befaco FX BOY Thomann United States User Manual

FX BOY Thomann United States

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Specifications:

• Model: FX BOY
• Manufacturer: Befaco
• Power Requirements: -12V rail
• Input Voltage: Around 10 volts
• Control Voltage Range: -10V to 10V

Product Usage Instructions:

Power & Introduction

1. Disconnect your cabinet from the mains before plugging in the
   module.

2. Ensure the power cord polarity is correct. The coloured line on
   the cable (pin number one) represents the -12V rail.

3. Plugging the module in backward may cause damage not covered by
   the warranty.

4. Do not plug FX BOY cartridges into devices other than FX BOY to
   avoid damage.

5. Contact support@befaco for any product-related questions.

Introduction – What is FX BOY?

FX BOY is a module designed for manipulating audio signals with
various cartridges providing different effects and controls.

Controls Panel

• CARTRIDGE SLOT: Plug different cards here.
  Ensure proper orientation with the label facing left.

• X CONTROL: Manually control parameter X based
  on the inserted cartridge.

• X CV ATTENUATOR: Adjust the amount of CV
  added/subtracted to the X Manual control.

• Y CONTROL: Manually control parameter Y based
  on the inserted cartridge.

• Y CV ATTENUATOR: Adjust the amount of CV
  added/subtracted to the Y Manual control.

• MODE SELECTOR: Switch between A and B modes
  depending on the cartridge design.

• PEEK METER: Green indicates signal presence,
  red indicates clipping.

• DRY/WET CONTROL: Adjust signal processing
  ratio.

• EQ BANDS LEVEL CONTROLS: Boost or attenuate
  four different equalizer bands.

• EQ POSITION SWITCH: Choose equalizer placement
  before or after the FX Cartridge.

• AUDIO IN: Modular level audio input for around
  10 volts bipolar signal.

• X AND Y CONTROLS CV INs: Range of -10V to 10V
  for control voltage inputs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q: Can I use cartridges from other platforms with FX BOY?

A: No, it is recommended to only use cartridges specifically
designed for FX BOY to avoid damage to the module or other
devices.

Q: What do the EQ bands level controls do?

A: The EQ bands level controls allow you to boost or attenuate
different frequency bands of the equalizer to customize your audio
output.

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FX BOY
USER MANUAL

FX BOY

USER MANUAL

POWER & INTRO

POWERING THE THANKS FOR PURCHASING A MODULE FROM BEFACO! MODULE BEFORE YOU PLUG THIS MODULE IN…

1. Disconnect your cabinet from the mains.
2. Triple check the power cord polarity. The coloured line on the cable (pin number one) is the -12V rail.
3. If you plug the module backwards you might burn it out and unfortunately this is not covered by the warranty.
4. WARNING: NEVER ATTEMPT TO PLUG ANY FX BOY CARTRIDGE INTO ANY DEVICE OTHER THAN FX BOY, NOR PLUG CARTRIDGES FROM OTHER PLATFORMS INTO FX BOY, EVEN IF THEY LOOK SIMILAR. It will cause unpredictable and permanent harm to either FX BOY, the cartridges, or any third-party electronic devices you connect the cards to. Befaco is not responsible for any damage caused to yourself, the FX BOY, the FX BOY cartridges, or any other third-party device by not following this advice.
5. If you have any questions about this product feel free to contact us support@befaco

INTRODUCTION WHAT IS FX BOY?
It is a multi-fx processor with the FX stored in console cartridges. This approach, even if it can look bizarre at first sight, allows you to change analog and digital algorithms on the fly just by swapping the carts. Each cart is a little piece of hardware, like a guitar pedal you can embed on your modular synth and change for others without touching a single cable. All controls are CV controllable for real-world modular fun. The cart set you received with your module, is designed in collaboration with several talented manufacturers. Yes… A crazy idea with the support of a bunch of crazy people.
Enjoy!

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FX BOY

USER MANUAL

CONTROLS PANEL CONTROLS

CONTROLS

1. CARTRIDGE SLOT: Here is where you plug the different cards. Cards are hot- swappable although some pops or little glitches can occur depending on the cartridge. Mind cartridge orientation while plugging it. The front side (the one with the label) should face to the left.
2. “X” CONTROL: Manual control of parameter “X” . The function of this parameter depends on the inserted cartridge. Please refer to the Cartridge reference for detailed information on specific cards.
3. “X” CV ATTENUATOR: Controls the amount of CV that is added (or subtracted) to the “X” Manual control
4. “Y” CONTROL. Manual control of parameter “Y”. The function of this parameter depends on the inserted cartridge. Please refer to the Cartridge reference for detailed information on specific cards.

FXBOY

3+
2
X CV

X

1

5

A B

6

OU7T

Y CV

4 8

5. “Y” CV ATTENUATOR: Controls the amount of CV that is added (or subtracted) to the “Y” Manual control
6. MODE SELECTOR: All cartridges have two modes of operation A and B. What these modes do depends on the cartridge design. Please refer to the Cartridge reference for detailed information on specific cards.
7. PEEK METER: Green indicates the presence of a signal at the module’s output. Red indicates the signal has been clipped.
8. DRY/WET CONTROL: Manual control of the proportion between the incoming non-processed and the Processed signal.
9-10-11-12. EQ BANDS LEVEL CONTROLS: Manual control to boost or attenuate the four different bands of the equaliser. Each of the four knobs controls the LO, MID-LOW, MID-HI, and HI bands respectively. At mid position (12:00) They do not act. Clockwise they boost and anticlockwise they attenuate.

DRY/WET

Y

EQ

9

10

11

12

FX EQ

13

14

17

15

16

EQ FX

LOW MID L

MID H HI

18

19

20

21

22

IN X CV Y CV DRY/WET OUT

13-14-15-16. EQ BANDS CV INs: Control voltage INs for the four different bands of the equaliser. A range of 10 volts is expected and these voltages are added to the manual controls: With manual control at the centre, a 10V. bipolar voltage source (like an LFO ranging +/-5 volt) will move from silence to maximum volume. With the manual control at the minimum position (knob full anticlockwise) an unipolar 10V. the voltage source will move from silence to maximum volume. With the manual control knob fully clockwise -10v to 0v will be accepted. Other voltages are ignored and don’t represent any danger to the module.
17. EQ POSITION SWITCH: Manual Control to select if the equalized is placed before or after the FX Cartridge.
18. AUDIO IN: Modular level audio input. A bipolar signal of around 10 volts is expected at this IN.

19-20. “X” AND “Y” CONTROLS CV INs: A range of 10 volts is expected. This voltage is added to the one generated by the manual control, allowing negative voltages in the same amount the manual control is positive: – With the manual DRY/WET knob anticlockwise CV can go from 0 to 10V. – With the manual DRY/WET knob in the middle CVs go from -5v to 5v. – With the manual DRY/WET knob fully clockwise -10v to 0v will be accepted. Other voltages are ignored and don’t represent any danger to the module.
21. DRY/WET CV IN: A range of 10 volts is expected. This voltage is added to the one generated by the manual control, allowing negative voltages in the same amount the manual control is positive: – With the manual DRY/WET knob anticlockwise CV can go from 0 to 10V. – With the manual DRY/WET knob in the middle CVs go from -5v to 5v. – With the manual DRY/WET knob fully clockwise -10v to 0v will be accepted. Other voltages are ignored and don’t represent any danger to the module.

22. AUDIO OUT

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FX BOY

USER MANUAL
CARTRIDGE REFERENCE

REFERENCE

At the date of writing this manual, FX Boy is shipped with the “Founders Cartridge Pack” composed of seven different FX:

Name

Brand
Making Sound Machines
Tesseract Modular
TouellSkouarn
Feedback Modules
XOR Electronics

Mode/Function

X

Y

A

WAVEFOLDER CV X and Y add

FOLD CV 1

FOLD CV 2 use with LFO

WAVEFOLDER B CV X is Fold, CV Y is FOLD CV
Audio

OFFSET / MOD use with Audio

RINGMOD + A DOWNSAMPLING +
FOLDER

RING MOD INIT VOL

SAMPLING FREQUENCY

B

RING MOD + DOWNSAMPLING

RING MOD INIT VOL

SAMPLING FREQUENCY

A FUZZ A

GAIN

FEEDBACK

B FUZZ B

GAIN

FEEDBACK

A COMB FILTER (DELAY) DELAY TIME

FEEDBACK

B LFO

LFO SPEED

FEEDBACK

A DELAY

TIME

FEEDBACK

B GRANULAR

SIZE

GRAINS

Instru

A ALLPASS FILTER B PHASER

PHASE LFO SPEED

FEEDBACK FEEDBACK

Befaco

A HARDER DISTORTION SLAG

B HARD DISTORTION

SLAG

POISON POISON

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FX BOY

USER MANUAL
STRUCTURE AND SIGNAL FLOW

The feature set on the FX BOY is very straightforward and will feel very familiar if you used any FX unit before.
Two parameters X & Y and one switch are available for manual and CV control. The function of these controls depends on the cartridge installed. Please refer to the Cartridge reference for detailed information on specific cards.
Any signal present at the Input will be processed by the cartridge and the 4-Band Equalizer. Then the processed signal is mixed back with the dry signal and sent to the output.
A switch is provided to let you choose if the EQ is placed pre-FX or post-FX.

SPECS AND CREDITS

Size: 12HP Deeth: 35 mm +12v: 125 mA -12v: 100mA
+ Cartridge current draw*

This module is the result of hours of development of an idea that seemed to be crazy.
Thanks to the “Founders Cartridge Pack” designers who instantly said yes to the collaboration proposal, you guys are great.

*Cartridge current draw

Flanger +20mA -15mA

Eskuara +10mA – 10mA

Trash +20mA -15mA

FX Girl +84mA

Wavefolder +55mA -30mA

Microphaser +40mA -40mA

AVMA +20mA -15mA

https://www.befaco.org/fx-boy

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