User Guide

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Welcome
Blade is the latest chapter in the RP synthesis book. It incorporates a truly innovative combination of additive synthesis and user interaction. At the heart of Blade, ready to twist and transform your musical mind, lies the Harmolator. Blade works with an additive synthesis system, but rather than using the system of changing individual partials, it uses global controls that capture the essence of additive synthesis in an intuitive way. In practice, Blade makes the creation of sounds much easier than many other additive synths. The nine Harmolator controls allow you to directly manipulate the harmonic spectrum in an intuitive and musical manner. Blade is supplemented with the simplicity of traditional subtractive synthesis components and effects. These include square and sine wave sub-oscillators, 21 per-voice distortions types and 14 filter types. Blade offers total control of the sound over time using an array of different modulation controls. The most significant of these is the central XY screen. Here you can either alter things directly by moving the cursor around, or you can record paths that can be replayed, thus creating an incredibly advanced programmable LFO. Blade has a full range of other modulation sources, including dedicated modulation envelope, LFO, XY knobs, velocity and any other modulation source for Harmolator control. There are two free envelopes, two free LFOs and 4 modulation slots to set up programmable modulation paths. Two FX units featuring all the FX from other Rob Papen products and the Arp / Sequencer, and the Harmolator add up to an amazingly flexible and useful instrument at the cutting edge of today's synthesis. There is also an Easy Page which allows you to manipulate sounds with a condensed set of controls Specifications: 16 voices, operating in poly, mono 1/2, legato 1/2 and arp modes Harmolator Oscillator with 9 controls, harmolator wave settings, two types of spread functions and extended sub-oscillator 21 Distortion Units operating per voice 14 Filter Types including 6/12/18/24 low/high pass, 12/24 band pass / notch, vocal & comb filter Amp section with Volume, Velocity and Envelope XY Pad with direct control or pre-recorded paths, in poly, mono or free modes Dedicated Harmolator velocity, LFO and envelope controls Pitch LFO and Pitch Envelope, 2 Free Harmolator control sources, 2 Free Envelopes, 2 Free LFOs and 4 modulation sources All of Blade's controls can be used as - modulation destinations, and there are a full range of modulation sources including midi controls and internal controls 2 FX units with 27 effects, including distortion, reverb and tape delay plus many more 16 Step Arpeggiator with each step having its own control which can also be used as a sequencer for modulation purposes. Easy Page allows control of the main parameters in a flexible and easy way Preset handling with copy, paste, clear and compare function. 'Quick Browser', 'Recently Browsed' and 'Favorite' functions Preset Manager screen allows you to easily find and organize presets and banks Full midi control over all parameters Version for PC 32/64Bits , Mac 32/64Bits VST / AU / RTAS (AAX in very near future)

Installation
Installation on PC (VST) 1. If you have purchased a box version of the RP plug-in, you can use the installer on the CD- ROM/DVD. However, to ensure you have the most up-to-date version, we recommend you download it from our web-site, by following the steps below. 2. Login onto the www.robpapen.com homepage or create an account if you do not have one yet 3. Then register your RP plug-in, using the serial from your registration email. NOTE: registering your plug-in allows you to obtain support, updates and 2nd serials for additional computers. 4. Next click on the download link that pops up after registration and download the correct version for your computer. . The 64-bit versions are for 64-bit (music software) hosts and computers. 5. Run the plug-in's installer and enter the RP serial when asked for. 6. Open, inside your (music program) host, the RP plug-in. If you have mis-entered your serial you will be prompted to enter it again. After it has been entered correctly the plugin will be authorized and ready for use. If you have any questions regarding the installation of your RP software please look in the FAQ section or contact our support team at www.robpapen.com/yourdetails For details on how to handle plugins in general, please look at your music software (host) documentation.

Installation on PC (RTAS) 1. If you have purchased a box version of the RP plug-in, you can use the installer on the CD- ROM/DVD. However, to ensure you have the most up-to-date version, we recommend you download it from our web-site, by following the steps below. 2. Login onto the www.robpapen.com homepage or create an account if you do not have one yet 3. Then register your RP plug-in, using the serial from your registration email. NOTE: registering your plug-in allows you to obtain support, updates and 2nd serials for additional computers. 4. Next click on the download link that pops up after registration and download the correct version for your computer. The 64-bit versions are for 64-bit (music software) hosts and computers. 5. Run the plug-in's installer and enter the RP serial when asked for. 6. Open, inside your (music program) host, the RP plug-in. If you have mis-entered your serial you will be prompted to enter it again. After it has been entered correctly the plugin will be authorized and ready for use.

If you have any questions regarding the installation of your RP software please look in the FAQ section or contact our support team at www.robpapen.com/yourdetails For details on how to handle plugins in general, please look at your music software (host) documentation.

Installation on Mac (VST, AU and RTAS) 1. If you have purchased a box version of the RP plug-in, you can use the installer on the CD- ROM/DVD. However, to ensure you have the most up-to-date version, we recommend you download it from our web-site, by following the steps below. 2. Login onto the www.robpapen.com homepage or create an account if you do not have one yet 3. Then register your RP plug-in, using the serial from your registration email. NOTE: registering your plug-in allows you to obtain support, updates and 2nd serials for additional computers. 4. Next click on the download link that pops up after registration and download the correct version for your computer. The 64-bit versions are for 64-bit (music software) hosts and computers. 5. Run the plug-in's installer and enter the RP serial when asked for. 6. Open, inside your (music program) host, the RP plug-in. If you have mis-entered your serial you will be prompted to enter it again. After it has been entered correctly the plugin will be authorized and ready for use. If you have any questions regarding the installation of your RP software please look in the FAQ section or contact our support team at www.robpapen.com/yourdetails For details on how to handle plugins in general, please look at your music software (host) documentation.

Controls
Blade uses controller knobs and buttons to adjust its parameters. If you move your mouse over a control, the controller name and its value are shown in Blades read-out screen, which is located at the top of the screen.

Knobs
Knobs are controlled by left clicking on them and moving the mouse up and down, you will see the value change in the read-out screen. Pressing the shift key, and moving up / down allows you to fine tune the control. Pressing ctrl and a mouse click resets the control to its default value. Double clicking on the control will also reset the control to its default value.

Buttons
There are three kinds of buttons:: On / Off buttons Radio Buttons Menu buttons When you left click these, its value toggles between on and off. An example of this is the Harmolator Free-Running button. Allow you to select one option out of several predefined settings. An example is the FX selector button. Left click on these and a pop-up menu appears. Select an item from the pop-up menu to set the value

Right clicking
Right clicking (or control-click on Mac) on a control will bring up the midi / control menu. The menu displays the parameter name, its current value and which midi control is linked (latched) to the parameter. It allows you to select from the following: Set to default Set to minimum Set to maximum Set to mid Set to random Increase Decrease Set value Latch to midi Set the control to its default value. Set the control to its minimum value. Set the control to its maximum value. Set the control to its medium value. Set the control to a random value. Increase the control by 1% Decrease the control by 1%. Brings up an entry box that allows you to key in the numerical value of the control Latches that control to the next midi control received.

For instance, to latch Volume to an external midi expression controller, right click on "Volume Knob, click on Latch to Midi in the pop-up menu. Next, move the midi expression controller. Now this should move the Blade Volume knob as well, and the midi expression control will be latched to the Volume. These latched midi controllers are global and will work for all presets and active Blade instruments in your host.

Set midi Unlatch midi Clear midi

Brings up an entry box that allows you to key in the numerical value of the midi controller Clears the link for this particular Blade parameter from any midi controls. Clears all of the midi latching.

Note: in the preset section you can save or load your whole midi (latch) controller setup to hard-disk. This function is called ECS (External Controller Setup). For an explanation of this function, please see the ECS chapter later in this manual.

Computer Keyboard Controls

You can select presets and banks using the computer keyboard. Blades back panel is where you enable and disable this function. To access the back panel, click on the Blade logo. This setting is global. Up Arrow key Down Arrow key Right Arrow key Left Arrow key Page Down key Page Up key Previous preset. Next preset. Increase preset number by 32 (useful in the Bank Manager) Decrease preset number by 32 (useful in the Bank Manager) Next Blade bank Previous Blade bank

Mouse Scroll Wheel Controls

Scrolling the mouse wheel up and down scrolls through the presets

Presets

In the Preset Section you manage all the presets, banks and external control settings of Blade. It includes a Favorite function, which makes it easy to create your own sets of favorite Blade presets. You select a preset by clicking on the 'preset screen' itself which pops up a menu where you can select the preset. You can also use the < and > keys to scroll through the presets of the selected bank. The preset menu also has Quick Browser, Recently Browsed and Favorites functions. It allows you to manage presets and banks through load, save, rename, copy, paste and reset to default operations. Note: The Presets are saved as part of a Bank. When you start creating your own Presets, it is best to create of copy of the Bank by saving it with a new name. This ensures you keep all factory Presets that come with Blade, while you organise all your new / changed Presets in their own Bank.

Quick Browser
The "Quick Browser" shows all the available banks and their presets. When you click on a preset, the preset and the corresponding bank will be loaded.

Recently Browsed
This shows a list of all the recently used presets. Clicking on an entry reloads the preset. Clicking on "Clear Recent" removes all entries from the menu.

Favorites
This shows a list of presets selected as being Favorite presets. Clicking on an entry loads the preset. Add a preset to the Favorites by clicking on "Add Current to Favorites". "Remove Current from Favorites" removes the current preset from the Favorites list, and "Clear Favorites" removes all entries from the list. The Favorites list is stored on the computer's hard disk, so the list will be available the next time you use Blade and in any other instances of the plug-in.

Bank
In the Bank section you can select the bank, either by clicking on the bank screen and selecting from the menu or by using the < and > to scroll through the different available banks. All Blade banks are saved in the Blade/Banks folder on your computer. It is recommended that you save Blade banks that you have created in their own folder. To save a bank or to load a bank you need to use the file function in this section. Note: if you change a preset in a bank, you need to save the bank to keep the changed preset. To keep the original preset banks, always save the bank with a new name.

Edit / Orig
As soon as you start editing a preset (i.e. change a Blade control), the 'Edit/Orig' button will light up. If you the click on the Orig button it will return the preset to its original settings (your edited sound is still available!). To return to the edited Preset, click on the Edit button and it will reflect all changes that you made previously. This function allows you to compare the original preset with the edited one, to hear the differences and impact of any parameter changes. Note: if you change a preset in a bank, you need to save the bank to keep the changed preset. To keep the original preset banks, always save the bank with a new name.

ECS (External Midi Control)

Blade responds to external Midi messages to change values dynamically. The assignment of external Midi messages to Blade internal controls is defined in the ECS. ECS is the External Controller Setup. It contains all assignments of midi controllers to Blade parameters that are being targeted for real time manipulation. Remember, you set each individual midi controller assignment by using the right button (or control-click on a Mac) menu and selecting latch to midi. You can also unlatch midi controls the same way or clear all of the midi controls. The ECS button allows you to load and save a complete external midi controller setup. Once set, it is shared by all presets, and all instances of Blade that are loaded in your DAW. Load ECS Save ECS Reset all Midi This opens the folder that holds ECS set-ups. The installer of Blade installed a folder called ECS that holds all .ECS files This gives you the option to save the midi set-up you created and use it in other songs. It is saved as an .ECS file This clears all the midi settings for Blade. Handy if you want to start from scratch

External Midi Control Capture Mode On Blades back panel you will find a global function that determines how a latched Blade control will respond to incoming midi controller messages. This setting, when enabled, ignores incoming midi controller messages that are latched to a Blade control, until the value of the midi controller matches that of the value of the Blade control. It prevents sudden jumps in parameter values that otherwise may occur as soon as you touch a latched external midi controller.

Help Pressing the Help Button brings up the manual for Blade

Easy Toggles between the full and easy pages, see the Easy Page section for more information.

Manager Toggles between the full & preset / bank manager screen, see the Preset / Bank Manager section for more information.

Blade Logo Clicking here brings up Blades back panel. See the Back Panel section for more information.

Play Mode
In the Play Mode section you control how Blade responds to notes played, either polyphonic or monophonic or set them to be triggered by the internal arpeggiator.

Play modes
Poly Mono Synthesizer is in polyphonic mode and has 16 voices. Synthesizer is in monophonic mode and uses 1 voice. Only a single note can be played at once, if another note is played the envelope is retriggered and the new note play. If this new new note is released then the previous note is retriggered. Same as Mono mode but any new note's amp envelope level starts at the level of the last played note. Synthesizer is in monophonic mode and uses 1 voice. Similar to mono, but if you have a key pressed down and then press another key the note is not retriggered (i.e. envelopes don't restart), and if you release this second key the pitch returns to the original note Same as Legato mode but any new note's amp envelope level starts at the level of the last played note. This activates the arpeggiator. See Arpeggiator for the details.

Mono2 Legato

Legato2 Arp

Portamento
The Port control sets the portamento speed. This is the time it takes to change the pitch from one note played to the pitch of the next. Typically it is set to zero, which gives you instantaneous pitch change, like you experience in playing a piano. Increasing the value creates a glide effect, as you would get by sliding your finger along the string of a volin. Port modes Off Constant Rate Constant Time Held Rate Held Time No portamento, the pitch immediately changes to the next played one The pitch changes at a constant rate, greater keyboard note ranges take a longer time. Always takes the same time to glide between any notes. Same as Constant Rate but the portamento effect only occurs if you are holding a note and then playing another. Same as Constant Time but the portamento effect only occurs if you are holding a note and then playing another.

Demo (C3)
The Demo button generates a C3 note. Use it to preview Blade presets, edited sounds or to the test the Blade audio path in your DAW.

Pitch Bend The Pitch Bend range determines the amount of detuning that occurs when you push the pitch bend wheel on your keyboard all the way up or pull it all the way down. Each direction has its own maximum range. Strum / Chord The Chord memory control enables you to record chords. Up to 8 notes can be memorised and the chord is saved as part of a preset. Clicking the chord gives you the following options: Off Rec Play Chord memory is Off and has no effect Chord memory will store any 8 notes you play. First, play the root note and then the other notes of the chord. The chord memories will be played, so if you pressed C, E & G while in chord learn mode, then press D in chord play mode, it will play the chord D, F# & A

The strum speed controls the timing of the chord's note, so they are strummed. Strum Sync allows you to sync this strum speed to the tempo.

Harmolator
The heart of Blade is the Harmolator. The Harmolator is an additive oscillator with 96 partials. Before going into more details about the Harmolater, first we will give you an introduction of what additive synthesis entails. Additive synthesis uses sine waves of different frequencies to create complex waves. The first sine wave is known as the fundamental or the first partial. The second sine wave is twice the frequency of the fundamental and is known as the second partial. The third sine wave is three times the frequency of the fundamental and is known as the third partial. And in general the nth sine wave is n times the frequency of the fundamental and is known as the nth partial. An example additive spectrum is shown below

Setting the different partials volumes and how they change over time allows you to create different sounds. Traditional additive synthesizers create sounds by allowing you to set each partials volume, and how these change over time individually. While this gives you an excellent level of control, it can be time consuming. Some additive synthesizers build sounds from up to 128 partials and this means setting volume envelopes for each and every one of the partials. Blade works differently by using global controls to alter the complete additive spectrum. The intent is to make it more intuitive and quicker to make musically interesting sounds. The culmination of this approach, we have called the Harmolator. It has the following controls.

Base

The Base knob controls the base partial and determines the base frequency of a sound. It is the central and loudest partial. Increasing the base control raises the pitch of the sound; decreasing it lowers the pitch.

Range

The Range knob controls the width of the additive spectrum. At lower values only the partials directly around the base partial are used and the overall spectrum is narrow. It gives the sound a mellow and controlled starting point. At higher values almost all of the partials play an active role. The sound is full and rich in harmonics.

Symmetry

The Symmetry knob controls the balance in volume between partials higher than the base partial and those lower than the base partial. At the central position, the lower and higher partials are equal in volume. Turn the Symmetry knob to the left to emphasize the lower partials; turn Symmetry to the right and the higher partials get the emphasis resulting in a brighter sound.

Timbre

Timbre controls the overall harmonic structure of the sound, either the relationship of harmonic / a-harmonic partials, or the mixing between stored partials. The Timbre type is set in the Timbre Type Menus. For the timbre types 1 to 16, the timbre alters the harmonics of the additive spectrum, for timbre waves the timbre mixes between the current additive spectrum and stored additive spectrums.

Timbre Type
In this mode, different partials are changed in volume depending on the Timbre Type, these are known as the harmonic partials. For instance, in Timbre Type 1, octaves and fifths of the base partials are used, so if the base partial was 4, then the harmonic ones would be 1 (1/4x base), 2 (1/2x base), 4 (same as original),8 (2x base), 12 (3x base), 16 (4x base) etc, the remaining partials (partials 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 etc) are a-harmonic (the picture below only shows octaves to make things clearer) At the central position of Timbre knob, all the partials are unaltered. Turn the Timbre knob to the clockwise, and the a-harmonic partials are reduced in volume. Turn the Timbre knob counter clockwise and the harmonic partials are reduced in volume.

The Timbre Types are: Timbre 1 Timbre 2 Timbre 3 Timbre 4 Timbre 5 Timbre 6 Timbre 7 Timbre 8 Timbre 9 Timbre 10 Timbre 11 Timbre 12 Timbre 13 Timbre 14 Timbre 15 Timbre 16 Octaves + Fifths Upper Octaves + Fifths (x1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 etc) Lower Octaves + Fifths (x1, , 1/3, , 1/6, 1/8, etc) Octaves only Upper Octaves only Lower Octaves only 3rds, i.e. (1, 3, 1/3, 6, 1/6 ..) Near fractions (1, , 2, 1/3, 2/3, 3/2, 3 ..) Primes (1, 2, , 3, 1/3, 5, 1/5, 7, 1/7 ..) Upper Primes (1,2,3,5,7,11..) Lower Primes (1,1/2,1/3,1/5,1/7, 1/11) Squares (1,4, , 9, 1/9, 16, 1/16 ..) Aharmonic 1 (1, 3, 1/3, 9, 1/9, 15, 1/15, 33, 1/33) Aharmonic 2 (1, 5, 1/5, 7, 1/7, 17, 1/17, 31, 1/31) All Upper (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) All Lower (1, , 1/3, , 1/5, 1/6, 1/7)

Timbre Waves
Here the additive spectrum, defined by the base, range & symmetry controls is mixed against stored additive spectrums, to give a range of sounds. Only positive Timbre amounts have any effect.

Even / Odd

Even / Odd controls the relative volumes of the even and odd partials. At the central position of the Even / Odd knob the partials are in balance. Turn the Even / Odd knob clockwise, and the even partials are reduced in volume, resulting in a nasal character or 'square' wave sound. Turn it counter clockwise and the odd partials are reduced in volume, resulting in a 'saw' wave sound character.

Ripple / Ripple Width

The Ripple and Ripple Width controls apply a 'ripple' type pattern to the additive spectrum. It creates peaks in the spectrum. The ripple pattern is determined by the settings of the Ripple Type & Ripple Wave menus. Ripple controls the strength of the pattern, and Ripple Width controls its width. Ripple Wave controls the ripple wave type or the shape of the pattern. The options are Sine, Triangle, Saw (up & down) & Square. Constant Random uses a random ripple

wave which is set per voice, Random uses a random wave which changes over time, and Spec 1 to 10 uses a preset additive spectrum. The number of partials covered by each repetition of the pattern is set by the Ripple Width control. Ripple Type defined how the ripple spreads out across the spectrum and defines the partial from which the pattern starts. In the Base modes the ripple is centred on the base partial, in Start modes the ripple is centred on the first partial. The other types Constant to Narrow determine how the ripple spreads over the spectrum. In Constant mode the ripple amount is the same across the whole additive spectrum. In the other modes, the impact of the ripple decreases the further it moves away from the ripple centre. A Log setting decreases the ripple amount gradually across the spectrum. The Narrow setting concentrates the ripple amount around the ripple centre and the impact of the ripple decreases very quickly for partials further away from the centre.

Harmonic / Harmonic Volume / Shift

The Harm and Harm Volume allows you to add a secondary shifted additive spectrum (a harmonic, shown in green), to the primary additive spectrum (shown in blue). The secondary spectrum is the same shape as the primary spectrum, but works off a different base frequency (i.e. is shifted in position) and may have a different volume than the primary spectrum. From a sonic perspective, the secondary spectrum allows you to define additional overtones. The Harm knob sets the distance between the primary and secondary spectrum. Turn it counter clockwise to set the secondary spectrum at a lower in frequency than the primary spectrum. Clockwise settings create the secondary spectrum at a higher frequency than the primary spectrum. The Harm Volume knob sets the volume of the secondary spectrum. A setting of zero makes it inaudible. How this secondary additive spectrum is shifted depends on the "Shift" button.

When it is "Off", the partials in the harmonic change their frequencies (i.e. it's multiplied by a constant amount) relative the primary additive spectrum. So if the Harm value was 2.0, then the frequency of the partials in the harmonic are double that in the primary additive spectrum. So, if the harmonic volume is at maximum, partial 2 in the harmonic has the volume of partial 1 in the primary, partial 4 in the harmonic has the volume of partial 2 in the primary, partial 8 in the harmonic has the volume of partial 4 in the primary, and so on. For in-between partials in the harmonic, interpolated values are used, so partial 3 in the harmonic would have an interpolated value from the values of partial 1 and 2 in the primary spectrum. When it is "On", the partials in the harmonic change position (i.e. by a constant amount) relative to the primary additive spectrum. So if the Harm value was 1, then the frequency of the partials in the harmonic are one more than in the primary additive spectrum. So, if the harmonic volume is maximum, partial 2 in the harmonic has the volume of partial 1 in the primary, partial 3 in the harmonic has the volume of partial 2 in the primary, partial 4 in the harmonic has the volume of partial 3 in the primary, and so on). The other Harmolator controls are not directly connected to the partials of the additive spectrum but across the overall sound.

Free-running When this is turned off, the Harmolator returns to its initial position (resets) with every key played. When it is on, the Harmolator continues from its last position, it is "free-running". This is useful in pad sounds because it removes the initial 'attack' part of the sound.

Octave The Octave knob controls the frequency of the fundamental or the first partial, from 2 octaves below to 2 octaves above the default frequency.

Spread / Spread Type When this is on, additional Harmolators are used, one slightly lower in frequency, one slightly higher in frequency (the frequency difference is set by the Spread knob), to produce a fatter sound. The effect is comparable to two slightly detuned oscillators in good old subtractive synthesis. In 3 Harm mode, the central Harmolator is included in the output. In 2 Harm mode, only the additional lower and higher Harmolators are used.

Sub-Oscillator This knob controls the volume of the Harmolator's sub-oscillator. The sub-oscillator tuning is set in the Sub-Shift menu. For instance if it's set to -1 Oct, the sub-oscillator tuning is set to be one octave below the Harmolator. The sub-oscillator knob allows you to use two different types of waveform. A counter clockwise position produces a sinus waveform. Turn it clockwise and it produces a square waveform. The centre position turns the sub-oscillator off. For the square wave sub-oscillator, you can use the sub-oscillator symmetry position modulation destination to alter the square wave's width. Setting this up as a modulation target for an LFO creates a pulse width modulation (PWM) effect.

Distortion
After the Harmolator the signal passes through the distortion unit. This offers a variety of different distortion types, and two controls. Typically these control the amount (Distort 1) and the normal / distortion mix (Distort 2). Clicking on the Distort label bypasses the distortion. The distortion applies built-in normalization to manage and control very loud sounds. The distortion types are: None Bits Clipper Cos Cross 1 Cross 2 Foldover Fuzz Gapper Hard Limiter OverDrive Octave Octave 2 Power Rectify Ring Mod S&H Saturate SoftLimit Square Transient No distortion Bit reduction effect, Distort 1 controls the bit rate Hard clipper, Distort 1 controls the top clipping amount, Distort 2 the bottom clipping amount. Cos distortion effect, Cross Distortion Type 1 Cross Distortion Type 2, Distort 1 controls the top crossing amount, Distort 2 the bottom crossing amount. Fold-over distortion, this amplifies and then folds over the sound. Fuzz-box distortion, Distort 2 controls its frequency. Gapper distortion, Distort 1 controls the frequency of the gapping. Hard Limiter, Distort 1 controls the limit. Over-driver effect Octave effect type 2, shifting the sound up an octave. Distort 1 controls the upper mixing, Distort 2 controls the lower mixing. Octave effect type 2, Distort 1 controls the frequency of the shift. Power wave-shaping effect. Rectifies the negative signal. Ring modulates the signal, Distort 1 controls the frequency of the ring modulation, Distort 2 controls the amount of ring modulation. Sample & holds the sign, Distort 1 is the sample rate Saturation effect Soft limiter, Distort 1 controls the mixing between normal and softlimited signal Squares the signal, Distort 1 controls the upper mixing, Distort 2 controls the lower mixing. Distorts the transients, i.e. beginnings of transient range. Distort 1 is the frequency and Distort 2 the amount.

Filter
After the distortion, the signal is then passed through the multi-mode filter. Clicking on the Filter label bypasses the filter. The filter types are: Bypass 6db Low Pass The filter is bypassed and the sound passes through unaffected Low frequencies pass through this filter; frequencies above the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 6dB per octave. For example: a frequency 2000Hz is 6dB softer in volume if the Cutoff frequency is set to 1000Hz. High frequencies pass through this filter; those below the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 6dB per octave. The filter is open if the Cutoff frequency knob is fully turned left. Low frequencies pass through this filter; those above the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 12dB per octave. High frequencies pass through this filter; those below the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 12dB per octave. The filter is fully open if the Cutoff frequency control knob is fully turned left. This filter mode is a combination of 12dB LowPass and 12dB HighPass filters. Only those frequencies near to the filter Cutoff frequency pass through (a band of frequencies), the resonance (Q), controls the width of this band so that low & high frequencies are removed. The frequencies around the filter Cutoff frequency are reduced in volume (12dB), the resonance controls the width of this removal region. Low frequencies pass through this filter; those above the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 18dB per octave. High frequencies pass through this filter; those below the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 18dB per octave. The filter is fully open if the Cutoff frequency knob is fully turned left. Low frequencies pass through this filter; those above the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 24dB per octave. High frequencies pass through this filter; those below the Cutoff frequency are reduced by 24dB per octave. The filter is fully open if the Cutoff frequency knob is fully turned left. This filter mode is a combination of 12dB LowPass and 12dB HighPass filters. Only those frequencies near to the filter Cutoff frequency pass through (a band of frequencies), the resonance (Q), controls the width of this band so that low & high frequencies are removed. The frequencies around the filter Cutoff frequency are reduced in volume (24dB), the resonance controls the width of this removal region. This is a very short delay, which emphasises the comb filter frequency. The Cutoff frequency controls the length of this delay and resonance (Q) the feedback of the filter. Vocal Filter, which adds a voice-like filtering to the sound. In Vocal filter mode, the 'Q' knob controls the vowel of the filter.

6db High Pass

12db Low Pass 12db High Pass

12db Band Pass

12db Notch

18db Low Pass 18db High Pass

24db Low Pass 24db High Pass

24db Band Pass

24db Notch

Comb

Vocal

Filter Smoothing When this is on, the volume of the signal going into the filter and the volume of the signal coming out of the filter, are the same, so reducing any changes in volume due to filter, and making the over sound 'smoother' Filter Frequency This sets the filter's frequency where the filter starts altering the sound. For instance, if you set the Cutoff to 2000Hz and use a 12dB Lowpass filter it reduces any frequencies above 2000Hz, so for instance a sound at 4000Hz will be reduced by 12dB. The Cutoff frequency can be static at one frequency, but you can also modulate using Blade's modulation controls. Resonance (Q) The resonance controls how much the sound at the Cutoff frequency is the increased, the resonance "emphasises" this frequency. As you increase resonance it gets more and more pronounced till the filter "self-oscillates". So basically the resonance is feedback onto the Cutoff frequency. Note: the 6dB filter types are unable to self-oscillate, in Comb filter the resonance controls the comb filters feedback, and in the Vowel filter this knob changes the vowel. Keytrack Adds a positive or negative Cutoff frequency modulation by the keyboard note position. With positive amount, the Cutoff frequency goes up the higher you play the keyboard With negative amount, the Cutoff frequency goes down the higher you play the keyboard. Separation Blade uses a stereo filter, with the Separation knob you change the difference in filter frequency between the left & right hand filters. Centred they are the same, to the left the left filter is lower in frequency, to the right the right filter is lower in frequency. This helps 'widen' the sound.

Amplifier
Volume This sets the overall volume of the preset. Velocity This sets the amount the patch's volume depends on key velocity (how fast you strike the key).

Volume Envelope
This envelope controls the volume contour over time. An envelope is a time based modulation component in a synthesizer. When you start an envelope (typically by playing a key) the level of the envelope rises from 0% up to 100% and back to 0% when you release the key. The Envelope controls allow you to define how fast and the manner in which it cycles from 0% to 100% and back to 0%. The first part is known as the attack phase. The attack parameter sets the time it takes to reach 100%. The second part is know as the decay. It is the time it takes to reach the sustain level (the level for while the key is held). If this level of sustain is for instance 50, the decay goes down to 50% and stays there for as long as you hold the key. Finally when you release the key, the envelope goes to 0%, in the pre-set release time. An extra feature in Blade is Fade. Fade adds a second part to the sustain. When using positive values, the sustain level goes up to 100% over a set time. Negative values make the signal level fall to 0% over a set time. The amp envelope determines the volume contour of each note. Attack An envelope always rises from 0 to 100% and back down to 0% when the key is released. Attack controls how fast it rises to 100%. So if you open the Attack knob, it takes longer to rise from 0 to 100%. With Attack set to zero, the envelope immediately starts at 100%. Decay After the attack stage, with the envelope at 100%, the decay stage is reached. Decay reduces the envelope level to the sustain level over a set time. So if you use a long decay, it takes longer to reach the sustain level. If the sustain level is 100% the Decay has nothing to fall to and so the sustain stage is reached immediately after the attack. Sustain This is the level of the sustain stage. After the attack and decay stage, the envelope reaches the sustain stage and remains here for as long as you have a key pressed down. The sustain level is the level of this sustain stage. Sustain level in the volume envelope means that the level of the volume parameter will stay as long as you hold the key(s). Sustain fade If the fade is set to off, the sustain remains at the sustain level i.e. it is a classic sustain If you open the fade amount in a positive direction the sustain changes into a second attack. So after the Decay reaches the Sustain level it starts rising to 100% again and the time it takes to reach 100% is set by the Fade time. If you open the fade amount in a negative direction the

sustain changes into a second decay. So after the Decay reaches the Sustain level it stars falling to 0% again and the time it takes to reach 0% is set by the Fade time. Release After you have released a key (note) the release stage starts. The envelope then decays from the sustain level to 0% the time it takes is set the release knob.

XY Controller

One of the coolest features of Blade is the central XY controller. Use the mouse to control all of Blade's controls by moving the blue dot around the pad. It is also possible to record paths, and use XY pad as a programmable two-dimensional LFOs. Surrounding the XY pad are knobs hard-wired to all of the Harmolator parameters, the filter and the volume. Change one of these from their zero position, and then move the blue dot and you will hear how the sound changes. You can move the blue dot manually across the XY pad (use the mouse to click and drag) when replay is set to off / live. You can also record movements on the XY pad as paths. Switch on the Rec button, to the right of the XY pad, and draw a path. For as long as you keep the mouse button pressed, Blade will capture all movements as a path in its memory. Next select the Play button, and play a note. You'll see the XY indicator will play back the path you recorded previously. This path is saved as part of the preset, so when you reload the preset, the path will be there. Clicking on the XY label bypasses the XY controller. Clicking on one of the Harmolator or filter labels here, bypasses that specific modulation. Below the Off / Rec / Play buttons are other controls which alter the XY path. Loop When loop is On after the indicator has reached the end of the path, it'll go back to the start of the path. In the '< > mode, the XY path also loops but goes back on it self, so after reach the end it reverses till it reaches the beginning, and then goes forward to the end again, and so on.

Mode Blade operates in Poly, Free or Mono mode. The mode setting determines how the XY responds when you hit one or more keys simultaneously. Poly Mode Free mode Each note you play has its own XY path and each path starts from the zero position. The XY path is free running and all the notes share the same XY path, and is not reset when you press a key. In Free mode the XY path is always looped. Similar to free mode, but the XY path is reset when your press a key.

Mono mode

Sync To By default, when the XY path is replayed, it takes the same time as the time taken to record it. However you can set it so that the XY path takes a set period, for instance a beat, independent of the how long it took to record, the Sync-To menu allows you to set that period, where Off means the syncing is turned off, and the path plays at the same speed as it was recorded. Smooth This controls how much the XY path's position is smoothed, at high amounts any sharp movements are smoothed out. Speed / Speed Control / Speed Source As well as being able to sync to a set period, you can also modulate the speed. So the Speed knob changes the playback speed from taking 1/16 of the normal time, to 16 times the normal time. Speed Ctrl / Speed Source allows you to modulate this speed changing using the normal range of modulation sources.

Right Click Menu

Right clicking on the XY screen brings up the XY menu: with the following options: Edit Position Edit Grouping Editing can be toggled on / off. When it's on and you are in replay mode, it shows the path and you can edit this path. Single only the selected point is edited. Narrow the 3 points before and after the current position are changed. Wide the 8 points before and after the current position are changed. Reset to Position Set to circle, square etc Reverse Flip Horizontally Flip Vertically Rotate Snap to Grid Smooth Scale X & Y Undo Copy Paste Clear resets xy to the central position in direct mode Sets the XY path to a circle, square and other preset shapes. Reverses the XY path, so it goes backwards. Flips the XY path horizontally Flips the XY path vertically Rotates the XY path by a set number of degrees Snaps the XY path to a set number of grid points Smooths the XY Path Scales the XY path around the centre by a set amount Undoes the last command Copies the current XY path Pastes the last copied XY path Clears the current XY path

Harmolator Velocity
The settings in this panel determine how velocity impacts various parts of Blades sound generation. Clicking on the Velocity label enables / disables the Velocity modulation. This is a shortcut to disable all velocity sensitivity, should you want to. Clicking on one of the individual Harmolator or filter labels enables / disables that specific modulation destination.

Harmolator LFO
This section defines the modulation of the Harmolator / Filter controls using an LFO . Clicking on the LFO label bypasses the LFO modulation, and clicking on of the Harmolator or filter labels here, bypasses individual modulation destinations. The LFO has the following controls: Waveform Sine, Triangle, Saw Up, Saw Down, Square and S&H This is where you can set the type of wave that modulates the Harmolator / Filter controls. Sinus and Triangle are often used because they produce a modulation that goes up and down smoothly. The other waveforms are more suitable for FX sounds or special sounds. Speed This defines the frequency at which the LFO is running. If the control Sync is set on then the speed is locked to the DAWs tempo. Sync If you turn Sync on, the Speed of the LFO will be based on the tempo of the host. It will synchronise with the DAW song tempo. The Speed parameter will now show note durations instead of an absolute frequency Mode The LFO operates in Poly, Free or Mono mode. The mode setting determines how the LFO responds when you hit one or more keys simultaneously. Poly Free Mono Each note you play has its own LFO and each LFO starts from the zero position The LFO is free running and all the notes share the same LFO, and the LFO is not reset when you press a key. Similar to free mode, but the LFO is reset when your press a key

Speed control and source A predefined modulation path allows you to modulate the LFO's speed using any of Blade's modulation sources. Control sets the strength or amount of modulation.

Harmolator Envelope
This section sets up the modulation of the Harmolator / Filter controls using an Envelope as the modulation source. Clicking on the ENVELOPE label bypasses the entire envelope modulation. Clicking on of the Harmolator or filter labels here, bypasses individual modulation destinations. Sync This allows you to sync the envelope's stages period to the current tempo. Pre-Delay The time before the envelope starts. Attack An envelope always rises from 0 to 100% and back to 0% when the key is released. Attack controls how fast it rises to 100%. So if you open the Attack control knob, it takes longer to go from 0 to 100%. With Attack closed, the envelope starts at 100%. Decay After the attack stage, with the envelope at 100%, the decay stage is reached. Decay reduces the envelope level to the sustain level over a set time. So if you use a long decay, it takes longer to reach the sustain level. If the sustain level is 100% the Decay has nothing to fall to and so the sustain stage is reached immediately after the attack. Sustain Next we have the sustain stage. After the attack & decay stage, the envelope reaches the sustain stage and remains here for as long as you have a key pressed down. The sustain level is the level of this sustain stage. Sustain level in the Free Envelope means that the "level"(amount) selected in the destination parameter stays for as long as you hold down the key(s). Sustain fade If the fade is set to off, the sustain remains at the sustain level i.e. it is a classic sustain If you open the fade amount in a positive direction the sustain changes into a second attack. So after the Decay reaches the Sustain level it starts rising to 100% again and the time it takes to reach 100% is set by the Fade time. If you open the fade amount in a negative direction the sustain changes into a second decay. So after the Decay reaches the Sustain level it starts falling to 0% again and the time it takes to reach 0% is set by the Fade time. Release After you have released a key (note) the release stage starts. The envelope then decays from the sustain level to 0%, the amount of time this takes is set by the release knob.

Modulation

At the bottom of Blade is a panel that combines many different functions in Blade. It gives you access to these functions through the radio buttons at the top. Click on the Arp, Pitch, Mod, Adv and FX buttons to get access to the arpeggiator, pitch modulation and effects. Clicking on Mod brings up the Modulation Screens, you select between the various modulation screens by clicking on the buttons at the left hand side of the modulation screen.

Harmonic / Filter Modulation Source

When the Mod screen is selected, clicking on the Harm button at the left hand side brings up this screen. Here, these two sets knobs allows you to modulate the Harmolator / Filter controls using Blade's modulation sources, set via the Src menu. Clicking on the Source 1/2 label bypasses that modulation, and clicking on of the Harmolator or filter labels here, bypasses that specific modulation.

Free Envelope
Blade has two free envelopes, which can be used to modulate any of Blade's controls. When the Mod screen is selected, clicking on the Env button at the left hand side brings up this screen. Clicking on the Env 1 / 2 labels bypasses them. Pre-Delay The time before the envelope starts. Attack An envelope always rises from 0 to 100% and back to 0% when the key is released. Attack controls how fast it rises to 100%. So if you open the Attack control knob, it takes longer to go from 0 to 100%. With Attack closed, the envelope starts at 100%. Decay After the attack stage, with the envelope at 100%, the decay stage is reached. Decay reduces the envelope level to the sustain level over a set time. So if you use a long decay, it takes longer to reach the sustain level. If the sustain level is 100% the Decay has nothing to fall to and so the sustain stage is reached immediately after the attack. Sustain Next we have the sustain stage. After the attack & decay stage, the envelope reaches the sustain stage and remains here for as long as you have a key pressed down. The sustain level is the level of this sustain stage. Sustain level in the Free Envelope means that the

"level"(amount) selected in the destination parameter stays for as long as you hold down the key(s). Sustain fade If the fade is set to off, the sustain remains at the sustain level i.e. it is a classic sustain If you open the fade amount in a positive direction the sustain changes into a second attack. So after the Decay reaches the Sustain level it starts rising to 100% again and the time it takes to reach 100% is set by the Fade time. If you open the fade amount in a negative direction the sustain changes into a second decay. So after the Decay reaches the Sustain level it starts falling to 0% again and the time it takes to reach 0% is set by the Fade time. Release After you have released a key (note) the release stage starts. The envelope then decays from the sustain level to 0%, the amount of time this takes is set by the release knob. Destination This is where you select the destination the Envelope modulation. Amount This is where you can select the amount of Envelope modulation. This can be positive or negative modulation depending on the selected parameter. Amount control and source This is where you select the controller for controlling the amount Envelope parameter. With amount you can set the how deep it controls the amount Envelope parameter. This can be a positive or negative amount. So that you can either increase the modulation or decrease the modulation.

Free LFO
Blade has two free LFOs, which can be used to modulate any of Blade's controls. When the Mod screen is selected, clicking on the LFO button at the left hand side brings up this screen. Clicking on the LFO 1 / 2 labels enables and disables them. Waveform Sine, Triangle, Saw Up, Saw Down, Square and S&H This is where you can set the type of wave used by the Free LFO. Sinus and Triangle are often used because they produce a modulation that goes up and down smoothly. The other waveforms are more suitable for FX sounds or special sounds.

Mode
The LFO operates in Poly, Free or Mono mode. The mode setting determines how the LFO responds when you hit one or more keys simultaneously. Poly Free Mono Each note you play has its own LFO and each LFO starts from the zero position The LFO is free running and all the notes share the same LFO, and the LFO is not reset when you press a key. Similar to free mode, but the LFO is reset when your press a key

Speed This controls how fast or slow the LFO is running. If the control Sync is set on then the speed is tempo based. Sync If you turn Sync on, the Speed of the LFO will be based on the tempo of the host. this enables it to synchronise with the song tempo. To find the right setting you need to adjust the Speed parameter. Humanization This controls how much the speed of the LFO randomly changes over time. Symmetry This controls the LFO symmetry, basically how quickly the LFO reaches its middle point. Its useful to use with the square LFO because you can alter the pulse width with it. Phase Controls the initial phase of the LFO Smooth Smooths the LFO signal, useful for use with the square or S&H waveforms. Destination This is where you select the destination the LFO modulation. Amount This is where you can select the amount of LFO modulation. This can be positive or negative modulation depending on the selected parameter. Amount control and source This is where you select the controller for controlling the amount LFO parameter. With amount you can set the how deep it controls the amount LFO parameter. This can be a positive or negative amount. So that you can either increase the modulation or decrease the modulation.

Modulation Slots
Blade has four free modulation slots, which can be used to modulate any of Blade's parameters. When the Mod screen is selected, clicking on the Mod button at the left hand side brings up this screen. Clicking on the Mod 1 / 2 /3 / 4 labels enables or disables them. Source 1 - 4 This is where you can select one of the 32 modulation sources. Destination 1 - 4 Here you select one of the 48 modulation destinations.

Destination amount 1 - 4 This is where you select the amount of the modulation. This can be a positive or a negative modulation depending on the selected parameter. Amount control 1 - 4 and source This is where you select the controller for controlling the destination amount parameter. With amount you can set how much this control alters this destination amount value. This can be either a positive or a negative amount. So you can increase the modulation or decrease the modulation.

Pitch LFO / Envelope

Blade has an LFO and envelope which are hard-wired to Blade's pitch. They can be accessed by clicking on the Pitch Button.

Pitch LFO
The Pitch LFO is an LFO which is hard-wired to Blade's pitch. Clicking on the Pitch LFO switches this function on and off. Waveform Sine, Triangle, Saw Up, Saw Down, Square and S&H This is where you can set the type of wave used by the Free LFO. Sinus and Triangle are often used because they produce a modulation that goes up and down smoothly. The other waveforms are more suitable for FX sounds or special sounds. Mode The Pitch LFO operates in Poly, Free or Mono mode. The mode setting determines how the Pitch LFO responds when you hit one or more keys simultaneously. Poly Free Mono Each note you play has its own LFO and each LFO starts from the zero position The LFO is free running and all the notes share the same LFO, and the LFO is not reset when you press a key. Similar to free mode, but the LFO is reset when your press a key

Speed This controls how fast or slow the LFO is running. If the control Sync is set on then the speed is tempo based. Sync If you turn Sync on, the Speed of the LFO will be based on the tempo of the host. this enables it to synchronise with the song tempo. To find the right setting you need to adjust the Speed parameter. Speed control and source Allows you to modulate the Pitch LFO's speed using Blade's normal modulation sources. Control is the amount of modulation and source the modulation source.

Amount Amount the Pitch LFO alters Blade's pitch, up to a semi-tone up and down. Amount control and source Allows you to modulate the Pitch LFO's amount using Blade's normal modulation sources. Control is the amount of modulation and source the modulation source.

Pitch Envelope
This is an Envelope which is hard-wired to control Blade's pitch. Click on the Pitch Env label to enable and disable it. Pre-Delay The time before the envelope starts. Attack An envelope always rises from 0 to 100% and back to 0% when the key is released. Attack controls how fast it rises to 100%. So if you open the Attack control knob, it takes longer to go from 0 to 100%. With Attack closed, the envelope starts at 100%. Decay After the attack stage, with the envelope at 100%, the decay stage is reached. Decay reduces the envelope level to the sustain level over a set time. So if you use a long decay, it takes longer to reach the sustain level. If the sustain level is 100% the Decay has nothing to fall to and so the sustain stage is reached immediately after the attack. Sustain Next we have the sustain stage. After the attack & decay stage, the envelope reaches the sustain stage and remains here for as long as you have a key pressed down. The sustain level is the level of this sustain stage. Sustain level in the Free Envelope means that the "level"(amount) selected in the destination parameter stays for as long as you hold down the key(s). Sync This allows you to sync the envelope's stages period to the current tempo. Amount Amount the Pitch LFO alters Blade's pitch, up-to a 3 octaves up or down. Amount control and source Allows you to modulate the Pitch LFO's envelope using Blade's normal modulation sources. Control is the amount of modulation and source the modulation source.

Arpeggiator

Blade offers a unique and very powerful arpeggiator. It can be used as a mini step sequencer. You have the option to tune a step and to tie a step in two different ways. A classic arpeggiator (arp) is realised when, instead of playing all the pressed keys at the same time, it plays them one after another until all keys are released. Blade also offers a chord mode that triggers the played notes as a chord. The arpeggiator has a built in sequencer for making rhythmic patterns. Each step of the pattern sequencer offers On/Off, Tie, Tune, Velocity settings and also, Free modulation settings. To turn on the arpeggiator set the play mode of Blade to Arp, and to see the Arp controls, click on the Arp button. Steps Number of steps in the arpeggiator sequencer. This can be from 1 to 16 steps Speed Speed of the arpeggiator relative to the host tempo, from the tempo up to 4 times the tempo. Mode The mode defines the order in which any held notes are [played as an arpeggio. Up Down Up/Down Down/Up Random Ordered Rev. Ordered Ordered Up/Down Ordered Down/Up Chord the notes are played in the order they are pressed the notes are played in the reverse order to which they are pressed the notes are played in the order they are pressed then in reverse order the notes are played in reverse order then normal order from the pressed keys a random one is played the notes are ordered from lowest to highest and are played in that order the notes are ordered from highest to lowest and are played in that order the notes are ordered and then played from the lowest to highest and then back to lowest the notes are ordered and then played from the highest to lowest and then back to highest chord is a special mode where all the pressed keys are played at the same time so producing a chord

Octaves Determines how many octaves the arpeggiator plays. For instance if you set octave to 2, then it will play the pressed notes firstly in the original octave and then the pressed notes an octave higher. For example if hold keys A4, C4 and E4, and in the mode is set to up, with octave set to two, the Blade arpeggiator will play A4, C4, E4 then A5, C5 and E5. Lock This locks the current arpeggiator, so when you change presets the arpeggiator stays the same. There are 3 modes: Off On Locking is turned off. Locking is turned on, the arpeggiator stays the same when you change preset, but it can't be altered and the current preset is not permanently changed. The current preset's arpeggiator is permanently changed to the locked arpeggiator and locking is turned off.

Set

Host sync This turns on / off the arpeggiator syncing to your host sequencer. Depending on your host and also what you are doing you may want this to be either on or off. Default is on. This is set in the back screen Latch When latching is turned on you don't need to keep a key pressed down for that note to be included in the arpeggiator. For instance if you have pressed C4 then released it and then pressed A4 and then released it, when the latching is on the arpeggiator will play C4 and then A4. Turning on / off the latching clears the arpeggiator of any notes. Tip: you can use also the sustain pedal to Latch and Unlatch the arpeggiator. Arp Key Entry on/off When you press a note it will be entered into the arp pitch's row at the current step. C3 (midi 60) is set to 0 and the root key. So you should play notes in the key C. Swing This controls the swing of the arpeggiator, this is the difference in timing between consecutive notes and it gives a more human/swing feel to the arpeggiator. Vel / Keyboard This controls whether Blade's velocity parameter settings are controlled by the arpeggiator sequencer step settings (at 0%) or the pressed key's velocity (at 100%) or a combination of the two values. Pattern/Sequencer Section The main section of the arp screen is taken up with the Arpeggiator pattern/sequencer screen. This sequencer allows you to have much more complex arpeggiator patterns than in most other synthesizers. The arp sequencer can have up to 16 steps. The number of steps is set using the Steps selector. Each step in the arp sequencer can have different properties that alter how that arp note is played.

Step 1-16 on/off This shows the arp sequencer step number. Clicking on it turns this step On or Off. If it is set to off when an arpeggiator is played a 'rest' occurs rather than a new note at this step. Tie Tie controls whether the note is 'tied' at the selected step. You can toggle tie by clicking in the step box. When a step is in tie, the current arp note continues to play the step ahead. So it allows you to play notes which are twice (or more) as long as the normal arp notes. In other words, you can tie notes together using this function. Tune Tuning offset of the arp note, from -36 semitones to +36 semitones. If you use tie in a step, the tune does not work at that step if the arpeggiator is in tie mode normal. Vel Velocity of the arp sequencer step/note. This is used in combination with the vel /Keyboard control to control how the velocity of each arp sequencer step is controlled by the arp sequencer and how much by the velocity of the played note. If you use tie in a step, the velocity does not work at that step if the arpeggiator is in tie mode normal. Free Free control allows you to control other properties of Blade (i.e. panning etc) using the arpeggiator. This is because you can use the Free control in the Free modulation section to modulate other controls by selecting the source to be Arp Free. If you use tie in a step, the free setting does not work at that step if the arpeggiator is in tie mode normal. Right Click Menu Right clicking on the Arpeggiator screen brings up the Arpeggiator menu: Copy Paste Clear Load Save Undo Sync Copies the current Arpeggiator Pastes the last copied Arpeggiator Clears the current Arpeggiator Loads in a previously saved Arpeggiator Saves the current Arpeggiator to disk. Undoes the last command Turns on / off Arpeggiator host syncing

Free Playing Mode Even if your not in Arp mode, the Arpeggiator can be used as a modulate controls. So when you press a key, the Arp will start, and the free and velocity rows can be used as a modulation source.

FX

In this section you select up to two effects for each preset in Blade. The effects are connected in series, so the outputs of FX1 feed into the inputs of FX2. A special feature of Blade is that you can control all effect parameters by midi or use as a Blade modulation source. You can see the FX controls by clicking on the FX button. Clicking on the FX 1 / 2 buttons enables or bypasses the individual effect sections. Type Here you can select one of the 27 effects for each of the units of Blade. Mix This is where you control how much the fx output is mixed with the original signal. Fully left only the original signal is heard and as you turn the knob to the right, more of the FX signal is added to the mix. Pan Controls the Panning of the selected FX.

Effect Types
Mono Delay A mono tempo based delay, great for making rhythmic grooves. To make the sound a bit spacey, modulation of the length is possible which makes the delay swirl. Length Feedback LP Filter HP Filter Widen Mod Amount Mod Speed Sync Length of the delay, set in tempo based settings when sync is on, or time based when its off Feedback level of the delay. Low pass filter frequency. High pass filter frequency. Stereo widening amount. Delay time modulation amount. Delay modulation speed. Determines if the delay length is tempo-based or time based.

Stereo Delay Two tempo based delays operating as one delay for each of the audio channels (left and right). This is useful for making deep pad sounds if you use 1/8* (Left) and 1/4 (right) settings. The Feed Equal option makes it possible to have equal feedback fade time, even if the left and right delay have other length settings. Left Delay Right Delay Feedback CrossFeed Feed Equal LP Filter HP Filter Mod Amount Sync Comb The Comb Filter effect uses two joined comb filters where the output of one is fed back into the other one. Comb filters work like very short in delay lines and can be perceived to have an intrinsic frequency. Comb 1 Freq Comb 1 Feed Comb 1 Mod Comb 2 Freq Comb 2 Feed Comb 2 Mod Mod 1&2 Speed Reverb This effect reproduces the sound of acoustics in a natural space. The reverb rooms use different sizes and reflections. After the reverb, the sound is passed through a noise-gate which removes sound below a volume threshold. Pre-Delay Size Damp LP Filter HP Filter Spread Gate Gate Hold Gate Decay Pre-delay amount of the reverb signal. Reverb room size. Reverb damping amount. Low pass filter frequency. High pass filter frequency. Stereo spreading amount. Noise-Gate threshold volume Hold time for noise-gate. Decay time for noise-gate. Comb Filter 1 Frequency. Comb Filter 1 Feedback amount. Comb Filter 1 Feedback modulation amount. Comb Filter 2 Frequency. Comb Filter 2 Feedback amount. Comb Filter 2 Feedback modulation amount. Feedback tempo based modulation speed. Length of the left delay, set in tempo-based settings when sync is on, or time based when its off Length of the right delay, set in tempo-based settings when sync is on, or time based when its off Feedback of the delay. Feedback between the left / right delay lines. When equal is on, it makes that both L and R feedback fade equally, regardless which length you use. Low pass filter frequency. High pass filter frequency. Delay time modulation amount. Determines if the delay length is tempo-based or time based.

Chorus The chorus is a modulated delay signal which is used to thicken up the sound. It makes a signal sound as if there are several instances playing the same sound and melody simultaneously. Length Width Speed Spread LP Filter Widen Chorus/Delay This is a combined chorus / delay. This version was added to the list as an efficient combination of two effect types. It gives you two effects for the price of one slot and leaves another slot free to use an entirely different effect. Length Width Speed Spread Delay Feedback Delay Vol Flanger The flanger effect is a very short delay with a slightly fluctuating pitch difference between two identical copies of the input signal. Length Width Speed Feedback Pan Mod LP Filter HP Filter Phaser A phaser is a combination of filters that have their filter frequency modulated periodically. Stages Pitch Feedback Width Speed Spread Pan Mode Number of stages in the phaser. Pitch of the phaser. Feedback of the phaser. Maximum change to phaser pitch. Speed the phaser length changes, this is midi tempo based. Amount the phaser stages are spread from the central pitch. Speed the phaser pans from the left / right hand channels. Length of the flanger. Maximum change to flanger length. Speed the flanger length changes, this is midi tempo based. Feedback of the flanger. Flanger panning amount. Low pass filter frequency. High pass filter frequency. Maximum length of the chorus in milliseconds. The amount how much the chorus length will change. The rate the chorus length changes. The amount the chorus length differs between left and right channels Length of the chorus delay. Delay is after the chorus. Amount the chorus delay feeds back into the sound. Volume of the delay. Length of the chorus. Maximum change or modulation to chorus length. Speed that the chorus length changes. Difference in speed between the left and right hand channels. Low pass filter frequency. Stereo widening amount.

Wah/Delay This effect produces a wah-wah type effect by running the sound through a lowpass-filter with a periodically changing filter frequency. There is an added delay at the end of the wah wah section. Low Range Lowest Frequency of the filter. Here you can adjust how deep the LP filter ranges. The more you move the dial to the left, the lower the filter goes. Highest Frequency of the filter. Here you can adjust how high the LP filter goes. The more you move the dial to the right, the higher the filter goes. The rate the filter frequency changes over time. Tempo based. Controls the resonance of the used low-pass filter. Length of the wah wah delay. This delay is after the WahWah FX. Amount the wah wah delay feeds back into the sound. Volume of the delay.

High Range

Speed Resonance Delay Feedback Delay Vol

Distortion This distorts the audio by saturating, limiting, rectifying and band pass filtering the input. Limit Rect Distort Tone Emphasis Post-Boost M-Wheel>Tone Hard limiter threshold. Amount of rectification, from -100% (no change), 0% half to 100% - full. Amount of Distortion. Frequency of the band pass filter. Bandwidth of the band pass filter. Amount the filter signal is boosted. Amount the band pass filter frequency is changed by the modulation wheel.

Low-Fi This effect reduces the digital audio quality of the sound, which results in old style computer sound effects. Bits Sample Rate LP Filter M-Wheel>Filter Bit level of the signal. Sample rate of the signal. Frequency of the low pass filter. Amount the low pass filter frequency is changed by the modulation wheel.

Amp Sim Several types of amp types are simulated. Great for creating edgy sounds. Type Type of amp simulation. Settings are:- None, 4x10" guitar speakers, 4x12" guitar speakers, Bass speaker, Combo speaker and Radio speaker. The none speaker setting is useful if you want to only use the distortion in the FX effect. Distort Bass Treble Volume Amount of distortion added to the sound. Also works if the none speaker setting is selected. Bass EQ Volume. Adds or removes low end from the speaker simulator. Treble EQ Volume. Adds or removes high frequencies from the speaker simulator. Volume boost. Adjusts the volume of the processed sound.

When using the amp simulator , it is recommended that you a fully wet signal. WaveShaper The waveshaper effect shapes the in-going sound to a kind of distorted version of it. It is then passed through a low pass filter which its frequency is changed over time by a tempo based LFO. Top Amt Bottom Amt Rect The amount positive input is waveshaped. The amount negative input is waveshaped. The amount the sound is rectified, at -100% the sound goes through as normal, at 0% no negative output is heard and at 100% any negative output is made positive. Low pass filter frequency. This filter does not filter the high frequencies. The amount the low pass filter frequency can change. The rate the low pass filter frequency can change.

Filter LFO Amount LFO Speed

Stereo Widener This effect widens the stereo sound. Widen Width Speed LP Filter HP Filter Stereo widening amount. Maximum change to the stereo widening amount. Speed at which the stereo widening amount changes. Low pass filter frequency. High pass filter frequency.

AutoPan Autopan pans the sound between the left and right speakers. Amount Speed Amount the autopan moves the sound in the stereo field. The rate at which the autopan moves the sound. This is Tempo based so for example 1/1 does mean that the pan moves from left to right within 1bar.

When using the auto-pan, it is recommended that you a fully wet signal.

Gator The gator uses a 16 step sequencer to alter the volume of the sound to give a trancegate type effect. Basically it is a sequencer controlled audio gate. Speed The speed of the gator. Speed is time based from 16/1 up to 1/32T speed. If for example the speed is set to 1/1 each step is 1/16 note. If for example the speed is set to 2/1 then each step is 1/8 of a note. How much the volume changes are smoothed out. This helps to avoid clicks. Whether the gator affects the left & right channels, the left channel only or the right channel only or both. Turns on / off the host syncing. For example if you do not hear the gator FX in standalone host, then switch to off. Inside a host sequencer program the best setting is auto or sync. The default setting in most presets is auto. So if you have problems with these settings, try off. Left Left channel sequencer. Clicking here turns on / off that step in the gator. When a step is on (light colour) the gate is open and you can hear the audio. When a step is off (dark colour) the audio is muted. Right channel sequencer. Clicking here turns on / off that step in the gator. When a step is on (light colour) the gate is open and you can hear the audio. When a step is off (dark colour) the audio is muted.

Smooth Mode Sync

Right

When using the Gator, it is recommended that you a fully wet signal. Ring Mod The ring modulates (multiplies) different signals together depending on the type. Type Frequency Q Sine, Saw, Sqr & Tri, multiplies the input with the set oscillator.L + R, multiplies the left & right channels together. Sets the oscillator frequency. Sets the ring modulation amount.

FX Filter This is an analogue modelled stereo Multimode Filter, which has all the properties of Blades main filter. Type Sets the type of filter, offering 6dB LowPass and HighPass, 12dB, 18dB and 24dB LowPass, HighPass, 12dB and 24dB BandPass, 12dB and 24dB Notch and Comb Filter modes. Sets the pre-filter distortion of the filter. Sets the Cutoff frequency of the filter. Sets the Resonance level of the filter. The filter LFO alters the filter frequency over time. This controls the amount this LFO changes the filter frequency. The speed of the filter LFO. This allows you to adjust the volume of the processed signal.

Distort Frequency Q LFO Amount LFO Speed Volume

Equalizer The equalizer uses 5 bands at 60Hz, 200Hz, 600Hz, 2000Hz and 8000Hz frequencies. The control knob for each band controls that bands volume, from -20db to +20db When using the equalizer, it is recommended that you a fully wet signal. Compressor The compressor is an audio effect that changes the dynamic range and response of a signal. Threshold Ratio This sets the threshold on which the compressor starts to work. This sets the amount of dB reduction. So with a ratio setting of 1:2, and the signal exceeds the threshold by 4dB then it is reduced by 4db/2 = 2db. This sets how fast the compressor kicks in. This sets how long the compressor takes to react to a reduction in volume. This allows you to correct the volume after the signal has been compressed.

Attack Release Volume

When using the compressor, it is recommended that you a fully wet signal. Noise Gate The noise-gate is an audio effect that removes any sound (gates) that is below a threshold volume. Threshold Attack Hold Decay This sets the threshold on which the noise gate starts to work. This sets how fast the noise-gate returns to normal after the input volume is over the threshold. This sets how long the input volume has to below the threshold volume before the noise gate is triggered. This sets how long the noise gate takes to reduce the volume to zero after the noisegate is triggered.

When using the noise gate, it is recommended that you a fully wet signal.

Ensemble This effect uses 6 choruses, each having its own setting, to give the effect of several copies of the sound playing at once. Length Width Speed Feedback Ensemble Spread Cabinet Several types of cabinet types are simulated. Great for creating edgy sounds. Type Type of cabinet simulation. Settings are:- None, Fender,Marshall & Off Axis. The none speaker setting is useful if you want to only use the distortion in the FX effect. Amount of distortion added to the sound. Also works if the none cabinet setting is selected. Bass EQ Volume. Adds or removes low end from the cabinet simulator. Treble EQ Volume. Adds or removes high frequencies from the cabinet simulator. Volume boost. Adjusts the volume of the processed sound. Sets the delay-time used to create the ensemble effect. Maximum variation to ensemble length. Speed at which the ensemble length is modulated. Feedback of the choruses. Amount the choruses differ from each other. Amount the choruses are panned to the left or right.

Distort Bass Treble Volume

When using the cab simulator, it is recommended that you use a fully wet signal. MultiDistort Allows you to use several different types of distortion effects Type Different type of distortion allowed, they are None, Atan, Cos, Cross, Foldover, Fuzz, Limiter, Overdrive, Power, Rectifier, Saturator, Square. None means that no distortion is used Pre-Boost Amount 1 Amount 2 Normalize How much the signal is boosted before going into the distortion Control how much the signal is distorted Additional distortion parameter for Fuzz How much the output volume is normalized to the input volume. At 100% the output volume is at the same level as the input volume. Post distortion low-pass filter Post distortion high-pass filter How much the output of the distortion is boosted.

Low Filter High Filter Post-Boost

AutoWah Autowah uses a low/bandpass filter to filter the signal using the volume of signal to alter the frequency of the filter. Type Low Frequency High Frequency Amount Q Smooth Type of auto-wah filter, lowpass or bandpass Lowest frequency of auto-wah filter Highest frequency of auto-wah filter How much the volume of the signal alters the filter's frequency Resonance / Bandwidth of autowah filter How much signal volume is smoothed.

Effect modulation matrix

Below the FX section you can find two modulation matrix slots. These allow you to modulate the parameters of the current effect in real time. Using these slots you can connect different midi or Blade synth parts to the FX parameters. There are 60 modulation sources and you can use any FX parameter as a destination. Source Amount Destination Here you can select the source that will modulate the Fx parameter. Here you can set how much the modulation source will alter the FX parameter. Here you select the modulation destination. All the FX parameters are shown here, though some work better using modulation than others.

FX Commands
In the fx type menu, after the list of effects there is a command submenu. This allows you to further alter the effects. Bypass FX 1 Bypass FX 2 Bypass All Turn All On Copy FX 1 to 2 Copy FX 2 to 1 Swap FX 1 / 2 Set FX 1 to Default Set FX 2 to Default Set All to Default Clear FX 1 Clear FX 2 Clear All Undo Load FX 1 Load FX 2 Save FX 1 Save FX 2 FX 1 Sync FX 2 Sync turns off FX 1 turns off FX 2 turns off FX 1 and 2 turns on FX 1 and 2 copies FX 1 to 2 copies FX 2 to 1 swaps FX 1 and 2 sets FX 1 to its default setting sets FX 2 to its default setting sets FX 1 and 2 to their default settings set FX 1 to None set FX 2 to None set FX 1 & 2 to None undoes the last command loads previously saved effect settings into FX 1 loads previously saved effect settings into FX 2 saves the current FX 1 settings to disk saves the current FX 2 settings to disk turns off delay tempo syncing for FX 1 turns off delay tempo syncing for FX 2

Spectrum

The Spectrum screen provides a visualisation of the sound generated by Blade. The sound is shown as either a spectrum of harmonics or as a waveform. The buttons on the right hand side of the screen let you switch between these views. Harm Dyn The screen shows the additive spectrum as defined by the Harmolator settings The screen shows the additive spectrum as generated by Blade taking into account all parameter settings. It is a dynamic view, so it shows how the spectrum changes, as the sound evolves over time. The screen shows the waveform as defined by the Harmolator settings

Wave

Advanced

The advanced page gives you access to more controls to detail the shape of envelopes and Blades response to velocity dynamics. Click on the Adv button to bring up these controls.

Global
Tuning The Tuning parameter in the Play Mode section determines the master pitch of the Blade instrument. The oscillators' pitches are tuned relative to this setting. Warmth The Warmth setting introduces slight inaccuracies to the sound that are an integral part of analog electronic circuits. These inaccuracies manifest themselves as various sonic artefacts such as slight de-tuning, minor clicks and noises. As you turn up this control, the intensity and volume of these artefacts increases. In summary, it makes a sound less static and gives it a more vintage character. Vel Shape This control changes Blade's velocity curvature in response to the keyboard input or host input. The range travels from exponential (negative values) to linear (0) to logarithmic (positive values). The default setting is linear (0).

Amp / Add / Free 1 / Free 2 Envelope

This section conatins the amplifier, harmolator, free 1 & 2 envelopes advanced controls. Attack shape This changes the curvature of all the envelope Attack stage. The range travels from exponential (negative values) to linear (0) to logarithmic (positive values). Decay / Release shape This changes the curvature of the envelope Decay/Release stages. The range travels from exponential (negative values) to linear (0) to logarithmic (positive values). Key Tracking This control defines how the speed of the envelope is changed by the midi note number played. At the default setting, the envelope speed is the same for all keys.

Easy Page

The Easy Page allows you to alter all the major controls in a single screen. To access the Easy Page, click on the Easy button. To return to the normal screen, click on Easy button again. The majority of the controls operate in the same way as in the normal mode. The exceptions are listed below: Harmolator Group 1 to 3 3 knobs which allow you to global control the Harmolator controls. Global X/Y, Velocity, LFO & Envelope Amount Globally alters the amount the modulators changes the Harmolator / Filter controls. These controls only change those harmolator / filter controls which are set to a value other than zero. Global LFO & Envelope Speed Globally alters the speed of the LFO & envelope. Right clicking on a control in the Easy Page, and selecting Translate Easy to Main, will copy the full screens controls to equivalent values of those on the Easy Page. The Easy Page settings are reset to their default positions.

Preset / Bank Manager

The preset and bank manager allows you to organise all preset and banks available to Blade. It allows you to copy and paste presets and banks, and search for presets within all the banks. To enter the Manager screen, click on the Manager Button. To return to Blades Main Page click on the Manager Button again. In the Manager screen, the left hand side of the screen shows the presets in the selected bank. The right hand side of the screen shows all installed banks. At the bottom of the screen are the preset / bank controls. The selected Preset and Bank are always highlighted in blue. Clicking on a preset loads it directly into Blade. When organising Presets within a Bank, simply click and drag a Preset to its new position. Selecting multiple Presets Shift + clicking allows you to select a range of consecutive presets. Ctrl + clicking allows you to select a collection of presets randomly distributed throughout the Bank. A selection of Presets is ready to be saved to disk via the save button / menu entry. Preset and Bank Command Menu Right clicking brings up the preset command menu. In the Bank section of the screen, the selected bank is highlighted. When you click on a bank, Blade will load it directly. A right click on a Bank opens the bank command menu. The scroll bar on the right lets you sift through all the available Banks..

Preset Commands
Load Save Copy Paste Swap Move Insert Original Edited Default Delete Rename Find Help Undo C3 Loads in a saved preset / presets Saves the current preset/presets as a fxp file. Copies current preset Pastes last copied preset Swaps the current preset with another one Moves the current preset to another position Inserts a blank preset at the current position, moving the rest of the presets forward one Returns the current preset to its original settings Returns the current preset to its last edited settings Sets the current preset to the default settings Deletes the current preset, move the rest of presets back one Renames the current preset Please read Find section below Brings up the Manager help screen Undo last preset command Previews the current preset

Bank Commands
Load Save Copy New Delete Rename Find A click on the find button opens the find dialog. The find function searches all the banks for preset names that include the search string. In the Bank screen, all matching presets are indicated by the bank name followed by a list of presets names. Clicking on one of the listed presets, immediately loads the selected preset and its associated bank. To leave the Find Mode, just unclick the Find button. Loads in a bank, if the current bank has been changed from its original state. Save current bank Makes a copy of current bank Creates a new bank Deletes the current bank (actually renames it as a ~fxb file so it's not shown) Renames current bank

Back Panel

To access the back panel, click on the Blade logo on the main page. The back panel displays the credits for Blade, a few hints about how to use Blade, and a number of global controls. Big Screen You can alter the size of the screen from normal to 'big'. Big equates to 150% the size of the normal screen. Depending on the host (DAW) you are using, you may need to close and reopen Blade for the changed setting to take effect. Plain Text You can alter the text colour, from glowing blue to plain white text. Depending on the host (DAW) you are using, you may need to close and reopen Blade for the changed setting to take effect. Computer Keyboard Up / Down This setting enables you to select presets and banks using the computer-keyboard up and down cursor-keys. This setting is global and will work for all Blade instances that are loaded in the DAW. Midi Program Change This setting enables you to change Blade Presets with a Midi program change command. Midi Bank Change This setting enables you to change Blade Banks with a Midi Bank Select command.

External Midi Control Capture Mode This setting, when enabled, ignores incoming midi controller messages that are latched to a Blade control, until the value of the midi controller matches that of the value of the Blade control. It prevents sudden jumps in parameter values that otherwise may occur as soon as you touch a latched external midi controller. Arp Sync to 16th Note This setting switches the arpeggiator to synchronize to the tempo of the host sequencer. The synchronisation is based on 16th notes. The available settings are On, Off (both settings work per preset), or All Off which disables arpeggiator syncing for all presets. A4 This setting defines the base tuning from 220 Hz to 880 Hz (default tuning is 440 Hz). Tuning Scale Blade allows you to use alternate tunings. The definition of a tuning is defined in a .tun file. Here is where you select and load .tun files. Blade comes with a number of tuning files preinstalled. The tuning is set per preset. Tuning Reset Tuning Reset returns the tuning to its default setting (12 tone Western chromatic).