Make Noise MATHS User manual
v2.6
MATHS
Limited Warranty ----------------------------------------------------3
Installation ----------------------------------------------------------4
Overview ---------------------------------------------------------5
Channel 1 Panel Controls -----------------------------------------6
Channel 4 Panel Controls --------------------------------------------8
SUM and OR Bus -----------------------------------------------------10
Getting Started -------------------------------------------------------12
Rise, Fall, and Vari-Response -------------------------------------13
Signal Outputs ------------------------------------------------------14
Tips & Tricks ---------------------------------------------------------15
Patch Examples ------------------------------------------------------16
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Limited WARRANTY:
THANK YOU
Design Assist: Matthew Sherwood
Beta Analyst: Walker Farrell
Test Subjects: Joe Moresi, Pete Speer, Richard Devine
About This Manual:
Written by Tony Rolando
Edited by Walker Farrell
Illustrated by W.Lee Coleman
Make Noise warrants this product to be free of defects in materials or construction for a period of one year
from the date of purchase (proof of purchase/invoice required).
Malfunction resulting from wrong power supply voltages, backwards or reversed eurorack bus board cable
connection, abuse of the product, removing knobs, changing face plates, or any other causes determined by
Make Noise to be the fault of the user are not covered by this warranty, and normal service rates will apply.
During the warranty period, any defective products will be repaired or replaced, at the option of Make Noise,
on a return-to-Make Noise basis with the customer paying the transit cost to Make Noise.
Make Noise implies and accepts no responsibility for harm to person or apparatus caused through operation
of this product.
or any needs & comments.
http://www.makenoisemusic.com
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Electrocution hazard!
Always turn the Eurorack case o and unplug the power cord before plugging or unplugging any Eurorack
bus board connection cable.
Do not touch any electrical terminals when attaching any Eurorack bus board cable.
The Make Noise MATHS is an electronic music module requiring 60mA of +12VDC and 50 mA of -12VDC
regulated voltages and a properly formatted distribution receptacle to operate. It must be properly installed
into a Eurorack format modular synthesizer system case.
Go to http://www.makenoisemusic.com/ for examples of Eurorack Systems and Cases.
Please refer to your case manufacturers’ specications for location of the negative
supply.
-12V
To install, 20HP in your Eurorack synthesizer case, conrm proper installation of included Eurorack Busboard
connector cable on backside of module (see picture below), plug the bus board connector cable into the
Eurorack style bus board, minding the polarity so that the RED stripe on the cable is oriented to the
NEGATIVE 12 Volt line on both the module and the bus board. On the Make Noise 6U or 3U Busboard, the
negative 12 Volt line is indicated by the white stripe.
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Overview:
MATHS is an analog computer designed for musical purposes. Amongst other things, it allows you to:
1. Generate a variety of linear, logarithmic, or exponential triggered or continuous functions
2. Integrate an incoming signal
3. Amplify, attenuate and Invert an incoming signal
4. Add, subtract and OR up to 4 signals
5. Generate analog signals from digital information (Gate/Clock)
6. Generate digital information (Gate/Clock) from analog signals
7. Delay digital (Gate/Clock) information
If the above list reads like science rather than music, here is the translation:
1. Voltage Controlled Envelope or LFO as slow as 25 minutes and as fast as 1khz
2. Apply Lag, Slew or Portamento to control voltages
3. Change the depth of modulation and modulate backwards!
4. Combine up to 4 control signals to create more complex modulations
5. Musical Events such as Ramping up or Down in Tempo, on command
6. Initiating Musical events upon sensing motion in the system
7. Musical note division and/or Flam
MATHS revision 2013 is a direct descendant of the original MATHS, sharing the same core circuit and generating all the fantastic
control signals that the original was capable of generating, but with some upgrades, additions, and evolutions:
1. The layout of the controls has been changed to be more intuitive and to work more uidly with the forth-coming CV
Bus and existing modules in our system such as the DPO, MMG, and ECHOPHON.
2. The LED indication for signals has been upgraded to show both positive and negative voltages as well as to increase
the display resolution. Even small voltages are readable on these LEDs.
3. As Make Noise now oers a Multiple the Signal Output Multiple (from the original MATHS) has been changed to a
Unity Signal Output. It allows for creating two variations of output, one at unity and the other as processed
through the Attenuverter. Also allows for ease in patching function responses not possible with the Vari-
Response control alone (see pg. 13 ).
4. An Inverted SUM Output has been added for greater modulation possibilities.
5. LED indication for the Sum Bus has been added for increased signal awareness.
6. LED indication added to show the state of the End Of Rise and End Of Cycle.
7. End Of Cycle Output is now buered for improved circuit stability.
8. Added reverse power protection.
9. Added +/-10V oset range. User has choice of +/-10V oset at CH. 2 or +/-5V oset at CH. 3.
10. Added greater Logarithmic range in Vari-Response control allowing for East Coast style Portamento.
11. The evolution in the circuit is the Cycle Input which allows for voltage control of the Cycle state in Channels 1 and
4. On Gate High, the MATHS Cycles. On Gate low, MATHS does not Cycle (unless the Cycle button is
engaged).
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MATHS Channel 1
1. Signal Input: Direct Coupled input to circuit. Use for Lag, Portamento, ASR (Attack Sustain Release type envelopes).
Also input to Sum/OR Bus. Range +/-10V
2. Trigger Input: Gate or Pulse applied to this input triggers the circuit regardless of activity at the Signal Input. The result
being a 0V to 10V function, aka Envelope, whose characteristics are dened by the Rise, Fall, and Vari-Response
parameters. Use for Envelope, Pulse Delay, Clock Division, LFO Reset (only during Falling portion).
3. Cycle LED: Indicates Cycle ON or OFF.
4. Cycle Button: Causes the circuit to self cycle, thus generating a repeating voltage function, aka LFO. Use for LFO,
Clock, VCO.
5. Rise Panel Control: Sets the time it takes for the voltage function to ramp up. CW rotation increases Rise Time.
6. Rise CV Input: Linear control signal input for Rise parameter. Positive Control signals increase Rise Time, Negative
control signals decrease Rise Time with respect to the Rise panel control setting. Range +/-8V
7. Fall Panel Control: Sets the time it takes for the voltage function to ramp down. CW rotation increases Fall Time.
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MATHS Channel 1 (Cont’d)
8. Both CV Input: Bi-Polar Exponential control signal input for entire function. Contrary to the Rise and Fall CV Inputs, BOTH has an
Exponential response and Positive control signals decrease total time while Negative control signals increase
total time. Range +/-8V
9. Fall CV Input: Linear control signal input for Fall parameter. Positive control signals increase Fall time, Negative control signals
decrease Fall Time with respect to the Fall panel control. Range +/-8V
10. Cycle Input: On Gate HIGH, Cycles on. On Gate LOW, MATHS does not Cycle (unless the Cycle button is engaged).
Requires minimum +2.5V for HIGH.
11. Vari-Response Panel Control: Sets the response curve of the voltage function. Response is continuously-variable from
Logarithmic through Linear to Exponential to Hyper-Exponential. The Tick mark shows the Linear setting.
12. End Of Rise Output (EOR): Goes high at the end of the Rise portion of the function. 0V or 10V.
13. EOR LED: Indicates the states of the EOR Output. Lights when EOR is HIGH.
14. Unity Signal Output: signal from the Channel 1 circuit. 0-8V when Cycling. Otherwise, this output follows the
amplitude of the input.
15. Unity LED: indicates activity within the circuit. Positive voltages Green, Negative voltages Red.
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MATHS Channel 4
1. Signal Input: Direct Coupled input to circuit. Use for Lag, Portamento, ASR (Attack Sustain Release type envelopes). Also input
to SUM/OR Bus. Range +/-10V
2. Trigger Input: Gate or Pulse applied to this input triggers the circuit regardless of activity at the Signal Input. The result being a
0V to 10V function, aka Envelope, whose characteristics are dened by the Rise, Fall, and Vari-Response parameters. Use
for Envelope, Pulse Delay, Clock Division, LFO Reset (only during Falling portion).
3. Cycle LED: Indicates CYCLE On or O.
4. Cycle Button: Causes the circuit to self cycle, thus generating a repeating voltage function, aka LFO. Use for LFO, Clock, VCO.
5. Rise Panel Control: Sets the time it takes for the voltage function to ramp up. CW rotation increases Rise Time.
6. Rise CV Input: Linear control signal input for Rise parameter. Positive Control signals increase Rise Time, Negative control
signals decrease Rise Time with respect to the Rise panel control setting. Range +/-8V
7. Fall Panel Control: Sets the time it takes for the voltage function to ramp down. CW rotation increases Fall Time.
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1415
MATHS Channel 4 (cont’d)
8. Both CV Input: Bi-Polar Exponential control signal input for entire function. Contrary to the Rise and Fall CV Input, Both has
an Exponential response and Positive control signals decrease total time while Negative control signals increase total
time. Range +/-8V
9. Fall CV Input: Linear control signal input for Fall parameter. Positive control signals increase Fall time, Negative control signals
decrease Fall Time with respect to the Fall panel control. Range +/-8V
10. Cycle Input: On Gate High, circuit Cycles. On Gate Low, MATHS does not Cycle (unless the Cycle button is engaged).
Requires minimum +2.5V for High
11. Vari-Response Panel Control: Sets the response curve of the voltage function. Response is continuously variable from
Logarithmic through Linear to Exponential to Hyper-Exponential. The Tick mark shows the Linear setting.
12. End Of Cycle Output (EOC): Goes high at the end of the Fall portion of the function. 0V or 10V.
13. EOC LED: Indicates the states of the End of Cycle Output. Lights when EOC is High.
14. Unity Signal Output: signal from the Channel 4 circuit. 0-8V peak to peak when Cycling. Otherwise this output follows the
amplitude of the input.
15. Unity LED: indicates activity within the circuit. Positive voltages Green, Negative voltages Red.
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SUM and OR Bus
1. Direct Coupled Channel 2 Signal Input to Attenuverter and Sum/OR Bus. Normalized to a +10V reference for generation of
voltage osets. Input Range +/-10Vpp.
2. Direct Coupled Channel 3 Signal Input to Attenuverter and Sum/OR Bus. Normalized to a +5V reference for generation of
voltage osets. Input Range +/-10Vpp.
3. CH. 1 Attenuverter Control: provides for scaling, attenuation and inversion of the signal being processed or generated by CH. 1.
Connected to CH. 1 Variable Output and Sum/Or Bus.
4. CH. 2 Attenuverter Control: provides for scaling, attenuation, amplication and inversion of signal patch to CH. 2 Signal Input.
With no signal present, it controls the level of the oset generated by CH. 2. Connected to CH. 2 Variable Output and
Sum/OR Bus.
5. CH. 3 Attenuverter Control: provides for scaling, attenuation, amplication and inversion of signal patch to CH. 3 Signal Input.
With no signal present, it controls the level of the oset generated by CH. 3. Connected to CH. 3 Variable OUT and
Sum/OR Bus.
6. CH. 4 Attenuverter Control: provides for scaling, attenuation and inversion of the signal being processed or generated by CH. 4.
Connected to CH. 4 Variable Output and Sum/OR Bus.
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