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Sonicbytes Phrazor

Manual

Version 1.02

Please note:

Phrazor is under constant development, supported by a growing community:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=39.

Don’t hesitate to join and actively participate in the development process. Many thanks to allsupporters and beta testers!

The Laboratory shows planned features and those which are under current development:

http://www.sonicbytes.com/phrazor/laboratory.htm.

Bug reports, feature request and suggestions are always welcome. Please post in the forum ormail directly to me: [email protected] or [email protected].

The file Release.txt (in Startmenu > Phrazor > Documents) contains a detailed version historyof all releases.

Holger Zwar // Sonicbytes

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1. Quick Start

1.1. Installation

Unzip the downloaded file phrazor.zip and execute Phrazor Setup.exe. While the installationyou'll be asked to select directories and optional components:

1.1.1. Directory for the Standalone version

You can select any directory on your hard disc.

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1.1.2. Additional components

You should not deactivate them if you install Phrazor the first time. The tutorials are based onthe bundled GTG and Kjaerhus VST Plugins. They are installed into a subdirectory of thestandalone version and thus will not have an effect on your existing setup.

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1.1.3. Directory for the VST version.

You should select your main VST directory here. The VST version depends on the standaloneversion. Do not uninstall or manually delete the standalone version if you plan to use only the

VST version!

1.1.4. Installing Phrazor on Muse Receptor

1. Install Phrazor on your PC

2. Copy the Phrazor directory to Receptor into the folder C:\Programs

3. Delete the content of the Receptor folder C:\Programs\Phrazor\Config

4. Copy the file Phrazor.dll to Receptor into the folder C:\VST

5. Create a new textfile in C:\VST\ Phrazor.ini which contains this:

C:\Programs\Phrazor

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1.2.3. Quick Help

The About panel provides a set of pictures which describe the basic elements of the editor verywell. At first you should take some time and study them.

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1.2.4. Tutorials

A mouse click on the welcome screen directly goes to Project > Notes. By default the Songlist'Tutorials' is loaded. Going thru the these tutorials will make you familiar with the mostimportant features in a few hours.

A click on the play buttons opens the corresponding projects.

The button Tutorials let you load the tutorial songlist at any time.

The Browse button opens the songlist browser menu.

Click to open project

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1.3. Setting the VST directory

If Phrazor VST has been installed into your main VST directory, you don’t have to set the VSTpath.

Otherwise click on Options > Folders > VST Plugins, locate your VST directory, double click toassign it and press Apply.

Doubleclick ⇒ Assign

Right click ⇒ Context Menu

Note: The buttons Apply and Cancel are disabled if no changes have been made.

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1.4. Loading a VST Plugin

Click on Browser > Plugins, then on the arrow-icon on one of the groups to open it. Now:

• Double click on the preferred plugin

• or drag it to a Slot on the left

• or drag it to a Track at the bottom

Drag to Slot⇒ load/replace Slot

Doubleclick or Drag to Track

⇒ load to next free Slot

Note: Phrazor stores the VST pluginlist between sessions. This prevents annoying rescanning. After new plugins have been installed you have to click Rescan to update the pluginlist.

Tutorial Loading a VST Plugin

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2. Basics

Before you start working you should have a some knowledge about the structure, the signalflow and the terminology of Phrazor. At first the terminology is described:

2.1. Terminology

2.1.1. Songlist

A songlist is simply a list of up to 128 projects. The list of tutorial projects is a songlist as well.The projects in a songlist can opened via MIDI or a mouseclick. Another usage is to setup yourpersonal workspaces.

2.1.2. Project

A Project reflects the complete state of Phrazor. All data is included. The Project isautomatically saved when you save in your host.

2.1.3. Track

A Track contains the 8 Slots, including all Mixer settings, the Programs and Scenes.Furthermore all Sequencer data (Playlist and Clips) is part of a Track.

2.1.4. Slot

The Slots can be seen as Plugins combined with up to 128 Programs and additional settings.Internally the name of the Plugin dll is stored, so it doesn't matter if you move Plugin dll's intoanother folder.

2.1.5. Program

Programs are very similar to VST presets. A Program holds the complete state of a Plugin - itdoesn't matter how many Presets the Plugin provides. All Programs are treated equally for allPlugins. Once you have set up your Programs you don't have to deal with VST preset files(FXP/FXP's) or Plugin specific preset-managers anymore.

2.1.6. Clip

The Clips are very similar to MIDI files. A Clip is a sequence of timed events and additionalsettings. The length of a Clip is unlimited. In Phrazor, Clips can be played in several ways:statically controlled by the Playlist or dynamically triggered by a range of keys or recallable PlayLocks.

2.1.7. Groove

Each Track has certain settings which affect the groove. These settings can be stored in socalled Grooves. Beside the fact that you can easily reuse these Grooves, it's possible to recall

them using Remote States.

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2.1.8. Track State

Phrazor has been designed for live use as well. Therefore several recall mechanisms areprovided. One of them are Track States. A Track State reflects the state of one Track. Itcontains the state of the Mixer, the index of the currently selected Program and Clip and theGroove. A Track State can be recalled by a assignable MIDI note. Each Track has its own set of 128 Track States.

2.1.9. Global States

Each Project can have up to 128 Global States. A Global States reflects the state of all Tracks.The information stored for each Track is equivalent to a Track State. This allows you to recallthe complete Phrazor state with one mouse click or MIDI note.

2.1.10. Drummaps

are mainly used for drum programming. A drummap is a list of notes with certain routing andcontrol parameters. Each track has its own drummap. The drummap is found in SETUP >Drummap.

2.1.11. Clipmaps

combine all clip remote parameters. The main usage is to simplify the live-setup. All what youcan edit in REMOTE > Clip Control is stored in a clipmap.

Tutorial Terminology

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2.2. Structure

The audio engine can be understood as a 2-dimensional matrix. There are 64 Tracks which youcan see at the bottom. Each Track contains up to 8 Slots capable of hosting plugins. The 8 Slots

of a Track are called Rack. Any time you select a Track by clicking on its label, the Rack getsupdated. Plugins can be VST instruments and effects and dedicated Phrazor plugins.

8 Slots

64 Tracks

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2.3. Signal Flow

Tutorial The Rack (and foll.)

2.3.1. Audio

The signal flow is similar to a traditional mixing console. The Tracks are arranged horizontal,the Racks vertical.

The engine processes the Tracks from the left to the right, the Racks from the top to thebottom:

Empty, bypassed or pure MIDI Tracks and Slots are simply ignored in audio-processing. The detailed signal flow and routing capabilities of Racks are described later in this manual.

2.3.2. MIDI

The signal flow of MIDI data is very similar to audio. The difference is that each Track has aMIDI Sequencer, which can act as a signal source. MIDI instrument and effect plugins aresupported as well.

Track1: MIDI-In > Sequencer > Slot1 > Slot2 > Slot3 > ... > Slot8 > MIDI-Out

Track1: MIDI-In > Sequencer > Slot1 > Slot2 > Slot3 > ... > Slot8 > MIDI-Out

By default each Audio Plugin gets all MIDI input. Channels and/or keyzones can be defined to adjust the routing and define keyboard splits.

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3. The fixed Panels

The Chapter describes the fixed panels of the GUI. Fixed means all beside the different MainDisplay views.

These panels are arranged around the centered Main Display. We can summarize thesedependencies:

• The Main Display depends on all fixed panels.

• The Rack depends on the selected Track – its label is highlighted.

• The Programs list depends on the currently selected Slot.

• The Cliplist can affect the Main Display and depends on the selected Track

• The Remote States can have an effect on all parts of GUI.

3.1. Main Menu

The handling of Main Menu is easy. There are two kind of buttons:

• The navigation buttons ‘go back/fore’ and the fullscreen-button which extends the MainDisplay (if the supported by the current Main Display).

• The menu buttons directly update the Main Display. The red LED indicates the currentlyselected menu selection.

3.2. Rack

The Rack contains a title bar and the 8 Slots:

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3.2.1. Track Title bar

The functions of the Track Menu affect the complete Track:

Quick Open The top items let you quickly find and open a Track.

Rename… Shows a dialog where you can name the Track.

Info… Let you edit additional information, which is displayed in the Manager

Open… Shows the Track Open dialog. Another way to open a Track is theBrowser.

Save Saves the Track

Save As… Shows the Track Save As dialog.

Reset Resets the Track completely.

Unload Slots Unloads all Slots but keeps the settings.

Bypass Switches Track bypass on and off

Chain Chains the Track with the subsequent Track

Tips

A click on the Track name cycles through the Browser panels: Track, Slot and Plugin.

The Track Selector let you easily select the previous/next Track, which is quite useful when you’re working in fullscreen-mode. A right click on the Track Selector let you directly jump to a selectable Track.

Tutorial The Rack

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3.2.2. Slots

Slots are selected by clicking on the label. The Slot label shows the name of the Slot and thename of the currently selected Program.

The editor button shows/hides the plugin editor. If the plugin does not provide an editor, theinternal editor is opened - the Main Menu button Plugin is automatically selected. There you canadjust the parameters.

The Slot Menu has effect on a Slot. You can:

Quick Open The top items let you quickly find and open a Slot.

Rename… Shows a dialog where you can name the Slot.

Info… Let you edit additional information, which is displayed in the Manager

Open… Shows the Slot Open dialog. Another way to load a Slot is the Browser.

Load VST… Shows the Load VST dialog. You can use it to load a Plugin which is notlocated in any of the assigned VST folders.

Save Saves the selected Slot.

Save As… Shows the Slot Save As dialog.

Reset Resets the Slot completely.

Tips

A double click on a Slot opens Browser > Programs if a Plugin is loaded, otherwise it goes to Browser > Plugins.

A right click on the Slot opens the Slot menu.

A right click on the editor button opens the internal editor for Plugins.

A right click on the menu button turns a Slots on and off (bypass).

Slots can be dragged to other locations – both Slots get swapped.

3.2.3. Instruments and Effects

Each Rack can contain instruments and effects in any order. Later we’ll learn how to setup therouting within a Rack. Instruments are displayed in yellow, effects in green:

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3.3. Programs

Each Plugin Slot contains up to 128 Programs. Programs can be created automatically from VSTpresets. Single Programs can be saved and loaded for building up 'banks'.

Tutorials Programs and Presets (and foll.)

Every time you select a Slot, the Program list gets updated. The title displays the name of thecurrently selected Slot:

The most important functions in the Programs list are:

• The context menus for all and single Programs

• Storing a Program by clicking on the arrow.

• Recalling a Program by clicking on its name.

• Locking Programs with a right click on the arrow

Locking Programs

Overwriting a preset by mistake is something we don't like. Therefore Phrazor provides an easyway to lock certain (or all) programs:

• Right click on the store-button (arrow) to lock it

• Another right click removes the lock

If a program is locked, the a rectangle appears. Of course a program cannot be stored if it'slocked. Thus the left click on the arrow does not work.

You'll find the locking feature in states as well.

Tutorial Using Programs

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3.3.1. Program handling

A powerful program handling mechanism is essential for a smooth workflow when dealing withmany plugins.

The traditional way

of preset handling is index based. The presets are managed by the plugin and index-recalled bythe host. This approach has certain limitations:

• The number of presets differs from plugin to plugin.

• The Program change message is not handled equally for all plugins.

• You have to deal with Preset files (FXP/FXB).

• Certain Plugins use an integrated patch system, the GUI has to be opened.

•

Many plugins have only one preset, recall is only possible in the GUI.• Glitches can occur on Program change.

• Organizing of presets is difficult, user has to work with preset files.

Phrazor’s way

Phrazor's extended program handling mechanism handles all Plugins equally and provides features to come around the mentioned limitations!

Unlike other hosts, Phrazor actually manages the presets. A real copy of the preset is stored.This copy is called Program - in order to distinguish to preset. By this approach the following

goals are obtained:

• Phrazor keeps exactly 128 Programs for each Plugin.

• Program change messages can be treated correctly.

• All Programs can be recalled without opening the GUI.

• Single-Preset plugins can be treated as normal ones, multiple Programs can be recalled.

• All 128 Programs are part of the Slot

What about glitches and annoying FXP/B handling? Of course no host can overcome badlyprogrammed plugins. But very often it is sufficient to change only a few parameters within asong. And normally changing a few parameters doesn’t introduce those unwanted ‘clicks’.Phrazor provides up to 8 Control Sliders per Program. Later we will see that it’s possible torecall only these control-parameters instead of all. Program changes perform much smoother.

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The term for this way of program handling is ‘Extended Mode’. The Extended Mode can beturned off at any time, only the recall-process changes – the stored data is not affected. This isnecessary for very few plugins which understand a preset in a different way. So if Programrecall doesn’t work, simply turn the Extended Mode off. You’ll find this option when you click onthe menu button in the title bar:

Prog. Changes Thru If set, the MIDI Program Change message does not select the Program -it's send to the Plugin

Save all Programs Saves all used Programs into a new folder

Reset all Programs Resets all Programs

Get all Presets Automatically stores the first 128 presets as Programs. This operationmake take some seconds.

Extended Mode Toggles between Phrazor’s Extended Mode and the traditional index-based program handling mode

The VST Preset list

The first time when you load a VST Plugin into Phrazor you might miss the preset list:

Click on the title of the Program list or click Plugin in the Main Menu to activate the internal plugin editor, which shows the VST Preset list by default.

To build up the Program list based on the existing preset, the following steps are

recommended:1. Select the preset of your choice.

2. Click on the arrow in the Program list to store the preset as a Program.

3. Go to step 1 until you have selected and stored your favorite sounds.

4. To get import preset-banks (FXB) click on ‘Import Bank’.

5. A right click on a preset shows a menu where you can load presets (FXP).

6. When you’re finished, save the Slot for reuse!

Note You’ll probably notice that the selection in the preset list is not affected by recalling a Program when Extended Mode in on. This is intended and demonstrates the mentioned behavior:

• Extended Mode On - Recall by data

• Extended Mode Off - Recall by index and therefore updates selection in preset list

Mixer and Control Slider States

Beside the preset data, Phrazor stores the Mixer state and the optional Control slider values in aProgram. You can control what exactly should be recalled when a Program is selected. These

settings can be made in the Programs panel of the Remote view. A right click on the title bar jumps directly there.

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Tips

You can drag Programs up and down to organize the list.

A click on the title bar directly jumps to the internal plugin editor, which shows the preset list by default.

A right click on the title bar jumps to the Remote configuration for Programs.

The two upper arrow icons select and recall the previous/next Program.

Copy a Program by selecting (recalling) the source Program and afterwards storing it to another item.

Use the locking feature. Unlock Programs before modifying them, afterwards locks them.

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3.4. Track Mixer

The Track Mixer panel is similar to a traditional mixing console – it shows 8 of the 64 Tracks.The scrollbar at the bottom or the mouse wheel let you change the visible area. The Track label

shows the name of the Track or Track + number if the name has not been set. The currentlyselected Slot name is displayed below the Track name.

The context menu, which can also be opened with a right click on the Track label let youquickly open previously saved Tracks. The difference between Reset and Unload is that Unloadkeeps all Track settings. This is useful for creating Track templates which contain everythingbut not the plugins.

Note: Empty Tracks can only be saved if they are named.

Tutorial Tracks (and foll.)

3.4.1. Basic usage

The basic usage of the Track Mixer is the selection of Tracks and the level and pan (balance)adjustment of the audio signal - you mix the Tracks. Furthermore you can easily set certainTracks to mute (M) or solo (S) state.

The handling of the sliders works intuitive:

Level Click on the slider to set the level directly or click and drag it vertically.

Pan Click on the slider to set the pan directly or click and drag it horizontally.

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Tips

A right click on the menu button turns the Track on and off (bypass)

Drag the sliders with right mouse button for fine adjustment.

Control + mouse click sets the slider to the default (100%=0db, center) position.

The Mute/Solo buttons supports an exclusive mode as well. Click them with the right mouse button.

A double-click on the Track label directly jumps and cycles to the Pianoroll/Playlist

3.4.2. Track Menu

Each Track in the Mixer is like a view on a Rack, therefore the Track Menu which can be openedwith a click on the menu-button provides the same functions as the mentioned Track Menu of the Rack:

Rename… Shows a dialog where you can name the Track.

Info… Let you edit additional information, which is displayed in the Manager.

Open… Shows the Track Open dialog. Another way to open a Track is theBrowser.

Save Saves the selected Track.

Save As… Shows the Track Save As dialog.

Reset Resets the Track completely.

Unload Unloads all Slots but keeps the settings.

Bypass Deactivates the Track (no processing)

Chain Chains the Track with the next active Track. The signal is routed to theInput B Bus of the target Track.

Tip The menu can also be opened with a right click on the Track label.

Empty Tracks are not saved unless they have are named. This fact is important in order to create template Tracks which contain nothing but settings.

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3.4.3. Sends

Phrazors audio engine supports sends. This means that the audio signal of each Track can berouted to one or more other Tracks. These target Tracks get this signal on their input.

To toggle to the Sends view you have to click on the button at the left bottom.

Setting up the sends is just one step: Click on one of the three empty buttons at the top andselect the desired target Track. You can adjust the send level with the sliders below, whichwork exactly like the mentioned Track level slider.

Each Track has two inputs called A and B. This provides more routing capabilities. The sendssignal is routed to the Input A.

If the Chain button is On (highlighted), the Track signal is routed to Input B of the subsequentused Track. Used means: the Track contains at least one active (non-bypassed) Slot. You cansee Chaining as an easy way to increase the number of Slots per Track.

3.4.4. Pre/Post Fader

The switch at the bottom (center) controls if the signal is sent before or after the track level/pan fader.

Thru/Mute

The switch at the right bottom let you:

MUTE : No audio output - only sends

THRU : Audio is passed to the master

If a track has at least one send and this switch is set to MUTE, the meter on the level strip isdisplayed less intense. This indicates that this track does not send audio to the output port.

Tutorial Track Sends

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3.5. Transport panel

Most elements of the Transport panel can be found in other hosts as well. The usage isintuitive:

LOOP* Turns the loop-mode On and Off. The loop points can be set in thePlaylist.

CLIP Turns the Clip mode On and Off. The Clip mode provides powerful livecapabilities. Basically it forces Phrazor to play the selected Clips.

START* The green start button starts the sequencer.

STOP* The white stop button stops the sequencer.

RECORD Turns recording On and Off.

SONG POINTER Displays the current song position.

REWIND* Sets the song pointer to 1:1:000

BACKWARD* Decrements the song pointer by one bar.

FORWARD* Increments the song pointer by one bar.

TEMPO* Displays the tempo in BPM (Beats per minute) and let you adjust it bydragging up and down.

SYNC Turns host synchronization On and Off.

The Clip mode and the recording instructions will be explained later in this manual.

Note

If the SYNC button is activated (default), the *marked buttons are disabled. This is intended and shows clearly that the host controls them.

3.5.1. The Clip Mode

In addition to the traditional Playlist, Phrazor provides a powerful live-mode which is called Clipmode. If CLIP is active, Phrazor continuously plays the currently selected and Play-Locked Clipsof all Tracks. Since Clip selection and Play-Lock state is recallable as well, this features allowsyou to recall multiple rhythmical contexts by MIDI.

Tutorial Playmodes

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3.6. Clips

Phrazor’s sequencer is pattern/loop based in a very flexible way. This means you can work bothlinear and pattern-orientated. The patterns in Phrazor are called Clips.

The Clips are very similar to MIDI files. A Clip is a sequence of timed events and additional

settings. The length of a Clip is unlimited. The resolution of Clips is 960 PPQ (pulses perquarter). This means that the position and length of a quarter note can be adjusted in 960steps!

The handling of the Clip list is similar to the Program list. The main difference is that the Clip listdoes not have the store button. Instead we find the audition button.

Tips

A double-click on a Clip directly jumps into the Clipedit view (Pianoroll)

A click on the title (Track name) switches between Browser Clips and MIDIs

A right click on the title directly jumps to the Clip Remote view.

You can drag Clips to other locations. The Clips get swapped.

Holding Control when you start dragging duplicates the Clip.

Later we’ll learn how the Clip list works in connection with the Clipedit- and Playlist views.Furthermore the live capabilities like transposed, simultaneous and remote Clip playback are

explained.

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3.6.1. Play Lock

Normally the selected Clip is played when CLIP mode is active. Play Locks enhance this feature:Phrazor is able to play multiple Clips at the same time:

• A right click on the audition-button activates Play Lock – the Clip plays continuously untilPlay Lock is deactivated.

• Control with right click on the audition-button sets Play Lock exclusively.

Play Locks can be set for multiple Clips! This allows you to setup new sequences consisting of several Clips – all in realtime. The complete Play Lock state can be stored and recalled by Track and Global States. This is explained in the next chapter.

Tutorial Play Locks

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3.7. Remote States

Phrazor allows you to store and recall its global state at any time. Furthermore the state of eachTrack can be stored and recalled. You can individually control what parameters are recalled and

when (synchronized) the recall action takes place. Of course the States can be recalled viaMIDI. Phrazor Remote states can be understood as multi-automation layers.

As mentioned two types of Remote States exist:

• Global States represent the state of Phrazor

• Track States represent the state of a single Track

The Global State can be seen as a collection of the States for all Tracks. The usage of Stateshas no limits. You can simply control the Track Mixer with one mouse click or recall acompletely different ensemble.

The handling of the States is similar to Programs. The most important functions are:• The buttons Global and Track toggle between the corresponding lists

• Storing a State by clicking on the arrow.

• Recalling a State by clicking on its name.

Tips You can drag States up and down to organize the list.

A right click on the title bar jumps to the Remote configuration for Global/Track States

The two upper arrow icons select and recall the previous/next State

Copy a State by selecting (recalling) the source Program and afterwards storing it to another item.

A right click on the arrow locks/unlocks the state

In the following chapters we’ll learn how to setup and use the States.

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Track 1 is already used. Track 2 is free. A double-click on a Track in the Browser will load it intoTrack 2. This prevents inadvertent overwriting and allows you to quickly load series of files:

To overwrite this behavior, hold the control key on double-click in order to replace the currentlyselected item. Or simply drag to the position:

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Note

For MIDI files the shift key has a special meaning. If you hold the shift key, the MIDI-data willbe merged into the target Clip – instead of replacing it!

4.1.1. Additional Functions

In the submenu you’ll find additional buttons. These depend on the category:

Project, Tracks, Slots, Programs, Clips, Grooves Open, Save, Save As, Reset, Refresh, Explorer

Plugins Load, Rescan, Explorer

Open

shows the standard open dialog for the selected category. You can use it if you want to open

files which are not placed in any of the assigned Browser directory groups.

Save

saves the selected object if it has already been saved before. Otherwise Save As is performed.

Save As

shows the standard save dialog for the selected filetype. If a file has already been saved before,you only have to apply, because the correct directory and filename is set as default. If theobject has not been saved before, the currently selected group directory is used as default and

you only have to enter a name.

Reset

Resets the currently selected object of the category.

Refresh

Refreshes the display and collapses all open folders.

Explorer

Opens the Explorer using the directory of the currently selected directory group. Don't forget toRefresh after organizing your files in the Explorer!

Rescan

Phrazor provides a clever plugin scan technic which saves a lot of time. Instead of scanning fornew plugins on each startup, Phrazor scans on demand. That means that after the first plugin-scan, the result is stored so that a rescan is not necessary when you restart Phrazor.

The Rescan button has to be clicked when new plugins have been installed.

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4.1.2. Drag and Drop from other Applications

is supported for Phrazor and MIDI files. The mentioned control and shift key behavior appliesfor drag and drop as well!

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4.2. Manager

The Manager is a database driven management system for the important Phrazor filetypes. It isnot essential for working with Phrazor. You can skip this chapter on the first read and come

back later if you are familiar with the other functions.

The Manager let you organize Projects, Tracks, Slots, Programs and Clips.

The main goals are:

• Efficiency. Easily find and open files.

• Safety. Keywords are stored in files so that the database can be rebuild at any time.

• Flexibility. The user has its own idea of keywords. You decide how to classify.

4.2.1. First Start

The Manager is empty unless you feed it with information. It looks like that:

The five buttons in the menu select the filetype. Actually you think of five separated Managers.The buttons in the submenu select the job:

•

Search and open files by keywords• Classify the selected object by assigning keywords to it

• Setup keywords and columns, rebuild the database

Before using the Manager you have to setup the keywords.

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4.2.2. Setup

For each filetype the manager provides 4 keyword columns. Each column can have a title and alist of keywords. Title and keywords can be changed at any time. Keywords are not bound to acolumn! You can delete them or move them around (right-click on keyword). Adding keywordscan be done in a loop or simply by separating the words by semicolon.

Before you begin to setup the Manager, you should take some time to think about the wayyou'd like to organize your files. For each filetype you can use up to 4 key-columns. It is notnecessary to use the Manager for all types. May be you want to organize only your Clips.

4.2.3. Classify

After you have entered some keywords, you can begin to classify existing files. If you switch toClassify you'll probably see this:

The keywords are grayed out - what's wrong? If the selected object has not been saved, itcannot be classified! This is logical because the Manager would have no chance to find anobject which doesn't exist.

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So save the object…

Click to assignkeywords

Click to edit theinfotext

The process is:

1. Click on Classify

2. Open the file or select the object you want to classify3. Assign keywords and edit an infotext (optional)

4. Save!

If you do not save, the information is not written to the database and to the file itself!

4.2.4. Search

The search function is the most important for daily use. It's very simply:

1. Select keyword(s)

2. Look at the result

3. Doubleclick or drag from the result (like in browser)

Select keyword(s)

A click on a result item shows the infotext.Doubleclick on the item or drag it to a target.

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4.2.5. Rebuild

Because the keywords are stored in the files as well, it's possible to rebuild the database foreach filetype from the scratch. This can be useful if you move all your files to another computeror you are going to check-in files from other computers.

The Rebuild button is enabled in Setup. The rebuild is performed only for the selected filetype.

The rebuild-process is quite complex because each file has to be opened partially. ThereforePhrazor resets itself completely. You are asked whether to save the current Project or not.Rebuilding the database can take some minutes or even longer if you have hundreds or morefiles!

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4.3. Mixer

The Mixer displays the audio-mixing parameters of a Rack (all 8 Slots) in one view:

• Mute and Solo

• Level and Pan

• Input level A, Input level B, Output switch B

Tutorials MIXER (and foll.)

4.3.1. Rack Signal Flow

It is very important to understand how Phrazor processes a Rack: All Slots are processed instereo – mono signals are automatically converted. By default the output-signal is simply the

sum of all Slots – they are working parallel. In order to use effects and/or to create morecomplex routings, two virtual busses (called A and B) are provided:

The Level and Pan sliders control the audible signal which goes to the Track Mixer.

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The A bus signal is a mix of the Sends and the signal which is fed into Phrazor from the host.This means the A bus is a pure input bus - its signal can be routed into each Slot, the inputlevel can be adjusted with the Input A slider. The default value (middle = 100%) of Input A means: The plugin gets the full signal as input.

The B bus can be seen as a serial or chain bus. The main use is to connect the Slots in a serialway, especially for effects. The B bus signal can be adjusted at the input side with the Input Bslider. The default value (middle = 100%) of Input B means: The plugin gets the full B signal atits input.

Each Slot can send a certain amount of its output to the B bus. The switch Output B has to beactivated! The level can be adjusted with the Output B slider. The default value (middle =100%) of Output B means: Send the full output of the B bus.

The first Slot has a signal on the B bus if a preceding Track has an active Chain (see Track Mixer).

Note

The Output B signal is not influenced by Level/Pan – it is pre-master processed. This is quiteuseful because you can route a certain dry level to the mixer. Even Mute has no influence tothe B bus, because an active Mute or a not Solo state is equivalent to Level = 0%.

Furthermore it’s worth to know that instruments do not block the signal of the B bus. They let itthrough – even if they have not inputs. If you don’t want to let the signal go through, simplyset the Input B level to 0.

Auto-connect

This function make the routing very convenient. It automatically sets the Mute and Output Bswitches in order to create a serial routing. You can turn auto-connect on and off with thecheckbox Auto. The automatic update of the switches is performed every time you modify theRack regarding the Slots, that is on loading plugins and dragging Slots. To disable auto-connectfor certain procedures hold the control-key.

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Examples

Two Instruments parallel

The following picture shows the default Mixer state when two instruments have been loaded.Both are processed in parallel. The sum signal is processed by the Track Mixer:

In the next chapter we’ll learn how to setup keyranges etc.

Instruments and Effects: Serial processing

Here the signal of the instrument (yellow) is processed by the effect (green). The Output Bswitch has to be active (yellow), otherwise the effect would not get the signal.

Phrazor as an Effect Rack: Input from host

Each Phrazor Track can act as an Effect Rack. One setting has to be adjusted in order to routean input signal to the Input A of a Track: Setup > Audio/MIDI > Input Port:

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Now simply load the preferred effect plugins into the Rack – that’s it. Remember: Trackscontain the Rack and can be saved and reused! You can easily build up a set of pure effectracks:

The picture shows a pure serial effect Rack.

The input signal of the effect rack is controlled with the Input A slider.

Mixing parallel and serial processing

This example mixes two chains:

1. Sputnik > Delay

2. JP 7A > Auto Filter > Reverb

Note

The Input B level has bee set to 0 for JP 7A. Otherwise the Delay’s output would go throughthe JP 7A chain. You control it.

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4.4. MIDI

The MIDI panel displays the most important MIDI relevant parameters of the Rack on one view:

You can adjust:

• Channel (default All, means channel defined in Track settings)

• Direct/Chain switch (first Routing button)

• Thru/FX switch (second Routing button)

• Keyrange (low, high and rootkey)

• Keytrack switch (<-> button, turns off transposing when Off)

Tutorials MIDI (and foll.)

The MIDI routing in Phrazor is quite simple. Normally each Plugin receives the MIDI data fromthe Sequencer and Host. The events are filtered according the MIDI channel (Chn.) and theKeyrange, visualized by the keyboard.

If multiple Slots are loaded and the keyranges overlap, all Plugins receive data and will playsimultaneously. If you separate the Slots by defining discrete keyranges, the Plugins will onlyplay notes in their range. The rootkey sets the middle C for each range and can thus be used totranspose.

More MIDI parameters can be adjusted in the Setup view.

4.4.1. Setting the keyrange and rootkey – the graphical keyboard

Click and/or drag in the upper area to adjust the keyrange, the left mouse button sets the lower key – the right button the higher

Click and/or drag at the bottom area to adjust the rootkey

By default the control snaps to octaves, the Snap checkbox controls that

Hold Alt to turn the octave snap off

Hold Control and drag to move the keyrange left/right

Hold Shift to set a one-note keyrange

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4.4.2. MIDI Plugins

Using MIDI effect and instrument plugins is quite easy. If you load a MIDI capable plugin, theFX switch (->-) gets active automatically. If FX is active, the MIDI-out stream of the plugins isrouted to the subsequent Slots. To force a Plugin to get the MIDI out stream from a precedingMIDI Plugin instead of the MIDI input directly from Sequencer/Host, the Direct (|>) switch hasto be turned On.

The Slot gets MIDI directly from host/sequencer

The Slot gets MIDI from a subsequent MIDI plugin

MIDI processing if Off

MIDI processing if On

The following picture illustrates that:

The Slot loaded with the built-in MIDI Plugin Chorder gets all MIDI input on all channels. Itprocesses MIDI because the FX button (->-) is active.

The second Slot (Sputnik) gets all MIDI input from Chorder because the chain button |> is on.

Tutorial Track MIDI Routing

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4.5. Control

Phrazor allows the assignment of up to 8 plugin parameters to so called Control Sliders. Theassignment has to done in the Plugin view. As soon as Control Sliders are assigned, the Control

view displays them and let you adjust these parameters in a common way:

The assignment is stored in the Slot. This means that you have to assign only once! Beside the

homogenous parameters access without opening the plugin editor the Control Sliders haveanother advantage:

The parameter values are stored in Programs as well. You can setup the Programs in a way thatonly the Control Slider values are recalled instead of the complete Program. This allows thecreation of Program variations, speeds up loading time and avoids glitches.

Handling is very easy:

• Click and drag the sliders to adjust the value

• The right button let you fine adjust

• A mouse click on the parameter name opens a rename dialog

In the next chapter you’ll learn how to assign the Control Sliders.

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4.6. Plugin

The Plugin view displays the plugin editor for the currently selected Slot. If a VST plugin isloaded, the internal VST editor is displayed. If a Phrazor plugin is loaded, the according Phrazor

plugin specific editor is displayed. The Phrazor plugins provide individual editors – they areexplained separately.

Here we’ll describe the internal VST editor. The display is separated in two panels: Presets andParameters.

4.6.1. Presets

The preset panel simply displays the preset list which is read from the plugin:

The handling is intuitive:

Click on a preset to activate it

The triangle button on the left automatically stores the preset to the next free Program

A right click on an item opens the preset context menu (load/save fxp, rename)

Use the previous/next buttons on top of the scrollbar to quickly browse through the list The Import/Export Bank buttons let you import/export all presets in the standard VST bank format (FXB).

The Save Programs function automatically creates Programs for all Presets and saves them into a directory. You will be asked for the name.

It is very important to understand the difference of VST presets and Phrazor Programs, whichhas been explained in chapter ‘Programs’. Normally you will browse through the presets andstore the preferred ones as Programs with a click on the triangle button. This way you can buildup easy to use banks for your favorite plugins.

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4.6.2. Parameters

The Parameters panel displays all plugin parameters:

Normally you will work in the Parameter panel:

if the plugin doesn’t provide a graphical editor and you want to adjust parameters

or if you want to assign Control Sliders or MIDI Controllers to certain parameters.

Table layout

The first column shows the parameter name followed by the value-slider which can be clickedand dragged. The third column shows the value.

The two assignment columns Control and MIDI CC let you:

• assign a Control Slider to a parameter.

• learn/assign a MIDI Controller to a parameter.

Click on the according row/column to selected the preferred control source. Sliders can controlexactly one parameter, since they are visualized in the Control display. The MIDI Controllerscan adjust multiple parameters at the same time. A left click in the MIDI CC column

enters/leaves the learn mode. Adjust an external MIDI controller to learn its number.

The last two columns let you specify a certain parameter range.

Tutorial Control Sliders

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Assignment procedure

Phrazor let you assign parameters very easy – even if the plugin provides hundreds of parameters:

1. Open the plugin editor (click on the E icon of the Slot)

2. Touch (drag) the desired parameter in the Plugin editor, release the mouse button

3. The parameter is now visible and selected and the assigned can be done

Optionally you can adjust the parameter range. Adjust the parameter to the preferred min/maxpositions and afterwards click on the min/max item in the parameter list. The new min/maxvalue is displayed and activated. You can even set an inverse range, especially useful for

Aftertouch (AT).

Parameter randomization

The submenu buttons and the Rnd. checkbox let you add a certain amount of random to theselected parameters. The 3 first buttons help you selecting parameters. The % dragger sets theamount of alteration. The Random button performs the action.

Tutorial Plugin Parameters - The internal Editor

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4.6.3. Outputs

The output panel is used to setup the routing for multi-out plugins. By default Phrazor routes alloutputs to the Track (Local).

The table displays all output-channels, which are reported by the plugin. The channels areresolved and displayed as stereo-ports. This means that Phrazor automatically converts mono-channels to stereo-ports. Each port can be assigned to Local or any subsequent Track.

Local routes the signal to the Track where the Plugin is loaded. Routing to Local let you usemulti-out plugins as if they were single-out plugins. Local is default, which means that you canuse multi-out plugins at once.

If you set the Output Track to Off, the port is not processed at all. This is reported to theplugin, which can lead to less cpu- consumption.

Setting Output Track to any other Track, routes the signal to the Input A of the target Track,

without affecting level/pan at all. This should be adjusted in the target Track.

Note

You can route each Slot to other Tracks – this is not restricted to multi-out plugins! This allowsyou to route the signal of any Slot to any subsequent Track.

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4.7. Setup

The Setup view is used to adjust the Track dependent parameters. They are separated intothese Groups:

4.7.1. Audio/MIDI

controls important Audio/MIDI parameters:

Audio

Input Port Selects the logical input stereo-port for the selected Track. Inthe standalone version there are 16 ports available. The portchannels can be assigned in Options > Audio. In the pluginversion there are up to 16 ports available. The number of

used input ports can be adjusted in Options > Audio.

Output Port Selects the logical output stereo-port for the selected Track. Inthe standalone version there are 16 ports available. The portchannels can be assigned in Options > Audio. In the pluginversion there are up to 16 ports available. The number of used output ports can be adjusted in Options > Audio.

Fade Inertia Controls the fading time for the Track Mixer sliders Level, Panand Sends.

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MIDI

Input Port Selects one of the 16 logical MIDI input ports, which can beconfigured in Options > MIDI. Set this parameter to 'Internal'

in order to receive input only from another Track (see Mergewith Input from Track). In the VST version the ports arenamed Host. This means that MIDI input comes from the hostapplication.

Input Channel All incoming MIDI events are pre-filtered regarding this. Set itto 'Selected' to force the Track to receive MIDI events on thechannel 1-16 if the track is selected.

Tutorial Play only the selected Track

The value 'Off: Sequencer' deactivates MIDI input. Eventscoming from the sequencer (Clipedit) are passed. They can befiltered using the Slot settings.

Output Port In the standalone version, this parameter selects one of the16 logical MIDI output ports, which can be configured inOptions > MIDI. Set port to 'Internal' if you want to use theMIDI output of this Track as input for another Track (seeReceive MIDI input from Track).

In the plugin version you can set this parameter to ‘Host’ in

order to send the MIDI output of a Track to the host. Thisworks only if the Track doesn’t contain any plugins or at leastone plugin is MIDI-out capable. You can use the built-in MIDIThru plugin for this job.

Merge with Input from Track Merges input from another selectable preceding Track. Thisoption let you play Remote Clips and recall States controlledby the sequencer instead of your hands or the host. Assurethat the selected source Track sends MIDI - an output porthas to be set.

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Playmode

Clipmode/Playlist Automatic: Play only non-remote Clips in CLIP mode

Standard: Play Clips in CLIP mode

Playlist: Play only Clips triggered by Playlist

Always: Play selected Clips in any case

Play only selected clip Normally all Clips which are triggered regarding the keyrangeare played at the same time – the currently selected Clipdoesn’t play a role. If this option is turned on (default), theselected Clip gets a higher ‘priority’ – the velocity for not-selected Clips can be adjusted with the Rest parameter in theRemote Clip panel. This way you can emphasize the selectedClip.

Exclude from Global State Normally all Tracks are affected by recalling a Global State.Turn this option on to suppress that for certain Tracks.

Lock Clip Remote Settings Prevents overwriting the current remote settings when loadinga Clip.

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4.7.2. Groove

These parameters control the runtime alteration of MIDI events generated by the sequencer.

Tutorial Groove Settings

Global

Transpose Transposes all sequencer events just before they are sent tothe Slots.

Velocity Adjusts the note velocity of sequencer events in percent justbefore they are sent to the Slots.

Length Adjusts the note length of sequencer events in percent just

before they are sent to the Slots.

Delay Delays all sequencer events in percent, where 100% isequivalent to 1 beat.

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Arpeggiator

These parameters are used for controlling the build-in Arpeggiator, which has to activated bysetting the Arp mode in Remote > Clips. In Arp mode, pressed chords are analyzed andcombined with the Clip.

Traditional Arpeggiators don't provide a Clip as a carrier sequence. They only process thepressed keys. In Phrazor any Clip can be used as a basic sequence. Therefore the Quantizeparameter has been introduced.

Mode Selects the algorithm which controls how chords and Clip areprocessed.

Reverse Keys Reverses the pressed keys - changes the algorithm.

Octaves before Keys Normally the Keys are processed before the octave range.

This reverses that behavior.

Octave Range Adjusts the octave range. The calculated sequence is playedand transposed for each octave.

Semitone Range Sets the number of semitones of an octave.

Velocity Sens Adjusts the effect of note velocity to the sequence.

Number of Steps Forces the Arp to fix the length of the sequence to a certainnumber of steps. If the held keys would produce a shortersequence, the missing steps are padded. If the sequencer islonger, only the last keys are used.

Padding Mode Controls the algorithm used to pad the missing steps (seeNumber of Steps).

Clip Steps Breaks down the Clip in 'steps'. Usually it applies to the usedresolution of the Clip. Setting it to lower values createsrepetitions.

Play like Clip The generated sequence has the same length as the Clipinstead of the generation of a progressing sequence.

Note: The algorithm is influenced by the Clip too! The Arpeggiator distinguishes between emptyand non-empty steps. Mute certain notes to consider them as non-empty steps!

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Swing

Quantize Sets the quantize value of the swing module.

First Adjusts the first swing-affected step, according the Quantize

value.

Interval Sets the swing interval in steps, according the Quantize value.

Delay Sets the delay amount of swing-affected events.

Velocity Sets the velocity modulation of swing-affected events.

Length Sets the length modulation of swing-affected notes.

Humanization

Velocity Introduces a random velocity modulation for notes.

Delay Sets a random delay for note-events.

Length Adjusts a random length modulation for notes.

Accent

Phrazor provides a build in accent mechanism for individual notes. You can mark notes as

accentuated in the Clipeditor. Since the Groove can be recalled by Remote States, you cancreate different variations for one Clip and recall them with a mouse click or a MIDI note.

Velocity Sets the velocity alteration for accent notes.

Length Sets the length alteration for accent notes.

Delay Sets the delay alteration for accent notes.

Transpose Allows transposition for accent notes.

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4.7.3. Drummap

The drummap will be primarily used for drum-programming in the Drum mode of the Clipeditor.It controls which notes are displayed and optionally reroutes certain notes and adjusts velocity

and MIDI output channel:

The table is sorted by Key In – the input note. Key Out let you specify an the according outputkey. This is useful for certain drum plugins, which expect the triggers on certain notes.

The Show flag let you optionally hide certain notes at all. This leads to a clearly arranged drum

editing:

Only the notes with an active Show flag are displayed and can be edited!

The Mute flag simply prevents the according notes from being sent. Velocity let you specify a in

percent velocity adjustment. The Channel parameter allows setting an optional MIDI outputchannel for certain notes. A mouse click on the Name let you enter another name, which is alsodisplayed in the Drum editor.

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The buttons at the bottom allows loading/saving of the complete map. This way you can setupdrummaps for certain plugins. The Reset buttons reset the map to an empty state (Reset) orGeneral MIDI Drum state (Reset GM).

The Reduce button is very useful. It automatically sets the Show flag according all Clips of the

Track. If you have imported some MIDI files and you click on Reduce, only the actually usednotes are displays in the Drum editor.

Tip

It can be quite convenient to setup drummaps for melodic composing as well!

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4.8.2. Clips

One of Phrazor's strength is the ability to play Clips live or triggered by the host. The Clipspanel is used to setup Clips for live playing. The list look similar to the Cliplist on the right –actually the contain the same items and are synchronized. You activate live playing by settingthe Mode parameter to Legato or Poly. These modes and the logic are described later.

Tutorial Remote Clips (and foll.)

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Options

Mode Selects the playmode: Off, Poly, Legato and Arp.

Sync Activates synchronization with Phrazor's main clock, which can also be

synchronized to the host (SYNC button).

Hold Forces the sequencer to play the complete Clip even if no more triggerkeys are held.

KT Keytrack, transposes according input (turn off for drums).

Keyrange Adjusts the keyrange that activates a Clip. Only notes within this rangeactually trigger the Clip.

Sens Adjusts the velocity sensitivity.

Rest The velocity of Clips when they are not selected. This parameterbecomes very interesting if multiple Clips share one Keyrange, whichactually means they play simultaneously. This option is only available if

‘Selective Clip Playback’ is activated in the Remote Options.

The Keyrange control works like that:

• The upper area is for keyrange, the bottom for the rootkey

• By default the control snaps to octaves

• Hold Alt to turn the octave snap off

• Hold Control and drag to move the range

• Hold Shift to set a one-note keyrange, very useful for drum Clips

How to use Remote Clips

As soon as a MIDI note event is received and one or more Clips are active (Mode is Legato,Poly or Arp), Phrazor begins to trigger the Clips according their Keyrange. This means thatmultiple Clips can be active at the same time. The Poly/Legato mode is similar to thesynthesizer counterparts.

In Poly mode multiple voices of one Clip can be active – each note starts a new Clip voice! InLegato mode the Clips just transposes according the note. Pressing a new note transposesaccordingly - releasing a note forces Phrazor to transpose back to the last one.

The Arp mode activates the Arpeggiator, which can be adjusted in Setup > Arpeggiator. The Arp mode works similar to the Legato mode. The difference is that chords are analyzed andcombined with the Clip. The Arpeggiator settings (Setup > Arpeggiator) control how both inputsare processed. The Hold mode has an extended meaning in the Arp mode: The hold chord iskept and played until no more keys are pressed.

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The following rules apply to all notes:

• Playback stops as soon as all notes are released (exception Hold)

• Remote Clips behave like voices on synthesizers

• Multiple Clips can play simultaneously

• Clips can be played even if the Sequencer is not started

• If multiple Clips share a Keyrange, the currently selected Clip is played regarding the trigger velocity, the others are played according the Rest value

• Remote Clips can be used for drumpatterns as well (disable KT here!)

• You can even change the active Clip at runtime via MIDI notes while playback! For that you have to setup States to control the selected Clip.

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4.8.3. Track States

A Track State reflects the state of one Track. It contains the state of the Mixer, the indices of the currently selected Program/Clip and all Groove parameters. A Track State can be recalled byan assignable MIDI note. Each Track has its own set of 128 Track States.

Tutorial Track States

The Track States panel is a detailed view on the Remote States panel at the right bottom – if Track is selected. Similar to the Programs you can exactly control what is recalled by a Track State and how/when the State can be recalled via MIDI:

The arrow button stores the current state of the Track, no matter which recall flags are set.

Used states are visualized by a highlighted background. The Name column displays the editablename. So the basic usage is exactly the same as for Programs:

• Storing a State by clicking on the arrow.

• Recalling a State by clicking on its name.

• If a state is recalled and pending (because of the change moment), the arrow disappears until the state has become active.

Note

If the ‘Change On’ is set to Bar or Beat and the sequencer is not running, the recall-action willbe applied immediately!

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The ‘Store recall settings as default’ stores the recall settings of the according State internally.The next store action will automatically use these defaults. This makes it easier to setupmultiple States with identical recall options.

Options

Hotkey Sets the MIDI note which recalls the state.

Change on Let you specify the moment when the state should become active: Bar,Beat or Instant.

Tracks Controls if the Track Mixer state is recalled. This includes Track Mute/Solo, Level/Pan and all 3 send Levels.

Slots Specifies if the Mixer state of all 8 Slots is recalled. This includesMute/Solo, Level/Pan, Input A/B and the Output B Level of each Slot.

Program Defines if the Slots Programs are recalled as well. The method of recalling the Programs is defined in the Remote Program panel.

Clip At the moment of storing a State, the selected Clip and the Play Lock state of all Clips is stored as well. Turning on the Clip flag forces Phrazorto recover this state.

Groove Turn this on in order to recall the stored Groove settings as well.

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4.8.4. Global States

A Global States reflects the state of all Tracks. The information stored for each Track isequivalent to a Track State. This allows you to recall the complete Phrazor state with onemouse click or MIDI note.

Tutorial Global States

The Global States are almost identical to the Track States regarding usage and options:

Additionally the Global States have a Master and a Indirect option. Activating the Master flagforces Phrazor to recall the Master Levels and the Tempo as well. An activated Indirect optionrecalls the selected Track States of all Tracks when the Global State was stored. That means

you can recall a set of already stored Track States. Therefore all options besides Master aredisabled in Indirect mode.

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4.9. Clipedit

The Clipeditor allows convenient editing of Clips. Clips are very similar to MIDI files. A Clip is asequence of timed events and additional settings. The length of a Clip is unlimited. These Clips

can be played in several ways: statically controlled by the Playlist or dynamically triggered by arange of keys.

The display depends on the selected Track (Track Mixer) and the selected Clip (Cliplist). Theeditor is separated in:

• the menu bar at the top

• the submenu below

• the zoom and timeline

• the keyboard and pianoroll in the center

• the velocity/automation area below

• and (optional) a toolbar at the bottom.

Menu bar

The menu bar contains the important display and edit options:

Pianoroll/Drumgrid Switches between both views

Undo/Redo Unlimited action history.

Chn. Selects the edit/display MIDI channel. Since Phrazor Clips are actuallyenhanced MIDI files, they can contain up to 16 MIDI channels. The valueis automatically updated either on selecting a Slot with a specific MIDIchannel (other than All) or by clicking on ‘ghost’ notes in the Pianoroll.These ‘ghost’ notes have a different MIDI channel than Chn. and are

displayed as white rectangles.

Checkbox Channel-Lock, if turned on the edit/selection-functions affect only theselected MIDI Channel. Otherwise all channels are affected.

Snap Sets the snap, which affects the event position for inserting new notesand moving notes.

Len. Adjusts the default length for new notes.

Velo. Sets the default velocity for new notes.

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Submenu

Edit Menu containing additional selection and editing functions.

Mode Several options

Map Opens the Drummap selection menu. Phrazor automatically switches tothe Drumgrid view after selecting a map.

Notes Selects all notes.

Events Selects all controller events.

None Deselects all events.

Invert Inverts the selection.

Cut Cuts the selected events on the clipboard.

Copy Copy the selected events on the clipboard.

Paste Pastes the clipboard events.

Quantize Quantizes event times regarding the current Snap. (Selection)

Length Quantizes note lengths regarding the current Snap. (Selection)

Mute Mutes the selected notes.

Accent Accents the selected notes. The action on accented notes is defined bythe Groove settings.

Zoom and Clip Length

By dragging the zoom button (magnifier) right and left you can zoom in and out. The Cliplength can be with a mouse click in the upper half of the timeline. If you want to set a very longClip length and you cannot scroll to the desired position, because the scrollbar only brings the

actual Clip (defined by the length) into scope, you have to zoom out before setting the Cliplength.

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Editing in the Pianoroll

Editing Clips is quite intuitive and very responsive. You can hear the result immediately – youdon’t have to wait until the play-cursor passes the end. All editing can be done withoutswitching between different modes:

Mouse Position Additional Action

Left empty space Insert note

Left note Select note, deselects others

Left note-tail drag

left/right

Adjust length of selected note(s)

Left empty space Shift drag Selection rectangle

Left selected note drag Move selected note(s)

Left empty space

or sel. note

Alt

drag

Adjust velocity and length of selected note(s)

Left selected note Control duplicate selected note(s)

Left selected note Shift Select / deselect single note

Left empty space Control Selects all notes

Left selected note Shift

Control

drag

Move selected note(s) ignoring the Snap setting

Right empty space Remove selection

Right selected note Cuts selected note(s) to clipboard

Right empty space Control Pastes clipboard and sets MIDI Channel regardingChn.

Right Alt Opens the clip-browser menu. The selected Clip ismerged into the pianoroll starting at the cursorposition. This allows you to quickly reuse previouslysaved chords or lines.

Wheel Scrolls up/down

Wheel Control Zooms in/out

Wheel Shift Scrolls left/right

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The Tools

You can activate Toolbar in the Mode menu. The menu appears at the bottom and provides aset of functions which all apply to the selection:

< Shrink to half length.

> Expand to double length.

Stretch (drag left/right) Stretches the events. The length of note events is also affectedunless the drumgrid is active of you hold the shift key.

Cycle (drag left/right) Rotates events within bars. This is useful if the first note of thefirst beat should be moved to the start.

Length (drag left/right) Changes the length of note events relatively.

Velo. Changes the velocity of note events relatively.

Shuffle Exchanges certain properties (time, length, note, velocity) byrandom.

Random Time Randomizes times preventing doubles.

Random Note Randomizes note values according the drummap. Only not-muted note values are possible.

If you hold the control key the Snap setting is ignored!

The Keyboard

The keyboard is primarily used as an orientation aid for editing and playing. Furthermore itsvelocity sensitive audition function let you try out how the Slot sounds with different notes.Depending on the horizontal position the velocity changes, increasing to right. If Recording isactive, you can even record by clicking on the Keyboard.

If certain notes are not within the keyrange defined by the Slot or are Muted by the Drummapthe keys are displayed with less contrast.

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Overview

Additional Controls and Scrollbar

Between Pianoroll and Velocity area you see a bar containing four icons and a scrollbar. Thescrollbar is used to scroll left and right. The icons mean:

Show/Hide the velocity area

Resize the velocity area

Zoom in/out (same as control + mouse wheel in Pianoroll)

Toggle edit and selection mode. Selection mode is actually the same as Shift + mouse dragin Pianoroll)

Editing Velocities

The lower area displays the velocity values and length of the notes. To change the velocity of anote, click on the bar and drag the mouse up and down. If you want to adjust the velocity of a

single chord note, you should first select the note in the pianoroll.

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Tip

Adjusting the velocity can be done directly on the note in the Pianoroll. Hold Alt key and drag the mouse up and down.

The right mouse button allows sweeping over the velocity-bars.

You can also select notes regarding their velocities. Hold the Shift key and drag a selectionrectangle:

Controller Editing

A mouse click in the area left of the velocity area opens the controller menu:

You select the typical controllers Pitchwheel, Aftertouch, Prog. Sel. and all 128 commoncontrollers. The Prog. Sel. is directly routed to the Phrazor Programs!

Controllers are displayed to visualize their audible meaning correctly:

The controller-event is displayed as a bar. The value remains unchanged until the nextcontroller event occurs. Editing works similar to Pianoroll editing:

Left mouse button inserts a controller event.

Right mouse button removes controller events.

Selection (Shift key) and duplicating (Control key) are supported as well.

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Drumgrid

The drumgrid is just another way of displaying/editing the notes. The differences are:

• Note-names according Drummap are displayed instead of the keyboard

• Only the notes having the Drummap ‘Show’ option set are displayed

• The background does not have the black/white note shades

• The note velocity is displayed within each note

Editing in drumgrid works exactly as in the Pianoroll.

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4.10. Playlist

The Playlist is used to control and adjust playback of Clips at a certain time. The panel is quitesimilar to the Pianoroll.

Tutorial Playlist

One difference is that the timeline is used to set the loop markers. A left click sets loop start, aright click sets the loop end:

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Handling

You can insert and remove Clips with the left/right mouse button. Normally the currentlyselected Clip will be inserted. If you want to insert different Clips repetitiously, simply drag themfrom the Cliplist into the Playlist:

Furthermore the typical functions are provided:

• A double click selects the Clips and opens the Pianoroll

• Left click inserts currently selected Clip

• Right click removes a Clip or more selected Clips

•

Holding Shift selects multiple Clips • Holding Control duplicates selection

• Mouse wheel replaced selected Parts with previous/next Clips

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4.11. Project

4.11.1. Notes

The Project Notes allow you to embed text information in Project files, which are displayedwhen the Project is opened. Furthermore the songlist is displayed on the right. The TutorialProjects use it.

Edit

Although the dialog which opens when you click on the edit button supports only plain text,certain text formats are provided. For this purpose the following tokens can be used:

1# Heading 1

2# Heading 2

3# Heading 3

b# Bold

u# Unordered list

The tokens have to be the first two characters in a line. A more convenient text editor for theProject Notes is planned.

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Songlist

This list is very similar to the one displayed in Options > Songlist. It provides a very fast way of loading Projects. Simply click on the arrow button to open a project.

The Browse button opens the songlist browser menu, the button Tutorials let you load thetutorial songlist at any time.

The songlist can be edited in Options > Songlist.

Note

The Project > Notes are automatically activated when you click on the About panel and thesonglist is not empty! This makes the start procedure very convenient - 2 clicks to open thepreferred Project!

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4.12. Options

4.12.1. Audio

The Audio panel differs between the plugin and standalone version.

Plugin

Inputs Sets the number of stereo input ports.

Outputs Sets the number of stereo output ports.

These settings are system wide, this means that Phrazor has to be reloaded in order to applychanges.

Standalone

The standalone version supports ASIO soundcards, which allow very low latencies. The ASIOdrivers are listed on the left. In most cases it’s enough to simply select the driver, since thepreferred settings reported by the hardware are used by default.

Note

If Phrazor crashes after selecting a driver or you get no sound at all, please send the logfile'standalone.log' which is located in the Phrazor directory to [email protected] anddescribe the problem as detailed as possible.

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Ports

Phrazor allows the individual routing of inputs and outputs to Tracks. This is very useful if youare working with soundcards which provide more than 2 channels (stereo). In order to keep thestandalone and plugin version consistent and to make Projects and Tracks independent from

the environment, a logical layer called ‚Ports’ has been introduced. A port is simply a numberbetween 1 and 16 which can be assigned to any of the actual channels. Because Phrazor Trackswork always in stereo mode, there are 32 possible targets (16 ports multiplied by the 2 stereochannels).

Example (M-Audio Firewire Audiophile):

Input Channels Port Output Channels Port

FW AP Analog In 1 1 L FW AP Analog Out 1/2 L 1 L

FW AP Analog In 2 1 R FW AP Analog Out 1/2 R 1 R

FW AP SPDIF In 1 -- FW AP Analog Out 3/4 L 2 L

FW AP SPDIF In 2 -- FW AP Analog Out 3/4 R 2 R

FW AP SPDIF Out L --

FW AP SPDIF Out R --

The soundcard provides 4 input and 6 output channels. The input channels are:

• FW AP Analog In (1 and 2)

• FW AP SPDIF In (1 and 2)

The output channels are:

• FW AP Analog Out 1/2 (L and R)

• FW AP Analog Out 3/4 (L and R)

• FW AP SPDIF Out (L and R)

The analog input has been connected to port 1. The left channel of port 1 (1 L) processes FW AP Analog In 1, the right channel (1 R) processes FW AP Analog In 2.

The output port 1 is routed to the channel pair FW AP Analog Out 1/2, output port 2 is routedto FW AP Analog Out 3/4.

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Usage in Tracks

As soon you have assigned the ports, you can use them as input and output ports in Setup > Audio/MIDI. There you only have to select the preferred port.

Since the standalone and the plugin version of Phrazor use the same logic for ports, you can

simply use Projects and any other file types in both versions. Even working in differentenvironments is no problem, since only the logical port numbers are saved.

Driver Configuration

After selecting a driver you can adjust the sample rate and the size of the buffers. Low buffersizes reduce latency but need more cpu. If the sound is distorted you have to increase thebuffer size.

4.12.2. MIDI

This panel is only visible in the standalone version, since the plugin version gets all MIDI datafrom the host.

The connection of real MIDI devices and Phrazor Tracks works with ports, comparable with theaudio configuration. Each MIDI device can be assigned to one of the 16 provided logical ports.These ports can be selected as inputs and outputs in Setup > Audio/MIDI.

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4.12.3. Global

This view let you set several global options:

Defaults

Some useful default values.

GUI

Graphics Selects the GUI. By default two GUI’s are provided. Phrazorhas to be reloaded in order to activate the selection.

Fonts Selects the font set.

Highlight Triggers according

velocity

The Pianoroll and Drumgrid supports alphablended drawing.

Turn this option on to highlight intensity regarding velocity.

Programs and VST-Presets

Automatically lock Programsand States

Automatically locks every time you store a Program or State.

Store current program whensaving

automatically stores the current Program when a Slot, Track or Project is saved. This option is on by default to ensure thatthe sound will be exactly the same when a file is loaded.

Autoname Programs automatically sets the name for the Program.

Get all Presets when loading Turning this option can increase loading time of VST plugins,since all presets are scanned and Programs are created. Thesame effect can be achieved manually with the ‘Get allPresets’ function of the Program list

Plugin Editors

Show Editor when loading VST automatically opens the plugin editor when a plugin is loaded

from the Plugin Browser

Restore Editor when loading restores the editor states (opened or closed) when loadingSlots, Tracks and Projects. If it is turned off, no Editor will beopened.

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Transport Control

Rewind on Stop Sets the song pointer to start when the sequencer stops

Start on first note Starts the sequencer when the first note-event has beenreceived

MIDI Sync Master Phrazor sends MIDI sync commands

MIDI Transport Slave Phrazor handles MIDI sync transport commands

Semisync SYNC only synchronizes the tempo.

PC Keyboard

Turn this option on to generate MIDI events with the PC Keyboard. The PC Keyboard (Keyboardto MIDI) can be used if you don’t have a MIDI keyboard with you. The lower 2 rows of your PCkeyboard starting at (z or y) apply to the lower octave. The upper 2 rows (starting at q) to thehigher octave. This function is host dependent.

4.12.4. Folders

This view allows the configuration of Phrazor's working directories. The list on the left selectsthe file type. This selection has to be done before assigning the directories!

In the filetree you can locate a directory. A double click adds it to the list of assigned ones.

1. Select the file type (VST, Projects, Tracks etc.) first

2. Locate a directory

3. Double click to add it to the assigned list

4. A right click on an assigned directory opens a menu (rename, delete)

5. Click on Apply or Cancel to apply or discard the changes

Immediately after you applied with Apply, the browsers are updated.

By default Phrazor assigns directories in Your VST folder\Phrazor\Userdata. Never move thisfolder into another directory or delete, since it is part of the Phrazor installation! The correct

way is to assign new working directories at the preferred locations. If you don’t want to use thedefault directories, simply delete them from the list (right click – delete).

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5. Keyboard Support

Phrazor can be partially played and controlled with the PC keyboard. Unfortunately this doesnot work for all hosts in the VST version, since Phrazor can only process the keyboard eventswhich are transmitted from the host.

In any case Phrazor needs to have the focus – you have to do a mouse click somewhere in thePhrazor GUI.

Main Menu

F1 About

F2 Fullscreen on/off

F3 Browser

F4 Manager

F5 Mixer

F6 MIDI

F7 Control

F8 Plugin

F9 Setup

F10 Remote

F11 Clipedit

F12 Playlist

Track/Slot Navigation

Left Previous Track

Right Next Track

Up Previous Slot

Down Next Slot

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Keyboard to MIDI

Numpad / Octave -

Numpad * Octave +

Numpad - Decrease velocity by 10

Numpad + Increase velocity by 10

General

Return/Enter Sequence Start/Stop

Esc Close plugin editor

O Project > Notes

Clipedit

Control + A Selects all events

Control + X Cut

Control + C Copy

Control + V Paste

Control + Z Undo

Control + Y Redo

1 Toggle Clip individual view

A Audition on/off

L Highlight playing notes on/off

F Follow song position on/off

0 (zero) Toolbar on/off

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6. Software License

Please read this document carefully, it contains warranty and liability disclaimers.

By installing or using this software you accept the terms of this license with SONICBYTES. If do

not agree to the terms of this agreement, please remove this software now.

Copyright law as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties protect this software.

LIMITATION ON REVERSE ENGINEERING, DECOMPILATION AND DISASSEMBLY

You may not disassemble, decompile or otherwise reverse engineer this software. You may notmake changes, modify, or prepare derivate works of the software.

RENTAL AND SOFTWARE TRANSFER

You may not transmit, redistribute or otherwise made available to any third party this softwareexcept as necessary to install the software or if expressly permitted by SONICBYTES. You may

not rent, lease, or lend this product to ant party. You are not allowed to transfer, license orsublicense your rights as Licensee of SONICBYTES software, as licensed to you under thisagreement.

UPGRADES

The product labelled or otherwise identified as “upgrade” by SONICBYTES replaces and/orsupplements the product that formed the basis for your eligibility for such upgrade. You mustbe properly licensed to use a product identified as being eligible for the upgrade.

WARRANTY DISCLAIMER AND INDEMNFICATION DISCLAIMER

This software and media is provided ‘as-is’, without warranty of any kind .any use of thesoftware and output is at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law,SONICBYTES disclaims all warranties and conditions, either express or implied, including but notlimited to, implied warranties and conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose,and non-infringement with respect to the software, its output, and media.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event shall SONICBYTES and/or its licensors be liable to you or third party for any special,incidental, indirect, or consequential damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profit, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss)arising out of the use or inability to use the software or its output even if SONICBYTES has

been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. Not foruse in high-risk environments.

BUNDLED GTG AND KJAERHUS PLUGINS