ALESIS D4 Reference Manual CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1.0 PRINCIPAL FEATURES..................................................................................... 1 1.1 RETURN YOUR WARRANTY CARD NOW! ....................................................... 2 1.2 HOOKUP/INSTANT GRATIFICATION ............................................................... 2 1.2A Installation ........................................................................................... 3 1.2B Hook Up Audio (rear panel) ................................................................ 3 1.2C Hook Up MIDI (rear panel) ................................................................. 3 1.2D Hook Up External Triggers (rear panel) ............................................. 4 1.2E Hook Up Power (rear panel)............................................................... 4 1.2F Turn On Power.................................................................................... 4 1.2G Select Drum Sets................................................................................ 5 1.2H Audition Different Drum Sounds......................................................... 5 1.2I Assign Drum Sounds to Particular MIDI Notes.................................... 7 1.3 BASICS AND DEFINITIONS............................................................................... 7 1.3A The Voice ............................................................................................ 7 1.3B About the Edit Buffer........................................................................... 8 1.3C About Defaults .................................................................................... 8 1.3D MIDI Note Range ................................................................................ 8 1.4 ABOUT THE USER INTERFACE ....................................................................... 9 1.4A Function Buttons ................................................................................. 10 1.4B Cursor Buttons .................................................................................... 10 1.4C Multi-Page Functions.......................................................................... 10 1.4D Editing Parameter Values................................................................... 11 1.4E The Store and Note Chase buttons .................................................... 11 1.4F The Preview Button............................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 2 - DRUM SET MANAGEMENT 2.0 SELECTING DRUM SETS.................................................................................. 12 2.1 STORING/NAMING AN EDITED DRUM SET ..................................................... 12 2.2 RECALLING FACTORY DRUM SETS................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 3 - FUNCTION BUTTONS 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 NOTE CHASE/DRUM NOTE SELECTION ......................................................... 15 VOICE................................................................................................................. 15 TUNE.................................................................................................................. 16 MIX ..................................................................................................................... 16 OUTPUT ............................................................................................................. 17 DRUM SET ......................................................................................................... 18 EXT TRIG ........................................................................................................... 19 GROUP BUTTON............................................................................................... 19 MIDI BUTTON .................................................................................................... 20 COPYING A NOTE'S PARAMETERS TO ANOTHER NOTE ............................. 20 CHAPTER 4 - MIDI FUNCTIONS DRUM SET ROOT NOTE ................................................................................... 21 MIDI CHANNEL SELECTION ............................................................................. 23 MIDI THRU/OUT SELECTION............................................................................ 23 PROGRAM CHANGE ENABLE .......................................................................... 24 CONTROLLER ENABLE.................................................................................... 24 PROGRAM CHANGE TABLE............................................................................. 26 SAVE DATA VIA MIDI ........................................................................................ 26 4.6A Save to DataDisk ................................................................................ 28 4.7 RECEIVE DATA FROM ANOTHER MIDI DEVICE.............................................. 28 4.7A Load from DataDisk ............................................................................ 29 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 CHAPTER 5 - EXTERNAL TRIGGERING ABOUT TRIGGER PARAMETERS ........................................................................... 32 5.0 TRIGGER SELECTION ...................................................................................... 36 5.1 TRIGGER NOTE SELECTION ........................................................................... 36 5.2 TRIGGER VELOCITY SELECTION.................................................................... 37 5.3 TRIGGER PARAMETER SELECTION ............................................................... 40 5.7 TRIGGER GAIN SELECTION............................................................................. 43 5.8 FOOTSWITCH MODE ........................................................................................ 44 5.8A Understanding Hi Hat Pedal Mode ..................................................... 45 CHAPTER 6 MIDI SUPPLEMENT.................................................................................................. 47 6.0 MIDI BASICS ...................................................................................................... 47 6.1 MIDI HARDWARE............................................................................................... 47 6.2 MIDI MESSAGE BASICS.................................................................................... 48 6.3 CHANNEL MESSAGES...................................................................................... 48 6.3A Voice Messages.................................................................................. 48 6.3B Mode Messages.................................................................................. 50 6.4 SYSTEM COMMON MESSAGES....................................................................... 51 6.5 BOOKS ON MIDI ................................................................................................ 51 6.6 VIDEOS ON MIDI................................................................................................ 51 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the Alesis D4 Drum Sound Module. The D4 provides over 500 high-quality drum/percussion sounds (many of them in stereo), that use the same drum recording expertise responsible for making the SR-16 and HR-16 standards in the music world. And thanks to Dynamic Articulation, which triggers different samples according to velocity, the D4's sounds have a realism and presence that make these sounds stand out in any track or performance. 1.0 PRINCIPAL FEATURES · Over 500 Sounds. Sounds include: 99 kicks, 99 snares, 55 cymbals, 92 toms, 76 percussion sounds, and 80 effects. 48 kHz Sample Rate and 20 Hz-20 kHz Bandwidth. The D4's high sample rate and full bandwidth insure maximum audio clarity from each sound. 12 acoustic trigger inputs. Drummers can trigger D4 sounds with conventional drum pads as well as MIDI pads. Studios can trigger D4 sounds from existing taped drum tracks to replace taped sounds with the D4's high-quality drum sounds. Older drum machines with individual outputs can be revitalized by using them to trigger the D4 sounds instead of triggering the drum machine's internal sounds. Full MIDI implementation. The D4's master volume responds to MIDI controller 7, allowing for smooth fades and easy changes in overall dynamics, as well as to other important MIDI controllers including pitch bend. Program change commands can call up different Drum Sets. Simultaneous MIDI/trigger operation. Notes can be triggered by MIDI and/or triggers simultaneously. Trigger to MIDI conversion. Triggers received by the D4 are converted into MIDI note data that appears at the MIDI Out/Thru connector. Single rack space size. The D4 fits conveniently into a single rack space. 21 programmable drum kits. Assign different drums to different MIDI notes (or triggers) to create a kit, and recall individual kits with Program Change commands. A footswitch, when pressed, can increment from one drum kit to the next. Multiple outputs. The D4 offers four outputs, which are arranged as two stereo pairs. Any sound can be sent to either stereo pair (and panned to any of seven positions in the stereo field). However, these can also serve as individual outputs if you pan a single sound hard left or hard right so that it appears over only one output. One possible application is to use one stereo pair for a mix of drum sounds, and the other stereo pair as two individual outputs for specific drum sounds that may need separate processing. · · · · · · · · 1 · Velocity-sensitive Preview button. Audition sounds at the D4 itself, so you don't have to go back and forth between a controller and the D4 when making drum kit assignments or checking out sounds. Headphone jack. This is excellent for practicing, or for creating drum kits while other activity is taking place in the studio. Hi hat pedal footswitch. This lets you incorporate a footswitch to create very realistic hi hat effects. Note chasing. You can select a note for editing or previewing based on the most recently received MIDI note or trigger input. Drum sound editing. Vary tuning, mix, and panning, as well as assign drums to "groups" for special effects (such as hi-hat sounds that cut each other off, or cymbals that restrike). · · · · 1.1 RETURN YOUR WARRANTY CARD NOW! Your warranty will be in effect and you will receive product update information only if you send in your warranty card. 1.2 HOOKUP/INSTANT GRATIFICATION This section describes how to hook up the D4, select Drum Sets, and audition different drum sounds. For more detail on these and other operations, refer to Chapters 2-5. 2 Power MIDI THRU/OUT Jack Main Output Jacks Footswitch Jack MIDI IN Jack Trigger Jacks Aux Output Jacks 1.2A Installation For most applications the D4 should be installed in a rack frame so that you can tap the Preview button without causing the unit to slide around. The D4 generates very little heat so it is not necessary to leave an empty space for ventilation above or below the unit. 1.2B Hook Up Audio (rear panel) 1. Turn down the master volume control of your monitoring system, PA, mixer, instrument amp, etc. 2. Turn down the D4's front panel volume control. 3. Connect the D4's Main stereo outputs to a suitable stereo monitoring system or mixer. 4. The D4's Aux jacks can provide additional outputs for selected drums. To use these optional outputs, patch them into your monitoring system or mixer. 5. To monitor via headphones, plug them into the front panel Phones jack. If you monitor only through headphones, it is not necessary to hook up the Main and/or Aux outputs. Note: The front panel volume control simultaneously sets the level of the Main, Aux, and Headphone ouputs. 1.2C Hook Up MIDI (rear panel) MIDI commands can trigger the D4's drum sounds, select different Drum Sets, and control the overall level. 1. Connect the MIDI Out from the source of MIDI data (sequencer, MIDI drum pads, trigger-to-MIDI converter, keyboard, etc.) to the D4's rear panel MIDI In. 2. To distribute the MIDI signal present at the D4's MIDI In to other units, connect the D4's MIDI Out/Thru to the other units' MIDI In. MIDI Out has other applications, as described in section 4.2. 1.2D Hook Up External Triggers (rear panel) 3 The D4's drum sounds can be triggered by non-MIDI electronic drum pads, audio signals from tape, drum sounds from other drum machines, etc. 1. If you're using a hi hat pad, connect its output to rear panel trigger input 1. 2. Connect up to 11 more pads to any of the remaining 11 rear panel trigger inputs. 1.2E Hook Up Power (rear panel) 1. Locate the AC adapter and check that the AC adapter's "INPUT" spec (printed on the adapter label) uses the correct voltage for your part of the planet. 2. Insert the AC adapter's smaller plug into the 9V AC Power jack on the D4's rear panel, and ...