Alesis QSR 64 manuale d’uso

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

QSR Reference Manual 1 Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Alesis QSR 64 Voice Expandable Synthesizer Module. To take full advantage of the QSR’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 mode[...]

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Table of Contents QSR Reference Manual 3 C ONTENTS 1: Setting Up ..................................................................................... 7 Unpacking and Inspection ....................................................................................................... ..... 7 AC Power ...................................................[...]

Table of Contents QSR Reference Manual 4 MIDI CH Buttons ............................................................................................................. 32 Editing Values ................................................................................................................. .3 2 Parameter Editing Overview ...................[...]

Table of Contents QSR Reference Manual 5 Programming Drum Sounds ........................................................................................................ 82 Voice .......................................................................................................................... ......... 82 Level .............................[...]

Table of Contents QSR Reference Manual 6 9: MIDI Transfer And Storage Operations .................................... 1 1 9 Using PCMCIA Expansion Cards ................................................................................................ 119 Saving the User Bank to a PCMCIA Card ..........................................................[...]

Setting Up: Chapter 1 QSR Reference Manual 7 C HAPTER 1 S ETTING U P U NPACKING AND I NSPECTION Your QSR synthesizer module 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 QSR for servicing. The shipping c[...]

Setting Up: Chapter 1 QSR Reference Manual 8 B ASIC A UDIO H OOKUP When connecting audio cables and/or turning power on and off, make sure that all devices in your system are turned off and the volume controls are turned down. Because the QSR includes extensive signal processing as well as a full complement of sounds, you can make great sounds with[...]

Setting Up: Chapter 1 QSR Reference Manual 9 A BOUT A UDIO C ABLES The connections between the QSR and your studio are your music’s lifeline, so use only high quality cables. These should be low-capacitance shielded cables with a stranded (not solid) internal conductor and a low-resistance shield. Although quality cables cost more, they do make a[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 1 C HAPTER 2 Y OUR F IRST S ESSION P OWERING U P After making your connections, turn on the system’s power using this procedure: ➀ Before turning on the QSR’s power, check the following items: • Have all connections been made correctly? • Are the volume controls of the amplifier or mixer [...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 2 get back to it instantly at the touch of a button. When you select a Program, all of its parameter settings are recalled to recreate the original sound. The QSR provides 640 internal Programs, divided into 5 Banks of 128 Programs each. More Programs can be added by inserting a Sound Card into the[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 3 P LAYING THE QSR The QSR is shipped from the factory with 5 Banks of 128 Preset Programs (sounds) each. Additionally, there are 100 Mixes in each of the 5 Banks. P ROGRAM M ODE AND M IX M ODE The QSR is always in one of two modes: Program Mode or Mix Mode . When you are auditioning Programs, you [...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 4 ➀ Press the [ PROG ] button to select Program Play Mode. The [ PROG ] button and the PROG indicator in the display will light. You can now play the QSR from an external MIDI keyboard; the Program will be whatever was selected when last in Program mode (Program number 00 – 127 ). ➁ Select a [...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 5 R EALTIME P ERFORMANCE F UNCTIONS The QSR provides various ways to control the sound as you are playing. Try out some of these functions while playing your MIDI keyboard. The sound of the effects can also change by using these controllers. The effect of these realtime controllers varies from Prog[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 6 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” your keyboard in a n[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 7 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 not have to acc[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 8 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 Mix, the User Ba[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 9 U SING THE PCMCIA E XPANSION C ARD S LOTS Your QSR is an expandable system using the two PCMCIA EXPANSION CARD slots on the front 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 pr[...]

Your First Session: Chapter 2 QSR Reference Manual 10 If an internal Program uses one or more Sounds that reside on a sound card, the sound card must be inserted into the same PCMCIA EXPANSION CARD slot, [ A ] or [ B ], as when the Program was stored. In other words, if a Program uses a Sound found on the card currently inserted in slot [ A ], then[...]

Connections: Chapter 3 QSR Reference Manual 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 QSR has three MIDI connectors which provide the follow[...]

Chapter 3: Connections 2 QSR Referen c U SING AN E XTERNAL S EQUENCER The MIDI keyboard or controller (such as the QS7 or QS8) can generate MIDI signals that are recorded by a sequencer. On playback, the sequencer sends this data to the QSR, which then serves as a multitimbral sound module (in Mix Mode). The sequencer can generate data over several[...]

Connections: Chapter 3 QSR Reference Manual U SING A C OMPUTER The QSR can communicate directly with a computer via its [ SERIAL PORT ] connector. This eliminates the need for an additional computer-MIDI interface, as well as the MIDI cables to connect to it. The [ SERIAL PORT ] can be set to one of three modes, depending on the computer you are us[...]

Chapter 3: Connections 4 QSR Referen c IBM ® PC S AND COMPATIBLES This connection will require a special cable with a DIN8 connector on one end and either a DB9 or DB25 connector on the other end, depending on the type of connector you are using on the PC. You can purchase this cable in most computer retailers or through Alesis Product Support (DI[...]

Connections: Chapter 3 QSR Reference Manual D IGITAL A UDIO /O PTICAL H OOKUP The QSR can output digital audio directly into an Alesis ADAT or ADAT-compatible multitrack digital recorder via fiber optic cable. The digital connector follows a proprietary Alesis format that carries all four audio outputs of the QSR (Main and Aux, Left and Right) on a[...]

Chapter 3: Connections 6 QSR Referen c 48 KH Z I N If your ADAT system has an Alesis BRC Remote Controller, the QSR’s digital clock must be synchronized to the clock coming from the BRC. This requires that a connection be made providing the clock signal to the QSR and that the QSR’s Clock function be set to either one of its two external settin[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 1 C HAPTER 4 O VERVIEW B ASIC A RCHITECTURE The QSR contains 16 megabytes of Sound ROM which provide digitized acoustic and electronic samples . These samples are organized into 17 sample groups of different types. The groups are: Piano String Noise Sound FX Chromatic Brass Voice Rhythm Organ Woodwind Ethnic[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 2 M ODES The QSR is always in one of two main modes: Program Play Mode or Mix Play Mode. Pressing [ PROG ] selects Program Play Mode, while pressing [ MIX ] selects Mix Play Mode. While in Program Play Mode, you can press [ EDIT ] to access Program Edit Mode and Effects Edit Mode. While in Mix Play Mode, pre[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 3 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 Progra[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 4 T HE U SER I NTERFACE : D ISPLAY , F UNCTIONS , P AGES AND P ARAMETERS The key to the QSR user interface is the combination of the Display, the [ VALUE ] knob and the [ ▲ CURSOR ▲ ] buttons. The Display constantly informs you of the QSR’s status. The [ ▲ CURSOR ▲ ] buttons let you select a value [...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 5 When [ EDIT ] 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: SND 1 :VOICE π å Snd Enable:ON • Edit Mode. The bottom-left section of the display will i[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 6 MIDI CH B UTTONS The [ ▲ MIDI CH ▲ ] 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 QSR will receive and transmit MIDI messages on. In Mix Play Mode, they a[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 7 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 bef[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 8 S TORING The [ STORE ] button selects Store mode. Store mode has several pages which you can scroll through by using the [ ▲ CURSOR ▲ ] 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 RA[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 9 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 1[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 10 To audition Programs before overwriting them with STORE …when editing a Program in Mix Play Mode: ➀ While in Mix Program Edit mode, press [ PROG ]. This selects Program Play Mode, retaining your edits to the Program in Mix Edit. ➁ Use the BANK SELECT [ DOWN ] and [ UP ] buttons to select the User Ba[...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 11 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 Sound [...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 12 ➄ Press [ CURSOR ▲ ] once to advance the cursor to the Program number value in the lower section of the display. ➅ Turn the [ VALUE ] knob to select the Program Number in the User Bank you wish to copy the Effects to (000–127), or the E FFECT of the currently selected Program. ➆ Press [ STORE ] [...]

Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual 13[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 1 C HAPTER 5 E DITING M IXES W HAT IS A M IX ? Mix Mode is one of the most powerful features of the QSR. 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 (via[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 2 Effect, etc.) If a Function Group has more than one parameter, press the [ CURSOR ▲ ] button to advance the cursor in the display, and then turn the [ VALUE ] knob to locate a specific parameter. Each channel of a Mix may be enabled or disabled, without changing any of its parameter settings. When a[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 3 L EVEL S ETTING FOR E ACH P ROGRAM The Level function 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. Program Enable ([...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 4 P ITCH The Pitch function lets you transpose a channel’s Program in either semitone or octave increments. Tune Octave (-2 to +2 octaves) Page 1 This transposes the Program’s pitch in octave (12 semitones) steps from -2 (transposed down 2 octaves) to +2 (transposed up two octaves). Semitone (-12 to[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 5 C ONTROLLERS The Controllers function 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 each Channel in t[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 6 S ETTING THE R ANGE AND MIDI S WITCHES The Range function 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). In order to hear an[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 7 P OLYPHONY IN M IX P LAY M ODE The QSR 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...). T[...]

Editing Mixes: Chapter 5 QSR Reference Manual 8 To turn on the Group function for a channel in a Mix: ➀ From Mix Play Mode, press [ EDIT ]. ➁ If necessary, use the [ ▲ MIDI CH ▲ ] buttons to move the cursor to the upper line of the display. Then turn the [ VALUE ] knob until the Keyboard/MIDI function is displayed. ➂ Press the [ CURSOR ?[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 1 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 synthesize[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 2 H OW THE QSR G ENERATES S OUND The QSR uses custom integrated circuits, developed by the Alesis engineering team specifically for the QSR. These resemble the types of chips used in computers and other digital devices. In fact, you can think of the QSR as a special-purpose computer designed to gener[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 3 • 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, if you are programming three different keyboard splits, each of which [...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 4 V OICE This digitally-based oscillator provides the actual raw sounds from the 16 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 modula[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 5 A MP 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 e[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 6 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 aspect[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 7 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 Voice Function. Note that Drum Mode isn’t the only way to hear drums or percussion from a Program. In Keyboard mode, if you select a kit (such as “Rock Kit 1”) as the [...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 8 P ROGRAM E DIT F UNCTIONS To edit a Program you must select Program Edit mode. This is done by pressing the [ EDIT ] once from Program Play Mode (each time you press [ EDIT ] in Program Mode, the display cycles between Program Edit and Effects Edit Modes). When editing a Program in Program Mode, th[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 9 Sound Group (17 options) Page 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 a[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 10 Noise W hiteNoise, S p ectral, Crickets, Rain Noise, FiltrNoise, Sha p eNoise, VeloNoise1, VeloNoise2, V eloNoise3, NoiseLoo p 1, NoiseLoo p 2, NoiseLoo p 3, NoiseLoo p 4, NoiseLoo p 5 Voice V ocalAhhs, Soft Ahhs, Ahhs Wave, VocalOohs, Soft Oohs, Oohs/Ahhs, Ahhs/Oohs, Whistle, P honic Ethnic S ita[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 11 L EVEL The Level function 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. Sound Volume (00 to 99) Page 1 This s[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 12 P ITCH The Pitch function lets you control the pitch aspects of each sound layer. Semitone (-24 to +24 semitones) Page 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) Page 2 Sets the oscillator pitc[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 13 Portamento (Exponential, Linear, 1 Speed) Page 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 gli[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 14 F ILTER The Filter function 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 since this removes more harmonics; higher values let through more harmonics, which gives a brighter s[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 15 Modulation Wheel Depth (-99 to +99) Page 4 Determines how moving your controller's modulation wheel affects the filter cutoff frequency. Example: With positive settings, moving a modulation wheel up raises the filter cutoff frequency and moving it down lowers the filter cutoff frequency. With[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 16 A MP /R ANGE The Amp/Range function lets you control the velocity and keyboard range of each sound layer. Velocity Curve (13 choices) Page 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 is equal to t[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 17 Amp LFO Depth (-99 to +99) Page 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, th[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 18 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 QSR Reference Manual 19 PITCH ENVELOPE The Pitch Envelope function 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 the characteri[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 20 Delay (00 to 99, Hold) Page 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 whil[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 21 Sustain Pedal (On or Off) Page 9 This determines whether or not a 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 diffe[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 22 F ILTER E NVELOPE The Filter Envelope function 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. The following Filter Envel[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 23 Delay (00 to 99) Page 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 turn[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 24 subtle but 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 envel[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 25 the Sustain Decay control (see below), the envelope will either hold at the sustain 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 Sustai[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 26 If a sound layer’s Keyboard Mode parameter (found in the Pitch Function, Page 10,) is set to “Mono”, the Amp Envelope will only retrigger when playing legato if the Trigger Mode is set to either “Reset” or “Reset-Freerun”. Time Tracking (On or Off) Page 8 This determines whether or n[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 27 M OD 1 – M OD 6 About General Purpose Modulation Although there are several dedicated modulators in the QSR (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[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 28 • Aftertouch Pressing on the keys after they’re down generates this control signal. Aftertouch is also called channel pressure, and represents an average of 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.[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 29 • Controllers (A, B, C, D) Four incoming MIDI controllers can be recognized by the QSR and used as modulation sources. These controllers are assigned as A–D in Global Mode (see Chapter 8). • Tracking Generator This accepts the output of a signal processed by the Tracking Generator module (se[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 30 P ITCH LFO The Pitch LFO function is most often used to apply vibrato to a sound. 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 the MOD function[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 31 Trigger (Mono, Poly, Key Mono, or Key Poly) Page 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 Trigger[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 32 Aftertouch Depth (-99 to 99) Page 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 functio[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 33 Mod Wheel Depth (-99 to 99) Page 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 lev[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 34 Level (00 to 99) Page 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 QSR Reference Manual 35 destination is set 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 The Tracking Generator can be used to turn a vari[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 36 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). When editing a Sound in Drum Mode, check the upper-middle section of the display ( S1Då through S1Dƒ ) to de[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 37 Snd FX Bird Tweet, Bird Chirp, Bird Loop, Fret Noise, Fret Wipe, Orch Hit, Dance Hit, Jungle 1, Jungle 2, Applause, GoatsNails, Brook, Hi Bow, Low Bow, ShapeNzHi, ShapeNzMid, ShapeNzLow, ScrtchPull, ScrtchPush, ScrtchLoop, ScrtchPlLp, ScrtcPshLp, RezAttkHi, RezAttkMid, RezAttkLow, RezZipHi, RezZip[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 38 Selects how much velocity will affect the selected drum’s tuning (0-7). When this value is set to 7, the drum will be played sharp when the associated note is played hard; when played soft, the drum’s tuning will be unaltered. F ILTER Velocity>Filter (0 to 3) Page 1 The Filter function lets[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 39 Page 1 in the Amp Envelope Function lets you adjust the Decay time of the selected drum (00 to 99, Gate00 to Gate99). If this is set to 0, only the very beginning of the drum sample is played; setting this to 99 will cause the entire drum sample to play. When set above 99, the Decay uses a gated m[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 40 Mute Group (Off, 1, 2, or 3) Page 2 This is an important feature when using multiple sounds of the same instrument. Mute Groups allow multiple drums to share a single voice. For example, if you have assigned a Closed Hat and an Open Hat to two different notes, playing either note should cut-off th[...]

Editing Programs: Chapter 6 QSR Reference Manual 41 C OPYING E FFECTS While editing a Program, it is helpful to be able to copy the Effects Patch from a different Program. This can be done very easily from within the Store function. Be sure to save your changes to the current edited Program before going to a new Program. Otherwise, all your changes[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 1 C HAPTER 7 E DITING E FFECTS A BOUT S IGNAL P ROCESSING The built-in effects processor of the QSR is similar to that of the Alesis QuadraVerb 2, capable of generating multiple, fully digital effects simultaneously. The QSR effects processor has four inputs, called effect sends. You might think of th[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 2 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. T[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 3 Effects Patch. So keep in mind that when you edit an Effects Patch, it may affect the sound of any other Mixes that also use it. C LIP If the input to the effects becomes overloaded, the “ ! ” symbol will temporarily appear in the upper display (directly after the Mix/Program name) when in eithe[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 4 “ (NOT IN CONFIG) .” This is because a Pitch module is available on sends 1, 2 and 3 in Configuration #1, but not on send 4—as you can see in the chart on page 92.[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 5 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 the word “ EDITED ” next to the Program/Mix Mode indicator in the l[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 6 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 [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 7 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 R[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 8 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 s[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 9 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 Reverb 1 M[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 10 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[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 11 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 QSR Reference Manual 12 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.[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 13 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 QSR Reference Manual 14 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[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 15 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: Input[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 16 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 [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 17 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 mor[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 18 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 d[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 19 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) Page 2 This determines the LFO’s waveform shape. This parameter only appears when the Mono or Stereo Chorus [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 20 D ELAY The Delay function is used to edit Delay parameters. The QSR’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 th[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 21 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 QSR Reference Manual 22 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: Send 1 : R EVERB π å Chrs In Lev:03 The Configuration has two Reverbs, one on send[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 23 R EVERB P ARAMETERS Use the [ CURSOR ▲ ] button to move the cursor to the lower line of the display, and turn the [ VALUE ] knob to advance the display through the remaining pages of the Reverb function. However, you must have the correct effect send selected (1–4) in order to get at the Reverb[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 24 Pre-Delay Mix (<99 to <0> to 99>) Page 8 This allows you to mix the amount of Pre-Delay into the Reverb signal path. This gives you the ability to hear a bit of the Reverb before the loudest part of the Reverb (the Pre-Delayed Reverb) sounds. This makes for bigger and smoother sounding [...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 25 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) Page 1 This selects one of two Overdrive Types: Soft and Hard. The Soft Overdrive has less gain and provides slightly less distortion than th[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 26 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 QSR. Only effect modules that have access to the Main outputs will appear on the Mix page. There is a separ[...]

Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual 27[...]

Global Settings: Chapter 8 QSR Reference Manual 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: ➀ Press the [ EDIT SELECT ] [...]

Chapter 8: Global Settings 2 QSR Referenc e E NABLING G ENERAL MIDI M ODE VIA MIDI The QSR will respond to a universal MIDI Sysex message to turn General MIDI mode on or off. Some (but not all) General MIDI sequences will have a Sysex message at the beginning (bar 1) which tells the receiving device to go into its General MIDI mode. If this message[...]

Global Settings: Chapter 8 QSR Reference Manual MIDI P ROGRAM S ELECT Page 10 Page 14 of Global Edit mode lets you determine the MIDI Program Select Mode (Off, On, Channel 1 – 16). When this is set to “Off”, the QSR will not respond to incoming MIDI Program Change messages, nor will it transmit Program Changes. When set to “On”, the QSR w[...]

Chapter 8: Global Settings 4 QSR Referenc e If the MIDI Program Select parameter is “On” and a new Bank is selected using the BANK SELECT [ DOWN ] and [ UP ] buttons, a Bank Change message (followed by the appropriate Program Change message) will be transmitted out the MIDI [ OUTPUT ] connector. If, additionally, a new Bank is selected in Mix P[...]

Global Settings: Chapter 8 QSR Reference Manual MIDI O UT Page 12 The MIDI Out Mode determines whether the MIDI [ OUTPUT ] connector will transmit MIDI information originating from the QSR (when set to “ OUT ”), or will “echo” MIDI information that is received at the MIDI [ INPUT ] connector (when set to “ THRU ”). If the I/O parameter [...]

Chapter 8: Global Settings 6 QSR Referenc e C LOCK P AGE 14 The Clock function, found on Page 14 of Global Edit Mode, determines the sample clock rate the QSR will use. Normally the QSR uses its own internal clock to determine the actual number of samples per second. Remember, the sounds in the QSR are based on digital recordings. These recordings [...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QSR Reference Manual C HAPTER 9 MIDI T RANSFER A ND S TORAGE O PERATIONS U SING PCMCIA E XPANSION C ARDS The QSR provides two PCMCIA EXPANSION CARD slots, [ A ] or [ B ], which are found on the front panel. These accomodate Alesis QCards and RAM cards. The RAM Card is a type of PCMCIA SRAM or FlashRAM[...]

Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations 2 QSR Referenc e L OADING A B ANK FROM AN E XTERNAL C ARD The QSR can access Program and Mix data directly from a card by using the [ ▲ BANK ] and [ BANK ▲ ] buttons. To overwrite the User bank with a Card bank: ➀ Insert the card into one of the card slots on the front panel. ➁ Press [ STORE ][...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QSR Reference Manual User Bank in the QSR, and then save them back onto the card in order to re-format the card using the new format.[...]

Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations 4 QSR Referenc e L OADING AN I NDIVIDUAL P ROGRAM OR M IX You can load a single Mix or Program from a Sound Card into the User Bank, instead of having to load the entire Bank from the Sound Card. To do this, select the Mix or Program in the Sound Card Bank that you wish to copy, then use the Store Fun[...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QSR Reference Manual storing some Programs from a RAM Card into one of the internal Banks. Although this is very limiting, it makes things much simpler in the long run.[...]

Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations 6 QSR Referenc e S AVING P ROGRAMS VIA MIDI S YS E X As an alternative to storing data to a card, the QSR lets you transmit internal data via MIDI System Exclusive messages. This data can be sent to a storage device, or recorded into a MIDI sequencer, or sent to another QSR or S4. You have a choice of[...]

MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 QSR Reference Manual To send a single Program via MIDI to a different Program number: ➀ Follow steps ➀ through ➂ in the instructions above. ➁ Press [ CURSOR ▲ ] to advance the cursor to the lower section of the display. ➂ Use the [ VALUE ] knob to select a Program number to send the Progra[...]

Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations 8 QSR Referenc e[...]

Troubleshooting: Appendix A QSR Reference Manual 1 A PPENDIX A T ROUBLE -S HOOTING T ROUBLE -S HOOTING I NDEX If you are experience problems while operating the QSR, 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 when [...]

Troubleshooting: Appendix A QSR Reference Manual 2 C HECKING S OFTWARE V ERSION The current software version may be determined by simultaneously pressing both [ ▲ CURSOR ▲ ] buttons. The QSR will momentarily indicate the current software version installed in the display. M AINTENANCE /S ERVICE C LEANING Disconnect the AC cord, then use a damp c[...]

Troubleshooting: Appendix A QSR Reference Manual 3 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. The Alesis Limited Warranty applies only to products sold to users in the USA and Canada. Customers outsid[...]

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MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QSR Reference Manual 5 A PPENDIX B MIDI S UPPLEMENT MIDI B ASICS Most current electronic instruments and signal processors, including the QSR, contain an internal computer. Computers and music have been working together for decades, which is not surprising considering music’s mathematical basis (consider frequencies, h[...]

MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QSR Reference Manual 6 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 HANNE[...]

MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QSR Reference Manual 7 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 Modula[...]

MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QSR Reference Manual 8 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 and[...]

MIDI Supplement: Appendix B QSR Reference Manual 9 There are three MIDI registered parameters which the QSR 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 receive[...]

MIDI Implementation Chart QuadraSynth User’s Manual 10 MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART Function Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel Default Changed X X 1 — 16 1 — 16 each Memorized Mode Default Messages Altered Mode 3 X * * * * * * * * Mode 3 X Note Number True Voice X X 0 — 127 0 — 127 Velocity Note On Note Off X X O O After Touch Key[...]

Parameters Index: Appendix C QSR Reference Manual 11 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 Aftertou[...]

Parameters Index: Appendix C QSR Reference Manual 12 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) Name 1 – 10 68 Output Level 3 53 Pan Level 2 53 Pitch ENV Depth Pitch 7 54 Pitch ENV Level[...]

Parameters Index: Appendix C QSR Reference Manual 13 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 E[...]

Index 138 QSR Reference Manual INDEX Aftertouch 15 Amp 62 Filter 60 Pitch 58 Compare 29, 34 Computer 23, 117 Controllers 115 Copy Sound 85 Effects 85 Demo 11 Direct Select 33 Digital Output 25 Display 30 Drum Mode 53 Edit buffer 34, 40 Effects Edit 29, 89 Clip 88 Configuration 91, 92-97 EQ 98 Mix 111 Mod 98 Modulation 98 Reverb 106 Footswitch 24 48[...]