intellijel/shapeshifter
Shapeshifter
Dual digital voltage-controlled wavetable oscillator with 128 wave banks (1024 waves total), audio-rate FM/PM, nonlinear oscillator combination modes, chord mode (8 detuned voices), analog wavefolder, 64-band vocoder, echo/delay, percussion mode, and 100-slot preset sequencing/morphing system in 26HP Eurorack format.886
Capabilities 5
- 2-Operator FM Synthesisfm-synthesis
- Audio-rate (98 kHz) linear FM of OSC1 via FM1 jack; internal FM of OSC1 by OSC2 via IFM knob; phase modulation via MOD A.886
- Analog Wavefolderanalog-wavefolder
- Fully analog wavefolder based on the intellijel mFold II circuit; FOLD IN jack normalled to OUT1; amount controlled by FOLD knob and FOLD CV.886
- Preset Sequencing/Morphingpreset-sequencing
- 100 non-volatile preset slots with 8-character names; can be stepped in order, reverse, ping-pong, or randomly via SYNC or MODA triggers; supports morphing between panel settings and a preset via MOD B.886
- Vocodervocoder
- 64-band vocoder activated by setting MODA destination to Voc MOD; MOD A is the modulation signal and the nonlinear combiner output is the carrier. Filter banks cover roughly 15 Hz to 15 kHz.886
- Wavetable Oscillatorwavetable-oscillator
- Dual wavetable VCO with 128 banks of 8 waveforms each (1024 total); smooth interpolation between waveforms in a bank via SHAPE CV and knob.886
Jacks 15 (11 in / 4 out)
| Name | Signal | Voltage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inputs (11) | |||
| FM 1 | audio | -5V to 5V | Audio-rate linear frequency modulation input for oscillator 1, converted to digital at 98 kHz with 24-bit resolution.886 |
| FOLD CV | cv | — | CV input controlling the amount of waveform folding from the analog wavefolder. Fed directly into analog circuitry, not digitized.886 |
| FOLD IN | audio | — | Audio input to the analog wavefolder; normalled to OUT1 when no cable is inserted. Inserting a cable breaks the normalled connection and allows an external signal to be folded.886 |
| MOD A | audio | -5V to 5V | AC-coupled audio-rate modulation input with selectable destination (Phase, Combo, Shaper, Vocoder, Sync, Preset Step). Digitized at 98 kHz with 24-bit resolution.886 |
| MOD B | cv | -5V to 5V | Low-rate CV modulation input summed with the MOD B/MORPH potentiometer; can target combo mode, TILT, DRIVE, DELAY, DETUNE, DECAY, chord type, and wave bank selection.886 |
| PITCH1 | cv | -5V to 7V | 1V/octave pitch input for oscillator 1. Normalled to PITCH2 when no cable is inserted into PITCH2.886 |
| PITCH2 | cv | -5V to 7V | 1V/octave pitch input for oscillator 2. Normalled to PITCH1 when no cable plugged in. Ignored when QUANT mode is active.886 |
| RATIO | cv | -5V to 5V | CV input that adjusts the frequency ratio of oscillator 2 relative to oscillator 1, summed with the RATIO/TIME knob offset.886 |
| SHAPE 1 | cv | -5V to 5V | CV input that selects which of the 8 waveforms in the current bank is played for oscillator 1; summed with the SHAPE 1 knob offset.886 |
| SHAPE 2 | cv | -5V to 5V | CV input that selects which of the 8 waveforms in the current bank is played for oscillator 2; summed with the SHAPE 2 knob offset.886 |
| SYNC | gate | — | Positive-going pulse/gate input that synchronizes oscillators per SYNC mode, triggers percussive envelope in PERC mode, and steps presets in PRESET STEP mode.886 |
| Outputs (4) | |||
| FOLD | audio | — | Output of the analog wavefolder circuit; 10Vp-p nominal with occasional peaks to 16Vp-p.886 |
| OUT 2 | audio | -6V to 6V | Oscillator 2 audio output, internally generated at 25 MHz and downsampled to 98 kHz before the DAC.886 |
| OUT1 | audio | -6V to 6V | Oscillator 1 audio output, processed through nonlinear combination and echo/delay. Internally at 25 MHz, downsampled to 98 kHz before DAC. Normalled to FOLD IN jack.886 |
| PULSE | gate | 0V to 5V | Two-level (0–5V) output derived from oscillator waveforms; source selectable from 16 modes including +o1, +o2, OR, XOR, EOC, gLcH, PWM, and others.886 |
Parameters 25
| Name | Type | Range | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHORD TYPE | menu_setting | 1 – 64 | Selects one of 64 chord types defining the pitch intervals for the 8 CHORD mode oscillators. The 64th setting enables MOD B control of chord type. Can also be controlled by MOD B signal as of firmware 2.02.886 |
| COARSE | knob | — | Coarse pitch offset applied to both oscillators, summed with external PITCH1/PITCH2 inputs and the RATIO signal for oscillator 2.886 |
| COMBO MODE | button | — | Selects the nonlinear combination mode applied to OSC1 and OSC2 outputs before the echo/delay and OUT1. Successive presses toggle MOD B modulation on/off for this parameter.886 |
| DECAY TIME | menu_setting | 2ms – 10000ms | Sets the exponential decay time constant for the PERC mode envelope. Also applies in GATE mode to control the decay after the gate goes low.886 |
| DELAY | menu_setting | — | Sets feedback amount and wet/dry mix for the comb resonator/delay line. At maximum (99) feedback is 100% and input is 0%, creating an infinite hold/freeze effect. Delay time is set by the period of oscillator 2.886 |
| DETUNE | menu_setting | 0 – 99 | Sets pitch offset spread between the 8 detuned CHORD mode oscillators; higher values give greater detuning. Effect is less pronounced at higher pitches.886 |
| DRIVE | menu_setting | 1 – 3 | Variable gain (1 to 3) followed by cubic saturation applied to OUT1 when CHORD mode is active. Compensates for amplitude loss from phase cancellation of multiple voices; can be modulated by MOD B.886 |
| FINE | knob | — | Fine pitch offset applied to both oscillators, summed with external PITCH1/PITCH2 inputs.886 |
| FOLD Potentiometer | knob | — | Sets the amount of analog waveform folding. At zero the output is also zero; as level increases the output amplitude grows until folding begins. Analog circuit, setting not reflected on LCD display.886 |
| IFM | knob | — | Sets the level of internal frequency modulation of oscillator 1 by oscillator 2.886 |
| MANUAL DATA INPUT | knob | — | Rotary encoder used to enter data in various modes; pushing activates a switch that enters and exits PRESET mode. Context-sensitive: controls wave bank, sync mode, pulse source, MODA destination, chord type, and various parameter values depending on the last button pressed.886 |
| MOD B/MORPH Potentiometer | knob | — | Bipolar pot providing MOD B level offset; zero at 12 o'clock, negative CCW, positive CW. In MORPH mode sets blend between panel settings (fully CCW) and preset settings (fully CW).886 |
| MODA Destination | menu_setting | — | Selects one of 10 destinations for the audio-rate MOD A signal: Phase2, Combo2, Shaper2, Voc MOD, Phase1, Combo1, Shaper1, plus OSC1 sync and preset step modes.886 |
| MODULATION INPUT ATTENUATORS | knob | — | Mini-potentiometers (trimmers without knobs) that attenuate the level of the modulation CV inputs in the second row of jacks.886 |
| MULTI OSC1 | menu_setting | — | Sets the number of waves strung together for oscillator 1's wavetable readout: 1 (512 samples), 2 (1024), 4 (2048), or 8 (4096 samples) waves concatenated.886 |
| MULTI OSC2 | menu_setting | — | Sets the number of waves strung together for oscillator 2's wavetable readout: 1, 2, 4, or 8 waves concatenated.886 |
| PULSE Source | menu_setting | — | Selects how the PULSE output signal is derived; 16 modes including +o1, +o2, -o2, OR, XOR, EOC, gLcH, 1>2, 1<2, plus PWM, Square, and Random modes added in firmware 2.01.886 |
| RATIO/TIME Potentiometer | knob | — | Provides offset to oscillator 2 frequency ratio, summed with external RATIO CV. Also sets delay time for the echo effect when OSC2 is used as the delay time reference.886 |
| SHAPE 1 Knob | knob | — | Selects which of the 8 waveforms in the current bank is played for oscillator 1; acts as CV offset when SHAPE 1 CV input is patched. Interpolation between waveforms provides continuous morphing.886 |
| SHAPE 2 Knob | knob | — | Selects which of the 8 waveforms in the current bank is played for oscillator 2; acts as CV offset when SHAPE 2 CV input is patched. Interpolation between waveforms provides continuous morphing.886 |
| SYNC Mode OSC1 | menu_setting | — | Selects how oscillator 1 responds to synchronization events. Nine modes available: Hard, Soft, 1shot, 2=1, Off, plus additional modes added in firmware 2.02.886 |
| SYNC Mode OSC2 | menu_setting | — | Selects how oscillator 2 responds to synchronization events, independently from oscillator 1. Added in firmware 2.02.886 |
| TILT | menu_setting | — | Phase-modulates oscillator 1 with its own output creating a self-feedback loop that tilts the waveform. At large values the waveform can become distorted or chaotic. Can be modulated by MOD B or by OSC2 output.886 |
| WAVE BANK OSC1 | menu_setting | 1 – 128 | Selects which of the 128 wavetable banks oscillator 1 reads from. Can be controlled via MOD B signal as of firmware 2.02.886 |
| WAVE BANK OSC2 | menu_setting | 1 – 128 | Selects which of the 128 wavetable banks oscillator 2 reads from. Can be controlled via MOD B signal as of firmware 2.02.886 |
Firmware history 7 versions
| Version | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2.03 | — | Added independently selectable SYNC modes for both oscillators with 1-shot and Hold modes. Added pressing INT. SYNC button twice causes internal sync event generator to drop in frequency by one octave (INT. SYNC LED flashes).886 |
| 2.02 | — | 886 |
| 2.01 | — | Added INT. SYNC half-frequency mode, PITCH2 as clock input for OSC2 when QUANT pressed twice, 8 more pulse modes (PWM/Square/Random), preset randomization step mode, COMBO+MORPH randomize settings shortcut, firmware version display, OSC2 modulation of SHAPE1/TILT, MODA as sync or preset step source. Changed decay range, PERC LED behavior, IFM curve, TILT range, preset count to 100 in non-volatile memory with 8-char labels, soft-pickup after preset load. Fixed 4ms MODB preset stepping delay.886 |
| 1.04 | — | Added GATE mode (PERC. MODE button pressed twice: SYNC input acts as gate for Out1 with immediate high and decay on low). Fixed inverted Pulse mode logic.886 |
| 1.03 | — | Added 4 new MODA destinations (Phase1, Combo1, Shaper1, swapped vocoder carrier/modulator). Increased phase modulation and TILT modulation range 4-fold. Fixed coarse quantization of Shape1/Shape2 during Preset Morph. Fixed OSC2 pitch increase when changing Multi mode with QUANT on.886 |
| 1.02 | — | Added just intonation/equal temperament chord mode tuning selection. Changed Hold sync mode to do holdsync for OSC1 and oneshot for OSC2. Added preset load confirmation message.886 |
| 1.01 | — | Added firmware version display on splash screen. Fixed small waveform discontinuities in Shape1 and Shape2 during rapid modulation (present in v1.00).886 |
References 2
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[886]
Cylonix Shapeshifter Manual (v2.03, 2020-03-10)manual● verified 2026-05-24
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[887]
Intellijel Cylonix Shapeshifter product pageproduct_page● verified 2026-05-24