• Introduction
• The Oscillator section
• The Modulator section
• The Filter section
• Routing
• The play controls
• Connections
• Routing external audio to the filters

Features

The following are the basic features of the Malström:

• Two Oscillators, based on Graintable Synthesis.
  
• Two Modulators, featuring tempo sync and one-shot options.
  
• Two Filters and one Shaper.
  A number of different filter modes in combination with several routing options and a Waveshaper makes it possible to create truly astounding filter effects.
• Three Envelope generators.
  There is one amplitude envelope for each oscillator and a common envelope for both filters.
• Polyphony of up to 16 voices.
  
• Velocity and Modulation control.
  
• A number of CV/Gate Modulation possibilities.
  
• A variety of Audio Input/Output options.
  You can for instance connect external audio sources for input to the Malström, and you can also control its output.

...

Theory of operation

There are a number of different synthesis methods for generating sound. There is e.g. Subtractive Synthesis (which is used in Reason’s other synth - the Subtractor), FM Synthesis and Physical Modelling Synthesis to mention but a few.

To give you a clear understanding of the inner workings of the Malström, it might be in order with a brief explanation of what we call Graintable Synthesis.

What we refer to as Graintable Synthesis is actually a combination of two synthesis methods; Granular Synthesis and Wavetable Synthesis.

• In granular synthesis, sound is generated by a number of short, contiguous segments (grains) of sound, each typically between 5 to 100 milliseconds long. The sound is varied by changing the properties of each grain and/or the order in which they are spliced together. Grains can be produced either by a mathematical formula or by a sampled sound. This is a very dynamic synthesis method with a lot of variation possibilities, although somewhat hard to master and control.
  


• Wavetable synthesis on the other hand, is basically the playback of a sampled waveform. An oscillator in a wavetable synth plays back a single period of a waveform, and some wavetable synths also allow the possibility of sweeping through a set of periodic waveforms. This is a very straightforward synthesis method that is easily controlled, but somewhat limited in variation possibilities.
  

The Malström combines these two into a synthesis method that provides a very flexible way of synthesizing sounds with incredible flux and mutability.

It works like this:

• The oscillators in the Malström play back sampled sounds that are subject to some very complex processing and cut up into a number of grains. From here on, these sounds will be referred to as Graintables
  


• This results in a set of periodic waveforms (a graintable) that, when spliced together, play back the original sampled sound.
  


• This can then be treated just like a wavetable. I.e. It is possible to sweep through it. Move through it at any speed without affecting pitch. Play any section of it repeatedly. Use it to pick static waveforms. Jump between positions. Etc. etc.
  


• It is also possible to perform a number of other tricks, all of which are described further on in this page.
  

Setting oscillator frequency

You can change the frequency - i.e. the tuning - of each oscillator by using the three knobs marked “Octave”, “Semi” and “Cent”.

• The Octave knob changes the frequency in steps of one full octave (12 semitones).
  The range is -4 – 0 – +4 where 0 corresponds to middle “A” on your keyboard at 440 Hz.
• The Semi knob changes the frequency in steps of one semitone.
  The range is 0 to +12 (one full octave up).
• The Cent knob changes the frequency in steps of cents, which are 100ths of a semitone.
  The range is -50 – 0 – +50, i.e. down or up by up to half a semitone.

...

Controlling playback of the graintable

Each oscillator features three controls that determine how the loaded graintables are played back. These are: The “Index” slider, the “Motion” knob and the “Shift” knob.

• The Index slider sets the playback starting point in the graintable.
  By dragging the slider, you set which index point in the graintable should be played first when the Malström receives a Note On message. Playback will then continue to the next index point according to the active graintable. With the slider all the way to the left, the first segment in the graintable is also the one that will be played back first.

! Note that the Malström’s Graintables are not all of the same length, and that the range for the Index slider (0-127) does not reflect the actual length of the graintables. I.e. regardless of whether a graintable contains 3 or 333 grains, the Index slider will always span the entire graintable even though the slider range says 0-127.


• The Motion knob controls how fast the Malström should move forward to play the next segment in the graintable, according to its motion pattern
  If the knob is kept in the middle position the speed of motion is the normal default. Turning the knob to the left slows it down and turning it to the right results in higher speed. If the knob is set all the way to the left, there will be no motion at all, which means that the initial segment, as set with the Index slider, will play over and over as a static waveform.
• The Shift knob changes the timbre of the sound (the formant spectrum).
  What it actually does is change the pitch of a segment up or down by re sampling. However, since the pitch you hear is independent of the actual pitch of the graintable (see above), pitch-shifting a segment instead means that more or less of the segment waveform will be played back, resulting in a change of harmonic content and timbre.

...

About motion patterns

Each graintable has a predefined motion pattern and a default motion speed. When a graintable is looped (i.e. if the Motion knob is not set all the way to the left), it follows one of two possible motion patterns:

• Forward
  This motion pattern plays the graintable from the beginning to the end, and then repeats it.
• Forward - Backward
  This motion pattern plays the graintable from the beginning to the end, then from the end to the beginning and then repeats it.

The motion speed can be changed with the Motion knob, as described above, but it is not possible to alter the motion pattern of a graintable.

...

The amplitude envelopes

Each oscillator features a standard ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) envelope generator, and a Level control. These are used for controlling the volume of the oscillator. One thing that makes the Malström different from many other synths though, is the fact that the amplitude envelopes are placed before the filter and routing sections in the signal path.

The amplitude envelopes control how the volume of a sound should change from the moment you strike a key on your keyboard to the moment that you release it again.

...

Vol

The Volume knobs set the volume level out from each oscillator.

Modulator parameters

The two Modulators have a few controls in common, but there are also some differences. Both the common parameters and the ones that are unique for each Modulator (the destinations) are described below.

• To activate/deactivate a Modulator, click the On/Off button in the top left corner.
  When a Modulator is activated, the button is lit.

...

...

Destinations

The following knobs are used for determining what each of the two modulators should modulate.

Note that these knobs are bi-polar, which means that if a knob is in the middle position, no modulation is applied. If you turn a knob either to the left or to the right, an increasing amount of modulation is applied to the parameter. The difference is that if you turn a knob to the left, the waveform of the modulator is inverted.

...

The Filters

Both filter:A and filter:B have the exact same parameters, all of which are described below.

• To activate/deactivate a filter, click the On/Off button in the top left corner.
  When a filter is activated, the button is lit.

...

Filter types

To select a filter type, either click the Mode button in the bottom left corner or click directly on the desired filter name so that it lights up in yellow:

• LP 12 (12 dB lowpass)
  Lowpass filters let low frequencies through and cut off high frequencies. This filter type has a roll-off curve of 12dB/Octave.
• BP 12 (12 dB bandpass)
  Bandpass filters cut both high and low frequencies, leaving the frequency band in between unaffected. Each slope in this filter type has a 12 dB/Octave roll-off.
• Comb + & Comb –
  Comb filters are basically delays with very short delay times with adjustable feedback (in Reason controlled with the Resonance knob). A comb filter causes resonating peaks at certain frequencies. The difference between “+” and “–” is in the position of the peaks, in the spectrum. The main audible difference is that the “–”-version causes a bass cut. The Resonance parameter in both cases controls the shape and size of the peaks.





• AM
  AM (Amplitude Modulation) is often referred to as Ring Modulation. A Ring Modulator works by multiplying two signals together. In the case of the Malström, the filter produces a sine wave which is multiplied with the signal from osc:A or osc:B. Resonance controls the mix between the clean and modulated signals. The Ring Modulated output will then contain added frequencies which are generated by the sum of, and the difference between the two signals. This can be used for creating complex, non-harmonic sounds.

...

Filter controls

Each filter contains the following four controls:

• Kbd (keyboard tracking)
  By clicking this button so that it is lit, you activate keyboard tracking. If keyboard tracking is activated, the frequency of the filter will change according to the notes you play on your keyboard. That is, if you play notes higher up on the keyboard, the filter frequency will increase and vice versa. If keyboard tracking is deactivated, the filter frequency will remain at a fixed value regardless of where on the keyboard you play.
• Env (envelope)
  If you click on this button so that it is lit, the cutoff frequency (see below) will be modulated by the filter envelope. If you leave this deactivated, the Filter Envelope will have no effect.
• Freq (frequency)
  The function of this parameter depends on which filter type you have selected: With all filter types except AM, it is used for setting the cutoff frequency of the filter. In the case of the lowpass filter for example, the cutoff frequency determines the limit above which high frequencies will be cut off. Frequencies below the cutoff frequency will be allowed to pass through. The farther to the right you turn the knob, the higher the cutoff frequency will be. If you have selected AM as filter type, this will instead control the frequency of the signal generated by the filter. The same control range applies though; the farther to the right you turn the knob the higher the frequency will be.
• Res (resonance)
  Again, the function of this parameter depends upon which filter type is selected: If the selected filter is any other type than AM, it sets the filter characteristic, or quality. For the lowpass filter for example, raising the filter Res value will emphasize the frequencies around the set filter frequency. This generally produces a thinner sound, but with a sharper, more pronounced filter frequency “sweep”. The higher the filter Res value, the more resonant the sound becomes until it produces a whistling or ringing sound. If you set a high value for the Res parameter and then vary the filter frequency, this will produce a very distinct sweep, with the ringing sound being very evident at certain frequencies. In the case of the AM filter type though, this control instead regulates the balance between the original signal and the signal resulting from amplitude modulation. The farther to the right you turn the knob, the more dominant the AM signal will be.

...

The Filter Envelope

This is a standard ADSR envelope with two additional controls; inv and amt.

The filter envelope is common for both filter:A and filter:B, and controls how the filter frequency should change over time.

...

Inv (inverse)

This button toggles inversion of the envelope on and off. The Decay segment of the envelope will for instance normally lower the frequency, but if the envelope is inverted it will instead raise the frequency.

...

Amt (amount)

This controls to which extent the filter envelope affects the filters, or rather - the set filter cutoff frequencies. For example; if the cutoff frequency is set to a certain value, the filter will already be opened by this amount when you hit a key on your keyboard. The amount setting then controls how much more the filter will open from that point. Turn the knob to the right to increase the value.

...

The Shaper

Before filter:A is an optional waveshaper. Waveshaping is a synthesis method for transforming sounds by altering the waveform shape, thereby creating a complex, rich sound. Or, if that’s more to your taste, truncating and distorting the sound to lo-fi heaven!

A guitar distortion box could be viewed as a type of waveshaper for example. An unamplified electric guitar produces a sound with fairly pure harmonic content, which is then amplified and transformed by the distortion box.

• To activate/deactivate the Shaper, click the On/Off button in the top left corner.
  When the Shaper is activated, the button is lit.

...

Mode

You can select one of five different modes for shaping the sound, each with its own characteristics.

To select a mode, either click the Mode button in the bottom left corner or click directly on the desired mode name so that it lights up in yellow.

• Sine
  This produces a round, smooth sound.
• Saturate
  This gives a lush, rich character to the sound.
• Clip
  This introduces clipping - digital distortion - to the signal.
• Quant
  This lets you truncate the signal by bit-reduction, thus making it possible to achieve that noisy, characteristic 8 bit sound for example.
• Noise
  This is actually not strictly a shaper function. Instead it multiplies the sound with noise.







• Amt (amount)
  This controls the amount of shaping applied. By turning the knob to the right you increase the effect.

Routing examples

...

...

The output controls

These two parameters control the output from the Malström in the following way:

...

Polyphony - setting the number of voices

This lets you set the polyphony for the Malström. Polyphony is the number of voices it can play simultaneously. The maximum number is 16 and the minimum is 1, in which case the Malström will be monophonic.

The number of voices you can play depends of course on the capacity of your computer. Even though the maximum number is 16 it doesn’t necessarily mean that your system is capable of using that many voices. Also note that voices do not consume CPU capacity unless they are really “used”. That is, if you are using a patch that plays two voices but have polyphony set to four, the two “unused” voices do not consume any of your system resources.

...

Porta (portamento)

This is used for controlling portamento. This is a parameter that makes the pitch glide between the notes you play, rather than changing the pitch instantly as soon as you hit a key on your keyboard. By turning this knob you set how long it should take for the pitch to glide from one note to the next as you play them.

With the knob turned all the way to the left, portamento is disabled.

...

Legato

By clicking this button you activate/deactivate Legato. Legato in Malström is unique in that it allows you to control whether the sound is monophonic or polyphonic by using your playing style:

• If you play legato (hold down a key and then press another key without releasing the previous), the sound is monophonic.
  Also note that the pitch changes, but the envelopes do not start over. That is, there will be no new “attack”.
• If you play non-legato (separated notes), with polyphony set to more voices than 1, each note will decay separately (polyphonic).
  This will be most apparent with longer release times.

...

The Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels

• The Pitch Bend wheel is used for bending the pitch of notes, much like bending the strings on a guitar or other string instrument.
  
• The Modulation wheel can be used for applying modulation while you are playing.
  

Virtually all MIDI keyboards have Pitch Bend and Modulation controls. The Malström does not only feature the settings for how incoming MIDI Pitch Bend and Modulation wheel messages should affect the sound, but also two functional wheels that can be used for applying real time modulation and pitch bend if you don’t have these controllers on your keyboard, or if you aren’t using a keyboard at all. The wheels on the Malström also mirror the movements of the wheels on your MIDI keyboard.

...

...

The Velocity controls

Velocity is used for controlling various parameters according to how hard or soft you play notes on your keyboard. A typical use of velocity control is to make sounds brighter and louder if you strike a key harder. By using the knobs in this section, you can control how much the various parameters will be affected by velocity.

All of the velocity control knobs are bi-polar, which means that the amount can be set to either positive or negative values, while keeping the knobs in the center position means that no velocity control is applied.

The following parameters can be velocity controlled:

• Lvl:A
  This lets you velocity control the output level of osc:A.
• Lvl:B
  This lets you velocity control the output level of osc:B.
• F.env
  This sets velocity control for the Filter Envelope Amount parameter. Positive values will increase the envelope amount the harder you play, and negative values will decrease the amount.
• Atk (attack)
  This sets velocity control for the Amp Envelope Attack parameter of osc:A and/or osc:B. Positive values will increase the Attack time the harder you play, and negative values will decrease it.
• Shift
  This lets you velocity control the Shift parameter of osc:A and/or osc:B.
• Mod
  This lets you velocity control all modulation amounts of mod:A and/or mod:B.

! Note that you can set the last three parameters (Atk, Shift and Mod) to be velocity controlled for either or both of oscillator/modulator A and B. This is done with the A/B selector switch.

...

The Modulation wheel controls

The Modulation wheel can be set to control a number of parameters. You can set positive or negative values, just like in the Velocity Control section (see above).

The following parameters can be affected by the modulation wheel:

• Index
  This sets modulation wheel control of the currently active graintable’s index for osc:A and/or osc:B. Positive values will move the index position forwards if the modulation wheel is pushed forward. Negative values will move it backwards.
• Shift
  This sets modulation wheel control of the Shift parameter of osc:A and/or osc:B
• Filter
  This sets modulation wheel control of the Filter Frequency parameter. Positive values will raise the frequency if the wheel is pushed forward and negative values will lower the frequency.
• Mod
  This sets modulation wheel control of the total amount of modulation from mod:A and/or mod:B. Positive values will increase the settings if the wheel is pushed forward and negative values will decrease the settings.

! You can set whether these parameters on either or both oscillator/modulator/ filter A and B will be affected by the modulation wheel. This is done with the A/B selector switch.

Audio Output

These are the Malström’s audio outputs. When you create a new Malström device, they are auto-routed to the first available channel on the audio mixer:

• Shaper/Filter:A (left) & Filter:B (right)
  These are the main stereo outputs. Each of the two filters are connected to a separate output, and by connecting both, you can have stereo output. Whether the output really will be in stereo however, is determined by the routing and the Spread parameter.
• Osc:A & osc:B
  These make it possible to output the sound directly after the Amp Envelope of each oscillator, bypassing the filter section. Connecting one or both of these to a channel on the audio mixer will break the Malström’s internal signal chain. That is, it is not possible to process the sound by using the filters and the shaper of the Malström. the sound instead goes directly to the mixer.

Note also that you can connect the outputs Osc:A & Osc:B to the Audio Inputs on the Malström for some interesting effects

...

Audio Input

• Shaper/Filter:A
  
• Filter:B
  

These inputs let you connect either other audio sources, or the Malström’s own internal signal directly to the filters and the shaper.

...

Sequencer Control

The Sequencer Control CV and Gate inputs allow you to play the Malström from another CV/Gate device (typically a Matrix or a Redrum). The signal to the CV input controls the note pitch, while the signal to the Gate input delivers note on/off along with velocity.

For best results, you should use the Sequencer Control inputs with monophonic sounds.

...

Gate Input

These inputs can receive a CV signal to trigger the following envelopes:

• Amp Envelope
  
• Filter Envelope
  

Note that connecting to these inputs will override the normal triggering of the envelopes. For example, if you connected a Modulation output to the Gate Amp in-put, you would not trigger the amp envelope by playing notes, as this is now controlled by the Modulator. In addition you would only hear the Modulator triggering the envelope for the notes that you hold down.

...

Modulation Input

These control voltage (CV) inputs (with associated voltage trim pots and A/B selector switches), can modulate various Malström parameters from other devices, or from the modulation outputs of the same Malström device. These inputs can control the following parameters:

• Oscillator Pitch
  
• Filter Frequency
  
• Oscillator Index offset
  
• Oscillator Shift
  
• Amp Level
  
• Mod Amount
  
• Mod Wheel
  

...

Modulation Output

The Modulation outputs can be used to voltage control other devices, or other parameters in the same Malström device.

The Modulation Outputs are:

• Mod:A
  
• Mod:B
  
• Filter Envelope
  

Connecting an external signal source

Connecting an audio signal from another device in the rack to the audio input allows you to process the signal through the filters and/or Shaper of the Malström. The processed signal will then be mixed with the Malström’s “own” voices (if activated) and sent to the outputs.

The result depends on the following:

• To which jack you connect the signal.
  
• Whether the filters and/or Shaper are activated on the front panel.
  
• The routing button for filter:B. If this is activated and you connect a signal to the Filter:B input, the signal will be processed in filter:B and then sent to the Shaper and filter:A (just as when routing Malströms own oscillators on the front panel).
  

Note again that the filter envelope is triggered by all voices. To make use of the filter envelope, you either need to play the Malström or use gate signals to trigger it or the filter envelope, separately.

...

Connecting the signal from the Malström itself

If you connect one or both oscillator outputs to the audio input(s), the internal signal path from the oscillators to the filters is broken. In other words, no signals will pass internally from the oscillators to the filters, and the three routing buttons for the oscillators are ignored.

This may seem pointless at first, but there are several uses for this:

• When you play the Malström in this mode, the filter envelope will be triggered for each note you play, affecting all sounding notes.
  This is due to the monophonic “extra” filter described above. On older synthesizers, this feature is called “Multiple triggering”.
• Since all notes you play are mixed before being sent into the filter, the result of using the Shaper will be totally different (if you play more than one note at a time).
  This is similar to playing a guitar chord through a distortion effect, for example.
• You can patch in external effects between the oscillators and the filters.
  Just connect an oscillator output to the input of the effect device, and the effect output to the Malströms’s audio input.

You can use combinations of connections and routing. You could for instance connect an external audio signal to one of the inputs, one of the Malström’s oscillators to the other input and then use the routing options on the front panel for the other oscillator. All of these signals will then be mixed and sent to the Malström’s main outputs.