LILJEHOLMEN DSP — MAN-KIT-01 / Reference manual
TRUMSYNT-KIT
Version 1.0 · Reference manual
Overview
Eight percussion synth voices, each with a 16-step sequencer row.
Swipe to see the full diagram →
Installation & updates
macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon / Intel): AU and VST3. Windows 11, 64-bit: VST3. Download version 1.0.
macOS: close the DAW, extract the package and run bash install.sh in Terminal as described in the included README. For manual installation, copy the plug-ins to the paths below and the Library contents (Presets, Kits, Preset Categories.txt) to ~/Documents/TRUMSYNT-KIT, skipping existing files. Restart the DAW; rescan if needed.
macOS AU: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/TRUMSYNT-KIT.component
macOS VST3: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/TRUMSYNT-KIT.vst3
macOS updates: replace the plug-ins with the DAW closed. Keep your library and license. The preset installer adds missing files without overwriting existing presets, kits or categories.
Windows: close the DAW and copy the extracted TRUMSYNT-KIT.vst3 folder to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ (administrator permission required). Run Install Presets.cmd as your own user, not as administrator. Or copy the Library contents to Documents\TRUMSYNT-KIT, skipping existing files. Restart the DAW; rescan if needed.
Windows updates: delete the old plug-in folder before copying the new one; do not merge them. Run Install Presets.cmd to add missing sounds. Keep your preset, kit, license and trial data.
Quick start in a DAW
- Insert TRUMSYNT-KIT on an instrument track.
- Click a row’s preset display and choose a sound. Click to audition; double-click, Enter or LOAD confirms.
- In TRIG mode, click cells to add hits, then press PLAY or start the DAW.
- Select a row with VOICE to edit its sound.
- Select P-LOCK, click a triggered step and turn a synth control, TUNE, DECAY, VEL or PAN to vary that hit.
Panel controls
VOICE selects a row for editing. The preset display selects it and opens the browser. HIT selects and auditions it, bypassing MUTE/SOLO.
V toggles the held knob’s value while the editor has focus. Hold Shift for fine dragging; arrow keys nudge the hovered knob, with smaller steps under Shift. Double-click TUNE, DECAY, VEL, VOL or PAN to reset it. Double-click an upper synth knob to clear its selected step lock; otherwise it does nothing.
Focused voice & performance
TUNE, DECAY, VEL and PAN edit the slot, or the selected P-LOCK step. VOL cannot be step locked.
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| TUNE | −12 to +12 st | Centre | Transposes both oscillators and click together for the focused voice or selected step. |
| DECAY | ×0.25–×4 | ×1 | Scales the voice decay times without changing the stored synth patch. |
| VEL | 0–1 | Slot dependent | Hit strength. |
| VOL | Silent to +12 dB | 0 dB (centre) | Slot mix level. Saved in voice presets and kits; affects MAIN and DIRECT. |
| PAN | L–R | Centre | Position in the stereo MAIN mix; DIRECT is mono. With a P-LOCK step selected it sets that hit’s own position. |
CLAMP adds the slot to a shared choke group: each hit cuts short the other CLAMP slots’ tails. CLEAR removes the focused row’s triggers, accents and locks in the current pattern, keeping its length, sound and mix. With CHAIN lit, CLEAR empties the chain instead.
Steps, accents & P-locks
Accents and P-locks require a trigger. Press the active ACCENT or P-LOCK tool again to return to TRIG.
- TRIG
- Click to toggle a trigger. Removing it also clears its accent and locks.
- ACCENT
- Click a trigger to toggle its accent.
- P-LOCK
- Select a trigger and change TUNE, DECAY, VEL, PAN or a synth control. Double-click the step to clear its locks and deselect it.
- SHIFT-CLICK
- Auditions a step with its accent and locks, without editing or changing focus. Works during playback, on muted rows and with STEP LISTEN off.
A selected P-LOCK step shows its values on the controls; unlocked controls use the slot’s base values. The turquoise indicator marks a locked or selected step. Selection alone changes no value; Esc, another tool or another pattern deselects it. A PAN lock holds for the whole hit, even if the slot’s PAN changes.
STEP LISTEN auditions added triggers and selected P-LOCK steps while stopped. Removing triggers and editing accents are silent. Over a cell, Backspace clears it; Cmd/Ctrl+C, X and V copy, cut and paste it.
Host automation changes base values, even with a P-LOCK step selected. Write step locks from the panel.
Patterns, chain & clock
Patterns A–H store triggers, accents, locks and row lengths. A selected pattern is editable immediately; during playback it takes over at the next 16-step boundary. Outside CHAIN, its lamp blinks while queued. Click LENGTH for 1–16 steps per row; double-click for 16. Each row loops independently.
- CHAIN
- Toggle CHAIN to play the stored order, starting with the current pattern if empty. While lit, click A–H to append up to eight entries (repeats allowed); double-click to remove the last occurrence. CLEAR empties the chain. It advances every 16 steps and the view follows playback. Voice selection remains available. Switching CHAIN off keeps the order; switching it on restarts at its first entry at the next 16-step boundary during playback.
- PLAY / STOP
- Follows the DAW’s position during playback. With the DAW stopped, PLAY uses its last tempo; a host transport change returns control to the DAW. STOP lets tails ring out.
- SWING
- Delays offbeat sixteenths. Tempo comes from the DAW.
Over a pattern button, Cmd/Ctrl+C, X and V copy, cut and paste all eight rows and lengths. Cut or Backspace clears its steps and resets lengths to 16; with CHAIN lit, Backspace instead removes all occurrences from the chain. Paste replaces the target. Steps can be pasted across rows and patterns. The clipboard is local to the instance and is not saved.
Cmd/Ctrl+Z: undo up to 100 editor gestures, including preset and kit loads; no redo. Excludes transport, pattern/step selection, STEP LISTEN, MUTE/SOLO, V readout, host automation and saved/deleted files. History survives closing the editor but not reopening the project.
Oscillators & interaction
TUNE transposes both oscillators and the click without changing their base frequencies.
The Default column refers to the Init sound.
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCO 1 FREQ | 1–8,000 Hz | 75.85 Hz | Base frequency of oscillator 1. |
| VCO 1 WAVE | SQR / TRI / MTL / SIN | SQR | Oscillator 1 waveform; MTL is the metallic source. |
| VCO 1 LEVEL | 0–1 | 0.60 | Oscillator 1 level in the voice. |
| VCO 1 PITCH EG | −60 to +60 st | 0 | Pitch-envelope depth; positive values start above the base pitch and settle down, negative values start below it and rise. |
| VCO 1 VCO DECAY | 0.01–2 s | 0.30 s | Duration of oscillator 1 pitch sweep. |
| VCO EG SHAPE | EXP / LIN / LOG | LIN | Shape shared by both oscillator pitch envelopes. |
| VCO 2 FREQ | 1–8,000 Hz | 330 Hz | Base frequency of oscillator 2. |
| VCO 2 WAVE | SQR / TRI / SIN | SQR | Oscillator 2 waveform. |
| VCO 2 LEVEL | 0–1 | 0 | Oscillator 2 level in the voice. |
| VCO 2 PITCH EG | −60 to +60 st | 0 | Pitch-envelope depth for oscillator 2. |
| VCO 2 VCO DECAY | 0.01–2 s | 0.30 s | Duration of oscillator 2 pitch sweep. |
| FM AMOUNT | 0–1 | 0 | Frequency modulation from VCO 1 into VCO 2. |
| UNTZ | −1 to +1 | 0 | Changes the voice envelope contour. |
| HARD SYNC | Off / On | Off | Resets VCO 2 phase from VCO 1. |
Mix / transient
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOISE LEVEL | 0–1 | 0 | Noise contribution to the voice. |
| NOISE COLOR | −1 to +1 | 0 | Tilts the noise darker or brighter. |
| NOISE DECAY | 0.005–2 s | 0.041 s | Noise envelope duration. |
| NOISE VCF BYPASS | Off / On | Off | Routes noise around the voice filter. |
| CLICK LEVEL | 0–1 | 0 | Click transient level. |
| CLICK TUNE | 20–8,000 Hz | 800 Hz | Brightness of the noise-based click transient. |
| CLICK DECAY | 0.005–0.2 s | 0.015 s | Click envelope duration. |
| CLICK VCF BYPASS | Off / On | Off | Routes click around the voice filter. |
| CLICK RETRIG | 1–8 pulses | 1 | Number of click pulses, counting the first. The spacing and fall-off between pulses are fixed. |
Filter
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCF MODE | LP / HP | LP | Low-pass or high-pass filter. |
| CUTOFF | 20–20,000 Hz | 5,515 Hz | Filter cutoff. |
| RESONANCE | 0–1 | 0 | Filter resonance. In LP mode, high values can make the filter ring on its own. |
| VCF EG AMT | −1 to +1 | 0 | Bipolar filter-envelope depth. |
| VCF EG DECAY | 0.01–10 s | 0.30 s | Filter-envelope duration. |
| NOISE MOD | 0–1 | 0 | Noise-driven cutoff modulation, independent of NOISE LEVEL. |
Amp / drive
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| VCA EG | 0–1 | 0 | VCA onset control, from a fast to a slower attack. |
| VCA DECAY | 0.01–2 s | 0.043 s | Body-envelope duration. |
| GAIN | 0–2 | 0.80 | Level inside the voice, before post drive; saved with the voice preset. |
| PRE DRIVE | 1–10 | 1 | Voice saturation before filtering. |
| POST DRIVE | 1–10 | 1 | Voice saturation after the VCA. |
LFO
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| LFO RATE | 0.01–20 Hz | 1 Hz | Free-running speed. 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. |
| LFO WAVE | TRI / SAW / SQR / SH | TRI | Triangle, saw, square or sample-and-hold. SH takes a new random value each cycle, and with RETRIG on also at every hit. |
| LFO SYNC | Off / On | Off | Runs the LFO in note values from the DAW tempo, with its phase locked to the bar. |
| LFO RETRIG | Off / On | Off | Restarts LFO phase on every hit, whether from the sequencer, MIDI or HIT. |
| LFO DEST | Destination menu | OFF | Selects one modulation target. |
| LFO AMT | 0–1 | 0.5 | Depth sent to that target. |
Modulation destinations
- OFF
- CUTOFF
- RES
- 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
- UNTZ
- CLICK TUNE
- NOISE DEC
- CLICK DEC
- RETRIG
- VEL
- PAN
- TUNE
- VCO1 LVL
- VCO2 LVL
- VCO1 PITCH EG
- VCO2 PITCH EG
PAN modulation adds to any PAN lock and affects MAIN only. TUNE modulates both oscillators (AMT 0.25 = ±1 octave), leaving click tuning unchanged. VCO1/2 LVL target oscillator levels; VCO1/2 PITCH EG target pitch-envelope depths.
Mix & Separate outs
MAIN / DIRECT routes each slot to stereo MAIN or its mono output, TM 01–08. A disabled direct bus falls back to MAIN.
DIRECT includes voice processing and VOL, but bypasses PAN, GLUE, MASTER DRIVE and OUTPUT. SWING applies to both routes.
| Control | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLUE | 0–100% | 0% | Two fixed three-band compression stages on MAIN; stage two enters above the midpoint. |
| DRIVE | 0–1 | 0 | Master saturation on MAIN. |
| SWING | 0–1 | 0 | Delays the offbeat sixteenth within each pair, by up to half a step at maximum. |
| OUTPUT | 0–1 | 0.70 | Final MAIN output level. |
MUTE blocks new sequencer/MIDI hits; tails continue. Multiple slots can be SOLO. MUTE and SOLO cancel each other on the same slot.
Voice presets, kits & files
For AI-assisted sound design, use the preset-writing prompt.
Click a preset display to browse categories. UTILITY contains INIT and EMPTY; TS16 appears when TRUMSYNT-16 is installed.
Click a voice to audition it; the sequencer also plays the preview. Arrow keys select without auditioning. LOAD, Enter or double-click confirms; CANCEL or Esc restores the previous sound.
TS16 lists TRUMSYNT-16 User presets read-only. Its factory sounds are included in KIT’s categories. BROWSE PRESETS... imports .trumvoice or .ts16; TS-16 imports include the sound only. CATEGORY... recategorizes the selected KIT preset.
Voice presets (.trumvoice) store the synth patch, TUNE, DECAY, VEL and VOL. Loading one clears that slot’s synth/performance locks across all patterns, except PAN locks. Triggers, accents, lengths, PAN, routing and CLAMP stay. INIT, EMPTY and .ts16 imports set VOL to 0 dB. Save with FOCUSED VOICE SAVE or SAVE AS....
Kits (.trumkit) store the sounds and VOL levels of the kit. Click KIT PRESET to preview kits and their sounds; LOAD confirms. Save with KIT PRESET SAVE or SAVE AS.... Loading a kit or INIT KIT preserves patterns, all locks, chain, PAN, routing, CLAMP and MASTER settings.
DELETE... asks for confirmation, then moves the file to Trash. Loaded sounds and sounds embedded in kits remain. Built-ins and TS-16 presets cannot be deleted here.
TRUMSYNT-KIT voice presets: Documents/TRUMSYNT-KIT/Presets
TRUMSYNT-KIT kits: Documents/TRUMSYNT-KIT/Kits
TRUMSYNT-16 user presets on macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Liljeholmen DSP/TRUMSYNT-16/Presets/User
TRUMSYNT-16 user presets on Windows: %APPDATA%\Liljeholmen DSP\TRUMSYNT-16\Presets\User
The 1.0 library contains 253 voice presets and 12 kits.
MIDI
Notes 36–43 on any channel trigger slots 1–8 at their own pitch, with or without the sequencer. Note velocity scales VEL; MUTE/SOLO apply.
Hover over VCO 1 FREQ or VCO 2 FREQ and play a MIDI note to set its pitch (A4 = 440 Hz, limited to 1 Hz–8 kHz). With a P-LOCK step selected, this writes its lock. Notes 36–43 still trigger their slots. Undo is supported. The shortcut may respond with a short delay; it is not continuous keyboard tracking.
No chromatic keyboard mode, MIDI output or CC map. Pitch bend, aftertouch, program change and MIDI clock are unsupported; use host automation.
DAW session & automation
DAW projects retain the full state, including patterns, chain, mix, routing and editor preferences, without needing the original preset files.
Automation exposes Run, four MASTER controls, each slot’s TUNE / DECAY / VEL / VOL and synth controls. These edit base values; P-locks override them per step. Pattern cells, chain, PAN and routing are saved but not automatable.
In editable DAW parameter fields, include units: 1.5 kHz, 50 ms or 1/4 for synced LFO RATE. The panel’s V readout is not editable.
License & trial
One offline license opens both instruments. Existing TRUMSYNT-16 licenses also work with KIT.
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, also when TRUMSYNT-16 itself is not installed:
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 it is silent. During the trial, the audio is muted for 5 seconds every minute on every output, also in exported audio, and a sign in the window counts the pause down. It is separate from the TS-16 trial and cannot be restarted by reinstalling. After 14 days, projects still load but produce no sound; projects, kits and presets remain intact. Use the expiry message’s button to open the license folder. A license removes both limits permanently, in both instruments.
If a license is rejected, the message identifies the file. Download it again and keep the exact name TRUMSYNT.license.