The Sosnowski Synthesizer
MIDI, Keyboard, Audio and More
The Fifth Row
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The Sosnowski Synthesizer is organized in five "rows" from top to bottom.  This section covers the fifth row, which contains the MIDI controls; the onboard keyboard; volume, pan and attenuation controls; master tune control; EQ on/off; MIDI all-notes-off and steam-clear controls; and MIDI, pitch bend and sustain indicators.  This row also has the full screen control (standalone only) and other incidental controls.
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The MIDI Controls
Channel, Program Change On/Off, Volume On/Off, Pan On/Off
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The MIDI section is at the left of the bottom row, labeled MIDI.

MIDI Activity Indicator:
To the left of the word MIDI is a (normally dark) indicator that will light bright green when MIDI note activity is present.  The indictor is helpful in hardware hook-up and communication diagnosis.

MIDI Channel Selection:
To the left and below the MIDI label is a drop-down menu button to select the MIDI channel.  Channels 1 through 16 or "omni" (all channels) may be selected.  The default is channel 1.

P/C (Program Change) On/Off:
When P/C On/Off is On, MIDI program change (also called "patch change") commands are processed normally.  If P/C is set to Off, program change commands are blocked.  The default state is On.  In some cases you may wish to switch this off; for instance, many "stock" MIDI files force program change to 1 (the first sound in the preset bank) each time they start.

Volume On/Off:
When Volume On/Off is set to On, MIDI volume signals are processed normally; when set to Off, volume signals are blocked.  The default state is On.  Cases where you might switch this off are "stock" MIDI files that force volume to 100%; or within a host when you wish to manually override volume control signals.

Pan On/Off
When Pan On/Off is set to On, MIDI pan control signals are processed normally; when set to Off, pan signals are blocked.  The default state is On.  Set this to Off if you need to override host or MIDI file pan control signals.
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The Onboard Keyboard
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A musical keyboard is at the bottom center of the application.  This is primarily for testing and set-up purposes; but can also sometimes be useful in performance.  The keyboard can be turned on and off with the button to the left of it.  (The keyboard button also disables the 'scope; since these are typically used together.)  Left-clicking on a note will cause that note to sound.  Right-clicking on a note will cause the note to sound and remain playing ("held down").  If a note has been "held down", left-clicking on it will release it (turn it off).  The (!) button (see below All-Notes-Off, below) to the left of the keyboard will shut off all notes and clear the keyboard.  Note that the keyboard is velocity-capable: clicking near the "front" (bottom) of a key produces a louder sound than clicking near the "back" (top) of the key.  There are three velocity zones on flats, and four on the naturals.

To significantly reduce CPU load, it's generally desirable to turn the keyboard off when not in use.
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Audio
Volume, Pan, Attenuation, EQ On/Off
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The audio controls are at the right bottom of the application, labeled Audio.  The audio controls are as follows:

VOL (Volume):
The volume knob sets the audio output volume.  Clockwise rotation increases volume.

Attenuation (+):
Immediately below and to the left of the VOL knob is a smaller knob, labeled with a (+) above it.  This is the attenuator.  Sounds in the Sosnowski Synthesizer are purposely designed slightly "hot" for reasons of maximum flexibility; and the default setting of the attenuation knob at 12 o'clock represents about 70% of full available volume.  Rotating the attenuator full left drops to about 30%; rotating full right is 100%.  As a rule, the default setting works well.  However, hosts frequently have inconsistent management of volume, resulting in scaling problems.  The attenuator therefore effectively enables you to scale the dynamic range completely independently of the MIDI volume.

PAN (Panning):
The pan knob pans the audio signal.  At the 12 o'clock position, the signal is panned equally to the left and right channels.  Rotating left moves the signal toward the left channel; rotating right moves the signal toward the right channel.

EQ On/Off:
The EQ On/Off button is located between the VOL and PAN knobs at the lower right of the application.  The EQ On/Off button turns the parametric equalizer at the top center of the application on or off.  The EQ button letters are bright green when the EQ is engaged and influencing the sound.  When off, the EQ button letters are blue; and the equalizer does not influence the sound.  This function is duplicated by the clickable label above the right side of the onboard keyboard.
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MIDI All-Notes-Off and Audio Stream Clear
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To the left of the keyboard and between the VOL and PAN knobs you will note (!) buttons.  

The (!) button to the left of the keyboard effectively sends a MIDI all-notes-off command; and likewise clears any held notes on the onboard keyboard.  

The (!) button between the vOL and PAN knobs does the same thing; but with one important added function: it completely clears the audio stream, as well.  It's a common occurrence when designing sounds to accidentally get into a feedback mode that continues, regardless of any all-notes-off signal, due to an oscillatory condition in the audio stream.  The (!) between the VOL and PAN controls will end all audio activity.
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Master Tune
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To the right bottom of the onboard keyboard, a small knob labeled "tune" is the master tuning control.  Rotating left lowers the overall pitch of the instrument.  Rotating right raises the pitch.  The numerical readout immediately below the knob reflects the tuning in cents below (-) or above (+) normal.  The units are in cents and the range is +/- 700 cents.

Precise Resetting:
As with other knobs in the application, hold down the control (CTRL) key on your PC keyboard and left-click on the knob to return it exactly to its default setting (in this case, zero).
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Indicators
MIDI Activity, Pitch Bend, Sustain Pedal Switch
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To the left of the MIDI label at the lower left of the application, a bright green indicator will light when MIDI note activity is present.  The indicator is otherwise dark.

Above the left corner of the keyboard, an indicator will light when pitch bend activity is present.  The indicator is otherwise dark.

Above the right corner of the keyboard, an indicator will light when a sustain pedal switch signal is in the on state.  The indicator is otherwise dark.
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Incidental Controls
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At the lower left corner of the application in the standalone only, a Full Screen button will switch the standalone between window mode and full screen mode.

Along the top of the onboard keyboard, from left to right, are five clickable labels.  Their functions are as follows:

KB On/Off:
Duplicates the function of the button switch to the left of the keyboard that turns on and off the keyboard and the 'scope.  It likewise serves as an indicator label of the state.

Scope On/Hold/Off:
Duplicates the functionality of clicking on the 'scope itself to engage or disengage the sample-and-hold state.  It likewise serves as an indicator label of the 'scope state.

Sosnowski:
Clicking on the word "Sosnowski" will open the SSynth.com main site in your default browser, so you may quickly get to this manual and the faq.

Transpose/Transposed:
Duplicates the function of the on/off button in the transposer section at the right of the fourth row; and likewise serves as a reminder of the state of the transposer.

EQ On/Off:
Duplicates the function of the EQ on/off button between the VOL and PAN knobs; and also serves as a reminder of the EQ state.
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