Neuron.book Seite i Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 Neuron.book Seite ii Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 Neuron.book Seite i Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 Table of contents Welcome to the family! 1 The Neuron Team 2 Copyright 2 The manual ... 3 Style conventions 3 Icons 4 Specified use 5 Safety first - notes on safety 5 Get yourself connected 8 Unpacking / standard accessories 8 Setting up 8 Neuron's connectors and ports 9 Before cabling up ... 9 A word on audio quality ... 9 Mains cord 9 Stereo setup, surround setup, headphones 10 External controllers: Footswitches & pedals 11 MIDI setup 12 Digital inputs/outputs, USB connection 13 Let the games begin... 14 Powering up (finally!) 14 Switching off 15 Quick Start Guide 16 Neuron basics 22 The philosophy behind Neuron 22 A look at control features in general 25 Stick controller 26 Data input wheels (wheels) 29 Knob 29 Menu navigation in the main display 29 Operating modes 32 Operating mode: Sound mode 32 Operating mode: Setup mode 32 Hierarchies: The Neuron memory model 33 Master volume 35 Fundamentals: Basic settings 36 Neuron's modules 43 Signal Flow 43 Module: Programmer 45 Programmer: Control features 46 Programmer: Programming sounds 49 Sound menu 49 Sound parameters 49 Snapshots & the play/compare function 52 Neuron's copy/paste function 54 Back to the roots: The reset function 57 Programmer: Programming setups 58 Setup menu 59 Setup parameters 61 Table of contents i Neuron.book Seite ii Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 ii Table of contents Module: Resynator 69 The philosophy behind resynators 69 The idea behind Neuron models 70 Resynator: Control features 73 Resynator: Menu 75 Resynator: Parameters 77 Resynator: Handling 86 Module: Blender 93 Blender: Control features 94 Blender: Menu 94 Blender: Parameters 94 Blender: Types 96 Module: Shaper 1/2 99 Normal or repeat? 103 Shaper 1/2: Control features 105 Shaper 1/2: Menu 106 Shaper 1/2: Parameters 108 Shaper 1/2: Handling 110 Module: Mod 114 Mod: Routing 115 Mod: Menu 116 Mod: Control features 116 Mod: Parameters 116 Mod: Handling 117 Mod: Waves - Available LFO waveforms 118 Module: Slicer 119 Slicer: Control features 121 Slicer: Menu 122 Slicer: Parameters 122 Module: Silver 123 Filter basics 124 Silver: Control features 133 Silver: Menus 136 Silver: Parameters 138 Silver: Handling 146 Module: Shaper 3 149 Shaper 3: Control features 151 Shaper 3: Menu 151 Shaper 3: Parameters in silver status 152 Shaper 3: Handling 153 Module: Master effects 154 Master effects: Control features 157 Master effects: Menu 158 Master effects: Parameters 159 Master effects: Handling 160 Free controllers 162 Controllers: Menu 163 Controllers: Route planning 165 Surround mode 169 Surround basics 169 Surround menu in Neuron 174 Surround handling in Neuron 174 Neuron.book Seite iii Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 MIDI control 178 MIDI-relevant basic settings 178 MIDI-relevant setup settings 179 SysEx commands (System exclusive data) 179 Controller list 181 Updates and Backups 185 A word on the USB interface 185 The load/dump function 187 Load/dump: Menu 187 Load/dump: Options 188 Just feed it 192 Converting samples into Neuron models 192 Technical data 193 CE Declaration of conformity 194 Index 195 Table of contents iii Neuron.book Seite iv Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 Neuron.book Seite 1 Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 Welcome to the family! Thank you for purchasing this groundbreaking electronic musical instrument. To this day, I recall the thrill that reading words much like these gave me when I brought my brand-new synthesizer home. I devoured the pages that followed in that first manual - it would become my bedside bible for many days after acquiring that cherished machine. Years have passed since; as a musician, I owned many instruments and as a designer, I contributed to the making of many more. With Neuron, I was able to make my personal dream come true - an aspiration that would not have been attainable without the close cooperation of one of the brightest minds in the music business. Neuron's synthesis engine embraces the imagination and comprehensive knowledge of Stephan Sprenger, who in March 2000 set out with me on an adventure of designing what is certainly the most powerful new development in synthesizers in recent years. Before you stands the hard-won result of this shared vision. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who worked so hard ­ sometimes to the limits of human endurance ­ to blast through barriers and turn this vision into a product that satisfies your and our standards for quality. As you get to know Neuron, you will come across a range of innovative functions. Many of these are the fruits of a Herculean development effort, and a goodly share has been implemented for the first time in an electronic musical instrument. I am certain that you will soon come to appreciate the depth and breadth of neural synthesis; its sonic potential is, in fact, tremendous. And its unique control features make it so easy to shape this instrument's jawdropping sounds. Here's hoping that you will become acquainted with your new instrument in no time at all. This manual will help you understand this machine. You will find familiar features in some areas and be confronted with completely novel features in others. However, in order to make the most of your synthesizer's potential, I recommend that you make this manual your bedtime storybook in the days ahead just as I did years ago and still do today. Thank you for the confidence in our product and in our new company. Welcome to the family! Axel Hartmann 1 Neuron.book Seite 2 Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 2 The Neuron Team The Neuron Team · Software: Engine: Stephan Sprenger, Prosoniq Products Software UI Soft, Bios: Josef Pogadl (Management), Jürgen Fornoff UI Hard, Bios: Puschmann Engineering, Marcus Werner · Hardware implementation: Schlafhorst Electronics GmbH, Dr. Hans-Georg Nowak (Management) · Project Management: Josef Pogadl, Axel Hartmann, Arnd Kaiser. · Design: Axel Hartmann, Design Box · Sound design: Arnd Kaiser, Bernhard Bouché, Ray Legnini, Christian Ledwig, Peter Gorges, Yellow Tools, Uwe Zahn, Peter Kuhlmann · Housing/Component Construction: Frank Schneider (Management), Klaus Weber, Werner Bernd · User Manual: Volker Fischer, bfj document partner Illustrations: Design Box, Shaun Ellwood Translation: Tom Green Thanks to: (In alphabetical order): Werner Bernd, Melisande Bernsee, Bernhard and Heidi Bouché, Thad Brown, Charlotte Clare, the Design Box Team, Wolfgang Düren, Joachim Flor, Gerd Gehrke, Detlef Glißmeyer, Uli Gobbers, Andreas Hafen, Christian Hellinger, Martin Herbst, Russ Jones, Joachim Keil, Tony Kostanjsek, Lothar Krell, Stephan Leitl, Heiko Meerz, Drew Neumann, Jörg Pauly, Susanne Pennewiss, the Prosoniq Team, Stefan Rapp, Rapp Architekten, Peter Ries, all the comp.dsp regulars, Frederic "Bo" Schelling, the Schlafhorst Electronics Team, Boris Schneider, Dieter Strobel, Terratec, Manfred Tillmann, the TSI Team, Drazen "Wanzinn kuhl(tm)" Vlahovic, Hans Zimmer Copyright No part of this operating manual may be reproduced, published, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express written permission of Hartmann GmbH. Contents are subject to change for technical reasons and due to amendments. The greatest care and diligence has been taken in compiling this manual. However, there is always the chance of an oversight. We apologize for any inconvenience should you come across an error. We are not liable for changes made to Neuron after this manual went to print. © 2002 Hartmann GmbH, 88214 Ravensburg, Germany. All rights reserved. Neuron.book Seite 3 Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 The manual ... If all you had needed was more reading material, you would have bought Bukowski's collected works or Keith Emerson's biography but not a neural synthesizer. We are well aware that reading operating manuals is a pain. So the question begs, "Who should read what in this manual?" ... for pros If Neuron is the latest in a long line of synthesizers owned by you, if you're a seasoned sound programmer, and if you're familiar with the theory behind envelopes and filters, you will need this book merely as a reference for individual parameters, for guidance in navigating the menus, or because you want to look up something about this or that control feature. Not so: Even if you are a bona fide synthesizer expert, its controls are sure to be new to you! This manual also offers a parameter table for every Neuron module, a list of control features and menu diagrams for quick reference ­ plenty of stuff to ponder even for the synthesizer expert. Our Quick Start Guide starts on page 16 . Its purpose is to give the eager synthesist who wants to dive right into the Neuron pool a friendly shove. ... and for not quite so professional pros In the event that you are an (absolute) beginner or are not quite sure what an envelope is good for and what a chorus does, this manual offers an explanatory and hopefully enlightening introduction for every module. ... with an index to boot! We invested considerable effort into referencing terminology in the index starting on page 195 so that you can access any desired information in a hurry. Style conventions Most of us are creatures of habit. That is why in this manual we have opted to use distinctive typeset to denote control features, parameters, and displays. Control features such as buttons, knobs, wheels, and stick controllers appear in bold. Parameters that can be selected or edited in a module as well as LEDs appear in italics. Display read-outs are shown in t y p e s c r i p t . The manual ... 3 Neuron.book Seite 4 Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 4 Icons In order to describe how to use the navigation stick located next to the main display in as few words as possible, we use the following shortcuts: Stick.down means that you should move the stick down once in order to perform the given operation. Stick.up/left/right means move the stick in the given direction. The confused couch potato turns up because something discussed on that page seems unclear! Icons Our couch potatoes will accompany you through this manual: You will find couch potatoes lounging about all over the book. They pop up wherever a need for further enlightenment arises, marking passages containing a key fact, cross-referencing a related topic ... ...or offering valuable tips on good-to-know stuff like tweaking sounds or programming Neuron. Heads up if you see the couch potato and his friends listening intently. If you take the hint and "listen up" too, you will discover an interesting or unusual fact. The stick controllers are Neuron's hallmark features. They enable effective, intuitive, and easy handling. The stick icon appears wherever a stick is mentioned in the text. Neuron.book Seite 5 Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 Specified use Neuron® is a neural synthesizer to be used exclusively for generating low-frequency audio signals for creating sounds. Any other use is improper and prohibited. Hartmann GmbH is not liable for inappropriate or improper use of the device and such use voids the manufacturer's warranty. Safety first - notes on safety The following guidelines are crucial to your safety and the longevity of the device. Read and heed! Consider also the notes on safety printed on the device's connection panel. Failure to heed the guidelines below can lead to fatal injuries through electrical shock or to the destruction of the device! · Keep the device out of the rain and away from any other splashing water. Under no circumstances, allow water to seep into the housing. Do not place any receptacle containing liquid on the device - even if this means you must do without your traditional chill-out drink during your combo's last number! · Always set up a safe distance from water; that means bathtubs and swimming pools too. Bathers and swimmers are in danger of electrical shock! · Do not operate the device in a moist environment. Humidity may not exceed 75%. · If you place the device on a stand or other platform, make sure it and the floor you are standing on are dry! CAUTION Lethal electrical shock hazard! Safety first - notes on safety 5 Neuron.book Seite 6 Montag, 23. Dezember 2002 2:28 14 6 Safety first - notes on safety · Never use faulty mains, audio, or other connecting cords. If the included mains cord is damaged or lost, use a suitable replacement cord only. In countries in which the included mains cord cannot be used, turn to a qualified specialist for help. Never connect the device to a socket that is unsuitable, damaged or improperly installed. Always unplug the mains cord from the socket by pulling the plug and never the actual cord! Do not touch the mains cord with wet hands! Never sever the mains cord's green/yellow ea ...