THANK YOU

We’re all riding the wave of some pretty amazing

synth history here… and I gured it’s high time to
give back to the community that’s been awesome
to me.

So here’s ZYKLØP — the little sibling to MYTH

and an absolute blast in a tiny package. Best of
all, it’s free, which means no strings attached,
just pure sonic fun.

Dig in, get weird, and make some noise — after

all, isn’t that what this is all about?

All the best

ZYKLØP is a free synth plugin by Dawesome.
Peter (Dawesome)
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MYTH
You may have guessed it already ...
ZYKLØP is MYTH’s fun, free-spirited
little sister.

Why you might want to go Mythical:

‣ Two Eyes, not just one

‣ 900+ presets
‣ True stereo re-synthesis
‣ More modules, 6 per section
‣ Two separate FX sections
‣ Macros & advanced modulation system
‣ 24-voice polyphony

ZYKLØP’s a blast ...

but if you’re ready to go big, “Myth” is where it’s at! MYTH is available via tracktion.com
CONTENT
The Basics Modulation System Modules Special Functions
Getting started Modulate Parameters Analog Filters Mono Mode
The Setup Modulation Sources Comb and Resonator CPU Performance
Overview Modulation Modules Wave Generator Preset Packs
Browse & Play Modulation: Keytrack Sweet / J-60
Save Presets Modulation Matrix Clouds / Reverb / Shimmer
Loophole General
The Sections Grains FAQ / Troubleshooting
The IRIS Orbit Credits / Thank you
Transformers OTT About Dawesome
Re-Synthesis FM Dawesome Village
Signal Flow RM
Modules Saturation / Distortion
FX Section AM
ARP Section Trans
GETTING STARTED TIP
This involves two steps:

1 Install the software

This is straight forward: download the right installer for your system:
For example: Zyklop_1.00.pkg for Mac or Zyklop_1.00.exe for Win. ZYKLØP has built-in help. You can
You can start the installer with double-click. de-/activate it with the question
mark ? in the lower left corner.

When you hover over any element

2 Have fun! with the mouse you will see a
Open as many instances of ZYKLØP in your DAW short explanation.
as your mom will let you
 THE SETUP
The word SETUP may not sound very sexy, Click the gear symbol
but this is really important. to choose a pre-
de ned setup.
Nowadays there are a variety of midi-controllers
to choose from, and these come with different You can also save the
methods for expression, e.g., velocity, mod- current setup.
wheel, MPE, aftertouch.
You can also con gure
This creates a problem: the sound designer who freely to your speci c
created presets most likely used a different needs. Right-click to
controller than you. choose the midi input for
the main expression-
ZYKLØP addresses this via the SETUP. You just inputs
need to tell ZYKLØP what kind of expressive
midi data is sent by your controller. You can then give this
con guration a name and
use the SETUP menu to
store it.
CAUTION
Important point: this information is stored for
the plugin, not with the preset. Hence you TIP
need to choose your SETUP only once, and
then you can browse presets and they will There are two different pre-de ned
always match to your controller. setups for the OSMOSE. The rst one
has E2 = PRESS and E3 = SLIDE.
The second one uses an input source
called OSMOSE which combines
PRESS and SLIDE to one gesture.
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 THE SETUP - for Sound Designers TIP

Acoustic music instruments do not simply switch notes on and off - the 1. For E1 you should always assume Midi-Velocity
performer usually plays notes with expression.
2. Increasing E2 should increase the perceived
How this is performed and how this sounds is different from instrument intensity of the sound - in most controllers
to instrument. On a piano you vary the speed and force when hitting a increasing E2 means that you apply more force.
key, on a wind instrument you control the speed and pressure of the air It feels very unnatural if applying more physical
ow and the size of the oral cavity. force leads to a softer tone.

3. On the OSMOSE the SLIDE is activated by

pressing the key further down. That means that
ZYKLØP uses three speci c modulation
E3 increases only once E2 reached its
sources for expressive playing:
maximum. Hence E2 should not create
complete tonal mess if you want to offer E3
E1 - for NOTE-ONSET expression

E2 - for expression via INTENSITY

E3 - for expressing with TIMBRE Some examples of typical controller setups that you can nd in the wild:
The SETUP mechanism of ZYKLØP allows you to make sounds that
How the musician physically performs the translates from your setup to the users setup.
expression depends on their midi controller -
hence this is con gured here in the SETUP. Midi MPE OSMOSE User A User B ...
This is the same for all presets.
E1 Vel Vel Vel ModW Vel
How the preset reacts to the expressive midi E2 ModW Press Press Pedal 1 ModW ...
data and how the sound is affected by it are
saved as part of the preset. E3 Pedal Slide ModW Pedal 2 PitchBend
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OVERVIEW UNDO and REDO of
last operation
Go to next or previous patch
of your current selection.
More info here.
Click to save the patch. Turns
red if there are unsaved Choose a random
changes. More info here. preset.

Main menu ☰ Randomise the

preset. Press
longer for more
Click the cogwheel changes.
to change the SETUP

To get the most out of

ZYKLØP you need to tell The IRIS is a core piece of
her what kind of midi the synthesis engine. You
setup you are using. can drag and drop samples
here to re-synthesize them.
It's explained in detail as explained here.
here.

The modulation sources

used in the preset. TRANSFORMERS
Explained here. are used to shape
the sound as
explained here.

You can enter notes for

your preset.

You can drag and drop

the last played notes as
audio from here.
The UI is resizable. Drag
to shrink or expand
Click to enable or The virtual keyboard ZYKLØP offers various The ZYKLØP engine has
disable tooltips displays incoming MODULES, these are multiple SECTIONS -
midi notes explained here. explained here.
 The burger menu ☰ Click the star symbol to

BROWSE & PLAY offers quick access to a

speci c preset.
add the current preset to
your favorites.

The easiest way to

browse presets is to use
the < and > buttons. This
always refers to the
current selection of
presets you made on the
Click to switch to a preset.
browse tab.

Click on the star symbol to

Click BROWSE to open add a preset to your favorites.
the browse tab - this can
be used to lter for a
Right-click for a few more
speci c subset of presets
options.
as explained on the next
page.

In the BROWSE tab

there are up to four
lters. The rst two are
for PACKS and their
subdirectories.

Afterwards you can add

up to two more lters.

As displaced here, only presets

from an AROVANE folder are
selected.

Only presets that are You can specify the You can also lter with full text.
tagged as COLD pass sorting order. Below you can set which text
this lter. areas should be looked at.
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SAVE PRESETS Click to change the
name of the preset
Click to choose a different
subdirectory for saving TIP
Via the ☰ symbol, you can reveal
the directory where the user
presets are stored. Use this to
create new subfolders to
organize your presets.

The SAVE button indicates

with red colour if there are
unsaved changes.

When you click SAVE a

special window opens.
TIP

Sometimes it's hard to come up

with a good name. Click on the
symbol to invent a name.

Review and/or edit your Right-click will provide you with a

preset notes. list of ten different name options.
Often these names are not
perfect, but spark a good idea.

Close the window

without saving the When you hit VERSIONIZE a
This button appears if a preset
preset. The tags and number will be added to the
with the same name already
preset notes are stored preset name to avoid
exists.
internally and are not overwriting the existing preset.
discarded.
 SOUND DESIGN - INTRO TIP

The IRIS is not a sampler - instead you Modulate the BLUE

should better think of it as an oscillator transformer with a
derived from an audio source. smacky ADSR such that
you have no BLUE at
Oscillators need to have a lot of overtones attack and during decay
that can be ltered afterwards with a lter in it adds more and more
subtractive synthesis, or to be used as an blue. In this way you can
exciter for physical modelling. shape natural sounding
transients.
Hence you will often hear, that the IRIS rst
sounds very harsh and noisy. This is by
design ... and you will see: this is your friend!

TIP

You can also keep the

"harsh" sound (or even
make it stronger with the
transformers) and then
TIP TIP use its power to drive a
MODAL or RESO
Use the BLUE transformer to make the Hold a key on your controller and module. You can drag
IRIS softer. Then you can use the other now you can click and drag on the and drop your own
transformers to add new overtones. Why IRIS to nd a sweet spot. Or samples to use as
is this useful? You can now modulate the modulate the POS for example with timbres - an easy route
various colours of your sound! an ADSR or a LFO to physical modeling.
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 The IRIS is a representation of
a sound source as a loop.
Drag and drop your own
THE IRIS samples onto the IRIS The start and end of the sample
are at the12 o'clock position.
In classical synthesis, oscillator waves are
mostly static and you add lters and
modulators to “program” variations that make The play position
the sound interesting. for each note is
indicated with a
ZYKLØP offers a paradigm shift: it uses turquoise line.
machine learning to analyse your sound
material and approximate it with a synthesis You can click-and-
engine displayed as an IRIS. drag the IRIS while
playing to change
The inherent variations and richness of the the position.
sample and its temporal changes can now be
exploited and transformed.

Instead of “programming” sounds you create

sounds by exploration and tweaking knobs.
Of course - you can also add classical LFOs,
envelopes or lters as much as you
want. Just ... you will rarely feel the need!

TIP
TIP
Often, you’ll want to modulate the play position
with an LFO. You can right-click the IRIS and
The easiest way to tweak an existing preset:
choose SET AND USE LFO from the context
just drop your own samples onto the IRIS!
menu. This will set the RATE of the LFO to match
the duration of the sample and create a
modulation of the POS by the LFO.
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 The position of the
TRANSFORMERS "playhead" on the
IRIS. The value range
Animates the sound.
Large values detune
TIP
Transformers work as simple as the is two complete turns. the sound.
FM synthesis sounds great - but
cutoff dial of a lter - they modify the "algorithms" and "operators" are
sound and can be modulated. not your cup of tea? In ZYKLØP
FM Amount FM Brightness FM Inharmonics you simply apply FM as you
would apply a lter.

Gain FM adds overtones - and this can

lead to pretty harsh tones. If you
want softer FM you should use a
good amount of PURE

Stereo-Width

L/R panning

SYNC DIRT
SAW STRING BRASS SQ PURE
Stems from analog Creates sick noise
Transforms Transforms Transforms Transforms Spectrally removes partials until
synthesis where from your input.
the audio as the audio as the incoming the incoming only the strongest partials are
two oscillators are Can be great in
if it were if it were audio as if it audio as if it left.
synced. Here the itself, or to excite
created with created with were created were the
nonlinear- either the comb-
an analog the physics with the output of a
synthesis engine lter or the modal
SAW wave of a string physics of a square-wave
creates a similar lter.
oscillator ensemble brass osc.
instrument effect.
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 RE-SYNTHESIS
When you drop audio onto the IRIS,
machine learning is used to re-synthesize
the sample in a special way. =
ZYKLØP approximates your sample by
nding the optimal combination of four Each of the four internal
static sounds whose volume is controlled oscillators of the IRIS is
by an envelope curve. capable of creating any
static sound.
Each of the envelopes is a
MSEG with up to 500 Together these are
segments. represented as an IRIS

WTF
WTF changes the volume of
all four internal oscillators at
the same time. TIP
There are two more transformers.
If you turn it left, the brightest Like all the other
oscillators are faded out. If you transformers - everything
These don't act on the audio stream
turn it right, the darkest can be modulated and
like the other transformers, instead
oscillators are. automated.
they change the temporal evolution.

SMOOTH
This simpli es the envelope
curve, making it smoother.
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RE-SYNTHESIS ALGOS
You import audio by drag and drop onto
the IRIS.

The original re-synthesis algorithm V1

was optimised to extract timbral changes,
but it is not very faithful to the original
timbre in many cases.

The V2 re-synthesis algorithm, optimised Drop audio here for the new re-synthesis Drop audio here for the classic re-synthesis
to preserve the characteristics of the algorithm. algorithm.
source material.
This algorithm preserves the original The appearance of an IRIS and its playhead
timbre and offers multiple playback will differ depending on which re-synthesis
modes. style was used.
PLAYBACK MODES TIP
If your IRIS was imported with the new
re-synthesis algorithm you can choose Changing the playback mode is
between four playback modes. fast and simple, and sometimes a
different playback mode gives you
pleasant surprises.

Works great on wavetables This is the "general purpose"

and typical synth sounds. mode for acoustic instruments
or voice.
You can export wavetables
from any wavetable synth with Also gives good results at very
note F, -1 octave and -23 cents slow speeds.
These settings usually give
good results in ZYKLØP.

Gives very interesting result on This mode tries to atten out

some sources, for example pitch changes.
drum loops.
If the signal does not contain a
clear pitch, is inharmonic, noisy
or the weather conditions are bad
the results may not be what you
expect.
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SIGNAL FLOW

The IRIS, OSC and FILTER sections are per voice The voices are summed and feed into the FX
MODULES The menu ☰ symbol offers
multiple functions. For example,
Drag and drop a module by its
Click on the + symbol to add
name label to re-order. You can
you can reset a module to its also revoke a module by another module. Each section
Modular synthesis can be very exible, but defaults or save the state as a can have up to 3 modules.
dragging it out of view.
also can get very complex with all the cables. named "sub-preset" for this
module

ZYKLØP offers modules for great exibility

and sound shaping. The system takes
inspiration from classical pedal boards -
where the effects are simply chained.

Enable / disable the entire Click on any tab to

chain by clicking on switch to the
currently displayed
section.

The menu ☰ symbol offers

multiple functions. For example,
you can remove all modules
with one click, or you can save /
restore the entire section as a
"sub-preset".

TIP
All parameters can be automated in Every section has its own assortment of available
your DAW or modulated within modules. Some modules don't make sense for
ZYKLØP as explained here. polyphonic material and hence are not available
in the FX sections. Some are too CPU expensive
to be rendered per voice and hence are not
available in the OSC and FILTER sections.
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FX SECTION The SEND parameter
determines how much of
The IRIS, OSC and FILTER sections are per the signal is fed into the
FX section.
voice. After the lter section the output of all
voices gets summed and fed into FX section.

TIP

The SEND dials are PER

VOICE. You can use this for
example to modulate this
parameter with an ADSR, such
that the note onset is not sent
into the FX to stay sharp and
dry.

The OUT section has a

LIMITER that can also be
CAUTION
used for sound shaping.
You should ALWAYS put
The -6dB switch reduces a fast brick-wall limiter
the outgoing signal by -6dB. behind your synth when
you are doing sound
design to protect your
ears!
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 The SCALE device allows you to choose
ARP SECTION which pitch classes are part of the scale.
You can choose from plenty of pre-
de ned scales by clicking on the burger
The ARP section processes the incoming midi menu ☰. You can de ne your own scales
data and offers a couple of midi-modules. The ARP module takes all notes
that are currently played (either on by clicking on the circles.
the keyboard or through the
CHORD module) as an input for an
The CHORD module takes one arpeggio. GATE speci es the
input note and creates multiple duration of the notes. OCT adds
transposed notes from it. For octavated copies. There are
example, here the CHORD will multiple modes to choose when the
produce the original incoming ARP should re-trigger.
note T, one note 3 semi-tones The TRANS module can be used
above, one note 7 semi-tones to transpose the midi-notes
above and one note that is one either by octaves or by semi-
octave below the incoming note. tones.

In this way you can play entire

chords with one nger.
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 MODULATE PARAMETERS

Modulating a parameter is really simple: click

on the parameter to select it. The corners
show that this parameter is selected.
Click and drag a DIAL or SLIDER
to change the value. You can drag
Once a parameter is selected its name shows horizontally or vertically.
up on top of the modulators.

Now you can choose the depth of

modulation for the selected parameter
by dragging the circle next to the
modulator.
When a parameter is modulated the
In this example LFO 1 has a positive coloured ring indicates the current
in uence on CUTOFF. The value. Every parameter can have as
KEYTRACK has no in uence, and many modulations as you want. The
high values of MAIN ADSR will reduce modulations are added together.
the CUTOFF.

TIP
When holding SHIFT you can ne-
The modulation sources tune values.
are listed in the right
sidebar of ZYKLØP. Double click resets the parameter to
its default value.
You can RIGHT-CLICK on a modulator
to remove it and to show all parameters
that are modulated by this modulator.
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 MODULATION SOURCES TIP TIP
You can create and edit steps based
With a few modulations you can turn any
on the grid with SHIFT-CLICK or
boring sound into something that sounds
Click to select a modulation source. RIGHT-CLICK.
alive and interesting. Almost any parameter
You can now edit the settings in the
in ZYKLØP can be modulated.
detail page.

You can also modulate the parameters of

the Modulators. For example, you can
modulate the rate of one LFO with another
LFO. This allows you to setup complex,
chaotic movements in your sound.

For special purposes you can add

modules here. This works exactly like the
"normal" modules - they modify the
incoming modulation signal.
Click to choose from multiple pre-
de ned waveforms for the LFO.

TIP
You can also save and restore your
LFO curves here as a "subpreset".

In POLY mode each note played has Click here to choose a

its own LFO. Otherwise there is one different grid for snapping.
shared LFO for all notes.
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 MODULATION MODULES TIP
You can chain multiple JIT
You can shape the modulation sources with modules with different settings to
these little modules. This can be very create unique random patterns.

powerful - this is like CV modules in modular JIT adds random uctuations to

synthesizers. the signal. You can set the
RATE of how often the random
value changes and the AMT of
randomness added to the
incoming signal.
With SOFT you can apply
smoothing of the signal. You
can set the time it takes to
RISE the signal, and the time it
takes to adopt to a FALL of the VISU is a visualizer for the
incoming signal. NOTE-RANDOM creates a
CURVE allows you to shape modulation signal. Each note's
new random value at note-on
the signals characteristic from signal is represented with a
and holds it for the entire note.
linear to exponential or dot.
logarithmic.

POS is an "extension"
module for the LFO. It
allows you to add an
offset to the LFO
position. Of course,
this OFFSET can be
modulated, e.g. by the
LFO itself ... there are
no limits.
AMT simply scales the
amplitude of the signal.
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MODULATION: KEYTRACK

TIP
KEYTRACK takes the
In the example I draw a random
note input and uses a
curve around center. This can now be
curve to determine the used to modulate DETUNE of the
output signal. OSC - in this way every note has its
own slight imperfections. Techniques
like this can breathe a lot of life into
your sounds.
MODULATION MATRIX
Sometimes it's useful to see an overview of
all modulations in the preset. For this purpose You can adjust the This column shows the This column shows the
click on MOD to bring the MODULATION modulation depth parameter that gets section that the
MATRIX up. directly here in the modulated. You can modulated parameter
matrix. click the parameter to belongs to.
"jump" to the parameter
in the UI and select it.
This column lists the
modulation sources.
If the modulated
parameter is from a
Click on the X to module, then the
remove a modulation. module name is showed
here.

Click on MOD to bring

up the modulation
matrix.
 MODULE: ANALOG FILTERS
There are multiple lters that use
virtual analog modeling.

This is a classical 4-pole ladder design

The LPF (LOWPASS) that can be con gured to work as a
module has multiple lowpass, highpass, bandpass or
classical low pass modules bandstop (notch) lter.
with very different sound
characteristics ranging from It can be run in a dual con guration
clean to dirty and screaming. with two lters either parallel or serial.
The OFFSET parameter determines
TRACK turned fully right the difference between the two
shifts the CUTOFF CUTOFF values.
frequency with the note you
play.

TIP

Put the lter into self-oscillating mode

by using high resonance to use it as
a generator. Turn TRACK fully right.
To tune, add a sine generator after
the lter (WAVES module) and tune
the CUTOFF by ear.
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 RESO is a resonator with a xed
MODULE: COMB and RESONATOR pitch. This is great to add character
to a sound
The RESONATOR module uses a so PITCH transposes the entire
lterbank lower or higher.
called "modal lterbank" - 32 bandpass
lters in parallel. This lterbank can be
"trained" by any sample via drag-and- TIP
RESO controls how easily
drop. The fun starts when you use your
the resonators respond and
A comb lter is a speci c kind of own samples to train the modal lter
how long they "ring".
resonator, often used for classic bank - you can simply drag-and-drop
a sample. ZYKLØP will derive a
physical modeling. " ngerprint" that is saved with the
preset, access to the source sample
is not needed.

HARM in uences the TRACK can be set to full - and the

inharmonics in the signal. lterbank will follow the pitch of the
incoming notes

DAMP lowpass lters the

feedback path. INHARM can be used to add in-
harmonics to the sound.

FB sets the amount of

feedback. It can be positive or Click here to train the lterbank to
negative feedback, which has a speci c sample.
a different sound.

There are two modes:

CLASSIC is the normal mode.
PHYSIS has a different tonal character,
and the FB behaves differently.
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MODULE: WAVE You can SPREAD the TIP
unison voices in the stereo
The WAVE module generates classic panorama. Use two WAVE modules and one
"vintage" synth waveforms with up to LPF module, and you have a two-
5x unison. It acts like an analog OSC analog modeled synth.
oscillator
You can use the IRIS to add dirt and
OCT transposes some of grit to make the sound more organic.
You can DETUNE the the unison voices by
octave(s) You can also create your own super-
unison voices. For saw by using one or two WAVE
example you can use this modules and high unison.
to create super-saws.
RAND randomizes the
phase at note-on.
Activate this to avoid a
UNI chooses the amount "zip" like start of the
of unison voices. wave.

PM is pulse-width modulation for

MIX blends in the the SQUARE wave. For TRI and
generated wave with the SINE it distorts the phase to make
original signal. For the waveform more sawlike.
example you can chain 2 For NOISE it is a temporal bit-
WAVE modules for 10x crushing effect.
unison.

You can transpose the

You can choose the oscillator by +-2 octaves.
waveform: SAW,
SQUARE, TRI, SINE
and NOISE.
MODULE: SWEET / J-60 The JUNO 60 is an iconic vintage synth
from Roland (Wikipedia). It contained a
special chorus effect which became its
These modules can be used to add a signature sound. The J-60 module in
subtle or not so subtle chorus effect. ZYKLØP is a virtual analog model inspired
by this chorus.

It is a cheat-code, as it can make almost

everything sound better.

SWEET will make most sounds

just ... sweeter. Used with subtle
amount it can give a very modern
and velvety sound.

High values of SUGAR create

Ligeti-like detunings for an eerie or
haunting sound character.

Simply the amount of the

effect applied.
 MODULE: CLOUDS + REVERB + SHIMMER
There are three different types of REVERB REVERB is a simple vintage
modules available. reverb inspired by the 80s
algorithmic reverbs.

CLOUDS is inspired by a reverb

plugin called CLOUDSEED by
Valdemar Erlingsson
It's great for epic ambient reverbs
with long or even endless tails.

SHIMMER is a shimmer effect. It

TIP uses a pitch shifter within a
feedback loop and can create
If you nd a nice setting you angel-like clouds of sound, but
can save / restore it via the also dark or dissonant textures.
burger menu ☰
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MODULE: LOOPHOLE TIP

LOOPHOLE is inspired by a
LOOPHOLE consists of six parallel micro-
plugin called Weeping Wall by
loopers with incommensurable delay times.
Aqeel Aadam, which has
much more functionality and
It's very much fun ... you can take something
works great on synths and
plain (like a sine), and use a LOOPHOLE keys as well as on other
module. Just by playing a few notes and acoustic instruments like
tweaking some transformers with the mouse guitar.
you will get interesting sound textures. Activate for REVERSE
playback.

DECAY on full will loop

forever, but new audio
material is also slowly
With low DENSE you get fed into it
stuttering echoes.

With high DENSE and

DECAY you create very
organic "freezes"
MODULE: GRAINS
This is basically the SWARM mode of the
plugin LOVE as a module. Each grain gets its own tuning. This
parameter controls how much the
tuning is offset. High values create
GLITT sets the probability that a grain is Ligeti-like clouds of dissonances.
pitched an octave up (turn right) or down
(turn left). In center position all grains are
played back at their original octave.

JIT adds randomness to the grain creation. CALM controls the grain duration from very
With low values the grains play at a steady short to very long and also the grain
rate, with high values it is chaotic. density. Turn fully right for smooth sound
and long tail.

Simply the amount of the

effect applied.
 HOW IT WORKS
MODULE: ORBIT FLUX can be used to add
inharmonics to the sound. If you happen to own the KULT
ORBIT is a new type of modulation synthesizer you can use a sine OSC
effect. It shares similarity with (analog) Technically this works by and then apply FM or AM. You will
ring modulation and frequency adding a xed frequency to see that this transforms the signal
modulation, but has its own unique the moon’s orbiting speed - trajectory by adding curves and
this desynchronizes the spirals.
character.
orbits of the celestial
The orbit modulation interprets the
bodies.
incoming signal as a planet orbiting
the sun. It then adds a moon to this
planet and follows the moons
trajectory. This new trajectory is then
transformed back to sound.

Like a real moon, its orbits around

Sonically behaves in a the planet can be circular or elliptical,
similar way as the RATIO CHAR - the ORBIT effect is as well as centered or off-center. This
of classical FM. most pronounced in center can be chosen with the modes.
position. There are two
Technically it controls the different ways to tone down
ratio between the the effect by either turning
frequency of the moon right or left.
orbits to the frequency of
the planet orbiting the Technically this in uences
sun (see explanation to the ratio between the sun-
the right) planet distance and the
planet-moon distance. There are three different
modes - each with its
own sonic character. You
don't need to understand
the theory behind this,
but it's explained here.
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 MODULE: OTT
OTT stands for Over-The-Top and has become a
standard technique in modern electronic music.

This module is a multiband-compressor and can

be used to add texture, punch or saturation to a
MAIN/MID MAIN/MID MAIN/MID Separate
signal.
applies to applies to applies to dials for
the entire the low end the high each of the
Its available in the OSC and FILTER section - and mid end and bands.
frequency
hence you can use this per voice. range. range. mid range.
Separate Separate
dial for high dial for low
range. range.

Turned to the LEFT this is

(aggressive) upwards CAUTION
Turned to the RIGHT this
compression: silent signals is "normal" downwards
are made louder. This can When you turn a dial to
compression: loud signals
be used to bring up texture the left it is doing upwards
are reduced to compress
in the sound or bring out the signal. Gives punch. compression. That is:
silent parts like tails. silent signals get dramatic
ampli cation. Be careful
with very silent tails when
you put the OTT in the FX
section.
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 TIP
MODULE: FM
To best understand this module feed
FM uses the incoming signal to it with something simple, e.g. a sine
modulate a low frequency sine wave. wave. You can use the INIT preset for
This can be used to create metallic and this.
inharmonic tones, to add sharp
overtones, or to animate a static signal.
SPREAD can be
used to treat the
LEFT and RIGHT
channels
differently. This
TIP
can range from
subtle to wild. Unless you are seeking a rough and
sharp sound chaining a J-60 chorus or
a SWEET module can work wonders!
The incoming signal
modulates a low frequency
sine wave. The frequency
of this sine wave can be
chosen here with a wide
range from ultra-slow to far
into the audio range.

Low values animate the

The amount of
signal. Higher values
frequency
create inharmonics.
modulation that is
applied to the
incoming signal.
 TIP
MODULES: RM
To best understand this module feed
The modules RM and can be used to create inharmonic, it with something simple, e.g. a sine
metallic sounds, or to add motion to a sound. wave. You can use the INIT preset for
this.

RM stands for
Ring-Modulation
RM modulates the
incoming signal with a sine
wave. The frequency is set
with the RATIO.

RIGHT-CLICK to choose
from some integer ratios. FLUX adds a xed low
frequency to the sine. It
can be used to create a
metallic sound.

There are two modes

available: RING and BELL
that have a very different
sound character.
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MODULE: AM TIP

This offers amplitude modulation. It To make yourself familiar with this

module start with the INIT sound, or
can be used to add inharmonic
keep all the TRANSFORMERS to
character or animation to a sound. their defaults and dial up BLUE to the
max.

Once you have an idea how RATIO

and HARM in uence the sound start
experimenting with the colour-
The AM is tuned to the
transformers.
incoming signal. With
RATIO you can choose
Normally the RATIO of an
the frequency ratio
amplitude modulation creates
between the incoming
harmonic tones for integer ratios,
signal and the signal
and inharmonic values in
used for modulation.
between. Hence sweeping the
RATIO gives a pretty wild journey
through all kind of inharmonics
and is often of limited musical
use.

This module uses the underlying

technique of shepard tones
(Wikipedia) to allow for a
The amount of the separation: with RATIO you
amplitude modulation. determine how high or low the
modulation sounds, with HARM
you control the speci c timbral
character of the in-harmonics.
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MODULES for Saturation / Distortion TIP
These modules can be used to shape
These modules can be used to distort and shape the the sound, add punch, or more
sound. overtones. All parameters can be
modulated. Often these create
interesting effects if used in
CRUSH offers two conjunction with other modules.
sorts of bit-crushing.
ASYM offers
asymmetric distortion.

SATURATOR has multiple

different distortion types.
You can set the DRIVE.

Use ATT to attenuate the

saturated signal, before the
DRY / WET.
MODULE: TRANS Tune the oscillator up or down
in cents of a semitone.
Tune the oscillator up or down
Modulate this with a PERLIN
This module is only available for OSC section It by octaves. It's fun to modulate
noise modulation source for
can be used for tuning the IRIS and the modules this, eg with an LFO.
sweet detuning.
in the OSC section.

TIP
This module also affects the
IRIS, hence it will always be in
the left-most position of the
section.

Transpose the oscillator up or

down in semi-tones.
TIP
In many cases you just want to
put the IRIS up or down in If active the TRANSPOSE
octaves. You don't need the snaps to integer semi-tones.
TRANS module for this - just
use this dial.
If active the oscillator always
plays note C3, regardless of
the note you play. You can use
the TRANS + OCT to change
this note.
 MONO MODE
The MONO MODE can be used
for basses and leads that have
similar behaviour to monophonic
analog synths.

You can drag and drop

the last played notes
as audio from here. Normally ZYKLØP is a polyphonic synth. By Incoming notes are displayed on
activating MONO you can make it a the virtual MPE keyboard display.
monophonic synth with legato function.
The size of the outer circle line
TIP indicates (polyphonic)
With TIME you can control the legato speed.
PRESSURE or AFTERTOUCH.
You can play a note and then When GLISS is active you will also have a The lled circle area indicates the
drag this as audio from here glissando between two notes if you play VELOCITY.
to the IRIS - to get the sound legato.
re-synthesized!
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 IMPORTANT
CPU Performance
ZYKLØP has been designed and optimized When the CPU usage is
with great care for CPU ef ciency. problematic always check
the voice indicator rst.
On the other hand, a single preset can have:
• IRIS with 10 transformers and 4 layers Long, exponentially shaped
• 6 modules which are per voice release tails are a recipe for
• 4 midi effects high CPU strain.
• 3 audio effects
• 10 modulation sources
• ...

It should not come as a surprise that this gives

you some possibilities to strain your system.

You can set the CPU mode here. This

affects a lot of internal settings, but in
most of the cases the effect will be
subtle. ECO and SMART mode will be
suf cient for almost all cases.
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 PRESET PACKS Installed packs TIP
You can create PACKS from your presets and shows up here
other users of ZYKLØP can install these. It is easy to create your own packs.
Simply use the le system and
PACKS are a great way to extend the sonic create a folder that contains
capabilities of your instrument. ZYKLØP presets. You can organize
these in a single level of sub-folders,
deeper nesting is ignored.

Choose CREATE PACK ... from the

main menu. You will only need to
locate the folder with your presets
and a name to save the pack.
You can simply drag any .ZyklopPack to the
ZYKLØP user interface to install the pack, or
choose INSTALL PACK from the main menu.

.ZyklopPack CAUTION

If you handle preset les,

you should ALWAYS make a
copy beforehand.

Better safe than sorry!

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FAQ / Troubleshooting

Q: The UI looks pixelated / distorted

A: In the main burger menu in the upper left there is an entry to USE OPEN GL. Please try to de/activate this
setting, then reload your project - the plugin needs to be reloaded to make this change active.
If you are using Ableton LIVE: make sure that “Auto-Scale Plug-In Window” is NOT ACTIVATED.

Q: I can’t hear anything!

A: First make sure that ZYKLØP receives midi data - you can see incoming midi on the virtual keyboard. Make sure that the OUT is not
set to zero.

Q: I installed ZYKLØP, but it does not show up in my DAW?

A: In most DAWs plugins are listed by manufacturer name. You nd ZYKLØP listed under DAWESOME.
If this does not help - please make sure that VST3 (or AU) is activated in your DAW.

For Pro Tools users: plugins come in various formats; the most common are VST, VST3 (and AU on Mac) - these are the industry
standard. Pro Tools has a proprietary plugin format and is not able to host VST or AU plugins. ZYKLØP is available only as VST3 and
AU. But there is a workaround: you can use a wrapper plugin. There are two that I can recommend:
‣ KushView Element - this one is even free
‣ BlueCatAudio Patchwork
You load the wrapper Plugin in Pro Tools, and then you insert ZYKLØP in the wrapper - it is simple and works as if you had opened
ZYKLØP in Pro Tools itself. The advantage is: there are many plugins on the market that are available only as VST or AU - with this
wrapper you can use them all in Pro Tools.
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FAQ / Troubleshooting

Q: I am experiencing audio drop outs - what a lousy plugin!

Q: I have a question / feedback - where can I leave it?
Q: I have a cool idea for a great feature!

A: Just drop me an email to peter@dawesomemusic.com - I appreciate any kind of constructive feedback and I am trying my best to
have any user satis ed, regardless whether you purchased or not. Usually I try to answer within a few days.
If you want to share any idea with me please drop me an email to peter@dawesomemusic.com. Please note that I may have had the
idea before and hence I won’t pay you license fees if I choose to implement this idea or a related idea in one of my plugins. If you
believe your idea has tremendous commercial potential make sure to get a signed agreement before sharing the idea with me / anyone.

Q: I like your work - how can I support you?

A: Thank you - this is my real reward for the work I am doing! I hope you will nd lots of fun and inspiration with ZYKLØP or any other of
my plugins. If you want to support me: spread the word - many (most?) people simply have not heard about DAWESOME.
Or send me a brief message via mail to peter@dawesomemusic.com - this will certainly cheer me up!
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CREDITS - THANK YOU!
ZYKLØP is implemented in C++ using the Juce Framework. I am grateful for its existence and for the community of JUCE developers.
Valdemar Erlingsson is the creator of the gorgeous free reverb plugin called Cloud Seed. I took inspiration from his work for the CLOUDS FX
Nigel Redmon has published an intriguing series about analog ADSRs. I took inspiration and design choices from his series.
ZYKLØP uses the awesome AVIR image resizing algorithm designed by Aleksey Vaneev of Voxengo
Sample rate converter designed by Aleksey Vaneev of Voxengo
Rich Whit eld and Frank Gesang aka SiL3NC3 and Saf Ro and DATABROTH painstakingly proof read this user guide
DATABROTH + Spektralisk + HydraTek + Rich Whit eld have provided extensive feedback / discussion of various features over a long time
Sound Author + Sabastian Weaver aka Azure Eyes gave feedback to improve features and had some very cool feature requests
Sound Author has created and provided most of the IRIS samples
BIIANSU created the of cial trailer track for MYTH, which is the big sister of ZYKLØP
Jacky Ligon and Andreya are tremendously helpful. They convinced my to add MTS-ESP support for the bigger sister MYTH
Jacky Ligon and Sound Author have provided samples for the modal lter / resonator
KiroArt5 has made the charming Zykløp drawings

I am blessed with an awesome group of Beta Heroes who found bugs and provided many ideas:

Rich Whit eld DATABROTH Spektralisk HydraTek Sound Author Alessandro Cardinale
Cool WAV El°HYM Saf Ro Florian Mrugalla HiEnergy Frank Gesang aka SiL3NC3
Tomavatars Andreya Squaremoons Mathias Brüssel Philip Rampi David Lilja (PaleSkinnySwede)
sadà\exposadà lab by the sea David Henkel BIIANSU Jacky Ligon Sabastian Weaver aka Azure Eyes
Astralmuse dreamerOnGo
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ABOUT DAWESOME

Hey,

PETER I’m Peter, the creator (and chief mad scientist) behind
Dawesome plugins.

By day, I’m deep in the code, crafting synths and effects

to inspire creativity. By night, you’ll nd me playing
bassoon and contrabassoon in a few ensembles — and
bringing my lifelong love of synthesizers into everything I
do.

With a PhD in math, I’ve earned my “professional nerd”

badge, and I wear it proudly

Here are a few principles that keep me going:

* Creativity should be fun – If it doesn’t spark joy, let’s tweak it till it does.
* Sense and Simplicity – The simplest ideas often come from the toughest work
* Exploration is the royal road – There’s no map; we’re here to discover.

Thanks for being part of the Dawesome journey!

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Dawesome Village
... is the friendly and supportive community for sound lovers on Discord!

You can join by clicking on the invitation link below. You will nd many interesting people, tons
of information, many freebies like sample packs and presets and much more...

Invitation Link: Dawesome Village

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