once you get a hold of it though you will see the great potential creating interesting compositions with this tool If not the Advanced Random Composer still provides an additional graphic editor Last there is a second screen provided Setup Screen Pressing the CTRL key switches display to the Setup Screen From here you can choose which control to use whether you run the software on an NTSC or PAL machine access the file operations and much more The Setup Screen user interface has several windows in a DOS like environment Use the CRSR keys to open windows RETURN key to select and key to close window cancel http www mssiah com 7 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Sequencer Modes The pattern sequencer on the Main Screen operates in three different modes affecting the whole Main Screen Normal Mode Normal Mode is the default mode in which you edit sounds select patterns play patterns and synchronize the sequencer to MIDI clock Pitch Mode In Pitch Mode you enter and edit notes for the current pattern Sound Controls and General Controls are inactivated Time Mode Here is where you enter a time line for the notes in the current pattern Sound Controls and General Controls section ar
32. encer and the pattern continues to play during editing Regardless of what you use the sequencer still stays in sync with the current clock source Exiting Pitch or Time mode after editing using HOLD the sequencer catches up and still plays in sync with the rest of your gear Note that even if a chain of patterns is playing only the first pattern in the chain is the one that is actually being edited Time Mode After entering a set of notes into the pattern it is time to create the time line The length of the time line is equal to the pattern length Each step defines whether to e Trig anew note i e pick the next one from the list of notes you entered in Pitch Mode e Pause 1 16th step and hold tie the previous note e Pause playing no sound for 1 16th step Enter Time Mode by pressing F3 key If the sync setting in the Setup Menu is set to HOLD the sequencer stops running when entering Time Mode Use the following keys to define the timing information for each 1 16th note key Trig note key Pause and hold key Pause and silence It is not possible to insert a pause and hold after a silent pause The Time Mode editor adjusts this automatically Use Tap button RETURN key to step forward in the editor The corresponding LEDs light up and display the time data for each step Step backwards using the DELETE key When the step counter has reached the pattern length Time Mode exits back to Normal Mode If you wish
33. er the notes into the selected pattern The pitch mode LED lights up and the normal mode LED goes out A pattern contains up to 16 notes As you press the keys Q 2 W3ER 5 T 6 Y 7 UI on the upper part of the keyboard you input the note into the pitch storage of the pattern The note counter increments until it reaches 16 and flips over to the first note again You can reset the counter manually at anytime by pressing the pitch mode button F1 key once again New notes entered overwrite old ones C 800 E FFSCORARS E C apa UL The note LED lights up when you press the corresponding key You can see the current note and E elececgoecec e e octave in the lower left corner Pressing the octave buttons keys together with a note button toggles the note s octave Using the Tap RETURN key and Back INST DEL key buttons you can step through the note data back and forth without altering the notes Press and hold the Tap button and you can alter the octaves and slide for the current note Read more about the slide further down this chapter Play or Hold The Sync window on the Setup Screen provides two different settings for handling audio playback during Pitch Mode or Time Mode edits http www mssiah com 24 MIDI SID SOFTWARE HOLD means that audio is stopped if the sequencer is running and all your edits echo its sound to the audio output PLAY means that your edits are silent Audio is still controlled by the sequ
34. ers When using potentiometers in the Main Screen you can tweak them all at the same time and all the knobs will turn accordingly However selecting the active sound parameter for each individual potentiometer is done one at a time The Assign parameter in the General Controls section holds the current active potentiometer As the pot is activated pressing the sound control keys will select the active knob for that specific pot only Alias Controller port pin 1 X 1 2 X 2 1 Y 1 2 Y 2 http www mssiah com 10 IES VAN nl MIDI SID SOFTWARE MIDI Mode When editing sounds patterns and various other parameters Mono Synthesizer operates in Sequencer mode That means it responds to internal external clock signals and plays the pattern sequencer whenever it is started Switching the Mono Synthesizer into MIDI mode however blanks the screen and instead responds to MIDI according to the configuration in the setup menu if selected as primary control potentiometers are still active in MIDI mode too i MIDI mode is switched on in the General Controls section To switch back to Sequencer mode press the RUN STOP key Connect your MIDI Cable MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer is integrated with the MSSIAH Cartridge s built in MIDI interface The connector on top of the cartridge is a MIDI input and that is where you insert your MIDI cable that goes to the output of your sequencer or master keyboard Note that the MSSIAH cartr
35. idge does not have a MIDI output Though MIDI mode is activated in the Main Screen its setup parameters are accessed via the setup screen CHANNEL 5 MIDI NOTES MIDI Channel The MIDI channel parameter sets the receive channel 1 16 or off displayed with two dashes It does not make a lot of sense turning off the receive channel but since the MSSIAH Sequencer application is capable of handling six MIDI channels simultaneously it can also turn off individual tracks The other applications such as this one the Mono Synthesizer use it for compatibility reasons Mode When switched to MIDI mode Mono Synthesizer awaits MIDI input such as note events key on and key offs control change messages etc However by selecting C64 Keyboard instead of MIDI Notes MIDI mode will ignore all MIDI note events in favor of the built in keyboard of the C64 Control change and program change messages still work though and so does the potentiometers In other words this mode turns your MSSIAH equipped favorite 80s computer to a cool stage keyboard to really play the machine in front of a live audience http www mssiah com 11 MIDI SID SOFTWARE The C64 keys used for playing notes are the ones on the upper half of the keyboard Q2W3ER etc thereby offering full compatibility with the old Music Maker keyboard overlay in case you happen to have one of those lying around Use the F1 key to increase the base octave and F3 key to decrease
36. imported into existing ones Even exported Bassline patterns are compatible except for the accent data The pattern is imported into the currently selected pattern on the Main Screen Selecting a chain of patterns does not matter the import loads into the first one in the chain To import a pattern http www mssiah com 41 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Select Import in the FILE menu Use CRSR keys to select to import a pattern then press RETURN key Press RETURN key and continue to read the section for your media choice below Disk e Use CRSR keys to select Disk as media source and then press RETURN key e Select device 8 is default e Select a file in the directory list If the disk you have inserted does not contain any pattern files you are notified with the No files message box e When done loading press lt key to return to the Main Screen Tape e Use the CRSR keys to select Tape as media source and press RETURN key e A dialog asks you to press PLAY on your tape recorder and then press SPACE key to start loading The tape motor is now unlocked for you to first rewind or forward the tape to the correct position Press SPACE key to start loading and the screen goes blank e When a pattern file PAT is found the screen color turns green and the file continues to load If a different file type is found the operation is halted e When loading is done press lt key to return to the Main Screen You can break the load operat
37. ing on to the next Transpose Press and hold F5 key to enter transpose mode while playing While holding F5 key select a note for the transpose with the upper C64 keyboard PITCHMODE C C 00 E F FRGGHARS E Alt tt The selected transpose starts at the next measure If a whole chain of patterns are active the transpose starts at the next round When you restart the sequencer the transpose value is reset to normal none Release the F5 key to exit transpose mode http www mssiah com 22 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Tips If you want to start the transpose immediately without waiting for the next measure hold down the RIGHT SHIFT key while pressing the transpose key F5 External Synchronizing You can choose to synchronize the Mono Synthesizer s pattern sequencer with an external MIDI clock signal or a Sync24 signal input on the user port J 125 SHF 0 SEO DET 0 To activate external synchronization use the general controls and move the cursor to the clock icon When active the clock icon lights up in blue color Mono Synthesizer is now in slave mode and responds to MIDI start and stop and plays in time with your MIDI clock In the sync settings on the setup screen see the Settings chapter you can choose to use a Sync24 signal fed through the user port instead Read more about hooking up Sync24 gear to the MSSIAH in the booklet MSSIAH Getting Started available for download on our site External Pattern Select
38. ing stops and you are notified http www mssiah com 44 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Example Guide to Editing Patterns For beginners the concept of pattern editing might be a bit confusing at first A neat help on the way to master the skills of 303 pattern editing is real world examples Example 1 Michael Jackson Thriller The first example uses the classic bass line that is repeated throughout the 1982 Michael Jackson hit song Thriller The musical score looks something like this Translated to Mono Synthesizer pitches and time lines it looks like this C MINOR sixteen steps Pitches B CHE FH CH CH CH Time line ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF PAUSE ON PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE ON The first and sixth notes are played in the lowest octave Select an empty pattern with 1 8 keys Enter Pitch Mode with the F1 key Enter all the notes with the following keys U2 E5222 Enter the octaves Press F1 key once to rewind pitch mode counter press and hold the RETURN key and then press the key e Tap RETURN key forward to the sixth one hold the tap button and press key The notes are now entered Move on to the time line e Enter Time Mode with F3 key e Enter timing values with keys This will correspond with the time line of on offs and pauses that we picked out from the score earlier Hit RUN STOP key or if synced externally start the master sequencer and listen to the result h
39. ion anytime during the load process by pressing the RUN STOP key However this opens the initialize screen asking you to clear the memory Read more about it in the Open Project section SDR e Use CRSR keys to select SDR as media source and then press RETURN key e Press SPACE key when you are asked to start your SDR device e Start playing back data on your SDR device Screen flashes as data is received e When done loading press key to return to the Main Screen e Ifa file is found with a different file type loading stops and you are notified Export Patch You can export a patch including all the sound parameters onto disk tape or SDR To export a patch Select Export in the FILE menu http www mssiah com 42 Tape SDR MIDI SID SOFTWARE Use CRSR keys to select to export a patch then press RETURN key PATTERN The patch that is exported is the selected one in the Main Screen Continue to read the section for your media choice below Use CRSR keys to select Disk as media source and then press RETURN key Enter a non existing filename in the filename dialog You can use all letters from a z and 0 9 as well as additional characters Use INST DEL key with or without the LEFT SHIFT key to insert delete text Press RETURN key to start saving or to cancel Select device 8 is default When done saving press key to return to the Main Screen If the disk you have inserted already contains a patch file
40. ion makes Mono Synthesizer respond to a Sync24 signal fed into two dedicated pins on the user port That way you can slave the application to units such as the TR 606 TR 707 etc Read more about Sync24 and the user port in the booklet MSSIAH Getting Started download it on www mssiah com Tics Tics refer to how many tics of the sync clock it takes to play a full beat A value of 24 is the standard sync rate whereas 48 makes the Mono Synthesizer play at half speed thus needs the double tempo to keep up 48 tics is a great way of getting some extra shuffle resolution but it requires your master sequencer to play at double speed On Edit This parameter controls the behavior of the pitch and time modes If you select PLA Y the notes you play or tap do not echo and the sequencer continues playing Live changes while the pattern is playing are possible http www mssiah com 28 MIDI SID SOFTWARE HOLD means that the pattern sequencer stops and you will be able to hear the notes play back when entered or tapped Release This parameter decides how to deal with note offs in MIDI and the pattern sequencer If you select NORMAL the sequencer trigs off notes in a normal fashion If you select INIT ENV the envelope is initialized hard restart Read more about initializing envelopes in the section Initialize Envelopes in the Edit Sounds chapter System Commodore 64s came in two different versions one for the NTSC TV system and
41. it Use the F5 and F7 keys to increase and decrease the current patch number Bend Range up Adjust the bend range of the pitch wheel when moved upwards in 24 semitone steps Bend Range down Adjust the bend range of the pitch wheel when moved downwards in 24 semitone steps Mod wheel Sensitivity Adjust the modulation wheel sensitivity 1 e how much the wheel will affect the LFO modulation depth Mod wheel is the equivalent to control change 01 Velocity Sensitivity Adjust the velocity sensitivity from the MIDI keyboard Velocity Modulation You can choose to apply the velocity to either VCA s sustain level or the filter envelope modulation depth Sustain level velocity is applied to the VCA s sustain level directly so make sure your envelope has got a full sustain level and preferably no decay Legato Select whether to slide in between legato notes played without release in between or not This setting also applies to the C64 keyboard if MIDI mode is operating in C64 Keyboard mode Synchronization in MIDI mode MIDI clock is still active in MIDI mode to sync the LFO If you select the user port as clock source in the SYNC settings see Synchronization section in the Settings chapter DIN sync is activated instead Note Length Trig Problem Most grid editors found on popular PC Mac sequencers will default the note length to a full 16th or 32rd note see left image on next page That means the note off is sent jus
42. llela nda anna 23 External PatternSelect noli dere ir I Ri i 23 Editing Patterns ssccsccsssssescsstessecissssececsenssvondoosascessvocsesdesioesceesacboscpossesodebooneteesogsssocssoeessueteccsantes 24 Pitch Mode ecc diia das 24 Play or Hold o es Tide NRE a 24 Time M des canora eine ee is ee ela is rai 25 Stides V OCLAVES at AAA A A E RAS wees uae AA ds 25 Pattern Leonor teles oli Lasa 26 Graphic Note and Time Line Display i 26 Insert and Deli can nia O EO AR 26 Cut Copy Paste is ide 27 YI A O OO 28 Controls sist E E E E E EESE E TATE 28 Synchronization a dd tt rana 28 SM pai ila lan RR I ROIO a Ea 29 Slide Time ti ated Sine alias 29 Advanced Random COmposer oscerrrrrrrrrrrre rr sere sese seerenesina rene neonneee seco seco nice secesreeeeseeseneceone 30 Lock Notes iire e ened causal ORIANA oe ERa Ees NANI SO IIIa 30 Length iui aerea 30 Range eerlose en eaeoe RN O TRO SITE 30 Midi abusi rea ALL 31 AN CCOML lalla i 31 Group Section Patterni c usi da alia ai 31 Random A DAT IR 31 Example lio tii liebe Lasa 31 EOL EA S O Ese cee tate ta A IA te O a ai ico ate LI 31 NVI us ai 32 Dele o ee ie eee ee 32 Inserbiaiisa da a a 32 Clear AA TNT 32 Alter I NOtES T tt lia ini elia eo dale ce i 33 Change Pattern iy ies iee tie tiene wav hee wate sie iaia Lene ane ahi eels 33 Toggle grid ci it ie heel e 33 A E E E E E E EE 34 Media cen eae ee ae AA saunders oe EER eT En a SO AONDE adidas 34 Openine the Demo Piles
43. ly shut off Oscillator B The Oscillator B section contains all parameters to control the m OSCILLATOR Oscillator B Those are the same as for osc A go oo mon FREQ FINE 7 i Fine AVA The extra fine tune parameter is the only thing that differs DW the osc A and B sections It enables you to tune the B oscillator up or down in fifty steps each Fine tuning two oscillators is a great way of adding air to your sound Overdo it and you get the classic Euro pad like default factory patch 2 Teea WE pu Tuning with PAL NTSC The current pitch of the Mono Synthesizer is determined by the PAL NTSC setting on the Setup Screen Since NTSC machines run a little faster than PAL machines tuning is affected also The NTSC PAL setting is automatically set on startup if this fails Mono Synthesizer plays out of tune you need to select system manually Read more about it in the Settings chapter Pitch Wheel When using extreme bend ranges for MIDI Pitch Wheel and playing higher notes you might experience stepped pitching a k a stair casing This is due to the SID circuit not using linear values when converting digital frequency to analog audio MSSIAH itself uses the full 14 bit resolution for pitch wheel control http www mssiah com 15 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Mixer Balance Balance sets the balance between oscillator A and B Actually the SID oscillators do not have individual volume settings The only w
44. meter increase or decrease Pressing FIRE button speeds up the rate of alteration Joysticks are plugged into controller port 2 that is the one just next to the power switch Potentiometers A potentiometer is a variable resistor that changes its resistance when you turn its knob The Commodore 64 is capable of sampling the resistance value for applications such as the MSSIAH or Prophet64 Four potentiometers are handled simultaneously by connecting two pots into each controller port Mono Synthesizer is fully configurable so that you can freely select which pot to use or not Potentiometers stay active in MIDI mode too Technically it is the audio chip inside the computer that takes care of handling the potentiometers If your audio chip s pot readers are defective in any way one or more pots cannot be used and the same goes for a computer with the audio chip pulled out Check out the port diagnostics in the MSSIAH Cartridge Startup menu to test your potentiometers Old game paddles designed for Commodore computers are in fact potentiometers If you manage to find one or two of those you have a true retro style computer and are more than ready to start tweaking the Mono Synthesizer If not you can build one yourself Check out the booklet MSSIAH Getting Started on our website for schematics Select Control Being a modern computer user one has gotten used to things like plug and play these days However the MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer has
45. ng the SID circuit inside the Commodore 64 the computer s graphic chip the VIC adds a significant amount of noise in the audio chain The easiest way to reduce the noise is to blank out the screen In the Mono Synthesizer the screen goes blank whenever you press the SPACE BAR key Press it again and it reappears A convenient way to put this off your checklist when recording is to make use of the automatic blank screen feature It blanks the screen whenever the sequencer starts playing and brings 1t back when it stops External or internal sync mode does not matter 1t works in both modes You find the setting in the general controls as a monitor icon In MIDI mode the screen goes blank no matter the blank screen setting http www mssiah com 19 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Tap You can test the sound at any time by pressing the tap button RETURN key This produces a middle C tone as long as you keep the tap button depressed It s a great way to quickly test your current patch The tap feature works in normal mode only It is disabled when Mono Synthesizer is set to external sync mode Second SID Mono Synthesizer mirrors all sound parameters onto a second SID If you have one installed like with the SID2SID circuit board you can hear the sound coming out of both SIDs You do not need to activate anything as long as it s correctly installed it plays back the same audio Use it to play fat unison leads or pan hard left hard right f
46. or some stereo SID sounds or simply choose the SID you think sounds the best Detune The rightmost setting in the General Controls section is a detune SEO O DET 3 setting that sets the pitch slightly off center in each direction for SID z 1 and 2 Detuning may affect other oscillator tunings in the current patch as well When set to zero no detune is applied Using Control Change Mono Synthesizer MIDI mode enables you to control all the sound parameters via MIDI with control change messages In the MIDI Controller List chapter you will find a complete list of the control change numbers and values accepted MIDI control change messages accept a value between 0 and 127 As you may have noticed some of Mono Synthesizer s knobs range from 0 to 255 This is true for LFO frequency oscillator pulse and filter cutoff frequency There are three different ways of altering these parameters via control change messages Quick applies your value multiplied by two You reach the full range but misses every second value Lower applies the value directly but only gets up to 127 as top value Upper applies the value 128 That way you reach the upper range 128 255 Using Lower and Upper together you can reach the full range in intervals of one If you need quick tweaking across the full scale and settle with half the resolution go for the Quick option Remember to make some room in between messages when sending control change messages to the
47. orm of initializing envelopes You find the Init Env setting in the MIDI settings window on the Setup Screen Control Change 65 This option is when using the Mono Synthesizer in MIDI mode By sending the control change message 65 the envelope is immediately initialized Together with the change message 65 you also provide the type of restart that you wish to use with a value of 0 to 8 In the MIDI Controller List chapter there is a list of the different restart values For example the value 2 means that the ADSR is reset with a full decay value the rest of them being zero and the envelope trig is set to 8 disable the oscillator http www mssiah com 17 MIDI SID SOFTWARE The type 6 says reload This means that the ADSR is reloaded with the current setting instead of given an extreme restart value The type of reset that will work best depends on the envelope setting When tweaking that MIDI sequence to perfection you will probably need to try out a couple of different init types before you find the best solution Note When sending a change message 65 to the Mono Synthesizer you also change the default init type for key release init You can use any type except 6 Default is 5 7 MSSIAH riff Qua 1 16 Note In your MIDI sequencer put the control change 65 message on the same events as the notes Do this in an empty sequence on the same MIDI channel Then alter the properties for the control change sequence so that
48. ors A and B playing in unison Each oscillator has four different waveforms and separate tuning There are additional effects for the oscillators such as ring modulation waveform synchronization and fine tune The filter has a hardware envelope that can be routed to modulate both oscillator frequency and pulse width Filter types are low pass band pass and high pass or all combined External sources can be filtered too The third SID oscillator operates as an LFO with four waveforms capable of modulating oscillator frequency waveform pulse widths and filters It is also possible to synchronize the LFO to the internal or external clock Volume curve is set by the SID hardware envelope Each parameter described in this chapter is accessed with an assigned key on the C64 keyboard In the Key Map chapter you will find a complete list of those keys Oscillator A The Oscillator A section contains all parameters to control CILLATOR A Oscillator A PA te ta O LO i DO 1285F SYNC RING Waveforms che OLO The symbols on the left represent the available SID oscillator waveforms Though this software allows you to add waveforms freely it s not certain that it will produce the results you want The 8580 is capable of mixing the saw tooth triangle and pulse waveforms whereas only triangle and pulse generally work with the 6581 The noise waveform cannot be mixed Frequency The frequency parameter sets the pitch for Oscillato
49. r A in semi note steps You can pitch it up and down 24 semi notes http www mssiah com 14 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Pulse Width When selecting the pulse waveform the PW Pulse Width parameter adjusts the width of the pulse wave This produces a variety of sounds ranging from the total bleepiness of a full pulse width to warmer or sharper sounds with a narrow pulse Modulating the pulse width produces animated sounds that are similar to two detuned oscillators Classic C64 leads and fat bass sounds were built up this way The default value of 225 makes a completely full 50 50 pulse waveform Waveform Synchronization To synchronize a waveform means locking Oscillator A s frequency to the frequency of Oscillator B To hear the typical sync effect you need to change either oscillator s frequency manually or with the envelope LFO Take a look at default factory patch 5 for some examples Synchronization is a SID hardware feature Ring Modulation With this effect oscillator A becomes ring modulated to oscillator B The outcome is completely dependent on oscillator A s frequency in relation to osc B When modulating frequencies go for osc A Ring modulation works best when using the triangle waveform on both oscillators On The On setting toggles the oscillator on off Note that this parameter is turned on off inverted to the others Push your controller up to turn it off and down to turn it on When turned off Oscillator A is complete
50. rimini ei A E E aee Ea 36 Save Projecten rana ia te a A heen a A A Ye 37 Verifying SDRSaVES iia cid R EE a A rita idad 38 Open Projecti ar ireland elia iii rei ia 38 http www mssiah com 3 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Export Palais obs sia 40 Import Pattern o A A AS A AA A A A AAA rare 41 Export Patch inci rd ll incaico is 42 Import Batch aii a ere Mack x reves oe iO dies 43 Example Guide to Editing Patterns o oooomomis 45 Key Ma AA A tn 47 MIDI Implementation Chart omoocononoonnconnconncconeconncooncnon coco nono nono nonoconoconocconaconaconocconeconeconoss 49 MIDI Controller List ooocconconoooononccncnnnconccnncnnocnconnonnonocoonconononconconcoo seneo s ee cnc eee nono seo nioneceee 50 http www mssiah com 4 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Introduction The MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer software is designed to be a monophonic synthesizer application imitating the behaviors of classic analog machines Running in mono mode only the idea is to put all processing power and audio features into a one voice synthesizer and thereby increase parameter resolution and modulation capabilities beyond the other apps in the MSSIAH suite The Mono Synthesizer is fully controllable via MIDI to make a good companion with the other gear in your recording studio Playing it with a keyboard is so expressive it makes you think your C64 has a Moog label on the back To provide even further resemblance to vintage gear Mono Synthesizer takes the input from
51. t before the next adjacent if any note triggers Though most synthesizers handle this well the SID does not When trigging off a SID oscillator the chip needs a little extra time to recover before the next trig occurs http www mssiah com 12 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Therefore when working with an external sequencer shorten the length of notes so that a note off doesn t get too close to the next note on right image http www mssiah com 15 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Edit Sounds The MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer can store eight patches with your sounds A patch is the full collection of parameters that makes up the sound you are playing All the instrument data of the eight patches is saved in between sessions and can even be recalled the next time you start up the MSSIAH if you choose to save your changes before turning off the computer Changing the Current Patch Change the current patch in the general controls section Put the general control cursor under PATCH and hold the COMMODORE C key Then scroll through the patches by pressing the CRSR keys Patches can also be changed via MIDI sending a program change message Note that both manual patch changes as well as MIDI program changes set the new patch instantly That may cause incorrect pitching to occur 1f pitch modulation has been applied Playing a new note immediately corrects the pitch The Structure of a Sound The Mono Synthesizer s sound layout is based on two oscillat
52. te at the current position is displayed in the lower left corner next to the time line In Pitch Mode as you go back and forth and enter notes the cursor moves to the next trig position Insert and Delete To insert a note or time information place the cursor where you want the insertion and press RIGHT SHIFT key and INST DEL key Pitch mode inserts the same note as on the current position Time mode inserts the same time code as on the current position If it s a note it also inserts the same note as on the current position To delete place the cursor where you want the deletion to take place and press COMMODORE C key and INST DEL key The remaining pattern data to the right of the cursor is shifted one step to the left into the cursor s position Note that as you can only place the cursor on notes in Pitch Mode you need to enter Time Mode to insert and delete pauses http www mssiah com 26 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Cut Copy Paste Cut Copy Paste operations are performed by pressing and holding the PATT CLR button key together with the pattern you wish to cut copy or paste into The screen border turns gray and the software stops and awaits your choice of action Then press e Xkey to cut the pattern selected The pattern is erased and its content is placed into the copy buffer e Ckey to copy the pattern selected The pattern is left untouched but 1ts content is placed into the copy buffer e Vkey to past
53. to do this manually at anytime press the Normal Mode button F7 key Slides Octaves If you press and hold the Tap button RETURN key in pitch mode slides and octaves are toggled with the following keys DOWN button key one octave down UP button key one octave up 2 button key two octaves up SLIDE button CLR HOME key slide Whenever the sequencer plays a note that contains a slide it instantly starts to slide from the previous note However if the note was preceded by a silent pause the slide is ignored obviously and the note triggers as normal http www mssiah com 25 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Pattern Length Pattern lengths are variable in 16 steps You set the length pressing and holding Normal Mode button F7 key and tap the DOWN button key the number of times its new length E g if you wish the pattern to be 12 steps long press and hold F7 and tap the DOWN button twelve times FUNC All patterns default to a length of 16 at startup Graphic Note and Time Line Display When both Time and Pitch Mode are active the graphic note and time display below the sequencer s keyboard becomes visible and shows the timing information with a cursor at the current position The symbol represents o Trig note O Pause and hold Pause and silence By looking at the graphic display you can quickly see where and what you are editing In Time Mode as you are tapping back and forth the no
54. ttp www mssiah com 45 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Example 2 Billie Jean F minor sixteen steps Pitches F CHE FH E C B C Time line ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF Follow the procedure from example 1 but use these keys instead PITCH 5 2 E 5 E 2 B 2 TIME B means that B and are pressed at the same time http www mssiah com 46 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Key Map A full overview of keys used in the MSSIAH Mono Synthesizer US English keyboard General Keys RUN STOP SPACE F1 F3 FS F7 CTRL CRSR keys COMMODORE C RETURN Tone Controls Start stop playing Exit MIDI mode Manually blank the screen Pitch Mode Time Mode Transpose Mode Normal Mode Setup Screen Move General Control cursor Alter General Control values Tap test tone Pattern clear Env mod Q W lee j Gals scillator A O R T Y U I Oscillator B G H J Vv B http www mssiah com Fil Env Freq A B Pulse Width A B Frequency Waveform Amount Frequency A B Pulse Width A B Filter Frequency LFO sync Key Trig Waveforms Frequency Pulse Width Osc Sync Ring Modulation Oscillator On Off Frequency Fine Tune Oscillator On Off Waveforms Pulse Width Mixer Filter o we ee Amplifier DI RIGHT SHIFT MIDI SID SOFTWARE Balance Volume External
55. ty to modify a digital audio source to replace the standard 1530 datasette unit Whenever loading and saving you will have to press SPACE key on the C64 to make the computer start the load save When loading Mono Synthesizer checks the type of the file found If the file suffix does not match the correct one loading is interrupted and you are notified If the file type is correct loading automatically continues and the screen color turns green to confirm that the file is ok The tape motor is shut off at all times until you request a load or save As the dialog box asks you to start recording or playing it is finally switched back on You probably need to rewind or forward the tape to the right position before loading or saving so now is the time to do so Since the datasette buttons are not being sensed pressing rew ffw will not trigger the load save Only the SPACE key does SDR SDR is short for Serial Data Register a hidden feature never used by any peripheral device released for the C64 platform The SDR works with a serial data stream on the user port A dedicated device must handle this data to store it on a separate media http www mssiah com 35 WEBS VAY nl MIDI SID SOFTWARE This makes file management an issue for the user and not the MSSIAH file functions For example one could save SDR data onto a digital device like raw audio data The user then decides where to put the file how to handle multiple saves etc D
56. up to four game paddles stock or home built potentiometers to turn its virtual knobs If you re short on a MIDI keyboard you can play the Mono Synthesizer directly on the C64 s keyboard compatible with the Music Maker keyboard overlay Imagine solo playing in front of a live audience guaranteed to get really excited by the sheer look of someone actually playing a classic game computer from the 80s Sorry we don t carry straps Additionally the program is built around a TB 303 style sequencer that offers repetitive patterns to be played or synchronized externally If you re out of inspiration the Advanced Random Composer is featured to create sequencer patterns randomly A few basic input parameters make an impressive result Wrapped up in an appealing user interface anyone can learn in a few minutes makes the Mono Synthesizer a worthy member of the MSSIAH family We hope it will be a great tool at hand whenever you need raw monophonic MIDI SID power This manual covers all the things you need to know to operate the program http www mssiah com 5 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Using the Mono Synthesizer Starting Up To start the Mono Synthesizer select Mono Synthesizer in the startup menu and press return The program loads from the cartridge and starts up in approx 10 seconds Nodo o TV DO Comun EC The user is strongly advised to carefully read the instructions on how to properly handle the cartridg
57. ww mssiah com 18 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Frequency You can set the frequency of the LFO in 255 steps At zero the LFO stops completely The LED in the lower right corner of the LFO section blinks whenever the LFO cycle is in its upper range That way you can monitor the LFO speed If LFO sync is activated the number displayed in the FREQ knob represents the length of a full LFO cycle Amount With the amount parameter you decide how much LFO modulation to apply to the various destinations Zero means no modulation When using modulation wheel in MIDI mode any non neutral position will override this setting Waveform Selects any of the four SID waveforms Saw tooth Triangle Square or Noise random Frequency You can set the LFO to modulate the frequency of either oscillator A B or both A common use for this is when creating a vibrato Pulse Width This parameter routes the LFO amount to the pulse width of either oscillator A B or both By modulating the pulse with a lower frequency rate classic C64 pads and bass sounds come to life Filter Toggles the filter cutoff frequency as LFO destination Trig Activating the LFO to trig means that it restarts whenever a new note triggers not legato notes Sync The S button switches the LFO to sync mode LFO oscillation is now synchronized with the internal or external MIDI clock With this you can create cool LFO sweeps in sync with the music How to Improve Audio Quality When usi
58. y to access it and then use the CRSR keys to navigate to the A R C menu Random patterns are created by first telling the A R C how to operate Settings and then executing the randomizer itself Random e o x z j S DVDr OrFDm gle ti MODO zmma z a Dz Lock Notes Use the upper and lower part of your C64 keyboard to toggle the notes you wish to include in the randomize process Press CLR HOME key to clear all selected notes Length The length parameter determines how many notes that will be included in the pattern Select any number of notes in between 1 and 16 If you choose RND the A R C makes a random decision for you instead Ba Ca ER ND Range The locked notes can also be randomly placed in any octave By setting a range of to 3 octaves you increase the octave span used in the random process RANGE El http www mssiah com 30 MIDI SID SOFTWARE Slide Select whether to include a random slide or not SLIDE ON Accent Accent is a feature of the MSSIAH Bassline It is not available on the Mono Synthesizer Group Section Pattern Select which pattern to use for the random process by choosing Group 1 4 Section A B and Pattern 1 8 The currently selected pattern is automatically pre selected when entering the Setup screen If you change the selected pattern in the A R C it also changes the selected pattern on the Main Screen ee B SECTION PATTERN
59. you wish to open Use the CRSR keys to select DISK as media source and press RETURN key Select device 8 is default Wait until the directory is loaded In the directory window use CRSR keys to navigate to the file you wish to load and press RETURN key to start loading If you wish to cancel press key to go back one step If there are no files on the disk you will be notified by a message box saying No files In that case press key to go back insert a new disk and try again When the file is loaded you press the key to exit the files screen Select Open in the FILE menu Use the CRSR keys to select SDR as media source and press RETURN key Make your digital device ready The dialog box asks you to press space and then start your digital device Press SPACE key Screen goes blank and awaits your digital device Start your digital device play back Screen flashes as data is received When the file is loaded press the key to exit the files screen If a file is found with a different file type loading stops and you are notified You can break the operation anytime during loading by pressing the RUN STOP key However this opens the initialize screen asking you to clear the memory http www mssiah com 39 MESA nl MIDI SID SOFTWARE Important If you interrupt a load process of a Mono Synthesizer project you are warned that the application could suffer from an unrecoverable failure While this is a major case for th

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