Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 19:23:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Four Hour Spirograph Subject: POLARIS UI COMMANDS On Mon, 2 Oct 1995, MyNewComputer'sFast! wrote: > I've put the Polaris in multitimbral mode, but now it's not > responding to controller messages. Is this a sacrifice I > have to make for having it in this mode? No, I have my polaris is multi-timbral mode all the time and the keyboard controls the first midi channel and the sliders still control that timbre _and_ it receives cc data AT THE SAME TIME. It also converts to 48pqn(or whatever) sync at the same time too... gotta whip that cpu... YAH! <'crack'>.... keep that doggie rollin'... <'crack'> YAAH!... In fact, you can make it a remote control for a cassette deck on top of all that, just make a 1/4"-1/8" plug and hit "UPPER FUNCTION - CASS RUN/STOP"... ----- Incomplete POLARIS command list below VERSION -.0003a Alpha ! -------- This is a listing of the functions of the Chroma Polaris (I) synthesizer as creatively paraphrased from the 'Quick Reference' manual. The stuff in "[]" brackets is comments by me, trying to elaborate or otherwise fill in info from the rest of the instruction manual. For functions that let you set a 'level', you use the Master Slider. LF,10 MIDI reset LF,11 Warm reset LF,12 Cold reset [...remember there is a 80186 pc in there... ;) ] LF,A,1 Stop mode click volume LF,A,2 Record mode click volume LF,A,3 Play mode click volume LF,A,4 Switch press click volume LF,A,5 Error honk volume [btw-clicks and honks sound thru main output] LF,A,7 The lever ranges are measured LF,A,8 The pedal range is measured LF,A,9 The Master slider offset of the most recently played channel. Pressing 9 again resets them all to mid-scale. LF,A,10 The Master slider adjusts the sensitivity of the most recently played key. Pressing 10 again resets them all to mid-scale. [Cool!] LF,B,1 The Main Local Control Switch LF,B,2 The Link Local Control Switch LF,B,3 The Sequencer Local Control Switch LF,B,4 The Main Chroma Out Switch LF,B,5 The Link Chroma Out Switch LF,B,6 The Sequencer MIDI In Switch LF,B,7 The Main MIDI In Switch LF,B,8 The Link MIDI In Switch LF,B,9 The Sequencer MIDI Out Switch LF,B,10 The Main MIDI Out Switch LF,B,11 The Link MIDI Out Switch LF,B,12 The Sequencer MIDI Out Switch LF,C,1 The cassette load monitor LF,C,2 The cassette save monitor LF,C,3 Cassette input level. Off is audio, on is digital. LF,C,4 Cassetteoutput level. Off is low, on is high. LF,C,5 Chroma Program Switch LF,C,6 MIDI Program Switch LF,C,7 The Chroma Panel Switch LF,C,8 The MIDI Panel Switch LF,C,9 The MIDI Omni Mode LF,C,10 The MIDI Mono Mode LF,C,11 The Main Workspace program is sent out over the Chroma Interface LF,C,12 The Main Workspace program is sent out over the MIDI Interface ** LF,D, 12, STOP - The entire memory is erased and the Polaris is reset! ** ** WARNING: ALL ADJUSTMENTS, including factory adjustments will need to **** ** be performed after this! [iow - don't even think about it!! %)] ********* **** If you do this, you are too dumb for my clever insults! Go away! ***** LF,E,1 Channel 1 is en/disabled LF,E,2 Channel 2 is en/disabled LF,E,3 Channel 3 is en/disabled LF,E,4 Channel 4 is en/disabled LF,E,5 Channel 5 is en/disabled LF,E,6 Channel 6 is en/disabled ['channel' means 'oscillator', not midi] LF,E,7 The most recently played channel is enabled/disabled LF,H,1 The internal metronome operates normally LF,H,2 The metronome is the master, the Sync-out produces pulses LF,H,3 The metronome is the master, the MIDI Out produces Midi clock LF,H,4 The metronome is the master, the Sync-out pulses, and Midi Out clocks LF,H,5 The metronome is slaved to the Sync Interface input LF,H,6 The metronome is slaved to the Sync input, the Sync Out sends pulses LF,H,7 The metronome is slaved to the Sync input, MIDIout sends timing bytes LF,H,8 The metronome is slaved to Sync input, *both* Midi and SYNC out send LF,H,9 The metronome is slaved to MIDI input LF,H,10 The metronome is slaved to MIDI in, Sync out sends pulses LF,H,11 The metronome is slaved to MIDI in, MIDI out sends timing bytes LF,H,12 The metronome is slaved to MIDI in, *both* MIDI and Sync out send LF,I,1 Sets the Sync input clock ratio to 12 clocks per beat LF,I,2 Sets the Sync input clock ratio to 24 clocks per beat LF,I,3 Sets the Sync input clock ratio to 48 clocks per beat LF,I,4 Sets the Sync input clock ratio to 96 clocks per beat LF,I,5 Sets the Sync input clock ratio to 192 clocks per beat (whew!) LF,I,6 Toggles the polarity of the Sync interface input trigger LED off = sync is triggered by rising edge of square wave input LF,I,12 Toggles the input level of the sync voltage, LED on=1.5 v threshold LED off=0 v threshold LF,J,1 Sets the Sync output clock ratio to 12 clocks per beat LF,J,2 Sets the Sync output clock ratio to 24 clocks per beat LF,J,3 Sets the Sync output clock ratio to 48 clocks per beat LF,J,4 Sets the Sync output clock ratio to 96 clocks per beat Yah! LF,J,5 Sets the Sync output clock ratio to 192 clocks per beat (DANCE!!) LF,J,6 Toggles the polarity of the Sync output trigger (see LF,I,6) LF,J,7 Sets the Sync output rate linit to 1200Hz LF,J,8 Sets the Sync output rate limit to 600Hz LF,J,9 Sets the Sync output rate limit to 400Hz LF,J,10 Sets the Sync output rate limit to 300Hz LF,J,11 Sets the Sync output rate limit to 200Hz LF,J,12 Sets the Sync output rate limit to 150Hz LF,K,1-6 Sets the MIDI Basic Channel ("b") to the sum of these (i.e. 5+4=9) LF,K,7 Sets MIDI interface to no extra channels (basic, link, and sequencer only are used, these channel #'s are b, b+1, and b+2) LF,K,8 Sets MIDI to use one extra channel beyond the three basic: b+3 LF,K,9 Sets MIDI to use two extra channels beyond the basic: b+3 and b+4 LF,K,10 Sets MIDI to use three extra channels: b+3, b+4, and b+5 LF,K,11 Sets MIDI to use four extra channels: b+3 through b+6 LF,K,12 Sets MIDI to use five extra channels: b+3 thru b+7 these last couple of settings show that you can set the Polaris to receive on eight channels for lotsa mutlitimbral access, even though the Polaris is a six voice poly: it dynamically allocates these six voices between the eight channels as needed -- forget chords! ;o Control Switches ---------------- 1-12 The patch residing at that number is called up. The Polaris assumes that you want the currently selected patch-bank (A-K). A-K Selects a patch bank, and reveals any patches residing in that patch bank as lit LED number switches (1-12). The patch bank letter switch will flash until you complete or abort your selection of (1-12). [If you choose a non-lit patch number, you get the default patch sound -- a loud unfiltered saw wave!] BEND LEVER RANGE ---------------- Allows you to adjust the amount of pitch-bend the Bend Lever (the rightmost lever while facing the keyboard) imparts to the two oscillators using the slider in the ASSIGNABLE CONTROL section, and optionally engages the Selective Pitch Bend feature--[Selective Pitch Bend means that while a note is held and 'bent', new notes that are played on top of it come in at their normal pitches! Very unique feature!] CUTOFF PEDAL ------------ Allows you to adjust the amount to which the pedal affects the filter cutoff... this is adjusted by the slider in the ASSIGNABLE CONTROL section when you push the nearby Cutoff Pedal button. DETUNE ------ Lets you tune Oscillator 2 up to a semitone sharp in either normal or skewed tuning using the ASS. CONTROL slider... (scuse the abbreviating ;) ) ENV PWM ------- Adjusts the amount of envelope modulation of the pulse width + or -. This has subtle variations around zero so you can get really nice detuning vibes going... FIXED ----- Makes the volume envelope the same for all keystrokes. GLIDE ----- A slightly sexier name for portamento; it lets you adjust the time it takes the oscillator to slide from note to note, adjusted in the ASS CONTROL section. Unipolar. ;) Also, remember to have your hold pedal plugged in at power-up or it will toggle in reverse to what you'd expect. LINK LOWER ---------- The link sound (b+1) is heard below the keyboard split point and the main sound is heard above the keyboard split point LINK LOWER, LINK LOWER ---------------------- A Link Lower is set up between the main program and the current link program, or to the last program linked to. LINK UNISON ----------- The link sound is in unison with the main sound, you are layering the two on the keyboard, though I think that they are still accessed by unique midi channels... LINK UNISON, LINK UNISON ------------------------ A Link Unison is made between teh main sound and the current link, or to the last one linked to. LINK UPPER ---------- The link sound is heard above the keyboard split point and thus the main sound is below the keyboard split point. LINK UPPER, LINK UPPER ---------------------- A Link Upper is made between the main program and the current link, or to the last one made. That's most of the critical stuff I think. Personal impressions of the Polaris: The sound is kind of wild, but warm and with a very crunchy filter. I won't go into the structural reasons, but I'll saythat it is presently a very cheap machine and can cover most pad, analogue percussion, bass, and weird-detuned-analog-noise ground. The sound is completely different and thus a compliment to my SH101 and JX3P. The Akai AX80/60 synths have a similar sound I've found but have poor midi implementation, miles behind the Polaris, and the filter is not even as close to the fat Polaris' filter. The bipolar pulse width modulation of both oscillators in combo with a host of other *bipolar* (+ or - influence) cross mods make for a specifically good coverage of the weird harmonics and random filter/pitch burbling reminiscent of modulars doing 101 "computer data" patches (you know, 1960, "HEY ROBBIE, LET'S ASK THE COMPUTER. 'bLEep-o BlOOp-ee BiP DEE DOO BleEOOp' ") Oh, the best compositional thing about it is that you can send the CC data by just moving the sliders as you play, or as the sequencer plays it. With some sequencer data manipulating, you can get 'in sync' lfo effect of just about anything, really, so basically the missing modulation that is on the Chroma is basically made available via your sequencer, as long as it handles cc data. Criticisms: Could have used some more LFO waveforms perhaps, like random, syncable to all that sync-adjustment stuff. Sustain on the VCA envelope would have made sense. Bipolar control over velocity effect on envelopes, heck that could be routed to pwm, env, cutoff, attack speed, etc) Eight voice poly instead of six, though the dynamic allocation really takes good care of you. They could have used something other than bubble buttons. Still, there was the Chroma, just to bad its user interface is like a scientific calculator. There you go, POLARIS and Squishy... David Chandler - chandler@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us (503)301-3011 grep -i casio goodwillbins >> mystudio ; grep -i atari goodwillbins >> mystudio ;