Future Retro XS - Manual (Page 57)

TIPS AND TRICKS
LATCH A NOTE
In some cases you may find it desirable to latch a Note On to create droning-type sounds without having
to constantly play a note on a MIDI keyboard or sequencer. To do so, play a note on your MIDI
keyboard and then change the MIDI Channel control to a different value, and then release the key of
your MIDI keyboard. What happens is the XS receives the proper MIDI Note On to play a sound, but
since we’ve changed the MIDI channel the XS responds to, it never receives the proper note off to stop
playing the sound. It is important to remember which MIDI note you have latched so that you can
unlatch it. To unlatch the note, play the same note on your MIDI keyboard and then change the MIDI
Channel control of the XS back to the value you are sending MIDI data on, and then release that note on
your MIDI keyboard. This then generates the proper MIDI Note Off command for the XS to stop
playing the latched note.
SPECIAL USES FOR THE OSCILLATOR OUTPUTS
As mentioned in the Connections section of this manual, both the WAVE A and WAVE B outputs
provide continuous signals on the tip portion of the jack, while the ring portion of the jack provides the
same signal attenuated by Envelope 1’s shape. Here are some neat things you can do with the
envelope-controlled signal:
You could take one of these envelope-controlled outputs (let’s say Oscillator B) and run it back into the
AUDIO IN jack. Use the WAVE C control to select External as its source to use the envelope-controlled
output as an audio source. Now let’s set Oscillator A’s waveform to sawtooth or square wave, and set
the Level A control in the Mixer to its mid position. Make sure Level B in the Mixer is turned all the
way down. Then adjust Level C in the Mixer to determine the amount of Oscillator B signal we hear.
Now Envelope 1 shapes the amount of signal we hear from Oscillator B. Try detuning Oscillator B’s
pitch to a fifth. If we set Envelope 1 with a very fast attack, and a medium decay and sustain of zero,
what you will hear is a fifth interval fading into a single tone. By increasing Envelope 1’s attack you can
go from the single tone fading into the fifth.
The other interesting thing you can do is use the Level C control in the Mixer to overdrive the input of
the filter for a duration controlled by Envelope 1. In order to do this, you will need to set Level C in the
Mixer to values higher than the mid position, adjust the level for your own taste. When the input of the
filter is overdriven, less resonance occurs within the filter which can create other interesting tones.
You could also use the two methods described here to affect only a single oscillator, such that you are
listening to both the continuous oscillator mixed with the envelope-controlled level of the same
oscillator to introduce more dynamics, or control when the input of the filter is overdriven.
These techniques can also be applied to combine say a white noise burst from Oscillator A with a
continuous sine wave from Oscillator B to create the attack and body of most percussive sounds.
Note: Some 1/4” mono cables can cause both the tip and ring portions of a jack to be shorted together
when the cable is pulled out to connect the tip of the cable to the ring of the jack. Whether or not this
occurs depends on the dimensions of the cable’s metal tip. No harm will be done to the unit,
although what you end up with is the tip and ring signals of the jack summed together which may not
produce the same effect as we describe in the manual. For best results we recommend using a cable that
provides a 1/4” stereo connector on one end and two 1/4” mono connectors on the other end.
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