Mica manual
Two sources and Utility, two filters, four effects.
Source 1, Source 2 and Utility make the sound. Each one goes into Filter 1 or Filter 2, and the routing switch decides whether the two filters are chained or run side by side. The FX rack processes what comes out. Modulation stays visible on both pages and can move nearly every knob.
BASICS
PRESET
Click the preset name in the top bar and pick a factory sound.
PLAY
Play from the host, or click the keys along the bottom edge of the window.
MACROS
Every factory sound maps the three macros to its own controls. The macro name says what it moves.
PAGES
SYNTH holds the sources and filters. FX holds the four effect slots. The tabs sit next to the logo.
GLOBAL CONTROLS
VOICES
Voice count, from 1 to 8, plus 16 and 32. Fewer voices cost less CPU.
VEL
When this is on, note velocity sets the level of each voice.
OUT
Master level, after the FX rack.
POWER
Bypass. The glyph is lit while Mica is running.
CPU
How much CPU Mica is using.
GESTURES
KNOBS
SHIFT with drag or scroll for fine steps. DOUBLE CLICK returns a control to its default.
VALUES
RIGHT CLICK a knob to type, copy or paste a value.
UNDO
Steps back and forward through parameter changes, including modulation targets.
SYNTH
Each source runs one engine and picks one filter.
Source 1 and Source 2 are identical banks. Each one runs one of four engine families and keeps its own tuning, level, unison and filter choice. Utility adds a tuned oscillator and a sample layer beside them.
SOURCE 1 AND 2
POWER
Turns the source off and keeps its settings.
ENGINE
Multi 1, Multi 2, Modal or FM. The menu can be searched, and the pin keeps an entry at the top.
MODEL
Multi 1 and Multi 2 pick a model here. The knobs beside it change with the model, both their names and what they control.
TUNE
Coarse tuning in semitones, with FINE in cents.
LEVEL
Source level into its filter.
F1 / F2
Picks which filter the source goes into. What that means depends on the routing switch.
UNISON
Voices, detune and width, per source. One voice turns unison off.
COPY
Copies the whole source, unison and routing included, to the other slot.
ENGINES
MULTI 1
47 models with two shaping knobs each: analogue waveforms, sync, vowels, plucked and struck bodies, noise and drums.
MULTI 2
24 models with three shaping knobs each, from chords and speech to strings, swarms, particles and drums.
MODAL
A resonant body that is bowed, blown or struck. GEOMETRY, BRIGHT, DAMPING and POSITION shape it.
FM
Two operators with RATIO, INDEX, FEEDBACK and SHAPE.
UTILITY
OSC
Sine, triangle, saw or square, tuned in octaves, semitones and cents.
SAMPLE
A noise layer with its own level. Pick one of the built-in sounds, or drop an audio file on the display to play your own.
ROUTING
Utility picks a filter and has its own unison, like the two sources.
FILTERS
POWER
Each filter switches off on its own.
TYPE
Low-pass, band-pass or high-pass, at 12 or 24 dB.
CUTOFF
Cutoff and resonance per filter. Both are common modulation targets.
PAN
Places each filter output in the stereo field.
SERIAL
Filter 1 feeds Filter 2, and only Filter 2 reaches the output. A source on Filter 1 passes through both filters, a source on Filter 2 through the second one alone.
PARALLEL
The two filters run side by side and are summed. Each source is heard through the one it picked, and nothing else.
FX
Four effect slots run in the order you set.
Each slot holds one effect and runs on the full synth output. The rack processes left to right, in the order shown on the FX page.
SLOT
POWER
Bypasses that slot only.
EFFECT
Pick an effect from the slot menu. NONE leaves the slot out of the chain.
CONTROLS
Every effect has its own set of knobs.
MIX
Dry and wet balance for that slot, on the effects that have one.
ORDER
Drag the handle, or use the arrows, to move the slot in the chain.
EFFECTS
REVERB
SIZE, DECAY, EARLY and MOTION, with damping and cuts.
DELAY
Free or tempo-synced, with straight, dotted and triplet divisions, plus OFFSET, feedback, cuts, WIDTH and DRIVE.
CHORUS
DEPTH, DETUNE and STEREO.
OVERDRIVE
DRIVE and OUTPUT.
FILTER
High-pass and low-pass with amount, resonance and switchable slopes.
EQ
Five bands. Click a band in the graph, then set its frequency, gain and Q.
COMPRESSOR
THRESH, RATIO, ATTACK, RELEASE and OUTPUT.
CRUNCH
DRIVE, FUZZ, TONE, CUT and OUTPUT.
P. SHIFTER
SHIFT, WINDOW and FLUTTER.
F. SHIFTER
SHIFT and REFLECT.
GRANULAR
POSITION, SIZE, PITCH, DENSITY, TEXTURE, FEEDBACK and SPACE.
RESONATOR
TUNE, STRUCTURE, BRIGHT, DAMPING, POSITION, SPREAD and MODES.
MODULATION
Any source can move almost any knob.
MOD SOURCES holds three envelopes, three LFOs, three functions, key track, velocity and three macros. Any of them can drive any number of targets at once.
TARGETS
DRAG
Drag a source tile onto a knob, an FX mix bar or a macro. The target lights up while the cable is over it.
AMOUNT
Hover a modulated knob to open its source list, then turn the dial next to a source.
REMOVE
Turn the amount to zero. The target is dropped when the list closes.
TARGETS
Click the count on a source tile, or the body of a macro, to see everything that source drives.
DEPTH
Drop a second source on an amount dial to modulate the amount itself. RIGHT CLICK that dial to remove it again.
EDIT
OPEN
Click a source tile to open its editor in the dock below.
ENVELOPES
Attack, decay, sustain and release, with separate attack and decay curves. LEGATO keeps the stage running on a tied note, RETRIG starts it again.
LFOS
Shape morph, phase, smoothing, and bipolar or unipolar output.
FUNCTIONS
CLICK adds a point, DRAG moves it, and the handle between two points bends the segment. SCROLL over a segment bends it as well.
POINTS
RIGHT CLICK or DOUBLE CLICK removes a point.
SNAP
SNAP quantises to the grid, PRESETS loads a shape, RESET returns to a flat line.
KEY / VEL
Drag the two endpoints and the curve handle to map key position and velocity.
MACROS
Three macros with their own knobs. Click a macro name to rename it. Names travel with the preset; the host still sees Macro 1 to 3.
TIMING
RATE
LFOs and functions run in hertz or in sync. In sync the rate knob steps through note divisions.
MODE
Sync can be limited to straight, dotted or triplet divisions.
FREE
The shape keeps running and ignores new notes.
POLY
Every voice runs its own copy, restarted by its own note.
MONO
One shared shape, restarted by each new note.
PRESETS
A preset stores every Mica setting.
The modulation matrix, the drawn function curves and the macro names travel with it. Recall a preset from the top bar or find it by name.
BROWSER
SELECT
Click the preset name to open the list, or use the arrows to step through it.
SEARCH
Type to filter by name. Factory sounds are grouped by type.
SCOPE
ALL, FACTORY or USER.
PIN
Keeps a preset at the top of the browser.
ACTIONS
SAVE
Updates the current user preset. Factory sounds cannot be overwritten.
SAVE AS
Creates a new user preset in the group you choose.
SET AS DEFAULT
Loads that preset when Mica opens.
DELETE
Removes the selected user preset.
MENU
The same menu holds HOW TO USE, MORE STEMWIRE TOOLS and ABOUT.