Alesis QS8.1 - Manual

Table of Contents QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 5 C ONTENTS Part 1: SETUP & CONNECTIONS .........................................................9 AC Power...............................................................................................................9Audio............................

Setup & Connections: Part 1 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 9 P A R T 1 SETUP & CONNECTIONS AC P O W E R HOOKUP Your QS7.1/QS8.1 is set to work with the voltage of the country to which it wasshipped (either 110 or 220V, 50 or 60 Hz) and comes equipped with the appropriatepower cable. Hooking th...

Part 1: Setup & Connections 10 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual • Line filters . These cost more than simple spike/surge protectors, but may be worth it depending on your situation. Along with surge protection they offercircuits that can remove some line noise — things like dimmer hash, transientsfr...

Part 1: Setup & Connections 12 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual • Avoid running audio cables near such sources of electromagnetic interference astransformers, monitors, computers, etc. • Don’t run cables where they can be stepped on. Stepping on a cable willcompress the insulation between the center...

Part 1: Setup & Connections 16 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual IBM ® PCS AND COMPATIBLES RUNNING WINDOWS ® If you want to link your QS directly with a PC or PC-Compatible, you’ll need specialserial driver software and cabling. You’ve already got the driver software — it’s in the \ALESIS\ASDWIN dire...

Setup & Connections: Part 1 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 17 P EDAL AND F OOTSWITCH H OOKUP The QS keyboard has three back-panel pedal jacks, marked [ SUS PEDAL ], [ PEDAL 1 ] and [ PEDAL 2 ]. [ SUS PEDAL ] is designed to work with any standard momentary footswitch. It doesn’t matter whether the ...

Overview: Part 2 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 19 P A R T 2 OVERVIEW A Q UICK T OUR O F T HE F RONT P ANEL THE WHEELS At the far left of the front panel you will find two powerful controllers: • The [ PITCH ] wheel. Move this control up or down to expressively bend the pitch of the synth. • The [ MOD...

Part 2: Overview 20 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual THE EDIT MODE BUTTONS There are 6 buttons grouped together at the immediate left of the display: • [ ▲ VALUE]. When you are editing, this button increments the selected value. At all other times it steps you forward through the available Programs or M...

Overview: Part 2 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 21 THE DISPLAY The large backlit LCD in the center of the front panel gives you visual feedback asyou work. What it shows will vary depending on the mode you are in. Let’s go over what the different areas of the LCD “tell” you.1) The big numbers on the l...

Part 2: Overview 22 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual THE PLAY MODE BUTTONS There are 4 buttons grouped together at the immediate right of the display: • [ MIX ] . This button takes you to Mix Mode. • [ PROGRAM ] . This button takes you to Program Mode. • [ BANK ] . In Program and Mix Modes, this button ...

Overview: Part 2 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 23 A WORD ABOUT THE SILKSCREENING As we mentioned in the last section, if you look above and below the 23[ SELECTION ] buttons you’ll see a lot of words silkscreened on the front panel. We’ll get into what they mean later. All you need to know now is: • ...

Overview: Part 2 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 27 ABOUT SOUND GROUPS To make things easier for you, we’ve broken down three of the five Banks into Sound Groups . There are 12 different Sound Groups with 10 Programs each, plus a 13th Sound Group with only 8 Programs. (This gives each Bank 128 Programs...

Overview: Part 2 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 29 PCMCIA E XPANSION C ARDS Your QS7.1/QS8.1 is an expandable system. If you want access to more Sounds,Programs, Mixes, Effects, and Sequences, all you have to do is pop the appropriatememory card into one of the two [ PCMCIA EXPANSION CARD ] slots on t...

First Session: Part 3 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 29 P ART 3 FIRST SESSION P OWERING U P Once your QS7.1/QS8.1 is connected to an audio system of some kind, you are readyto play. Here’s how to begin. 1 ) Make sure that all connections have been made correctly, and that the volume controls in your a...

First Session: Part 3 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 31 P LAYING P R O G R A M S The mode in which your QS plays Programs is called, logically enough, Program Mode. To enter it at any time, just press the [ PROGRAM ] button on the front panel. Once there, all you have to do is play. To explore differe...

Part 3: First Session 32 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual P LAYING M I X E S In Program Mode you play Programs, so to play Mixes you can probably guess thatyou’d have to be in Mix Mode . To enter this mode at any time, just press the [ MIX ] button on the front panel. The display should look something l...

First Session: Part 3 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 35 PERFORMANCE TRANSPOSITIONC H A R T UP OCTAVE + 12 semitones C above Middle C MAJOR SEVENTH + 11 semitones B above Middle C MINOR SEVENTH + 10 semitones B-flat above Middle C MAJOR SIXTH + 09 semitones A above Middle C MINOR SIXTH + 08 semitones G...

Basic Operation: Part 4 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 35 P A R T 4 BASIC OPERATION R ECAP At this point you’ve pretty much learned everything there is to know about how toplay your QS7.1/QS8.1: • You’ve got it hooked up and amplified. • You know about Banks, and how to switch among them. • You know a...

Part 4: Basic Operation 38 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual C HANGING T HE P ROGRAMS I N A M IX This is actually the first level of editing for Mixes, but that’s okay — it’s an easyand useful thing that you can do whenever you are in Mix Mode…and best of all youdon’t need to know anything special to do ...

Basic Operation: Part 4 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 39 C HANGING T HE N AME O F A P ROGRAM O R M IX Call up the Program or Mix whose name you wish to change. Make sure it is visiblein the display, and then: 1) Press [ EDIT SELECT ]. 2) Press [ 120 ], which calls up the NAME function while editing. ...

Part 4: Basic Operation 40 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual P LAYING S EQUENCES F ROM A C A R D [This section assumes that you have some PCMCIA Expansion Cards with sequenceson them. If you don’t, you can move on and come back to this section later.] Several of the Alesis QCards come with their own demo...

Part 4: Basic Operation 42 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual EDITING GLOBAL PARAMETERS To enter Global Edit Mode: 1) Press [ EDIT SELECT ]. 2) Press the [ BANK ] button (that’s the one that has GLOBAL written beneath it). The display will look like this: Now look in the upper right corner of the display....

Basic Operation: Part 4 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 43 PAGE 2 — MASTER TUNE This setting is like Master Pitch, but on a much finer scale. Its main use will be totune your QS to match other instruments. (If you are playing along with an acousticpiano that is consistently a little sharp or flat, for ...

Part 4: Basic Operation 44 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual The factory default setting is 65, which gives an even scaling that favors neitherloud nor soft playing. You will need to experiment with this parameter to findexactly the right adjustment for your own “touch.” PAGE 5 — TRANSPOSE This is the sa...

Basic Operation: Part 4 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 45 OUT 01 through OUT 16 select a single MIDI channel to transmit on, while simultaneously shutting off local keyboard control. You’ll want to choose thissetting if you are using a sequencer that automatically echoes back the MIDI datathat is bein...

Basic Operation: Part 4 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 47 PAGE 10 — CONTROLLER C # The same as Global Edit Page 8, above, but for Controller C. The factory default isController 091. PAGE 11 — CONTROLLER D # The same as Global Edit Page 8, above, but for Controller D. The factory default isController 0...

Part 4: Basic Operation 48 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual PAGE 14 — MIDI PROGRAM SELECTMODE This parameter determines how your QS deals with MIDI Program ChangeCommands. There are three possible settings: OFF turns all Program Changes off. With this choice selected, your QS will neither send Program C...

Basic Operation: Part 4 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 49 PAGE 16 — MIDI OUT MODE In normal MIDI operation, this parameter lets you switch the function of the backpanel [MIDI OUT] jack between being a MIDI OUT and being a MIDI THRU. Giventhat, the two possible settings — OUT and THRU — should be self-...

Part 4: Basic Operation 50 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual BOTH sets the sliders up so they control your QS a n d send MIDI data. This is the factory default setting. PAGE 19 — CLOCK SOURCE/CLOCK RATE This parameter determines the “sample playback rate” which the QS will use. Ifyou’re not using the QS’...

MIDI: Part 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 49 P ART 5 MIDI W HAT WE ’ LL COVER HERE ... • Sequencing with the QS7.1/QS8.1 via MIDI or the serial port. • Using the QS as a master MIDI keyboard for a live rig, along with a little more info about controlling external MIDI devices from a Card sequence. •...

Part 5: MIDI 50 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual U SING AN E XTERNAL S EQUENCER The QS can generate MIDI signals for a sequencer to record. On playback, thesequencer sends this data back into the QS, which then serves as a multitimbral soundmodule (in Mix Mode). The sequencer can generate data over seve...

MIDI: Part 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 51 SELECTING THE KEYBOARD MODE In a Mix, the QS’s keyboard may be set up in several ways using the Keyboard Modeparameter found on Page 6 of Global Edit Mode. You need to determine which wayis best for your application. The Keyboard Mode parameter determines...

Part 5: MIDI 52 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual P ROGRAM A SSIGN FOR EACH MIDI C HANNEL Assign Programs to the 16 channels of the Mix by using the [ PAGE ] and [ PAGE ] buttons to select a channel (the silkscreening also identifies those as the [ MIX CHANNEL PROGRAM SELECT ] buttons). Then use the [ 0 ...

Part 5: MIDI 54 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual U SING THE QS AS A M ASTER K EYBOARD Mix Play Mode also allows the QS to function as a very powerful MIDI master keyboard.You can layer the QS’s internal sounds with those of several external synthesizers byadjusting the proper parameters in Mix Edit mode...

MIDI: Part 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 55 MAKING IT HAPPEN The three parameters found under the KEYBOARD/MIDI button determine how the QS willfunction as a MIDI controller. For example: • To play both an internal Program and an external MIDI sound source on a given channel,set both the Keyboard p...

Part 5: MIDI 56 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual TRANSMITTING MIDI VOLUME AND PANNING Each Channel in a Mix can transmit its volume and panning settings via MIDI. For eachchannel on which you wish to transmit this data, MIDI Out must be set to ON and MIDIInput and Keyboard must be set to OFF (as explain...

MIDI: Part 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 57 TRANSPOSING MIDI NOTE NUMBERS PER ZONE You can transpose different zones on the QS’s keyboard so they send higher or lowerMIDI note numbers to external MIDI devices than you are actually playing. Here’s how: Once the initial conditions are met (MIDI Out s...

Part 5: MIDI 58 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual S AVING P ROGRAMS VIA MIDI S YS E X As an alternative to storing data to a card, the QS lets you transmit internal data via theMIDI Output connector in the form of System Exclusive messages. This data can besent to a storage device, or recorded into a MID...

MIDI: Part 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 59 To send a single Program via MIDI to a different Program number: ❿ Follow steps ❿ through ① in the instructions above. ❡ Press [ PAGE ] one more time to advance the cursor to the lower section of the display. ① Use the [ CONTROLLER D ] slider and the [ VA...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 61 P ART 6 EDITING EFFECTS The QS7.1/QS8.1 has an extensive and versatile built-in effects processor. Your ownears will have told you this by now, of course, since lots of the presets in a QS use theeffects to some degree. What we’d like to discus...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 65 This choice is made at the Mix Edit level, not the Effects Edit level, because you aren’tactually editing the Effects — just turning them on and off within the Mix itself. • Start in Mix Mode. If you aren’t there, or aren’t sure you are there, ...

Part 6: Editing Effects 70 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual C ONFIGURATION #1: 1 REVERB Pitch 1 Delay 1 Reverb 1 Mono Chorus Mono Delay Plate 1 Stereo Chorus Stereo Delay Plate 2 Mono Flange Ping-pong Delay Room Stereo Flange Hall Pitch Detune Large Resonator GateReverse Pitch 2 Delay 2 Reverb 2 Mono Ch...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 71 At first glance this diagram may look a little daunting, but if you take a moment totrace the lines and read the component captions, things will become clear. Think of it as a kind of “road map” charting your audio signal’s progress fromstartin...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 73 HOW “2 REVERBS” IS ARRANGED As you can see by glancing at the diagram, this Configuration differs considerablyfrom the first! Here there are a single Delay, two Pitch effects, and two independentReverb effects, arranged as follows: • Send 1 is ...

Part 6: Editing Effects 74 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual C ONFIGURATION #3: LEZLIE+REVERB Pitch 1 Delay 1 Reverb 1 Lezlie Mono Delay Plate 1Plate 2HallRoomHallLargeGateReverse Pitch 2 Delay 2 Reverb 2 Mono Chorus Mono Delay Balance and level to Reverb 1 Stereo Chorus Stereo Delay Mono Flange Ping-pon...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 75 C ONFIGURATION #4: 1 REVERB+EQ Pitch 1 Delay 1 Reverb 1 Mono Chorus Mono Delay Plate 1 Stereo Chorus Stereo Delay Plate 2 Mono Flange Ping-Pong Delay Room Stereo Flange Hall Pitch Detune Large Resonator GateReverse Pitch 2 Delay 2 Reverb 2 Mono...

Part 6: Editing Effects 76 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual C ONFIGURATION #5: OVERDRIVE+LEZLIE Pitch 1 Delay 1 Reverb 1 Mono Chorus Mono Delay Plate 1 Mono Flange Stereo Delay Plate 2 Resonator Ping-Pong Delay RoomHallLargeGateReverse HOW “OVERDRIVE+LEZLIE” IS ARRANGED This Configuration is as “all-for...

Part 6: Editing Effects 80 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual [50] — EQ (C ONFIGURATIONS 4 AND 5 ONLY ) The stereo shelving EQ provides bass and treble boost to the entire output of the QS — not just the Effect Sends — and is only available in Configuration 4 (Reverb+EQ) andConfiguration 5 (Overdrive+Lezl...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 81 [60] — M OD Mod stands for “modulation.” So naturally enough the Mod Function lets youmodulate up to two effects parameters at a time, either via MIDI or from the keyboardand front panel controllers of your QS. This is extremely useful for expr...

Part 6: Editing Effects 82 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual MOD1 DESTINATION Range of Settings: (see list below) Page 2 This is where you select exactly what Effect parameter your modulation source isgoing to modulate. It’s a big list. Not all of these are available in all configurations,but the possibl...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 83 MOD1 LEVEL Range of Settings: -99 to 99 Page 3 This decides the degree to which the Destination will be modulated by the selectedSource. Please notice the setting range, which allows you to choose both negative andpositive numbers. Don’t be dau...

Part 6: Editing Effects 84 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual [70] — L EZLIE (C ONFIGURATIONS 3 AND 5 ONLY ) This “spinning speaker” simulation is only available in Configurations 3 and 5. InConfiguration #3 it takes its input from Send 1, and has three parameters: • Motor (on/off) • Speed (fast/slow) • H...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 87 [80] — P ITCH This function controls all Effect settings related to pitch. It has many differentparameters, and not all of them are available in every Configuration (or even in eachPitch subfunction: Resonator and Stereo Chorus, for example, ha...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 91 DELAY INPUT LEVEL Range of Settings: <99 to <0> to 99> Page 2 (Config. 2 only) This parameter is only available on Send 1 in Configuration #2. It adjusts the level ofthe signal running from the Delay output to the Pitch Input. If th...

Part 6: Editing Effects 92 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual RESONATOR TUNING Range of Settings: 00 to 60 Page 2 (Resonator only) If the Pitch type is Resonator, page 2 of the Pitch function will let you adjust theResonator tuning. This can be tuned from 00 to 60. Note: This parameter shows up on Page 1 ...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 93 [90] — D ELAY The Delay function is used to edit Delay parameters. The QS’s effects processor hasthree different Delay types available. Note: Some Configurations only have a mono Delay on some Sends, and when this is the case the Delay Type par...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 95 FEEDBACK Range of Settings: 00 to 99 Page 5 (and Page 8 in Stereo Delay) This adjusts the Delay Feedback, which is a portion of the delay signal output being“fed back” into the input. This results in the delay repeating itself. The higher thefe...

Part 6: Editing Effects 96 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual …and one regarding the Reverb function and Sends 2 through 4 If Configurations 1 or 3 are selected and you press [ 10 ] to select Effect send 2, you will see the various parameters that deal with the amount and type of signal goinginto the Reve...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 97 The next parameter is available on all other Configurations, but only on Sends 2 and 4 inConfiguration #2: REVERB INPUT LEVEL (SEND 1) Range of Settings: 00 to 99 Page 4 (Config 1, 3, 4 and 5) This parameter controls the overall Input Level goi...

Part 6: Editing Effects 98 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual The next parameter is only available in Configuration #2 on Sends 1 and 3: CHORUS INPUT LEVEL Range of Settings: 00 to 99 Page 1 (Config 2 only, Sends 1 and 3) If Configuration #2 is selected (refer to block diagram of Configuration #2, earlier...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 99 Room. The Room reverb type simulates not only rooms of different sizes, but rooms with different surface materials. A room with soft surfaces such as carpet will producea reverberant sound with much less high end (treble) than a room with hard ...

Part 6: Editing Effects 100 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual DECAY Range of Settings: 00 to 99 Page 10 The Reverb Decay determines how long the Reverb will sound before it dies away.When using the Reverse Reverb type, Reverb Decay controls the Reverse Time. LOW DECAY/ HIGH DECAY Range of Settings: 00 to...

Part 6: Editing Effects 102 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual [110] — O VERDRIVE (C ONFIGURATION 5 ONLY ) The Overdrive effect provides four parameters spread across four editing pages. It isonly used in Configuration #5. OVERDRIVE TYPE Range of Settings: Hard or Soft Page 1 The Soft Overdrive has less g...

Part 6: Editing Effects QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 103 [120] — E FFECT M IX Not to be confused with an actual Mix or Mix mode, the Effect’s Mix function iswhere you can mix the various signal levels of all the effects to the Main Left andRight outputs of the QS. Each Effect send has a separate Mix...

Part 6: Editing Effects 104 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual REVERB LEVEL Range of Settings: 00 to 99 Page 3 Config. 1, 3, 4 Page 3 (Send 1)Config. 2 Page 1 (Send 3)Config. 2 Page 4 Config. 5 Adjusting this value will cause the overall Reverb Output Level to increase ordecrease. Note: If you pull this p...

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 101 U NDERSTANDING THE E DIT B UFFERS In Mix mode, there are 16 edit buffers for the Programs inside the Mix (one for each channel), plusanother buffer for the Mix parameters (Level, Pitch, Range, etc.), and yet another buffer for theEffects Proc...

Chapter 5:Editing Mixes 102 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual L EVEL S ETTING FOR E ACH P ROGRAM The Level function (press [ 60 ]) of Mix Edit is used to control several parameters that deal with the audio output of the selected channel. Parameters in the Level Function’s group include: Volume,Pan, Outpu...

Chapter 5:Editing Mixes 104 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual K EYBOARD /MIDI The Keyboard/MIDI Function (press [ 90 ]) allows you to turn on and off the MIDI and Keyboard settings for the selected MIDI channel. MIDI Input (On or Off) Page 1 This determines whether the selected channel will respond to in...

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 105 C ONTROLLERS The Controllers function (press [ 100 ]) lets you turn on and off the various MIDI controllers that can affect the selected MIDI channel. The following four parameters determine whether or not specifictypes of MIDI information wi...

Chapter 5:Editing Mixes 106 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual S ETTING THE R ANGE The Range function (press [ 110 ]) allows you to specify the number of keys to which each MIDI channel will respond. This is ideal for creating splits (e.g., bass on the lower keys, piano in themiddle, and strings in the up...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual P ART 8 E DITING P ROGRAMS O VERVIEW Synthesizer programming is the art and science of shaping sounds in a particularway by altering the parameters of various components of the sound. Like musicitself, learning synth programming is an ongoing pro...

Part 8: Editing Programs 108 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual H OW THE QS G ENERATES S OUND The QS uses custom integrated circuits, developed by the Alesis engineering teamspecifically for the QS. These resemble the types of chips used in computers andother digital devices. In fact, you can think of the...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual Use Mix Play Mode: • When you want to layer more than four voices. In Mix Play Mode, it is possible(though not advisable) to stack all 64 voices onto a single key. • When each sound is likely to be used by itself by other setups. For example, ify...

Part 8: Editing Programs 110 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual T HE V OICE This digitally-based oscillator provides the actual raw sounds from the 16 megabytelibrary of on-board samples. These "raw sounds" can take the form of a simple synthwave, a multi-sample of a grand piano, an orchestra, or ...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual A MP Each voice/filter combination is followed by an amplifier whose level can becontrolled by a variety of modulation sources. This allows for creating sounds withpercussive or slow attacks, particular types of decays, tremolo, etc. Filter and a...

Part 8: Editing Programs 112 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual LFO (L OW F REQUENCY O SCILLATOR ) The pitch, filter, and amp modules each have a dedicated LFO module formodulation. The term LFO stands for low frequency oscillator, and comes from howmodulation was created in the early synth days (an oscil...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual settings, Effect Level and Bus information are saved with the Program when youstore it back into memory. D RUM M ODE Drum Mode helps you personalize your music by allowing you to construct yourown drumkits. Any one or all of the four Sounds in a ...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual S TORING Y OUR E DITED P ROGRAMS As you go through the parameters on the following pages, don’t forget that if youcome up with an edit you would like to keep, you need to store it before you go toanother Program or else you will lose your edit! S...

Part 8: Editing Programs 116 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual P ROGRAM E DIT F UNCTIONS To edit a Program you must select Program Edit mode. This is done by pressing the[ EDIT SELECT ] once from Program Play Mode (each time you press [ EDIT SELECT ] in Program Mode, the display cycles between Program Ed...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual V OICE The Voice function (press [40]) is the most fundamental part of Program editing. It iswhere you choose the particular sample that forms the basis of a Sound. To avoidscrolling through long lists of samples (remember, there are 16 megabytes...

Part 8: Editing Programs 118 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual Sound Page 4 Selects one of the available samples by name from the selected group, or OFF (nosample selected). Each group has a variety of samples from which you can choose,although some groups (such as waves) have more samples than others. B...

Part 8: Editing Programs 124 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual F ILTER The Filter function (press [70]) lets you control the tone of each Sound layer. Filter Frequency (00 to 99) Page 1 This sets the filter's initial cutoff frequency. Lower values give a duller sound sincethis removes more harmonics; hig...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual Lower Limit (MIDI note 000 to 127/ C-2 to G8) Page 4 Each Sound can be restricted to a specific range of the keyboard. This is ideal forcreating splits (e.g., bass on the lower keys, piano in the middle, and strings in theupper octave). The Lower...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual PITCH ENVELOPE The Pitch Envelope function (press [90]) can lead to dramatic effects, since it cancause the pitch of a single key to change drastically over time. It’s typically used inspecial-effect synthesizer programs, but it may also be used ...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual Level (00 to 99) Page 10 This is the overall output level of the envelope. If this is set to 00, the Amp Envelopewill have no output and will have no effect, while at 99 it will have a maximum effecton whatever it is being routed to. When selecti...

Part 8: Editing Programs 140 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual M OD 1 – M OD 6 About General Purpose Modulation Although there are several dedicated modulators in the QS (e.g., the pitch can alwaysbe modulated by the pitch LFO and Pitch Envelope), sophisticated synthesizerprogramming demands the ability ...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual * If you want finer control over the way the envelope tracks the keyboard than isafforded by the TRACK: ON/OFF parameter, then you can use a mod routing to do it.But please compare the two ways so you’re sure there’s a significant difference befo...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual Modulation Destination Page 2 Select from the following modulation destinations. You can find out more about theseparameters and how they affect the sound in their respective sections (for example: tolearn how Pitch Envelope Attack affects the so...

Part 8: Editing Programs 150 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual T RACKING G ENERATOR The Tracking Generator function (press [9]) is used to scale a modulation source. Forexample, normally you could modulate the Amp (volume) of a sound using velocity;the harder you play, the louder the sound gets. The amou...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual The Tracking Generator can be used to turn a variable control, such as the ModWheel or velocity, into a switch by setting all of the points to 0 except for point 10.Only near the maximum input will anything other than 0 come out of the Trackingge...

Editing Programs: Part 8 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual S PECIAL P ROGRAMMING F UNCTIONS C OPYING S OUNDS While editing a Program, it is helpful to be able to copy a Sound to another Sound ineither the same Program or a different Program, especially if you are building a splitor layered Program There ...

Part 9: Extras QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 159 P ART 9 EXTRAS A W ORD A BOUT THE QS CD-ROM Included with the QS7.1/8.1 is a CD-ROM containing various useful softwareprograms to use with your QS. These include various Alesis and third-partyprograms, QS sounds and samples, sequences stored in the MID...

Part 9: Extras 160 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual U SING PCMCIA E XPANSION C ARDS The QS provides two PCMCIA EXPANSION CARD slots, [ A ] and [ B ], which are found on the rear panel. These accommodate Alesis QCards and RAM cards. TheRAM Card is a type of PCMCIA SRAM or FlashRAM card. We currently offe...

Part 9: Extras QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 163 CARD STORAGE RAMIFICATIONS It's not uncommon for someone to keep ROM cards in both slots A and B, create theirown Mixes which access Programs from both cards, and use a RAM card in Slot A tooccasionally to back up their User bank. In this case, there a...

Appendix A — Trouble-Shooting QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 165 P ART 10: A PPENDICES A PPENDIX A T ROUBLESHOOTING If you experience problems while operating your QS7.1/QS8.1, please use thefollowing table to check for possible causes and solutions before contacting Alesis customer service for assist...

Appendix A — Trouble-Shooting 166 QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual Notes played from QShave a “doubled” or“flanged” sound MIDI echo/Thru enabledon external MIDI deviceor computer Put QS into Out 01 mode(Global Edit Mode, page 6) Mod Wheel not workingwell (or at all) Unit was re-initializedwith Mod Wheel...

Appendix A — Trouble-Shooting QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 169 OBTAINING REPAIR SERVICE Before contacting Alesis, please double-check all your audio and MIDI connections,and make sure you’ve read the manual. U.S. Customers: If the problem persists, call Alesis USA at 1-800-525-3747 (1-800-5ALESIS) a...

Index QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 179 INDEX 4 48 kHz IN connector................................17 A AC power hookup.................................................9line conditioners and protectors.............9 Aftertouch defined...............................................26modulating amplitu...