Steinberg Hypersonic User Manual

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Vel 
Allows the master depth to be varied by note velocity.
Rand
Adds a random offset to the master depth for each note.
LF
Sets the carrier to a fixed low frequency (displayed in the Hyperdisplay) 
for a subtle “chorus” effect.
Modulator 1 & 2
Depth
Controls the modulation depth applied to the carrier and therefore the 
brightness of the resulting sound.
Vel Sens -> Depth
Allows the depth to be varied according to the velocity of played notes.
Coarse
Sets the pitch of the modulator sine wave, the ratio of the modulator 
frequency relative to the carrier.
Fine
Fine tunes the modulators pitch.
Thru Mix (Modulator 1 only)
This is a direct output volume control for the modulator, independent 
of the modulator’s depth.
Keytrack (Modulator 2 only)
Controls the way the pitch of modulator 2 follows the notes played. At 
0% modulator 2 ignores the note and outputs a fixed pitch. 
						

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Breakpoint
Allows you to set an axis point on your keyboard from which you can 
control the modulator depth above and below the axis point indepen-
dently. The breakpoint position is displayed in MIDI note values in the 
Hyperdisplay.
Lo
Increases or decreases the depth of modulation below the breakpoint.
Hi
Increases or decreases the depth of modulation above the breakpoint.
Modulator 2 features its own simple envelope with three additional 
controls:
Level
When the level control is set to a positive value an attack envelope 
(upward ramp) is produced for modulator 2. When a negative value is 
set a decay envelope (downward ramp) is produced.
Rate
Controls the speed of the attack or decay.
Vel
Increases or decreases the rate according to the velocity of notes 
played. 
						

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The FX page
Understanding the global/patch FX concept
Hypersonic 2 uses a very flexible FX concept, which can be confusing 
at first. However, once understood, it greatly simplifies working with 
FX. Please read the following sections carefully so you can fully under-
stand how the global/patch FX protocol works.
Global or patch FX
First, you need to know that for each part, four send effects can be ac-
tive at a time. Each of them can either be a global or a patch effect, 
but never both at the same time.
The four global FX sections are shared among all parts, and they are 
always active.   
						

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FX selectors
The top area of the FX page is called the FX selector. It has two rows 
with 4 FX sections each. In this FX selector you can:
•View which combination of global and patch FX the selected part uses.
•Select an FX slot for editing.
•Mute or unmute an FX slot by right-clicking ([Ctrl]-clicking on Mac).
On the right there’s the activity switch (“P Active“) that shows 
whether the selected part uses patch FX at all.
Programming FX
To program an FX, click one of the FX selector slots (FX1 to FX4) in 
either the global or patch FX row, depending on which type of effect 
you want to edit.
Selecting an FX type
To select an FX type, click on the FX type button and select a type 
from the pop-up menu.
You’ll find a description of the available FX types in the folder “Content 
Reference” on the Hypersonic 2 program DVD.  
						

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Editing FX parameters
Depending on the FX you’ve selected, the Edit area shows the avail-
able parameters; tweak them as desired.
Switching an FX slot on/off
To activate/deactivate an FX slot, click the On/Off button or right click 
the FX selector.
Syncing an FX to song tempo
You can sync several FX to the song tempo by activating the Sync 
button in the Edit area (next to the On/Off button).
Any rate-related parameters in the Edit area change to note resolution 
units upon activating Sync.
Routing FX and setting level 
•Set the FX output’s overall level using the volume knob at the bottom 
left of the FX page. 
•Click the button below to route the FX slot to any of the audio outputs.
If “Off” is selected, the effect is not routed to an output and therefore 
inaudible.  
						

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Panning the FX signal
Use the Pan control (right next to the volume knob) to place the FX in 
the stereo field.
Using patch FX
Patch FX are similar to element FX and global FX – all parameters and 
types are the same. 
Use patch FX to add a special FX to a part, assuming that particular 
FX is neither in the element nor global FX. 
Example: Assume you’re using a dry electric piano in part 1. You want to 
put a phaser on it, but there’s no phaser in the patch itself, and the glo-
bal FX are occupied with two reverbs and two delays.
To add a patch FX:
1.Find a slot that is not yet used by a global FX or a patch FX.
2.Activate the patch FX, select a type and adjust it – done.
Saving patch FX
Patch FX are automatically saved with a patch. This allows creating 
variations of preset patches by just adding FX. 
Patch FX in the factory content
Factory content patches are generally programmed to leave the patch 
FX slots free.
The one exception is drumkits – most of them use patch FX for indi-
vidual room ambience. However, in this case only slots 3 and 4 are 
used, leaving slots 1 & 2 available. 
						

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Switching patch FX on and off
For each part, you can choose whether it uses patch FX or not:
•Click the P button in either the Mix or FX page to switch patch FX on or off.
•By switching off the P button, you force the part to use global FX regardless 
of whether patch FX are programmed for the currently loaded patch.
•By switching on the P button, you enable the use of patch FX. However, if 
there’s no patch FX loaded, or if it is muted, the corresponding global FX is 
used.
FX Management
Effects structure
Users of older hardware workstations often encounter a problem con-
cerning effects: A patch that sounds great in single mode suddenly 
sounds dull and lifeless when used in a combi or multi setup. This is 
because hardware workstations have a limited number of FX sections. 
In single mode, the patch can use all the effect sections with their in-
dividual settings, but in multi or combi mode these have to be shared 
among all the patches.
Hypersonic 2 works differently. First, the number of FX used in a combi 
is flexible – it can reach a theoretical total of (16 x 15) + (16  x  4) = 304 
independent FX sections. Second, FX never have to be shared, al-
though they can be if desired.
Types of FX sections in Hypersonic 2
Hypersonic 2 has three types of FX sections, each of which has a dif-
ferent position in the signal flow and a different purpose:
•First, FX that are an integral part of the sound – such as the distortion of a 
lead guitar or the rotary effect of a rock organ – are built into the patch. We 
call them FX element (in fact that’s what they are) and they cannot be used or 
changed by other patches. FX elements are typically insert-type FX such as 
EQ, compressor, distortion, but can also be modulation FX or even reverbs. A 
patch can have up to 15 FX elements, but typically uses one or two. These FX 
are found on a patch’s Edit page. 
						

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•Second, each patch has four FX sections that are exclusive to that patch. These 
are called “patch FX.” They are accessible on the FX page, and typically are 
send effects such as reverb, delay or chorus.
•Finally there are four global FX sections. They are like a built-in FX rack and are 
ideal for mixing the composite sound. Global FX are shared among all patches. 
Patch or global effects
There are two scenarios where you would rather use global FX than 
patch FX:
•Reducing CPU load: Each active FX section needs CPU time, and more FX 
means more strain on your system. Although Hypersonic 2 FX are very efficient, 
the sheer possible number of FX can add up.
•Keeping the mix clean: The careful use of two or three reverbs leads to more 
spatial coherence in your mix. You would probably want to use a large and a 
small room from the global FX and share them among all tracks, rather than use 
a different room for each sound, which would make the mix overly “busy.” Artis-
tic considerations aside, a few global FX are also easier to manage in the mix. 
						

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FX elements in a patch
FX elements are identical to patch or global FX. Therefore the editor 
for FX elements resembles the parameter area in the FX page. For 
more details on editing FX, see “The FX page” on page 83.
1.Choose a FX element.
2.Click on the “Edit” field to open the FX selection menu.
3.Choose an effect algorithm. Its parameter set will appear in the edit 
window; tweak as desired.
In drumkits, you’ll find a lot of “placeholder” FX elements that have no FX 
loaded. They’re used as group outputs. Use these to add different reverbs 
or other effects per drum group. You can also use the send levels in the 
FX element to send the output of the drum group to patch or global FX.  
						

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The Setup Page
Configuring outputs
Hypersonic 2 offers up to 32 audio output channels, divided into 16 
Slots of 2 channels each. The number and configuration of output slots 
is freely assignable. For example, you could route each Hypersonic 2 
part to a different stereo output, send two linked pads to a quadra-
phonic surround channel, or create any other combination of the above.
•For each output slot, you can select from three options: M (2 mono channels), 
S (1 Stereo Channel) or Q (one Quadro channel).
Activating and Configuring Output Slots
As audio outputs need mixer space and use system resources, you 
can limit the number of Hypersonic 2 outputs. It’s good practice not to 
activate any more output slots than needed.