Sprout is a high-resolution (96kHz/24bit) multi-effects processor based on the "Electro-Smith Daisy Seed”.

The preset effects available on Sprout are as follows:

• Tape Echo (Tape Emulation Delay, includes wow & flutter for a unique tone effect)
• Modern Delay (up to 10 seconds, with pitch shift and reverse capabilities)
• FDN Reverb (with pitch shift functionality)

ver2.0:

• Repeater (Record the input sound and repeat it by specifying the range)
• Sampler (Place samples in 16x16 slots and play them when the Gate is input)

ver3.0:

• String Resonator (Resonates virtual strings with the input sound. Includes electric bass / electric guitar modes)
• MIDI input (Parameter control by CC, playing notes on the String Resonator, MIDI Clock sync for the Repeater)

Additionally, if you are a programmer, you have the ability to program your own custom effects. You can refer to the GitHub page for Sprout's programming examples at: https://github.com/centrevillage/SproutExample

Factory Program has following 6 effects:

• Tape Echo
• Modern Delay
• FDN Reverb
• Repeater (ver 2.0)
• Sampler (ver 2.0)
• String Resonator (ver 3)

And each control on Sprout has the following functions:

If the current effect is Tape Echo, Sprout LED color is green.
This effect has following parameters:

If the current effect is Modern Delay, Sprout LED color is blue.
This effect has following parameters:

If the current effect is FDN* Reverb, Sprout LED color is yellow.
* FDN = Feedback Delay Network

This effect has following parameters:

When the current effect is Repeater, the Sprout LED will light blue.
When using this effect, input a sync clock pulse into the GATE Input.
It can also sync to MIDI Clock (ver 3) (see Section 4.3).

The Repeater effect has two states: Listen and Play.
It is initially in the Listen state.

When in Listen state, the input audio signal is continuously recorded for a maximum of 16 steps.
Also, the input audio signal is output as is.

When in the Play state, it plays back the audio that was recorded when in the Listen state.

Pressing the Wind Button toggles between Listen and Play states.

The current state can be determined by the lighting state of the Meter LED.
When in Listen state, the color representing the playback range is blue or purple (for reverse playback).
When in Play state, the color that indicates the playback range is green or red (for reverse playback).
Additionally, the step position currently being played will be brightly lit.

You can also change the playback position, speed, etc. of the audio by doing the following:

When the current effect is Sampler, the Sprout LED lights purple.

When using this effect, be sure to start the module with a Micro SD card inserted.
(If no SD card is inserted or the “samples” directory does not exist, this effect cannot be selected.)

The SD card can hold 16 banks x 16 slots (256 samples in total) of audio files.

The Sampler effect allows you to play samples stored on an SD card when a trigger signal is received at the GATE Input.
It is also possible to record the audio input signal.

The audio length is limited only by the memory size of the SD card.

Micro SD cards that meet the following requirements are accepted:

• Memory size is 32GB or less.
• Application Performance Class is A2

The Micro SD card compatibility is as follows:

Create a “samples” directory under the root directory of the SD card and place each sample file in it.

The file name must follow this format:

“Bank Number(1-16)”_”Slot Number(1-16)”.wav

(ex: 1_1.wav, 2_3.wav, etc ...)

Supports 44.1/48/96kHz 16/24-bit or 32-bit float stereo wav files.
Files that contain meta information such as track information can be loaded as they are (ver 3).

When you record, a corresponding wav file will be automatically created on the SD card.
The format will be fixed at 96kHz, 32-bit float, and stereo.

fig: Sample file directory

The sample files for test is here.

The Sampler effect has two modes: Play and Record.
By default, it is in Play mode.
You can toggle between the two modes by pressing Wind + Sprout Button.
The current mode can be determined by the Sprout LED's lighting status; it lights up purple when in Play mode and flashes purple when in Record mode.

Bank Select

You can change banks with the Wind + Time knob.
The Time LED and Meter LED colors change for each bank.（red->green->blue->yellow-> ...)

Slot Select

You can change the slot with the Time Knob.
The Meter LEDs indicate the available slot positions using the bank color.
The currently selected slot position is displayed in a brighter color.

You can also change the selected slot using CV input.

Play Sample

A trigger input to the GATE Input will play the sample in the selected slot.
Also, if an audio signal is input to the L/R Input, the signal will be mixed with the audio of the sample being played and output.

To suppress click noise, a retrigger during playback crossfades from the previous sound to the new one over about 1 msec, and the last about 1 msec of a sample fades out (ver 3).
The length can be changed or disabled in the settings file (see Section 5).

Change Speed

The Sun Knob allows you to change the playback speed of the sample.
The middle position is the same speed, the left is slower, and the right is faster.

Change Volume

The Wet Knob allows you to change the sample playback volume.

Tape Saturator Effect

The Wind + Sun knob sets the amount of tape saturation effect.
They recreate the flutter effect caused by tape aging and the effect of a bandpass filter.
The minimum setting gives 0% effect, and the maximum setting gives 100%.

Reverb Effect

Wind + Wet Knob sets the amount of reverb effect.
This reverb is a simplified algorithm of the FDN Reverb effect.

Through output of input audio signal

Like Play mode, the input audio signal is always mixed to the audio output, regardless of whether recording is in progress.

Bank / Slot Select

Unlike Play mode, you can select banks and slots that do not contain samples.
(In this case, the Meter LED at the selected slot will light up in a fainter bank color.)

Start / Stop Recording

Pressing the Sprout Button will enter Record mode and begin recording the incoming audio signal to the selected slot position.
The Sprout LED will light red while recording.

Press the Sprout button again to stop recording and the Sprout LED will return to flashing purple.

The recording length is limited to the remained memory size of the SD card.

Another way to start recording is to hold down the Sprout button and input a trigger signal into the Gate Input, which will start recording in sync with the trigger signal.
Also in this case, pressing the Sprout button again will stop recording.

Reverb Effect

Like the Play mode, the Wind + Wet knob set the amount of reverb effect.
By default, only the input sound is recorded, and the reverb effect is applied to the output only.
The settings file can make the recorded samples include the reverb effect (see Section 5).

If the current effect is String Resonator, Sprout LED color is emerald green.

String Resonator resonates virtual strings with the input audio signal.
A trigger at the GATE Input plucks the strings (strum) and the CV Input (V/oct) sets the pitch, so it can also be played as a sound source.
It is based on the Sympathetic Strings model of Mutable Instruments Rings (MIT License, see Section 10), with electric bass and electric guitar modes added.

Only the string sound is output (the dry signal is not included).
The Meter LED shows the output level in emerald green.

The Wind + Time Knob selects the string configuration (voice mode).
There are the following 6 modes, in order from the left of the knob. While the Wind Button is held, the color of the Time LED shows the current mode.

The base note is the pitch when the CV Input is at 0V (unconnected) and Transpose is at the center position.

Each strum moves to the next voice in turn, and the voices played before keep decaying.
Changing the voice mode stops the strings that are sounding.

In the voice modes 1 / 2 / 4 / 8, this effect has the following parameters:

A Wind double tap means pressing the Wind Button briefly twice within 0.4 seconds.

In the voice modes B (electric bass) / G (electric guitar), this effect has the following parameters.

In both modes, one voice is made of 2 strings (the horizontal and the vertical vibration of a string) that ring with slightly different pitches and decays, which recreates the two-stage decay and the beating of a real string.
The sound sits in the center (L / R carry the same signal).
Since B has 1 voice, each strum plucks the same strings again.

Strum (GATE Input)

A trigger / gate signal at the GATE Input plucks the strings of the next voice at its rising edge (strum).

When the gate stays on longer than 40 msec, that voice keeps ringing without decaying while the gate is on.
When the gate turns off, the voice returns to the decay of the Wet Knob (Damping).
A short trigger rings with the decay of the Wet Knob.

Pitch (CV Input)

The CV Input is a V/oct pitch input.
The pitch of the strings is the base note + Transpose + the voltage at the CV Input (1V = 1 octave).
The pitch of the last strummed voice follows the CV Input.

The accuracy of the CV Input can be calibrated as described in Section 3.6.6.

Excitation (L/R Audio Input)

The audio signal at the L/R Input makes the strings of the last strummed voice resonate.
L and R are used alternately with each strum (when the R Input is unconnected, the signal of the L Input also feeds R).

When the L Input has been silent for 3 seconds or more, an internal exciter (a noise burst in 1 / 2 / 4 / 8, a waveform of a finger or pick pluck in B / G) plucks the strings at each strum.
As soon as sound comes into the L Input, the strings resonate with the input signal again.
Right after String Resonator is selected, the internal exciter is active.

MIDI

MIDI notes can also pluck the strings (see Section 4).

Pressing and releasing the Sprout Button while holding the Wind Button toggles the pitch detection mode on / off.
While it is on, the Sprout LED slowly fades in and out.

In the pitch detection mode, the pitch of a single note at the R Input (such as a basic VCO waveform) is detected, and the pitch of the last strummed voice follows it.
Transpose and the voltage at the CV Input are added to the detected pitch.
The excitation always uses the L Input (the internal exciter when the L Input has been silent for 3 seconds or more).

The pitch detection mode is kept when the power is turned off. Switching to another effect turns it off.

With a VCO that tracks 1V/oct accurately, you can calibrate the V/oct accuracy of the CV Input (the 0V position and the width of one octave).
The calibration is kept when the power is turned off, and also after a factory reset (see Section 7).

What you need:

• A VCO that tracks 1V/oct accurately
• A CV source (a keyboard, a sequencer, etc.) for the V/oct input of the VCO, and a multiple to split its output

Procedure:

1. On the String Resonator, hold the Wind Button and press the Sprout Button for 2 seconds.
   The calibration mode starts: the Sprout LED blinks orange, the sound stops, and the top of the Meter LED blinks slowly.
2. With the cable unplugged from the CV Input, press the Sprout Button (the 0V measurement).
   The top of the Meter LED lights.
3. Split the output of the CV source into both the CV Input and the V/oct input of the VCO, and connect the output of the VCO to the R Input.
4. Press the Sprout Button each time you change the voltage of the CV source (one measurement takes 0.2 sec).
   With each measurement, the Meter LED lights one more step from the top.
   Measure at least 2 points over a range of at least one octave (4 to 5 points, for example 0V to 4V, are recommended).
   When the pitch cannot be detected, the Meter LED flashes red and that point is not used.
5. A short press of the Wind Button computes and saves the calibration.
   On success all Meter LEDs light green, on failure red, for 0.5 sec, and then the normal display returns (on failure, the previous calibration is kept).

To quit midway, hold the Wind Button for 2 seconds (nothing is saved).
To clear the calibration and return to the factory values, enter the calibration mode and press the Wind Button briefly without measuring.

Sprout receives MIDI messages to control the parameters (all effects), play the String Resonator, and sync the Repeater to the clock.
For MIDI input and output, connect the separately sold MIDI expansion module MIDI CoM+ to the MIDI Expand Connector on the back.
When connecting, align the red line of the cable with the side of the “RED” mark on the board (do not insert it the other way round).

The default MIDI receive channel is 1. It can be changed in the settings file on the SD card (see Section 5).

On all effects, the following CCs control the 6 parameters:

The CC values 0 to 127 correspond to the knob positions from the leftmost to the rightmost.
Parameters with fine steps change smoothly between the CC values.

Values changed by CC are not saved; after a power cycle, the knob values apply again. They are not shown on the knob LEDs either.
When you move a knob after its value was changed by CC, the knob takes effect from the point where it passes the position of the current value.

The String Resonator can be played with the following messages:

With a sequencer that sends a fixed velocity, set the velocity to 64 or disable the velocity in the settings file.

The Repeater can sync to MIDI Clock:

While a clock is input to the GATE Input, the GATE Input has priority.
When the clock at the GATE Input stops for 2 seconds or more (4 times the clock interval or more for a slow clock), the Repeater syncs to MIDI Clock.

Received MIDI Clock / Start / Continue / Stop messages are sent to the MIDI output as they are (all effects).

Placing a text file named “config.ini” in the root directory of the SD card changes the settings.
The file is read only once at power-on (after changing the file, turn the module off and on again).
When there is no file, or a value cannot be read, the default value is used.

[midi]
; 1..16
channel = 1
; on / off
velocity = on

[sampler]
; 0..10 (ms), 0 = off
declick_ms = 1.0
; on / off
rec_reverb = off

Write comments on their own lines, starting with ; or #.
A comment written after a value makes the value unreadable, and the default value is used.

There are 2 ways of the firmware update process.
If you have micro SD Card, it’s easy to upload by that.
If not, you can upload firmware by USB-DFU, but you need to prepare a DFU program.

Updating from ver 2.0 or earlier to ver 3.0 resets the saved settings (the selected effect and the parameter values).

Update Procedure:

1. Put the firmware binary file (ex: “Sprout_firm_v3_0.bin”) on the root directory of the SD Card.
2. Power off your rack.
3. Unmount the Sprout module from your rack, and insert the SD Card.
4. Mount the Sprout module.
5. Power on your rack. Then the Sprout module is automatically updated.
6. After the update, delete the firmware binary file from the SD card.
   (If you leave it, the firmware is written again at every power-on)

First, you need to prepare a DFU program for update by USB-DFU.
For example, “dfu-util” (https://dfu-util.sourceforge.net/) or “zadig”(https://zadig.akeo.ie/) , or etc ...

Update Procedure:

1. Connect usb cable between pc and daisy seed.
2. Press daisy seed’s reset button
3. Upload the firmware binary file (ex: “Sprout_firm_v3_0.bin”) by DFU program within 2.5 seconds (while daisy’s led is flashing).

Powering on while holding both the Sprout Button and the Wind Button returns the saved settings (the selected effect, the parameter values, and the pitch detection mode of the String Resonator) to the factory state.
Release the buttons when all LEDs light green.

The calibration of the CV Input (see Section 3.6.6) is not cleared.

We offer a one-year warranty on this product from the date of purchase, providing free repairs for any issues that occur during this period, with the exception of any failures that result from intentional modifications or destruction by the user, careless dropping, or incorrect connection of connectors such as power supplies.

Please note that you will be responsible for the shipping fee when sending the module for repair.

When requesting repairs, please submit a receipt from the store where you purchased the product or a statement of purchase as proof.

mail: centrevillage@gmail.com
site: https://centrevillage.net

String Resonator is based on the source code of Mutable Instruments Rings (MIT License).

• Mutable Instruments Rings (https://github.com/pichenettes/eurorack): Copyright 2015 Emilie Gillet.
• stmlib (https://github.com/pichenettes/stmlib): Copyright 2014 Emilie Gillet.

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