Winter Modular / Plankton electronics – ZAPS

Zaps is a percussion-line-synth voice designed for creating organic percussive sequences that can mutate over time.

It uses a combination of different techniques like controlled randomness, morphing, and storing (or locking) synth-voice parameters in externally sequencable CV-controlled slots.

The synth voice is a digitally-controlled-two-oscillator-FM and AM-analog engine with two envelopes and cross-modulation.

These are some of the things that can be done with it:

• Sequence Preset Slots externally for changing percussion or synth lines
• Add subtle randomness to any parameter for slightly changing sounds, or go wild for unpredicted surprises on every trigger
• Morph sounds between Slots
• Assign accent to any parameter for added expressiveness
• Randomly generate full banks of sounds
• Capture any randomly generated sound into a preset slot for further editing
• Freeze/Revert the state of the module for careless editing during live performances
• Live editing of a single or multiple Slots simultaneously for expressive tweaking
• Generate melodic percussion or synth lines with the V/O tracked oscillators
• Use CV-in control of any parameter or CV-out control for external modules (control FX-sends or automate external-synth parameters)

FEATURES

SYNTHESIS

The synthesis board is an analog circuit with two VCOs, two envelopes, AM, FM, high-pass filters, and a two-channel mixer.

VCOs:

• Triangle core VCOs with V/oct inputs and Fine and Coarse controls.
• VCO 1 waves: Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, and PWM.
• VCO 2 waves: Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square,  and White Noise.
• VCO2 has two separate wave outputs, one for the AM and the other for the FM and the Mixer-Channel 2.
• Self-tuning: As the analog VCOs are digitally controlled, we are now capable of offering a self-tuning function. The VCO will track perfectly each note that is played around all the audible range.  The units will come factory calibrated, but the self-tuning function will be available on the menu in case of necessary.
• Synced start: the waves can be reseted at its zero point on each trigger to avoid audible “clicks” when using low frequencies and fast attack times.

ENVELOPES:

• Two AHR (Attack, Hold, Release) digital super fast envelopes.
• The hold time can be set internally or externally (Gate ON) for each envelope.
• Envelopes can be switched from logarithmic to linear responses.
• Each envelope can control the Pitch/Tone of the VCOs (Pitch Envelope), the amount of AM or FM (Envelope 1), the VCA for both channels (Envelope 2).
• Retrigger function: each envelope has its independent retrigger parameters. From 0 to 15 steps and 3 modes of time distribution: lineal, logarithmic and exponential. A dedicated “time” fader controls the time between steps.

AM:

• The amplitude modulation goes from VCO2 to VCO1.
• It can be set in two ways: straight to VCO1 or through a VCA controlled by Envelope 1.

Through Zero FM:

• The frequency modulation goes from VCO2 to VCO1 and from VCO1 to VCO2 (XFM).
• FM can be set in two ways: straight to VCO1, or through a VCA controlled by Envelope 1.

MIXER:

• Two-channel mixer for the two VCOs.

HIGH-PASS FILTER

• There are two HPFs. HPF1 filters the mixer output. HPF2 filters the white noise.

DIGITAL CONTROL

STRUCTURE:

• Each project contains twelve banks; each bank contains twelve slots; each slot contains a sound.
• All projects are stored on an SD card.

RANDOM:

• Randomize values on a per trigger basis
• Independent random control for each synth parameter
• Set ranges to any random value for controlled randomness
• Relatively attenuate all parameter-random amounts with a single global random fader
• Populate slots or banks with randomly generated sounds

FREEZE/REVERT :

• Take a snapshot of the whole project, modify it and go back to the original state.

MORPH:

• Parameter interpolation between two slots on a per trigger basis.
• Control the balance between the two slots with one fader — crossfade style!

CV ASSIGN:

• Any of the six CV-connectors can be configurable as both inputs or outputs and set to different ranges (0/10V, 0/8V, -5/5V, 0/5V).
• CV-inputs can be internally attenuated
• Control almost any synth parameter, value, or setting on a per trigger basis. For example, Accent, Slot Selection, Morph assignments, Next/Prev Slot, Random Slot, Oscillator-Wave Selection, any of the synth parameters (Pitch, Release, AM, FM, Global Random…) or any of the random parameters (Random Pitch, Random Filter, Random Hold…)
• Output any parameter-CV values through any of the assignable I/Os
• Alt-fader-CV output for controlling external parameters, like Send-FX for each slot.
• CV-slot/Gate out — Useful for externally recording finger drumming!

ACCENT ASSIGN:

• Add dynamics by assigning the accent input to control any one of the synth parameters

COPY:

• Copy Slots (also between banks)

SNAPSHOT:

• Take a snapshot of the last sound heard (flatten the values for further editing), including the effects of CV-in, Morph, and Random. Very useful for easily creating banks from scratch!

EDIT ALL:

• Action over faders has an effect on the twelve Slots. Absolute and relative modes. Use hints: Live tweaking, homogenize, “tame” a Sound Bank, or modify all Slot parameters while sequencing the Slots via CV-input.

FILE SYSTEM:

• Save, Load, Name, and Rename projects, banks, sounds and sort them into folders.