MAKE NOISE 1016153-01U Press Point Contoller Module Instruction Manual

: June 13, 2024
: MAKE NOISE

Table of Contents

MAKE NOISE 1016153-01U Press Point Contoller Module
Product Usage Instructions
LIMITED WARRANTY
INSTALLATION
INTRODUCTION
PANEL CONTROLS
PLAYING
TIPS & TRICKS
PATCH IDEAS
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

MAKE NOISE 1016153-01U Press Point Contoller Module

Specifications

Pressure Output: Range ~0-10V
Touch Gate Output: 0V or 10V
Smooth Touch Function Output: Range ~0-8V

Product Usage Instructions

Installation

Refer to your case manufacturer’s specifications for the location of the negative supply.

Introduction

The PrssPnt music synthesizer module generates signals by touching the printed copper wire at the bottom. It provides four signals:

Two gate signals (Momentary and Toggled Gate Outputs)
A control signal proportional to the pressure applied (Pressure Output)
A Smooth Touch Function determined by pressure and panel controls

Panel Controls

Pressure Output: Adjust range ~0-10V based on contact with the touch plate.
Touch Gate Output: Outputs 0V or 10V gate while the touch plate is being touched.
Smooth Touch Function Output: Adjust range ~0-8V based on calibration.

Playing
Adjust the Touch Sensitivity Adjustment Potentiometer for desired voltage generation and control over signals.

Tips & Tricks
Patch a Gate output to the CV input of X-PAN or other crossfader for manual signal switching.

FAQ

What should I do if the Pressure Output range seems off?
Try calibrating the unit according to the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure accurate voltage output.
How can I prevent damage while adjusting settings?
Turn off the power for PRSSPNT before making adjustments and use a light touch to avoid unnecessary damage.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Make Noise warrants this product to be free of defects in materials or construction for one year from the date of purchase (proof of purchase/invoice required).
Malfunctions resulting from wrong power supply voltages, backward or reversed euro rack bus board cable connection, abuse of the product, removing knobs, changing faceplates, or any other causes determined by
Make Noise to be the fault of the user is 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 persons or apparatus caused through the operation of this product.
Please contact technical@makenoisemusic.com with any questions, Return To Manufacturer Authorization, or any needs & comments.
http://www.makenoisemusic.com

About This Manual:
Written by Tony Rolando and Walker Farrell
Illustration and layout by Lewis Dahm

INSTALLATION

Electrocution hazard!

Always turn the Eurorack case off 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 PrssPnt is an electronic music module requiring 14mA of +12VDC regulated voltage 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.
To install, find 4HP in your Eurorack synthesizer case, confirm proper installation of Eurorack bus board 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.

Please refer to your case manufacturer’s specification for location of the negative supply.

INTRODUCTION

PrssPnt music synthesizer module is a controller in which several signals are generated by touching the printed copper wire at the bottom of the instrument. Touching PrssPnt, you become part of the circuit, generating a total of four signals:

Two gate signals (Momentary and Toggled Gate Outputs)
A control signal proportional to the amount of pressure applied (Press Output)
A Smooth Touch Function whose timing and shape are determined by the amount of pressure applied, and the Sensitivity and Slew panel controls.

The basic function of PrssPnt will be familiar to anyone who has used Pressure Points or 0-CTRL. It could be seen as a single “souped-up” channel of one of these devices. Since it is a single channel, the tuned voltage outputs are not relevant, and instead are replaced with more playable sensitivity controls and alternate pressure and gate outputs.
The Toggled Gate output goes high and low with each successive press of the plate: press it to make it go high, press it again to make it go low. Contrast this with the standard (momentary) Gate output, which remainshigh as long as it is being pressed, and goes low when it is not being pressed.
The Pressure output generates a positive control signal proportional to the amount of Pressure applied, further tailored by the Sensitivity Panel Control.
The Smooth Touch Function mimics the useful patch of sending a Pressure Output through a carefully tuned slew limiter for extended function generation. Turning up the Slew amount will allow for larger than life functionswith very long decay to be generated by hand.
Both of these Pressure-controlled outputs are available simultaneously, as are both Gate outputs. Thus a single expressive finger can be used to control four destinations in a patch in distinct ways.

PANEL CONTROLS

Pressure Output: Range ~0-10V (total range may vary depending on calibration, system, user,etc.) Generates a positive CV signal based on the amount of contact made with the touch plate.
Touch Gate Output: 0V or 10V. Outputs a 10V gate while touch plate is being touched.
Smooth Touch Function Output: Range ~0-8V (total range may vary depending on calibration,system, user, etc.) Generates a slewed function from the Touch Gate Output and slewed by anamount set by the Slew Panel Control.
Toggled Gate Output: 0V or 10V. Generates Gate High and Gate Low alternately with each new press of the touch plate.
Slew Panel Control: Sets the slope and length of the Smooth Touch Function.
Sensitivity Panel Control: Sets the fine sensitivity of the touch plate.
Touch Plate: Press to generate CV and Gate signals at the outputs.
Digit Trimmer (located under faceplate): Sets the coarse sensitivity of the touch plate. The ideal setting may vary depending on the system, user, time of year, etc.

Please turn the power for PRSSPNT OFF while adjusting the trimmer, and use a light touch to avoid causing any unnecessary damage.

PLAYING

The PrssPnt requires the development of a technique, and CLEAN, BARE Hands. Touching the upper-most portion of the touchplate with as little of your finger as needed to activate the circuit, generates a Momentary Gate and toggles the Toggled Gate ON or OFF.
Laying more of your finger down on the touchplate, and pressing harder, will generate a Pressure control voltage proportional to the amount of flesh mashed into the copper of the touchplate. Pressing harder, more of your flesh comes into contact with a sensitive point in the circuit, hence the name PrssPnt. As you press on the touch plate, the Smooth Touch Function will also be generated with a curve and decay/release time affected by the Slew control.
Set the Touch Sensitivity Adjustment Potentiometer further CW so that you may generate higher voltages more quickly, or set it more CCW when you want greater control over the Press Control Signal and the Smooth Touch Function.
If you cannot obtain the desired response, you might need to adjust the internal Digit Trimmer to compensate for the size & moisture of your digits as well as playing technique, power supply and style of installation (vertical, horizontal, angled). This requires a trimmer tool or jeweler’s screwdriver and access to the module from the right side, where the Digit Trimmer is located on the circuit board. Please turn the power for PRSSPNTOFF while adjusting the trimmer. The default setting for Digit Trimmer is 40% CW.
Setting more CW increases sensitivity for smaller and/ or dryer fingers or for Vertical installations. Due to the complex nature of the human finger, you need to experiment with settings to achieve the best playing response.
Please turn the power for PRSSPNT OFF while adjusting the trimmer, and use a light touch to avoid causing any unnecessary damage.

TIPS & TRICKS

Patch a Gate output to the CV input of X-PAN or other voltage-controlled crossfader to manually switch between two signals – either alternately via the Toggled Gate output, or while touching the PrssPnt via the Momentary Gate output.
The Toggled Gate output also functions as a Touch-Clocked /2 clock divider. Patch the Momentary Gate to an input you want to activate with Every Press and the Toggled Gate output to an input you want to activate with Every Other Press.
Patch the Gate output to the Strike input on Optomix or DXG, and patch the Pressure or Smooth Touch Function to the CTRL input. For Bongo, tap the PRSS PNT hard, for a sustaining musical note, touch and hold the PRSS PNT.
Patch the Gate to the CYCLE gate input, and patch the Pressure output to Ch.. 3 of MATHS. Patch output of Ch. 3 to Both CV Input. Adjust Ch. 3 gain, Rise, and Fall to taste for a touch-triggered, touch-modulated LFO.
PRSS PNT is a good pal with analog sequencers like René and BRAINS. Use the Gate outputs to Run/Stop and manually initiate sequential events such as Direction change, Snake Pattern change and more.
Use any of the PRSS PNT outputs to manually introduce variation in a patch where you do not want to change the panel control values (for fear of not being able to reset them correctly/ promptly) by patching to the associate CV input. When not touching PRSS PNT, the originally tuned values will be present, when touching you introduce variation. Use the Toggled Gate output combined with an attenuverter to tune specific results which could be turned on and off at will.
Patch the Pressure CV output to the Linear FM input on STO, DPO or XPO and set the attenuator to 8:00 to introduce pitch vibrato.
Use the Smooth touch Function to introduce Pitch and Timbre Sweeps as well as amplitude articulation.
Use the sensitivity panel control to achieve everything from sharp fast response to slow and soft response.