JSI - User Manual - Progue

Copyright 2021 - JSISYNTH.COM

USER MANUAL

monophonic analog DIY synthesizer

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - OVERVIEW - 2 -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ 3

1.1 FRONT PANEL ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 BACK PANEL ........................................................................................................................ 5

2. GETTING STARTED ................................................................................. 6

3. MIDI SETTINGS ......................................................................................... 7

3.1 MIDI CHANNEL .................................................................................................................. 7 3.2 TRIGGER MODE .................................................................................................................. 8 3.3 NOTE PRIORITY MODE ...................................................................................................... 8

4. SOUND CHARTS ...................................................................................... 9

4.1 ANALOG BASS .................................................................................................................... 9 4.2 CLASSIC LEAD .................................................................................................................. 10 4.3 RANDOM WHISTLER ...................................................................................................... 11 4.4 THE DESTROYER ............................................................................................................. 12 4.5 BLANK CHART ................................................................................................................. 13

5. CALIBRATION ....................................................................................... 14

5.1 BASIC SETTINGS FOR CALIBRATION ............................................................................. 14 5.2 TRIMMERS FOR CALIBRATION ....................................................................................... 15 5.3 CALIBRATION PROCEDURE ........................................................................................... 16

6. BLOCK DIAGRAM ................................................................................ 17

7. SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................. 18

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


1. OVERVIEW

1.1 Front panel

CONTROL SECTION

• TUNE – Master tuning, “flat” counterclockwise; “sharp” clockwise. • GLIDE - Portamento amount and speed. •

OSCILLATOR SECTION (VCO)

• OCTAVE – Three-octave switch simultaneously controls both oscillators. • OSC1 WAVEFORM – Selects between Sawtooth / Pulse (50-99%) / Pulse (PWM). • OSC2 WAVEFORM – Selects between Sawtooth / Pulse (50-99%) / Pulse (PWM). • SYNC 2->1 – Three-position switch:

§ OFF – Sync “off” - OSC2 can be detuned. § ON – Sync “on” - OSC2 locked to OSC1. § CONT. – Same as above, summed with VCF envelope, VCF Contour sets the

max amount. • INTERVAL – Coarse detuning of the OSC2 from OSC1. • BEAT – Fine detuning of the OSC2 from OSC1. • PW – Pulse width (50-99%), waveform selector middle position only. • PWM – Pulse width LFO amount, waveform selector right position only. • PWM RATE – Speed of the PWM LFO.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL

OSC1 VOL CUTOFF EMPHASIS

ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK

ATTACK DECAY/RELEASE

DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM

VCO BOTH VCFMW/AT DEST.

MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1

POWER 12VDC MIDI THRU MIDI IN CV IN GATE VCF CV EXT IN LINE OUT PHONES JSI


UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


MIXER SECTION

• OSC1 VOL – Input level of OSC1 to the mixer. • OSC2 VOL – Input level of OSC2 to the mixer. • NOISE/EXT VOL – Input level of NOISE to the mixer. Plugging a signal to the EXT

INPUT jack overrides NOISE.

FILTER SECTION (VCF)

• CUTOFF – Controls the cutoff frequency of the 24 dB / octave low-pass filter (VCF). • EMPHASIS – Adds emphasis at the cutoff frequency (resonance). • CONTOUR – Controls the max amount of filter contour generator affecting the filter. • KEY TRACK – Controls the amount of keyboard control voltage applied to the filter.

CONTOUR GENERATOR SECTION (ENVELOPES)

Progue has two Contour Generators (Envelopes): the top one controlling the filter and the bottom one controlling the amplitude (VCA).

• ATTACK – Attack time of generated envelope. • DECAY/RELEASE – Decay and Release time of generated envelope. • SUSTAIN – Sustain level of the generated envelope. • RELEASE – Three-position switch:

§ FAST – Static “fast” release time, “Decay/Release” potentiometer only sets the decay time of the contour generator.

§ ON – The “Decay/Release” potentiometer sets both decay and release time. § OFF – Static instant release time, “Decay/Release” potentiometer only sets the

decay time of the contour generator. • GATE MODE – Three-position switch:

§ AUTO – Contour generators are triggered by the MOD LFO. § NORM – GATE or MIDI signal is needed for triggering the contour generators. § GATE SYNC – Same as above, and both OSC1 and OSC2 are synced to GATE.

MODULATION SECTION (LFO)

Progue has two Low-Frequency Oscillators (LFO): MOD LFO and PWM LFO.

• OSC MOD – Controls the amount of modulation applied to OSC1 and OSC2. • VCF MOD – Controls the amount of modulation applied to the filter. • MOD SHAPE - Selects between Triangle / Square / Sample&Hold (Random). • MOD RATE – Controls the MOD LFO rate. • MW/AT DEST. – Sets the source and destination of the Midi controllable modulation.

Sources include MOD LFO triangle and square, and PWM LFO triangle. Destinations include VCO, VCF, and BOTH. The modulation amount can only be accessed via Midi.

MASTER SECTION

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


§ MASTER VOL – Controls the output volume. § HPF – Controls the High-Pass Filter setting between OFF/ I / II. These are static

6db/octave HPF modes that are noncontrollable and are intended to be used for cutting the excess low-frequencies when needed.

LEDs

• POWER LED • MIDI Receive LED

1.2 Back panel

§ PHONES – Headphones output (6,35mm TRS). § LINE OUT – Line level mono output (6,35mm pseudo-balanced TRS). § EXT IN – Audio input for external audio signals (6,35mm) instead of integrated

NOISE. § VCF CV – for controlling the filter with an external CV source (6,35mm). This doesn’t

affect MIDI operation. § GATE – for triggering Contour Generators with an external source (6,35mm) instead

of MIDI. § CV IN - for controlling OSC1 and OSC2 with an external CV source (6,35mm) instead

of MIDI. § MIDI IN § MIDI THRU § 12VDC – 2,1mm DC jack for 12VDC power adaptor (polarity doesn’t matter). § POWER - Power switch. § DIP switches for selecting MIDI settings.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

PHONES LINE OUT EXT IN VCF CV GATE CV IN MIDI IN MIDI THRU POWER12VDC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - GETTING STARTED - 6 -

2. GETTING STARTED

The easiest way to get sound out PROGUE is to use the MOD LFO for triggering the Contour Generators by switching GATE MODE to AUTO. Set the panel as follows:

If you have a midi controller or Control Voltage (CV) and Gate -source connected, switch the GATE MODE to “NORM”.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - MIDI SETTINGS - 7 -

3. MIDI SETTINGS

Midi settings can be changed with the back panel DIP switches.

3.1 Midi Channel

Midi Channel can be selected with DIPs 1-4 in binary format.

MIDI CH 1

MIDI CH 9

MIDI CH 2

MIDI CH 10

MIDI CH 3

MIDI CH 11

MIDI CH 4

MIDI CH 12

MIDI CH 5

MIDI CH 13

MIDI CH 6

MIDI CH 14

MIDI CH 7

MIDI CH 15

MIDI CH8

MIDI CH 16

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFF ON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - MIDI SETTINGS - 8 -

3.2 Trigger mode

Envelopes can be re-triggered with every MIDI note or only when not playing legato.

Legato mode; envelopes are not triggered while playing legato.

Re-Triggering mode; envelopes are triggered with every MIDI note.

3.3 Note Priority mode

Note Priority mode decides what happens when you play multiple notes at the same time.

Low-Note Priority mode; while holding a key, you can only play a new note with a lower key.

Last-Note Priority mode; while holding, you can play play a new note with lower and higher key.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1OFFON

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - SOUND CHARTS - 9 -

4. SOUND CHARTS

A sound chart is a ”picture” of how the front panel looks when you produce a certain sound. The next section has a few sound examples and a black sound chart for you to document your sounds.

4.1 Analog Bass

PATCH TIPS:

• Use GATE SYNC for phase syncing OSC1 and OSC2 to get invariable transients. • For max low frequencies turn EMPHASIS to minimum. • If EMPHASIS is used – overdriving with OSC1 and OSC2 to compensate low-end loss.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


4.2 Classic Lead

PATCH TIPS:

• Adjust the VOL ratio between OSC1 and OSC2. • Use HPF to cut down unnecessary low-end. • Try other INTERVAL settings for OSC2.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


4.3 Random Whistler

PATCH TIPS:

• Adjust MOD RATE for speed of the RANDOM LFO. • Use MIDI mod wheel to add PWM (=TRI) modulation to VCF. • If 1V/OCT tracking is needed, make sure the KEYTRACK is MAX.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


4.4 The Destroyer

PATCH TIPS:

• Adjust CONTOUR for the amount of SYNC. • PWM RATE only affects OSC2 – adjust to taste.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


4.5 Blank Chart

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - CALIBRATION - 14 -

5. CALIBRATION

5.1 Basic settings for calibration

Start by carefully adjusting the panel settings to match the settings in the drawing.

Connect a midi keyboard to the PROGUE midi input and play Low-A. The proper octave might vary depending on your midi controller. With the Low-A key pressed, the frequency you will hear should be somewhere around 50-60Hz.

TUNE

GLIDE

PW

PWM PWM RATE

INTERVAL BEAT

OSC MOD VCF MOD

NOISE/EXT VOL

OSC2 VOL


ATTACK

CONTOUR KEYTRACK


DECAY/RELEASE

SUSTAIN

SUSTAIN

MASTER VOLMOD RATE

RELEASE

FAST ON OFF

GATE MODE

AUTO NORM GATE

HPFOFF I II

PWM


MOD

OCTAVE

32 16 8

32 16 8

OSC1

OSC2

WAVEFORM

WAVEFORM

SHAPE

SYNC

OFF ON CONT.

2 1



UNIS OCT

SYNC

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


5.2 Trimmers for calibration

The calibration is done by adjusting the front panel trimmers with a small size flathead screwdriver. It’s a good idea to use some kind of tuner or frequency counter, but the procedure can be done by only using a trained ear and an accurate reference tone.

• VR1 – OCTAVE SWITCH • VR2 – OSC1 RANGE • VR3 – OSC1 SCALE • VR4 – OSC2 RANGE • VR5 – OSC2 SCALE • VR6 – OSC1 HI-END • VR7 – OSC2 HI-END • VR8 – VCA • VR9 - EMPHASIS

VR1

VR2

VR3

VR4

VR5

VR6

VR7 VR8

VR9

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021


5.3 Calibration procedure

IMPORTANT! Let the unit heat up at least 30min before calibration.

Start by adjusting the panel settings according to the previous diagram.

1) The first step is to calibrate OSC1. Adjust the following:

A. Play the "LOW-A" key and adjust VR2 to 55Hz. B. Play the "2-octaves higher A" key and adjust VR3 to 220Hz. C. Repeat steps A and B until the tuning is correct.

2) The second step is the Octave Switch calibration. Adjust the following:

A. Switch the octave to 8", play "Low-A", and adjust VR1 to 220Hz. B. Switch the octave back to 32", Play "2-octaves higher A", and you should

have the same identical pitch. C. Re-adjust VR1 until frequencies for steps A and B are identical.

3) The third step is the Hi-End calibration. Adjust the following:

A. Switch the octave to 8", play "2-octaves higher A", and adjust VR6 to

880Hz. B. Switch the octave back to 32", Play "2-octaves higher A", and you should

have the same identical pitch. C. Re-adjust VR1 until frequencies for steps A and B are identical.

Repeat the first and the third step for OSC2. You can also use the OSC1 for reference. The most important thing is the "beating consistency" between OSC1 and OSC2 in all octaves.

4) The VCA offset trimmer VR8, adjust the following:

A. Turn OSC1, OSC2, and NOISE fully off, and put GATE-MODE to "AUTO". B. Boost up the volume and adjust the VR8 to a minimum "thump".

The filter emphasis trimmer VR9 (single-turn) can be used to limit the maximum Emphasis (resonance) level when the Emphasis potentiometer is at maximum (CW). Adjust according to taste. The filter design is not intended for accurate 1V/octave tracking, but it’s possible to get 1-2 octaves relatively in tune. That's it, all done!

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - BLOCK DIAGRAM - 17 -

6. BLOCK DIAGRAM

OSC

1SA

W

PW

M

PU

LSE

VC

F

(MID

I)M

W/A

TM

OD

VC

FM

OD

MIXER

EMPH

ASI

S

CO

NT

VCA

CU

T O

FFFR

EQ

4-po

le (2

4dB/o

ctav

e) L

ow-p

ass

Ladd

er F

ilter

HP

F OFF I II

MA

STER

LEV

EL

1-pole (6dB/oct)Passive HPF

LIN

E O

UT

VC

F E

NV

AT

TAC

KSU

STA

IND

ECA

Y/ R

EL.

VC

A E

NV

AT

TAC

KSU

STA

IND

ECA

Y/ R

EL.

PH

ON

ES

MO

DLF

O

PW

SYN

C

CV OSC

2

SAW

PW

M

PU

LSE

CV N

OIS

EN

OIS

E/EX

T IN

LE

VEL

EXT

INP

UT

DET

UN

EB

EAT

GLI

DE

SYN

C

CV

IN

GLI

DE

GA

TE

CV

MO

DR

ATE

S/H

SQU

AR

E

TRI

MID

I

OSC

MO

D

(MID

I)M

W/A

TM

OD

TUN

E

32’

16’

8’

MID

I

PW

MLF

OSQ

UA

RE

TRI

PW

MR

ATE

VC

O

VC

O+V

CF

VC

F

PW

M

PRO

GU

E - B

LOC

K D

IAG

RA

M

JSISYNTH.COM - 2021

PROGUE - User Manual - Ver.1.0 - SPECIFICATIONS - 18 -

7. SPECIFICATIONS

OSCILLATORS • Two discrete oscillators with Sawtooth and Pulse waveforms • Pulse width and pulse width modulation • Hard sync: OSC2 to OSC1 with envelope control • Oscillators can be synced to Gate • OSC2 tuning: Interval and Beat (fine) amount • Pink noise generator

MIXER • OSC1 amount • OSC2 amount • Noise / External input amount

FILTERS • Four-pole (24db/oct) transistor ladder Low Pass Filter with resonant control • LPF can be driven to self-oscillation • Keyboard tracking amount • Independent passive High Pass Filter

ENVELOPES • Two ADS style envelopes for LPF and VCA

LFO • LFO / SAMPLE & HOLD • Triangle, Square, and Random waveforms • Rate, OSC amount, VCF amount

MIDI • Built-in Midi to CV converter with 2 channel 16-bit DAC • 1V/OCT and MOD amount (via mod wheel or aftertouch) • Mod. sources: Tri & Sqr (MOD LFO) and Tri (PWM LFO) • Poly-chain (for max. 5 units)

IN/OUT • Mono output (1/4" phone jack) • Headphones output (1/4" stereo phone jack) • Mono external input (1/4" phone jack) • CV input (1/4" phone jack) • GATE input (1/4" phone jack) • VCF CV input (1/4" phone jack) • Midi input and thru (5-pin DIN)

POWER • 12VDC (0.35A) power adapter (2.1mm DC jack)

DIMENSIONS • Enclosure (254mm x 157mm x 32,5 - 52mm)

Documents

JSI - User Manual - Progue