User manual ALESIS FUSION REFERENCE

Fusion Reference Manual This page intentionally left blank Table Of Contents Introduction ........................................................5 Welcome! .......................................................................... 5 Unpacking and Inspection .......................................... 6 How to Use This Manual .............................................. 6 Main Features ................................................................. 7 The Fusion's Synthesis Engine.............................................................8 Eight Channel Hard Disk Recorder ....................................................10 Sampling Capability................................................................................10 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware ...........................11 Center Section.........................................................................................11 Performance Panel Description ...........................................................12 Audio Hookup Diagram: ......................................................................14 MIDI Hookup: .......................................................................................17 Computer/USB Hookup: .....................................................................18 Powering the Fusion ..............................................................................19 Factory Reset...........................................................................................20 Chapter 2: Fusion Basics ..................................21 Fusion 101: The Basics.................................................. 21 What is a Program? ................................................................................21 What is a Mix?.........................................................................................21 What is a Song?.......................................................................................21 What is a Sampler? .................................................................................21 Fusion Architecture................................................................................22 Getting Around on the Fusion .................................... 23 The Mode Buttons .................................................................................23 Navigating The Fusion's Menus...........................................................25 Useful Navigation Shortcuts.................................................................28 Storing Your Work ......................................................... 31 Storing Programs, Mixes, Songs, and Multisamples..........................31 The Clipboard .........................................................................................34 Connecting to a Computer via USB....................................................36 Chapter 3: Fusion Modes ..................................37 Program Mode ................................................................ 37 Setting Overall Program Parameters ...................................................37 Synthesis Type: Sample Playback .........................................................45 Synthesis Type: Drum............................................................................52 Synthesis Type: Analog..........................................................................63 Synthesis Type: FM ................................................................................70 Synthesis Type: Reed Model .................................................................77 Synthesis Type: Wind Model ................................................................81 Program Utility Page..............................................................................85 Filters........................................................................................................87 Envelopes ................................................................................................89 Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs).....................................................95 Mix Mode.......................................................................... 99 Setting Overall Mix Parameters............................................................100 Setting Individual Part Parameters.......................................................103 Mix Utility Page ......................................................................................113 1 Table Of Contents Song Mode ....................................................................... 115 Setting Overall Song Parameters..........................................................116 Setting Track Parameters .......................................................................123 Editing Song Tracks ...............................................................................135 Track Editing Filters ..............................................................................145 Processing Synth and Audio Tracks ....................................................147 Song Utility Page ....................................................................................167 Sampler Mode ................................................................. 171 Setting Overall Sample Settings............................................................172 Setting Individual Zone Settings ..........................................................173 Capturing Samples..................................................................................179 Editing and Processing Samples ..........................................................186 Sampler Utility Page ...............................................................................189 Mixer Mode...................................................................... 190 Mixer Mode .............................................................................................190 Using the Mixer ......................................................................................190 Global Mode .................................................................... 193 Global Workstation Settings .................................................................193 Global MIDI Settings ............................................................................196 Global Controller Settings: ...................................................................198 Metronome Settings...............................................................................200 Multitrack Audio Input Settings...........................................................202 Other Global Settings (USB & User Interface).................................203 The Item Explorer .................................................................................204 The Media Explorer:..............................................................................208 Operating System Information ............................................................209 Upgrading your Operating System ......................................................210 System CPU Usage.................................................................................211 Setting the Date and Time ....................................................................212 Chapter 4: Common Features ..........................213 The Arpeggiator ............................................................. 213 Configuring Your Arpeggiation Patterns............................................215 Recording Arpeggiation Patterns.........................................................227 Processing Your Recorded Arpeggiations..........................................230 Editing your Arpeggiation Patterns.....................................................232 The Modulation Matrix ................................................ 236 Creating and Deleting Modulation Routes.........................................237 Editing Your Modulation Routes.........................................................239 Effects ............................................................................... 249 Master EQ ...............................................................................................249 Insert Effects...........................................................................................252 Bus Effects ..............................................................................................255 Creating and Deleting Effects Modulation Routes...........................259 Editing Your Effects Modulation Routes...........................................260 Output Block Diagram..........................................................................262 2 Table Of Contents Appendix A: Effects and Implementation ....263 Master EQ Effects Parameters.............................................................263 Insert Effects Parameters......................................................................264 Bus Effects Parameters..........................................................................273 MIDI Implementation Chart (Synthesizer)........................................283 MIDI Implementation Chart (Sequencer)..........................................284 Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions....285 Appendix C: Troubleshooting..........................287 Index......................................................................289 Specifications ......................................................291 Sound Engine..........................................................................................291 Sampling Inputs......................................................................................291 Multitrack Inputs ....................................................................................291 Audio Output..........................................................................................292 Physical.....................................................................................................292 Legal Information: .................................................................................293 3 Table Of Contents This page intentionally left blank 4 Introduction Welcome! Thanks for purchasing the Fusion digital audio workstation! The Fusion one of the most powerful and full-featured products we've ever built, and we're sure you'll love using it! You could say Alesis knows a few things about synthesis. We have a 15year long track record of creating some of the most powerful and wellregarded keyboards in the world. We've used everything we learned in the past while keeping our eyes open to future possibilities in order to make the Fusion the best workstation you've ever used. We hope the Fusion will be remembered as the next great Alesis keyboard. Be sure to register your Fusion at our website (www.alesis.com) so we can give you the best possible service. And since the Fusion's operating system is upgradeable, check the site once in a while for late breaking news. Future versions of the operating system will include things like new features requested by our users as well as improvements to existing features. Also, you might want to check for new program banks and sounds every once in a while. We hope your investment will bring you many years of creative enjoyment and help you achieve your musical goals. Sincerely, The People of Alesis 5 Introduction Unpacking and Inspection The shipping carton for your Fusion should contain the following items: · · · · · · A Fusion 6HD or 8HD workstation AC power cable This Reference manual A Quickstart guide Important Safety and Warranty Information A registration reminder card Please log on to the Alesis website at www.alesis.com to register your new Fusion 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 Fusion quickly. To help you do this, check out the Fusion's Quickstart guide. The Quickstart guide is a separate manual that should have everything you need to start playing quickly. Once you're ready for more in-depth information, this reference manual is for you. This manual will describe the workings of every single feature and parameter on the Fusion and you should be able to find answers to all of your Fusion questions here. We've also compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions at the end of this manual that should address many of your troubleshooting questions. Please check the FAQ before contacting our technical support staff as that will save time and energy for both you and our friendly support staff. Helpful tips and advice are highlighted in a shaded box like this. When something important appears in the manual, an exclamation mark (like the one shown at left) will appear with some explanatory text. 6 Introduction Main Features Your Fusion workstation is packed with features to help you make better music. Let's take a quick look at these features and get a sense of why each feature is important. Total Integration The Fusion has one of the biggest feature lists of any workstation on the market today. That said, the beautiful thing about this workstation is not its sheer number of features, but rather the perfect integration of these features with each other. All the different parts (synthesizers, hard disk recorder, sampler, arranger, mixer, etc.) talk to each other intelligently so that you can focus on writing songs rather than troubleshooting why one part won't work well with another. For example, you can use Song mode to arrange and record digital audio and MIDI seamlessly on the same screen. You don't need to worry about getting a separate MIDI arranger and hard disk recorder to work together since we've taken care of that for you. Once you're done arranging, each of your synth and audio tracks automatically appear on your mixer for quick and intuitive mixing just like on a hardware mixer. Again, everything is automatically and intuitively laid out in a way that makes sense to musicians. Even loading, saving, and organizing your songs and programs (which can often turn into a troubleshooting headache) has been made completely seamless--you can load programs from either the hard disk or compact flash memory without ever having to worry about what's going on "under the hood" of the workstation (if you don't want to, that is). Intuitive Interface We've analyzed how musicians commonly work and figured out ways of streamlining the songwriting process. For example, we've minimized keypresses and placed shortcuts and quick access buttons right where most musicians will want them. The user interface was carefully designed for both novice keyboard players and hardcore synth enthusiasts alike. We did this through a two level interface design: On the top level, novice users can find what they need quickly without ever having to see (or deal with) the more complex inner workings of the keyboard. On the other hand, knob twiddlers can go digging inside the Fusion's deeper menus and program to their hearts' content. Regardless of the type of user you are, you'll find the interface to be clean and intuitive. 7 Introduction The Fusion's Synthesis Engine Your Fusion is capable of four completely different types of synthesis: Sample Playback, Virtual Analog, FM, and Physical Modeling. Our brand new "Dynamic DSP Synthesis" engine lets you load up any combination of synthesis types you'd like to use. There are no artificial limits placed on synthesis or polyphony--you're free to configure and push your Fusion as far as the synth engine can handle (which is pretty far considering there are eight processors inside). Sample Playback Sample playback synthesis lets you use recorded sounds of actual instruments (or any recorded sound, for that matter) to create a program. For example, the Fusion's "Grand Piano" program is actually a carefully recorded concert grand. In general, sample playback synthesis is a great way of reproducing lifelike versions of real, acoustic instruments. Virtual Analog (VA) Synthesis Analog synthesis lets you create wonderfully complex sounds using a small number of simple waveforms, envelopes, and low frequency oscillators. What does all this mean in musical terms? It means you can create the deep basses, lush pads, and many other sounds analog synthesizers are known for without the difficulty and expense of real-analog synthesis. FM Synthesis FM synthesis was created in the 1970s and became an overnight sensation because of its ability to produce electronic piano, bell, and melodic percussion sounds such as vibes and marimba. These sounds are created by taking sound sources and modulating their frequencies. Programming FM synthesizers used to be a challenge because it can be hard to conceptualize and visualize how your waveforms are interacting with each other. We carefully designed the Fusion's graphical FM signal router to let you know what's going on without overwhelming you with too much information, making it easy to sculpt the perfect sound you want. All of the detailed information can be found on separate sub-pages within the FM Synthesis section. 8 Introduction Physical Modeling Physical modeling is a state-of-the-art process that mathematically describes how a sound wave would behave if it were Inside a real instrument. This results in incredibly lifelike virtual instruments that you can play on the Fusion. The cool thing is that you can actually create virtual instruments that do not (or cannot) exist in real life by simply setting your parameters accordingly. For example, you can create a 30-foot long flute played with a hurricane-strength breath if you'd like--the sky is the limit! Physical models involve a lot of math and model parameters are often very complex and difficult to understand. We took a great deal of care in designing an interface that musicians can relate to--enabling you to tweak your sounds in real-time without complex math or confusing parameters. Currently, the Fusion has two physical models letting you create the most realistic (or unreal, if that's what you're into) wind and reed instruments ever to come out of a synthesizer. 9 Introduction Eight Channel Hard Disk Recorder Most keyboard players that record songs end up taking their synthesizer parts and recording them on to a separate multitrack recorder along with other live instruments (drums, guitar, etc.) Having built some legendary multitrack recorders in the past including the ADAT and the HD24, we integrated an 8-channel, 24-bit hard disk recorder in the Fusion. There are several advantages to having an integrated multitrack recorder over a separate keyboard and multitrack. First, you have much less gear to buy, carry around, and maintain--with the Fusion, you can do all your recording and mixing in one box making it much easier to record on the road. Second, since the synthesizers, sequencer, and multitrack recorder are built to work together from the ground up, you won't spend any time troubleshooting why things aren't working correctly. Finally, since you're arranging and editing all of your MIDI and audio on one screen, you'll find it much easier and faster to compose and record songs. The inputs record at 24 bit, 44.1 kHz and can be active at the same time, letting you record up to eight channels simultaneously. All inputs are balanced and the recorder has standard transport controls with locate points. Sampling Capability If you want to create a custom program using your own sounds, you can do it with the Fusion's sampler. The sampler has stereo inputs with a Trim knob for adjusting levels. Your recorded samples can be either mono or stereo, and are recorded and stored files on either the Fusion's internal hard disk or Compact Flash cards. 10 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware Center Section 1. Mode Selection Buttons (Mix, Program, Song, Sampler, Mixer and Global): These buttons select the main modes of the Fusion. 2. Soft Buttons (No Labels on the front panel): These buttons match up with the LCD screen labels and let you navigate the user interface. 3. Contrast Control: This knob adjusts the contrast of the LCD screen. 4. Category and Bank Buttons (Category, Bank forward and reverse): The category button brings up the category function on the LCD screen. The Bank forward and reverse buttons allow you to quickly move through sound banks. 5. Quick Access Buttons (A-P , 1-8): These buttons allow you to directly select a Bank and a specific Program in a Bank. 6. Transport Controls (Locate, Set Locate, Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop, Play and Record): These buttons are used to play songs, set and select Locate points in a song, as well as other control functions in other Modes. 7. Control Wheel and Edit Buttons (Edit, Prev, Next, Inc, Dec, Store and Undo): The Control Wheel is used for quickly moving through values on the screen when the cursor is highlighting a parameter. The Edit button allows you to look "under the hood" of the mode that is currently selected. The undo button allows you to revert to previous settings of parameters in case you change your mind about an edit you've made. The Store button allows you to name and save your work. The Prev and Next buttons let you to navigate the parameters on the pages. Finally, the Inc and Dec buttons let you step through the values of a highlighted parameter. 8. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display): This screen is used to view parameters and information in relationship to the mode you have selected. 11 1 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware Performance Panel Description 4 3 1 2 5 6 7 8 The Fusion's Performance Panel has several real-time controllers (wheels, knobs, buttons, and switches) that you can assign to perform a variety of tasks. These controllers let you tweak sounds in real-time as you play for maximum expression and sonic control. The Performance Panel's components consist of the following: 1. PITCH BEND WHEEL: This wheel lets you raise or lower the pitch of your program during a performance. Push this wheel forward to raise the pitch and pull it back toward you to lower the pitch. The wheel is spring loaded and will snap back to normal once you let go. You can change the pitch bend range on a per-program basis in the Program/Pitch page under the Program menu. See "Pitch Bend Range" parameter on page 41 for more about this. 2. MODULATION WHEEL: The mod wheel can be assigned to control a variety of parameters including vibrato, tremolo, FM amount, etc. This wheel is usually mapped to vibrato as a default, but it is possible to map it to almost anything on the Fusion. Use the modulation matrix to map the mod wheel. See page 236 for more about the modulation matrix. 3. PERFORMANCE GRID: The Performance Grid lets you assign what your four Control Knobs do (see section 6 for more on the Control Knobs). By having four "rows," of functions, the knobs can actually control up to 16 different parameters. You can easily tell what row is selected because the active row is brightly lit whereas the other rows remain dimmed. The ARP, FILTER, EQ, and ASSIGN buttons (see below) are used to select your active row. 12 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware 1 4. ARP, FILTER, EQ, ASSIGN: These buttons select the active row on the performance panel. ARP, FILTER, and EQ are hard-wired to arpeggiator, filter, and EQ functions whereas the assign row lets you map the Control Knobs to any parameters of your choosing. You'll notice the names of the knobs on the bottom of the LCD screen change to reflect what row you've selected. For example, if you select "EQ," the bottom of the screen will change to Low, Low-Mid, High-Mid, and High. The Assign row knobs can be assigned through the Modulation Matrix. See page 236 for more about the modulation matrix. 5. CONTROL KNOBS: These knobs can be used to manipulate all kinds of parameters within the Fusion like filter frequencies, resonance, modulation, or even tempo. The Performance Grid (see section #3 above) tells you what your knobs are currently assigned to control. When you then turn a knob, you'll notice the on-screen knob (at the top level of Program, Mix, and Song Modes) will change accordingly. These knobs work in real-time so you can hear the effects of your knob twiddling as you play. 6. ARP On/Off, S1, S2: The ARP On/Off (Arpeggiator) button engages and disengages the Fusion's arpeggiator. The S1 and S2 buttons are assignable ON/OFF switches that can be set to affect all kinds of functions within the Fusion such as filters or effects sends. Switch assignments can be made through the modulation matrix. See page 236 for more about the matrix. See page 213 for more about the Arpeggiator. 7. TRIGGER 1 ­ 4: These four assignable buttons can trigger envelopes, LFOs, and many other functions. Unlike the S1 and S2 switches described above, these trigger buttons are only active when you are holding them down--once you release the triggers they become inactive. Use the Modulation Matrix to assign these buttons (see page 236 for more). 8. MASTER VOLUME: This is the Fusion's master volume control. 13 1 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware Audio Hookup Diagram: This diagram will show you how you can hook up your Fusion to the rest of your studio. Let's go through and discuss the inputs and outputs. We'll start from the left side of the diagram above and work our way to the right: Sampling inputs: These inputs--labeled "Left/Mono" and "Right"-- feed the Fusion's internal sampler. You can use these inputs to capture sounds to convert into a custom program. The workstation lets you sample in stereo or mono, and the Gain trim knob lets you to set input level. Note that you can use these inputs to route a microphone (or other external device) through the Fusion's synthesis or effects engines. This effectively turns the Fusion into an extremely powerful effects processor. About the Inputs and Outputs: All audio inputs and outputs use balanced ¼" TRS connectors. You can use unbalanced ¼" TS cables for these connections, but you should consider using balanced cabling for maximum clarity and lowest noise. This is especially important if you have long cables in your studio since audio quality quickly degrades as unbalanced cabling increases in length. Headphone outputs: Connect your headphones to this output. This output mirrors whatever is coming out of the Main Outputs of the Fusion. In other words, if you've routed any sounds out of the Aux Outputs, you will not hear them in the headphones. 14 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware 1 Main Outputs: These are the Fusion's primary outputs. By default, all multitrack and synthesizer audio is routed to these outputs and you'll generally connect these outputs to your amplifier (or mixer). Why have two sets of outputs? Let's say you've set up a bass/lead split but you want to EQ and process each part differently using outboard gear. No problem--just route the bass to one output (either Main or Aux Out) and the lead to the other. Now you have two totally separate instruments coming out of each output. If your programs are mono, you actually have four discrete channels to work with (Main Left, Main Right, Aux Left, and Aux Right), giving you even more flexibility for outboard processing/mixing. Aux Outputs: These are a second pair of outputs to which you can route multitrack and synthesizer audio if you'd like to process these tracks differently. S/PDIF Output: This output is designed to transfer sounds digitally to other gear in your studio that supports S/PDIF. This output mirrors whatever is being sent out of the main outs on the synth. Optical Output: This optical digital output is supports 8-channel ADAT format. The output will be as follows: ADAT Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Output Main Out Left Main Out Right Aux Out Left Aux Out Right Insert 1 Send Left Insert 2 Send Left Insert 3 Send Left Insert 4 Send Left A note on S/PDIF cabling The S/PDIF jack on the back of the Fusion looks like a standard RCA connector, but you cannot use ordinary audio cables for this connection. S/PDIF requires special 75-ohm "digital audio" cables to work properly and will most likely result in very loud white noise if you use the wrong type of cables. If you're hearing clicks, pops, or white noise when using S/PDIF, your cable is the likely culprit. Foot Pedals: These three inputs allow you to control a variety of functions. EXPRESSION is the Fusion's continuous controller expression pedal input and can be assigned to control things like volume. The FOOTSWITCH input is configurable and lets you trigger envelopes, LFOs, and other events with your foot. It is similar to the trigger buttons found on the Performance Panel. Unlike the EXPRESSION input, the FOOTSWITCH is binary and is either "on" or "off " with no range of control in between. The SUSTAIN input is for a sustain pedal and is commonly used by keyboard instruments to hold notes. Like the FOOTSWITCH, the SUSTAIN pedal input is either "on" or "off " and there is no middle ground. 15 1 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware Multitrack Inputs: These eight inputs link directly to the Fusion's hard disk recorder. You can use these inputs to record things like live instruments (guitars, bass, drums, etc.) as well as mixers, CD players, turntables, and more. Note that you need to plug in a line level signal into these inputs and many instruments (condenser microphones, guitars, turntables, etc.) will require a preamplifier to bring the signal up to line level before you can record into the Fusion. The inputs can be switched between -10 and +4 dB to accommodate all kinds of gear ranging from "consumer" to "professional" grade (see page 202 for more on this). The internal recorder captures audio at a sampling rate of 44.1k with 24-bit audio fidelity letting you make extremely high quality recordings without any additional gear. 16 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware 1 MIDI Hookup: This diagram shows common ways of hooking up your Fusion to other gear in your studio through MIDI. MIDI IN: Hook up the MIDI output of your external gear to the "MIDI In" of the Fusion when you want the Fusion to receive MIDI data from the outside world. There are two common scenarios in which you'll want this: 1. You may want to use another keyboard to control the Fusion. This is commonly done by synth players on stage if they want to use one "master" keyboard to control all other keyboards. 2. You may want to arrange a song on a computer MIDI sequencer, and then use the sequencer to play back sounds from the Fusion. MIDI OUT: If you want to use your Fusion to control other synthesizers or to send MIDI data to a MIDI sequencing program on a computer, you should connect this output to the input of your MIDI destination device (sound modules, other keyboards, external sequencer, etc). MIDI THRU: All MIDI data that comes in on the "MIDI IN" connection is passed through the Fusion and sent out of the "MIDI THRU" jack completely unaffected. This is a useful feature for people using multiple keyboards (or MIDI modules) along with a "Master" MIDI controller because it lets you pass MIDI data to all of your synths. 17 1 Chapter 1: Fusion Hardware Computer/USB Hookup: USB: Connect your Fusion to a Mac or PC for easy file transfers. The Fusion supports USB 2.0 and is fully backwards-compatible with USB 1.1/1.0, but we highly recommend using 2.0 since audio files tend to be quite large and transfers will be slower on USB 1.1/1.0 connections. The Fusion is designed to work with any computer that supports "USB Mass Storage" devices using the FAT32 formatting standard. Current versions of virtually all common operating systems support these features. For more about memory, storage, and file management, see the section titled "Storing Your Work" starting on page 37. 18