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Alesis QuadraSynth Plus User's Manual

1. CEES Eee TL oe a IT Quad Knob 1 lets you adjust the level of the signal coming from effect send 2 going into the Reverb Send 2 in this Configuration has no effects of its own Therefore there are no input or input mix controls in this page since there is only one possible signal choice Send 2 is intended to be used for signals that you want to send to Reverb 1 but bypass Delay and Pitch 1 In Configuration 2 send 4is similar to send 2 in that it has no effects of its own but serves as a bypass going directly to Reverb 3 Reverb Page 2 Pressing the PAGE button will advance the display to Page 2 of the Reverb function However you must have the correct effect send selected 1 4 in order to get at the Reverb parameters in Config 1 3 4 and 5 the Reverb parameters are found only on effect send 1 in Config 2 they are found on sends 1 and 3 since there are two separate Reverbs Here you will find parameters for selecting the Reverb type adjusting Pre Delay Time and Pre Delay Mix Reverb Type The QuadraSynth Plus has seven different reverb types all stereo each of which simulates a different space or produce a different ambient effect Use Quad Knob 1 to select one The different Reverb types are Plate 1 amp 2 The two Plate reverb types simulate an artificial device known as a Plate In the early days of recording Plates were extremely popular because they were almost the only way to provide any s
2. W N UJ N N ujio DDA D SIN IE GT YI QI gt N NINININ NWA NI N Ww UI Ko 1 N 3 2 4 1 4 190 Parameters Index Appendix C Quad Pagein Parameter Function Page Knob Manual Tuning Type Pith 1 4 5 Neos i Sia i del ed S Velocity Curve Crossfade Amp 1 1 6 Voice Seded Group AssignVoice 1 1 5 Voice Select Sound Name AssignVoice 1 54 Level Pie e oO Mix Parameters 3 Rane Quad Knob Page in Manual 4 4 W W N Keyboard Range MIDI In BG MIDI Out Pitchbend and Mod Wheels Program Effect Bus Effect Level Program Effect Level Effect Level Program Enable Program Assign pas Program Output pas Program Volume Program Select Number Program Assign pas A a a Program Select Type Program Assign QW Name Mix 1 10 pas QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 191 Parameters Index Appendix C QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 192
3. About portamento When you play a key and then a second key normally the sound jumps instantly from one pitch to another Portamento provides a sweeping glide from one note to another over a variable amount of time A good example of this type of sound is a steel guitar where a note slides from one pitch to another Portamento Exponential Linear 1 Speed This provides the sweep s curve e With an exponential curve the pitch change seems to happen more rapidly at first then slows down as it approaches the ending pitch A linear curve produces a constant pitch change throughout the glide Normally the greater the interval the pitch difference between the two notes the longer the glide For example a glide between two notes a whole step apart would take much less time than a glide between two notes an octave apart The 1 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 83 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Speed curve maintains a constant glide rate regardless of the pitch difference between notes Rate 0 to 99 Sets the glide duration Higher numbers give longer glide times The Rate value is affected by the Portamento value see above Keyboard M ode M ono Poly 1 Pitch or 1 PM ono In Mono mode you can play only one note at a time just like vintage monophonic synthesizers or wind instruments Poly mode allows you to play polyphonically Note that portamento behavior is more predictable in mono mode Tip
4. Amplitude LFO Depth 99 to 99 At 00 the Amp LFO has no effect Higher positive values increase the amount of LFO modulation Negative values give the same apparent effect but with reversed LFO phase i e if the amplitude would normally be increasing with depth set to a positive number the amplitude would instead be decreasing at that same moment had the depth been set to a negative number Amplitude LFO parameters such as speed and wave shape are programmed within the ALFO Function see page 70 Tip Amplitude LFO set to a triangle wave gives tremolo effects Range Each sound can be restricted to a specific range of the keyboard This is ideal for creating splits e g bass in the lower octave and a half piano in the middle three octaves and strings in the upper octave Lower Limit MIDI note 000 to 127 C 2 to G8 Specifies the lowest note of the sound s keyboard range You can set the lower limit by holding Quad Switch 1 and tapping the key on the keyboard you want to set as the lowest note in the range High Limit MIDI note 000 to 127 C 2 to G 8 Specifies the highest note of the sound s keyboard range You can set the high limit by holding Quad Switch 2 and tapping the key on the keyboard you want to set as the highest note in the range Buacrasynth Keybord Ronge D 2 1 2 C1 cao C3 4 CS t C7 oes Program Sound Ron ge Tip By setting the lower limit above the high limit you can create a hole
5. DELA DRY FLA NE SIGNAL FEEDBA CK QUITPI DRY SIGNAL QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 155 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Many variables are available from varying the speed and depth of the LFO to feeding back part of the signal to make the effect stronger The Flanger s waveform shape can be either Normal or Inverted Use the Inverted setting for a more dramatic flange effect QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 156 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Stereo Flange In the case of the Stereo Flange the signal is split into three parts with a dry signal and a separate Delay section for both left and right channels with one channel flanging up while the other channel flanges down Once again this causes the effect to become more pronounced and dramatic DRY SIGNAL FEEDBA CK LEFT Ap FLANGED OUTPUT DRY SIGNAL RIGHT FLA NEED FEEDBA CK OUTPUT DRY SIGNAL Pitch D etune As the name implies Pitch Detune takes a part of the signal and detunes it either sharp or flat When mixed back with the original dry signal the popular 12 string guitar effect is produced DRY EFFECTED SIGNAL SIGNAL DRY SIGNAL Resonator This can be thought of as a highly resonant filter or a filter that is tuned to a specific frequency with a lot of emphasis which will cause the frequency that the resonator is set at to be highly accentuated Delay Input Quad Knob 2 can adjust the level o
6. If this is set to 0 only the very beginning of the drum sample is played setting this to 99 will cause the entire drum sample to play When set above 99 the Decay uses a gated mode The Decay can still be set between 0 and 99 but in 5 step QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 123 Editing Programs Chapter 6 increments e g Gate00 Decay setting of 0 with gating Gate05 Decay setting of 5 with gating etc Gating means that the drum sound will continue to be played as long as the key is held This is useful for longer sounds like cymbals when you wish to hear a short crash by playing a short note but can still hear a longer crash by keeping the note held down Mute Group Off 1 2 or 3 This is an important feature when using multiple sounds of the same instrument Mute Groups allow multiple drums to share a single voice For example if you have assigned a Closed Hat and an Open Hat to two different notes playing either note should cut off the other if it had recently been played This creates a more realistic sound since an actual Hi Hat is only capable of making one sound at a time In the Amp Envelope function Quad Knob 2 is used to assign the selected drum to one of the three M ute Groups In our example above both Hi Hat drums would be assigned to the same M ute Group The additional Mute Groups can be used by other sounds that you wish to cut off each other but do not want to interfere with the Hi Hat s
7. OUT IN ii Lan The MIDI THRU jack carries a replica or echo of the signal appearing at the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI IN allowing you to trigger other devices from the same controller which is feeding the QuadraSynth Plus Simply connect the QuadraSynth Plus MIDI THRU to the other device s MIDI IN Note that the MIDI THRU jack will not send messages from the QuadraSynth Plus s keyboard itself MIDI MIDI MIDI OUT IN THRU e m OF PE The MIDI OUT sends MIDI data from the QuadraSynth Plus s keyboard to other MIDI devices but can also send System Exclusive data see the MIDI supplement to a storage device such as the Alesis DataDisk for later recall QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 29 Connections Chapter 3 Example 1 Master Controller for Live Use Most live applications use the QuadraSynth Plus to generate sounds with possibly the MIDI output driving other MIDI devices such as an S4 Plus rack unit QuadraVerb 2 other keyboards and sound modules etc MIDI ie OUT IN ET POY a PM m e i ES i da ED HIN To drive MIDI controlled devices from the QuadraSynth Plus patch the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI OUT to the MIDI device s MIDI IN If there is more than one MIDI device patch the first device s MIDI THRU to the second device s MIDI IN the second device s MIDI THRU to thethird device s MIDI IN etc pn H 5 A FE gi FE Be EH 4A ae Ed iL ta Ca
8. 1 o 2 u 3 4 The Effect Patch s Configuration determines the arrangement of effect functions of each effect send Imagine a Configuration as an arrangement of multiple effects processors patched together at the end of each effect send Example In one configuration effect send 3 has its own separate reverb whilein another configuration it has its own delay and a leve control feeding a reverb shared with send 1 When you re programming effects you will need to refer to the charts on pages 92 97 for the effect configuration you re using so you know how the paths from different effect functions interact The Effect functions consist of Pitch Delay Reverb and in some cases Misc which provides access to special effects such as EQ and Overdrive Each function has several types to choose from For example the Pitch effect can be either a chorus a flange a resonator etc The Reverb can be a large hall plate gated etc The effect types available for each effect function depends on the Configuration you are using The parameters available for an effect function depend on the selected effect type Some effect types have very few parameters while others have many For example the stereo delay effect has about twice as many parameters as the mono delay effect since the stereo delay has two QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 127 Editing Effects Chapter 7 adjustments left and right for seve
9. 1 to adjust the contrast or use the VALUE and buttons The contrast and its value in the display will change QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 15 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 16 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Playing the Demo Sequence The QuadraSynth Plus has a built in demo sequence which demonstrates the wide variety of sounds this amazing instrument is capable of generating In order to get the full effect of the demo we recommend that you connect both the LEFT and RIGHT outputs to your sound system or listen on headphones To play the demo sequence 10 Hold the GLOBAL button and press MIX The upper right display will read Playing Demo Press M IX to stop g Press MIX to stop the demo There will be no MIDI OUT messages during the demo and the keyboard will be disabled Playing Specific Sections of the Demo The demo sequence is currently comprised of four sections Any of these sections can be played directly without listening to the sections preceding it This can be done by holding GLOBAL and pressing one of the Quad Buttons 1 4 buttons which corresponds to the section you would like to hear Enabling General MIDI Mode If you are using a General MIDI sequencer and or playing a sequence that is programmed to take advantage of General MIDI turn the General MIDI
10. Note that the volume knob controls the level of all analog and digital output channels simultaneously Set the volume to maximum for most applications 48 kHz Clock In If your ADAT system has an Alesis BRC Remote Controller the QuadraSynth Plus s digital clock must be synchronized to the clock coming from the BRC Connect a BNC to BNC cable such as the Alesis BN cable between the BRC s 48 kHz CLOCK OUT and the QuadraSynth Plus s 48 kHz CLOCK IN For more information about using the 48 kHz clock see page 118 in Chapter 8 When using only one ADAT without the BRC it is not necessary to connect the 48 KHz Clock QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 35 Connections Chapter 3 Tip With this type of connection the ADAT tracks will remain in tune with the QuadraSynth Plus even when the BRC s pitch value is adjusted QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 36 Overview Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4 OVERVIEW Basic Architecture The QuadraSynth Plus contains digitized acoustic and electronic voices organized into 18 groups of sound types The groups are Piano Bass Ensemble Drums Organ Guitar Ethnic Percussion Keyboard Brass Voice Rhythm Synth Woodwind Sound FX QSPlus Waves String Several functions filter amplitude envelope pitch envelope LFO multiple modulation sources signal processors etc can be used to process a sample A Sound is the combination of a sample with its associated processing A Program con
11. Page 2 see below a setting of 99 will result in a much slower attack taking many seconds before the envelope gets to maximum Decay amp Sustain 00 to 99 Assoon as the attack portion of the envelope finishes when the level reaches maximum the envelope will decay decrease in level The level it reaches is set by the Sustain control how long it takes to get there is set by the Decay control In the special case where the Sustain level is all the way up 99 then there is no decrease and the Decay time segment is bypassed Whatever level the sustain is set to is the level that the decay section of the envelope will head for Depending on the setting of the Sustain Decay control see below the envelope will either hold at the sustain level until you release the note on the keyboard or decay to 0 at the Sustain Decay rate which is on page 2 of the envelope You can create along plateau at the start of a note by setting the Sustain to 98 and the Decay to 99 This will cause the envelope to take the maximum amount of time to get from peak level to a level of 98 before the Sustain Release portion of the envelope begins Release 00 to 99 Eventually you will let go of the note that you ve been holding either by releasing the note on the keyboard or releasing the sustain pedal if it was pressed It is at this point that the Release portion of the envelope takes effect The Release is the time that the envelope takes to get fro
12. This selects one of two Overdrive Types Soft and Hard The Soft Overdrive has less gain and provides slightly less distortion than the Hard Overdrive Also there will still bea slight bit of distortion when using the Soft setting if the signal feeding the Overdrive effect is below the Overdrive Threshold setting see below The Hard setting will only provide distortion when the signal feeding the Overdrive effect is above the Overdrive Threshold setting QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 162 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Overdrive Threshold This sets the leva the signal feeding the Overdrive effect must be reach before the Overdrive effect will begin distorting It can be set between 00 and 99 If this number is very low the Overdrive effect will start to distort almost right away When set to a high number the distortion will not occur until the signal feeding the overdrive becomes louder than the Threshold setting Overdrive Brightness This sets the tone of the Overdrive effect It can be set between 00 and 99 Higher numbers result in a brighter sounding overdrive Lower numbers result in a duller distortion sound Overdrive Balance This controls the output mix of the Overdrive effect It can be set anywhere from CLEAN lt 99 to CLEAN lt 00 gt OVRD to 99 gt OV RD When set to CLEAN lt 99 the Overdrive effect cannot be heard at all When set to CLEAN lt O0 gt OVRD you have an even mix betwee
13. decrease The Pitch Output level is the level for the Pitch Section of the QuadraSynth Plus s effects processor to the Main outputs and should be set as desired Even if this parameter is set to 00 the output of the Pitch section is still available depending on the bus and configuration to following Delay and Reverb sections Delay Level Adjusting this value will cause the Delay Output Level to increase or decrease The Delay Output level is the level for the Delay Section of the QuadraSynth Plus s effects processor to the Main outputs and should be set as desired Even if this parameter is set to 00 the output of the Dday QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 160 Editing Effects Chapter 7 section is still available depending on the bus and configuration to following Pitch and Reverb sections Reverb Level Adjusting this value will cause the Reverb Output Level to increase or decrease The Reverb Output level is the level for the Reverb Section of the QuadraSynth Plus s effects processor to the main outputs and should be set as desired Misc This Misc Function is only available when using Configuration 5 4 or 5 In Configuration 4 the Misc Function is where the EQ parameters are found In Configuration 5 the Misc function houses both the Overdrive parameters and the EQ parameters the EQ is found on Page 3 In all cases the Misc Function can be selected and its parameters edited regardless of which Effects Sen
14. e g brass section consisting of alto amp tenor sax trumpet and trombone or extremely realistic versions of single instruments When creating layered Programs keep polyphony in mind If all Programs in a Mix use all four available sounds the QuadraSynth Plus will quickly run out of voices QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 37 Overview Chapter 4 Modes The QuadraSynth Plus is always in one of two main modes Program M ode or Mix Mode Pressing PROGRAM selects Program Play Mode while pressing MIX selects Mix Play Mode While in Program Play Mode you can press SELECT to access Program Edit M ode and Effects Edit Mode While in Mix Play Mode pressing SELECT alternates between Mix Edit Mode Program Edit Mode and Effects Edit M ode Pressing GLOBAL accesses Global Edit Mode pressing COM PARE accesses Compare M ode and pressing STORE accesses Store Mode Here are descriptions of these modes Program Play Mode Program Play Mode lets you play the QuadraSynth Plus s various Programs one at a time The QuadraSynth Plus contains 512 Preset and 128 User Programs i e the sounds of various instruments effects ensembles etc that show off just how cool this instrument really is Initially the 4 Preset Banks and the User Bank contain data loaded in at the factory The User Programs can be edited or replaced with your own Programs However you cannot replace the Preset Programs because these are stored in ROM
15. etc and yet another buffer for the Effects Processor When you select a Mix from memory it is copied into the Mix Edit buffer the 16 Programs of that Mix are copied into the 16 edit buffers and the Effect from one of the 16 Programs is copied into the Effects buffer If you make changes to the Mix they are only temporarily kept in the edit buffer until a new Mix is selected from memory Therefore you MUST store your edited Mix if you want to keep it If in the course of making a Mix you enter Program Edit mode by pressing SELECT and edit one or more Programs in the Mix the edits you make are entered into a separate buffer for each Program in the Mix Note however that you DO have to STORE each edited Program in the User bank in the same or different Program number location before selecting a different M ix or your QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 59 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 changes will be lost The same goes for editing the Effects which will be stored with its associated Program If you select another M ix before storing your changes will be lost QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 60 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 Program Assign for each MIDI Channel The first function of Mix Edit is Program Assign Program Bank User Preset 1 4 Card This determines which Bank the selected Program is located in for the selected MIDI channel There are five Banks availablein the QuadraSynth Plus If you insert
16. the Quantize parameter was off would cause the pitch of a held note to slide up much the same way it does when the Pitch Bend Wheel is used However moving the Mod Whee while the Quantize parameter was on would cause the pitch of a held note to rise in half step increments QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 97 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Pitch LFO Pitch LFO Page 1 The Pitch LFO is most often used to apply vibrato to a sound DI The following Pitch LFO variables will make a difference in the sound only if the PITCH LFO DEPTH on Page2 of the PITCH function is set to a value other than 0 or if the Pitch LFO is a sourcein theM OD function Wave 8 choices The waveform determines the shape of the LFO Use Quad Knob 1 to select either Sine Triangle Square Up Saw Down Saw Random Noise or Random Ss nisi came Geiger Speed 00 to 99 Quad Knob 2 controls the speed or rate of the LFO For fast modulation increase this value For slower modulation decrease this value Delay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that is to occur before the LFO fades in Sometimes it is desirable to have modulation come in a moment or two after a note has been played rather than starting instantly The higher the value the slower the LFO fades in 99 99 TIME e Trigger M ono Poly Key M ono or Key Poly QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 98 Editing Programs Chapter 6 The Tri
17. 134 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Configuration 1 4 Sends 1 Reverb POSED Pitch 1 Delay 1Reverb 1 Monochorus Mono delay Plate 1 Stereo chorus Stereo delay Plate2 Mono flange Ping pong delay Room Stereo flange Hall Pitch detune Large Resonator Gate Reverse Pitch 2 Delay 2Reverb 2 Mono chorus Mono delay Balance and level to Reverb 1 Stereo chorus Stereo delay Mono flange Ping pong delay Stereo flange Pitch detune Resonator Pitch 3 Delay 3Reverb 3 Resonator Mono delay Balance and level to Reverb 1 Delay4 Reverb 4 Mono delay Send delay mix and level to Reverb 1 Think of the diagram as a road map showing all possible paths from the starting points FX SEND 1 through 4 to the ultimate destinations MAIN LEFT and MAIN RIGHT at the top of the page The dotted lines indicate the divisions between different functional blocks and the solid lines indicate signal paths between the blocks and controls The diagram QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 135 Editing Effects Chapter 7 is similar to a block diagram for a mixer with signal moving generally from the left to the right The number next to each function name represents one of the four effect sends For example Delay 2 refers to the Delay effect on effect send 2 This Configuration 1 provides three Pitch effects four Delay effects and one Reverb effect The Pitch effects are found on effect sends 1 2 and 3 but while the Pitch effects on
18. Breath Controller 0 127 Early DX7 Aftertouch 0 127 Foot Controller 0 127 Portamento Time 0 127 Data Slider 0 127 Main Volume 0 127 Balance 0 127 Pan 0 127 Expression 0 127 General Purpose 1 0 127 General Purpose 2 0 127 General Purpose 3 0 127 General Purpose 4 0 127 Least Significant Bits Controllers 0 31 0 127 Sustain Pedal 0 or 127 Portamento On Off 0 or 127 Sustenuto Pedal 0 or 127 Soft Pedal 0 or 127 Hold 2 Oor 127 General Purpose 5 0 or 127 General Purpose 6 0 or 127 General Purpose 7 0 or 127 General Purpose 8 0 or 127 Tremolo Depth 0 127 Chorus Depth 0 127 Celeste Depth 0 127 Phase Depth 0 127 Data Increment 0 or 127 Data Decrement 0 or 127 Non Registered Parameter M SB 0 127 Non Registered Parameter LSB 0 127 Registered Parameter M SB 0 127 Registered Parameter LSB 0 127 Reset All Controllers 0 Local Control On Off O or 127 All Notes Off 0 Omni Off 0 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 183 MIDI Supplement Appendix B 125 Omni On 0 126 Mono On 0 16 0 Omni Off 127 Poly On 0 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 184 MIDI Supplement Appendix B System Common Messages Intended for all units in asystem some of these MIDI messages are Song Position Pointer This indicates how many MIDI beats normally a 16th note have elapsed since a piece started up to 16 384 tot
19. Mix and Program parameters are reset to their default settings However none of the Programs or Mixes are changed when re initializing the unit You can proceed to edit then STORE at any Program location you like QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 126 Editing Effects Chapter 7 CHAPTER 7 EDITING EFFECTS About Signal Processing The built in effects processor of the QuadraSynth Plus is similar to that of the Alesis QuadraVerb 2 capable of generating multiple fully digital effects simultaneously The QuadraSynth Plus effects processor has four inputs called effect sends You might think of these as the typical post fader sends found on a mixing console In a Program each of the four Sounds can be assigned to one of the four effect sends In a Mix each Program can use its own effects level and bus routing or you may override these by assigning the entire Program all 4 sounds to one of the four effect sends and all at the same level Once you assign a Sound in Program Edit M ode or a Program in Mix Edit M ode to an effect send you can adjust the Sound s Program s Effect Send Level DI To route a Sound Program only to an effect send and not the M ain or Aux outputs assign the Output parameter of the Sound Program to OFF assign its Effect Bus to one of the four effect sends and adjust the Effects Leva Outputs o _ Main Left Aux Left o T Main Right o x Fight Effect Sends
20. Range and MIDI Switches 42 Transmitting MIDI Volume and Panning 43 Effects in Mix Play Mode 44 Effect Level 44 Effect 44 Naming a Mix 45 Polyphony in Mix Play Mode 45 Using the QuadraSynth Plus as a M aster Keyboard 45 Setting MIDI Out Channels for Mix in Global Mode 46 6 Editing Programs 47 Overview 47 The Normalized Synth Voice 47 How the QuadraSynth Generates Sound 48 Program Sound Layers 48 QuadraSynth Plus Signal Flow 49 The Four Sounds of aProgram 49 Voice 50 Lowpass Filter 50 Amp 51 About Modulation 51 Envelopes 52 About Signal Processing52 DrumMode 53 Program Edit Functions 54 Assign Voice 54 Level 56 Effect Level 56 Pitch 56 Filter 59 Amp 61 Range 62 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 6 Index Mod 64 Pitch LFO 67 Amp LFO 70 Pitch Envelope 71 Filter Envelope 74 Amp Envelope 76 Name 80 Misc 81 Programming Drum Sounds 82 Assign Voice 82 Level 82 Effects Level 83 Pitch 83 Filter 83 Amp 83 Range 84 Amp Envelope 84 Copying Sounds 85 Copying Effects 85 Initializing Programs 86 7 Editing Effects 87 About Signal Processing87 Selecting an Effects Patch in Mix Mode 88 Setting Effects Send Levels 88 Editing Effects 89 Storing Effect Patches In Program Mode 90 Storing Effect Patches in Mix Mode 90 Copying Effect Patches 91 Configurations 91 Reverb 98 Delay 103 Pitch 104 Mod 108 Mix 109 Misc 110 EQ 110 Overdrive 110 8 Global Setti
21. Rimshot Side Stick Hi Hat Closed Hat Edge Hat Open Hat FootClosed Toms Hi Pwr Tom Lo Pwr Tom Hi Mid Tom Mid Tom Lo Mid Tom Hi Flr Tom Floor Tom Lo Flr Tom Hi Slam Tom Md Slam Tom Lo Slam Tom Hi Cannon Mid Cannon Lo Cannon Cymbal Cym Ride Cym Bell Cym Crash Cym China Cym Splash Percus Tympani TbularBel Asian Drum Cabasa Castanet Clave High Agogo Low Agogo High Bongo Lo Bong Conga High Conga Lo Conga Slap Cowbell Triangle TriangleMt Guiro Long GuiroShort H and Clap Shaker Maracas Tambourine Timbale Hi Timbale Lo Log Drum Vibrasmack WoodBIk Hi WoodBlk Lo Waterphone SambaWhstl ShortWhstl Alert Android Cyborg Meteor Supernova Percus Zap Attk 1 Zap Attk 2 Zap Attk 3 Mini Attk Pop Pop Attk Bottle Hit Metal FX Attk1 Metal Attk2 Fingersnap Voice EFX1 Voice EFX2 Voice EFX3 Wave High Sine Low Sine Noise Rhythm PsiBeat 1 PsiBeat 2 PsiBeat 3 Psi Beat 4 PsiBeat 5 Kick Loop1 Kick Loop2 Kick Loop3 Kick Loop4 Kick Loop5 SnareLoop1 SnareLoop2 SnareLoop3 Backbeat CIsdH H Loop OpenH HLoop1 OpenH HLoop2 FootH H Loop Ride Loop1 Ride Loop2 Ride Loop3 Tick Talk Swingset Bongo Loop BlockLoop1 BlockLoop2 BlockLoop3 HiTriLpHd HiTriLpSf LoTriLpHd LoTriLpSf Tamb Loop1 Tamb Loop2 ShakerLoop ShuflShakr PopperLoop BottleLoop Motor MiniNoizLp HvyMetalLp Machine Lp Kah Loop Bass Loop SynBass Lp QuadraSynth PI Level us Piano Reference M anual 121 Editi
22. With a feedback guitar patch that uses one sound for the guitar and one sound for the feedback setting the feedback sound to Mono Keyboard M ode insures that your feedback whistle will be monophonic which more accurately mimics what happens when you play lead guitar Use 1 PITCH mode when you want a program sound layer to play asingle pitch polyphonically throughout the entire keyboard range In 1 PITCH mode the QuadraSynth Plus will play the sample used for note C3 for all notes in the range 1 PITCH mode is often used for layering a noise or drum sound behind another sound that is pitched for example to fatten up a bass guitar sound with a hint of kick drum or to have the same cymbal hit every time any note is played Alternatively 1 PMONO mode is a monophonic version of 1 PITCH Sometimes when playing a monophonic instrument you will not want the envelopes to retrigger when playing legato as this would sound realistic Imagine a flute player beginning each note in a phrase with a sharp breathy attack In reality the player would only attack the first note in the phrase this way Therefore if the Keyboard Mode is set to Mono the three envelopes PENV FENV and FENV will only retrigger when playing legato if the envelope s Trigger M ode is set to either Reset or Reset Freerun QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 84 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Filter Filter Page 1 Frequency 00 to 99 Th
23. a QuadraCard Sound Card you can have even more Banks Program Number 000 to 127 This determines the Program N umber 000 127 for the selected MIDI channel Enable On or Off This determines whether the Program on the selected channel is enabled or disabled When disabled no sound will be generated by the QuadraSynth Plus The Channa number in the display for a disabled channel will not appear except when selected for editing DI Even if a channel is enabled here it will not play unless the proper settings in the RANGE function MIDI IN and or KEYBOARD On O ff and LOW HIGH are made Level Setting for Each Program The second function of Mix Edit is Levd Level 00 to 99 This sets the overall volume for a sound Higher numbers give higher levels Pan lt 3 to 3 gt or PG This determines the pan position of the selected channel When set to PG the panning setting will be that of the Program assigned to the selected channel However you can override this setting by selecting a different value thereby assigning the channel s panning between the left and right outputs of either the MAIN or AUX outputs depending on the Output assignment see below Output MAIN AUX OFF or PROG This determines the audio output assignment for the selected channel When set to PROG the channa will use the Output assignment of the Program However you can override this assignment by setting this parameter to something differ
24. and buttons Quad Knob Button Label strip This line is used to show the labels of the bar graph meters which determine the functions of the four Quad Knobs and Buttons These labels change depending on which function and page is currently selected The labels are abbreviations of the parameters the complete name and value of a selected parameter will appear in the N ame strip Quad Knob bar graph meters When a Quad Knob controls a function s parameter an associated bar graph appears which reflects the Knob s setting N ote Not all four Quad Knobs are active in all pages If a single line appears somewhere in the bargraph area it indicates its corresponding Quad Knob is active MIDI Buttons The MIDI and buttons serve two purposes In Program Play Mode they select the basic MIDI channel the QuadraSynth Plus will receive and transmit MIDI messages on In Mix Play Mode they are used to select one of the 16 Programs for viewing and editing For more information on MIDI and its uses see Chapters 8 and 9 and Appendix B Quad Knob Editing The Quad Knobs havetwo editing modes Immediate and Pass thru When using the Quad Knobs to adjust parameter values you may prefer using one mode over the other When set to IMmediate parameter values jump immediately to the Quad Knob s exact position the moment it is moved When set to Pass thru the Quad Knob must be turned beyond the parameter s current setting before it be
25. card using the new format Loading an Individual Program or Mix from an External Card You can load a single Mix or Program from a Sound Card into the User Bank instead of having to load the entire Bank from the Sound Card To do this select the Mix or Program in the Sound Card Bank that you wish to copy then use the Store Function as described above to designate a location you wish to store to in the User Bank Note When storing a Mix from a Sound Card into the User Bank the individual Programs used by the Mix will not be moved into the User Program Bank Once you store a Mix from a Sound Card into the User Bank it will still look for its Programs in the Sound Card Bank if that is where it was programmed to look for them in the first place which is almost always the case QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 173 MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations Chapter 9 Card Storage RAMifications Whenever you transfer an internal Bank to a RAM card the result is that all Mixes in the transferred Bank are changed so that they now access the Programs on the card bank to which the User bank was saved since they reside there now instead of the Programs from the original internal Bank And when a Card Bank is transferred to an internal Bank location the opposite happens all Programs within a Mix which had previously accessed card bank 1 the ROM card now point to the User bank However a problem can arise when you have one or
26. down Negative settings of this parameter will decrease the output level of the FLFO as the Mod Whea is raised Since the output level of the FLFO cannot be less than zero a negative setting of the Mod Wheel parameter will have no effect unless either the A ftertouch or the Level is set to raise the FLFO output If both the Level and Aftertouch are set to 00 and the Mod Whee parameter is set to 99 the Mod Whea will have no effect on the tremolo from the FLFO Aftertouch 99 to 99 This is the modulation amount of A ftertouch over the Filter LFO s Level A positive value raises the level as more A ftertouch is applied A negative value will lower the amount of FLFO level as more A ftertouch is applied Amp LFO Amp LFO Page 1 The Amp LFO is usually used to add tremolo to asound DI TheAmp LFO variables will have an effect only if the AM P LFO DEPTH intheAMP function is set to a value other than 0 or if Amp LFO is asourcein theM OD function Wave 8 choices The waveform determines the shape of the LFO Use Quad Knob 1 to select either Sine Triangle Square Up Sawtooth Down Sawtooth Random Noise or Random See the diagram in the Wave section of the PLFO description on page 67 Speed 00 to 99 Quad Knob 2 controls the speed or rate of the LFO For fast modulation increase this value For slower modulation decrease this value Delay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that is to occur before the LFO fades i
27. e The product has been dropped or the enclosure damaged 8 Do not attempt to service this product beyon d that described in the user maintenance instructions All other servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel Grounding Instructions This product must be grounded If it should malfunction or break down grounding provides a path of least resistance for electric current to reduce the risk of electric shock This product is equipped with a cord having an equipment grounding conductor and a grounding plug The plug must be plugged into an appropriate outlet that is properly installed and grounded in accordance with all local rules and ordinances DANGER Improper connection of the equipment grounding conductor can result in a risk of electric shock Check with a qualified electrician or serviceman if you arein doubt as to whether the product is properly grounded Do not modify the plug provided with the product if it will not fit the outlet havea proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician Index CONTENTS 1 Setting Up 7 Unpacking and Inspection 7 AC Power 7 Line Conditioners and Protectors 8 About Audio Cables 9 Basic Audio Hookup 9 A Word About Sound Bridge 10 2 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus 11 PoweringUp 11 Adjusting the Display Contrast 11 Playing the Demo Sequence 12 Enabling General MIDI Mode 12 Playing the QuadraSynth Plus 13 Program Mode and Mix Mode 13 Auditioning I
28. exactly the same Over the years certain combinations of Modules seemed to work better than others and since patch cords were troublesome to deal with eventually these modules were wired together in a normalized configuration Synthesizers such as the MiniMoog Prophet 5 and others eliminated the need for patch cords by containing a normalized collection of sound modules including oscillators filter envelopes LFOs etc The QuadraSynth Plus offers the best of both worlds The most commonly used normalized configurations are built in to every program for ease of programming In addition the QS Modulation M atrix gives back much of the flexibility of a modular synthesizer allowing you to map various modulation sources to multiple destinations for special needs If you re a beginner all of the normalized pathways are easy to find as you gain experience you can explore more advanced features QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 70 Editing Programs Chapter 6 How the QuadraSynth Generates Sound The QuadraSynth Plus uses custom integrated circuits developed by the Alesis engineering team specifically for the QuadraSynth Plus These resemble the types of chips used in computers and other digital devices In fact you can think of the QuadraSynth Plus as a special purpose computer designed to generate and process audio Although the user interface maintains the metaphor of modules in fact all sounds are simply a se
29. function in the QuadraSynth on To turn the General MIDI function on O Press GLOBAL The display will now be in Global Edit M ode Press Quad Button 2 This selects the General MIDI parameter in the display D Press the VALUE button This turns on General MIDI mode and automatically puts you into M ix Play M odewith M ix 00 of Preset Bank 4 selected For more information about General MIDI refer to the the MIDI Supplement in Appendix B QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 17 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Playing the QuadraSynth Plus The QuadraSynth Plus is shipped from the factory with 5 Banks of 128 Preset Programs sounds each Additionally there are 100 Mixes in each of the 5 Banks Program Mode and Mix Mode The QuadraSynth Plus is always in one of two modes Program M ode or M ix M ode When selecting Programs you will bein Program Play Mode When editing a Program you will use Program Edit Mode When auditioning Mixes you will bein Mix Play Mode When editing a Mix you will use Mix Edit Mode DI If you ever get lost while programming the QuadraSynth Plus press either the PROGRAM button or the MIX button to get back to their respective play modes Press the PROGRAM button to select Program Play M ode In Program Play M ode the QuadraSynth Plus plays a single Program The display will look like this The current PROGram number is displayed and the P
30. level until the note is released When set to 0 the envelope s level will immediately jump down to 0 upon reaching the sustain stage Trigger Normal Freerun Reset Reset Freerun The Trigger mode determines how the envelope will function You may select either Freerun or Reset or both Reset Freerun or neither Normal When set to Normal the envelope will always start at its current level i e if another note had been played which triggered the mvelope s cycle playing another note in the middle would not interrupt the cycle Also in Normal mode the envelope will immediately advance to its release stage upon releasing the note When set to Freerun the envelope will complete its entire cycle even if the note is released in the middle When set to Reset the envelope starts at the beginning whenever a new note is played When set to Reset Freerun the envelope will start at the beginning whenever a new note is played and will complete its entire cycle even if the note is released in the middle If a sound layer s Keyboard Mode parameter found in the Pitch Function Page 3 Quad Knob 4 is set to Mono the Amp Envelope will only retrigger when playing legato if the Trigger Mode is set to either Reset or Reset Freerun Amp Envelope Page 3 Time Tracking On or Off This determines whether or not keyboard position will affect the cycle speed of the envelope When turned on playing toward the higher end of t
31. previous function As you select the different edit Functions the page number strip shows how many pages exist for that function and the right part of the display will show the parameters on the current page Some functions have more parameters than will fit on a single display page and therefore will have multiple pages as indicated in the lower left corner of the display To select a page within a particular edit function use the PAGE and buttons Press the PAGE button to advance to the next higher numbered page or PAGE to return to the next lower numbered page To adjust a parameter on a page either Turn the associated Quad Knob 1 4 Press the associated Quad Button 1 4 to select a parameter in the display then adjust its setting with the VALUE a and buttons Edit 4 and Edit 1 Modes A Program is made up of four sounds Sometimes you need to edit four variables of a single Program sound for example the attack decay sustain release parameters of an envelope Other times you may want to edit one variable in all four layers for example the attack parameter of each layer These two different methods of editing a Program are available under the EDIT 1 and EDIT 4 buttons The only difference between the two modes is what variables will appear in the display at the same time You can switch between Edit 1 Mode and Edit 4Modeat any time Note There is no Edit 4 mode for M i
32. step is to power down the unit and power it back up again Disconnect any cables connected to the MIDI IN jack and make sure that a sequencer or keyboard is not sending messages to the QuadraSynth Plus that would make it behave erratically such as a long stream of pitch bend messages on 16 channels simultaneously If these steps do not solve the problem you must reinitialize the software Make sure your mod wheel is all the way down before re initializing otherwise the zero position of the mod wheel will be incorrect To re initialize the QuadraSynth Plus hold down both Quad Buttons 1 and 4 while turning on the power This will reset all Global parameters to their default settings and will initialize all edit buffers so that all Mix Program and Effects parameters are reset to their default settings However none of the Programs Mixes or Effects are changed when re initializing the unit QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 176 Troubleshooting Appendix A Checking Software Version The current software version may be determined by holding GLOBAL and pressing PROGRAM The QuadraSynth Plus will indicate the current software version installed in the upper right display Maintenance Service Cleaning Disconnect the AC cord then use a damp cloth to clean the keyboard s metal and plastic surfaces For heavy dirt use a non abrasive household cleaner such as Formula 409 or Fantastik DO NOT SPRAY THE CLEANER DIREC
33. the rear panel you can have the sound sustain even after you release the keys By connecting an expression pedal to one of the pedal jacks PEDAL 1or PEDAL 2 you can use the pedal to change the volume or tone or some other quality such as reverb depth or vibrato speed of the sound if the Program is edited to use the pedal s The Quad Knobs To the right of the display are four knobs referred to as Quad Knobs 1 4 each with its own button The Quad Knobs provide control over various parameters depending on the mode you are in The parameters in the display will change depending on which function and page are selected Not all four Quad Knobs are active in all windows there are many pages that have only one active Quad Knob In Program Play Mode and Mix Play Mode the Quad Knobs act as Controllers A D These Controllers are defined in Global Edit Mode Page 3 to transmit various MIDI controller messages If a Program or M ix uses these Controllers A D a pair of arrows will point towards the active controller s letter in the display This indicates that moving the related Quad Knob will have some kind of effect on the selected Program or Mix In the illustration below Controller A Quad Knob 1 is used by the selected Program QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 22 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 When in Program Edit Mode or Mix Edit the Quad Knobs are linked to
34. to a keyboard after pressing a key Mono pressure A ftertouch represents the average amount of pressure applied by all keys Poly Pressure produces individual pressure messages for each key Program Change Sending a Program Change command from a sequencer or other MIDI keyboard can change synth patches automatically There are 128 Program Change command numbers Also note that not all units number programs consistently Some number them as 000 127 others as 001 128 and still others arrange programs in banks of 8 programs such as A1 A8 B1 B8 C1 C8 etc Pitch Bend This bends a note from its standard pitch QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 182 MIDI Supplement Appendix B Continuous Controller Footpedals breath controllers and modulation wheels can vary sounds as you play thus adding expressiveness MIDI allows for 64 continuous controllers these act like potentiometers in that you can choose one of many different values and 58 continuous switch these can act like continuous controllers but some are assumed to choose between two possible states such as on off Each type of controller is stamped with its own controller identification number Not all controller numbers have been standardized for specific functions but the following indicates the current list of assigned controllers Numbers in parenthesis indicate the controller range Function 101 121 122 123 124 Modulation Whee 0 127
35. to cycle through the four Sounds sends When Edit 4 mode is selected press EDIT 4 all four numbers appear to indicate that all four Sounds are available for simultaneous editing Edit 4 mode is available in Program Edit mode only Functions list Displays the various editing functions available in a particular editing mode Usethe FUNCTION and buttons to select a function as indicated by the small line cursor underneath one of the words in the list When a function is chosen the page number strip QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 41 Overview Chapter 4 and right hand side of the display will show values related to that function Only the functions used by the current edit mode will be displayed and selectable Functions can also be selected from the DIRECT SELECT buttons see page 31 Page number strip Some functions have too many options to fit on a single screen These functions use multiple screens with each screen considered a page This strip shows which page is selected by underlining the page number The PAGE and buttons allow you to select a page Name strip When in Mix Play Mode the name of the currently selected Mix will appear here Likewise when in Program Play M ode the name of the currently selected Program will appear here In any Edit mode or Store mode the name of the currently selected parameter will appear here indicating it is selected for editing using the VALUE
36. transmit the data out the MIDI Out connector To send a single Program via MIDI Follow steps through in the instructions above Use Quad Knob 1 to select a Program You may select any Programin the User bank 0 to 127 or the Program Edit buffer EDIT or any of the 16 Mix Edit buffers EDm01 to EDm16 As this value is changed the second parameter destination will be linked This is because most often you will want to transmit a Program to the same Program location The only time to do otherwise is when sending to another Q uadraSynth Plus see below Press STORE to transmit the data out the MIDI Out connector To send a single Program via MIDI to a different Program number 10 Follow steps through in the instructions above g Use Quad Knob 1 to select a Program You may select any Program in the User bank 0 to 127 or the Program Edit buffer EDIT or any of the 16 Mix Edit buffers EDm01 to EDm16 As this value is changed the second parameter destination will be linked Use Quad Knob 2 to select a Program number to send the selected Program to If this value is turned all the way up the SEND ALL TO MIDI option will be selected and the first value will jump all the way up At this point you will not be able to adjust the destination value with Quad Knob 2 until you use Quad Knob 1 to re select the Program to be transmitted Press STORE to transmit the data out the MIDI Out conn
37. way up 99 then there is no decrease and the Decay time segment is bypassed Whatever level the sustain is set to is the level that the decay section of the envelope will head for Depending on the setting of the Sustain Decay control see below the envelope will either hold at the sustain level until you release the note on the keyboard or decay to 0 at the Sustain Decay rate which is on page 2 of the envelope You can create along plateau at the start of a note by setting the Sustain to 98 and the Decay to 99 This will cause the envelope to take the maximum amount of time to get from peak level to a level of 98 before the Sustain Release portion of the envelope begins QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 109 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Release 00 to 99 Eventually you will let go of the note that you ve been holding either by releasing the note on the keyboard or releasing the sustain pedal if it was pressed It is at this point that the Release portion of the envelope takes effect The Release is the time that the envelope takes to get from the sustain level back down to nothing Setting the Release time to 0 is good for playing those short funky riffs that you hear on a clavinet Setting the Release time to 99 will take the envelope a very long time to reach zero level QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 110 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Filter Envelope Page 2 Delay 00 to 99 This is the amount
38. 0 to 99 This sets the overall volume for a sound Higher numbers give higher levels Pan lt 3 to 3 gt There are 7 available pan locations in the stereo two channel field Far left 3 mid left near left center 0 near right mid right and far right 3 The pan value is maintained even if the Output value is changed see below Output M ain Aux or Off The Output parameter has three settings M ain Aux or Off To send the sound s output to the Main outputs select Main To send the sound s output to the A ux outputs select Aux To turn off the sound s output set this parameter to Off Note however that the sound may still feed an Effect Send To send asound to an individual output use Output in conjunction with Pan Example Panning asound full left and selecting the A ux outputs means that the sound will appear at only the left Aux output Effect Level The QuadraSynth Plus isn t just a synthesizer it also has a built in effects system and mixer with four effect buses and sends This section lets you QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 81 Editing Programs Chapter 6 feed the sound to one of the effect buses for processing See Chapter 7 for more information on editing Effects Level 00 to 99 Determines how much of the sound feeds the chosen effect bus see below Higher values mean that the sound will be more effected Bus 1 to 4 Selects which of the four buses the sound will
39. 7 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 1 turns the 48 kHz Clock Input on and off When turned off the QuadraSynth Plus uses its own internal sample clock as areference for playing back the sampled sounds that make up a Program or Mix However if you are recording the QuadraSynth Plus to ADAT using the Digital Out fiber optic cable and also havea BRC Master Remote Controller the QuadraSynth Plus must receive a 48 kHz clock signal from the BRC in order to maintain perfect sync with the ADAT system This requires that you connect a BN C to BN C cable between the BRC s 48 kHz Clock Out to the QuadraSynth Plus s 48 kHz Clock In When you are ready to record onto ADAT from the QuadraSynth Plus be sure to turn on the 48 kHz Clock Input function For more on connecting the BN C to BNC cable see page 25 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 171 MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations Chapter 9 CHAPTER 9 MIDI TRANSFER AND STORAGE OPERATIONS Saving the User Bank to an External Card The entire contents of the QuadraSynth Plus s User memory 100 Mixes 128 Programs 128 Effects Patches can be stored to an Alesis QuadraCard RAM card inserted into the Sound Card slot on the QuadraSynth Plus Depending on the amount of RAM a particular card has up to 8 complete banks can be stored onto it The QuadraCard is a type of PCMCIA SRAM or FlashRAM card it has 256K of memory and will store 4 complete banks A 512K PCMCIA card can store 8 banks When sa
40. 9 The Filter Envelope is one of the most important settings in making a program Many programs will use the Filter Envelope to determine the tonal character of the sound over time attack decay sustain and release At 00 the filter envelope has no effect Positive values raise the filter from the baseline cutoff frequency according to the envelope shape and negative values similarly lower the cutoff frequency The higher the number negative or positive the greater the effect Filter Envelope parameters such as attack and decay time are programmed within the FENV Function see page 74 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 87 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Amp Velocity Curve 13 choices This selects how the sound will respond to the dynamics of your playing the keyboard A LINEAR curveis the norm whereby the increase in level is equal to the increase in velocity the velocity values increase as you play harder Many of the Velocity Curves make up sets to be used by 2 3 or 4sounds in order to facilitate velocity crossfading whereby a different sound is played depending on how hard or soft the keyboard is played As explained earlier many of the samples to choose from when assigning voices are already velocity switching These samples usually have the word Velo or the letter V in their names indicating that there is actually more than one sample per note which can be selected by how hard or soft each note is p
41. AAAPAAIAAAAAAAARAAAMAAAPAAAAAAAAMANAAS Dum 3 Sound 2 Sound 3 Sound 4 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 78 Editing Programs Chapter 6 When Drum Mode is enabled the sound will have fewer parameters for editing Consequently not all Function labels will appear in the LCD display as when Drum Modeis turned off Specifically the LFOs and all Envelopes with the exception of the Amp Envelope are unavailable In addition the parameters in most other functions will differ DI When using Edit 4 mode sounds using Drum M odewill be unavailable for editing only sounds not in Drum M odewill be editable in the bargraph display If a sound is in Drum mode the display will show drmX whereby X is the sound number 1 4 If you enable Drum Mode for a sound while in Edit 4 mode the QuadraSynth Plus will automatically switch to Edit 1 mode for that layer Program Edit Functions Assign Voice To edit a Program you must select Program Edit mode Press SELECT from Program Play Mode Editing Program will appear in the display s edit status section PE 1 ar Sii i PROG DIGI l meer LIL EDITING PROGRAM SOUND 1 ASSIGN VOCE LEVE EFFECT LEVE PITCH FLTER AMP RANGE MOD PLO RAFO AFO PENY FENY AEN MISC PAGE 1 The Assign Voice function is the most fundamental part of Program editing Itis where you choose the particular sample that forms the basis of asound To avoid s
42. ALESIS QuadraSynth Plus Reference Manual Important Safety Instructions WARNING When using this electric product basic precautions should always be followed including the following 1 Read all the instructions before using the product 2 Do not use this product near water for example near a bathtub washbowl kitchen sink in a wet basement or near a swimming pool or the like 3 This product either alone or in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss Do not operate for a long period of time at a high volume levd or at a level that is uncomfortable If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears you should consult an audiologist 4 This product should be located away from heat sources such as radiators heat registers or other products that produce heat 5 The power supply cord on this product should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time 6 Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings 7 The product should be serviced by qualified service personnel when a The power supply cord has been damaged or b Objects have fallen or liquid has been spilled onto the product or c The product has been exposed to rain or d The product does not appear to be operating normally or exhibits a marked change in performance or
43. ALFO as the Mod Wheel is raised Since the output level of the ALFO cannot be less than zero A negative setting of the Mod Wheel parameter will have no effect unless either the Aftertouch or the Level is set to raise the ALFO output If both the Level and A ftertouch are set to 00 and the Mod Wheel parameter is set to 99 the Mod Wheel will have no effect on the tremolo from the ALFO Aftertouch 99 to 99 This is the modulation amount of Aftertouch over the Amp LFO s Level A positive value raises the level as more A ftertouch is applied A negative value will lower the amount of ALFO level as more Aftertouch is applied Pitch Envelope Pitch Envelope Page 1 Pitch Envelope can lead to dramatic effects since it can cause the pitch of asingle key to change drastically over time It s typically used in special effect synthesizer programs but it may also be used more subtly in an acoustic program to simulate the characteristic of some instruments to go sharp on the initial attack especially when played hard DI The following Pitch Envelope variables will have an effect only if the PITCH ENVELOPE DEPTH on Page2 ofthePITCH function is set to a value other than 0 or if Pitch Envelope is a source in theM OD function Attack 00 to 99 This is the amount of time the envelope will take until it reaches its maximum output level Setting the Attack to 0 will make the QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 104 Editing Prog
44. Chess where you can move among three different axes Each function has 1 or more pages But the number of pages a function has available will differ when another effect send is selected using the EDIT 1 button For example if you are using Configuration 1 and trying to edit the Reverb parameters you would need to have effect send 1 selected because that s where the Reverb is located So you not only have to be aware of how to select a function and a page but how to select the effect send as well Not all effects are available in each Configuration For example if you were to select the Pitch function on effect send 4in Configuration 1 the display would read NOT IN THIS CONFIG This is because a Pitch module is available on QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 130 Editing Effects Chapter 7 sends 1 2 and 3in Configuration 1 but not on send 4 as you can seein the chart on page 92 Although only used in Configuration s 4 and 5 the word MISC will appear in the display This can be selected in the same manner as any other function using the FUNCTION and buttons The MISC function is where you access the EQ parameters used in Configuration 4 and the Overdrive effect s parameters in Configuration 5 If you are using Configuration s 1 3 and you select the MISC function the display will read NOT IN CONFIG since there are no EQ or Overdrive parameters in these configurations Sto
45. ECT This selects the Effects of the currently selected Program as the source of what is to be copied Turn Quad Knob 2 to select the Program Number in the User Bank you wish to copy the Effects to 000 127 Press STORE to complete the copy function Store an Effect If you have edited a Program s Effect and would like to store it without storing the changes you ve made to the Program s parameters you can use the Copy Effect function to store only the Effects edits to the currently selected Program When you recall this Program it will have the new Effects settings you saved it with but will retain its previously stored Program parameter settings Store a Mix 10 While in either Mix Play Mode or Mix Edit mode after making your edits press the STORE button Select the memory Bank and location to which you want to store the Mix using Quad Knob 1 and 2 respectively If no RAM Card is inserted you will only be able to select the U ser Bank DI Do not use the DIRECT SELECT 1 0 buttons D oing so will result in recalling a different M ix and you will lose your changes Press STORE again to complete the operation DI QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 52 Overview Chapter 4 Storing a M ix only stores the M ix parameters not the individual Programs or Effect Patch used in the M ix If you have edited any of the Programs in the M ix or the Effects Patch you must storethem separatel
46. ECT 1 0 buttons for direct entry Leading zeroes must be entered for Programs 0 19 Example Press 0 then O then 5 for Program 5 press 0 then 1 then 3 for Program 13 Only begin with 1 if you are selecting a Program from 100 127 If you start entering a number and change your mind wait a few seconds and the QuadraSynth Plus will revert to the previous Program number DI To hear the Stereo Grand Piano select Program 00 in Preset Bank 1 Selecting Banks The QuadraSynth Plus provides five internal Banks containing 128 Programs in each and 100 Mixes each but we ll get to Mixes ina moment The currently selected Bank will be shown in the display just to the left of the currently selected Program s name Usethe BANK and buttons to select a Bank User Preset 1 4 o User and Preset Banks are described in detail in Chapter 4 Selecting the MIDI Channel Whilein Program Play Mode the QuadraSynth Plus can transmit and receive information on any single MIDI channe of the 16 available channels The currently selected channel appears at the top left of the display QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 20 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 I A E y Use the MIDI and buttons to select a MIDI channel from 1 16 The display will change to indicate the currently selected MIDI channd QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 21 Your First Session Wi
47. EDAL inputs to control volume brightness filter cutoff effect level LFO speed etc Using velocity to increase or decrease the attack speed of an envelope so playing softly makes the sound fadein while playing hard causes an immediate attack Using release velocity to increase decrease the release time of an envelope so quick releases of the keys cut off the end of the sound while slow key releases allow the sound to fade away gradually The MOD functions give you the freedom to go beyond the standard modulation sources built in to other functions Selecting the M odulator 1 to 6 Use the PAGE and PAGE buttons to select one of the six modulators modulator 1is page 1 modulator 2 is page 2 modulator 3 is page 3 etc All modulators work in the same way so only one will be described here M odulation Source Quad Knob 1 selects one of several modulation sources Note provides a modulation signal that corresponds to the note played on the keyboard higher keys give higher values Example Use this modulation source to obtain a different sound in the upper and lower keyboard ranges QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 93 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Velocity relates to how fast a key goes from the key up note off to the key down note on position and therefore represents the dynamics of your playing Release velocity relates to how fast a key goes from the key down note on to
48. IDI can producea variety of controller messages see the MIDI supplement in the back of this manual Of these controller 7 which controls channel volume is one of the most frequently used Example Assign the filter cutoff as the destination and you can have the signal become less bright as it becomes lower in volume e Sustain Pedal The sustain switch plugged into the sustain pedal jack provides this modulation signal Pedal 1 The pedal plugged into the Pedal 1 jack provides this modulation signal Typically this may be mapped to AENV Amp to act as a volume pedal Pedal 2 The pedal plugged into the Pedal 2 jack provides this modulation signal Pitch LFO This is the same modulation signal provided by the Pitch LFO The Frequency LFO and Amplitude LFO can also be selected as modulation sources Pitch Envelope This is the same modulation signal provided by the Pitch Envelope The Frequency Envelope and Amplitude Envelope can also be selected as modulation sources QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 95 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Random This provides a different modulation value every time you hit a key Example With vintage analog synth patches use pitch as the destination and apply a very slight amount of random modulation Each note will have a slightly different pitch which simulates the natural tuning instability of analog circuits Trigrate This is a Trigger Rate Follower which monitors h
49. Sound Overlap value you can still hear the previous note fading away after the new note has been played DI It isimportant to notethat Sound Overlap can have a negative effect on polyphony QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 91 Editing Programs Chapter 6 If you have Sound Overlap set to 99 hold the sustain pedal and play a series of notes you will run through all 64 voices in no time By adjusting the Sound Overlap to a lower value you decrease the number of voices used by each new note and thereby ensure there are voices available to play other sounds if necessary QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 92 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Mod About General Purpose M odulation Although there are several dedicated modulators in the QuadraSynth Plus e g the pitch can always be modulated by the pitch LFO and pitch envelope sophisticated synthesizer programming demands the ability to use as many modulation sources as possible to modulate as many modulation destinations as desired The QuadraSynth Plus arranges its modulation source outputs and modulation destination inputs into a matrix so that any selected source can connect to any of several destinations There are six general purpose matrix modulators which allows you to control up to six parameters with any of several control sources Usethe MOD functions to setup your own customized control of a program such as Using one or both of the P
50. TLY ONTO THE FRONT OF THE UNIT ASIT MAY DESTROY THE LUBRICANTS USED IN THE SWITCHESAND CONTROLS Spray onto a cloth then use the cloth to clean the unit Maintenance Here are some tips for preventive maintenance Periodically check the AC cord for signs of fraying or damage Make sure the entire bottom part of the keyboard is supported so that the case is not subjected to unnecessary bending Place a dust cover over the QuadraSynth Plus when it is notin use Refer All Servicing to Alesis We believe that the QuadraSynth Plus is one of the most reliable keyboards that can be made using current technology and should provide years of trouble free use However should problems occur DO NOT attempt to service the unit yourself The full AC line voltage as well as high voltage high current DC voltages are present at several points within the chassis Service on this product should be performed only by qualified technicians THERE ARE NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTSINSIDE Obtaining Repair Service Before contacting Alesis check over all your connections and make sure you ve read the manual Customers in the USA If the problem persists call Alesis USA at 1 800 BALESIS 525 3747 and request the Product Support department Talk the problem over with one of our technicians if necessary you will be given a repair order RO number and instructions on how to return the unit All units must be shipped prepaid and COD shipments will not
51. a maximum velocity value of 127 This parameter only affects the keyboard s output to the sounds in the QuadraSynth Plus and MIDI Out This is different from the Velocity Curve parameter in Program Edit which determines how a sound will respond to incoming velocity information either from the keyboard or from MIDI In Keyboard Transpose In Page 2 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 3 controls Keyboard Transposition 12 to 12 up or down 1 octave This determines the note number that the keyboard will transmit to the QuadraSynth Plus s sounds and to MIDI Out If you are using aMIDI sequencer use this function when you wish to record notes outside of the keyboard s normal note range note numbers 28 103 When set to 12 the keyboard range is note numbers 16 91 Likewise if set to 12 the range would be 40 115 Keyboard Mode QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 166 Global Settings Chapter 8 In Page 2 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 4 selects the Keyboard Mode NORMAL CH SOLO OUT 1 OUT 16 This determines how the keyboard will function When in Mix Mode you have the option to transmit on several MIDI channels at once or to temporarily isolate certain channels within a Mix NORMAL In Program Mode the keyboard will transmit on the selected MIDI channel In Mix Mode the MIDI channels the keyboard transmits on will correspond to whatever layers or splits the Mix is set up for N ote that certain controllers such a
52. ack AEnvelope Decay AEnvelope Sustain Decay AEnvelope Release e AEnvelopeAmp Portamento Rate QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 96 Editing Programs Chapter 6 M odulation Level 99 to 99 At 00 the modulation source has no effect on the destination Higher positive values increase the amount of modulation Negative values also increase the amount of modulation but with negative phase i e if the modulation would normally be increasing with depth set to a positive number the modulation would instead be decreasing at that same moment had the depth been set to a negative number Gate M ode Off or On The Gate Mode function is available only on modulation routings 1 through 4 When Gate Mode is on the M odulator will only be routed while notes are being played In other words you can gate the effect of the M odulator so that it stops when you are not playing any notes This can be used on sounds with medium to long release times where an interesting effect like tremolo is intended to be active while holding notes down but deactivated as the sound is fading away after being released Quantize M ode Off or On The Quantize Mode function is only available in modulation routings 5 and 6 When Quantize Mode is on the modulation effect will be stepped When off the effect will be smooth or linear Example If you were to route the Modulation Whee to Pitch with an amplitude of 99 moving the Mod Wheel while
53. al Hookup The QuadraSynth Plus can send digital audio directly into ADAT which provides better fidelity than using the analog inputs and outputs The digital 1 O connector follows a proprietary Alesis format that carries all four audio outputs on a single fiber optic cable Either pair of outputs can be converted into standard AES EBU or S PDIF stereo digital audio format by using the Alesis Al 1 interface Fiber optic cables of various lengths are available from your Alesis dealer The shorter the cable the better The Model OC cable is 5 meters long and is the maximum length recommended To hook up the optical cable 10 Remove the two pieces of clear plastic tubular sleeving if present that protect the tips of the optical cable plugs g Insert one cable end into the QuadraSynth Plus DIGITAL OUT and the other end into the ADAT or Al 1 DIGITAL IN To test the cable and QuadraSynth Plus digital output plug one cable end into the QuadraSynth Plus The other end should emit a soft red light it is not dangerous to look directly at this light Recording Digital Audio Once the fiber optic connection is made between the QuadraSynth Plus and ADAT or an AI 1 the QuadraSynth Plus will output audio on the first four channels of the digital bus the bus is capable of handling eight channels of digital audio The M ain Left and Right outputs are routed to channels 1 and 2 while the Aux Left and Right outputs are routed to channels 3 and 4
54. al beats It is primarily used to allow different sequencers and drum machines to auto locate to each other so that if you start one sequencer the other device will automatically jump to the same place in the song whereupon both continue on together System Exclusive This message called Sys Ex for short is considered exclusive because different manufacturers send and receive data over MIDI which is intended only for that manufacturer s equipment Example Sending a QuadraSynth Plus message to an Alesis D4 Drum Module won t do anything but the message will be understood by other QuadraSynth Plus This data often contains information about individual instrument programs Timing Clock A master tempo source such as a sequencer emits 24 timing messages clocks per quarter note Each device synchronized to the sequencer advances by 1 24th of a quarter note when it receives the clock message thus keeping units in sync after they ve both started at the same time Many devices subdivide this clock signal internally for higher resolution e g 96 pulses per quarter note Start Signals all rhythmically based units when to start playing Stop Signals all rhythmically based units when to stop playing Continue Unlikea Start command which re starts a sequencer or drum machine from the beginning of asong each time it occurs sending a continue message after stop will re start units from where they were stopped General MIDI G
55. an amplification system or mixer with several different audio hookup options Mono Connect a mono cord from the MAIN R Audio Output to a mono amplification system or individual mixer input Stereo Connect two mono cords from the MAIN L and MAIN R Audio Outputs to a stereo amplification system or two mixer inputs Dual Stereo Four Individual Outs Connect two mono cords from the MAIN L and MAIN R Audio Outputs and two mono cords from the AUX QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 12 Setting Up Chapter 1 L and AUX R Outputs to a dual stereo amplification system or four mixer inputs Stereo Headphones Plug a set of high quality stereo headphones into the rear panel PHONES jack QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 13 Setting Up Chapter 1 A Word About Sound Bridge Included with the QuadraSynth Plus is a 3 1 2 floppy disk containing a software program called Sound Bridge This software has been provided free of charge in an effort to promote sound design for the QuadraSynth Plus Sound Bridge is aMacintosh sound development utility which compiles custom samples from a variety of sources into the QuadraSynth Voice format and downloads the compiled data to an Alesis PCMCIA Sound Card via MIDI Sysex to a QuadraSynth Plus or S4 Plus Originally developed for in house use only Alesis soon realized the need for individuals and sound developers to be able to burn their own Sound Cards as
56. ard Mode is OUT 1 This is equivalent to turning the QuadraSynth Plus s local control off and transmitting on channel 1 For more information see page 46 Pedal and Footswitch Hookup The QuadraSynth Plus keyboard has two PEDAL jacks that accept a Roland mode EV 5 or equivalent volume control pedal or a standard switch pedal Each pedal can be assigned to independent modulation functions within a program Example One pedal could control volume and the other vibrato depth The SUSTAIN footswitch jack accepts a momentary footswitch unit included with the unit it is packed in the center of the end caps This provides the same function as the sustain or damper pedal on a standard keyboard You can use either a normally closed or normally open momentary contact footswitch Plug it into the rear panel SUSTAIN footswitch jack before powering up the QuadraSynth Plus on power up it will automatically sense the footswitch polarity and calibrate itself accordingly DI QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 33 Connections Chapter 3 If your footswitch seems to respond backwards notes sustain unless the footswitch is pressed turn off the QuadraSynth Plus make sure the footswitch plug is fully inserted into the footswitch jack then turn the power back on DI Don t hold downthe footswitch iwhen powering up the QuadraSynth Plus QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 34 Connections Chapter 3 Digital Audio Optic
57. are assigned a letter A D In Page 3 of Global Edit mode you can choose which MIDI controllers 0 to 120 to assign as Controllers A B C and D For alisting of all MIDI controllers and their designations see page 123 in the MIDI Supplement towards the end of this manual Reset Controllers A D Found on Global Edit Page 4 the A D Reset function On Off determines whether the values for Controllers A D will be reset to zero when anew Program or Mix is recalled Use Quad Knob 2 to turn this on or off This parameter works along with the A D Mode parameter described below to choose how the keyboard is being used as a controller If the A D Controllers are being used to modulate the volume etc of external MIDI sound modules you will probably want the A D Reset parameter turned OFF so that the modules volumes will not be reset to zero every time anew Mix or Program is selected If you are using theA D Controllers only for modulating parameters in the QuadraSynth Plus you will probably want this parameter turned ON so that new Programs or Mixes are recalled with their stored settings QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 167 Global Settings Chapter 8 Example If you adjusted Controller A using Quad Knob 1 to say a value of 25 and then you recalled a different Program the value of Controller A would remain at 25 if the A D Reset function was turned off Alternatively the Controller A value wo
58. ate mode using up polyphony if the value is 00 you are always in reassign mode conserving voices Set the value anywhere between 00 and 99 and you will geta combination of both with partiality toward whichever mode the value is closest to A piano sound requires some Sound Overlap but not a lot it isn t natural to hear too many voices on the same note On the other hand having only one voice per pitch isn t natural either let s say you played aloud note with the sustain pedal held followed by a soft note the second note would abruptly cut off the first On areal piano the string would still be resonating from the first loud note when the second soft note was played thus the two notes would overlap Sound Overlap is especially useful in Drum Mode In Drum Mode each drum sound is designated to one note or sometimes a group of notes When playing one note for a drum sound such as a snare and you attempt to play a roll the Sound Overlap controls how much of an overlap will exist between each pair of notes If the Sound Overlap value is set low you are more likely to hear old notes getting cut off This function has added value when the Program s Keyboard Mode parameter is set to Mono instead of Poly When playing monophonically Sound Overlap controls the amount of overlap between notes Normally even if the sound has a long release time playing a new note in Mono Mode will cut off the previous note By adjusting the
59. ation decrease this value Delay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that is to occur before the LFO fades in Sometimes it is desirable to have modulation come in a moment or two after a note has been played rather than starting instantly The higher the value the slower the LFO fades in Trigger M ono Poly Key M ono or Key Poly The Trigger parameter determines how the LFO should be triggered or started There are four possible settings M ono Poly Key Mono and Key Poly A description of these settings is found in the Trigger section of the PLFO description on page 67 Filter LFO Page 2 Level 00 to 99 This is the base output level of the Filter LFO If you want to have a constant value of tremolo to the filter even without using the Mod Wheel or A ftertouch set LEVEL above 00 The Mod Wheel and A ftertouch will add or subtract from this base level Example If Level is set to 10 and the Mod Whee parameter is set to 10 there will always be some filter tremolo and raising the Mod Wheel will add more tremolo On the other hand if the Mod Wheel parameter is set to 10 raising the Mod Whea to the top will cancel out all tremolo QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 101 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Mod Wheel 99 to 99 This parameter sets how much the M od Whee will increase or decrease the Filter LFO s Leve A positive value raises the level when the M od Whee is moved up and lowers the level when moved
60. b will be delayed by the amount of delay time set for the Delay If the signal is taken from the Pitch output the Reverb will be chorused flanged detuned or resonating depending upon QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 143 Editing Effects Chapter 7 which Pitch type is selected If the signal is taken from the effect send the Reverb will receive direct uneffected signal Input Balance Quad Knob 3 allows you to control the balance between Reverb Inputs 1 and 2 and therefore control the blend between the various input sources This makes it possible to have the signal from the Pitch or Delay sections or the direct effect send in any combination or amount QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 144 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Input level Quad Knob 4 controls the overall Input Level going into the Reverb Chorus Input Level If Configuration 2 is selected refer to block diagram of Configuration 2 earlier in this chapter the first page of the Reverb function will look like this el dt DES PO ele ee LiL di i ee a O TL ia RAIL L The Configuration has two Reverbs one on send 1 which send 2 can share the other on send 3 which send 4 can share There is only one parameter in this page Chorus Input Level Quad Knob 1 lets you adjust the level of the signal coming from the Pitch output going into the Reverb otherwise the signal comes purely from the Pitch input The other parameter
61. be accepted For prompt service indicate the RO number on the shipping label If you do not have the original packing ship the XT in asturdy carton with QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 177 Troubleshooting Appendix A shock absorbing materials such as styrofoam pellets the kind without CFCs please or bubble pack surrounding the unit Shipping damage caused by inadequate packing is not covered by the Alesis warranty Tape a note to the top of the unit describing the problem include your name and a phone number where Alesis can contact you if necessary as well as instructions on where you want the product returned Alesis will pay for standard one way shipping back to you on any repair covered under the terms of this warranty Next day service is available for a surcharge Field repairs are not normally authorized during the warranty period and repair attempts by unqualified personnel may invalidate the warranty Service address for customers in the USA Alesis Product Support 12520 Wilkie Hawthorne CA 90250 Customers outside the USA Contact your local Alesis dealer for warranty assistance The Alesis Limited Warranty applies only to products sold to users in the USA and Canada Customers outside the USA and Canada are not convered by this Limited Warranty and may or may not be covered by independent distributor warranty in the county of sale Do not return products to the factory unless you have been giv
62. can be routed to the same Reverb effect as send 1 Send 3is routed through a mono Pitch effect and then a stereo Reverb effect Send 4 has no effects of its own but can be routed to the same Reverb effect as send 3 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 137 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Effect send 1 s Delay Pitch and Reverb can feed the Mix output directly Unlike the first configuration however Pitch 3 can be routed to the Mix only after passing through Reverb 3 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 138 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Configuration 3 4 Sends 1 Lezlie Pitch 1 Delay 1Reverb 1 Lezlie Mono delay Plate 1 Plate 2 Hall Room Hall Large Gate Reverse Pitch 2 Delay 2Reverb 2 Mono chorus Mono delay Balance and level to Reverb 1 Stereo chorus Stereo delay Mono flange Ping pong delay Stereo flange Pitch detune Resonator Pitch 3 Delay 3Reverb 3 Resonator Mono delay Balance and level to Reverb 1 Delay4 Reverb4 Mono delay Mix and level to Reverb 1 This Configuration is similar to Configuration 1 except it provides a stereo Lezlie effect on send 1 which emulates a rotating speaker effect commonly heard with organ sounds This is followed by a Delay effect before going to the single stereo Reverb effect Sends 2 and 3 have Pitch modules preceding Delay modules which are then routed to Reverb 1 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 139 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Send 4 ha
63. ch bend or degree of vibrato MIDI Hardware MIDI compatible devices usually include both MIDI In and MIDI Out jacks which terminate in 5 pin DIN style connectors The MIDI Out jack transmits MIDI data to another MIDI device As you play a MIDI controller such as a keyboard data corresponding to what you play exits the MIDI Out jack Example If you play middle C the MIDI Out transmits a piece of data that says middle C is down If you release that key the MIDI Out transmits another piece of data that says middle C has been released If the keyboard responds to the dynamics of your playing the note data will include dynamics information too Moving the modulation wheels and pedals attached to many synthesizers will also generate data associated with the whed or pedal being used The MIDI In jack receives data from another MIDI device In addition to the type of performance data described above rhythmically oriented MIDI devices e g drum machines can often transmit and or receive additional MIDI timing messages that keep other rhythmically oriented units in a system synchronized with each other An optional MIDI Thru jack provides a duplicate of the signal at the MIDI In jack This is handy if you want to route MIDI data appearing at one device to another device as well QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 181 MIDI Supplement Appendix B MIDI Message Basics The are two main types of MIDI messages Chann
64. comes live and begins adjusting the parameter s value The editing mode is set in Global Edit mode Page 2 using Quad Knob 3 For more information about selecting the Quad Knobs editing mode see Chapter 8 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 42 Overview Chapter 4 Parameter Editing All parameter editing involves the same general procedure with minor variations Select the type of parameters you want to edit with the corresponding button MIX PROGRAM or GLOBAL M ix parameters edit a M ix Program parameters edit a Program Effects parameters can be edited from within a M ix or a Program see below Global parameters edit general characteristics that affect the entire instrument Select an Edit Mode with the SELECT button Example If you pressed PROGRAM the SELECT button switches between two groups of functions one for editing the Program s Sound layers Program Edit M ode and the other for editing the associated Effect Effects Edit M ode If you re editing a M ix the SELECT button switches between three groups of functions one for editing the M ix s parameters M ix Edit M ode one for editing the Programs in the M ix Program Edit M ode and the last for editing the associated Effect Effects Edit M ode Use the FUNCTION and buttons to select a function level pitch etc Alternatively you can usethe DIRECT SELECT buttons located on the far left of the front
65. crolling through long lists of samples remember there are 24 megabytes of sounds in here sounds are divided into groups After selecting the group you then select the sample within the group Group 16 options Choose from among 16 different onboard sample groups see chart in next section Name Selects one of the available samples by name from the selected group or OFF no sample selected Each group has a variety of samples from which you can choose although some groups such as waves have more samples than others QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 79 Editing Programs Chapter 6 On the following page you ll find a chart listing the various samples in their respective groups Group Voice Piano GrandPiano Dark Piano No Hammer Piano wave BrtRhdsHrd BrtRhdssft BrtRhdsVel MidRhdsH rd MidRhdsSft MidRhdsVel Rhdes Hard Rhdes Soft Rhdes Velo DynaRhds 1 DynaRhds 2 FM Piano Wurlser AcousPiano BritePiano PianoM odul Organ FullDrwbar 3 Drawbars Jazz Tone Percus 2nd Percus 3rd Mellow DrtyChurch 60 s Combo Keybrd Clavinet FMClav Hrd FM Clav Sft FMClav Vel Harpsicord FM Harpsi Marimba Hd Marimba Sf Marimba V FMMrmba Hd FMMrmba Sf FM Mrmba V MrmbaWave Vibraphone VibesWave Glock FM Pluck H FM Pluck S FM Pluck V FM PlukWave Synth SyncSweep1 SyncSweep2 SyncSweep3 SyncSweep4 SyncSweep5 SncSweepV 1 SncSweepV 2 MicroWavel MicroWave2 MicroWave3 MicoWave4 MicroWaveV Fil
66. d 1 4 is selected EQ The shelving EQ is only available in Configuration s 4 and 5 It provides bass and treble boost and affects the entire M ain Output not just the Effects Sends Four EQ parameters are included low frequency range 30H z to 180Hz low frequency boost 0dB to 12dB high frequency 3kHz to 10kHz high frequency boost 0dB to 9dB Lo EQ Frequency This allows you to adjust the cutoff frequency of the Lo EQ It can be set between 30Hz and180H Z If the Lo EQ Gain parameter is set above 0dB all frequencies below and including the one selected by the Lo EQ Frequency parameter will be affected Lo EQ Gain This controls how much boost will be applied to frequencies below and including the one selected by the Lo EQ Frequency It can be set between OdB and 12dB H EQ Frequency This allows you to adjust the cutoff frequency of the Hi EQ It can be set between 3kHz and 10kHz If the Hi EQ Gain parameter is set above 0dB all frequencies above and including the one selected by the Hi EQ Frequency parameter will be affected Hi EQ Gain This controls how much boost will be applied to frequencies above and including the one selected by the Hi EQ Frequency It can be set between 0dB and 9dB Overdrive QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 161 Editing Effects Chapter 7 The Overdrive effect provides four parameters spread across two editing pages It is only used in Configuration 5 Overdrive Type
67. d a low resistance shield Although quality cables cost more they do make a difference Route cables to the QuadraSynth Plus correctly by observing the following precautions Do not bundle audio cables with AC power cords Avoid running audio cables near sources of electromagnetic interference such as transformers monitors computers etc Do not place cables where they can be stepped on Stepping on a cable may not cause immediate damage but it can compress the insulation between the center conductor and shield degrading performance or reduce the cable s reliability Avoid twisting the cable or having it make sharp right angle turns Never unplug a cable by pulling on the wire itself Always unplug by firmly grasping the body of the plug and pulling directly outward Although Alesis does not endorse any specific product chemicals such as Tweek and Cramolin when applied to electrical connectors are claimed to improve the electrical contact between connectors Basic Audio Hookup DI When connecting audio cables and or turning power on and off make sure that all devices in your system are turned off and the volume controls are turned down Because the QuadraSynth Plus includes extensive signal processing as well as a full complement of sounds you can make great sounds with nothing more than an amplifier or a set of headphones The QuadraSynth Plus has two Main and two Aux audio outputs These can provide
68. e The sequencer can generate data over several channels in Mix mode the QuadraSynth Plus can be programmed so that individual Programs play sequenced data on specific channels Example If the sequencer transmits a piano part over channel 1 a bass part over channel 2 and a drum part over channel 10 you could set up a QuadraSynth Plus Mix so that a piano sound plays only the MIDI data assigned to channel 1 a bass sound plays only the MIDI data assigned to channel 2 and drums play only the MIDI data assigned to channel 10 The QuadraSynth Plus can store up to 100 User Mixes Connect the sequencer s MIDI Out to the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI IN and the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI OUT to the sequencer s MIDI In This allows the QuadraSynth Plus to send data to the sequencer for recording and play back data from the sequencer COMPUTER MIDI INTERFACE Walaa QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 31 Connections Chapter 3 If you are driving other MIDI gear such as an expander module or MIDI responsive signal processor you ll usually drive these from the sequencer if it has additional MIDI outputs However you can also use the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI THRU connector to drive other modules since the Thru carries a replica of what appears at the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI IN which is the same as the sequencer s MIDI OUT QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 32 Connections Chapter 3 About the Keyboard M
69. e Reverse Reverb type Reverb Decay controls the Reverse Time Low Decay and High Decay These two parameters allow the Decay Time to be set separately for both the low and high frequencies of the Reverb This means that you have control over the tonal shape of the Reverb itself being able to make the high frequencies die faster if the effect is too bright and being able to make the lows die faster if the effect is too boomy This allows you to simulate different surfaces of a QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 149 Editing Effects Chapter 7 room or hall with softer surfaces absorbing more high frequencies and smaller rooms having faster low frequency decay If the selected Reverb type is Gate the Low Decay parameter is unavailable QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 150 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Reverb Page 4 Density Density controls how the first reflection of the reverb effect will appear When set to 0 the first reflection is heard alone without any other reflections When set to 99 the first reflection appears to fade in and then fade out This is because a number of reflections will occur just before and just after the first reflection in addition to the remaining reflections heard after the first reflection Thus the reverb sounds more dense If the select Reverb type is Large the Density parameter is unavailable Diffusion Diffusion determines the thickness of the r
70. e parameter selects the MIDI controller which will remotely cause a change modulate in one or two of the parameters in the effects processor N early every MIDI controller can become a Mod Source using controllers A D set in Global mode page 3 with the most common controllers appearing as a direct option in the display Quad Knob 1 selects the M od Source The options for the Mod Source are Aftertouch Mod Wheel Pitch Wheel MIDI Volume Sustain Pedal Pedal 1 Pedal 2 Controller A D Mod Destination The Mod Destination is the parameter that will be controlled by the selected Mod Source Quad Knob 2 selects the M od Destination The possible Destination parameters are Pitch Speed Pitch Depth Pitch Level Pitch Balance Delay Time Delay Feedback Delay Level Reverb Balance Reverb Input Reverb Decay Reverb Low Decay e Reverb High Decay e Reverb Diffusion e Reverb Level If the selected Configuration has a particular effect on more than one effect send for example Config 1 has a delay on each send then some Mod Destination parameters will be listed more than once For example the Delay Time parameter will appear four times D1 Time D2 Time D3 Time and D4 Time In the case of Pitch where you can choose from various pitch effects different parameters are available QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 159 Editing Effects Chapter 7 depe
71. e playing the keyboard can sound up to 16 different Programs at once There are many similarities In Mix Play Mode you can make the same kind of layered Mix as you can with the four sounds of a Program But there are differences Use Program Layers If you want multiple sounds to respond to asingle MIDI channel For example if you need to play a layered synthesizer sound that was assembled in Mix Play Mode instead of Program Play Mode you must send 3 Note On QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 71 Editing Programs Chapter 6 messages from your sequencer one for each channel for every note a layered program would need only one N ote On message When layers of a Program are designed to be used together and the individual layers by themselves wouldn t be used alone for example the percussion layer of the organ sound Use Mix Play Mode When you want to layer more than four voices In Mix Play Mode itis possible though not advisable to stack all 64 voices onto a single key When each sound is likely to be used by itself by other setups For example if you are programming three different keyboard splits each of which uses the same left hand bass patch it makes sense to use Mix Play M ode When you want different sounds to respond to different MIDI channels QuadraSynth Plus Signal Flow The Four Sounds of a Program Each Program is made up of at least one to four sounds A sound is made up
72. e when General MIDI Mode is enabled These are MIDI Registered Parameter 0 Pitch Bend Sensitivity This will directly effect the Pitch Whed Range parameter of all four Sounds of the Program on the received MIDI Channel of the Mix If the Channel is selected using the MIDI and buttons the word Edited will appear next to the Program Number in the display if this parameter is received However if you are viewing the Pitch Wheel Range parameter in the display Program Edit Mode Pitch Function Page 2 Quad Knob 2 the display will not be updated to reflect the new setting If you go to another Page or Function and then return to it the display will now reflect the updated setting MIDI Registered Parameter 1 Fine Tune This will directly effect the Detune Amount parameter of all four Sounds of the Program on the received MIDI Channel of the Mix If this MIDI registered parameter is received the QuadraSynth will automatically make sure that all four Sounds of the Program have their Detune Type parameter set to Normal Program Edit Mode Pitch Function Page 1 Quad Knob 4 If the Channel is selected using the MIDI and buttons the word Edited will appear next to the Program Number in the display if this parameter is received However if you are viewing the Detune Amount parameter in the display Program Edit Mode Pitch Function Page 1 Quad Knob 3 the display will not be updated to reflect the ne
73. ect is not found in nature it works great for modern drums percussion and any quickly repeated transient source Reverse The Reverse Reverb type is an inverted reverb in which the volume envelope is reversed This means that the signal begins softly but grows louder until it is cut off rather than loud to soft as normal Pre D elay Time Pre Delay is the slight delaying of the Reverb itself so that the dry signal more easily stands out from the Reverb A bit of Pre Delay can sometimes make certain instruments such as snare drums sound bigger Use Quad Knob 2 to adjust the Pre Delay Timein 10ms intervals and or use Quad Knob 3 to adjust the Pre Delay Time in 1ms intervals This Pre Delay is part of the Reverb itself don t confuse it with the separate Delay modules available under the Delay function Pre D elay Mix Quad Knob 4 allows you to mix the amount of Pre Delay into the Reverb signal path This gives you the ability to hear a bit of the Reverb before the loudest part of the Reverb the Pre Delayed Reverb sounds This makes for bigger and smoother sounding Reverb settings Reverb Page 3 Input Filter This is a low pass filter which comes before the Reverb input Use Quad Knob 1 to adjust the filter frequency Lower the Input Filter to remove high frequencies from the input signal before they go into the Reverb Decay The Reverb Decay determines how long the Reverb will sound before it dies away When using th
74. ector The procedure is similar for sending Mixes Page 4 of the Store function allows you to send any one of the Mixes Similarly if aMix is stored you may want to store each of the Programs used in the Mix The SEND ALL TO MIDI command in the Program Store function is an easy shortcut to this QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 175 Troubleshooting Appendix A APPENDIX A TROUBLE SHOOTING Trouble Shooting Index If you are experience problems while operating the QuadraSynth Plus please use the following table to locate possible causes and solutions before contacting Alesis customer service for assistance The display does not light No power Check that the power cable when the ON OFF switch is plugged in properly is turned on either too high or low Global p 1 Quad Knob 1 No sound Check your audio cables if necessary swap cables Set the Keyboard M odeto incorrectly NORMAL Global p 2 No MIDI input in Mix mode cannot control One or more channels Make surethe MIDI IN through MIDI MIDI IN switch is off parameter is turned on for the channel s you wish to control via MIDI Keyboard Mode is set M ake sure the Keyboard incorrectly Mode Global p 2 is set to NORMAL Notes sustain Sustain pedal was Turn off power and turn continuously plugged in after power on again was turned on Re initializing If your unit behaves erratically or freezes the first
75. ed you can move around to view the various parameters but you will not be able to edit anything This is because you are seeing what is in memory not what is in the edit buffer Preset Memory and User Memory The QuadraSynth Plus has two types of memory banks for Mixes and Programs Preset and User The Preset banks of which there are four are stored in ROM Read Only Memory and therefore cannot be altered However the User bank of which there is 1 is stored in RAM Random Access Memory Anytime you want to keep an edited version of a Mix or Program you will store it into the User bank or onto a RAM Card If you want to permanently change a Mix or Program that is in the Preset bank you can store the edited version into the U ser bank in either the same number location or a different number location QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 48 Overview Chapter 4 However this requires that you store over losing whatever was previously in that location If you don t want to lose any of the sounds in the User bank you should back up the entire bank to either an external SRAM or FlashRAM PCMCIA card or via MIDI System Exclusive into a data storage device like the Alesis DataDisk or a MIDI sequencer See Chapter 9 for more information on external storage operations QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 49 Overview Chapter 4 Storing The STORE button selects Store mode Store mode has 6 pages which you ca
76. el messages which are channel specific consist of Voice and Mode messages System messages which do not havea channel number and are received by all units in a system include Common Real Time and Exclusive messages Channel Messages Mode Messages There are two messages that determine the MIDI mode i e how a device will receive MIDI data The Omni message determines how many channels will be recognized Omni On means that data from all channels will be received Omni Off limits the number of channels usually to one The Mono Poly message deals with voice assignment within the synthesizer In Mono mode only one note at a time plays in response to voice messages in Poly mode as many voices can play notes as are available to play notes Channel Messages Voice Messages A synthesizer s voice is the most basic unit of sound generation Usually each voice plays one note at a time so the number of notes you can play at one time will be limited by the available number of voices MIDI messages that affect voices include Note On Corresponds to a key being pressed down values range from 000 lowest note to 127 highest note Middle C is 60 Note Off Corresponds to a key being released values are the same as note on Velocity Corresponds to dynamics values range from 001 minimum velocity to 127 maximum velocity A velocity of 000 is equivalent to a note off message Pressure Indicates the pressure applied
77. en specific instructions to do so QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 178 Troubleshooting Appendix A QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 179 MIDI Supplement Appendix B MIDI SUPPLEMENT MIDI Basics Most current electronic instruments and signal processors including the QuadraSynth Plus contain an internal computer Computers and music have been working together for decades which is not surprising considering music s mathematical basis consider frequencies harmonics vibrato rates tunings etc In the mid 70s microcomputers became inexpensive enough to be built into consumer priced musical instruments They were used for everything from sound generation to storing parameters in memory for later recall In 1983 the MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface specification was introduced to better exploit the computers inside these new musical instruments primarily to ensure compatibility of equipment between manufacturers MIDI expresses musical events notes played vibrato dynamics tempo etc as a common language consisting of standardized digital data This data can be understood by MIDI compatible computers and computer based musical instruments Before electronics music was expressed exdusively as written symbols By translating musical parameters into digital data MIDI can express not only the types of musical events written into sheet music but other parameters as well such as amount of pit
78. eneral MIDI is an extension of the MIDI standard designed to meet the demands of the ever growing multimedia industry and to make simple the act of playing commercially produced MIDI sequences The General MIDI standard utilizes all 16 channels available in MIDI The QuadraSynth Plus is a perfect General MIDI companion since its Mix Mode uses 16 channels Although many channels are commonly used for specific types of instruments Example Channel lis usually piano channel 2 is usually bass etc channel 10 is always used for drums General MIDI also standardizes the placement of sound types in a sound device s memory bank The QuadraSynth Plus Preset 4 Bank is designed specifically for General MIDI and organizes it sounds according to the General MIDI specification This means when a sequencer sends a MIDI program change message that is supposed to call up a particular sound the correct sound on the QuadraSynth Plus will be called up even if the composer of the sequence used a different sound device The Programs in Preset Bank 4 use the General MIDI QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 185 MIDI Supplement Appendix B names in some cases abreviated with the letters GM added to indicate their are designed specifically for use in General MIDI mode QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 186 MIDI Supplement Appendix B There are three MIDI registered parameters which the QuadraSynth plus will recognize in Mix Play Mod
79. ent Selecting MAIN or AUX will assign the channel to the MAIN or QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 61 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 AUX audio outputs When set to OFF the channel will not be sent to either set of outputs but can still feed an effect bus QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 62 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 Pitch The Pitch function lets you transpose a channel s Program in either semitone or octave increments By using both parameters together you have a total transposition range of 3 octaves Octave 2 to 2 octaves This transposes the Program s pitch in octave 12 semitone steps from 2 transposed down 2 octaves to 2 transposed up two octaves Semitone 12 to 12 semitones This transposes the Program s pitch in semitone steps from 12 transposed down one octave to 12 transposed up one octave Setting the Range and MIDI Switches Each sound can be restricted to a specific range of the keyboard This is ideal for creating splits e g bass in the lower octave and a half piano in the middle three octaves and strings in the upper octave When you start to setup a MIX it may be confusing if many of the channels have their Keyboard parameter turned off In order to hear anything on a particular channel enable Keyboard control and set the Range so that the low note and high note values are set beyond where you want to play Look at the MIDI MONITOR section of the display A thick li
80. er Ht Agira vo Lilia LU M SALT H E Drik mii iei ALAA The Reverb function is used to edit Reverb parameters In all configurations page 1 of the Reverb function selects what the reverb is hearing i e where the input of the reverb is coming from The source can come directly from the Effect bus the output of other effects in the chain before it or a mix of several of them Example In Configuration 1 page 1 of the Reverb function shown above allows you to select either one or two sources to be routed to the reverb s input You can choose from the Delay output the Delay input the Pitch output and the uneffected send input dry signal You can then adjust a balance between these and set an overall input level Input 1 In configurations 1 3 4 and 5 there are two inputs to the Reverb Both Inputs 1 and 2 can select a signal from several locations in the signal chain Quad Knob 1 can select either the Pitch output or the Delay output as Input 1 If the signal is taken from the Pitch output the Reverb will be chorused flanged detuned or resonating depending upon which Pitch typeis selected N ote that the delay signal may already have passed through the Pitch module depending on the Input settings of the Delay module Input 2 By using Quad Knob 2 Input 2 can have as its source either the Pitch output the Delay output or the dry effect send signal If the signal is taken from the Delay output the Rever
81. er the A ftertouch or the Level is set to raise the PLFO output If both the Leva and Aftertouch are set to 00 and the Mod Whee parameter is set to 99 the Mod Whee will have no effect on the vibrato from the PLFO Aftertouch 99 to 99 This is the modulation amount of Aftertouch over the Pitch LFO s Level A positive value raises the level as more A ftertouch is applied A negative value will lower the amount of PLFO level as more A ftertouch is applied QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 100 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Filter LFO Filter LFO Page 1 The Filter LFO is most often used to apply tremolo like or wah wah effects to a sound DI The following Filter LFO variables will affect the sound only if the FILTER LFO DEPTH on Page2 of the FILTER function is set toa value other than 0 or if Filter LFO is a sourcein theM OD function Also note that the Filter LFO may have no effect if some other modulation source or setting has already pushed the filter cutoff frequency to its maximum Wave 8 choices The waveform determines the shape of the LFO Use Quad Knob 1 to select either Sine Triangle Square Up Sawtooth Down Sawtooth Random Noise or Random For a graphic representation of these waveforms see the diagram in the Wave section of the PLFO description on page 67 Speed 00 to 99 Quad Knob 2 controls the speed or rate of the LFO For fast modulation increase this value For slower modul
82. es of onboard sample ROM will be used in each of the 4 sounds change the tone level attack and decay characteristics modulation inputs and pitch of each layer QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 38 Overview Chapter 4 set modulation routings so any parameter can be controlled via MIDI set the effect level for each Sound layer and set which of the four effect sends each Sound layer will use for signal processing such as reverb delay and chorus or any combination of these Mix Edit Mode Mix Edit Mode lets you change the parameters of an existing Mix Up to 16 Programs can be active in each Mix and Mix Edit mode sets up how each will be played M ix Edit Mode allows you to select which Programs will be played by the different MIDI channels and by the keyboard in multiple layers or splits set the output level effects level and pan of each Program in the Mix select which Program s Effects Patch will be used by the M ix Effects Edit Mode Effects Edit Mode is used for setting up the Digital Signal Processing effects Each Effect Patch has 4 effect bus inputs and an internal configuration of multiple effects such as reverb delay and pitch related effects chorus flange etc You can determine what kinds of effects are used on each bus this is called a Configuration change each effect s parameters such as reverb decay time or chorus speed set modulation routings such as havin
83. es with aline cord or power supply suitable for the destination to which the keyboard is shipped With the QuadraSynth Plus off plug the AC cord s female jack end into Quadra Synth Plus s AC socket and the male plug end into a source of AC power It s good practice to not turn the QuadraSynth Plus on until all other cables are hooked up The IEC spec AC cord included with the QuadraSynth Plus do not substitute any other AC cord is designed to connect to an outlet that includes three pins with the third round pin connected to ground The ground connection is an important safety feature designed to keep the chassis of electronic devices such as the QuadraSynth Plus at ground potential Unfortunately the presence of a third pin does not always indicate that it is properly grounded Use an AC line QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 9 Setting Up Chapter 1 tester to determine this If the outlet is not grounded consult with a licensed electrician DI Do not operate any electrical equipment with ungrounded outlets Plugging the QuadraSynth Plus into an ungrounded outlet or lifting the unit off ground with a threeto two wire adapter can create a hazardous condition DI Alesis cannot be responsible for problems caused by using the QuadraSynth Plus or any associated equipment with improper AC wiring Line Conditioners and Protectors Although the QuadraSynth Plus is designed to tolerate typical voltage varia
84. eter value You can edit the value either by turning the associated Quad Knob for large value changes or pressing the VALUE and buttons for smaller changes QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 43 Overview Chapter 4 Each bar graph indicates a parameter s approximate value increasing a value increases the column height With bipolar values that can go positive or negative turning a knob clockwise increases the column height upward from the midpoint and turning a knob counterclockwise increases the column height downward more negative value from the midpoint Always refer to the parameter name strip in the display above the bargraphs for the current parameter label and value QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 44 Overview Chapter 4 Direct Function Selection When editing a Mix Program or a Program s Effects the DIRECT SELECT buttons located next to the large VOLUME knob provide direct selection of edit Functions This means you can get to the Function you want to edit fast The Functions available for direct selection are printed on the front panel adjacent to each button By pressing some of the buttons repeatedly you can select other Functions related to the main Function for that button Example By pressing DIRECT SELECT 7 when in Program Edit Mode the Filter Function is selected Pressita second time and the FLFO is selected press it a third time and the FENV is selected The Direc
85. eters determine whether or not specific types of MIDI information will be received or transmitted and are set separately for each Channel in the Mix These however are dependent on how the individual Channels have their Range Page 2 parameters set described above Pitch bend and M odulation Wheels On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channe will transmit and receive pitch bend and modulation controller 1 MIDI information Aftertouch On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channel will transmit and receive aftertouch MIDI information Sustain Pedals On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channel will transmit and receive sustain pedal controller 64 MIDI information Controllers On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channel will transmit and receive MIDI controller information which the Controllers A D and Pedals 1 amp 2 are assigned to these are assigned to MIDI controllers in Global Mode Page 3 and 5 Transmitting MIDI Volume and Panning Each Channel in a Mix can transmit its volume and panning settings via MIDI if the MIDI Prog Select parameter is set to On Global Edit Mode Page 6 Quad Knob 1 Volume level is sent as MIDI controller 7 and panning is sent as controller 10 If the MIDI Prog Select parameter is set to On whenever a Mix is recalled via the front panel or via MIDI volume and panning information will be
86. evel and Effect Bus assignment Effect Level 00 to 99 or PROG This determines the amount of signal from the selected channel that will be sent to the effects using one of the four effects buses as determined by Quad Knob 2 Effect Bus 1 2 3 4 or PROG Quad Knob 2 determines which effect bus the selected channd will be routed to When set to PROG the effect bus assignment will be that stored by the channel s Program 1 2 3 or 4 overrides the Program s bus assignment sending all sound layers of the Program to the chosen bus Effect The Effect function is where you select what Effect Patch will be used by the Mix by linking the Effect to one of the Programs in the Mix FX Channel 1 to 16 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 66 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 The Effect Channel determines which channe s Program s Effect Patch will be used for the entire Mix In other words when the Effect Channel is set to 3 the Mix will use the Effect Patch used by the Program assigned to channel 3 FX MIDI On or Off This determines whether the Effects settings will change along with its Program if a MIDI program change is received on the Effect Channel If on and a MIDI program change is received a new Program will be recalled along with its associated Effect Patch This however can change the way the other Programs in the Mix sound since they all share the same Effects Patch If you want to recall Programs via MIDI p
87. everb sound by adding more reflections to the reverb s decay With lower diffusion settings you may be able to actually hear the individual echoes that make up the overall reverb sound With higher diffusion settings the echoes increase in number and blend together washing out the reverb s decay Greater diffusion works better with percussive sounds whereas less amounts of diffusion work well with vocals and other sustained sounds OFASON OFO DOFRUBOHN OF Y L L E E 4 Ay E E L L TE TIME Fike roll eth ore More Paf cert orcs Note Theillustration above reflects a Density setting of 0 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 151 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Delay The Delay function is used to edit Delay parameters Delay Page 1 The QuadraSynth Plus s effects processor has three different Delay types available Note Some delay modules only feature a mono Delay and therefore the Delay Type parameter will be unavailable Instead the parameters normally found on page 2 of the Delay function are shown in page 1 and there are no other pages please refer to next section for a description of those parameters Delay Type Ping Pong This is called a Ping Pong Delay because the output bounces from side to side left to right in stereo with the speed determined by the delay time The maximum delay time is 399 milliseconds Stereo D elay The Stereo Delay is actually two separate delays which can be ind
88. eyboard or releasing the sustain pedal if it was pressed Itis at this point that the Release portion of the envelope takes effect The Release is the time that the envelope takes to get from its current level back down to nothing Setting the Release time to 99 will take the envelope a very long time to reach zero level The Pitch Envelope is unique from the other two envelopes in that its Release time can be set above 99 When this is done the value in the display will read Hold This indicates that the pitch envelope will remain where it is even after the note is released This is important when you want the pitch effect to continue even after releasing the key Example If the PENV is bending a note up and you don t want the pitch to fall when you release the key set the Release parameter to Hold Pitch Envelope Page 2 Delay 00 to 99 Hold This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything very useful if you want to affect one element of asound sometime after the sound starts When the Delay is set to 0 the envelope attacks right away without any delay Play some notes while turning up the delay and see that the time between playing the note and hearing the effect of the Pitch Envelope gets progressively longer as the Delay control is turned Up If the Delay is set above 99 the display will read Hold This indicates that the Delay stage of the envelope will wait indefinitely until t
89. f the signal coming from the Delay output going into the Pitch Input The Delay Input parameter is only available when editing a effects bus which has the Delay effect ahead of the Pitch effect in the selected Configuration Example Configuration 2 effect send 1 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 157 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Pitch Page 2 If the Pitch type is Mono Chorus Stereo Chorus Mono Flange or Stereo Flange page 2 of the Pitch function contain the following four parameters Waveform Shape Quad Knob 1 determines the LFO s waveform shape This parameter only appears when the Mono or Stereo Chorus or Flange are selected The Waveform Shape of the LFO can be changed from a sine waveform which provides a smoother more even sound to a square or triangle waveform which makes the Chorus or flange effect more pronounced Speed Quad Knob 2 is used to adjust the LFO Speed of all Pitch types with the exception of Pitch Detune and Resonator Depth Quad Knob 3 is used to adjust the LFO Depth of all Pitch types with the exception of Pitch Detune and Resonator The LFO Depth which is the amount of pitch alteration can be adjusted to produce the desired effect Feedback Quad Knob 4 is used to adjust the LFO Feedback of all Pitch types with the exception of Pitch Detune and Resonator A portion of the output of the Pitch section can be fed back into the input in order to make the effect more tonal or
90. fading Program assign the related versions of the same drum samples Conga High and Conga Lo the same key in different Program Sound layers then use the appropriate velocity curves for each drum in a three way velocity split drum 1 would use curve 1 of 3 drum 2 would use curve 2 of 3 while drum 3 would use 3 of 3 For more details about the 13 velocity curves see the illustration on page 64 Range Note 000 to 127 C 2 to G 8 Each drum can be assigned to a single notewhich will trigger the drum sound when played Quad Knob 1 specifies the note assignment of the selected drum 000 to 127 C 2 to G8 You can also set the note assignment by holding Quad Switch 1 and tapping the key on the keyboard you want to set as the note for the drum es Only one drum can be assigned to a single note within a single Program sound layer If more than one drum in a single sound is assigned to the same note number only the higher number drum will sound Range 0 to 3 Each drum can be assigned a range of notes up to 3 above the root note which will trigger the drum sound when played Quad Knob 2 specifies the note range of the selected drum 0 to 3 The pitch of the drum will remain the same no matter which key is played Amp Envelope Decay 0 to 99 G ate00 to G ate99 Quad Knob 1 in the Amp Envelope A ENV Function lets you adjust the Decay time of the selected drum 00 to 99 Gate00 to Gate99
91. feed thereby determining which effect s will process the sound Each Program has its own unique arrangement of effects Example In Program 12 bus 1 may bea Chorus Delay Reverb whilein Program 27 bus 1 may just be a Flanger Pitch Pitch Page 1 Semitone 24 to 24 semitones Sets the oscillator pitch in semitone steps from 24 transposed down two octaves to 24 transposed up two octaves D etune 99 to 99 cents Sets the oscillator pitch in cents from 99 transposed down 99 100 of a semitone to 99 transposed up 99 100 of a semitone Detune Type Normal or Equal With Normal selected the percentage of detuning remains the same over the entire range of the keyboard so the effects of detuning sound the same no matter which key you play With Equal selected the absolute amount of detuning remains the same over the entire keyboard so any detuning seems less pronounced as you play higher up on the keyboard Pitch Page 2 Pitch Wheel Range 0 to 12 semitones Determines the maximum amount of pitch bend when the pitch bend wheel is either full forward or back Example When set to 12 the pitch whee will bend 1 octave 12 semitones Aftertouch D epth 99 to 99 At 00 aftertouch has no effect on pitch Applying aftertouch by pressing harder on the keyboard or via MIDI messages with this parameter set to a positive value raises the pitch conversely applying aftertouch through a negative value lowers the
92. g the modulation wheel change the decay time and set the effects mix how much reverb delay and chorus on the output of each effect bus Global Edit Mode Use Global Edit Modeto set various parameters which effect the entire instrument such as overall master tuning display contrast MIDI controller settings keyboard sensitivity and how the unit will respond to or generate messages in Mix Mode Store Mode Store M ode is used for storing changes of Programs Mixes and or Effects into the User Bank or onto a QuadraCard PCMCIA memory card accessory It is also used for transmitting the QuadraSynth Plus s parameters over MIDI for data storage purposes copying sounds or effects from one Program to another and for transferring entire Banks to or from a Sound Card Compare Mode Once a Program has been edited in Program Edit Mode or a Mix has been edited in Mix Edit Mode the word EDITED will appear in the display next to the Mix Program number If COM PARE is pressed the word COMPARE will appear in the display and you will temporarily QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 39 Overview Chapter 4 be hearing and seeing the original version of the Mix Program If you are editing a Mix and press COMPARE the original unedited MIX is temporarily recalled Likewise if you are editing a Program or its Effects Patch and press COMPARE the original Program will be temporarily recalled Pressing COM PARE again swi
93. gger parameter determines how the LFO should be triggered or started There are four possible settings M ono Poly Key Mono and Key Poly When playing multiple voices in a single sound each voice has its own LFO However the LFO Trigger parameter determines whether or not they should bein sync and whether or not they can be retriggered independent from one another Mono All voices LFOs arein sync with each other If you hold a chord and then play new notes on top of the chord all voices LFOs will be moving in the same direction and at the same speed Because of this modulating the LFO Speed using a voice specific source such as velocity or one of the envelopes for example will have no effect you will be allowed to do this but you won t hear any difference This is because these modulation sources are meant for polyphonic purposes These include N ote Number Velocity Release Velocity PLFO FLFO ALFO PENV FENV AENV Random Trig Rate and Tracking Generator However modulation sources which are not voice specific will still have an effect while the LFO Trigger is set to MONO These include Aftertouch Mod Wheel Pitch Wheel MIDI Volume Sustain Pedal Pedal 1 Pedal 2 and Controllers A D Poly Each voice s LFO is independent If you hold a chord some voices LFOs will be moving in one direction while others move in the other direction If the LFO Speed is being modulated by one of the envelopes for example
94. gh this manual presents information about synthesizer programming no manual can offer a complete course in programming at least for a price that customers would be willing to pay If you re new to synthesizer programming the best way to learn is to adjust different parameters as you play to discover how different parameter values affect the sound Also become familiar with the signal and modulation flow within the QuadraSynth Plus as shown in the various block diagrams included in this manual so that you can understand the many ways in which you can process a signal as it works its way from oscillator to output The Normalized Synth Voice The first synthesizers were comprised of various hardware modules some of which generated signals and some of which processed those signals These were designed to be general purpose devices since nobody was quite sure how they would be applied some engineers used them as signal processors while keyboard players treated them as musical instruments Therefore patch cords connected the inputs and outputs of the various signal generating and processing modules which is why particular synth sounds were called patches Changing a patch involved manually repositioning patch cords and adjusting knobs and switches recreating a patch required writing down all the patch settings on paper so they could be duplicated later Even then due to the imprecision of analog electronics the patch might not sound
95. gments This feature will result in only a subtle change The envelope s timing doubles or halves over a range of two octaves QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 112 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Sustain Pedal On or Off This determines whether or not the Sustain Pedal will have an effect on the envelope When turned on holding down the Sustain Pedal while playing short notes is virtually the equivalent to holding down those notes on the keyboard with some subtle but important differences If the Delay and Attack are set to 0 and either the Decay is 0 or the Sustain is 99 the envelope will immediately jump to the release stage if not already there when the note is released and the sustain pedal is held down If along attack is set and the envelope does not reach the end of the attack segment when the note is released it will be skipped and the envelope will jump immediately to the sustain decay segment If a long delay is set and the envelope has not reached the attack segment before the note is released the envelope will remain at 0 However if Freerun is turned on the envelope will continue through the delay attack decay and sustain segments and remain at the sustain decay segment This is exactly the same as holding down the note on the keyboard When the Sustain Pedal parameter is turned off the Sustain Pedal will have no effect on the envelope Level 00 to 99 This is the overall output level of the envelope If th
96. hat s New in the 2 0 Plus Upgrade 137 INDEX 159 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 8 Setting Up Chapter 1 CHAPTER SETTING UP Unpacking and Inspection Your QuadraSynth Plus was packed carefully at the factory The shipping carton was designed to protect the unit during shipping Please retain this container in the highly unlikely event that you need to return the QuadraSynth Plus for servicing Upon receiving the QuadraSynth Plus carefully examine the shipping carton and its contents for any sign of physical damage that may have occurred in transit If you detect any damage do not destroy any of the packing material or the carton and immediately notify the carrier of a possible claim for damage Damage claims must be made by you Contact your Alesis dealer The shipping carton should contain the following items QuadraSynth Plus with the same serial number as shown on shipping carton Sustain pedal AC Power Cable Computer floppy disk containing Sound Bridge software and electronic manual This instruction manual plus lists of Mixes and Programs and Quick Start guide Alesis warranty card DI It is important to register your purchase if you have not already filled out your warranty card and mailed it back to Alesis please take the time to do so now AC Power Hookup The QuadraSynth Plus works with the voltage of the country it is shipped to either 110 or 220V 50 or 60 Hz and com
97. he key is released before continuing on to the remaining envelope stages Attack Decay etc This requires QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 106 Editing Programs Chapter 6 that the Pitch Envelope s Trigger parameter see next page is set to Freerun However when the Delay is set to Hold Freerun modeis forced on regardless of the Trigger parameter s setting Sustain D ecay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that the envelope will take during the sustain stage to bring the level down to O If this is set to 99 the envelope will remain at the Sustain level until the note is released When set to 0 the envelope s level will immediately jump down to 0 upon reaching the sustain stage Trigger Normal Freerun Reset R eset Freerun The Trigger mode determines how the envelope will function You may select either Freerun or Reset or both Reset Freerun or neither Normal When set to Normal the envelope will always start at its current level i e if another note had been played which triggered the envelope s cycle playing another note in the middle would not interrupt the cycle Also in Normal mode the envelope will immediately advance to its release stage upon releasing the note When set to Freerun the envelope will complete its entire cycle even if the note is released in the middle When set to Reset the envelope starts at the beginning whenever a new note is played When set to Reset F
98. he keyboard will result in a faster envelope cycle playing toward the lower end of the keyboard will result in a slower envelope cycle However this does not effect the attack time but only the decay sustain sustain decay and release segments This feature will result in only a subtle change The envelope s timing doubles or halves over a range of two octaves Sustain Pedal On or Off This determines whether or not the Sustain Pedal will have an effect on the envelope When turned on holding down the Sustain Pedal while playing short notes is virtually the equivalent to holding down those notes on the keyboard with some subtle but important differences If the Delay and Attack are set to 0 and either the Decay is 0 or the Sustain is 99 the envelope will immediately jump to the release stage if not QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 115 Editing Programs Chapter 6 already there when the note is released and the sustain pedal is held down If along attack is set and the envelope does not reach the end of the attack segment when the note is released it will be skipped and the envelope will jump immediately to the sustain decay segment If a long delay is set and the envelope has not reached the attack segment before the note is released the envelope will remain at 0 However if Freerun is turned on the envelope will continue through the delay attack decay and sustain segments and remain at the sustain decay segment Th
99. he standard attack decay sustain and release parameters found on most synthesizers along with delay sustain decay and different triggering options DECAY SUSTAIN LEVEL RELEA SE ATTACK Cmm SUSTAIN DECAY TIME MOTE ON MOTE DIFF Ll About Signal Processing The QuadraSynth Plus features a signal processing section based on the Alesis QuadraVerb 2 Itis a complete digital signal processing unit with four input buses simultaneous multiple effects and flexible signal routing QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 76 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Effects parameters are edited separately from either the Program or the Mix using Effects Edit Mode more in Chapter 7 In Program Edit M ode each of the four sounds in the Program has its own Effect Level control and can be assigned to any one of the four effect buses Effects settings Effect Level and Bus information is saved with the Program when you store it back into memory Drum Mode Any oneor all of the four sounds in a Program can be put in Drum Mode The Drum Mode parameter is found in the Misc Function see last section of this chapter Note that Drum Mode isn t the only way to hear drums or percussion from a Program In Standard mode if you select a kit such as Rock Kit 1 as the voice of a Program sound an entire arrangement of preset pre mapped drum sounds will be assigned across the keyboard If you select a single drum such as Tym
100. his to 99 Press the EDIT 1 button to select another Sound to adjust The display will indicate SOUND 1 or SOUND 2 etc to indicate which of the four Sounds is being edited Press the EDIT 4 button to display the effect send levels of all four Sounds simultaneously use Quad Knobs 1 4 to adjust each Sound s effect level The display will indicate SOUND 123 4 cisiizizi LELEI i me gui gn em in AI SIP TLL aL at en TR RCD ul QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 27 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Note If a Sound is not enabled in a Program its title will be shown in lowercase snd4 and adjust its controls will have no effect on the Sound until the Sound is enabled To enable a Sound hold down its respective Q uad Button i e 3 for Sound 3 and press VALUE QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 28 Connections Chapter 3 CHAPTER 3 CONNECTIONS Basic MIDI Hookup MIDI is an internationally accepted protocol that allows musical related data to be conveyed from one device to another See the MIDI Supplement in Appendix B if you are not familiar with how MIDI works The MIDI connections provide three different functions To trigger the QuadraSynth Plus from a MIDI control device keyboard drum pad guitar or bass controller sequencer etc connect the control device s MIDI OUT to the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI IN MIDI MIDI
101. idge QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 14 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2 YOUR FIRST SESSION WITH THE QUADRASYNTH PLUS Powering Up After making your connections turn on the system s power using this procedure 10 Before turning on the QuadraSynth Plus s power check the following items e Haveall connections been made correctly e Arethevolumecontrols of the amplifier or mixer turned down e Is the volume of the QuadraSynth Plus turned down Turn on the ON OFF power switch on the QuadraSynth Plus rear panel U pon power up the QuadraSynth Plus will display the last selected Program or M ix If this Program M ix has been edited the display will indicate this by showing the word EDITED below either the word MIX or PROGRAM Turn the QuadraSynth Plus s master VOLU M E control to maximum The best signal to noise ratio is achieved when VOLU M E is set to maximum This is a digital volume control and lower settings have lower resolution Turn on the power of the amplifier mixer and adjust the volume Adjusting the Display Contrast Occasionally the characters in the LCD display may be difficult to read depending on the viewing angle and existing lighting conditions In such a situation adjust the contrast of the LCD display using the following procedure O Press GLOBAL The display will change to the Global Page g Use Quad Knob
102. ier decay Amp Each voice filter combination is followed by an amplifier whose level can be controlled by a variety of modulation sources This allows for creating sounds with percussive or slow attacks particular types of decays tremolo etc Filter and amp settings can interact If the filter cutoff is extremely low then no signal will get through no matter how the amp is set Similarly setting the amp for a short decay won t let you hear any filtering set for a longer decay This is because the volume will reach zero before the filter decay finishes About Modulation Modulation modifies some aspect of a sound over time Since oscillators make static sounds unlike acoustic instruments whose timbre and dynamics change often radically over the duration of anote modulation is the key to making rich and expressive sounds The vibrato of a flute the expression pedal of an organ a wah wah pedal on a guitar all of these are examples of modulation You re probably familiar with the mod wheel of a synthesizer that typically adds vibrato to a Program as it is raised But in synthesizer programming modulation is used to control even the basic characteristics of a voice its attack decay and release times for example Every box in the signal diagram on page 51 pointing QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 74 Editing Programs Chapter 6 towards the Voice Filter or Amp boxes is a modulation source The amount of modula
103. in the middle effect This makes the sound QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 89 Editing Programs Chapter 6 appear to have two zones All notes from the bottom of the keyboard to the high limit note will play and all notes from the lower limit to the top of the keyboard will play but the notes between the high limit and the lower limit will not play This can be further enhanced in Mix Mode by using the Range function in Mix Edit Mode to cap off the lower and high limits QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 90 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Sound Overlap 00 to 99 This determines how many voices can overlap on the same pitch Example If you hold the sustain pedal down and play the same note over and over Sound Overlap determines how many voices are available for that note and thus how many voices will overlap play simultaneously In the old days different brands of synthesizers offered different voice allocation schemes One brand used a method called rotate Mode in which each time a note was struck a new voice was used Another brand used a different method called reassign mode whereby if a note is played and then played again the same voice is used both times In other words a new voice is used each time a new note of a different pitch is played The Sound Overlap value lets you choose a comfortable setting between rotate mode and reassign mode When the value equals 99 you are always in rot
104. ine of the LCD s function list will read EDITING MIX Simultaneously press both the FUNCTION and buttons Usethe MIDI and buttons to select a MIDI channel for editing TheM IDI monitor and selection strip will indicate the selected M IDI channd with an underline These buttons wrap around eg if you reon channel 16 and press MIDI you ll select channel 1 If channel 1 is selected and you press MIDI you ll select channa 16 Use Quad Knob 1 to choose a Bank User Preset 1 4 Use Quad Knob 2 to select a Program for the selected Channel DI Don t usethe MIX PROGRAM SELECT 1 0 buttons whilein any edit mode If you do you will be kicked out of M ix E dit mode and will select another M ix losing your changes Use Quad Knob 4 to enable or disable the Program on the selected Channel When enabled the Channel number will appear in the top left of the display When disabled the Channel number will not appear unless selected for editing using the MIDI and buttons in which case it is underlined C To set the Program s level press the FUNCTION button once so that LEVEL is underlined in the display Use Quad Knob 1 to adjust the leval QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 25 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Repeat steps until all desired Programs are assigned to all desired MIDI channels and have
105. is is exactly the same as holding down the note on the keyboard When the Sustain Pedal parameter is turned off the Sustain Pedal will have no effect on the envelope Level 00 to 99 This is the overall output level of the envelope If this is set to 00 the AENV will have no output and will have no effect while at 99 it will have a maximum effect on whatever it is being routed to Tip When selecting A ENV Level as a modulation destination set the A ENV level to 00 if the M odulation Level is above 0 or set the A ENV level to 99 if the Modulation Amount is below 0 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 116 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Tracking Generator The Tracking Generator is used to scale a modulation source For example normally you could modulate the A mp volume of a sound using velocity the harder you play the louder the sound gets The amount of change in volume is equal to the change in velocity this is called linear control If instead however you set the Tracking Generator s input to velocity and then routed the Tracking Generator to the Amp using the M od function you can make your own customized map of the control velocity has over the sound s level The Tracking Generator divides the range of the input into 11 points 0 10 each of which can be set between 0 and 100 If you boost the value of one of the lower points you make the input more sensitive in its lower register By creating a
106. is is set to 00 the FENV will haveno output and will have no effect while at 99 it will have a maximum effect on whatever it is being routed to Tip When selecting FENV Level as a modulation destination set the FENV level to 00 if the M odulation Level is above 0 or set the FENV level to 99 if the Modulation A mount is below 0 Velocity Modulation 00 to 99 This determines how keyboard dynamics will affect the envelope level When set to 99 note velocity controls the envelope s output notes played hard will deliver a higher envelope output than notes played soft When set to 0 note velocity will have no effect on the envelope s output level Amp Envelope Amp Envelope Page 1 The Amp Envelope is crucial for all sounds because it sets the basic characteristics of the note whether it attacks quickly or slowly sustains or decays Some Programs may leave the Amp Envelope in a sustaining mode and provide attack and decay using the Filter Envelope the effect is slightly different Unlike Pitch and Filter Envelope the Amp Envelope is always fully active there is no second page to the AMP function adjusting how much envelope is applied to the amp Attack 00 to 99 This is the amount of time the envelope will take until it reaches its maximum output level Setting the Attack to 0 will givea sharp edge to the sound if the Delay is also set to Oin AENV QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 113 Editing Programs Chapter 6
107. is sets the filter s initial cutoff frequency Lower values give a duller sound since this removes more harmonics higher values let through more harmonics which gives a brighter sound Tip Signals with complex harmonic structures are most affected by the filter Examples A sine wave has virtually no harmonics so you will not hear any significant changes as long as the filter cutoff is higher than the note pitch If the filter cutoff is lower than the note pitch you will either not hear the note or it will be very soft A harmonically rich sample such as brass or white noise will be greatly affected by the filter If the Filter Frequency is set to maximum in most cases all other variables in the Filter function will have no effect Most other filter functions raise the filter frequency and it can t be greater than 99 So if you want to use filter effects proper setting of this initial cutoff frequency is crucial This is the baseline from which all other filter parameters will raise or lower open or close the filter If the Filter Frequency is set to 00 and no other parameters are set to raise it dynamically no sound will pass through the filter at all there will be silence If the Amp settings are wide open and you can t hear anything check the Filter Frequency setting Since the waveforms in ROM are recorded at the brightest possible setting in many cases dynamic filtering is crucial to making a program sound natural Keyb
108. isplay will show which channels are active CH SOLO In this mode the only sounds coming from the QuadraSynth Plus and the only MIDI Out messages will come from the layer or range of the underlined MIDI channel in thedisplay This allows you to isolate individual channels in a Mix So if you play in a range of the keyboard that is active on QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 68 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 MIDI CH 1 and lis underlined you ll hear it All other ranges or layers will not respond to the keyboard they will continue to respond to incoming MIDI messages on their respective channels however Use the MIDI and buttons to hear each channel in turn OUT 1 OUT 16 The QuadraSynth Plus will generate MIDI messages from the keyboard regardless of the Range settings for that channel in the Mix but it will not play the internal sound Use this mode if you re using a MIDI sequencer with an ECHO feature the sound will be activated by messages appearing at the MIDI IN connector after it s made the round trip through the sequencer This is the QuadraSynth Plus s equivalent to LOCAL OFF QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 69 Editing Programs Chapter 6 CHAPTER 6 EDITING PROGRAMS Overview Synthesizer programming is the art and science of shaping sounds in a particular way by altering the parameters of various modules Like music itself learning synth programming is an ongoing process Althou
109. iting Mixes Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5 EDITING MIXES What is a Mix Mix Modeis one of the most powerful features of the QuadraSynth Plus While in Program Mode you can play only one Program at a time in Mix Mode you can play up to 16 Programs at once either from the keyboard as layers or splits or from an external sequencer via 16 MIDI channels or a combination of both With Mix Mode you can do the following Combine stack or layer different Programs so they can be played simultaneously from the keyboard For example stack a piano on top of a brass patch and a string patch adjusting the volume of each for a desirable mix Note that the stacking of Programs in Mix Play Mode is in addition to any sounds that may be stacked in the four sound layers of each Program Split the keyboard into different zones for example the classic bass guitar on the left hand side of the keyboard and synth or piano on the right You can split the keyboard into as many as 16 zones Transmit on several different MIDI channels simultaneously Receive up to 16 MIDI channels from an external sequencer with each channel representing a different instrument piano on Ch 1 bass on Ch 2 drums on Ch 10 trumpet on Ch 16 Mix Play Modeis the multitimbral mode of the QuadraSynth Plus Set the relative level panning and effect send of each MIDI channel Mix Edit Mode To edit a Mix you must select Mix Edit mode Press SELECT f
110. ividually varied The maximum delay time for each delay is 399 ms Mono The Mono Delay has the advantage of twice the available delay time or 799 ms in Configuration 1 1199 msin Configuration 2 Delay Pages 2 and 3 In Page 2 of the Delay Function you will find the remaining parameters for the Delay function If the Stereo Delay type is selected you can press PAGE again to advance to Page 3 This is because the Stereo Delay type has parameters for both the Left and Right channels Input Quad Knob 1 is used to balance the Delay Input between the signal coming from the Pitch effect output if applicable and the dry effect send Time Left Time Right Time This is the actual Delay time which determines the amount of time the input signal will be delayed Use Quad Knob 2 to adjust the delay timein 10 ms intervals use Quad Knob 3 to adjust the delay time in 1 ms intervals Feedback Left Feedback Right Feedback Quad Knob 4 is used to adjust the Delay Feedback which is a portion of the delay signal output being fed back into the input This results in the delay repeating itself The more feedback the more repeats QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 152 Editing Effects Chapter 7 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 153 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Pitch The Pitch function is used to edit Pitch parameters Pitch Page 1 The first page of the Pitch function will look different depending o
111. ix The Mix itself will not respond to Program Changes When set to Mix Select Channe 1 16 the QuadraSynth Plus will change Mixes in response to Program Change messages received on the same MIDI channel as selected by this parameter from whichever bank Preset or User is currently selected Program Change messages received on any other channel other than the one selected by this parameter will change the individual Programs in the Mix on the same channels the messages are received on Note When General MIDI Mode is enabled see page 115 Channel 10 of the selected Mix will be used exclusively for drums If a program change is received on Channel 10 a new drum kit will be recalled These drum kits are used exdusively in General MIDI mode and adhere to the General MIDI specification Receiving and Transmitting Bank Change Message The QuadraSynth Plus will respond to MIDI Bank Select messages Bank Select messages are transmitted via MIDI Controller 0 The value of Controller 0 determines which bank User Preset 1 4 Card 1 8 is to be recalled Example If a Bank Select controller 0 message of 0 is received it will cause the User Bank to be recalled If a Bank Select message of 1 is received Preset Bank 1 will be recalled Additionally if a Sound Card is inserted the Card Banks can be selected using Controller 0 values between 5 and 13 Values higher than 13 are wrapped around and will recall the same Banks Example A Co
112. l the Program which contains the Effects Patch you wish to copy using the methods described on page 14 Press STORE Press PAGE to select Page 2 of the Store function Use Quad Knob 1 to select EFFECT which is the Effects Patch in the currently selected Program to copy from Use Quad Knob 2 to select which Program 0 127 in the User Bank to copy to The selected sound will be copied into the same sound location in the selected Program If you select to copy sound 2 to Program 45 the sound will be copied into sound 2 of Program 45 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 125 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Press STORE to copy the sound Initializing Programs If you want to start programming from scratch you can easily reset all parameters to their default settings by re initializing the software Make sure your mod wheel is all the way down before re initializing otherwise the zero position of the mod whee will be incorrect To reinitialize the QuadraSynth Plus Press PROGRAM to enter Program mode Turn the unit off While holding down both Quad Buttons 1 and 4 turn on the power The QuadraSynth Plus will come on showing Program 00 with the EDITED flag showing in the display This is the Program M ode edit buffer set to the default settings Re initializing will also reset all Global parameters to their default settings and will initialize all edit buffers so that all
113. l the outputs of Pitch 1 Delay 1 and Reverb 1 to the main outputs The Mix parameter controls how much an effect block feeds directly to the main outputs but doesn t control how much it feeds to any other blocks that may follow it For example when Pitch 1 s Mix control is set to 0 it is still available as an input to Delay 1 and Reverb 1 Think of the Mix function in the QuadraSynth Plus s effects section as being similar to the effect return control on a mixing console For example if Effect Send 1 s Mix Reverb Output parameter is set to 0 you won t be able to hear reverb regardless of how much input you feed it from any of the effect buses QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 136 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Configuration 2 4 Sends 2 Reverb MUA LEFT ALEC LEFT ALD RIGHT MAE RH NAA LEFT 1 Fab Bao MAA RIH T Frs BEd Delay 1Pitch 1 Reverb 1 Mono delay Mono chorus Plate1 Stereo chorus Plate 2 Room Hall Large Gate Reverse Reverb 2 Level to Reverb 1 Pitch 3 Reverb 3 Mono chorus Plate 1l Plate 2 Room Hall Large Gate Reverse Reverb 4 Reverb 4 Level to Reverb 3 This Configuration differs from Configuration 1 in many ways In this Configuration there is only one Delay effect two Pitch effects and two Reverb effects Effect send 1is routed through the mono Delay then a stereo Pitch effect and finally a stereo Reverb effect Send 2 has no effects of its own but
114. layed However the velocity point at which these sounds change is fixed and cannot be altered If you want to create your own velocity crossfading Program assign the single sample versions of the same samples BrtRhdsVel is made up of BrtRhdsH rd and BrtRhdsSft to two or more sounds then use the appropriate velocity curves for each sound in a three way velocity split sound 1 would use curve 1 of 3 sound 2 would use curve 2 of 3 whilesound 3 would use 3 of 3 Ltn INYtRIED MAIUM TA CIR NIZI 99 4 ti ay L LI bol t tt vt E E L L i OHHH H tee VELOC my tn D emame SpE He gt HH 4a OHH E gt OH 4 MELOCI 127 VELOC IY zi DIE SIN 0 ELOT Im 12r JDF4 ET E OTA Ce eee 127 n VELOC IY 127 VELOCITY 127 a rmamr rm me Stott tpt te tH Z ji a o gt HHHH gt 5 a ri Aftertouch Depth 99 to 99 At 00 aftertouch has no effect on the amplitude Applying aftertouch with this parameter set to a positive value raises the amplitude conversely applying aftertouch with a negative value will make the sound softer the harder you press The QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 88 Editing Programs Chapter 6 higher the number either positive or negative the greater the effect for a given amount of aftertouch Tip Use aftertouch to swell the amplitude of brass and horn parts
115. ll be unaltered Use Quad Knob 4 to select the drum 1 10 you wish to edit Filter Velocity gt Filter 0 to 3 The Filter function lets you control the brightness of the selected drum by modulating the filter frequency with velocity Use Quad Knob 1 to set the Velocity gt Filter parameter O 3 When set to 3 playing the associated note will resultin a brighter sound more high frequencies while playing softer will result in a duller sound less high frequencies When this parameter is set to 0 velocity will have no affect on the filter Use Quad Knob 4 to select a drum 1 10 to edit Amp Velocity Curve 13 choices Quad Knob 1 in the Amp function lets you select one of 13 velocity curves This determines how the drum will respond to the dynamics of your playing the keyboard Use Quad Knob 4 to select the drum 1 10 you wish to edit QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 122 Editing Programs Chapter 6 A LINEAR curve is the norm whereby the increase in level is equal to the increase in velocity the velocity values increase as you play harder Many of the Velocity Curves make up sets to be used by 2 3 or 4drums in order to facilitate velocity crossfading whereby a different drum is played depending on how hard or soft the keyboard is played However each drum must be in a different sound layer of the Program in order to be stacked on the same note If you want to create your own velocity cross
116. log Kit Brush Kit Tribal Kit Percus Tympani TbularBell Orch Combo Agogo Bongo Cabasa Castanet Clave Conga Hit Conga Slap Cowbel FingerSnap Guiro Long GuiroShort Hand Clap Log Drum Maracas Shaker ShortWhstl Tambourine Timbale Triangle TriangleMt Vibrasmack Wood Block Rhythm PsiBeat 1 PsiBeat 2 PsiBeat 3 PsiBeat 4 PsiBeat 5 Kick Loop1 Kick Loop2 Kick Loop3 Kick Loop4 Kick Loop5 SnareLoop1 SnareLoop2 SnareLoop3 Backbeat CIlsdHH Loop OpenHHLoop1 OpenH HLoop2 FootHH Loop Ride Loop Ride Loop2 Ride Loop3 Tick Talk Swingset Bongo Loop BlockLoop1 BlockLoop2 BlockLoop3 HiTriLpHd HiTriLpSf LoTriLpHd LoTriLpSf Tamb Loop1 Tamb Loop2 ShakerLoop ShuflShakr PopperLoop BottleLoop Motor MiniNoizLp HvyMetalLp Machine Lp Kah Loop Bass Loop SynBass Lp QSPlus Piano L Piano R BritePno1L BritePno1R DarkPnol L DarkPno1R PnoKnock L PnoKnock R Piano Trem El Piano1 El Piano2 Drawbars Perc Organ Pipe Organ Clavinet Varimba Fretless BritePno2L BritePno2R DarkPno2 L DarkPno2 R BritePno3L BritePno3R DarkPno3 L DarkPno3R TapPiano L TapPiano R El Spinet1 El Spinet2 Toy Pno L Toy Pno R KeyTrack1 KeyTrack2 Stretch L Stretch R Analog Pad Level Each sound in a program can have its own level pan position and output assignment With up to four sounds per program this allows for a wide variety of stereo effects and level balances between the sounds Volume 0
117. m input will anything other than 0 come out of the Tracking generator You can patch the Mod Whed somewhere else in addition to the Tracking Generator giving you gradual control of one function with the full range of the Mod Wheel while switching on a second function only at the top of the wheel However the Tracking Generator interpolates between steps this is sort of like playing connect the dots In other words the Tracking Generator does not step directly from one point to the next but ramps from point to point Input In Page 1 of the TRACK function Quad Knob 1 selects the input of the Tracking Generator Note Number e Velocity Release Velocity Aftertouch Poly Pressure Mod Wheel Pitch Wheel MIDI Volume Sustain Pedal Pedal 1 Pedal 2 PLFO FLFO ALFO PENV FENV AENV Random Trig Rate Cont A D QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 118 Editing Programs Chapter 6 For detailed descriptions of each of these sources see the section Modulation Source in the Mod section on pages 67 69 Points 0 10 00 100 Quad Knobs 2 3 and 4 in page 1 of the TRACK function control the levels of points 0 2 Points 3 6 are found on page 2 while points 7 10 are on page 3 Name The Name Function allows you to change the Program s name The Program name can be up to 10 characters long Use the PAGE and buttons to position the cu
118. m the sustain level back down to nothing Setting the Release time to 0 is good for playing those short funky riffs that you hear on a clavinet Setting the Release time to 99 will take the envelope a very long time to reach zero level Amp Envelope Page 2 Delay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything very useful if you want to affect one element of asound sometime after the sound starts When the Delay is set to 0 the envelope attacks right away without any delay Play some notes while turning up the delay and see that the time between playing the note and hearing the effect of the Amp Envelope gets progressively longer as the Delay control is turned up If the Delay is set above 99 the display will read Hold This indicates that the Delay stage of the envelope will wait indefinitely until the key is released before continuing on to the remaining envelope stages Attack Decay etc This requires that the Amp Envelope s Trigger parameter See next page is set to Freerun However when the Delay is set to Hold QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 114 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Freerun modeis forced on regardless of the Trigger parameter s setting Sustain D ecay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that the envelope will take during the sustain stage to bring the level down to O If this is set to 99 the envelope will remain at the Sustain
119. more Mixes in the Bank you are transferring which use Programs already on the Card Example Let s say Mix 00 in the User Bank uses a Program that s located in Card Bank 1 If the User Bank is transferred to the Card Bank 1 the result will be that M ix 00 in Card Bank 1 now uses only Programs from Card Bank 1 If later you transfer the entire Bank back into the QuadraSynth Plus you will find that Mix 00 no longer uses the Program on the Card as it was originally programmed to Here s a few ways to avoid this problem First always transfer to a Card Bank that does not include any Programs used by the Mixes in the Bank you are transferring from In other words if we transferred the Bank into Card Bank 2 we would not have a problem since the Mix would still be using the Program in Card Bank 1 When this Bank is transferred back to the QuadraSynth the Mix will still use the Program in Card Bank 1 Another way to avoid this problem is to transfer the Bank to a Card Bank and then immediately store the individual Mix onto the Card by itself When a Mix is stored individually to a Card it is not modified in any way i e if it used Programs in the internal Banks it will still use them even though the Mix and its Programs are in two different locations the Mix is on the Card but the Programs it uses are stored in the internal Banks Finally you could avoid this situation by always making sure your Mixes use only Programs located in the same Ba
120. n Sometimes it is desirable to have modulation come in a moment or two after a note has been played rather than starting instantly The higher the value the slower the LFO fades in Trigger M ono Poly Key M ono Key Poly The Trigger parameter determines how the LFO should be triggered or started There are four possible settings Mono QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 102 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Poly Key Mono and Key Poly A description of these settings is found in the Trigger section of the PLFO description on page 67 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 103 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Amp LFO Page 2 Level 00 to 99 This is the base output level of the Amp LFO If you want to have a constant value of tremolo even without using the Mod Wheel or Aftertouch set LEVEL above 00 The Mod Wheel and Aftertouch will add or subtract from this base level Example If Level is set to 10 and the Mod Whee parameter is set to 10 there will always be some tremolo and raising the Mod Whee will add more tremolo On the other hand if the Mod Wheel parameter is set to 10 raising the Mod Wheel to the top will cancel out all tremolo Mod Wheel 99 to 99 This is the modulation amount of the Mod Wheel over the Amp LFO s Level A positive value raises the level when the Mod Wheel is moved up and lowers the level when moved down Negative settings of this parameter will decrease the output level of the
121. n scroll through by using the PAGE and buttons Each page in Store mode provides a different type of storage copy or data transfer function When storing edited Mixes or Programs into the User Bank or aRAM Card Bank you will use the first page of Store mode for more information about the other pages of Store mode see Chapter 9 If you press STORE whilein Mix Play Mode the display will look like this i ram ort ot LI ISZ Fa MEST TJE m l COLL IE CCZ min u rnn mom Once you have edited a Mix a Program or an Effect the word EDITED will appear in the display If this word appears next to the Mix Number the Mix has been edited if it appears next to the Program N umber the Program has been edited if it appears next to the Effect Number the Effect has been edited Each edit mode type requires its own store operation For example if while making anew Mix you also make changes within one of the Programs such as lowering the filter level you must use the Store command separately from Mix Edit and Program Edit or Effect Edit in order to save your work N ote When using the Store command from Effect Edit M ode the associated Program is stored This is because Effects are stored within their respective Programs If you select a different Mix whilein Mix Edit mode or a different Program in Program Edit mode you will lose all changes you have made unless you perform a store first DI You can o
122. n the selected Configuration and which effect send you are editing Normally there will only be one parameter Pitch Type However in the case of Configuration 2 a second parameter Delay Input is also available Pitch Type The Pitch Type function allows access to 6 pitch altering modes The Pitch types available are Mono Chorus Stereo Chorus Mono Flange Stereo Flange Pitch Detune and Resonator Although some of these effects can sound similar to one another depending on the parameter settings each is achieved differently and can be quite dramatic under the right circumstances Pitch effects are achieved by splitting the signal into two parts effecting the pitch of one of the parts then mixing them back together This eventual mixing is essential since the overall sound of the effect is achieved by the actual difference between the normal uneffected signal and the effected signal So that you can better understand the differences between the Pitch type effects and therefore better apply them to your music here is a brief explanation of each Mono Chorus The Chorus effect is achieved by taking part of the signal slightly delaying it and then slightly detuning it as well The detuning is further effected by being modulated by an LFO which causes the detuning to vary Many variables are available in this scheme The LFO depth can be varied the LFO speed can be varied and a portion of the detuned signal can be fed back to the inp
123. n the original uneffected signal and the overdriven signal When set to 99 gt OVRD only the overdriven effect is heard N ote The CLIP indictator is disabled when configuration 5 is selected QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 163 Editing Effects Chapter 7 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 164 Global Settings Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8 GLOBAL SETTINGS Global Edit Mode is where you will find several parameters which affect the entire instrument such as overall master tuning display contrast controller settings keyboard mode edit mode and the 48 kHz input Editing Global Parameters Press the GLOBAL button The display will changeto Global Edit M ode page 1 The total number of pages seven is indicated in thelower left corner of the display The currently selected page number will be underlined g There are four parameters available for editing in Global Edit Page 1 e Quad Knob 1 controls the display contrast e Quad Knob 2 enables General MIDI M ode and recalls M ix 00 of Preset Bank 4 Quad Knob 3 controls the transposition or pitch of the keyboard Quad Knob 4 controls the instrument s overall master tuning 0 Use the PAGE and buttons to scroll through the 7 pages of Global Mode The following sections describe in detail each of the parameters found in the seven Global Edit M ode pages LCD Contrast In Page 1 of Global Edit Mode Quad Knob 1 adju
124. nding on the effect chosen However the Mod Destinations retain their names Example If the Resonator is the Pitch effect the Pitch Speed Modulation Destination controls the first parameter in the Resonator Tuning Mod Level The Mod level is the amount that the Destination parameter will be affected by the Mod Source Use Quad Knob 3 to affect the Destination parameter by a positive or negative amount Example If the Reverb Decay was selected as the Destination with the mod wheel as the Source the mod wheel could be programmed to cause the Reverb to increase the decay positive or decrease the decay negative Mix Not to be confused with an actual Mix or Mix mode the Effect s Mix function is where you can mix the various signal levels of all the effects to the Main Left and Right outputs of the QuadraSynth Plus Only effect modules that have access to the Main outputs will appear on the Mix page There is a separate Mix page for each of the four effect busses whose effect modules feed the main output N ote that the Mix page doesn t control how much the individual effect modules feed to each other only how much they feed to the Main outputs Depending on the selected Configuration the order of the effects will differ for example in Configuration 1 the order reads Pitch Delay Reverb but in Configuration 2 the order is Delay Pitch Reverb Pitch Level Adjusting this value will cause the Pitch Output Level to increase or
125. ne will appear above any active MIDI channels as you play notes or send notes to the QuadraSynth Plus from a sequencer on those channels Range Page 1 Lower Limit MIDI note 000 to 127 C 2 to G8 Specifies the lowest note of the sound s keyboard range You can set the lower limit by holding Quad Switch 1 and tapping the key on the keyboard you want to set as the lowest note in the range High Limit MIDI note 000 to 127 C 2 to G 8 Specifies the highest note of the sound s keyboard range You can set the high limit by holding Quad Switch 2 and tapping the key on the keyboard you want to set as the highest note in the range DI If the lower limit is set above the high limit there will be no sound from this program layer QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 63 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 GuocraSnth keybord Range 2 2 C21 CD CI 22 03 4 Ch C OF Cas Program Sound Range QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 64 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 Range Page 2 MIDI In On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channe will respond to incoming MIDI messages MIDI Out On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channel will transmit MIDI messages Keyboard On or Off This determines whether or not the selected channel will respond to the keyboard pitch bend and mod wheels foot pedals and sustain pedal of the QuadraSynth Plus itself Range Page 3 The following four param
126. ng Programs Chapter 6 Each of the 10 drums in asound can have its own level pan position and output assignment The Level function provides these controls Use Quad Knob 1 to adjust the selected drum s level 00 to 99 Quad Knob 2 to adjust pan position lt 3 to gt 3 and Quad Knob 3 to select the Output assignment Main Aux or Off Use Quad Knob 4 to select the drum 1 10 you wish to edit To send a drum to an individual output use Output in conjunction with Pan Example Panning a drum full left and selecting the A ux outputs means that the drum will appear at only the left Aux output Effects Level The Effects Level function determines how much of the selected drum is being routed to the effects processor and on which bus Quad Knob 1 adjusts the Effect Send level 00 to 99 and Quad Knob 2 selects the Effects Bus 1 2 3 or 4 Use Quad Knob 4 to select the drum 1 10 you wish to edit Pitch Pitch 12 00 to 12 00 The Pitch function lets you transpose the selected drum up or down one octave in micro step 1 4th of a half step increments and lets you modulate the drum s pitch with velocity Quad Knob 1 determines the tuning of the selected drum 12 00 Use Quad Knob 2 to select how much you wish velocity to affect the selected drum s tuning 0 7 When this value is set to 7 the drum will be played sharp when the associated note is played hard when played soft the drum s tuning wi
127. ng VALUE a will disable sound 1 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 120 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Programming Drum Sounds To program a sound in Drum Mode you must first enable Drum Mode for that particular sound in the Misc Function see previous section Quad Knob 4 is always used to select a Drum 1 10 regardless of which Function or Page is selected except Effect Name and Misc For an explanation of the basics of Drum Mode see page 56 DI When using Edit 4 mode sounds using Drum M odewill be unavailable for editing only sounds not in Drum M ode will be editable in the bargraph display If a sound is in Drum mode the display will show drmX whereby X is the sound number 1 4 If you enable Drum Mode for a sound while in Edit 4 mode the QuadraSynth Plus will automatically switch to Edit 1 mode for that layer Assign Voice The Assign Voice function is where you choose the particular sample for the selected drum 1 10 Similar to thenormal Assign Voice function sounds are divided into groups A fter selecting the group using Quad Knob 1 you then select the sample within the group using Quad Knob 2 Hereis a chart listing the various drum samples in their respective groups Group Voice Kick Stab Kick Deep Kick Spike Kick Flap Kick GarageKick PillowKic Elect Kick Snare Studio Snr TurboSnare PiccoloSnr Crisp Snr Power Snr Dance Snr
128. ngs 113 Editing Global Parameters 113 LCD Contrast 113 General MIDI Mode 113 Enabling General MIDI Modevia MIDI 113 Master Pitch and Master Tuning 114 Keyboard Sensitivity 114 Keyboard Curve 114 Keyboard Transpose 114 Keyboard Model14 Controllers A D 115 Reset Controllers A D 115 Controllers A DMode115 Pedal 1 and 2 Assignment 116 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual Index Using Pedals to Control Volume or Modulation 116 MIDI Program Select 116 Receiving and Transmitting Bank Change M essage 117 Edit Mode 118 48 KHz Clock Input 118 9 MIDI Transfer And Storage Operations 119 Saving the User Bank to an External Card 119 Loading a Bank from an External Card 119 Storing an Individual Program or Mix to an External Card 120 Loading an Individual Program or Mix from an External Card 120 Card Storage RA Mifications 121 Saving Programs via MIDI Sys Ex 121 Appendix A Trouble Shooting 123 Trouble Shooting Index 123 Reinitializing 123 Checking Software Version 124 Maintenance Service 124 Cleaning 124 Maintenance 124 Warranty Information 124 Obtaining Repair Service 124 Appendix B MIDI Supplement 127 MIDI Basics 127 MIDI Hardware127 MIDI Message Basics 128 Channel M essages Mode M essages 128 Channel M essages Voice M essages 128 System Common M essages 130 General MIDI 130 MIDI Implementation Chart 132 Appendix C Parameters Index 133 Program Parameters 133 Mix Parameters 135 Appendix D W
129. nk it is stored in This could mean individually storing some Programs from a RAM Card into one of the internal Banks Although this is very limiting it makes things much simpler in the long run Saving Programs via MIDI Sys Ex Asan alternative to storing data to a card the QuadraSynth Plus lets you transmit internal data via MIDI System Exclusive messages This data can be sent to a storage device or recorded into aMIDI sequencer or sent to another QuadraSynth Plus or S4 You have a choice of sending any single Program in the User bank 00 to 127 or what isin the current Program Edit buffer or what isin any of the 16 Mix Edit Program buffers or the entire User bank 100 Mixes 128 Programs 128 Effects Patches plus Global data In the case of sending data to another QuadraSynth Plus you can send any individual Program to the same location or any other location in the receiving QuadraSynth Plus including any of its 17 Program Edit buffers QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 174 MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations Chapter 9 To send the entire User bank viaMIDI 10 Connect a MIDI cable from the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI Out to the MIDI In of a device capable of receiving the data S4 another QuadraSynth Plus etc Press STORE Use either PAGE or to select Page 3 of the Store function Turn Quad Knob 1 to the right until the upper right display reads SEND_ALL TO MIDI Press STORE to
130. nly store M ixes Programs and Effects into their respective U ser banks The Preset banks are permanently stored in ROM and cannot he saved over Store a Program While in either Program Play Mode or Program Edit mode after making your edits press the STORE button Select the memory Bank and location to which you want to store the Program using Quad Knobs 1 and 2 respectively Ifno RAM Card is inserted you will only be able to select the U ser Bank DI Don t usethe DIRECT SELECT 1 0 buttons D oing so will result in recalling a different Program and you will lose your changes QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 50 Overview Chapter 4 Press STORE again to complete the operation Or Press any other button to cancel out of the Store operation without storing QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 51 Overview Chapter 4 Copying Effects Between Programs Follow the steps below to copy the Effects from one Program to another Program in the User Bank 10 Press PROGRAM to select Program Play Mode DL Use the VALUE and buttons to select the Program Number that uses the Effects you want to copy If necessary use the FUNCTION and buttons to select a different Bank Press STORE Press PAGE once to advance to Page 2 The top right section of the display will read COPY TO SOUND 1 Turn Quad Knob 1 clockwise until the display reads COPY FROM EFF
131. non linear curve using the velocity example above you can scale the velocity s control over the sound s volume just the way you want When selecting the Tracking Generator as a modulation source in the Mod Function these two choices will be available When TRA CKGEN is selected as the modulation source the Tracking Generator functions normally scaling its input as determined by its parameter settings When STEPTRACK is selected as a modulation source the Tracking Generator s output will be stepped or interpolated This means that instead of scaling the input linearly from point to point the input is kept at each point s value setting until it goes beyond the following point s value setting at which point it jumps to that setting This feature is very useful in creating mini sequences if the modulation destination is set to Pitch and the Tracking Generator s input is an LFO using an Up Sawtooth as its waveform QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 117 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Tip The Tracking Generator can be used to turn a variable control such as the Mod Wheel or velocity into a switch by setting all of the points to 0 except for point 10 Only near the maximu
132. nternal Programs 14 Selecting Banks 14 Selecting the MIDI Channel 14 Realtime Performance Functions 15 The Quad Knobs 15 Auditioning Mix Play Mode 16 Selecting Banks 16 EditingaMix 17 Setting the Effects Level 18 3 Connections 19 Basic MIDI Hookup 19 Example 1 Master Controller for Live Use 20 Example 2 Using an External Sequencer 21 About the Keyboard Mode 22 Pedal and Footswitch Hookup 22 Digital Audio Optical Hookup 23 Recording Digital Audio 23 48 kHz Clock In23 4 Overview 25 Basic Architecture 25 QuadraSynth Plus Polyphony 25 Modes 26 Program Play Mode 26 Mix Play Mode 26 Program EditMode 26 Mix Edit Mode 27 Effects Edit Mode 27 Global Edit Mode 27 Store Mode 27 Compare M ode 27 The User Interface Display Functions Pages and Parameters 28 About the Display 28 MIDI Buttons 29 Quad Knob Editing 29 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 5 Index Parameter Editing 29 Direct Function Selection 31 Editing Program Parameters 31 Edit 4 and Edit 1 Modes 32 Resetting a Parameter Value 32 Comparing Edited and Stored Versions 33 Preset Memory and User Memory 33 Storing 34 Store a Program34 Copying Effects Between Programs 35 Store an Effect 35 Store a Mix 35 To Audition Programs Before Storing 36 5 Editing Mixes 39 What isa Mix 39 Mix Edit Mode 39 Understanding the Edit Buffers 40 Program Assign for each MIDI Channe 41 Level Setting for Each Program 41 Pitch 42 Setting the
133. nth Plus s overall Master Tuning 99 to 99 up or down 1 2 step Adjust this parameter when tuning the QuadraSynth Plus to other instruments These parameters have no effect on drum sounds the Range settings or MIDI Out Keyboard Sensitivity In Page 2 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 1 adjusts how sensitive the keyboard s velocity will be 00 to 99 When set to 0 the keyboard will not transmit any velocity no matter how hard or soft the keys are played all notes will be treated as having a velocity of 64 right in the middle When set to 99 the keyboard will have maximum sensitivity allowing the greatest difference between soft and loud notes in terms of velocity control Adjust this value to create the ideal sensitivity for your playing style By lowering this value from 99 you limit how loud and soft notes may be played Keyboard Curve In Page 2 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 2 selects the Keyboard Velocity Curve There are three options Weighted Plastic and Maximum When set to weighted the keyboard will have the velocity response of a weighted keyboard This means you will really have to play hard to get the loudest notes When set to plastic the keyboard will have the velocity response of a typical plastic keyboard Plastic is not as sensitive as Weighted therefore playing soft will not result in the same soft notes as Weighted mode produces When set to Maximum no velocity response is available and all notes are given
134. ntroller 0 message with a value of 39 will recall the User Bank N ote Bank change messages will be ignored if General MIDI Mode is enabled so that only Programs within the General MIDI Bank Preset 4 can be recalled via MIDI Program changes QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 170 Global Settings Chapter 8 If the MIDI Program Select parameter is turned On and a new Bank is selected using the BANK and buttons a Bank Change message followed by the appropriate Program Change message will be transmitted out the MIDI Out connector If additionally a new Bank is selected in Mix Play Mode and any Channel s MIDI Out parameter Mix Edit Mode Range Function Page 2 Quad Knob 3 is turned On a Bank Select message followed by the appropriate Program Change will be transmitted out the MIDI Out connector for each of those MIDI Channels Edit Mode The Quad Knobs have two editing modes Immediate and Pass thru When using the Quad Knobs to adjust parameter values you may prefer one mode over the other In Page 6 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 3 determines the Edit Mode of the four Quad Knobs When set to Immediate parameter values jump immediately to the Quad Knob s exact position the moment it is moved When set to Pass thru the Quad Knob must be turned beyond the parameter s current setting before it becomes live and begins adjusting the parameter s value 48 KHz Clock Input In Page
135. oard Track On or Off When off the filter cutoff remains constant across the keyboard Higher notes will be more affected than lower notes since the filter cutoff is comparatively lower for higher notes than lower ones When on the filter frequency tracks the keyboard pitch Therefore if using the filter creates a particular harmonic structure when you play one key playing a different key will shift the filter frequency to maintain the same harmonic structure Velocity 99 to 99 At 00 velocity has no effect on the filter cutoff With positive values playing harder increases the filter cutoff More positive values drive the cutoff frequency higher for a given amount of velocity More negative values drive the cutoff frequency lower for a given amount of velocity Tip Many acoustic instruments such as acoustic guitars sound brighter when you play them more forcefully Adding alittle QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 85 Editing Programs Chapter 6 positive velocity control over the filter can simulate more realistic acoustic sounds QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 86 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Filter Page 2 M odulation Wheel Depth 99 to 99 Determines how moving the modulation wheel affects the filter cutoff frequency Example With positive settings moving the modulation wheel up raises the filter cutoff frequency and moving it down lowers the filter cutoff frequency With negative setting
136. ode In a Mix the QuadraSynth Plus s keyboard may be set up in several ways using the Keyboard M ode parameter found on Page 2 of Global mode You need to determine which way is best for your application The Keyboard Mode parameter determines how the keyboard will function with regard to MIDI in Mix mode The keyboard sends on only one MIDI channel and the sequencer is used to set the MIDI channel of each track Keyboard Mode OUT 1 OUT 16 Or the keyboard is split or layered sending on many MIDI channels at once and the sequencer records each channad onto a different track NORMAL Or the keyboard only sends on one MIDI channel but you change the channel on the QuadraSynth Plus for each separate track on the sequencer CH SOLO In OUT 1 OUT 16 mode you will not hear the QuadraSynth Plus unless your sequencer echoes the MIDI data back to the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI IN This is a way of verifying that the sequencer is set to receive properly Depending on the capabilities of your sequencer it may auto channelize the echoed MIDI back to the QuadraSynth Plus on a different MIDI channel usually the MIDI channel that the selected record track is assigned to In NORMAL or CH SOLO mode the QuadraSynth Plus sounds are internally played from the QuadraSynth Plus keyboard so any echo features of the sequencer should be turned off When using the QuadraSynth Plus with a MIDI sequencer the usual choice for the Keybo
137. of several components including a voice the original sound material which passes through a low pass filter and an amplifier The voice filter and amp modules each have direct modifiers Pitch LFO Filter LFO Amp Envelope which affect how each will function in the Program You can layer these sounds together or divide them into regions of the keyboard or a combination of these things The following diagram illustrates the signal flow within each QuadraSynth Plus Program QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 72 Editing Programs Chapter 6 lt ee S sonate Moa anon Sourocs Weunly UTE urti rosati whei pitt Sound 3 Let s look at each module s function in detail Voice This digitally based oscillator provides the actual raw sounds from the 24 megabyte library of on board samples The oscillator s pitch can be tuned to a fixed frequency or modulated Modulation is the process of varying a parameter dynamically over time the oscillator pitch can be modulated by envelope keyboard pressure pedal LFO and other control sources described later Note that the waveforms in the QuadraSynth Plus are different from those found in samplers or many sample playback units Because the QuadraSynth Plus has its own filter module and amplitude module for each voice the pure waveforms are relatively bright as bright as the original instrument can be and have a constant sustaining amplitude like an
138. of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything very useful if you want to affect one element of asound sometime after the sound starts When the Delay is set to 0 the envelope attacks right away without any delay Play some notes while turning up the delay and see that the time between playing the note and hearing the effect of the Filter Envelope gets progressively longer as the Delay control is turned up If the Delay is set above 99 the display will read Hold This indicates that the Delay stage of the envelope will wait indefinitely until the key is released before continuing on to the remaining envelope stages Attack Decay etc This requires that the Filter Envelope s Trigger parameter see next page is set to Freerun However when the Delay is set to Hold Freerun mode is forced on regardless of the Trigger parameter s setting Sustain D ecay 00 to 99 This is the amount of time that the envelope will take during the sustain stage to bring the level down to 0 If this is set to 99 the envelope will remain at the Sustain level until the note is released This is the normal setting for organ type sounds When set to 0 the envelope s level will immediately jump down to 0 upon reaching the sustai n stage Trigger Normal Freerun Reset Reset Freerun The Trigger mode determines how the envelope will function You may select either Freerun or Reset or both Reset Freerun or neither No
139. onfiguration is a unique arrangement of multiple effect blocks distributed across the four effect sends Some effect sends may have three different effects pitch delay and reverb on them Configurations also determine where the signal to a block comes from and where the output of each block goes to the main outputs the next effect in line or even to an effect block belonging to another effect send The Configuration diagrams on the next six pages provide a crucial road map you ll need to guide you through the many paths that are possible in each configuration Refer to them as you program the effect The five Effect Configurations are Configuration 1 4 Sends 1 Reverb Configuration 2 4 Sends 2 Reverb Configuration 3 4 Sends 1 Lezlie Configuration 4 2 Sends With EQ Configuration 5 OD gt CHS gt DDL gt REV gt LZ The Configuration function is used to select the Configuration for the Effects Patch you are editing Use the FUNCTION and buttons to scroll through the functions in the display until the word CONFIG is underlined The display should look like this from Mix Edit Mode Quad Knob 1 selects the Configuration As you scroll through the various Configu rations each one s name will appear in the upper right section of the display QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 133 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Hereis arun down of the various Configurations QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual
140. organ So if you listen to a piano voice without setting the filter or amp to the correct settings it won t decay after it is hit as you might expect This gives you the freedom to create the timbre and dynamics you want instead of being chained to the parameters of the original sample Lowpass Filter A lowpass filter varies a signal s harmonic content by progressively increasing attenuation above a specified cutoff frequency The higher frequencies are filtered while the lower frequencies are allowed to pass thru When the cutoff frequency is set high the sound becomes brighter when set low the sound becomes bassier since fewer harmonics are present QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 73 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Cubcrt Heguency Frequency Response Cure Di A Fitter gt Amplitude gt Frequency 00 ssp ___e 00 The cutoff parameter changes the frequency at which the high frequency response starts to roll off Lower values give a lower cutoff frequency A value of OO will cut all sound off Static non changing filter settings can be useful but varying the filter cutoff dynamically over time often produces more interesting effects Modulating with velocity produces brighter sounds with louder dynamics which produces a more accurate acoustic instrument simulation Modulating with an envelope can create a pre defined change in harmonic structure such as having a brighter attack and bass
141. ort of artificial ambiance to a recording The sound of a well tuned Plate has become quite popular over the years especially when used on vocal or drum sounds Thetwo Plate reverbs differ in subtle tonal characteristic changes such as those found in different manufacturers plate reverbs Room The Room reverb type simulates not only rooms of different sizes but rooms with different surface materials A room with soft surfaces such as carpet will producea QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 147 Editing Effects Chapter 7 reverberant sound with much less high end treble than a room with hard surfaces This reverb type can easily simulate both examples and many many more Hall Much larger than aroom Halls are characterized by their high ceilings irregular shapes and generally uniform density of reflections Large Much larger than a hall this reverb type emulates large ambient spaces such as amphitheaters gymnasiums etc QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 148 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Gated Gated Reverb is a very popular effect on drums first found on English records in the early 1980s This reverb type can simulate applying a noise gate a device that automatically decreases the volume once the signal falls below a certain level across the output of the reverb thereby causing the initial attack of the reverb to sound very big but the tail of the reverb to be cut off very quickly Although this eff
142. ounds Use Quad Knob 4 to select the drum 1 10 you wish to edit QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 124 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Copying Sounds While editing a Program it is helpful to be able to copy a sound to another sound in either the same Program or a different Program especially if you are building a split or layered Program This can be done very easily from within the Store function To copy asound to another sound in the same Program or to the same sound in a different Program From Program Edit mode press STORE Press PAGE to select Page 2 of the Store function Use Quad Knob 1 to select which sound 1 4 in the currently selected Program to copy from Use Quad Knob 2 to select which sound 1 4 in the currently selected Program to copy to or to select which Program 0 127 to copy to The selected sound will be copied into the same sound location in the selected Program If you select to copy sound 2 to Program 45 thesound will be copied into sound 2 of Program 45 Press STORE to copy the sound Copying Effects While editing a Program it is helpful to be able to copy the Effects Patch from a different Program This can be done very easily from within the Store function DI Be sure to save your changes to the edited Program before going to a new Program Otherwise all your changes will be lost To copy the Effects Patch from a Program to another Program Recal
143. output or Pitch effects input The Reverb effect has two inputs which can be mixed together The first input can come from the Pitch effect s output or the Delay effect s output The second input can come from either Sends 1 2 30r 4 or the Overdrive effect s output or the Delay effect s input The Lezlie effect found in the Pitch Function Page 4 has two inputs which can be mixed together The first input can come from the De ay effect s output or the Reverb effect s output The second input can come from either Sends 1 2 30r 4 or the Overdrive effect s output or the Pitch effect s input or output or the Delay effect s input or the Reverb effect s input The outputs of all these effects are routed back to the Main Outputs and sent through the shelving EQ effect found in the Misc Function Page 4 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 142 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Reverb Reverb can be thought of as a great number of distinct echoes called reflections that occur so fast that our ear hears them blurred together as one In nature different sized spaces give distinctly different sounding reverbs depending on the size and shape of the space and the texture of surfaces that the reflections bounce off of The various parameters in the effects processor make it possible to simulate nearly any natural reverberant space that can be imagined and a few artificial ones as well Reverb Page 1 mpn a
144. output than notes played soft When se to 0 note velocity will have no effect on the envelope s output level Filter Envelope Filter Envelope Page 1 Filter Envelope is crucial whenever you want the tonal quality of a note to change over time differently from its overall level Example When you want the initial attack of a note to be bright but want the sustaining part to be filtered DI The following Filter Envelope variables will only have any effect if the FILTER ENVELOPE DEPTH on Page2 of theFILTER function is set to a value other than 0 or Filter Envelope is a source in theM OD function Also notethat the Filter Envelope may have no effect if some other modulation source or the basic setting of the filter has already pushed the filter cutoff frequency to its maximum Attack 00 to 99 This is the amount of time the envelope will take until it reaches its maximum output level Setting the Attack to 0 will givea sharp edge to the sound if the Delay is also set to Oin FENV Page 2 see below a setting of 99 will result in a much slower attack taking many seconds before the envelope gets to maximum Decay amp Sustain 00 to 99 Assoon as the attack portion of the envelope finishes when the level reaches maximum the envelope will decay decrease in level The level it reaches is set by the Sustain control how long it takes to get there is set by the Decay control In the special case where the Sustain level is all the
145. ow fast notes are being played on the keyboard For example if routed to the Effect send of a Program you could automatically have more effect when playing slowly and less effect when playing quickly Controllers A B C D Four incoming MIDI controllers can be recognized by the QuadraSynth Plus and used as modulation sources These controllers are assigned as A D in Global M ode see Chapter 8 In Program Play M ode and Mix Play Mode the four Quad Knobs can be used to control these directly Tracking Generator This accepts the output of a signal processed by the Tracking Generator module see page 81 Stepped Tracking Generator This accepts the output of a signal processed by the Tracking Generator module in stepped mode see page 81 M odulation D estination Quad Knob 2 selects one of several modulation destinations You can find out more about these parameters and how they affect the sound in their respective sections for example to learn how Pitch Envelope Attack affects the sound see page 72 on Pitch Envelopes e Pitch e Filter Cutoff e Amplitude Effect Send PLFO Speed PLFO Amp PLFO Delay PENV Delay PENV Attack PENV Decay e PENV Sustain Decay e PENV Release PENV Amp FLFO Speed FLFO Amp FLFO Delay FENV Delay FENV Attack FENV Decay FENV Sustain Decay FENV Release FENV Amp ALFO Speed ALFO Amp ALFO Delay AEnvelope Delay A Envelope Att
146. panel to directly select a Function to edit Press FUNCTION to move toward the end of thelist and FUNCTION to move back toward the beginning The selected function will be underlined in the display Press both FUNCTION and simultaneously to get back to the first function in the list If afunction has multiple pages select the appropriate page by using the PAGE and buttons TheLCD s page number strip shows the number of pages in a function an underline shows the currently selected page eg if the display shows 1 2 3 then page two is selected Press the PAGE button to select the next higher numbered page and PAGE to select the next lower numbered page Press both PAGE and simultaneously to get back to the first page of the selected function Select a parameter on the page for editing There can be up to four editable parameters on a page The right side of the display shows these parameters with both text and bar graph meters to give instant visual feedback concerning a parameter s value Each of the four columns has an associated Quad Knob and Button the leftmost column monitors Quad Knob Button 1 the second from left column monitors Quad Knob Button 2 etc Turning a Quad Knob or pressing its Button selects the associated parameter for editing The currently selected parameter is indicated by a thick line at the bottom of one of the four bar graph meters Change the param
147. pani as the voice that single drum sound will sound across the keyboard range with a different pitch on each note the original sample pitch will appear on C3 However Drum Mode changes the nature of the ASSIGN VOICE function allowing you to make up your own drum kit from a selection of over 80 different samples 7 kicks 8 snares 4 hi hats 14 toms 5 cymbals 31 percussion 17 percussion effects and 3 synth waves Plus there are 44 rhythm beats to choose from pre sequenced drum grooves You can map any of these samples to any note on the keyboard that does not already havea drum assigned to it in that layer When a sound is in Drum Mode you can assign 10 different drum sounds to 10 different keys in that layer If all four sounds in a Program are placed in Drum Mode you could assemble 40 drum sounds In Drum mode individual drums cannot be stretched across a wide range of the keyboard each occupies up to 4 keys Each of the 10 drum sounds has its own set of parameters in each of the functions in the display Pitch Filter Range Effects Level etc You can use Quad Knob 4 in each Function page to select which one of the 10 drum sounds to edit Hereis a block diagram of a sound in Drum Mode QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 77 Editing Programs Chapter 6 lines Drum fonte CNIT Drum2 n e PAAAAAAANAAAAAAPAANARARAAAARAAAAPAANAAAAAAAAAAARAAAARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN
148. permanent memory In Program Play Mode the QuadraSynth Plus responds to or generates messages on a single MIDI channel Mix Play Mode Mix Play Modelets you audition the QuadraSynth Plus s various Mixes and use it as a MIDI master controller The QuadraSynth Plus contains 400 Preset Mixes and 100 User Mixes A Mix can combine up to 16 different Programs and the keyboard can generate up to 16 channels of MIDI data at once Therefore much thicker and richly textured sounds can be created In Mix Play Mode the QuadraSynth Plus can be used in a wide range of applications It can be used for live performance in which sounds are layered or assigned to sections of the keyboard It can also be used as a multitimbral sound source for desktop music and home studio applications A Mix can use the Effects Patch associated with one of its Programs Although there may be 16 Programs in a Mix there can only be one Effects Patch per Mix In Mix Mode the QuadraSynth Plus can respond to messages on up to 16 MIDI channels simul taneously different channels are available depending on which Mix is selected Program Edit Mode In Program Edit Mode you can change the various settings which determine the sound of an individual Program or create an entirely new Program from scratch Each Program is made up of four Sound layers which you can edit individually or simultaneously In Program Edit mode you can select which sample waveform from the 24 megabyt
149. pitch The higher the number either positive or negative the greater the amount of pitch change for a given amount of aftertouch QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 82 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Tip Aftertouch is useful for creating keyboard controlled string bend effects Low settings are good for humanizing synthesized sounds since aftertouch changes can give very slight pitch changes as associated with acoustic instruments Pitch LFO Depth 99 to 99 At 00 the pitch LFO has no effect Higher positive values increase the amount of Pitch LFO modulation N egative values give the same apparent effect but with reversed LFO phase i e if the pitch would normally be increasing with depth set to a positive number the pitch would instead be decreasing at that same moment had the depth been set to a negative number Pitch LFO parameters such as speed and wave shape are programmed within the PLFO Function see page 67 Pitch Envelope Depth 99 to 99 At 00 the pitch envelope has no effect Positive values raise the pitch from the baseline according to the envelope shape while negative values similarly lower the pitch The higher the number negative or positive the greater the effect Pitch Envelope parameters such as attack and decay time are programmed within the PEN V Function see page 71 Positive invealope Megative Eivelop 99 99 0 oO 99 99 TIME te TIME te Pitch Page 3
150. play just before the Program name If aRAM card isinserted use the BANK buttons to select a Card Bank Usethe VALUE and buttons to scroll through the Programs until you find one you wish to overwrite with the new edited Program Take note of the number Press MIX This recalls the edit buffer in M ix M ode which contains your edited Program Press SELECT twice until EDITING PROGRAM appears under the MIX number in the display Press STORE The top line of the display will read STORE PRG UsrXXX wherexX XX isa User Program number from 000 127 Use Quad Knob 2 to select the Program number you noted in step 3 If necessary use Quad Knob 1 to select a Card Bank Press STORE again The Program is now stored At this point your edited Program is stored however the Mix you were auditioning before storing the Program still has the old Program number assigned if the edited Program was saved to a different Program number location Therefore you need to re select the new Program number from within Mix Edit mode 6 Press MIX then SELECT to access Mix Edit mode Usethe MIDI and buttons to select the MIDI channel you want and use the VALUE and buttons or Quad Knob 2 to select the Program number If necessary use Quad Knob 1 to select the Bank QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 56 Overview Chapter 4 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 57 Ed
151. pronounced Detune If the Pitch type is Pitch Detune page 2 will have only this parameter Use Quad Knob 1 to adjust the tuning of the Pitch Detune effect Resonator Tuning and Decay If the Pitch type is Resonator page 2 of the Pitch function will have two parameters Use Quad Knob 1 to adjust the Resonator tuning and Quad Knob 3 to adjust the Resonator Decay QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 158 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Mod The Mod Function lets you control various effects parameters from the various controls on the QuadraSynth Plus keyboard after touch pitch bender etc or from the MIDI input This is extremely useful when dynamic or real time control is required in alive playing situation It is possible to control up to 2 parameters simultaneously The M odulation assignments are saved with the Effects Patch Don t confuse this Mod Function with the M od Function used by the Programs they are independent destinations though they can come from the same source Note Modulating any effect parameter with the exception of chorus speed while audio is passing through it can result in audio artifacts or noises due to discontinuities in the modulation source Selecting the Modulator The are two Modulators You can select between these by using the PAGE and buttons Page 1 displays the parameters of Modulator 1 while page 2 displays the parameters for M odulator 2 Mod Source The Mod Sourc
152. ral parameters Consequently the more parameters an effect has additional pages become available for that function The number of pages the currently selected function has and the current page are always shown in the bottom left of the display Each effect has stereo outputs which may be routed to the Main Left and Right outputs using the Mix function the Aux Left and Right outputs do not use the internal effects processing Selecting Effects in Mix Mode Each Program has its own effects that are recalled when you select a Program However since a Mix can have up to 16 Programs one on each Channel you must select which Channel s Program you wish to use the effects from To select an Effects Patch you must bein Mix Edit Mode by pressing the SELECT button until the correct display appears Usethe FUNCTION and buttons to scroll through the functions in the display until the word EFFECT is underlined then press Quad Button 4 The display should look like this Quad Knob 4 FX CHAN lets you select which Channel 1 16 of the Mix whose Effects Patch you wish to use If you set the Effect Channel to 1 the Mix will use the Effects Patch used by the Program on Channd 1 The Effect Channel is also used to determine what MIDI channel the Effects Patch will be set to for receiving MIDI controller information for the Modulators see the Mod section later in this chapter for more on real time MIDI control Quad Knob 2 tu
153. rams Chapter 6 pitch go to maximum immediately on hitting the key if the Delay is also set to Oin PENV Page 2 see below a setting of 99 will result in a much slower attack taking many seconds before the envelope gets to maximum QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 105 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Decay amp Sustain 00 to 99 Assoon as the attack portion of the envelope finishes when the level reaches maximum the envelope will decay decrease in level The level it reaches is set by the Sustain control how long it takes to get there is set by the Decay control In the special case where the Sustain level is all the way up 99 then there is no decrease and the Decay time segment is bypassed Whatever level the sustain is set to is the level that the decay section of the envelope will head for Depending on the setting of the Sustain Decay control see below the envelope will either hold at the sustain level until you release the note on the keyboard or decay to 0 at the Sustain Decay rate which ison page 2 of the envelope You can create a long plateau at the start of a note by setting the Sustain to 98 and the Decay to 99 This will cause the envelope to take the maximum amount of time to get from peak level to a level of 98 before the Sustain Release portion of the envelope begins Release 00 to 99 Hold Eventually you will let go of the note that you ve been holding either by releasing the note on the k
154. reerun the envelope will start at the beginning whenever a new note is played and will complete its entire cycle even if the note is released in the middle If a sound layer s Keyboard Mode parameter found in the Pitch Function Page 3 Quad Knob 4 is set to Mono the Pitch Envelope will only retrigger when playing legato if the Trigger Mode is set to either Reset or Reset Freerun Pitch Envelope Page 3 Time Tracking On or Off This determines whether or not keyboard position will affect the cycle speed of the envelope When turned on playing toward the higher end of the keyboard will result in a faster envelope cycle playing toward the lower end of the keyboard will result in a slower envelope cycle However this does not effect the attack time but only the decay sustain decay and release segments This feature will result in only a subtle change The envelope s timing doubles or halves over a range of two octaves Sustain Pedal On or Off This determines whether or not the Sustain Pedal will havean effect on the envelope When turned on holding down the Sustain Pedal while playing short notes is virtually the equivalent to holding down those notes on the keyboard with some subtle but important differences If the Delay and Attack are set to 0 and either the Decay is 0 or the Sustain is 99 the envelope will immediately jump to the sustain decay stage if QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 107 Edi
155. ring Effect Patches In Program Mode Effects are an extension of a Program So when you store a Program you store its Effects Patch along with it Once a Program s Effect Patch has been altered the display will show the word EDITED next to the Program number if in Program Mode when editing the Effect Patch in Mix mode the word EDITED will appear next to the Program number only when the Effect Channel is selected This indicates that the current Effect Patch in the edit buffer is different from what is stored in memory for the selected Program While in Effects Edit mode press STORE at any time to go to Store mode Store mode has several pages but the main storing function is found in the first page CTET ppop Leesa STORE FEL er i oT a CUTE BA RCCG ea CSS Y iii i iawii iii i mi i miiie To store the edited Program along with its Effect Patch into the same location it was recalled from simply press STORE again and it will be stored To store the edited Program into a different location use Quad Knob 2 to select a different Program number 000 127 in the User Bank to store it to If a RAM Sound Card is inserted you can use Quad Knob 1 to select a Card Bank to store the Program to Storing Effect Patches in Mix Mode When in Mix Play Mode or Mix Edit Mode the Effect Program number shown in the display is the Program number selected as the Effect Channel Storing the Mix will save this number but will no
156. rmal When set to Normal the envelope will always start at its current level i e if another note had been played which triggered the emvelope s cycle playing another note in the middle would not interrupt the cycle Also in Normal mode the envelope will immediately advance to its release stage upon releasing the note When set to Freerun the envelope will complete its entire cycle even if the note is released in the middle When set to Reset the envelope starts at the beginning whenever a new note is played When set to Reset Freerun the envelope will start at the beginning whenever a new note is played and will complete its entire cycle even if the note is released in the middle If asound layer s Keyboard Mode parameter found in the Pitch Function Page 3 Quad Knob 4 is set to Mono the Filter Envelope will only retrigger when playing legato if the Trigger Mode is set to either Reset or Reset Freerun Filter Envelope Page 3 Time Tracking On or Off QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 111 Editing Programs Chapter 6 This determines whether or not keyboard position will affect the cycle speed of the envelope When turned on playing toward the higher end of the keyboard will result in a faster envelope cycle playing toward the lower end of the keyboard will result in aslower envelope cycle However this does not effect the attack time but only the decay sustain sustain decay and release se
157. rns on and off the FX MIDI function The FX MIDI parameter determines whether or not a program change received on the Effects Channel should only recall a new Program Off or if the Effects of the newly selected Program should be recalled as well On This can be set on or off Usually you would want this off so that the Effects in a Mix do not change even though you may select different Programs for the Effects Channel Setting Effects Send Levels The effect send levels and effect bus assignments are saved as part of a Program from Program Edit Mode or set for each Channe in a Mix from Mix Edit Mode Keep in mind that these are separate from any changes that will be made to the effects settings If you arein Mix Modeand are changing settings in both Mix Edit and Effects Edit modes you will have to STORE both the Program that is on the Effect Channd thus storing its Effects Patch and the selected Mix in QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 128 Editing Effects Chapter 7 order to have your changes renembered and heard the same way in the future The actual arrangement of depth of reverb delay time etc is saved as part of the Effects Edit parameters when a Program is stored It is possible for different Mixes to share the same Effects Patch So keep in mind that when you edit an Effects Patch it may affect the sound of any other Mixes that also use it QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 129 Editing Effec
158. rogram s name appears in the top right The current Bank is shown to the left of the Program name The current MIDI channel is shown in the top left corner left Press the MIX button to select Mix Play Mode In Mix Play Mode the QuadraSynth Plus can combine up to 16 Programs for stacking sounds together splitting the keyboard into different regions or working with a MIDI sequencer The display will look like this QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 18 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 All MIDI channels that are active in the current Mix are shown at the top left to indicate multitimbral operation The current MIX and EFFECT numbers are displayed along with the current Bank and Mix s name The PROGram number display shows the program assigned to the underlined MIDI channel QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 19 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Auditioning Internal Programs Press the PROGRAM button to select Program Play Mode You can now play the QuadraSynth Plus keyboard the Program will be whatever was selected when last in Program mode Program number 00 127 Select a Program using any of these methods Use the 1 and 1 buttons to step through the Programs one at a time Use the 10 and 10 buttons to step through the Programs ten at a time Hold the PROGRAM button and rotate Quad Knob 1 Use the DIRECT SEL
159. rogram changes but want to continue using the same Effects Patch leave this parameter turned off If a program change is received on the Effects Channel and the FX MIDI parameter is off the Program will change to the new number as determined by the program change number that was received and the Effects Patch will also change to a new number However the previous Effects Program will be copied into the Mix s Effects buffer and the word EDITED will appear next to the Effects Patch number This indicates that although the Effects Patch number coincides with the Program number on the Effects Channel the Mix is still using the Effects Program connected to the original Program on the Effects Channe that is stored in the Mix If you store the Mix the newly selected Program on the Effects Channe will be stored with it The next time this Mix is recalled the new Program on the Effects Channd will be recalled along with its Effects which will be different in most cases from the Effects originally used with this Mix If this occurs and you wish to keep the new Program in the Mix you could copy the Effects from the old Program into the new Program see the Store M ode section later in this chapter Or you could adjust the Effects Send level and Effects Bus parameter for the remaining Channels so that their associated Programs sound good with the new Effects Or you could modify the new Program s Effects Naming a Mix The Name func
160. rom Mix Play Mode Editing Mix should appear in the edit status section of the display ee ee Pitas GG Cube RM MICC ERICH Lo iii li TRE intimi dani iiis ime Note This illustration shows a M ix with all 16 MIDI channels enabled If a channd is not enabled its number will not show in the display unless the M IDI cursor is under the number Editing a Mix begins with using the MIDI and buttons to select the MIDI channe you want and assigning a Program number for the channels you want QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 58 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 to use Each channel may be enabled or disabled without changing any of its parameter settings When a channel is disabled its number will not appear in the upper left display except when it is selected for editing You can set levels effect levels and bus assignments pitch transposition keyboard ranges if making a split or layer and MIDI parameters for each individual channad Each function is selected using the FUNCTION and buttons and if necessary the PAGE and buttons A Mix also uses the Effect Patch associated with one of its 16 Programs Here is a simplified diagram of the signal path in Mix mode Understanding the Edit Buffers In Mix mode there are 16 Program edit buffers one for each channel plus another buffer for the Mix parameters Level Pitch Range
161. rsor Quad Knob 1 selects the character Here is a chart of available characters 1 S J amp R FC J fe 10 1 2 3 4 5 6789 lt l gt A B C DIE F G HI JJ KLIMNORPIQRISITIUIVIWIXIY IZ II ES le aib ic idle f jg jh ji j Jk JI imin lo piqir is it uiv Jwyx fy jz 1 Gl e QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 119 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Misc Drum Mode This enables and disables Drum M ode which allows you to assign individual drum sounds to individual keys To Program a sound in Drum Mode refer to the next section Programming Drum Sounds Sound Enable This is the master on off switch for the selected sound 1 4 of the current Program To avoid using up polyphony unnecessarily set Sound Enable to OFF for any sounds that will not be used in a Program When using Edit 4 mode disabled sounds will have the word sndx where x is asound from 1 to 4 appear in lowercase letters above each bar graph meter in the display Active sounds will have the word SNDX appear in uppercase letters Turning sounds off is a convenient way to isolate a particular sound you are editing A quick way to turn asound on and off from anywhere within Program Edit mode is to hold the corresponding Quad Button 1 4 and press VALUE a to disable or VALUE to enable Example Holding Quad Button 1 and pressi
162. s moving the modulation wheel up lowers the filter cutoff frequency and moving it down raises the filter cutoff frequency Aftertouch D epth 99 to 99 At 00 aftertouch has no effect on the filter cutoff frequency Applying aftertouch with this parameter set to a positive value raises the filter cutoff frequency conversely applying aftertouch with a negative value lowers the filter cutoff frequency The higher the number either positive or negative the greater the effect for a given amount of aftertouch Tip Many acoustic instruments sound brighter as you play them more forcefully in particular brass gets brighter as you blow harder Using aftertouch to increase a sound s brightness can give more control and realism with acoustic instruments Filter LFO Depth 99 to 99 At 00 the filter LFO has no effect Higher positive values increase the amount of filter LFO modulation Negative values give the same apparent effect but with reversed LFO phase i e if the filter cutoff frequency would normally be increasing with depth set to a positive number the cutoff would instead be decreasing at that same moment had the depth been set to a negative number Filter LFO parameters such as speed and wave shape are programmed from within the FLFO Function see page 69 Tip Filter LFO is good for giving wah wah effects at slower LFO speeds and for adding shimmering with higher LFO speeds Filter Envelope D epth 99 to 9
163. s and pages in the Reverb function are identical regardless of which Configuration is being used Only page 1is different because of the fewer input choices the Reverb has in this Configuration Send Input Levels If Configuration 1 is selected and you press EDIT 1 to advance to effect send 2 the display will now show you the parameters that represent the signal levels on send 2 going into the Reverb N ote that there is now only 1 page available since the other reverb parameters are found back on effect send 1 Press EDIT 1 again to advance to send 3 and the display will still look the same but now the parameters adjust the signal levels on send 3 going into the Reverb If you press EDIT 1 again and advance to send 4 the display will look like this QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 145 Editing Effects Chapter 7 DI io aL pe LI Carri ihe There are only two parameters Balance and Input Level This is because in Configuration 1 effect send 4 only has a Delay effect and not a Pitch effect like the other effect sends do Quad Knob 1 controls the Balance between the Delay output and the dry effect send signal while Quad Knob 3 controls the overall input level to the Reverb QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 146 Editing Effects Chapter 7 If Configuration 2 is selected and you press EDIT 1 to advance to effect send 2 while the Reverb function is selected the display will look like this
164. s only a Mono Delay effect which may also be routed to Reverb 1 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 140 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Configuration 4 2 Sends with EQ J A LET A FIGHT ALU FIGHT M HLEFT 1 MAM LEFT MAH FIGHT MAIN FIGHT Fa EMD 1 Pitch 1 Delay 1Reverb 1 Misc 1 Mono chorus Monode ay Platel EQ Stereo chorus Stereo delay Plate 2 Mono flange Ping Pong delay Room Stereo flange Hall Pitch detune Large Resonator Gate Reverse Pitch 2 Delay 2Reverb 2 Mono chorus Mono delay Balance and leve Stereo chorus Stereo delay to Reverb 1 Mono flange Ping Pong delay Stereo flange Pitch detune Resonator In this Configuration note that Sends 1 and 2 are identical to that of Configuration 1 However Sends 3 and 4 have been removed In their place we have added a shelving EQ module to the main outputs This means you have bass and treble boost controls for all sounds coming out of the main outputs not just the sounds routed to the Effects Sends DI If you are using Configuration 4 routing any of the Program s Sounds to Send s 3 or 4 will have no effect In other words it s as if you routed channels of your mixing console to effects sends that aren t connected to anything The MISC function is where you access the EQ parameters used in this configuration This can be selected in the same manner as any other function using
165. s pitch bend and aftertouch may transmit on a different set of channel s since they are enabled or disabled independently for each channel of the Mix The MIDI Monitor indicators in the display will show which channels are active CH SOLO In Program Mode this is the same as the NORMAL setting In Mix Mode the only sounds coming from the QuadraSynth Plus and the only MIDI messages will come from the layer or range of the underlined MIDI channel in the display This allows you to isolate individual channels in aMix So if you play in a range of the keyboard that is activeon MIDI CH 1 and 1is underlined you ll hear it All other ranges or layers will not respond to the keyboard they will respond to incoming MIDI messages on their respective channels Use the MIDI and buttons to hear each channel in turn OUT 1 OUT 16 In both Program Mode and Mix Mode the keyboard will transmit on a specific MIDI channel determined by the number setting of this parameter but it will not play the internal sound s Use this mode if you re using a MIDI sequencer with an Echo feature also known as MIDI Thru the sound will be activated by messages appearing at the MIDI IN connector after it s made the round trip through the sequencer This is the QuadraSynth Plus s equivalent to LOCAL OFF Controllers A D Assignment The QuadraSynth Plus allows you to assign up to four general purpose MIDI controllers These MIDI controllers
166. s to step through the Mixes ten at a time Hold the MIX button and rotate Quad Knob 1 Use the DIRECT SELECT 1 0 buttons for direct entry Leading zeroes must be entered for M ixes 0 9 Example Press 0 then 5 for M ix 5 If you start entering a number and change your mind wait a few seconds and the QuadraSynth Plus will revert to the previous M ix number Selecting Banks QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 23 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 The QuadraSynth Plus provides five internal Banks containing 100 Mixes in each The currently selected Bank will be shown in the display just to the left of the currently selected Mix s name Usethe BANK and 2 buttons to select a Bank User Preset 1 4 DI After switching between the Preset and U ser banks press Quad Button 1 to see the name of the M ix in the display again User Memory and Preset Memory are described in detail in Chapter 4 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 24 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Editing a Mix In this section we will assign Programs to and set volume levels for the 16 MIDI channels in a M ix for playing back tracks from a MIDI sequencer However there ismuch more about a Mix that may be edited Refer to Chapter 5 for more about M ix editing Press MIX and select a Mix using one of the three methods described above g Press SELECT The top l
167. sends 1 and 2 arestereo and their types are selectable M ono Chorus Mono Flange or Resonator the Pitch effect on send 3 is mono and can only be used as a Resonator Effect send 4 has no Pitch effect Each of the four sends has its own Delay effect but while the Delay effects on sends 1 and 2 are stereo the Delay effects on sends 3 and 4 are mono Each effect send can be routed through the Reverb Since there is only one Reverb effect it is found in thefirst effect send see next section on Reverb Reverb parameters that set the sound of the reverb itself such as high and low decay reverb type predelay etc are found only when EDITING 1 is displayed However each of the 4 effect sends has controls for how much dry signal and how much effected signal are sent to the Reverb effect Example The Reverb 2 block allows you to send signal to the reverb from four different points in the second effects chain a directly from effects send 2 b the output of Pitch 2 c the input of Delay 2 or d the output of Delay 2 You can even send a combination of these to the reverb But to change any other reverb parameters you must return to editing Reverb 1 Each Pitch Delay and Reverb module has its own independent Mix output level i e how much of their output is routed directly to the Main Left and Right outputs The Mix function is where you determine how the effects will actually be heard Mix 1 for example is where you can contro
168. set to Local or Both Pedal 1 and 2 Assignment Like the MIDI Controllers A D the two footpedal controls Pedal 1 and Pedal 2 can be assigned to a MIDI controller In Page 5 of Global Edit mode you can assign which MIDI controllers Oto 120 that Pedal 1 and Pedal 2 will be transmitted as over MIDI Out Simultaneously if the same MIDI controller is received it will control any modulations that use either Pedal 1 or Pedal 2 Quad Knob 1 selects the controller for Pedal 1 while Quad Knob 3 selects the controller for Pedal 2 DI When recording into a M IDI sequencer be careful not to accidentally assign either P edal 1 or Pedal 2 to a controller which may already be used by another control like M IDI Volume controller 7 or M od Wheel controller 1 Using Pedals to Control Volume or Modulation If either Pedal 1 or Pedal 2 is assigned to Controller 7 Global Edit Mode Page 4 then they will automatically control the volume of any Sounds in a Program and in Mix Mode any Sounds that are controlled by the Keyboard Mix Edit Mode Range Page 2 and have Pedals turned on Mix Edit Mode Range Page 3 Likewise if either Pedal is assigned to Controller 1 then they will automatically function like the Modulation Wheel for any Sound in Program Play Mode and in Mix Play Mode Sounds that are controlled by the Keyboard and have Pedals turned on This isin addition to the fact that the pedals will be sending out MIDI informa
169. sists of up to four sounds These sounds can be layered split over specific keyboard ranges or selectively overlapped The QuadraSynth Plus has a User Bank of 128 Programs that you can modify plus 4 Preset Banks with 512 Preset Programs that are permanently installed in the QuadraSynth Plus at the factory although the Preset Programs can be edited they must be stored into the User bank to permanently retain your changes Each Program is linked to its own Effects Patch A Mix consists of up to 16 Programs each assigned to a specific MIDI channel and one Effect Patch The QuadraSynth Plus has 100 Mixes in the User Bank plus 4 Preset Banks with 400 Preset Mixes This is extremely useful for multitimbral setups where the QuadraSynth Plus plays back different sounds on different MIDI channels Because of the 64 voices and built in effects the QuadraSynth Plus is often the only sound generator needed QuadraSynth Plus Polyphony The QuadraSynth Plus provides 64 voice polyphony i e how many notes can play at once If a program uses one sound up to 64 notes can play at once Layering two sounds allows for 32 note polyphony and layering four sounds 16 note polyphony Layering is a powerful technique that allows you to build up complex timbres This is crucial because acoustic instruments have extremely complex evolving sounds and by comparison many synths sound static Being able to layer up to four sounds allows for creating large ensembles
170. stem Clock Realtime Commands Aux Local On Off X 02 Messages All Notes Off X O ActiveSense X xX Reset x 02 GM On X O 10 X is selectable 2Recognized as ALL NOTES OFF Mode 1 OMNI ON POLY Mode 3 OMNI OFF POLY O Yes Mode 1 OMNI ON MONO Mode 4 OMNI OFF MONO X No QuadraSynth User s Manual 188 Parameters Index Appendix C APPENDIX C PARAMETERS INDEX Program Parameters Quad Pagein Parameter Function Page Knob Manual 2 Aftertouch Depth Amp 1 Aftertouch Depth ALFO e gt E FENV Trigger FENV__ 2 4 5 FENV Velocity Deptht___ ___FENV__ 3 4 5 Filter Frequency Fite 1 1 59 FLFO Delay mro 1 3 6 FLFODepth Fite 2 3 6 FLFOLevi_________ Fro 2 1 6 FLFO Mod Wheel Leva ___FLFO 2 2 70 FLFO Speed Fro 1 2 6 FLFO Trigger Fro 1 4 6 FLFO Waveform_____ Fro 1 1 6 Keyboard Tracking Filter 1 2 59 Keyboard Mode Pitch 3 4 58 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 189 Parameters Index Appendix C Release Pitch PENV Sound Enable Misc Sound Overlap Release Filter FENV Sustain Pedal Filter FENV Sustain Pedal Pitch PENV Sustain Amp AENV Time Track AENV AENV Sustain Pedal Amp AENV Track Points 0 10 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual Quad Knob Page in Manual 7 Page N EH a 2 2 2 70 Ww base g 6 6 6 10 1 Oy Xe
171. sts the LCD Display Contrast 00 to 121 Whenever the GLOBAL button is pressed the display will always revert to Page 1 with the Display Contrast parameter selected This is so that if the display contrast is set too high or too low and is unreadable you can easily adjust it even if you can t see what you re doing General MIDI Mode In Page 1 of Global Edit Mode selecting Quad Button 2 and pressing VALUE enables General MIDI Mode This will immediately take you out of Global Edit Mode and into Mix Mode automatically selecting Mix 00 of Preset Bank 4 For more information about General MIDI refer to the MIDI Supplement in Appendix B Enabling General MIDI Mode via MIDI The QuadraSynth will respond to a universal MIDI Sysex message to turn General MIDI mode on or off Some but not all General MIDI sequences will have a Sysex message at the beginning bar 1 which tells the receiving device to go into its General MIDI mode If this message is sent no matter where you happen to be on the QuadraSynth General QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 165 Global Settings Chapter 8 MIDI mode will be enabled and Mix 00 of Preset Bank 4 will automatically be selected Master Pitch and Master Tuning In Page 1 of Global Edit Mode Quad Knob 3 adjusts the QuadraSynth Plus s overall pitch 12 to 12 up or down an octave Adjust this parameter when you wish to globally transpose all sounds Quad Knob 4 adjusts the QuadraSy
172. t Select Functions are shown in the table below 4 Rane Range Reverb 6 Pith Pith PLFO PENV a eee ee IL ese rl Ca Ses fosse AAFO AEN geezer o sor i Ce ee M o o oo o o Mise Misc Editing Program Parameters Here is an example of how to use the QuadraSynth Plus s editing features to change Program parameters Feel free to make changes and twist dials these will not be made permanent unless you store the Program described later 10 Press the PROGRAM button This selects Program Play M ode g Select a Program using the methods described on page 14 The currently selected Program will appear in the upper right of the display Press the SELECT button Pressing this button toggles between Program Edit mode and Effects Edit mode The display s editing status line will indicate either Editing Program or Editing Effect To change edit status press the SELECT button again For now select Editing Program Select the desired function by using the FUNCTION and buttons to step through the various Function in the display Assign Voice Level Effect Level Pitch Filter Amp etc Alternatively you can use the DIRECT SELECT buttons located on the far left of the front panel to directly select a Function QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 45 Overview Chapter 4 Pressing FUNCTION advances to the next function and FUNCTION e returns to the
173. t of numbers reflecting how you ve programmed the various sound parameters For example when you change the filter cutoff frequency you re not actually messing with a filter you re telling the computer to simulate the effect of messing with a filter Each module is represented by parameters that appear on one or more display pages The Quad Knobs and Buttons change these parameters All patching is done via software so the only patch cords you need are those that go to your mixer or amplifier You can take a snapshot of the QuadraSynth Plus s parameters and save this in memory as a program The QuadraSynth Plus comes with 512 factory preset programs and 128 user editable programs Program Sound Layers The simplest method of programming is to take one voice process it through the filter and amp sections and if desired add some effect to it However more elaborate Programs usually consist of 2 to 4 layers with each layer making its own distinct contribution to the sound for example An organ program with Program Sound 1 set to a sustained organ waveform and Program Sound 2 set to a percussion waveform with a fast decay A piano program with one layer tuned normally and asecond layer tuned an octave higher e A synthesizer program with one layer set to a sharp attack waveform a second layer set to an acoustic waveform and a third layer with a slow attack string waveform This may remind you of Mix Play Mode wher
174. t store any changes you may have made to the Effect Patch itself If STORE is pressed twice while editing a Program that is on the Effect Channel both the Program and its Effects will be stored QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 131 Editing Effects Chapter 7 If STORE is pressed twice while editing a Program that is on a Channel other than the Effect Channel the edited Program will be stored without altering its previous Effects settings If STORE is pressed twice while editing a Mix Mix Edit M ode only the Mix parameters will be stored not the individual Programs or the Effects Patch QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 132 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Copying Effect Patches When you want a Program to use the Effects from a different Program you must copy that other Program s Effects into the Program you are working on This is done within Store M ode using the Copy Effect function First select the Program which contains the Effects you wish to copy A nd of course you can only copy Effects to Programs that are in the User Bank or on a RAM Sound Card Bank For more about copying effects see page 35 Configurations A Configuration is essentially the starting point of any Effects Patch You must select the Configuration you are going to use before making any other edits since all routings and parameters change to their default settings each time you change the configuration Each C
175. tSweep1 FiltSweep2 FiltSweep3 FiltSweep4 FiltSweep5 FiltSweep6 FiltSweep7 FitSweepV 1 FitSweepV2 DigtiStik1 DigtIStik2 DigtlStik3 DigtlStikV AnalogSqr1 AnalogSqr2 AnalogSqr3 AnalogSqr4 AnalogSqrV SyncLead 1 SyncLead 2 SyncLead 3 SyncLead 4 SyncLead 5 SyncLead V MicroPercl MicroPerc2 MicroPerc3 M icroPercV Perc Filt1 Perc Filt2 Perc FiltV Analog Buzz1 AnalogBuzz2 A nalogBuzz3 AnalogBuzz4 Analog Res FM Bell Whistle Wave Pure Sine 10 Pulse 15 Pulse 20 Pulse 25 Pulse 33 Pulse 50 Pulse Velo Pulse Mini Saw Saw Fitr 1 Saw Fitr 2 Saw Fltr 3 Saw Fitr 4 Saw Fltr 5 Saw Fitr 6 Saw Fitr 7 Velo Saw MiniSquare Sqr Fitr 1 Sqr Fitr 2 Sqr Fltr 3 Sqr Fltr 4 Sqr Filtr 5 Sqr Fitr 6 Velo Sqr Mini Peak Mini Tri Tri Fitr 1 Tri Fitr 2 Tri Fitr 3 Tri 4 Velo Tri Rectanglar Rct Fltr 1 Ret Fitr 2 Ret Fltr 3 Ret Fltr 4 Ret Fltr 5 Rect Fitr 6 Ret Fitr 7 Velo Rect Mini Thin Thn Fitr 1 Thn Fitr 2 Thn Fltr 3 Velo Thin HardSync 1 HardSync 2 HardSync 3 HardSync 4 HardSync 5 HardSync 6 HardSync 7 Velo HSync Additive 1 Additive 2 Additive 3 Additive 4 Additive 5 Digital 1 Digital 2 Digital 3 Digital 4 Digital 5 Digital 6 Digital 7 Digital 8 Digital 9 Science 1 Science 2 Science 3 Science 4 Science 5 Science 6 Noise Bass Brite Bass StudioBass Slap Bass Velo Bass Slap w pop Bass Pops Fretless Stik Acoustic Fat Synth SynA coustc FM Bass FilterBass Bass Wavel Bass Wa
176. tches back to the edited version and the word COM PARE disappears from the display QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 40 Overview Chapter 4 The User Interface Display Functions Pages and Parameters The key to the QuadraSynth Plus user interface is the combination of the Display and four Quad Knobs Buttons 1 4 located toward the right of the front panel The Display constantly informs you of the QuadraSynth Plus s status About the Display Fic i Truet Laren Sil ie Note This illustration shows all display flags turned on at once Actual displays show only some of these at any time The display has eight main sections MIDI monitor and selection strip Selects different MIDI channels for the programs in Mix Play Mode a thick underline indicates the selected channel monitors keyboard and incoming MIDI activity thick lines above active channel numbers indicates activity either from the keyboard or MIDI In and chooses the basic MIDI channel in Program Play Mode Current M ix Program and Effect strip Shows the currently selected Mix and or Program and its associated Effect Editing Status Indicates what you are editing either Mix Edit Program Edit or Effects Edit after pressing SELECT 123 4 indicates which Sound 1 4 is selected for editing when in Program Edit mode or which effect send 1 4 is selected for editing when in Effects Edit mode Press EDIT 1
177. th MIDI and buttons simultaneously to select Channe 1 Press the DIRECT SELECT 1 button or both FUNCTION and buttons simultaneously so the words PROGRAM ASSIGN are underlined Turn Quad Knob 1 to the left so that the word USER appears in the top part of the display just before the Program name If aRAM card is inserted use Quad Knob 1 to select a Card Bank Turn Quad Knob 2 to scroll through the Programs until you find one you wish to overwrite with the new edited Program Take a note of the number Press PROGRAM to enter Program Play Mode This recalls the edit buffer in Program M ode which is your edited Program A Press STORE QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 54 Overview Chapter 4 The top right of the display will read STORE PRG UsrXXX whereX XX is a User Program number from 000 127 Use Quad Knob 2 to enter the Program number you noted in step 6 If necessary use Quad Knob 1 to select a Card Bank Press STORE again The Program is now stored QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 55 Overview Chapter 4 To audition Programs before overwriting them with STORE when editing a Program in Mix Edit Mode O While in Mix Program Edit mode press PROGRAM This selects Program Play M ode retaining your edits to the Program in Mix Edit Press the BANK e button until the word USER appears in the top part of the dis
178. th The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Realtime Performance Functions The QuadraSynth Plus provides various ways to control the sound as you are playing Try out some of these functions while playing the keyboard The sound of the effects can also change by using these controllers The effect of these realtime controllers varies from Program to Program in some they may not be active and in others they may have a dramatic effect Velocity The volume and tonal quality of the sound will change according to how hard you play the keyboard Aftertouch The action of pressing a key down after playing it is called aftertouch it is also sometimes referred to as Pressure since it corresponds to the amount of pressure being applied to the keyboard Pitch tone and volume among other things can be changed using aftertouch Pitch Bend Wheel While playing a note you can move the PITCH BEND WHEEL up to raise the pitch or down to lower the pitch The amount of pitch bend available can be different for each Program M odulation Wheel By raising the MODULATION WHEEL you can add expressive modulation effects such as vibrato or tremolo while you play The type of modulation effect can be different for each Program The Quad Knobs These are described below Further expressive control is available with a pedal switch included or expression pedal optional see page 25 By connecting a pedal switch to the SUSTAIN jack on
179. the FUNCTION and buttons The shelving EQ provides bass and treble boost and affects the entire main output QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 141 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Configuration 5 OD gt CHS gt DDL gt REV gt LZ Pitch 1 Delay 1Reverb 1 Misc 1 Monochorus Mono delay Plate1 Overdrive Mono flange Stereo delay Plate2 Resonator Ping Pong delay Room EQ Hall Lezlie Large Gate Reverse This is an all for one Configuration You get six effects all at once and they are all found in the Send 1 section but other sends may be used to access particular parts of the chain Send 1 feeds the Overdrive effect which provides classic distortion The Overdrive output then feeds the Pitch effect The Pitch effect has a second input which can come from either Sends 1 2 3 or 4 These two inputs can be mixed together The Delay effect has two inputs which can be mixed together The first input comes from the Pitch effect s output The second input can come from either Sends 1 2 3 or 4 or the Overdrive effect s
180. the LFO s of each voice may be running at different speeds Key Mono This is identical to MONO but whenever a new note is played the LFO is retriggered instead of continuing from wherever it may be in its cycle Key Poly This is almost identical to POLY but whenever a new note is played the LFO is retriggered instead of continuing from wherever it may be in its cycle Pitch LFO Page 2 Level 00 to 99 This is the base output level of the Pitch LFO If you want to have a constant value of vibrato even without using the Mod Wheel or Aftertouch set LEVEL above 00 The Mod Wheel and Aftertouch will add or subtract from this base level Example If Level is set to 10 and the Mod Wheel parameter is set to 10 there will always be some vibrato and raising the Mod Whee will add more vibrato On the other hand if the Mod Wheel parameter is set to 10 raising the Mod Wheel to the top will cancel out all vibrato Mod Wheel 99 to 99 This is the modulation amount of the Mod Wheel over the Pitch LFO s Level A positive value raises the level when the Mod QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 99 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Wheel is moved up and lowers the level when moved down Negative settings of this parameter will decrease the output level of the PLFO as the Mod Whee is raised Since the output level of the PLFO cannot be less than zero a negative setting of the Mod Whee parameter will have no effect unless eith
181. the appropriate levels DI Changes to M ix parameters are temporary and will be lost if another M ix is selected To make changes permanent you must store the M ix into the U ser bank Refer to Chapter 4 for information about storing changes QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 26 Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus Chapter 2 Setting the Effects Level Each Program can use up to four Sounds for either layering or splitting the keyboard Each of these Sounds has its own effects send level and effects bus assignment M any of the Programs in the QuadraSynth Plus use only one or two Sound layers while others may use all four Sounds You can adjust the effect send amount for each Sound independently or you can view edit all four sounds simultaneously Press PROGRAM to access Program Play Mode and select a Program you wish to edit using the methods described on page 14 Press SELECT to access Program Edit Mode Press the EFFECT button located among the DIRECT SELECT buttons on the far left the words EFFECT LEVEL are underlined in the display This is where you determine how much level will be sent from the current Program sound layer to the effects processor and on which of the four busses CITIZEN ob CDI n CIC ei thane meee iia oe En IC Pic LITT ITI ee Turn Quad Knob 1 to adjust the effect send level of the sdected Sound 1 4 For the most dramatic effect set t
182. the key up note off position Example Use this to affect the level of asound s release based on how fast you remove your fingers from the keys QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 94 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Aftertouch Pressing on the keys after they re down generates this control signal Aftertouch is also called channe pressure and represents an average of all keys being pressed This affects any keys that are held down The harder you press on the keys the greater the degree of modulation Polyphonic Pressure This is similar to aftertouch but each key can respond to individual pressure messages Although the QuadraSynth Plus keyboard does not generate poly pressure the sound generators can respond to poly pressure signals entering via the MIDI In Example Assign poly pressure to the sound s amplitude in a string ensemble patch You can then increase the level of selected notes of a held chord to pull some notes out of the chord Pitch Wheel The two wheels to the left of the keyboard are modulation sources see below The leftmost wheel Pitch always controls the oscillator pitch but can be tied to other parameters as well Modulation Wheel The rightmost wheel M odulation is traditionally assigned to LFO amount level so that rotating the wheel away from you introduces vibrato However it is also well suited to controlling timbre vibrato speed and many other parameters MIDI Volume M
183. the parameters that appear in the right side of the display The lower line of the alphanumeric display will show the abbreviated name of each parameter with a bar graph below it representing the current setting of the parameter By turning Quad Knob 1 you adjust the setting of the first parameter on the left Turning Quad Knob 2 adjusts the next parameter and so on Once a Quad Knob has been turned or its button has been pressed the top line of the display will immediately show the parameter s name and current setting At this point the parameter will have a thick underline beneath its bargraph indicating that you can now use the VALUE and buttons to adjust the parameter s setting Auditioning Mix Play Mode Mix Play Mode allows you to assign a Program to each of the 16 MIDI channels This makes it easy to create multitimbral setups for use with an external MIDI sequencer Additionally a MIX can be used to layer sounds together or split the keyboard in a number of ways or any combination of these There are many different ways to program a Mix For more about Mix Play Mode refer to Chapter 5 For more about connecting the QuadraSynth Plus to a MIDI sequencer see Chapter 3 10 Press the MIX button The display will change to M ix Play M ode bf Select a Mix from 00 99 using one of these methods Use the 1 and 1 buttons to step through the Mixes one at a time e Use the 10 and 10 button
184. ting Programs Chapter 6 not already there when the note is released and the sustain pedal is held down If a long attack is set and the envelope does not reach the end of the attack segment when the note is released it will be skipped and the envelope will jump immediately to the release segment If a long delay is set and the envelope has not reached the attack segment before the note is released the envelope will remain at 0 However if Freerun is turned on the envelope will continue through the delay attack decay and sustain segments and remain at the sustain decay segment This is exactly the same as holding down the note on the keyboard When the Sustain Pedal parameter is turned off the Sustain Pedal will have no effect on the envelope Level 00 to 99 This isthe overall output level of the envelope If this is set to 00 the PENV will have no output and will have no effect while at 99 it will have a maximum effect on whatever it is being routed to Tip When selecting PENV Level as a modulation destination set the PENV level to 00 if the Modulation Leve is above 0 or set the PENV level to 99 if the Modulation Amount is below 0 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 108 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Velocity M odulation 00 to 99 This determines how keyboard dynamics will affect the envelope level When set to 99 note velocity controls the envelope s output notes played hard will deliver a higher envelope
185. tion The default settings are Pedal 1 7 Pedal 2 4 MIDI Program Select QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 169 Global Settings Chapter 8 In Page 6 of Global Edit mode Quad Knob 1 determines the MIDI Program Select mode Off On Mix Select Channel 1 16 When this is set to Off the QuadraSynth Plus will not respond to incoming MIDI Program Change messages nor will it transmit Program Changes When set to On the QuadraSynth Plus will respond to incoming Program Change messages Likewise when a Program or Mix is recalled from the front panel its respective program change message will be sent out However the QuadraSynth Plus will respond differently to incoming Program Change messages depending on whether Program Mode or Mix Mode is selected In Program Mode the MIDI and buttons determine on which MIDI channel the QuadraSynth Plus will receive MIDI Program Change messages as well as other messages like notes controllers etc The Program recalled will be the same number as the MIDI Program Change message that is received from whichever bank Preset or User is currently selected When a Program is recalled from the front pane the QuadraSynth Plus will transmit the equivalent Program Change message on this same MIDI channel In Mix Mode when MIDI Program select is on Program Changes received on any of the 16 MIDI channels will be received by the same numbered MIDI channels in the current M
186. tion the time it takes place and what controls such as key velocity footpedals aftertouch mod wheel etc affect it are important parameters in every Program The QuadraSynth Plus provides the modulation flexibility of patch cord based instruments but with the convenience and ease of use of digital technology With some parameters the modulation amount can be positive or negative A positive control signal increases the value of the parameter being controlled A negative control signal decreases the value of the parameter being controlled Setting modulation to 00 turns off the modulation source Example Keyboard velocity can either make a sound brighter the harder you play or make it less bright or have no effect on the filter at all You have the freedom to set modulation any way you want even in ways that are the opposite of what they would beon an acoustic instrument If a baseline setting exists for a parameter modulation amounts add or subtract values from the existing setting However modulation cannot force a value beyond its maximum range For example if the amp is already at its minimum value lowest level you could apply positive modulation to raise the level But applying negative modulation will not affect the amp level since it s already at its lowest value and cannot go any lower The QuadraSynth Plus lets you assign several modulation sources to one modulation target parameter which allows for interaction bet
187. tion allows you to change the name of the Mix The Mix name can be up to 10 characters long Use the PAGE and buttons to position the cursor Quad Knob 1 selects the character Here is a chart of available characters 1 amp U JC f J 0 1 2 3 4 5 6789 lt gt A B C DIE FG HI JJ K L MIN O P QRS T U VIWIXI Y IZ I XY A __ a jbjc jdje ff jg ih fi jj Jk fl mjn jo piqir is t uiv Jwyx fy z fl Ble QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 67 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 Polyphony in Mix Play Mode The QuadraSynth Plus has 64 note polyphony In Mix Play Mode if you have all 16 MIDI channels assigned to the same keyboard range and each channel s Program has only one active Program Sound you ll have 4 note polyphony as you play the keyboard but a really thick layer This is extreme of course but should tell you what you can expect when you really pile on the layers from the keyboard Using the QuadraSynth Plus as a Master Keyboard Mix Play Mode gives the QuadraSynth Plus the capabilities of a MIDI master keyboard You can layer the QuadraSynth Plus s internal sounds with an external synthesizer s sounds without using up internal polyphony by adjusting the proper parameters in the Mix Edit mode Example You can have 2 layers or a split played directly from the QuadraSynth Plus simultaneousl
188. tions in today s world the voltage coming from the AC line may contain spikes or transients that can possibly stress your gear and over time cause a failure There are three main ways to protect against this listed in ascending order of cost and complexity Line spike surge protectors Relatively inexpensive these are designed to protect against strong surges and spikes acting somewhat like fuses in that they need to be replaced if they ve been hit by an extremely strong spike Line filters These generally combine spike surge protection with filters that remove some line noise dimmer hash transients from other appliances etc Uninterruptible power supply UPS This is the most sophisticated option A UPS provides power even if the AC powe line fails completely Intended for computer applications a UPS allows you to complete an orderly shutdown of a computer system in the event of a power outage and the isolation it provides from the power line minimizes all forms of interference spikes noise etc QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 10 Setting Up Chapter 1 114 Sodio Gables Stereo Amp QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 11 Setting Up Chapter 1 About Audio Cables The connections between the QuadraSynth Plus and your studio are your music s lifeline so use only high quality cables These should be low capacitance shielded cables with a stranded not solid internal conductor an
189. transmitted QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 65 Editing Mixes Chapter 5 whenever a Channel s Level parameter is edited volume information will be transmitted as controller 7 on that Channel whenever a Channel s Pan parameter is edited panning information will be transmitted as controller 10 on that Channel except when set to PRG Note Panning information will not be transmitted if the Channel s Pan parameter is set to PRG using the selected Program s stored Pan setting Effects in Mix Play Mode In Mix Play Mode you can have only one Effect Patch active per Mix which will be the Effects Patch associated with one of the Programs used in the Mix However the Mix s Effect Patch still has 4independent effect buses and you can set the effect send level and routing from each Program layer to the effects processor The QuadraSynth Plus offers you a choice of what parameters to use for effects The Effect Channel determines which one of the Programs in the Mix you want to use the Effects Patch from For example if the Effect Channel is set to 10 you will use whatever effect is used by the program on MIDI channel 10 e The effect levels and bus assignments of the Program on each Channel can be set directly by the Mix or you can use the same levels and buses that were stored in each Program Effect Level The Effect function is where each channel may be given its own Effect L
190. ts Chapter 7 Clip While routing sounds into the effects processor the word CLIP will temporarily appear in the display if an input is overloading the effects If this should occur try reducing the Input Levels for each of the effects devices in the current configuration and if necessary reduce the Effects Levels in the Mix Program Editing Effects The Effects Patches themselves are not edited in Program Edit M ode or Mix Edit Mode but could you guess it Effects Edit Mode You can enter Effects Edit mode by pressing the SELECT button until the display looks something like this CT FLID NZ STEREO HEES The basic method of navigating through the displays in Effects Edit mode is similar to that in Program Edit Mode and Mix Edit Mode The FUNCTION and buttons and the DIRECT SELECT buttons are used to select a function Pitch Mod Name Configuration Reverb Delay and Mix If a function has more than one page the display will indicate the number of pages available in the bottom left corner Use the PAGE and buttons to scroll through a function s pages Use the EDIT 1 button to select which of the four effect sends you want to edit the EDIT 4 button will not let you edit multiple sends but rather will switch the display back to Program Edit mode and enable Edit 4 mode The important thing to understand is the hierarchy of the displays Think of it as a three dimensional game of
191. uld reset to 0 if this function was turned on Controllers A D Mode The A D Mode function Local MIDI or Both determines whether the Controllers A D will have an affect on the currently selected Program or Mix or will only send out controller data via the MIDI Out connector or do both Use Quad Knob 4 to turn this on or off QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 168 Global Settings Chapter 8 Remember whenever one of the Controllers A D is used in the currently selected Program a pair of arrows will appear on either side of that Controllers name in the display whilein either Program Play Mode or Mix Play Mode This indicates that turning that Controller s associated Quad Knob will have some affect on the Program or Mix If the A D Mode function is set to MIDI turning the Quad Knobs will have no affect on the currently sdected Program or Mix however this will cause controller data to be sent out the MIDI Out connector Example If Controller A is defined as MIDI controller 11 which is the default and the A D Mode is set to MIDI turning Quad Knob 1 will send out controller 11 data but will have no effect on the currently selected Program or Mix even if arrows appear on either side of the letter A in the display Although the Program or Mix may use Controller A to modify it in some way Controller A is temporarily disconnected from the Program or Mix until the A D Mode function is
192. ut to increase the effect Finally the waveform shape of the LFO can be changed from a smooth triangle to a more abrupt squarewave to make the pitch detuning more pronounced DIETE FEEDBA CK DRY SIGNAL CHORL DITF DRY SIGNAL QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 154 Editing Effects Chapter 7 Stereo Chorus In the case of a Stereo Chorus the signal is split into three parts with a dry signal and a separate Detuning section for both left and right channels When the left channel is detuned sharp the right is detuned flat and vice versa Once again this causes the effect to become more pronounced and dramatic DRY SIGNAL FEEDBA CK LEFI Ap CHORL OLITPI DIETLUINE DRY SIGNAL RIGH CHORL FEEDBA CK OUTPI DRY SIGNAL Mono Flange First used in the 1960s Flanging was achieved by the use of two tape recorders that would record and play back the same program in synchronization By alternately slowing down onetape machine and then the other different phase cancellations would occur Since the slowing down of the tape machines was done by hand pressure against the flanges of the tape supply reels the term Flanging came into being The effect of Flanging is achieved by splitting and slightly delaying one part of the signal then varying the time delay again with an LFO The delayed signal is then mixed back with the original sound to produce the swishing or tunneing sound
193. ution Do not attempt to connect more than three or four units together using thru connections as this may impede the MIDI data flow to the connected devices Instead insert a MIDI patch bay to the QuadraSynth Plus s MIDI OUT so that all devices receive its MIDI information simultaneously In Program mode the keyboard sends and receives MIDI information on only one MIDI channel at a time In Mix mode however the keyboard can transmit on as many as 16 MIDI channels each with its own keyboard range for more information on Program mode and Mix mode see Chapter 4 When using the QuadraSynth Plus as a master keyboard to play other MIDI devices be sure the Keyboard Mode is set to NORMAL The Keyboard Mode parameter is found on Page 2 of Global mode for more information see Chapter 8 It is possible for the QuadraSynth Plus to transmit volume and pan settings via MIDI as controllers 7 and 10 respectively This occurs whenever a new Program is selected or when a new Mix is selected In the case of a Mix the volume and pan settings may be transmitted for each Channe up to 16 used in the selected Mix QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 30 Connections Chapter 3 Example 2 Using an External Sequencer The QuadraSynth Plus can generate MIDI signals that are recorded by a sequencer On playback the sequencer sends this data back into the QuadraSynth Plus which then serves as a multitimbral sound module in Mix mod
194. ve2 Bass Wave3 Guitar Nylon Nylon Vel Nylon Harm Acoustic AcoustcVel AcoustH arm 12Str Elec 6 Str Elec 6 Str Velo 6 Str Harm Power Gtr A coustHrm2 NylonH rm2 6 Str Hrm2 Brass Ensemble Pows Trumpet Mute Trmpt TrmpySplit Trombone M ute FHorn Soft FH orn Velo FHorn Tuba Hard Tuba Soft Tuba Velo Tuba Blats Wdwind Bassoon Oboe Clarinet Flute Vibr Flute Bari Sax Tenor Hard Tenor Brth Tenor Velo Alto Sax Soprano Bari Combo Sax Combo FlutAtkVib String _ SoloViolin Solo Viola Solo Cello Violin Ptz Cello Ptz Bass Ptz Harp Elect Harp Ensmbl Strings AttkString SynthStrng TapeString Ethnic Harmonia FM Harmnca EuroAccrdn Elec Banjo Asian Drum Waterphone Voice Choir Aahs Choir Oohs Voice EFX1 Voice EFX2 Voice EFX3 A ahs Wave Oohs Wave SndFX Zap Attk 1 Zap Attk 2 Zap Attk 3 Mini Attk Pop Pop Attk Bottle Hit Metal Attk1 Metal Attk2 SambaWhstl Alert Android Cyborg Meteor Supernova QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 80 Editing Programs Chapter 6 Drums Stndrd Kit Rock Kit 1 Rock Kit 2 Dance Kit Stab Kick Deep Kick Spike Kick Flap Kick GarageKick PillowKick Elect Kick Studio Snr TurboSnare PiccoloSnr Crisp Snr Power Snr Dance Snr Rimshot Side Stick Power Tom Mid Tom Floor Tom Slam Tom Cannon Tom Closed Hat Edge H at Open Hat FootClosed Cym Ride Cym Bell Cym Crash Cym China Cym Splash Ana
195. ving data to a card that contains a ROM READ ONLY bank it will bein bank 1 this means you cannot save anything into bank 1 10 Insert a card into the Sound Card slot on the back of the QuadraSynth Plus Press STORE Use either PAGE or to select Page 6 of the Store function This selects the SAVE TO CARD option Use Quad Knob 1 to select a bank location on the card to store to 1 8 If the card contains aROM bank it will be bank 1 Therefore you will only be able to save into bank locations 2 8 Press STORE to transfer the data from the QuadraSynth Plus onto the card If the display reads CARD IS WRITE PROTECTED switch the write protect switch on the card to off and repeat the procedure Loading a Bank from an External Card Insert the card into the card slot on the back panel Press STORE Use either PAGE or to select Page 7 of the Store function This selects the LOAD FROM CARD option Use Quad Knob 1 to select the bank on the card you wish to load 1 8 Press STORE to transfer the data from the card into the QuadraSynth Plus QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 172 MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations Chapter 9 Storing an Individual Program or Mix to an External Card You also have the option of storing a Mix or Program directly to a specific location in a RAM Sound Card Bank instead of transferring the entire Bank and vice versa Ho
196. w setting If you go to another Page or Function and then return to it the display will now reflect the updated setting MIDI Registered Parameter 2 Coarse Tune This will directly effect the Tune Semitone parameter of all four Sounds of the Program on the received MIDI Channel of the Mix If the Channel is selected using the MIDI and buttons the word Edited will appear next to the Program N umber in the display if this parameter is received However if you are viewing the Tune Semitone parameter in the display Program Edit Mode Pitch Function Page 1 Quad Knob 1 the display will not be updated to reflect the new setting If you go to another Page or Function and then return to it the display will now reflect the new setting Parts of this appendix are abridged versions of material from Power Sequencing with Master Tracks Pro Pro 4 and The Complete Guide to the Alesis HR 16 and MMT 8 copyright 1990 and 1989 respectively by AMSCO Publications and is adapted with permission QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 187 MIDI Implementation Chart MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART Channa Changed 1 16 each 1 16 each Memorized Default Mode3 Mode3 Mode M essages X X Altered KKK kK kK KK OK N umber True Voice KK K K k k K K O 127 Note Off After Key s Touch Ch s Pitch Bender Control Change Prog olo 127 Change True KK KK AKA AK System Exdusive System Song Pos Common Song Sel Sy
197. ween two modulation signals Example If the amp parameter responds to both the envelope generator and a pedal the parameter will follow the general envelope shape but will also be influenced by the pedal QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 75 Editing Programs Chapter 6 LFO Low Frequency Oscillator The pitch filter and amp modules each have a dedicated LFO module for modulation The term LFO stands for low frequency oscillator and comes from how modulation was created in the early synth days an oscillator set to alow frequency could modulate some aspect of the sound routing the LFO to the pitch for example would create vibrato The LFO creates a cyclic periodic modulation this amount can be constant and or varied with a variety of modulation sources mod wheel is one of the most popular Each LFO has a waveform shape and speed along with other controls Envelopes Envelope generators provide a modulation signal that varies over time from the time you strike the key until after you let go There are three independent envelope generators for pitch filter and amp in each Program Sound An envelope generator has different effects on different modules Example The Amp Envelope creates level changes Amplitude that decays over time creates percussive effects plucked strings drums etc Amplitude that increases over time gives the effect of brass woodwind and some bowed instruments Each envelope generator has t
198. well using whatever samples they wanted Sound Bridge makes this possible without having aPCMCIA card burner attached to your computer All you need is a QuadraSynth Plus or S4 Plus Sound Bridge creates a QuadraSynth Voice multi sample by loading Sample Cell or Sample Cell Il format Instrument files Using this format Sound Bridge is ableto determine key group and velocity group split points root notes sample playback rates tunings start points loop points and loop tunings Sound Bridge can also create QuadraSynth Voices without Sample Cell Instruments by loading single AIFF Sound Designer or Sound Designer II files Sound Bridge does NOT require Sample Cell hardware The Sample Cell Instrument file or sample file may be loaded directly into Sound Bridge from any disk i e CD ROM floppy disk hard disk etc For example a user may load data from a Sample Cell CD ROM and send this data to the QuadraSynth PCMCIA Card without ever using Sample Cell Sound Bridge can write to PCMCIA cards or PC Cards of up to 8MB in size These cards must be either Typel SRAM 150ns or faster or Type Flash RAM cards AMD C series or D series 5V Flash Memory Cards If you are unsure whether a card is compatible with the S4 Plus contact Alesis Product Support for more information The Sound Bridge disk contains the Sound Bridge application and an electronic manual which will give you all the information you need to know to run Sound Br
199. wever the Sound Card you are storing to must be of the current QuadraSynth Plus Bank format A Sound Card is formatted whenever an entire QuadraSynth Plus Bank is stored onto it If you are using an older Sound Card that does not use the current Bank format you will not be able to store individual Mixes or Programs onto until you store an entire QuadraSynth Bank onto it first 10 Insert a card into the Sound Card slot on the back of the QuadraSynth Plus g Select the Program or Mix you wish to transfer to the card Press STORE Use Quad Knob 1 to select a bank location on the card to store to 1 8 If the card containsa ROM bank it will be bank 1 Therefore you will only be able to save into bank locations 2 8 Use Quad Knob 2 to select a location in the selected card Bank to save to 00 127 if storing a Program 00 99 if storing a Mix Press STORE to transfer the data from the QuadraSynth Plus onto the card If the card is write protected or not inserted or not of the current Bank format the display will indicate the situation with an error message If the card is not of the current Bank format use the Save To Card command first Store Mode Page 5 to save the entire User Bank to the card This however will erase all Programs and Mixes in the selected card Bank If these are important to you first load them into the User Bank in the QuadraSynth and then save them back onto the card in order to reformat the
200. xes or Effects Press EDIT 1 repeatedly to select a sound for editing The status linein the display will indicate SOUND 1 or SOUND 2 etc as you continueto press EDIT 1 To view and edit parameters for all four sounds at once press EDIT 4 The status linein the display will indicate SOUND 123 4 In Edit 4 mode the four Quad Knobs represents the four sound layers of a Program The currently selected parameter s name will appear at the top right of the display while above each bargraph are the words SND1 SND2 SND3 SN D4 If a sound is disabled the display will show the sound s name in lower case snd1 means that sound 1 is disabled If a sound isin Drum mode the sound s name will read drmX where X is the sound number 1 4 Notice that the assignments of the Quad Knobs and the number of pages in a function change between Edit 1 Mode and Edit 4 Mode For example in Edit 1 modethe LEVEL function has only one page which QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 46 Overview Chapter 4 shows the Volume Pan and Output of a single sound In Edit 4 Mode the Level function has three pages all four sound volumes are page 1 all pans are on page 2 and all outputs are on page 3 QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 47 Overview Chapter 4 Resetting a Parameter Value It s often convenient while editing to return a parameter to its default setting usually but not alwa
201. y QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference M anual 53 Overview Chapter 4 To Audition Programs Before Storing To look for available memory locations to permanently store your Program to you can move between Program M ode and Mix Mode without losing your changes This is because Program Mode has a Program edit buffer and Mix Mode has its own Mix edit buffer along with 16 Program edit buffers These buffers are retained when moving between Program Mode and Mix Mode thus making it easy to search for a suitable location to store your newly created Program Example While in Program Edit mode go to Mix Modeand scroll through the Program list on one of the Channels while editing a Program from Mix Mode go to Program Mode to scroll through the Program list The way to tell the difference between a program edited in Program Mode and one edited from Mix Mode is simple in Program Mode the MIX number does not appear in the display DI You will lose your changes if you remain in the same mode and recall a different M ix P rogram by pressing the MIX PROGRAM SELECT 1 0 buttons To audition Programs before overwriting them with STORE when editing a Program in Program Mode O While in Program Edit mode press MIX This selects M ix Play M ode retaining your edits to the Program in an edit buffer g Using the BANK and DIRECT SELECT buttons select Mix 99 in Preset Bank 1 Press SELECT to enter Mix Edit Mode and press bo
202. y playing on external synthesizers using a MIDI channad which has its internal QuadraSynth Plus s sound turned OFF Setting MIDI Out Channels for Mix in Global Mode The QuadraSynth Plus offers a wide variety of ways to set the MIDI output Itis very easy in Program Play Mode you just use the MIDI and buttons to set the MIDI OUT channel for the whole instrument But when using the QuadraSynth Plus in Mix Play Mode you need to be able to transmit on several MIDI channels at once and to temporarily isolate certain channels within a Mix This is done with the Keyboard Mode function 10 From Mix mode press GLOBAL bf Press PAGE to get to Page 2 Press Quad Button 4 You will se KBD M ODE in thetop right of the display Usethe VALUE and buttons or Quad Knob 4 to set the Keyboard M ode Theoptions are NORMAL CH SOLO andOUT 1 OUT 16 NORMAL In this mode the MIDI channels sent out will correspond to whatever layers or splits the Mix is set up for For example in the Preset Mix bank there are several Mixes in which the keyboard is split in two or more ways from left to right each of these zones is linked to a different set of channels As you play through each zone it will send MIDI messages corresponding to that key range and trigger the corresponding channels Note that certain controllers such as pitch bend and aftertouch will send on all channels at once The MIDI Monitor indicators in the d
203. ys 0 This normally involves turning a Quad Knob or repeatedly pressing the VALUE and buttons but here s a quicker way To reset a parameter to its default setting Select the parameter you wish to reset using the methods described earlier g Simultaneously press both the VALUE and buttons Comparing Edited and Stored Versions When you edit a Program or Mix you are actually editing a copy whichisina temporary edit buffer Therefore to retain the results of your edit you must save it to a particular memory location see the next section on Storing If you change memory locations before saving the buffer will be replaced and your edits lost Because the original Program Mix remains undisturbed you can compare the edited version to the original by using the Compare function You can only select Compare mode when either Mix Edit Program Edit or Effects Edit is selected and the word EDITED appears in the display below either MIX PROG or EFFECT O Press COMPARE The word COM PARE will appear in the display while the word EDITED will disappear g Press COMPARE again to exit Compare mode and return to the edited version Theword COM PARE will disappear from the display and the word EDITED will reappear Pressing MIX PROGRAM GLOBAL STORE or the MIX PROGRAM SELECT 1 0 buttons will also exit Compare mode DI While Compare mode is select

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