Operation Manual

Steinberg Documentation Team: Cristina Bachmann, Martina Becker, Heiko Bischoff, Lillie Harris, Christina
Kaboth, Insa Mingers, Matthias Obrecht, Sabine Pfeifer
Translation: Ability InterBusiness Solutions (AIBS), Moon Chen, Jérémie Dal Santo, Rosa Freitag, GiEmme
Solutions, Josep Llodra Grimalt, Vadim Kupriianov, Roland Münchow, Boris Rogowski, Sergey Tamarovsky
This document provides improved access for people who are blind or have low vision. Please note that due to thecomplexity and number of images in this document, it is not possible to include text descriptions of images.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on
the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License
Agreement and may not be copied to other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose,
without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Registered licensees of the productdescribed herein may print one copy of this document for their personal use.
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visit www.steinberg.net/trademarks.
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2023.
All rights reserved.
Padshop_2.2.0_en-US_2023-06

Table of Contents
4

New Features

5
6
9
11
19
20
20
44
51
56
56

Padshop
Getting Started
Common Editing Methods
Plug-in Functions Section
Keyboard
Layer Section
Synth Page
Arp Page
FX Page
Quick Controls
MIDI Controller Assignments

58

Index

3
Padshop 2.2.0

New Features
New Features in Version 2.2.0
Load Program Dialog●

When loading programs, the Load Program dialog opens, which allows you to switch
between the MediaBay and the File System pages. See Loading Programs.

New Features in Version 2.0.0
Highlights
Spectral Oscillator●

The spectral oscillator with its high-end time stretching and pitch scaling allows you to playa sample freely at any speed, direction, or pitch. See Spectral Oscillator.

Additional Filter Shapes●

Padshop has new filter shapes for the HP, LP, and BP filters. See Filter Section.

Arp Page●

Use the integrated arpeggiator and phrase player. See Arp Page.

More New Features
New for Cubase Padshop users●

You can import your own samples into Padshop to use them in the grain or the spectral
oscillator.

●

A global reverb effect to enrich your sound with fullness and atmosphere. See Global
Reverb Section.

Polyphonic LFOs●

In addition to the two monophonic LFOs, Padshop 2 has two additional polyphonic LFOs.
See LFO Section.

Env 3 Section●

The Env 3 section provides an additional envelope that can be routed freely in themodulation matrix. See Envelope 3 Section.

Effects●

The effects parameters are now available on a separate page. See FX Page.

●

The Ensemble and Phaser modulation effects are available in addition to the Chorus andFlanger effects. See Modulation Effects Section.

●

The global reverb effect now contains Chorusing parameters. See Global Reverb Section.

4
Padshop 2.2.0

Padshop
Padshop 2 is a sophisticated granular and spectral synthesizer. This instrument allows you tocreate complex sounds that can drastically evolve over time.
It features two completely independent layers that each use a set of samples as grain or spectral
oscillator sources. On each layer, you can work with factory samples or import your own. Thisway, you can create interesting and very unique sounds, such as combining slowly moving
pads with rhythmic parts. Thanks to the new arpeggiator, you can also produce new, advanced
patterns.
The Filter section provides 24 different filter shapes, including low-pass, high-pass, band-pass,and band-reject filters. The integrated filter distortion can produce analog tube distortions or
hard-clipping effects, or reduce the bit depth or sample frequency. Three envelopes (Filter, Amp,
and Env 3), four LFOs (two monophonic and two polyphonic LFOs), and the step modulator in
Padshop can be used to modulate a large number of modulation destinations, now even via dragand drop.
The included modulation matrix features 16 freely assignable modulation rows. This allows you
to create Note Expression modulation assignments that can be directly addressed from within
Cubase, for example. To give the sounds the final polish, Padshop provides a three-stage effects
section including EQ, chorus, flanger, ensemble, phaser, different delay effects that can be
defined for each layer, and a global reverb effect.

5
Padshop 2.2.0

Padshop
Getting Started

Grain Oscillator
The grain oscillator uses granular synthesis. In granular synthesis, only short portions of asample are played back. These so-called grains can be played back in any order. Each time agrain ends, a new one starts. To avoid discontinuities in the playback and to minimize artifacts,
envelopes are applied to the grains. Very short grains produce sounds with an individual pitch.
This means that you can also extract pitched sounds from samples without a distinct pitch, suchas drum loops or sound effects. Sounds with longer grains usually play back with the pitch of theoriginal sample.

Spectral Oscillator
The spectral oscillator analyzes the spectrum of the loaded sample, that is, the progression of
the frequencies, amplitudes, and phases from the sample start to the end of the sample. The
analyzed spectrum is used to generate a waveform for playback. When the play marker moves
through the sample, dynamic progressions of waveforms are produced. You can also slow down
the playback speed up to the point where only a static waveform is played back. Furthermore,
Padshop allows you to modulate the playback position in the sample, which allows you tocontrol the movement through the sample using LFOs, the step modulator, or the arpeggiator
controller lanes, for example. The Purity, Inharmonicity, and Formant Shift parameters allow
for extensive sound manipulations.

Getting Started
The tutorials help you to get familiar with the functions and possibilities in Padshop. You canexperiment with the different presets and try out the available samples.

Creating Sounds Using Long Grains
Sounds with longer grains usually play back with the pitch of the original sample.
PROCEDURE
1.

In the Oscillator section, select the “Crystal Pad” sample from the “Padshop/01 Synths”
folder.

2.

Set Duration to 200.0.

3.

Play a note.
A single grain is repeated continuously.

4.

Set Number of Grains to 3.
This way, you get three grain streams.

5.

Again, play a note.
The grain density has increased, but the sound is rather repetitive.

6.

Set Position to 50 %.

7.

Play a note and increase the Position Random value until the sound is no longer repetitive.
Now, each grain plays a random portion of the sample, and the sound is much richer.

8.

Experiment with the other parameters and see what they do, for example, try out Pitch
Interval, Speed, Duration, and Duration Key Follow.

9.

Select another sample from the “Padshop/01 Synths” folder, and see how it sounds with yoursettings.

10. Adjust the filter, envelope, and effect settings to your liking, and save your sound as a preset.

6Padshop 2.2.0

Padshop
Getting Started
TIP
The “Swarm Intelligence” preset from the factory library is a good example for a pad soundcreated using long grains.

Creating Sounds Using Short Grains
Very short grains produce sounds with an individual pitch. For that reason, you can also use
samples without a distinct pitch, such as drum loops and sound effects, to extract pitched sounds
from them.
PROCEDURE
1.

Select the “Pure Sine” sample from the “Padshop/02 Waveforms” folder.
This loads a perfect sine wave.

2.

Play a note.
You hear a single stream of grains.

3.

Set Duration to 1.
The grain duration determines the pitch of the sound. With a Duration setting of 1 andDuration Key Follow at +100 %, the sound plays back at the pitch that you play on the
keyboard. If you set Duration to 2, the pitch drops by one octave, because the grain
duration is twice as long. The longer the grain duration, the more the pitch of the soundis determined by the pitch of the original sample.

4.

Adjust the Shape parameter while you play, to hear the amplitude modulation.
The shape of the grains determines the amplitude of the portion of the sample that isplayed back within the grain. This is similar to amplitude modulation, where one signal (themodulator) determines the amplitude of another signal (the carrier). In this case, the sample
is the carrier and the grain is the modulator. Amplitude modulation adds sidebands to eachsinusoidal component of the carrier signal. Therefore, the more complex the sample is, themore sidebands you hear.

5.

Play a note and increase the Formant parameter.
A formant is a group of frequencies in the spectrum that is emphasized. When you increase
the parameter, you hear that a formant in the spectrum moves up. The pitch of the sounddoes not change, because the grain duration is not modified. If you take a look at the
waveform display, you see that the higher the Formant setting, the longer the portion of thesample that is played back within the grain.

6.

Play a note, and decrease the Length parameter.
The Length parameter has an effect similar to the Formant parameter. By decreasing thelength, the grain is shortened, but the period at which the grains repeat stays the same.
Therefore, only the spectrum of the sound changes, but not its pitch.

7.

Open the modulation matrix, select Grain Formant or Grain Length as modulation
destinations, and set the modulation source to Filter Envelope or LFO 1/2, for example.
This adds more liveliness to the sound.

8.

Adjust the modulation depth, and listen to the result.

9.

Try out your settings with a more complex sample.

10. Click the waveform to change the position of the grain playback. The spectrum changes
accordingly.
11. Adjust the filter, envelope, and effect settings to your liking, and save your sound as a preset.

7
Padshop 2.2.0

Padshop
Getting Started
TIP
The “Formantor” preset from the factory library is a good example for a pad sound createdusing short grains.

Using LFO 3 for Time-Stretching
In this tutorial, you use LFO 3 to sync a loop to the tempo of your song. You can use the spectralor grain oscillator for this.
PROCEDURE
1.

Load the “Init” preset.

2.

On the Synth page, select the oscillator that you want to use: grain or spectral.

3.

Load the “Andank” sample from the “Padshop Factory/05 Musical Fx” folder.
You can also use other samples from this folder.

4.

Set Position to +50 % and Speed to 0 %.

5.

If you use the grain oscillator, set Number to 2, Duration to 10, and Duration Key Follow to
0 %.

6.

Go to LFO 3 and drag its modulation icon to the Position parameter.
●

For the grain oscillator, this assigns LFO 3 to Grain Position in the modulation matrix.

●

For the spectral oscillator, this assigns LFO 3 to Spectral Position in the modulation
matrix.

7.

On LFO 3, select Saw as Waveform and set Shape to 100 %.

8.

Set Retrigger to On, Sync Mode to Tempo, and Rate to 4/4.

9.

Optional: Try out other samples from the Padshop Factory/05 Musical Fx folder.

RESULT
If you now play a note and change the tempo of the host, the loop will follow.
TIP
The “Init Time Stretch” preset uses the settings described above for the grain and spectral
oscillators. Use this preset to switch freely between grain and spectral oscillator and listen how itsounds.
The “Trigger Point” preset is a finished sound using the spectral oscillator. You can also switch itto the grain oscillator.

Creating Sounds with the Spectral Oscillator
The spectral oscillator with its Purity, Inharmonicity, and Formant parameters allows you tocreate characterful piano sounds.
PROCEDURE
1.

Load the Init preset.

2.

On the Synth page, select the spectral oscillator.

3.

Load the “Grand Piano” sample from the “Padshop Factory/03 Instruments” folder.

8
Padshop 2.2.0

PadshopCommon Editing Methods
4.

Set Loop to Off.

5.

Adjust the Purity and Inharmonicity parameters.
Purity affects the brightness of the sound, and Inharmonicity changes the timbre fromclean to dissonant.

6.

Set Purity to +50 % and Inharmonicity to 0 %.

7.

In the modulation matrix, assign Velocity to Spectral Purity and set the modulation Depth
to -25 %.

8.

Assign Velocity to Spectral Inharmonicity and set the modulation Depth to +25 %.
The higher the velocity of the note, the brighter and more inharmonic the sound. Now, thesound is too dull when playing low notes and too bright when playing high notes.

9.

Set Formant Key Follow to 0 % to correct this with the formant filter.

10. To make the sound more playable, set Amplifier Velocity to +50 %.
11. Optional: Add filters, amplifier envelope, effects, or an arpeggio.
12. Optional: Experiment with other samples and the settings you made for this sound.
TIP
The “Illusions of Piano” preset is a good example of a preset that was produced this way.

Common Editing Methods
Some common controls and concepts exist throughout the program. For example, presets canbe used in several different sections and contexts, but their handling is always the same.

Knobs and Sliders
Knobs and sliders can be unidirectional or bidirectional. Unidirectional values, for example, levelvalues, start at a minimum value and go up to the maximum. Bidirectional controls start from the
middle position and go to the left for negative and to the right for positive values.
Most of the editing methods are the same for knobs and sliders.
●Move the mouse over a knob or its parameter name to show the current parameter value.
You can adjust the value with the mouse wheel or enter a new value manually.

●

To adjust a value, click a knob or a slider and drag up and down, or use the mouse wheel.
If you press Alt/Opt when clicking a knob, a small slider appears, allowing you to set theparameter.

●

To make fine adjustments, press Shift , and move the knob or use the mouse wheel.

●

To restore the default value for a parameter, press Ctrl/Cmd , and click on the control.

Buttons
Padshop contains two different types of buttons: On/Off buttons and push buttons.

On/Off Buttons
These buttons have two states: on and off. If you move the mouse over an On/Off button, itchanges its appearance to show that you can click it.

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PadshopCommon Editing Methods

Push Buttons
Push buttons trigger an action and then go back to their inactive state. These buttons open
menus or file dialogs.

Value Fields
You can enter or edit values in the available value fields using your keyboard or mouse. To enter
key ranges or the root key, for example, you can use an external MIDI keyboard.
To set a value, you have the following possibilities:●

Double-click in a value field, enter a new value, and press Return .
If the entered value exceeds the parameter range, it is automatically set to the maximum or
the minimum value, respectively.

●

Click in the value field, and drag up or down.

●

Position the mouse over a value field, and use the mouse wheel.

●

Click the up/down triangles next to the field.

●

To set the parameter to its default value, Ctrl/Cmd -click the value field.

●

To use a fader to adjust the value, Alt/Opt -click a value field.

●

To enter musical values, such as key ranges or the root key, with your MIDI keyboard,
double-click the value field, press a key on your MIDI keyboard, and press Return .

●To navigate to the next parameter, press Tab . To jump backwards to the previous
parameter, press Shift - Tab .
If no parameter is selected inside the focused view, pressing Tab always jumps to the firstparameter.

Presets
Throughout Padshop, you can find controls for section and module presets. These presets store
and recall the setup of specific components, such as the effects on the FX page, for example.
●

To save a preset, click Save.

NOTE
You cannot overwrite factory presets. If you want to save changes made to a factory preset,
save the preset under a new name or in a new location.
●

To load a preset, click the arrow icon and select a preset from the list.

●

To step through the available presets, click Previous Preset●

To delete a preset, click Delete.

NOTE
Factory presets cannot be deleted.

10
Padshop 2.2.0/Next Preset, if available.

PadshopPlug-in Functions Section

Plug-in Functions Section
The plug-in functions section allows you to switch between the different pages and layers, apply
global settings and functions, and obtain further information about a plug-in.

Plug-in Logo
To get information regarding the version and build number of the plug-in, click theplug-in logo. This opens the About box. To close the About box, click it or press Esc on
your computer keyboard.
Program Loader●

To load a program, click the program loader, navigate to the program in the Load
Program dialog, and double-click the program.

●

To load the previous or next program, use the left and right arrow buttons.

●

To save the current program, click Save.

Import/Export Presets●

Import Presets allows you to import a preset.

●

Export Preset allows to export a preset, including its samples, to the specified
destination folder. The referenced samples are copied into a subfolder of thedestination folder, maintaining the existing folder structure.

●

Batch Export Presets allows you to export multiple presets, including theirsamples, from a source folder to a destination folder. This makes it easier toexchange presets between systems, for example. All presets are copied fromthe source to the destination folder. The referenced samples are copied into a
subfolder of the destination folder, maintaining the existing folder structure.

Layer Buttons
Allow you to switch between layer A and layer B and to activate the layers.
●

To select a layer, click its Show Layer button.

●

To activate a layer, click Layer On/Off at the top right of the Show Layer button.

Page Buttons
Allow you to switch between the Synth, Arp, and FX pages for the selected layer.
Functions
Click the Functions
menu.
●

button next to the page buttons to open the Functions pop-up

Copy Layer allows you to copy your current layer settings.
The arpeggiator and effect settings of the layer are also included, except for the
global reverb effect, which is not part of a layer.

●

Paste to Layer allows you to paste the copied settings to the other layer.

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PadshopPlug-in Functions Section
NOTE
You can also copy layers between programs or even between different plug-in
instances.
●

Init Layer
Resets the current layer to its default settings.

Switch Off All Arpeggiators
If this button is activated, both arpeggiators are bypassed.
Lock Arpeggiators
If this button is activated, both arpeggiators are locked so that loading anotherprogram does not affect the arpeggiator settings. This allows you to try out different
sounds with specific arpeggios.
Options
Click the Options●

button to open the Options pop-up menu.

Show Tooltips
Activates and deactivates the tooltips.

●

Show Value Tooltips
Activates additional value tooltips for controls that do not have a value field. The
value tooltips are shown when you use the control.

●

If Polyphonic Key Mode is activated, multiple note-on messages for the samenote can be active at the same time. This allows you to trigger the samenote several times, with different parameter values, and end each note event
separately.

●

If High DPI Mode is activated, the plug-in uses high-resolution bitmaps when it isdisplayed with a scaling of 150% or higher on a high-resolution monitor, such as
4K (UHD), 5K, etc. This allows for sharper images on high-resolution displays.
NOTE
Windows systems currently only support scaling factors that are multiples of 100.
For example, if you use a scaling factor of 150%, in , the scaling factor is set to200%.
High DPI Mode may not be compatible with some combinations of software andhardware. If you experience display issues with your setup, you can deactivate
High DPI Mode.

●

If High DPI Mode is deactivated, the native monitor resolution is used.

●

Reset MIDI Controller to Factory Default
Restores the factory MIDI controller assignments.

●

Save MIDI Controller as Default
Saves the current MIDI controller assignments as default. If you add a new
instance of the plug-in, the new default settings are used.

Steinberg Logo
Click the Steinberg logo to open a pop-up menu with links to Steinberg web pages
containing information on software updates, troubleshooting, etc.

12
Padshop 2.2.0

PadshopPlug-in Functions Section

Loading Programs
You can load programs via the Load Program dialog.
The MediaBay and the File System buttons at the top allow you to choose whether to use
Steinberg’s MediaBay to look for files or to search for files by browsing through the folders inyour system.

Load Dialog–MediaBay Page
On the MediaBay page, you can search for and load files. To help you find your files more
quickly, you can define a library filter and an attribute filter, the results list, and much more.
In the top section of the page, you can specify which sounds to look for. The lower section shows
the corresponding results.

Reset Filter
Resets all filter settings.

Presets
You can save, load, and delete the settings of a MediaBay search, which includes both the searchmask at the top and the results list. This allows you to create search templates for different
search scenarios, for example.
Saving the MediaBay with active search filters allows you to create different preset collections
that can be recalled very quickly. These collections are dynamic, that is, any new presets added toyour system at a later time also appear in the results list when a new search is performed.

13
Padshop 2.2.0

PadshopPlug-in Functions Section
Select Library
Click the library icon on the left to open the library selector, where you can specify
which library to search for content.
Factory
Activate this button to search for presets that are part of commercial or free libraries
and that are installed on your system as VST Sound libraries.
User
Activate this button to search for presets that you have created and saved in theMediaBay.
Filter Text
In the text search field, you can enter text that is part of the name or an attribute of apreset that you are looking for. For example, if you enter Piano, the results list displays
all presets whose name contains “Piano”, or presets for which the term “Piano” is usedin one of the attributes, such as the Category attribute Piano or the Subcategory
attribute Keyboard | E.Piano.
Configure Attribute Menus
Allows you to add attribute menus, where you can specify attributes for your search.
The following attribute menus are available:●

Category opens a tree view that allows you to select a Category or a
Subcategory. Subcategory tags are shown together with the corresponding
Category, in the following way: (Category | Subcategory).

●

Style opens a tree view which allows to select a Style or a Substyle. Substyle tags
are shown together with the corresponding Style, in the following way: (Style |Substyle).

●

Properties opens the Properties dialog, where you can add one or multiple
Properties attributes.
To search for a Properties attribute, enter a text string in the text field, such as
warm, for example. When you start typing, the available properties are shownand can be selected from the list. If the entered text does not match any of theexisting attribute values, all available attribute values are shown in alphabeticalorder. By adding multiple properties, you can narrow down the results to the ones
that match both properties.
Alternatively, click Show All Attribute Values
next to the text field to open a listof all Properties attributes. You can search for matching attributes by scrolling thelist. Press or click a property to add it.
To add a new Properties attribute, enter the text and press .
If you specify multiple attributes, you can change their order using drag and drop.

●

Moods opens the Moods dialog, where you can add one or more Moods
attributes.
To search for an attribute, enter a text string in the text field, such as energetic,for example. When you start typing, the available properties are shown and can

14
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PadshopPlug-in Functions Section
be selected from the list. If the entered text does not match any of the existing
attribute values, all available attribute values are shown in alphabetical order. By
adding multiple properties, you can narrow down the results to the ones thatmatch both properties.
Alternatively, click Show All Attribute Values
next to the text field to open a listof all attribute values. You can search for matching attribute values by scrolling thelist. Press or click an attribute value to add it.
To add a new Moods attribute, enter the text and press .
If you specify multiple attributes, you can change their order using drag and drop.
●

Articulations opens the Articulations dialog, where you can add one or more
Articulations attributes.
To search for an attribute, enter a text string in the text field, such as
Decrescendo, for example. When you start typing, the available articulations areshown and can be selected from the list. If the entered text does not match any ofthe existing attribute values, all available attribute values are shown in alphabeticalorder. By adding multiple articulations, you can narrow down the results to theones that match both articulations.
next to the text field to open a list
Alternatively, click Show All Attribute Valuesof all Articulations attributes. You can search for matching attributes by scrolling
the list. Press or click an attribute to add it.
To add a new Articulations attribute, enter the text and press .
If you specify multiple attributes, you can change their order using drag and drop.

●

Author opens a list with all available authors.

●

Key opens a list with all available keys.

●

Signature opens a list with all available signatures.

●Tempo opens the Tempo dialog, where you can select a Tempo and specify aRange in which the tempo of the result can deviate from the set tempo. Activate
the Half-Timeor Double-Timebuttons to include presets that use half or
double the tempo.

Rating Filter
Allows you to limit the results list according to the rating of the presets. Use the rating
slider to define the minimum rating.
Set up Result Columns
Allows you to select which attribute columns to display in the results list.

Browsing for Files
The MediaBay allows you to browse for and load files.
PROCEDURE
1.

Use the Factory and User buttons at the top of the window to specify whether you want tobrowse through the factory content or the content that you created yourself.
You can activate both buttons to browse through the entire content.

2.

Click the library name to open the library selector, and specify where you want to search forfiles: To select a particular library, click it. To browse through the entire content, select All
Libraries.

15
Padshop 2.2.0

PadshopPlug-in Functions Section

NOTE
If you enter search text, the library selector shows all libraries whose names contain the text,
plus all libraries containing files whose names or attributes contain the text.
3.

Above the results list, a list of suggested filter tags is displayed, based on the mostfrequently used tags. To use a suggested tag as a filter tag, click it. You can activate several
filter tags simultaneously. The list of suggested filter tags is updated with every active filter
tag.

NOTE
Active filter tags have a blue border and are displayed to the left of the suggestions.
●

To remove a filter tag, click its Remove Filter button.

●

To remove all tags, click Remove All Filterssuggestions.

between the filter tags and the4.

Optional: Configure the MediaBay to provide multiple attribute menus to search for specifictypes of presets. To add or remove a menu, click the Configure Attribute Menus button,and select/deselect the corresponding attribute.

5.

To search for files that contain a specific text, either in their name or in any of the attributes,
enter this text in the text field.
While you type, the list of suggested filter tags is updated. This allows you to see in how
many and in which attributes your search text is used.

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PadshopPlug-in Functions Section

The Nameand All Attributes
tags are the first suggestions. To show which attribute
another suggested filter tag belongs to, hover the mouse pointer over it to view its tooltip.
TIP
Combining tags from different attributes means that both filter criteria need to be matchedto create a result. If you add multiple tags for the same attribute, the result only needs tomatch one of them.
6.

7.

Optional: You can set the search parameters so that they include or exclude presets withspecific tags. To do so, define the Mode for the filter tag by right-clicking it and selecting an
option from the menu.

●

Default is the standard behavior. This is indicated by a blue frame.

●

Include can list presets, even if the filter tags prevent this. For example, if you specify
Category = Piano, Property = Warm and Name = Warm Piano (Mode = Include), theresults list shows presets whose Category and Property attributes match, in addition to
any presets whose names contain “Warm Piano”. Include mode is indicated by a green
frame around the filter tag.

●Exclude can exclude presets from the results list, even if their attributes match yoursettings. For example, if you specify Category = Piano and Property = Warm (Mode =Exclude), only piano presets for which the Warm tag is not set are listed. Exclude mode
is indicated by a red frame.

In the results list, double-click a file to load it.

Load Dialog–File System Page
On the File System page, you can browse for files in your system.
In the top section of the page, you can specify where to look for sounds. The lower section
displays the corresponding results.

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PadshopPlug-in Functions Section

Navigation controls●

To step through the recent locations, click the Previous Browse Location/Next
Browse Location buttons.

●

To navigate to the folder one level up in the location tree, click the Browse
Containing Folder button.

●

The path to the current position in the hierarchy is shown on the right. To navigate
to one of these folders, click its name.

●

To open the history, click the Navigation History button on the right.

Locations

You can save folders or directories in your system as favorite locations for quick access.
●To open the list of favorite locations, click in the text field.
If you have not created any locations yet, this list is empty.

●

To add the current folder as a favorite location, click Add Selected Media Node as
Favorite Location.
You can keep the folder name or specify a new name for the location.

●

To delete the current location from the list, click Remove Favorite Location.

18
Padshop 2.2.0

Padshop
Keyboard
Rating Filter
Allows you to limit the results list according to the rating of the presets. Use the rating
slider to define the minimum rating.
Set up Result Columns
Allows you to select which attribute columns to display in the results list.

Importing Presets
To import a preset, drag it from the File Explorer/macOS Finder to the waveform display or
click Import/Export Presets in the plug-in functions section and select Import Preset from the
pop-up menu.

Exporting Presets
By exporting presets together with their used samples, you can transfer presets between
different computers more easily.
PROCEDURE
1.

Click Import/Export Presets in the plug-in functions section and select Export Preset fromthe pop-up menu.

2.

In the dialog, specify where you want to save the preset and click Save.

RESULT
In this location, a “Samples” folder is created in which the samples that are used in the preset are
saved.
NOTE●

If you export multiple presets to the same location, they share the “Samples” folder.

●If a sample with the same name as an exported sample is already present in the “Samples”
folder, a number is added to the file name on export and the sample references are updated
automatically.

Keyboard
The section in the lower left of the window contains the keyboard and the wheel controls.

Wheel Controls
To the left of the internal keyboard, the pitchbend wheel and the modulation wheel are located.

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Layer Section

Previewing Notes Using the Keyboard●

To preview a note, click the corresponding key on the keyboard.
The vertical position where you click a key defines the velocity that is used to trigger thenote. Click the lower part of a key to use the highest velocity, and the upper part to use thelowest velocity.

●

To play a key and all following keys at the same velocity, for as long as you keep the mousebutton pressed, hold down , and click the key on the keyboard.

●

To play each note 10 times at increasing velocities between 1 and 127, hold down - , andclick a key.

Layer Section
The Layer section in the lower right of the window allows you to mix the two layers.

●

Use the Layer A/B Mix fader to adjust the relative levels of the layers in the final mix.

Synth Page
On the Synth page, you can find the parameters for the oscillators, the envelopes, the LFOs, themodulation matrix, and the step modulator.
●

To show the Synth page for a layer, activate its Show Synth Page button.

The form and the color of the symbol on the page button indicate which oscillator type is used
for the layer.

Voice Section
The Voice section contains the voice settings. For example, it allows you to choose between
monophonic and polyphonic playback or to specify how notes are triggered.

Mono
Activates monophonic playback.
Retrigger
This option is only available in Mono mode. If Retrigger is activated, a note that wasstolen by another note is retriggered if you still hold the stolen note when you release
the new one.
This way, you can play trills by holding one note and quickly and repeatedly pressing
and releasing another note, for example.

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Polyphony
If Mono mode is deactivated, you can use this parameter to specify how many notes
can be played simultaneously.
Glide
Allows you to bend the pitch between notes that follow each other. You achieve thebest results in Mono mode.
Fingered
Activate this parameter to glide the pitch only between notes that are played legato.
Glide Time
Sets the glide time, that is, the time it takes to bend the pitch from one note to thenext.
Pitchbend Up/Pitchbend Down
Determines the range of the modulation that is applied when you move the pitchbend
wheel.
Key Range
Allows you to specify the key range for each layer. This allows you to create split
sounds, where specific keyboard regions only play a specific layer.
You can also set one layer to the full range while the other adds a tonal component
within a defined key range.
Voice Mode
Determines which notes are stolen during playback and whether new notes are
triggered when the Polyphony setting is exceeded.
●

Last – New notes have playback priority over the notes that were played beforethem.
If you exceed the maximum number of notes, the notes that were played first arestolen in chronological order (First in/First out), and the new notes are triggered.

●First – Older notes have playback priority over newer notes.
If you exceed the maximum number of notes while older notes are still being held,
no notes are stolen. New notes are only triggered if a free voice is available.

●

Low – Low notes have playback priority over higher notes.
If you exceed the maximum number of notes by playing a lower note than theones that are held, the highest note is stolen, and the new note is triggered.
If you exceed the maximum number of notes by playing a higher note than theones that are held, no note is stolen, and no new note is triggered.

●High – High notes have playback priority over lower notes.
If you exceed the maximum number of notes by playing a higher note than theones that are held, the lowest note is stolen, and the new note is triggered.
If you exceed the maximum number of notes by playing a lower note than theones that are held, no note is stolen, and no new note is triggered.

Trigger Mode
Defines the trigger behavior for new notes.
●

Normal triggers a new note when the previous note gets stolen.

●

Resume retriggers the envelope, but resumes at the level of the stolen note. The
pitch is set to the new note.

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If Legato is selected, the envelope keeps running, and the pitch is set to the newnote.

Main Section
The Main section allows you to set up the global tuning and volume for Padshop.

Tune
Adjusts the main tuning of the plug-in.
VolumeAdjusts the main volume of the plug-in.

Oscillator Section
In this section, you can select the oscillator type that you want to use and make settings for theoscillator.
You can choose between a grain oscillator and a spectral oscillator to create the sounds.
●

To switch between the two oscillator types, click Switch Oscillator Type.

Loading Samples
You can load samples from your hard disk to use them in Padshop.
Loading a sample makes it available for use in the oscillator.
If you want to be able to select this sample from the sample selector in Padshop, you must
import it first.
●

To load a sample, click Sample Functions in the top right of the display and select LoadSample from the pop-up menu.

You can also load samples using drag and drop:●

Drag a sample from the MediaBay of your Steinberg DAW to the waveform display.
NOTE
You can only load samples from VST Sound containers that are shown in the MediaBay of
your Steinberg DAW. Samples from the HALion or HALion Sonic MediaBay cannot be loaded.

●

Drag one or more selected audio events from a project of your Steinberg DAW to the
waveform display.

●

Drag a slice from the Sample Editor of your Steinberg DAW to the waveform display.

●

Drag a sample from the File Explorer/macOS Finder to the waveform display.

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NOTE
If Import Sample When Dropping is activated on the Sample Functions pop-up menu, samples
are imported rather than loaded.

RELATED LINKS
Importing Samples on page 23

Importing Samples
If you import a sample into Padshop, it is loaded in the oscillator and becomes available on thesample selectors.
You can import samples using one of the following methods:●

Click Sample Functions in the top right of the display and select Import Sample from the
pop-up menu.

You can also import samples using drag and drop.
NOTE
To import samples using drag and drop, Import Sample When Dropping must be activated on
the Sample Functions pop-up menu. Otherwise, the samples are loaded, but not imported.
●

Drag a sample from the MediaBay of your Steinberg DAW to the waveform display.
NOTE
You can only import samples from VST Sound containers that are shown in the MediaBayof your Steinberg DAW. Samples from the HALion or HALion Sonic MediaBay cannot be
imported.

●

Drag one or more selected audio events from a project of your Steinberg DAW to the
waveform display.

●

Drag a slice from the Sample Editor of your Steinberg DAW to the waveform display.

●

Drag a sample from the File Explorer/macOS Finder to the waveform display.

Imported samples are saved in the predefined directory
C:\Users\user\documents\Steinberg\Padshop\Samples\User Samples\. This directoryis scanned regularly by Padshop. You can add subfolders to the user samples folder to structure
your sample content.
NOTE●

The maximum length for samples to be imported is ten minutes. If you try to import a longer
sample, Padshop imports only the first ten minutes.

●

If the name of an imported sample is already used by an existing sample, a number is added
to the file name on import.

RELATED LINKS
Loading Samples on page 22

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Oscillator Preview
You can quickly preview certain parts of the sample by clicking and dragging in the waveform
display.
If notes are playing when you click and drag, their playback is affected.
If no notes are playing, C3 with velocity 127 is played for as long as you press the mouse button.

Grain Oscillator
The grain oscillator allows you to load the sample that you want to use, define the sample range
and the loop range, and set up the oscillator sound to your liking.

Waveform Display
The waveform display provides an overview of the sample. It shows the play marker positions,the loop range, and the sample range that can be used to create grains.
●

To specify the sample range that is used to create grains, drag the handles above the sample
waveform.

●

To move the entire sample range, click in the area between the handles above the waveform
display, and drag.

●If Loop is set to On or Alt, the waveform shows the loop range. To adjust the loop range,drag the loop handles.

●

To load a different sample, click Select Sample in the upper right of the waveform display
and select a sample.
Padshop comes with a large variety of samples that can be used as sources for the oscillator,
but you can also use your own samples.

To search for a specific sample, enter its name in the text field at the top of the sample
browser.
NOTE
Loading a new sample in the Oscillator section does not change any of the parameter settings
for the plug-in.

Position Settings
If you repeatedly play back the same portion of a sample, the sound may become too static. You
can use the position settings on the left of the waveform display to bring more liveliness into thesound.
Position
You can set the playback position of the grains manually. For example, at a settingof 50%, the playback position is in the middle of the sample. The playback position is
updated with every new grain.

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Random Position
Selects a random playback position within a specific range around the current position.
At a setting of 100%, the playback position jumps to a random position between thestart and the end of the sample. The random playback position is calculated separately
for each channel of the sample, at the start of a new grain. This can be used to widen
the panorama of the sound.
Channel Offset
Offsets the playback position for each channel of the sample. Positive values modify
the playback position of the right channel, and negative values modify the playback
position of the left channel. In either case, the other channel is not affected. This canbe used to widen the panorama of the sound. If the sample is mono, the oscillator
creates a copy of the channel. This allows you to create a stereo sound from a mono
sample, for example.
Position Spread
If Number of Grains is set to a value higher than 1, this parameter spreads the
playback positions of the grains, making each grain play back a different portion of thesample.

Playback Settings
The playback settings below the waveform display allow you to set up the loop and specify
playback speed and direction.
Loop●

If Loop is set to On, the grains in the loop range are played back continuously.
When the loop end is reached, the playback marker jumps back to the start of the
loop.

●

If Loop is set to Alt, the grains in the loop are played back alternatingly forwards
and backwards, that is, when the loop end/start is reached, the playback order isreversed.
NOTE
Only the playback order of the grains is reversed, the actual content of the grains
stays the same.

●

If Loop is set to Off, playback stops at the end of the loop.

●

NOTE
If a grain ends up behind the loop end, for example, due to the Random, Spread,or Offset settings, it is played back and playback continues to the end of thesample.

Speed
Determines the speed and direction with which the grain position progresses throughthe sample.
●

At 0 %, the grain position always stays the same.

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At 100 %, the grain position progresses through the sample at the original speed
and direction.

●

At 200 %, the grain position progresses through the sample at twice the original
speed.

●

At -100 %, the grain position progresses through the sample at the original speed,
but in reverse direction.

●

At -200 %, the grain position progresses through the sample at twice the original
speed and in reverse direction.

Grain Settings
The grain settings below the waveform allow you to set up the grains, that is, specify the numberof grains that you want to use, their duration, etc.
Number of Grains
You can specify the number of grains for each channel of the sample. At a setting of 2,
the two grains are offset by 180°. Due to this phase offset, the root of the spectrum iscanceled out, and the pitch increases by one octave. To compensate for this, adjust the
Position Spread, Position Offset, or Duration Spread parameters.
Duration
Increases the grain period by a factor ranging from 1 to 1000.
For very short grains, the sound is assigned the pitch of the frequency at which thegrains repeat. For grains longer than 30 ms, the sound assumes the pitch of theoriginal sample. This is the case for Center Key C3 if the Duration is set to a value
above 10, for example.
Duration Key Follow
Determines how the grain duration changes with the notes you play. It is mostly usedwith short durations. Longer durations sound with the original pitch of the sample andtherefore, do not need to follow the keyboard.
With a Duration of 1 and a Duration Key Follow setting of 100%, the difference inpitch between two keys is one semitone, which corresponds to the standard keyboard
tuning. Longer durations lead to an audible volume modulation that is different for thedifferent keys. To apply the same volume modulation with each key, set Duration Key
Follow to 0%.
NOTE
The volume modulation is only audible if the grain is long and if you only use a few
grains.
Duration Random
Sets the random grain duration. This duration is calculated at the start of a new grain.
This can be used to widen the panorama of the sound. At a setting of 100%, the grain
duration varies between half and twice the grain period.
Duration Spread
This parameter is available if Number of Grains is set to a value higher than 1. It
modifies the grain durations by the factor you set. This way, each grain is played with adifferent duration. A setting of +100 % corresponds to twice the original duration, and a
setting of -100 % to half the original duration.

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For short grains with a duration of 1, lower Spread values result in slightly different
pitches for the different grains. Higher Spread values are perceived as the sound being
detuned.

Pitch Settings
In granular synthesis, you have two different approaches to define the pitch of a sound: It caneither be the pitch of the original sample or be defined by the grain oscillator.
●

To use the pitch of the original sample, raise the Duration value until you can clearly hear
the sample’s own pitch.

●

To define the pitch using the grain oscillator, set Duration to very low values, preferably 1 or
2.

Pitch Interval
Allows you to specify an interval between -12 and +12 semitones. The grains are played
randomly at their original pitch, or are transposed according to the pitch interval. Thisparameter is suitable for longer grain durations.
Pitch Random
Sets the random pitch range in semitones and cents. At a setting of +12, the random
pitch values lie between -12 and +12 semitones. The random pitch is calculated
separately for each channel of the sample, at the start of a new grain. This parametercan be used to enrich the sound.
Pitch Spread
This parameter is available if Number of Grains is set to a value higher than 1. It
detunes the pitch of the grains in semitones and cents. The first grain keeps its pitch,and the other grains are detuned evenly to values within the specified range. The lastgrain is detuned to the maximum value.
NOTE
For shorter grains, this is perceived as a change in the spectrum and for longer grains,
as a detuning of the sample.

Length and Shape Settings
On the right below the waveform, you can specify the Length and the Shape of the grains usedin the grain oscillator.
LengthShortens the length of the grain without changing the grain duration. At a setting of100%, the grain length corresponds to the grain duration. By decreasing the grain
length, a shorter portion of the sample is played back, which results in a change in the
spectrum. The pitch of the sound does not change, because the grain duration stays
the same.
Shape
Determines the shape of the grain. The shape strongly influences the spectrum of thesound. Click the display to open the pop-up menu that contains the available shapes.

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Level Settings
To the right of the waveform display, you can make settings that affect the level and the stereo
width of the grain oscillator.
Level
Adjusts the overall level of the grain oscillator. When you increase the number ofgrains, it might become necessary to lower the oscillator level. When you play back avery quiet portion of a sample, you can use this control to raise the level.
Random Level
Sets a random level for each new grain. At a setting of 100%, the level varies between afactor of 0 and 2 of the original level. The random level is calculated separately for eachchannel of the sample, at the start of a new grain. This can be used to randomize thepanorama of the sound.
Width
Narrows the stereo width of the grain oscillator. It is applied after the grain oscillator
and does not affect the stereo width of the actual sample. At a setting of 0%, theoutput of the grain oscillator is mono.
Gain
Allows you to automatically adjust the level of grains using quieter sample parts. Notethat by raising the gain, you can lose the dynamics of the sample.

Spectral Oscillator
The spectral oscillator allows you to load the sample that you want to use, define the sample
range and the loop range, and set up the oscillator sound to your liking.

Waveform Display
The waveform display provides an overview of the sample. It shows the play marker positions,the loop range, and the sample range that can be used to create the sounds.
●

To specify the sample range that is used to extract sounds, drag the handles above thesample waveform.

●

To move the entire sample range, click in the area between the handles above the waveform
display, and drag.

●If Loop is set to On or Alt, the waveform shows the loop range. To adjust the loop range,drag the loop handles.

●

To load a different sample, click Select Sample in the upper right of the waveform display
and select a sample.
Padshop comes with a large variety of samples that can be used as sources for the oscillator,
but you can also use your own samples.

To search for a specific sample, enter its name in the text field at the top of the sample
browser.

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NOTE
When switching from the grain oscillator to the spectral oscillator or when selecting a new
sample for the first time, the spectral oscillator needs some time to analyze the sample.
NOTE
Loading a new sample in the Oscillator section does not change any of the parameter settings
for the plug-in.

Position Settings
If you repeatedly play back the same portion of a sample, the sound may become too static. You
can use the position settings on the left of the waveform display to bring more liveliness into thesound.
Position
Sets the start position within the sample, that is, the marker that is played when a noteis triggered. For example, at a setting of 50 %, the playback position is in the middle ofthe sample.
Random Position
Allows you to vary the position each time that a note is triggered. At a setting of 100 %,the playback position jumps to a random position within the sample range. This can beused to widen the panorama of the sound.
Channel Offset
Offsets the playback position for each channel of the sample. Positive values modify
the playback position of the right channel, and negative values modify the playback
position of the left channel. In either case, the other channel is not affected. This canbe used to widen the panorama of the sound. If the sample is mono, the oscillator
creates a copy of the channel. This allows you to create a stereo sound from a mono
sample, for example.

Playback Settings
The playback settings below the waveform display allow you to set up the loop, specify playback
speed and direction, determine the number of playback markers that you want to use, etc.
Loop●

If Loop is set to On, the loop range is played back continuously. When the loop end
is reached, the playback marker jumps back to the start of the loop.

●

If Loop is set to Alt, the playback marker travels alternatingly forwards andbackwards through the sample. This means that the playback direction changes
every time the loop start or end marker is reached.

●

If Loop is set to Off, playback stops at the end of the loop.

NOTE
If a play marker ends up outside the loop boundaries, due to the Random, Spread, orOffset settings, playback continues until the end of the sample and ends there.

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Speed
Determines how fast and in which direction the playback marker progresses throughthe sample.
●

At 0 %, the playback marker does not move.

●

At 100 %, the playback marker progresses through the sample at the original
speed and direction.

●

At 200 %, the playback marker progresses through the sample at twice the original
speed.

●

At -100 %, the playback marker progresses through the sample at the original
speed, but in reverse direction.

●

At -200 %, the playback marker progresses through the sample at twice theoriginal speed and in reverse direction.

Speed Key Follow
Adjusts how the speed of the oscillator is affected by the note that you play. The center
key is fixed at C3.
●

Values above 0 increase the speed of notes above the center key and decrease thespeed of notes below the center key.
For example, at a setting of 100 %, playback is twice as fast for the octave above
the center key and is half the speed for the octave below the center key. A settingof 200 % results in a speed that is four times as fast for the octave above the center
key and is a quarter of the current speed for the octave below.

●

Negative values invert the order, that is, the speed gets lower above the center
key, and higher below the center key.

Random Direction
Allows you to randomize speed and direction of playback by adding a negative or
positive random value to the current Speed setting when you play a note.
PurityAllows you to adjust the spectral purity of the sound. At 0%, you hear the original
sound.
●

Positive values increase the level differences between partials, which results in apure sound.

●

Negative values decrease the level differences between partials, which results in anoisy, impure sound.

Purity can be modulated via the modulation matrix.
This parameter scales the frequency offsets of all partials. The effect of this parameter
largely depends on whether frequency offsets exist in the signal. If a sound is strictly
harmonic, that is, if there are no frequency offsets, the Inharmonicity control does nothave an effect.
The frequencies of the partials are compared to the harmonic series, starting two
octaves below the played pitch. If a sound is not strictly harmonic, the frequencies
of some of the partials are offset to match the frequencies of the assumed harmonicseries.
At 0%, only harmonic frequencies are allowed. At +100%, you hear the original sound.
At +200%, the frequencies are assigned twice the frequency offset. Negative values
invert the frequency offsets accordingly.
Inharmonicity can be modulated via the modulation matrix.

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Low Cut
Allows you to adjust the damping of low frequencies. The higher the amount, the moreof the low frequencies are cut.
Low Cut does not work like a classic filter with a fixed cutoff frequency. Instead, ittakes into account the current frequencies in the sample. For example, if you set thisparameter to 10 %, those low frequencies that occupy 10 % of the overall energy in the
spectrum are removed. This is especially useful to remove low rumble that might get
audible if you use pitch shift towards higher pitches. At higher values, Low Cut can
produce more drastic effects.
Low Cut can be modulated via the modulation matrix.
NumberDetermines the number of play markers that play back simultaneously. You can also
set fractions of numbers. For example, with a setting of 2.5, you hear two audio
streams at full level and a third one at half level.
Position Spread
Distributes the positions of the playback markers if Number is set to a value higher
than 1. This way, each playback marker plays from a different position.
DetuneDetunes the playback markers.
Pan Spread
Distributes the signals of the play markers in the stereo panorama.

Level Settings
The settings on the right of the waveform display allow you to make settings for the playbacklevel and the channel width.
Root KeyThe root key determines the original pitch of the sample, that is, the key on which thesample is played without being transposed.
Gain
Allows you to automatically adjust the level of quieter sample parts. Note that byraising the gain, you can lose the dynamics of the sample.
Level
Adjusts the overall level of the spectral oscillator. When you increase the number ofplay markers, it might become necessary to lower the level. When you play back a very
quiet portion of a sample, you can use this control to raise the level.
WidthNarrows the stereo width of the oscillator. At a setting of 0%, the output of theoscillator is mono.

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Pitch Section
In the Pitch section, you can adjust the pitch. The available settings depend on the selectedoscillator type. If you use the grain oscillator, you can specify the pitch of the grains. If you use
the spectral oscillator, you specify the pitch of the waveforms and make formant settings.

OctaveAdjusts the pitch in octave steps.
CoarseAdjusts the pitch in semitone steps.
Fine
Allows you to fine-tune the pitch in cent steps.
FixedThis parameter is available for the grain oscillator.
●

When working with longer grain durations, activating Fixed sets a constant pitch
for all keys.

●

When working with shorter durations, each key plays a different spectrum.

Formant●

For the spectral oscillator, this allows you to shift the formants of the spectrum.

●

For the grain oscillator, this changes the pitch of the original sample. The following
applies:
For short grain durations, where the perceived pitch depends on the grain size,changing the pitch of the underlying sample creates an effect similar to formant
shifting.
For longer grain durations, where the perceived pitch is the pitch of the original
sample, the effect changes to a pitch offset.

Formant Key Follow
This parameter is available for the spectral oscillator. It allows you to shift the formantswith the played pitch.
With a value of 100 %, the formants follow the pitch. With a value of 0, the formants
remain static. If you want to emulate the rather static formant characteristics of real
instruments, start by setting this value to 0 and slowly raise it until you get the desired
formants when playing notes in different key ranges.

Filter Section
The Filter section allows you to adjust the tone color of the sound. It provides 24 different filter
shapes, including low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-reject filters. The integrated filter

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distortion can produce analog tube distortions or hard clipping effects, or reduce the bit depth or
sample frequency.

You can use the filter envelope to modulate a large number of modulation destinations that areaccessible in the modulation matrix.
Envelope AmountControls the cutoff modulation from the filter envelope.
Cutoff Key Follow
Adjusts the cutoff modulation using the note number. Increase this parameter to raise
the cutoff with higher notes. At 100%, the cutoff follows the played pitch exactly.
Center Key
Specifies the MIDI note that is used as the central position for the Key Follow function.
Filter Shape●

LP24, 18, 12, and 6 are low-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct. Frequencies
above the cutoff are attenuated.

●

BP12 and BP24 are band-pass filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct. Frequencies below andabove the cutoff are attenuated.

●

HP6 + LP18 and HP6 + LP12 are a combination of a high-pass filter with 6 dB/oct
and a low-pass filter with 18 and 12 dB/oct, respectively (asymmetric band-passfilter). Frequencies below and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation is more
pronounced for the frequencies above the cutoff.

●

HP12 + LP6 and HP18 + LP6 are a combination of a high-pass filter with 12
and 18 dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 6 dB/oct (asymmetric band-pass filter).
Frequencies below and above the cutoff are attenuated. Attenuation is more
pronounced for the frequencies below the cutoff.

●

HP24, 18, 12, and 6 are high-pass filters with 24, 18, 12, and 6 dB/oct. Frequencies
below the cutoff are attenuated.

●

BR12 and BR24 are band-reject filters with 12 and 24 dB/oct. Frequencies aroundthe cutoff are attenuated.

●

BR12 + LP6 and BR12 + LP12 are a combination of a band-reject filter with 12
dB/oct and a low-pass filter with 6 and 12 dB/oct, respectively. Frequencies aroundand above the cutoff are attenuated.

●

BP12 + BR12 is a band-pass filter with 12 dB/oct plus a band-reject filter with 12
dB/oct. Frequencies below, above, and around the cutoff are attenuated.

●

HP6 + BR12 and HP12 + BR12 are a combination of a high-pass filter with 6 and 12
dB/oct and a band-reject filter with 12 dB/oct. Frequencies below and around thecutoff are attenuated.

●

AP is an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct. Frequencies around the cutoff areattenuated.

●

AP + LP6 is an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct plus a low-pass filter with 6 dB/oct.
Frequencies around and above the cutoff are attenuated.

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HP6 + AP is a high-pass filter with 6 dB/oct plus an all-pass filter with 18 dB/oct.
Frequencies around and below the cutoff are attenuated.

CutoffControls the cutoff frequency of the filter.
Distortion Type●Off deactivates the filter section.

●

Tube Drive adds warm, tube-like distortion. You can set the amount of tube drivewith the Distortion parameter.

●

Hard Clip adds bright, transistor-like distortion. You can set the amount of hardclipping with the Distortion parameter.

●

Bit Red (Bit Reduction) adds digital distortion by means of quantization noise. You
can adjust the bit reduction with the Distortion parameter.

●

Rate Red adds digital distortion by means of aliasing. You can adjust the rate
reduction with the Distortion parameter.

●

Rate Red KF adds digital distortion by means of aliasing. In addition, Key Follow isused. The rate reduction follows the keyboard, so the higher you play, the higher
the sample rate.

Resonance
Emphasizes the frequencies around the cutoff. At higher settings, the filter selfoscillates, which results in a ringing tone.
Distortion Level
Adds distortion to the signal. The effect depends on the selected type. At higher
settings, it creates a very intense distortion effect.
Envelope Faders and Velocity Control
With the envelope faders, you can specify the attack, decay, sustain, and release timesof the filter envelope.
The Velocity control determines how much the envelope intensity depends on velocity.
If the control is set to 0, the envelope is fully applied. Higher values reduce the intensity
for lower velocities.

Amplifier Section
In the Amplifier section, you can adjust Level and Pan for the amplifier and set up the amplifier
envelope. The amplifier envelope can be used to modulate a large number of modulation
destinations that are accessible in the modulation matrix.

Level
Adjusts the level of the sound.
Normally, the internal headroom of 12 dB allows for polyphonic playback without theneed for level adjustments. However, when working with higher filter distortion levels,
it can become necessary to reduce the level.

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Pan
Sets the position of the sound in the stereo panorama.
Envelope FadersWith the envelope faders, you can specify the attack, decay, sustain, and release timesof the amplifier envelope.
Velocity Control
The Velocity control determines how much the output level depends on the velocity.
When the control is set to 0, the sound is always played back at its full amplitude.
Higher values reduce the level for lower velocities.

Step Modulator
Padshop features a polyphonic step modulator that you can use to create rhythmic control
sequences.

The step modulator can be freely assigned in the modulation matrix.
Steps
Sets the number of steps in the sequence. The maximum number of steps is 32.
Slope
Determines whether the step modulator jumps from step to step or creates ramps
between the steps.
●

No Slope produces hard steps.

●

Slope on Rising Edges creates ramps for rising edges only.

●

Slope on Falling Edges creates ramps for falling edges only.

●

Slope on All Edges creates ramps for all edges.

AmountIf Slope is set to Slope on Rising Edges, Slope on Falling Edges, or Slope on All
Edges, this parameter determines the time of the ramp between two steps. The higher
the setting, the smoother the transitions between steps.
Rate
If Sync is deactivated, this controls the speed at which the sequence is repeated.
Sync Mode
If Sync is activated, you can synchronize the steps to the tempo of the host application.
●

Beat synchronizes the step modulator restart to the transport of the hostapplication and aligns it to the beats of the project.

●First restarts the step modulator when a note with the specified note value istriggered and no other note is held.

●

Each restarts the step modulator each time a note with the specified note value istriggered.

Step
Allows you to select a specific step.

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Level
Shows the level of the selected step.
Snap
If Snap is activated, the level of each step can only be adjusted in steps of 1/12th.

Editing StepsYou can adjust the steps separately, but you can also use modifier keys to enter or edit multiple
steps simultaneously.
●

To set the level of a step, click at the corresponding position in the graphical editor.

●

To change the value of a step, drag the step up or down, or enter a new value in the Level
value field.

●

To reset the level of a step to 0%, -click the step.

●

To reset all steps, hold - , and click in the graphical editor.

●

To adjust all steps at the same time, -click, and drag a step.

●

To draw a ramp with steps, hold down , and draw a line.

●

To draw symmetric ramps at the beginning and the end of the sequence, hold down - , anddraw a line.

●

To gradually raise or lower the value of the selected step, use the and keys.
By default, the value changes in increments of 1%. Hold to use increments of 0.1% instead.

●If the graphical editor has the keyboard focus, you can use the left and right arrow keys toselect the previous or the next step.

Modulation Matrix
The modulation matrix features 16 freely assignable modulations. This allows you to create
modulations, such as Note Expression modulation assignments that can be addressed fromwithin Cubase, for example.
Assigning modulations means interconnecting modulation sources, like LFOs and envelopes,with modulation destinations, like pitch, cutoff, amplitude, etc. For example, by assigning thestep modulator in the modulation matrix and routing it to the grain position, you can use a
different spectrum for each step.
The 16 modulations are available on four tabs. Each tab contains four modulations.

Creating Modulations
Modulations allow you to control one parameter, the modulation destination, by anotherparameter, the modulation source.
PROCEDURE
1.

On the Synth page, open the Matrix section and select tab 1.
This tab contains the first four modulations.

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For the first modulation, select a modulation source and a modulation destination, forexample, LFO1 as source and Pitch as destination.

3.

Use the horizontal Modulation Depth fader to adjust the modulation intensity.

4.

Optional: Click the Modifier field and select a modifier.
A modifier is used to scale the output of the modulation source. For example, select Pitch
Bend as modifier.

Combining Modulation Source and Destination Using Drag and Drop
The most important modulation sources can be assigned to the most common modulation
destinations using drag and drop.
If a parameter can be used as modulation source, this is indicated by a drag icon.

You can drag the filter envelope, the amplifier envelope, the LFOs, the assignable envelope Env 3,
and the wheel controls of the keyboard.
●

To create a modulation assignment, drag the drag icon over the parameter that you want tomodulate.
If a parameter can be used as modulation destination, this is indicated by a green overlaythat is displayed when you drag the modulation source on this parameter.

If you drop the modulation source, the modulation is created and the modulation matrix is
updated accordingly.
NOTE
If all 16 modulation rows in the matrix are used, no further assignments can be made. In thiscase, you cannot assign modulations using drag and drop.

Modulation Matrix Parameters
In the modulation matrix, you can set up the source, destination, and modifier for themodulation and specify the modulation depth.

Modulation Sources
LFO 1/2
The LFOs 1 and 2 produce cyclic modulation signals.
These LFOs are monophonic, that is, a single signal is used for all notes.
LFO 3/4
The LFOs 3 and 4 produce cyclic modulation signals.

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These LFOs are polyphonic, that is, a new LFO signal is created with each new note.
Amp Envelope
The amplifier envelope. This modulation source is unipolar. The shape of the envelope
determines the modulation signal.
Filter Envelope
The filter envelope. The shape of the envelope determines the modulation signal.
Env 3
A freely assignable envelope. This modulation source is bipolar. It is suited for pan or
pitch modulation, for example.
Step Modulator
The step modulator of the zone. This modulation source is bipolar. It produces cyclic,
rhythmically stepped modulation signals.
Key Follow
This produces modulation in relation to the MIDI note number. For the lowest MIDI
note (C-2), the value is -1, and for the highest MIDI note (G8), the value is +1.
Velocity
Note-on velocity can be used as the modulation signal. This modulation source isunipolar.
Pitchbend
The position of the pitchbend wheel can be used as the modulation signal. This
modulation source is bipolar.
Modulation Wheel
The position of the modulation wheel can be used as the modulation signal. This
modulation source is unipolar.
Aftertouch
Aftertouch can be used as the modulation signal. This modulation source is unipolar.
Some MIDI keyboards cannot send aftertouch messages. However, most sequencer
software is able to produce such messages.
Arpeggiator
This submenu allows you to use the controller lanes of the arpeggiator as modulation
sources.
Note Expression
This submenu lists the eight Note Expression parameters that can be used as themodulation signals.
Noise
Produces a random modulation signal. This modulation source is bipolar.
Bus 1–16
Modulations that are sent to one of the 16 busses can be reused as sources. This way,
you can combine several modulations to produce more complex signals.

OffsetAllows you to specify an additional offset on the output of the modulation source.

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Modulation Modifiers
All modulation sources can also be used as modifiers. A modifier is used to scale the output of
the modulation source. A typical example is an LFO as a source and the modulation wheel as themodifier. This allows you to control the intensity of the LFO modulation using the wheel.

Modulation Depth
Adjusts the intensity of the modulation.

Modulation Destinations
Pitch
Modulates the pitch. For example, assign one of the LFOs to create a vibrato effect. If
Pitch is selected, the modulation depth is set in semitones (-60 to +60).
CutoffModulates the filter cutoff.
For example, to create rhythmic patterns in the spectral timbre, assign the Step
Modulator.
Resonance
Modulates the filter resonance. Resonance changes the character of the filter.
For example, to increasingly accent the filter the harder you hit a key, assign Velocity
to Resonance.
Distortion
Modulates the filter distortion.
Level
Adds to the level setting. It can be used to create level offsets using the modulation
wheel, for example.
Volume 1
Modulates the gain. This modulation multiplies with the level.
Volume 2
As Volume 1. Volume 1 is multiplied with Volume 2. This way, you can build more
complex modulations.
Pan
Modulates the position of the sound in the panorama.
Grain Position
Modulates the playback position. The modulation is not continuous, but it is updated at
the start of each grain.
Grain Speed
Modulates the Speed parameter.
Grain Duration
Modulates the grain duration, that is, the frequency at which the grains repeat. The
maximum modulation range at a modulation depth of 100% is -5 to +5 octaves.
Grain Length
Modulates the grain length.

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Grain Pitch
Modulates the pitch of a grain. The modulation is not continuous, but it is updated at
the start of a new grain. For continuous pitch modulation, use Pitch instead of Grain
Pitch as the destination, and make sure that Follow Zone Pitch is activated in thegrain oscillator.
Grain Formant
Modulates the pitch of the source sample, regardless of the grain duration. This resultsin formant shifting for short durations.
Grain Level
Modulates the grain level. The modulation is not continuous, but it is updated at thestart of each new grain. For continuous level modulation, use the destinations Volume
1, Volume 2, or Level.
LFO 3/4 Frequency
Modulates the speed of the corresponding LFO.
LFO 3/4 Shape
Modulates the waveform of the corresponding LFO.
Step Mod Frequency
Modulates the speed of the step modulator. For example, assign an LFO to increase or
decrease the speed cyclically.
Step Mod Slope
Modulates the shape of the edges of the step modulator if the Slope parameter isactive. For example, assign the modulation wheel to blend from hard to smooth edges.
Amp Attack
Modulates the attack time of the amplitude envelope. This modulation destination
cannot be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when the segment starts.
Amp Decay
Modulates the decay time of the amplitude envelope. This modulation destination
cannot be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when the segment starts.
Amp Sustain
Modulates the sustain level of the amplitude envelope. This modulation destination
cannot be modulated continuously. The level is updated only when the segment starts.
Amp Release
Modulates the release time of the amplitude envelope. This modulation destination
cannot be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when the segment starts.
Filter Attack
Modulates the attack time of the filter envelope. This modulation destination cannot be
modulated continuously. The time is updated only when the segment starts.
Filter Decay
Modulates the decay time of the filter envelope. This modulation destination cannot be
modulated continuously. The time is updated only when the segment starts.
Filter Sustain
Modulates the sustain level of the filter envelope. This modulation destination cannot
be modulated continuously. The level is updated only when the segment starts.

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Filter Release
Modulates the release time of the filter envelope. This modulation destination cannot
be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when the segment starts.
Env 3 L0
Modulates the L0 parameter of the user-definable envelope 3, that is, the level of thefirst envelope node. This modulation destination cannot be modulated continuously.
The level is updated only when the segment starts.
Env 3 Attack
Modulates the attack time of the user-definable envelope 3. This modulation
destination cannot be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when thesegment starts.
Env 3 L1
Modulates the L1 parameter of the user-definable envelope 3, that is, the levelof the second envelope node. This modulation destination cannot be modulated
continuously. The level is updated only when the segment starts.
Env 3 Decay
Modulates the decay time of the user-definable envelope 3. This modulation
destination cannot be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when thesegment starts.
Env 3 Sustain
Modulates the sustain level of the user-definable envelope 3. This modulation
destination cannot be modulated continuously. The level is updated only when thesegment starts.
Env 3 Release
Modulates the release time of the user-definable envelope 3. This modulation
destination cannot be modulated continuously. The time is updated only when thesegment starts.
Env 3 L4
Modulates the L4 parameter of the user-definable envelope 3, that is, the end levelof the envelope. This modulation destination cannot be modulated continuously. The
level is updated only when the segment starts.
Bus 1-16
You can send any modulation to one of the 16 busses, for example, to produce more
complex modulation signals. Select the bus that you want to send the signals to as adestination. To use the modulation that was sent to a bus, assign the corresponding
bus as a modulation source.
SpectralThis submenu allows you to use the parameters of the spectral oscillators as
modulation destinations.

LFO Section
Padshop features two monophonic LFOs and two polyphonic LFOs. In this context, monophonicmeans that the LFOs are only calculated once and feed multiple voices at the same time.
Polyphonic means that the LFOs are calculated per voice.
The LFOs on tabs 1 and 2 are monophonic and the LFOs on tabs 3 and 4 are polyphonic.

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LFO Waveform and Shape●

Sine produces smooth modulation, suitable for vibrato or tremolo. Shape adds
additional harmonics to the waveform.

●

Triangle is similar to Sine. Shape continuously changes the triangle waveform to a
trapezoid.

●

Saw produces a ramp cycle. Shape continuously changes the waveform from ramp
down to triangle to ramp up.

●

Square produces stepped modulation, where the modulation switches abruptly
between two values. Shape continuously changes the ratio between the high andlow state of the waveform. If Shape is set to 50 %, a square wave is produced.

●

S & H 1 produces randomly stepped modulation, where each step is different.
Shape puts ramps between the steps and changes the S & H into a smooth
random signal when fully turned right.

●

S & H 2 is similar to S & H 1. The steps alternate between random high and low
values. Shape puts ramps between the steps and changes the S & H into a smooth
random signal when fully turned right.

Rate
Controls the frequency of the modulation, that is, the speed of the LFO.
●

If Sync Mode is activated, the speed is specified in fractions of beats.

●

If Sync Mode is deactivated, you can set up the frequency in Hz.

Retrigger
Defines whether the LFO is restarted with the specified start phase when a new note is
triggered. This parameter is available for the sync modes Off and Tempo.
For monophonic LFOs, the parameters work as follows:●

Off – The LFO is not restarted.

●

First – The LFO is restarted when a note is triggered and no other note is held.

●

Each – The LFO is restarted each time that a note is triggered.

For polyphonic LFOs, the parameters work as follows:●

Off – The LFO is not restarted.

●

On – The LFO is restarted each time that a note is triggered. This way, thepolyphonic LFOs can modulate each voice separately.

Sync Mode
Specifies how the LFO speed is set.
●

Off – The speed of the LFO is set in Hz.

●

Tempo – The speed of the LFO is set in note values. The resulting rate depends on
the tempo specified in the host sequencer.

●

Beat – The speed of the LFO is set in note values. The resulting rate depends on
the tempo specified in the host sequencer. In addition, the current start phase iscalculated based on the current position.
Select this option to synchronize the LFO restart to the transport of the hostapplication and align it to the beats of the project.

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Phase
Sets the initial phase of the waveform when the LFO is retriggered.
Rnd (Random Phase)
If this button is activated, each note starts with a randomized start phase.
NOTE
The Phase control cannot be used if Rnd is activated.
Fade In
Sets the fade in time for the polyphonic LFOs.

Envelope 3 Section
The Env 3 tab provides an additional envelope that can be routed freely in the modulation
matrix. This envelope is bipolar, therefore, it is particularly suited to modulate destinations like
pan or pitch, for example.

The following parameters are available:●

L0 sets the start level.

●

A sets the attack time.

●

L1 sets the attack level.

●

D sets the decay time.

●

S sets the sustain level.

●

R sets the release time.

●

L4 sets the end level.

●

Velocity determines how much the envelope intensity depends on the velocity.
If this parameter is set to 0, the envelope is fully applied. Higher values reduce the intensity
for lower velocities.

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Arp Page

Arp PageOn the Arp page, you can find the arpeggio and phrase player of Padshop.

●

To show the Arp page for a layer, activate the corresponding Show Arp Page button.

Main Section
In the Main section, you can make global settings for the arpeggiator.

Arpeggiator On/Off
Activates/Deactivates the arpeggiator.
Master
If this button is activated, the arpeggiator of the current layer becomes the masterarpeggiator and is also used for the second layer.
NOTE●

Any settings you have made for the slave arpeggiator are not deleted. They
become available again when you deactivate Master mode.

●

The modulation assignments for the controller rows 1 to 3 remain active even inslave mode. This allows you to specify the influence of the master arpeggiator on
the slave layer.

ModeSpecifies the playback of the notes.

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If Step is selected, the last note that is received triggers a monophonic sequence.

●

If Chord is selected, the notes are triggered as chords.

●

If Up is selected, the notes are arpeggiated in ascending order.

●

If Down is selected, the notes are arpeggiated in descending order.

●

If Up/Down 1 is selected, the notes are arpeggiated first in ascending, then indescending order.

●

If Up/Down 2 is selected, the notes are arpeggiated first in ascending, then indescending order. This mode depends on the set Key Mode.
If Key Mode is set to Sort, the highest and the lowest note are repeated.
If Key Mode is set to As Played, the first and the last note are repeated.

●

If Down/Up 1 is selected, the notes are arpeggiated first in descending, then inascending order.

●

If Down/Up 2 is selected, the notes are arpeggiated first in descending, then inascending order. This mode depends on the set Key Mode.
If Key Mode is set to Sort, the highest and the lowest note are repeated.
If Key Mode is set to As Played, the first and the last note are repeated.

●

If Random is selected, the notes are arpeggiated in random order.

Trigger Mode
Determines the moment when the arpeggiator scans for new notes that you play on
the keyboard.
●

If Immediately is selected, the arpeggiator continuously scans for new notes. The
phrase changes immediately, in reaction to your playing.

●

If Next Beat is selected, the arpeggiator scans for new notes at every new beat.
The phrase changes at each new beat, in reaction to your playing.

●

If Next Measure is selected, the arpeggiator scans for new notes at the start ofnew measures. The phrase changes on each new measure, in reaction to yourplaying.

Restart Mode●

If this is set to Off, the phrase runs continuously and does not restart at chord ornote changes.

●

New Chord restarts the phrase on new chords.
NOTE
The phrase does not restart upon notes that are played legato.

●

New Note restarts the phrase with each new note that you play.

●

Sync to Host aligns the phrase with the beats and measures of your hostapplication each time that you start the transport.

Key Mode
Determines if and how the playback of the phrase is affected by the order of the notes,
as played on the keyboard.
●

If Sort is selected, the notes are played in the order of the selected phrase,
regardless of the chronological order.

●

If As Played is selected, the notes are played in the order in which you play themon the keyboard.

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If Direct is selected, the phrase creates controller events instead of notes. You
hear the notes that you play plus any controller events of the phrase, such as pitch
bend, volume, pan, etc.
NOTE
Direct only has an effect if you have set up and activated a controller lane in the
arpeggiator and if a modulation destination is assigned to it.

Vel Mode●

If Original is selected, the notes of the phrase play with the velocity that is saved in
the phrase.

●

If Vel Controller is selected, you can choose a velocity controller to generate or
modulate the velocities of the notes.

●

If Original + Vel Controller is selected, the phrase velocity is determined by the
combination of the velocity saved in the phrase and the velocity derived from thevelocity controller.

Vel Controller
If the Vel Mode pop-up menu is set to Vel Controller or Original + Vel Ctrl., theVel Controller pop-up menu is available. It allows you to generate or modulate thevelocities of the notes using the incoming controller values.
●

If Velocity is selected, the triggered notes inherit the velocity of the note that you
play.

●

If Aftertouch is selected, the triggered notes receive their velocity from theaftertouch controller.

●

If Poly Pressure is selected, the triggered notes receive their velocity from the polypressure controller. This allows you to control the velocity via the keys.

●

Selecting MIDI Controller opens a submenu, where you can select a MIDI
controller.
The value of this MIDI controller is used as the velocity for the triggered notes.

Hold
Allows you to prevent the phrase from stopping or changing when the keys are
released.
●

If Off is selected, the phrase changes as soon as you release a key. The phrase
stops immediately when you release all keys.

●

If On is selected, the phrase plays to the end, even if the keys are released. If Loopis activated, the phrase is repeated continuously.

●

If Gated is selected, the phrase starts to play when the first key is played. It plays
silently in the background, even if the keys are released, and resumes playback at
the current position when you press any of the keys again. This way, you can gate
the playback of the phrase.

Wrap
For all modes except Step and Chord, you can use this parameter to restart thearpeggio after a specified number of steps.
NOTE
Deactivated steps are taken into account.
In Step and Chord mode, this parameter only affects the Octaves setting.

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If the Octaves parameter is active, the arpeggio traverses the octaves and restarts
from the original octave after the specified number of steps.

Steps Section
The Steps section allows you to set up the phrase. You can load one of the included phrases orcreate your own phrase from scratch. Each step of the phrase can be edited separately.

PhraseAllows you to select a phrase.
Step LEDs
The step LEDs light up when the corresponding step is played.
Step On/Off buttons
Activate/Deactivate the steps.
Legato buttons
The Legato buttons below the step buttons allow you to introduce a legato between
two steps.
●

To create a legato, click the Legato button below the first step, so that a small
arrow is shown.

Show Pitch Row
Displays the Transpose value fields under the steps, which allow you to enter
individual transpose values for the steps.
Show Key Row
Displays the Key Select value fields under the steps, which allow you to specify which
key in the note buffer to play for each step.

Key SelectThe arpeggiator scans the keyboard and writes the keys that you press into a note buffer.
Depending on the selected Key Mode, this note buffer is sorted either by pitch or in the order inwhich you play the keys. Key Select allows you to play back a defined key from the note buffer.
You can set up Key Select for each individual step, which allows you to create very elaboratephrases.
NOTE
Key Select cannot be used if Arp Mode is set to Step or Chord.
●

To access the Key Select values of the steps, click Show Transpose or Key Select to the leftof the editor, so that a keyboard icon is shown.

●

To switch between the available Key Select values for a step, click the value, and drag up/
down, or use the scroll wheel.
The following options are available:●

P (Phrase) plays the note of the user phrase, according to the selected mode, forexample, Up, Down, Up/Down 1, etc.

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The settings 1 - 8 play the corresponding keys from the note list. Which key is played
depends on the Key Mode setting. For example, if Key Mode is set to Sort, setting 1
plays the lowest key.

●

L (Last) always plays the last key from the note buffer. Depending on the Key Mode, thisis the highest note or the last note in the note buffer.

●

A (All) plays all keys from the note buffer as a chord.

Velocity Section
In this section, you set up the steps of the arpeggio and specify their velocities.

A phrase can contain up to 32 steps. Only activated steps are played.
●

To activate a step, activate its On/Off button in the Steps section.

Step Editing
You can edit the entire phrase, for example, by shifting or reversing it, or edit the steps
separately, for example, by setting their velocity values or by activating/deactivating single steps.
●

To specify the number of steps for the phrase, drag the Number of Steps handle to the leftor right.

Adjusting the Phrase●

To shift the rhythm of the phrase, click Shift Phrase Rightor Shift Phrase Left.

If you shift the rhythm of the phrase to the left, the first step is moved to the end. If you shift
the phrase to the right, the last step is moved to the beginning.
●

To reverse the phrase, click Reverse Phrase.

●

To duplicate short phrases, click Duplicate Phrase.

NOTE
The maximum number of steps is 32. Therefore, phrases that contain more than 16 steps
cannot be duplicated as a whole.

Editing Steps●

To activate all steps, select Enable All Steps from the context menu.

●

To adjust a value, click a step, and drag up or down.

●

To adjust multiple steps, click and draw a curve.

●

To adjust the velocity of all steps relatively, -click and drag.

●To draw a ramp with steps, hold down , and draw a line.

●

To draw symmetric ramps at the beginning and the end of the sequence, hold down - , anddraw a line.

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Arp Page●To reset the velocity of a step to 127, -click the step.

●

To reset the velocity of all steps to 127, hold - , and click a step.

●

To introduce a legato between two steps, activate Step Legato for the first of these steps, sothat a small arrow is shown.
If Legato is activated, the Gate Scale parameter is not taken into account.

●

To transpose a step, click in the Step Transpose field, and enter the number of semitones forthe transposition.

●

To adjust the gate length of a step, drag its right border.

●

To adjust the gate length of all steps, hold down , and drag the right border of a step.
You can only adjust the length this way until a step reaches the next step. If you increase thegate length of a step so that it overlaps with the following step, the latter step is deactivated.

●

To reset the length of a step to 1, -click its highlighted right border.

●

To reset the length of all steps, hold down - , and click on a highlighted right border.

●

To fill the gaps between consecutive steps, select Fill Gap or Fill All Gaps from the context
menu.

Controller Lanes Section
The three controller lanes allow you to set up controller sequences that you can use to modulate
the phrase.
The MIDI controllers 110, 111, and 112 from the three controller lanes are sent to the modulation
destinations. When you export a recorded sequence, these controller values are also exported.
This means that once you add the exported MIDI sequence to the sequencer, you can deactivate
the arpeggiator and play the notes and controller values using the sequencer.

●

To activate a controller lane, click its On/Off button.

●

You can specify whether you want to use the controller curve as unipolar or as bipolar
modulation source by activating/deactivating the Bipolar On/Off button for each lane.

●

On the right, you can set up the modulation for the controller lane.

NOTE
Even if you deactivate the arpeggiator, its controller lanes are still available in the modulation
matrix and can be used to modify the modulation using the incoming MIDI controller messages.

RELATED LINKS
Step Editing on page 48
Modulation Matrix Parameters on page 37

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Tempo Section
In the Tempo section, you can set the playback speed for the arpeggiator or synchronize
playback to the tempo of the host.

Sync
Synchronizes the phrase to the tempo of your host application.
NOTE
In addition, you can set Restart Mode to Sync to Host. This aligns the phrase with thebeats and measures of your host application.
Tempo
If Sync is deactivated, you can use the Tempo control to set the internal playback
speed of the arpeggiator. The playback speed of the phrase is specified in BPM.
If Sync is activated, the Tempo parameter is not available.
Loop
Allows you to play the phrase in a loop.
Tempo Scale
Defines the rate at which notes are triggered, that is, the speed at which the phrase isrunning. In addition to the Tempo parameter, this gives you further control over the
playback speed. You can specify a value in fractions of beats. You can also set dotted
and triplet note values.
For example, if you change the Tempo Scale setting from 1/16 to 1/8, the speed is cut
in half. If you set it to 1/32, the speed is doubled.
Groove Quantize
To adapt the timing of a phrase to an external MIDI file, you can drop this MIDI file on
the Groove Quantize drop field.
The Groove Quantize Depth parameter to the right of the drop field determines how
accurately the phrase follows the timing of the MIDI file.

Performance Section
The Performance section allows you to specify how the phrase is played. For example, you cangive it a swing feeling or add an additional octave to playback.

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FX Page
Swing
Shifts the timing of notes on even-numbered beats, which results in a “swing feeling”.
Negative values shift the timing backward, and the notes are played earlier. Positive
values shift the timing forward, and the notes are played later.
Gate Scale
Allows you to shorten or lengthen the notes of the phrase. At a value of 100%, thenotes play with their original gate length.
Vel Scale
Allows you to raise or lower the note-on velocities of the phrase. At a value of 100%, thenotes are played with their original velocity.
Octaves
Extends the phrase playback to include higher or lower octaves. Positive settings
extend the playback to higher octaves, and negative settings to lower octaves. For
example, a value of +1 first plays the phrase in the octave range that you originallyplayed. Then, it repeats the phrase one octave higher.

Export Section
This section contains the MIDI export functions. You can export the phrases created with thearpeggiator by recording them and then dragging them onto a track in your DAW.

Record Output
Allows you to record the MIDI output of the arpeggiator.
Drag MIDI Phrase to Host Sequencer
Allows you to drag the recorded MIDI phrase to your host sequencer.

Locking the Arp Page
You can lock the Arp page to play the same arpeggio for different sounds.
PROCEDURE●

Click Lock Arpeggiatorsin the plug-in functions section.

Now, you can switch presets to try out different sounds with the same arpeggio.

FX Page
This page features an equalizer, a chorus or flanger modulation effect, and a delay effect foreach layer. Furthermore, it contains the global reverb effect.
To activate/deactivate a section, click its On/Off

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button.

Padshop
FX Page

EQ Section
For each layer, a high-quality 4-band equalizer is available.

The two mid-range bands act as peak filters and the low and high bands act as shelving filters. Allbands are fully parametric with adjustable Gain, Frequency, and Q parameters.
Gain
Sets the amount of cut or boost for the corresponding band.
Freq
Sets the frequency that is cut or boosted with the Gain parameter.
Q (Quality)
Adjusts the bandwidth of the mid-range peak filters from wide to narrow. By increasing
the Q value on the low and high shelving filters, you can add a dip to their shape.

Modulation Effects Section
In this section, you can select the modulation effect that you want to use from the Type menu.
You can choose between the following effects: Chorus, Flanger, Ensemble, and Phaser.

For Chorus and Flanger, the following parameters are available:
Rate
Specifies the frequency of the pitch modulation.
Sync
Allows you to set the Rate value in fractions of beats.
Depth
Sets the intensity of the pitch modulation.
Phase
Widens the sound image of the effect from mono to stereo.
Feedback
Adds resonances to the effect.
Mix
Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal.
For the Ensemble effect, the following parameters are available:

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FX Page
Sync
Allows you to set the Rate value in fractions of beats.
Rate
Sets the frequency of the LFO.
Depth
Sets the intensity of the delay time modulation by the LFO.
Shimmer
Sets the intensity of a secondary faster delay time modulation.
Shimmer Rate
Determines the relation between the speed of the primary and the secondary delay
modulation. For example, at a value of 10, the secondary modulation is 10 times faster.
Mix
Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal.
For the Phaser effect, the following parameters are available:

Sync
Allows you to set the Rate value in fractions of beats.
Rate
Specifies the frequency of the phase modulation.
Phase
Widens the sound image of the effect from mono to stereo.
Depth
Sets the intensity of the phase modulation.
Feedback
Adds resonances to the effect. Higher settings produce a more pronounced effect.
Shift
Shifts the phase modulation upwards to higher frequencies of the spectrum.
Low Cut
Attenuates the low frequencies.
High Cut
Attenuates the high frequencies.
Mix
Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal.

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Padshop
FX Page

Delay Section
In the Delay section, you can choose the delay effect that you want to use and make settings for
it.

Delay Mode●

Stereo has two delays in parallel, one for the left and one for the right audio
channel, each with a feedback path of its own.

●

Cross has two delay lines with cross feedback, where the delay of the left channel
is fed back into the delay of the right channel, and vice versa.

●

Ping-Pong mixes the left and right input channels and sends the mixed signal tohard-panned left and right delays. This way, the echoes bounce from left to right,
like a ping-pong ball, in the stereo panorama.

Sync
Allows you to synchronize the delay time to the host tempo. If Sync is activated, thetime is set as a note value.
NOTE
The maximum delay time is 5000 ms. If the note length exceeds this value, it isautomatically shortened.
Delay Time
Sets the overall time for the left and right delay. Use the Delay L/R parameter toshorten the time for the left or right delay.
Delay L/R
Offsets the time of the left or right delay from the overall delay time. At a factor of 1,
the right or left delay time has the same length as the overall delay time. At a factor of
0.5, the time is half as long as the overall delay time.
●

To offset the left delay time, turn the control to the left.

●

To offset the right delay time, turn the control to the right.

Feedback
Sets the overall amount of feedback for the left and right delay. Feedback means theoutput of the delay is fed back to its input. Set to 0%, you hear only one echo. With asetting of 100%, the echoes are continuously repeated.
Feedback L/R
Offsets the amount of feedback of the left or right delay from the overall feedback. A
factor of 1 means that the amount of feedback corresponds to the overall feedback. A
factor of 0.5 means that the amount is half the overall feedback.
●To offset the left feedback, turn the control to the left.

●

To offset the right feedback, turn the control to the right.

NOTE
This parameter is only available in Stereo mode.

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Padshop
FX PageHigh Damp
Attenuates the high frequencies of the delays.
Mix
Sets the ratio between the dry and the wet signal.

Global Reverb Section
The reverb effect works as a global AUX effect. It can be fed by the two layers individually. This
allows you to add reverb only to one of the layers while keeping the other layer dry, for example.
To modify the parameters, use the controls, click and drag in the display, or enter new values
manually in the fields below the display.

Layer A/Layer B
Allows you to specify for each layer how much of the processed signal is sent to theglobal reverb effect.
Chorusing
Chorusing allows you to enrich the reverb tail through subtle pitch modulations.
●

Chorusing On/Off activates/deactivates the chorusing effect.

●

Rate specifies the frequency of the pitch modulation.

●

Depth sets the intensity of the pitch modulation.

Predelay
Determines how much time passes before the reverb is applied. This allows you tosimulate larger rooms by increasing the time it takes for the first reflections to reachthe audience.
Low Time
Controls the reverb time for the low frequencies of the reverb tail. Positive values resultin a longer decay for the low frequencies. Negative values result in a shorter decay.
Frequencies are affected depending on the Low Freq parameter.
Low Freq
Sets the cross-over frequency between the low and the mid band of the reverb tail. The
reverb time for frequencies below this value can be offset from the main reverb timewith the Low Time parameter.
Main Time
Controls the overall reverb time. The higher this value, the longer the decay. At asetting of 100 %, the reverb time is infinitely long.
High Freq
Sets the cross-over frequency between the mid and the high band of the reverb.
High Time
Controls the reverb time for the high frequencies of the reverb. When you set positive
values, the decay time of the high frequencies is longer, when you set negative values,
it is shorter.

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Padshop
Quick Controls
High Cut
Attenuates the high frequencies of the reverb.
Room Size
Controls the dimensions of the simulated room. With a setting of 100%, the dimensions
correspond to a cathedral or a large concert hall. With a setting of 50%, the dimensions
correspond to a medium-sized room or studio. Settings below 50% simulate thedimensions of a small room or a booth.
Width
Adjusts the output of the reverb signal between mono and stereo. With a setting of 0%,
the output of the reverb is mono. At 100%, it is stereo.
Level
The return level of the reverb.

Quick Controls
Padshop provides a predefined set of 8 quick controls that can be controlled directly from withinyour Steinberg DAW.
By default, these quick controls are assigned to the following parameters:●

1 is assigned to Layer A Filter Cutoff.

●

2 is assigned to Layer A Filter Resonance.

●

3 is assigned to Layer A DCA Attack.

●4 is assigned to Layer A DCA Release.

●

5 is assigned to Layer B Filter Cutoff.

●

6 is assigned to Layer B Filter Resonance.

●

7 is assigned to Layer B DCA Attack.

●8 is assigned to Layer B DCA Release.

NOTE
You can also change the default quick control assignments. For more information, see the
Operation Manual of your Steinberg DAW.

MIDI Controller Assignments
Almost all parameters in Padshop can be adjusted via MIDI controllers.
The MIDI controller assignments are saved globally for the plug-in, except for the mod wheel.
The mod wheel assignment is saved with the preset. This allows you to control effect parameters
using the mod wheel, for example.
NOTE
Volume and Pan are assigned to controllers 7 and 10 by default, and are therefore always
available.

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Padshop
MIDI Controller Assignments
NOTE
When you use Padshop in a host application like Cubase, the MIDI controller assignments are
saved with the project.

Assigning MIDI Controllers
You can remote-control the parameters in Padshop by assigning MIDI controllers to them.
PROCEDURE
1.

Right-click the control that you want to remote-control and select Learn CC.

2.

On your MIDI keyboard or controller, use the potentiometer, fader, or button.
The next time you right-click the control, the menu shows the assigned MIDI controller.
NOTE
You can assign the same MIDI controller several times to different parameters. However, you
cannot assign different MIDI controllers to the same parameter.

Unassigning MIDI Controllers
PROCEDURE●

To remove a MIDI controller assignment, right-click the control, and select Forget CC.

Setting the Parameter Range
You can set the minimum and maximum values of the parameter for each assignment
separately. This gives you more control over the parameter, for example, when you are
performing live on stage.
PROCEDURE
1.

Set the parameter to the minimum value.

2.

Right-click the control, and select Set Minimum from the context menu.

3.

Set the parameter to the maximum value.

4.

Right-click the control, and select Set Maximum.

Assigning the Mod Wheel
PROCEDURE
1.

Right-click the control for which you want to assign the mod wheel.

2.

On the Modulation Wheel submenu, select Enable Mod Wheel.

3.

Set the minimum and maximum values for the mod wheel using the Set Minimum and Set
Maximum commands.

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IndexA

Synth Page (continued)
Modulation matrix 36
Oscillator section 22
Pitch section 32
Step modulator 35
Voice section 20

Arp Page 44
Controller lanes 49
Export section 51
Main section 44
Performance section 50
Steps section 47
Tempo section 50
Velocity section 48

F
FX Page 51
Delay section 54
EQ section 52
Global Reverb section 55
Mod FX section 52

K
Keyboard 19

M
MIDI Controllers
Assigning 57
Parameter range 57
Unassigning 57
Modulation wheel 19

O
Oscillator
Grain oscillator 24
Spectral oscillator 28

P
Pitchbend wheel 19
Presets 10

Q
Quick Controls 56

S
Synth Page 20
Amplifier section 34
Env 3 section 43
Filter section 32
LFO section 41
Main section 22

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