5.19.16 REV 7 v. 3.
1 Limited Warranty: ----------------------------------------------------3 Overview:------------------------------------------------------------4 Patch Notations: ----------------------------------------------------5 User Interface: -------------------------------------------------------------6 Panel Controls:-------------------------------------------------7 Default Sounds: ------------------------------------------------8 Getting Started: Power Up:----------------------------------------------------------
2 This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes / modifications not approved by the Make Noise Co. could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Limited WARRANTY: Make Noise warrants this product to be free of defects in materials or construction for a period of one year from the date of purchase (proof of purchase/invoice required). Malfunction resulting from wrong power supply voltages, backwards or reversed eurorack bus board cable connection, abuse of the product or any other causes determined by Make Noise to be the fault of the user are not covered by this warranty, and normal service rates will apply.
4 The 0-COAST is a single voice patchable synthesizer. It’s name reflects the fact that it utilizes techniques from both the Moog and Buchla paradigms (aka “East Coast,” and “West Coast,” due to their locations), but is loyal to neither and thus implements “no coast synthesis.” Figure 1: Normalizations While the 0-COAST utilizes classic modular synthesis techniques, we designed it to operate with or without the use of patch cables. The necessary connections have been made from circuit to circuit (Fig.
PATCH NOTATIONS : 5 In this manual, patch instructions will be notated like this (the Circuit Output represents a patch cable connected to the two jacks): Circuit Input For example: Oscillator Square Wave Output Balance External Input As you may have guessed, this is instructing you to patch the Square Wave Output ftom the 0-Coast’s Oscillator Circuit to the External Input of the Balance Circuit. Don’t worry if it sounds daunting, you’ll quickly get the hang of it.
usER InTERFA cE : 6 Panel Controls: Figure 3: Common knobs shown with associated patch notation, when applicable. The knobs on any particular module are utilized to set values for their respective parameters. Often a value can be altered by Control Voltage (CV) in an input jack, which can be visualized as an invisible hand “turning” the knob. We will go into much more detail about CV, which is in many ways the defining characteristic of the modular synthesizer.
7 Figure 7: Panel Controls 7 18 19 8 1 3 2 11 4 5 10 25 43 34 61 12 13 21 14 22 16 17 54 26 27 35 44 45 55 56 28 36 37 38 39 46 57 15 6 23 53 42 33 20 9 52 32 24 30 1. PGM A Illuminated Button 2. MIDI A Activity Window 3. MIDI INput Jack 4. MIDI B Activity Window 5. Ext. CV OUTput 6. Ext. Gate OUTput 7. PGM B Illuminated Button 8. TEMPO INput 9. TEMPO Activity Window 10. CLocK OUTput 11. Stepped Random OUTput 12.
8 Figure 8: Default Sound Figure 9: Drone
Power Up, Monitoring, and Signal Safety Figure 10: Connecting the Power It is recommended that the 0-COAST AC adapter is plugged into a fuse-protected power strip with an On/Off switch; however, if that is not available, it is OK to plug it into a wall outlet. Use only the Make Noise 0-COAST 15VDC Tip Positive AC Adapter to power the 0-COAST.
10 MIDI and CV/Gate Controllers Once powered up, set all Panel Controls to “Default Sound” positions as indicated in Figure 8 on Page 8. For MIDI control, use the included MIDI Adapter to plug your MIDI controller or sequencer to the MIDI Input on the 0-COAST (Figure 13). The 0-COAST defaults to receiving MIDI on ALL Channels, so you should be able to strike any key or start a sequence on your MIDI controller and see the MIDI Activity window and hear a smooth, simple sound.
11 PROGRAM BUTTONS The PGM_A and PGM_B buttons allow access to a number of functions: Basic Actions • HOLD PGM_B : PANIC! Stops MIDI and Arp Notes. If you encounter a "stuck" MIDI note, this will make it disappear. If using the Latch & Shift Arpeggiator type, this will clear all the notes. • PRESS PGM_A & PGM_B : Run/Stop Arpeggiator This switches between "normal" keyboard play and Arpeggiator. See Page 34 for more information about Arpeggiator types. NOTE: the Arpeggiator is only played over MIDI.
12 PROGRAM BUTTONS The PGM_A and PGM_B buttons allow access to a number of settings for the MIDI_A and MIDI_B circuits. If you ever need to restore these settings to the Default Settings just do the following: [HOLD] PGM_A and PGM_B while [POWERING ON] the 0-COAST. Once 0-COAST is powered up, it will have {Default Settings} and is ready yo use. For the program pages that follow: 1. {Arpeggiator}: PGM_A = This selects one of two arpeggiator types.
13 4. {MIDI B CV source}: PGM_A = , MIDI_B = • PGM_B = – Note number • PGM_B = – Velocity (default) • PGM_B = – Mod Wheel • PGM_B = – LFO ([TAP] PGM_A twice or more to set frequency). This is a Triangle wave LFO with user-defined frequency. Note gives you the ability to use the 0-Coast as a MIDI-to-CV converter for external voltage controlled synths, or to emulate "key-tracking" behaviors found on monosynths.
14 MIDI-Controlled MIDI Clock Sync’d Glide/PORTAMENTO Using MIDI CC 5 and 65, analog, fully programmable, clock-synchronized PORTAMENTO is possible. Portamento ON/OFF Portamento TIME CC 65= 0 - OFF; 1-127 = ON CC 5 = 0-127; 0= OFF; 1-127= Time interval Max 4 Live Page Programmer Note: Portamento is in 64ths of the main clock. A setting of 50% makes the 0-COAST take a whole clock pulse to arrive to the next note.
Circuits that Create, Modify, and Modulate the Sound Figure 16: Connecting the Korg SQ-1 to the 0-Coast via CV/GATE Connections Follow the Arrows! 15 Aside from the MIDI circuit, the 0-COAST has a 100% analog signal path with Panel Controls for all of the parameters that shape the sound. It helps to learn what each of these circuits does to create, modify, and modulate the sound.
MIDI B, MIDI Controlled Arpeggiator 16 Figure 19: MIDI A and B Normalizations As demonstrated previously, MIDI A CV and Gate are always connected to Oscillator Pitch, and Contour Gate (the latter connection can be overridden by patching). There is, however, an additional option for MIDI on the 0-Coast: MIDI B has a CV and Gate output. These jacks output voltage in the same range as every other output in the 0-Coast, but unlike other outputs, they can be configured to react in various ways to MIDI data.
GeTTING STARTED : SIGNALS 17 Every element of the 0-Coast exists with signals in mind, whether creating, modifying or sending them. Signals interacting with one another is the heart of the way modular syntheisizers work. Signals appear at outputs and can be patched to inputs. They take the form of voltage at various levels within the range of +/-10V. Audio: Audio signals change voltage levels, or oscillate, in the frequency range that is audible to human beings.
Attenuation 18 Attenuation Inversion Examples 0-Coast has a Multiply Attenuvertor, which controls the Depth of Modulation to its respective parameter (more on that later) For CV Input Attenuators, such as OVERTONE, zero amplitude is at full counterclockwise, resulting in no modulation regardless of the signal input.
Attenuversion 19 An example user for the Attenuverter on the Control Processor’s CH.2 INput is patching a variable depth Vibrato. If you patch a Cycling SLOPE directly to the 1V/Oct input on the Oscillator, you get a vibrato, but with a range of many octaves. Instead, try patching it to the right input of the Control Processor, take either output to 1V/oct, and adjust the Depth using the CH. 2 attenuverter. With this patch you can still control the pitch of the Oscillator using the MIDI In.
GeTTING STARTED : Control Voltage Range 20 Now that we’ve discussed the use of Control Voltage to manipulate parameters over time, it is important to introduce the concept of attenuation as a method of controlling the range of movement. Using a unipolar Control Voltage like from SLOPE, it is possible to control the range and direction of modulation, in relation to the 0-Coast’s Panel Control setting, simply by adjusting the position of the associated INput Attenuvertors.
21 Oscillator Set 0-COAST to the “Default Sound” (Figure 8, Page 8). To hear how the OSCILLATOR works, it is helpful to either hold a key down on your controller, or to set the 0-COAST to Drone, as shown in Figure 9. The voice of the 0-COAST begins at this circuit: a Triangle core, voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that generates two waveforms: Triangle and Square, as illustrated in Figure 39. The OSCILLATOR is the primary sound source of the 0-COAST.
22 OVERTONE & MULTIPLY If you follow the gold wires from the outputs of the OSCILLATOR Circuit, you see that the Triangle and Square waves are wired to the OVERTONE circuit (Figure 40), where the Square waveform is used to add an OVERTONE to the Triangle waveform (you might have noticed that the SLOPE is also routed to the OVERTONE circuit, more on that in second half of this manual). This wired Connection between the OSCILLATOR and OVERTONE circuits allows for shaping the timbre of the 0-COAST.
23 Modulation with Slope In addition to the MULTIPLY Panel Control the SLOPE circuit could act as a “ghost hand” to adjust the MULTIPLY Panel Control in your absence. A gold wire indicates the SLOPE circuit is able to modulate the MULTIPLY circuit via a Normalization at the MULTIPLY CV IN Jack.
24 Balance The BALANCE circuit provides variation in the blend of the FUNDamental frequency of the OSCILLATOR Core and the harmonic OVeRToNes that are generated by the OVERTONE and MULTIPLY circuits. Follow the gold wire out of the MULTIPLY circuit past the CONTOUR circuit all the way to the right side of the BALANCE circuit, which is marked OVRTN. Notice another gold wire indicating a normalization of the OSCILLATOR Triangle waveform to the left side of the BALANCE circuit via the BALANCE Ext. IN.
Amplitude and Brightness 25 DYNAMICS A short gold wire indicates the wired connection from the BALANCE to the DYNAMICS circuit (Figure 46). The DYNAMICS circuit provides simultaneous control over the Amplitude and Frequency content of the signal coming from the BALANCE circuit. It is in essence, a Low Pass Voltage Controlled Filter-Amplifier. One way to listen to the effect of the DYNAMICS circuit, is to set up the Drone Patch (Figure 9, Page 10). Set the DYNAMICS Panel Control to Full CCW.
Amplitude and Brightness 26 CONTOUR (cont’d) CONTOUR is a 4 Stage function generator that creates control voltages to drive the DYNAMICS circuit, resulting in amplitude envelopes which greatly define the sound of the 0-COAST. This approach takes inspiration from the original Loudness Contour circuit of the MiniMoog, which is perhaps the most well-known and heavily-used example of East Coast Synthesis.
27 Amplitude and Brightness CONTOUR (cont’d) Figure 53: With SUSTAIN set to Full clockwise, SUSTAIN is maximum, but with no audible DECAY, as the circuit remains at the Maximum level. Figure 53 is a 3 Stage function, operating as an ASR, or Attack Sustain Release envelope. Many older electronic organs utilized this type of Amplitude control.
Level LINE OUT 28 Figure 55: Line OUTput Normalization Figure 56: DYNMC OUT Normalization The Default Sound patch utilizes the LINE OUT for monitoring the 0-COAST. The DYNAMICS circuit is connected to the LINE OUT circuit as indicated by the gold wire in Figure 55. While it is not possible to reroute this connection, the DYNAMICS circuit does have an additional output located below the LINE OUT called DYNMC OUT (Figure 56).
29 To this point in the manual, we have used variations of the Default Sound as a jumping off point to explore the sonic parameters of the 0-Coast. These dimensions of sound creation (the Oscillator, Overtone, Multiply, Slope, Balance, Contour, and Dynamics circuits) are wired together in a way that offers many possibilities at the turn of a knob.
30 Open Patch Points Looking over the faceplate of the 0-Coast, we will see a number of patch points that are not connected by gold wire to any others. To begin, set up the Default Sound Drone (Figure 9). The patch cable used to create this sound is a perfect example of a connection that is not hardwired or Normalled. The output from the Offset Generator is used to hold the DYNAMICS circuit "open" so that the sound from the Balance circuit passes through at all times.
Open Patch Points 31 This section contains short descriptions and examples for all the connections that are not part of the gold wire signal flow of the 0-Coast. Connecting cables to these patch points has the potential to expand the capabilities of the 0-Coast, without changing anything about its default operation. In the next section we will discuss patch points that override normalizations and have the capability to change the entire voice structure of the 0-Coast.
Open Patch Points 32 1V/Oct IN: The 1V/Octave INput is typically used for controlling the Pitch of the 0-Coast from a CV sequencer, CV Keyboard. It is also highly useful for sweeping the Frequency of the 0-Coast to animate percussion patches. If wild textures are desired, the 1V/oct input could be used to implement Exponential FM. When using for modulation, consider patching the attenuverter from the Voltage Math section in series before the 1V/oct input to adjust the FM Index.
Overriding Normals The "Open Connections" section showed the many places in which it is possible to expand your use of the 0-Coast without changing anything about its Normal operation. In this section we will show patch connections with the potential to override that operation entirely. The 0-Coast utilizes switching jacks on some of its inputs and outputs. These jacks have the capability of receiving two different signals depending on whether a patch cable is physically present.
34 Patching into a jack to override a normalization does a lot to open up the signal flow possibilities in the 0-Coast.
Using the 0 - CoAS t with Other DevIces The 0-Coast's signal inputs and outputs fit the standard of the Eurorack modular synthesizer created by Doepfer. For details of this format visit http://www.doepfer.de/home_e.htm Figure: 69 Any CV or Gate signal conforming to these signal levels may be used to control the 0-Coast, and vice versa. EXAMPLES: Sequence the 0-Coast with René or Korg/Arturia sequencers, process the 0-Coast's DYNaMiC output in the Make Noise System 0.
36 Simple Bass with Brightness (Tony Rolando) Adjust BALANCE Clockwise up to 11 o' Clock for Brighter sound Adjust Dynamic from 2 o' Clock, up to 5 o' Clock for more aggressive sound. Fluttering Arpeggios (Tony Rolando) SLOPE Cycle ON Set rest of 0-COAST to sound how you like, for example you could use the Simple Bass w/ Brightness as a starting point for your sound. Turn on Arp by PRESS PGM_A and PGM_B Play Arp how you like.
(CONT’D) 37 Pitched Noise Orbit (Tony Rolando) Adjusting Linear FM Attenuator from Full CCW to Full CW sets the depth of the Noise. At Full CCW, you have a simple, low harmonic tone. As you set the Linear FM control to be more Clockwise the tone becomes orbited by noise until finally at Full CW the sound is only noise. Set DYNAMICS at Noon and adjust from CW up to Full CW for a brighter, more aggressive tone. Play using same method as default patch with MIDI or 1V/ Octave CV IN and Contour Gate.
(CONT’D) 38 Wobble Bass (Walker Farrell) Uses SLOPE for amplitude control and CONTOUR for slower timbral control on OVERTONE. Wobble speed follows pitch (set MIDI B CV to NOTE). Adjust RISE to fit desired pitch range. Key Controlled Echo (Walker Farrell) Echo time follows pitch (set MIDI B CV to NOTE). Sync Bass (Walker Farrell) Uses SLOPE as a sawtooth VCO, synced to the Oscillator. Set MIDI B CV to LFO, and a very slow tempo on PGM_A. Adjust Slope controls to taste.
(CONT’D) 39 Krell (Walker Farrell) Reverb strongly recommended Clear MIDI data by holding PGM_B. Set Voltage Math attenuverter to taste on positive side (start with 3:00). This patch is self-playing. Thanks Todd Barton. Variation: set Oscillator Pitch full CW, Rise and Fall to 10:00, Voltage Math attenuverter 9:00.
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41 P2 P1 1 4 2 1 2 3 3 Pin Out: P1 P2 1----------5 2----------4 3----------2 5
