S-Board 2.1 User Manual

Dec. 2020, Sonic Instruments

rules

here, only

creativity

Thanks for choosing S-Board. We hope it will not only make your music sound great, but also inspire you to explore and innovate along the way. We can't wait to hear what you will come up with it.

Installation & Activation
Get Started with S-Board
Other features
Modules
Additional Modules (Sold Separately)

Installation & Activation

First thing first, let's quickly walk through how you would install S-Board on your computer, and activate the modules you purchased. Then we'll take a look at different plugin types, their locations and DAW compatibilities.

macOS (Big Sur & Apple Silicon models ready)

S-Board has been fully tested on macOS 11 Big Sur, on both Intel and Apple Silicon models. Special note: Standalone, VST, VST3, and Audio Unit supports arm64 native, which means they run in full-speed on Apple Silicone models, AAX is also supported and tested, only it will run via Rosetta 2.

Download
Head to your download portal, log in, and download the installer for Mac. The downloaded file should have ".pkg" as extension. (example: S-Board_2.0.0.pkg)
Run the installer
Double click to run the installer package. Follow the guide and hit "Continue" until you reach this point.

Here you have the option to choose what types of plugins you would like to install (AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone). Click on "Customize" to choose, or hit "Install" to install them all. If you are can't decide which plugin format is good for you, check out section 1.3.

Activate S-Board (Internet connection required)
Open S-Board standalone app from Launchpad, or at "/Applications" folder. At first launch, You'll be prompt to log in to your Sonic Instruments account, see the following screenshot. Use your email and password to log in. If you forgot your password, you can reset it here.

Once logged in, the modules should be automatically activated. If it didn't happen, you can do a manual sync with the server by click "Options" on the top-left corner, and select "Sync Licenses" from the menu. After manual sync, all your modules should be activated.

Note that you only have to do the log-in once, your authentication token will be securely stored on your local disk. From this point on, every time you launch S-Board, it will automatically activate any new modules you bought.

Windows

Download
Head to your download portal, log in, and download the installer for Windows. The downloaded file should be a zip, unzip it and you get the installer exe. (example: S-Board_2.0.0.exe)
Run the installer
Double click to run the installer package. Follow the guide and hit "Next" all the way, then "Install".
Activate S-Board (Internet connection required)
Open S-Board standalone app from your desktop or start menu. At first launch, You'll be prompt to log in to your Sonic Instruments account, see the following screenshot. Use your email and password to log in. If you forget your password, you can reset it here.

Once logged in, the modules should be automatically activated. If it didn't happen, you can do a manual sync with the server by click "Options" on the top-left corner, and select "Sync Licenses" from the menu. After manual sync, all your modules should be activated.

Note that you only have to do the log-in once, your authentication token will be securely stored on your local disk. From this point on, every time you launch S-Board, it will automatically activate any new modules you bought.

Activate by serial number

The auto-activation described above only works for paying customers, if you have received a trail license or an NFR license, you will need to activate it manually using the serial number from the email, here's how to do it:

Launch the Standalone app
Make sure to use the Standalone app, there is no option to enter serial number in a plugin.
Open the activation popup
Click on "Options" button on top-left corner, choose "Activate by serial number" from the menu.
Copy and paste the serial number in
Make sure to copy the entire serial number highlighted in yellow (it's quite long), on some email app like Microsoft Outlook, you might have to scroll the page to get the whole code.
Enjoy
Now the units should no longer be greyed out and you are all set!

Contents & locations & compatibilities

S-Board is available in various formats, including Standalone app, Audio Unit(AU), VST2, VST3 and AAX. Here is a complete list of the types and their locations on your computer. Note that all contents are 64-bit only.

Content	macOS	Windows
Standalone	/Applications/S-Board.app	C:\Program Files\Sonic Instruments\S-Board\S-Board.exe
Audio Unit	/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components/S-Board.component	-
VST2	/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST/S-Board.vst	C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\S-Board.dll
VST3	/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3/S-Board.vst3	C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\S-Board.vst3
AAX	/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-ins/S-Board.aaxplugin	C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\S-Board.aaxplugin
Presets	/Users/Shared/Sonic Instruments/S-Board/Presets	C:\Users\Public\Documents\Sonic Instruments\S-Board\Presets

Each plugin type is compatible with different DAWs. Here's a list of DAW compatibility.

	Audio Unit	VST2	VST3	AAX
Cubase	✗	8.5 or below	✓	✗
Logic Pro	✓	✗	✗	✗
Pro Tools	✗	✗	✗	✓
Ableton Live	✓	✓	✓	✗
FL Studio	✓	✓	✓	✗
Propellerhead Reason	11 or above	✓	✓	✗
Bitwig Studio	✗	✓	✓	✗

Get Started With S-Board

In this chapter, let's get our hands on S-Board. Learn its signal flow and different UI components, get familiar with the concept of processor modules and modifier modules, and finally create our first S-Board patch.

Signal flow

Unlike most other plugins in the market with a fixed signal chain, S-Board is a dynamic system. Its signal flow is determined in real-time by what modules are on it, and their order.

When the board is empty, there's no processing taking place. You can add a module at any time by drag & drop it onto the board, or remove a module by clicking on it and pressing "delete" on your keyboard, the processing chain changes accordingly. Just like the insert slots on a channel of your DAW, the order of the modules matters. In your DAW, the signal flows from the top to the bottom of the insert slots. For example, inserting an EQ first then a compressor is different than inserting a compressor first then an EQ. The same goes for S-Board. On S-Board, the signal flows from the left to the right, top to bottom.

Take the above screenshot as an example. There are 5 modules on the board, and the input signal flows from 1 to 2, then 3, then 4, and finally 5. Not that the empty slots in-between don't affect the signal chain in any way, there's no difference between placing two modules next to each ohter or place them far away.

Knobs & buttons

S-Board follows a hardware inspired design philosophy, knobs and buttons are two of the main components that made up the user interface. Let's take a look at how to interact with them, and what functionalities they offer.

Knobs

There are two types of knobs - stepped and regular. A stepped knob only allows you to dial between certain options, while a regular one gives you continuous and smooth control. Both of them offer three types of interactions - Turning, Type-in, and return-to-default.

Turning	Type-in	Return-to-default

Left click and hold to drag	Left click on the label, type in the number	⌘ + left click (Mac) Control + left click(Win)

It's worth noting that as you interact with the knobs, it shows you the actual value instead of its label, as the interaction finishes, it returns to its label.

Buttons

There are two kinds of buttons - push buttons and toggle switches. They are pretty straightforward to work with - just click on them to change their states. Note that on toggle switches, you can also drag to change its state, similarly as you would do to a physical toggle switch.

Right click - Unlocking hidden features

Some components have "hidden features", for example, the "delay" knob on the Acousma module and the "rate" knob on the LFO module, right-click on them reveal BPM-sync options. Remember to try right click on components, you never know what hidden features they offer.

Now we have covered all the bases regarding S-Board's signal flow and design philosophy. A quick recap:

On S-Board, the input signal flows from left to right, top to bottom. The order of the modules matters.
Knobs & buttons are basic building blocks, try right-click on them to see if they offer any "hidden features".

Now let's move on and talk about the modules themselves. An S-Board module can be either a processor or a modifier, a processor does the actual DSP and processes your input audio. A modifier generates modulation signals to modify parameters on the processors. Sounds a little complicated? Let's break them down.

Processors

If you play electric guitar, you are likely familiar with pedals. A processor module is just like a pedal, it shapes your sound in some meaningful way. And like the pedals, there are knobs and buttons for you to control the parameters of the effect.

What's more? Some S-Board modules come with CV inputs. CV, aka Control Voltage, is a concept borrowed from the modular synth world, these inputs take external control signals (usually generated by a modifier module) and map them to the parameters they refer to.

At this point, you might wonder what to do about these little CV jacks, but let's don't get ahead of ourselves, your question will be answered soon.

Modifiers

Unlike the processors, the modifiers don't change your sound in any form by themselves. Instead, they are oscillators, envelope generators, or sequencers that generate CVs (Control Voltages) to control the parameters of the processors. In fact, the modifiers are what makes S-Board unique - they bring the synthesizing world in and make S-Board capable of transferring static sound into ever-changing soundscapes.

The LFO module is a great example of modifiers. If you play synth, you'll know how important the LFOs are for sound design. LFO, aka Low-Frequency Oscillator. Its job is to generate low-frequency (usually below 20hz) signals. We use the signal to morph things, for example, use it to control the cut-off frequency of a filter to get the wobble synth sound we hear on future bass tracks or control the output volume to get a tremolo effect.

Back to the point, the functionality of a modifier is to modify parameters on a processor. They generate modulation signals and output the signal from the outputs jack at the bottom as CVs.

Virtual Patch Cables

Now we are familiar with processors and modifiers, but how to let them work with each other? As you have probably figured out already, by patch cables. In this section, let's talk about the virtual patch cables.

The virtual patch cables work the same way as their real-world counterparts. They carry signals from one jack to the other. If we click and hold a CV jack on S-Board, a new patch cable will be created, then we simply move the cursor and drop the cable upon another CV jack to make the connection.

As shown in the above video, once the connections are made, the parameters on the Acousma module are controlled by the LFO, the green dot on each of the knobs shows you how the parameter is modulated. As we turn up the "rate" knob on the LFO, the modulation becomes faster, do the opposite, it becomes slower.

Congratulations, you've learned everything you need to get your hands dirty! Oh wait, we haven't talked about presets, do we? Alright, here we go.

Load & save presets

Loading and saving the presets is a breeze, just right-click anywhere on S-Board, from the popup menu, choose "factory presets" to explore the good stuff we made for you. If you'd like to save your patch, click on "save as presets", give it a name, and you can recall it anytime from the "user presets".

All the states will be saved, including the modules and their order, as well as the virtual cable connections. You never have to worry about losing anything. And if you want to share your preset with someone else, here's where they are located in your file system.

	Mac	Win
Factory Presets	/Users/Shared/Sonic Instruments/S-Board/Presets/Factory	C:\Users\Public\Documents\Sonic Instruments\S-Board\Presets\Factory
User Presets	/Users/Shared/Sonic Instruments/S-Board/Presets/User	C:\Users\Public\Documents\Sonic Instruments\S-Board\Presets\User

Besides the global presets which saves everything, each module comes with its own preset systems. Again, right-click on the module and choose from the popup menu. The presets for individual modules are stored in the Presets folder, you can share them with your friends too.

Fantastic! Now you've really got everything, time to get cracking. Again, thank you for using S-Board, we hope it inspires you, and we can't wait to hear what you'll come up with. It would be a great honor if you'd like to share your work with us, find us on Instagram or YouTube, or email directly your work to music@sonic-instruments.co. We'll listen to it sincerely.

Other features

There are some advanced features in S-Board to unleash creativity even further. Let's start with sidechaining. As a wide-used modern production technique, sidechaining allows you to route alternative audio sources into a processor module. By utilizing the sidechain input, we unlocked tons of potentials.

Plugin: use sidechain inputs

Sidechain is available in any of the plugin formats, in other words, you can do sidechaining in S-Board from any DAW software, as long as it supports it. The good news is since sidechaining is so crucial to modern music production, all of the mainstream DAWs support it, so you shouldn't worry about the compatibility.

Let's do a sidechain compression as an example to learn how to use sidechains in S-Board plugins. Here I'll use Logic Pro X, you are free to use any DAWs of your favorite as the concept remains the same. If you haven't used sidechains before, google is always helpful, just type in something like "Cubase how to sidechain", it'll show you.

Alright, let's get started.

Create a new project and add 2 audio tracks.
Drag a drum loop or a beat onto the first track.
Drag a synth chord or anything with long sustained notes onto the second track.
Something like this

Insert S-Board on the second track. (The one with long sustained notes.)
Drag Pressure module onto the board.
Flip the "sc" toggle on Pressure module to the upper position like this. (Turn sidechain on.)
Find "Side Chain" option on the top right corner (your DAW might be differnet), and choose the first track as the sidechain input.
Now you should see Pressure module's gain reduction meter pumping along with the drum track, which means the sidechain compression is applied. Adjust the threshold and other parameters to taste, and make you synth dance with the drum track.
(Optional) filp the "lpf" toggle on, the lowpass filter will filter out high frequencies in the sidechain input, and your synth will only duck the kicks, not the snares, cymbals or others.

Plugin: parameter automation

Like all the great plugins, S-Board supports parameter automation. The knobs, switches, buttons can all get automated from your DAW in real-time. And of cause, S-Board goes further than that. If you own the CVWriter module, S-Board can even write automation data back to the daw! This opens up a whole new degree of freedom, for example, you can use the CV from the LFO module to automate any plugins in your project.

Let's first walk through how to read automation from the DAW. Here I'll use Logic Pro X, but you are free to use any DAW you like, the principle is the same.

Insert S-Board on a track, drag a module on to the board, and call out the automation editor in your DAW. (In Logic Pro X simply press "a".)
Choose the parameter you'd like to automate, for example "slot1 - feedback", then draw a line.
Make sure automation is in "Read" mode, then play it back, you should see the knob turns along the path of your line.

Alright, now let's see how to write automation back to your DAW with CVWriter.

Drag a LFO module and a CVWriter module onto S-Board.
Change automation mode to "Touch" or "Latch".
Connect LFO to CVWriter, turn on the write button ("W"), then press play. You should see the CV being recorded as automation data.

After the recorded the data, you are free to copy and paste it anywhere to automate the things you'd like to. Note that the CVWriter module is not included in the standard version, you can get it from S-Board Deluxe Bundle, Modifier Expansion Pack or buy it seperately at $9.

Caution!

Adding/removing modules from the board, or change the module order might cause a change of the parameter mappings in your DAW, so we highly recommend NOT TO do any automation UNTIL the patch is set, to avoid potential automation parameter mismatch.

Standalone: use sidechain inputs

Not only do plugins support sidechain inputs, but also does the S-Board's standalone app. In fact, using sidechain inputs in the standalone app is a lot easier than in the plugins. The only thing you need to make sure of is that your audio interface must have at least 2 input channels. Remember when we were doing sidechains in the plugin, we let the DAW route another audio track in as our sidechain input? While now we are in the standalone app, we use the second input channel on the audio interface as sidechain input, so things are easier, there's no additional routing needed.

Let's use dieRoboter module and do a vocoding this time, if you don't have it, you can still follow along and learn the concept. Before we start, plug a mic into the first input on your audio interface, then a super saw synth or distorted electric guitar on the second. Ready? Here we go.

Click on the "Options" button on the top left corner of the window and select "Audio/MIDI Settings".
Make sure you're using the right audio interface, and the audio inputs are not muted. Then, Select input channels, first select your mic (as main input), then your synth or guitar (sidechain input).

Drag dieRoboter module onto the board, change its source to "sc" (Sidechain).
Now talk into the mic and hold a note or a chord on your instrument, you should hear the robotic, vocoded version of your voice.
(Optional) a vocoder works better with rich carrier, carrier here refers to your instrument (FYI, your voice is called modulator), and rich means the carrier should have a wide frequency range (like a sawtooth for example), so try turn up the gain and distort your instrument a little if it's too plain, that'll make your voice more clear and intelligible.

Standalone: audio settings

In the last chapter, we poked around with the audio settings, let's break it down and learn what's what.

Prevent feedback
: mute your audio input in order to prevent a feecback loop from happening.
Audio Driver
: this option is usually hidden on macOS, cause Core Audio is essentially what every audio app uses. On windows, you would like to choose ASIO whenever possible, since it provides the best audio performance with the lowest latency.
Device
: current audio device, you can click on the "Test" button, if you hear a sinewave, then it's working. It worth noting that on macOS, you have the option to choose input and output devices separately.
Output channels
: the output channels to use, you can choose only one for mono output, or two for stereo.
Input channels
: the input channels to use, choose one for main input only, or two to activate sidechain input. The one with smaller number will be the main input, and the other will be the sidechain input. For example if you select input 2 and 3, then 2 will be the main, 3 will be the sidechain.
Sample rate
: current sample rate, note that sometimes the sample rate will be controlled by your audio interface's driver, change it here might not have any effect.
Buffer size
: current buffer size, the lower the buffer size, the lower the latency. Note that sometimes it will be controlled by your audio interface's driver, change it here might not have any effect.
Control Panel (Optional)
: Open your audio interface's control panel. Only some audio interfaces have this option. If your sample rate and buffer size are controllered by the driver, the control panel is usually where you can change them.
Reset Device (Optional)
: Reset your audio device to solve problems. Not every audio interface supports this feature.

Standalone: record your performance

The standalone comes with another thoughtful feature, it has a built-in audio recording for you to make quick recordings.

Cpu load

Parameters

	Description	Range
waveform	Waveform type	Sin\|Triangle\|Square\|Saw\|Noise
rate	Waveform frequency	0% - 200%
amp	Waveform amplitude	0% - 100%

CV Outputs

	Description
0.5x	Outputs the generated signal in 0.5x(half) rate
1x	Outputs the generated signal in 1x(normal) rate
2x	Outputs the generated signal in 2x(double) rate

EnvFollower | Modifier

Overview

A super versatile envelope follower, it extracts amplitude envelope from input or sidechain signal and transforms it into CV, great for transient shaping, sidechain filtering, or other program-dependent effects.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Cpu load

Parameters

	Description	Range
attack	Attack duration for envelope extraction	0% - 100%
release	Release duration for envelope extraction	0% - 100%
low_cut	Lowcut(highpass) filter cutoff frequency, useful for extracting env within certain frequency range	0hz - 20khz
high_cut	Highcut(lowpass) filter cutoff frequency, useful for extracting env within certain frequency range	0hz - 20khz
amp	Amplitude of the extracted env, when below 0%, the env will be inverted	-100% - 100%

CV Output

	Description
out	CV output

Additional Modules (Sold Separately)

Besides the 7 stock modules, there are additional modules you can buy. New modules will be added regularly, so check out our website on a regular basis and never miss out on any new goodies.

Bokeh | Space & Vibe Creator

Overview

A bidirectional (forward & reversed) reverb module capable of creating extra ambient, dynamic and vibe.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Coloration

Cpu load

Parameters

	Description	Range	Supports CV
pre_delay	Reverb pre delay time	0ms - 500ms	No
decay	Reverb decay (tail off) time	0.1s - 18s	No
reverse	Ratio between forward & reversed reverb	0% - 100%	No
vibe	Characteristic of the reverb, from plate to hall	0% - 100%	No
damping	Amount of damping	0% - 100%	No
low_cut	Lowcut(highpass) filter cutoff frequency	20hz - 1.5khz	No
mix	Dry and wet ratio	0% - 100%	No
high_cut	Highcut(lowpass) filter cutoff frequency	200hz - 20khz	No

dieRoboter | Analog 32-Band Vocoder

Overview

A classic analog vocoder with 32 filter bands evenly distributed across octaves. Clear & articulated robotic voice is what it does the best.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Coloration

Cpu load

Parameters

	Description	Range	Supports CV
character	Sound character	Modern \| Retro	No
carrier	Carrier signal source	Noise \| Sidechain input	No
attack	Attack for the env follower	0% - 100%	No
release	Release for the env follower	0% - 100%	No
num_bands	Number of filter bands used	8 - 32	No
clarity	Clarity of the voice	-100% - 100%	No
nasal	Nasalness of the voice	0% - 100%	Yes
formant	Formant shift (gender bender)	-100% - 100%	Yes
mix	Dry and wet ratio	0% - 100%	No
gain	Carrier signal gain	20% - 1000%	No
low	Amount of low frequency	0% - 200%	No
mid	Amount of mid frequency	0% - 200%	No
high	Amount of high frequency	0% - 200%	No

ADSR | Modifier

Overview

An ADSR Envelope generator with curvature control. Trigger it with another modifier to fine tune the envelope of your sound.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Cpu load

Parameters

	Description	Range
threshold	Threshold for triggering the envelope	0 - 1
curve	Curvature for the generated envelope	1 - 10
attack	Attack time	2.5ms - 5s
decay	Decay time	2.5ms - 5s
sustain	Sustain level	0% - 100%
release	Release time	2.5ms - 5s

CV Input

	Description
in	Trigger signal input

CV Output

	Description
out	CV output

Regulator | Modifier

Overview

An all rounder CV processing utility. Dim the voltage, remap the range, invert the direction, quantize the signal. It gets your CV 100% under control.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Cpu load

Parameters

	Description	Range
dim	Dim the signal to 25% of the original level.	on/off
remap	Remap the range, bipolar maps a signal from 0-1 to -1-1, rectify takes the absolute value of the signal.	bipolar\|off\|rectify
invert	Invert the direction of the signal	on/off
quantize	Quantize the signal, good for some glichy effects	2.5ms - 5s
gain	Amplitude gain	0% - 200%

CV Input

	Description
in	CV input

CV Output

	Description
out	CV output

Dispatcher | Modifier

Overview

A simple yet useful CV bus, it dispatches the same input to 4 seperate destinations.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Cpu load

CV Input

	Description
in	CV input

CV Output

	Description
out1	Input copy 1
out2	Input copy 2
out3	Input copy 3
out4	Input copy 4

CVWriter | Modifier

Overview

A powerful tool to write CV into your DAW as automation data. Gives you the freedom to fine-tune the CV, or to control any audio parameters in your project.

Stats

Versatility

Creativity

Cpu load

CV Inputs

	Description
cv1	CV input 1
cv2	CV input 2
cv3	CV input 3
cv4	CV input 4

Button

	Description
Write Mode	CVWriter will only output automation data when write mode is on, make sure it's on before recording data. Once you stopped the playback in DAW, write mode will turn off automatically to prevent accidental overwrites.

Table of contents

Installation & Activation

macOS (Big Sur & Apple Silicon models ready)

Windows

Activate by serial number

Contents & locations & compatibilities

Get Started With S-Board

Signal flow

Knobs & buttons

Processors

Modifiers

Virtual Patch Cables

Load & save presets

Other features

Plugin: use sidechain inputs

Plugin: parameter automation

Caution!

Standalone: use sidechain inputs

Standalone: audio settings

Standalone: record your performance

Modules

Acousma | Tape Delay & Modulation

Overview

Stats

Parameters

Sweep | Analog Ladder Filter

Overview

Stats

Parameters

Charger | Tube Inspired Distortion

Overview

Stats

Parameters

Pressure | Compressor

Overview

Stats

Parameters

Palette | EQ

Overview

Stats

Parameters

Gain | Gain Staging Utility

Overview

Stats

Parameters

LFO | Modifier

Overview

Stats

Parameters

CV Outputs

EnvFollower | Modifier

Overview

Stats

Parameters

CV Output

Additional Modules (Sold Separately)

Bokeh | Space & Vibe Creator

Overview

Stats

Parameters

dieRoboter | Analog 32-Band Vocoder

Overview

Stats

Parameters

ADSR | Modifier

Overview

Stats

Parameters

CV Input

CV Output

Regulator | Modifier

Overview

Stats

Parameters

CV Input

CV Output

Dispatcher | Modifier

Overview

Stats

CV Input