Joue Music Instruments PL21 Joue Play Board User Guide

: June 5, 2024
: Joue Music Instruments

Table of Contents

Joue Music Instruments PL21 Joue Play Board
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
BOX CONTENT
GENERAL USE RECOMMENDATIONS
HOW DOES IT WORK?
MIDI PORT CONFIGURATION
MODULES PARAMETERS LIST AND FACTORY SETTINGS
PADS
ROUNDS
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

Joue Music Instruments PL21 Joue Play Board

Joue-Music-Instruments-PL21
-Joue-Play-Board-product

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Read these instructions
Keep these instructions
Heed all warnings
Follow all instructions
Do not use this apparatus near water
Clean only the Joué board with a dry cloth.
Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat
Protect the USB cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus
Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time
Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped
No naked flames, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus

Magnetic field

WARNING
Interference due to magnetic fields.

This product generates a permanent magnetic field (> 150mT) that can interfere with cardiac pacemakers and implanted defibrillators (ICDs) Always maintain a distance of at least 30 cm (12”) between the Joué and the cardiac pacemaker or implanted defibrillator

ENVIRONMENTAL DECLARATION
Compliance Information Statement: Declaration of Compliance procedure Product Identification: Joué Address: 87 Quai des Queries, 33100 Bordeaux. This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

For the USA – to the User:

Do not modify this unit! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modifications not expressly approved by Joué SAS may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use this product.
Important: This product satisfies FCC regulations when high-quality shielded cables are used to connect with other equipment. Failure to use high-quality shielded cables or to follow the installation instructions within this manual may cause magnetic interference with appliances such as radios and televisions and void your FCC authorization to use this product in the USA.
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 FCC 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 harmful interference 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 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 into 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

BOX CONTENT

Joué Board
Modules pack (depends on your purchase)
USB Cable
Getting started guide
Software licenses (depends on your purchase)

GENERAL USE RECOMMENDATIONS

Plug & Play
The Joué is powered through its USB cable and can be plugged into any USB- compatible device (computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.).

Magnets & RFID
The Joué board contains magnets and RFID readers, the modules contain metallic particles and RFID tags. The magnets and metal make the modules fit and stay perfectly on the board and the RFID tags and readers allow the modules to be detected by the device. We recommend not to place the Joué close to other magnetic devices, metallic surfaces to not alter its functionalities, or sensible devices (see safety instructions above).

WARNING about the RFID
Program the module‘s RFID tags only by using the Joué software. Never attempt to use the third-party software, it could damage the RFID tags and prevent programming them again.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Joué overview

The Joué Board
The Joué board is built around a highly sensitive multi-touch sensor that can capture very subtle pressure changes. The Joué board has 3 slots that can be filled by modules. Each slot is equipped with an RFID reader allowing real- time module detection. The Joué board connects to a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone thru its USB-C connector. The Joué device is USB powered. It starts automatically when plugged into a computer and its activity LED lights. The Joué device is automatically powered off when unplugged.

The Modules
Modules are made of soft and elastic material which transmits every single pressure variation to the sensor. Thanks to that, the Joué offers a unique feeling of interaction based on natural gestures normally reserved for traditional instruments. The modules fit with the sensor to provide different layouts of playing and control: the Joué can alternatively be a standard midi controller, an effect control, a very expressive instrument, or even all at the same time!
Simply change the modules to turn your Joué into a new instrument. Each module will respond to vertical, horizontal, and pressure movement, and send MIDI data (ie. Control change, pitch bend, etc.) to the connected device. This data is then used by the device or software to trigger sounds, control effects, etc. The MIDI standard allows for 16 independent channels. Each module is set (by default) to a separate MIDI channel, so they are completely independent of each other (see Modules factory settings).

Making sounds
The Joué itself doesn’t produce sound, it has to be connected to a MIDI- compatible audio software to make music. Any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), virtual synthesizer or MIDI-compatible audio app can be used in correlation with the Joué. Visit our website to have more information about how to connect your Joué to the most popular audio software.

The Joué Editor

Each physical module can be configured by using the Joué editor software. The Joué editor allows the tuning of every message sent by the module; such as MIDI channel, note number, control change, pitch bend range, and velocity range. We provide factory presets for each module that you can use as a reference. To configure a module, create a new preset for this module and configure it. Once it’s done, store the preset into the module’s memory by simply dragging your preset from the library (or from the main edition window) and dropping it on the according module which is placed on top of the Joué board in the device view. The configuration is stored in the physical internal memory of the module (RFID tag) allowing for hassle-free swaps during a live performance. You can have several presets for the same physical module. We recommend you organize your workflow by using folders, for instance by song or project. You can re-organize the presets list by dragging each item into the list. A preset can also be duplicated easily for a fast configuration. Joue-Music-Instruments-PL21-Joue-Play-Board-
fig-3

To read the physical module configuration which is stored in its memory, click on the according to the module on the devices view and read the properties. These properties cannot be changed (read-only). You can create a new preset out of an existing physical module memory. Simply drag & drop the module from the edition window to the preset list. It creates a new preset containing the module configuration. Joue-Music-Instruments-PL21-Joue-Play-Board-
fig-4

MIDI Mapping tips
In order to quickly map continuous controls to a sound parameter, you can select which axis of the sensor sends MIDI data. It can be very useful to map 3D modules such as Area or Bubbles. To do so, select X, Y or Z in the Axis section of the device window:

Please note that this option is applicable to the whole device and to all modules present on top of the Joué surface.

MPE Compatibility

One of the special features of the Joué is its compatibility with MPE. MPE stands for Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression and offers amazing possibilities that standard MIDI controllers and instruments do not have.
With MPE, each note’s messages are sent on a unique MIDI channel, rotating through a defined contiguous block of channels called Per-Note channels. The per-note messages are for instance Note On, Note Off, Channel Pressure (for finger pressure), Pitch Bend (for X-axis movement) or any CC number. The CC74 is usually used for Y-axis movement. All other messages (like Program Change, CC7/volume, CC64/Sustain, etc.) apply to all voices and can be sent over a separate “Common” channel, though some MPE synths do not implement a Common channel, instead of receiving these Common messages redundantly over the Per- Note channels.
For full specification of MPE, please refer to the following document http://bit.ly/mpe-spec Download the latest version of the Joué editor on Joué’s website (www.jouemusic.com/pages/joue- editor).

MIDI PORT CONFIGURATION

The Joué uses two different MIDI ports when connected to a computer. The first port (“Joué Play” on Mac, “Joué” on Windows) is used for the communication between the Joué board and any MIDI-compliant software. The second port ((“Joué Editor” on Mac, “Joué (port 2)” on Windows) is used for the communication between the Joué device and the Joué software editor. This second port must not be used to communicate with MIDI-compliant software. As an example, here’s the configuration which has to be done for proper use on Ableton Live: Joue-Music-Instruments-PL21-Joue-Play-Board-
fig-6

MODULES PARAMETERS LIST AND FACTORY SETTINGS

Note:
the “Locked” function in the “module properties” window allows disabling the modification of the preset’s settings. This option is, by default, not activated except for the Factory presets.

AREA

The Area is played by sliding and tapping the surface with fingers. The module sends X, Y, and Z values which are 3 MIDI control changes by default. Each message can be customized.

Factory settings

Module properties

Pressure range: Low

Midi mapping

X: On

X Channel: 7
X Control change: 1
X Range : 0-127
Direction: Natural
Mode: Absolute
14 Bits: off

Y: On

Y Channel: 7
Y Control change: 2
Y Range : 0-127
Direction: Natural
Mode: Absolute
14 Bits: off

Z: Off

Z Channel: 7
Z Control change : 3
Z Range : 0-127
Direction: Natural
Mode: Absolute
14 Bits: off

BUBBLES

The Bubbles module explores one of the unique aspects of the Joué technology: the elastic material is made to be manipulated with very natural gestures and to create analog modulations type. The module can send up to three midi control changes per bubble (X horizontal, Y vertical, Z pressure) for a total of 12 control changes. On top of that, 4configurable buttons are present to switch on/off effects for instance.

Factory settings

Module properties

Pressure range: Low

Midi mapping Buttons (from left to right)

Button 1:

Action: Note
Channel: 6
Value: 0 – C-2

Button 2:

Action: Note
Channel: 6
Value: 1 – C#-2

Button 3:

Action: Note
Channel: 6
Value : 2 – D-2

Button 4:

Action: Note
Channel: 6
Value: 3 – D#-2

Bubbles (from left to right) Bubble 1:

X Channel : 6
X Control change : 1
X Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Y Channel : 6
Y Control change : 2
Y Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Z Channel : 6
Z Control change : 3
Z Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64

Bubble 2:

X Channel : 6
X Control change : 4
X Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Y Channel : 6
Y Control change : 5
Y Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Z Channel : 6
Z Control change : 6
Z Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64

Bubble 3:

X Channel : 6
X Control change : 7
X Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Y Channel : 6
Y Control change : 8
Y Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Z Channel : 6
Z Control change : 9
Z Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64

Bubble 4:

X Channel : 6
X Control change : 10
X Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Y Channel : 6
Y Control change : 11
Y Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64
Z Channel : 6
Z Control change : 12
Z Range : 0-127
Direction : Natural
Start value : 64

PADS

A 4×4 matrix of sensitive pads to play drums, percussion, melodies, or launch clips. Each pad can be configured individually or in a group. Pads are sensitive to pressure (velocity), aftertouch & vibrato. The key range, velocity, and parameters can be adjusted in the Editor. The advanced settings allow setting the Midi channel, the note, and the velocity for each pad individually (custom mapping).

Factory settings

Module properties
Vibrato: off
Aftertouch: off
MPE: off
Custom Mapping: off
Pressure range: Low
MPE Channels: 1-16
Aftertouch: Channel
Vibrato: 1024

Midi mapping

Midi channel: 1
First Note: 36 – C1 (3 6 – C1 to 51 – D#2 from bottom left to top right)
Velocity: 50-127

ROUNDS

Joue-Music-Instruments-PL21-Joue-Play-Board-
fig-10

Slide your fingers across the circles to control any parameter. There are tactile areas to easily access min, mid and max values. Absolute or infinite modes are available.

Factory settings

Midi mapping Rounds (From bottom left to top right)

Round 1: