Manual

Not released yet. This is written from the project's notes on how the engine behaves; parts marked "to be written" are not done. Behaviour measured on a unit is said to be; the rest was seen in an emulator.

What you need

• An SP-404MK2 with the engine installed (install).
• An SD card with a folder FX at its root holding effect files (FX/*.BIN) from a pack (download).

Putting a pack on the card step by step: to be written.

Choosing an effect

1. Open the MFX menu for the bus (BUS 1 or BUS 2) you want the effect on.
2. Hold MFX and turn VALUE to the right, past DJFX Looper. The first effect file comes up, then one file per detent, each titled with the effect's name. At the last one VALUE stops. Turning left steps back; left of the first is DJFX Looper and Roland's own list again.
3. Turn the six knobs (CTRL 1 to CTRL 6). The knob names shown are the effect's own; a knob an effect does not have is shown as ---.

The effects come after DJFX Looper in the menu, in the order of their file names. The grid shows the first six on Roland's page 3, then more pages of Tampal's own, with the chosen effect lit and a page count p/n. Up to 32 effect files are listed.

Good to know

• Each bus has its own choice, and each effect keeps its own six knob values per bus. The first time a bus enters an effect its knobs are set to 128 (halfway), because the files carry no defaults.
• Your choices are kept. The choice and the knob values are saved in FX/CHOSEN.BIN on the card. After a power cycle they come back at the first button press or VALUE turn, not at boot.
• Two buses, two effects. Two different card effects can run at once, one per bus. Roland's "Same EFX on other BUS" message does not appear for two different ones.
• Swapping is silent. Changing the effect does not stop the audio.
• Nothing loaded passes the audio through. Before the first press or turn after boot, both buses pass their audio through.
• A file the engine cannot run stays in the list marked -- before its name (for example an effect file newer than the engine); choosing it leaves the bus passing audio through. Update the engine.
• The processor budget. An effect that takes too much processor time for 8 audio blocks in a row is bypassed, and the bus passes its audio through. Each effect's cost is on the effects page. Every shipped effect is kept under a quarter of a block's time, so any two fit.
• Taking the card out while an effect runs: it keeps running from memory; loading another fails until the card is back.

The engine's version

The grid's cell after the last effect shows v and the version (for example v0.1.0), where Roland's grid shows - for a free cell. With exactly six effects there is no free cell. The first line of a run in SP404LOG.TXT on the card also says sp404 engine 0.1.0; the log is appended to on every boot. Not yet seen on a unit.

Going back

Run Roland's updater with Roland's own file; that removes Tampal. The patcher on the install page explains it. Details: to be written.

Not written yet

• Installing packs, step by step with photos.
• A page per effect with settings to start from (the effects page has the knobs).
• Using Tampal together with DOOM OS (how both menus coexist).
• Recovering from a card with a broken file.