The Cyndustries List

ZEROSCILLATOR TESTING PROCEDURE Version 1.1

You will need two other oscillators and an envelope generator to fully test a ZO.

1. Listen to the Triangle Wave Output of the Zeroscillator directly
and be certain that no other plugs are patched into the Zeroscillator.
(If you have an oscilloscope, then it is helpful to also ~watch~ this same
Triangle Wave Output that you are listening to...)     

2. Set BIAS, RANGE, and THRU-ZERO Switches into the upright position,
(please fasten your seat-belts :)  and center the MORPHASE Switch.


3. TEST: 10-Turn TUNING Knob & RANGE Switch

Turn the big knob and listen for the pitch to change accordingly.
Do the three-positions of the RANGE Switch work?

(If there is any doubt about the low ranges actually doing anything or not,
simply patch the Triangle Out of the ZO into some other VCO set in the
audio range and listen to ~that~ VCO to hear if the ZO is working in
LFO mode. After this remember to return to the initial set-up above by
listening to the ZO Triangle Output).


4. TEST: BIAS Switch  (Linear FM Summing Bias)

The Up and Down settings should have an effect on lowering the pitch
when tried under the conditions of TEST #3 above (RANGE Switch UP).

Leave the Big TUNING Knob somewhere near the middle of it's travel...

NOTE: it is totally normal to hear ~nothing~ when the BIAS Switch is
in the Center Position, (known as zero bias, bias off, or bias free operation).

Odd behavior is also possible when the BIAS Switch is at Center Off
and there is no LIN FM Input present such as ~noise generation~ by the ZO!


5.  TEST: LEDS, BIAS, LINEAR SUMMING, & THRU-ZERO OPERATION

With the BIAS Switch centered and the RANGE and THRU-ZERO
Switches UP you should hear nothing... Until you plug the (sine) output
of a separate VCO into the LIN FM INPUT Jack, and open-up the LIN FM
Knob above it.  Suddenly you should have some sound that gets wilder and
ever ~more~ extreme the more you turn it up!
At this point the RED ~and~ the GREEN LEDs should be going wild based
upon the speed of your separate modulating oscillator, (AUDIO/LFO etc)...

Now, you ever wonder, "What's so special about all this "through-zero"
function, eh?"  (ok wise guy, turn off the THRU-ZERO Switch and just
listen to half of all that fun go away! Ouch!  Confirm that even the GREEN
LED went away with the Thru-Zero operation switch turned-off).

Ok, Please return your THRU-ZERO Switch to it's proper place of rest
in the Upright Position.  Ahhh, all is most groovy once again.


6.  Please Return to the Initial Set-up Conditions above in lines number 1 & 2.

7.   TEST: DYNAMIC LINEAR FM INPUTS & VCA
Still listening to the Triangle Output, patch one external Modulating audio
VCO into the DYNAMIC AC Coupled INPUT (Gray jack on Modcan format
is AC-Coupled type input) (AC Coupling meaning that the input will
recognize Bipolar AC type audio signals as an input).   Turn the LIN FM knob
 all the way off or CCW (Counter Clockwise).
Now Patch your  ~second~ Alternate VCO into the FM INDEX INPUT jack
and open up the FM INDEX knob full.  You should find that the Zeroscillator
pitch or frequency is being modulated by one External VCO, while the ~Depth~
that modulation is controlled by your other External VCO.

Switch these two external VCOs respectively into different Audio/LFO Range
combinations for tremelo effects or (cool nasty!) amplitude modulation grunge.


8.   TEST: LINEAR FM SYNTHESIS

With the above arrangement from Test #7, please plug your external
Envelope Generator into the FM INDEX Jack instead of that second
External Auxiliary VCO...  By Firing your Envelope Generator, you should be hearing
a great variety of new exciting types of metallic FM sounds emerging from your modular!

(just as tiny little changes to a couple of variables in a Mandelbrot fractal equation
 are able to effect massive changes throughout the resulting universe it creates...
so too are the timbres of FM synthesis wildly altered by simple changes in
the frequencies of both Modulator and Carrier and the Index of the Depth of
that modulation).   The size of your temple bell, gong or glockenspiel should
easily mutate dynamically with these frequency and FM Index knob changes.

Now change the Audio rate INPUT SIGNAL from going into the DYNAMIC AC
Input Jack..  to now using the DYNAMIC DC Input Jack instead.  Suddenly these
glorious FM sounds sound a bit vulgar or klangerous, and as you patch the INPUT
back and forth between the Dynamic AC and DC Coupled Input Jacks - you can
hear the unique and subtle difference and that the Dynamic AC Input jack results
in sounds that are generally considered far more "musical" or "musically useful"
than when using the Dynamic DC input.  (Hell, why not use both!)

NOTE: in all but the banana jack versions of Zeroscillator, there is a dotted line
connecting the DYNAMIC AC Input to the LINEAR FM Input and Knob.
This is usually at rest in the fully off or CCW position, however some classic FM
Synthesis patches require a controlled amount of bleedthrough, and the dotted line
indicates a Switching Jack at the LINEAR FM Input that disconnects this controlled
bleedthrough ability when a jack is inserted into LIN FM.

If you experience no change from the results of your Envelope Generator settings
be sure that the LIN FM Knob is fully off, (or the bleedthrough will eliminate the
effect of the envelope).


9.   TEST: RING MODULATOR  
Unplug the Envelope Generator and plug that second Auxillary VCO back into
the FM INDEX Input Jack and open up said such knob above the jack, ClockWise
](CW).   Now listen to the MOD OUT jack instead of the Triangle Wave Output...
]
]Putting both of your External Modulation and Auxiliary Oscillators into their
]AUDIO Ranges should give a resulting frequency output at the MOD OUT Jack.
]Both inputs should have a say in the resulting output frequency of a Ring or
]Balanced Modulator, so twiddling the FREQUENCY Knobs of ~each~ of your
]two External Audio-Range VCOs should have an effect on the resulting output
]pitch of the Ring Modulator.  Flip these VCOs alternately DC or into LFO mode,
]and you should experience some tremelo and amplutude modulation type effects.

NOTE: Please remember that this test #9 should have NOTHING to do with
the core of the Zeroscillator, you are just listening to and testing the RING
MODULATOR  ~independently~ without even involving the Zeroscillator
that the Ring Modulator is mounted inside of.  (Oddly, in this application
it took a while for me for this distinction to really sink in!)

10. TEST: RING MODULATON NULLING
Listen to the output labeled MOD OUT and place an External Audio VCO
(sine) into the FM INDEX Input Only, (no dynamic FM inputs). Open up the
FM INDEX KNOB and you really shouldn't hear much unless you go over
to your studio amp and crank it wayy wayy up in order to hear any whining.

Now unplug the External VCO from the FM INDEX Input Jack, and plug
it into the DYNAMIC AC INPUT JACK (Gray banana on Modcan format)...
and repeat the above.  IF Only ~one~ of these FM INDEX or DYNAMIC AC
input jacks are used at any time, then you shouldn't hear any whining from the
External Modulation VCOs unless you crank the volume wayyy wayy up,
(OK, so please stop doing that! :)

11. Please Return to the Initial Set-up Conditions above in lines number 1 & 2.


12. EXPONENTIAL MODULATION

Listen to the Triangle Wave Output.

Plug your External Audio Rate VCO into the EXPO IN Jack and turn up the
modulation knob.  Flip your External VCO into LFO Range and back to audio
and listen for the output of the ZO to react. 

Leave your VCO in Audio Range and now unplug it from the EXPO IN jack and plug the 
signal alternately into one and then the other 1 Volt to the Octave Input Jacks, and the 
resulting pitches should be identical regardles of which jack is used. This test is for "1V/ 
Octave Input resistance matching".


13. PWM

Please Return to the Initial Set-up Conditions above in lines number 1 & 2.

Listen to the output marked or labeled with a square wave or PULSE wave jack.

Plug a slow LFO Waveform (or a fast one, who cares?) into the PWM Input Jack and
Turn the PWM Knob back and forth.  You should hear the resulting phase changes in
the output.  We made this Pulse Width Modulation knob much more full-ranged than most 
as you can take the PWM all the way from silence at once extreme - through 50%- all the 
way to silence at the other extreme.  This allows natty, buzzy little sonic textures to exist 
right at the bitter edge of the PWM.  (No "padded-cell" technology ~here~ Will!)

Please Return to the Initial Set-up Conditions above in lines number 1 & 2.


14. WAVEFORM SAFARI

This is a good time to listen to all of the other Zeroscillator waveforms!
Listen to the SINE Wave Output, it should sound a little bit more muted, or just a little
softer than the TRIANGLE Wave Output, (because it has fewer harmonics).

Brace yourself, and switch now to the two Sawtooth Outputs, (many more harmonics
and thus rather raspy! )  WHile one of these Sawtooth or Reverse Sawtooth outs sound
the same, they of course do not ~modulate~ the same.  Flip the RANGE switch of the
ZO into LFO mode and modulate and listen to another oscillator using these SAW Waves 
and one should make swoopy Upppitty type sounds, while modulating that external VCO 
with the other SAW Wave out should make swooping Down type noises (not UP ones).


15.   TEST: QUADRATURE MORPHING

Please Return to the Initial Set-up Conditions above in lines number 1 & 2.

Listen to the MORPH 90 Output with the MORPHASE Switch centered.
The MORPH B Side knob should continuously alter the shape (and the amplitude) of the 
waveform.  Plug an LFO range waveform from your External VCO into the MORPH B 
Modulation Input Jack and open the knob to see and hear your control voltage having an 
effect on the resulting MORPH 90 Output.    Listen (and watch on your scope) the
MORPH 270 Output jack also...

Now Flip the MORPHASE Switch either way Off of Center
The External Voltages Effect should stop, unless you try turning the Morph Knob on
the other side... the MORPH A Switch!  Flip the MORPHASE Switch to see the
difference in knob rotations L-to-R vs. R-to-L...  A control Voltage into the MORPH A
Input jack now will start the morphing again and you can test this by trying these changes 
now while listening to either the MORPH 0 or MORPH 180 Jacks too!

Almost done here...


16. TEST: VARI-SYNCH

Please Return to the Initial Set-up Conditions above in lines number 1 & 2.

Open the VARI-SYNCH Knob all the way CW.

Insert an External Audio VCO signal into the SYNCH Input Jack and sweep the
External VCO up in pitch until the ZO has a very strong sonic reaction.
At this point, turn the VARI-SYNCH Knob down, if the resulting octave jumps
and harmonics disappear, well then Vari-Synch is working!


17.  TIME REVERSAL

Take the above external VCO and plug it into the TIME REVERSAL Input Jack
if the Zeroscillator jumps suddenly up in pitch, then it's working great!

Congratulations you are done testing your new-fangled Zeroscillator type gadget!

Best Wishes!

Cynthia