TE019AS170 170 Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator Modular User Guide
- June 4, 2024
- teenage engineering
Table of Contents
TE019AS170 170 Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator Modular
notice. read this first
the product is esd sensitive and is sold without casing. battery information
- installs only new batteries of the same type.
- failure to insert batteries in the correct polarity, as indicated in the battery compartment, may shorten the lite of the batteries or cause batteries to leak.
- do not mix old and new batteries.
- do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zink) or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) or (nickel metal hydride) batteries.
- do not dispose of batteries in fire.
- batteries should be recycled or disposed of as per state and local guidelines.
fcc statement.
note: this equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class b digital device pursuant to part 15 of the fccC rules. these limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. this equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmtul interterence to radio communications. however, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. if this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined but by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures,
- reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
- increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
- connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is Connected.
- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/tv technician for help.
this device complies with part 15 of the fcc rules. operation is subject to the following conditions;
- this device may not cause harmful interference, and
- this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
`caution: changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could Void user s authority to operate the equipment. teenage engineering warrants that this product will be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of teenage engineering’s s shipment of the product to you, the Customer. in the event of a detection COvered by this limited warranty, teenage engineering will, at its option and free of charge to the customer, repair, replace or refund the purchase price paid.
TEENAGE ENGINEERING MAKES NO OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, AND ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE SHALL ONLY BE IN EFFECT DURING THE 12-MONTH WARRANTY PERIOD PROVIDED HEREUNDER. TEENAGE ENGINEERING’S LIABILITY ON ANY WARRANTY CLAIM SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE ACTUAL PURCHASE PRICE PAID. TEENAGE ENGINEERING SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, REVENUES, SALES, BUSINESS, GOODWILL OR USE.
what does this limited warranty not cover?
teenage engineering has no obligation to repair, replace, or provide refunds
in the following instances:
- it the alleged defect arises because the customer has altered or repaired the product without the prior written consent or authorization of teenage engineering
- if the customer did not follow any applicable instructions for proper storage, usage, or maintenance of this product,
- if the customer has failed to notice teenage engineering of any detect where the defect should have been reasonably apparent on inspection, or
- it customer tails to notice teenage engineering of the detect within 12 months of teenage engirneering’s shipment of this product to the customer. this limited warranty does not cOver the cost of shipping the defective product to teenage engineering for repair, or the cost of shipping the repaired or replacement product to you. How do customers receive warranty service please call your teenage engineering Customer service representative Tor details on how to raise an issue in relation to your product.
module assembly
installing the standoffs
before connecting the modules first add the standoffs to the back of the taceplate to make installation easier. start from the bottom and continue up, leaving the keyboard until last. to attach the standoffs, place the Screws through the holes from the outside and using a pair of needle nose pliers, hold the standoffs firmly at the back while screwing. now repeat this procedure for all module holes leaving only the power distro without standoffs.
note: be careful not to over tighten!
power distro
the power distro attaches to the frame differently than the other modules. first cut the standoffs from the PSU in half using a pair of pliers or wire cutters. then place the screws through the holes and place the power distroon the back, on top of the pre-attached protective sticker cover. finally attach the shorter standoffs to the top of the frame to fasten the power distro. make sure it is seatedflush to the back of the faceplate.
installing the modules and keyboard
place the front plate face down. tip:put a soft surface such as a towel beneath. it is easier to attach the modules before bending the chassis.place the modules on top of the standoffs and ensure the jacks are correctly aligned with the holes.screw the modules to the standoffs. ensure the screws on the faceplate are not rotating. be careful not to overtighten. once screwed in place, plug inthe cables to the power sockets.
speaker assembly
the speaker module pcb comes witha part that is not needed. firmly and carefully break off thesquare part. take care when installingthe speaker as the cable connectingthe speaker unit to the pcb needs tofit nicely.
PSU
the PSU holds 8 x AA batteries. with high-quality rechargeable batteries, you can expect up to about 5-hour battery life. it is recommended to use a power adapter whenever possible.
keyboard assembly
the keyboard attaches via a ribbon cable to the keyboard PCB. fold firmly.to
attach the keyboard first feed the ribbon cable through the faceplateslot.
once the cable is fed through you can remove the sticky tape backing and
carefully attach the keyboard to the top faceplate.
after assembling all modules and before attaching plate a to b, push the ribbon cable firmly into the ribbon cable slot on the keyboard PCB. take care to ensure proper alignment and orientation. connect the power adapter cable tothe power distro board using the supplied cable, to allow power from one source. this way there once the ribbon cable is installed youscrew the two sections together
basics
types of signals
in modular synthesis, there are two types of signals. audio signals and control voltages (cv). audio signals arefor sounds and cv is for controlling things. these two different signals will be used to connect the different modules together. this is how sounds and patterns are created in a modular system. the beauty of modular is that you can pretty much connect anything to anything, creating all kinds of relationships and interesting sounds,that all dynamically interact with each other. that said you should generally avoid connecting outputs to outputs or inputs to inputs. pro-tip: you can use audio signals as for some very interesting results and some cv modules such as the local run at audio rates.
audio signals
in a modular synthesizer, it is usually the job of the oscillators to make the
sounds that are processed by the rest of the system. the 170 includes one
square wave oscillator. lets hear the sound of this oscillator through the 170
’sbuilt-in speaker. first, let’s make sure the volume of the speaker module is
turned down. locate the volume knobon the speaker module and turn it to about
mid-way. warning: never connect headphones directly to the outputs of the 170.
you can damage your ears and your headphones if you do this, so be very
careful.
to hear the sound of the oscillator we need to connect it to the speaker. to do this take a yellow cable and connect it to any of the three jacks labeled output on the top of the square oscillator. any of these jacks are fine as all three will output the same signal. take the other end of the cable and plug it into the jack on the speaker called right.now we can slowly increase the volume of the speaker by turning the volume knob. if you do not hear a sound it may be that your oscillator tuning is too high or too low. turn the tuning knob to alter the pitch of the oscillator so that it is in the audible range. also, turn the PWM level all the way to the left.
control voltages
control voltages are used to control different parts of the modular system.
for example in the last example we manually altered the pitch of the
oscillator but in this example we will use a control voltage to alter the
pitchfor us. continuing from the last patch: set up a control voltage to
control the pitch of our oscillator.
use the triangle wave from the lfo. locate the LFO module and plug a cable
into either of the triangle outputs. tip: set the rate to its slowest setting
by turning the rateknob all the way to the left. plug the other end of the
cable into the input labeled control on the square oscillator.
turn the knob underneath that is labeled level all the way to the right. you should hear the pitch slowly rising and falling. now let’s change the ‘rate’ (speed of the control voltage). very slowly turn the knob labeled rate on the lfo to the right. the change in pitch should become faster until eventually, we reach what is called audio rate modulation. pro-tip: audio rate is a term used to describe cycling control signals that move so fast they actually become audible and enter the audible frequency range. the lfo is actually just an oscillator that can reach very slow speeds. by modulating parameters at audio rates we can get all kinds of interesting effects.
a simple mono synth
let’s patch a simple mono synth including the following modules: [square],
[filter], [vca], [env], [speaker], [keyboard]. the diagram shows the flow of
audio signals and control voltages when patching this mono
synth.
the first step is to connect the sound source [square] to the filter. connect a patch cable to any of the [square]outputs. connect the other end to the jack-labeled input on the [filter]. this will pass the audio generated from the oscillator to the filter. now open the filter all the way by turning the frequency knob all the way to the right.
next: take the filter output and connect to the input on the via. then connect the output of the vca to the left speaker input. turn up both the level and the gain on there. you should hear a constant note. if you don’t, adjust the tuning of the saw oscillator or check that you opened the filter by moving the frequency all the way to the right.
note: the via or voltage-controlled amplifier will control the volume of
the signal. it is possible to do that manually using the level and gain knobs.
this patch uses the envelope for this.
now connect the envelope output to the control input on the via. this will let
the envelope signal control the volume of the sound. the envelope has to be
triggered to know when a note is sounded. we can do this from the keyboard
which we will also use to set the note.next connect the cv1 out to the key
input of the square oscillator. this will let the keyboard control the pitch
of our oscillator.
then connect gate1 out of the keyboard to the trigger input of the envelope. the keyboard gates will trigger the envelope when played or when the sequencer is running. adjust the ads (attack, decay, sustain and release) on the envelope to get different changes in the volume. try setting attack all the way to the left. rather than just playing the notes on the keyboard we can also record a sequence to be played back. to do this first press program to enter program mode. the program led should flash red. then press program and clear to clear the current pattern on the active track. you can now play the melody of your choice. each note you press will be recorded as a step in the sequence. when finished press run and your sequence should begin playing.
fm filter patch
we can expand upon the patch in the previous example using both the keyboard and the flow. first, connect the LFO triangle output to the left control input on the filter. set the rate of the LFO to around 12 o’clock for audio rate modulation.
next take the T2 cv 2 out of the keyboard and connect itto the control input
on the right-hand side of the filter module. select track two on the on the
keyboard by holding track and pressing T2.
adjust the first four knobs (1-4) to four random values. now ensure the
keyboard sequencer is not running andpress program. notice the left led light
up.
Press keys 1, 2, 3, and then 4. press the program again to confirm your sequence. notice the left led turn off. now press run and adjust the control levels on both filtercontrol inputs. the lfo will produce filter fm while the T2cv 2 output will provide four steps of filter adjust for an arhythmic filter pattern.
connections
oplab module
using the oplab module it is possibleto control the 170 from the OP-Z. tofully use the oplab module, you willneed two splitters cables (y cables).the stereo cables provided with the170 also work but will only giveaccess to the basic features of theZM-1 module.
effect pedals
when connecting to effects pedals it is very important to be careful with signal levels. it is possible to damage your pedal by running the audio through at full volume. always start with the volume at a minimum and slowly raise it to the correct level.
modular
it is possible to integrate 170 with other modular systems and semi-modular
synths. why not try connecting in some extra envelopes from your external
system?
midi devices
the 170 can control midi-compliant devices via the trs midi jack located on the right-hand side of the module.to connect to a midi device, a midi adapter cable is required and can bepurchased here . for further details onmidi connectivity please see this page the 170 has a pocket operator syncout jack located on the right side ofthe keyboard module. this can beused to sync pocket operators to the170.
notes of caution
unlike most other audio equipment, modular synthesizers output audio and
control voltage at a much higher level (voltage) than other studio
equipment.for this reason we recommend the following precautions and
practices.
do not connect headphones directly to the 170. you can damage your headphones or much worse, your ears. always protect your hearing.do not plug outputs of the 170 directly into equipment that is not designed to handle the larger voltage. for example, pocket operators, effects pedals etc. please consult the manufacturer of the product in question if you are not sure.it is generally advised that you avoid connecting inputs to inputs or outputs to outputs. doing so can put unnecessary strain on the system and over time may eventually lead to damage.
module specs
square
square is a square wave oscillator that can be used both as an audio signal
and as an for, control, trigger and modulate other sources. pro-tip: with pwm
set to above 50% no sound is heard. this can be great when modulated tocreate
interesting rhythmic effects
note: if you do not hear a sound it may be thatyour oscillator tuning is too high or too low. turnthe tune knob to alter the pitch of the oscillators that it is in the audible range. also turn the level all the way to the left.
- output these three identical outputs can be used simultaneously.
- control + key these are inputs for controlling the pitch of the square waveform. key is set to 1v/oct, and control can be scaled by level.
- level (left) turn level to adjust how much any incoming control signal should modulate the waveform.
- PWM pulse width modulation or PWM input can be used to shape the waveform by offsetting the ratio between the maximum and minimum voltage. try patching any signal through the PWM input to hear what this sounds like.
- level (right) adjust the pwm level with this knob. if nothing is connected to the input this knob acts as manual pwm control. if you can’t hear anything make sure to turn this all the way down.
- tune sets the main frequency of the waveform. if you can’t hear anything try setting this somewhere in the middle.
LFO
lfo is short for low-frequency oscillators. this one has four outputs, two
square and two triangle waveforms. it can be used to modulate any control
input.
- square these square wave outputs can for example be used as gates to trigger the sequencerclock, or the env and rand modules.
- triangle try patching these triangle wave outputs to any control input, for example to modulatethe filter cutoff frequency, the pitch of the oscillators or the amplitude of the vca’s.
- rate use this knob to control the rate of the lfo. at high rates the frequency goes into audio range.
env
env is short for the envelope. also stands for attack, decay, sustain and
release, and when triggered it is a control source for shaping sound overtime.
- output this outputs the control signal used to shape the sound. try patching this to any controlinput. these two identical outputs can be used simultaneously.
- trig patch a control signal into this input to trigger the envelope. you can for instance use one of the sequencer outputs or any clock or gate signal.
- A attack time.
- D decay time.
- S sustain level. this is the level at which sustained notes will be held.
- R release time.
vca
ca is short for the voltage-controlled amplifier.patch any signal through this
module to modulate its amplitude, such as changing the volume of a sound.
- output whatever is patched into in gets modulated by control, and then back out through here.these two identical outputs can be used simultaneously.
- in this is the main input for the vca. patch whatever audio signal you want to modulate into here.
- control this is the input for the modulating control signal. try patching the output of an env into here.
- gain this knob adjusts depth of the control signal.
- level this knob adjusts level of the input signal.
filter
the filter is a resonant low pass filter that allows you to shape a signal by
filtering out high frequencies.
- output these three identical outputs can be used simultaneously.
- control (left + right) these are inputs for controlling the cutoff frequency of the filter.
- input this is the input for the filter. patch whatever audio signal you want to filter into here.
- level (left + right) turn level to adjust how much the incoming control signal should modulate the cutoff frequency.
- resonance this controls the resonance of the filter. turn this up to emphasize the frequencies around the cut off point to get a sharper thinner sound. keep turning it up and the filter will start to self-oscillate.
- frequency this controls the main cutoff frequency of the filter. turn it down to only let low frequencies pass through. if you don’t hear anything try turning this all the way up.
speaker
the speaker is a dual-input speaker module allowing you to hear what your
patch sounds like.
- left input.
- right right, input.
- out stereo output.
- volume is the volume control for the speaker module and for the output. turn it clockwise to turn the volume up and counterclockwise to turn it down. the control is reversed on the firstproduction units. in that case treat it the opposite way. note: when using the speaker or the output always be careful with your ears and equipment.
keyboard
the keyboard is a versatile 4-track polyrhythmic sequencer with midi out and
pocket operatorsync out. for details on the keyboard module please take a look
at this guide
https://teenage.engineering/guides/po-modular/170
References
- 16 guide
- 16 guide
- 170 guide
- oplab module
- pocket operator modular 170 - teenage engineering
- midi cable 750 mm - teenage engineering