WELCOME
Welcome to Animoog Z, an inspiring synthesizer and creative companion to guide your explorations in multidimensional sound design, production, and performance.
Welcome to Animoog Z, an inspiring synthesizer and creative companion to guide your explorations in multidimensional sound design, production, and performance.
Animoog Z is an evolution of Moog’s award-winning software synthesizer for iOS, Animoog. At the heart of Animoog is the Anisotropic Synthesis Engine (ASE), a multidimensional take on wavetable and vector synthesis. Accompanying ASE is a beautiful and dynamic visual representation of each ASE voice, with glowing Comets orbiting around a Path that can be animated during live performance. Combined with classic elements of Moog subtractive synthesis – like Envelopes, LFOs, Filters, and effects - Animoog established a brand new paradigm of advanced and intuitive synthesis.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Animoog, we’re proud to present Animoog Z. Animoog Z retains the sound and functionality of the original Animoog (indeed, it is even compatible with original Animoog presets), while expanding nearly every feature and adding new ones. From the added Z dimension and the three-dimensional Wave Cube display, to advanced Envelope/LFO controls, to the extended Mod Matrix and new Effects, to macOS and AUv3/AUv2/VST3 compatibility, Animoog Z truly adds a new dimension to the Anisotropic Synthesis Experience.
Animoog Z functions as a standalone iOS and macOS application that can also be used as an AUv3 plugin within GarageBand or other AUv3 hosts. On macOS, a separate AUv2/VST3 wrapper allows integration in other DAWs. Additionally, a Bluetooth, MIDI, or audio interface will allow you connect with other electronic musical devices. These connections are managed via the SETTINGS menu.
The Animoog Z App has been optimized to run on all 64-bit iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch running iOS 14.4 and up) and all macOS devices (macOS 11.2 and up). To offer the best user experience, the app operates exclusively in landscape mode.
TIP: For optimum performance on any iOS device, be sure to disable Wi-Fi or activate Airplane Mode.
TIP: Keep your battery charged above 50%, or CPU performance may be reduced by the operating system, which can result in choppy UI and/or audio crackles.
TIP: On iOS devices without a home button, the iOS home indicator overlays on top of the keyboard and can result in the app being swiped away accidentally. We recommend activating Guided Access through iOS Settings > Accessibility in order to use Animoog Z without unwanted interactions.
The updated Anisotropic Synthesis Engine (ASE) is the heart of Animoog Z. ASE is a dynamic waveform animator that is comprised of an X/Y Grid with 8 TIMBRES, each containing 16 waveforms represented by a row of blocks. The included TIMBRES use waveforms derived from sources that include Moog synthesizers and Moogerfooger analog effects modules, but additional TIMBRES can be loaded into Animoog Z and edited with the TIMBRE EDITOR. The oscilloscope display shows the evolving audio waveform created by voices traveling through the Wave Cube, allowing you to see in detail the changes of Timbre you are hearing in realtime. The ORIGIN point in the Wave Cube determines which parts of the TIMBRES play when a key is pressed. You can also use it as a performance control. Play a note, and at the same time touch and drag the ORIGIN. The voices will change based on their location in the Wave Cube.
NOTE: More detailed information about Animoog Z's ASE can be found at the end of this manual
Animoog Z’s TOUCH KEYS feature an indicator that displays a color for each voice as it is played. Note VELOCITY is determined by where a key is struck from top to bottom. After a note is pressed, a held key will illuminate. Finger movement toward the top of a key will cause it to glow brighter, representing an increase in PRESSURE amount. Voicetrails remain illuminated until each voice has fully decayed.
TIP: Using a typing keyboard, notes can be played using the middle row of typing keys. Refer to the keyboard shortcuts appendix for details.
The KEY SPACING CONTROL shifts the keyboard to display lower or higher notes in a scale. It also permits stretching or shrinking the number of keys displayed. To shift the keys, press and drag the center of the control. To increase or decrease the number of keys displayed, press and drag the end tab. Tapping to the left or the right of the control, shifts the keyboard downwards or upwards by an octave.
MOD and PITCH strips are assignable in the MOD section and can be toggled On/Off in the SETUP page.
The VOL (volume) knob sets Animoog Z’s overall volume. The COR (correction) knob sets pitch correction between keys. At maximum, no correction occurs. Set halfway, rocking your finger side to side will allow for vibrato and pitch bend effects. At minimum, there is no pitch correction between keys and Animoog Z’s keys function as a continuous ribbon controller. The GLIDE knob adjusts portamento time (the time it takes for pitch to slide from note to note).
The HOLD button will sustain notes indefinitely. The total number of voices that can be held simultaneously is determined by the VOICES setting in the SCALES menu. When this voice count is exceeded, the oldest voice is replaced by each new note.
TIP: The HOLD switch can also be operated by using the TAB key.
Touch the SCALE button in the keyboard area to access settings related to keyboard SCALE SELECT, ROOT NOTE, BASE FREQUENCY, VOICES count, and voice triggering behavior.
Touch the SCALE SELECT button to display a list of pre-defined scales. Select the desired scale, and the keyboard display will update to reflect the notes included in the scale.
Notes can be added and removed from any scale by touching the keys in the keyboard display.
The ROOT NOTE is the first note used in a scale. Touch the ROOT NOTE button to display the list of notes. Selecting a ROOT NOTE will change the starting note of the scale that's generated by the SCALE SELECT function.
The VOICES control determines how many voices can sound simultaneously.
In MONO mode, only one note can be played at a time. This is the classic performance behavior found in many Moog synthesizers.
4 POLY and 16 POLY modes both allow for polyphonic performance (multiple voices sounding simultaneously) with up to 4 or 16 voices at a time, respectively. When the voice count is exceeded, the oldest played note will be “stolen” and start playing the most recently played note instead.
TIP: The original Animoog was limited to 4 polyphonic voices, any preset that was created for this version of Animoog will open with the 4 POLY option select when not in MONO mode.
In LEGATO mode (only active in MONO mode), playing a new note while holding down another note does not trigger a new envelope, but instead keeps every envelope in its Sustain phase. This means that all notes behave as a continuous note until the keys are completely released.
When ENV RESET is active, a voice’s envelopes will reset to zero when re-triggered during their release phase. For classic analog-style envelope behavior, turn ENV RESET off.
TIP: Try it in MONO mode with long release times to hear the difference most clearly.
PHASE RESET mode forces the ASE oscillators to reset their start phase with each new note for a more consistent, hard-edged attack. With PHASE RESET off, voices run free and vary from note to note naturally.
SCALE LOCK maintains the currently specified keyboard scale when changing presets.
Touch the preset name to open the preset menu, then select a preset from a wide variety of categories.
Press the GROUPS and TAGS buttons to filter presets. Multiple GROUPS and TAGS can be selected simultaneously.
TIP: To navigate to the previous or next preset, you can tap on the arrows next to the current preset name, alternatively you can swipe left or right on the current preset name to do the same.
The FAVORITE ★ button is a quick way of grouping all of your go-to presets together as your favorites.
Press the star ★ to add the currently highlighted preset to the FAVORITE group. A ★ will appear on the right side of the preset in the list to indicate favorite presets.
Activating the FAVORITE group to the right of the presets shows only your favorited presets.
The EDIT button allows existing tags to be assigned to USER presets, and for new tags to be created.
When a USER preset is selected, the EDIT button will turn from gray to a dim green color to indicate that it is available for use. When selected, the EDIT button will turn bright green and the EDIT NAME and ASSIGN TAGS modules appear in place of the usual GROUPS and TAGS modules. Press the preset name to type in a new name for the preset. Select existing tags to assign up to three tags to the highlighted preset, or press '+' to create a new tag and add it to the highlighted Preset.
Like the EDIT Button, the DELETE button is only available for use when a user preset is selected, at which point the button will turn from gray to a dim green. Press the DELETE button to permanently erase the selected preset. A confirmation prompt will appear before the preset is deleted.
On macOS, the OPEN DIRECTORY button opens a finder window of the system folder that contains your USER presets.
On iOS, this button is not available.
Press the + button to open the Default preset as a new starting point for sound design.
Press to name and save the active preset.
TIP: If iCloud Drive is enabled on your system, Animoog Z will automatically save a copy of any preset that you save to your iCloud Drive. This makes it easy to access your presets on different devices, but also provides a convenient way to automatically backup your own presets. The SETTINGS > SHARE panel makes it easy to access your iCLOUD DOCUMENTS.
Certain features of Animoog Z are tempo dependent (DELAY SYNC, ARP, ENV SYNC, LFO SYNC, ...).
The current tempo is displayed in BPM (Beats Per Minute). To change the tempo, click on the BPM value and drag the cursor left or right to edit the value.
Briefly touch the BPM indicator to reveal the TAP TEMPO button. Press at least 3 times to adjust the BPM to match the rate of the input taps.
NOTE: By dragging up or down, you can set the tempo using a finer resolution.
TIP: Tapping the BPM number will open the larger BPM and Tap-Tempo display. Tapping the drop-down BPM number will allow you to enter an exact BPM manually.
The Orbs View is the main display and live environment for all ASE activity. The three main sections of this view are the Wave Cube, the PATH module, and the ORBIT module. Together, these three modules provide control over ASE waveshaping and form the heart of Animoog Z.
The Wave Cube displays a live, interactive visualization of all active voices and the waveforms they are generating. The 16 columns along the X-axis represent the 16 waveforms that exist within each Timbre. Each Timbre is represented by one of eight rows along the Y-axis. The Z-axis provides additional influence over the active Timbre, resulting in more dynamic waveshaping than was possible within the original Animoog. Along the X/Y Grid, there is an oscilloscope that provides a real-time display of the complex waveform being generated by Animoog Z.
NOTE: Detailed information about Animoog Z's wave shaping can be found in a later section of this manual.
A Comet is a visual representation of the waveform being generated by the ASE of each currently playing voice. At any moment, as it dances through time and space, a Comet is morphing between 4 different waveforms represented by individual blocks on the X/Y Grid. The location of a comet in the Z-dimension gets combined with the Y position, adding additional influence over which Timbre is playing. With creative use of the PATH and ORBIT controls, each waveform generator can be made to morph in elegant, chaotic, and geometric ways.
Note: If no Path or Orbit module parameters have been assigned, pressing a key simply causes the Origin to glow.
Each voice follows a path based on a combination of settings in the PATH module, and the nodes that are drawn in the Wave Cube. In addition to controls that allow for designing and controlling custom paths, the PATH module also contains VIEW controls, which enable quick swapping between different viewing angles of the Wave Cube.
Note: The VIEW controls are only available when the EDIT switch is not active.
In order to view and edit the path in three dimensions, it is helpful to change the viewpoint of the Wave Cube. There are two main methods of doing so: by using the VIEW controls in the PATH module or by using two-finger swipe gestures in the Wave Cube.
When the EDIT control in the PATH module is active, the VIEW controls are replace with EDIT controls. Disable EDIT to restore the VIEW controls.
When TOP is selected, the view is almost identical to that of the original Animoog app. The X-axis spans from left to right, the Y-axis from bottom to top. The TOP view provides the most accurate representation of X and Y-axis position, but Z-axis position is difficult to observe in this view.
When FRONT is selected, the X-axis spans from left to right and the Z-axis from bottom to top. This provides the most accurate representation of X and Z-axis position, but Y-axis position is difficult to observe in this view.
When LEFT is selected, the Y-axis spans from left to right and the Z-axis from bottom to top. This provides the most accurate representation of Y and Z-axis position, but X-axis is difficult to observe in this view.
Using two-finger touch gestures: Another intuitive way to adjust the viewing angle is with gestural controls. Place two fingers on the viewing area and swipe downwards or upwards to roll the Wave Cube toward and away from you. Swipe left and right with two fingers to rotate the X/Y Grid clockwise and counterclockwise.
Tip: On macOS, dragging with two fingers on the trackpad or pressing the option or control key while dragging the left mouse button, also allows changing the Wave Cube's viewpoint
TIP: Double-tapping with two fingers on the Wave Cube is a shortcut gesture to select the TOP view
Press the EDIT button in the PATH module to create or edit a path (EDIT button turns white).
When EDIT is active, the VIEW controls disappear and the MODE and CLEAR switches appear in their place.
ADD: Touch points on the grid to create a path. New nodes will automatically connect to each other.
MOVE: Touch and drag nodes to new locations.
ERASE: To erase a node, simply tap it or drag to erase multiple ones in one gesture.
CLEAR: Press to erase all nodes
When your path is complete, press the EDIT button again to exit Edit mode.
The ORIGIN is the point in space within the Wave Cube that determines the relative position of PATH nodes. If the ORIGIN is moved, the PATH nodes will move along with it while maintaining their spatial relationship to each other. Pressing a key while moving the ORIGIN with your finger will cause the sound to change in real-time based on its position.
The DIRECTION control determines how a Comet travels through a path, using one of the five available DIRECTION types:
ONCE: Comets follow the path from beginning to end and latch to the end point.
LOOP: Comets follow the path from beginning to end repeatedly.
BACK-FORTH: Comets move between the start and end point of a path repeatedly.
BACKWARDS LOOP: Comets follow the path from end to beginning repeatedly.
BACKWARDS ONCE: Comets follow the path from end to beginning and latch to the start point.
The PATH RATE control determines how fast each comet moves along the path.
Note: High settings create complex sounds and geometric shapes in the Wave Cube.
Sets the PATH RATE to be a multiple or division of Animoog Z’s current BPM.
AXIS restricts the movement of the ORIGIN and PATH Nodes to only the X/Y axes in X/Y mode, or only the Z-axis in Z mode, or intelligently in all three dimensions when in AUTO mode.
The behavior of the AXIS mode changes whether EDIT is active or not.
When EDIT is disabled, AXIS provides a stable spatial control for performance in X/Y mode and Z mode, akin to an X/Y controller or a wheel controller.
When EDIT is enabled, AXIS always operates in AUTO mode and the X/Y and Z options restrict the axis in which you edit the PATH NODES.
Comets can be made to orbit the PATH by using controls in the ORBIT module. While X and Y ORBIT parameters still result in elliptic orbits similar to those possible with the original Animoog app, the addition of the Z MULT and Z AMT parameters in Animoog Z allows for complex, three-dimensional shapes that will follow along the PATH you've created.
Note: If no PATH is defined, comets will orbit around the ORIGIN.
Determines the speed at which a Comet will orbit a PATH in the Wave Cube.
Sets the ORBIT module’s RATE to be a multiple or division of Animoog’s current BPM.
Sets the rate of the Z-axis orbit to be a multiple or division of the ORBIT TIME. This can result in complex orbital shapes that remain consistent as ORBIT TIME is adjusted.
The these controls determine how closely the Comet will orbit the Path in the Wave Cube.
X AMT: Determines amount of left to right orbit.
Y AMT: Determines amount of top to bottom orbit.
Z AMT: Determines amount of front to back orbit.
Pressing on TIMBRES in the toolbar displays the TIMBRES view.
Here you can choose which waveforms will be used by ASE on each ROW of the X/Y/Z Grid. Animoog Z's vector synthesis always cross-fades between four waveforms across two Timbres when playing notes. Carefully selecting which Timbres are adjacent will significantly influence the sound of your preset.
The TIMBRES page contains two columns. The left column displays Timbres currently in use, stacked vertically as they appear on the X/Y Grid. The right column displays all available Timbres, which can be filtered into categories by using the GROUPS and TAGS to the right of the Timbres list.
Press and hold the PLAY button of a Timbre in the left column to listen to any Timbre currently in use.
NOTE: Timbre waveforms evolve, so be sure to press the button long enough to hear a Timbre in its entirety.
Touch the TIMBRE ASSIGN button of the Timbre Slot you would like to populate, and then choose a TIMBRE from the list on the right to load it into the currently selected position.
NOTE: Pressing and holding any Timbre in the right column will preview it for the duration of the press without loading it into a Timbre Slot.
TIP: Placing a SILENCE Timbre in between other Timbres, allows you to hear those Timbres without cross-fades with other Timbres.
Press and drag any currently used TIMBRE up or down to move it to a desired location in the X/Y/Z Grid.
The EDIT TIMBRE button allows existing tags to be assigned to USER Timbres, and for new tags to be created. When a USER Timbre is selected, the EDIT TIMBRE button will turn from gray to a dim green color to indicate that it is available for use. When selected, the EDIT TIMBRE button will turn bright green and the ASSIGN TAGS module appears in place of the usual GROUPS and TAGS modules. Select existing tags to assign up to three tags to the highlighted Timbre, or press '+' to create a new tag and add it to the highlighted Timbre.
Like the EDIT TIMBRE Button, the DELETE button is only available for use when a USER Timbre is selected, at which point the button will turn from gray to a dim green. Press the DELETE button to permanently erase the selected Timbre. A confirmation prompt will appear before the Timbre is deleted.
The Timbre Editor is a powerful tool to create and edit custom user Timbres. Timbres can be designed by modifying existing Timbres, importing audio files, or recording new audio files. Once you are happy with your custom Timbre, it can be saved to the Timbre List and loaded into the ASE at any time.
These three controls represent the main methods of accessing the Timbre Editor. The “+” represents “Create New Timbre”, the waveform represents “Edit Selected Timbre”, and the circle represents “Record New Timbre”.
The Timbre Editor provides an audio Workspace within which up to 16 audio files can be ordered, trimmed, cut, copied, pasted, and further adjusted to create new and distinct Timbres.
As in the X/Y Grid, there are 16 columns in the Workspace, each representing a waveform within the Timbre. When a waveform within a Timbre is playing, playback is looped at the frequency of the note that is playing, beginning from the left vertical gridline of a column and ending at the right vertical gridline of a column. For this reason, it is not necessary to use audio files with waveforms that line up perfectly with the grid. In fact, it is not even necessary to use “musical” or tonal audio in Timbres, as the looped playback within a column will naturally generate a tonal waveform out of any audio, to often unexpected results!
Each Audio Object in the timeline contains a visual depiction of the waveform, a header with a number between 1 and 16 assigned to it, a Start flag in the upper left corner, and an End flag in the lower right corner. With the cursor tool selected, it is possible to move an Audio Object to another location in the Workspace by touching the center of the Audio Object and dragging. To trim an Audio Object, drag the Start or End flag to a new location. When moving or trimming Audio Objects, Start and End flags will automatically snap to vertical gridlines when released, ensuring that Objects always align with Timbre waveforms.
When the Timbre Editor is active, all 8 Timbres in your active preset are temporarily replaced with the Timbre that's currently being edited in the Audio Workspace. This allows you to play the Animoog Z Keyboard and evaluate how the Edited Timbre sounds in your Preset.
When you leave the Timbre Editor, your original 8 Preset Timbres are restored.
TIP: Tweaking the Comet trajectory and leaving blank spaces in the Edited Timbre can be a fun way to introduce rhythmical patterns in your Preset.
To select an Audio Object, touch anywhere within an Audio Object while the CURSOR TOOL is active. The Object header and flags will change from dim to bright green. Touch the Audio Object once again to deselect.
When the CURSOR TOOL is active, Audio Objects can be rearranged by touching and dragging them left or right. The Audio Workspace will intelligently rearrange all the Audio Objects when you let go of the one you're repositioning.
When an Audio Object is selected, the Cut button in the lower left of the Timbre Editor becomes available to use. Touching this button will cause the selected Audio Object to disappear and be stored in the clipboard so it can be pasted elsewhere.
When an Audio Object is selected, the Copy button in the lower left of the Timbre Editor becomes available to use. Touching this button will store a copy of the Audio Object in the clipboard so it can be pasted elsewhere.
Audio Objects stored in the clipboard can be pasted into blank waveform columns in the Workspace. Click near a vertical gridline and a cursor will appear on the nearest gridline. If there is an Audio Object stored in the clipboard, the Paste button will be dim green, otherwise it will be gray and unavailable to use. Touch the Paste button to paste the copied Audio Object into the Workspace.
To the right of the CURSOR TOOL, CUT, COPY, and PASTE buttons are the AUDIO PAN and AUDIO GAIN buttons. These buttons, along with the CURSOR TOOL button, override each other such that only one of these three modes can be active at one time.
With the AUDIO PAN TOOL selected, touching and dragging left to right inside an Audio Object will move the waveform within the Audio Object forwards or backwards in time. Once the waveform has begun moving, a Sample Offset display will appear below the Workspace for as long as it is held, in place of the buttons that are usually present. The number below “SAMPLE OFFSET” indicates precisely how many samples and in what direction the audio has shifted. The displays to the left and right of the Sample Offset indicator show a zoomed view of the audio waveform where it crosses with the Start and End flags, respectively. When the Start or End flags align with a point in the waveform in where the left and right sample cross the zero boundary, a “ZERO CROSS” indicator will appear beside the corresponding display. It is best practice to align your Start and End points with zero crossings to avoid pops and clicks, but it is not necessary.
With AUDIO GAIN TOOL selected, touching and dragging up and down inside an Audio Object will scale the amplitude of the waveform, resulting in the audio sounding louder or quieter. Once the waveform amplitude has begun scaling, a GAIN and PEAK display will appear below the Workspace for as long as it is held, in place of the buttons that are usually present. Gain indicates how much louder the Audio Object is relative to the original WAV file, in decibels. Peak indicates how many decibels the Audio Object is below or above the maximum usable volume level (headroom). When the amplitude peak of the audio has exceeded the available headroom, “OVER” will appear beside the dB value – when this happens, it is very likely that audible distortion and digital artifacts will result.
While editing a TIMBRE in the Audio Workspace, it's possible to preview what your audio will sound like when going through ASE.
NOTE: during playback you might not hear the audio you expect because ASE always cross-fades between adjacent waveforms as part of its vector synthesis component
Touch the PLAY button to play through the entire Timbre. The PLAY button will turn bright green while playing and become dim green again once playback stops. Pressing the PLAY button during playback will cause playback to stop.
Touch the LOOP button to activate looped playback. When active, the LOOP button will turn bright green and playback will continue endlessly, starting again at the beginning of the Timbre once it has reached the end. Touch the LOOP button again to deactivate looping and playback will end at the end of the Timbre, or press PLAY again and playback will stop immediately.
The TIMBRE, WAV, and RECORD buttons provide various way of importing audio into the Audio Workspace.
The TIMBRE button is only available to use when a blank waveform column is selected with the CURSOR TOOL (indicated by the Timbre button turning dim green). Pressing the TIMBRE button brings up a Timbres list, which can be filtered by Groups and Tags.
Select a Timbre and press IMPORT to load the Timbre into the selected area of the Workspace. Press CANCEL to exit back to the Timbre Editor without making any changes.
TIP: You can quickly select a Timbre and import it by double-tapping on the Timbre in the list
The WAV button is only available to use when a blank waveform column is selected with the CURSOR TOOL (indicated by the WAV button turning dim green).
Pressing WAV will open a file selection window, allowing you to select a WAV file saved to your device to load into the Timbre – this will then bring up the WAV Editor window.
The top waveform displays the entirety of the WAV file audio, while the bottom waveform displays a clip of the WAV file that spans the full duration of a Timbre. The cursor position in the top waveform view indicates the start point of the audio that will be applied to the Timbre – when the cursor position is moved, the waveform in the bottom waveform view will change accordingly. The waveform in the bottom view can be trimmed by using the Start and End flags, and this trimmed selection will be used in the main Timbre Editor workspace once inserted.
The CURSOR TOOL, AUDIO PAN, PLAY, and LOOP buttons all behave similarly to their functions in the main Timbre Edit window.
The NORMALIZE button increases the gain of the audio such that the loudest peak in the WAV is at the very top of available headroom, or 0 dB.
The INSERT button will place the selected portion of the audio in the WAV Editor at the cursor position in the main Timbre Edit window. Press CANCEL to exit the WAV Editor without inserting the audio into the Timbre.
NOTE: an UPDATE button will appear in place of the WAV button when an Audio Object is selected. Press Update to bring up the WAV Editor for the selected Audio Object. The WAV Editor will appear the same as it does when loading a new WAV file, except an UPDATE button will appear in place of the INSERT button, indicating that changes in the WAV Editor will be applied to an existing Audio Object.
The RECORD button is only available to use when a blank waveform column is selected with the CURSOR TOOL. Use the RECORD function to record a new WAV file directly into Animoog Z using the Audio Input Channel 1 of your device.
The RECORD button is only available to use when a blank waveform column is selected with the CURSOR TOOL. Use the RECORD function to record a new WAV file directly into Animoog Z using the Audio Input Channel 1 of your device.
Press RECORD to bring up the Record window. The Record view is almost identical to the WAV Editor, except for the addition of a RECORD button, and the top waveform view displays the newly recorded audio instead of a pre-recorded WAV file.
Press RECORD to create a WAV file of audio captured live from Audio Input Channel 1 of your device. Press RECORD again to end Recording. The audio can be further edited and inserted in the same manner as you would in the WAV Editor.
TIP: on macOS, your computer's microphone and speaker are treated as different audio devices by the operating system. In order to record through the microphone while playing back through the speaker, you need to first create an Aggregate Audio Device through the Audio MIDI Setup application that can be found in the Applications > Utilities folder, and then select that Aggregate Audio Device in Animoog Z's SETTINGS
ASE works with any audio content and experimentation with raw recordings can result into very interesting sounds. You never know what you'll get!
It is also possible to optimize timbres in order to reproduce the sonic characteristics of your source material. To achieve this, a single cycle of your recording should be exactly 1024 samples long, which corresponds to one of the 16 waveforms in the Audio Workspace. We found that the most reliable way of achieving this is by setting your Audio Interface to a sample rate of 48kHz in Animoog Z's SETTINGS and to produce your source tone at a frequency of 46.875Hz. Recording with these settings should result into cycles that are exactly 1024 samples in length (48000 / 46.875 = 1024).
Once you have the recorded audio data, you can use the AUDIO PAN tool to to align the start of your cycle with the boundaries of the Audio Object by relying on the ZERO CROSS indicators.
The method described above was used to create most of the built-in Timbres that ship with Animoog Z.
The envelopes are used to animate a voice each time a note is played. By default, the AMP envelope affects the volume of the voice over time, the FILTER envelope affects the Cutoff parameter of the Filter effect over time, and the MOD envelope is unassigned, but can be configured to animate any parameter in Animoog Z via the MOD page. All envelopes share the same parameters.
NOTE: The AMP envelope directly affects the volume of the voice, while the FILTER envelope's influence can be dialed in using the ENV knob on the FILTER effect.
Determines the rate at which the envelope ascends to the max level while a note is held.
Determines the rate at which the envelope descends from the max level to the Sustain level while a note is held.
Determines the level at which the envelope will be held until the voice is released.
Determines the rate at which the envelope descends from its current level back down to zero when a note is released.
NOTE: These parameters can be directly adjusted by using either the corresponding knobs in the ENV module, or by touching and dragging the nodes in the Envelope View.
Press the triangle in the top right corner of an Envelope Module to access the Envelope More page. This page offers advanced features for further shaping envelopes.
Determines how long it takes for the Attack phase to begin.
When active, the envelope will continuously cycle through all stages while a note is held and begin again once the Release stage returns to zero.
Determines the bend of the Attack stage as it approaches maximum level. A setting of 0 produces a straight, linear curve, while negative values become increasingly logarithmic and positive values become increasingly exponential.
Determines how long the envelope is held at maximum value between the end of the Attack stage and the beginning of the Decay stage.
Determines the bend of the Decay stage as it approaches the Sustain level. A setting of 0 produces a straight, linear curve, while negative values become increasingly exponential and positive values become increasingly logarithmic.
Determines the bend of the Release stage as it approaches 0. A setting of 0 produces a straight, linear curve, while negative values become increasingly exponential and positive values become increasingly logarithmic.
NOTE: The Envelope More Page reveals more nodes in the center of the Attack, Decay, and Release stages that can be dragged to adjust curve.
An LFO (low frequency oscillator) is a MODULATION SOURCE accessible via MOD SLOTS 1-10. An LFO generates a constantly changing value that can be used to modulate any parameter to which it is assigned.
Adjusts the LFO frequency (how rapidly the LFO waveform cycles.)
Sets the LFO Rate to be a multiple or division of Animoog Z’s current BPM, ranging from 8 Wn (whole notes) to 1/64 Wn.
Provides continuously variable selection between five different waveshapes: Sine, Ramp, Sawtooth, Square, & Sample and Hold.
TECHNICAL NOTE: All of the wave shapes are bipolar (symmetrical over the zero crossing) except for Square wave, which is unipolar.
Causes the LFO waveform to restart with each new note. This is useful for creating consistent sound from note to note.
Press the triangle in the top right corner of an LFO Module to access the LFO More page. This page offers advanced features for further controlling LFOs.
Determines amount of time it takes for the LFO to begin moving after a note is triggered.
NOTE: the DELAY parameter only applies when KB TRIG is on.
Determines where in its shape the LFO begins when KB TRIG is on.
Determines how many cycles of the LFO play before it stops oscillating.
Touch the MOD button in the Toolbar to access the 10 Modulation Slots. Each MOD slot allows for a modulation source to be routed and for controllers to be configured to adjust the depth of modulations.
When ENABLE is selected, the MOD routing will be applied to the Destination.
When SOLO is selected, only the soloed Mod routings will be applied to the Destinations. Multiple Mod Slots can be soloed simultaneously.
TIP: ENABLED is saved with your preset while SOLO is temporary and not saved with your preset, using both makes it very convenient to dial in a specific modulation without being distracted by others
The SOURCE is a signal that changes over time that is used to create mild to extreme modulation. Touch the SOURCE MENU to select a source.
OFF: (A source is not necessary). You can use the CONTROL to manipulate a destination, but a positive or negative value must be applied to the Controller AMOUNT.
LFO 1: Applies LFO 1 to the DESTINATION.
LFO 2: Applies LFO 2 to the DESTINATION.
LFO 3: Applies LFO 3 to the DESTINATION.
AMP ENV: Applies the AMP ENVELOPE to the DESTINATION.
FILTER ENV: Applies the FILTER ENVELOPE to the DESTINATION.
MOD ENV: Applies the MODULATION ENVELOPE to the DESTINATION.
ORB POS X: Applies modulation according to a voice’s X position in the Wave Cube.
ORB POS Y: Applies modulation according to a voice’s Y position in the Wave Cube.
ORB POS Z: Applies modulation according to a voice’s Z position in the Wave Cube.
KEYED RND: Applies a random value to the DESTINATION that changes when a new key is played.
The AMOUNT control scales the maximum amount of modulation sent from the SOURCE to the CONTROL or DESTINATION. The AMOUNT knob is bipolar and can be used to scale or invert the selected source’s modulation amount. A positive or negative value must be assigned or nothing will occur.
NOTE: Double tapping the Amount Knob returns it to 0.
Control scales and adjusts the level of a SOURCE before using it to modulate a DESTINATION, similar to a volume control.
Touch the CONTROL menu to select a controller.
Adjust the AMOUNT knob to scale (positive) or invert (negative) the Control. A setting of “0” means no scaling or inversion will occur.
If the SOURCE is set to OFF, the selected CONTROL is scaled by the CONTROL AMOUNT knobs and routed to the DESTINATION. If a SOURCE has been selected, the SOURCE AMOUNT sets the initial modulation amount, and the CONTROL AMOUNT scales the minimum to maximum modulation sent to a DESTINATION.
NOTE: If you simply want to send a Modulation Source to a Destination with no Control, select Off from the CONTROL menu.
OFF: (A control is not necessary). The SOURCE will directly influence the DESTINATION without being changed by a CONTROL.
PRESSURE: The vertical position of your finger on an Animoog Z key while you're playing, or an incoming MIDI Channel Pressure or Poly Pressure message.
VELOCITY: The initial vertical position of your finger on an Animoog Z key, or the velocity value of an incoming MIDI Note On message.
KEY-PITCH: The pitch value of the voice.
MOD-WHEEL: The global Mod Wheel control to the left of the keyboard, or an incoming MIDI CC#1 message if it wasn't assigned to another control.
PITCH-BEND: The global Pitch Wheel control to the left of the keyboard, or an incoming MIDI Pitch Bend message.
ACCEL-X: The X axis of your iOS device's real-time accelerometer, this allows an iOS device to influence the sound of your preset while physically moving it around.
ACCEL-Y: The Y axis of your iOS device's real-time accelerometer.
ACCEL-Z: The Z axis of your iOS device's real-time accelerometer.
PENCIL-ANGLE: The angle at which an Apple Pencil is held when using it to play the Animoog Z keyboard.
The DESTINATION menu allows you to select a modulation's final DESTINATION. Once selected, your SOURCE and CONTROL will dynamically affect and control the assigned DESTINATION parameter.
Animoog Z presents a lot of DESTINATION options, for convenience they have been organized in two menus. The first one selects the category of the DESTINATION and the second one selects a specific parameter within that category.
This is the full list of Destinations:
FILTER
FREQUENCY
RESONANCE
DRIVE
ENVELOPE
ORBIT/PATH
ORBIT RATE
ORBIT X AMT
ORBIT Y AMT
ORBIT Z AMT
Z MULT
PATH RATE
PATH ORIGIN
LFO 1/2/3
RATE
DELAY
PHASE
SHAPE
PITCH / VOLUME
1 SEMITONE
5 SEMITONES
OCTAVE
VOLUME
THICK
DETUNE
CRUSH
DRIVE
DELAY
TIME
FEEDBACK
MIX
Most Destinations control sound parameters that are specific for a single voice.
Some Destinations in the THICK and DELAY categories are Global Destinations that apply to all the voices. When such a Destination is selection, a new PRIORITY options appears.
The PRIORITY selects which single voice will be selected to provide the SOURCE and/or CONTROL that influences the Global Destination when multiple voices are playing.
OLDEST: The voice that has been playing for the longest amount of time.
NEWEST: The voice that has been playing for the shortest amount of time.
HIGHEST: The voice that has the most SOURCE and CONTROL influence on the DESTINATION.
LOWEST: The voice that has the least SOURCE and CONTROL influence on the DESTINATION.
A parameter that has been selected as a Mod Destination will show an additional pale green circle around its knob, along with a green “M” to the right of the parameter name.
The bright green indicator within this circle indicates the current parameter value based on the modulation that is being applied to that parameter. Clicking the green “M” will switch the view to the MOD page and temporarily show a bright green borders around the Mod Slots affecting that parameter.
Mod Indicators are representative of current Enable/Solo settings.
Sometimes it's helpful to be able to quickly clear all modulations and reset all sources, controllers, destinations and parameters to default values.
When scrolling to the bottom of the MOD panel, you'll notice a CLEAR MODULATIONS button.
Pressing this button will clear all modulations.
Touch EFFECTS in the Toolbar to access the Effects page. The five available effects can be used simultaneously and be individually enabled/disabled with the ON button in each Effect Module.
The arpeggiator plays through currently held notes one at a time with a constant tempo that is related to the master BPM.
UP : Plays through held notes from lowest to highest
UP/DOWN : Plays through held notes from lowest to highest and then in reverse order from highest to lowest, alternately.
ORD : Plays through held notes in the order they were pressed.
RND Plays through held notes in a random, non-repeating order.The four available patterns determine in what order and direction the Arpeggiator plays through held notes.
Determines the number of octaves above the held notes that will play in addition to the held notes.
Allows any notes that are played while the first played note is still held to be added to the arpeggio. The arpeggio will continue to play once held notes are released, but will be replaced once new notes are played.
Determines the rate at which the Arpeggiator will cycle through notes. The notches around the knob indicate Arp rates of 1/4 note, 1/8 note, 1/16 note, and 1/32 note, in order from fully counterclockwise to fully clockwise.
Determines how long a note is held during each Arpeggiator division. For instance, if Gate is at 50% and Division is set to 1/4 note, then each note will play for a duration of 1/8 note and then rest for 1/8 note before cycling to the next note in the Arp. If Gate is set to 100%, then each note will play for a full 1/4 note duration without rest.
The Filter allows for selective removal and emphasis of harmonic content to further shape sounds created with the ASE.
Select a filter TYPE:
LP : a lowpass filter that allows only frequencies below the cutoff frequency to pass.
BP : a band pass filter that allows only frequencies at and around the cutoff frequency to pass.
HP : a high pass filter that allows only frequencies above the cutoff frequency to pass.
Determines the cutoff FREQUENCY of the filter. This is the point at which the filter begins to “work”.
Adjusts the amount of RESONANCE, or emphasis, at the filter’s cutoff frequency. Lower settings create subtle colorations of the sound. Higher settings add strong overtones. At 10, the filter is capable of self-oscillating.
Sets the amount of pre-filter drive from zero to full saturation. This control is modeled after the classic Moog ladder filter design.
NOTE: Unity gain is at “5”. Bipolar modulation of the drive control inverts the signal phase as it passes below zero.
Works in conjunction with the FILTER ENVELOPE found in the ENV/MOD page to influence the FREQUENCY of the FILTER.
Positive settings add the value of the FILTER ENV to the FILTER FREQUENCY, while negative settings remove the value of the FILTER ENV.
NOTE: See the ENV/LFO section for information on the Filter Envelope.
The Thick module provides controls for fattening and widening sounds in different ways.
Creates bit crushing effects with aliasing and digital distortion via bit and sample rate reduction.
Adds analog-style overdrive saturation to the overall output of Animoog’s combined voices.
Works in conjunction with the UNISON setting. When unison voices are added to a sound, this control allows you to detune the pitch of the additional voices. Low settings create classic chorus-like effects, while higher settings create larger intervals. At “10”, the pitch of additional voices are detuned one full octave.
Adds 2 or 4 additional voices to a sound.
NOTE: Unison voices are panned hard left and right.
The Delay effect creates timed repeats of sounds generated by Animoog Z, adding space and rhythmic interest to sounds.
In Echo Mode, the delay operates like a classic delay, with no additional stereo imaging. In Ping-Pong Mode, the delayed repeats alternate between the left and right channels, adding stereo dimension to your patch.
Adjusts the amount of time between when a note is first played and when it is repeated. Lower settings create slap delays and doubling effects, while higher settings create longer echoes.
Sets the delay Time to be a multiple or division of the current BPM.
Sets the amount of audio in the delay line to be fed back into the delay’s input. Low settings create single repeats and short echoes, while higher settings generate long, lush delay trails that decay over time. Higher settings can also create complex textures.
Sets the blend of delayed vs. unaffected sound. The higher the level, the louder the audio from the delay. A setting of “5” sets both at equal volume.
The Looper effect allows for recording, playback, overdubbing, and sharing of live performances.
This control will perform one of three functions, depending on the state of the LOOPER when it is pressed.
If the looper is recording, PLAY/STOP will close the loop and begin playback. If the looper is stopped, PLAY/STOP will play back the previously recorded loop. If the looper is playing, PLAY/STOP will stop playback of the previously recorded loop.
Once a loop is recorded, a green circle will begin to draw itself around the PLAY/STOP button to indicate the real-time playback position of the loop.
Press to begin recording the initial loop. Looper metronome will beep four times and then recording begins. Once you are happy with your loop, press PLAY/STOP to close the initial loop and begin playback.
Pressing RECORD while you're recording will stop recording without automatically starting playback.
Once the initial loop is recorded, additional layers can be recorded with the OVERDUB control. Press OVERDUB while the recorded loop is playing to add your live performance to the loop. Press OVERDUB again to stop overdub recording and continue playback. If OVERDUB is pressed while looper is stopped, it will be armed to begin overdub recording once PLAY/STOP is pressed.
Press to create a copy of the active loop and send it as a WAV file via an app of your choosing (Airdrop, Messages, Notes, etc.)
Erases any audio that is currently stored in the looper.
The Settings Panel provides a collection of utilities that allow for configuring audio, display, MIDI settings, accessing and sharing Animoog Z files, viewing the Manual, and displaying version information.
When this feature is On (highlighted), the RECORD function of the Looper Effect will produce an audible beep on each beat of the initial recording. No beep is heard when recording overdubs.
NOTE: The LOOPER will always provide a four-count before recording begins, regardless of the LOOPER BEEP selection.
When this feature is On (highlighted), Animoog Z will continue to make sound – and consume battery power - while it is running in the background.
NOTE: The BACKGROUND AUDIO setting is only available on iOS
When this feature is On (highlighted), active notes and hold will automatically be released when presets change. When disabled, active notes and hold will remain active between preset changes.
When this feature is On (highlighted and reading ABLETON LINK ENABLED), Animoog Z can match the beat and tempo of other Ableton Link enabled Apps. You can adjust the tempo on one device, and the other linked applications will follow. Players can drop out, stop their performance, restart and fall back in—and still be in sync. With Ableton Link set to DISABLED, Animoog Z will not share timing information with other Ableton Link enabled Apps.
NOTE: When activating Ableton Link, there is an option to turn on in-app notifications. This option will notify you when Apps join or exit your current session.
The BUFFER setting determines how many samples occur between live performance input and audio output. Lower settings result in lower output latency but are more CPU intensive and can result in pops and clicks
NOTE: BUFFER size and SAMPLE RATE settings are not available on iPhone devices
On macOS it's possible to select which audio device to use for playback and recording.
Please note that your Mac's microphone and speaker are treated as different audio devices. In order to record timbres through the microphone while playing back through the speaker, you need to first create an Aggregate Audio Device through the Audio MIDI Setup application that can be found in the Applications > Utilities folder, and then select that Aggregate Audio Device for use.
Determines whether the Mod Wheel and Pitch Wheel are visible in the keyboard area. If disabled, the Mod Strips will disappear and in their place the Keyboard will extend all the way to the left side of the screen.
When this feature is On (highlighted), the Wave Cube will continue to rotate indefinitely after the initial rotation. The speed of the rotation will be the same as the moment fingers are released while using the rotate gesture.
Enables/Disables the Oscilloscope display on the X/Y/Z Grid.
When this feature is On (highlighted), all changes to knobs and switches will display a tooltip with the changed value in the preset name area. Pressing and holding on a knob or switch will display a tooltip with the active value without having to make a change.
Determines whether the WALLS, X/Y Grid, and PATH are visible in the Wave Cube.
These parameters allow Animoog Z to be used effectively with other MIDI devices. They include choosing a port, setting the input and output channels, creating a map to allow for MIDI control over any and all controls, setting up a MIDI connection via Bluetooth, and specifying the range of the Pitch Bend wheel, etc.
Shows the available MIDI input ports configured and recognized by the system. Here you can choose the active MIDI Input port(s).
This parameter determines which MIDI channel will be used to receive data. Tap the CHANNEL box and set your channel by scrolling through the options from OMNI (all Channels); 1-16; or MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression).
This list shows the available MIDI output ports configured and recognized by the system. Here you can choose the active MIDI Output port(s).
This parameter determines which MIDI channel will be used to transmit data. Tap the CHANNEL box and set your channel by scrolling through the options from 1-16; or MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression).
Tapping this button sends an “All Notes Off” command on every MIDI channel. This will clear any ringing notes or hung commands in your MIDI setup.
Tapping this button begins a search for compatible Bluetooth MIDI devices. Available devices will appear in the "Bluetooth Central" window. Select the device you wish to use, then press Done to close the "Bluetooth Central" window.
Tapping this button configures how Animoog Z is advertised as a Bluetooth MIDI device. In the "Bluetooth Peripheral" window you can change the name your device is discoverable as and advertise it to other Bluetooth Devices.
The depth of the effect provided by the PITCH wheel can be set to a musical semitone or Off (no effect) using the RANGE parameter. The value of the Pitch Bend Range parameter can be saved individually with a specific value for each Preset, or a global value can be chosen that will provide the same depth of effect on every Preset. Tap the RANGE value box and scroll to the correct amount.
Enables/disables MIDI Note output messages from the Animoog Z keyboard.
Enables/disables MIDI Note output messages that are generated by the Arpeggiator when it is active, as opposed to from the keyboard keys.
Enables/disables MIDI Polyphonic Pressure output messages from the Animoog Z keyboard.
Enables/disables MIDI Channel Pressure output messages from the Animoog Z keyboard.
Enables/disables MIDI Velocity output messages from the Animoog Z keyboard.
Enables/disables MIDI CC output messages from the Animoog Z panel controls.
Tapping the MAP MIDI option will open a Panel Map showing any current MIDI CC (Continuous Controller) assignments. MIDI CC Mapping is useful if you want to operate Animoog Z from a hardware controller, or for integration with a DAW. By creating and saving a MIDI CC Map, you can specify which MIDI CC numbers will affect which knobs and which features. MIDI CC Maps can be created to optimize a particular Preset for external control, or to provide the highest level of integration with a favored controller. MIDI CC Maps are saved and recalled independently of Presets.
If no MIDI CC is assigned to a specific parameter, the value displayed will be [ - - ]. To make a MIDI CC assignment, simply tap a knob or switch, and then operate the corresponding knob or switch on your MIDI controller. The first MIDI CC number that Animoog Z detects will be assigned to that parameter. Repeat this process for other knobs and switches.
To manually assign a MIDI CC, simply double tap a knob or switch. This will open the basic "MIDI CC Assignment" window. From here, you can enter the desired MIDI CC number. Press SET to save your change.
To edit a MIDI CC assignment, double-tap on a knob or switch with an existing MIDI CC value. This will open the "MIDI CC Assignment" window. From here you can Clear the current value, enter a new CC value, or change between 14-bit and 7-bit resolution. Once you have edited the CC assignment, press SET to save your change.
Revealing the PRESET BROWSER when MAP CCs is active, allows program change numbers to be associated with your presets.
To assign a PROGRAM NUMBER, simply tap on the rectangle to the left of the Preset Name. This will open a window from where you can enter the desired number. Press OK to save your change, or press MIDI LEARN to send the Program Change message from your MIDI device that should be used for this preset.
Pressing the PGM button below the PRESET BROWSER will only display the presets that have a PROGRAM NUMBER assigned.
Tapping the SAVE/LOAD CC MAP option opens a list of all of the available MIDI CC Maps. Choose a MIDI CC Map from the list; the name will become highlighted.
Selecting CLEAR removes all MIDI assignments from the active MIDI CC Map. This way, you can begin building a new MIDI CC Map without having to un-assign any previous assignments individually.
Selecting LOAD will cause the highlighted MIDI CC Map to become the Active MIDI CC Map.
By selecting SAVE, you can add the active MIDI CC Map to the list of available MIDI CC Maps. The "Save the active CC map as?" window will open where you can give the current MIDI CC Map a new name. Name your CC Map and press Save to finish.
Tapping DELETE opens a window confirming that you want to delete the currently selected MIDI CC Map. Press Delete to remove it from the Animoog Z app.
Choosing CANCEL closes the MIDI CC MAPS window.
Tapping the SAVE/LOAD PGM MAP option opens a list of all of the available MIDI PGM Maps. Choose a MIDI PGM Map from the list; the name will become highlighted.
Selecting CLEAR removes all MIDI assignments from the active MIDI PGM Map. This way, you can begin building a new MIDI PGM Map without having to un-assign any previous assignments individually.
Selecting LOAD will cause the highlighted MIDI PGM Map to become the Active MIDI PGM Map.
By selecting SAVE, you can add the active MIDI PGM Map to the list of available MIDI PGM Maps. The "Save the active PGM map as?" window will open where you can give the current MIDI PGM Map a new name. Name your PGM Map and press Save to finish.
Tapping DELETE opens a window confirming that you want to delete the currently selected MIDI PGM Map. Press Delete to remove it from the Animoog Z app.
Choosing CANCEL closes the MIDI PGM MAPS window.
Additional Preset features can be found in this section of the SETTINGS panel.
Tapping NEW PRESET open the "Default" preset.
Tapping RANDOM PRESET generates a new preset through intelligent randomization. Animoog Z even tries to come up with a name for you!
The random Timbres are selected from the list of Timbres that are displayed in the right column of the TIMBRES panel.
By default, all SELECTIVE LOADING options are On (highlighted), meaning when a preset is loaded, the parameters of all Animoog Z's modules are replaced when the preset changes.
By turning individual options Off (not highlighted), loading the parameters of specific modules can be disabled. This offers a convenient way to reuse elements of presets without having to manually replicate a collection of parameter settings.
ORBS: enable or disable loading all parameters on the ORBS panel, including the path
TIMBRES: enable or disable loading the 8 timbres
ENVELOPES: enable or disable loading envelope parameters
LFOS: enable or disable loading all LFO parameters
MODS: enable or disable the entire modulation matrix
EFFECTS: enable or disable loading all effects parameters
TEMPO: enable or disable loading the tempo
If you have enabled iCloud Drive on your device, then the Presets, Timbres and CC Maps you have created will also be saved here. Presets, Timbres and MIDI CC Maps saved to iCloud can easily be reloaded into the Animoog Z app.
This option opens a list of the available iCLOUD PRESETS. Select any Preset from this list and it will instantly become the active Preset. Dragging Left on any Preset name on iOS or right-clicking with a mouse on macOS will reveal the Delete (X) icon. Tap on the Delete Icon to remove it from the iCLOUD PRESET list.
This option opens a list of the available iCLOUD Timbres. Select any Timbres from this list and it will instantly become the active Timbre. Dragging Left on any Timbre name on iOS or right-clicking with a mouse on macOS will reveal the Delete (X) icon. Tap on the Delete Icon to remove it from the iCLOUD Timbre list.
This option opens a list of the available iCLOUD CC MAPS. Select any CC Map from this list and it will instantly become the active CC Map. Dragging Left on any CC Map name on iOS or right-clicking with a mouse on macOS will reveal the Delete (X) icon. Tap on the Delete Icon to remove it from the iCLOUD CC MAPS list.
This option opens a list of the available iCLOUD PROGRAM CHANGE MAPS. Select any Program Change Map from this list and it will instantly become the active Program Change Map. Dragging Left on any Program Change Map name on iOS or right-clicking with a mouse on macOS will reveal the Delete (X) icon. Tap on the Delete Icon to remove it from the iCLOUD PROGRAM CHANGE MAPS list.
Select this option to share the currently active Preset using AirDrop, Mail, and other messaging services.
Select this option to share the currently active Preset and Timbres (and the WAV files within them) using AirDrop, Mail, and other messaging services.
Select this option to share the currently active MIDI CC Map using AirDrop, Mail, and other messaging services.
Select this option to share the currently active MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE Map using AirDrop, Mail, and other messaging services.
Select this option to share a ZIP file of all the PRESETS that are displayed in the Preset Panel using AirDrop, Mail, and other messaging services.
Select this option to share a ZIP file of all the Timbres that are displayed in the right column of the TIMBRES Panel using AirDrop, Mail, and other messaging services.
Tap here to open the online version of this manual.
Tap here to view the current software version and information regarding the Animoog Z App.
Animoog Z includes full support for AUv3, which allows it to be used as a plugin within applications that support AUv3.
All parameters for each Animoog Z instance are saved within the host project, so it is not necessary to create a preset for the sound of each plugin instance.
Animoog Z also provides the "Animoog Z Effect" plugin that can be used to record and process sound from other sources.
When using Animoog Z as an effect plugin on a channel, the audio from other synthesizers or sound sources can be captured in the TIMBRE EDITOR when using the RECORD feature.
This provides a limitless collection of sounds that can be recorded in perfect quality without having to use an external audio interface.
When using Animoog Z as an effect plugin, the CONFIGURATION > AUDIO settings has an additional PROCESS AUDIO INPUT option.
When turned On (highlighted), the plugin audio will be directed through the EFFECTS of Animoog Z, turning the synthesizer into an Effect Processor.
AU hosts can run any number of other plugins alongside Animoog Z, which can cause CPU overload. To maximize performance, each AU host features a “buffer size” setting. Higher settings will increase system processing capabilities while also increasing latency. Lower settings will decrease latency while also increasing your CPU load. Running too many plugins at too low a buffer size will overload the processing capabilities of your device. When this happens, an audible crackling will occur and the number of plugins must be reduced or your buffer size increased.
Exploring Animoog Z can be a rewarding experience, regardless of your level of synthesizer expertise. But to understand the synthesizer, it's a good idea to know a few things about sound, too.
The sounds we hear are vibrations in the air, caused by a vibrating source such as the string of a guitar, the reed of a clarinet, or the column of air in a flute. One of the things that makes each sound different is the speed at which it vibrates; this frequency determines the pitch of the sound, or the note. Now, obviously a flute and a guitar and a clarinet playing the same note at the same frequency don’t all sound alike, so there is more to it than that.
In addition to pitch, another factor is how the sound behaves over time. A note played on the guitar will begin to die away almost immediately. The flute and the clarinet will continue to sound as long as the player breathes air into the instrument. And while the guitar can continue to sound as it dies away, the flute and clarinet cease to sound right as the airflow stops. This change in dynamics over time is referred to as the loudness contour.
The last thing we can look at is the tonal content of the sound itself. In musical terms, this is called the timbre (pronounced tam’–br, as in tambourine, not tim’–br, as in a tree falling). Each instrument produces a different waveform, and different waveforms carry a different harmonic content. The flute in our example is very close to a pure sine wave, with little or no overtones. But the clarinet and guitar each have a much more complex waveform, with a distinctive harmonic content. By understanding the pitch, the contour, and the harmonic content of a sound, we can learn how to use the synthesizer more effectively.
Every synthesizer – even an integrated synthesizer such as Animoog Z – is at heart a collection of individual modules. Each module contains specific circuitry to control a certain aspect of the sound being created.
The sound-generating circuitry has no physical moving parts like a guitar string or a clarinet reed. Instead, the Animoog Z oscillators create a digital signal that changes direction very rapidly. Connected to a loudspeaker, that digital signal is converted into an analog signal and then moves the speaker to create the sound we hear. How smoothly the signal changes direction determines the waveform, or wave shape, which in turn determines the harmonic content.
Animoog Z provides a low-pass “ladder” filter design. Even though each waveform has a distinct harmonic content, using the filter changes that content by selectively removing some of the upper harmonics, which carry a higher frequency. Lowering the FREQUENCY of the Filter will cause more upper harmonic content to be filtered out.
The high-pass mode filters out lower harmonic content, while the band-pass mode focuses on a narrow band around the Frequency and filters out both lower and upper harmonics.
The Envelope controls determine how the sound changes over time. The AMP ENV determines how the amplitude, or volume, of the sound changes over time – how fast the sound comes on (Attack Time); how fast the sound falls (Decay Time) to a preset level (Sustain Level) and how the sound dies out after the key, or note is released. The FILTER ENV has the same parameters, but they are used to control the FREQUENCY of the Filter over time, and not the amplitude.
Modulation paths allow the synthesizer modules to interact with one another to create more complex sounds. In addition, dedicated Modulation sources can be assigned to the Modulation controls, and freely introduced as part of a performance.
Animoog’s ASE expands on wavetable synthesis and vector synthesis by using 8 Timbres with 16 waveforms as the X/Y Grid over which Comets dynamically move in space.
Each Comet cross-fades between four waveforms based on the Comet's position.
The selected cross-faded waveforms are:
When a Comet reaches the edge of the Grid, the Grid wraps around and uses the waveforms at the opposite sides.
Animoog Z goes beyond a single horizontal X/Y Grid with a second vertical X/Z Grid that uses the same 8 Timbres, but is instead pivoted upwards by 90 degrees. The X/Y Grid and X/Z Grid meet at the furthest edge of the X/Y Grid. As a Comet moves upwards in the Z direction it cross-fades between the sound of the X/Y Grid and the sound of the X/Z Grid, adding another dimension of dynamic waveshaping.
A number of navigational and keyboard-based shortcut commands can be accessed using pull-down menus found at Apple bar at the top edge of the screen. These shortcuts include preset functions, view actions, panel selection, undo and redo, looper control and the ability to play notes from the typing keyboard.
TIP: When connecting a typing keyboard to your iOS device, press and hold the Command key to see an overview of all supported keyboard shortcuts on iOS
Here you will also find the commands for using playing the Animoog Z directly from your typing keyboard.
TIP: While not available through the menus, you can tap the SPACE BAR repeatedly to set the BPM
Before proceeding to transfer Presets and Timbres from the original Animoog, please make sure that you're using at least Animoog version 2.4.20 on iPad and at least Animoog for iPhone version 1.3.11 on iPhone. These versions and later have been updated with support for the iOS Files app, allowing all Animmog's Presets and Timbres to be easily accessible.
Please follow the steps outlined below to transfer all your Animoog Presets and Timbres to Animoog Z:
Animoog Z v1.0.1 and later added Drag & Drop support for importing ZIP files with Presets and Timbres.
Launch the Files App on your iOS device and navigate to "On My iPad". Find the Animoog icon, press and hold, and select Compress from the popup menu. This packages up all the Presets and Timbres into a ZIP file.
Press, hold and drag the ZIP archive in the Files app.
Keep that finger pressed to continue dragging the ZIP archive.
Swipe on the home indicator with another finger until Animoog Z is the active app.
When Animoog Z is in the foreground, release your first finger and drop the ZIP archive.
The import process is intelligent in that it will detect exact duplicates that will be skipped and will detect duplicate file names that have differing content, and rename the imported Preset or Timbre to preserve the original one.
When all the Presets and Timbres in the ZIP file finished importing, Animoog Z will display a summary of the import operation.
Launch the Files App on your iOS device and navigate to "On My iPad". Find the Animoog icon, press and hold, and select Compress from the popup menu. This packages up all the Presets and Timbres into a ZIP file.
When your iOS device has finished creating the ZIP file, press and hold it, and select Share from the popup menu.
Animoog Z will be part of the options presented in the next menu, if you can't see it immediately, swipe leftwards on the row of app icons until you see "More...". This will bring you to the full list of applications on your iOS device that support opening ZIP files.
Press on the Animoog Z icon to share the ZIP file to Animoog Z.
Animoog Z will launch automatically and ask if it should proceed to import the ZIP archive you shared.
The import process is intelligent in that it will detect exact duplicates that will be skipped and will detect duplicate file names that have differing content, and rename the imported Preset or Timbre to preserve the original one.
When all the Presets and Timbres in the ZIP file finished importing, Animoog Z will display a summary of the import operation.
Should you experience any issues with your Animoog Z application, please contact appsupport@moogmusic.com