SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.

SY66isanadvancedPhaseorFrequencyModulation(FM)synthesizerforNativeInstruments
Reaktor.
Instrumentdesigned,builtanddocumentedbyJonathanAdamsLeonardandincludingworkby
MartijnZwartjes,StephanSchmitt,MaxZagler,andEricWiegand.

Feedbackcanbesentto info@weirdingmodule.com

Restrictions:
Thisinstrumentisprovidedasis,andthedesignerholdsnoresponsibilityorliabilityforits
performanceorflaws.Itmaynotberedistributed,packagedormodifiedwithoutpermission.

Requirements:
Reaktorversion6.0
Windows7andlaterorOSXLeopard
Amacorpcwithanintelprocessorthatisgreaterthan2gHz
AcontrollerwithmidiorUSB(keyboard,drumpads...)
AbasicknowledgeofReaktorconventionsandterms.

Features:
6Operators+ExternalInput
7OperatorTypes
MicrotonalScalefunctions
6x7AudioModulationMatrixforFMandRM
6filtertypesperoperatorincludingZeroDelayFeedback(ZDF)versions
12MultifunctionSyncableLFO
12ADSREnvelopes
6MultistepBreakpointEnvelopes
15EffectTypes(8distortionsandshapers)ina4unitchain
MasterLevelFilter
MasterLevelControlwithBrickwallLimiterandSoftMute
AudioTrigger
AudioEnvelopeFollower
PitchTracker
EventBussMapperconnecting17inputtypesto800+modulationtargets
ExpressionShaper
129MasterandOperatorVelocityCurves
XYController

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

Newinversion1.5:
ZeroDelayFeedbackLadderandStateVariableFilters
Newknobsandcontrolsincludingseparateunipolarandbipolarknobs
MasterLevelcontrolwithbrickwalllimiterandsoftmute
Newsoundsandupdatestoexistingsounds
Moremacrocontrolassignmentsforquicksounddesignandperformance
Modwheelintegrationintomostsoundsfordirectcontrol
Bugfixesandstructureimprovements

QuickStart:

AfteropeningSY66,pleasebeginintheBview,Livepage,shownabove.

SY66utilizes8live,ormacroknobsthatcanbeUnipolar(01)orBipolar(1+1).Theseare
virtualcontrolsthatcanbeassignedtonearlyanyparameterinthesynthesizerandeffects.To
startoutitisrecommendedthatyouconnectahardwarecontrollerwith8knobs,oraKore

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

controller.IntheBviewLIVEpageyouwillsee8knobs.Midilearnorassignthese8knobsto
yourhardwarecontroller,thensaveSY66.Asyouloadsnapshots,yourhardwareknobswill
nowchangefunctiondependingonhowthesnapshotwasdesigned.Theassignedfunctions
aredocumentedabovetheknobsandareintendedforquickvariations,performanceandsound
design.Additionally,mostsnapshotsincludeassignmentsforthemodwheelforinstant
tweaking.

MasterVelocityCurve: ThemastervelocitycurvefoundintheupperrightoftheAviewisone
ofthemostimportantsettingsintheinstrument.Itaffectstheoverallresponsesensitivitytothe
midicontrollerbeingused.Trychangingthissettingtogettheoptimalplayingsensitivityand
keepitinmindwhenauditioningsnapshots.Dependingonwhetheryouuseaweightedor
organtouchkeyboard,drumpadsoramidiguitarcontrolleryoucanmakeadjustmentsthatare
mostsuitableforthehardwarebeingused.Thesnapshotsdochangethemastercurve
sometimesandthismaybedisabledbyselectingthemastercurvesetting,viewingits
propertiesandselectingsnapisolate.

Afewsnapshotsrelyonreceivingmidiclockandsongposition,sotryrunningthereaktor
transporttoheartheseproperly.

SomesnapshotsuseaconsiderableamountofCPU.Itisnotrecommendedduethestructure
ofSY66tochangethedefaultsettingof8voicestoreducecpuimpact.Instead,tryloweringthe
Reaktorsamplerate.Ifyouneedmorethan8notesofpolyphonythiscanbechangedinthe
instrumentproperties,butbewarnedtheprovidedsnapshotswillnotfunctionproperly.

WhenmakingyourownsnapshotstrystartingwiththeincludedINITsnapshotthatreflectsmost
settingsandcontrollersdefaultvaluesandstates.

IfyouarefamiliarwithFMsynthesisyoumighttryauditioningthefollowing3snapshotsthat
weremeticulouslybasedonfamoussounds: FMElectricPiano,HouseBass,TacoBell. All
othersnapshotsaretheoriginalworkofthedesigner.

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SignalPath:

OperatorFilterMatrixOpOutMasterFilterStereoAMP4FXMaster
^ v

Eachoperatorisasoundgeneratorofdifferenttypes:
WaveFM
SineFM
Noise
FormantOscFM
SawFM
TriFM
PulseFM

Whichpassesthroughafilteroftypes:
SVF
Ladder
TwinPeaks
Comb
Resonator
Pro52

Afterthefilter,theoperatorsignalisoptionallysenttoa7x6FeedbackMatrixincluding6
operatorand1externalinputs,and6operatoroutputs.TheMatrixallowsanyoperatorand
externalinputtobeusedasamodulatorofanotheroperator.Thefeedbackamountcanbeset
inthepanelandthenmodulated.Afterthefilter,theoperatorsignalisalsosentinparalleltothe
outputsectionthatsetstheoveralllevelandpanofeachoperator.

Aftertheoutputsection,thereisaMasterFilterthatthenfeedstheStereoAmpthatincludes
Mute,Level,Pan,Spread,andTuningforthewholeinstrument.

Thestereosignalthenpassesintothe4unitstereofxchainandlastlytotheMasterLevelwhich
featuresasoftmuteandbrickwalllimiterwithnolatency..

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

SY66PanelsandInterface:
ThecontrolsandsettingsforSY66areorganizedinreaktorpanelviews,andpagesusing
stackedmacros.TheApanelviewcontainsoperators,matrix,masteroutput,masterfilter,and
voicecontrols.Withintheoperators,thereareareasoftheinterfacethatmaychange
dependingonwhatfilterisselected.

BPanel
The viewcontainsmultiplepagesaccessedwithinterfacebuttons:
Mapper: ListsrowsofmenususedformakingmodulationassignmentsbetweenEvent
Generators(EG)andParameterDestinationsinoperators,feedbackmatrix,master
controls,andeffects.Allmapperassignmentsarestoredandrecalledwithsnapshots.
LFO/ADSR: PresentscontrolsfortheSY66lowfrequencyoscillators(LFO),andbasic
ADSRenvelopes.TheLFOandADSRparametersarethemselvespartoftheevent
bussandcanbemodulated.
BreakPoint: AdditionalMultibreakpointenvelopesareprovidedinbipolarformfor
detailedcontrolofsynthesizeroreffectsettings.Theyhavethesameinterfaceasthose
fortheoperatoramplifiers,butsendvaluesintherange1to+1.
LIVE: Thispagecontainssomecontrolsforliveperformanceincludingmacroknobs,
buttons,andthemouseXYcontroller.Bymidilearningorassigningthemacroknobsto
externalmidicontrollers,thesecontrolscanbeassignedtoanyparameterintheevent
bussandrecalledonapresetsnapshotbasis.

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

Themacroknobscanbeswitchedbetweenunipolarandbipolaroutputdependingon
howyouwanttocontrolaparameter.Unipolarcontrolrangesbetween01andbipolar
controlrangesbetween1and+1.Unipolarcontrolisusefulwhenyouonlyneed
positivevalues.Bipolarcontrolisusefulifyouwanttoaddorsubtractavaluefora
parameter.Beneaththemacroknobsyouwillseeaswitchforunipolarandbipolar
knobs.Theknobsthemselveschangedisplaybasedonthisselectionaswellasthe
outputvalues.

TheX/Ycontrollerallowsonetogeneratecontinuouseventsandtriggergateswiththe
computerpointer.TheXYcontrollerhasswitchesaroundittotriggeroperatorgatesand
makeampandnotechangesforeachaxis.TheXYcontrollercanalsobeusedinthe
eventbussmapperprovidingthreesources:MouseX,MouseYandLeftButton.
Audio:Theaudiopagecontainssettingsfortheexternalaudioinput,envelopefollower,
audiogateandpitchtracker.AudiocomesintoSY66asamonosignalenabledbythe
externalinput.Whenenabled,youcanusetheaudiosignalintheaudiomodulation
matrixforFMorRM,orforadditionalfunctionsontheeventbuss.Youcanusethe
envelopefollowertocreateamodulationsignalbasedontheaudioinputamplitude.The
audiogatecanbeusedtocreatetriggereventswhentheaudioinputcrossesa
thresholdandadditionallyusingafilterifwithinafrequencyrange.Thepitchtracker
canbeusedtocreatedecimalpitch(0127)valuesfromtheaudioinputandsentonthe
eventbusstoarbitrarytargets,ordirectlytothenoteinputsharedbyalloperators.By
combiningtheenvelopefollowerandpitchtracker,youcanplaySY66withyourvoice,
guitarorwithapitchedinput.

OperatorParameters:

OperatorPower: Thisbuttonturnstheoperatoronoroff.Moreoperatorsconsumemoreof
theavailablecpu,sodisableoperatorsnotneededforaparticularsnapshotorpreset.

OperatorTYPE: Selectsoneofsevendifferentoperatortypes.
OperatorTypeWAVE: Thistypeallowsonetoloadandselectcustomsamplesas

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

singlecyclewaveforms.SY66isprovidedwithanassortmentsimilartootherFMsynths
andalsoadditionalnewwaveforms.Thewaveoperatortypecanbefrequencyandring
modulatedwhichmakesforsomewildandunexpectedresults.
WAVEWave: Selectsthewaveformtobeusedwhentriggered.
OperatorTypeSineFM: Thisistheclassicoperatortypewhereasinewavecanbe
FMmodulatedwithanother.However,theinputcanbeusedforRMaswell.
OperatorTypeNoise: Thistypecannotbeusedasacarrier,butonlyasamodulatoror
playeddirectlyouttobeusedsubtractivelyorwithringmodulation.Itsinclusionis
mostlyformakingdrumandpercussionsoundsandspecialFX.
OperatorTypeFormantOSC: Thisissimilartothesinefm,butincludingaformant
filterforvocallikeresponse.ThisisthereaktorformantoscmodifiedforFM.Thereisa
dedicatedpanelcontrolthatcanbeusedtochangetheformantfrequency.
FormantOSCFmt: Setstheformantfiltercenterfrequency.
OperatorTypeSawFM: ThisisagreatsawoscillatorwithanFMinputthatcanbe
usedforRMaswell.Itcanbeusedwiththeoperatorfiltertoprovidetypicalsubtractive
stylesounds.Usednexttooperatorsinamodulationrelationship,itcanprovidea
differentresponse.
OperatorTriFM: ThisisatriangleoscillatorwithFMorRMinput.Itishereincasethe
sampledtriwaveformsaliasincertainranges.
OperatorTypePulseFM: Thisisapulsefmoscillatorthatincludesadedicatedpanel
controlforpulsewidth.Whenmodulated,pulsewidthcanmakesomecoolpadand
basssounds.
PulseFMPW: Controlsthewaveformpulsewidth.

Level(Lvl): Setsthedirectoutputleveloftheoperator.Iftheopwillonlybeusedfor
modulation,turnitdownandenableinthemodmatrix(seefarbelow).

Pan(Pn): Setstheoperatorpanorama.

Ratio:Setstheharmonicratioinintegersandfinetuneindecimalsovertheplayednote.
Clickingonthelefthandsideoftherationumericdisplaywillchangetheharmonicinteger,and
clickingontherighthandsidewillchangetheharmonicdecimal.Aratioof1meansthe
operatorwillcycleorplayafrequencycorrespondingtotheplayednote.Aratioof2willdouble
thisetc...rangegoesfromzero(nosound)to64.Avalueof.5willhalvethefrequencywhich
makesforcoolbasssoundsandundertones.Valuesunder.5canmakesoundslikeamplitude
modulation.

Fix(value): Setsafixedtuningoffsetfortheoperator.Itmaybeusedtocreatedetuningthat
sounds/beatsthesameinalloctaves.

+/:
Determinesthesignofthefixedtuningoffset.Clickingonthesignwillswitchbetween
positiveandnegative.

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

Fix(button): Fixestheoperatorfrequencytoaconstantvaluethatisthesameacrossthenote
range.Thisishandyfordrum,percussionamdfxsoundsorfornonpitchedelementsofa
sound.

Sync: SyncronizesorresetsthetriggeringoftheSineandFormantoperatormodessothatthe
sinealwaysbeginsatavalueandphaseofzero.

Vel/FVel: Theoperatoramplifieroroperatorfiltervelocitysensitivityadjustshowtheopampor
filterwillrespondtotheperformedspeedorvelocityfromamidicontroller.Avalueofzero
meansnoresponseandavalueof1meansmaximumresponsetotheplayedvelocity.

KA/KF: Thekeyboardscalingoftheamplifieroroperatorfiltersetshowtheampwillbebiased
dependingonthenoteplayed.Itessentiallysetsaslopefrom1to+1eitherincreasingthe
outputoflownotes(negativevalues),orincreasingtheoutputofhighnotes(positivevalues).

VS: ThisparameteradjuststhevelocitysensitivityofthetimescalingoftheMultipoint
Envelope.Positivevaluesincreasethespeed(compress)oftheenvelope,whilenegative
valuesslow(expand)thespeed.

KS: ThisparameteradjuststhetimescalingsensitivityoftheMultipointEnvelopetothekeyor
notenumber.

AMP/FILT: Switchesthedisplaybetweenthemultipointenvelopesfortheamplifierandfilter.

MAST: OverridesthepreviousAMP/FILTdisplaytoshowtheMasterFilterEnvelope.Even
thoughthisenvelopedisplayisintheOperator1section,whentheMASTbuttonisenabledthe
envelopeshownisfortheMasterFilterthatalloperatorsgointo.Thevelocityandkeyscaling
sensitivityvaluesarealsoswitchedandpertaintotheMasterFilterEnvelope.

MultipointEnvelopes: Thesesophisticatedenvelopesareconnecteddirectlytotheoperator
amplifierandfilter,havingonlyonepropertythatcanbemodulatedtimescaling.Withthis
envelopeitispossibletohaveanarbitrarynumberofstagesorpoints,levelsandcurvesin
between.Theenvelopecanbesyncedtoincomingmidiclockandlooped,providingforrythmic
patternsorlongrepeatingsections.Thetimescaleinputcanbeusedwiththemapper
modulatorstocompressorexpandthedurationoftheentireenvelope.IftheSYNCbuttonis
enabledtheenvelopegridwillshowdurationsasdivisionsofthecurrenttempo(bpm),andthe
timescalingreceivedwillbequantizedtomultiplesof0.125or1/8thsofthecurrentduration.
Whenthesyncbuttonisdisabled,timescalingwillresultincontinuouschangestothe
envelopesoverallduration.

Themultipointenvelopescomewithbuiltinpresetsforquicksetupandyourowncanbesaved.
Thebasicideaistodoubleclicktomakeanewpoint,orrightclickapointtoremove.The
displaycanbemovedrightorleftbygrabbingtheemptyspace,andzoomingiseasily

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

accomplishedbygrabbingandmovingupordown.Thefulldetailofallmultipointenvelope
featuresandsettingscanbefoundinyourReaktordocumentationfolder.

Controlscommontoallormostfiltertypes:
FOn:Turnstheoperatorfilteronoroff.
FVel:Setsthevelocitysensitivityofthefiltercutofffrequency.
P:
Setsthefiltercutofffrequency.
Res:Setsthecutoffresonanceoremphasis.
Env:Setsthesensitivitytothebuiltinfilterenvelope.Positivevaluesaddtheenvelope
topanelvalues,whilenegativessubtract.
Key:Thisisthekeyornotesensitivity.
Sat:
ThisisthesaturationpointorlevelatwhichsaturationwilloccurfortheSVF,
Ladder,TwinPeaksandCombFilter.Itcanalsobecalledheadroomforthefilters.
FType: Thefiltertypeisadropdownmenuthatselectsoneof6filters:

FilterTypeSVF: Thisstandsfor statevariablefilter

andallowsonetochangethestateofthe
filtercontinuouslyfromlowpasstobandpassandthenhighpass.Itcanfurtherbeconfigured
from2to4poles.Itisamodernfilter,andwithmodulationfromlfoorenvelopescanmake
wickedsounds.
SVFL/H: Thisisthefiltertypecontrolsthatchangesthefilterfromlowatknobleftto
bandpassatcenterpositionandHiPassattherightposition.WhenZDFisenabled,this
knobchangesfunctionslightlytoselectbetweenLowpass,Bandpass,Highpassand
Notchfiltertypes.
SVF2/4p: Setsthesvffilterslopefrom2to4poles.
ZDF:Enablesthezerodelayfeedbackversionofthestatevariablefilter.

FilterTypeLadder:
Thisisadigitallowpassfilterthatresemblestheladderfilterfromm00g
synthesizers.Itcanbeconfiguredinvariousstagesandcomeswithatypicalvolumedrop.
LadderMode: Thissetsthenumberofladderstagesandincreasesthefiltercutoff
slope.
ZDF:EnablesthezerodelayfeedbackversionoftheLadderfilter.
Boost: WhenusingtheZDFLadderfilter,theboostcontroladdsextragaintomakeup
foranylevelchangeswithresonance.

FilterTypeTwinPeaks: Thisfilteriscomprisedoftwosvffilterscombined.Theseperation
betweenfiltercutoffsandboostingoftheirresponsecanbeconfiguredormodulated.Thisfilter
canproducevocalsoundsorallowforthefilteringoftwodifferentcenterfrequencies.
TwinPeaksSepr8:
Setstheseperationinfrequencybetweenthetwofilters.Thisworksinconjunctionwith
themainPorfiltercutoffwhichaffectsbothfilters.
TwinPeaksBoost:
Setstheoutputlevelofthecombinedfilteroutput.Thisisnecessaryiftheseperation

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

betweenfiltersiscloseandresonancecausesthesignaltoaccumulateandpossibly
causedistortion.

FilterTypeComb: Thisisatypicalcombfilterthatcanbecontrolledbynotenumber,orother
modulators.Itcanimpartaverymetallicorringingsoundtotheoperatoroutputandin
feedbackcouldbeunpredictabl.Turnyourspeakersdownwhenexperimenting.Inplaceof
hardsync,useofthisfiltercanmakeasimilarscreechingsoundwhenusedwithanenvelope,
orLFO.
CombMix: Controlsthedry/wetmixofthecombfilter.
CombFeedback: Setstheamountoffeedbackinthecombfilterwhichcanmakefora
moredramaticorcoloredsound.

FilterTypeResonator: Verysimilartothecombfilter,butmoresoinforcingasignaltoagiven
centerpitch.Itcanoverloadsoagainturndownyourspeakersandusesparinglywheninself
feedback.
ResonatorDamp:
Setstheamountofresonatordamping.Increasingorturningtotherightwillresultin
longerdelays.
ResonatorHiCut:
Thisisthecutoffoftheinternallowpassfilterinsemitones.Increasesthedampingfor
highfrequencies.
ResonatorDir/LP:
Enablesorbypassestheinternallowpassfilter.

FilterTypePro52: Thisisalowpassfiltermodeledontheresponseofthefilterfromthe
Prophet5.Shakeitup.

OperatorMod: ThisparameterselectsbetweenFM(frequencymodulation)orRM(ring
modulation)fortheoperatorwhenusingmodulationinthefeedbackmatrix.

OperatorScale: Turnsontheoperatormicrotuningfunction.Valuesareinunitsofcents
(1/100semitone).Thisfunctiontunesincomingnotesupordownincentsdependingonthe
valuesenteredforthenotesoftherootoctave.Bydefault,valuesofzeroordisabling
correspondto12ToneEqualTemperament.TosetupanoperatorforJustintonation,enterthe
followingseriesofnumbersstartingwithC:
Just: [0,12,4,16,14,2,17,2,14,16,18,12]
Pythagorean: [0,14,4,6,8,2,12,2,16,6,4,10]
Kirnberger: [0,10,6,6,14,2,10,3,8,10,4,12]
Vallotti&Young [0,6,4,2,8,2,8,2,4,6,0,10]
WerkmeisterIII [0,10,8,6,10,2,12,4,8,12,4,8]
WCSuperJust [0,5,4,16,14,2,49,2,41,16,31,12]
WCHarmonic [0,5,4,2,14,29,49,2,41,6,31,12]
Bagpipe [0,70,12,43,57,6,51,15,70,28,14,51]

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

ChineseLu [0,1,4,16,6,2,8,2,1,6,18,6]

Toentercustom12tonemicrotonalscales,itmaybenecessarytoconvertfromfrequency
valuesorratiostocents.Aconvenientspreadsheetformulafordoingsois:

cents=log(
A1
,2)*1200

WherethecellA1containsthefrequencyratioof5/4or1.25whichistheratioofthemajorthird
totherootinJustIntonation.Thisresultsinabout386cents.InEqualTemperament,thisratio
wouldbe400cents.Thedifferenceis14centsandwhyweenterthisasthe5thvalueabove
forJustIntonation.Formoreinformationpleasereferto:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cent_(music)

Totunenotestoatonictonalscale,enter100or+100inrootsC#,D#,F#,G#,andA#.The
operatorscalefunctioncanbeusedtotunealloperatorstothesamescaleandkey,orwhen
combinedwithdifferentoperatorratiovalues,beusedforharmony.

Tonic/Major: [0,100,0,100,0,0,100,0,100,0,100,0]
Minor: [0,100,0,0,100,0,100,0,0,100,0,100]
MinorBlues: [0,100,+100,0,100,0,0,0,100,+100,0,100]
ChromaticBlues [0,100,0,0,0,0,100,0,100,0,0,0]
Tonic+BlueNotes [0,100,0,100,25,0,100,33,+100,0,100,40]
ArabicScale [0,0,100,+100,0,0,100,0,0,100,+100,0]
Arabicwithtones [0,50,100,+100,0,0,100,0,0,100,+100,50]

Theoperatorscaleisalsohelpfulwhenusingthepitchtrackertotriggertheinstrumentwitha
voiceorunfrettedinput.Seetheincludedsnapshotsforexamples.
ScaleTrans: Thistransposesthekeyofthescalefunction.Thisworksinacircular
fashionandacceptsvaluesbetween0(C)to11(B).Thisparameterallowstochange
thekeyinadditiontothedeterminedscale.Bysettingoffsetvaluesintherootsof
multipleoperatorstocreatetonicfilters,onecanfurtherchangethekeyoftheoperators
forpolyharmonicarrangementintheinstrument.

FeedbackMatrix:
ThematrixofknobsintheupperrightoftheAviewcontrolhowmuchaudiofeedbackoccurs
between7inputs(6operators+1externalinput),andoutputstothe6operators.EachRowin
thematrixrepresentsthecarrierinputsofeachoperator.Youcanimagineeachrowas
modulationreceivesforeachoperator.Thetoprowcorrespondstooperator1andthebottom
rowtooperator6.EachColumn inthematrixrepresentsthemodulatoroutputsorsends.
Eachknobinthematrixadjuststheleveloffeedbackfrom0to1betweenmodulatingand
carrieroperators.Aknobvalueof0meansnofeedbackandthematrixisdesignedtoturnthis

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

connectionoffatthispositiontosavecpu.Whenavaluegreaterthan0isselected,theaudio
connectionisenabled.Eachknobislabeledaccordingtoitspositionwitha2digitnumber
indicatingfirstCarrier(row)thenModulator(column).ThefeedbackmatrixworksforbothFMand
RMoperatormodes. However,withRM,useextremecautionwhenengagingoperatorself
feedbackasthismaycauseextremeandfullscaleoutputoftheoperator.Turnyour
speakeramplifierorlevelverylowbeforeproceeding.

Tocreateselffeedbackinoperator1,increasethevalueoftheupperleftmostknobrow1
column1(11).Selffeedbackpositionsforalloperatorsfollowalongadiagonalfrom11to66.
Tomodulateoperator1withtheexternalinput,increasethevalueoftheupperrightmostknob
row1column7(17)afterenablingtheexternalinputintheBViewAudiopage.Tomodulate
operator1withtheoutputofoperator2,usetheknobinthepositionrow1,column2(12).

Thematrixpositionnumbersareespeciallyimportanttounderstandifmodulatingtheirvalues
fromtheSY66eventMapperwhichcontainsalistofthese2digitnumbersasdestinationsfor
theeventgenerator(EG)ofyourchoice.Aswithallparameterdestinations,theknobvalues
areusedprimarily,andanyfurtherchangefromtheeventbusseitherincreasesordecreases
theknobvalue.

MasterFilter:
Thisfiltercomesaftertheoperatoroutputandincludesanyfeedbackalreadyoccuring.TheMF
offersthesamefeaturesandtypesastheindividualoperatorfilters,ispolyphonicandstereo.
Thismeansthatasadditionalnotesareplayed,eachvoicecreatedwillbeprocessedbythis
filterallowingdifferentvelocitiesandmodulatorstohavevoicedependenteffects.

Note:TheenvelopeforthisfiltercanbefoundinthepanelsectionforOperator1.Clickingon
theMASTbuttonwillenabletheMasterFilterEnvelopedisplay.

VoiceParameters:
Theseparametersarecommontoalloperatorsandinfluencehowvoiceswillbeusedinthe
instrument.TheycanbefoundintheAviewonthelowerrightofthepanel.
VoiceModes: SelectsthedifferentvoicemodesavailableforSY66.
Poly:Setstheinstrumenttoapolyphonicmodeforplayingmultiplenotesatthesame
time.Thenumberofvoicesavailableforpolyphonicplayissetintheinstrument
propertiesandbydefaultis8.Increasingtheinstrumentpolyphonywillincreasecpuuse
soadjusttoaccountforthemostnumberofnotesneededforyourperformance.
Mono: Setstheinstrumenttoamonophonicmodewhereonlythelastkeyplayedwill
determinethenotepitchandgate(velocity).Thismodeusesonlyonevoice.
Unison: Usethismodewithcautionasitcombinesall8voicesintoasingle
monophonicoutputandwillbeveryloud.
ArpPoly,Mono,Unison: Thesearethesameaspreviouslydescribedbutwiththe
includedarpeggiatorgeneratingpatternsofnotegeneration.Slectoneofthesearp

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

modestoenablethearpeggiator.Holdingchordswillcycleadditionalnotesthroughthat
chord.ThearpeggiatorwillonlyworkiftheReaktorClockhasbeenstartedin
standalonemode,orifyourDAWorhosttransportisrunningwhenusedinpluginmode.
ArpMode: Determinesthedirectionandnatureofadditionalandautomaticnotegeneration.
ArpSpeed: Setstherateofarpeggiatornotegenerationindivisionsofabar.For16thnotes,
select1/16.
PBRange: Setstherangeofresponseinsemitoneswhenmidipitchbendisreceived.
Detune: WhenthevoicemodeUNISONisselected,thiswillcreatedetunebetweenthevoices.
Glide:Turnsoninstrumentglideorportamento.Thiscreatesagradualtransitioninpitch
betweenthelastandcurrentlyplayedvoice.Everyvoiceinmidiarrivessequentiallysoeven
whenchording,glidecanoccurbetweenvoices.Apopularexampleofglidecanbeheardin
EmersonLakeandPalmerssongLuckyMan.
GlideTime: Setsthetransitiontimebetweennoteswhenglideisenabled.Highervalues
causelongertimesandsweeps.Shortervaluescanmaketheinstrumentsoundpunchyor
jumpy.

InstrumentOutputParameters:
Thesecontrolsareglobaltotheinstrumentbutlikemost,arestoredineachsnapshot.All
controlsheretakeeffectjustbeforetheFXstage.
Level: Setstheoverallinstrumentlevelindecibels.
Pan/Balance: Setstheoverallpanorbalanceoroutputbetweenleftandrightchannels.
Mute: Enablesorbypassesthestereooutput.
Spread: Increasesthestereospreadbetweenvoiceswhenplayedpolyorinunison
mode.
Tune: Thisisthemastertuningoftheinstrumentwitharangeof1semitonesharpor
flatandinunitsofcentsorhundredthsofasemitone.
Scale: Setsuptheglobalmicrotonalscaletobeusedforthewholeinstrument.Please
refertotheoperatorscalefunctionaboveformoredetails.Ifusingmicrotonalscalesin
theoperator,thisshouldbedisabled.

TheSY66EventBuss:

Concept: TheSY66eventbussisahighlyflexiblesystemforconnectingormappingevent
inputsandeventgenerators(EG)withparameterdestinations.Itallowsforsourcesandtargets
boththeonetomanyandmanytoonemodulationstyles.Forexample,eachmacroknobor
sourcecanbeassignedtomanyparameterswithdifferentamountsanddirections,andeach
parametercanreceiveeventsfrommultiplesources.

Unlikemanysynthesizerswhosestructureandcapabilityislargelydefinedandlimitedbyits
eventmodulationsystem,SY66iscomprehensiveinallowingacreativepersontofreely
associateinputsandEGwithparameterdestinationswithintheinstrument,atthemasterlevel

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

andwithintheFX.Theeventbussbringstogetherexternalandinternaleventstobemappedto
destinationsinawaythatcanberecalledineachsnapshot,andisorganizedinawaytobe
consistentandsaneinregardstoexpectedresults.

TheSY66eventbussutilizesthemultiplexingmethodscontainedinMaxZaglersPartials
FrameworkforReaktor.AllsourcesandtargetsformodulationareindexedinSY66andgiven
uniquenumericalids.Eachmessageintheeventbuss{b}isacombinedmultiplexedid/value
pair.Becausetheidsarenumericalinsteadoftextual,mathandlogiccanbeeasilyusedto
manipulatetargetidsandroutes.Tooptimisecpuusage,aneventroutingsystemisusedto
routemessagestotargetsusingtheleastamountofswitching.Withoutrouting,theentirebuss
wouldbeinbroadcasttopologycausingmanyunnecessaryidcomparisons.Ontheopposite
extreme,afullywiredandswitchedsystemwouldbemostefficient,butflexibilityislostfor
thingslikeonesourcetomanytargets,andarbitrarytargetgroups.TheSY66digitaleventbuss
isacompromisebetweenfullyunswitched(broadcast)andfullyswitched(wired)topologiesthat
givesthemostflexibilitywhileminimizingcpu.Acompletelistingofsourceandtargetidscan
beprovided(800+)foradvancedreaktoruserswhowouldliketocreatecustommodulation
functionsandtechniques.

Allvaluesenteringthebussareinthebipolarrange1to+1andactuponthevaluesfirst
definedbythepanelcontrolelements.Thepanelvaluesaredefaultwithmodulationseither
addingorsubtractingtothisdefaultvalue,dependingontheamountselectedinthemapper
assignmentrow.

EveryparameterdestinationinSY66thatispartoftheeventbusscontainsthreeterminals
throughwhichmodulationcanoccur.Sincemodulatorsarrivingatadestinationmayconflict
andoverrideeachother,threeterminalsareprovidedforeachparameterthatareadded
together.Eachseperatedestinationterminalisenumeratedinthemappersystemallowing
easyselectionofdifferentterminalstoaffordadditionorcombinationofvaluesinsteadofevent
collision.Eachdestinationinthestructurecontainsthesethreeterminalsinamacrothat
combinesthemwiththepanelvalueandendswithasnapshotmodulethatwillclipandrestrict
thefinalvaluewithinanappropriaterangeandstoreandrecallthatcombinedvaluein
snapshots.Thismeansthatthecombinationofapanelandmacroknobvaluewillbestored
andrecalled.

Theeventbussismonophonic,meaningthatwhentheadsrorbreakpointenvelopesareused,
theywillaffectallactivevoicesthesame.Envelopesfortheoperatoramplifiers,filtersandthe
masterfilterenvelopearepolyphonicandnotpartoftheeventbuss.However,theirenvelope
amountsandtimescalingaremodulationdestinations.

EventBussMidiSources:

Theseeventscomefromtheoutsideworldthrough
automationinthecaseoftheliveknobsandbuttons,andmidi.

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LiveKnobs(8): ThesearemacrocontrolsintheBviewLivepagethatcanbemidi
learnedorassociatedwithautomationidsforexternalcontrol.SY66isstandardizedon
aneightknobandbuttonformatforhardwareintegrationandsounddesign.Each
snapshotandpresetinSY66canhavedifferentassignmentsforthesecontrolsand
allowforanefficientconsolidationofcontrolsforliveperformanceandplay.Eachmacro
knobcanbeconnectedtomultipleparameterdestinationswithdifferentamountsand
directionsaffordinghighlyrefinedcontrolandcreativeuseofthehardwareonapreset
basis.Eachknobcanbebipolar(BI)orunipolar(UNI)dependingonthesettingfound
justbeneaththedisplayedvalue.
LiveButtons(8): Similarinapproachtotheliveknobs,thesebuttonsintheBviewlive
pagecanbeusedasstandardizedcontrolsthatarerecalledineachpreset.
NotePitchMidi: Thiseventsourcearrivesintherange0127butisconvertedto01to
beusedasamodulatorofarbitrarydestinations.
OnVelocity: Theincomingmidivelocityisconvertedto01andthenmapped.
OffVelocity: Ifyourmidicontrollersupportsoffvelocity,thenthisnumberisalso
convertedto01range.
OnGate: Theincomingmidinoteeventisconvertedtoavalueof1andthenmapped.
PitchBend: Thisisstandardmidipitchbendconvertedtoarangeof1to+1with0at
center.
Aftertouch: Thismidieventissentintherange01.
CC: Midicontinuouscontrollereventsscaledarangeof01.AllCCnumbersare
availableinthemapperforselectiveassignmenttodestinationsandrecalledona
snapshotbasis.Thisallowsforrefinedhardwarecontrol.

EventBussInternal/ExternalSources:
TheseeventscomefromwithinSY66or
fromtheaudioinput,andinthecaseoftheLFOandEnvelopes,canbedestinationsaswell.
TheLFOandEnvhavetheirownpanelcontrolsintheBviewandtheirparametersmaybe
themselvesmodulatedwhilebeingsourcestodestinations.

LFO(12): ThesearetheSY66lowfrequencyoscillatorsandcomewithavarietyofcontrols.
LFOOn: EnablesorbypassestheLFO.Turnthemoffifnotneeded.
LFOShape: Allowstoselectoneofsevenshapesincludingpulse,tri,sine,sawup,saw
down,sample&hold,andbrowniantypes.
LFOMidiClk: SyncstheLFOratetoadivisionofthecurrentreaktororhostclock
tempo.Usethenumeratoranddenominatormenustoselectanappropriatedurationof
oscillation.
LFOSpeed: Whenmidiclkisdisabled,setsthelforateincyclespersecond.
LFOTrig: Whenmidiclkisdisabled,thisbuttonwillenableretriggeringthephaseofthe
LFOwhenreceivinganewgatesignal.
LFOPhase: SetstheinitialphaseoftheLFO.
LFOPulseWidth: Whenthelfoshapepulseisselected,setsthepulsewidthofthe
lfo.

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

LFOAmount: SetstheamountoftheLFOoutput.
ADSREnv(12): Thesearetypicalenvelopesoffering4parameters:Attack,Decay,Sustainand
Release.Theseparametersmaythemselvesbemodulatedbyothersources.Thereisan
includedenable/bypassandturnthemoffifnotneeded.
BreakpointEnv(6): Thesearethereaktormultipointenvelopesinbipolarform.Thereisonly
oneparametertobemodulatedforeachoneandthisistheenvelopestimescaling,described
intheoperatorsection.
AudioEnv: Thisistheoutputofanaudioenvelopefollowerscaledtotherangeof01.Touse
thissource,theexternalaudioinputandAudioEnvmustbeenabledintheBviewLivePage.
AudioPitch: Thisisabuiltinpitchtrackerthatcanbeusedusedtocontroltheinstrument
note,usingtheNOTEbutton,orfreelyasamodulatorotherwise.TotriggerSY66withan
externalpitchedinstrumentorvoice,youmustuseboththeAudioPitchandEnvelopefollower
togetherwiththePitchNOTEbuttonenabled,andthenthefollowerroutedtoanoperators
amplifier.
AudioGate: Thisisanaudiotriggerthatusesthepeakvaluecrossingathresholdtocreatea
singlegateintherangeof01.Ifusingdrumtriggers,thissourcewouldbepreferabletousing
theenvelopefollowerandincludesnumerousparameterstorefinetheaudiotriggersensitivity.
Tempo: Thisisthecurrentreaktororhosttempoinbeatspersecond.
Voices: Thissourceprovidesthecurrentnumberofvoicesbeingplayedasamodulator.
MouseX,Y,B: ThesesourcescomefromtheXYcontrollerfoundontheLivepage.XandY
refertothecontrollerXandYaxisvalues,andBistheleftbutton.

EventBussDestinations:
Theavailableeventbussdestinationsincludethefollowing
sectionsoftheinstrumentandincludemostnonswitchedcontrols.
Operators16
Matrix
MasterFilter
FX1FX4
MasterParameters
LFO
ADSR
Breakpoints
Output/Pan

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

EventBussMapper:
TheEventBussMappercanbefoundintheBpanelviewontheMapperpage.Eachrowor
lineofcontrolsonthemapperpagedefinesanassociationbetweenthepreviouslydescribed
eventsources,anddestinations.Eachmapperlinestartsontheleftwithanenable/bypass
switchandisdividedbetweenmenusspecifyingtheeventsource,andthenthedestination.
Thefirsttwoleftmostfieldsspecifytheeventsourcemenus,andtherestaredestinationmenus.

Source: Selectstheeventsourceandifthesourcecomesinmultiplenumbers,thenextmenu
selectsthatsourcenumber.ForexamplewithADSRselectedassource,furtherselctedwhich
ADSRtouse.WithsourcetypeCC,furtherselectCCtobeused.
#:
Thisbeginsthedestinationdefinitionwithwhatreceiveterminaltouse.Eachdestinationhas
threeterminalswhichareaddedtogethertocombinemodulators.
Section: Thisisthepreviouslydescribedinstrumentsectionthatcomprehensivelycovers
operators16,matrix,masterandFX1FX4parameters.Dependingonwhatsectionisselected,
youwillbepresentedwithfurtherrelevantmenus.
Parameter: Thismenushowsalistofavailableparameterdestinationsforthepreviously
selectedsection.IfFXwasselected,thenthereareadditionallymoreparametersectionsfor
eacheffecttype,andalsofordistortiontypes.
Amount: Setstheamountofmodulationappliedtothedestinationinarangeof1to+1.
Destinationsarescaledsuchthatamodulationfrom0to1willgothroughtheentirerangeofa
givenparameter.
Scale: Thevaluereducestherangeofthemodulationforverysmallamountsbybeing
multipliedwiththeamountvalue.ItisusefulwhenmodulatingparameterslikeOperatorRatio
andFixwhichhaveaverylargenumberrange,andsmallchangesarenoticeable.Avalueof1
hasnoeffectandavalueof0.5willcuttheAmountinhalf.
Curvature: Thisparametersetstheamountofexpressionshapingforthemodulation.Avalue
of64islinearandnoshapingwilloccur.Valuesbetween63to0areexponentialcurves,and
65to129logarithmic.

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

SY66Effects(4FX):
SY66containsanadditionalinstrumentcalled4FXthatprovideseffectsin4fxunitsorganized
inaserialchainbasedonadesignbyMartijnZwartjes,yetcontainingReaktorfx,mostthat
weremadebyMartijnduringhiscapacityasNIChiefDSPDesigner.Eachunitcontainsthe
followingeffecttypes:
PitchShifter
GraphicEQ10
FrequencyShifter
Filterbank+LFO
DualSyncDelay
DistortedFilter
Compressor
SteinPhaser
Chorus
Reverb
Distortions:
Distortion
HQSaturator
Polynomial+Saturation
Saturator4
SineShaper
Tube
WaveFold
WaveWrap
Phaser/Flanger
StereoImager
BandFilter
Lofi

The4FXinterfacepresentsaparameterareathatshowstheeffectselectedwiththerectangular
buttons.AblueLEDlampshowswhicheffectunitisbeingdisplayed,andaredLEDshows
whethertheeffectisturnedonorbypassed.Signalflowsfromthelefttotheright,andincludes
inputandoutputlevelcontrols.Amasterpowerbuttonwillturnenable/disableall4units.

Touseanyofthefx,startbyturningonthechainwiththemasterpowerbutton,thenfurther
enableanindividualeffectunit.Theindividualeffectsareselectedwithadropdownmenu.All

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

theSY66presetsnapshotsoundscontainvariouseffectassignments.Unlikemany
synthesizers,mostofthe4FXparametersineachunitareincludedintheeventbuss.This
meansthatunlikeconventionaleffects, virtuallyalltheeffectparameterscanbemodulatedwith
thesynthesizer .Youcaneasilyremotecontrolthefx,orassignLFOandEnvelopesto
dramaticallyshapeeffectsettings.Forexampleyoucouldmodulatedistortionamountwiththe
sameenvelopeyouusetocontrolafilter.Weoftenhearinterestingthingsturningknobson
effectunitswhileprogrammingthem.TakealookatthemappermenuscoveringFXandyou
willfindacomprehensivelistofeffectparameterstomodulateallowingformanypossibilitiesto
combineoperatorandeffectcontroltogether.

Acknowledgements:
IwouldliketothankthefollowingindividualsforassistanceandwhosepreviousworkinReaktor
wasincorporatedinSY66.

MartijnZwartjes :Forexcellenteffects,filtersandsignificantconsultationduringthe
designandbuildingphase.
StephanSchmitt :ForcreatingReaktorandspecificallyFM4withMartijnwhich
providedgreatideasforoperatorratioandfixtuning.
VadimZavalishin: ForhispaperonZeroDelayFeedbackfilterdesign.
MaxZagler :ForhisPartialsFrameworkthatcontainsamethodforeventmultiplexing
thatisusedintheSY66eventbuss.
EricWiegand :ForthemultibreakpointenvelopesusedinSY66.
BrianKent /
nigma :ForthevisitorbitmapfontusedintheSY66logoandbuttons.
YujiOshimoto /
04 /
http://www.04.jp.org/:Forthe04b03bitmapfontusedintheSY66
panelswitchanimations.
GIMP /
http://www.gimp.org :ForallSY66graphics.
Knobman /http://www.g200kg.com/en/software/knobman.html

Lastly,IwouldliketoacknowledgeandextendgratitudetoNativeInstrumentsfortheir

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 SY66forNativeInstrumentsReaktorv.1.5

continuedsupportofReaktorandinnovativetechnologyformusicians.
JonathanAdamsLeonard20122016

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