User Guide - zZounds.com
Contents
1. Table of Contents OSCar to SCAN 3 An Appeal Please support developers sp QU ad do Ed ORAE REN RE ORE 4 rea SOY TO T TTE 4 Cs Gs 4 eem 4 Installing Burner mM 5 seid M 5 Loan SOUS 5 PS 9 ce P RU 9 CS NN 1 6 Wiec 1 VIP Rad o cM DOS ur PIM OWN M HPPHR 8 0 po NETT 9 OAO ee a E E E S E E E E DM DM 0 Saves OMe ei ares lige rere 10 Se tr 11 gott2. A PESE IUE ME MEUM NES R TR CM SPI B apa NEM dM DRIN CM SUM 11 duo T 11 Mouse Control System Default WIDndOW 12 Panel dtd CU 12 EI MC SOON E 12 GN SUV s TOO OE Eom 18 62 TTD TO STRE 1 vanr Dog ModE M M ME REMIS 1 MIDI Continuous Control 15 Kr T n 15 Logie Parameter LS 18 Credits and riore 18 CONTE Tuum 18 1 OSCar to impOSCar In these days of affordable and largely high quality plug in instruments it s easy to forget that many years ago in the
3. series and allow the selected band of frequencies to pass through while filtering out anything outside that range Note In this mode the two filters are arranged as one Lo Pass and one Hi Pass not 2 Band Pass Hi Pass 24dB Again where the two 12dB filters are combined in series to allow the high frequencies to pass through while filtering out low frequencies Low Pass 2 Pole Where the two filters are arranged in parallel and allow the low frequencies to pass through while filtering high frequencies In this mode when the Separation is set to zero it s the same as a normal 120 filter However when it s set to anything other than zero you get two resonant peaks and cutoff points Band Pass 2 Pole Where the two 12dB filters are combined in parallel allowing the selected band of frequencies to pass through while filtering out anything outside that range Again when the Separation is set to zero it s the same as a single 12dB filter However when it s set to anything other than zero you get two resonant peaks and cutoff points Hi Pass 2 Pole Where the two 12dB filters are combined in parallel allowing the high frequencies to pass through while filtering out low frequencies Again when the Separation is set to zero it s the same as a single 12dB filter However when it s set to anything other than zero you get two resonant peaks and cutoff points Lo Pass Band Pass Where the Lo Pass and Band Pass filters are arrang
4. MIDI channels and both your MIDI guitar and the impOSCar are set to a pitchbend range of 12 Ist Logic Parameter L PEE H21vd 03193735 1233443 OdHal 13 31 13 31 47130 A740 TE 8431 5HIH335lHl T DHIHJDOMHL ONY ad0 TANS Es 3S0 y Pale UU SPPOUN 300b 103 T 3i dzHHHul it t 120 ENEZLL 16 Short Short 1 Filter Fit 47 Glide Time Gld Tme 2 Filter Q Fit Q 48 lt none gt Empty 2 3 Filter Freq Flt 49 LFO Waveform Lfo Wave 4 Filter Sep Flt Sep 50 LFO Rate Lfo Rte 5 Filter Drive Flt Drv 51 LFO Intro Lfo Intro 6 Kod gt Filter Kbd Trk 52 LFO Sync Lfo Snc 7 Env gt Filter Flt Env 53 LFO gt Pitch Lfo Ptch 8 Volume Volume 54 LFO gt Filter Fit 9 Osc1 Wave Osc Wav 1 55 FilterEnv gt Pitch 2 Ptch 10 Osc2 Wave Osc Wav 2 56 none Empty 3 11 Osc2 Octave 02 Oct 57 Chorus Rate Chr Rte 12 Osc2 Transpose 13 Osc2 Detune 02 Trns 02 Detn 58 Chorus Depth 59 Delay Left Level Chr Depth DL Lvl 14 Pulse Width PW 60 Delay Righ
5. the original instrument The OSCar could transmit polyphonically from the keyboard and as a result many musicians wondered what a polyphonic OSCar would sound like now s their chance to find out So that s the story behind the impOSCar But given that the sounds and features of this eminent beast are still so highly sought after today what happened to the team behind the original instrument who provided the inspiration for this plug in Well we re glad to say that they have enjoyed or perhaps endured long careers within the Musical Instrument Industry Paul Wiffen is now an Apple consultant in the UK as well as being a highly respected industry journalist while Chris Huggett went on to develop operating systems for Akai Samplers and more recently heads the design team for Novation An Appeal Please support developers not pirates If you re reading this from the printed manual the chances are you paid for this software and as such we d like to say a heartfelt thanks The money that we receive from sales of the impOSCar will be channelled back into further development projects and used to create other interesting and valid musical products However if you did not pay for this please take the time to understand the implications of piracy for small companies such as ourselves This product took almost two years to produce and has involved the small development team in many personal and financial sacrifices Nonetheless we have tried to keep t
6. their separate ways but in 1983 Chris Huggett resurfaced with a new beast The radical looking OSCar resplendent with chunky rubber end cheeks and front panel dividers continued the theme started by the Wasp with some notable exceptions Primarily it was certainly not a synth for beginners and it also had a real keyboard the OSCar was a monster of a synth with a sound to match Although often lumped in with rest of the analog contingent in truth the only thing analog about the OSCar and the Wasp was the sublime filter Almost every other aspect of it was digital In terms of features it was positively jam packed and included two oscillators containing sine saw square and variable pulse width waveforms portamento and glissando a comprehensive arpeggiator on board sequencing and a cornucopia of filtering options The OSCar even boasted a unique additive synthesis feature which allowed users to construct and save their own waveforms using 24 fundamental harmonics It even had patch storage too All these features plus the unique filter separation control and amazing filter overdrive had converged to create a truly magnificent sounding instrument So why did the OSCar not become one of the greatest selling synths of all time and why are they so rare today Firstly in 1983 the OSCar cost 699 only marginally cheaper than Roland s polyphonic Juno 60 and at a time when affordable polyphonic synthesis had succeeded affordable monophonic syn
7. time of the amplitude envelope generator between 0 001 and 60 seconds Env2 Filter ADSR controls e Attack Knob Used to alter the attack time of the filter envelope generator between 0 001 and 30 Secs Decay Knob Used to alter the decay time of the filter envelope generator between 0 001 and 30 Secs DE METUS MEME EID e Sustain Knob Used to alter the sustain level of the filter envelope generator between 0 and 100 Release Knob Used to alter the release time of the filter envelope generator between 0 001 and 60 seconds Delay Knob This applies a delay of up to two seconds to the start of the filter envelope generator and is useful for creating those long evolving sounds Triggering Controls Keyboard Triggering Knob The impOSCar has five triggering modes as follows 1 Single Using this mode the envelopes are only retriggered once their cycle is complete When playing legato lines the first note triggers the envelope contour and all successive notes are heard at sustain level 2 Multi Here the envelopes are retriggered each time a note is played without waiting for the envelope cycle to finish first Unlike Single trigger when playing legato lines all notes will retrigger the envelope contour 3 Rpt 1 Used in conjunction with the Tempo Knob Rpt1 activates the retriggering of the Amplitude Envelope Env1 4 Rpt 2 Similar to the Rot1 function Rpt2 activates the r
8. Car patch e Gate Knob Using the 12 O clock position as a zero value turning the knob to the right will produce a gating effect the percentage of which indicates the drop in delay mix when there is no input signal present This is especially useful for rhythmic sounds where you want to make them bigger but keep the sound tight Turning the knob to the left will produce a ducking function This will be the percentage by which the delay mix is dropped when there is signal present and is particularly useful for lead sounds where you want clarity when playing fast runs and yet still producing a nice echo within the gaps Delay Units Knob Sets the beat divisions between 32 and 4 Use this in conjunction with the left and right Delay Length Knobs to create interesting delay times for left and right channels respectively For example if you want to set a delay time of 3 16 set the delay length to 3 and the units to 16 Delay Hi Pass HP Filter Knob Allows you to filter out the low frequency of the delay feedback or signal and lets the high frequency feedback pass through e Delay Lo Pass LP Filter Knob Allows you to filter out the high frequency of the delay feedback or signal and lets the low frequency feedback pass through Used in conjunction with the HP Filter you can fine tune the delay feedback so that your sound retains its depth without becoming too muddy Left and Right Delay Length Knobs Sets the delay
9. Filter Env Random and Kbd The Mme latter was replaced by Guitar a positive only wave so vibrato will happen only above the key pitch Additional new waveforms include osc HOISE Triangle 3 Step Sawtooth 4 Step Triangle 5 Step Sawtooth 8 Step Pattern1 and Pattern 2 Selected LFO waveforms are displayed in the blue screen above the Waveform Knob e LFO Filter Amount Knob Controls the depth of the LFO and in turn the effect the LFO has on the filter This parameter has both negative and positive values and the resultant effect is directly related to both the LFO Waveform shape and the LFO rate e LFO Rate Knob This governs the speed of the LFO There are four LFO modes which are dependent on the position of the LFO Sync Knob For example with the Sync Knob set to Free the speed is given in Hertz but if the Sync Knob is set to MIDI the value is displayed in Cycles Per Bar See LFO Sync Knob below for more details on sync modes e FO Intro Knob This knob allows you to delay the start of the LFO after playing a note The LFO delay or Intro time is given in seconds e FO Pitch Modulation Knob This knob determines the amount of pitch modulation or vibrato applied to a sound As with the LFO Filter Amount Knob this is directly related to the LFO Waveform shape and the LFO Rate This parameter also has both positive and negative values with values of up to or seven semitones e Env2 Pi
10. Information email info m audio de 49 0 7941 9870030 Technical support m audio de Technical Support fax 49 0 7941 98 70070 http www m audio de M AUDIO Canada 1400 St Jean Baptiste Ave 150 Quebec City Quebec G2E 5 B7 Canada Technical Support e mail techcanada m audio com Technical Support PC ea ee 418 872 0444 Technical Support 1 800 638 2120 Technical Support fax 222222522 418 872 0034 Sales e mail c E infocanada m audio com Sales Phone 866 872 0444 Sales A N 514 396 7102 Internet Home Page http www m audio ca M AUDIO Japan Gk ASSET 4AAZE FX 79 0 460 0002 Z 2 18 10 72 2wVv9n Fr 052 218 0859 TIZH mac support m audio co jp win support m audio co jp 052 218 0875 ORCE 050426 IMPOSCAR UG ENOI an M Audio partner
11. SCar Bank it is also possible to import original OSCar sounds via sysex or tape This is done via a standalone program which is freely available to Registered users from the support area of the GMEDIA Music web site Oscillator Controls e OSC1 Waveform Knob Because the Oscillators on the OSCar were digital they were referred to as OSC1 and 2 as opposed to VCO 1 and 2 05 1 contains the following waveforms Triangle Sawtooth Square Variable Width Pulse Pulse Width Modulation Full Organ Harpsichord Strong Lead Double Pulse Gritty UserWave1 and UserWave2 The waveform selected is displayed in the blue screens above the Waveform Knobs Note When selecting either UserWavel or UserWave2 for either OSC1 or OSCZ the waveform used will be that created and selected from within the USER WAVES section e OSC2 Waveform Knob Features exactly the same waveforms as 05 1 but whereas with OSC1 you can simply select a waveform shape OSC2 offers a few more options listed as follows e OSC2 Oct Shift Knob OCT SHIFT This allows you to change the octave position of OSC2 across a six octave range e OSC2 Transpose Knob Allows transposition of OSC2 by either or seven semitones e 05 2 Detune Knob Fullidds linnamed This enables you to detune OSC2 against OSC1 in order to create thicker or chorus type sounds e Pulse Width Knob PW Provided either one or both Oscillators are using Pulse Width
12. Wave1 22nd Harmonic W1 Hr 22 99 Wave1 3rd Harmonic W1 Hr 03 119 Wave1 23rd Harmonic W1 Hr 23 100 Wave1 4th Harmonic W1 Hr 04 120 Wave1 24th Harmonic W1 Hr 24 101 Wave1 5th Harmonic 102 Wave1 6th Harmonic W1 Hr 05 W1 Hr 06 121 none 122 none Empty 5 Empty 6 103 Wave1 7th Harmonic W1 Hr 07 123 lt none gt Empty 7 104 Wave1 8th Harmonic W1 Hr 08 124 none Empty 8 105 Wave1 9th Harmonic W1 Hr 09 125 none Empty 9 106 Wave1 10th Harmonic W1 Hr 10 126 none Empty 10 107 Wave1 11th Harmonic W1 Hr 11 127 lt none gt Empty 11 108 Wave1 12th Harmonic W1 Hr 12 128 lt none gt Empty 12t 1 Credits and thanks All Program Code Jon Hodgson Jon wrote his first commercial software program at the age of 14 Later after graduating from Brunel University with a degree in Micro Electronics Engineering he went on to assist in the development of 3D sound for stereo equipment for offshoot Sensaura Aside from being used on several albums such as Frank Sinatra s Duets this technology became one of the main players in the 3D sound for games market being used in the X Box An accomplished engineer guitarist and keyboard player Jon has also worked in a variety of musical instrument industry jobs including high end studio design and installation synthesizer repair as well as having the dubious pleasur
13. ain impOSCar control panel is visible EDIT MODE e Kbd Opens the impOSCar keyboard This mode also gives access to the Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels e W1 Opens the matrix window used to create UserWavel In addition to a traditional subtractive method the impOSCar also allows the user to create and store an assortment of additive waveforms generated by mixing the fundamental and 23 harmonics There are two UserWave locations the settings from which can be assigned to either or both OSC1 and OSC2 The settings assigned to each UserWave location can be saved as part of a patch and as individual UserWaves for quick recall See the using User Waves section on page 13 e W2 Similar to the W1 mode but used to create the waveform for UserWave2 e CC Selecting this Edit Mode reveals a window above each knob button or controller Here you can select the MIDI Continuous Controller CC you wish to control any impOSCar parameter extremely useful when using an external control device that transmits a fixed range of MIDI CC s The impOSCar comes with a pre defined list of controller numbers see page 21 but these can be easily changed to suit your needs MIDI CC learn function is also available in this mode This is activated in the following way Click on the green L button above any knob Now move your external controller s knob or slider The MIDI CC value that the external controller knob or slider has tran
14. ce distortion free tones FILTDRIVE VOLUME Note Because there is independent control of both filter drive and volume it s easy to achieve very high audio output levels These can overload the output channel of your host application therefore it s important that you take into consideration the balance between volume filter drive and your host application mixer output when programming sounds Arpeggiator and General controls EE Arpeggiator Knob Sa OFF Pra The impOSCar Arpeggiator contains four arpeggio modes 6 IMT ARPEGGIATOR CLOCK 2 Down 3 Up and Down 4 Random Tempo Arpeggiator Clock Button and LED As indicated earlier in the Tempo Knob section the Arpeggiator can be set to Internal or External synchronization via the Clock Button If this is set to Internal Source INT the Tempo rate is shown as BPM in the Selected Parameter Window However if this is set to External Source EXT the Tempo rate is shown as Beats Per Bar in the Selected Parameter Window e Keyboard Hold Button and LED As the name implies when switched on this button acts as a hold function for both normal chords and arpeggios Using this it s possible to play sustained chords and control arpeggiations in real time with minimal effort Edit Mode Knob Used to close the keyboard and to provide access to parameters besides those shown on the main impOSCar panel Min Set to this only the m
15. e CA 91706 6211 U S A techsupt m audio com Tech Support fax 626 633 9060 Internet Home Page http www m audio com M AUDIO U K Floor 6 Gresham House 53 Clarendon Road Watford WD17 United Kingdom Sales Information phone 44 0 1923 204010 Sales Information fax 44 0 1923 204039 Sales Information email info maudio co uk Technical Support IPC 44 0 1309 671301 Technical Support 44 0 1765 650072 Technical support maudio co uk Internet Home Page http www maudio co uk M AUDIO France Floor 6 Gresham House 53 Clarendon Road Watford WD17 United Kingdom Assistance Technique aucune questions reli es aux ventes courriel assistance support m audio france com mac m audio france com 0820 000 731 0 12 Euros par minute t l phone assistance Mac 0820 391 191 0 12 Euros par minute Jeleeopleul dX esee cer MM 01 72 72 90 52 Ventes aucun appels d assistance technique developed IVI AUDIO A part of Avid M AUDIO Deutschland Germany Kuhallmand 34 D 74613 Ohringen Germany 49 0 7941 987000 Sales
16. e of working for someone who will forever be known as the Clockwork Chicken A special thanks to Laurent de Soras at Ohm Force for his contributions to the ftt code routines Installers Ohm Force Artwork lan Legge Without whom dept Chris Huggett Paul Wiffen Laurent De Soras Jerome Noel Rapha l Ding and all at Ohm Force Angus Hewlett Uwe Bauer Tim Dorney Bruce Satinover Billy Currie Rick Smith Putte Karl Hyde Malcolm Corbett Lee Groves Clemens Homburg Shane Meehan Darren Price Orren Merton Matt Hooper Andy Abernathy Martin Hodgson Flemming Bloch David Motion Paul Wishart Nikolaus Gertis Sascha Kujawa Mark Moore Risto Sampola and all on the beta testing team And a very special thanks to Jon Hodgson for services way beyond the call of duty and also to his mum for having him Sounds by David Spiers Paul Wiffen Matt Hooper Billy Currie Rick Smith Chris Macleod Mark Moore Tim Dorney and Lee Groves 18 8 Contact 626 633 9055 Tech Support phone lines are open from 7AM to 7PM PST Monday through Friday techsupt m audio com E mail Tech Support whenever it s convenient for you You will usually receive a response within one business day www m audio com Check the M Audio website for any news FAQs or updates related to your product Often you will find solutions to your problems here that will save you a phone call to Tech Support M AUDIO U S 5795 Martin Road Irwindal
17. ed in parallel In this mode with zero or higher Separation you get a notch or band reject effect Lo Pass Hi Pass Similar to the above but where the Lo Pass and Hi Pass filters are arranged in parallel Band Pass Hi Pass Again similar to the previous two filter modes only this time the Band Pass and Hi Pass filters are arranged in parallel e Q Knob or Resonance This boosts the harmonics around the cut off frequency e Separation Knob Unique to the OSCar and impOSCar This takes the two 120 filters and allows independent control of their cutoff frequencies When used with either the four or two pole filter modes it s possible to separate the filters by up to 24 semitones Note In the first six filter modes zero separation takes place when the knob is turned fully to the left In the last three multi modes zero separation takes place when the knob is at 12 O clock Amount Knob Determines the filter amount applied to the filter envelope ENV2 This also works in positive and negative modes Env 1 Amplitude ADSR controls e Attack Knob Used to alter the attack time of the amplitude envelope generator between 0 001 and 15 Secs Decay Knob Used to alter the decay time of the amplitude envelope generator between 0 001 and 30 Secs e Sustain Knob Used to alter the sustain level of the amplitude envelope generator between minus infinity and OdB Release Knob Used to alter the release
18. etriggering of the Filter Envelope Env2 in accordance with the selected tempo 5 Rpt 1 2 This activates the retriggering of both the Amplitude and Filter Envelope in accordance with the Tempo Knob e Tempo Knob Controls the tempo of either the Arpeggiator or the retriggering of the envelopes as described previously The tempo of the impOSCar be clocked internally or synchronized to an external source see arpeggio sync page 16 If set to Internal Clock the Tempo Rate is shown as BPM If set to External Clock the Tempo Rate is shown as Beats Per Bar e Gate Time Knob When using any of the aforementioned Rpt triggering options this knob can be used to alter the Gate Time of either one or both envelopes The default Gate Time setting is 50 and moving the knob to the right extends the Gate Time whereas moving the knob to the left shortens the Gate Time For optimum Gate Time control ensure the Release Times of each envelope are not too long Function Knob A radical departure from the original instrument here the Function Knob selects from six polyphony modes 1 Mono Selects monophonic mode ideal for lead or bass lines 2 Duo maximum of two notes can be played simultaneously with either note having the ability to play one or both oscillators depending on whether one or two notes are played see Using Duo Mode page 20 3 Poly4 four voice polyphonic mode 4 Poly8 An eight voice polyphonic mode 5 Poly12 A twelve v
19. he OSCar default sound This turned out to be a clever marketing move too because when he demonstrated the OSCar to Ultravox some months later the band each bought one to take over tour duties from their now aging ARP Odysseys During its life the OSCar has appeared on countless tracks acting as the main instrument on Ultravox s Love s Great Adventure as well as performing bass duties on Stevie Wonder s track Skeletons taken from the Characters album In fact the entire world became unwittingly aware of the OSCar sound via its bass on Band Aid s Do they Know it s Christmas in 1985 Returning to slightly more hip territory though Mark Moore of S Express used it for the bassline on Theme From S Express and it s also appeared on a host of Underworld tracks from Rez to Rowla GMEDIA Music has had a long term love affair with the OSCar too Some time ago Dave Spiers was asked by Underworld to find a back up for their instrument This he did but was so taken by its character that he was unwilling to give it up having to find another for the band After hearing it my wife insisted that should keep it despite the fact that she s usually totally disinterested in synths After that the OSCar quickly became part of any programming project worked and in early 2002 after I d voiced my concern as to how rare and expensive they are becoming to Jon Hodgson he offered to begin the detailed task of turning it into a vir
20. he cost of the instrument at a realistic level and make the copy protection as unintrusive as possible As such we would kindly ask you not to support the pirates and not to post the impOSCar on any newsgroup or P2P group Many thanks OSCar web resources Www airburst co uk oscar intro htm www sospubs co uk sos sep99 articles oscar htm www sonicstate com synth osc_oscar cfm OSCar book resources A Z of Analogue Synthesisers Part Two N Z Pete Forrest Vintage Synthesisers Mark Vail 2 Installing the impOSCar Included on the Master CD are multiple versions of the impOSCar The impOSCar installer allows you to install any or all versions via a single installer one for Mac and one for PC PC Insert the impOSCar Master CD into your CD ROM drive From the setup window select the Install option and follow the onscreen instructions carefully entering your unique User Name and Registration codes EXACTLY as you find them printed within this Getting Started guide During installation 14 sound banks each containing 36 presets will be installed to your desktop these can later be moved to a location of your choice Mac Insert the impOSCar Master CD into your CD ROM Keg drive Double click on the GForce impOSCar disc icon to er Ulo Fieber d a open the disc Double click on the impOSCar dmg file and wour S icriec quale or howe baan arzhed daschy ag yos UE Tua then r
21. intrepid days of hardware behemoths things were very different For example in the late 1970s the highly desirable Minimoog would set you back a whopping 1500 and only play one note at a time And even an outlying Minimoog competitor would leave you needing a skin graft such was the size of the hole burnt in your pocket During this period and inspite of the fact that every manufacturer s mission was affordable monophonic synthesis for all it was unclear how that could be achieved due to the high component costs The big breakthrough came in the UK in 1978 when the first truly affordable monophonic synthesizer was released to an eager but unsuspecting world Conceived by Chris Huggett and Adrian Wagner the EDP Wasp at a price of 199 heralded a new era of synthesis and was undoubtedly responsible for introducing legions of young adults to electronic sound exploration Of course in order to bring a synth in at approximately half the price of any competitor certain compromises had to be made the most noticeable one being a toy like touch sensitive keyboard In terms of sound the Wasp was far from a toy and featured multi mode filters resonance portamento and three stage envelope generators Needless to say it was a huge success and reportedly provided Dave Stewart and Thomas Dolby with their first synths After a succession of add on devices revised models and increased competition from US and Japanese markets the EDP collaborators went
22. knob to the left will shorten the envelope attack times when playing at high velocities and turning the knob to the right will lengthen the attack time when playing at high velocities e Release Knob With 12 O clock as the zero value turning the knob to the left will shorten the envelope release times when playing at high velocities and turning the knob to the right will lengthen the release time when playing at high velocities e Velocity Filter Drive Knob With both positive and negative settings the Env1 Filter Drive Knob allows you to set the degree of control note on velocity has over the amount of filter drive Note As well as increasing amplitude dynamics the Filter Drive also introduces overdrive if you do not want to introduce this to your sound when playing at high velocities make sure you reduce the Filter Drive level accordingly e Env2 Peak Knob With both positive and negative settings the Env2 Peak knob allows you to set the degree of responsiveness note on velocity has over the Filter Envelope Filter Drive and Volume Knobs On the original instrument there was a single knob to perform both these tasks On the impOSCar c N we ve split these into two knobs allowing greater range of combinations between subtle and blitzkrieg overdrive For extremely overdriven sounds both high filter drive and volume settings are recommended and rolling off the filter drive knob will produ
23. mal simple portamento where the time between each note is governed by the Glide Time Knob In the first three unfixed modes the Glide Time is the time taken to slide one octave which means that the larger the interval the longer the glide time 2 Auto The same as Normal mode except that in monophonic mode glide is activated only between notes that are held 3 Gliss The Glissando mode is similar to Normal mode but instead of a smooth transition between each note you actually hear the semitone steps 4 Normal Fixed As per Normal mode with the exception that in the Normal Fixed mode the glide time is the time taken between any two notes no matter how large the interval 5 Auto Fixed As per Auto mode whereby portamento is only triggered by legato notes except that the glide time is the time between any two notes no matter how large the interval 6 Gliss Fixed As per the previous Glissando mode except that in this case the glide time is the time between any two notes no matter how large the interval Mix Controls e Osc Balance Knob Determines the relative balance between OSC1 and OSC2 e Noise Balance Knob Alters the balance between the combined tones of OSC1 and OSC2 and a white noise generator LFO Controls e FO Waveform Knob While the original instrument had six LFO waveforms this amount has doubled on the impOSCar original OSCar waveforms gt were Ts Triangle Sawtooth Square
24. oice polyphonic mode 6 Poly16 sixteen voice polyphonic mode A word about CPU load and polyphony When using a maximum of say eight voices notes use Poly8 mode as this can drastically reduce CPU overhead if using 4 voices select Poly4 if 12 Poly12 There are two reasons for using less than maximum permitted 16 voices 1 It puts a cap on the processor use 2 limits the amount of voices playing when using sounds with long envelope release times Keyboard Velocity Response Controls e Keyboard Track Knob This allows you vary the keyboard tracking in relation to the filter cutoff Choosing a knob position towards i the left opens the filter more the lower keys of your keyboard and decreases this effect as you play up the keyboard Setting a knob position towards the right of center has the opposite effect HEYETRRCH ATTACK RELEA E DRIVE ENYE PEAR KEYBOARD VELOCITY RESPONSE Nofe Setting the keyboard tracking to a value of one the filter cutoff frequency tracks the keyboard the same way the original OSCar did in the first three tracked filter modes Here a one octave change on the keyboard gives approximately a one octave Change in cutoff Setting the tracking to a value of zero means there is no tracking at all as per the no track filter settings on the original instrument Attack Decay Knob With 12 O clock being a zero value turning the
25. or Pulse Width Modulation waveforms this knob applies an independent LFO to the waveform s in order to modulate them Turned to the left the PW Knob will have a minimal effect and will create a more hollow sound As this knob is turned further to the right it will create a thicker sound as a result of the increase in modulation Octave Transpose LEDs Clicking on the red lights will transpose both Oscillators globally Use this in conjunction with the OSC2 transpose knobs to create relative transpositions Wheels Section e Bend Knob This allows you to determine the effect the pitchbend wheel on either the impOSCar interface or your master keyboard has on the impOSCar sound You can select any amount between O off and 24 semitones two octaves e Mod Pitch Amount Knob it s possible to choose the amount of pitch modulation introduced by the modulation wheel Both and pitch modulation settings are available with a zero setting at 12 O clock The speed of this modulation is governed by the LFO rate e Mod Filter Amount Knob Similar to the aforementioned Pitch Mod function only this time the modulation wheel will affect the Filter Amount Again the speed of Filter Modulation is determined by the LFO rate RRFEGCIRTOR Glide Controls e Glide Type Knob The impOSCar contains an exceptionally comprehensive set of Glide options The six modes are as follows 1 Nor
26. pe generators in accordance with the synchronized tempo value This is achieved by selecting RPT1 RPT2 or 1 2 from the Triggering Knob Select RPT1 2 to retrigger both envelopes and you should immediately notice a difference in the sound of your arpeggiation From here try changing the values of certain filter envelope generator controls such as decay and listen to the changes TEMPO EFFECT You can also alter the gate time of the envelopes via the Gate Time Knob but first make sure that the release times of both envelope generators are set approximately halfway Now turn the Gate Time Knob from right to left and you ll hear some interesting changes It s also possible to create patterns synchronizing the LFO to the Arpeggio tempo by selecting either Clock or MIDI via the Sync Knob For a more detailed explanation of the sync options check the LFO section on page 11 of the manual but once you ve chosen the most appropriate one try setting the LFO Waveform to Random before applying it via the Amount Knob Finally experiment with the various Mono Duo and Poly modes with the right sounds assigned duophonic and polyphonic arpeggio patterns can sound amazing Using Duo Mode To get an idea of how duo mode works set OSC1 to a PWM waveform and set OSC2 to a Square wave and transpose it two octaves higher then 05 1 Play and hold a single note middle C you will hear that this triggers both oscillators Now
27. smitted will appear in the parameter value box DRIVE ENY Mouse Control System Default window By clicking on the System Default window it s also possible to determine the way the impOSCar s knobs react to mouse control The choices are as follows System Default Simply sets the default control method as determined by your host application Circular Sets the mouse control method to circular movements Linear Sets the mouse control method to horizontal and vertical movements Panel Switches e Compare switches between the panel settings you ve set and the original ones of the selected program e Reset puts parameters back to the original ones for that program e Store puts the panel settings into a temporary memory Recall reads the temporary memory back to the panel Effects Section The impOSCar also features a chorus and delay effects section This is revealed or closed by clicking on the Panel Open Close text situated to the right of the Chorus Level Delay Level and Delay Tempo knobs To turn the effects ON or OFF click on the green Effect On Off button Effects settings are stored as part of an impOSCar patch e Chorus Depth Knob PROGRAMMABLE Sets the depth of the chorus effect MUSIC SYNTHESISER e Chorus Rate Knob PANEL OPEN Sets the speed of the chorus effect CHORUS D DELA Chorus Level Knob LEVEL LEVEL TEMPO EFFECT Controls the amount of chorus applied to your impOS
28. t Level DR Lvl 15 Master Octave Octave 61 Delay Left Feedback DL Fok 16 none Empty 1 62 Delay Right Feedback DR Fok 17 Triggering Trigger 63 Delay Left Length DL Len 18 Tempo Tempo 64 Delay Right Length DR Len 19 Gate Time Gte Tme 65 Delay Highpass Cutoff Del HP 20 Function Funct 66 Delay Lowpass Cutoff Del LP 21 Vel gt Attack Vel Atk 67 Delay Units Del Unt 22 Vel gt Release Vel Rel 68 Delay Gate Del Gte 23 Vel gt Drive Vel Drv 69 Delay Feedback Mode Del Fok 24 Vel gt Env2 Vel Env 2 70 lt none gt Empty 4 25 Amp Attack Amp Atk 71 lt none gt Empty 5 26 Amp Decay Amp Dec 72 lt none gt Empty 6 27 Amp Sustain Amp Sus 73 Wave1 Fundamental W1 Hr 01 28 Amp Release Amp Rel 74 Wave1 2nd Harmonic W1 Hr 02 29 Filter Attack 30 Filter Decay Fit Atk Flt Dec 75 Wave1 3rd Harmonic 76 Wave1 4th Harmonic W1 Hr 03 W1 Hr 04 31 Filter Sustain Sus 77 1 5th Harmonic W1 Hr 05 32 Filter Release Fit Rel 78 Wave1 6th Harmonic W1 Hr 06 33 Filter Delay Fit Diy 79 Wave1 7th Harmonic W1 Hr 07 34 Arpeggio Arp Type 80 Wave1 8th Harmonic W1 Hr 08 35 Kod Hold Kod Hid 81 Wave1 9th Harmonic W1 Hr 09 36 Tempo Source Clock 82 Wave1 10th Harmonic W1 Hr 10 37 Chor
29. tch Knob With this knob it s possible to use the filter envelope ENV2 to make changes to the pitch of your sound Again this has both positive and negative values giving a range of up to or seven semitones e FO Synchronization Knob Provides four sync modes under which the LFO can operate 2 d 4 Filter Controls The OSCar s filter was unique in that it consisted of two 124 filters which could be combined in series to create 24dB filtering The filtering modes were LPF BPF and HPF with a track option We have removed the no track option as it possible to achieve the same using the KEYB TRACK knob However the impOSCar has expanded on these original modes by adding several more that were achievable on the original instrument with the careful use of a soldering iron e Filter Type Knob Selects from the following nine filter options 1 Free Free run mode providing no sync between polyphonic voices Great for swirling chords Lock Selecting this locks all polyphonic voices in sync with each other Clock Synchronizes the LFO to main tempo clock which may itself by synchronized to MIDI in order to create LFO effects that match the Arpeggiator MIDI Synchronized to MIDI bypassing main clock Low Pass 24dB Where the two 12dB filters are combined in series and allow the low frequencies to pass through while filtering high frequencies Band Pass 24dB Where the two 120 filters are combined in
30. thesis as the holy grail it s easy to see why it could be passed over in favor of a chord playing rival Secondly 1983 was the year of MIDI which was notably absent on the first production run of OSCars although it was quickly added after the first few hundred had been shipped And thirdly the reason for its rarity is simple there were only around 2000 OSCars produced However those fortunate enough to have owned one have always remained convinced that this was one of the world s great synths and their passion has helped elevate this instrument into the realms of synth folklore In terms of sound potential it s difficult to categorize the OSCar On one hand by utilizing the additive synthesis functions it was possible for it to sound very digital and harsh On the other hand by using the PWM in conjunction with the overdriven filter screaming leads and corpulent bass sounds were without doubt the order of the day for many With regards to its overdriven power sound designer and programmer Paul Wiffen who had been a key part of the EDP and OSCar team recalls that many synth players like Billy Currie and Jan Hammer were putting their synths through distortion pedals to create their own unique sounds and during development he suggested to Chris Huggett that a similar effect could be achieved by applying an internal overdrive to the filter Using this feature he came up with an emulation of the classic Ultravox lead which eventually became t
31. time for the left and right channels between 1 and 32 units Use these to create wide stereo delays eft and Right Feedback Knobs Use these to set the feedback level for left and right channels respectively Crossed and Uncrossed Button Works with the Left and Right Feedback Knobs for different delay effects When uncrossed the signal from the left output feeds back into the left input and the signal for the right output feeds back into the right input When crossed the signal from the left output feeds into the right input and the signal from the right output feeds into the left input Left and Right Channel Mix Knobs Sets the overall level of the left and right delay channels Delay Level Knob Sets the global level of the delay effect Delay Tempo Knob Sets the global delay tempo from between 32 and 192BPM with the option to sync to the host application tempo when switched to MIDI BPM Creating and using User Waves As explained previously in addition to a traditional subtractive synthesis sound wg 1 ES creation method the impOSCar also allows the creation of additive synthesis waveforms via the User Wave Matrix To create your own User Wave make sure that you have User Wave 1 selected for OSC1 Then move the Edit Mode Knob to W1 this reveals the User Wave Matrix with each of the 24 harmonics being represented by a vertical line of LED s PITCH AMT The level of a particular harmonic is increased b
32. ts which use the same User Wave e g Full Odds During the course of programming new Preset you change the harmonics of the Full Odds User Wave then store it any Presets which were previously using Full Odds do not change they now simply listed as Unnamed but the harmonic content of the sound remains the same Using the Arpeggiator The impOSCar arpeggiator can be used in monophonic duophonic and polyphonic modes and although at first glance it looks fairly basic but there are a number of options that can open up a wealth of creative potential However we re the first to admit that some of these are not immediately obvious due to the grouping of certain knobs on the front panel Firstly decide whether you want to synchronize your arpeggio to the host sequencer or set the BPM with the Tempo Knob in the Triggering section If you choose to synchronize click the EXT Clock button next to the Arpeggiator Knob then choose a beats per bar value from the aforementioned Tempo Knob the value of which will be shown in the Selected Parameter Value window Return to the Arpeggiator RRPEGGIRTOR CLOCH Knob and select any of the Up Down and Random modes then play a chord Activating the KBD HOLD button will hold that arpeggio indefinitely And free up your hands for other creative pursuits Mp Several options are now available to you including the ability to repeat either LEVEL LEVEL or both of the envelo
33. tual instrument Of all the monosynths the OSCar has always been very interesting to me for two main reasons says Jon The first is that it s different the double filter with separation the different waveforms the additive synthesis It does things in its own slightly unique way and like that in an instrument The second is that it s the only one of what you might call the old school of monosynths that can actually remember seeing adverts in magazines for guess it must have been in it s last days when first started getting interested in synths and music and it certainly was eye catching Over the ensuing two years the impOSCar was developed by Jon regardless of cost or effort Capturing the sonic essence and tonal characteristics of the original instrument was absolutely paramount Of course in this day and age it would have been foolhardy not to have incorporated certain new features such as the ability to sync the tempo of both the arpeggiator and LFO to the sequencer host as well as adding polyphonic capability velocity sensitivity and an additional effects section Regarding many of the enhancements Jon comments Many of these in particular the new filter modes were achievable on the original OSCar with a scalpel some wire and a soldering iron so don t think it goes against the spirit of the original In fact hope people will find that if anything many of the enhancements will add to the fundamental character of
34. un the impOSCar Installer following the onscreen eee E ie reg mm Ene instructions carefully and entering your unique User Name heres ony plesi conioci enne coe and Registration codes EXACTLY as you find them printed within this Getting Started guide During installation be sure to click on the Next button until the installation routine is complete During installation 14 sound banks each containing 36 presets will be installed to your desktop these can later be moved to a location of your choice Special note about fxb sound files During installation the impOSCar sounds are installed to your desktop in a folder called impOSCar You can load the fxb s by dragging and dropping one of the files to the impOSCar user interface j 3 Registration Please take the time to register your impOSCar on line at www gmediamusic com registration Registration is required to receive free technical support 4 Loading Sounds Cubase ImpOSCar sounds are loaded and saved as Banks To load a Bank simply click on File gt Load Bank navigate to the impOSCar folder and select the desired Bank Once a Bank has loaded you can use the normal Cubase Patch Management system to scroll through each sound Importing OSCar sounds via sysex Although we have included the original OSCar presets as an impO
35. us Level Chorus 83 Wave1 11th Harmonic W1 Hr 11 38 Delay Level 39 Delay Tempo Delay DlyTmp 84 Wave1 12th Harmonic 85 Wave1 13th Harmonic W1 Hr 12 W1 Hr 13 40 Effects Active FX On 86 Wave1 14th Harmonic W1 Hr 14 41 Osc Mix Osc Mx 87 Wave1 15th Harmonic W1 Hr 15 42 Noise Miz Nse Mx 88 Wave1 16th Harmonic W1 Hr 16 43 ModWheel gt Pitch MW Ptch 89 Wave1 17th Harmonic W1 Hr 17 44 ModWheel gt Filter MW Filt 90 Wave1 18th Harmonic W1 Hr 18 45 Bend Range Bend 91 Wave1 19th Harmonic W1 Hr 19 46 Glide Type Gld Typ 92 Wave1 20th Harmonic W1 Hr 20 93 Wave1 21st Harmonic W1Hr21 109 Wave1 13th Harmonic Parameter Name Short Name Parameter Name Short Name W1 Hr 13 94 Wave1 22nd Harmonic W1 Hr 22 110 Wave1 14th Harmonic W1 Hr 14 95 Wave1 23rd Harmonic W1 Hr 23 111 Wave1 15th Harmonic W1 Hr 15 96 Wave1 24th Harmonic W1 Hr 24 112 Wave1 16th Harmonic W1 Hr 16 93 Wave1 21st Harmonic 94 Wave1 22nd Harmonic W1 Hr 21 W1 Hr 22 113 Wave1 17th Harmonic 114 Wave1 18th Harmonic W1 Hr 17 W1 Hr 18 95 Wave1 23rd Harmonic W1 Hr 23 115 Wave1 19th Harmonic W1 Hr 19 96 Wave1 24th Harmonic W1 Hr 24 116 Wave1 20th Harmonic W1 Hr 20 97 Wave1 Fundamental W1 Hr 01 117 1 21st Harmonic W1 Hr 21 98 Wave1 2nd Harmonic W1 Hr 02 118
36. with the original middle C held down play additional notes below and above you ll hear that these additional notes are only triggering OSC2 while the original sustained middle C plays the OSC1 sound Keeping the middle C held add the G below Having done this stop playing the original middle C but continue to hold the G Any additional notes played will now trigger the 05 1 sound while the original G will play the sound associated with OSC2 5 MIDI Continuous Control Messages Each of the impOSCar s parameters responds to a standard MIDI Continuous Control message MIDI 5 as shown opposite Additionally the impOSCar responds to the following MIDI CC s CC 64 66 67 68 69 123 MIDI Guitar Pedal Function Sustain damper holds all notes played when the pedal is pressed and while it is held Sostenuto holds all notes which were playing at the moment the pedal was pressed Soft multiplies all velocities by 0 5 changeable on a global basis in the sup file Legato if you re in multi trigger mode puts you in single and vice versa Hold2 multiplies release times by 2 changeable on a global basis in the sup file All Notes Off The impOSCar has a feature specifically designed for MIDI Guitar players In Mono Mode the impOSCar behaves as if it were 16 mono synths in parallel with separate note and bend control response for each MIDI channel Make sure your sequencer track is set to receive on all
37. y switching more of its LED s on oo wt 9 0 conversely switching them off decreases the level of that particular harmonic u Simply select the desired harmonic by clicking on the bottom of the grid at the Pw FILTER AMT appropriate point and dragging upwards You ll see the level of the harmonic indicated by the position of the red line the taller the line the louder the 044 5 harmonic ETATE em RIRPECCIATOR CLOCK Using this method of sound creation it s easy to create your own User Waves which can be named and saved for use within a Patch e Storing User Waves To save a User Wave simply click in the box underneath the User Wave Matrix type in your desired name then click on the green Save button Recalling User Waves All stored User Waves can be quickly assigned to the appropriate oscillator first by dialling up User or 2 via the OSC Waveform Knob then by choosing a stored User Wave from either of the User Wave Windows on the main panel The upper and lower windows are used to assign User Waves to oscillators 1 and 2 respectively Note When saving a Preset containing a User Wave the Preset is stored with the actual User Wave values not the User Wave name This is so that changing the contents of a previously named User Wave does not change any other patches using that same User Wave For example let s say you have several Prese
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search