Dave Smith Instruments EVOLVER - Manual (Page 11)

Basic Operation FAQs
Evolver is a very flexible instrument. While this provides a wide range of operational
possibilities, it also means that you can put Evolver into a state where it doesn’t seem
to work. Here are some hints:
1) How do I save a Program? Hold the M
AIN button down; its LED will start
blinking. Hit the button a second time, and the Program will be stored. While
blinking, you can change the Program and/or Bank to store in a different location.
2) When I play a MIDI keyboard, it triggers the envelopes but the oscillator
pitch doesn’t change. Check Key Off/Xpose (Row 7, knob 8). If it is OFF, MIDI
notes will not affect the oscillator pitch. This knob also transposes the MIDI range
by +/- 3 octaves.
3) MIDI affects the note pitch, but will not trigger the envelopes. Check Trigger
Select (Row 7, Knob 7). It must be set to ALL or miid for basic MIDI triggering. It
can also be set miDR, miS, or miSR when using MIDI and the sequencer together –
see page .
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4) After playing on a MIDI keyboard, I change Programs and the sounds are
transposed too high. The quick fix is to hit the R ESET button when the
sequencer is stopped; it acts as a MIDI all-notes-off, and resets all MIDI
controllers. In general, you usually want to set up Programs as sequencer-driven,
MIDI-driven, or both. When you try to play a sequence-based Program with MIDI,
or sequence a MIDI-based sound, you will likely have to change a couple
parameters (see 1 and 2 above).
5) I hit the Sequence Start button; the LEDs advance, but the envelopes don’t
trigger. This is the opposite problem of 2 above; check Trigger Select (Row 7,
Knob 7) - it should be set to ALL or SEQ for the sequencer to trigger the
envelopes.
6) When I change Programs, the Sequencer speed always stays the same.
Check Use Prgm Tempo – if it is OFF, then the speed is not updated when
Programs change. Set it to On.
7) How do I copy Sequences from one Program to another? First, turn Lock
Seq off, and select the Program with the sequence that you want to copy.
Second, turn Lock Seq On – now when you change Programs the sequence will
not change, so select the destination Program. Third, do a normal save, and the
Sequence will be saved in the new location.
8) I can’t get the filter to oscillate. Check the 2 pole/4 pole switch (Row 3, Knob 1,
Shift) – the filter only oscillates when 4 poles are used.
9) I seem to be getting some distortion in my output. Assuming that the
Distortion is off, you are likely just overloading the signal somewhere. There are
many signal sources in Evolver, and many sources of gain. If too many are used
at levels that are too high, you will likely get some distortion. For example, if you
are using all four oscillators, you should have the levels lower, in the 40 – 60
range. Likewise, if using all three delay taps, lower the levels of each.
10) Reset Main Parameters - There is a quick reset of the Main parameters; just hit
row 1 and 4 buttons at the same time, and the Main parameters will be re-
initialized.
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