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in this chapter we will cover some common questions you may face while using your OP–XY.
velocity allows you to play notes on the OP–XY’s musical keyboard with additional expression.
to enable velocity, first press com to enter the com page.
press M1 to enter system settings.
use the dark gray encoder to navigate to keyboard settings.
ensure that the velocity setting is selected, then rotate the light gray encoder to select the velocity setting. there are three settings: off soft (for gentler playing) hard (for more vigorous playing)
press M1 to go back to the com page.
finally, press instrument to return to the instrument mode and continue composing.
midi is a powerful and simple protocol that connects music devices. let’s use it to control a synthesiser.
start by setting the multi out port on OP–XY to midi. press com to view the com screen, then rotate the light gray knob until midi is shown on the screen.
connect a midi cable to your synthesiser. some synthesisers use din midi, these will require a type a trs to midi cable , others may have a usb connection, these can be plugged directly into OP–XY with a usb-c adapter and will not require you to set the multi-out port to midi.
if using a type a trs to midi din cable, connect the din end to the synthesiser and the trs end to the multi out port on the OP–XY. if using a usb cable, ensure to use an adapter to usb-c from whatever usb connector is used by the other device.
for usb midi devices, you can view the connected device in the devices screen, allowing you to view and edit what data is sent and received.
press auxiliary to open the auxiliary mode.
press track 3 to view the external midi track. you can alternatively use an instrument track with the engine set to ‘external’ (for example if you want to sequence multiple midi devices).
ensuring that you are in the M1 screen, set the midi channel with the dark gray knob. if you are unsure which midi channel the connected synthesiser or midi device is operating under, you can check it in the documentation for that device.
pressing M2 or M3 will allow you to view and edit eight different midi CCs. to set the CC hold shift and rotate one of the encoders. to set the value on that CC rotate the desired knob.
some devices are capable of using bluetooth for midi.
to connect the OP–XY to a bluetooth midi capable device firstly press com.
once in the com screen press down the dark grey encoder to advertise the OP–XY over bluetooth midi.
on the other device, follow the procedure for bluetooth midi connection.
cv stands for ‘control voltage’ and is the standard used by most analog synthesisers as well as eurorack devices to send and receive note data.
gate, on the other hand, is used to trigger envelopes and is sent only when a note is pressed down.
start by setting the multi out port on OP–XY to cv/gate. press com to view the com screen, then rotate the light gray knob until cv is shown on the screen.
OP–XY outputs cv on the tip and gate on the ring, so to split the note and trigger you will need a splitter cable. ensure to use one that separates the left (tip) and right (ring) signals rather than one that maintains the stereo. some analog synthesisers may require a 6.35mm jack and others such as eurorack 3.5mm so ensure to use the right dimensions on both ends.
connect the left (tip) channel to the cv input on your synthesiser and the right (ring) channel to the gate input on your synthesiser. some modular synths will have the cv input on the oscillator and the gate input on the envelope.
note: ensure you have everything correctly set up and connected before proceeding to the next step.
sync keeps everything in time, think of it as the heartbeat of your music setup. vintage drum machines often have sync ports but use a different standard to most modern devices.
start by setting the multi out port on OP–XY to sync24. press com to view the com screen, then rotate the light gray knob until sync24 is shown on the screen.
OP–XY will now output sync from the multi-out port, however most vintage drum machines require a din sync cable to receive sync so you will need a 3.5mm to din sync cable.
connect the 3.5mm end of your cable to the multi-out port on OP–XY and the din end to the sync in port on your vintage drum machine.
press play on your OP–XY and clock, start, stop and reset will all be transmitted over the cable.
sync keeps everything in time, think of it as the heartbeat of your music setup. pocket operators use a slower clock pulse than some other devices.
start by setting the multi out port on OP–XY to sync8. press com to view the com screen, then rotate the light gray knob until sync8 is shown on the screen.
OP–XY will now output an 8th note clock from the multi-out port.
connect a 3.5mm cable from OP–XY’s multi-out port to the input port of your pocket operator.
set the pocket operator to sync mode 2. to do so, press the function button under the rightmost knob and the bpm button until the screen shows SY2. this will listen for a sync pulse on the input jack and output stereo audio from the output jack.
press play on OP–XY and the clock will begin transmitting from OP–XY to the pocket operator, keeping them both in sync.
sometimes you want to expand your sound palette and experiment with external effects units. OP–XY is able to send and receive audio so let’s look at how you can do it.
start by setting the multi out port on OP–XY to audio. press com to view the com screen, then rotate the light gray knob until audio is shown on the screen. OP–XY will now output audio from the multi-out port.
OP–XY will now output audio from the multi-out port.
some fx units or pedals will use a 6.35mm input so make sure to use a cable that goes from 3.5mm to whatever your fx unit requires. connect the 3.5mm end into the multi-out port on OP–XY and the other end into the input on your fx unit or pedal.
you can then use a similar cable to connect from the output on the fx unit to the audio input on OP–XY.
press track 5 to view the external audio track.
ensuring that you are in the M1 screen, rotate the dark grey knob until the audio jack shows, this represents the audio input port on OP–XY.
click the dark gray encoder to enable the audio input.
now press M2 to route audio to the OP–XY’s auxiliary audio output (on the multi-out port).
rotate the encoders corresponding to the track you wish to send out of the aux output. recall that clicking the encoders switches between tracks 1-4 and 5-8.
you can alternatively send audio from the track level by going into instrument mode, selecting a track and then navigating to the sends page by viewing the filter (M3) and holding shift. the aux audio out can be configured with the dark gray enocder.
audio sent through the external audio track should now run through your fx unit or pedal and back into the OP–XY. in the external audio track use drive, level and mix under M1 to balance the return audio as you see fit.
audio interfaces offer a greater level of flexibility with audio in and out. they are great for production scenarios but also for performance.
before you get started, you will need either a cable that goes from usb-c to whatever your audio interface expects, or a usb-a to usb-c adaptor to convert an existing cable to one that will work with OP–XY.
connect the usb-c end of the cable into the usb-c port on OP–XY and the other end into your audio interface.
the audio interface should almost immediately connect. some devices may require extra power, if so you can use a powered usb hub.
note: OP–XY is compatible with class 1 and class 2 compliant audio interfaces however non class compliant interfaces may not work.
OP–XY should now output its main audio out through the audio interface. turn the volume down with the volume knob if you wish to not hear the speaker as well, or connect a pair of headphones and monitor the output.
OP–XY supports multi-channel interfaces and will by default select channels 1 and 2. if you wish to change which channels are input, you will need to press the sample button, then select usb as the input with the dark gray knob and then select the channel with the mid gray knob.
if you wish to have audio running from your audio interface into the external audio channel on OP–XY, first open the external audio track in the auxiliary mode.
you can then select the usb as source in the input by rotating the dark gray knob then clicking it to activate the input. you can find out more about external audio in the external audio track chapter.
sometimes you want a little more expression while playing or performing. the pitchbend on OP–XY is a great way to add expression, lets use it.
while in instrument mode, select a track.
hold shift then press instrument to enter the preset settings.
rotate the dark gray knob to select ‘mod’.
now, rotate the mid gray knob to select ‘pitchbend target’.
use the light gray knob to edit the destination parameter you wish to modulate with the pitchbend.
rotate the mid gray knob to select ‘pitchbend amount’.
rotate the light gray knob to increase the amount the pitchbend will modulate the parameter. you can also set the modulation amount to a negative value to invert the modulation.
you’ll notice that in some cases the pitchbend is still affecting pitch. lets fix that. press M2 to exit the preset settings and jump straight to the envelope module.
now hold shift and rotate the light gray knob anti-clockwise to set the pitchbend’s pitch modulation to off.
now your pitchbend will modulate only the selected parameter and not the pitch of your sound.
this will apply only to the instrument track you have set it up on, however you can apply the same idea to every instrument track, choosing a different parameter for each.
you can also save the current instrument track as a preset, this will not only save the synth engine and other parameters but also the preset settings, including the pitchbend settings.
while OP–XY can store thousands of projects, you may sometimes want to back them up or even start fresh. let’s find out how.
firstly, connect OP–XY to your computer with the included usb-c cable.
2. you will need the field-kit app if you are using a mac.
press com to enter com.
now press M4 to enter mtp mode. this will only become available when connected to a computer, so make sure to plug your OP–XY in first.
1. your OP–XY should now appear as a drive on your computer. if you are using a mac with field-kit and it does not automatically open, you can access the OP–XY’s drive from field-kit on the task bar.
2. you should now see three folders: ‘presets’, ‘projects’ and ‘samples’. open the projects folder, then the user folder within the projects folder.
3. you should now see a list with all of your projects, as well as a ‘backups’ folder.
4. the backups folder holds all of the history files for your projects.
5. to back one project up, you will need to copy both the project file and it’s backup folder.
6. to backup all of your projects, select the whole project folder, copy it and then paste it somewhere safe.
7. should you wish to delete all the projects, you can do so by removing them from the projects folder.
8. you can also rename projects directly from your computer. just make sure to only use alphanumeric characters and the select special characters that are supported (-, # and space).
OP–XY can store thousands of samples in it’s built-in 8gb drive. meaning you can load it up with all of your favourites and use them in your projects. let’s learn how.
you will need the field-kit app if you are using a mac.
1. your OP–XY should now appear as a drive on your computer. if using a mac with field-kit and it does not automatically open the drive, you can access the OP–XY’s drive from the field-kit drop down on the task bar.
2. you should now see three folders: ‘presets’, ‘projects’ and ‘samples’. open the samples folder.
3. you should now see a a folder named ‘user’, this is where samples will save to when you record them on OP–XY.
4. you can drag samples into the user folder, or create folders within the sample folder to hold and categorise your samples. OP–XY supports both aiff files and wav files.
5. its important to note that folders within those folders will not show on OP–XY. only if a folder has been created within the ‘samples’ folder will it show up.
6. OP–XY support wav files and aiff files, so make sure your samples are in the correct format. in addition, you may need to rename your samples, as only alphanumeric characters and some special characters are supported (-, # and space).
7. when you are done loading samples, simply eject OP–XY by pressing M4 then unplug the usb-c cable.
the brain is one of the most powerful features within OP–XY, it can speed up your workflow substantially if used correctly, lets see how you can make the most of it.
start by creating a new project.
open the instrument mode and sequence a beat on a drum track.
add a bassline, but only use one or two notes.
add one chord, sequenced as you like to a track with a pad or pluck. again making sure not to make anything too complex.
once you have a short one or two bar phrase that you are happy with press auxiliary to open the auxiliary mode and then select track 1 to open the brain.
set the track scale to 4 by holding bar and pressing the accidental key labelled 4 (the c# key). this will play the pattern back 4 times slower, allowing you to sequence four bars in one sequence.
you’ll notice in the brain that the key and scale of the notes recorded in the previous steps have been automatically detected. look at the scale and, while in brain, try playing some notes that fit within it. you will hear that as you play them the brain intelligently transposes the notes and chords.
find a chord transition that you like by playing the musical keyboard while in the brain then record it into the step sequencer.
press play to hear your beat with the brain doing all the work for you.
if you want to add a lead or any elements that don’t get transposed, you can just remove them from the brain by going to it’s routing by pressing M2 then turning the encoders to add or remove tracks, you can click them to switch between tracks 1-4 and 5-8.
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