LILJEHOLMEN DSP — MAN-16-01 / Reference manual

TRUMSYNT-16

Version 1.4 · Reference manual

Installation & upgrading to 1.4

macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon / Intel): AU and VST3. Windows 11, 64-bit: VST3. Download version 1.4.0.

Close the DAW and extract the package. Copy the AU/VST3 bundle to the matching path below; create the folder if needed. On Windows, copy the whole TRUMSYNT-16.vst3 folder.
For updates, replace the plug-in. On Windows, delete the old plug-in folder first; do not merge. Keep the separate preset and license folders.
Restart the DAW; rescan if needed. Open TRUMSYNT-16 once to install factory presets. User presets are preserved.

macOS AU: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/TRUMSYNT-16.component

macOS VST3: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/TRUMSYNT-16.vst3

Windows VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\TRUMSYNT-16.vst3

Back up important projects before upgrading. Older synced LFO presets use the nearest note value in 1.4, which may change their timing. Earlier modulation destinations are preserved.

New in 1.4

New LFO destinations include VEL and combined oscillator PITCH; MOD A/B gain oscillator levels and pitch-envelope depths. SYNC uses eight note values, SH + RETRIG randomizes each hit, and resonance changes are smoothed.

Also new: Undo, sequencer copy/paste, the V readout, unit-aware host values, updated preset browsing and panel indicators, and a 14-day trial with 5 seconds of silence every minute.

Signal chain

VCOs + noise + click → PRE DRIVE → LP/HP filter → VCA → VOLUME → POST DRIVE. Noise and click with VCF BYPASS join after the filter.

Fig. 1. Signal and control overview. PRE DRIVE is before the filter; VOLUME is before POST DRIVE. Noise/click bypass paths join at the VCA. Scroll sideways to read the diagram.

Quick start

Insert TRUMSYNT-16 on an instrument track and press TRIGGER or play a MIDI note.
Set PITCH and VELOCITY steps. PATTERN A / B selects an eight-step page; A + B chains both. Enable RUN and start the DAW.
Choose destinations for MOD A / MOD B and set their step values.

Oscillators

Control	Range	Default	What it does
VCO 1 WAVE	SQR / TRI / MET / SIN	SQR	Square, triangle, metallic (six detuned squares), or sine.
VCO 1 LEVEL	0 – 100 %	60 %	VCO 1 contribution to the mix.
VCO 1 FREQ	1 Hz – 2 kHz	≈76 Hz	Base pitch of VCO 1.
VCO 1 EG AMT	−60 – +60 st	+0.0 st	Pitch-envelope depth in semitones. Positive values start above the base pitch and settle down; negative values start below it and rise.
VCO 1 DECAY	10 ms – 2 s	300 ms	Length of the VCO 1 pitch sweep.
VCO 2 WAVE	SQR / TRI / SIN	SQR	Square, band-limited triangle, or sine. Sine can be frequency-modulated by VCO 1.
VCO 2 LEVEL	0 – 100 %	0 %	VCO 2 contribution to the mix.
VCO 2 FREQ	1 Hz – 2 kHz	330 Hz	Base pitch of VCO 2.
VCO 2 EG AMT	−60 – +60 st	+0.0 st	Pitch-envelope depth for VCO 2 in semitones.
VCO 2 DECAY	10 ms – 2 s	300 ms	Length of the VCO 2 pitch sweep.
VCO EG SHAPE	EXP / LIN / LOG	LIN	Curve shared by both pitch envelopes.
FM AMT	0 – 100 %	0 %	Linear FM from VCO 1 into VCO 2.
HARD SYNC	Off / On	Off	Resets VCO 2 phase to VCO 1. (METAL mode on VCO 1 does not drive sync.)
SEQ PITCH MOD	VCO 1+2 / OFF / VCO 2	VCO 1+2	Which oscillators follow the per-step PITCH lane.

Mix / Transient

Control	Range	Default	What it does
NOISE LEVEL	0 – 100 %	0 %	Amount of noise in the mix.
NOISE COLOR	−1 – +1	+0.00	Negative = darker; positive = brighter.
NOISE DECAY	5 ms – 2 s	41 ms	Independent noise decay time.
NOISE VCF BYPASS	Off / On	Off	Routes noise around the filters when on.
CLICK LEVEL	0 – 100 %	0 %	Level of the noise-based click transient.
CLICK TUNE	20 Hz – 8 kHz	800 Hz	Brightness of the noise-based click transient.
CLICK DECAY	5 – 200 ms	15 ms	Length of the click transient.
CLICK VCF BYPASS	Off / On	Off	Routes the click around the filters when on.

Filters

Control	Range	Default	What it does
VCF MODE	LP / HP	LP	Low-pass or high-pass.
CUTOFF	20 Hz – 20 kHz	5.52 kHz	Cutoff frequency.
RESONANCE	0 – 100 %	0 %	High values in LP mode can make the filter ring on its own.
VCF DECAY	10 ms – 10 s	300 ms	Length of the VCF decay envelope.
VCF EG AMT	−1 – +1	+0.00	Bipolar filter-envelope depth.
NOISE VCF MOD	0 – 100 %	0 %	Extra cutoff modulation driven by the noise source.

Amp / Drive

Control	Range	Default	What it does
VCA EG	0 – 100 %	0 %	Attack: ≈1 ms at 0 %, ≈100 ms at 100 %.
VCA DECAY	10 ms – 2 s	43 ms	Body release length.
UNTZ	−1 – +1	+0.00	Envelope contour.
VOLUME	0 – 100 %	80 %	Voice level before POST DRIVE.
PRE DRIVE	x1 – x10	x1.00	Saturation before the filters.
POST DRIVE	x1 – x10	x1.00	Saturation after the VCA and VOLUME.

LFO

Control	Range	Default	What it does
LFO WAVE	TRI / SAW / SQR / SH	TRI	Triangle, saw, square, or random sample-and-hold. SH takes a new random value each cycle, and with RETRIG on also at every hit.
LFO RATE	0.01 – 20 Hz	1.0 Hz	Speed when free-running. With SYNC on, the same knob steps through eight note values: 4 bars, 2 bars, 1 bar, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32. The free-running rate returns when SYNC is switched off, unless the knob was turned meanwhile.
LFO AMT	0 – 100 %	50 %	Depth into the selected destination.
LFO SYNC	Off / On	Off	Runs the LFO in note values from the tempo, with its phase locked to the bar: to the DAW’s position while it plays, and to the sequencer’s own clock under RUN.
LFO RETRIG	Off / On	Off	Restarts the LFO phase on every hit, from the sequencer or from MIDI.
LFO DEST	see destinations	OFF	The MOD A / MOD B destinations except LFO RATE and LFO AMT, plus CLICK TUNE, NOISE DEC, CLICK DEC, VEL and PITCH.

Modulation sequencer

Four lanes across two eight-step pages. Each lane has an independent length.

Lane	Range	Default	What it does
PITCH	0 – 120	60	60 leaves the base pitch unchanged; each unit above or below transposes one semitone, routed by SEQ PITCH MOD.
VELOCITY	0 – 100 %	80 %	Hit strength. Set a step to 0 for a rest. Also affects pitch-envelope depth, click level and VCF decay.
MOD A	0 – 100 %	50 %	Per-step depth for lane A, sent to its destination.
MOD B	0 – 100 %	50 %	Per-step depth for lane B, sent to its destination.

Transport & clock

PATTERN A / B: Select the eight-step page to edit and play.
A + B: Chain both pages into a 16-step sequence.
LANE LENGTHS: Click each lane’s length display: 1–8 steps per page, or 1–16 with A+B.
CLOCK MULT: Sequencer speed against host clock: 1/5, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1×, 2×, 3×, 4×, 6× (default 1×).
SWING: 0 – 50 %. Delays off-beat steps for shuffle.
SEQ RUN: Host-automatable sequencer run/stop, shown as Off / On.
RUN/STOP: Click to enable/disable sequencing with the DAW transport. Lamp: lit = playing, pulsing = waiting for the DAW, dark = disabled. Double-click to run on its own clock with the DAW stopped.
TRIGGER: Fire the voice immediately.
RESET: While playing: return to step 1. While stopped: toggle reset-on-start (lamp lit) or resume (lamp dark).
SEQ RESET ON START: Automation for the RESET lamp: On = restart from step 1; Off = resume.
VELOCITY ZERO: Set all 16 velocity steps to 0.

Modulation destinations

MOD A and MOD B each send bipolar modulation to one destination. The LFO has its own destination.

Mod A / Mod B destinations

OFF
CUTOFF
RESONANCE
VCF EG
NOISE VCF
FM AMT
VCO1 PITCH
VCO2 PITCH
NOISE
NOISE COL
CLICK LVL
VCO DEC
VCO2 DEC
VCF DEC
VCA DEC
VCA EG
PRE DRV
POST DRV
LFO RATE
LFO AMT
PAN
UNTZ
VCO1 LVL
VCO2 LVL
VCO1 PITCH EG
VCO2 PITCH EG

LFO destinations

OFF
CUTOFF
RESONANCE
VCF EG
NOISE VCF
FM AMT
VCO1 PITCH
VCO2 PITCH
NOISE
NOISE COL
CLICK LVL
VCO DEC
VCO2 DEC
VCF DEC
VCA DEC
VCA EG
PRE DRV
POST DRV
PAN
UNTZ
CLICK TUNE
NOISE DEC
CLICK DEC
VEL
PITCH
VCO1 LVL
VCO2 LVL
VCO1 PITCH EG
VCO2 PITCH EG

VEL scales each sequencer/MIDI hit’s velocity, including its effects on click and filter decay. Use SH + RETRIG for a new random value per hit. PITCH moves both oscillators (AMT 25 % = ±1 octave), leaving click tuning unchanged. VCO1/2 LVL target oscillator levels; VCO1/2 PITCH EG target pitch-envelope depths.

Editing

V: Toggle the held knob’s value readout. CLOCK MULT uses its lamps instead.
UNDO: Cmd/Ctrl+Z undoes up to 100 editor edits, including preset loads and INIT; no redo. Excludes RUN/STOP and host automation. History resets on project load or host program change. With editor focus, the shortcut stays with TRUMSYNT-16 even when history is empty.
COPY / PASTE: Hover a sequencer knob: Cmd/Ctrl+C copies, Cmd/Ctrl+V pastes. PITCH and VELOCITY paste within their own lanes; MOD A/B can cross-paste. The clipboard lasts while the plug-in is open.
MIDI NOTE: With the pointer over a step’s PITCH knob, a MIDI note-on sets that step’s PITCH to the note number. The change can be undone.
KNOB EDITING: Shift-drag for fine adjustment; arrow keys nudge the hovered knob. Double-click or Cmd-click (macOS) / Ctrl-click (Windows) restores its default.

Host values & text entry

Type values in the DAW’s parameter fields where supported. The panel’s V display is read-only and uses the same units.

FREQUENCY: Bare numbers mean Hz: 1500 = 1.5 kHz, even if the field shows kHz.
TIME: Bare numbers mean milliseconds: 500 = 500 ms = 0.5 s.
LEVEL / AMOUNT: Bare numbers mean percent: 72 = 72 %. VCF EG AMT, NOISE COLOR and UNTZ retain their signed −1 to +1 scale.
PITCH / DRIVE: Pitch EG: +3 = +3 st. Step PITCH uses 0–120, with 60 unchanged. Drive: 1.5, x1.5 or 1.5x.
LFO RATE: SYNC off: Hz. SYNC on: 4 bars, 2 bars, 1 bar, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32. Each mode accepts only its own units.
CHOICES / SWITCHES: Use names such as Sine or VCO1 PITCH EG; case and spaces are ignored. Switches: On/Off. Tempo: BPM.

Decimal commas are accepted. Invalid text or units leave the value unchanged; out-of-range numbers are clamped.

Existing projects, presets and automation retain their stored values. Only display and text entry use the new units.

Presets

.ts16 presets store sounds, sequences, modulation, lane lengths and A+B. RUN/STOP, reset-on-start and V readout are project settings.

Preset display: Click for built-ins, FACTORY / USER / LEGACY presets, Browse Presets... and Save As User.... An asterisk marks an edited preset.
Preset browser: Open via Browse Presets.... Filter by name or source. Double-click, Enter or LOAD loads; SAVE AS USER saves; DELETE removes a User preset; Esc closes.

INIT resets sound and sequence, selects A and disables A+B. Preset loads also select A, recalling saved A+B (off for older files without it), without enabling a stopped sequencer. Loads and INIT can be undone; file saves/deletions cannot. Deleting the loaded User preset also loads INIT.

macOS factory: ~/Library/Application Support/Liljeholmen DSP/TRUMSYNT-16/Presets/Factory

macOS user: ~/Library/Application Support/Liljeholmen DSP/TRUMSYNT-16/Presets/User

Windows: %APPDATA%\Liljeholmen DSP\TRUMSYNT-16\Presets\Factory and \Presets\User

DAW projects recall the full state without saving a separate preset.

MIDI notes & CC map

MIDI triggers the voice with or without sequencing. Note 60 uses the base pitch; other notes transpose according to SEQ PITCH MOD. Velocity sets hit strength; note-off leaves the tail ringing.

Sound controls, sequence values, lane lengths and modulation destinations support host automation. SEQ Run corresponds to CC 119.

CC 20 – 36: Core voice — VCO decay, VCO 1/2 freq/level/EG, noise, cutoff, resonance, VCA EG/decay, FM, volume, VCF decay/EG, noise VCF mod.
CC 37 – 52: Step PITCH 1–16.
CC 53 – 68: Step VELOCITY 1–16.
CC 69 – 84: Step MOD A 1–16.
CC 85 – 100: Step MOD B 1–16.
CC 101 – 106: SEQ pitch mod, hard sync, VCO 1/2 wave, VCF mode, clock mult.
CC 107 – 109: Click tune/decay/level.
CC 110: Sequencer's own clock. Values 64–127 start it; values 0–63 stop it. Both are inert while the host transport plays.
CC 111 – 112: Pre/post drive.
CC 113 – 118: LFO rate, wave, sync, retrig, dest, amount.
CC 119: Sequencer RUN/STOP. Values 0–63 stop; values 64–127 run.
CC 120 – 127: Ignored — reserved MIDI channel-mode messages.

License & trial

One offline license opens both instruments; existing TS-16 licenses remain valid. Place TRUMSYNT.license at the path below (create the folder if needed), then restart the DAW or reopen the plug-in window. No online activation is required.

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Liljeholmen DSP/TRUMSYNT/TRUMSYNT.license

Windows: %APPDATA%\Liljeholmen DSP\TRUMSYNT\TRUMSYNT.license

A TRUMSYNT-16.license that is already installed keeps working where it is. TRUMSYNT-16 1.3 and earlier read only that file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Liljeholmen DSP/TRUMSYNT-16/TRUMSYNT-16.license

Windows: %APPDATA%\Liljeholmen DSP\TRUMSYNT-16\TRUMSYNT-16.license

The 14-day trial has every feature and starts when you first open the plug-in window; until then a fresh instance is silent. During the trial, the audio is muted for 5 seconds every minute, also in exported audio, and a sign in the window counts the pause down. After 14 days the plug-in still opens but produces no sound; projects and presets remain intact. A license removes both limits permanently, in both instruments. KIT has a separate trial.

Earlier seven-day trials get one fresh 14-day period on first opening the 1.4 window, even after expiry. Before that, the old trial counts as 14 days from its original start. Reopening or reinstalling never restarts a trial already begun in 1.4.