ES-9

Expert Sleepers 16HP
I/O MIDI MIXER UTILITY

Verified sheet

The facts on this sheet have been cross-checked against the sources below.

Sources
Suggest a correction

Class-compliant 16-in / 16-out USB-C audio interface with 14 DC-coupled 3.5mm inputs, 8 DC-coupled 3.5mm outputs, balanced 1/4" mains, headphones, S/PDIF, on-board 8x8 crosspoint mixer with EQ, and ES-5 / MIDI expansion headers.

Patch Ideas · 6

★ DAW multitrack recording of modular
enable DC-blocking on input pairs used for audio · route each module's audio out to IN 1–14 · set DAW to 16 tracks mapped to inputs 1–14 + S/PDIF 15/16 · arm and record · 14 simultaneous modular channels + optional stereo S/PDIF from an outboard converter
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 7 connections. Modules: ES-9, Drums, Bass, Synth, FX, Output. Signals: 7 audio.ES-9DrumsBassSynthFXOutputInput DC Blocking: all onIN 1audioIN 2audioIN 3audioIN 4audioIN 5audioIN 6audioUSB-CaudioOutaudioOutaudioLaudioRaudioLaudioRaudioDAWaudioaudio
★ Plug-in FX loop via send / return
route two modular outs into IN 13/14 (DC block on) · in the DAW insert a reverb/compressor plug-in on those inputs · route the DAW plug-in output back through USB channels 15/16 · ES-9 maps USB 15/16 to OUT 7/8 via the mixer · near-zero-latency plug-in as a modular insert
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 6 connections. Modules: ES-9, Source, DAW, Mixer. Signals: 6 audio.ES-9SourceDAWMixerMixer 1: USB 15 -> OUT 7, USB 16 -> OUT 8IN 13audioIN 14audioIn USB-CaudioOut USB-CaudioOUT 7audioOUT 8audioLaudioRaudioPlugin InaudioPlugin OutaudioLaudioRaudioaudio
★ Silent Way / CV Tools CV sequencing
disable DC-blocking on IN pairs used for CV capture (not needed for outputs) · in the DAW load Silent Way / Bitwig CV Tools · send 1V/oct to ES-9 USB channels 9–16 which drive OUT 1–8 DC-coupled · any modular VCO/filter controlled from the DAW in perfect sync
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: ES-9, DAW, VCO, Filter, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ES-9DAWVCOFilterOutputOutputs: DC-coupledUSB-CaudioOUT 11v/octOUT 2cvOUT 3gatePitchaudioV/Oct1v/octGategateOutaudioCutoffcvLaudioaudiocvpitchgate
Standalone mixer (no laptop)
Reset to defaults suitable for standalone · Save to Flash (standalone) · mixer 1 inputs set to hardware IN 1–8 · mixer 1 out 1/2 → MAIN OUT · out 3/4 → HEADPHONES · ES-9 now functions as an 8-in stereo mixer with EQ and headphones, no USB host
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: ES-9, Source1, Source2, Output. Signals: 5 audio.ES-9Source1Source2OutputReset: defaults (standalone)Mixer 1 inputs: IN 1-8Mix 1/2: MAIN OUTMix 3/4: HEADPHONESIN 1audioIN 2audioMAIN OUT LaudioMAIN OUT RaudioHEADPHONE OUTaudioOutaudioOutaudioMonitor LaudioMonitor RaudioPhonesaudioaudio
ES-5 gates + analog CV hybrid
connect ES-5 via GT1 ribbon · DAW channels 7/8 drive the ES-5 (eight gate outs) · DAW channels 9–16 drive OUT 1–8 for analog CV / audio · one module handles bit-accurate gates and continuous CV from one plug-in instance
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 4 connections. Modules: ES-9, DAW, Drum, VCO, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 pitch, 1 trigger.ES-9DAWDrumVCOOutputES-5 expander: connectedUSB-CaudioOUT 11v/octES-5-1trigPitchaudioTrigtrigV/Oct1v/octOutaudioLaudio11. DAW ch 7/8audiopitchtrigger
Live MIDI-controller mixing
Options · set USB Mixer MIDI channel to 1 · enable Mix Smoothing on the mixes you will ride · map CC 0–7 on a USB MIDI controller to mixer 1 faders · performative level / mute control of eight modular channels with slew-limited smooth transitions
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 3 connections. Modules: ES-9, Controller, Monitor. Signals: 3 audio.ES-9ControllerMonitorMixer MIDI channel (USB): 1Mix Smoothing: Mix 1 onUSB-CaudioMAIN OUT LaudioMAIN OUT RaudioUSBaudioLaudioRaudio11. CC 0-7audio

Behaviors

Hosted vs standalone configurations USB connect / hold knob ~1 s

Two independent routings live in flash. On first USB handshake the module loads the hosted slot; without USB it boots the standalone slot. Hold the knob for a second to manually swap slots. LEDs C and D indicate the active slot. Makes live recovery from USB dropouts graceful.

On-board 8×8 crosspoint mixer Configuration Tool or MIDI CC

Forms eight mono mixes from any eight of: hardware inputs 1–14, internal buses 1–16, USB outputs 1–16, mixer-2 outputs 1–8, or the S/PDIF-processor outputs. Runs on-chip, so mixing keeps working when no host is connected.

S/PDIF or Mixer 2 mutex Options radio in Configuration Tool

The third DSP block is either the S/PDIF I/O or a second 8×8 mixer — not both. Enabling mixer 2 disables TOSlink; DAW channels 15/16 are then free for an extra mixer bus feeding the hardware.

Per-pair input DC blocking Input DC Blocking check-boxes in Configuration Tool

ADCs have switchable DC-blocking filters organised in pairs (1/2, 3/8, 4/5, 6/7, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14). Enable for audio to kill DC offsets and pops; disable for CV capture. A pair is either on or off — no per-channel override.

Up to 4-band per-input EQ Mixer 1 EQ panel

Each of the eight mixer-1 inputs can have up to four bands of EQ: LP/HP 1st or 2nd order, low shelf, high shelf, peak, or phase-invert. Each band sets frequency, Q and gain. DSP usage is shown in the tool; cap at 100 %.

Mix smoothing for live MIDI control Mix Smoothing check-boxes · MIDI CC 0–63 into mixer

Interpolates and slew-limits macro-mix values (7-bit, MIDI-compatible) into the underlying 16-bit raw mix. Hides the stair-stepping when a MIDI controller rides a fader. Smoothing shares DSP budget with EQ.

MIDI CC mixer control Mixer MIDI channels set in Options · MIDI CC

Mix faders are mapped CC 0–63 counting by channel first then mixer (mix 1 ch 1 = CC 0, mix 1 ch 8 = CC 7, mix 2 ch 1 = CC 8…). For stereo-linked channels the lower-numbered CC controls gain and the higher-numbered CC becomes pan. USB and DIN channels can be set independently or disabled.

Output DC offsets Output DC offsets section in Configuration Tool

Each of OUT 1–8 accepts a trim value that adds a steady DC offset to compensate for downstream miscalibration. Implemented internally via the mixer hardware — a mixer must be routed to that output for the offset to take effect.

ES-5 expansion 10-pin ribbon from GT1 to ES-5

Adds the ES-5's eight digital outputs and further ESX-8xx expansion chains without consuming 3.5mm outputs. ES-5 is driven by DAW channels 7/8 by default; remap via routing. Used for gates, triggers, clocks, and third-party class-compliant CV expansions.

SysEx external control Expert Sleepers SysEx over USB or DIN

Manufacturer ID 00H 21H 27H, device byte 19H. Supports configuration dump (09H) / request (23H), save (24H) / restore (25H) / reset (26H) to either flash slot, set mix (60H–6FH), set filter (39H), set inputs / outputs routing (40H–43H / 50H–53H), version query (22H). Enables rack-side automation without the GUI tool.

MIDI Thru standalone MIDI Thru checkbox · no USB

When enabled and running standalone, the DIN MIDI OUT becomes a hardware thru of DIN MIDI IN. Ignored when a USB host is connected. Lets the breakout keep merging/forwarding external gear in unhosted rigs.

Illuminated jacks as visual meter Any signal on a 3.5mm jack

Each 3.5mm socket has a bicolor LED ring: red = positive voltage, blue = negative voltage, purple = audio (rapid alternation). Gives instant visual confirmation of polarity and level without a dedicated meter — diagnostic gold when troubleshooting routing.

Controls

Global HEADPHONE VOLUME Analog volume knob for the 1/4" headphone output. Push-button: hold ~1 s to swap between the two configuration slots stored in flash (hosted / standalone).
LED C lit = hosted slot last loaded · LED D lit = standalone slot last loaded

I/O

IN · 6

  • IN 1–14 ±10V gives 0 dBFS CV
    Fourteen 3.5mm TS analog inputs, DC-coupled. Accept audio or CV. Illuminated jacks: red = positive V · blue = negative V · purple = audio. Per-pair switchable DC-blocking filters (enable for audio, disable for CV).
  • S/PDIF IN (TOSlink) 24-bit · 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 kHz
    Optical S/PDIF digital input. Appears as DAW channels 15/16 by default. Disabled when the configuration tool enables a second mixer instead.
  • USB-C AUDIO
    Class-compliant USB 2.0 audio / MIDI. macOS, iOS, Linux driverless; Windows driver available. Host powers nothing — module runs on Eurorack rails. LED B lights on successful host connection.
  • GT1 header (rear) ES-5 level
    10-pin ribbon to an ES-5 expansion. Adds 8 digital outputs driven by DAW channels 7–8 by default.
  • GT2 header (rear) 3.3V LVS
    4-pin MIDI breakout header. Pins: 1 OUT-4, 2 OUT-5, 3 IN-5, 4 IN-4. Uses 3.3 V low-voltage-signaling (MMA LVS-compliant). LED C = MIDI in from host to breakout · LED D = breakout to host.
  • JP1 jumper (rear)
    Fit jumper to force DFU firmware-update boot when USB updater cannot reach runtime.

OUT · 4

  • MAIN OUT L / R line level · AC-coupled AUDIO
    Pair of balanced 1/4" TRS outputs, AC-coupled. Driven by mixer 1 outputs 1–2 by default (= DAW 1/2). For monitors or desk.
  • HEADPHONE OUT DC-coupled
    1/4" TRS stereo headphone jack, DC-coupled. Driven by mixer 1 outputs 3–4 by default (blend of DAW 1/2 and 3/4).
  • OUT 1–8 ±10V max · DC-coupled CV
    Eight 3.5mm TS analog outputs, DC-coupled. Usable for audio or CV. Default routing: mixer outputs 5–8 to OUT 1–4, DAW channels 9–16 to OUT 1–8 (fully remappable).
  • S/PDIF OUT (TOSlink) 24-bit · 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 kHz
    Optical S/PDIF digital output. Fed by DAW channels 5/6 by default.