PO-32 programmable
drum and percussion
synthesizer
user guide
ガイド
tonic download as PDF
download as PDF
notice. read this first. the product is esd sensitive and is sold without casing.
battery information:

install only new batteries of the same type.

failure to insert batteries in the correct polarity, as indicated in the battery compartment, may shorten the life of the batteries or cause batteries to leak.

do not mix old and new batteries.

do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zink) or rechargeable (nickel cadmium) or (nickel metal hybride) batteries.

do not dispose of batteries in fire.

batteries should be recycled or disposed of as per state and local guidelines.

fcc statement:note: this equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class b digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the fcc rules. these limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. this equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. however, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.; if this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures;

reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

increase the separation between the equipment and receiver

connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

consult the dealer or an experienced radio/tv technician for help.

this device complies with part 15 of the fcc rules. operation is subject to the following conditions;

this device may not cause harmful interference, and

this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

caution: changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void user’s authority to operate the equipment.ices statementcan ices-003 (b) / nmb-3 (b) teenage engineering warrants that this product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of teenage engineering’s shipment of the product to you, the customer. in the event of a defect covered by this limited warranty, teenage engineering will, at its option and free of charge to customer, repair, replace or refund the purchase price paid.
TEENAGE ENGINEERING MAKES NO OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, AND ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE SHALL ONLY BE IN EFFECT DURING THE 12 MONTH WARRANTY PERIOD PROVIDED HEREUNDER. TEENAGE ENGINEERING'S LIABILITY ON ANY WARRANTY CLAIM SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE ACTUAL PURCHASE PRICE PAID. TEENAGE ENGINEERING SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, REVENUES, SALES, BUSINESS, GOODWILL OR USE.
what does this limited warranty not cover?
teenage engineering has no obligation to repair, replace, or provide refunds in the following instances:

if the alleged defect arises because customer has altered or repaired the product without the prior written consent or authorization of teenage engineering;

if customer did not follow any applicable instructions for proper storage, usage, or maintenance of this product;

if customer has failed to notify teenage engineering of any defect where the defect should have been reasonably apparent on inspection; or

if customer fails to notify teenage engineering of the defect within 12 months of teenage engineering's shipment of this product to customer. this limited warranty does not cover the cost of shipping the defective product to teenage engineering for repair, or the cost of shipping the repaired or replacement product to you. how do customers receive warranty service? please call your teenage engineering customer service representative for details on how to raise an issue in relation to your product.

selected
tempo
break away hanger
built-in microphone
time / note /
additional info
sound
parameters A / B
folding stand
knob A / B
accent
effects
play / stop
write
play / rec mode
lock tab
indicates write
mode is active
sound
to select sound hold
sound and press 1-16
alarm
to select pattern hold
pattern and press 1-16
pattern
press to select tempo
hold to set master volume 1-16
hold step 1-16 + m
to set multiplier
to use effects hold FX
and press 1-16
bpm
sound 1-16
pattern 1-16
effects 1-16
sound 1-16
1. kick 1
2. snare 1
3. shaker / zap
4. lfo effect
5. kick 2
6. snare 3
7. close / open hi-hat
8. claves / cowbell
9. low tom / kick 3
10. rimshot
11. tambourine / crash
12. hand clap
13. bass
14. fm snare
15. cymbal
16. high tom
effect 1-16
1. half rate
2. distortion
3. squash
4. echo fade
5. pitch lfo
6. eq sweep
7. mega morph
8. pitch bend up
9. punch
10. 6/8 quantize
11. beat-repeat
12. beat-repeat faster
13. fm
14. granular
15. reverse
16. bouncing ball
auto power off (a.p.o)
the unit auto powers off after 5 minutes of inactivity. in this state all patterns and settings will be saved, leaving only the LCD lit. this state draws very little power so there is no need to remove batteries. if there is a cable connected in the line in, the unit will auto power off after 60 minutes of inactivity.
press any key to wake the unit after sleep.
press sound + bpm to show battery status.
factory reset
hold pattern + write while inserting batteries to restore the unit to factory default.
lock tab
break off the lock tab to permanently write protect all patterns. restore to locked settings by removing the batteries. to reverse, solder the two pads by the lock tab together.
1 – getting started power up set clock alarm clock reset clock insert two fresh AAA batteries. pay attention to plus and minus poles.
set time by turning knob A for hours and knob B for minutes. press any key to confirm and exit.
press sound + pattern. set alarm clock by turning A for hours and B for minutes. (disable alarm by turning knob A all the way down.)
press any key 1-16 to set pattern for the alarm.
reset the clock by removing the batteries and start over.
2 – play select pattern play sequencer pattern 1-16 play hold pattern and press any key from 1-16 to select pattern. blinking led indicates active pattern.
press play to start playing. press play again to stop.
a pattern consists of 16 steps.
3 – making a beat select sound create sound 1-16 write hold sound and press any key from 1-16 to select sound.
press write to toggle rec mode. ensure rec symbol is lit on screen.
press 1-16 to enter sound / notes in grid. active steps will be lit. press play to listen to your pattern.
4 – tweak the sound add effects parameter locking FX 1. half rate
2. distortion
3. squash
4. echo fade
5. pitch lfo
6. eq sweep
7. mega morph
8. pitch bend up
9. punch
10. 6/8 quantise
11. beat-repeat
12. beat-repeat faster
13. fm
14. granular
15. reverse
16. bouncing ball
while playing, hold FX and press any key 1-16 to add effects. to record effects, first enter rec mode with write button (ensure rec symbol is lit). to clear effects, hold FX in rec mode without pressing any other key.
hold write while turning knobs to write sound parameter changes over time. when in rec mode, hold a step and turn knobs to adjust parameters for that step.
accent swing tempo to accentuate beats, press acc + 1-16 when in play mode. to program accentuated steps, press acc + 1-16 when in rec mode.
hold bpm and turn A to adjust the swing.
press bpm to switch tempo. the bpm will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.
HIP HOP (80 bpm)
DISCO (120 bpm)
TENCHO (140 bpm)
hold bpm and turn B to fine-tune tempo (from 60 to 240 bpm).
volume live record hold bpm and press any key 1-16 to adjust master volume. note: be careful with the volume setting when using headphones. only exceed volume setting 5 with caution.
while playing, hold write and press any key 1-16 to punch in notes. notes will be quantized along with current swing setting. release write when finished.
solo mute channel while holding sound, press and hold any key 1-16 to solo corresponding sound.
the unit has four channels, represented by columns 1-4. while playing, except in write mode, hold any key
1-16 to mute corresponding channel. multiple channels can be muted at the same time.
5 – making a song copy pattern clear pattern chain pattern pattern 1-16 hold write + pattern and press 1-16 to paste the active pattern to the corresponding new slot.
press acc + pattern to clear the active pattern.
hold pattern and select which patterns 1-16 to chain by pressing corresponding keys 1-16. up to 64 patterns can be chained.
one pattern can be selected multiple times. example 1,1,1,4 plays pattern 1 three times then moves on to pattern 4. after last pattern is played the sequence will start over again.
6 – data
direct transfer transfer data receive data it is possible to transfer sound and pattern data directly between units, using the built-in speaker and microphone, or using the line in/out connectors.
on the transmitting unit: press write + sound to transmit data to receiving unit. before transmitting make sure the receiving unit is in receive mode.
to receive via microphone: press acc + sound to enter receive mode. place mic on receiving unit close to speaker on transmitting unit. send data from transmitting unit.
to receive via line in: connect a 3.5mm stereo cable from transmitting unit to receiving unit. press acc + sound to enter receive mode. send data from transmitting unit.
backup data restore data device
sound and pattern data can be exported and stored to any recording device for saving and sharing. you can backup the data via built-in speaker or line out.
backup using built-in speaker: first make sure recording device is close to pocket operator speaker. then start recording and press write + sound to transmit data.
backup using line out: first connect a cable from pocket operator line out to recording device. then start recording and press write + sound to transmit data.
restore using microphone: press acc + sound to enter receive mode. place pocket operator mic close to recording device and start playback.
restore using line in: connect a cable from recording device to receiving pocket operator unit. press acc + sound to enter receive mode. send data from recording device.
7 – microtonic transfer
sound transfer prepare sound receive data microtonicvst/au to replace a sound 1-16 on PO-32 tonic use microtonic standalone version, or the vst/au plugin in any daw of choice.
tweak a sound in microtonic (knob A on PO-32 tonic represents pitch, knob B represents morph) and press [the TE logo] on the interface to prepare for transfer.
to receive via microphone: press acc + sound to enter receive mode. place mic on receiving unit close to computer speaker. press destination button in microtonic and the transfer will start.
to receive via line in: connect a 3.5mm audio cable from computer to receiving unit. press acc + sound to enter receive mode. press destination button in microtonic to start the transfer.
8 – sync multiple units sync sync modes input
output
master
SY1
SY4
sync
ID input output
SY0 stereo stereo
SY1 stereo mono/sync
SY2 sync stereo
SY3 sync mono/sync
SY4 mono/sync stereo
SY5 mono/sync mono/sync
it is possible to sync
multiple pocket operators with a click track using line in and out.
warning: sync levels should not exceed 5vpp (volt peak-to-peak).
connect a standard stereo audio cable between the units. the master unit will control the tempo of the synced unit.
hold acc and press bpm on master unit to toggle sync modes. press repeatedly to toggle between different
there are 5 sync modes. default mode is SY0.
when sync is used the signal will be split between audio (right) and sync (left).
sync scenarios SY1
SY5
SY4
master
sync
sync
external
device
SY2
master
sync
example A: sync three pocket operator units.
example B: sync external device such as volca, iPhone, computer or synckontrol to PO-32.
external
SY3
SY4
device
master
sync
sync
SY1
device
external
sync
audio
master
sync
example C: sync an external device to two pocket operator units.
example D: sync PO-32 to an external device.
mount the pro case (optional) make sure
the folding stand
is also removed.
break away
hanger
don't have
a pro case?
buy here.
to mount the pro case to a pocket operator,
first you need to break away the hanger and remove
the folding stand.
wrap the pro case around the edges of the unit. make sure the edges of the case is tightly fit.