Alesis QS6 manuale d’uso

A L ES I S Q S 6 Reference M a nu a l[...]

QS6 Reference Manual 1 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Alesis QS6 64 Voice Expandable Synthesizer. To take full advantage of the QS6’s functions, and to enjoy long and trouble-free use, please read this user’s manual carefully. How To Use This Manual This manual is divided into the following sections describing the various modes of th[...]

2 QS6 Reference Manual[...]

Table of Contents QS6 Reference Manual 3 C ONTENTS 1: S ETTING U P ................................ ................................................................ .... 7 Unpacking and Inspection ................................ ................................ .............................. 7 AC Power ................................ ............[...]

Table of Contents 4 QS6 Reference Manual Parameter Editing Overview ................................ ................................ .............. 30 Selecting Functions and Parameters ................................ ................................ 30 Comparing Edited and Stored Versions ................................ ........................[...]

Table of Contents QS6 Reference Manual 5 Level ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 83 Pitch ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 83 Filter ................................ ...............[...]

Table of Contents 6 QS6 Reference Manual Maintenance/Service ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 124 Cleaning ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 124 Maintenance ................................ .........[...]

Setting Up: Chapter 1 QS6 Reference Manual 7 C HAPTER 1 S ETTING U P U NPACKING AND I NSPECTION Your QS6 was packed carefully at the factory. The shipping carton was designed to protect the unit during shipping. Please retain this container in the highly unlikely event that you need to return the QS6 for servicing. The shipping carton should contai[...]

Chapter 1: Setting Up 8 QS6 Reference Manual 9 V AC Stereo Amp Stereo Headphones AC Receptacle 1/4" Audio Cables MIDI IN OUT LEFT RIGHT OUTPUT FOOT PEDAL POWER ON/OFF Expression Pedal Pedal Switch PEDAL 1 SUST AIN A BOUT A UDIO C ABLES The connections between the QS6 and your studio are your music’s lifeline, so use only high quality cables.[...]

Setting Up: Chapter 1 QS6 Reference Manual 9 • Although Alesis does not endorse any specific product, chemicals such as Tweek and Cramolin, when applied to electrical connectors, are claimed to improve the electrical contact between connectors. B ASIC A UDIO H OOKUP J When connecting audio cables and/or turning power on and off, make sure that al[...]

Chapter 1: Setting Up 10 QS6 Reference Manual[...]

Your First Session With The QS6: Chapter 2 QS6 Reference Manual 11 C HAPTER 2 Y OUR F IRST S ESSION W ITH T HE QS6 P OWERING U P After making your connections, turn on the system’s power using this procedure: ¿ Before turning on the QS6’s power, check the following items: • Have all connections been made correctly? • Are the volume control[...]

Chapter 2: Your First Session With The QS6 12 QS6 Reference Manual W HAT ’ S A P ROGRAM ? A Program is a stored configuration of parameters which emulates the sound of an instrument or sound effect, such as a piano or synthesizer or drum set. A QS6 Program is made up of hundreds of parameters which, when set to specific values, create a specific [...]

Your First Session With The QS6: Chapter 2 QS6 Reference Manual 13 A BOUT S OUND G ROUPS Presets 1-3 and the User bank follow the program group organization of the buttons on the top panel (programs 0-9 are pianos, 50-59 are basses, and so on). The GenMIDI bank does not follow that arrangement; it follows the program list of the General MIDI standa[...]

Chapter 2: Your First Session With The QS6 14 QS6 Reference Manual The current mode (MIX) is displayed in the top-left corner, followed by the current Bank (PRESET1) and the current Mix number (00). The Mix’s name (Piano&Pad) appears on the lower line of the display and the active MIDI channels (1 and 2) are shown at the bottom right. In a Mi[...]

Your First Session With The QS6: Chapter 2 QS6 Reference Manual 15 Current MIDI Channel ¿ Use the [ ▲ PAGE] and [PAGE ▲ ] buttons to select a MIDI channel from 1 – 16. The display will change to indicate the currently selected MIDI channel. R EALTIME P ERFORMANCE F UNCTIONS The QS6 provides various ways to control the sound as you are playin[...]

Chapter 2: Your First Session With The QS6 16 QS6 Reference Manual A UDITIONING M IX P LAY M ODE Mix Play Mode allows you to assign a Program to each of the 16 MIDI channels. This makes it easy to create multitimbral setups for use with an external MIDI sequencer. Additionally, a MIX can be used to “layer” sounds together, or “split” the ke[...]

Your First Session With The QS6: Chapter 2 QS6 Reference Manual 17 C HOOSING P ROGRAMS IN A M IX In this section, we will choose Programs for the 16 channels in a Mix, for playing back tracks from a MIDI sequencer. There are many other aspects of a Mix we may wish to edit, however. Refer to Chapter 5 for more information about Mix editing. You do n[...]

Chapter 2: Your First Session With The QS6 18 QS6 Reference Manual page).[...]

Your First Session With The QS6: Chapter 2 QS6 Reference Manual 19 S TORING AN E DITED M IX Once you have made changes to a Mix, you will need to store the Mix into the User Bank; that is, if you want to keep the changes you have made. The User Bank is designed to hold up to 100 (00 – 99) of your custom-made Mixes. Whenever you store an edited Mi[...]

Chapter 2: Your First Session With The QS6 20 QS6 Reference Manual Your QS6 is an expandable system using the Sound Card slot on the back panel. There are three different kinds of Sound Cards available through your Alesis dealer or directly from Alesis: SRAM cards: The Alesis Virtual Composer card provides an additional four banks of Program/Mix me[...]

Connections: Chapter 3 QS6 Reference Manual 21 C HAPTER 3 C ONNECTIONS B ASIC MIDI H OOKUP MIDI is an internationally-accepted protocol that allows musical-related data to be conveyed from one device to another. See the MIDI Supplement in Appendix B if you are not familiar with how MIDI works. The MIDI connections provide three different functions.[...]

Chapter 3: Connections 22 QS6 Reference Manual E XAMPLE 1: M ASTER C ONTROLLER FOR L IVE U SE Most live applications use the QS6 to generate sounds, with (possibly) the MIDI output driving other MIDI devices, such as an S4 Plus rack unit, QuadraVerb 2, and other keyboards and sound modules, etc. To drive MIDI controlled devices from the QS6, patch [...]

Connections: Chapter 3 QS6 Reference Manual 23 E XAMPLE 2: U SING AN E XTERNAL S EQUENCER The QS6 can generate MIDI signals that are recorded by a sequencer. On playback, the sequencer sends this data back into the QS6, which then serves as a multitimbral sound module (in Mix Mode). The sequencer can generate data over several channels; in Mix Mode[...]

Chapter 3: Connections 24 QS6 Reference Manual The QS6 can communicate directly with a computer via its [SERIAL PORT] connector. This eliminates both the need for an additional computer-MIDI interface, as well as the need to connect MIDI cables to it. The [SERIAL PORT] can be set to one of two modes, depending on the computer you are using. The mod[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 25 C HAPTER 4 O VERVIEW B ASIC A RCHITECTURE The QS6 contains digitized acoustic and electronic samples , organized into 17 sound groups of different types. The groups are: Piano Stri ng Noise Sound FX Chromatic Brass Voice Rhythm Organ Woodwind Ethnic Guitar Synth Drums Bass Wave Percussion Several function[...]

Chapter 4: Overview 26 QS6 Reference Manual M ODES The QS6 is always in one of two main modes: Program Play Mode or Mix Play Mode. Pressing [PROGRAM] selects Program Play Mode, while pressing [MIX] selects Mix Play Mode. While in Program Play Mode, you can press [EDIT SELECT] to access Program Edit Mode and Effects Edit Mode. While in Mix Play Mode[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 27 M IX E DIT M ODE Mix Edit Mode lets you change the parameters of an existing Mix. Up to 16 Programs can be active in each Mix, and Mix Edit mode sets up how each will be played. Mix Edit Mode allows you to: • set the output level, effects level, and pan of each Program in the Mix; • select which Progr[...]

Chapter 4: Overview 28 QS6 Reference Manual T HE U SER I NTERFACE : D ISPLAY , F UNCTIONS , P AGES , AND P ARAMETERS The key to the QS6 user interface is the combination of the Display , the [ ▲ PAGE] and [PAGE ▲ ] buttons and the [CONTROLLER A] slider located to the right of the [VOLUME] slider. The Display constantly informs you of the QS6’[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 29 When [EDIT SELECT] is pressed, the display enters Edit Mode (which Edit Mode you are in depends on whether you were already in Program Mode or Mix Mode). When in an Edit Mode, the display will look something like this: EDIT MODE PAGE _____________________________ _______ MODE BANK NUMBER ______ __ _______[...]

Chapter 4: Overview 30 QS6 Reference Manual P AGE B UTTONS The [ ▲ PAGE] and [PAGE ▲ ] buttons serve two purposes. In Program Play Mode and Mix Play Mode, they are used to select a MIDI channel from 1 to 16. In Program Play Mode, they are used to select the basic MIDI channel the QS6 will receive and transmit MIDI messages on. In Mix Play Mode,[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 31 The upper-right section of the display will indicate the currently selected page number. Each page provides a different parameter. The parameter’s name will appear in the bottom section of the display. Press the [PAGE ▲ ] button to select the next higher-numbered page, and [ ▲ PAGE] to select the ne[...]

Chapter 4: Overview 32 QS6 Reference Manual 30 SELECT SOUND 4 SELECT SOUND 4 SELECT CHANNEL 14 SELECT SEND 4 40 VOICE VOICE SELECT CHANNEL 15 CONFIGURATIO N 50 LEVEL LEVEL SELECT CHANNEL 16 EQ 60 PITCH PITCH LEVEL MO D 70 FILTER FILTER PITCH LEZLIE 80 AMP/RANGE AMP/RANGE EFFECT PITCH 90 PITCH ENVELOPE - - - - - KEYBOARD/MID I DELAY 10 0 FILTER ENVE[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 33 C OMPARING E DITED AND S TORED V ERSIONS When you edit a Program or Mix, you are actually editing a copy which is in a temporary edit buffer. Therefore, to retain the results of your edit, you must save it to a particular memory location (see the next section on Storing). If you change memory locations be[...]

Chapter 4: Overview 34 QS6 Reference Manual S TORING The [STORE] button selects Store mode. Store mode has 7 pages which you can scroll through by using the [ ▲ PAGE] and [PAGE ▲ ] buttons. Each page in Store mode provides a different type of storage, copy or data transfer function. When storing edited Mixes or Programs into the User Bank or a [...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 35 C OPYING S OUNDS B ETWEEN P ROGRAMS Follow the steps below to copy one of the four Sound layers from one Program to another Program in the User Bank. When copying Sounds between Programs, the "new" Sound will replace the same numbered Sound in the destination Program, i.e., Sound 3 will replace [...]

Chapter 4: Overview 36 QS6 Reference Manual ª Use the [s VALUE] and [VALUE t] buttons or move the [CONTROLLER A] slider to select the Program Number in the User Bank you wish to copy the Effects to (000–127). D Press [STORE] to complete the copy function.[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QS6 Reference Manual 37 T O A UDITION P ROGRAMS B EFORE S TORING To look for available memory locations to permanently store your Program into, you can move between Program Mode and Mix Mode without losing your changes. This is because Program Mode uses a Program edit buffer, and Mix Mode uses its own Mix edit buffer along with [...]

Chapter 4: Overview 38 QS6 Reference Manual To audition Programs before overwriting them with STORE …when editing a Program in Mix Play Mode: ¿ While in Mix Program Edit mode, press [PROGRAM]. This selects Program Play Mode, retaining your edits to the Program in Mix Edit. ¡ Use the [ ▲ BANK] and [BANK ▲ ] buttons to select the User Bank. I[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QS6 Reference Manual 39 C HAPTER 5 E DITING M IXES W HAT IS A M IX ? Mix Mode is one of the most powerful features of the QS6. Although in Program Mode you can play only one Program at a time, in Mix Mode you can play up to 16 Programs at once, either from the keyboard (as layers or splits) or from an external sequencer (vi[...]

Chapter 5: Editing Mixes 40 QS6 Reference Manual (Level, Pitch, Effect, etc.) If a Function Group has more than one parameter, use the [ ▲ PAGE] and [PAGE ▲ ] buttons to locate a specific parameter. The Mix Edit functions and Channels are written in blue above or below each numbered button, on the line labeled MIX. Each channel of a Mix may be [...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QS6 Reference Manual 41 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, Output, Effects Send Level, Effects Bus and Program Enable. En[...]

Chapter 5: Editing Mixes 42 QS6 Reference Manual P ITCH The Pitch function (press [70]) lets you transpose a channel’s Program in either semitone or octave increments. Tune Octave (-2 to +2 octaves) Pag e 1 This transposes the Program’s pitch in octave (12 semitones) steps from -2 (transposed down 2 octaves) to +2 (transposed up two octaves). S[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QS6 Reference Manual 43 C ONTROLLERS The Controllers function (press [100]) lets you turn on and off the various MIDI controllers that can effect the selected MIDI channel. The following four parameters determine whether or not specific types of MIDI information will be received or transmitted, and are set separately for ea[...]

Chapter 5: Editing Mixes 44 QS6 Reference Manual S ETTING THE R ANGE AND MIDI S WITCHES The Range function (press [110]) allows you to restrict each MIDI channel to a specific range of the keyboard. This is ideal for creating splits (e.g., bass in the lower octave and a half, piano in the middle three octaves, and strings in the upper octave). When[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QS6 Reference Manual 45 P OLYPHONY IN M IX P LAY M ODE The QS6 has 64-note polyphony . In Mix Play Mode, if you have all 16 MIDI channels assigned to the same keyboard range, and each channel’s Program has only one active Program Sound, you’ll have 4-note polyphony as you play the keyboard (but a really thick layer...).[...]

Chapter 5: Editing Mixes 46 QS6 Reference Manual using the [ ▲ PAGE] and [PAGE ▲ ] buttons. This allows you to isolate individual channels in a Mix. So, if you play in a range of the keyboard that is active on MIDI CH 1, and “CHå” appears in the upper left corner of the display, you’ll hear it. All other ranges or layers will not respond[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 47 C HAPTER 6 E DITING P ROGRAMS O VERVIEW Synthesizer programming is the art and science of shaping sounds in a particular way by altering the parameters of various modules. Like music itself, learning synth programming is an ongoing process. Although this manual presents information about synthesiz[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 48 QS6 Reference Manual The QS6 uses custom integrated circuits, developed by the Alesis engineering team specifically for the QS6. These resemble the types of chips used in computers and other digital devices. In fact, you can think of the QS6 as a special-purpose computer designed to generate and process audio. Althoug[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 49 • When each sound is likely to be used by itself by other setups. For example, if you are programming three different keyboard splits, each of which uses the same left-hand bass patch, it makes sense to use Mix Play Mode. • When you want different sounds to respond to different MIDI channels. [...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 50 QS6 Reference Manual V OICE This digitally-based oscillator provides the actual raw sounds from the 8 megabyte library of on-board samples. The oscillator's pitch can be tuned to a fixed frequency or modulated. Modulation is the process of varying a parameter dynamically over time; the oscillator pitch can be mod[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 51 Each voice/filter combination is followed by an amplifier whose level can be controlled by a variety of modulation sources. This allows for creating sounds with percussive or slow attacks, particular types of decays, tremolo, etc. Filter and amp settings can interact. If the filter cutoff is extre[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 52 QS6 Reference Manual LFO (L OW F REQUENCY O SCILLATOR ) The pitch, filter, and amp modules each have a dedicated LFO module for modulation. The term LFO stands for low frequency oscillator, and comes from how modulation was created in the early synth days (an oscillator set to a low frequency could modulate some aspec[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 53 D RUM M ODE Any one or all of the four sounds in a Program can be put into Drum Mode. The Drum Mode parameter is found in the Misc. Function (see last section of this chapter). Note that Drum Mode isn’t the only way to hear drums or percussion from a Program. In Standard mode, if you select a ki[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 54 QS6 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 Edit and Effects Edit Modes). When editing a Program in Progr[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 55 Sound Group (17 options) Pag e 3 Choose from among 16 different sample groups (see chart below). Sound Page 4 Selects one of the available samples by name from the selected group, or OFF (no sample selected). Each group has a variety of samples from which you can choose, although some groups (such[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 56 QS6 Reference Manual Wave Pure Sine, 10% Pulse, 20% Pulse, 50% Pulse, Velo Pulse, Mini Saw, Saw Fltr 1, Saw Fltr 2, Saw Fltr 3, Saw Fltr 4, RezSaw UK, RezSaw USA, Acid Saw, Velo Saw1, Velo Saw2, Velo Saw3, Velo Saw4, Velo Saw5, AcidRezSqr, VelAcidWav, MiniSquare, Sqr Fltr 1, Sqr Fltr 2, Velo Sqr, Mini Tri, Tri Filter,[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 57 L EVEL The Level function (press [40]) allows you to control the volume, pan position, output assignment and effects send level for each sound layer. With up to four sounds per program, this allows for a wide variety of stereo effects and level balances between the sounds. Volume (00 to 99) Pag e [...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 58 QS6 Reference Manual P ITCH The Pitch function (press [60]) lets you control the pitch aspects of each sound layer. Semitone (-24 to +24 semitones) Pag e 1 Sets the oscillator pitch in semitone steps, from -24 (transposed down two octaves) to +24 (transposed up two octaves). Detune (-99 to +99 cents) Pa g e 2 Sets the[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 59 Portamento (Exponential, Linear, 1 Speed) Pag e 8 This provides the sweep’s “curve.” • With an exponential curve, the pitch change seems to happen more rapidly at first, then slows down as it approaches the ending pitch. • A linear curve produces a constant pitch change throughout the gl[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 60 QS6 Reference Manual F ILTER The Filter function (press [70]) lets you control the tone of each sound layer. Filter Frequency (00 to 99) Pa g e 1 This sets the filter's initial cutoff frequency. Lower values give a duller sound since this removes more harmonics; higher values let through more harmonics, which giv[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 61 Modulation Wheel Depth (-99 to +99) Pag e 4 Determines how moving the modulation wheel affects the filter cutoff frequency. Example: With positive settings, moving the modulation wheel up raises the filter cutoff frequency and moving it down lowers the filter cutoff frequency. With negative settin[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 62 QS6 Reference Manual A MP /R ANGE The Amp/Range function (press [80]) lets you control the velocity and keyboard range of each sound layer. Velocity Curve (13 choices) Pag e 1 This selects how the sound will respond to the dynamics of your playing the keyboard. A LINEAR curve is the norm, whereby the increase in level[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 63 Amp LFO Depth (-99 to +99) Pa g e 3 At +00, the Amp LFO has no effect. Higher positive values increase the amount of LFO modulation. Negative values give the same apparent effect, but with reversed LFO phase (i.e., if the amplitude would normally be increasing with depth set to a positive number, [...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 64 QS6 Reference Manual Sound Overlap (00 to 99) Page 6 This determines how many voices can overlap on the same pitch. Example: If you hold the sustain pedal down and play the same note over and over, Sound Overlap determines how many voices are available for that note, and thus how many voices will overlap (play simulta[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 65 PITCH ENVELOPE The Pitch Envelope function (press [90]) can lead to dramatic effects, since it can cause the pitch of a single key to change drastically over time. It’s typically used in special-effect synthesizer programs, but it may also be used more subtly in an acoustic program to simulate t[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 66 QS6 Reference Manual Delay (00 to 99, Hold) Pa g e 5 This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything; very useful if you want to affect one element of a sound sometime after the sound starts. When the Delay is set to 0, the envelope attacks right away, without any delay. Play some notes wh[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 67 Sustain Pedal (On or Off) Pag e 9 This determines whether or not the Sustain Pedal will have an effect on the envelope. When turned on, holding down the Sustain Pedal while playing short notes is virtually the equivalent to holding down those notes on the keyboard with some subtle but important di[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 68 QS6 Reference Manual F ILTER E NVELOPE The Filter Envelope function (press [100]) is crucial whenever you want the tonal quality of a note to change over time, differently from its overall level. Example: When you want the initial attack of a note to be bright, but want the sustaining part to be filtered. J The follow[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 69 Delay (00 to 99) Pa ge 5 This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything; very useful if you want to affect one element of a sound sometime after the sound starts. When the Delay is set to 0, the envelope attacks right away, without any delay. Play some notes while tur[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 70 QS6 Reference Manual important differences. If the Delay and Attack are set to 0 and either the Decay is 0 or the Sustain is 99, the envelope will immediately jump to the release stage (if not already there) when the note is released and the sustain pedal is held down. If a long attack is set, and the envelope does no[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 71 level until you release the note on the keyboard, or decay to 0 at the Sustain Decay rate (which is on page 2 of the envelope). You can create a long "plateau" at the start of a note by setting the Sustain to 98 and the Decay to 99. This will cause the envelope to take the maximum amount[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 72 QS6 Reference Manual Time Tracking (On or Off) Pa ge 8 This determines whether or not keyboard position will affect the cycle speed of the envelope. When turned on, playing toward the higher end of the keyboard will result in a faster envelope cycle; playing toward the lower end of the keyboard will result in a slower[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 73 M OD 1 – M OD 6 About General Purpose Modulation Although there are several dedicated modulators in the QS6 (e.g., the pitch can always be modulated by the pitch LFO and Pitch Envelope), sophisticated synthesizer programming demands the ability to use as many modulation sources as possible to mo[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 74 QS6 Reference Manual all keys being pressed. This affects any keys that are held down. The harder you press on the keys, the greater the degree of modulation. • Polyphonic Pressure This is similar to aftertouch, but each key can respond to individual pressure messages. Although the QS6 keyboard does not generate pol[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 75 • Controllers (A, B, C, D) Four incoming MIDI controllers can be recognized by the QS6 and used as modulation sources. These controllers are assigned as A– D in Global Mode (see Chapter 8). In Program Play Mode and Mix Play Mode, the [CONTROLLER A] slider can be used to control Controller A di[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 76 QS6 Reference Manual P ITCH LFO The Pitch LFO function (press [7]) is most often used to apply vibrato to a sound. J The following Pitch LFO variables will make a difference in the sound only if the PITCH LFO DEPTH (on Page 6 of the PITCH function) is set to a value other than 0, or, if the Pitch LFO is a source in th[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 77 Trigger (Mono, Poly, Key Mono, or Key Poly) Pa ge 4 The Trigger parameter determines how the LFO should be triggered, or started. There are four possible settings: Mono, Poly, Key Mono and Key Poly. When playing multiple voices in a single sound, each voice has its own LFO. However, the LFO Trigge[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 78 QS6 Reference Manual Aftertouch Depth (-99 to 99) Pag e 7 This is the modulation amount of Aftertouch over the Pitch LFO’s Level. A positive value raises the level as more Aftertouch is applied. A negative value will lower the amount of Pitch LFO level as more Aftertouch is applied. F ILTER LFO The Filter LFO functi[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 79 Mod Wheel Depth (-99 to 99) Pag e 6 This parameter sets how much the Mod Wheel will increase or decrease the Filter LFO’s Level. A positive value raises the level when the Mod Wheel is moved up, and lowers the level when moved down. Negative settings of this parameter will decrease the output le[...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 80 QS6 Reference Manual Level (00 to 99) Pag e 5 This is the base output level of the Amp LFO. If you want to have a constant value of tremolo, even without using the Mod Wheel or Aftertouch, set Level above 00. The Mod Wheel and Aftertouch will add or subtract from this base level. Example: If Level is set to 10 and the[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 81 to “Pitch” and the Tracking Generator’s input is an LFO using an “Up Sawtooth” as its waveform. 0 100 POINTS: 0123456789 1 0 LINEAR 0 100 POINTS: 0123456789 1 0 NON-LINEAR 0 100 POINTS: 0123456789 1 0 NON-LINEAR STEPPED TIP: The Tracking Generator can be used to turn a variable control, [...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 82 QS6 Reference Manual P ROGRAMMING D RUM S OUNDS To program a sound in Drum Mode, you must first set the Sound Type to “Drum” for that particular sound in the Voice Function, page 2 (see previous section). The [0] – [9] buttons are used to select a Drum (1–10), regardless of which Function or Page is selected ([...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 83 Each of the 10 drums in a sound can have its own level, pan position, and output assignment. The Level function (press [50]) provides these controls. Use page 1 to adjust the selected drum’s level (00 to 99), page 2 to adjust pan position (<3 to >3), page 3 to select the Output assignment [...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 84 QS6 Reference Manual use curve “2 of 3” while drum 3 would use “3 of 3”). For more details about the 13 velocity curves, see the illustration on page 64. Note # (000 to 127/C-2 to G8) Pag e 2 Each drum can be assigned to a single note which will trigger the drum sound when played. You can also set the note ass[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QS6 Reference Manual 85 C OPYING S OUNDS While editing a Program, it is helpful to be able to copy a sound to another sound in either the same Program or a different Program, especially if you are building a split or layered Program. This can be done very easily from within the Store function. To copy a Sound to another [...]

Chapter 6: Editing Programs 86 QS6 Reference Manual I NITIALIZING P ROGRAMS If you want to start programming from “scratch”, you can easily reset all parameters to their default settings by re-initializing the software. Make sure your mod wheel is all the way down before re-initializing, otherwise the "zero" position of the mod wheel [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 87 C HAPTER 7 E DITING E FFECTS A BOUT S IGNAL P ROCESSING The built-in effects processor of the QS6 is similar to that of the Alesis QuadraVerb 2, capable of generating multiple, fully digital effects simultaneously. The QS6 effects processor has four inputs, called effect sends. You might think of t[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 88 QS6 Reference Manual S ELECTING AN E FFECTS P ATCH IN M IX M ODE Each Program has its own Effects Patch that is recalled when you select a Program in Program Mode. However, since a Mix can have up to 16 Programs (one on each Channel), you need to select which Channel’s Program you wish to use the Effects Patch from. [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 89 E DITING E FFECTS The Effects Patches themselves are not edited in Program Edit Mode or Mix Edit Mode, but (could you guess it?) Effects Edit Mode. You can enter Effects Edit Mode from Program Mode by pressing the [EDIT SELECT] button twice, or until the display looks something like this: ED:PRG EF[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 90 QS6 Reference Manual S TORING E FFECT P ATCHES I N P ROGRAM M ODE Effects are an extension of a Program. So, when you store a Program, you store its Effects Patch along with it. Once a Program’s Effect Patch has been altered, the display will show a “*” next to the Program’s name (if in Program Mode; when editi[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 91 C ONFIGURATIONS A Configuration is essentially the starting point of any Effects Patch. You must select the Configuration you are going to use before making any other edits, since all routings and parameters change to their default settings each time you change the configuration. Each Configuration[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 92 QS6 Reference Manual C ONFIGURATION #1: 1 R EVERB PITCH 1 FX SEND 1 FX SEND 2 AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT DELAY 1 1 REVERB FX SEND 3 FX SEND 4 PITCH 2 DELAY 2 AMP AMP PITCH 3 DELAY 3 AMP DELAY 4 AMP 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 BAL. BAL. BAL. BAL. BAL. BAL. BAL. 2 3 1 2 3 1 4 MIX [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 93 Think of the diagram as a “road map” showing all possible paths from the starting points (FX SEND 1 through 4) to the ultimate destinations (LEFT and RIGHT outputs at the top of the page). The dotted lines indicate the divisions between different functional blocks, and the solid lines indicate [...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 94 QS6 Reference Manual C ONFIGURATION #2: 2 R EVERBS FX SEND 1 FX SEND 2 AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT DELAY REVERB FX SEND 3 AMP MIX 1 REVERB 1 REVERB 2 DELAY 1 PITCH 1 AMP PITCH AMP PITCH 3 PITCH REVERB AMP REVERB 3 FX SEND 4 REVERB 4 AMP MIX 3 Delay 1 Pitch 1 Rev erb 1[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 95 C ONFIGURATION #3: L EZLIE AND R EVERB LEZLIE FX SEND 1 FX SEND 2 A UX LEFT A UX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT A UX LEFT A UX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT DELA Y 1 1 REVERB FX SEND 3 FX SEND 4 PITCH 2 DELA Y 2 AMP AMP PITCH 3 DELA Y 3 AMP DELA Y 4 AMP 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 BAL. BAL. BAL. BAL. BAL. 2 3 1 2 3 1[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 96 QS6 Reference Manual C ONFIGURATION #4: R EVERB AND EQ AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT 12 PITCH 1 BAL. FX SEND 1 PITCH 2 BAL. FX SEND 2 PITCH 1 12 DELAY 1 DELAY 2 BAL. 1 2 BAL. 1 2 PITCH 2 DELAY 1 DELAY 2 REVERB 1 REVERB 1 1 EQ REVERB 2 MIX MISC AMP AMP Pitch 1 Delay 1 Re[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 97 C ONFIGURATION #5: O VERDRIVE AND L EZLIE AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT 1 BAL. FX SEND 1 MISC. 1 1 PITCH 1 REVERB 1 MIX OVERDRIVE FX SEND 2 FX SEND 3 FX SEND 4 PITCH 1 BAL. 1 DELAY 1 BAL. 1 2 AMP REVERB 1 1 BAL. 1 2 LEZLIE DELAY 1 1 EQ PITCH 1 MISC.[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 98 QS6 Reference Manual EQ The shelving EQ is only available in Configuration #s 4 and 5. It provides bass and treble boost, and effects the entire Main Output (not just the Effects Sends). Four EQ parameters are included: Low Frequency (range: 30Hz to 180Hz), Low Frequency Gain (0dB to +12dB), High Frequency (3kHz to 10k[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 99 Mod Source Page 1 (Mod 1) & Page 4 (Mod 2) The Mod Source parameter selects the MIDI controller which will remotely cause a change (modulate) in one or two of the parameters in the effects processor. Nearly every MIDI controller can become a Mod Source (using controllers A-D, set in Global mode[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 100 QS6 Reference Manual L EZLIE The Lezlie function is only available in Configuration #s 3 and 5. The Lezlie parameters found in Configuration 3 include: Motor (on/off), Speed (fast/slow), and Horn Level (-6 to +6 db). In addition to these, the Lezlie found in Configuration #6 also provides 3 additional parameters: Inpu[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 101 P ITCH The Pitch function is used to edit Pitch parameters. Pitch Type Page 1 The Pitch Type function allows access to 6 pitch altering modes. The Pitch types available are: Mono Chorus, Stereo Chorus, Mono Flange, Stereo Flange, Pitch Detune and Resonator. Although some of these effects can sound[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 102 QS6 Reference Manual Stereo Chorus. In the case of a Stereo Chorus, the signal is split into three parts with a dry signal and a separate Detuning section for both left and right channels. When the left channel is detuned sharp, the right is detuned flat, and vice versa. Once again, this causes the effect to become mo[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 103 Stereo Flange. In the case of the Stereo Flange, the signal is split into three parts with a dry signal and a separate Delay section for both left and right channels with one channel flanging up while the other channel flanges down. Once again, this causes the effect to become more pronounced and [...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 104 QS6 Reference Manual If the Pitch type is Mono Chorus, Stereo Chorus, Mono Flange or Stereo Flange, page 2 through 5 of the Pitch function contain the following four parameters: Waveform Shape (Sine or Square) Pa g e 2 This determines the LFO’s waveform shape. This parameter only appears when the Mono or Stereo Chor[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 105 D ELAY The Delay function is used to edit Delay parameters. The QS6’s effects processor has three different Delay types available. Note: Some Configurations only feature a mono Delay, and therefore the Delay Type parameter will be unavailable. Instead the parameters normally found on page 2 of t[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 106 QS6 Reference Manual R EVERB Reverb can be thought of as a great number of distinct echoes, called reflections, that occur so fast that our ear hears them blurred together as one. In nature, different sized spaces give distinctly different sounding reverbs, depending on the size and shape of the space, and the texture[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 107 Chorus Input Level (00 to 99) Page 1 (Config 2 Only) If Configuration #2 is selected (refer to block diagram of Configuration #2, earlier in this chapter), the first page of the Reverb function will look like this: ED:MIX FX SND1 p å RVB CHRin LEV: 08 The Configuration has two Reverbs, one on sen[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 108 QS6 Reference Manual If Configuration #2 is selected and you press [10] to select effect send 2 while the Reverb function is selected, the display will look like this: ED:MIX FX SND2 p å RVB-IN SEND2: 99 This lets you adjust the level of the signal coming from effect send 2 going into the Reverb. Send 2 in this Confi[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 109 Reverse. The Reverse Reverb type is an inverted reverb in which the volume envelope is reversed. This means that the signal begins softly but grows louder until it is cut off, rather than loud to soft as normal. Pre-Delay Time (0 to 299ms) Pages 6 & 7 Pre-Delay is the slight delaying of the Re[...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 110 QS6 Reference Manual Density (00 to 99) Page 13 (Page 12 if Gated or Reverse type) Density controls how the first reflection of the reverb effect will appear. When set to 0, the first reflection is heard alone without any other reflections. When set to 99, the first reflection appears to “fade-in” and then “fade[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QS6 Reference Manual 111 O VERDRIVE The Overdrive effect provides four parameters spread across four editing pages. It is only used in Configuration #5. Overdrive Type (Hard or Soft) Pag e 1 This selects one of two Overdrive Types: Soft and Hard. The Soft Overdrive has less gain and provides slightly less distortion than [...]

Chapter 7: Editing Effects 112 QS6 Reference Manual M IX Not to be confused with an actual Mix or Mix mode, the Effect’s Mix function is where you can mix the various signal levels of all the effects to the Main Left and Right outputs of the QS6. Only effect modules that have access to the Main outputs will appear on the Mix page. There is a sepa[...]

Global Settings: Chapter 8 QS6 Reference Manual 113 C HAPTER 8 G LOBAL S ETTINGS Global Edit Mode is where you will find several parameters which affect the entire instrument, such as overall master tuning, controller settings, and keyboard mode. E DITING G LOBAL P ARAMETERS To select Global Edit Mode, follow these steps: ¿ Press the [ EDIT SELECT[...]

Chapter 8: Global Settings 114 QS6 Reference Manual K EYBOARD S CALING Page 4 Page 4 of Global Edit mode lets you adjust how sensitive the keyboard’s velocity will be (00 to 99). When set to 0, the keyboard will not transmit any velocity, no matter how hard or soft the keys are played; all notes will be treated as having a velocity of 64 (right i[...]

Global Settings: Chapter 8 QS6 Reference Manual 115 G ENERAL MIDI M ODE Page 7 Page 7 of Global Edit Mode lets you enable and disable General MIDI Mode. If this parameter is turned on, you will immediately be taken out of Global Edit Mode and into Mix Mode, and Mix 00 of Preset Bank 4 will automatically be selected. For more information about Gener[...]

Chapter 8: Global Settings 116 QS6 Reference Manual Likewise, if either Pedal is assigned to Controller 1, then they will automatically function like the Modulation Wheel for any Sound in Program Play Mode, and in Mix Play Mode, Sounds that are controlled by the Keyboard and have Pedals turned on. This is in addition to the fact that the pedals wil[...]

Global Settings: Chapter 8 QS6 Reference Manual 117 Note: Bank change messages will be ignored if General MIDI Mode is enabled, so that only Programs within the General MIDI Bank (GenMIDI) can be recalled via MIDI Program changes. If the MIDI Program Select parameter is “On” and a new Bank is selected using the [ ▲ BANK] and [BANK ▲ ] butto[...]

Chapter 8: Global Settings 118 QS6 Reference Manual because unless the I/O parameter is set to “MIDI”, the MIDI [OUTPUT] connector may only function as a MIDI “Thru” connector for the connected computer, and can only be switched off.[...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QS6 Reference Manual 119 C HAPTER 9 MIDI T RANSFER A ND S TORAGE O PERATIONS S AVING THE U SER B ANK TO AN E XTERNAL C ARD The entire contents of the QS6’s User memory (100 Mixes and 128 Programs) can be stored to an Alesis QuadraCard RAM card inserted into the Sound Card slot on the QS6. Depending [...]

Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations 120 QS6 Reference Manual ƒ Press [STORE] to transfer the data from the card into the QS6.[...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QS6 Reference Manual 121 S TORING AN I NDIVIDUAL P ROGRAM OR M IX TO AN E XTERNAL C ARD You also have the option of storing a Mix or Program directly to a specific location in a RAM Sound Card Bank (instead of transferring the entire Bank) and vice versa. However, the Sound Card you are storing to mus[...]

Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations 122 QS6 Reference Manual C ARD S TORAGE RAM IFICATIONS Whenever you transfer an internal Bank to a RAM card, the result is that all Mixes in the transferred Bank are changed so that they now access the Programs on the card bank to which the User bank was saved (since they reside there, now), instead o[...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QS6 Reference Manual 123 To send the entire User bank via MIDI: ¿ Connect a MIDI cable from the QS6’s MIDI Out to the MIDI In of a device capable of receiving the data (a MIDI sequencer, another QS6, etc.). ¡ Press [STORE]. ¬ Press [PAGE ▲ ]four times to select Page 3 of the Store function. The[...]

Troubleshooting: Appendix A QS6 Reference Manual 123 A PPENDIX A T ROUBLE -S HOOTING T ROUBLE -S HOOTING I NDEX If you are experience problems while operating the QS6, please use the following table to locate possible causes and solutions before contacting Alesis customer service for assistance. Symptom Cause Solution The display does not light whe[...]

Appendix A: Troubleshooting 124 QS6 Reference Manual M AINTENANCE /S ERVICE C LEANING Disconnect the AC cord, then use a damp cloth to clean the keyboard’s metal and plastic surfaces. For heavy dirt, use a non-abrasive household cleaner such as Formula 409 or Fantastik. DO NOT SPRAY THE CLEANER DIRECTLY ONTO THE FRONT OF THE UNIT AS IT MAY DESTRO[...]

Troubleshooting: Appendix A QS6 Reference Manual 125 Service address for customers in the USA: Alesis Product Support 3630 Holdrege Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90016 Customers outside the USA: Contact your local Alesis dealer for warranty assistance. Do not return products to the factory unless you have been given specific instructions to do so.[...]

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MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QS6 Reference Manual 127 A PPENDIX B MIDI S UPPLEMENT MIDI B ASICS Most current electronic instruments and signal processors, including the QS6, contain an internal computer. Computers and music have been working together for decades, which is not surprising considering music’s mathematical basis (consider frequencies,[...]

Appendix B: MIDI Supplement 128 QS6 Reference Manual MIDI M ESSAGE B ASICS The are two main types of MIDI messages. Channel messages, which are channel - specific, consist of Voice and Mode messages. System messages, which do not have a channel number and are received by all units in a system, include Common, Real Time, and Exclusive messages. C HA[...]

MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QS6 Reference Manual 129 Each type of controller is stamped with its own controller identification number. Not all controller numbers have been standardized for specific functions, but the following indicates the current list of assigned controllers. Numbers in parenthesis indicate the controller range. # Function 1 Modu[...]

Appendix B: MIDI Supplement 130 QS6 Reference Manual S YSTEM C OMMON M ESSAGES Intended for all units in a system, some of these MIDI messages are: Song Position Pointer. This indicates how many “MIDI beats” (normally a 16th note) have elapsed since a piece started (up to 16,384 total beats). It is primarily used to allow different sequencers a[...]

MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QS6 Reference Manual 131 There are three MIDI registered parameters which the QS6 will recognize in Mix Play Mode when General MIDI Mode is enabled. These are: • MIDI Registered Parameter 0 (Pitch Bend Sensitivity): This will directly effect the Pitch Wheel Range parameter of all four Sounds of the Program on the recei[...]

MIDI Implementation Chart 132 QS6 Reference Manual MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART Function Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel Default Changed 1 — 16 1 — 16 each 1 — 16 1 — 16 each Memorized Mode Default Messages Altered Mode 3 X * * * * * * * * Mode 3 X Note Number True Voice 0 — 127 * * * * * * * * 0 — 127 0 — 127 Velocity Note [...]

Parameters Index: Appendix C QS6 Reference Manual 133 APPENDIX C: P ARAMETERS I NDEX P ROGRAM E DIT P ARAMETERS Parameter Function Display Page Page in Manual Aftertouch Depth: Amp Amp/Range 2 58 Aftertouch Depth: ALFO Amp LFO 7 76 Aftertouch Depth: Filter Filter 5 57 Aftertouch Depth: FLFO Filter LFO 7 75 Aftertouch Depth: Pitch Pitch 5 54 Afterto[...]

Appendix C: Parameters Index 134 QS6 Reference Manual Parameter Function Page Page in Manual Modulation: Gate Mode Mod 1 – 3 4 71 Modulation Level Mod 1 – 6 3 71 Modulation: Quantize Mode Mod 4 – 6 4 71 Modulation Source Mod 1 – 6 1 69 Name (Program) Na m e 1 – 10 68 Output Level 3 53 Pa n Level 2 53 Pitch ENV Depth Pitch 7 54 Pitch ENV L[...]

Parameters Index: Appendix C QS6 Reference Manual 135 Parameter Function Page Page in Manual Velocity Curve/Crossfade Amp/Range 1 58 Sound Group Voice 3 51 Sound Name Voice 4 51 Sound Volume Level 1 53 M IX E DIT P ARAMETERS Parameter Function Display Page Page in Manual Aftertouch Controllers 2 39 Controllers A–D Controllers 4 39 Effect Channel [...]

Index QS6 Reference Manual 137 INDEX Aftertouch 15 Amp 62 Filter 59 Pitch 58 Compare 27, 32 Computer 24, 117 Controllers 115 Copy Sound 85 Effects 85 Demo 11 Direct Select 30 Display 28 Drum Mode 53 Edit buffer 32, 40 Effects Edit 27, 89 Clip 88 Configuration 91, 92-97 EQ 98 Mix 112 Mod 98 Modulation 98 Reverb 106 Footswitch 24 Global Edit 27, 113 [...]