P6 manual (V2)

Introduction

Audiothingies P6 is a 6-voice polyphonic virtual analog synthesizer.

In this section, you will find instructions about how to make the best use of your newly acquired
synthesizer.

If you like to read or print a pdf manual, please use the print to pdf function of any modern web
browser.

This manual is based on P6 firmware v2.0.

Front panel

A LCD screen
B Encoders (1 to 6, counting left to right) – with push switch
C Status LEDs: they provide feedback while editing parameters
D Buttons: used to select an edit page
E Stereo volume potentiometer: adjusts the output volume

Rear panel

A Audio outputs jacks. Use Left out if you only want mono sounds
B MIDI connectors
C Mini USB port. Used only for firmware upgrades
D 2.1mm 9V DC connector – use only regulated 9VDC, center positive, 300mA minimum psu

Quick start

Connect audio outs to a mix table

Connect a MIDI keyboard into the MIDI Input
Power the P6 with a 9V DC 2.1mm psu.
Play, you should hear the default patch
Press Load
Use encoder 6 to navigate thru the patches. Press Load again to load selected patch, press
Home to cancel and return to previously loaded sound.
Alternatively, you can push encoder 1 & 2 to navigate load previous/next patch

Using P6

P6 has been developed with easy editing in mind and we do think it is really easy to edit given the
synthesis complexity. However, some parameters may need some explanations that you will find in
this manual.

Navigating pages

How to navigate through the P6 architecture?

Parameters are mapped across different pages accessed by pressing a corresponding button on the
front panel.
When a section has several pages, you access them by successively pressing the same button
several times. When you are on the last page, it returns to the first one.
For example, pressing OSC several times will make you travel the following pages: OSC1 > OSC2 >
SUB > OSC1 > OSC2 etc.

Some pages are accessible by simultaneously pressing Home [shift] + another button.
For example [shift] + OSC will take you to the Mixer page.

Editing parameters

The LCD provides up to 6 parameters to edit.

Simply use encoders 1-6 to change the corresponding parameter value.
Some parameters can be reset to a default value when pushing the corresponding encoder (all
bipolar parameters).

Main page | [HOME]

This is where you land when you power your P6 synthesizer:

P002 cut res bpm mix

FunSync 72 58 125 100

You get the program number and name as well as shortcuts to 4 different parameters.
You can set these parameters, per preset, in the Globals menu (3rd page)

You can navigate presets from this screen by pressing encoder 1 and 2.
Quite useful in a live situation.

Oscillators | [OSC]

The oscillator algorithms

There are 12 different oscillator algorithms available for OSC1 and OSC2:

p6 This is the oscillator from P6 V1 firmware.

When turning the shape parameter, its shape morphs from triangle (shape = 0), to sawtooth (shape
= 42), to square (shape = 84) to pulse width.

sin A sinus oscillator that turns into a basic FM operator with the shape control

sin A sinus oscillator that turns into a basic FM operator with the shape control

tri A triangle oscillator into a foldback digital distortion. Shape controls the gain.
When shape is set to 127, the oscillator will produce a triangle wave with its pitch one octave and a
fifth higher.

saw The classic sawtooth waveform.Shape adds a second phase shifted sawtooth to the first one.
Shape adds a second phase shifted sawtooth to the first one.When shape is set to 127, the oscillator
will produce a sawtooth wave with its pitch of 1 octave higher.
When shape is set to 127, the oscillator will produce a sawtooth wave with its pitch of 1 octave
higher.

squ The classic square oscillator with PW.

Shape controls the pulse width.

3sw This oscillator produces 3 detuned saws for that Roland-ish “supers@w” sound, but without
the nasty aliasing.
Shape controls the detuning of 3 oscillators

3sq Same as 3sw, but with square oscillators instead.

sws Synchronized sawtooth waveform

This oscillator internally has 2 oscillators, 1 master, and 1 sawtooth slave oscillator that is hard
synced to the master.
The shape parameter controls the pitch of the slave oscillator.

sqs Same as sws but with a slave square oscillator.

rz1 rz2 and rz3 PD resonant waveforms

Those are phase distortion algorithms from the Casio CZ series.
They all simulate a filter sweep with the shape parameter.
rz1 is the saw version, rz2 the triangle, and rz3 the trapezoidal one.

Oscillator 1

Oscillator 1 is the main oscillator.

It also drives the sub oscillator.
OSC1 trs tun shp lfo1 mix
saw 0 0 saw 0 127

OSC1 oscillator algorithm

trs transpose +- 2 octaves (all oscillators)
tun oscillator fine tune
shp shape
lfo1 lfo1 modulation amount
mix oscillator 1 level

Oscillator 2

Oscillator 2 is basically the same as oscillator 1, but its tune can be offset -24;+24 semitones.

OSC2 rng tun shp env3 mix

sin -7 +2 100 off 100

OSC2 oscillator algorithm

rng oscillator coarse tune
tun oscillator fine tune
shp shape
env3 env3 modulation amount
mix oscillator 2 level

Sub / Noise

In this page, you access oscillator 1′ sub oscillator and noise parameters.

SUB oct mix NZE mix

tri -1 120 0 25

sub shape (sinus / triangle / saw / square)

oct octave (-1/-2)
mix sub level
nze noise filter
mix noise level

A word about the bipolar-value filters

Throughout the synthesis architecture, several bipolar-value filters are available (noise filter,
delay filter, global filter for example).
These filters are all working in the same way:

When the value is negative, it acts as a 6dB lowpass filter

When the value is positive, it acts as a 6dB hipass filter
When set to 0, it has no effect

Mixer | [HOME] + [OSC]

This is the mixer section, where you can adjust all sources volumes, as well as a VCA drive
parameter, allowing adjustments to the overall patch volume (if you want to balance patches
volumes, this is the parameter you need).

osc1 osc2 sub rmd nze vca

100 60 100 0 10 +6

A second shift+Home press will display the pan page, where you can set each voice’s pan
independently

PAN pn2 pn3 pn4 pn5 pn6

+16 -63 -48 +42 +69 -53

Filter | [FLT]

P6’s filter features 8 different filter types:

LP1 1-pole lowpass filter

LP2 2-pole lowpass filter
LP3 3-pole lowpass filter
LP4 4-pole lowpass filter
HP2 2-pole hipass filter
BP2 2-pole bandpass filter
Not Notch filter
Pha Phaser filter

FLTR cut res env2 lfo2 kbd

LP4 50 60 50 15 1/2

fltr filter type

cut cutoff frequency
res resonance amount
env2 envelope 2 modulation amount (controls frequency)
lfo2 lfo2 modulation amount (controls frequency)
kbd keyboard tracking amount (off | 1/4 | 1/2 | 3/4 | 1/1)

Envelopes | [ENV]

The 3 envelopes feature the same parameters and their behavior is the same.

ENV1 atk dcy sus rel rst

exp 0 60 95 25 off

ENV1 envelope curve (p6, expo, linear)

atk attack time
dcy decay time
sus sustain level
rel release time
rst when on, the envelope is reset to zero when it is retriggered (off = analog mode)

LFOs | [LFO]

P6 features 3 identical LFOs that can optionally be synced to the patch tempo.

LFO1 spd dly phs atk key

 tri 25 24 0 45 on

LFO1 LFO type

spd LFO speed (values > 127 are tempo sync value)
dly LFO delay time
phs LFO phase (0°/45°/90°/135°/180°/225°/270°/315°)
atk LFO attack time
key LFO key-sync (when on, will reset the LFO when a new note is assigned to this voice)

NOTE: when key sync is off, you don’t have access to the delay, phase and attack parameter.

The different available shapes (waveforms) are:

sin sinus
tri triangle
saw sawtooth
squ square
s&h sample and hold
rnd random, like sh, but values are interpolated between cycles, producing a continuously
randomly moving waveform
stp step-sequence

The 8-step LFO sequence | [HOME] + [LFO]

You can access it by pressing shift + LFO

>>> +8 0 +25 +51 len

-5 -59 +44 +53 8

Encoder 1 selects the 4 active steps

Encoders 2 to 5 set the 4 active step values.
Encoder 6 sets the length of the sequence.

Remember that, to be active, one (or several) LFO(s) shape must be set to ‘stp’ for the sequence to
have an effect.
And you also need to set a modulation destination amount <> 0 for this LFO too…
Modulation matrix | [MTX]

Modulation matrix contains 6 virtual patch cords, spread onto 3 pages (yeah you’re right, that’s 2
patch cords per page).

Patch 1 Patch 2
vel>cut +12 lfo3>pan +32

As you can see, you have access to the modulation source, modulation destination and modulation
amount, for both patches at the same time.

Available modulation sources:

not note value cst constant value lfo1 lfo 1

vel note velocity rnd random number lfo2 lfo 2
aft aftertouch generator lfo3 lfo 3
bnd pitch bend env1 envelope 1
whl modulation wheel env2 envelope 2
env3 envelope 3

Available modulation destinations:

ptc global pitch (coarse) osc1 oscillator 1 shape xRm ring modulator level
fin global pitch (fine) osc2 oscillator 2 shape xNz noise source level
tn1 osc1 pitch (coarse) nze noise color cut filter cutoff frequency
ft1 osc1 pitch (fine) xO1 oscillator 1 level res filter resonance
tn2 osc2 pitch (coarse) xO2 oscillator 2 level
ft2 osc2 pitch (fine) xSb sub oscillator level

Some sources are bipolar (lfo’s, rnd), other unipolar (envelopes, velocity, …).
Modulation amount is bipolar, meaning you can reverse the modulation source amount by setting a
negative number. On lfo’s, this reverse the phase for example.

Without even using the matrix, the P6 has some fixed modulation assignments:

ENV1 is routed to the AMP VCA

ENV2 is routed to filter cutoff
ENV3 is routed to OSC2 shape
LFO1 is routed to OSC1 shape
LFO2 is routed to filter cutoff
 Look at the OSC1, OSC2 and Filter page to set these modulation amount.

This means that if you want to modulate the filter cutoff by a LFO, the first best candidate is
LFO2, as it is already routed to the filter cutoff, it does not “eat” a modulation slot.

Some more are available in the Globals page (glide, pitch bend, key-trig detune).

Scalers, Lag operator | [HOME] + [MTX]

Scalers allow you to scale the amount of a modulation source (for example scaling ENV1 with note
velocity will change the volume of the note according to its velocity).
The lag operator will lowpass filter a modulation source. It can be used to smooth a source, for
example a square LFO.

Scalers 1 & 2

Scaler1 Scaler2
mod>lfo2 +63 vel>env1 +32

Scaler 3 and lag operator

Scaler1 LAG src amt

env3>lfo2 -20 lfo3 100

About the scaler amount

To better understand what the scaler is doing, let’s take an example: say you scale LFO2 with
modulation wheel.
LFO2 is routed to filter cutoff with a value of +40 in the filter page.

If you set the scaler amount to max (+63):

When modulation is set to max, LFO2 will change the filter cutoff, the maximum amount being set
in Filter page, that is +40
When modulation wheel is set to 0, LFO2 will have no effect on filter cutoff
Now, what does happen if you set the scaler amount to 50% (+32)
When modulation is set to max, LFO2 will change the filter cutoff, the maximum amount being set
in Filter page, that is +40
But when modulation wheel is set to 0, LFO2 WILL have an effect on Filter cutoff, the more the
scaler amount, the less the effect.

In essence, the scaler amount allows you to set a minimum value for the scaler destination.

Arpeggiator / Chorder | [ARP]

P6 features a classic arpeggiator and a chorder, both can be used at the same time to enjoy
beautiful one-finger arpeggios.

Arpeggiator

ARPG stl ptn oct spd lat

Up asP usr 1 1/8 off

ARPG arp on/off

stl arp style
ptn arp pattern (user/off)
oct arp octave transposition
spd arp speed
bpm latch: when on, the played chord will be latched

Chorder

The chorder can generate up to 4-note chords, that is to say it can generate 3 notes in addition to
the note you play.

CHRD key scl iv1 iv2 iv3

on D min +3 +5 +7

CHRD on/off switch

key base key for chord generation
scl scale (major, minor, harmonic minor)
iv2 2nd note to add to the base note (from 1 octave down to 2 octaves up)
iv3 3rd note to add to the base note
iv4 4th note to add to the base note

Arp pattern sequencer | [HOME] + [ARP]

When arp pattern is set to user, you can alter some arp steps with the following events

x normal arp step

o rest
x tie
1 to 6 targets one particular note
L the lowest note minus 1 octave
H the highest note plus 1 octave
c chord

ARP PATTERN STEP EDIT len

[xxox]xx_xoxoxooLH 16

Encoder 1 selects the 4 active steps

Encoders 2 to 5 set the 4 active step values.
Encoder 6 sets the length of the sequence.

This pattern sequencer will not play “alone”. It needs an user input, at least one note, or
better, a chord (up to 6 notes) to trigger notes or chords.
Arp and chorder can be used simultaneously.

Globals menu | [GLOBALS]

Here you can apply FX’s and set globals parameters for the current loaded patch.

FX

Available algorithms:

stw
Stereoizer effect: adds subtle stereo depth to the sound – the original and much appreciated pre-
v1.0 effect!
Plus, we have added a hicut filter for more flexibility.

FX cut mix
stw 30 64

cut eq cutoff
d/w mix level

p/p

The famous ping pong delay, this one with balance control and low pass filter

FX tim fbk bal cut mix

p/p 60 85 25 12 90

tim delay time

fbk feedback amount
bal balance (-64: first ping on left channel | 63: first ping on right channel | 0: ping center (no ping
pong effect))
cut eq cutoff frequency
mix mix level

dly

Stereo delay effect with a filter in the feedback path

FX tim fbk cut mix

Lpf 60 85 25 90

tim delay time

fbk feedback amount
cut eq cutoff frequency
mix delay mix level

mod
Stereo modulated delay.
A LFO is modulating the delay time, adding a subtle – or not – pitch shift / chorus-y effect to the
delay line.

FX tim fbk spd dpt mix

Mod 60 85 25 90 90

tim delay time

fbk feedback amount
spd lfo speed
dpt lfo amount
mix delay mix level

chf

Stereo chorus/flanger effect with positive or negative feedback path.

Basically, this is a short delay line modulated by a LFO.
You get a flanger sound with smaller delay time values and high feedback amount.

FX tim fbk spd dpt d/w

chf 30 60 25 55 64

tim delay time

fbk feedback amount
spd lfo speed
dpt lfo amount
mix chorus mix level

Globals preset options

gld bnd mod dtn eq bpm

0 2 p1 30 -5 125

gld glide amount, 0 means off

bnd pitch bend max tune amount (can be set between 0 and +24)
mod play mode
dtn oscillators detune parameter. Detunes each oscillator of each voice, differently at each keytrig.
Try it with high value in unison mode – instant fatness!
eq global eq
bpm patch tempo

The different play modes

p1 Polyphonic mode.Tries to affect a voice that had the same note affected before, if does not
exist, affects/steals the oldest voice
p2 Polyphonic mode. Affects/steals the oldest voice
m1 Monophonic mode, retrigs envelope even when played legato
m2 Monophonic mode, does not retrig envelope when played legato
u1 Unison mode, retrigs envelope even when played legato
u2 Unison mode, does not retrig envelope when played legato

Encoder assign page

Assign the 4 parameter shortcuts from the home page.

These are saved per preset.

encoder en3 en4 en5 en6

assign cut res bpm mix

Use encoders 3 to 6 to change the values.

Setup menu | [HOME] + [GLOBALS]

mid ext lnk ui

1 off off 32

mid MIDI channel (1 to 16)

ext External clock sync (off/on)
lnk Polychain mode (off/master/slave)
ui UI hold time. Sets the time to revert back to the normal menu when you turn an encoder. 0
disables the feature.

Hidden – but very useful – functions

In this menu:

Press encoder button 5 to send the current patch as sysex

Press encoder button 6 to SAVE the setup values

Load | [LOAD]

Loading a preset from EEPROM

Encoder 6 sets the pgm to load.

it’s loaded in the background. Press Load again to confirm, press Home to dismiss and return to the
previously edited patch. This can be conveniently used as a compare feature.

Save | [HOME] + [LOAD]

Saving a preset to EEPROM

Choose destination with encoder 6.

Change preset name with encoders 1 & 2 if needed.
Press Save to confirm, press Home to dismiss.

MIDI Control

The P6 accepts Program changes as well as Control changes (and NRPN’s).

The whole synth architecture can be controlled from CC’s and NRPN’s.

The MIDI mapping specification can be found in the downloads section of the website