Chords Melodies Harmony And Polyphony In Eurorack

歡迎來到由 Tiptop Audio 所開發的嶄新模組合成器標準 - ART 系統

Musical Harmony Goes Modular

ART takes the power of musical harmony and fully enables its potential in a hardware modular synthesizer.

歷經近十年研究開發， Tiptop Audio 推出 ART 系統，實現在 Eurorack Modular System 中運行 Polyphonic 的可能性，這個新的架構正由 Tiptop Audio 官方努力推廣中，可望成為新世代模組化合成器的標準。

藉由 Tiptop Audio 官方介紹影片系列，我們可以一窺 ART 訊號是如何運作，以及如何影響模組合成器的聲音

ART - Analog Bundle 合成器系統

The S1 and S2 are promotional bundles that we are offering to our users, providing a 33% savings to get you started with ART. With these bundles, we include one of our favorite voices: the big, beefy 3 VCO stack (did we mention it’s beefy?). The bundles come in two options: Bundle S1, which uses the ART V/OCT Quantizer as a controller, and Bundle S2, which uses Octopus as a controller. In addition to the controllers, there are three ATX1 analog oscillators, MIX7 for mixing them with plenty of headroom, and followed by our beloved 4-pole Z2040 filter that has been with us since the day we started; it just sounds so good. Finally, we end up with Control Path dual envelope plus VCA dynamics modules.

ART Signal Q&A
一次搞懂 ART 訊號！

What do I need to get started with ART?

1. Select the ART controller you want to use. If you use a keyboard, midi sequencer or your computer then select Octopus, if you want to use Eurorack sequencers with CV then select the ART 1V/Oct Quantizer. 2. Select the oscillators. We recommend starting with at least three mono oscillators, for example two ATX1 and one Vortex. If budget is not holding you then five ATX1 and two Vortex will provide big lush sounds. 3. Once you selected the above you are basically ready to get started. All that you have left to add are filters vcas envelope and effects. We highly recommend the Z2040 filter and Control Path and MIX7 to build your voices with. A Z5000 Effect Processor will do magic to your ART sounds at the mix out.

Once you got your ART modules please watch the Video tutorials to get started.
 

Are the ART modules Eurorack?

Yes, ART modules are Eurorack modules and use Eurorack signal levels for oscillator audio and gate/cv controls, same power connector, and are designed to blend into any Eurorack system.

Can I use my current Eurorack modules with ART?

All of your filters, envelopes, LFOs, VCAs, effects, signal processors, mixers , patch cables will work with the ART modules. 1V/oct based sequencers and oscillators will not work with ART control inputs and outputs.

Does ART control use 1V/oct?

No, 1V/Oct is no longer needed with ART. ATX1 is the only oscillator in the ART line that can still be switched between ART control and 1V/Oct, which is only for legacy compatibility purposes. Although ATX1 has a single jack for both signals they are not compatible or interchangeable.

Can you mult an ART control signal?

Yes, ART was tested using Stackcables and should work with Passive mults too.

Is ART communication just MIDI?

ART Control and MIDI have some similarity in the fact that both are digital communication for music and use digital commands. However ART is mainly a modular synthesizer control signal while MIDI is a global studio control system and has many legacy aspects to the protocol including low speed. ART is extremely fast so it does not lag behind the very low latency of CV and Gate signals we use in a modular synthesizer. ART also does not require any channel configuration which makes it simpler to use. For the user patching ART is exactly like patching 1V/Oct.

What are some advantages of ART compared to 1V/octave?

ART control has precise pitch information as well as performance data about the note (velocity, mod and pressure). The ART signal is high speed for near zero latency and an analog ‘feel’. ART is also much cheaper to implement compared to the old quantized voltage based analog method.

Are the ART modules digital?

ART does not define anything about the nature of the module, since it is just a communication method. ART adds a functionality to either a fully analog module or a fully digital module or a hybrid.

Why do the VCOs have a Gate out?

Each tone generator is responsible for allocating its available voices based on the incoming ART data. For monophonic VCOs this is a single gate that activates with any note data. In Polyphonic modules like Vortex6 a voice allocation system is programmed into the module to assign the pitch and gate to the correct outputs including voice-stealing if needed.

Is the Polytip cable USB? Is the audio analog or digital?

Polytip patch cables are completely analog that use the USB C type connectors, everything inside the cable is completely different from USB. Please note, Polytip cables are not USB cables and should never be used to plug USB devices. Conversely, standard USB C cables will not work with Polytip modules. Internally the Polytip patch cable is all analog and the signals carried are all analog audio CVs or Gates.

Do I have to buy Polytip cables to play ART modules?

No, Polytip cables are required only for modules that are strictly polyphonic by design like OCTOPASS and OCTOSTAGES. HEXAGAIN and Vortex6 are Polyphonic too but have options for both independent signals over standard patch cables and Polytip cables.

Are the Polyphonic modules with Polytips digital?

Polytips do not define anything about the nature of the module, since they are a passive multichannel analog audio patch cable. Polytips adds a polyphony patching to either a fully analog module or a fully digital module or a hybrid.

Can I access each function in a polyphonic module separately?

Yes using the OCTO I/O expander module you can bring all the Polytip signals to 3.5mm jacks.

Could you explain the terminology used in ART?

The ART terminology was developed so we all speak the same ‘language’.

• Signal flow:
  Voice = can refer for example to a single filter in a poly filter module or a complete voice like VCO + VCF + EG + VCA patch.
• Patch types:
  Poly synth patch = patch with only Polytips. Patching with Polytips is like a higher level patching, you don’t patch one monophonic signal like you usually do in Eurorack, you patch blocks of voices.

Discrete polyphony patch = a polyphonic patch made from single modules, like multiple ATXs that goes into multiple filters and multiple vcas. Obviously it is very interesting to try and make each voice different from the other.

• Multi-Voice patch = a patch of multiple mono voices.
• Paraphonic patch = a polyphonic tone generation mix, like the MIX out on Vortex6 or multiple mono voices (ATX1) mixed together goes into a monophonic processing (VCF, VCA, EG, etc) path.
• Module type:

Polyphonic module = module with poly tips jacks like OCTOPASS

Polyphonic module with discrete I/Os = like Vortex6 and HEAGAIN, having both Polytips and 3.5mm jacks in parallel.

• Jacks:

Polyphonic jack = the Polytip jacks, these carry multiple audio signal in one cable

3.5mm jacks = the standard jacks used in Eurorack