Gotharman's Fuzion
Music Workstation with sequencer, synth, sampler and effects
The most powerful Gotharman workstation ever!
The goal with Fuzion was to design a workstation that was fast and intuitive to compose music with.
Unlike many other music workstations, Fuzion does not work in different "modes". On Fuzion you can edit a Synth sound, jump to the sequencer and record or edit, edit the effects, everything while the sequencer keeps running. You do not have to switch between different modes, where you can’t edit the sounds in one mode, and can’t record a sequence in another. On Fuzion ALL parameters and functions are accessible at ANY time!The first thing I designed, was its sequencer. This has 16 tracks, that each can be set to control Fuzion's internal sound engine, or any MIDI gear connected to its 2 MIDI outputs, can have separate lengths up to 128 bars, can have separate quantize/clock settings, changable on the fly, while the sequencer is running, has a Note Randomizer for each track, and a global Swing sequencer. Tracks can be recorded either in real time, grid mode, where you insert notes in a piano roll style window, or step insert mode, where a pointer can be moved around on the piano roll, and it places all received events at the position of this pointer. All MIDI events, like notes, CC's, aftertouch and program changes can be recorded.
It is also possible to record 8 Audio Tracks into the sequencer. A kind of pattern based harddisk recording.
For editing the recorded MIDI events, different methods are available, depending on the type of event, you want to edit. I early learned, that editing notes in a piano roll, that might work on a computer, did not really work as an intuitive method on this little box. Therefore I engineered the "Bars" edit method, where notes, velocity values, lengths and positions are presented as "bars" that changes colour when the notes are played back, and that can be edited using knobs, in a kind of analogue sequencer style fashion. I think that this system works really well for experimenting with a composition.
When editing MIDI CC's and aftertouch events, these are presented as values in a frame, one bar at a time. 8 of these values can be edited at a time, and the selected values are presented as the same kind of bars used in the note edit system (just slimmer), and can be edited using knobs.
It is possible to copy events between tracks and presets, and to erase specific events, a whole track, or the whole sequence.
A song mode are also available, with which it is possible to arrange presets and track mutes in up to 128 song steps.
The next thing I designed was the synthesizer engine. This was designed to be flexible with many sound possibilities, while at the same time being easy to tweak. It has one screen per module (one for the oscillator, one for the filters and so on...), and each module can be selected by the push of a button. Furthermore a "Sound Finder" was engineered, that makes it easy to audition and import sounds from any other preset, to the one you are working on now. A Fuzion oscillator can be a virtual analogue waveform one, a virtual percussion oscillator, a sampling, an audio track or an audio input. The oscillator can be processed by 2 filters with each 18 filter types, including 2 parametric EQ types, an amp, an instrument effect, 2 LFO's and 3 envelopes. Fuzion has 8 synthesizers built in, and all sounds, except for audio inputs, can be played back chromatically from a connected MIDI keyboard over the full 10 octave MIDI note range, triggered from the built-in touch screen keyboard, triggered from an assignable button, or played by the sequencer. Fuzion's sound engine is designed to sound good, with 24 bit converters and 32 bit internal processing.
A sampler part was also designed, to make it possible to record and edit samplings. Sample playback is performed through the synthesizer engine.
2 global effects processors were also added that has reverbs, delays and granular effects.
An instrument effect for each of the 8 synthesizers, were added, that has effects like FAT, distortion, chorus, pitch shifter, resonator, bit crusher, stretcher and others.
USB was also added to make it possible to import and export .wav files and presets/songs, to back-up your work, and for updating the Fuzion firmware.
1024 preset slots and 1024 song slots are available, all user programmable.
Unlike many other music workstations, Fuzion does not work in different "modes". On Fuzion you can edit a Synth sound, jump to the sequencer and record or edit, edit the effects, everything while the sequencer keeps running. You do not have to switch between different modes, where you can’t edit the sounds in one mode, and can’t record a sequence in another. On Fuzion ALL parameters and functions are accessible at ANY time!The first thing I designed, was its sequencer. This has 16 tracks, that each can be set to control Fuzion's internal sound engine, or any MIDI gear connected to its 2 MIDI outputs, can have separate lengths up to 128 bars, can have separate quantize/clock settings, changable on the fly, while the sequencer is running, has a Note Randomizer for each track, and a global Swing sequencer. Tracks can be recorded either in real time, grid mode, where you insert notes in a piano roll style window, or step insert mode, where a pointer can be moved around on the piano roll, and it places all received events at the position of this pointer. All MIDI events, like notes, CC's, aftertouch and program changes can be recorded.
It is also possible to record 8 Audio Tracks into the sequencer. A kind of pattern based harddisk recording.
For editing the recorded MIDI events, different methods are available, depending on the type of event, you want to edit. I early learned, that editing notes in a piano roll, that might work on a computer, did not really work as an intuitive method on this little box. Therefore I engineered the "Bars" edit method, where notes, velocity values, lengths and positions are presented as "bars" that changes colour when the notes are played back, and that can be edited using knobs, in a kind of analogue sequencer style fashion. I think that this system works really well for experimenting with a composition.
When editing MIDI CC's and aftertouch events, these are presented as values in a frame, one bar at a time. 8 of these values can be edited at a time, and the selected values are presented as the same kind of bars used in the note edit system (just slimmer), and can be edited using knobs.
It is possible to copy events between tracks and presets, and to erase specific events, a whole track, or the whole sequence.
A song mode are also available, with which it is possible to arrange presets and track mutes in up to 128 song steps.
The next thing I designed was the synthesizer engine. This was designed to be flexible with many sound possibilities, while at the same time being easy to tweak. It has one screen per module (one for the oscillator, one for the filters and so on...), and each module can be selected by the push of a button. Furthermore a "Sound Finder" was engineered, that makes it easy to audition and import sounds from any other preset, to the one you are working on now. A Fuzion oscillator can be a virtual analogue waveform one, a virtual percussion oscillator, a sampling, an audio track or an audio input. The oscillator can be processed by 2 filters with each 18 filter types, including 2 parametric EQ types, an amp, an instrument effect, 2 LFO's and 3 envelopes. Fuzion has 8 synthesizers built in, and all sounds, except for audio inputs, can be played back chromatically from a connected MIDI keyboard over the full 10 octave MIDI note range, triggered from the built-in touch screen keyboard, triggered from an assignable button, or played by the sequencer. Fuzion's sound engine is designed to sound good, with 24 bit converters and 32 bit internal processing.
A sampler part was also designed, to make it possible to record and edit samplings. Sample playback is performed through the synthesizer engine.
2 global effects processors were also added that has reverbs, delays and granular effects.
An instrument effect for each of the 8 synthesizers, were added, that has effects like FAT, distortion, chorus, pitch shifter, resonator, bit crusher, stretcher and others.
USB was also added to make it possible to import and export .wav files and presets/songs, to back-up your work, and for updating the Fuzion firmware.
1024 preset slots and 1024 song slots are available, all user programmable.
Fuzion is NOT compatible with the LD expansion boxes. Only an early prototype was, but this was not adapted in the final model, because of technical problems.
Specs:
Release date:
-June 2015.
Presets:
-Holds 1024 user re-writable presets (not all presets are pre-programmed).
Each preset holds:
-8 synthesizers (including sample playback).
-1 sequencer pattern of 16 linear tracks, 8 Audio Tracks, up to 128 bars long.
-Effects.
Songs:
-Holds 1024 user-writable songs, with each 128 song steps.
Sequencer:
-Number of tracks: 16. Each track can be set to internal or external control.
-Track 9 to 16 can function as Audio Tracks.
-The sequencer itself (not the audio engine) is 128 note polyphonic.
-Maximum number of bars per track: 128 (independently adjustable for each track with 1/32 bar resolution).
-8.000 events per preset.
-Recording methods: Real time, step time, grid, audio track.
-Tempo: 1-300 bpm.
-Real time note editing, using bars: Tone, velocity, length, position.
-Real time graphical Event editing.
-Note Randomizers: 1 per track (16 total), with probability, velocity, time and second channel adjustments. Notes that are not played back, can be played back on a second channel.
-Swing: Generated by a 16 step swing sequencer.
-Note Quantization: Adjustable per track on the fly to 1/32, 1/24, 1/16, 1/12, 1/8, 1/6, ¼.
-96 ppq.
-Built-in Touch Keyboard.
Synthesizer:
-Polyphony: Waveform, Noise, Percussion and Mono Samplings: 8 notes. Stereo Samplings: 4 notes.
-Number of synthesizers: 8.
-Oscillator types:
-Waveform (morphable between sine, triangle, sawtooth, pulse and feedback waveforms), with resonator and sub oscillator
-Noise
-Mono Sampling
-Stereo Sampling
-Percussion (multiple sinewaves and noise mixed together and detuned for fat percussion sounds).
-Audio input 1/2 -Routes any of the audio inputs through the synths filters and effects. The audio inputs can even be routed through all 8 synths at the same time, for massive treatment.
-Audio Track
-Filters: 2 per voice, 18 types (16 filters, 2 EQ's): LPF, BPF, BPF8, HPF, BEF, ADD, BASS, LOFI, LPF2, BPF2, BPF8-2, HPF2, BEF2, ADD2, BASS2, LOFI2, Peq1, Peq2.
-Envelopes: 3 per voice. ADHSRR type – attack, decay, hold, sustain, repeats, release.-LFO’s: 2 per voice. Waveforms: tri, pulse, FM.-Random generator: 1 per voice.
-Instrument effects:
-FAT: Adds up to 4 extra layers of the sound, with adjustable phaze between these.
-Chorusses
-Distortions
-Bit Crusher
-Resonators
-Pitch Shifters
-Stretcher
-FM
-MIDI channel and note range are adjustable independently for each synth, so these can be splitted, layered or be multi-timbral.
-Stereo panning.
Sound Finder with Quick Edit:
-Scroll through all the sounds, from any preset, to select a sound for a synthesizer, instead of making the sound from scratch.
-Use it as is, or edit it to your likings, using Quick Edit or all Fuzion's synthesizer parameters.
Sampler:
-1.5 GB internal FLASH RAM for samplings. All samplings are kept when turned off. No loading times!
-Total recording time: 300 minutes mono / 150 minutes stereo.
-Single sampling max length: 200 minutes mono / 100 minutes stereo.
-Max. 2048 samplings in Bank A and 4096 samplings in Bank B. Total 6144 samplings.
-Recording sources: Analog input 1 and 2, audio output 1 to 4, USB import of .wav files.
-Sample Remix function.
Effects:
-2 global effects processors:
-Reverb
-Delay
-Granulator
-Reso Reverb
USB:
-Import/export samples as .wav files.
-Import/export presets as .fzp files.
-Backup/restore of Fuzion’s user memory.-Updating of firmware.
Audio connections:
-2 analog inputs. Can be configured as 2 mono or 1 stereo input.
-4 analog outputs. Configured as 2 pairs of stereo outputs.
Audio system:
-Inputs and outputs: 24 bit, 44.1 KHz Cirrus Logic high end ADC/DAC.
-Internal: 32 bit, 44.1 KHz.
-Sampler: 16 bit, 44.1 KHz.
MIDI connections:
-2 x MIDI IN.
-2 x MIDI OUT.
Display:
-Industrial grade 4.3" colour TFT, made in germany.
Power Supply:
-Multi voltage input. Output: 9Vdc, 2A, 2.1mm DC plug with positive middle. Exchangable mains plug, so it can be used in any country.
Size:
23 x 16 x 6 cm
Weight:
1.3 KG
-June 2015.
Presets:
-Holds 1024 user re-writable presets (not all presets are pre-programmed).
Each preset holds:
-8 synthesizers (including sample playback).
-1 sequencer pattern of 16 linear tracks, 8 Audio Tracks, up to 128 bars long.
-Effects.
Songs:
-Holds 1024 user-writable songs, with each 128 song steps.
Sequencer:
-Number of tracks: 16. Each track can be set to internal or external control.
-Track 9 to 16 can function as Audio Tracks.
-The sequencer itself (not the audio engine) is 128 note polyphonic.
-Maximum number of bars per track: 128 (independently adjustable for each track with 1/32 bar resolution).
-8.000 events per preset.
-Recording methods: Real time, step time, grid, audio track.
-Tempo: 1-300 bpm.
-Real time note editing, using bars: Tone, velocity, length, position.
-Real time graphical Event editing.
-Note Randomizers: 1 per track (16 total), with probability, velocity, time and second channel adjustments. Notes that are not played back, can be played back on a second channel.
-Swing: Generated by a 16 step swing sequencer.
-Note Quantization: Adjustable per track on the fly to 1/32, 1/24, 1/16, 1/12, 1/8, 1/6, ¼.
-96 ppq.
-Built-in Touch Keyboard.
Synthesizer:
-Polyphony: Waveform, Noise, Percussion and Mono Samplings: 8 notes. Stereo Samplings: 4 notes.
-Number of synthesizers: 8.
-Oscillator types:
-Waveform (morphable between sine, triangle, sawtooth, pulse and feedback waveforms), with resonator and sub oscillator
-Noise
-Mono Sampling
-Stereo Sampling
-Percussion (multiple sinewaves and noise mixed together and detuned for fat percussion sounds).
-Audio input 1/2 -Routes any of the audio inputs through the synths filters and effects. The audio inputs can even be routed through all 8 synths at the same time, for massive treatment.
-Audio Track
-Filters: 2 per voice, 18 types (16 filters, 2 EQ's): LPF, BPF, BPF8, HPF, BEF, ADD, BASS, LOFI, LPF2, BPF2, BPF8-2, HPF2, BEF2, ADD2, BASS2, LOFI2, Peq1, Peq2.
-Envelopes: 3 per voice. ADHSRR type – attack, decay, hold, sustain, repeats, release.-LFO’s: 2 per voice. Waveforms: tri, pulse, FM.-Random generator: 1 per voice.
-Instrument effects:
-FAT: Adds up to 4 extra layers of the sound, with adjustable phaze between these.
-Chorusses
-Distortions
-Bit Crusher
-Resonators
-Pitch Shifters
-Stretcher
-FM
-MIDI channel and note range are adjustable independently for each synth, so these can be splitted, layered or be multi-timbral.
-Stereo panning.
Sound Finder with Quick Edit:
-Scroll through all the sounds, from any preset, to select a sound for a synthesizer, instead of making the sound from scratch.
-Use it as is, or edit it to your likings, using Quick Edit or all Fuzion's synthesizer parameters.
Sampler:
-1.5 GB internal FLASH RAM for samplings. All samplings are kept when turned off. No loading times!
-Total recording time: 300 minutes mono / 150 minutes stereo.
-Single sampling max length: 200 minutes mono / 100 minutes stereo.
-Max. 2048 samplings in Bank A and 4096 samplings in Bank B. Total 6144 samplings.
-Recording sources: Analog input 1 and 2, audio output 1 to 4, USB import of .wav files.
-Sample Remix function.
Effects:
-2 global effects processors:
-Reverb
-Delay
-Granulator
-Reso Reverb
USB:
-Import/export samples as .wav files.
-Import/export presets as .fzp files.
-Backup/restore of Fuzion’s user memory.-Updating of firmware.
Audio connections:
-2 analog inputs. Can be configured as 2 mono or 1 stereo input.
-4 analog outputs. Configured as 2 pairs of stereo outputs.
Audio system:
-Inputs and outputs: 24 bit, 44.1 KHz Cirrus Logic high end ADC/DAC.
-Internal: 32 bit, 44.1 KHz.
-Sampler: 16 bit, 44.1 KHz.
MIDI connections:
-2 x MIDI IN.
-2 x MIDI OUT.
Display:
-Industrial grade 4.3" colour TFT, made in germany.
Power Supply:
-Multi voltage input. Output: 9Vdc, 2A, 2.1mm DC plug with positive middle. Exchangable mains plug, so it can be used in any country.
Size:
23 x 16 x 6 cm
Weight:
1.3 KG