Audio Damage Bitcom - Manual (Page 14)

With either setting of the WAVEFORM
switch, moving the SHAPE knob can
produce some nice timbral changes—nice
enough that we hardwired the SHAPE knob
to MIDI controller #1, the modulation wheel
on most keyboards. If you route MIDI data
to Bitcom in your host software, you can use
a mod wheel to change the shape of the
wave.
The TUNE knob sets the frequency of the synthesizer. In the absence of incoming MIDI data, this is the only
control you have over the synth’s musical pitch. It’s marked in MIDI note names and numbers, and covers the
full 127-note range from sub-audio to annoy-your-dog-audio. Bitcom’s extreme approach to bit destruction
produces all sorts of aliasing so sweeping the TUNE control near either extreme of its range, perhaps with the
automation feature of your host program, can produce all sorts of rather horrible noises interesting and
unusual tones.
The FINE knob adjusts Bitcom’s pitch by as much as a half-step sharp or flat. It’s marked in cents, or 1/100 ths
of a semitone. If the input signal is slightly out of tune you can use the FINE knob to tune Bitcom’s pitch to
match. Or, more likely, you can use the FINE knob to detune Bitcom’s pitch relative to the input signal, thus
creating some beat frequencies from the two signals and hence a more complex sound for Bitcom to beat on.
The LEVEL knob sets the loudness of the synthesizer. It has a range of -60dB, which will effectively silence it,
to 0dB, a full-amplitude digital signal.
The OUTPUT switches choose one of three operational modes for the synthesizer:
 ON: Bitcom’s synthesizer is always on, with its loudness entirely determined by the LEVEL knob.
 ENV: The synthesizer’s loudness is controlled by an envelope follower fed by the plug-in’s input signal.
As the input signal gets louder, so does the synthesizer. If the input signal is silent, the synthesizer is
silenced.
 MIDI: The synthesizer is controlled by MIDI note messages, in the manner you’d expect: press a key
on your MIDI keyboard and Bitcom plays the corresponding note. Obviously you’ll need to route MIDI
messages to Bitcom in your host software in order to use this mode. Bitcom’s synthesizer is
monophonic and not velocity-sensitive.