Omnichord OM-108

This is the main volume for everything. Turn it up to get louder, down to get quieter.

tip: Always start it near minimum when powering on, then bring it up while playing so you don't get a startling blast. If you only want sound from an external MIDI device, set this to minimum.

Speeds up or slows down the drum beat.

tip: When learning a new song, start slow (around 9 o'clock) and increase the tempo as you get comfortable.

How loud the drums are relative to everything else.

tip: Turn it all the way down to silence drums while still playing chords and strumplate; nudge it up gradually to 'fade in' the beat during a song.

Controls how long each strummed note keeps sounding — low for short and plucky, high for long and lingering.

tip: Max sustain gives a lush, harp-like wash. This knob also controls the MIDI Decay/Release amount when that MIDI feature is switched on.

How loud the primary strum sound is. In keyboard mode this also sets your keyboard volume.

tip: If you want to hear only the sub voice, turn this all the way down. Around 3 o'clock is a good general setting.

Blends in a second, harmonizing layer under your main sound. Turn it up to make the sound fuller and more lush.

tip: Start at minimum, then slowly raise it to taste — as you add sub voice, the sound 'gets gorgeous' and more orchestral, per the manual.

How loud the automatic backing chords and bass line are.

tip: Great for a 'fade-in' intro: leave drums playing, then slowly turn this up to bring the chords and bass in gradually.

Your on/off switch. A quick press powers up; hold it about two seconds to shut down.

tip: When on batteries, watch the LED: bright means good charge, dim means low, and flashing means replace the batteries very soon.

Picks your backing drum beat. Tap the yellow button to flip between the two banks of five styles, then press one of the five buttons to choose a groove.

tip: If you change patterns while a rhythm is already playing, the new one waits and switches at the start of the next bar so it stays in time.

Picks the instrument sound your strumplate plays — harp, piano, organ, banjo and so on. Tap the yellow button to switch banks, then pick one of the five.

tip: omni 1 and omni 2 recreate the vintage OM-84 sound. Try 'vibes' and 'banjo' by tapping the strumplate with several fingers rather than sliding — the manual specifically recommends that for those voices.

Flips the instrument between its normal 'strum chords' mode and a mode where the chord buttons act like piano keys you can play a melody on.

tip: Place the supplied keyboard overlay on the chord buttons so you can see the note layout. This button is also the doorway to the tuning and transpose settings.

These are how you choose which chord you'll strum. One button gives a basic chord; pressing two or three together gives fancier chords. Roots available are Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, F#.

tip: Key combos: Major = MAJOR button; minor = MINOR; 7th = 7th; Major7 = MAJOR+7th; minor7 = MINOR+7th; augmented = MAJOR+MINOR+7th; diminished = MAJOR+MINOR; sus4 = MAJOR + the 7th button one to the left; add9 = MAJOR + the MINOR button one to the left. Note: chords are triads, so some fifths are omitted in 7th, Maj7, min7, and dim chords.

Decides whether the instrument plays the backing chords and bass line for you (Auto) or leaves that to your strumming (Manual).

tip: Set to Auto for the fullest one-person-band sound; set to Manual when you want free, out-of-tempo strumming with no automatic backing.

When on, a chord keeps ringing even after you lift your finger, so you can strum freely with both hands. When off, the chord stops the moment you release the button.

tip: If a chord seems 'stuck' and won't stop, this is usually why — tap the Instant OFF plate or press this button to release it.

Chooses whether the drum beat runs immediately, or holds until you hit your first chord so it starts perfectly with you.

tip: Use 'Start' to create a drum-only intro before your chords come in. Note: the Instant OFF plate won't stop sounds while 'Start' is selected — switch to 'Sync Start' first, then tap it to stop.

Shifts everything you strum up or down in pitch without you having to change which chord buttons you press — perfect for matching a song to your singing voice.

tip: To set it: turn on KEYBOARD, hold [T] and tap the up/down arrows (the VOICE LEDs show the amount). Press [T] alone to check the current setting; hold [T] and press both arrows together to reset to 0. Turn KEYBOARD off to finish.

Fine-tunes the whole instrument's pitch so it matches other musicians, instruments, or backing tracks that aren't at standard tuning.

tip: To set it: turn on KEYBOARD, hold [P] and tap the arrows. Press [P] alone to check the setting; hold [P] and press both arrows together to reset to 440Hz. Turn KEYBOARD off to finish.

In keyboard mode, press up to play an octave higher or down to play lower. They also serve as the '+/-' keys when you're setting tuning or transpose.

tip: Press both arrows together to reset the octave to Normal. There are three steps total: one octave down, normal, one octave up.

The instrument's own speaker, so you can play without plugging into anything.

tip: On low batteries the speaker can distort or cut out at high volume — turn Master Volume down, or use the AC adaptor or an external speaker for loud, stable sound.

This is the strip you strum with your finger to actually make music — like the strings of a harp, but it always plays the right notes for your chosen chord.

tip: Three techniques: slide = strummed chord, tap = single note (repeat for arpeggios), touch-and-hold = a continuous held note. Notes are arranged starting from F# up to the F of the next octave, then higher notes wrap to a lower octave.

Tap this to instantly silence whatever's ringing — your emergency 'stop' button for held or sustained sounds.

tip: It won't stop rhythm sounds if rhythm sync is off; set the Rhythm button to 'Sync Start' first. In keyboard mode, tapping it makes a hand-clap sound instead.

Lets you turn off the built-in speaker when you're running the sound to an external system.

tip: Set to ON to hear both the internal speaker and your external speaker at once; OFF to route sound only externally. Note: this switch has no effect if Master Volume is at minimum for MIDI-only use.

A service switch you should never touch — just leave it on PLAY.

tip: If the instrument behaves strangely, confirm this switch is set to PLAY.

Where you plug in the wall power supply. If both the adaptor and batteries are present, it uses the adaptor.

tip: Use the adaptor for loud, stable sound and to avoid draining batteries during long sessions or gigs.

The output for connecting to a bigger speaker or PA system, using a standard mono guitar-style cable.

tip: Plugging into LINE OUT does NOT mute the built-in speaker automatically — flip the SPEAKER switch to OFF if you don't want both.

Plug in headphones here for private practice.

tip: Connecting headphones mutes the built-in speaker but NOT the LINE OUT. For headphones-only sound, unplug anything from LINE OUT.

Lets the Omnichord control other electronic instruments or record into a computer — it sends out what you play so another sound source or a DAW can respond.

tip: Set the receiving device's MIDI channels to match, and choose one of the four MIDI transmit presets on the Omnichord to control what gets sent (see the MIDI setup at power-on).

Not for everyday use — it's there for servicing, not for connecting to your computer.

tip: Ignore this in normal playing; MIDI OUT is the connection you'll use for external gear.

Where you screw on strap buttons to hang the instrument from a guitar strap and play standing up.

tip: Only use the dedicated OSB-108 buttons and a PH2 screwdriver; don't overtighten or use generic strap buttons, as that can damage the holes.

The battery compartment for cordless playing — takes 8 AA cells.

tip: If you use rechargeable (Ni-MH) batteries, set the battery-level indicator to Ni-MH mode (hold Chord Hold + Power at startup) so the meter reads correctly; switch it back for alkalines (hold Chord Manual/Auto + Power).