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Deluge style guide

This Deluge-specific style guide defines how to refer to project parts, modes, views, controls, and display elements.

Parts of a project

In casual conversation, we often use terms "song", "track", or "project" interchangeably. To make the documentation consistent and predictable, only use the terms as described below.

Song
A discrete creative endeavour, such as an arrangement, sketch, 8-bar loop, jam, live recording template, or musical experiment. A song is always associated with at least one project files on the Deluge. Note: Don't use the word "project" or "track" for this meaning.
Project file
A file on the SD card that stores all of the information about a project. Use this only when referring to specific technical concepts to do with the file system or stored data.
Track
A single instrument or layer in a project. Each track is either an audio track or an instrument track. An instrument track is either a kit instrument track or a melodic instrument track (synth, MIDI, CV). Tracks contain one or more clips.

Examples

  • To save a song, press Shift and Save.
  • To change the song tempo, turn Tempo.
  • To change the volume for a track, press Volume/Pan and turn Upper.
  • Project files are stored on the SD card in .xml format.

Modes

Arranger Mode

The mode where songs are arranged chronologically from left to right.

Session Mode

The mode where clips are organized in one of the two Session View layouts:

  • Session Mode Rows Layout
  • Session Mode Grid Layout

Style

  • Capitalize mode names
  • These terms are long, so only use the part that's necessary for clarity:

Examples

  • Add a track by doing one of the following:
    • In Arranger Mode and Session Mode Rows Layout, press a pad in an empty row.
    • In Session Mode Grid Layout, press a pad in an empty column.
  • In Session Mode, clips are grouped into sections, and each section has a unique colour.
  • To change from Rows Layout to Grid Layout, hold Song and turn Select.

Views

Names

  • Audio Clip View
  • Melodic Instrument Clip View
  • Kit Instrument Clip View
  • Keyboard View
  • Automation View
  • Performance View

Style

  • Capitalize view names
  • Don't use bold unless referring to the text that appears on the display

Keyboard layouts

Names

  • isomorphic
  • in-key
  • chord
  • chord library
  • drum velocity

Style

  • Don't capitalize keyboard layout names
  • Don't use bold unless referring to the text that appears on the display
  • Follow with "keyboard" or "layout" depending on the context

Example

  • Enter the sequence, then go back to the chord keyboard.
  • To change to the isomorphic keyboard layout, press Shift and turn Select.

Display elements and menus

  • When referring to elements on the OLED display or locations of elements in menus, use bold and Title Case.
  • When referring to elements on the 7SEG display, use code and match the capitalization on the display.

Examples

  • Open Settings and go to Defaults > Automation, and enable Nudge Note.
  • Open Settings and go to dEFA > AUTo, and enable nUdG.

Buttons and controls

  • Use bold and Title Case for physical buttons and knobs.

Buttons and pads

Names

  • Level/Pan
  • Cutoff/Res
  • Attack/Release
  • Delay Time/Amount
  • Sidechain/Reverb
  • Mod Rate/Depth
  • Stutter/Custom 1
  • Custom 2/Custom 3
  • Affect Entire
  • Song
  • Clip
  • Synth
  • Kit
  • MIDI
  • CV
  • Keyboard
  • Scale
  • Cross Screen
  • Back/Undo
  • Load
  • Save
  • Learn/Input
  • Tap Tempo
  • Sync-Scaling
  • Triplets View
  • Play
  • Record
  • Shift

Style

  • Use "pad" for any of the square buttons in the 8x16 or 8x2 grid.
  • Use "sidebar" for the group of 8x2 pads on the right side of the device.
  • Use the following for pad and button action timings:
    • Use "tap" for fast (<1 second) actions
    • Use "press" for regular actions
    • Use "hold" for long actions

Examples

  • Tap Shift to turn on Sticky Shift.
  • Press Shift and Kit to create a new drum kit.
  • From Edit Mode, hold the green pad to temporarily enter Launch Mode and tap a clip to launch it. Release the green pad to go back to Edit Mode.

Knobs

Names

  • Upper
  • Lower
  • Select
  • ◀ ▶
  • ▼▲
  • Tempo
  • Output Level

Style

  • Use "turn" and "press" for knob actions.
  • When direction matters for a turn, use "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise".

Control combinations

  • Use "and" for simultaneous actions.
  • Use "then" for actions that happen in series.

Examples

  • To create a new kit, press Shift and Kit.

  • To clear automations for the clip, press Lower and Back/Undo.

  • To zoom out, press and turn ◀ ▶ counter-clockwise.

  • To change to the isomorphic keyboard layout, press Shift and turn Select.

  • To map MIDI channel 1 to the Synth Clip, press Learn and AuditionPad and play a MIDI note on channel 1.

  • To load a preset, press Load and Synth. Turn Select to change the preset, then press Select to load it.

Parameters

Modulation mappings

Source1 -> Destination
Source2 -> (Source1 -> Destination)

Use -> to refer to a source to destination modulation depth, or to refer to the source to destination mapping itself. Use abbreviated versions of the source and destination names. When referring to modulating the modulation depth of an existing source to destination mapping, use parenthesis around the existing mapping.

Examples

  • Increase LFO2 -> OSC1 Transpose from 10 to 20 to modulate OSC1 frequency across a wider range.
  • Play a note while turning up the modulation depth for LFO2 -> OSC1 Transpose.
  • Adjust the ENV2 -> (LFO2 -> OSC1 Transpose) modulation depth to have ENV2 control how much LFO2 affects OSC1 Transpose.
  • MIDI CC2 -> OSC1 Transpose refers to MIDI CC2 controlling OSC1 Transpose.