User manual ALESIS MICRON - REFERENCE MANUAL

micron Reference Manual Table Of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................ 5 Welcome! ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Unpacking and Inspection................................................................................................6 How to Use This Manual....................................................................................................6 Connection Diagram ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Connecting AC Power ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Making Audio Connections........................................................................................................................................ 7 Connecting the Foot Pedals ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: First Session ....................................................................... 9 A Tour of the Micron ..........................................................................................................9 The Micron's Top Panel .....................................................................................................9 Volume........................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Real-time controllers.................................................................................................................................................... 9 Performance buttons ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Display ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Control knob circle ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 Key Concepts........................................................................................................................10 Programs........................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Patterns .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Rhythms......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Setups ............................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Navigating with the transparent control knob and its buttons ............................................................................ 11 Play the Programs ..............................................................................................................12 Navigate through the programs................................................................................................................................. 12 Switch Octaves ....................................................................................................................13 Explore the Built-in Patterns..........................................................................................14 Explore the Rhythms ........................................................................................................15 Explore the Setups..............................................................................................................16 Record Some Phrases.........................................................................................................17 Connect External Instruments ........................................................................................18 Whew! .....................................................................................................................................18 Chapter 3: Patterns................................................................................ 19 Playing Patterns..................................................................................................................19 Using [latch] .................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Using [tap] ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Pattern Types: Arpeggios and Sequences ....................................................................20 Editing Patterns ..................................................................................................................21 1. Revert-to-stored? / Unrevert-to-edited?............................................................................................................. 21 2. Send to setup?........................................................................................................................................................... 22 3. Start new setup? ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 4. Pattern program ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 5. Length....................................................................................................................................................................... 23 6. Grid ........................................................................................................................................................................... 24 7. Type .......................................................................................................................................................................... 24 8. Span (arpeggios only) ............................................................................................................................................. 24 9. Order (arpeggios only) ........................................................................................................................................... 24 10. Real-time recording .............................................................................................................................................. 25 11. Step editing ............................................................................................................................................................ 26 12. Clear controllers? .................................................................................................................................................. 27 13. Clear pattern? ........................................................................................................................................................ 27 14. Pattern name ......................................................................................................................................................... 28 15. Send MIDI sysex?................................................................................................................................................. 28 1 Table Of Contents 16. Send syx bundle?................................................................................................................................................... 28 17. Delete pattern? ...................................................................................................................................................... 28 18. Store a copy?.......................................................................................................................................................... 29 Store your changes! ...................................................................................................................................................... 29 Exiting pattern editing................................................................................................................................................. 29 Chapter 4: Rhythms............................................................................... 31 Playing Rhythms .................................................................................................................31 Using [tap] ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Editing Rhythms .................................................................................................................32 1. Revert-to-stored? / Unrevert-to-edited?............................................................................................................. 32 2. Send to setup?........................................................................................................................................................... 33 3. Start new setup? ....................................................................................................................................................... 34 4. Length....................................................................................................................................................................... 34 5. Grid ........................................................................................................................................................................... 34 6. Record rhythm (real-time)..................................................................................................................................... 35 7. Drum A through Drum H .................................................................................................................................... 36 8. Add? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 38 9. Clear rhythm? .......................................................................................................................................................... 39 10. Rhythm name ......................................................................................................................................................... 39 11. Send MIDI sysex?................................................................................................................................................. 39 12. Send syx bundle?................................................................................................................................................... 39 13. Delete rhythm?...................................................................................................................................................... 40 14. Store a copy?.......................................................................................................................................................... 40 Store your changes! ...................................................................................................................................................... 40 Exiting rhythm editing ................................................................................................................................................ 40 Chapter 5: Setups ................................................................................... 41 Playing Setups .....................................................................................................................41 Setup Components ..............................................................................................................41 Editing Setups......................................................................................................................41 1. Parts .......................................................................................................................................................................... 44 2. Use as........................................................................................................................................................................ 48 3. Add? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 48 4. Beats.......................................................................................................................................................................... 49 5. Add? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 51 6. FX Balance, FX Type 1, FX Type 2.................................................................................................................... 52 7. Clear .......................................................................................................................................................................... 52 8. Setup name .............................................................................................................................................................. 52 9. Send MIDI sysex?................................................................................................................................................... 53 10. Send syx bundle?................................................................................................................................................... 53 11. Delete setup? ......................................................................................................................................................... 53 12. Store a copy?.......................................................................................................................................................... 53 Store your changes! ...................................................................................................................................................... 53 Store your changes! ...................................................................................................................................................... 54 Exiting setup editing .................................................................................................................................................... 54 Chapter 6: Programs ............................................................................. 55 What is a "Program"? .........................................................................................................55 How the Micron Makes Sound .........................................................................................55 The Oscillators ............................................................................................................................................................. 55 The Pre Filter Mix........................................................................................................................................................ 56 The Filters ..................................................................................................................................................................... 56 The Post Filter Mix...................................................................................................................................................... 56 Output............................................................................................................................................................................ 57 Signal Flow Diagram ................................................................................................................................................... 57 2 Table of Contents Modulation............................................................................................................................58 The LFOs ...................................................................................................................................................................... 58 The Envelopes.............................................................................................................................................................. 59 Playing Programs................................................................................................................59 Editing Programs ................................................................................................................60 1. Revert-to-Stored? / Unrevert-to-Edited? ........................................................................................................... 60 2. Add to Faves? / Remove Fave? ........................................................................................................................... 60 3. Send to Setup? .......................................................................................................................................................... 60 4. Start New Setup?...................................................................................................................................................... 62 5. Voice parameters .................................................................................................................................................... 62 6. Oscillator parameters ............................................................................................................................................. 66 7. Pre-filter mix parameters ....................................................................................................................................... 67 8. Filter parameters ..................................................................................................................................................... 68 9. Post-filter mix parameters ..................................................................................................................................... 70 10. Output .................................................................................................................................................................... 71 FX1 Effects................................................................................................................................................................... 72 FX2 Effects................................................................................................................................................................... 79 11. Envelopes .............................................................................................................................................................. 84 12. Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) settings........................................................................................................ 87 13. Sample-and-Hold (S&H) settings ...................................................................................................................... 89 14. Track (Tracking Generator)................................................................................................................................ 90 15. Mod (Modulation Routing)................................................................................................................................. 91 16. Category ................................................................................................................................................................. 95 17. Program name....................................................................................................................................................... 95 18. Delete?.................................................................................................................................................................... 95 19. Send MIDI sysex?................................................................................................................................................. 96 20. Store a copy?.......................................................................................................................................................... 96 Store your changes! ...................................................................................................................................................... 97 Exiting program editing .............................................................................................................................................. 97 Chapter 7: Configuration ..................................................................... 99 Configuration.......................................................................................................................99 Configuration Parameters ................................................................................................99 1. Contrast .................................................................................................................................................................... 99 2. Tuning ...................................................................................................................................................................... 99 3. Transpose................................................................................................................................................................. 99 4. Velocity Curve......................................................................................................................................................... 100 5. Local Control........................................................................................................................................................... 100 7. MIDI channel.......................................................................................................................................................... 102 8. MIDI sync................................................................................................................................................................ 103 9. Store Protect............................................................................................................................................................ 103 10. Sysex: send all....................................................................................................................................................... 103 Chapter 8: MIDI ...................................................................................... 105 What is MIDI?.......................................................................................................................105 MIDI Connections ...................................................................................................................................................... 105 Saving Programs, Setups, Rhythms, and Patterns via MIDI System Exclusive........................................................................................................................................................................ 107 Loading Programs, Rhythms, Patterns, and Setups via MIDI ............................................................................. 108 What's a bundle? .......................................................................................................................................................... 108 Compatibility with Alesis Ion programs................................................................................................................... 108 Sharing programs between the Alesis Micron and the Alesis Ion ....................................................................... 109 Updating Software Via MIDI .................................................................................................................................... 109 All Notes Off................................................................................................................................................................ 109 3 Table Of Contents Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions ....................................... 111 There are category labels ("bass", "lead", "pad") above the keys. How do I use them? ....................................................................................................................................................................... 111 There are program parameter labels ("voice", "osc", "filter") above the keys. How do I use them? ......................................................................................................................................... 111 How do I add a program to the "faves" category?................................................................................................. 111 How do I assign a program parameter to one of the knobs? ............................................................................... 111 How do I record a new pattern?................................................................................................................................ 112 I was recording a pattern and made a mistake. How do I clear the pattern and start over?............................................................................................................................................................... 112 How do I split and layer the keyboard?.................................................................................................................... 113 How do I change the program in a setup Part? ...................................................................................................... 113 How can I quickly see which programs are in which setup Parts? ...................................................................... 114 How do I add a rhythm to my setup?....................................................................................................................... 114 How do I assign different programs to different MIDI channels, so I can play multiple programs at once from my PC's sequencer? ................................................................................... 114 How do I set which MIDI channels my Micron is using? .................................................................................... 115 How can I select a program/setup/ pattern/rhythm through MIDI? ............................................................... 115 Why isn't my Micron responding to MIDI program change messages? ............................................................ 115 How do I set the tempo? ............................................................................................................................................ 116 Why isn't my Micron syncing to MIDI clock?........................................................................................................ 116 When I press [store], my Micron says, "Cannot store. Protection is on." How do I turn protection off? ................................................................................................................................... 116 How can I compare my edited program (or pattern, or rhythm, or setup) to what I last stored? ........................................................................................................................................................ 116 The [store] button is dimly lit. What does this mean? .......................................................................................... 117 How do I send the individual notes of a pattern or rhythm through MIDI? .................................................... 117 A note is stuck on! How do I make my Micron turn it off?................................................................................ 117 How do I use the vocoder? ........................................................................................................................................ 117 Recovering from a Crash ............................................................................................................................................ 120 Checking the Software Version ................................................................................................................................. 120 Restoring the Factory Defaults .................................................................................................................................. 120 Cleaning Your Micron................................................................................................................................................. 120 Specifications.......................................................................................... 127 Sound Engine ............................................................................................................................................................... 127 Audio Input................................................................................................................................................................... 127 Audio Output ............................................................................................................................................................... 127 Audio Performance...................................................................................................................................................... 127 Physical .......................................................................................................................................................................... 127 Warranty/Contact Alesis....................................................................... 129 Alesis Limited Warranty.............................................................................................................................................. 129 Alesis Contact Information ........................................................................................................................................ 130 4 Introduction Welcome! Congratulations on your purchase of the Alesis Micron! The Micron is a powerful, 8-voice Analog Modeling synthesizer based on the award-winning sound engine of the larger Alesis Ion. The Micron has every bit of sound-producing DSP horsepower contained in the Ion along with a few tricks of its own. The Micron's front-panel interface is streamlined to give you full access to its Analog Modeling power while meeting the demanding requirements of real-time performance. Not only synth patches but melodic patterns and drum beats also are available to you in most cases simply by pressing a button and turning a knob. You can create sophisticated rhythms combining up to ten different sounds. You can create really rich setups combining as many as 26 different programs with anywhere from 0 to 26 different rhythms, all simultaneously active. This is an exciting time for analog-style synthesizers. After a period of relative neglect brought on by the appearance of sampleplayback digital synths (which excel at realistic mimicry of various sound sources), the unique sounds of analog-style synths have been rediscovered. Analog Modeled basses dominate certain styles of music, and other analog-type elements­from drums to leads to pads­are frequently heard in contemporary popular music. Alesis has been at the center of this resurgence. Our first product in the line was our A6 Andromeda, a true analog synth considered by many to be the most powerful non-modular analog synthesizer ever made. Next came the Alesis Ion, praised as one of the most powerful and best sounding Analog Modeling synthesizers ever. Now, the Micron furthers this legacy, taking the Analog Modeling synthesizer in yet another new direction. Please be sure to register your Micron at the Alesis website, www.alesis.com. And since the Micron's operating system is upgradeable via MIDI, try to check the site once in a while for updates and extra goodies. We hope and trust that you'll find the Micron to be an inspiring instrument that you can turn to again and again for new ideas, new sounds, and new inspiration. Sincerely, The people of Alesis For more effective service and product update notices, please register your Micron online at: http://www.alesis.com /support/warranty.htm 5 Introduction Unpacking and Inspection The shipping carton for your Micron should contain the following items: Micron synthesizer AC power adapter This instruction manual A warranty card Please log on to the Alesis website at www.alesis.com to register your new Micron synthesizer. This will help us give you the best support we possibly can. How to Use This Manual We're sure you'd like to jump in and start using your Micron quickly. To help you do this, refer to Chapter 1 for hook-up instructions, and then read Chapter 2­"First Session." This will get you playing in no time. If you have any questions, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in Appendix A on page Error! Bookmark not defined.. Chapters 3 through 6 cover the main operating modes of the Micron­the patterns, rhythms, setups, and programs. For information on using the Micron along with other MIDI devices, refer to Chapter 8 "MIDI." Near the end of the manual are troubleshooting tips and specifications. The names for all buttons, knobs, and wheels on the Micron are formatted throughout the manual so as to be easily identified. Here are some examples: [setups] The top panel buttons are bolded and [bracketed]. Wheels, knobs, sliders, and rear-panel jacks are bolded and placed in (parentheses). Editable parameters are bolded. Specific settings for various parameters are italicized. When something important appears in the manual, an exclamation mark (like the one shown at left) will appear with some explanatory text. Helpful tips and advice are highlighted in a shaded box like this. (m1) Parameters length 6 1 Connections Connection Diagram Connecting AC Power Before making any power connections, make sure the Micron's power switch is turned off. Then plug the adapter into the Micron and into a wall outlet. Making Audio Connections · Stereo outputs. Connect two cables from the Micron's left and right outputs to two inputs of an amp or mixer. · Headphones. Plug a set of headphones into the headphone jack on the rear panel. WARNING: When connecting audio cables or turning power on and off, make sure that the amplifiers in your system are turned off or the volume controls are turned down. If you don't do this, you can create loud bursts of sound that might damage your speakers. Connecting the Foot Pedals The Micron has two pedal jacks marked (sustain) and (expr). If you have a sustain and/or expression pedal (they are not included with the Micron), plug these pedals into their respective jacks. (sustain) is designed to work with any standard momentary footswitch. It doesn't matter whether the footswitch is normally open or closed, as long as you plug it in before powering up your Micron; the instrument will calibrate itself. (expr) is designed to work with a Roland EV-5 pedal or equivalent. NOTE: If your sustain pedal response is backward (i.e., notes sustain when your foot is off the pedal), turn off your Micron and make sure the footswitch plug is fully inserted into the (sustain) jack. Then, turn the Micron back on while keeping your foot off the footswitch. 7 1 Connections This page intentionally left blank. 8 2 First Session A Tour of the Micron In this session, we'll: Explore the Micron's top panel Define some key concepts. Play some of the Micron's basic sounds (called programs). Learn different ways to navigate the Micron's programs. Explore the built-in patterns. Capture and play back some phrases. Explore the Micron's drum sounds and play some rhythms. Explore the Micron's setups. Setups are where programs, patterns, rhythms, and more all come together in powerful, flexible combinations. The Micron's Top Panel Volume The (volume) knob on the far left-hand side of the Micron raises and lowers the volume. If you don't hear anything as you play the Micron, check the (volume) knob's setting. Real-time controllers The (m1) and (m2) sliders, (pitch) wheel, and (x/y/z knobs), located on the left half of the Micron, provide real-time control of the Micron's sounds. 9 2 First Session Performance buttons The buttons in this cluster switch octaves, set the tempo, and perform other performance-related functions. Display Information relevant to the current operation is shown here. Control knob circle These are the Micron's most important controls­the control knob and the buttons that surround it. Pressing one of these buttons­ [programs], [setups], [config], [patterns], or [rhythms] ­ puts you into one of the Micron's primary modes of operation. Turning the control knob then cycles through options. Pushing the control knob allows you to edit these options. Key Concepts Here are the Micron's most important concepts: Programs Programs are the Micron's sounds, built from its oscillators, envelopes, filters, modulation matrix, and other analog-style components. Patterns Patterns are repeating melodic and/or rhythmic motifs. There are two types of patterns--arpeggios and sequences (see chapter 3 for more about arpeggios and sequences). Rhythms Rhythms are combinations of sequenced drum programs. Think of a drum machine with its interchangeable sounds and sequences. Setups Setups combine multiple programs, rhythms, patterns, and more. They are the Micron's most powerful and most sonically sophisticated element. 10 2 Navigating with the transparent control knob and its buttons Use the transparent control knob to the right of the display and its surrounding circle of buttons to navigate through the Micron's options. Most Micron functions involve pressing the buttons and then turning or pushing this knob. "Green Light/Red Light" The buttons circling the control knob glow green when first pressed indicating that you're in "play mode," and the control knob can be used for selecting. When the control knob is pushed, the buttons glow red, indicating that you are in "edit mode" and that the control knob can be used for editing. At any one time, only one of the buttons will glow, indicating that the Micron is operating within that mode. "Turn" Turn the control knob to cycle through various options. "Push" Push the control knob to edit the option displayed. Push again to stop editing. See the following visual illustration: First Session 11 2 First Session Play the Programs The Micron's basic sounds are called "Programs." Try playing some of these programs now. Find the [programs] button on the right side of the top panel. Press it; then spin the control knob. Notice how the programs are organized by category­first basses, then leads, then pads, etc. Turn the volume up and listen to some of these programs. Experiment with the (pitch) wheel, the (x/y/z knobs), and the two sliders. Here are a few points to note: The (pitch) wheel glows progressively brighter as you turn it. The (x/y/z knobs) do different things depending on the Program. Sometimes, they increase or decrease the quickness of the attack. Sometimes, they change the tone by adjusting the filter resonance. The (m1) slider typically­but not always­adds vibrato. The (m2) slider typically­but not always­sweeps the filter frequency, radically changing the tone. Play some notes before, during, and after moving the (m2) slider. You'll most likely hear the classic analog synthesizer "filter sweep" sound. Navigate through the programs If you rotate the control knob enough, you'll pass through 13 categories of programs. At the end of the list, all of the programs are presented alphabetically, regardless of category. Notice the red text just above the keyboard. This text corresponds to the 13 categories and also includes the all, uncategorized listing. To jump to a category instantly, hold down [programs] and then press the associated white key. To jump to a category instantly, hold down [programs] and then press the associated white key. 12 2 Special categories All As we've already seen, the all category is an alphabetical listing of all the Programs. Recent The ten most recently played Programs are stored for you automatically under the Recent category. They are still listed under their primary categories. This is a duplicate listing to allow for super-fast access. Note that you cannot directly edit this listing. You need to select and then play the Programs you want to be listed here. Faves Adding Programs to Faves When you find a Program you particularly like, add it to the Faves ("Favorites") category. In [programs] mode, press the control knob to enter edit mode. You will be asked to Add to faves? Press the control knob once again to add the Program to the Faves category. There is no limit to the number of faves you can have. Press the [programs] button again if you want to cancel this action and exit the editing screens. Removing Programs from Faves To remove a Program from the Favorites list, call up the program and press the control knob. You will be asked, Remove fave? Press the control knob to perform the action. First Session Switch Octaves While the Micron is a compact unit, all of its sounds span the full 128-note MIDI range. Use the [octave] buttons to the left of the display to transpose the keyboard up and down to cover that range. Notice how one or the other [octave] lights glows progressively brighter as you push it. This provides a visual indication of the current octave setting. Press both [octave] buttons simultaneously to return to the default octave setting. 13 2 First Session Explore the Built-in Patterns The Micron features a powerful pattern sequencer with lots of editing capabilities. We'll discuss the editing features later. For now, let's get our feet wet playing some patterns. Press the [patterns] button to the left of the display. Turn the control knob to cycle through various preset patterns. Play the keyboard to hear them. [tap] Tap the [tap] button to the left of the display. Watch and hear how [tap] controls the tempo. Note that the pattern's tempo immediately locks to the speed at which you tap. To adjust the tempo with finer control (one-tenth of a beat per minute), hold down the [tap] button and turn the control knob left or right to slow down or speed up. The display will indicate the current tempo. [latch] Press the [latch] button, also to the left of the display. Remove your hands from the keyboard. The pattern keeps playing. Press [latch] again to stop the pattern from playing. 14 2 Explore the Rhythms Rhythms combine drum/percussion programs with specifically designed rhythm patterns. Press [rhythms]. Turn the control knob to cycle through different rhythms. First Session To play a rhythm Press and hold any key from the bottom of the keyboard up to the middle G#. (These are the keys labeled from recent through all.) To play a rhythm's individual drum sound Press one of the white keys from middle A (labeled voice) upward. The keyboard's middle A corresponds to the rhythm's Drum A. The next higher note, B (labeled osc), corresponds to Drum B. Proceeding higher, drums C, D, E, etc. are triggered. Any keys higher than the rhythm's highest note will do nothing. To play a rhythm hands free Press any key from middle G# down on the keyboard. While holding down that key, press [latch] to keep the rhythm going. Press [latch] a second time to stop the rhythm. To change the tempo Tap the [tap] button a few times, or hold down [tap] and turn the control knob. 15 2 First Session Each rhythm's drum sounds, relative sound levels, left/right panning, rhythmic patterns, time signature, duration, quantization, and name can be edited. (We'll leave the editing for a later chapter.) Explore the Setups Press [setups] to explore this mode. Setups combine the following elements: Multiple Programs. Multiple Patterns. Multiple Rhythms. Splits (like placing a rhythm on the left side of the keyboard, a bass program in the middle, and a lead program on the right). Latch on/off settings. Semitone transpositions. Level and left/right panning. Effects settings. Controller assignments. First, simply press the [setups] button, twirl the control knob a few times, and listen to the various presets. Be sure to play throughout the keyboard range to experience the various splits, layers, and rhythm triggers. These presets will give you a good sense for some of the different possibilities you can create on your own. The Micron was designed to make it easy to compose and modify your own Setups. Try creating your own setup. Follow these steps: Go into Programs and find a bass sound you like. Push the control knob and select "start new setup" Now go back to Programs and find a lead instrument you like. Push the control knob and choose "add to setup?" Then select "Split A high?" Now go into the "Rhythms" section and find a rhythm you like. Now hold down the [rhythms] button and push the [setups] button. This adds the beat to your setup. Start jamming. 16 2 Record Some Phrases You don't have to be in Patterns mode to create a pattern. At any time, the Micron can capture your playing and use it as a pattern. The patterns that you capture in real time are called "phrases." Phrases within Programs mode Press [programs] to enter Programs mode. Hold down the [phrase] button and start playing a riff. As soon as you hit the first note, the [phrase] button will start flashing, indicating that it is recording what you play. You can release the [phrase] button any time after you've played that first note. When you are done playing the phrase, press the [phrase] button again. The button will light, indicating that the Micron is ready to play your phrase back. Press any key, and you'll hear your phrase loop to the tempo. The last phrase you have recorded is stored as a pattern named "* Phrase", which appears near the beginning of the patterns list. If you record a phrase that you really like and want to keep, simply find the "* Phrase" pattern and give it a new name. See page 52 Phrases within Setups mode Phrases are most useful in Setups mode because you can use a rhythm or pattern to keep time as you play. Phrases get a little more complicated in Setups mode, since each part can have its own phrase. But the basic idea is the same­hold down the [phrase] button and start playing. Whatever parts you play on will get their own phrases. To record a phrase and clear all of the other phrases, hold down [phrase] and start recording when the button is unlit. To add the phrase to the existing phrases, start recording when the button is already lit. The latest phrases you have recorded in Setups mode are stored as patterns "* Phrase PartA", "* Phrase PartB", etc. Again, rename the phrase patterns that you want to keep. Try recording a phrase for yourself. Go to the "Bass/LeadSplit" preset under the Setups menu and record bass and lead phrases. The lower half of the keyboard plays the bass and upper keys play the lead. Then play back your phrases by hitting any note on the keyboard. First Session If you cannot store because storage protection is on, see page 103 for more information. More on Phrases within Setups: How Phrases are associated to Parts The first note you play in a phrase determines the part with which the phrase will be associated. For example, consider a bass/lead split setup with the bass (Part A) on the lower half of the keyboard and the lead (Part B) on the upper half. If you begin your phrase low on the keyboard­even if you eventually play some high keys­the phrase created will be associated with Part A. If you begin your phrase high on the keyboard­even if you eventually play some low keys­the phrase created will be associated with Part B. What if your setup plays more than one program when you press the first note in your phrase? In that case, the phrase will be associated to the lowest-lettered program that uses that first note. 17 2 First Session Connect External Instruments You can connect external audio sources­other synthesizers, mixers, guitars, etc.­using the ¼-inch (audio in) jacks on the back of the Micron. The jacks accept either balanced or unbalanced cables. Your external audio can be blended in with the Micron's internal sound-producing oscillators. The resulting combination is then sent through the Micron's filters and effects. This doesn't happen automatically, though. You need to adjust some program parameters to send external audio into the mix. See page 72 for more about these filters and effects. Use both jacks for stereo input. Use the (left) jack for mono-only sources (in which case the input will be sent to both the left and right channels). A special group of programs­including vocoder programs­exists just for use with the external inputs. These programs begin with "*" and are accessible at the beginning of the sfx Program category. See page 65 to learn about the Micron's filter parameters. Whew! We've covered a lot of material. Hopefully now you feel comfortable navigating around the Micron. Future chapters will cover editing, MIDI, and other more advanced features. But if you want to throw this manual on the fire now and simply enjoy playing your Micron, no one will blame you. You've got the basics well at hand. 18 3 Patterns Playing Patterns Patterns are repeated melodic figures that you trigger from the keyboard. Press [patterns] near the control knob. To cycle through different patterns, turn the control knob. The pattern will change, with the current pattern name shown in the display. Press a key to play a pattern. The pattern continues playing as long as you hold down the key. Pattern options: Using [latch] Press [latch] to let the pattern continue playing after you release the key. Press [latch] again to stop the pattern from playing. Using [tap] Tap the [tap] button to increase or decrease the speed of the pattern. To adjust the tempo with finer control, hold down [tap] and turn the control knob. The display will indicate the precise tempo. 19 3 Patterns Pattern Types: Arpeggios and Sequences A pattern can be set to one of two types: "arpeggio" or "sequence". Arpeggios and sequences both respond to a key press by playing a series of notes over a programmed rhythmic pattern. The difference lies in which notes they play. An arpeggio loops over whatever notes you are holding down on the keyboard. If you hold down a chord, the Micron will generate a melody by playing each note of your chord individually. A sequence, on the other hand, already has a melody line built in. So, all you have to do is hold down a single key, and the Micron will play back that melody relative to that key. Pressing another key will transpose the sequence. A pattern can easily be switched from an arpeggio to a sequence, and vice-versa. The underlying rhythmic pattern is kept the same­ all that changes is whether the pattern plays the notes you hold down or the notes it was recorded with. If the distinction is unclear, choose your favorite pattern, toggle its "type" parameter between "arpeggio" and "sequence" (see page 24), and try playing it both ways. Phrases versus Patterns In Programs and Setups modes, the Phrase button lets you quickly record and repeat a riff or melody line. Phrases are designed to be used "live", when inspiration strikes as you're playing. A phrase is nothing more than a pattern that was recorded using the Phrase button. In fact, the most recently recorded phrase is stored as a pattern named "* Phrase". If you happen to record a phrase that you really like and want to hang on to, simply find the "* Phrase" pattern and give it a new name. 20 3 Editing Patterns Choose an existing pattern to edit by pressing the [patterns] button and turning the control knob. Hold down any key to play the pattern. (Use the [tap] button to change the tempo.) Once you've found a pattern you want to edit, press the control knob to enter edit mode. Turn the control knob to cycle through the different options. Press the control knob to toggle in and out of editing the current parameter. Here are the pattern editing options: Patterns Store your pattern The [store] button will light once you have edited a pattern. Press [store] after you're satisfied with your edits. Otherwise, your changes will be lost when you turn off your Micron. 1. Revert-to-stored? / Unrevert-to-edited? If you have edited a pattern, you may revert back to the original version. Press the control knob to revert. Go back to your edited state by press the control knob a second time to unrevert. You can revert and unrevert to compare your changes with the original pattern. When you're satisfied with your work, press [store] to save your changes. 21 3 Patterns 2. Send to setup? Pressing the control knob at this option sends you to [setups] mode and allows you to make this pattern a part of the lastselected setup. If the setup does not have any parts, this pattern is automatically assigned to the setup's part A. If the setup already has one or more parts, you will be able to add the pattern in one of the following ways: 1. send to part. The setup's part will use this pattern. Remember that a part uses both a program and a pattern. If the part's program is set to "(pattern's pgm)", then the pattern will sound just as it does in Patterns mode. Otherwise, the setup will play the pattern using the part's own program. 2. layer. The setup's existing part is duplicated, resulting in a new part. The pattern is then sent to the new part. 3. split low. The setup's existing part is split in two at a particular key. The Micron prompts for a note on the keyboard at which to execute the split. The pattern is then sent to the lower part of the split. Every note below the one you select will use this new pattern. Every note including and higher than the note you select will use the setup's existing part. The new part is assigned the next letter after the split part. For example, if the setup contains parts A, B, C, and D, and part B is the part that gets split, then part C will be the newly-added part. All later parts' letters are incremented by one. To select the split point, turn the control knob or play a key. You can use the [octave] buttons if your desired split point is outside of the current key range. 4. split high. The setup's existing part is split in two at a particular key. As with the split low option, the Micron prompts for a note on the keyboard at which to execute the split. The pattern is then sent to the upper part of the split. Every note above the one you select will use this new pattern. Every note including and lower than the note you select will use the setup's existing part. Send to setup only allows the option of sending the pattern to the current setup. Therefore, you may need to jump out of pattern editing to choose a setup before returning to patterns and following this procedure. How part letters change when "layer," "split low," and "split high" are used When parts are layered or split high, the new part is assigned the next letter after the targeted part. All subsequent part letters are incremented by one. For example, consider a setup with four existent parts: A B C D If we split part B, the result is as follows: A B (low split of B) C (high split of B) D (formerly "C") E (formerly "D") 22 3 To select the split point, turn the control knob or play a key. You can use the [octave] buttons if your desired split point is outside of the current key range. 5. add part. The pattern is added as a brand new part. All other part parameters are set to their default values. Patterns 3. Start new setup? Pressing the control knob at this option creates a new setup named with the pattern's name and a "+" in front (e.g. "+Liner" and "+Bobbetty") and, if a setup with this name already exists, a number at the end (e.g. "+Liner2" and "+Bobbetty2"). Length and Grid quantizing The Micron records your playing at a very high resolution. The length and grid settings that you select for playing back your patterns are used to nondestructively quantize those recordings. So, if you record a four-bar pattern and change its length later to ¼ bar, the Micron will only play a fraction of your pattern, but it will remember the whole thing. If you want to change the length back to four bars at any time, the complete pattern will still be available. Similarly, pattern rhythms are quantized using the grid setting, but the underlying information remains untouched. So, as you cycle through different grid settings, you're likely to hear different syncopations and "feels" emerge. 4. Pattern program Choose the program that the pattern will use to play its notes. In order to quickly jump between program categories, you can hold down the [patterns] button and press the white keys labeled with category names. Another way of setting the pattern's program is to bring it over from Programs mode. Press [programs] to enter Programs mode, and find the program that you want. Then, hold down [programs] and press [patterns], and the pattern's program will be set. This works in the other direction as well­hold down [patterns] and press [programs] to bring the pattern's program over to Programs mode, perhaps for some quick editing. 5. Length Select one of 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2 or 4 bars. The pattern will always play from the first note of the first bar. So, if you select a value shorter than the current one, the latter parts of the pattern will be truncated. If you select a value longer than the current one and the latter part of the pattern does not contain any notes, the new notes at the end of the pattern will be empty. 23 3 Patterns Four Beats per Bar All Micron patterns have four beats per bar. You can still create oddmeter rhythms. It just takes a little calculation and a willingness to ignore the tempo indications given by the [tap] button. For instance, one way to create a ¾ feel is to combine a length of ½ bar with a grid of 24 steps. That will give you a total of 12 steps to work with. Ignore the display's "6 + 6" grouping. Think "4 + 4 + 4" instead. 6. Grid Choose 8, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, or 32 steps per bar, or choose unquantized. Shortening the scale decreases the quantizing resolution. You're more likely to hear double notes and simpler syncopations at low values. Straight-ahead feels tend to result from using 8, 16, and 32 steps per bar. Swing and shuffle feels tend to result from choosing 12 or 24 steps per bar. But you can create some pretty wild patterns by using fractions of bars along with less obvious grid values, like 14 and 20. 7. Type Choose sequence or arpeggio. See page 20 for the differences. 8. Span (arpeggios only) Choose a span ranging from single note­in which the note you press on the keyboard will be the only note that plays­to one that plays up, down, or up-and-down through 1, 2, 3, or 4 octaves. 9. Order (arpeggios only) When you hold down more than one note, you can specify the order in which they will be arpeggiated: The order in which they were initially pressed (called as played). Up. The arpeggiator plays the notes you are holding from the bottom to the top. Once the top note is reached, the arpeggio begins from the bottom again. Down. The arpeggiator plays the notes you are holding from the top to the bottom. Once the bottom note is reached, the arpeggio begins from the top again. Up+Down Incl. This mixes the up and down settings, playing up the notes you are holding and repeating the top note and the bottom note. The incl stands for inclusive. Up+Down Excl. This mixes the up and down settings, playing up the notes you are holding without repeating the top note and the bottom note. The excl stands for exclusive. Octave Jump. The arpeggiator plays the notes you are holding but plays the first note in two or more octave registers before playing the second note, which it also plays in two or more octave registers, etc. Octave Jump To hear Octave Jump in action, Span should not be set to "single note." Arpeggios or Sequences? Arpeggios contain rhythm and velocity (relative volume) information. Sequences contain not only rhythm and velocity information but also pitch information. Use arpeggios for computergenerated patterns. Use sequences for melodies and basslines. 24 3 10. Real-time recording Once you've reached the "record" parameter, you'll hear the metronome start to click. Use this "lead-in" time to get yourself into the groove. (As always, if the tempo isn't right, you can use the [tap] button to adjust it.) Once you're ready to play, just start playing. The Micron will begin recording from the first note of the pattern. Alternately, if you don't want to play from the first note, you can push the control knob to kick off the recording. The pattern will loop continuously, so you can add to it each time it comes around. When recording in real-time, remember that playing will never erase anything you've already recorded. To wipe out a section so you can replay it, hold down the control knob as it gets played back. To stop recording, turn the control knob or press a mode button. You will often want to clear the entire pattern and start over. One way of doing this is to hold down the control knob and wipe out the pattern as you record. But a quicker way is to hold down the [patterns] button and hit the highest note on the keyboard. This is a shortcut to the "Clear pattern?" option. See page 27. The Micron records not only the keys you play, but all movements of the sliders and pitch wheel. These controller movements don't even need to be recorded at the same time as the keys. A useful technique is to play the keys first, and then when the recording loops around, play on the controllers to add some life to your notes. If you do this, you will probably also be using the "Clear controllers?" option as well, so you can revise your controller movements until you're satisfied. See page 27. Patterns Time display The Micron displays time as "bar:beat:tick". There are four beats in a bar, and 120 ticks in a beat. Three-step beats land on 0, 40, and 80. Four-step beats land on 0, 30, 60, and 90. Five-step beats land on 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96. Changing the metronome The metronome you hear when recording is, in fact, just another pattern. It is named "* Metronome", and appears near the beginning of the pattern list. You are free to edit this pattern all you like. For example, you can choose a different program, or put the clicks on eighth notes or triplets instead of quarter notes. A quick way of disabling the metronome entirely is to simply rename this pattern and store it. You can always bring back the metronome later with another rename. 25 3 Patterns Turn the control knob to cycle through each step. You can quickly jump to the first step of the pattern by holding down the [patterns] button and pressing A above middle C (labeled "voice"). Every aspect of the pattern is editable: 11. Step editing a. Adding and replacing notes and chords Play one or more keys at any step to add (or replace) that step's entry. Pitch, velocity, and length will be recorded, as will any wheel and slider moves you make while the keys are held down. If the pattern type is set to "arpeggio," the pitch will not actually be used when the pattern is played back, since the Micron will play the pattern over whatever notes you hold down. But if you later set the type to "sequence," your recorded pitches will reappear. The cursor will automatically move on to the next step. b. Removing notes To remove a note, place the cursor under any step and double-click the control knob. The note, plus all controller movements between this note and the next one, will be removed. c. Moving notes To move a note, place the cursor under it. Then press and hold down the control knob and turn it to the left or right. Imagine that you are "dragging" the note. Controllers and step editing Remember that controller movements are recorded while a note is held down. So, it is perfectly possible to record a pitch bend while step editing; just play the note and turn the pitch wheel. Removing multiple notes To remove multiple notes at once, place the cursor at the right-most note you want to remove. Then hold down the control knob and turn it all the way to the left before releasing it. 26 3 d. Editing velocity Place the cursor under the note that you want to edit and press the control knob. Turn the control knob to increase or decrease the velocity. You can remove the note by turning the velocity down to zero. While you're editing velocity, you can play any key to hear what the note sounds like at that velocity. Note: Though the duration of the note is displayed in this screen, it cannot be edited here. e. Editing duration. To edit the duration of a note, move the cursor to it and play the note with the duration you desire. The duration value cannot be edited directly, but a rough indication of the duration can be seen on the upper right side of the display. Patterns Gauging note velocity and duration on the display As you place the cursor under each note, the top right side of the display will change. Higher velocities are illustrated with higher bars. Longer note lengths are illustrated with thicker bars. Notes can overlap one another, but that overlap is not visible on the display. 12. Clear controllers? Press the control knob to erase all slider and pitch wheel movements from the pattern, but keep the notes. This is handy if you recorded some controller movements that you're unhappy with, and want to try another take without starting the pattern from scratch. 13. Clear pattern? Press the control knob to erase all notes and controller movements from the pattern, but keep the basic pattern parameters. To quickly jump to this option, hold down the [patterns] button and press the highest note on the keyboard. 27 3 Patterns 14. Pattern name Since patterns are listed alphabetically, creative naming can help you move smoothly from one pattern to another. Turn the control knob to select a position (1 ­ 14) to edit. Then press the control knob to edit that position. Edit either by turning the control knob or pressing notes on the keyboard. Press a key twice to toggle between upper and lower case. Inserting and deleting characters To insert a space in the name, navigate to the position at which you want to add the space. Hold down the control knob and turn it clockwise. To delete a character, navigate past it, hold down the control knob, and turn it counterclockwise. In both cases, imagine that you are "dragging" the name around. 15. Send MIDI sysex? Choose this option to send the pattern to a computer or other MIDI storage device using the Micron's (MIDI OUT) port. This allows you to back up your patterns to your computer, or share them with your friends or over the internet. See page 107 for details on what Sysex is and how to use it. 16. Send syx bundle? Choose this option to send both the pattern and its program to a computer or other MIDI storage device using the Micron's (MIDI OUT) port. 17. Delete pattern? Delete the pattern using this function, if desired. You will be prompted to confirm this action. 28 3 18. Store a copy? Unlike many synths, the Micron does not have fixed "banks" of programs, patterns, and so on, each with a predetermined number of storage locations. Instead, you may freely create and delete patterns at any time, just as you would on a computer. "Store a copy?" is how you create a new pattern. This option creates a brand new copy of the current pattern, differing only in name. Now, when you make changes and hit the [store] button, you will be storing to this new copy. Whenever you want to start a new pattern from scratch, you will have to find an existing pattern to base it off of, and then store a copy. Don't forget to store a copy, or you might accidentally overwrite the original pattern. Patterns Store your changes! Be sure to press the [store] button after you're satisfied with your changes. Otherwise, your changes will be lost when the Micron is turned off. However, keep in mind that you don't lose any changes when you switch to other modes, so feel free to browse through programs or setups without storing your pattern. Additionally, if you play a setup that uses the current pattern, you'll hear your edited version, even without storing. This is a great way of checking how your edits sound in the context of a setup, without having to commit to them. You can even play other patterns without losing your edits. Just hit the [patterns] button and turn the control knob. You can always come back to your edited pattern, just as you left it. The Micron doesn't discard your edits until you start editing a different pattern. If you intentionally want to discard your edits and revert to the version you last stored, you can use the "Revert -> Stored?" option. See page 32. Exiting pattern editing You can exit pattern editing at any time. Simply press any of the buttons encircling the control knob, including the [patterns] button a second time. 29 3 Patterns This page intentionally left blank. 30 4 Rhythms Rhythm options: Playing Rhythms Press the [rhythms] button next to the control knob. Press and hold any key on the left side of the keyboard to play a rhythm. Play the keys on the right side of the keyboard to play individual drum sounds. The keyboard's A above middle C (labeled voice) corresponds to the rhythm's Drum A. The next note, B (labeled osc), corresponds to Drum B, and so on. Turn the control knob to play different rhythms. Using [tap] Tap the [tap] button to increase or decrease the speed of the pattern. To adjust the tempo with finer control, hold down [tap] and turn the control knob. The display will indicate the precise tempo. 31 4 Rhythms Editing Rhythms First, choose an existing rhythm to edit by pressing the [rhythms] button and turning the control knob. Press any key on the left half of the keyboard to play the rhythm. Use the [tap] button to change the tempo. Once you've found a rhythm you want to edit, press the control knob to enter edit mode. Turn the control knob to cycle through the parameters. Press it to edit a parameter; press again to exit parameter editing. Store your rhythm The [store] button will light once you have edited a rhythm. Press [store] after you're satisfied with your edits. Otherwise, your changes will be lost when you turn off your Micron. 1. Revert-to-stored? / Unrevert-to-edited? If you have edited a rhythm, you may revert back to the original version. Press the control knob to revert. Go back to your edited state by press the control knob a second time to unrevert. Use revert and unrevert often in order to compare your changes to the original rhythm. When you're satisfied with your work, press [store] to save your changes. 32 4 2. Send to setup? Pressing the control knob at this option sends you to [setups] mode and allows you to make this rhythm a beat of the lastselected setup. If the setup does not have any beats, this rhythm is automatically assigned to the setup's beat A. If the setup already has one or more beats, you will be able to add the rhythm in one of the following ways: 1. send to beat. The setup's beat is replaced by the current rhythm. The setup beat's level, effects mix, key range, and latch status are retained. 2. layer. The setup's existing beat is duplicated, resulting in a new beat. The rhythm is then sent to the new beat. 3. split low. The setup's existing beat is split in two at a particular key. The Micron prompts for a note on the keyboard at which to execute the split. The rhythm is then sent to the lower beat of the split. Every note below the one you select will use this new rhythm. Every note including and higher than the note you select will use the setup's existing beat. The new beat is assigned the next letter after the split beat. For example, if the setup contains beats A, B, C, and D, and beat B is the beat that gets split, then beat C will be the newly-added beat. All later beats' letters are incremented by one. To select the split point, turn the control knob or play a key. You can use the [octave] buttons if your desired split point is outside of the current key range. 4. split high. The setup's existing beat is split in two at a particular key. As with the split low option, the Micron prompts for a note on the keyboard at which to execute the split. The rhythm is then sent to the upper beat of the split. Every note above the one you select will use this new rhythm. Every note including and lower than the note you select will use the setup's existing beat. Rhythms Send to setup only allows the option of sending the rhythm to the current setup. Therefore, you may need to jump out of rhythm editing to choose a setup before returning to rhythms and following this procedure. How beat letters change when "layer," "split low," and "split high" are used When beats are layered or split high, the new beat is assigned the next letter after the targeted beat. All subsequent beat letters are incremented by one. For example, consider a setup with four existent beats: A B C D If we split beat B, the result is as follows: A B (low split of B) C (high split of B) D (formerly "C") E (formerly "D") 33 4 Rhythms To select the split point, turn the control knob or play a key. You can use the [octave] buttons if your desired split point is outside of the current key range. 5. add part. The rhythm is added as a brand new beat. All other beat parameters are set to their default values. 3. Start new setup? Press the control knob to create a new setup. The setup will have one beat, using this rhythm, but will otherwise be empty. You can then add parts and additional beats to the setup, either by directly editing the setup or via the "Send to setup?" option in other modes. The setup's name will be the same as this rhythm's, except preceeded with a plus character. This ensures that the new setup will appear near the beginning of the alphabetized setups list. You can change the name later if you want to keep the setup, or simply delete the setup if not. Length and Grid quantizing The Micron records your playing at a very high resolution. The length and grid settings that you select for playing back your rhythms are used to nondestructively quantize those recordings. So, if you record a four-bar rhythm and change its length later to ¼ bar, the Micron will only play a fraction of your rhythm, but it will remember the whole thing. If you want to change the length back to four bars at any time, the complete rhythm will still be available. Similarly, rhythms are quantized using the grid setting, but the underlying information remains untouched. So, as you cycle through different grid settings, you're likely to hear different syncopations and "feels" emerge. 4. Length Select one of 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2 or 4 bars. The rhythm will always play from the first note of the first bar. So, if you select a value shorter than the current one, the latter parts of the rhythm will be truncated. If you select a value longer than the current one and the latter part of the rhythm does not contain any notes, the new notes at the end of the rhythm will be empty. 5. Grid Choose 8, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, or 32 steps per bar. Shortening the scale decreases the quantizing resolution. You're more likely to hear double notes and simpler syncopations at low values. Straight-ahead feels tend to result from using 8, 16, and 32 steps per bar. Swing and shuffle feels tend to result from choosing 12 or 24 steps per bar. But you can create some pretty wild rhythms by using fractions of bars along with less obvious grid values, like 14 and 20. 34 4 6. Record rhythm (real-time) Once you've reached the "record" parameter, you'll hear the metronome start to click. Use this "lead-in" time to get yourself into the groove. (As always, if the tempo isn't right, you can use the [tap] button to adjust it.) Once you're ready to play, just start playing on the white keys above middle A. The Micron will begin recording from the first note of the rhythm. Alternately, if you don't want to play from the first note, you can push the control knob to kick off the recording. The rhythm will loop continuously, so you can add to it each time it comes around. You can play the entire rhythm at once, or add to it drum by drum. When recording in real-time, remember that playing will never erase anything you've already recorded. To wipe out a section so you can replay it, you can hold down the control knob as it gets played back. This will wipe the notes for all drums. However, you frequently will want to wipe out the notes for just a single drum, leaving the other drums intact. Holding down a black key will make the Micron wipe the notes of the last drum played (the drum shown on the display). To stop recording, turn the control knob or press a mode button. You will often want to clear the entire rhythm and start over. One way of doing this is to hold down the control knob and wipe out the rhythm as you record. But a quicker way is to hold down the [rhythms] button and hit the highest note on the keyboard. As long as you have less than ten drums, this will jump you to the "Clear rhythm?" option. See page 39. Rhythms Four Beats per Bar All Micron patterns have four beats per bar. You can still create oddmeter rhythms. It just takes a little calculation and a willingness to ignore the tempo indications given by the [tap] button. For instance, one way to create a ¾ feel is to combine a length of ½ bar with a grid of 24 steps. That will give you a total of 12 steps to work with. Ignore the display's "6 + 6" grouping. Think "4 + 4 + 4" instead. Changing the metronome The metronome you hear when recording is, in fact, just another pattern. It is named "* Metronome", and appears near the beginning of the pattern list. You are free to edit this pattern all you like. For example, you can choose a different program, or put the clicks on eighth notes or triplets instead of quarter notes. A quick way of disabling the metronome entirely is to simply rename this pattern and store it. You can always bring back the metronome later with another rename. 35 4 Rhythms 7. Drum A through Drum H Turn the control knob clockwise to access the Drum A settings. Each drum holds lots of options: Change the drum program. Edit the level. Edit the pan position. Edit the drum's pattern, including the placement and velocity of each note. Clear the pattern information. Remove the drum. a. Program Press the control knob once to change the drum program. Twirl the control knob to cycle through the programs. In order to quickly jump between program categories, you can hold down the [rhythms] button and press the white keys labeled with category names. Although you will almost always want to use programs from the "Drum" category in your rhythms, you are free to choose any program you like. However, if you choose a nondrum, the rhythm will only play it at middle C. If you want melodic variation, that's what patterns are for. Another way of setting the rhythm's program is to bring it over from Programs mode. Press [programs] to enter Programs mode, and find the program that you want. Then, hold down [programs] and press [rhythms], and the rhythm's program will be set. This works in the other direction as well­hold down [rhythms] and press [programs] to bring the rhythm's program over to Programs mode, perhaps for some quick editing. When you've found the program you want to use for this drum, press the control knob. b. Level Turn the control knob clockwise to edit the drum's overall volume. c. Pan Turn the control knob to edit the drum's position in the stereo field. Switching among drums To quickly switch between the drums in a rhythm, hold down the [rhythms] button and press a white key on the right side of the keyboard. For example, if you are editing "Drum A level", hold down [rhythms] and press the B above middle C to jump to "Drum B level." This is especially useful while step editing. 36 4 d. Pattern Turn the control knob clockwise to edit the drum's pattern. (Remember, this will edit the pattern for just this one drum, not for all the drums that make up the rhythm setting.) Press the control knob to edit the pattern. The display will show a grid like this one: Rhythms In the top line, the screen indicates that Drum A is being edited in Step mode. The cursor is at bar 1, beat 1, tick 0, shown as 1:1:0. In the bottom line, each of sixteen steps is shown. Rectangles appear where notes are present. Turn the control knob to travel amongst the different notes in the pattern. For patterns that require more than one screen, keep turning the knob­the display will track your position in its upper right position. a. Adding notes To add a note, press the white key that corresponds to that particular drum. For instance, drum A is controlled using the A above middle C, labeled voice. Your velocity information will be recorded, as well as the position of the pitch wheel and sliders. Note that you can press multiple keys at once in order to place multiple drums at a step. In fact, you can enter an entire rhythm at once simply by playing it on the keys, as long as each step has at least one drum note. If you play a key that does not correspond to any drum, the cursor will advance, but the rhythm will not be changed. When entering a rhythm, sometimes it's helpful to continuously tap on the highest note of the keyboard, to control the rate at which the cursor advances. After pressing the key, the cursor will automatically advance one step. Time display The Micron displays time as "bar:beat:tick". There are four beats in a bar, and 120 ticks in a beat. Three-step beats land on 0, 40, and 80. Four-step beats land on 0, 30, 60, and 90. Five-step beats land on 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96. 37 4 Rhythms b. Removing notes To remove a note, press any black key on the right side of the keyboard. The step will be erased, and the cursor will advance one step. The note is only removed from the drum that is displayed on the screen; all other drums are not affected. This makes it easy to replace the pattern for a particular drum without explicitly erasing it beforehand. Simply play the pattern into the step editor, using a black key as a "rest." c. Changing note velocities Again, you must be in the pattern editing screen for that particular note's program. Place the cursor over the note you want to edit and press the control knob normally. You will be able to change the velocity by turning the control knob. You can remove the note by turning the velocity down to zero. While you're editing velocity, you can play any key to hear what the note sounds like at that velocity. You will hear all drums which have notes at the step. d. Clear? To keep the program but remove all the notes, choose Clear. e. Remove? If this particular drum is unnecessary to your rhythm, remove it. At the Remove? prompt, press the control knob. This drum will be removed from the rhythm, and all of the other drums will be relettered accordingly. (For instance, what had been "Drum B" will become "Drum A," and what had been "Drum C" will become "Drum B.") 8. Add? After the last drum, you will be prompted with Add? Press the control knob to add a drum. It will be given the next available letter. 38 4 9. Clear rhythm? Press the control knob to erase all notes and controller movements from the rhythm, but keep the basic rhythm parameters. To quickly jump to this option, hold down the [rhythms] button and press the highest note on the keyboard. Rhythms 10. Rhythm name Since rhythms are listed alphabetically, creative naming can help you move smoothly from one rhythm to another. Turn the control knob to select a position (1 ­ 14) to edit. Then press the control knob to edit that position. Edit either by turning the control knob or pressing notes on the keyboard. Press a key twice to toggle between upper and lower case. Inserting and deleting characters To insert a space in the name, navigate to the position at which you want to add the space. Hold down the control knob and turn it clockwise. To delete a character, navigate past it, hold down the control knob, and turn it counterclockwise. In both cases, imagine that you are "dragging" the name around. 11. Send MIDI sysex? Choose this option to send the rhythm to a computer or other MIDI storage device using the Micron's (MIDI OUT) port. This allows you to back up your rhythms to your computer, or share them with your friends or over the internet. See page 107 for details on what Sysex is and how to use it. 12. Send syx bundle? Choose this option to send both the rhythm and its program to a computer or other MIDI storage device using the Micron's (MIDI OUT) port. 39 4 Rhythms 13. Delete rhythm? Delete the rhythm using this function, if desired. You will be prompted to confirm this action. 14. Store a copy? Unlike many synths, the Micron does not have fixed "banks" of programs, patterns, and so on, each with a predetermined number of storage locations. Instead, you may freely create and delete rhythms at any time, just as you would on a computer. "Store a copy?" is how you create a new rhythm. This option creates a brand new copy of the current rhythm, differing only in name. Now, when you make changes and hit the [store] button, you will be storing to this new copy. Whenever you want to start a new rhythm from scratch, you will have to find an existing rhythm to base it off of, and then store a copy. Don't forget to store a copy, or you might accidentally overwrite the original pattern. Store your changes! Be sure to press the [store] button after you're satisfied with your changes. Otherwise, your changes will be lost when the Micron is turned off. However, keep in mind that you don't lose any changes when you switch to other modes, so feel free to browse through programs or setups without storing your rhythm. Additionally, if you play a setup that uses the current rhythm, you'll hear your edited version, even without storing. This is a great way of checking how your edits sound in the context of a setup, without having to commit to them. You can even play other rhythms without losing your edits. Just hit the [rhythms] button and turn the control knob. You can always come back to your edited rhythm, just as you left it. The Micron doesn't discard your edits until you start editing a different rhythm. Exiting rhythm editing You can exit rhythm editing at any time. Simply press any of the buttons encircling the control knob, including the [rhythms] button a second time. 40 5 Setups Playing Setups Press [setups] and spin the control wheel to play different setups. Since setups often have different elements assigned to different parts of the keyboard, be sure to play throughout the keyboard range to experience the splits and combinations. Setups pull together programs, patterns, and rhythms to produce lush soundscapes, intricate rhythmic and sonic textures, and sophisticated keyboard "splits." Setups depend on programs, patterns, and rhythms When you make changes to [programs], [patterns], or [rhythms], the setups that reference them will reflect those changes. Setup Components Setups are constructed of two basic elements: Parts. Parts hold programs and patterns along with level, pan, and other settings. Beats. Beats hold rhythms along with similar settings. Polyphony considerations The Micron allows you to stack together more sound sources than its engine can play. If you find this happening, consider restricting the key ranges of some of your parts and beats so that fewer voices sound when you press each note. Editing Setups Setup editing has a lot of parts, as shown below. On the top level, it involves: Adding and removing programs to setup parts. Adding and removing patterns to setup parts. Adding and removing rhythms to setup beats. Assigning controllers. Assigning levels, left/right panning, key ranges, splits, etc. Assigning effects types and effects levels per part and beat. Naming the setup. Store your setup The [store] button will light once you have edited a setup. Press [store] after you're satisfied with your edits. Otherwise, your changes will not be saved. Remember that, in most cases, pressing the control knob twice quickly (double-clicking) can restore a setting to the original factory setting. 41 5 Setups Setup options (1 of 2): Take a moment to cycle through these options. Press [setups] and turn the control knob to select a setup to edit. Then press the control knob to enter edit mode. Turn the control knob clockwise to cycle through the various parts. Parts are labeled as "Part A," "Part B," "Part C," etc. After the last part, you will see that you can add a part. 42 5 Setups Setup options (2 of 2): Turn the control knob further to cycle through all of the beats. Beats are labeled "Beat A," "Beat B," "Beat C," etc.­just like parts. After the last beat, you can add a new beat. Keep turning the control knob clockwise to cycle through screens dedicated to the effects. These screens will vary depending on the effect you choose. Finally, you'll see the clear, name, delete, MIDI SysEx, and copy screens. 43 5 Setups Switching amongst parts and beats To quickly switch between the parts and beats in a setup, hold down the [setups] button and press a white key on the right side of the keyboard. Parts start at the A above middle C, and beats start at the A above that. For example, if you are editing "Part A level," hold down [setups] and press the B above middle C to jump to "Part B level." If you get lost in your setup and can't remember which part is which, try holding down [setups] and running your fingers across the right side of the keyboard. 1. Parts Each part has the following editable parameters: a. Program You can make the program dependent on this part's pattern, shown on the Micron as (pattern's pgm). If you do so, the setup will change programs automatically as the pattern is changed. Alternately, you can specify that the part use a particular program. To use the pattern's program, spin the control knob all the way to the left, or press the control knob twice in quick succession (double-click). To specify another program, twist the control knob to find the program you want. (To jump to a category, hold down the [setups] button and press one of the lower white keys.) Another way of setting the part's program is to bring it over from Programs mode. Press [programs] to enter Programs mode, and find the program that you want. Then, hold down [programs] and press [setups], and the part's program will be set. This works in the other direction as well­hold down [setups] and press [programs] to bring the part's program over to Programs mode, perhaps for some quick editing. Press the control knob again to accept your selection. b. Pattern Select the pattern to be used in this part If you don't want to use a pattern, turn the control knob all the way to the left (or doubleclick) to select none. As with programs, you can also set the pattern by bringing it over from Patterns mode. Press [patterns] to enter Patterns mode, and find the pattern that you want. Then, hold down [patterns] and press [setups], and the part's pattern will be set. This works in the other direction as well­hold down [setups] and press [patterns] to bring the part's pattern over to Patterns mode. Experiment with using one program for multiple parts You can assign one program to a number of different parts. Varying levels, patterns, transpositions, and more across the parts can create some interesting and musical results. 44 5 c. Level Adjust the part's overall level relative to the other levels and parts within this setup. d. Pan Adjust the part's left/right pan position. e. FX Mix Set the dry/wet effects balance for the part. A part that is "100% dry" does not use the master effects at all. On the other hand, if you set a part to "100% wet," all you'll hear is what comes out of the master effects. The correct effects balance to use depends on the particular effect, but for most effects such as phasers and choruses, "70% dry, 30% wet" is a good place to start. When using the vocoder, you typically don't want to hear any dry at all, so set the balance to "100% wet." f. Low Key Carefully assigning parts and beats to different portions of the keyboard can make the difference between good setups and awesome ones. In this screen, set the lowest keyboard note to which the part will respond. Any notes lower than the note you select here will be ignored by this part. To select a note, turn the control knob or play a key. You can use the [octave] buttons if your desired note is outside of the current key range. g. High Key Set the highest keyboard note to which the part will respond. Any notes higher than the note you select here will be ignored by this part. Remember that you can set these keys across the entire MIDI note number range, not just the Micron's 37 notes. Remember that you can always use the [octave] buttons to adjust the note range of the Micron's keyboard. Setups Setting the level to zero Set the level to 0 to turn a part off without removing it. Consider using this tactic works when you're not entirely sure whether you want to keep a part or not. Use As Following the pattern screen, you may encounter a screen saying "use as," with your choices being "instrument" or "drum." Go to page 46 for details on this feature. Effects All of the parts and beats within a setup use either no effect or else a single, shared effect (which is selected in a later screen). Carving out a hole in the keyboard range Anarchist types will inevitably wonder what happens when you set the low note higher than the high note. In such cases, the notes in between the two will be silent, but all notes outside of that range will play, resulting in a hole in playing range. 45 5 Setups h. Transposition Adjust the transposition over a four-octave range. This does not affect the MIDI notes that the part responds to. It simply changes the pitch at which the program is played. i. Latch Set the latch status of the part to latched or not latched. The default is not latched. When latch is on, the part will continue playing after you remove your hands from the keys, as if the sustain pedal were held down. To release the latched notes, let up on all of the keys and then play a new note or chord. To stop the part entirely, switch to another setup or press a mode button. Latching is especially useful when you have more parts than you have hands, or if your parts don't all fit within the Micron's threeoctave key range. If your bassline and pad parts are latched, you can simply let them play on their own while you use both hands to play the lead, and then return to them when it's time for a chord change. Latching with the [latch] button is similar. If you hold down the [latch] button and play an unlatched part, it will become latched as long as the button is activated. j. Controllers Activate any combination of the (pitch) wheel and the (m1) and (m2) sliders for this part. You will often want each controller to affect just a single part. For example, you might want the (pitch) wheel to bend the lead, or the (m2) slider to sweep the filter of your pad. To assign a controller exclusively to the current part, hold down the [setups] buttons and wiggle the controller. This will not only enable the controller for this part, but will also disable the controller in all other parts. Some transposition tips The Micron's compact keyboard makes transposition especially important. Some lush sounds can be made by combining some programs at standard pitch with others transposed an octave or two higher or lower, but reduced in level. Some classic synthesizer sounds combine one nontransposed part with another­lower in level­a fifth above (that's plus-seven semitones). While this setting violates every rule held sacred by harmony professors, you may be among the many who find it very cool. 46 5 k. Knobs Allow any combination of the x, y, and z knobs to work on this part. The knobs' functions are determined by the settings assigned for this part's program within the [programs] screens. As with controllers, you can assign a knob exclusively to the current part by holding down the [setups] buttons and wiggling the knob. This will enable the knob for this part and disable the knob in all other parts. As always, when you turn a knob, the display will indicate which program parameter you're changing. If you have multiple parts that respond to the same knob, the display will only show this information for a single part, but rest assured that all of the parts are being affected. l. Pedals Assign the sustain and/or expression pedal to this part. By default, they are both assigned. m. Split? Split allows you to create a new part by splitting the key range of the current part. After the split, one part will use the keys below the split point, and the other part will use the keys above. The two parts will otherwise be identical. If you choose to split a part, the Micron will prompt you to select the key on the keyboard where the split should occur. To select the split point, turn the control knob or play a key. You can use the [octave] buttons if your desired split point is outside of the current key range. The newly-created part will be assigned the next letter after the current part's letter. All subsequent part letters will be incremented by one. n. Layer? Choose layer to duplicate the current part. The newly-created part will be assigned the next letter after the current part's letter. All subsequent part letters will be incremented by one. o. Remove? Choose remove to remove the current part. All subsequent parts will be re-lettered accordingly. Setups Jumping between parts To jump between parts, hold down the [setups] button and press a key on the right side of the keyboard, starting with the A above middle C. 47 5 Setups 2. Use as Suppose you come across a rhythm that would fit perfectly in your setup, but the snare drum doesn't sound right. You could edit the rhythm, but that would affect all other setups using that rhythm. Instead, what you'd like to do is just swap out that particular drum within this particular setup. To do this, choose a program to replace the errant snare, and add it to the setup as a part. As long as the program is in the "drum" category and there is no pattern assigned, a hidden option will appear after the pattern parameter: "use as". Normally, this parameter is set to "use as instrument," indicating that the part is functioning like any other part. But if you change the parameter to "use as drum A in beat", all rhythms will substitute the part's program for their drum A. You can "use as" any drum from A to J. Once you figure out which drum that snare is, you can replace it with any program of your choosing. "Use as" doesn't just affect a drum's program­the drum's level, pan, and FX mix follow the part's settings as well. So, if you actually like the snare's program but think it's a bit too loud, "use as" can help you turn down the level. Or, if you want most of the rhythm dry, but want to give that snare some extra effects processing, "use as" will allow you to adjust its FX mix individually. 3. Add? After turning the control knob past all of the current parts, you will be able to add a part. At the add screen, push the control knob to add a new, empty part. Note that adding parts using the add feature always adds them after the last part. To insert a part in between other parts, use the split or layer functions from within the part editing screens. 48