USER MANUAL ARTURIA – Farfisa V – USER MANUAL 1
Direction Frédéric Brun Kevin Molcard Development Samuel Limier (project manager) Theo Niessink (lead) Stefano D'Angelo Baptiste Aubry Corentin Comte Baptiste Le Goff Pierre-Lin Laneyrie Valentin Lepetit Germain Marzin Mathieu Nocenti Pierre Pfister Benjamin Renard Design Glen Darcey Shaun Ellwood Sebastien Rochard Gregory Vezon Morgan Perrier Sound Design Jean-Baptiste Arthus Boele Gerkes Theo Niessink Jean-Michel Blanchet Stephane Schott Manual Hollin Jones Special Thanks Alejandro Cajica Chuck Ca
Table of contents 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 5 1.1 What is Farfisa V? ................................................................................................. 5 1.2 History of the original instrument ........................................................................ 5 1.3 Appearances in popular music ......................................................................... 6 1.3.1 1.4 Famous Farfisa users and songs:..............
3.4 Front panel ......................................................................................................... 31 3.4.1 The treble section .......................................................................................... 31 3.4.2 The percussion and repeat controls ............................................................ 32 3.4.3 The tremolo control ....................................................................................... 33 3.4.4 3.4.
1 INTRODUCTION Congratulations on purchasing our virtual organ, Farfisa V. We are confident that it will give you many hours of playing and producing pleasure. Farfisa V is the newest addition to our extensive family of instruments that recreate hard-to-find classic keyboards and synths.
The Farfisa Compact series had four models that appeared between 1964 and 1969. The Mini Compact was the smallest, and the Combo Compact came in two different versions. The Compact Deluxe – the model recreated by the Farfisa V – added significant features and the Compact Duo had dual keyboards.
and rehearsal rooms would have on hand and as a result, came to be used on more and more productions. Before too long the Farfisa had grown rapidly in popularity and quite quickly outgrew its niche in 60s garage bands. In fact, it spread into rock and pop and then electronic music, partly because of the unavailability or unaffordability of polysynths at the time, and the fact that the Farfisa could be made to sound more like a synth than an organ.
1.3.1.5 2000s The Moons Stereolab Tara Busch Paul Weller Lords of Altamont Caesars 1.4 What does Farfisa V add to the original? Recreating an instrument in software allows us to add more advanced features, while of course remaining true to the original hardware! But there are a number of features in Farfisa V that you wouldn’t find on a hardware Farfisa.
2 ACTIVATION AND FIRST START Farfisa V works on computers equipped with Windows 7 or later and Mac OS X 10.8 or later. You can use the stand-alone version or use Farfisa V as an Audio Units, AAX, VST2 or VST3 instrument. 2.1 Register and Activate Once Farfisa V has been installed, the next step is to register the software. The registration process will require you to enter the serial number and the unlock code you received with the product.
Farfisa V main menu You will then see the Audio MIDI settings window. This works in the same way on both Windows and Mac OS X, although the names of the devices available to you will depend on the hardware that you are using.
Starting from the top you have the following options Device lets you choose which audio driver you want to use to route sound out of the instrument. This might be your computer’s own driver like Windows Audio, or an ASIO driver. The name of your hardware interface may appear in this field. Output Channels lets you select which of the available outputs will be used to route audio out. If you only have two outputs, only two will appear as options.
2.2.3 Using Farfisa V in plug-in mode Farfisa V comes in VST, AU and AAX plug-in formats for use in all major DAW software like Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools and so on. You can load it as a plug-in instrument and its interface and settings work in the same way as in standalone mode, with a couple of differences. The instrument will now sync to your DAW’s host tempo, where tempo is a factor like in the tremolo and repeat controls, if you activate the Sync buttons on the organ.
You can automate numerous parameters using your DAW’s automation system. You can use more than one instance of Farfisa V in a DAW project. In standalone mode you can only use one at once. You can route Farfisa V’s audio outputs more creatively inside your DAW using the DAW’s own audio routing system.
3 USER INTERFACE Farfisa V has many great features, and in this chapter we’ll make sure you know what each one does. We think you’ll be amazed at how quickly Farfisa V provides you with sounds that are inspiring and perfect for all sorts of projects. It’s also really easy to work with: just a few tweaks here and there and suddenly you’re in a new world of sound. That will always be the main focus of every Arturia product: unleashing your creativity while remaining easy to use. 3.
If you switch the bass section on using the Bass On / Off switch, the black keys now play the bass tones. The lights show that the bass section is active. If you switch the Grey Keys Sel switch from Treble to Bass, the grey keys are assigned to extend the range of the bass keys to a second octave. You can tell this is active because the first and third red lights now show the range of the bass part. This gives you more freedom to play bass notes, at the cost of removing the lower part of the treble range.
3.2.1 Save Preset The first option lets you save a preset. If you select this, you are presented with a window where you can enter information about the preset. As well as naming it you can enter the author name, select a bank and type and select some tags that describe the sound. This information can be read by the preset browser and is useful for searching presets later. You can also enter freeform text comments in the Comments field which is handy for providing a more detailed description.
3.2.4 Export preset You can export any preset as a file using this command.
3.2.5 Export bank This option can be used to export the entire bank of sounds from the instrument which is useful for backing up or sharing presets. 3.2.6 Resize window options Farfisa V’s window can be resized from 60% to 200% of its original size without any visual artefacting. On a smaller screen such as a laptop you might want to reduce the interface size so it doesn’t dominate the display. On a larger screen or a second monitor you can increase its size to get a better view of the controls.
The Resize Window menu 3.2.7 3.2.7 Audio settings Here you manage the way the instrument transmits sound and receives MIDI. See section 2.2 of the manual for full details on this. 3.2.8 3.2.8 Preset browsing quick look The Preset browser is invoked by clicking on the browser button which contains four vertical lines. See section 3.3 of the manual for full details on this. The All Types, name field and left / right arrows in the toolbar all deal with preset selection.
The Preset Browser 3.2.9 Open and Close Advanced section The Advanced section can be revealed by clicking on the button showing two downward pointing arrows at the right of the toolbar. This lets you access the more advanced features of the instrument like tuning of individual notes, user waves and envelopes. See section 3.5 of the manual for more detail on these controls. Click this button once to reveal the inside of the organ and again to hide it.
3.2.10 MIDI Learn assignment The MIDI plug icon at the right hand end of the toolbar places the instrument into MIDI learn mode. Parameters that can be assigned to MIDI controls will be shown in purple and the idea is that you map physical MIDI dials, faders or pedals from your hardware units like Beatstep or Keystep to specific destinations inside the instrument.
Set min value to 0.0 and max value to 0.49 the switch cannot be switched on because the 0.5 value can never be crossed Set min value to 0.51 and max value to 1.0 the switch cannot be switched off because the 0.5 value can never be crossed Set min value to 0.0 and max value to 1.0 the switch state changes when the fader crosses its central position Set min value to 0.49 and max value to 1.0 the switch state changes when the fader is very low Set min value to 0.0 and max value to 0.
3.2.10.1 Reserved MIDI CC numbers Certain MIDI Continuous Controller (MIDI CC) numbers are reserved and cannot be reassigned to other controls. These are: Ctrl All Notes Off (CC #123) PitchBend AfterTouch All other MIDI CC numbers may be used to control any assignable parameter in Farfisa V. 3.2.11 MIDI controller configuration There’s a small arrow at the far right hand side of the toolbar that deals with MIDI controller configurations.
3.2.12 The lower toolbar At the right hand side of the lower toolbar are two small items. The Panic button can be pressed to reset all MIDI signal in the event of stuck notes, and stop sounds being generated. The CPU meter is used to monitor how much of your computer’s CPU is being used by the instrument. At the left hand side of the lower toolbar you will see a readout showing the value or state of whatever control you are modifying.
Displaying the current control’s value 3.3 The Preset Browser The preset browser is how you search, load and manage sounds in Farfisa V. It has a couple of different views but they all access the same banks of presets. Click on the browser button (three lines and a slanted line) to access the search view. The Preset Browser button 3.3.1 Searching presets The Search screen has a number of sections.
3.3.2 Filtering using tags You can also search using different tags. So for example by clicking on the Lead and Organ options in the Types field you can show only presets that match those tags. The tag fields can be shown or hidden by using the small down arrow buttons in their title fields. Results columns can be sorted by clicking the same arrow button in their own section. You can use multiple search fields to perform narrower searches.
The second Results column can be switched to show Type, Sound Designer, Favourite or Bank tags depending on how you like to search. Click on its options menu button just next to its sort arrow. 3.3.3 The Preset Info section The Preset Info column on the right of the search field shows you information about any preset. If you want to make changes to a factory preset such as changing its name, adding comments or tags, you have to re-save it as a user preset using the Save As command in the main menu.
this, the Info section will gain Edit and Delete buttons that you can use to change the information stored inside the preset. Factory presets can’t be overwritten. 3.3.4 The second preset view The menu next to the Search menu shows you a different view. The first option in this menu is called Filter and will hold a record of whatever you have currently searched for in the Search field. So if you searched for Jazz in the main search area, those results will appear here.
Selecting the All Types option in this column on the other hand will provide a list of all patches. The Categories shown beneath group sounds based on their Type like keys, pads, bass and so on. Clicking on the name field in the centre of the toolbar will show you a list of all available presets and will also change based on what you have entered in the Search field. So again if you have searched for “jazz”, this shortcut menu will only show you patches that match that tag.
3.3.1.2 Add a preset You can use all of the options in the Search window to locate the presets you want to have in your playlist. Once you have found the right preset, click and drag it onto the playlist name. Click and drag from the Search Results list onto one of the playlists To view the contents of a playlist, click on the playlist name. 3.3.1.3 Re-order the presets Presets may be reorganized within a playlist.
3.4 Front panel The front panel of Farfisa V is where you make settings to control how the keyboard generates sound and how its effects operate. The virtual instrument is modelled on a mix of the original Compact Deluxe and Compact Duo models in terms of its front panel, and has some additional features that can be found by opening the Advanced section.
interact a lot, hence each combination will sound slightly different (e.g. Flute 8 + Strings 8 will not sound exactly like Flute 4 + Strings 4). The Bass 16 and Flute 8/4 voices (the “round tones”) are based on the MTB voices, while the other white tab voices (the “sharp tones”) have their own, global voice filter circuitry. The Brilliant tab makes the white 2-2/3’ tab brighter. Without the white 2-2/3’ tab the Brilliant tab is ignored.
Repeat rate dial – The rate knob can be set between 2 whole notes, 1 whole note, half note, ¼ triplet, ¼ note, 1/8 triplet, 1/8th, 1/16 triplet, 1/16 values. Repeat/Percuss mode chooses either the REPEAT or the PERCUSS mode for the upper keyboard. Percuss envelope – allows the user to create longer or shorter decay times on the percuss section. 3.4.3 The tremolo control The tremolo control can be used to add some modulation into the signal just like on a real Farfisa.
3.4.5 The Bass Manual section One of the great things about the Compact Deluxe is that it contains bass and treble sections in the same instrument, meaning you can play both parts from a single keyboard if you like. Or you can disable the bass section and play the upper register across the whole keyboard. The bass tones can be used instead of having a bass guitar player since they can be made to sound big and heavy, or they can be used as a secondary organ part to add weight to the overall organ part.
Bass Sharp / Soft changes the decay on the bass section to either a sharper or softer character. Perc On / Off turns the percussive attack of the bass section on or off. The Long / Short switch toggles between a shorter or longer percussive element to the bass tone. 3.5 Inside the case The Advanced section can be accessed by clicking on the Advanced button or by clicking on the organ’s cream coloured hood area.
The Advanced section 3.5.1 The Voice Tune section The Farfisa has 12 independent master oscillators, which each drive 5 dividers, plus there’s 1 extra divider for the low “C” note, so there are a total of (1+5)*12+1=73 frequencies being generated all the time (even more in Farfisa V, because of its extended key range). This system of oscillators and dividers also accounts for the fact that the same notes in different octaves (e.g. all “C” notes) are phase-locked.
The Bass Wave dial allows selection of seven different bass waveforms:0. The original Farfisa waveform as generated by the tone generators (i.e. the same waveform as in the treble section when User Wave is off). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Saw - Sawtooth wave. Sync - Hard-sync sawtooth wave. Mod - Modified square wave. Square - Square wave. Pulse - Pulse wave (15% duty cycle). Additive - Additive user wave. Shape - Shape user wave. The Bass Tone icons represent the moon (dark i.e. 20 Hz) and the sun (bright i.e.
Note that this applies only to the treble voices (green/white tabs on the right), not the bass. The bass does have attack, but only up to 3 ms (so you can still use it to prevent pops/clicks). The bass doesn’t affect the global paraphonic envelope at all. The idea behind this is to be able to play hard bass notes combined with slow treble chords such as pads/strings for more flexibility. When AR Env is off the Voice Mode switch is ignored. 3.5.
organ-like sounds (because its drawbars also mix in harmonics/sine waves). As you mix in more harmonics you will get increasingly harsher sounds. Note that to hear all harmonics you will have to select a voice filter that passes lots of high frequencies, e.g. All Booster or the Strings voices. Shape: In Shape mode you can use the 48 sliders to freely draw a waveform (see e.g. the Templates > Square Wave preset).
The Bass and Treble dials work to shape the organ’s output. Use them to add or remove bass or treble frequencies from the sound. The reverb dial controls the amount of reverb applied to the signal. All the way to the left, the signal is dry and turned all the way to the right, 100% of the reverb is being applied. 3.5.8 Reverb type In the Advanced section you can access different kinds of reverb types.
3.5.9 The Knee Lever section The Knee Lever is a physical lever on a Farfisa that is controlled with the knee and affects the tone boost feature. Here it can also be used to activate a wah filter if you choose that switch position. The Knee Lever MIDI switch lets you choose between: MIDI CC: The Knee Lever is controlled by Control Change (CC). You can use MIDI Assign from the toolbar to select which CC number to use.
AT: The Knee Lever is controlled by Channel Aftertouch. Again it automatically returns to 0%. Note that the position of the Knee Lever in MIDI CC mode is saved when switching Knee Lever MIDI modes. The Knee Lever Wah switch lets you toggle between: MTB: When the Multi-Tone Booster (MTB) tab is activated the Knee Lever can be used to mix in high frequencies. Wah: The Knee Lever no longer controls the MTB frequency mix, but can be used as a wah.
Note that when you do this the pedal will swap positions. So if you swap an Overdrive for a Chorus in slot 2, the Overdrive will take the position the Chorus pedal was just in. All five pedals must be present in the pedalboard, though none of them has to be active. There is no option to have an empty pedal slot. The effect pedals are taken from Arturia’s other vintage keyboard models. Switch any effect on by pressing its virtual footswitch.
The Master Volume knob acts as a volume control for the output of the whole instrument when the amp is switched on. The Treble, Middle and Bass dials let you sculpt the EQ of the amp’s output just like on a real guitar amp. The Volume dial acts as a channel volume control. The Bright switch can be used to add more presence and brightness to the sound. It is only active at low volumes.
3.6.4 The phaser Phasing is the psychedelic sweeping effect that was popular in the 1960s and 70s and adds a sense of movement and swirling to the sound. It works particularly well on organ sounds like Farfisa. The controls are: Modulation Rate Feedback amount Phaser depth Stereo spread 3.6.
Chorus works by adding a second voice to the signal and in the process making it harmonically richer and adding a sense of movement. The controls are: A three-position chorus type switch Stereo Chorus Rate Stereo Width Rate Delay amount Chorus Amount Dry / Wet Mix 3.6.6 Analog Delay pedal Delay is a great effect to use on organs as it can really increase the sense of depth and space without becoming “splashy” and adding to much air and high end like reverbs sometimes do.
3.6.7 Overdrive pedal Overdrive is great for adding drive, crunch and grit to organ sounds. The controls are: Drive Amount Output Level Drive Tone 3.6.8 The Swell pedal The swell pedal is pre-amplified and connected directly to the organ. It controls the volume of the organ before sound is passed to the effects pedals or the amplifier. It acts as a volume pedal for changing the volume during performance.
4 END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT 1. General 1.1 In consideration of payment of the Licensee fee, which is a portion of the price you paid, Arturia, as Licensor, grants to you (hereinafter termed “Licensee”) a nonexclusive right for the use of software including related media, documentation (for example program descriptions, manuals) and other documents and materials manufactured by Arturia SA ("Product(s)"). All intellectual property rights in the software belong to Arturia SA (hereinafter: “Arturia”). 1.
not be resold or transferred. The Licensee can activate the Product on up to five computers, as long as only one installation is used at any given time. The Licensee must register the Product to Arturia to get access to client support, and to activate his Product. (An internet connection is required to register and activate the Product, either on the computer on which the Product is installed, either on another device able to exchange files with the computer on which the Product is installed).
the third party agrees in writing with this EULA and Licensee ceases all use of the software, completely removes all installed copies of the software from his computers and – if the software was not purchased via download – deletes or transfers the original media delivered with the software to the third party. In addition, Licensee is required to de-register the purchased software with Arturia (more information available on www.arturia.com). 5.
interruption, loss of business information and the like) even if Arturia was previously advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow limitations on the length of an implied warranty or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusions may not apply to the Licensee in this case. This warranty gives the Licensee specific legal rights, and the Licensee may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
