-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 1
User Documentation
Hold Track on start-up to mount the content filesystem as a USB drive. System lights turn green. If lights turn blue, disconnection was detected and OP-Z will boot to playable mode.
Hold Screen on start-up to mount the update filesystem as a USB drive. .zfw files (provided by TE) dropped in the root directory will be flashed to firmware when the disk is ejected. The OP-Z does not require that the firmware version is later than the installed version, so the OP-Z can be both upgraded and downgraded this way.
To check the current firmware version without the app or a computer, hold screen on start-up to start in update mode, then press and hold track and the number keys will spell out the installed firmware version.
Hold Project on start-up to disable writing of data to projects for current session. Track light will be red when project is held during session. Note that presets can be still be written/overwritten.
When plugged into USB, rightmost track light glows green to indicate charging. Hold Screen to display charge level via track LEDs.
When started up in update mode, pressing Play will force the OP-Z to check for an update .zfw file immediately and apply it without ejecting the update USB disk. This is probably a bad idea because of the possibility of part of the update file still being cached.
Update mode also creates a virtual COM port to which upgrade log data is dumped as upgrade runs. To see the output data you must use the "press play" trick above, as if you disconnect the OP-Z to start the update then the virtual COM port is disconnected too.
.zfw files are encrypted ZIP files. There is further analysis of the files here. The file appears to be encrypted using AES in CBC mode with an unknown key size, the key presumably stored within the hardware. It is possible to upload unencrypted firmware, but it most likely will not be possible to decrypt the file.
Most parts of the interface are determined by the selected Track. Tracks are listed below in left to right order:
| Track | Group | Sequencable? | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | Drum | Yes | Sound |
| Snare | Drum | Yes | Sound |
| Percussion | Drum | Yes | Sound |
| Sample | Drum | Yes | Sound |
| Bass | Synth | Yes | Sound |
| Lead | Synth | Yes | Sound |
| Arp | Synth | Yes | Sound |
| Chord | Synth | Yes | Sound |
| FX1 | Yes | Control | |
| FX2 | Yes | Control | |
| Tape | ??? | Control | |
| Master | Yes | Control | |
| Performance | Yes | Control | |
| Module | ??? | Control | |
| DMX | Yes | Control | |
| Video | Yes | Control |
To change track, hold Track and press Track/Step keys. White LED shows currently selected track. If sequencer is playing, LEDs pulse green with sequencer events on track. Green pulses on Master and Module tracks mirror all events; green pulses on FX tracks mirror pulses on tracks with non-zero sends to that effect.
Older and newer versions of the OP-Z may have different icons on some track and control buttons.
- Older versions have 2 bars on the Mixer button, newer versions have 4.
- Older versions have 2 bars on the Master track button (same as the Mixer button), newer versions have an M.
- Older versions have a figure facing to the side holding a baton on the Performance track, newer versions have them standing with arms open.
If any drum group track is selected, piano keys play different drum samples.
If any synth group track is selected, piano keys play notes across two octaves F-F. Press + and - buttons to select base octave; when pressed, flashing number light shows selected octave number 2-7.
Note: Some factory presets have LFO running in free mode. Keys may appear silent if volume is driven to zero by LFO. Hold down a key and wait to be sure.
While Track button is held, lit number keys show available "plugs" (synth engines / sample sets) on selected track. Flashing key shows current selection. Press number keys to select. Plugs are configured using configurator mode in app or content editor, and specified in the hidden file plugs.json.
While Track button is held, lit component keys show available presets on selected track and plug. Flashing key shows last loaded preset. Press component keys to load preset. Press and hold a component key until track/step lights fill to save current setting to preset.
Press Track and Record together to randomize settings on current track and plug. Note: this includes LFO, so be wary of silent notes caused by free mode LFO. Record and fourth track light sometimes flash yellow after this, the reason is not clear!
Turn encoder dials to modify voice. The lights below the dials normally show, by colour, which parameter set is currently being altered. To change set, tap shift; dial light color will change and number lights briefly show number of current mode amongst those available for selected plug.
Light behaviour when a parameter is changed vary with parameter types:
- Continuous (c): Brightness of light shows setting level. (Immediately after pressing shift, all lights are briefly set to maximum brightness then fade to show levels.) If dial is turned beyond maximum, light flashes at maximum brightness.
- Discrete (d): When dial is turned, colour of dial light and number lights show setting value. Colours map to numbers as follows: Green=1, Pink=2, Yellow=3, Red=4, Blue=5, White=6. When dial is not being turned, parameter value is not shown; colour is set to indicate which parameter set is active, as above.
- Continuous signed (cs): Brightness of light shows setting level. Lower settings are negative, higher ones are positive. When dial is turned, colour of dial light turns green when setting is 0 (note: green mode has no cs parameters). When dial is not turned, 0 shows as medium brightness of colour for active parameter set. If dial is turned beyond maximum, light flashes at maximum brightness.
- Continuous pulse (cp): As c but value is represented by speed of light pulse, not light brightness.
Turning a dial while holding Shift will change the parameter temporarily. The previous value before the change will be saved. Next time that dial is turned (with or without Shift), it will start from the saved value, not the value set while holding Shift. (Note that notes cannot be played while holding Shift.)
| Set LED colour | Green dial | Blue dial | Yellow dial | Red dial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (sound) | Plug parameter 1 (c) | Plug parameter 2 | Filter (cs) | Resonance (c) |
| Green (envelope) | Attack (c) | Decay (c) | Sustain (c) | Release (c) |
| Purple (LFO) | LFO Depth (c) | LFO Speed (cp) | LFO Target (d) 1-6: Parameter 1, Parameter 2, Filter, Resonance, Pan, Volume | LFO Shape (cs): 0=square; higher abs value = closer to saw. Positive values = trig mode (LFO resets on key played); Negative values = free mode (LFO runs constantly). Two "zero" values exist; "higher" zero is square wave in trig mode, "lower" zero is square wave in free mode; both show as green. |
| Yellow/orange (levels) | FX1 send (c) | FX2 send (c) | Pan (cs) | Level (c) |
| Blue (arp), arp track only | Speed 1-8: behaves discrete when turned and as cp when not turned. | Pattern. 1: In order pressed, 2: Up, 3: Down, 4: Up/Down, 5: Down/up, 6: Random | Style: 1 as set, 2 LHLLHLLH, 3 LHLLHLLH, 4 LLHLLHLL, 5 LMH, 6 LLrest. May be configured by .txt files in hidden Arpeggiators directory. | Range (c) |
Holding Track adjusts two extra parameters of voice: Blue dial = play mode (1=poly, 2=mono, 3=legato (mono but notes do not retrig until none are held). Bass and arp tracks cannot be played poly), Red dial = portamendo time.
Select FX1 or FX2 track to configure send effects. Piano keys do nothing on these tracks.
Press and hold Shift to view FX send level of each other track to this effect, indicated by brightness of orange/yellow track/step lights. While holding shift, press track/step button to set FX send level of that track to 100 (if it is now 0) or 0 (if it is anything else). To set send level to any interim value, select the track and adjust the send level in the yellow/orange parameter mode as above.
While Track is held, lit number keys show available effectors for selected track. Selected effector is flashing. Press number keys to select effector. Effectors are configured using app or content mode, stored as .engine files.
While Track is held, lit component keys show available presets for selected track and effector. Last selected preset is flashing. Press component keys to select preset. Press and hold component key to save current settings to preset (step/track lights will fill from left to right; releasing before line is full will abort save)
While FX track selected turn dials to select effect parameters. Green = effect parameter 1 (c), Blue = effect parameter 2 (c), Yellow = filter (cs), Red = Resonance (c).
Default effector settings: FX1 - 1: Delay, 2: Rymd, 3: Dist, 4: Crush. FX2 - 1: Rymd, 2: Dist, 3: Crush.
Press Play to start sequencer playback, Stop to stop. Stop again to silence continuing notes.
While a drum or synth group track is selected, red track/step lights indicate sequenced notes in current pattern.
TE documentation indicates that hold Track and briefly press Stop to silence ongoing notes on current track. But this does not seem to work? DANGER! HOLDING stop until red lights fill will delete current pattern (see below!)
Hold Record and press piano keys to record step by step. Yellow light indicates position of record cursor. Press track/step buttons while holding record to move cursor. Parameter changes can’t be recorded in step by step recording.
Hold Record while sequencer playing to record in real time. Both notes and parameters are recorded. Yellow light indicates position of record cursor which moves continuously. Pressing track/step buttons while holding record in this mode does not move cursor. In real time recording, hold Minus as well as Record (track/step lights will briefly flash green) to delete held note from steps instead of playing. In real time recording, press Play while holding Record to lock Record mode; will always record without needing to hold Record button, until Stop is pressed. Indicated by yellow cursor light + red record light. Parameters cannot be recorded in this state and deletion cannot be performed.
Press Record+Play together when sequencer not playing to arm record mode (record light flashes). Next press of a note, or of play button, starts real time recording with record locked.
When not recording, press unlit track/step buttons to load last played note on piano keys into that step. Loads only last played note, not last played chord, even on poly tracks. Parameter values are not loaded.
When not recording, press and hold unlit track/step buttons and press piano keys to load notes into that step. Turn dials to load parameter setting into that step. Can load multiple notes up to polyphony limit. Multiple notes do not have to be played at once.
"Recording" methods above can be used to overwrite notes.
Press a lit track/step button to delete all notes on that step. Beware, this cannot be undone!
Hold down a track/step button to view the note(s) on that track/step (careful: releasing too early will delete track/step). If you continue holding or press Stop or Record while doing so (?), they are copied to memory and considered the "last note played" for the purpose of recording by pressing unlit buttons. If the sequencer is not playing, the note will sound when it is copied to memory. If the sequencer is playing, the encoder lights will briefly flash white when it is copied, unless that note was already in memory in which case nothing will happen.
Hold down a track/step button and turn encoders to set a parameter lock value on that step. When holding a track/step button, a lit encoder light indicates a parameter lock on that parameter on that step (but only for parameters that are part of the current encoder mode). To delete all parameter locks in track, hold Record and Stop until all track/step lights show white. It appears not to be possible to clear an individual parameter lock.
Hold down a track/step button and press another track/step button to set the length of notes in that step. Length will be shown by blue lights on the step row while the start position button is held. Note that this does not delete notes on steps within that length, which may mean the note does not sound for its full length if the voice is monophonic.
Hold down a track/step button and press +/- to adjust micro timing on the held step. This is indicated by a purple light on the next/previous step; the speed at which it blinks indicates the level of time shifting.
Hold down a track/step button and press the pitch bend pad to adjust velocity of that note. Note will play in quick succession to indicate selected velocity. Note that you must release the step button before releasing the pitch bend pad to save the velocity.
Hold Track and press + or - to roll all notes on the track right or left by one visible, editable step (not counting rests inserted by the step multiplier). Rolling off the beginning or end of the track wraps around to the other side.
Hold Track and press Stop until track/step lights fill red to delete all notes on current track.
Hold Shift and Track and press a track/step button to set the final step on the track. Lit track/step lights indicate extent of pattern: track will loop after this. Other tracks are not required to loop at the same time. Notes existing in the pattern beyond the set end position are not deleted, but will not play until extent is changed back again.
Hold Shift and Track and press a number button to set the time multiplier for steps on the track. This effectively inserts rests after each step until the target number of beats is reached. For example, if the multiplier is 2, every step will have 1 rest played afterwards.
While sequencer is playing, hold shift and press piano keys to trigger punch in effects. (Some, but not all, may work while sequencer is not playing.) Lower octave piano keys affect current track only; higher octave piano keys affect all tracks in current group (drum or synth).
Some punch in effects temporarily affect parameter dials; if the appropriate encoder mode is selected, the lights on the encoders will change to represent the changed parameters.
| Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| F | "Duck" - mutes track(s) |
| F# | "Filter Sweep" - filter varies value with step number. Effect loops with track |
| G | "Loop 1" - plays last played note on keys (not in sequence!) every step |
| G# | "Stereo" ? |
| A | "Loop 2" - plays last played note on keys (not in sequence!) twice every step |
| Bb | "Pitch" - drops pitch of every note to lowest |
| B | "Follow / Echo" - changes wave type?? |
| C | "Ramp Up / Fill 1" - alters drum shapes / varies pitch of notes at random (in scale) |
| C# | "Short" - makes all notes staccato |
| D | "Ramp Down / Fill 2" - alters drum shapes / varies pitch of notes at random (in scale) |
| D# | "Long" - sets attack/release to long values to make notes sound for longer |
| E | "Random" - varies pitch of notes / drum samples at random |