Alesis D4 - Manual

7 1.2I Assign Drum Sounds to Particular MIDI Notes 1. Press the Voice button. 2. Use the cursor buttons to place the cursor under the MIDI note number on the topline. 3. Rotate the Data knob and select the note to which you want to assign a particulardrum sound. 4. Select the desired Bank and drum s...

8 1.3B About the Edit Buffer Whenever you select a Drum Set, all parameters associated with the Drum Set loadinto a temporary memory buffer. As you edit the Drum Set, changes are made to thistemporary version rather than the original Drum Set. This is important for two reasons: • If you don’t like t...

9 000 C-2 036 C1 096 C6 127 G8 61 Note Window MIDI IN DATA Note Data to Sound Generator External Triggers 3 4 5 6 2 1 Programmable Drumset trigger note number assignments (any trigger may be assigned any note number within the 61 note window) Alesis D4 Trigger / Note Relationship Programmable Drumse...

11 After selecting the parameter to be edited, use the Data wheel to vary its value. Oncea Drum Set has been edited, a period appears in the display after the Drum Setnumber. Example: This Drum Set has not been edited. DRUMSET 00 “Standard Stuff” This Drum Set has been edited. Note the period. DRUMS...

12 CHAPTER 2: DRUM SET MANAGEMENT In most cases, you will call up a particular Drum Set when you want to use the D4.Drum Sets can be selected, named, edited, and saved (stored). 2.0 SELECTING DRUM SETS 1. Press the Drum Set function button; its LED will light. The LCD will show a DrumSet number on t...

13 R S T U V W X Y Z [ ] ^ _ ` a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z { | } 4. After naming the Drum Set and selecting where it should be stored, press theStore button again. The LCD will briefly show DRUMSET STORED to confirmthat it has been stored. The Store LED will then go out and t...

15 CHAPTER 3: FUNCTION BUTTONS The function buttons allow you to edit Drum Set parameters on a fairly detailed level. 3.0 NOTE CHASE/DRUM NOTE SELECTION The Voice, Tune, Mix, Output, and Group buttons all require selecting a particulardrum note for editing. The top line of each of these screens show...

20 1. Press and hold the Note Chase function button. While holding this button, pressthe Store button. Release both buttons. The Store LED will light and the displayshows something like: COPY 036 C1 TO 042 F#1 2. The cursor will be under the destination note number. Use the Data wheel toselect the n...

22 4.1 MIDI CHANNEL SELECTION The D4 can receive and transmit MIDI data in Omni mode (receives data appearingon any of the 16 MIDI channels, transmits data over channel 1) or Poly mode(transmits and receives over any one of the 16 MIDI channels). Use Omni when playing the D4 from an external MIDI co...

23 Program Change commands can change Drum Sets at any time, including while theD4 is playing. A Program Change Table (section 4.5) determines which Drum Setwill be called up in response to a particular Program Change number. The default isProgram Changes 00-20 call up Drum Sets 00-20; so do Program...

26 which receives all channels) to retrieve this data. It’s a good idea to include thechannel assignment in the System Exclusive file name to prevent possible confusion. To back up: 1. Connect the D4’s MIDI Out to the MIDI In of the other D4 or system exclusivestorage device, such as the DataDisk. 2...

27 6. Press the D4 Store button. The D4 display says SENDING SYSEX DATA OUTMIDI… and the DD display says RECEIVING Alesis D4 to indicate that data hasbeen received. 7. To prevent future confusion, name the DD file using the DD NAME function. 4.7 RECEIVE DATA FROM ANOTHER MIDI DEVICE The D4 will auto...

28 CHAPTER 5: EXTERNAL TRIGGERING External triggering has three main uses: • Driving D4 sounds from electronic drum pads. Some electronic drum padsprovide MIDI triggers when hit; these can feed directly into the D4’s MIDI input.Other pads generate analog triggers, which can interface with the trigge...

29 About Trigger Parameters The D4 now offers five user controllable trigger parameters.These are: • VCURVE. This represents the velocity curve, or the sensitivity of the trigger input. There are eight separate curve tables, 0 through 7. Using thesesettings it is possible to adjust the D4s' triggers...

32 • NOISE. The noise floor is is the signal level threshold a vibration or sound must exceed before it can trigger a drum sound. When selecting lowervalues, very soft signals (hits) will trigger the D4. While this allows for thegreatest sensitivity, there’s a chance that unwanted, exterior signals ...

33 2. Place the cursor under the TRIG parameter. 3. Turn the Data wheel to select the desired trigger for editing. 5.1 TRIGGER NOTE SELECTION Each trigger can be assigned to any MIDI note number, which is associated with acorresponding drum sound (programmed according to the instructions in section ...

36 5.3 TRIGGER PARAMETER SELECTION To compensate for differences in transducer outputs, the crosstalk, decay time, andnoise floor level for each trigger can be set independently. These are Global settingsthat apply to all Drum Sets. 1. The second Ext Trig page shows four parameters. Example: TRIG:02...

38 5.5 TRIGGER DCAY CONTROL SELECTION If a pad or drum "double triggers" when it is struck, it may be necessary to adjust theDCAY level. This is evident when shortly after the initial strike to a pad, a secondtrigger from the same pad is generated, or it "double triggers". Note: With...

39 Remember : In keeping potential problems to a minimum, it is always a good idea to try to keep some distance between your pad or drum kit, and nearby speakercabinets (especially bass cabinets). Whenever possible, try to aim them so theyare not facing directly towards your set up. Also, avoid unst...

41 5.8A Understanding Hi Hat Pedal Mode This is a feature for hardcore drummers. It’s a little complicated, but hang in there—the D4 finally gives you a way to get truly realistic hi hat effects with electronic drums. An acoustic hi hat produces three main types of sound: • Open hi hat. The pedal is...

43 CHAPTER 6: MIDI SUPPLEMENT (This chapter is an abridged version of material from Power Sequencing with MasterTracks Pro/Pro 4 and The Complete Guide to the Alesis HR-16 and MMT-8, copyright1990 and 1989 respectively by AMSCO Publications, and is adapted withpermission.) 6.0 MIDI BASICS Most curre...

46 124 Omni Off (0)125 Omni On (0)126 Mono On (0-16; 0=Omni Off)127 Poly On (0) 6.3B Mode Messages There are two messages that determine the MIDI mode (i.e., how the D4 will receiveMIDI data). The “Omni” message determines how many channels will be recognized.Omni On means that data from all channel...