UDO DMNO Manual v1.0 · Feb 2026

1. OVERVIEW & KEY SPECS

The DMNO is a portable 8-voice bi-timbral synthesizer with a flexible and dynamic sound architecture, dedicated performance controls, and a 44-note Fatar keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch. It features two fully independent 4-voice hybrid synthesizer modules — DMNO 1 and DMNO 2 — each with its own FPGA-based digital oscillators, dynamic multi-core stereo filter, binaural signal path, and complete front panel controls.

DMNO was conceived as a companion to the Supers, not a successor. Where the Supers knock politely and enter with elegance, DMNO kicks the door down.

2. CONNECTIONS & I/O

All connections on the rear panel, left to right:

3. GETTING STARTED

Initial Setup

1. Connect power cord. Connect Mix Out L/R to audio interface or mixer using unbalanced 6.35mm cables.
2. Power on. Set VOLUME to a suitable level.
3. Press PERF/PATCH to toggle between Performance and Patch banks.
4. Turn encoder B to scroll banks. Turn encoder C to scroll performances/patches within a bank. Press encoder A or C to load. Numbered buttons 1–8 load directly within the current bank.

Display Navigation

Four encoders A–D below the display correspond to the four columns of each menu. Turn to scroll/adjust. Push to execute commands or cycle fixed values (e.g. 0 / 1/2 / Full). Four menu buttons access menus: VOICE/VCF · MOD · ARP/SEQ · FX/EQ. Navigate pages within each menu by turning encoder A.

Operating Modes

Performances vs. Patches

A Performance is a snapshot of the entire instrument: both layers, performance control settings, arpeggiator settings, mixer, voice, and effect settings. VOLUME is the only setting not saved. A Patch is a saved parameter set for a single synthesizer module (DMNO 1 or DMNO 2). 128 of each, organized into 16 banks (A–P) of 8 slots.

Note: When you save a performance it captures copies of the patches in each layer. Changes to a layer within a performance do not alter the independently saved original patch files.

Layer Operations

Saving

After editing, press encoder D ('SAVE'), navigate with encoders B/C to target bank/slot, name with buttons 1–8 and encoders A–C, press encoder D ('DONE'). Shortcut: hold a numbered button (1–8) for 3 seconds to save immediately to that slot without renaming.

Comparing (COMP)

After editing: press encoder A ('LOAD') to compare with the saved version. Press encoder A again ('COMP') to return to your edited version.

4. OSCILLATORS (DDS)

Each synthesizer module has two FPGA-based Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) oscillators. DDS generates alias-free audio by running a clock three orders of magnitude higher than typical audio sample rates, incrementing through thousands of waveform indices at 20 billionths of a second per sample, then converting via dedicated DACs through a preliminary analog low-pass filter stage.

Each oscillator uses the Super Waveform core: one centroid oscillator plus six "sister oscillators" that can be dynamically phase-shifted and detuned across the stereo field via the DETUNE control. This is the source of the DMNO's characteristically rich, wide sound. Super mode is always active — its effect becomes audible when DETUNE is turned up from zero.

Waveforms

OSC 1: classic waveforms + 6 alternative slots. OSC 2: classic waveforms + 3 alternative slots + non-keyboard-tracked square/saw/sine (drone waveforms). LFO 1: 2 alternative waveform slots.

Oscillator Controls

Oscillator Modulators

The OSC toggle switch routes all modulation in this section to: 1 (OSC 1) · BOTH · 2 (OSC 2).

5. VCF — DYNAMIC MULTI-CORE STEREO FILTER

The DMNO's filter is a newly developed Dynamic Multi-Core Stereo design — a 4-pole OTA filter configurable in three routing modes, each offering distinct filter type options. The defining sonic character of the instrument.

Filter Routing

Complete Filter Type Table

Filter types subject to change in future firmware updates.

Resonance Types

Filter Controls

VCF Mod Page (Display)

Accessed via VOICE/VCF menu. Shows ENV1, LFO1, and OSC2 modulation depths for the filter cutoff simultaneously. Non-active sources are greyed out. Encoder B = ENV1 depth · Encoder C = LFO1 depth · Encoder D = OSC2 depth.

6. LFOs

LFO 1 — Per Engine (Front Panel)

LFO 1 operates from under 0.1Hz to over 10kHz. In Binaural mode, it runs as two independent LFOs — one per Super Voice (one per stereo channel). When Binaural is off, each LFO is shared by four voices.

LFO 1 Waveform Reference

LFO 2 — Global (Performance Control Section)

LFO 2 is a global performance LFO applied to both engines (or selectively via the DMNO selector switch). Waveform and delay accessible via VOICE/VCF menu → LFO 2 page. 6 waveforms: Triangle · Sawtooth · Sample & Hold · Square · Ramp · Noise. Default: Triangle.

7. ENVELOPES

ENV 1 (Envelope 1) — Per Engine, Front Panel

HADSR envelope. Default destination: filter cutoff modulation, oscillator pitch/wave modulation (set by front panel toggle switches). Primary modulation source across the front panel.

ENV 2 (Envelope 2) — Per Engine, Front Panel

ADSR envelope. Default destination: VCA level control.

ENV 3 (Envelope 3) — Global, Display

Accessed via VOICE/VCF menu → ENV 3 page. HADSR + 3 modes (Normal / Inverted / Loop). Activated per engine via the ENV 3 ON buttons on front panel. Assignable as VCA source via ENV 2's lower toggle switch.

8. THE MIXER

Central section between the two synthesizer modules. Controls are in pairs (one per engine) except VOLUME.

9. PERFORMANCE CONTROL SECTION

Left of keyboard. Global performance controls that can be applied to DMNO 1, DMNO 2, or both via the DMNO selector switch.

The Bender

Moves horizontally (left/right) to modulate oscillator pitch and/or VCF cutoff. A pressure pad measures vertical force to trigger and modulate LFO 2. The lever is not designed to be pushed upwards — it is a pressure pad only on the vertical axis.

Bender modulation amounts set via MOD menu → Bender page: Encoder B = pitch bend depth (±12 semitones) · Encoder C = VCF depth.

LFO 2 Controls

Other Performance Controls

10. PLAY MODES

Play Modes define how the two synthesizer modules interact and how voices are allocated. Accessed via the PLAY MODE encoder. Press encoder to cycle between DMNO 1 and DMNO 2 focus in some modes.

Randomisation Settings (Rndmzr!?) — Affects Random, Chaos, and Single modes

Binaural Mode

Available in Stereo filter routing only. Each "Super Voice" = two conventional voices — one per stereo channel — with independent detuning, LFO phase, and modulation between L and R. Halves polyphony (2 Super Voices per engine instead of 4 conventional voices) but creates expansive 3D stereo. Disabled in Parallel and Series filter routing.

Toggle Binaural on/off: VOICE/VCF menu → Voice page → encoder D.

11. VOICE & FILTER SETTINGS

Accessed via VOICE/VCF button. Press to toggle between Voice and Filter menus. Navigate pages with encoder A.

Voice Assignment Page

ENV 3 Page

Mode: Norm. / Inv. / Loop (encoder B). Stage select: H/A/D/S/R (encoder C). Stage value: encoder D.

LFO 2 Page

Waveform (encoder B): Triangle / Sawtooth / Sample & Hold / Square / Ramp / Noise. Delay (encoder C): onset delay for LFO 2 modulation after note-on.

Voice Variation Page

Drift (encoder C): degree of per-voice randomness applied to pitch, filter, and envelopes — mimics vintage synth instability. Pan (encoder D): stereo spread of voices when Binaural is off. At zero: all centred. At max: voices alternately hard-panned L and R.

User-Configurable Waveforms Pages

OSC1 Wv / OSC2 Wv / LFO1 Wv pages. Encoder B: select slot (OSC1: 1–6, OSC2: 1–3, LFO1: 1–2). Encoder C: select waveform from pool of 32. Encoder D (push): load into slot.

User waveforms are not saved per patch — they are loaded globally and persist until changed.

Randomisation Page (Rndmzr!?)

See Play Modes section above. Only active in Single, Random, and Chaos play modes.

Envelope Follower Page

Default settings shown in display example: Attk: 50ms · Rel: 240ms · Thres: 45%.

Filter Settings Page (VCF Path)

Encoder B: filter routing (Stereo / Parallel / Series). Encoder C: filter type. Encoder D: resonance type (1 or 2). See full filter type table in Section 5.

Filter Modulations Page (VCF Mod)

Encoder B: ENV1 cutoff depth · Encoder C: LFO1 cutoff depth · Encoder D: OSC2 cutoff depth. Non-active sources greyed out. Active source determined by MODULATION toggle switch on front panel.

12. MODULATION SETTINGS

Accessed via MOD button. Navigate pages with encoder A. 7 freely assignable modulation slots per layer, plus predefined routings for bender and velocity.

Using the Modulation Matrix

1. Turn encoder A to select a modulation slot (1–7).
2. Turn encoder B to select a modulation source.
3. Turn encoder C to select a modulation destination.
4. Turn encoder D to set the modulation amount (bipolar). Push encoder D to compare edited vs. saved amount.

To clear all routings from a source: push encoder B, confirm. To clear all routings to a destination: push encoder C, confirm. To clear all routings: push encoder A, confirm.

Modulation Sources

Modulation Destinations

Sources and destinations subject to change in future firmware updates.

Predefined Modulation Pages

Scroll past slots 1–7 to reach predefined routings:

Bender page: Encoder B = pitch depth (±12 semitones) · Encoder C = VCF depth.

Velocity page: Encoder B = VCA ENV depth · Encoder C = VCF ENV depth.

13. ARPEGGIATOR

Each synthesizer module has an independent arpeggiator, enabling polymetric patterns in Dual or Split mode. Access detailed settings via ARP/SEQ menu. Navigate pages with encoder A.

Front Panel Controls

Arp Mode Page (Display)

Arp Hold Page

Arp MIDI Page

Get Clock: Local (ignores external) / Detect (auto-detects MIDI clock). Send Clock: Off / On (DMNO transmits MIDI clock).

Arp Swing Page

Swing amount: 0% to 100% in 25% increments.

Clock Controls

TAP (tap at least 4 times) or TEMPO encoder to set BPM. When synced to external MIDI clock, TAP and TEMPO have no effect — use Division to set relative speed.

Delay Clock Divisions (Send FX)

14. EFFECTS & EQUALIZER

32-bit DSP effects engine. Two types: Insert effects (in series with each engine's output: Drive, Chorus, EQ) and Send effects (parallel via FX SEND pots: Delay, Reverb). Press FX/EQ to switch between menus. Navigate pages with encoder A.

Drive (Insert)

Drive mode shown in display: e.g. "Harmonic" — different algorithms available.

Chorus (Insert)

Equalizer (Insert)

Delay (Send FX)

Delay Freeze

Transforms delay into a looper. Setup: connect footswitch → set Footswitch Tip/Ring to 'Delay Freeze' in I/O global settings → power on (polarity auto-detected). Use: release footswitch while playing to add notes to loop. Hold footswitch to freeze (no new notes added, current content loops infinitely). Set high feedback with no damping for stable loop.

Reverb (Send FX)

15. GLOBAL SETTINGS

Affect the entire instrument regardless of performance/patch settings. Access: press [SHIFT] → press one of the numbered buttons (1–8) to access the desired menu. Press [SHIFT] again to exit.

MIDI Channel (MIDI CH)

Encoder A: set base MIDI channel (assigned to DMNO 1). DMNO 2 automatically gets the next channel (e.g. base Ch.5 → DMNO 1 = Ch.5, DMNO 2 = Ch.6). Encoder C: Omni mode on/off. Encoder D (push): MIDI Panic (reset all controllers).

Edited Parameter Settings (TX/RX E)

Encoder A: Tx Edits on/off (DMNO transmits CC messages when parameters change). Encoder C: Rx Edits on/off (DMNO receives CC messages).

Program Change Settings (TX/RX P)

Encoder A: Tx Program Change on/off. Encoder C: Rx Program Change on/off.

Dump (DUMP)

Encoder A (push 'GO'): dumps current performance as SysEx via MIDI. Encoder C (push 'GO'): dumps current patch as SysEx.

Local Control (LOCAL)

Encoder A: on/off. When off: front panel and keyboard disconnected from internal sound engine — useful for external MIDI control or avoiding MIDI loops in DAW recording.

Tuning (TUNE)

Initiate Filter Tune: Encoder C ('GO') — calibrates filters. Run when DMNO not behaving tonally as expected.
Global Transpose: Encoder C = ±12 semitones (push to reset to 0). Encoder D = ±100 cents fine tuning (push to reset to 440Hz).

MPE (MPE)

Reserved for future use.

Inputs and Outputs (I/O)

Navigate pages with encoder A.

Footswitch Ring: Same options, applies to right switch of a dual TRS footswitch.

Resetting Global Parameters

Power on → press and hold MANUAL button for 5 seconds until all LEDs light then go out → release MANUAL → filter calibration runs automatically. Does not erase performances or patches.

16. MANAGING FILES

Unlocking the Drive

1. Turn off DMNO and wait a few seconds.
2. Press and hold [SHIFT], then turn on DMNO. Continue holding [SHIFT].
3. LFO 1 LED on DMNO 1 begins to flash.
4. Release [SHIFT]. Connect USB. DMNO appears as a drive named 'DMNO'.

Drive File Structure

DMNO/
  dom_v#.##.bin          ← firmware file
  init_patch.dom         ← init patch
  performances/
    a/ ... p/            ← 16 bank folders
      x0_name.xsg        ← performance files (x0–x7, .xsg)
  patch_banks/
    a/ ... p/
      p0_name.usg        ← patch files (p0–p7, .usg)
  waveforms/
    w1_name.ws4 ... w16_name.ws4    ← alt waveforms 1-16
  alt_waveforms/
    w1_name.ws4 ... w16_name.ws4    ← alt waveforms 17-32

File Name Convention

First character = type prefix (x = performance, p = patch, w = waveform). Second character = slot number (0–7 for performances/patches, 1–16 for waveforms). After prefix+number+underscore: freely name. Use underscores instead of spaces. Example: x3_my_pad_sound.xsg

Importing Performances/Patches

1. Unlock drive (procedure above). Connect via USB.
2. Navigate to performances/ or patch_banks/ and open desired bank folder (a–p).
3. Copy files in. If prompted to copy without properties: Yes. Do not power off or unplug during transfer.
4. If filename prefixes don't match target slots: rename to match. Delete old files with conflicting names. Empty computer trash to confirm deletion from DMNO drive.
5. Disconnect USB. Power off, wait, power on.

Importing Waveforms

1. Unlock drive. Connect via USB.
2. Navigate to waveforms/ (slots 1–16) or alt_waveforms/ (slots 17–32).
3. Copy .ws4 files in. Rename prefixes to match desired slots. Empty trash. Disconnect. Power cycle.

Creating Custom Waveforms (.ws4)

• 16-bit signed integer format samples
• Normalised single-cycle waveform with exactly 2048 points
• Band-limited at sampling frequency/4 (Nyquist/2) — remove frequency content above 512Hz in the 2048-point waveform
• Binary file without header data
• File extension: .ws4

Updating Firmware

1. Download latest firmware from udo-audio.com/dmno-support-downloads and extract ZIP.
2. Follow the text file instructions in the downloaded firmware folder.

Backing Up

Connect DMNO via USB (normal USB connection, not drive-unlock mode). DMNO appears as drive 'DMNO'. Copy the performances/, patch_banks/, waveforms/, or alt_waveforms/ folders to your Mac. Individual bank folders and individual files can also be copied.

17. MIDI SPECIFICATIONS

System Real-Time Messages

Channel Messages

Full CC map: visit udo-audio.com/dmno-support-downloads for the most current MIDI specification.

18. DOUG'S STUDIO NOTES

Studio Placement

DMNO placed on Slatwall #2, Wall #3, left position — replacing previous placeholder. Adjacent: MiniKorg 700 (center) · Yamaha CS-15 (right). Below on BROR shelf: OSCar40. Part of the Slatwall #2 instrument cluster.

MIDI Routing

Connect DMNO via USB to mioXL USB host port on Rack #2 front panel, or directly to a Mac Studio USB-A port. Configure as External Instrument in Cubase Audio Connections. DMNO 1 on base channel, DMNO 2 on base+1. Do not use DIN MIDI and USB simultaneously.

Firmware & Downloads

Current firmware: v1.5 · Factory sounds: available at udo-audio.com/dmno-support-downloads (Dropbox link).

DMNO Aux Out L ──────────────→ TipTop Resonator #1 Audio In
DMNO Aux Out R ──────────────→ TipTop Resonator #2 Audio In
TipTop Resonator #1 Out ─────→ DMNO Audio In L
TipTop Resonator #2 Out ─────→ DMNO Audio In R
DMNO CV Out 1 (3.5mm) ───────→ TipTop Resonator #1 V/Oct or parameter CV
DMNO CV Out 2 (3.5mm) ───────→ TipTop Resonator #2 V/Oct or parameter CV