MUSICAL FEATURES
Monsoon is a signal processor that clones Mutable Instruments Clouds and compacts it into a 12HP unit. It comes pre-installed with Parasietes firmware, which further refines the original firmware and adds two more modes to the four modes already available. While the original unit had one knob that handled multiple functions, Monsoon allows all parameters to be controlled independently, representing a unique evolution in terms of functionality and usability.
PARASITES FIRMWARE
official firmware
- granular processor
-
pitch shifter
- looping delay
- spectral madness
4 modes are installed (except Granular was released later), but Prarasites firmware further
, and the official mode also has an envelope option, finer grain generation, clock divide sync for loop delay, stereo delay (ping-pong delay) and (coarse) open feedback loop support, greatly improved sound quality. , faster delay time changes, etc.
HOW TO USE
To cycle through the six modes, press and hold the left button or press the two black buttons simultaneously. When the LED flashes orange, you can press the DISP or Load/Save buttons to cycle forward or backward through the modes.A short press of the DISP button switches the LED between the VU meter and the WER, BAL, FBK, or RVB indicator display. To change the audio quality, press and hold the DISP button until one of the LEDs lights up red, then press it again.
Below is a description of how to operate the six modes.
Granular Processor
This is the original real-time granular processor mode.Create textures and soundscapes by layering, delaying, transposing, and enveloping segments of sound taken from an audio recording buffer.Unlike other granular Eurorack modules, it focuses on real-time processing of incoming audio sources from your modular system itself, rather than on playback of pre-recorded samples from a storage device.
POSThe slider determines where the grain will play in the audio buffer.SIZEThe slider determines the grain size and the grain pitch.TUNEThe frequency is determined by the knob, and when the knob is in the middle position it is the original frequency.TEXTSet and morph envelope curves for different grains with the sliders.
DENSThe slider controls the frequency of grain occurrence. At the center position, no grains are generated. At positions above the center, grains are generated at random times, while at positions below, grains are generated at equal intervals. Moving the slider up or down increases the grain generation rate, resulting in greater overlap between the times of each note.
Gainis an input gain knob that varies from -18dB to 6dB.
WETis the dry/wet balance,BALis the stereo spread,FBKis the amount of feedback,RGBcontrols the amount of reverb.
FREEZEWhen you press the button, the audio buffer will continue to process several seconds of current memory data without updating.Load & SaveYou can save and load up to 4 types of frozen audio using the buttons.
Freeze & Trigger Input
A gate signal input for freezing voltage and an input jack for a trigger signal that generates a single grain. By setting DENSITY to 1 (middle) and inputting a trigger signal here to produce sound, Monsoon becomes a micro sample player.
Pitch Shifter/Time Stretcher
This mode is very similar to Granular mode, but uses two overlapping particles synchronized to the most prominent period of the sound. The particles are carefully spliced so they match well with each other (this is a technique similar to the "deglitching" of early pitch shifters). Modulating POSITION with the recording frozen scrubs the audio buffer.
DENSITYcreates a granular diffusion effect based on an allpass filter.
TEXTUREacts as a lowpass/highpass filter.
SIZEcontrols the size of the overlapping window used for pitch shifting and time stretching.
TRIGSending a trigger to the input will create a clocked loop (if FREEZE is enabled) or a stuttering effect.
Looping Delay
Looping Delay mode plays audio from the buffer continuously without granulation.
POSITIONcontrols the distance (i.e. delay time) between the playhead and recordhead. Modulating POSITION produces an effect similar to vinyl scratching or manual manipulation of tape.
SIZEcontrols the size of the overlapping window used for pitch shifting - raising the slider will result in a smoother result that may blur transients overall, while lowering it will result in a more grainy, almost ring-modulated sound overall.
FREEZEis enabled, the contents of the audio buffer will loop (stutter effect). POSITION controls the start of the loop and SIZE controls the duration of the loop. DENSITY creates a granular diffusion effect based on an allpass filter, while TEXTURE acts as a lowpass/highpass filter.
When FREEZE is enabled, sending a trigger to the TRIG input creates a clock-synchronous stuttering loop. Otherwise, the period of the trigger pulse sets the delay time—however, this delay must be shorter than the size of the recording buffer.
Spectral Madness
In this mode, the input signal enters the analysis buffer and is converted to spectral data, which is stored, converted, recombined, and resynthesized from the data to form the output from the synthesis buffer.
POSITIONselects which buffer the audio goes into (if FREEZE is inactive) or which buffer the audio is synthesized from (if FREEZE is active). For example: Set POSITION to minimum. Press FREEZE. You will get the first texture. Set POSITION to maximum. Press UNFREEZE. Wait for something else to happen with the incoming audio. Press FREEZE again. Moving POSITION will interpolate between the two textures captured when FREEZE was pressed. The audio quality setting will place 2 to 7 buffers across the POSITION knob. What the module does is crossfade between "wavetables" of FFT slices.
SIZEmodifies the polynomial coefficients that determine how frequencies are mapped between the analysis and synthesis buffers.This is like a one knob GRM Warp.Over the entire knob, it not only shifts the spectrum, but also inverts it.
TUNEcontrols the transposition (pitch shift).
DENSITYdetermines how results are passed from the analyzer to the resynthesizer. Below 12 o'clock there is an increased chance that a particular FFT bin will not be updated, creating a partial freeze-like effect. After 12 o'clock, adjacent analysis frames are more intermingled.At extreme settings, random phase modulation is applied to smooth out, giving different flavors like spectral turbidity/reverb.
TEXTUREdoes two things: below 2 o'clock, the amplitude of the spectral components is more quantized, more like a very low bitrate audio file. After 12:12, the strongest partial waves are gradually weakened and the weakest are amplified.This has the effect of making the spectrum resemble noise.
TRIGSending a trigger to the input causes various glitches in the frequency domain typical of corrupted (encoded) audio files.This acts as a build-up/feedback effect - the shorter the pulse, the smaller the effect.The longer it gets, the more messy it gets.
MIVerb mode
Miverb is a full featured CV controllable modeless reverb with several features.
The new Miverb mode is accessed like any other factory playback mode: press both black buttons, press either of the two buttons until the last three are lit (i.e. only the first LED is not lit).This mode is mono input, stereo output.Reverb parameters can be controlled with knobs and CV inputs:
PositionThe slider controls the time (from 0 to approximately half a second) before the reverb kicks in after the sound enters (pre-delay). When a clock is fed into the Trig input, this knob becomes the pre-delay's clock divider/multiplier: at the 12 o'clock position, the pre-delay takes on the clock length value; clockwise, this clock is divided, and counter-clockwise, it is multiplied according to the following rates: 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 3/2, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, 6/1, 8/1, 12/1 (borrowed from Echophon). The clock division is limited to a maximum division that does not exceed the maximum delay; beyond that point, the Position knob has no effect. Changing the pre-delay in real time is smooth and does not affect pitch (using the internal time stretcher).
SizeThe slider controls the length of all delays in the reverb, and therefore the size of the simulated room. It can vary from a small resonator to a huge hall.
The Density slider controls the amount of sound fed back into the reverb loop, which in turn controls the decay time of the reverb's tail. Beyond 3 o'clock, this signal is actually amplified, and the reverb enters self-oscillation mode.
Each time the sound is fed back into the reverb, you can perform a pitch shift. The TUNE knob controls the amount of pitch shift from -1 to +1 octave. At the 12 o'clock position, no pitch shift is applied; turning it fully clockwise gives a classic shimmer effect; you'll find a lot of oddities in between. To hear the effect of the pitch shifter, you need to increase the Decay and feed the sound back. Size affects how much the sound is pitch shifted: the larger the room size, the more accurate the pitch shift will be.
The Texture slider controls the damping of the reverb. From completely CCW to 12 o'clock, a low-pass filter is applied to simulate room absorption. From 12 o'clock to completely CW, a high-pass filter is applied for an unusual, crystalline effect.
FreezeThe button sets the reverb to (almost) infinite decay and mutes the input.This works best with no pitch shift and large sizes.
BALcontrols how "smoothed" the sound is each time it passes through the loop.Rotate fully clockwise for a denser, more continuous sound.When turned fully counter-clockwise, you'll hear distinct repeats of the sound, much like a multi-tap delay.
Each delay within the reverb can be individually modulated by nine smoothed random LFOs. RVB controls the amount of modulation the LFOs apply to the delay time. Small modulations produce subtle chorus and ghost tones, while large modulations produce random pitch shifts.
FBK controls the speed of these LFOs, ranging from approximately 1/100Hz to approximately 100Hz. This knob has no effect when there is no modulation.
Resonator mode
This is a polyphonic dual-voice, 4-part resonator (or comb filter) pronounced by Karplus-Strong technique or by extension.To access it press both black buttons, then press either of the two buttons until only the second LED is off (i.e. if LEDs 2, 2 and 1 are lit).
First, set the sliders to the following positions: Size, Density, Stereo spread, Feedback, Reverb all the way down, TUNE, In gain, Position, Texture in the middle position, Dry/Wet all the way CW (clockwise).
Each input feeds each of the two voices/resonators. In L is internally wired to In R, so if nothing is patched to In R, the In L signal will feed both voices.
DensityThe slider controls the decay: at a certain point, the decay becomes infinite and the sound lasts forever (allowing you to use this as a traditional oscillator).
The pitch of the controlled resonator is controlled by the TUNE knob and V/Oct input, allowing you to "play" the resonator like an oscillator. At the 12 o'clock position, the pitch is A3 (220Hz). In fact, each voice consists of four "parts" (four resonators), which can be set to different pitches to form chords. The Size slider sets the chord. It gradually morphs between Unison, Fat, Superfat, Fat power, Fat octave, Octaves, Power, Major, Major7, Minor7, Minor, Sus2, Sus4, Minor9, Major9, Minor11, Major11, and Major11.
TextureThe slider serves to attenuate high/low frequencies each time the sound passes through the resonator. In the middle position, no filtering is applied; below is a low-pass filter, above is a band-pass filter. This way, short sound pulses passing through the resonator will have a long attenuation as less high (and possibly low) frequencies are filtered out.
Karplus-Strong synthesis involves sending short bursts of noise to 'excite' a resonator, allowing the synthesis of stringed instruments such as guitars.No additional modules are needed here: sending a trigger to the Trig input will switch the current voice (if Freeze is inactive) and send a short noise burst to the switched voice. The Position knob roughly models the timbre and duration of this burst, representing where the string is struck.
In Resonestor, the module switches the active voice each time a Trig is received, resulting in a duophony. At any given time, the knobs (pitch, chord, feedback, damping) control only the resonator parameters of the active voice, while the other voice retains its last set parameters. If you are happy with the sound of the current voice and want to continue with it (perhaps using the other voice as a melody, like a drone), press Freeze . The voice will then switch immediately, preventing the Trig from automatically switching voices.
The Position slider controls the tone and duration of the noise burst. Down, it becomes longer and more damped; up, it becomes shorter and higher pitched. At both ends of the knob, the burst becomes inaudible (because it's either excessively damped or excessively short), which can be used to "mute" the voice.
Freezewill switch the current voice and prevent further voice switching by Trig CV.
WETrandomly distorts the timbre of the voice by modulating each comb filter with low-pass filtered noise.At full CCW, the amount of modulation is maximum, but the noise is completely filtered and has no effect.Perfectly CW, the noise is unfiltered and the modulation amount is zero, so there is no effect.In between, you can get interesting effects, from subtle shakes to hard distortions.
The BAL assigns each part and voice to an output (Out L or Out R). In pure CCW, each voice goes to a different output. At the 12 o'clock position, both voices are mixed evenly to both outputs. In pure CW, parts of both voices are distributed to both outputs for a wider stereo effect.
FBK simulates the harmonics of a string. It has no effect in a completely counter-clockwise (CCW) position. In a completely CW position, only the second harmonic is produced. At the 12 o'clock position, the third harmonic ; at the 10 o'clock position, the fourth harmonic , and so on.
RVB controls the random delay time between the sound (input or burst) hitting each resonator of the current voice. When used in chord-based KS synthesis, it gives the impression of strings being struck haphazardly. The delay time is randomized when switching between each voice.
