Manual

Note, this manual is under development.

1. Quick start guide
- 1.1. Creating and playing a pattern
2. Pattern editior
3. Global section
4. Song sequencer
5. File manager
6. The synthesizer architecture
7. The drum/sampler architecture

1. Quick start guide

This quick start will guide you through some of the basic operations to get you started using Randgrid.

Randgrid consists a total of 16 instruments, 2 subtractive synthesizers, and 14 sampled drums.

The building blocks in Randgrid are called patterns, this is where you enter your note data. A pattern contains 16 tracks called parts, one for each instrument.

There are a total of 64 patterns available separated into 4 banks of 16 patterns each, the banks are called A, B, C and D. Pattern 5 in bank C is therefore called "C 5".

You can arrange your patterns into a complete song using the song sequencer, it consists of four tracks with slots/cells that you can load with your patterns.

1.1. Creating and playing a pattern

1. Press the "Pattern" button to goto the Pattern selector screen, this is where you select which pattern you want to work with, this is also the place to perform operations on whole patterns.

2. Select one empty pattern by pressing it, this will make it active for editing and ready for use in the song sequencer. Patterns with white text are empty, patterns with yellow text contains musical data.

3. Press the "Song" button to goto the Song sequencer screen, this is where you arrange your patterns into a song.

4. Press twice on bar 1 in the timeline ruler, this will set the loop points so bar 1 will repeat forever.

5. Make sure the "Trig" button is selected, this is the function you use to enter patterns into the song sequencer.

6. Make sure that only the active pattern you selected in step 2 will play in bar 1 by pressing the cells in the sequencer grid. All cells should be off "---", except one which should be on with your active pattern.

7. Press the "Play" button to start playback of your pattern.

8. Press the "Part" button to go to the Part selector screen, this is where you select which part (instrument) you want to work with within the active pattern.

9. If not selected, press "AS A" (Analog Synthesizer A) to make this part active for editing.

10. While still in the part selector screen, press "Edit" to go into the part editing screen, you can also press the selected part as a shortcut to go into edit mode.

11. Make sure the "Trig" button is selected, this is the function you use to make trigs (Note On).

12. Press some of the sequencer steps at the bottom of the screen, you should hear them play as the red cursor moves over them.

13. If nessecary, press the "Toggle" button to show the piano keyboard, then click on the note you wish to play to make it active.

14. Press some of the trigged steps in the sequencer to change their note (pitch) to the active note you just selected.

15. Press the "Accent" button, then press some of the trigged steps to add an accent (which will increase the volume of that step).

16. Press the "Slide" button, then press some of the steps to add slides (which will make the notes slide smoothly from the step to the next).

Congratulations, you have made your first pattern in Randgrid, now you can go on and create even more patterns, why not add drums? Then try to create a song with your patterns.

If you need further help, feel free to contact us via email, or join the forum...

2. Pattern editior

This section will show you how to edit one single pattern.

You have sixteen parts available, two synths and fourteen drums.
The pattern editor lets you build your patterns, one part at a time.

First, select the part you wish to edit, by pressing the "Part" button in top left of the screen.
A part selector screen will appear, select the part you wish to edit, then go back to the pattern editor, by pressing "Edit".

Now you can start to edit the selected part of the pattern. You have seven different edit modes:

Note, Trig, Accent, Slide, Down, Up, Step Edit

2.1. Note mode

Note mode allows you yo enter notes (pitch) in the pattern.
Make sure you have the piano keyboard visible in the middle of the screen, if you see knobs in the middle of the screen, then press toggle to make it visible.
Press any of the Keys in the piano keyboard, the selected key will be darker.
Press the step buttons at the bottom of the screen to set the currently selected note.
There is a special piano key called "Blank" wich is used to remove note information from the steps. Note that a note without a trig won't sound

2.2. Trig mode

Trig mode allows you to enter your trigs (note on) in the pattern.
Press the "Trig" button to enter trig mode, it will light up.
Press the step buttons at the bottom of the screen to toggle your trigs (on/off).

2.3. Accent mode

Accent mode allows you to enter your accents in the pattern.
An accent will make a sound louder.
Press the "Accent" button to enter accent mode, it will light up.
Press the step buttons at the bottom of the screen to toggle your accents (on/off).

2.4. Slide mode

Slide mode allows you to enter your slides in the pattern.
A slide will make a soft transition to the next step without retriggering the filter.
Press the "Slide" button to enter slide mode, it will light up.
Press the step buttons at the bottom of the screen to toggle your slides (on/off).

2.5. Down mode

Down mode allows you to transpose your notes down one octave at a time.
It's exactly the opposite of the up mode.
Press the "Down" button to enter down mode, it will light up.
Press the step buttons you want to transpose down, press the same button several times to transpose the note down several octaves.

2.6. Up mode

Up mode allows you to transpose your notes up one octave at a time.
It's exactly the opposite of the down mode.
Press the "Up" button to enter up mode, it will light up.
Press the step buttons you want to transpose up, press the same button several times to transpose the note up several octaves.

2.7. Step mode

Step mode is a special mode where you work with one step in the sequencer at a time.
Press the "Step edit" button to enter step editing mode, it will light up.
Press the step button you want to edit, it will display a red box around the currently selected step.
Use the Trig, Accent, Slide, Up, Down buttons to edit the active step, press another step to make it current.

This mode also lets you to lock the synth and drum knob values to specific steps. For example you can put a lock in the first step in the pattern so the pan knob will be turned fullt to left, or why not lock the filter knob of fifth step in the pattern to be half open. This feature allows you to build very dynamic patterns.

If you see a piano keyboard in the middle of the screen, then press toggle to display the parameter knobs. While still in step editing mode, turning any of the eight parameter knobs will lock its value to the selected step, the knob and the selected step will turn blue to indicate that it has a lock. Double click the knob to clear the lock.

3. Global section

Coming soon...

4. Song sequencer

The song sequencer is used to arrange your patterns into a complete song. Use the "Pattern" button to select wich pattern you want use, the goto the song sequencer "Song" to place the active pattern.

The song sequencer consists of four tracks for you to arrange your patterns in, each cell in the grid can hold silence or one specific pattern to play. The main idea of having four tracks is that you can separate your synths, your drums and your fillins or parameter locks to different tracks.

I usually use the first track for the synth "AS A", the second for "AS B", the third for drum fill-ins and automation patterns (using parameter locks), and finally the fourth to main drums. The tracks at the bottom have higher priority then the tracks above and will override note values, parameter locks etc.

Use the "Trig" button to enter trig mode, this means that you toggle patterns on/off by clicking in the sequencer grid. Use the "Insert" button to enter insert mode, this means that you insert empty cells by clicking in the sequencer grid. Use the "Delete" button to enter delete mode, this means that you delete cells by clicking in the sequencer grid.

5. File manager

The file manager allows you to "Clear", "Load", "Save" and "Delete" your projects, it simply consists of a text edit field, a file list and the function buttons.

The function buttons operate on the filename in the text field, not the selected file in the list.

The file list is there to display and select exists projects, note that selecting a file using the list actually dosen't do any operation to the file, you have to use the function buttons.

6. The synthesizer architecture

There are two identical synthesizers available in Randgrid.

The synthesizers are monophonic and based on subtractive synthesis.
Each synthesizer consists of the following components:

Oscillator
24 db lowpass filter
Filter envelope genearator
Amplifier

6.1. The oscillator

The oscillator actually consists of two independent waveform generators capable at running at differnent pitches.

The "Wave" knob lets select the waveform of the oscillator.
The "Detune" knob lets you detune the waveforms to fatten up the sound.
The "Octave" knob transposes one of the waveforms +/- one octave.
The "Semitone" knob transposes one of the waveforms +/- twelve semitones.
The "Slide" knob affects the speed of the slide between notes.

The waveforms are accessable trough the "Wave" knob of the synthesizers main parameters, this makes it lockable to pattern steps.

All other ocillator settings are available by pressing the synthesizer "Settings" button.
Since these settings not are avialable under the synthesizes main parameters, they are not lockable to pattern steps.
The oscillator actually produces two waveforms at the same time.

6.2. The filter

The filter is a 24 db lowpass filter. The purpose of the filter is to change the timbre of the sound by softening the harmonically rich waveforms produced by the oscillators.

An envelope generator controls how and how much the timbre changes with time.

The "Cut" knob lets adjust the cutoff frequency of the filter, a lower value cuts off higher frequencies from the sound.
The "Res" knob lets adjust the resonance amount of the filter. Resonance boost the sound at the cuttoff frequency.
The "Env" knob lets adjust the envelope amount of the filter. Controls how much the filter opens when trigged.
The "Dec" knob lets adjust the envelope time of the filter. Controls how fast the filter closes after trigged.

6.3. Other synthesizer settings

The "Dist" button toggle thesynthesizer output routes between the main output and the distortion unit.
The "Pan" knob moves the synthesizer output in the stereo field.
The "Vol" knob controlls the volume of the synthesizer output.

7. The drum/sampler architecture