Alesis ALESIS M20 - Manuals

Table of Contents iv A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 13.8 Rewind/Fast Forward TC Output (Page 8) ............................................................................... 313.9 Unthread Timeout (Page 9) ..........................................................................................

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 vii I MPORTANT S AFETY I NSTRUCTIONS AND C OMPLIANCE N OTICES S AFETY SYMBOLS USED IN THIS PRODUCT This symbol alerts the user that there are important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying this unit. This symbol warns the user of u...

Safety Notices viii A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other.A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong.The wide blade or the third prong is pro...

Safety Notices A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 ix I NSTRUCTIONS DE S ÉCURITÉ I MPORTANTES S YMBOLES UTILISÉS DANS CE PRODUIT Ce symbole alèrte l’utilisateur qu’il existe des instructions de fonctionnement et de maintenancedans la documentation jointe avec ce produit. Ce symbole avertit l’utilisa...

Safety Notices A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 xi I NFORMATION TO THE U SER FOR C LASS A D IGITAL D EVICE (FCC P ART 15, C LASS A) This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class A digitaldevice pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to pro...

Safety Notices xii A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 CE D ECLARATION OF C ONFORMITY Manufacturer’s Name: Alesis Corporation Manufacturer’s Address: 1633 26th StreetSanta Monica, CA 90404USA declares, that the product: Product Name: M20 Product Type: Modular Digital Multitrack Recorder conforms to ...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 1-1 CHAPTER 1 O VERVIEW , S ETUP , AND B ASICS The Alesis M20 is an 8-track digital tape recorder that records on S-VHS videotapecassettes. It is compatible with the ADAT format used with several other digital recorders(Alesis ADAT, ADAT XT, LX20, and XT20; Studer...

Overview, Setup and Basics, Chapter 1 1-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 1.2 U NPACKING AND I NSPECTION Please retain the M20’s shipping carton, which is designed to protect the unit duringshipping, in the unlikely event that you need to return the M20 for servicing. Some carriershave restricti...

Chapter 1, Overview, Setup and Basics A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 1-3 Alesis cannot be responsible for problems caused by using the M20 or any associated equipment with improper AC wiring. 1.4 L INE C ONDITIONERS AND P ROTECTORS Although the M20 tolerates typical voltage variations, the AC l...

Chapter 1, Overview, Setup and Basics A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 1-5 1.11 O PERATING E NVIRONMENT Mount the M20 in an equipment rack (requires 4 rack spaces) or place it on a table or shelf.Alesis advises against tilting the recorder; keep it horizontal. Also remember that heatshortens the ...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 2-1 CHAPTER 2 C ONTROL AND C ONNECTOR B ASICS 2.1 A BOUT THE F RONT P ANEL Referring to Fig. 1, the front panel includes: • S-VHS cassette door and Eject button • Main vacuum fluorescent display (toward the center) with two sets of 10-character 7-segment readouts....

Control and Connector Basics, Chapter 2 2-4 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 2.2 G V IDEO I N AND T HRU The BNC connector video input (with 75 ohm termination switch) accepts composite videoas well as black burst video inputs. 2.2 H ADAT S YNC I N AND O UT These 9-pin D connectors synchronize mul...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 3-1 CHAPTER 3 E DITING M20 O PERATING P ARAMETERS 3.1 T HE K EYPAD The keypad block contains switches for editing the various parameters that control the M20’sfeatures. 3.1 A 0 THROUGH 9 BUTTONS Use the 10 numeric keys to enter number parameter values and letters ...

Editing M20 Parameters, Chapter 3 3-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 3.1 F E NTER /N AME This key has two main uses: • Speed up numeric entry by eliminating the need for “leading zeroes.” For example, the varispeed setting is a 3-digit value. Instead of having to key in something like 0 - 0 - 9...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 4-1 CHAPTER 4 T APE F ORMATTING Formatting is essential to the ADAT system. It creates a sample-accurate time reference (i.e.,it’s accurate to 1/48,000th of a second when recording at 48 kHz) on each tape, in addition toblock ID codes, linear control track, and ot...

Formatting Tape, Chapter 4 4-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 4.1 S AMPLE R ATE S ELECTION Choose between 44.1 kHz (CD/consumer standard) or 48 kHz (DAT/professional standard).Here are some general hints: • If mixing the tape through a digital mixer for a CD master, use 44.1 kHz to avoid sample...

Chapter 4, Formatting Tape A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 4-3 4.1 A P ULL - UP AND P ULL - DOWN S AMPLE R ATE S ELECTION The Sample Rate button is also used to select the respective 0.1% pull-up and pull-downrates. A pull-up is available with a 30 fps SMPTE rate only. A pull-down is available w...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 5-1 CHAPTER 5 T RACK R ECORD E NABLING AND M ONITORING 5.1 T RACK B ASICS The M20 can record a total of 10 tracks: • 8 digital audio tracks. These record standard audio signals, either from the analog inputs, optional AES/EBU card, or ADAT Optical Interface. • 1 a...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 6-1 CHAPTER 6 D IGITAL /A NALOG I NPUT S ELECTION AND R OUTING 6.1 D IGITAL S OURCE When using digital inputs, this function selects one of two or three digital input options. TheI/O card option will appear in the display only if an I/O card (such as the Alesis AE...

Input Selection and Routing, Chapter 6 6-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 If no digital signal input is detected, the D indicators for the channel(s) without a digitalsignal source will flash until signal is detected. 6.3 T RACK O UTPUT S ELECTION It is not necessary to select an output destina...

Chapter 6, Input Selection and Routing A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 6-3 6.4 A A NALOG I NPUT R OUTING The three analog routing modes accommodate 2, 4, or 8 bus mixing consoles. With twobuses, connect them to inputs 1 and 2. With four buses, connect them to inputs 1 through 4.With 8 buses, dir...

Chapter 6, Input Selection and Routing A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 6-5 6.4 C R ECORD -E NABLING THE D ESTINATION T RACKS In Digital Routing mode, inputs need not be routed only to same-numbered tracks. Anyselected digital source inputs can be re-routed to any record-enabled destination tape ...

Input Selection and Routing, Chapter 6 6-6 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 6.5 A UX R OUTING ( INPUT AND OUTPUT ) The analog Aux track of the M20 is a unique feature that has special application in Searchmode, because it allows you to hear audio at extremely slow speeds for cueing. The AuxRoutin...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 7-1 CHAPTER 7 M ETERING With digital recording, it is very important not to exceed the available headroom (and with20 bits to play with, you have so much dynamic range that there’s no need to push it). TheM20 provides three different metering modes to make it easi...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 8-1 CHAPTER 8 T RANSPORT C ONTROLS AND B ASIC R ECORDING The transport buttons include Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop, Play, Record, and Eject. Thetransport movement may also be controlled by the jog/shuttle wheel, or various built-inautomatic features. 8.1 A BOUT THE...

Transport Controls and Basic Recording, Chapter 8 8-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 8.3 P LAY How Play affects tape motion depends on the tape’s status. If the tapeis… Pressing Play causes… You see… Stopped Playback Play button lights steadily Playing No change (playback continues) Play button...

Chapter 8, Transport Controls and Basic Recording A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 8-3 8.4 B S HUTTLE M ODE Shuttle advances or rewinds the tape at a rate proportional to the degree of wheel rotation. The greater the degree of rotation from the center detent, the faster the rate. Action… Result… ...

Chapter 8, Transport Controls and Basic Recording A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 8-5 8.5 O THER T RANSPORT B UTTONS You press… If tape isstopped If tape is moving You see… Eject Tape ejects Tape stopsprior to ejection Tape exits cassettewell, eject button lights Eject on Masterdeck (ID 1) Maste...

Chapter 8, Transport Controls and Basic Recording A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 8-7 8.6 C R ECORD W RITE -P ROTECTION S-VHS cassettes have a write-protect tab on the side of the tape opposite the “door” that,when removed to create a small “window,” prevents recording. The M20 senses the write-...

Transport Controls and Basic Recording, Chapter 8 8-8 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 8.8 A UTO R ECORD In Auto Record mode, you can program punch in and out points. Pressing Play and Recordprior to the punch-in point causes the M20 to automatically punch in and out at theprogrammed points. You ...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 9-1 CHAPTER 9 A UTOLOCATION The M20 can autolocate to specific points on the tape. Its built-in memory contains 100different location points, complete with 8-character names. Locate points are used not onlyfor convenience, but in several other functions of the M20...

Autolocation, Chapter 9 9-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 To select and edit location points: Operation You press… You see… Copy Tape Location tomemory Copy Tape Locationbutton Tape counter time(display left side) iscopied to the LocatePoint indicator on thedisplay’s right side(Reference Count...

Chapter 9, Autolocation A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 9-3 9.2 D EFERRED P LAY AND R ECORD To automatically enter Play mode after locating, press Play before a locate completes. Tocancel while tape is moving, press Stop, Rewind, FF, or Search. To automatically enter Record mode after locating, ...

Autolocation, Chapter 9 9-4 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 9.4 A S ETTING L OOP S TART AND E ND P OINTS To edit the start and end locate points, follow the steps below. Operation You press… You see… Show start locate point Edit button followed bythe Auto Return button Display shows StartPoint l...

Autolocation, Chapter 9 9-6 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 9.7 F OOTSWITCH -C ONTROLLED L OCATION If the transport is playing, pressing the Locate/Play footswitch locates the transport to theAuto Return locate point, then stop or enter play, depending on the setting of the Auto Playswitch (sect...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 10-1 CHAPTER 10 V ARISPEED Varispeed changes the sampling rate to change the audio’s pitch. This feature only applieswhen the Clock Source is set to INT (Internal). Pitch mode is automatically set to Fixedwhenever the M20 is being controlled by an external unit (f...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11-1 CHAPTER 11 SMPTE, S YNC , AND O FFSET F UNCTIONS The buttons described in sections 11.1 through 11.5 are located under the main (right)display. The buttons described in sections 11.6 through 11.9 are part of the Edit button group towardthe M20’s lower left un...

SMPTE, Sync, and Offset, Chapter 11 11-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11.2 SMPTE R ATE SMPTE Rate cycles through six different SMPTE frame rates and types; this affects bothSMPTE time code input and M20 SMPTE time code output. It is not possible to receive andtransmit different frame rates si...

Chapter 11, SMPTE, Sync and Offset A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11-3 For example, Int Gen always generates time code when the Internal Generator TC Start Refparameter is set to User Set, Free Run, and the TC Input button is lit. Setting this parameterto ABS Time generates time code only if th...

SMPTE, Sync, and Offset, Chapter 11 11-4 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11.5 R EFERENCE C OUNTER This button cycles through the reference counter display options (this display is above theReference Counter button). The selected display option (just below the display digits) showsone of the foll...

Chapter 11, SMPTE, Sync and Offset A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11-5 11.6 B S ET SMPTE C HASE M ODE (P AGE 2) There are two chase modes: Frame-Lock (default) and Lock/Release (i.e., Lock and Releaseto clock). Chase must be enabled. The Down Arrow button or keypad button 0 selects Frame-Lock. ...

SMPTE, Sync, and Offset, Chapter 11 11-6 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11.7 I NTERNAL G ENERATOR This button turns the internal time code generator on and off (Time Code Source must be setto Internal; see section 11.3). Setting the Time Code Source to External automatically turns offthe Intern...

Chapter 11, SMPTE, Sync and Offset A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11-7 11.7 B T IME C ODE S TART R EFERENCE (P AGE 2) This page sets the internal generator’s starting reference. Use the Up/Down buttons to selectone of three options, or use the keypad numbers given below. • With ABS Time (keypad...

SMPTE, Sync, and Offset, Chapter 11 11-8 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11.7 D U SER B ITS (P AGE 4, OR P AGE 3 IF THE P AGE 2 VALUE IS TC T RACK ) This page allows entering 8 hex characters (0 - F) into the user bits of the SMPTE time code.These bits are used to identify reels, projects etc. a...

Chapter 11, SMPTE, Sync and Offset A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11-9 Operation You press… You see… Select Time Code field toedit Left/Right Arrowbuttons to scroll todesired field Selected field flashes Change sign (+ to addoffset, - to subtract) Up/Down buttons Flashing sign changesfrom (+) t...

SMPTE, Sync, and Offset, Chapter 11 11-10 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11.9 T RACK D ELAY Track Delay allows offsetting individual tracks in time. Example: Delaying a snare part slightly compared to other drums can give a more “laid back” feel. Maximum delay time is 170.0 ms at 48 kHz and 185...

Chapter 11, SMPTE, Sync and Offset A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 11-11 To change delay for several tracks at once: Operation You press… You see… Select tracks to edit Press track Input Enablebutton for one track to bedelayed and whileholding it, press InputEnable buttons for othertracks to be ...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 12-1 CHAPTER 12 MIDI F UNCTIONS There are seven pages of MIDI functions. Pressing the MIDI button cycles through the pagesin order. 12.1 MIDI D EVICE (P AGE 1) Selects the M20’s device ID (1—127 or All) so that MIDI Machine Control systems withmultiple M20s can ad...

MIDI Functions, Chapter 12 12-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 12.5 R ECEIVE S YSEX D UMP ? (P AGE 5) Receives setup information (as MIDI system exclusive data) via the MIDI In port. This couldcome from another M20 or a data storage device. Action to perform… Display shows… With Page 5 selected...

Chapter 12, MIDI Functions A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 12-3 Before loading new software into your M20, always save a “backup” of the existing software in the M20 to your computer sequencer or data storage device.This will safeguard against any mishaps that could occur during thesoftware load...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 13-1 CHAPTER 13 U TILITY M ENU There are 22 pages of Utility functions. Pressing the Utility button cycles through the pages inorder. Shortcut: To jump directly to a particular page, hold Utility down and enter the page number form the keypad, using leading zeroes...

Utility Menu, Chapter 13 13-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 When enabled (Online = LED lit), the machine responds to commands from the selectedOnline Source. Local control may be allowed or ignored, as set on Utility Page 3 (section13.3). When disabled (Offline = LED off), the machine ignores ...

Chapter 13, Utility Menu A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 13-3 13.6 C ROSSFADE T IME (P AGE 6) Sets the crossfade time when the M20 transitions from Play to Record, or Record to Play.With a 48 kHz sample rate, the crossfade values range from 5.4 ms - 1.365 seconds. At 44.1kHz, the crossfade value...

Utility Menu, Chapter 13 13-4 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 13.10 S EARCH E NABLE (P AGE 10) Determines how to enable Search mode, where the Jog/Shuttle wheel is active. Procedure: Use the Up/Down buttons to choose between the following: Normal (default). Moving the Jog/Shuttle wheel or pressi...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 14-1 CHAPTER 14 T HE LRC R EMOTE C ONTROL The M20 hand-held LRC remote provides the following functions: • Transport functions: Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop, Play and Record. • Autolocation functions: Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3, Locate 4, Set Locate and Auto Loop ...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 15-1 CHAPTER 15 T UTORIALS AND A PPLICATIONS This chapter gives guidance for entire procedures, assuming a basic familiarity with how thecontrols and menus work from previous chapters. TUTORIAL 1: M ULTIPLE M20 O PERATION O VERVIEW Because the M20 is ADAT-compatib...

Chapter 15, Tutorials and Applications A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 15-3 F ORMATTING M ULTIPLE T APES Formatting works similarly to formatting on a single ADAT, however there are someconsiderations unique to formatting multiple tapes. For more information on formatting, seeChapter 4. M ASTER ...

Chapter 15, Tutorials and Applications A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 15-5 TUTORIAL 2: M AKING D IGITAL B ACKUPS You can create safety copies of M20 tapes by copying all eight tracks to another M20 (orADAT-compatible machine) via the digital bus. Alesis recommends creating a backup whenever you...

Chapter 15, Tutorials and Applications A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 15-7 TUTORIAL 3: R ECORDING D IGITAL A UDIO FROM O THER S OURCES Recording digital audio onto the M20 from a source other than an ADAT-compatible devicerequires a digital audio interface, like the Otari UFC-24 or Kurzweil DMT...

Tutorials and Applications, Chapter 15 15-8 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 TUTORIAL 4: C OMBINING M20 S AND ADAT S M20 T RANSPORT S PEED The M20’s transport speed is much faster in engaged mode than the original ADAT. Becauseof this and other unique features, make the M20 the master (ID 1) and ...

Chapter 15, Tutorials and Applications A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 15-9 P OLARITY D IFFERENCES The original ADAT inverted the polarity of the signal being recorded on tape, then flippedpolarity again before going to the output jacks. As a result, the output was the same polarityas the input,...

Tutorials and Applications, Chapter 15 15-10 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 TUTORIAL 5: S ETTING UP I NPUTS The M20 offers unparalleled flexibility in terms of setting up inputs for recording: signals cancome from analog sources, digital sources (ADAT optical or from optional AES/EBU cards),or ...

Chapter 15, Tutorials and Applications A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 15-11 TUTORIAL 6: U PDATING M20 S OFTWARE The M20 accepts software updates via MIDI. This allows Alesis to offer improvements andchanges to the operating system without requiring the unit to be professionally serviced. The fa...

Tutorials and Applications, Chapter 15 15-12 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 TUTORIAL 7: U SING THE M20 WITH U NBALANCED I NPUTS AND O UTPUTS It is possible to use unbalanced signals with the M20, however you will need adapters likethe following: Note that it is probable that unbalanced lines wi...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 16-1 C HAPTER 16 M20 SMPTE S YNCHRONIZATION O VERVIEW This chapter is an overview of the M20’s SMPTE time code features, in addition to the basicscovered in Chapter 11. Before you design a synchronization system, and particularly if youhave not used time code befo...

SMPTE Synchronization Overview, Chapter 16 16-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 The CD player’s digital clock is uncontrolled. The M20 normally would automaticallysynchronize to an incoming digital signal, but in this case it’s following the video which istraveling at its own speed. Since a slav...

Chapter 16, SMPTE Synchronization Overview A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 16-3 16.3 R EFERENCE C OUNTERS VS . C LOCK S OURCES A wristwatch indicates the passage of time in two ways. One is the face of the watch, whichgives the information of hours, minutes, and seconds. The other is the “tickin...

Chapter 16, SMPTE Synchronization Overview A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 16-5 16.3 O FFSETS IN THE M20 An offset is an intentional difference in location between decks. In the simplest situations,offsets are not required: when it’s 2 o’clock on the master, it’s 2 o’clock on all the slaves. But...

SMPTE Synchronization Overview, Chapter 16 16-6 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 16.3 B I NTERNAL G ENERATOR ABS O FFSET This is set in INT GEN EDIT mode, pages 2 and 3 (see section 11.7c). This is used when you want to issue time code from the M20 based on the ABS time plus anoffset, usually to ...

Chapter 16, SMPTE Synchronization Overview A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 16-7 16.4 SMPTE T IME C ODE R ATES AND T YPES SMPTE time code is the universal standard for transmitting location reference in audio andvideo systems. SMPTE is primarily a location reference, though it may also be used as...

SMPTE Synchronization Overview, Chapter 16 16-8 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 But since the speed difference between 29.97 and 30 fps is small (only .1%), the M20 cannotdetect that fine difference in frequency and will default to the last selected non-drop fps rate(which may not correlate to t...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 17-1 C HAPTER 17 T IME C ODE T UTORIAL 17.1 G ENERATING T IME C ODE ONTO A VCR The first step in time code operations is to record time code onto a master and make sure theslaves can read it. If you’re starting from scratch (i.e., no one is providing you with a vi...

Time Code Tutorial, Chapter 17 17-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 9 Press INT GEN or TC INPUT to stop the time code generator. The variations of INT GEN should be easy to explore from this point on. Using differentoptions in steps 2, 3, and 4 above, you could generate time code that’s in lock-...

Chapter 17, Time Code Tutorial A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 17-3 17.3 R ECORDING A T IME C ODE T RACK The most stable and trouble-free method of synchronization for any SMPTE time codesystem is to pre-stripe all tapes with generator-locked time code first, then perform anytransfers, recording...

Time Code Tutorial, Chapter 17 17-4 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 6 Set the SMPTE Rate and type (24, 25, 29.97, or 30 fps, drop or non-drop). 7 Press the REFERENCE COUNTER button until TAPE TC is shown in the rightnumeric display. This isn’t a required step, but it’s good practice. 8 Press PLA...

Chapter 18, Maintenance and Troubleshooting A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 18-5 C HAPTER 18 M AINTENANCE AND T ROUBLESHOOTING Under no circumstances should you remove the top or bottom coverof the M20 unless you are a qualified and careful technician. It ispossible to damage your heads and othe...

Maintenance and Troubleshooting, Chapter 18 18-6 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 18.1 A H EAD C LEANING C ASSETTES ( OPTIONAL ) For preventative maintenance, you may use a DRY VHS head cleaning cassette if youwish, but Alesis does not see these as a substitute for thorough manual cleaning. Drycl...

Chapter 18, Maintenance and Troubleshooting A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 18-7 We do not recommend cleaning the heads with cotton or foam swabs, or chamois. The safest and most effective cleaning is performed using a hydroentangled polyesterwipe ( Techclean® Wiper #2350, available from Tech Sp...

Maintenance and Troubleshooting, Chapter 18 18-8 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 18.3 T APE M AINTENANCE : S AFE T APE 18.3 A T APE W EAR Head maintenance of the ADAT should be based on the ERROR Indicator (or ErrorCount Display) or if the unit begins to behave erratically. However, these samesy...

Chapter 18, Maintenance and Troubleshooting A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 18-9 Practice “safe tape” at all times because you can never retrieve lost data. If you are archiving your tapes, make sure they are stored in environmentally stableconditions, i.e. a cool dry place. If you do archive yo...

Maintenance and Troubleshooting, Chapter 18 18-10 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 18.4 D O BTAINING R EPAIR S ERVICE Before contacting Alesis, check over all your connections, and make sure you’ve readthe manual. Customers in the USA: If the problem persists, call Alesis USA at 1-800-5ALESIS and...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 A1-1 A PPENDIX 1 M20 H IDDEN F UNCTIONS P OWER -O N B UTTON C OMBINATIONS Holding the following button combinations when the M20 is powered-on will allowaccess to the following special functions: • Play and Record Performs a user reset which initializes all parame...

M20 Software Version 2.00 M20 A DDENDUM 2.0 MA-3 A DVANCED F UNCTIONS Although not technically hidden functions, the following are additional advancedfeatures that are not obvious: • Holding Stop for at least 3 seconds will force the tape to unthread. • Double-clicking the Fast Forward or Rewind but...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 A2-1 A PPENDIX 2 U SING T HE M20 D ATA S ECTION O F T APE G ENERAL DATA SECTION CONVENTION ON THE M20 The M20 saves setup data to an ADAT tape’s data section using the Alesis BRC Table ofContents (TOC) as a template. In other words, the M20 will only save and reca...

Appendix 2, Using The M20 Data Section Of Tape A2-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 . Song 05/Loc 01 ⇔ Loc 81 Song 05/Loc 02 ⇔ Loc 82 Song 05/Loc 03 ⇔ Loc 83 ... Song 05/Loc 17 ⇔ Loc 97 Song 05/Loc 18 ⇔ (Not Recalled) Song 05/Loc 19 ⇔ (Not Recalled) Song 05/Loc 20 ⇔ (Not Recalled) Song 05/Loc 21...

A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 A3-1 A PPENDIX 3 M20 T RANSPORT & S YSTEM E RROR M ESSAGES PLAY STATE ERRORS: "QuarterToPlay ERROR" If current speed is assumed to be 1/4xwhen actually not "Track Skip timeout error" Track skipping not completed within 6seconds "ERROR: Stop...

Appendix 3, M20 Transport & System Error Messages A3-2 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 WIND STATE ERRORS: "FORWARD TIMEOUT ERROR 1" Slowdown time from capstan disengagedfast wind to capstan engaged wind exceeds3 sec "REWIND TIMEOUT ERROR 1" Slowdown time from capstan disengag...

Appendix 3, M20 Transport & System Error Messages A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 A3-3 CAPSTAN STATE TRANSITION ERRORS: "CAPSTAN CONSTANTS ERROR" Default case when loading capstanconstants "CAP PWM TO SERVO SWITCH" When capstan is not off when switching toservo control "N...

Appendix 3, M20 Transport & System Error Messages A3-4 A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 DECK STATE TRANSITION ERRORS: "DECK INIT ERROR" Error in deck mode switch when initializingdeck mode "DECK MODE ERROR" Error in deck mode switch during deckmonitoring "DECK MODE TIMEOUT...

Appendix 3, M20 Transport & System Error Messages A LESIS M20 R EFERENCE M ANUAL 1.06 A3-5 OTHER ERRORS MESSAGES: "SUPPLY CAN'T USE TIMER 2" Takes longer than 3 seconds for supply tachto use timer resource "TAKEUP CAN'T USE TIMER 2" Takes longer than 3 seconds for takeup tachto u...

M20 A DDENDUM 2.1 MA-1 M20 M AJOR F EATURE U PDATE : V ERSION 2 Version 2.00 Features RS-422 (S ONY 9- PIN ) SLAVE OPERATION The Online Source page in the Utility menu now has the “RS-422” parameter added toits choice of online control source settings. Two new utility pages have also been addedto fa...

M20 Software Version 2 M20 A DDENDUM 2.1 MA-2 ID 1 OFFLINE WITH THE CADI REMOTE When the CADI remote is connected to multiple M20 recorders, the ID 1 master can now betaken offline. ID 1 maintains clock and serial control over all slaves (excluding 32-bit ABStime code). Using a CADI, when ID 1 is of...

M20 Software Version 2 M20 A DDENDUM 2.1 MA-3 • Using Tape Offset mode.1. Tape Offset is enabled, ID 2’s tape offset value is non-zero and user tries to take ID1 offline: ID 1 offline is not allowed and “ID 2 Tape Offset Not Zero” is temporarily displayed. 2. ID 1 is offline, ID 2’s tape offset valu...

M20 Software Version 2 M20 A DDENDUM 2.1 MA-5 D IGITAL S CRUB : “D IG S CAN : O N /O FF , NN dB” A Digital Scan page has been added to the Utility pages. This allows the user to havecontrol over digital audio output when in jog/shuttle mode. The output may be attenuatedin 6 dB increments (0 dB to –4...

M20 Software Version 2 MA-6 M20 A DDENDUM 2.1 MIDI T HRU “Soft” MIDI Thru (automatically echoing non-F0 commands) is now defeated in order toaccommodate a MIDI closed loop more effectively. N EW U TILITY PAGE ORDER The Utility menu page order in version 2.00 has changed as follows: Utility Pages 1 D...