SHAPESHIFTER Manual v 1.03 The SHAPESHIFTER is a dual digital voltage controlled wavetable-based oscillator in a 26-HP Eurorack format. The wavetables consists of 128 banks, each with 8 individual 512-sample waveforms, for a total of 1024 waves. The choice of waveform within the currently selected bank is under voltage control. There is smooth interpolation between the waveforms within a bank, allowing a very wide range of different possible waveshapes.
Front Panel Elements (numbers refer to the diagram on the first page) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 MANUAL DATA INPUT - this is a rotary encoder which is used to enter data in various operation modes. Pushing on the encoder activates a switch which enters and exits the PRESET mode. The red LED above the encoder indicates whether or not the PRESET mode is active. When the LED is lit the PRESET mode is active.
Front Panel Elements (continued...) 8 9 QUANT. BUTTON - this button, when pressed, toggles quantization of the oscillator 2 frequency ratio on and off. When ratio quantization is enabled the pitch of oscillator 2 is tied directly to the pitch of oscillator 1. The external PITCH2 input is ignored in this situation. There are 16 different quantized ratios available: [1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 1, 5/4, 3/2, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8].
Front Panel Elements (continued...) 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 4 TWO-LINE LCD DISPLAY - the top row of this display is used, in various modes, to show the waveform banks for the two oscillators, the sync mode, the pulse output source, the MODA destination, the MULTI settings, and the chord type. When PRESET mode is active the top row of the display shows the preset number, the preset step mode parameters, and the morph preset.
Front Panel Elements (continued...) 22 CHORD MODE BUTTON - this button, when pressed, toggles the CHORD mode on and off. When CHORD mode is active, 8 detuned copies of oscillator 1 are running. These copies are shifted in relative pitch in musical intervals to produce chords. There are 64 different chords that are available. When the CHORD mode is turned on, the upper row of the display will indicated the currently selected chord type. This selection can be changed with the rotary encoder.
SIMPLIFIED SIGNAL FLOW DIAGRAM PITCH2 PITCH1 oscillator 1 phase accumulators (x 8) FM1 TILT IFM oscillator 2 phase accumulator PITCH1, RATIO MOD A SHAPE1 oscillator 1 wave tables (x 8) SHAPE2 oscillator 2 wave table nonlinear waveform combiner PULSE 25MHz to 98KHz sample rate reduction envelope generator and amplifier CARRIER Comb Resonator/ Delay Line output1 6 64-band Vocoder WAVE FOLDER MODULATOR FOLD output2
Nonlinear Waveform Combination Modes The outputs of the two oscillators are sent through a nonlinear combination process before going to the echo/ delay effect and then onto output 1. The combination process allows the generation of complex timbres and interactions between the two oscillators, as shown in the figures on the next two pages. Press the COMBO MODE button to activate the rotary encoder for selection of the combination mode.
RING MIN PONG INLV 8
AND XOR gLcH Examples of the output of the nonlinear waveform combination process in the different waveform combination modes (the osc1 mode is not shown). The oscillator 1 and oscillator 2 waveforms are both sine waves, with the frequency of oscillator 2 set to about 16 times that of oscillator 1.
Oscillator SYNC Modes The oscillators can be reset, or synchronized, whenever a synchronization event occurs. A synchronization event happens whenever the voltage at the SYNC input jack rises above about 0.2 volts, and also whenever the phase of the internal synchronization oscillator passes zero when the INT. SYNC mode is enabled. The synchronization oscillator runs at the same nominal frequency as oscillator 1 (except that it is not affected by frequency modulation or detuning).
Sync Off Hard Sync Soft Sync Reverse Sync 11
Hold/1sh Bump Sync 2=1 Sync Examples of the oscillator 2 output in the different sync modes, with int. sync turned on. Oscillator 2 is set to sine wave. In the 1=2 Sync mode (not shown) the output of oscillator 2 would look the same as in the Hard Sync mode, but the output of oscillator 1 in this case would look similar to the output shown for oscillator 2 in the 2=1 Sync mode.
PULSE Source Modes The lower row of jacks on the front panel includes a PULSE output. This output is a two-level signal, either at 0 volts or 5 volts. This signal is derived from the outputs of oscillators 1 and 2 in various ways. Press the SYNC/PULSE/STEP button two times to activate the rotary encoder for selection of the PULSE source. The selected PULSE source will be shown in the upper row of the LCD display.
MOD A Destinations The MOD A input located in the top row of jacks is converted to digital form at a high sampling rate (98 KHz). This digitized signal can be inserted into the system at a number of points, providing different capabilities for the module. This input is AC-coupled, meaning that it is not sensitive to DC (or very low frequency) values. Press the MOD A/MORPH button to activate the rotary encoder for specifying the destination of the MOD A signal.
CHORD MODE When CHORD MODE is activated, by pressing the CHORD MODE button, the LED above the button will light up. More importantly, when CHORD MODE is active, oscillator 1 will be split into 8 separate oscillators, each outputing the same waveform, but with different frequencies. This allows chords to be played when the frequencies are chosen to be at musical intervals, and provides a deep, rich, sound when the frequencies are chosen to be the same (i.e.
CHORD MODE (continued...
MULTI SETTINGS The MULTI setting modifies the way in which the wavetables are read. Normally the wavetables are read in 512 sample chunks, called ‘waves’. These waves are shown in Appendix A. In the MULTI modes successive waves are strung together to provide more complex waveforms.
TILT FUNCTION The TILT function phase modulates oscillator 1 with its own output. This results in a self-feedback loop which has the effect of ‘tilting’ the waveform, as shown in the diagram below. The amount of feedback, and hence the amount of tilting, is set by the TILT parameter. At large values of the TILT parameter the waveform may start to become distorted, and even chaotic. To set the nominal value of the TILT parameter, press the TILT/DRIVE button.
DRIVE FUNCTION The DRIVE function is operational only when CHORD MODE is active. It applies a variable amount of gain (between 1 and 3) to output1, followed by a cubic saturation process. The purpose of this function is to compensate somewhat for the loss of amplitude experienced due to phase cancellation of the multiple waveforms when in CHORD MODE. The saturation keeps the peak amplitude within limits, and provides a nice soft rolloff of the peaks for most waveforms.
PERCUSSION MODE Percussion Mode is turned on and off by pressing the PERC. MODE button. When Percussion Mode is active, as indicated by the illumination of the LED directly above the PERC. MODE button, the output of the nonlinear wave combiner is passed through an amplifier whose gain is modulated by an exponential envelope. This envelope is triggered by a positive-going pulse on the SYNC input jack. The attack phase of the envelope is very fast (less than 1 msec), and there is no sustain phase.
WAVE FOLDER The SHAPESHIFTER module includes a fully analog wave folding circuit. This circuit is the same that is used on the intellijel mFold II module. Its input comes from the FOLD jack on the bottom row of the front panel. This jack is normalled to the OUT 1 jack meaning that when there is no cable plugged into the FOLD jack, the signal at OUT 1 is fed into the wave folder’s input.
The wave folder output for a triangle wave input. From top to bottom the FOLD level is increasing.
PRESET MODE The SHAPESHIFTER module contains a 64-slot memory for storing parameter settings (called presets). All 64 of these preset slots can be written to by the user to save interesting settings. However, only 12 of these preset slots are in non-volatile memory (i.e. they persist after turning the power off) and the other 52 slots are in volatile memory (i.e. they disappear once the power is turned off).
PRESET MODE (continued...) MORPH: The SHAPESHIFTER module allows you to morph between the current panel parameter settings and the settings stored in the currently selected preset. To activate this ability, press the MOD A/MORPH button (second from bottom button to the left of the rotary encoder). The LCD display will now show “Morph NN” (where NN is the currently selected preset number) and “PnL->Pst” (or “Pnl<-PsT”). The currently selected preset number can be changed by turning the rotary encoder.
Technical Details The digital portion of the SHAPESHIFTER module is implemented in an Altera Cyclone IV Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The use of Gate Array technology rather than a general purpose programmable microcontroller or DSP chip allows highly efficient implementation of fast parallel operations. The primary logic blocks are clocked at a rate of 25MHz. The phase accumulators of the 9 oscillators are updated at this rate, as well as the nonlinear combination operations.
Rear View of the Module If your module is acting erratically, or not working at all, make sure that all cables on the back are securely connected. The top 40-pin cable connects the front panel board to the FPGA board. The left-hand 10-pin cable connects the module to the Doepfer format power supply. The -12V pin of the cable (usually the one marked in red) must be oriented towards the bottom of the module. The two-wire (red-black in the photo above) provides the +5V power to the FPGA board.
Version This manual is for version 1.03 of the module’s firmware. To determine the firmware version, press the QUANT., INT.SYNC., LFO (twice), CHORD MODE, and PERC. MODE buttons, so that their (six) corresponding LEDs light up (note that you want to have both of the LFO 1 and 2 LEDs light up). When this is accomplished, the LCD screen will alternate between displaying “shapshft/ver 1.03”, some Japanese characters, and “CYLONIX/intllijel”. If there is no “shapshft/ver 1.
Technical Specifications Inputs: PITCH1, PITCH2: -5 to +7V (1V/Oct scaling) All other inputs: -5V to +5V Outputs: OUT1, OUT2: 12 Vp-p FOLD: 10Vp-p (occasional peaks to 16Vp-p) PULSE: 0 to +5V Max Current Draw: +195 mA in normal operation (from +12V supply, with occasional peaks to +220 mA) -50 mA (from -12V supply) Module Dimensions: Width: 26HP Depth: 40mm Warranty Intellijel Designs Inc.
APPENDIX A - BANK BY BANK GRAPHICAL WAVETABLE DISPLAY Basic1 Basic2 BasRec BiPuls BitCr1 BitCr2 BitCr3 BitCr4 Buzzer Cello1 Cello2 Chip1 Chip2 Chip3 Chip4 Chip5 29
Chip6 Chirp1 Chirp2 Chirp3 Chirp4 Chirp5 Chirp6 Chirp7 Chirp8 Chirp9 Chrp10 Chrp11 Chrp12 Chrp13 Chrp14 Chrp15 30
Chrp16 Chrp17 Chrp18 Chrp19 Chrp20 Clrnet Clav1 Clav2 Dstrt1 Dstrt2 Dstrt3 eBass1 eBass2 eBass3 eBass4 ePian1 31
ePian2 ePian3 ePian4 ePian5 Flute1 GapSaw Grain1 Grain2 Grain3 Gitar1 Gitar2 Gitar3 Gitar4 Harmo1 Harmo2 Harmo3 32
LFO1 LFO2 LFO3 LFO4 LFO5 LFO6 LFO7 LFO8 LFO9 LFO10 LFO11 LFO12 LFO13 LFO14 LFO15 LFO16 33
LFO17 LFO18 LFO19 LFO20 LFO21 Misc1 Misc2 Misc3 Misc4 Noise1 Noise2 Noise3 Noise4 Noise5 Noise6 Oboes 34
Ovrto1 Ovrto2 Raw1 Raw2 Raw3 ResPls ResSaw ResSqu Saxoph Symmtr Thrmin 2Tone1 2Tone2 2Tone3 2Tone4 2Tone5 35
2Tone6 2Tone7 2Tone8 2Tone9 VidGm1 VidGm2 VidGm3 VidGm4 Violin Vocal1 Vocal2 Vocal3 Vocal4 Vocal5 Vocal6 Vocal7 36
APPENDIX B - FACTORY PRESETS The SHAPESHIFTER powers up with presets 13 through 64 presets initialized to values read from a ROM. The user can overwrite these during operation, but any changes will be lost once the power is turned off. On the next power up these presets will be re-initialized. These presets are intended to serve as examples and starting points that the user can modify.
APPENDIX C - UPGRADING THE MODULE’S FIRMWARE To update the Shapeshifter module’s firmware, it is simplest (although not simple) to use the Altera Quartus II Standalone programmer software. This software is available for Windows or Linux. The Windows program can be run on a Mac using Parallels. The following is the instructions for Windows 7. 1. Go to the Altera.com web site to download the Standalone programmer software. http://dl.altera.com/?edition=web 2.
7. Find the program that was downloaded (it will be named something like QuartusProgrammerSetup-13.1.0.162.exe) and run it. 8. The Quartus II Programmer and SignalTap II installation window will appear. 9. Go through all of the installation steps, specifying the install directory and so forth.
10. Next, you may need to manually install the driver for the USB-Blaster device. This is the driver for the USB connection to the Shapeshifter module. 11. Connect a USB cable between your computer and the small board (Terasic DE0-Nano board) on the rear of the Shapeshifter module. Note that the board on the Shapeshifter takes in a MINI-B plug. You will need a USB cable with this type of connector. Once the USB connection has been made, the blue LED on the back of the Shapeshifter module should light up.
15. Back in the Programmer window, click on “Add File”. In the directory dialog window that appears, select the Shapeshifter configuration update file (the .jic file, not the .bin file) that you wish to install. This file can be obtained from the Intellijel website.
16. Click on the check-box in the second row under the Program/Configure column. The “Start” button should no longer be grayed-out. 17. Click on the “Start” button to begin the download of the configuration file to the Shapeshifter board. The download process will take about 20 seconds. The Progress bar will show the progress of the downloading and when complete will read “100% (Successful)”. 18.
APPENDIX D - CHANGING THE WAVETABLE SAMPLES How to load your own samples into the Wavetable EPROM. 1. You can load your own waves into the Wavetable EPROM using the Terasic Control Panel program. This program is also useful for testing out parts of the Shapeshifter board, such as the ADC channels. 2. The wave data for the Shapeshifter module is stored in the same 2MByte EEPROM as the module’s FPGA configuration.
5. The wavebank names are also stored in the firmware file. These are stored beginning at address 0F000 (hex). See the screenshot above for the names in the factory firmware. Each name is stored in 8 consecutive bytes, and encoded in ASCII. The name for bank 1 starts at 0F0000, that for bank 2 at 0F0008, and so on through all 128 banks. You can use the binary editor to overwrite the memory with the names you want for your waves.
11. Go to the Terasic Company’s download site (http://www.terasic.com/downloads/cd-rom/de0nano/) and download the zip file or rar file for the ControlPanel software. 12. Unzip the file into some directory. 13. Connect a USB cable between your computer and the small board (Terasic DE0-Nano board) on the rear of the Shapeshifter module. Note that the board on the Shapeshifter takes in a MINI-B plug. You will need a USB cable with this type of connector.
15. Click on the “Memory” tab on the left hand side. In the “Memory Type” menu on the right hand side, choose “EPCS (100000h WORDS, 2MB)”. This will select the configuration EPROM on the Shapeshifter board. 16. Because of the way in which the EPROM is written, you first have to erase the entire EPROM. Once you do this, your Shapeshifter board will no longer be functional, so take a deep breath, and then press the “Chip Erase (30 sec.)” button.
