Hypno 2 Manual
User manual for the Sleepy Circuits Hypno 2 Hardware Video Synthesizer
Quick Start
Connect the USB-C Power Input
Use the 3 knobs to control parameters
Use the 3 buttons for channel selection
Tap the screen for explore options
Controls
Hypno 2 has two different control modes depending on whether you're using the main video synthesizer application or desktop mode.
Hardware Overview
3 Pushable Encoders: Rotary encoders that can be turned and pressed
3 Keyboard Buttons: Dedicated buttons for navigation and channel selection
Touch Interface: 800×480 touchscreen for menu navigation
Main Application Mode (Video Synthesizer)
Channel Selection: Use buttons to switch between channels
Encoders
Left Encoder (Encoder 0): Controls leftmost parameters and UI elements
Center Encoder (Encoder 1): Controls center parameters and UI elements
Right Encoder (Encoder 2): Controls rightmost parameters and UI elements
Spatial Mapping: Each encoder corresponds to its physical position on screen
Interface Navigation
Hypno 2 features a sophisticated touch-optimized interface designed for 800×480 displays with consistent visual language and intuitive navigation.
Screen Modes
Fullscreen Mode (Immersive View)
Purpose: Clean output display without UI elements for performance or presentation
Access: Touch anywhere on the screen from any mode to toggle
Use: Preview your visual creation or for live performance
Return: Touch anywhere in fullscreen to return to the control interface
Home Screen (Control Interface)
Purpose: Main control center for parameters, settings, and navigation
Features: Parameter control knobs, transport controls, recording controls, quick access buttons
Visual Design Language
Black backgrounds: Touchable buttons and interactive elements
White backgrounds: Non-interactive labels and information
Blue indicators: Selected or active elements
Color inversion: Visual feedback when buttons are pressed
Video Input
Connect UVC video sources via USB for live video processing, a small video camera icon will pop up in the file browser to help you load the camera.
Modulation System
Hypno 2 features advanced parameter modulation capabilities that can animate your visuals automatically. Each knob can be modulated by multiple sources with independent gain control.
Modulation Sources
DC Sources: Static modulation values (CV 1 -4)
AC Sources: Audio modulation inputs (AUX)
Audio Following: Built-in microphone with adjustable magnitude and slew rate
BPM Sync: Sync to external clock sources
Modulation Functions
Sine Wave: Smooth cyclic modulation
Cosine Wave: 90-degree phase shifted sine wave
Triangle Wave: Linear up-and-down modulation
Ramp Wave: Sawtooth-style linear modulation
Tangent Wave: Exponential-style periodic modulation
Smooth Random: Natural organic modulation using Perlin noise
Pulse Wave: Square wave with 50% duty cycle for strobe effects
Exponential: Fast rise curve for crescendo effects
Logarithmic: Fast attack, slow decay for natural decay
Stepped Random: Sample & hold random values (16 steps per cycle)
Bounce: Bouncing ball physics with 4 bounces per cycle
Chaos: Lorenz attractor chaotic system for unpredictable patterns
Heartbeat: Double-peak biological rhythm pattern
Pendulum: Physics-based pendulum motion with non-linear timing
BPM Sync Features
When BPM sync is enabled, modulation can lock to external clock sources:
Division Options: 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1/1, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x Sync Sources: Two independent trigger inputs
Audio Following
The built-in microphone can modulate parameters with adjustable:
Magnitude: Sensitivity to audio input (bipolar -1 to +1)
Slew Rate: Smoothness of audio response (0 to 1)
Undo/Redo System
Hypno 2 includes a comprehensive undo/redo system that allows you to revert mistakes, explore different creative directions, and recover from unwanted changes.
Accessing Undo/Redo
Undo Button (↶): Reverts the last action - appears bright when available, dimmed when unavailable
Redo Button (↷): Re-applies an undone action - appears bright when available, dimmed when unavailable
Simply tap the touchscreen button to undo or redo your most recent action.
What Can Be Undone
The system tracks up to 100 actions including:
Parameter Changes: Knob adjustments via hardware encoders or MIDI
Modulation Settings: Changes to modulation phase, amplitude, and wave shape
Preset Loads: Switch back to previous presets with full state restoration
Shader Changes: Revert shader selections (both regular and FX shaders)
Resource Switches: Undo video/image file assignments made via file browser or arrow navigation
Playback Mode Changes: Revert Loop/One-Shot/Bounce mode changes
Settings Menu
Access the settings menu through the gear icon in the main interface. The settings are organized into system controls and network connectivity options.
System Controls
System Information: View current firmware version, hardware details, and system statistics
Go to Desktop: Switch to Raspberry Pi desktop mode for system administration
Screen Brightness: Adjust display brightness with + and - buttons for optimal viewing
Fan Control: Enable or disable the cooling fan (useful for silent operation)
Factory Content: Download official content packs and resources
Network & Connectivity
Wi-Fi Management
Wi-Fi Enable/Disable: Toggle wireless connectivity
Network Selection: Browse and connect to available wireless networks
Signal Strength: Visual indicators show connection quality
Connection Status: Real-time status of network connectivity
Bluetooth Control
Bluetooth Enable/Disable: Toggle Bluetooth functionality for wireless devices
Device Pairing: Connect Mezzz and other devices
Connection Management: Manage connection status
Supported File Formats
Images
Raster Images: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
Vector Graphics: SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
SVG files provide crisp, scalable graphics that maintain quality at any resolution. The Hypno 2 automatically renders SVG files at optimal quality when loaded into channels, ensuring sharp, pixelation-free visuals perfect for logos, icons, and geometric patterns that can scale from small UI elements to full-screen visuals.
Video Files
MP4 (H.264 encoding)
Other Formats
Shaders:
.fragfragment shader files for custom visual effectsPresets:
.jsoncomplete system state files for patch recall
MIDI Control
Hypno 2 features comprehensive MIDI support for external control, enabling wireless performance setups and integration with existing MIDI workflows.
Supported MIDI Messages
Control Change (CC): Continuous parameter control for knobs and sliders
Note Messages: Trigger-based control for preset save/recall
Channels are Channels - Each MIDI channel represents a Channel of video or the Mixer on CH 1
16
Main Out
cc1 - gain 1, cc2 - feedback etc...
1
Channel A
cc1 - X offset, cc2 - frequency etc...
2
Channel B
cc1 - X offset, cc2 - frequency etc...
USB MIDI Controllers
Plug-and-Play: Connect USB MIDI controller to Hypno 2
Automatic Detection: System automatically detects connected devices
Multiple Devices: Support for simultaneous MIDI controllers
Bluetooth MIDI Controllers
Enable Bluetooth: Access Settings → Bluetooth Control → Enable
Pairing Mode: Put MIDI controller in pairing mode
Devices with MIDI characteristic trigger a popup requseting connection
MIDI Notes
Preset Integration: MIDI mappings are saved with presets
Mapped presets are saved in the Presets folder under the corresponding note's folder, these can be moved manually to remap
File Management
Hypno 2 features an intuitive file browser with advanced selection and management capabilities for organizing your media files efficiently.
File Browser Interface
The file browser provides a clean, touch-friendly interface for navigating and managing your files:
Checkboxes: Every file and folder displays a checkbox for multi-selection
Master Checkbox: Located in the browser header, provides quick select all/none functionality
Visual Feedback: Selected files show checked boxes (X), unselected files show empty boxes (☐)
Spatial Navigation: Use the three hardware encoders to navigate - left encoder for leftmost elements, center for middle elements, right encoder for rightmost elements
File Renaming: Touch filename to rename using the virtual keyboard system
Virtual Keyboard System
Hypno 2 includes a comprehensive virtual keyboard for text input and file management:
Keyboard Features
Full QWERTY Layout: Complete keyboard with number row, letters, and special characters
Shift/Caps Support: Visual feedback for shift and caps lock states
Text Cursor: Visual cursor indicator ("|") shows insertion point
Cursor Navigation: Left and right arrow keys for precise text positioning
Encoder Integration
Encoder Control: Use hardware encoders for precise cursor positioning
Clockwise Rotation: Move cursor to the right
Counter-clockwise Rotation: Move cursor to the left
Touch Positioning: Touch text field directly to position cursor
Text Editing
Insert Mode: Type at cursor position for precise text editing
Backspace: Delete characters to the left of cursor
Confirmation: Press GO button to confirm input and close keyboard
Cancel: Press NO button to cancel input and return to previous screen
Multiple File Selection
The checkbox system makes selecting multiple files intuitive and efficient:
Basic Selection
Select Individual Files: Touch the checkbox next to any file to toggle its selection
Select All Files: Touch the master checkbox in the browser header to select all visible files
Clear All Selections: Touch the master checkbox again when files are selected to clear all selections
Video Encoding
When working with video files, Hypno 2 offers flexible encoding options with real-time progress tracking:
Select files with checkboxes, choose quality preset, and monitor real-time progress bars with frame counts.
Video Playback Modes
Hypno 2 provides three distinct playback modes that control how video files loop and repeat within their loop boundaries:
Loop Mode
Video continuously loops, jumping back to the loop start point when reaching the loop end
One-Shot Mode
Video plays through once from loop start to loop end, then stops on the final frame
Bounce Mode
Video plays forward to the loop end, then reverses and plays backward to the loop start, continuously bouncing back and forth
Changing Playback Modes
Touch Interface: Press the playback mode button to cycle through modes: Loop → One-Shot → Bounce → Loop
Per-Track: Each video channel has its own independent playback mode
USB Drive Management & File Operations
USB drives are automatically mounted when connected, with support for multiple partitions and safe removal. The checkbox selection system enables batch operations:
Available Operations: Move, copy, delete, encode/decode videos Progress Tracking: Real-time progress bars with cancellation support Safety Features: Proper drive unmounting and error handling
Important: Always wait for file operations to complete before disconnecting USB drives to prevent data loss.
Recording & Export
Hypno 2 features comprehensive recording capabilities for capturing your visual performances.
Video Recording System
Recording Features
High Quality Recording: Full resolution and frame rate capture
Automatic Naming: Files automatically named with timestamp for organization
Recording Workflow
Setup Visual: Configure your layers, effects, and parameters as desired
Start Recording: Press the record button (turns red when active)
Perform: Play your visual performance - recording runs in background
Stop Recording: Press record button again to finish recording
Processing: Monitor real-time progress bars during frame processing
Assignment Option: Choose to assign completed recording to active channel (for quick resampling)
File Access: Find recordings in VIDOS-Resources/Recordings/ directory
Batch Processing (+Thought Manager)
Select Multiple Files: Encode multiple recordings simultaneously
Progress is tracked with glowing top bar + Thought Manager (Brain)
Running new batches and single file operations is blocked while batch runs.
Mod Menu
The mod menu displays real-time information about modulation sources and inputs:
CV Inputs: Shows the current values of all connected CV inputs with visual indicators on the left side
Audio Input: Displays the current audio input level with an ear icon on the left side
Trigger Interval BPM: Shows beats per minute readings for each trigger input @ 64ppqn
The trigger interval BPM display converts the frequency of incoming trigger signals into beats per minute, useful for syncing visual content to musical tempo. Each trigger input shows its own BPM readout with a clock icon, positioned vertically along the right edge of the screen for easy visibility.
Desktop Mode (Raspberry Pi Desktop)
When you switch to desktop mode (accessible via Settings → "Go to Desktop"), the hardware controls emulate standard computer input:
Encoders (Desktop Mode)
Left Encoder: Mouse X movement
Center Encoder: Mouse scroll wheel
Right Encoder: Mouse Y movement
Buttons (Desktop Mode)
Left Button: ESC key
Center Button: SPACE key
Right Button: ENTER key
Left Encoder Tap: Right mouse click
Center Encoder Tap: Middle mouse click
Right Encoder Tap: Left mouse click
L + R Button: F11 key (fullscreen toggle)
This allows you to easily navigate the Raspberry Pi desktop environment without requiring any external peripherals.
Need help? Check the FAQ or Troubleshooting Guide
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