Operation Manual © ZOOM Corporation Reproduction of this manual, in whole or in part, by any means, is prohibited. USAGE AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS In this manual, symbols are used to highlight warnings and cautions for you to read so that accidents can be prevented. The meanings of these symbols are as follows: · Excessive dust or sand · Excessive vibration or shock · Handling · Never place objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the RT-223 since this can cause electric shock. Warning · Do not place naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, on the RT-223 since this can cause fire. This symbol indicates explanations about extremely dangerous matters. If users ignore this symbol and handle the device the wrong way, serious injury or death could result. This symbol indicates explanations about dangerous matters. If users ignore this symbol and handle the device the wrong way, bodily injury and damage to the equipment could result. The RT-223 is a precision instrument. Do not exert undue pressure on the keys and other controls. Also take care not to Caution drop the unit, and do not subject it to shock or excessive pressure. Warning · Connecting cables and input and output jacks You should always turn off the power to the RT-223 and all other equipment before connecting or disconnecting any Warning cables. Also make sure to disconnect all connection cables and Caution the power cord before moving the RT-223. Please observe the following safety tips and precautions to ensure hazard-free use of the RT-223. · Alterations Warning Never open the case of the RT-223 or attempt to modify the product in any way since this can result in damage to the unit. · Power requirements Since power consumption of this unit is fairly high, we recommend the use of an AC adapter whenever possible. When Warning powering the unit from batteries, use only alkaline types. [AC adapter operation] · Be sure to use only an AC adapter which supplies 9 V DC, 300 mA and is equipped with a "center minus" plug (Zoom AD-0006). The use of an adapter other than the specified type may damage the unit and pose a safety hazard. · Connect the AC adapter only to an AC outlet that supplies the rated voltage required by the adapter. · When disconnecting the AC adapter from the AC outlet, always grasp the adapter itself and do not pull at the cable. · During lightning or when not using the unit for an extended period, disconnect the AC adapter from the AC outlet. [Battery operation] · Use four conventional IEC R6 (size AA) batteries (alkaline). · The RT-223 cannot be used for recharging. · Pay close attention to the labelling of the battery to make sure you choose the correct type. · When not using the unit for an extended period, remove the batteries from the unit. · If battery leakage has occurred, wipe the battery compartment and the battery terminals carefully to remove all remnants of battery fluid. · While using the unit, the battery compartment cover should be closed. · Volume Do not use the RT-223 at a loud volume for a long time since this can cause hearing impairment. Caution Usage Precautions · Electrical interference For safety considerations, the RT-223 has been designed to provide maximum protection against the emission of electromagnetic radiation from inside the device, and protection from external interference. However, equipment that is very susceptible to interference or that emits powerful electromagnetic waves should not be placed near the RT-223, as the possibility of interference cannot be ruled out entirely. With any type of digital control device, the RT-223 included, electromagnetic interference can cause malfunctioning and can corrupt or destroy data. Care should be taken to minimize the risk of damage. · Cleaning Use a soft, dry cloth to clean the RT-223. If necessary, slightly moisten the cloth. Do not use abrasive cleanser, wax, or solvents (such as paint thinner or cleaning alcohol), since these may dull the finish or damage the surface. Please keep this manual in a convenient place for future reference. * MIDI is a registered trademark of Association of Musical Electronics Industry(AMEI). * SD Logo is a trademark. * All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned in this manual are for identification purposes only and are not intended to infringe on the copyrighted properties of their respective owners. · Environment Warning To prevent the risk of fire, electric shock or malfunction, avoid using your RT-223 in environments where it will be exposed to: · Extreme temperatures · Heat sources such as radiators or stoves · High humidity or moisture 2 ZOOM RT-223 Contents USAGE AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS . . 2 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Usage Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Names of Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Top panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Using Pads to Play Patterns (Groove Play Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Various Drum Kit Functions (Kit Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Creating an original drum kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Copying a drum kit/Returning a drum kit to the factory default condition . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Assigning a name to a drum kit . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Getting Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Unit on Batteries . . . . . . . . . . Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 7 8 Using Effects (Effect Mode) . . . . . . . . . 54 About the effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 About patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Using the COMP EQ effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Using the REVERB effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Editing effect patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Storing, swapping, or initializing effect patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Assigning a name to an effect patch . . . . . . . 59 Quick Guide 1 Listening to the Demo Song . . 8 Quick Guide 2 Playing the Pads . . . . . . . . . . 10 Quick Guide 3 Playing a Pattern. . . . . . . . . . 12 Quick Guide 4 Assembling a Song by Hitting the Pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Quick Guide 5 Using Groove Play . . . . . . . . 16 Playing the Pads (Manual Play) . . . . . . 18 Playing by tapping the pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Selecting a kit/program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Using the Metronome (Metronome Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Changing Various Settings of the RT-223 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Basic function setting procedure . . . . . . . . . 63 Function setting items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Playing the Patterns (Pattern Mode) . . 20 Playing a pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Changing the tempo of pattern playback . . . 21 Other Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Using the jam function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Synchronizing the RT-223 to external MIDI equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Using MIDI equipment to play the RT-223 . . 70 Checking the remaining memory capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Turning the backlight off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Returning the RT-223 to the factory default condition (initialization) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Entering Patterns in Real Time . . . . . . 22 Real-time recording of a drum track . . . . . . . 22 Real-time recording of a bass track . . . . . . . 25 Entering Patterns Using Step Input . . 27 What is step recording? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Step recording of drum track . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Step recording of bass track . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Editing a Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Copying a pattern/Returning a pattern to the factory default condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Erasing a pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Assigning a name to a pattern . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 RT-223 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 RT-223 Product Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Reverb Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 COMP EQ Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 PATCH LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 DRUM KIT LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 BASS PROGRAM LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 DRUM PAD NOTE# LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 MIDI NOTE # LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 INSTRUMENT LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 PRESET PATTERN LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 PRESET SONG PAD PARAMETER . . . . . . . . 85 MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 MIDI Implementation Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Creating Songs (Song Mode) . . . . . . . . 34 What is a song? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a song using step input . . . . . . . . . Creating a song using real-time input . . . . . Creating a song using FAST input . . . . . . . . Entering event information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playing a song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Copying a range of measures . . . . . . . . . . . . Copying a song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erasing a song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assigning a name to a song . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 34 36 39 42 44 45 46 47 47 Editing a Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ZOOM RT-223 3 Introduction Thank you for selecting the ZOOM RhythmTrak RT-223 (hereafter simply called the "RT-223"). The RT-223 is a sophisticated product with the following features. · Highly compact drum/bass machine The RT-223 is small enough to fit in the pocket of a guitar case. But it has enough muscle to play a full rhythm accompaniment with super realistic drum and bass sounds. You can use it as a personal metronome during practice, or as your rhythm section during a live performance and when making a demo tape. · Perfectly simple operation Even if you have never used a drum machine or sequencer before, you will feel comfortable with the RT-223 right away. · Great selection of preset patterns The RT-223 can store 511 different patterns (including patterns that you have created yourself). Out of the box, it comes with a wide choice of representative patterns that will you get started in no time. · Program the accompaniment to an entire song You can line up multiple patterns in the intended order to create the rhythm accompaniment for a full song. Besides step input, where you specify elements such as pattern number, volume, and tempo one by one, the RT-223 also supports the innovative FAST input method developed by ZOOM. · Groove play mode lets you play patterns like a DJ Assigning patterns to the pads on the top panel lets you change patterns simply by tapping the pads. Great for live performances and for DJ use. · Create your original kits The RT-223 comes with built-in drum kits and bass programs for a variety of musical genres. What's more, you can create your own drum kits by combining drum sounds at will. · Two types of effects The drum kit/bass program sound can be processed by two kinds of effects (COMP EQ and REVERB). The REVERB effect allows adjusting the effect depth for each drum sound individually. · Jam function for selecting patterns with a foot switch Connect a foot switch to have even more control over play start/stop and switching patterns. While playing your instrument, you can set fill-ins or breaks or return to the main theme after improvising for any length. This is great for those lively jam sessions. · Built-in metronome function The metronome is convenient for scale practice or rhythm practice. In addition to the standard beat, you can also use mixed beat settings such as 5-beat and 7-beat. · Input jack for connecting an external sound source Connect an instrument processed with a multieffect such as the ZOOM GFX-1 and mix it with the RT-223 signal to produce impressive sounding output. · Control various functions with a foot switch A connected foot switch can be used to start/stop a pattern or change the tempo while keeping your hands free. Alternatively, push the foot switch down to kick a virtual bass drum, or switch between hi-hat open/close. · Compatible with MIDI synchronization The MIDI IN connector allows an external MIDI keyboard or other device to play the sounds of the RT-223. It is also possible to synchronize the RT-223 to the MIDI clock from a MIDI sequencer. Please take the time to read this manua ...