XILS 4 Ultimate Matrix Modular Synthesizer User Manual www.xils
Contents
1. Scan So I UNI 4 PAP ELE 5 21 SYNTHESE MODULE cares ses tM RU 5 INPUPVIDPULES Es 5 2 MODULES 5 3 DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION COMPATIBILIT Y ssssssssssccccccccccssscsssssssssssssssssscccccsssssseees 5 A INSTALLATION erce 6 AlE CICENSFR DRIVERS ee OP E Du E 6 2 dl VOU COAY CHS CI aisi deve ET E 4 1 21 you have received a eLicenser dongle from 5 1 amp 00 001 4 2 BOR DRIVERS iat cues io eco I Mun M pues Lett 6 Zo WINDOWS AP VISTA WINDONS des 7 OS XO AND WATER sau gas 7 SOUVICK START t EE 9 a IK LE E M E 9 TOO D 9 5 3 ADJUSTING THE INSTRUMENTS PARAMETERS KNOBS SWITCHES cccccccscssssseeccceeeecaseseseeecceceeeeauaeeeccccseeeeauaenseeeceeeeeeaas 9 O PRESET WEA eoo ot ed coded de eive dco easi eor doeet E ite e Dea 11 TOO2. La XILS 4 Ultimate Matrix Modular Synthesizer Init 20sc Left gt gt Vu ETT Lej RESPONSE LEVEL a RATE SYNC LEVEL ATTACK RELEASE INY TYPE LEVEL Oo OO O RMV O m OSCILLATOR 2 pius SHAPER LFO TRAPEZE 5UP 1 SHAPE LEVEL ATTACK DECAY RATE WIDTH LEVEL DECAY OFF LEVEL 48504 446 SYNC OFF SYNCHRO OSCILLATOR 3 REVERBERATION LEVEL TRAPEZE SUP 2 SHAPE LEVEL LEVEL TYPE MIX TRAPEZOID SIGNAL DELAY FADE Ls ATTACK D LEVEL 1 1 T 3 in OFF SYNCHRO NOISE GENERATOR INPUT SIGNAL OUTPUT FILTER ng IENVELOPES LFQ SEQUENCER INPUT EFFECTS COLOR LEVEL CHAHMELT1 CHANNEL CHANNEL1 CHANNEL ss een en ee IO A E SYNTH LEFT SEQUENCER 256 RANGE RANGE RANGE E V RANGE CURRENT T RC H 1 4 4 RECORD T m a 9 CLOCK RATE NOISE IB IN FX OUTPUT DUTPUT FILTER CHANNEL1 CHANNEL RESET START NEXT STOP TRAPEZOID 3 i ENY SIGMA LEVEL EXT EXT LEVEL L RING MOD REVERE E h ae 4 Mec Mid ERASE REVERSE STEP ERASE BN o EVT Lu 00 3 e Qn o gt SLEW RATE C K F LLOW2 VELOCITY AFTER TOUCH e LEGATO GLISSANDO User Manual www xils lab com Table of contents IINIRODUCTION
3. CONTROLS go A oN c E E 1 V RANGE V RANGE CURRENT s Go c 2101 1 1 6 tes B TUS D sinai F 3 H RANGE ATTACK T 3 H RANGE ATTACK 5 E LAYER RECORD CLOCK RATE Q e E E 1 8 1 8 i INFX 9 OUTPUT OUTPUT SLEFT 9 OUTPUT OUTPUT FILTER 10 CHANNEL CHANNEL2 FILTER 10 CHANNEL1 CHANNEL2 RESET START NEXT STOP TRAPEZOID n LEVEL PANEXT PANEXT LEVEL TRAPEZOID LEVEL PANEXT EXT LEVEL Lapp SLEW RATE A SLEW RATEC SLEW RATE SIGNAL 12 ENV SIGNAL 12 RING 13 RING 13 sem _ OolNl 5 5 15 15 pe lt 14 16 2 2 ERASE REVERSE STEP ERASE E ALL j T EVT LAYER 1 LAYER 2 A This is not so convenient for a computer screen so a scrolling system has been incorporated You can display either both of the synthesizers or one of them beside the sequencer modules panel The left arrow allows switching between the LEVEL ENVELOPE SHAPER ATTACK ON DECAY OSCILLATOR 3 SHAPE LEVEL REVERBERATION LEVEL TYPE MIX 1 2 OFF SYNCHRO INPUT SIGNAL CHANNEL1 LEVEL TRAPEZOID SIGNAL NOISE GENERATOR COLOR LEVEL OUTPUT FILTER 2 CHANNEL1 CHANNEL2 V RANGE H RANGE ATTACK OUTPUT CHANNEL2 PAN EXT LEVEL NOIS IN FX FILTE TRAPEZOI ENV SIGNA RING 0 REVERS STICK NA on OUTP
4. RINT 225 26 OUPO E UOCE ERUIT E 26 JM SUITE 26 124 9 JoysStck and OULDUL VOV CUS a ean Redden 27 124410 lhe Drop Down Matrix Modulati n reseni ATES 27 qp DIRE 30 12 2d EWOMAGGIMONGL FE NVCIOP CS conus md die ed lei Mac Galle Pede LE 30 NERONE m 30 L22 FSAI CONG Hm ETT 31 12 2 2 PPOUOSSOR 31 DA OSEQUENGBRO Le uM t EE E MU 32 OL PrO S CGU NET DUI OLS ctor 32 TDS DAC 0cc ne Teu DOC open 33 72920 IRCCOVAING qur red Hav d Ded I ee 33 12 3 4 JPPIavilno AS E GUTO tedesca eater tee pube DEM Mg 33 12 5 Ihe SegHencer BION assecutus estabas estes sudes eu usua fec 34 12D ON sme The 35 124 VIRTOAL KEYBOARD AND C ONTROL S 5 b e Da qui una anaes 35 12 3 INPUT MODULES E 37 12 9 TON OW Neu MIL EDU ML MEI ULM 37 MD PV MOP FO PSI IRR Re RR RE E 37 TD RS LUUD MD PIS T ONERE 3
5. EXTENDED m SYNTH LEFT SIGNALS y CONTROLS No 7 SIGNALS y CONTROLS V RANGE V RANGE NO None 1 1 Him osc ose amp osc ose P 5 Jour mi RIE ARIE PAM LUE 47 pwm FREQ e H R 1 2 V A BJBJR TI2 3 Y BJR T 2 1213 1 2 3 Y 2 1 HBE 1 1 hes E H RANGE ATTACK H RANGE ATTACK PITCH TRACK 2 FOLLOW Z 3 MOD WHEE AFTER TOUCH d OUTPUT 1 2 OUTPUT OUTPUT lt CHANNEL CHANNEL2 CHANNEL CHANNEL2 PEZON LEVEL EXT EXT LEVEL FETEE VEAD PENES ENV SIGNA D 3 TM amp 1 e Midland ia a 5 LEUTE In the Sequencer Modules panel you can switch between several tabs to display various functions Env LFO Inputs Effects Sequencer and Sequencer connections LU J J U D JJ 2 4v U NM SYNC LEVEL DELAY ATTACK RELEASE INY LEVEL P a osc ose osc ose 2 lour PWM FREGO E T PWM c E T S A 123 12 1 2 123 1 2 1 2 LFO TRAPEZESUP 1 RATE WIDTH LEVEL ATTACK DECAY LEVEL 4 TRAPEZESUP 2 1 SEQ
6. independently of this Save feature Clicking on the sequencer 256 label opens the menu where you can launch a preset save the current one or create a new one either with the current settings or with the default values The Random option allows users to initialize the sequencer with random values and trig and step numbers 12 4 Virtual keyboard and Controls The illustrated red keyboard lets you send notes to the XILS 4 by clicking on its keys The keyboard also reflects the MIDI note ON information that the XILS 4 receives whether triggered by an external keyboard controller or your DAW When the HOLD button is engaged all the notes are held until this button in disengaged 2 MODE lt IE pnm TRIG CONNEXION FE 2 m PINE eres AE 4 2 4 tar lt lt lt lt 000 L EI 24 Po m d mu t z 9 EE T TEREE PEEN IHE x wr a 5 Ad Li Li mn 0 HOLD GAT PRIORITY PORTAMENTO LEGATO GLISSANDO TRAN SIEM HIGH DM i ON fet if DELAYED KEY 0 Ji 2 F In this panel you will also find global controls and an number of keyboard related parameters NBR VOICES Sets the number of available voices in the case of polyphonic sounds KEYBORD Sets the playing mode of the synthesizer This is a drop down menu where you can choose
7. MACH DE Envelope Shaper ENVELOPE SHAPER M ATTACK DECAY OFF The envelope shaper of the synthesis part is linked Q oO Q with an internal amplifier it is the only internal connection of the synthesizer LEVEL TRAPEZOID SIGNAL The amount of the amplifier level modulated by this envelope is set by the TRAPEZOID knob and the output level is set by the SIGNAL knob The envelopes of the XILS 4 have two modes The Trapezoid is as per the original model whereas ADSR is like that found on almost all standard synthesizers ENVELOPE SHAPER DECAT OFF ATTACK 8 ENVELOPE ADSR ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE Trig Gate or Seq Gate Decay Envelope Attack Sustain With Gate Release Envelope Witheut Gate TRAPEZE Withaut gate ON TRAPEZE Attack OFF On the left is an illustration of both cycle types Envelope ADSR and Trapeze ATTACK Sets the speed of Attack and is common to both modes ON Sets the ON or Hold duration of the Trapeze mode DECAY Sets the Decay duration and is common to both modes SUSTAIN Sets the level of the sustain phase the Envelope ADSR mode RELEASE Sets the release duration of the Envelope ASDR mode OFF Sets the OFF duration of the Trapeze mode This is the time between the end of the decay and the beginning of a new cycle
8. PAN EXT Envl At 1 Dc 1 1 None Oscillators Filters Envelopes ATTACK Modulators S H Inp Effects S H Fre CHANNEL1 LEVEL PAN EXT VoltP Inp LFO Fre LFO Lev v None Oscillators Filters Envelopes gt p Modulators gt DelayL DelayR 4 LEVEL PAN EXT Pa 12 2 Additional modules For some patches the VCS3 core is not enough so we added some extra modules These include an LFO Envelopes Sample and Hold and a Voltage Processor d p DELAY ATTACK RELEASE TRAPEZESUP 1 WIDTH LEVEL ATTACK QN DECAY LEVEL SYNC ri TRAPEZESUP 2 DELAY FADE ATTACK DECAY OFF B IENVELOPES LFO MATRICE SEQ SEQUENCER INPUT EFFECTS PEPE Two additional Envelopes Two envelopes were added to the VCS3 core for a total of three envelope modulators These two additional envelopes are similar to the main envelope shaper apart from the fact that they are not connected to the internal VCA To use them you need to put a pin in the advanced matrix and selecting either Env 1 or Env 2 raw Clicking on the label changes the mode from trapezoid to standard ADSR see the Envelope Shaper chapter above TRAPEZE SUP 1 ATTACK On DECAY OFF LEVEL 78 DB DB Tempo synced LFO To avoid having to use the third oscillator as a low frequency modulator we added an independent LFO RATE Sets the frequency of t
9. RANGE LEVEL PAM EXT PAM EXT a E OUTPUT OUTPUT CHANNEL CHANNEL2 LEVEL As in the original model the XILS 4 also has a joystick but in this case is fully controllable by MIDI messages The V RANGE and H RANGE set the level of the horizontal and vertical modulation CTRL click puts it back to the centre and right click allows you to keep the mouse moving the Joystick without keeping the button pressed This could be useful in certain performance situations The ATTACK button named as in the original model allows you to trig the main Trapezoid envelope also MIDI controllable The LEVEL and PAN knobs set the output level and pan of this synthesizer part There is also a SOLO button that mutes the other synthesizer 7 IDEA The Drop Down Matrix Modulation The Advanced Modulation Matrix offers two freely assignable sources and four freely assignable destinations You select the source of modulation in the left field drop down list and the destination in the top drop down menu Put a pin in the corresponding hole then set the value he Sources of the Modulation are separated in three different groups Oscillators Envelopes and Modulators For the XILS 4 you will find oscillators and envelopes for both synthesizers In the case of the XILS 4 having access to both synthesizers helps create a much wider range of sound design possibilities Oscillators En
10. Rename REGE Delete User Project Export Bank Type Import Bank Style Feeling 1 Sort By All zi Use Factory Use Factory This enables disables the display of factory presets Sort By This function sorts the presets according to bank author project or shows all presets Bank Name Author Name Project Name All Presets The preset menu will show presets of the same category same author same project or same bank Export Bank This function exports a bank in XILS 4 s proprietary cross platform format Mac and PC The selected bank i e the bank which contains the currently active preset will be exported to a user specified location on your hard drive Import Bank This function allows you to browse through your hard drives to select a Bank file and then imports an XILS 4 bank Please note These last two functions Import Export are not available from the second sort menu 6 4 A B Comparison You can store two different versions of a patch simultaneously in the A and B non permanent memory slots and instantly switch from one to the other to compare their settings When you launch XILS 4 the default activated memory is A When you load or modify a preset this memory A is also modified in real time according to your edits You can switch to B memory by clicking on the B button To copy the current active memory content to the other memory slot just press the butt
11. TRAPEZDI 11 12 13 REVERS 14 STICK 8 1 14 like us on Facebook http www facebook com XILSLabs and join in the conversation The left hand example shows the Main Matrix with 16 inputs and 16 outputs The right hand example shows the Extended Matrix with 15 inputs and 15 outputs F asc OUT PWM FREG T r 2 3 1 2 ayy R 1 2 Flu ia QD 0 25 L3 RO Other matrices are available for connecting the sequencer and or the various trig signals Note 1 We plan to release a series of tutorial videos to help you to get the most out of XILS 4 When available you will be able to view these videos on our YouTube channel Please visit http www youtube Icom user xilslab Note 2 If you have a question about the XILS 4 we strongly encourage you to join then post on the Xils Lab forum http www xils lab com xo phpBB Posting on our forum is the fastest way to get an answer if you experience some trouble with XILS 4 If you also need information about a specific subject or want to exchange ideas or patches with other Xilsonauts it is the best way to get connected to the Xils lab world 2 4 Features 2 1 Synthesizer Modules 12 Oscillators grouped in 6 pairs e 2 self oscillating Low Pass Filters 12db 18db 24db with analog like behaviour 4 Amplitude Envelopes ADSR or Trapezoid 1 tempo synced 2 Pol
12. between several options e Monophonic mode only one note playing at a time with low note priority e CIRCULAR POLY A polyphonic mode with up to 18 active notes at a time Each voice is chosen in a circular manner When a lot of voices are available and or long release are set up this mode can be very heavy on CPU use RESET POLY A polyphonic mode with up to 18 active notes at a time Each new note is played with the first free voice cutting the current release and reducing the CPU load UNI2 A monophonic mode with two active notes of the same pitch playing Thanks to the detune knob a phasing effect can be created UNI4 A monophonic mode with four active notes of the same pitch playing UNI6 A monophonic mode with six active notes of the same pitch playing The portamento glide parameters define how the note transitions behave In monophonic mode only one note is played so each transition glide occurs between two successive notes When a polyphonic mode is enabled note transitions are cyclic This means that note transitions are undetermined and the note from which the glide is calculated is one of the previously played notes The following parameters are available PORTAMENTO Activates or deactivates the portamento mode When the portamento mode is enabled the note transitions are progressive in pitch GLIDE TIME This knob adjusts the transition time between the notes GLISSENDO This switch activates
13. changed at a time If you need to modify a different track you will need to change the Edit check selection To remove a step just right click on it This will remove the trig information and set the value at zero for the corresponding track Clicking on the or button allows zooming in the sequencer piano roll The SUSTAIN knobs set the time duration for which the trig information is held When set to 0 0 the trig is held during the entire current step otherwise it is held according to the value input If the sustain value is greater longer than a step then some trig information won t be initiated the envelope if connected cannot restart its cycle The TEMPO SYNC switch allows the sequencer to clock to the sync of your DAW tempo TRIPHONIC This switch has a particular action The sequencer has three layers and also three trig inputs You can send each of them to a different envelope Should you need two envelopes or more for your sound three layers is not useful Switching on the TRIPHONIC button allows the sequencer to send trig information to three independent voices This way you will get a three voice sequencer 78 DB D3 Using the Sequencer preset menu The XILS 4 provides a useful menu to save sequencer settings Only the sequencer values and the sequencer trig and connection configuration are saved within this feature If you need to start stop or reset the sequencer with the keyboard you will need to set this
14. html 4 3 Windows XP VISTA Windows 7 To install the XILS 4 on Windows XP Vista or Windows 7 launch the XILS 4 installer file Please download the latest version from the XILS lab website http www xils lab com pages XILS 4 Download Installer html Once you have accepted the license agreement you will be asked to select the components to be installed Select Components Which components should be installed nn Select the components you want to install clear the components you do not want to install Click Next when you are ready to continue Ful installation m IV Settings Files 5 2 4 32bits plug in RTAS plug in plug in h Current selection requires at least 69 5 MB of disk space lt Back Cancel You can choose which format is to be installed selecting any or all of RTAS and VST2 4 32 and 64 bits You will then be asked to choose the various install directories A destination directory is provided as a default Presets and various files used by the XILS 4 such as this manual will be stored in this directory Please note that this location is different from the VST install directory which you will need to specify in the next step of the installation Once the installation directory is specified you will be asked to select the VST plug in directory with a suggested default location Make sure that the path for the 32 bits plug in differs than f
15. imported later as a new bank It always makes sense to back up your presets on external media Open Preset Information or click on SAVE AS This opens the following preset information window where not only the name but all the other information related to the current preset can be displayed or changed Preset informations Name Bank Author Type u Style Feeling Project Facto Created a Modified This window allows you to specify or change the data below to be saved with the newly named preset e Author Your name mostly used by Sound Designers for factory presets e Type Category of the instrument such as Keys Leads Basses etc e Style Musical Genre Groove Type etc e Feeling e g Cold Warm Soft Sweep e Project My Favorites My Song My_Live_Project Patches for my next CD etc You can also see its creation date and the last update date All the above can also be determined when moving presets to another file location To modify a preset name click in the preset NAME field and enter the new preset name To change the preset location click on the BANK display This will open a menu when you can select one of the existing sound banks or create a new bank Note You can add a new item in any category and therefore create custom banks My Sound bank custom styles Musical genres categories of instruments and custom projects etc Creating custom tags and
16. option allows the GUI to follow the presets This means that the special display modules are refreshed following the preset settings If not checked these displays remain unchanged Output level follows presets When checked this option allows the output level to follow the presets This means that the output level is programmed with the value saved in the preset not checked this value remains the same Pop up On Shows a value pop up window while modifying the value of a knob Pop up Over On Shows a pop up window when the mouse is over a switch showing the value Pop up Name On The name of the current parameter is displayed when it is being edited GUI update low Slow refresh rate for the GUI This is useful when it is necessary to save CPU power GUI update middle Selects the standard refresh rate for the GUI GUI update fast Selects a fast refresh rate for the GUI This is useful when it is necessary to precisely follow the sequencer s LEDs for instance GUI Small Selects a small GUI of 1024x800 pixels GUI Reduced Selects the reduced version with the keyboard part dispatched in the Tab panels This is designed for low resolution screens GUI Big Selects the big GUI not yet available PEO Misc Init settings from current settings initializes the default values of XILS 4 from the current settings All the new presets will be created from these settings when the init settings option is selected These
17. semitone transitions between notes When deactivated the glides are continuous LEGATO This switch determines if the notes have to be legato to activate the glide function i e if the previous note off has to occur after the current note PRIORITY This switch allows the selection of the mono priority mode High or Low In Low mode when a second note is pressed it will change the pitch only if this new note is below the previous one In High mode when a second note is pressed it will change the pitch only if this new note is above the previous one There are two tabs in this section TRIG and CTRL The first one displays the keyboard related trig connection and the second the values of various keyboard parameters In the Trig tab you can easily setup a connection between a trig source and a trig destination The trig destinations are obviously the envelopes but also the LFO reset and Delay as well as the sequencer Start Stop and Reset A trig delay has also been integrated this function allows delaying the keyboard trig information This delay is set by the DELAY knob in either milliseconds or a multiple of the DAW tempo when the SYNC switch is engaged Note Only the trig information is delayed Velocity and keyboard follow are not taken into account As you can see the keyboard is sending a note ON trig and a Note GATE information This is used to control the envelope for
18. specific musical genre All the Pads created by a particular Sound Designer e instruments tagged for a chosen musical genre such as Electronica or Funk e All instruments that were recently imported into a bank like additional sound sets from Xils Lab or it s 3 party vendors There are many possibilities but we are confident that you will find the best way to customize it to your personal needs In order to perform such selections all you have to do is to select an item in the first sort menu This represents the first and main criteria for the search engine Author Your name or a Sound Designer s name for factory presets e Type Category of the instrument require Keys Leads Basses etc Style Musical Genre e Feeling Cold Warm Soft and finally Project My Song My Live Project e This item is not used for sorting the preset These primary results can then also be filtered according to the second criteria which can be chosen from a similar list in the secondary sort menu Sometimes a picture is better than a lot of text There is an example below showing how to select all the basses designed by a given Sound Designer Please note that once you are familiar with this system you can also perform some operations in a single click by using the Sub Groups to choose a preset In the picture below the primary sort menu is used to browse through the different banks In a factory
19. the left mouse button it sets the frequency by semitone steps When tuning with the right mouse button it fine tunes the frequency with more precision Level This knob modifies the output level of each waveform This can be useful for blending the mix of the waveforms and setting the amount of modulation created between them The oscillator s frequency shape and level can be modulated with control or audio signals thanks to the matrix connection for shape see the advanced matrix setting panel Zad DB Filter There are three modes for this low pass filter which can be selected by the horizontal switch FREQUENCY RESPONSE LEVEL mh 12 db Oct attenuation mode a 18 db Oct self oscillating analog filter 24 db Oct self oscillating analog filter g z dB Frequency Sets the cut off frequency It can be modulated audio or control rate by connecting a pin at the corresponding destination in the matrix Response Sets the emphasis the Q factor of the filter If set at over 3 8 it begins to self oscillate for the 18 and 24 db modes The response can also be modulated see advanced matrix explanation Level Sets the output level of the filter Note The internal non linearities of the 18db and the 24 db filters are not the same The 18 db filter has been finely emulated reproducing as closely as possible the behavior of the original 18db diode layer filter
20. 12 9 4 DWDUL COLO iscritte dut E nal ce taU e OE 3 12 6 MODULES juice cadente pe ati URS comer qu 39 PANE MI CUYD I RO ERREUR CORRI RERO EE RENDERE OECD ER a 39 E P 40 P Mv cT 40 ILOP TION MENU asa eva dad Quad asia va Fa Deva dab du Sub dab eas 41 LO IN OD su IMMER MM IINE ELEME MU 41 INDE Kg a TEE E 41 a 42 1 Introduction Thank you for choosing the XILS 4 The XILS 4 is a virtual instrument based on the architecture of a classic matrix modular synthesizer Modularity and the Modulation Matrix are the basis of these synthesizers Up to 1080 connections are available to build any synthesizer structure using many finely emulated synthesis modules The XILS 4 is based on two main Synthesizers with hard synchronization available between the oscillators It also incorporates a 3 layer sequencer SIBHALS CONTROLS R F F t ose lout T IOUT EIT FRED T LYL 1 2 1 2 Ex a DEP a HOIS IN FX FILTE 10
21. LBAR amate fc Co E Coe D Cod 11 DU PEBSERSMENUS EEE A EEE Mur 11 5 2 DORT MENUS I ecu saneti nea nea SET a 13 6 35 4 Sorting Menu Additional FWROHOMS aoi i rie Los ra odes 14 BC 15 T XILS A GUFDESCRIP TION 16 COMMON GUI DESCRIPTION 2 17 1054 MATRIX DESCRIPTION oe PEE eio 18 10 54 TRIG CONNECTION DESCRIPTION accis 3 1 19 ROUTING a 21 I2 AILSA MODULES DESCRIPTION 22 L2 MAN SYNTHESIZERS top dunt 22 I 23 IX RICE 24 DEN SS OY LENO OLN 101012 gee NETTEN 24 JL d NOISE ule DM LR EMI 23 12 1 810 VIO CUNO A ahaa M eM DL Nu cnet M uu b ELE 23
22. Osc Frequency Filter frequency There is no limitation you can always connect audio signal outputs to control inputs and it will be accepted at it s audio rate SIGNALS y CONTROLS For instance in this matrix Oscillator 1 saw output is connected to the filter audio input Filter audio output is connected to the VCA audio input named ENV as in the original model OD cd e X Qo Bo 10 Finally output VCA ENV SIGNAL is connected to the output of the synthesizer OUT 1 2 13 1 amp n Connection is always made from left to right and bottom to top The matrix can sometimes seem too small Clicking on the magnifier or using the mouse wheel over the matrix will open it in a big pop up for an easier reading experience When a connection is made you can adjust the amount by clicking and moving the mouse The pin will turn giving you an idea of the current value Turned fully to the right the value is at a positive maximum Turned fully to the left the value is at a negative maximum The color of the pin helps you to see the adjusted value and its polarity positive or negative in a glance To remove a connection just right click on a pin For a trig connection there is obviously no amount setting 10 XILS 4 Trig connection description As we explained there are absolutely no internal or default connections in the XILS 4 This means that even the connection betw
23. TPUT OUTPUT CHANNEL CHANNEL2 CHANNEL CHANNEL2 TRAPEZOID LEVEL PANEXT EXT LEVEL 1 LEVEL PAN EXT EXT LEVEL ENV SIGNAL RING 3 REVERS STICK i 9 00 J 25 The right arrow allows the opening of the Sequencer Modules panel by pushing the two synthesizers to the left This workflow allows e Playing with two synthesizers when no sequencer modules are used e Playing with one synthesizer and sequencer when a simple patch is needed Playing with the two synthesizers modules and sequencer when complex patches are needed 8 XILS 4 common GUI description As you have seen your XILS 4 is based on one or two main synthesizers and other possible modules The main synthesizer is a matrix based modular machine for which every connection has to be made There is NO default connection between modules and even triggers must be taken into account This is why the XILS 4 is so powerful albeit having a learning curve worth the extra effort The main synthesizer has two matrixes one 16x16 called the Main Matrix and another 15x15 called the Extended Matrix You can display either or both of the Main and Extend matrices by clicking on the corresponding tab OFFENE Orr OFF MAIN EXTENDED BOTH SYNTH LEFT EXTENDED BOTH dati MAIN
24. UENCER DELAY FADE DECAY LEVEL E UU TEES SUSTAIN 1 SUSTAIN 2 SUSTAIN 3 T WW TRIPHONIC MATRICE SEQ SEQUENCER EFFECTS SYNC 7 ENVELOPES LFQ MATRICE SEQ SEQUENCER INPUT EFFECTS ENVELOPES L MATRICE SEQ INPUT EFFECTS M J SENSIVITY RELEASE LVL OUT ATTACK RELEASE LVLOUT us 0 DRY WET SPEED AMOUNT Q cis 3 PITCH TRACKER d 0 PHASER QUALITY SNAP e x 4 y Q Q Q ZERE WE Cu AE _ OPENING CLOSING GATE THRES DELAY THRES LEVEL LOW FREQ HIGH FREQ LVL OUT ORY WET F BACK TIME ON TIME F BACK T SYNC i i i LEFT RIGHT ENVELOPES LN MATRICE SEON SEQUENCER INPUT EFFECTS EFFECTS In the same way you will find a tab to display either the keyboard trig matrix or the keyboard controls velocity mod wheel ranges etc m lm 9 XILS 4 Matrix description All the XILS 4 audio paths and trigs are done with the matrix so having some information regarding this major component is important A matrix is a component that allows you to connect the output of one module to the input of another In all the XILS 4 matrices outputs are listed in the horizontal row and the inputs in the vertical column Placing a pin will connect the corresponding output to the corresponding input Input or output can be an audio signal oscillators filters or control signals Trapezoid Stick
25. UT CHANNEL1 LEVEL PAN EXT the sequencer modules panel LFO WIDTH LEVEL ATTACK SYNC DELAY i FADE ATTACK INV TYPE 0449 TRAPEZE SUP 1 DECAY TRAPEZE SUP 2 DECAY LEVEL LEVEL RATRICE SEO SEQUENCER 7 INFUT EFFECTS CURRENT 5 O RECORD CLOCK COUNT LAYER CLOCK RATE START NEXT STOP 00 COMT TSHOT KEYS REVERSE STEP ERASE EVT left and the right synthesizer The right arrow allows closing When the Sequencer Modules panel is closed then the two synthesizers are displayed a a re i ead eji 9 2 SHAPE W LEVEL Q Q ENVELOPE SHAPER 2 DECAY ENVELOPE SHAPER ON DECAY REVERBERATION LEVEL Lo LEVEL LEVEL TYPE MIX TRAPEZOID SIGNAL 1 QOO O O 1 ATOR 3 REVERBERATION EVEL OSCILLATOR 3 t LEVEL LEVEL TYPE MIX SHAPE 1 Q OFF SYNCHRO Q y 1 4 1 Y 4 NOISE GENERATOR INPUT SIGNAL OUTPUT FILTER NOISE GENERATOR LEFT OUTPUT FILTER COLOR LEVEL CHANNEL 2 CHANNEL1 CHANNEL2 COLOR LEVEL CHANNEL CHANNEL2 CHANNEL1 CHANNEL2 0 COPY FROM RIGHT COPY FROM LEFT BOTH or EXTENDED BOTH i 7 SYNTH RIGHT LPF 7 SIGNALS CONTROLS V RANGE V RANGE H RANGE H RANGE ATTACK DUTPUT OU
26. When this knob is turned fully clockwise there is no loop As you can see in this diagram the sustain step is only maintained if the Gate is connected In the same way if the gate is not connected the Trapeze mode will loop indefinitely if the OFF time is not set to maximum D Noise Generator Most of the sounds you can hear in instruments and nature have a noise component in the background or during the attack To reproduce this sound feature the XILS 4 incorporates a noise generator module NOISE GENERATOR COLDR LEVEL Level this knob sets the output level of the noise Colour this knob sets the colour of the noise from a very coloured noise with less high frequency to a standard white noise passing through a standard pink noise The level and colour can be modulated through the advanced connection matrix CBJ AA Ring Modulator LEVEL this knob sets the output level of the ring modulator RMV DC By clicking on this check box you remove any DC component of the input ring modulator signals By connecting the Joystick to one of the inputs the effect can be heard only while moving it Otherwise the level is null B Dp Reverb A monophonic spring reverb unit is available This means that any polyphonic sounds will be mixed together before being sent to the reverb unit The output of the reverb can however be used as an input for p
27. bank the author Xils Lab is selected and then the Preset Init2Osc Left In this example the preset is selected in a single click operation and the presets available in the preset list will be all the Xils Lab presets available in the entire Factory Sound Library 9 LIA Lnd ic ir j Bank Factory Author we me 4 B options ad 2 E ta d ML 1 0 mi PRE 35 5 SHAPE E i r DELAY ATTACK RELEASE INY TYPE LEVEL LI 1 ET Gu i H QO Fu s gt a 0866746 ENVELOPE SHA TRAPEZE SUP 1 ON DEG R OSCILLATOR 3 REVERBERATION RUE SHAPE LEVEL LEVEL TYPE MIX TRAPE if f f ATTACK DECAY LEVEL Click on the row of the sorting buttons to open the menu used to manage this sorting group or sub group Here you can directly select and load any preset from any group or subgroup ZHE Sorting Menu Additional Functions In this menu other actions are also available Delete This deletes all of the presets of the current group that are not factory ones WARNING Use this function with EXTREME care If the bank does not contain any factory presets ALL PRESETS IN THIS BANK WILL BE PERMANENTLY DELETED Rename This modifies the current group name Selecting this choice will open a window where the new name can be entered i Factory AL NN X Bank z
28. e latest eLicenser Control Center eL C please go to http www elicenser net en latest downloads html You will need a XILS 4 Activation Code to load your license onto the dongle First plug your dongle into a USB port of your computer then launch the License Control Center Launch the Enter authorization code Enter your Activation Code in the reserved field and press Next Wait for the license to be downloaded and then check to see if the license is correctly loaded on to the dongle in the main section of the License Control Center 7 If you have received a eLicenser dongle from XILS lab You must first install the eLicenser drivers eLicenser Control Center eLC To download the latest eLC please go to http www elicenser net en latest downloads html You can then plug your dongle into any free USB port on your computer Launch the License Control Center then enter the authorization code you have received as explained above 4 2 drivers To use the iLok version of the XILS 4 you need to plug an iLok USB key into your computer After downloading and installing the latest PACE drivers please login into your ilok com account to download your XILS 4 license on to your iLok USB key You may need to redeem the license using the license code you received Follow the redeem license code link in your ilok com account To download the latest PACE drivers please go to http www ilok com download ilok software
29. e matrix is displayed the output level and pan are shown as well as a joystick The synthesis part is build with from the left to the right top to bottom 3n FREQUENCY RESPONSE e Three oscillators e One ring modulator e One self oscillating filter REVERBERATION One envelope shaper with its dedicated amplifier VCA NOISE GENERATOR INPUT SIGNAL OUTPUT FILTER e One noise generator EA 2 One input level for using the 5 4 as hnic acm mecs 4 7 effect processor or for connecting the left gt synthesizer to the right e One output static filter e One vu meter ADS 2 The second part shows the connection matrix and the output level and iib 4 A MIDI controllable Joystick can be connected m esL RARI MN through the matrix 5 Or Oscillators Three oscillators are available The first one outputs a sine wave and a saw wave with independent level The Shape knob allows changes to the sine waveform and to add a new pulse to the Saw wave D LEVEL The second oscillator provides square wave and a T T triangle wave both with independent level control The Shape knob changes the pulse width of the SHAPE LEVEL square wave and the symmetry of the triangle Q Q waveform The third oscillator outputs the same waveforms as SHAPE LEVEL th
30. e second but two octaves lower so it can be used as an LPO The pitch of the oscillator is set by the internal knob for fine tuning from 12 to 12 semi tones or by the external ring for the octave range The XILS 4 also provides the ability to hard synchronize osc2 to osc1 and also osc3 to either OSC2 or osc 1 Please Note The pitch control for an oscillator must be connected This connection is created in the advanced 15x15 matrix Putting a pin between the Keyboard follow 1 or 2 and the Oscillator Frequency modulation will do the trick To tune the oscillators according to the standard midi notes the keyboard follow level in the Keyboard control panel must be set to 0 5 and the value of the pin must be set at maximum Shape This knob sets the shape of the sine square ramp or triangle waveforms For the sine wave it adds odd harmonics For the square waves it modifies the impulse width For the ramp wave it adds a second front and for the triangle wave it modifies the raising front or leading edge 0 or 50 Ramp Triangle Frequency This knob has two parts one for coarse tuning and the other for fine tuning The outside ring sets the octave of the oscillator frequency you can set it from 2 to 2 octaves or it can be set to Low This Low setting gives a very low frequency oscillator which can be used for effects The inside part of the knob fine tunes the frequency When tuning with
31. een the keyboard and the envelopes for instance must be made Two trig sources are available the Keyboard and the Sequencer They are grouped in two different panels You will find the Keyboard trig matrix at the right of the virtual keyboard and the Sequencer matrix in the sequencer module panel under the tab seq connection TRIG CONNEXION F aes ee ose ose BIFIL ose osc JENS our FREQ c E T LWL FREG E T LWL A E E 1 2 3 1 2 3 Y R 1 2 1 2 a 1 2 3 Y Ry ij 2 LEFT z RIGHT TRIG E CONNEXION F E 1 LAYER 1 LAYER 2 LAYER 2 IENVELOPES LK MATRICE SEQ INPUT EFFECTS A trig connection is connecting a trig or gate signal to an envelope sequencer start stop or LFO reset As shown in the picture below a trig is a one pulse information event for initiating an envelope cycle resetting a LFO or starting a sequencer A gate is a pulse with a certain width For example when you play a note on the keyboard the gate signal it generates stays on until the note is no longer held down From the sequencer the gate length is dependent on the sustain knobs see the sequencer chapter Note Note OFF Trig Gate y Decay Envelape Attack j Sustain With Gate Envelope Without Gate Details will be explained the chapter relating to those particular module
32. ets the amount of the effect Use this to set the intensity of the internal filter sweep SWEEP Sets the centre frequency around which the sweep is performed RES Sets the amount of the internal audio feedback or resonance STEREO Sets the phase difference between the right and the left channel 13 Option menu This menu allows the setting of the global settings These settings are defined for all instances of XILS 4 Each time an option is changed the related option file is saved B aD DI Main In the toolbar the Options button opens a menu for selecting various options for XILS 4 This menu shows the following options settings XILS 4 About displays information about the XILS 4 version build date and credits Open MIDI settings panel Opens a pop up menu where you can assign MIDI controllers for each of XILS 4 s parameters Click on the parameter label to select the parameter you want assign then enter the MIDI controller number from to 127 or switch on the learning switch and send a MIDI command with the correct MIDI controller number The XILS 4 will memorize this setting This pop up menu can also be opened by using CTRL ALT Apple Left click Mac or CTRL Win ALT Left click Win on the desired XILS 4 parameter DB Display Display low frequency as BPM Allows displaying the low frequency oscillator 2 in low mode clock rate in BPM instead of Hz GUI follows presets When checked this
33. hat use the pitch tracker signal The inner ring of the knob adjusts the shift in semi tones while the external ring adjusts it in octaves LOW FREQ This knob sets the lowest frequency of the pitch tracker It sets the lowest note that the pitch tracker can handle HIGH FREQ This knob sets the highest frequency of the pitch tracker It sets the highest note that the pitch tracker can handle The settings of the pitch tracker s frequency range must be adjusted according to the input signal It affects the pitch tracker s tessitura the range from lowest to highest note expected and tracking responsiveness The broader the tessitura the less precise the detection will be Adjust these two settings according to your input signal As you adjust them you can see the notes corresponding to the lowest and highest frequencies LVL OUT Sets the level of this control signal 78 DB D amp I Input Gate This module is applied to the two effect inputs when the XILS 4 is used as an effect processor ATTACK RELEASE OPENING CLOSING GATE THRES THRES LEVEL Q ATTACK This knob sets the duration the gate will take to open RELEASE This knob sets the time the gate will take to close OPENING THRESHOLD This knob sets the opening threshold of the gate The external input signal must be at or over this level to open the gate CLOSING THRESHOLD This knob sets the closing threshold of the gate The external input signal mu
34. he LFO SYNC When engaged this switch synchronizes the frequency to a multiple or sub multiple of the DAW tempo WIDTH Sets the width of the waveform LFO RATE WIDTH LEVEL LEVEL Sets the output level of the LFO 74 1 TYPE Sets the waveform type of the LFO DELAY FADE Ve DELAY Sets the delay offset between the gate and UT CUM the beginning of the modulation FADE Sets the ramp rate of the modulation rise after the Delay Notice DELAY and FADE work only when a Gate Keyboard or Sequencer is connected to the 78 DB DE Sample Hold This very useful module allows the sampling of its input and holds it over until it receives the next clock If no input is selected then a white noise is used instead The Input and Output must be connected in the advanced matrix by using the drop down menus RATE SYNC LEVEL RATE Sets the frequency of the Sample amp Hold SYNC When engaged this switch synchronizes the frequency to a multiple or sub multiple of the DAW tempo LEVEL Sets the output level of the Sample amp Hold 78 DB D amp Voltage Processor This module allows the delay and or modification of any modulation or audio rate by applying a attack release process DELAY ATTACK RELEASE LEVEL DELAY Sets the internal delay between input and output ATTACK Sets the attack t
35. icating that the current settings of XILS 4 no longer match the stored preset When you want to save a modified preset click on the Save or Save As button The SAVE function will overwrite the current preset with all the edits you have made The Save As function gives you the opportunity to save your preset under another name in a different bank and with different tags Factory Preset Protection In order to prevent you from erasing them the Factory presets cannot be overwritten using the SAVE function When you edit a Factory preset the Save button will therefore be grayed and you MUST use the Save As function to save it in another bank If you edit any preset other than a Factory one the Save and Save As functions will both be available As soon as an edited preset has been saved the will disappear until you start to edit that saved version yet again 6 2 Preset menu Click in the Preset Name Area to display the preset list Here you can choose and load another preset from the current selected group of presets into the XILS 4 v Xils Substractiv Open Preset Information Export Preset In this menu other actions are also available Delete Preset Use this to delete the current preset a pop up confirmation window appears This option is only available if the current preset is not a factory one Export Preset Use this function to export the current preset to an external file location This file can be
36. ime RELEASE Sets the release time LEVEL Sets the output level of the Voltage Processor 12 3 Sequencer The sequencer of the XILS 4 is extremely useful and can create endless sound design ideas It is well worth the learning curve as it will help unleash the full potential of this synthesizer PEE Front sequencer controls The XILS 4 sequencer is inspired by the original EMS 256 sequencer which was in its time a very revolutionary machine It has three layers each having two tracks This means that each of the layers can send trig information and can record two independent values SLEW RATE Li LAYER 1 The sequencer has six output tracks organised into three independent layers of two linked banks The section of the sequencer panel shows the six tracks and how the three layers are used The external ring of the corresponding double knob with the small triangle shows each current output value You can set the current output value of a sequencer step by clicking on the corresponding double knob s external ring The internal part of each double knob sets the range of the corresponding output bank and thereafter the amount of modulation Used as pitch modulator this inner ring should be set to 12 o clock to provide a normal scaled pitch modulation 4 LAYER RECORD Switching ON the RECORD button allows you to enter sequence with your Midi keyboard instead u
37. ing the edit panel you will find under the Sequencer Edit Tab see below To erase all of your sequence just hit the erase all button a confirmation pop up will open To erase the current step removing the trig information and setting the value a zero hit the erase evt button Peas Playing a Sequence If a sequence is already recorded in the sequencer in order to play it you need to Connect the recorded sequencer output to some parameters see above start the sequencer by hitting the start button The sequencer will start outputting trig and value information To stop it just hit the stop button If you need to reset the sequencer clock hit the reset button RESET START NEXT STOP Loge COAT 5 keve zur ERASE REVERSE STEP ERASE Lm mda gt The keyboard can perform starting stopping or resetting operations on the sequencer once you have connected the keyboard trig information to the corresponding sequencer trig inputs see the Keyboard trig Matrix When the sequencer is running you can alter the speed by turning the inner knob of the sequencer clock The outer ring sets the number of steps from 2 to 128 These two values are displayed in the LED like display MAX CURRENT CLOCK RATE The switch LOOP 1SHOT REVERSE allows you to select to mode of the sequencer In the first case the sequencer wil
38. l read the information in the forward mode looping from the end back to the beginning of the sequence In the 1 shot mode the sequence will be read only once stopping at the end To read play the sequence yet again the start button must be used again or trigged In the reverse mode the sequencer will loop in reverse mode the sequence will be read backwards The switch CONT KEYB STEP allows you to select the clock mode CONT Continuous when you need the sequencer playing continuously KEYB changing when a note is pressed on the keyboard or STEP changing when the NEXT button is pressed 7B8 DB DE Using the Sequencer Editor The XILS 4 provides a simple mouse editor for the sequencer Using the old analog push button method to enter or modify a sequence can be difficult That is why this editor was created to help you EDIT VIEW OE m Oct E 10 SEQUENCER 8 SUSTAIN 1 SUSTAIN 2 SUSTAIN 3 TRIPHONIC SEQUENCER EFFECTS On the left of the screen you will find check buttons The left ones are for selecting which track will be changed by the mouse while the right one are for selecting which tracks are to be displayed For instance clicking on the A edit check will enable the Layeri Track A to be edited by the mouse Left clicking on a step will add trig information and dragging the coloured rectangle will change the corresponding value Only one track can be
39. ng too many categories can also have its drawbacks making browsing change from slightly difficult to very cumbersome Should you create around 200 different custom instrument categories it would become very difficult to browse the library using the Style Category sorting Use these options wisely Once you have filled out all the desired required fields SAVE AS Will save the current preset in the chosen Bank with its new or unchanged Name and tagged with all the fields you have filled in MOVE TO Allows transferring the current preset into another location Bank This is handy to gather a lot of presets into a single location or User Bank which you can then export as a single file containing all the presets you have created or edited for a given project CANCEL This will just cancel all operations and return to the standard XILS 4 GUI 6 3 Sort menus gu s newPreset FREQUENCY RESPONSE L isda ENVELOPE SHAPER Rename Delete User E 12748 2 Export Bank Import Bank ATTACK DECAY Sort gt Use Factory E REVERBERATION LEVEL LEVEL TYPE MIX TRAPEZOID 51 The sorting menus are a unique and powerful tool They allow you to perform sophisticated tasks such as displaying the preset list but organized in a variety of different and specific ways Examples e All the Basses in your Sound Library All the Basses tagged with a
40. nse This will take 159 MB of space on your computer Installation Type XILS 3 RTAS Skip 31 4 MB 3 y Selet Click Install to perform a standard installation of Instal Installation Type this software on the disk Macintosh HD Sum 4 4 A nap a in 7 udi Summary 1 y up 4 y 4 um KDE np AE 159 MB Remaining 193 1 GB i 1 y 1 E 4 a x P 4 g E V Change Install Location Standard Install Go Back Install Customize Go Back Install The various files of the XILS 4 will be copied into the following directories Library Application Support XILS lab XILS 4 Library Application Support Digidesign Plug Ins Library Application Support Avid Audio Plug Ins Library Audio Plug Ins Components Library Audio Plug Ins VST Library Application Support Documentation XILS lab XILS 4 And for the User Preset and various option Uusers username Library Preferences XILS lab XILS 4 5 Quick Start 5 1 Launch Play When you launch XILS 4 in your host an INIT preset will be loaded It is a simple filtered one oscillator sound which can be seen as a basis for your sound design You can directly use or modify this preset or load one of the factory presets To browse the preset library just select a category of instruments using the BANK drop down me
41. nu found at the left of XILS 4 Tool Bar See Picture Below You can then use the up and down arrows located at the right of the preset name or open the bank drop down list by clicking in the PRESET NAME AREA pe ERR ME EE EE CENA EE GO c P p lt al Factory Author XILS lab PRESET Init 2 Left oo 4 OPTIONS imi L SS D lt gt vc ci de 1 T Sa i D PR SOR FREGUENC 2 RELEASE LEVEL i i i OSCILLATOR 2 TRAPEZE 5 1 LEVEL 75 ATTACK ON WIDTH LEVEL ATTACK FF LEVEL Note We have also provided different INIT Patches which can be seen as a good basis to begin to design new presets 5 2 Toolbar 1 if 1 1 1 1 PRESET na Osc OPTIONS Note The toolbar at the top of the interface lets you load or save presets as well as BANKS of presets make a comparison between two different versions of the current preset A amp B or modify the options These functions are described in detail later in this manual Selecting a preset Click on the PRESET NAME AREA to display the list of the available presets in the cu
42. olyphonic modules REVERBERATION LEVEL TYPE MIX 1 p LEVEL This knob sets the output level of the Reverb MIX This knob balances the mix between the dry and the wet signals TYPE This switch sets the Reverb type MEO Ds Output filter There is a static filter which can be set to either low pass or high pass for each of the two outputs left and right This filter can be useful for limiting some high frequencies or removing rumble while maintaining an otherwise full range for the dynamic filter OUTPUT FILTER CHANNEL 2 FF e I PF ue m two knobs set the cut off frequency of the filters and the switch selects the type high pass or low pass When the switch is set to the centre no filter is activated PEO DJ Input Level The XILS 4 can also be used as a versatile audio effect processor In this case the Audio Input of the plugin is directed INPUT SIGNAL CHAHMELT1 CHANNEL into the Main matrix and the level can be adjusted with these two knobs In the XILS 4 only the left synthesizer is connected to the Audio inputs of the plug in The right synthesizer inputs are connected to the output of the left synthesizer In this way you can use any modules of the left synthesizer inside the right one 17 Due Joy Stick and output levels V
43. on labeled gt or lt according to the current active memory With this A B comparison system you can easily have two settings and compare them in a convenient way Note Please note that by default the B memory slot until you copy settings into it or until loading another preset into the other memory slot is populated with the INIT patch loaded in the A memory when you first start XILS 4 7 XILS 4 GUI description The XILS 4 features 2 main synthesizers and for this reason requires a specific GUI management It is best to think of this machine as a three panel instrument Left Synthesizer panel Right Synthesizer panel and the Sequencer Modules panel LEVEL OSCILLATOR 3 SHAPE LEVEL OFF SYNCHRO LOOK FOR PATCH MAIN COPY FROM RIGHT EXTENDED BOTH w LEVEL ENVELOPE SHAPER ON DECAY REVERBERATION LEVEL TYPE MIX OSCILLATOR 3 SHAPE LEVEL LEVEL TRAPEZOID SIGNAL 6 T o OFF SYNCHRO LOOK FOR PATCH MAIN ENVELOPE SHAPER ON DECAY REVERBERATION LEVEL TYPE MIX LEVEL TRAPEZOID SIGNAL SYNC LFO WIDTH LEVEL TYPE DELAY E ENVELOPES LFQ COPY FROM LEFT EXTENDED BOTH SYNTH RIGHT RELEASE INY TYPE 944 TRAPEZE SUP 1 DECAY DELAY ATTACK LEVEL ATTACK ON OFF TRAPEZE SUP 2 ATTACK DECAY OFF CONTROLS 7 SIGNALS y
44. onnect layer 1 trig to the first Trapezoid envelope and layer 1 bank A to the oscillator frequency With these connections the Trapezoid envelope will be trigged at the beginning of each step gated according to the SUSTAIN knob see below and the oscillator pitch will be modulated according to the sequencer output A value 7B DE DE Recording a Sequence First you need to Connect the sequencer output to some parameters see above Start the sequencer by clicking on the start button Switch ON the RECORD button with the 1 2 3 LAYER knob set to 1 If you wish to record the other layer just set this knob to 2 or 3 and adapt the example below to the corresponding sequencer layer and banks Each time you hit a note on your MIDI keyboard or on the virtual keyboard the value is recorded in the sequencer Pitch for the Bank A Velocity for the Bank B At this time if the switch CONT KEYB STEP is set to the CONT position the recording is made to the current step which is continuously changing Although useful for live performance this could be too tricky for entering a sequence For this set this switch to the KEYB position the current sequencer step is changed after entering each new note Setting this switch to the STEP position allows you to change the value of the current step with your Midi keyboard or directly by moving the outer ring of the corresponding bank layer Of course you can also enter your sequencer us
45. or the 64 bits plug in as does the default path Important notice for Vista or Windows 7 Be sure to use a folder that is write enabled and owned by the user Do not use c program files for instance Otherwise you will have to run your music application with administrator rights The RTAS plug in and its table control management Pro Tools are directly copied into the following directory C Program Files Common Files Digidesign DAE Plug Ins 4 4 Mac OSX 10 4 and later To install the XILS 4 on a computer equipped with Mac OSX 10 5 or later download the latest version of either the iLok or eLicensor versions from the XILS lab website to make sure you have the latest version of the software First download from http www xils lab com pages XILS 4 Download Installer html Next launch the install program XILS 4 pkg and follow the instructions Warning the install program will ask you for your system password Just after selecting the drive where the XILS 4 will be installed you can choose which components are to be copied by clicking on customize and selecting or deselecting them w Install XILS 3 2 Custom Install on Macintosh HD Inst 5 3 2 Action Size Standard Install on Macintosh HD Introduction XILS 3 Upgrade 11 5 MB eu XILS 3 VST2 4 Upgrade 56 MB XILS 3 AU Upgrade 60 9 MB Introduction XILS 3 Upgrade 30 5 MB Lice
46. parameters will also be used when setting a control to its default value Win CTRL click OSX ALT c Apple Click Wheel Incr 0 01 Parameter increment of 0 01 when using of the mouse wheel Wheel Incr 0 05 Parameter increment of 0 05 when using of the mouse wheel Wheel Incr 0 1 Parameter increment of 0 1 when using of the mouse wheel 14 Credits Thanks to the artists and musicians who really helped us during XILS 3 and XILS 4 development Tim Blake Mathias Br ssel Paul Barret The presets were done by Laurent Bourgeon Lotuzia Simon Ball Soundsdivine Nori Ubukata Pascal Laigle Tzadi Xavier Oudin Kevin Lamb Drew Neumann Cliff Douse Chris Pitman The graphical user interface was created by Xavier Oudin and Yannick Bonnefoy The graphical element and 3D design was created by Yannick Bonnefoy This manual was written by Xavier Oudin And proofread and corrected by Michael Logue and Paul Barrett The plug in design algorithm and Digital Signal Processing was done by Xavier Oudin
47. ral very useful tasks Windows CTRL left click reset parameter to its default value CTRL right click or CTRL Shift left click initialize the default value of the parameter e Win Alt CTRL click open the MIDI Control panel with the parameter already selected Mouse wheel on the matrix open a zoom OSX e Apple left click reset parameter to its default value Apple Shift left click initialise the default value of the parameter Apple Alt CTRL click open the MIDI Control panel with the parameter already selected Mouse wheel on the matrix open a zoom The switches are simpler just left click to change their state A right click will change the state only while the button is pressed and return to the previous state when it is released When a parameter is chosen via a drop down menu just click on the button or label and select the item 6 Preset Management 6 1 Main Toolbar PRESET In the toolbar you can find two Criteria buttons displaying the criteria name Bank Author Type Style Feeling or Project which open the sort management menus The first two text fields show the current sorting criteria and the third shows the chosen preset of the resulting selected group of presets Clicking on the arrow to the left of the category or preset names opens the corresponding menus Info Once any one parameter of a preset has been modified the name of the preset is followed by a ind
48. rrent sorted group Warning Please note that selecting a new preset without saving your current settings will erase any changes you have made to those settings Selecting a group of presets Click on one of the two CRITERIA buttons to change criteria and define a group of presets that will match the two filtering criteria You can sort presets by Author Feeling Type Style Bank or Projects Info Please note that XILS 4 will display presets sorted by instruments Categories Type Bass Keys Leads etc and Library Bank by default Please note that the XILS 4 s powerful preset management is fully detailed in chapter 6 of this manual 5 3 Adjusting the instruments parameters Knobs switches On XILS 4 most sound parameters such as the pitch of an oscillator or the filter s Cut Off Frequency are controlled using knobs To adjust the parameters of XILS 4 with the mouse you have two axes horizontal and vertical which will give the same results To increase a parameters value click and drag the knob to the right or to the top To decrease a parameter value click and drag the knob to the left or to the bottom Fine adjustments If you right click on a parameter or if you hold shift while clicking you can adjust the selected parameter with greater precision the button of the toolbar displays a panel summarizing these shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts In addition we have provided some soft keys combination to perform seve
49. s which require a trig or gate Release 11 XILS 4 Synthesizer routing The XILS 4 provides two synthesizers the one on the left and the one on the right mimicking the old EMS VCS4 or the Crystal Machine dual AKS used by Tim Blake These two synthesizers are mixed together with their own level and pan parameters before being sent to the effects unit delay chorus and phaser But before its level and pan are applied the left synthesizer is sent to the right synthesizer though the main matrix INPUT FROM LEFT source This opens a very wide range of new possibilities as these new inputs allow the right synthesizer to treat the 3 left oscillators filtered or not as well as its own This creates a 6 oscillator 2 low pass analog type filter and 4 envelope synthesizer Plugin Audie Input Effect Section AILS 4 routing 12 XILS 4 modules description The XILS 4 GUI is divided into four areas Two cabinets are dedicated to the main synthesizers One cabinet is dedicated to the keyboard and it s controls and another cabinet is dedicated to the advanced analog like 3 layer sequencer based on the old EMS 256 unit and other modules 12 1 Main synthesizers Both the left and right synthesizers are divided in two parts the synthesis and the matrix and level part The matrix part itself has tabs that can display the main 16x16 matrix the advanced 15x15 matrix with extended connection menus or both of the matrices When only on
50. sing the Sequencer edit panel In this mode when you hit a note the pitch will be memorised in the steps of the first bank of the corresponding layer and the velocity into the steps of the second bank The current layer on which the keyboard acts is set with the three position LAYER knob A series of MIDI controllable buttons controls the sequencer and a double knob controls the sequencer s clock rate e e e e RESET START EX STOP 2 15 9 weve 2 ERASE REVERSE STEP ERASE L MAX CURRENT CLOCK RATE To help with your creative workflow independent sequencer presets can be saved and recalled This preset management is found under the Sequencer 256 label SEQUENCER 254 PAPE Connecting the Sequencer Above the sequencer controls you will find the Sequencer Connection tabs n OSC OSC OUT OSC OSC fely _ IOUT FREQ C E fT FWH FREG C E T LVL 1 2 3 1 21317 JEJR 1 2 1 2 3 RIGHT TRIG CONNEXION LAYER 1 LAYER 2 LAYER 2 ENVELOPES L MATRICE SEQ SEQUENCER INPUT EFFECTS With these matrices you can connect the sequencer outputs to synthesizer parameters such as Oscillator pitch PWM filter cut off frequency or output level You can also trig envelopes or reset the LFO with one of the three layer trig outputs For instance you can c
51. sound banks To add a new item in any field click in this field then instead of using an existing item select New which will appear at the bottom of the list This will open a separate new window in which you can write the name of the new item Click OK to confirm this then the name and the newly created tag will now be active and selected for the current preset Note You may have to browse down to the bottom of the list in order to select new depending on the length of the list TIP How to create a Favorite Sound bank There are two possibilities 1 Just create a bank named My Favorites and save all the interesting patches into this sound bank To browse all your favorites just set the first criteria to BANK then select My Favorites You can still use the second criteria to filter the results by categories of instruments in order to browse all your favorite basses for example This method is fast but it will duplicate your patches 2 Just create a new tag in the Project field and name it My Favorites then just re save any interesting patch with this tag using the SAVE AS option To browse your favorites just choose this tag in the project field as the first criteria This method is maybe more interesting because you can reverse it Should you later decide that a particular patch no longer deserves to be honored with it s Favourites tag simply remove the tag then re save it Note Please be aware that creati
52. st below this level to close the gate GATE LEVEL This knob sets the level for opening or closing the gate 12 6 Effects modules PHASER DRY WET T AMOUNT SWEEP gt STEREO F BACK T F BACK TIME DN DAY WET TIME Q a i LEFT RIGHT ENVELOPES L MATRICE SEQ SEQUENCER INPUT EFFECTS 78 D3 D 7 Delay DRY WET Sets the mix balance between the initial signal and the processed signal DELAY Sets the time delay right or left FEED B Sets the amount of the delayed signal which is recirculated to the input left and right TIME Sets the time of the delay DAMP Sets the amount of high frequencies that are filtered out during the feedback MIDI S Sets the time delay according to the DAW tempo the time will change each time the current tempo of the host application changes 7B8 D3 DB Chorus DRY WET SPEED AMOUNT 4 DRY WET Sets the mix balance between the initial signal and the processed signal SPEED Sets the rate of the internal low frequency oscillator of the chorus AMOUNT Sets the amount of the effect TYPE Toggles through the three available types of chorus 7B DzZ DB Phaser FHASER DRYIWET TIME AMOUNT T g E RES STEREO E 25 006 DRY WET Sets the mix balance between the initial signal and the processed signal SPEED Sets the rate of the internal low frequency oscillator of the phaser AMOUNT S
53. sustain and looping see the envelope chapter CK MOD WHEEL This tab displays the various values and ranges of the keyboard related controls Velocity After Touch K FOLLOW2 VELOCITY AFTER TOUCH Keyboard follow Modulation wheel and Pitch Bend Finally in this keyboard panel you will fine the GLOBAL LEVEL which is applied after all the internal treatment The GLOBAL TUNE which sets the overall tuning of the synthesizer is also found here Please note this parameter is a global parameter and is not saved within a preset The ANALOG knob increases or decreases the internal instability of the modules emulating the random variance of vintage equipment The GLIDE TIME sets the rate at which the keyboard will alter its pitch control information 12 5 Input modules When using the XILS 4 as an effect processor the input travels through the Input modules before being sent to the Main matrix SEHMSIVITY RELEASE LVL OUT ATTACK PITCH TRACKER a ATTACK RELEASE QUALITY SNAP mw DPENING CLOSING GATE THRES THRES LEVEL LOW FREQ HIGH FREQ LVL OUT IENVELOPES LI MATRICE SEQUENCER IN PUT EFFECTS These input modules can also be used as new modulation sources PEM Transient follower The transient follower provides a trig information to be used in the keyboard trig matrix as well as an envelope like control signal The RELEASE knob sets the time this control
54. takes to return to zero after a transient has been detected SENSIVITY RELEASE OUT The SENSITIVITY knob sets the sensitivity of the transient detection more detection occurs when turned to the right and less when turned to the left LVL OUT sets the level of this control signal 78 DB DB Envelope follower The envelope follower provides an envelope like control signal The ATTACK and RELEASE knobs set the time this control takes to raise the input signal level then to return to zero after the input signal has ceased LVL OUT sets the level of this control signal 7B DE DE Pitch Tracker PITCH TRACKER 4 QUALITY SNAP me Fry 472 DW 3 LOW FREQ HIGH FREQ LVL OUT This module extracts the pitch of the input signal The resulting pitch signal can then be applied to the oscillators but it can also be used to modulate any other modules via the connection matrix QUALITY This knob sets the smoothing of the pitch tracking Turned to the left the smoothing is minimal and the modulation is almost unpredictable whereas when turned to the right the smoothing is maximal and the modulation is very slow When applied to oscillators it creates a glide effect SNAP This switch activates the tune option of the pitch tracker the pitch will be tuned to scale notes ZERO This double knob shifts the pitch It allows you to change the pitch of all the modules t
55. velopes gt Modulators ee None Oscillators Envelopes Modulators 5 aume Uni T Sinel Left Sawl Left Squar2 Left Saw2 Left Squar3 Left Trian3 Left Sinel Right 1 Right Squar2 Right Saw2 Right Squar3 Right 5 Royaume Uni Trian3 Right S amp H VoltP InputL InputR StickH StickV 101 Freq OUTPUT FILTER L O1 Width 4EL2 CHANNEL1 CHANNEL2 LO1 Si Lv L 1 Sw Lv L O2 Freq L O2 Width L O2 Sq Lv L O2 Tr Lv Filters L O3 Freq Envelopes L Width Modul L 03 Sq Lv he Destinations of the Modulation are separated in five groups Effects L 03 Tr Lv Oscillators Filters Envelopes Modulators and Effects dde LEVEL PANEXT PA R O1Si Lv R O1 Sw Lv R O2 Freq R O2 Width For the XILS 4 you will find Oscillators Filters and Envelopes for RO2 both of the synthesizers R Freq R O3 Width Sq Lv In the case of the XILS 4 having access to both synthesizers helps create a much wider range of sound design possibilities L Noise Lv v None RANGE Oscillators gt rr Filters L FiltFr Envelopes gt L FiltRe Modulators gt gt Effects R FiltFr R FiltRe REVERBERATION LEVEL TYPE MIX TRAPEZOID SIGNAL a L EnvLv L EnvAt L EnvDc L EnvOn L EnvSu L EnvRe L EnvOf R EnvLv R EnvAt R EnvDc Oscillators R EnvOn Filters R EnvSu Envelopes R EnvRe Modulators R EnvOf Rec Env1 Lv CHANNEL L LEVEL
56. yphonic Ring Modulators e 1 Voltage Processor 2 Spring Reverbs 1 Sample and Hold Generator 2 Noise Generators 4 Output Filters 2 2 Input Modules 1 Envelope Follower 1 Pitch Tracker e 1 Gate 2 3 Effect Modules e 1 Delay e 1 Chorus e 1 Phaser 3 Digital Audio Workstation compatibility XILS 4 is available in the following formats e Mac OSX 10 4 32 bits 10 6 32 amp 64bits and later VST Audio Unit RTAS Pro Tools 7 0 and later AAX 32 amp 64 bits Windows 7 and Vista VST RTAS Pro Tools 7 0 and later 32 8 64 bits T qms RAT Audio Units Universal Minimum system requirements 1 Gigabyte of RAM and a 2 GHz processor XILS 4 is a plug in and is not available as a standalone application Please note The screen resolution must be set at least to 1024 pixels width 4 Installation XILS Lab offers you the choice of using an eLicenser or an iLok 4 1 eLicenser drivers The XILS 4 uses an eLicenser dongle You must have this dongle connected to a USB port on your computer to make the XILS 4 work Important Please take care of your dongle You need it to run the XILS 4 as it carries your license aLI If you already own a eLicenser Please Note Even if you have already installed the eLicenser drivers for a previous product please install the latest version of the eLicenser License Control To download th
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