IMPRINT
KOMA Elektronik GmbH is a subsidiary
company of KOMA Elektronik B.V.
Vertretungsberechtigte
Geschäftsführer / Managing Director:
Christian Zollner & Wouter Jaspers
Sitz der Gesellschaft / Registered Office:
Berlin, Germany
Registergericht / Court of Registration:
Amtgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg
Registernummer : HRB 145453
Umsatzsteuer ID / VAT ID: DE285522050
KOMA Elektronik GmbH
Mahlower Strasse 24
12049 Berlin-Neukölln
Germany
FRONT PANEL CONNECTIONS & CONTROLS
1. Unpack your machine
The package comes with the RH301 pedal, a 9VDC, 500mA,
center-negative power supply and this manual. Make sure
that the power supply is rated for the line voltage of your
country: 120 VAC for the USA, 220 VAC for Europe or most
other countries.
2. Connect it
Be sure your amp or mixer is turned off, then connect the
clock, envelope and LFO outputs to your instruments you
want to control. Or, connect external MIDI, DIN Sync or a clock
source to the RH301 to sync it.
3. Set up a basic patch
Set all controls and connections to a patch in basic settings.
4. Power up / Bypass
Connect the RH301 power supply to the RH301 DC input on
the backside of the pedal. When you press the PUSH switch,
you start the clock.
5. PLAY
Now play that machine! Adjust divisions and multiplications
of the clock as well as LFO and envelope settings to further
manipulate your sounds and rhythms!
Dear KOMA user,
Thanks a lot for purchasing the KOMA Elektronik RH301
Rhythm Workstation / Utility Tool!
The RH-301 is our solution to a problem many musicians
are struggling with: analog and digital equipment that
needs to run side by side, in sync, but at the same time
still needs to be controllable, which is not always an easy
task! There are many standards out there: MIDI, DIN Sync,
analog clocks and control voltages in the form of LFOs and
envelopes. They all basically represent different approaches
to synchronize different instruments and effect units; some
of them are nearly as old as synthesizers themselves, some
are more recent. Some are intended to let devices run at the
same speed, some at creating repeated or single events
within a certain time frame that’s in sync with other gear.
Synchronization problems are always a time consuming and
annoying reality for many musicians. This is why we decided
to build a Rhythm Workstation / Utility Tool that helps
electronic musicians get the most out of their equipment by
properly syncing a large amount of devices in many different
ways, without losing a ‘hands-on’ feeling and creativity!
The heart of the RH301 is the master clock, of which the
tempo can be set by turning the Tempo knob, by tapping a
tempo on the tap button, by syncing it to MIDI, DIN Sync or
an external analog clock signal. The generated clock signal
can be passed on via two clock outputs, two division outputs
or via the MIDI Output and DIN Sync Output. An incoming MIDI
signal can also be passed along via the MIDI Thru and MIDI
Out sockets.
And that’s not all: besides having a master clock section,
the RH301 is also fitted with a LFO which can be synced to
the master clock or run freely from 0,25 Hz to 260 Hz in five
different waveforms: sine, triangle, square, S&H and noisine.
This means the pedal can also be used as a lo-fi oscillator,
when you turn the LFO up into the audible range. The LFO
has two separate outputs on the patch bay: LFO out and LFO
inverted out. Some of the features of the LFO can also be
modulated via control voltage, the pedal boasts CV inputs for
LFO SPEED, LFO RESET and LFO SYMMETRY.
The third main feature of the RH301 is an Envelope Generator
which can easily be synced to the master clock, a division
of the master clock or run in loop mode. Besides the normal
controls for ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN and RELEASE the pedal
comes with a RANGE knob to change the time range of the
envelope created. The envelope generator comes with a
normal envelope output and an inverted envelope output
and can also be triggered by an external gate / trigger via
the external gate input.
To improve playability and to stimulate your creative process,
the RH301 also has a built-in infra-red motion controller,
which can be used to control the CV inputs of the RH301,
other KOMA products or any device that accepts CV inputs
in general, since it has it’s own dedicated SENSOR Output on
the patch bay.
No matter what your setup is, digital or analog, if you use
a modular synthesizer, DAW, drum computer, synthesizer
or our own BD101 and FT201 effect pedals, the RH301 is an
effective tool to make sure they all walk in line, while you
have your hands free to create beautiful tunes. Have fun!
All the best from Berlin,
The KOMA Elektronik Team
RH 301
RHYTHM WORKSTATION/
UTILITY TOOL
_
USER MANUAL
MIDI THRU
(Data): This is the un-
processed MIDI signal
present at the MIDI
input jack chained
through.
(Clock Output)
DIN
OUT
This is the clock
output for DIN Sync
receptive devices. It
provides the clock in-
formation (sync24) as
well as the start/stop
gate.settings.
(Clock Output)
MIDI OUT
This is the connection for the outgoing MIDI
signal. It contains the clock information as
well as start and stop signals for MIDI recep-
tive devices.
(Clock / Data Input)
DIN/MIDI IN
Socket for MIDI or DIN Sync clock input. The
RH301 can distinguish if, and consequently,
which signal is present at this connection, so
that you don’t have to worry about different
settings.
AUX CONTROL
(Trigger In)
Manual start/stop for the clock when there is
a rising trigger - functions the same as the
push button.
(C
lock / data input):
CV ATTENUATORS
(Trim-pot)
There is one CV input
trimmer each for LFO
Symmetry and LFO
Rate. Turn the trimmer
fully CW to get 100%
signal going through
and turn the trimmer
fully CCW to get no in-
coming CV signal.
9V DC CONNECTOR
Standard BOSS Style
adapter (2.1 x 5.5mm
barrel plug), 9V, center polarity
negative, 500mA minimum. Only
use the KOMA Elektronik power
supply shipped with this pedal.
GETTING STARTED
(Analog Clock Output)
CLOCK 1
This is the main clock output. It sends a 50%
duty cycle square wave signal. The CLOCK
output is twofold and both outputs are
buffered.
(CV Output)
ENV 5
The ENV CV output holds the signal of the
envelope generator. Signal ranges from 0V –
7.6V.
(CV Output)
ENV INV 2
The ENV INV CV output is the inverted enve-
lope output. Signal ranges from 7.6V – 0V.the
higher the CV rises. The sensor output is 0 –
8V.
(Analog Clock Output)
DIVISION 6
This is the division output, sending a 50%
duty cycle square wave signal depending on
the setting of the rotary DIVISION switch. The
DIVISION output is twofold and both outputs
are buffered.
3 EXT. CLOCK
(Analog Clock Input)
This CV input accepts rising edge driven
analog clock signals. Every time a signal
rises from 0V – 3V the pedal counts one beat.
7 LFO SPEED
(CV Input)
Controls the speed of the LFO. When you
insert a control voltage into this input the
RATE knob determines the offset voltage.
(Usable range from 0 – 5V).
4 LFO SYMM
(CV Input)
Controls the symmetry of the LFO. When
you insert a control voltage into this input
the SYMMETRY knob determines the offset
voltage. Usable range from 0 – 5V.
8 LFO RESET
(CV Input)
The LFO RESET input can be used the
externally reset the LFO to bar 1 at any time.
The input reacts to any rising edge trigger
that changes from 0V to 3V.
9 sensor
(CV Output)
This is the CV output
of the infrared motion
sensor. The closer you
move something to-
wards the sensor.
10 LFO INV
(CV Output)
Inverted LFO output of
the pedal. It is in phase
with the main LFO out-
put but the voltages
are inverted. Signal
ranges from 7.6V – 0V.
11 LFO
(CV Output)
Main LFO output of the
pedal. Signal ranges
from 0 – 7.6V.
12 ENV Gate
(CV Input)
Input for external ris-
ing edge gate signals
to trigger the enve-
lope.
o
RATE
Sets the speed of the
LFO. If you chose to
have the LFO synced to
the master clock you
can select a division or
multiples of the mas-
ter tempo to sync to.
If the LFO is running in
free mode you can set
any speed between
0.25Hz and 260Hz.
N
SHAPE
Determines the output
wave of the LFO.
You can choose be-
tween sine wave, tri-
angle, square, sample
and hold, and a spe-
cial waveform which
is composed of a sine
wave and digital noise.
DIVISION
A
Used to send a divi-
sion or multiples of
the master CLOCK out-
put. This ranges from
16th notes to once
every full bar – in ref-
erence of the master
clock beats.
SOURCE
B
Three way switch: the
TAP position allows
you to use the large
black push button to
tap in a certain tem-
po. The FREE position
can be used to freely
set the main tempo
of the pedal with the
TEMPO button. The
EXT. position serves
as your choice when
you for example want
the RH301 to sync to
either MIDI, DIN Sync or
EXT. CLOCK input.
TEMPO
C
Only active in FREE
mode and can be
used to freely adjust
the main tempo an-
ywhere from 40bpm
to 240bpm (beats per
minute).
ATTACK
D
Control to set the at-
tack time of the enve-
lope
DECAY
E
Control to set the de-
cay time of the enve-
lope.
SUSTAIN
F
Control to set the level
of the envelope while
the gate is high.
PUSH
G
Push button to tap a tempo in TAP mode,
start or stop the unit when in FREE mode or
it can be used to resync the RH301 when the
unit is operating in MIDI slave mode.
RELEASE
H
Control to set the release time of the enve-
lope.
RANGE
I
Control to change the time range on the A, D
and R stages. By turning this knob clockwise
the envelope becomes slower and fades from
a snappy linear to a logarithmic behaviour.
ENV MODE
J
Slide switch to chose between master clock
sync, division sync or free running mode.
.
K
SENSOR
Emits a CV signal that can be patched up
with any CV receptive socket on KOMA prod-
ucts and for example a (modular) synthesiz-
er. By moving your hand over the sensor you
can control the parameters of the CV input
patched to it.
L
LFO Mode
Choose to have the LFO run freely or synced
to the clock.
M
SYMMETRY
Used to wave shape the LFO output. You can
bend the symmetry of the wave from 10% to
90%.
REAR PANEL CONTROLS