Power on modes

The System-1 has a number of different modes available depending on what button is depressed when the power is switched on. These are described in the following table.

Press and hold the button in the left-hand column and power on the System-1 to get into the desired mode.

Key Function
None Normal Power on.
MANUAL Factory Reset
SYSTEM-1 Setup Mode
KEY HOLD Firmware Update
ARPEGGIO Patch Backup and Restore

The different modes and the functions available are detailed in the sections below.


Factory Reset

Press and hold MANUAL and switch on.

The ARPEGGIO button flashes.

Press the ARPEGGIO button to confirm reset.

Once all of the LEDs light power cycle the System-1.

NOTE: This will also reload the factory programmed patches, so make sure any edited patches are backed up prior to performing this operation.


SETUP Mode

Press and hold the SYSTEM-1 button and power on.

The ARPEGGIO button flashes, a number of the memory bank buttons will be lit (this depends on how the system functions are currently set) and the SCATTER wheel LEDs will be lit to indicate the currently configured MIDI channel.

The system functions are:

MIDI Channel
This is controlled by the SCATTER wheel.

  • UNLIT – MIDI is off
  • One or two LEDs on the SCATTER wheel on – Indicates the MIDI channel in use. The default setting is 1.
    If LED 10 is on, the MIDI channel is set to 10 + any other LED number.
  • All SCATTER wheel LEDs on – The System-1 is in OMNI mode and will receive MIDI on all channels

MEMORY BANK 1 – MIDI Clock Source

  • LIT – Clock is derived either via MIDI or USB. USB has priority
  • UNLIT- Clock is internal

MEMORY BANK 2 – MIDI THRU

  • LIT – MIDI THRU is ON
  • UNLIT – MIDI THRU is OFF

MEMORY BANK 3 – Output Level Boost

  • LIT – Output level boost is ON
  • UNLIT – Output level boost is OFF

MEMORY BANK 4 – Scatter State Memory

  • LIT – Scatter state is recorded in memory
  • UNLIT – Scatter state is not recorded in memory

MOD button and SCATTER Wheel

  • Indicates the system idle time until the LED screensaver comes on. The default is 5, indicating 5 mins.
    Turn the wheel untill all LEDs are off to disable.

KEY HOLD and PITCH Wheel – Master Timing

  • OCTAVE UP and DOWN LIT – System is set to 440Hz
  • OCTAVE UP and SCATTER LED – Timing is 440Hz + number
  • OCTAVE DOWN and SCATTER LED – Timing is 440Hz – number

Press ARPEGGIO button to save any changes. The SYSTEM-1 restarts.


Firmware Update

To perform a firmware update:

1. Power off the SYSTEM-1
2. Press and hold the KEY HOLD button, then power on the SYSTEM-1.
The KEY HOLD, OCTAVE UP/DOWN and MOD LEDs flash.
3. Connect a USB cable to the SYSTEM-1
The KEY HOLD LED flashes on its own and the SYSTEM-1 appears as a drive on the PC.
4. Copy the system file from the download directory into the SYSTEM-1 drive. When complete, eject the drive from the PC and disconnect the USB cable.
The DOWN LED flashes.
5. Press the DOWN button to perform the update.
The KEY HOLD, OCTAVE UP/DOWN and MOD LEDs flash when the update is complete.
6. When the update completes, power cycle the SYSTEM-1 to start the new firmware.


Patch Backup Backup and Restore

1. Power off the SYSTEM-1
2. Press and hold ARPEGGIO, then power on the SYSTEM-1.
The KEYHOLD and MOD LEDs light and the Scatter wheel LEDs flash. The OCTAVE UP and DOWN LEDs flash one after the other when the PC is connected to the SYSTEM-1
3. The drive that appears in the PC now contains two folders, BACKUP and RESTORE. The BACKUP folder contains 64 files, named SYSTEM1_PATCH1 thru’ SYSTEM1_PATCH64. To backup these files, copy them to another drive/folder on the PC.
NOTE: If a PLUG-OUT synth is loaded, such as the SH-101, there will be additional files in the backup directory. These will be named PLUGOUT_PATCH1 thru’ PLUGOUT_PATCH64.
4. To restore any backed up patches, copy the required files from the PC to the RESTORE folder on the SYSTEM-1 drive. Note that the files you copy must follow the same naming format as shown above. In addition, note also that any patches copied to the RESTORE directory will overwrite whatever is currently stored in the SYSTEM-1.
5. Wait until the OCTAVE UP and DOWN LEDs stop flashing then restart the SYSTEM-1.

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