ARP ODYSSEY Owner's Manual

Oscillator (VCO): generates tone.
Filter (VCF): changes tone color.
Amplifier (VCA): controls volume.
Envelope Generator (ADSR and
AR): controls attack and decay.
Frequency: pitch.
Timbre: tone color.
Amplitude: volume
Envelope: attack and decay shape.
ADSR and AR:
attack, decay, sustain release.
E
attack and release.
Attenuator: on the Odyssey, a
slider that lets signal through
when it’s up and cuts it off
when it’s down.
Audio range: the range of pitches
that your ear can hear.
Harmonics: overtones. The more
harmonics are present, the
more brilliance the sound will
have.
Hertz (Hz): an electronic term
meaning “cycles per second.”
The human ear can hear pitches
from 20 to 20,000 cycles per
second, or 20Hertz to 20
kiloHertz. (20Hz - 20KHz).
Highpass filter (HPF): changes
timbre by cutting off low
harmonics and passing high
ones.
Internal clock: adjustable low
frequency oscillator.
Lowpass filter (VCF): changes
timbre by cutting off high
harmonics and passing low .
ones.
Mixer: combines signals.
Noise: a random signal that
sounds like а “hiss,”
Odyssey: the ultimate musical
trip.
Phase: the relationship of one
waveform to another.
sine waves
in phase. out of phase.
Phase р izatii usin
one oscillator to control the
phase of another oscillator of
different pitch.
Pitch bend: control of the
frequency of a note while
it’s being played.
Portamento: a glissando, or
sliding between notes.
Resonance: “wow”? control. In
electronic terms, a control that
amplifies a narrow band of
overtones.
Sample & hold: produces a series
of steps, which can control
pitch, volume, or brilliance.
Triggers itself automatically.
| $/Н Ne
turns A E
Ris i
this er
| H
¡e
Sub-audio range (Low frequency):
pitches that are below what
your ear can hear as a tone.
Trigger: an electronic impulse
put out by a keyboard or low
frequency oscillator that starts
the envelope generator.
Voltage control: on a synthesizer, it
means substituting an electrical
signal for manual control of pitch,
brilliance, volume, and attack &
decay.
Waveform: tone. Different shapes
of waveforms have different
timbre:
Square:
sounds hollow, reedy.
Pulse:
sounds thin, nasal.
Sawtooth:
sounds rich, full, brassy
Sine: \
sounds smooth, round, pure.
Ring modulator: produces
a single complex output signal
which contains all the sums and
differences of the two inputs.
OP igs
$ BO ру =
м
И
Learn to take
yourself on
the ultimate
musical trip!
Electronic Music Synthesizer
Your ARP synthesizer is warranted for the original purchaser only against defects in materials or
workmanship for one full year from date of purchase.
In case of defect, repairs will be made without charge when the synthesizer is shipped,
transportation prepaid, properly packed, to the nearest ARP authorized service center.
These warranties do not cover defects resulting from accident, alteration, improper use,
unauthorized repairs, tampering, or failure of the purchaser to follow normal operating procedures
outlined in the user’s manual, nor, for example, does it cover damage resulting from acts of God,
such as, flood, tornadoes, or lightning. Parts replaced under these warranties are warranted only
through the remaining portion of the original warranty.
This warranty becomes effective only when the ARP Warranty Registration card is properly filled
out with all the required information and received at ARP INSTRUMENTS, INC. within 14 days
from the date of purchase.
The foregoing warranties are in lieu of all other warranties express, implied, or statutory, including
but not limited to any implied warranty or merchantability or fitness, and all other obligations or
liabilities of ARP INSTRUMENTS, INC. In no event shall ARP INSTRUMENTS, INC. be liable for
special or consequential damages, or for any delay in the performance of this warranty due to
causes beyond its control.
If your Odyssey fails during the first year after purchase, contact the dealer from whom it was
purchased or the factory to obtain the name and address of the nearest ARP authorized service
center. Do not return your Odyssey to the factory without getting prior approval. You are
responsible for getting your Odyssey safely to the service center and back. If you ship your
Odyssey, be certain to insure it for its full value and enclose a note describing the problem. And
pack it well.
IMPORTANT! The enclosed Warranty card must be returned to the factory within 14 days of purchase.
Table of contents
Setup „еее ee eee 3
Voltage control ............ 4
Assembling а sound. ......... . 5
Signal sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The “assembly line’. 2... ... ... 7
Phase synchronization... . . . . . .. 8
Ring modulation . . . . .. Last 9
Voltage controlled filter . . . o... 10
Highpass filter & Amplifier... . . .. 11
Envelope generators. . . . . o... .. 12
Low frequency oscillator. .... ...13
Sample & hold. (ее. 14,15
Keyboard & pedals... . . .. . . .. 16
It’s a variable synthesizer |... . . . .17
Os
ODYSSEY
GUIDE
Instant Od VSSEY „(еее нее. 18
2-Voice with Pedal ........ `...19
Phase-Synchronized ОзсИаюг...... 20
Guitar-Leslie. . oo... ooo... oo. 21
Trumpet ........404. on © gal ot 22
Trumpet Chorus „(и 4... .. 23
String Chorus ........ ван ds 24
Flute, oes un à a Los Sata 25
Electric Bass. еее нее. 26
‘Hammond-Leslie’. . . 2.2222... 27
Sample & Hold Percussion ..:.... 28
Banjo with Repeat .........., 29
Gong/Chime. .............. 30
PS
SAVANT GARDE PRO JAZZMAN
THERE’S AN ARP FOR EVERYONE!
Copyright ARP Instruments, Inc.
320 Needham Street
Newton, Mass. 02164
First Printing. . . .November, 1972
PROFESSOR FAN
SET UP YOUR ODYSSEY
1. Remove the instrument from its shipping
carton. Do not throw the carton and packing
materials away. They can be used to protect
the Odyssey in transportation.
2. The Odyssey should be placed on a firm
support about 30” off the floor so that its key-
board is at a comfortable playing height. An
optional performance stand is available from
your dealer.
3. Connect the power cord to a grounded
110-117 VAC electrical outlet. The power
switch in the upper right corner of the control
panel will light up when the Odyssey is turned
on.
4. Like all electronic musical instruments, the
Odyssey must be connected to an amplifier
and loudspeaker system in order to produce
sounds. The phone jack labeled “low level”
on the back of the instrument is for use with
standard musical instrument amplifiers. The
smaller phono (RCA) jack next to it is la-
beled “high level” and should be used in
connecting your Odyssey to a tape recorder,
stereo amplifier, or electronic organ.
5. A foot switch and pedal control have been
supplied with your Odyssey. Connect these to
the rear panel jacks labeled “pedal” and
“switch.” The pedal is not a simple volume
control such as you are familiar with if you
have played electronic organs; it is an integral
part of the Odyssey and is essential for realis-
ing the full potential of the instrument.
6. You are now ready to make music with
your Odyssey. You can begin immediately,
if you wish, by turning to the end of this man-
ual and setting up any one of the “patches”
given there. There are thousands of patches
you can discover on your own, and in the next
few pages of this manual we will show you, in
simplified form, how you can discover some
of them.
7. Until you are quite familiar with the range
of sounds your Odyssey can produce, it will
be a good idea to keep the tone controls of
your amplifier set to their “flat” or normal
position. Later on, of course, you can use
them freely, together with reverberation if
your amplifier provides it.
Setup ARP ODYSSEY Page 3
HOW YOUR ODYSSEY WORKS
1. Most purely electronic musical instruments
work by generating certain kinds of “raw”
sounds from circuits called oscillators. These
raw sounds (not usually very pleasant or musi-
cal sounding by themselves) are then modified
by other circuits such as filters to make them
musically useful. In a very general way, this is
how your Odyssey works, but there are im-
portant differences.
2. One difference is that the synthesizer gives
you complete control over every step of the
process that turns a raw sound into an inter-
esting musical event or series of events.
All of the slide controls on the upper half of
your Odyssey control panel, for example, re-
present forms of sound modification that
either do not exist on other electronic musical
instruments or are buried deep inside where
only a serviceman could reach them.
3. The biggest difference, however, is that
with your ARP Odyssey the process of whitt-
ling a raw sound into something musically in-
teresting can be controlled not only manually
but also, in several important respects, auto-
matically. This is the principle of voltage
control, which means controlling the operation
of your synthesizer by means of changing volt-
ages as well as changing slider positions. Some
of the circuits in your Odyssey exist only in
order to produce such control signals. (Some
of these are the sample/hold circuit, the two
envelope generators, the LFO, and the key-
board. )
4. In a modern manufacturing plant many
operations such as drilling, milling, and lathe
work will be controlled by computer. Most of
us have seen at one time or another a film of
this sort of thing—a piece of raw material being
locked into place and machined to a certain
size, with holes of a certain depth, width, and
placement—and so on. You can think of your
Odyssey as being such an “assembly line” for
the construction of sounds.
Page 4 ARP ODYSSEY How it works: Voltage control
Audio signals from the
two voltage controlled
oscillators (VCO 1 and
VCO 2), the noise gen-
_ erator, and ring modu-
lator are mixed and
passed through the volt
age controlled filter, the
high pass filter, and the
voltage controlled amp-
lifier before leaving the
synthesizer. The output
of the voltage control-
ed amplifier is connect-
ed to the output jacks
on the back of your
Odyssey.
5. The ARP Odyssey contains about a dozen
separate pieces of equipment (plus a few extra
controls such as the portamento and pitch
bend controls on the far left of the panel.)
These can be connected to each other in many
different ways by the switches and sliders to
produce thousands of different “assembly pro-
grams” or patches. Each patch requires:
a. at least one piece of equipment to gen-
erate the raw material from which the sound
is to be made; i.e., a signal source.
b. at least one piece of equipment to modi-
fy the raw material and make it usable; i.e.,
a signal modifier.
c. one or more pieces of equipment for
controlling the signal sources and signal
modifiers; ¡.e., control signal sources, some-
times simply called controllers.
6. The front panel of your Odyssey shows the
general assembly-line setup (Figure A). Thus,
to reach your amplifier and loudspeaker system,
a signal must pass through this “assembly line.”
This is the heart of your Odyssey. By using
the sliders and switches of the audio mixer,
you can select the raw material for processing
by the voltage controlled filter (VCF), the
high pass filter (HPF), and the voltage con-
trolled amplifier (VCA). In the next few pages,
we will show you exactly what each part of
the assembly line does by itself; the sample
patches at the end of the manual show some
of the ways they all work together.
AUDIO VOLTAGE HIGH VOLTAGE AUDIO
MIXER >| CONTROLLED PASS У CONTROLLED —— OUTPUT
FILTER FILTER AMPLIFIER
Keyboard
from Control
from from Noise Gen Voltage S/H or Envelope Envelope .
VCO 1 VCO 2 or Ring Mod or Pedal LFO Generators Generators Figure A
WERE” a
— e
AUDIO SIGNALS CONTROL SIGNALS
Assembling a sound ARP ODYSSEY Page 5
INDIVIDUAL FUNCTIONS IN THE ODYSSEY
1. Set all the controls on your Odyssey as in
Figure B. There should be no sound coming
from your speakers when the controls are set
like this, even if you press a key. But the
assembly line is “wide open” and will pass any
signal from the audio mixer in unchanged form.
2. Opening the first slider under the audio
mixer will give you a steam-like hissing noise
from the noise generator. The noise generator
is a signal source, and has one control, located
in the upper left corner of the panel (Figure C).
Moving this switch down will give you the
lower-pitched sound, like a distant waterfall,
of pink noise. These raw sounds, suitably
modified, are useful in the production of wind,
thunder, surf, and motor or machine effects.
See Patch 10.for some of these.
Close the first slider.
3. Open the second slider and you will hear a
rich buzzy tone from voltage controlled oscil-
lator 1 (VCO 1). The pitch of this tone can
be changed manually by the coarse and fine
tuning sliders (Figure D), and by voltage con-
trol from the keyboard (try playing the key-
Page 6 ARP ODYSSEY Signal sources
Figure C
[NOISE —
GENERATOR
WHITE
board using all three positions of the transpose
switch at the left of the control panel). Other
control signals can affect the frequency of
VCO 1 through the two sliding attenuators
shown in Figure E. Experiment with the in-
dicated controls. An attenuator acts like a
valve, or faucet, to set the amount of a control
signal that passes through it to affect a voltage
controlled device. An attenuator is closed
when it is all the way down, and open when it
is all the way up.
VCO 1 produces two kinds of output signals;
you have been listening to the sawtooth signal
(so called because it is a pattern of voltage
changes which look, on a graph, like the teeth
of a saw). /t is the frequency with which this
pattern is repeated every second that deter-
mines what pitch you hear. You can hear
the pulse signal by moving the middle switch
under the audio mixer down (Figure F.).
Figure D
FREQUENCY
COARSE FINE
zen
AUDIO
KYBD
ON
MG, NOISE —
GENERATOR
PINK
TRANSPOSE
2 OCTAVES
uP
PORTAMENTO
=P] - max
2 OCTAVES
DOWN
FLAT SHARP
PITCH BEND
FREQUENCY
AUDIO
KYBD
PULSE WIDTH
wort woo 1
VOLTAGE
AUDIO VOLTAGE HIGH о
MIXER CONTROLLED PASS CONTROL!
FILTER FILTER | | AMPLIFIE
LED
R
|
Г белое” 1
ENVELOPE
GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE
PAR SI
ENVELOPE GENERATOR
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
Figure F
Figure B
The “assembly line” ARP ODYSSEY Page 7
Г PULSE WIDTH —
MIDTH woo
Figure С | 4 -L
ADSR
Experiment with the pulse width control on
VCO 1 and then with the pulse width modu-
lation signal attenuator (Figure G).
Moving the switch shown in Figure H down
lowers the frequency of VCO 1 by a factor of
about a hundred. This is far below the range
of human hearing; consequently you will not
hear any continuous tone but only a more or
less rapid series of clicks (depending on the
coarse and fine frequency settings). In this
low frequency range VCO 1 is not controlled
by the keyboard (if it were, the click-frequency
would double with every keyboard octave),
and can be used as a source of control signals.
4. Return the controls on the Odyssey to the
positions shown in Figure B. Now open the
third slider under the audio mixer to hear the
raw sawtooth signal from voltage controlled
Page 8 ARP ODYSSEY Phase synchronization
oscillator 2 (VCO 2). VCO 2 is exactly like
VCO 1 except for two things:
a. VCO 2 does not have a low-frequency
operating range.
b. VCO 2 can be synchronized to VCO 1.
Phase synchronization of the two oscillators is
accomplished by the switch at the top right in
Figure | , labeled “sync off/on.” When this
switch is on, the audio signal from VCO 2 is
forced to conform to the frequency of VCO 1.
You can hear this effect in its raw form by set-
ting VCO 1 to some relatively low audio fre-
quency (near the “100 Hz” mark) and slowly
moving the coarse tuning control of VCO 2
through its entire range from bottom to top.
Experiment also with changing the frequency
of VCO 1 while leaving VCO 2 in about the
middle of its range. Patches 2,3, and others
make use of this spectacular sound.
At this point, too, with the sync switch off,
you should practice tuning VCO 1 and VCO 2
to various musical intervals by opening both
the second and third sliders under the audio
mixer.
FREQUENCY
VOLTAGE se
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR nn
1
7 т
Figure Н
Figure |
FREQUENCY
FINE SYNC,
COARSE OFF
VOLTAGE Ber
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR Jul
2
*Be sure you have returned
the sync switch to “off”
when you first try
the ring modulator.
Figure J
5. Beginning from the position of Figure B*
open the first slider under the audio mixer
again and listen to the ring modulator. The
ring modulator is a signal modifier, and when
you are listening to it you should think of
your assembly line as it is shown in Figure J.
The ring modulator has no controls of its own.
lt produces, from the pulse outputs of VCO 1
and VCO 2, a single complex output signal
which contains all the sums and differences of
the two oscillator frequencies. This means that:
a. the raw sound produced from the ring
modulator depends entirely on the tuning
of VCO 1 and VCO 2; and to a lesser extent
on the pulse width settings for each one.
Experiment with these. Note in particular
that sounds from the ring modulator do not
necessarily have any standard musical pitch
in relation to the pitch of either oscillator.
(Unless they are synchronized by the “sync”
switch on VCO 2; try that.)
b. the overtones of the ring modulator sig-
nal will not necessarily conform to the stan-
dard harmonic series. They may be extreme-
ly complex, like those of a bell, chimes,
gongs, and other metallic or percussive
sounds. All of these, in fact, can be simu-
lated by further modifications of a suitable
ring modulator signal; see Patch 12.
OUTPUT
п.
END — CONTROLLED PASS CONTRO LED
| MODULATOR SERED EA FILTER [>
HIGH AG
L
AMPLIFIER
VCO 1
nin
Ring modulator ARP ODYSSEY Page 9
6. The voltage controlled filter (VCF) is a
signal modifier. It alters the sound of signals
passing through it by selectively removing or
weakening their higher frequencies. Listening
to pink noise, with the settings as in Figure K,
move the VCF freq slider slowly down as far
as it will go. You will hear first the highest
frequency components of the noise weaken
and disappear, then middle frequencies, and
finally even the lowest bass disappear until no
signal is audible at all. Try the same procedure
with signals from one or both of the VCO's
instead of pink noise.
Raise the resonance slider about halfway up,
as in Figure L, and repeat the experiment,
first with pink noise and then with an oscillator
signal. With this resonance setting, the VCF
“'peaks” sharply around a narrow range of
frequencies; this is useful in creating various
“wa-wa” effects.
The highest position of the resonance slider is
labeled “self osc” (Figure M). In this position
the VCF is an oscillator just like one of the
VCO’s and will produce an output even with
all the input sliders on the audio mixer closed.
In other words, it becomes a signal source
rather than a signal modifier.
Page 10 ARP ODYSSEY Voltage controlled filter
VOLTAGE
OUTPUT
HIGH VOLTAGE
PASS CONTROL LED)
FILTER | | AMPLIFIER
|
AUDIO
MIXER
| |
VOLTAGE HIGH VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED PASS CONTROLLED}
FILTER FILTER | | AMPLIFIER
Figure L
#
The VCF resonance can only be set manually.
The VCF frequency can be set and changed
with control voltages as well as by hand; using
noise as your input signal, open the first con-
trol input attenuator all the way (Figure N)
and set the manual VCF freq slider about half-
way up. Now run long glissandos on the key-
board and listen to the noise grow alternately
brighter and duller. Close this attenuator and
open the next one to introduce control by the
LFO sine output. (By this time, you should
develop the habit of experimenting with all
the relevant controls for any functions in use;
in this case, for example, you will want to hear
different settings of the LFO frequency and
the VCF resonance and manual VCF frequency
settings.)
Often you will want to control the VCF
frequency by the ADSR or AR envelope gen-
erators in order to create separate events with
their own attack and decay characteristics.
For an example of this, feed one of the VCO
signals into the audio mixer and move the VCF
freq slider all the way down. Open the third
control attenuator under the VCF all the way
(all the other controls on your Odyssey should
*Thus the HPF is “wide open’’ when the HPF Cutoff
Freq control is all the way down.
VOLTAGE HIGH
CONTROLLED PASS
FILTER FILTER
| |
attanuators
Figure N
be set as in Figure B), and play the keyboard.
Continue with various settings of the VCF
freq, the third attenuator, and the four con-
trols of the ADSR envelope generator. In
general, the higher the setting of the third
attenuator, the lower you will want to set the
VCF freq, and vice versa.
7. The high pass filter (HPF) is another signal
modifier. It attenuates frequencies below the
setting of its HPF cutoff frequency slider and
thus is exactly opposite in its effects to the
VCF which is a low pass filter.* It is useful in
eliminating “boominess”* from low bass notes,
and in simulating certain instrumental sounds
(see Patch 6). The HPF is not voltage con-
trolled.
8. The voltage controlled amplifier (VCA) is
the final signal modifier stage of your Odyssey
“assembly line.” It governs the volume of the
synthesizer’s output. The most common way
of using the VCA is to set its VCA gain slider
all the way down and the control attenuator
all the way open. (See Figure O on page 12.)
Thus the VCA will allow signals to pass through
only when it is “instructed” to do so by one
of the envelope generators.
Highpass filter & Amplifier ARP ODYSSEY Page 11
9. The two envelope generators are controllers.
They are most often used to program the
attack and decay of events by controlling the
gain of the VCA or the frequency of the VCF.
The upper envelope generator in Figure O has
two control sliders, one for attack time, and
one for release time. It is referred to as the
AR generator. The lower generator has con-
trols for attack time, decay time, sustain level,
and release time, and is thus.abbreviated as the
ADSR generator.
With your Odyssey controls set as in Figure B,
feed pink noise into the audio mixer and close
the VCA gain slider all the way down. Open
the control attenuator under the VCA all the
way as in Figure P, and depress any key on
the keyboard. Raise the attack slider on the
AR generator a little way and depress a key
again. Continue to do this, each time raising
the attack control a little more until it is all
the way up. Then move it down again and
repeat the whole procedure using the release
slider.
Now experiment with VCA control by the
ADSR generator; move the selector switch un-
der the VCA control attenuator down as in
Page 12 ARP ODYSSEY Envelope generators
Figure P and try various settings of the four
ADSR controls.
By closing the VCF freq slider and opening the
third attenuator under the VCF all the way as
in Figure Q, you can give yourself a similar
introduction to ADSR and AR control of the
VCF. Experiment too with various combina-
tions of the VCF freq and control attenuator
settings, and with various mixes (by means of
the input attenuators to the audio mixer) of
signals from VCO 1 and VCO 2.
Up to now you have been triggering the enve-
lope generators only from the keyboard. By
means of the three switches at the bottom right
of Figure R, you can also trigger the envelope
generators with the LFO. Move all three
switches down and set the other controls of
your Odyssey for AR or ADSR control of the
VCF or VCA as in Figure R; now try different
settings of the LFO freq slider from low to
high. With the first switch down and the sec-
ond switch up, a series of events will be pro-
duced (triggered) by the LFO, but only when
a key is depressed. This is useful in simulating
~banjo-picking and strumming as in Patch 11.
Return switches under ADSR and AR to upper
position.
OUTPUT
VOLTAGE
Fabio 1
GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE
ENVELOPE ba ron |
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
ol ran
REPEAT GATE
LEO AUTO REPEAT
REPEAT | REPEAT an
sun
Aa
LFO AUTO
REPEAT | REPEAT
Jul
ENVELOPE GENERATOR
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN
|
RELEASE
VOLTAGE
Figure P
Figure Q
Figure R
Figure S
Low frequency oscillator
10. The low frequency oscillator (LFO) is a
controller; its output signal is never used as
raw material but only to control other
functions within the Odyssey. You have al-
ready heard it control VCO 1 in Figure E ;
now, by following the settings of Figure S,
listen alternately to LFO square wave control
of VCO 1 and LFO sine wave control. In one
case you hear a vibrato, in the other a trill.
Experiment with various settings of the LFO
freq slider and of the control attenuator
under VCO 1.
The LFO can also be used to govern the oper-
ation of the sample/hold circuit and the
envelope generators which you will read about
later.
11. The sample and hold mixer (S/H mixer)
selects and combines signals to be fed to the
sample and hold circuit. These signals can also
be routed to control VCO 2 and the VCF.
Under each of these two functions is a switch
labeled“S/H mixer or pedal.” When the foot
pedal is plugged into the Odyssey, the lower
position of these switches selects control by
the pedal; if the foot pedal is disconnected
ARP ODYSSEY Page 13
from the back of the Odyssey, the same
switch position selects control by the output
of the S/H mixer.
12. The sample and hold circuit is a control-
ler; it is used only to control VCO 1, VCO 2,
and/or the VCF. In order to hear what it does
listen first to VCO 2 as you have done before
and then experiment with the controls indi-
cated in Figure T.
By “sampling” at a given instant the signal
voltage from the S/H mixer, the sample and
hold circuit produces a series of voltage levels.
If these in turn are used to control a VCO, the
result is a series of pitches. The switch under
the sample and hold circuit selects either the
LFO or the keyboard as a triggering source. If
the keyboard is selected (Figure U ), then a
new sample will be taken every time you press
a key; if the LFO is selected, then new samples
will be taken at regular intervals corresponding
to the frequency setting of the LFO.
When the signal sampled is primarily noise,
the output voltage levels will be random and
so of course will be the pitches produced from
VCO 2; but if the signals being sampled are
Page 14 ARP ODYSSEY Sample & hold
Figure T
FREQUENCY
COARSE FINE
pas
D И
_ - 22 н: -
Ll
VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR
>
AUDIO
KYBD
ON
LF.
KYBD
ÔFF
Nee
nn
PULSE WIDTH
Saar mon 1
Low
FREQUENCY 2-I-2
OSCILLATOR ы
nn nn TRIG
LEO
FREQ
NOISE
GEN
veo.
NN
VCO-1
an
Figure U
FREQUENCY AUDI
Si KY8o
COARSE FINE re
кн:
VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR
1
Figure V
See Patch 10 for a thorough sample and hold
patch.
Figure W
More sample & hold
regular and periodic (any combination of the
VCO 1 and VCO 2 signals), then the output
from the sample and hold circuit will tend to
be a repeating pattern also. It may be an ex-
tremely complex one, or it may be extremely
simple. For an example of a simple one,
switch VCO 1 to its low freq range and feed
the VCO 1 sawtooth into the S/H mixer. Use
the sample and hold output to control VCO 2
and listen to VCO 2 through the audio mixer.
Set the LFO freq to about halfway up, and
the VCO 1 freq at about 2 Hz. You should
hear a descending “staircase” of pitches, like a
scale passage or an arpeggio (Figure V ). Speed
up VCO 1 freq and hear the repeating patterns.
The output lag slider (Figure W ) “smoothes
out” sudden changes of voltage from the
sample and hold circuit. With the same patch
you have been listening to, move the slider
slowly from “min” to “max” and back again.
13. The, keyboard is a controller. By con-
trolling the pitch of the VCO’s and providing
triggering signals to the envelope generators, it
allows you to play your Odyssey as though it
were a standard keyboard instrument. The
ARP ODYSSEY Page 15
transpose, portamento, and pitchbend controls
(Figure X ) give extra flexibility to your pitch
control of the oscillators.
Set thé controls, to start with, as in the illus-
tration, and feed VCO 1 (either the sawtooth
or pulse signal) into the audio mixer with the
VCF, HPF, and VCA wide open. Depress a
key and rotate the pitch bend knob to the
right, then to the left, then return it to center.
Release the key and rotate the knob again.
Note that it operates only when a key is de-
pressed. Return the knob to center.
Raise the portamento slider about halfway
and play a short melody; note the “glide” be-
tween pitches. The position of the portamento
slider determines the speed of the glide; exper-
iment with different settings.
The transpose switch shifts the entire keyboard
control up or down. by two octaves. Play a
scale up the keyboard with this switch cen-
tered, and then with the switch up, then with
the switch down. In this way the keyboard
can have an effective range of seven octaves,
almost as wide as a piano.
Page 16 ARP ODYSSEY Keyboard & pedals
The foot switch supplied with your Odyssey is
used to turn on the portamento. Thus you can
set the portamento slider for a certain glide
speed and then turn it on and off with the
foot switch.
When the foot pedal is plugged into the back
of your Odyssey, VCO 2 and the VCF can be
controlled by it. (The signal from the S/H
mixer is automatically disconnected by insert-
ing the foot pedal jack.) See Patch 1 and 2 for
examples of its use.
Your Odyssey keyboard has two-voice capa-
bility. Feed both oscillator signals into the
audio mixer and tune them to unison while
holding down the lowest key. Now VCO 1
will follow, or “track,” the lowest key of any:
two notes you play, and VCO 2 will track the
highest key. Thus you can play two indepen-
dent pitches at the same time. For examples
of this turn to page 20 and begin with the first
patch. (When you are setting up a two-voiced
patch, make sure the “sync” switch is in the
“off” position.)
PORTAMENTO
A ax TRANSPOSE
2 OCTAVES
PITCH BEND
Figure X
MATT
1104 F
SYNTHESIZER
|
HINTS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF
YOUR ODYSSEY
1. You may tend at first to think of the con-
trol sliders on the Odyssey as something like
stop tabs on an electronic organ. That is, you
may be tempted to set them in a certain way
and then “play” the Odyssey only from the
keyboard. Try to overcome this temptation.
Use the sliders in performance. Learn to
change the sounds you are producing while
you are producing them.
2. The patches given in this manual are very
basic. Do not hesitate to search for improve-
ments and variations on your own. In many
cases a slight change in the position of a single
control slider or attenuator can make a large
difference in the sounds you are producing.
3. Resist the temptation to merely open as
many sliders as possible, as far as possible.
It's a variable synthesizer: vary it! ARP ODYSSEY Page 17
UNISON ` Tune VCO 1 and УСО 2 to unison by holding down lowest key.
If you just have to start here:
astron 1 Гот
° A À [amer nece
INSTANT ODYSSEY eme ии
Set up the sound shown on page 19 (opposite). \ 7
Play a two-part piece on the keyboard.
If you hear two voices with pedal control, turn the page and try more sounds.
If what you hear is nothing like two voices with pedal control, or if you don't hear anything,
check the following things:
VOLTAGE HIGH VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED PASS CONTROLLED]
FILTER FILTER | | AMPLIFIER
ADSR LA —
ENVELOPE GENERATOR
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
1). /s the “sync offfon” switch turned off? (top of Oscillator 2). ee Tao
If it’s on, you'll hear only one voice even though you press down two keys. -
2). Is the “audio kbd on/LF kbd off” switch turned on? (top of Oscillator 7).
If it’s off, your first tone source (VCO 1) will be way below what your ear can hear.
3). /s the “HPF cutoff” slider all the way down? (top of High Pass Filter).
If it’s up, you are cutting off your sound by eliminating all but the very highest overtones. En
4). Is the “VCA gain” slider down? (top of Voltage Controlled Amplifier). |
If it’s up, you’ll hear sound all the time, even when you take your hand off the keyboard. eiTon BEND
5). Are the “attack, decay, sustain, release” sliders raised partway? (under ADSR Envelope Generator). 1 1 7
If they’re all down, the attack & decay of your note will make only а tiny blip. OPTIONAL VIBRATO
6). /s the Odyssey connected to the right amplification system? (back of instrument).
The “low level’? output on the back is for a standard musical instrument amp;
the “high level” output is for a tape recorder, stereo amplifier, or electronic organ.
7). Is the Odyssey plugged in? Turned on? | 2-Voice with Pedal Filter Control
2 OCTAVES
DOWN
7
USE PEDAL
Patch One ARP ODYSSEY Page 19
To 71 IN
Г NOISE — FREQUENCY FREQUENCY ENVELOPE ran 7
GENERATOR AUDIO GENERATOR г NOISE ss | FREQUENCY AUDIO FREQUENCY ic
KY80 en SYNC ver vor GENERATOR = NERATOR
WHITE ARE FIRE ое Me ore FREQ RESONANCE ATTACK RELEASE 4 Waite COARSE FINE KYBO Coarse FINE SYNC
feo —§- scr - + ATTACK RELEASE
wur 4 кнь ose El ET
PINK PINK LF. ON u
KYBD
OFF -
+
|
SAMP! nn
re CONTROLLED} NOETAGE
sn an ae
| [Anse о
PULSE ENVELOPE GENERATOR
7 WIDTH
| PORTAMENTO Rue eo | Re aoe ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN. RELEASE Г PULSE WIDTH —
| TRANSPOSE PORTAMENTO worn oD
| =P] - мах -J- À -F Bo мах TRANSPOSE
| ОСТА 2 OCTAVES
ur
2 OCTAVES
2 OCTAVES
DOWN
]
LEO
= LFO sm LFO KYBO KYao KYO
FLAT SHARP pat af: Sum An REPEAT GATE
nu
DSR
a In
LEO
REPEAT
3
ë
В
3
>
E
=~ LEO sm Ро LFO sm
an | ^^ nn
AOSA : ADSR ADSR
JR LT JR
PITCH BEND OR
u — <
À A USE PEDAL
OPTIONAL VIBRATO —rtionat VIBRATO Timbre changes slightly with each note.
REPEAT
Tin
AUTO
REPEAT | REPEAT a к
пл. REPEAT | REPEAT
an
05
?
PITCH BEND
Phase-Synchronized Oscillator Single voice with pedal control. Single voice Processed Guitar
Page 20 ARP ODYSSEY Patch Two Patch Three ARP ODYSSEY Page 21
VIBRATO SPEED
NOISE FREQUENCY FREQUENCY
GENERATOR COARSE FINE COARSE FINE
WHITE
PINK
PORTAMENTO
_ В max TRANSPOSE
2 OCTAVES
UP
7 OCTAVES
DOWN
PR NA, ЫЫ
| FLAT SHARP
| sm ADSR
MIXER
PITCH BEND OR
PEDAL
1
a
sel
a
KY80
TRIG
vor vel
FREQ RESON:
Bi -|
He
F
JANCE
— SELF
osc
anf N
Tenverore |
GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE
GENERATOR
SUSTAIN RELEASI
г ADSR
ENVELOPE
ATTACK DECAY
LEO AUTO REPEAT
REPEAT | REPEAT nn
nn
tting
VIBRATO
Tru | DET Single voice
Page 22 ARP ODYSSEY Patch Four
Tune to unison by holding down lowest key.
Г tnvevore 1
ENVELOPE
m. NOISE — FREQUENCY ОО SREGUENCY HPF GENERATOR
GENERATOR ох ver vor
WHITE FREQ RESONANCE ATTACK RELEASE
Hs -J- ser - 5
ose
PINK
‘OL TAGE
CONTROLLED
AMPLIFIER
NM, Asa LA —
IVELOPE GENERATOR
PORTAMENTO ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
Me max TRANSPOSE U u
2 OCTAVES
ur
2 OCTAVES
DOWN E
г АЯ
KY80 KY80 Feo |
aN EPEAT GATE
FLAT SHARP В
Krao sm LFO AUTO REPEAT
ni nn an REPEAT | REPEAT
PITCH BEND nn
N OPTIONAL VIBRATO Y
Two voice TrPUMPEL Chonus
Patch Five ARP ODYSSEY Page 23
pa
Critical settin
# Critical setting
PITCH BEND
PEDAL
anf N
Nase — FREQUENCY en FREQUENCY Fenverooe” 1
GENERATOR ne FINE eS 6 sc GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE
PINK u wi
DR SL
PULSE мотн 4 ENVELOPE GENERATOI
TR нот woo ATTACK DECAY STAIN RELEASE
OCTAVES u - NL 7 I
ur
2 OCTAVES Tr
DOWN
L AR
LFO sm LEO kYBO Faso |
FLAT SHARP REPEAT
LEO ADSR ADSA то REPEAT
~~ REPEAT .
Noise —
+ GENERATOR
WHITE
PINK
PORTAMENTO
B- wax TRANSPOSE
2 OCTAVES
UP
2 OCTAVES
MIN ы
FLAT h SHARP
PITCH BEND
VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR
1
AUDIO
KYBD
ON
Г имено” 1
ENVELOPE
GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE
28 SL —
ENVELOPE GENERATOR
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
REPEAT
nn
String
Chorus Two voice
Page 24 ARP ODYSSEY Patch Six
Play separate detached notes.
Single voice. Flute
Patch Seven ARP ODYSSEY Page 25
Tune to unisons Critical setting
AR IN
ie — an г 7
NOISE FREQUENCY FREQUENCY Fiir” 1 NOISE FREQUENCY FREQUE ENVELOPE
GENERATOR ee GENERATOR GENERATOR AUDIO GENERATOR
COARSE FINE KY80 COARSE FINE KY80
WHITE ATTACK RELEASE WHITE ON ATTACK RELEASE
PINK LE. ol PINK LE u
KYBD KyaD
OFF OFF -
= > -
BE nn
nn nn
pres: мм PS
Lo 1 ENVELOPE GENERATOR
T PULSE WIDTH 5 Г PULSE WIDTH 4 ENVELOPE GENERATOR [PULSE wioTH 5
PORTAMENTO more о wiori к DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
saines отн MOD ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN “RELEASE PORTAMENTO MIDTH Moo
ee 2 OCTAVI u A max TRANSPOSE 2 mf
ES = 2 OCTAVES
vr Je
OCTANE 2 OCTAVES
DOWN _ DOWN. д №
=. LFO LFO sm LO
FLAT ES SHARP na nu | ^^ An
E BE BE B
wo | лото REPEAT LFO ADSA ловя | si AS aosr | voo REPEA’
PITCH BEND — REPEAT | REPEAT nn PITCH BEND mn mn SU м —
an PEDAL
>
Turn pitch bend up when you sustain a bass note.
o Try tuning VCO 2 one octave lower than VCO 1.
Two voice “Jazz Organ”
Patch Nine ARP ODYSSEY Page 27
Electric Bass Single voice
Page 26 ARP ODYSSEY Patch Eight
Ав / \
noise encouncy ab PETITION RATE T Euvevore~ 1
GENERATOR | ee GENERATOR
° COARSE FINE KYBD COARSE FINE SYNC
WHITE й ATTACK RELEASE
PINK LE и
KY8D LOW
oH FREQUENCY =
OSCILLATOR
VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR OSCILLATOR
1
FEAR PO
ENVELOPE GENERATOR
(PULSE WIDTH —
PORTAMENTO WIDTH 00 ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
TR
=D wax = -
2 OCTAVES
ur
2 OCTAVES
DOWN
=. LFO LFO sm KYso
"@& wn Le SI | GATE
ADSR sm ADSA v vco2 ку RING VCO-2 LFO AR ADS LFO
JR LEA тв . MOD MIXER ANS ИХ I | ВЕРЕАТ | nerear
PITCH BEND "Br ‘Me Im a
En ercussion etallic’ Sounds An.
REPEAT SPEED ===
ALTERNATE
Note: Keyboard will ‘tune’ metallic sounds
and add off-beat accents.
Sample ’& Hold Percussion
Page 28 ARP ODYSSEY Patch Ten
NOISE FREQUENCY
Г GENERATOR | men
WHITE
COARSE FINE ve
В I E
ne |}
PINK LF.
KYBD
A, OFF
2
Bue
VOLTAGE VOLTAGE
CONTROLLED CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR nn OSCILLATOR nn
2
TRANSPOSE = EL
2 OCTAVES
uP
2 OCTAVES
DOWN _
PULSE WIDTH —]
PORTAMENTO Готы 00
-[- wax
= LEO sm NOISE |
GEN TRIG
FLAT SHARP В El
LFO ADSR VCO-2 KYBD
‘AIG
PITCH BEND MH te
Г звуков” 1
ENVELOPE
GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE
ADR PS]
у ENVELOPE GENERATOR
ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE
Note: Tune lowest key to one octave below
‘middle С.’ Play on keyboard to
hear repeating effect.
Banjo with Repeat
Patch Eleven ARP ODYSSEY Page 29
VCO 2, lowest key
tuned to octave
below ‘middle C. Ат
GENERATOR
ATTACK RELEASE r
FR Y
Пот 'EQUENC' AUDIO FREQUENCY
WHITE COARSE FINE KYBD
PINK
LTAGE
VOLTAGE
TRANSPOSE
2 OCTAVES
up
PORTAMENTO
D max
vol
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR
1
| AR
sn LEO sm LFO LFO к Г ево |
FLAT SHARP PG PA On A REP GATE
LFO ADSR AOSR ADSR кю | Auto REPEAT
PITCH BEND an m — — REPEAT | ЯЕРЕАТ
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR
2
PULSE WIDTH
Gorn mo |
ans OS=_ —
'ELOPE GENERATOR
SUSTAIN RE!
ARP Accessories
ARP Instruments offers a full range of accessories and
instructional materials for your Odyssey, including carrying
cases, performance stands, cassette instruction course, panel
facsimile pads, Instant Odyssey Templates, etc. See your
local ARP dealer for additional information and prices.
Note: Tune VCO 1 for desired metallic timbre.
Gong/ Chime
Page 30 ARP ODYSSEY Patch Twelve
ARP Instruments, 320 Needham St, Newton, Mass. 02164
ARP PRO SOLOIST
Thirty preset instrumental and electronic effects—instantly
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the volume or brilliance, add vibrato or “wow,'” and even “bend”
a note or make it “growl.” The Pro Soloist enables you to
duplicate instrumental sounds with astounding realism, plus
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ARP 2600
THE PROFESSIONAL PORTABLE SYNTHESIZER
The ARP 2600 is the best complete, professional-quality portable
synthesizer around. It’s durable, dependable, easy to play.
This synthesizer, with four-octave keyboard, can be played
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controls are easy to see and manipulate.
ARP 2600
Stevie Wonder
Pete Townshend
Gerald Shapiro of Brown University
with ARP 2500
EE
THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
The ARP 2500 has been the standard of excellence since it
was introduced two years ago, and is still years ahead
of its time. Completely responsive to the most experimental
musician, it offers a wide selection of user-interchangeable
modules ranging from the most advanced filters to the most
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Each ARP 2500 is hand-assembled with tender loving care.
ARP ODYSSEY:
THE ULTIMATE MUSICAL TRIP
The ARP Odyssey brings polyphonic
electronic music to the performing artist—
rock, pop, soul, jazz, or avant-garde.
It includes such state-of-the-art firsts as
phase-locked oscillators, digital ring
modulator, sample & hold circuits, and
most of the functions of a complete
studio synthesizer.
With its ease of operation and high
reliability, the ARP Odyssey can produce
„an enormous variety of sounds in live
performance. Everything from thunder
and lightning to gong, fuzz guitar, and
feedback distortion is at your fingertips
with the Odyssey’s slider controls and
patch switches. The Odyssey’s foot pedal
and foot switch add to your expressive
control. Its two-voice, 37-note keyboard
has a seven-octave range. The Odyssey
is compatible with all other ARP synthesizers.
And, of course, the famous ARP filters
and oscillators give you drift-free _
accuracy for professional-quality recordings.