Changing Parameters; Entering Text And Names: Meet The Processor; Definitions; Velocity Keyboard - Akai s900 Operator's Manual

CHANGING PARAMETERS
Now
practice changing
parameters. Parameters can
usually be
changed
in
two ways:
•
Scroll
by
turning the
CONTROL
through
the available options
•
Use
the
PARAMETER KEYS
if
you know
the value you want
to enter.
If
the
value
is
a
number, use
the
0-9
keys (remem-
ber
that
numbers must
have
leading zeroes
-
e.g.
if
a
three-
digit
number
is
required, enter zeroes
if
necessary. Thus, 9
would be
entered as 009.
If
a
two-digit number
is
required,
then 9 would be
entered as
09).
Some
parameters expect a
yes/no answer,
or
a
positive/negative
indication; for
these,
usetheON/+
and
OFF/-
buttons.
Important:
If
the
LCD
asks you
to
press
ENT
after altering
a parameter, do
so.
ENTERING TEXT
AND
NAMES: MEET THE
S900
WORD
PROCESSOR
Occasionally you
will
need
to enter a
name
rather than
a
number, so
let's
meet
the S900's "word
processor".
Assuming
that a blank disk
is
still
in
the
drive,
and
that the
EDIT
PRESET
function
is
still
active, select
Page
01
.
Move
the arrow
so
that
it
points
at "Select, Copy." This parameter
requires a
name
instead
of
a number;
here's
how
to
enter a name.
1
When
the
arrow
point to a parameter
that
requires
a name,
press
the
LETTER
button
(Fig. 2).
The
cursor
will
be
replaced
by
a
line
under
the
letter to
be
entered.
2.
Turn
the control
to
choose
a
letter
(A-Z).
You may
also
choose 0-9,
space, and
#.
To
quickly choose
a
space
with-
out having
to turn the
CONTROL,
press
the
SPACE
button.
To
quickly choose
a
number, press
the
0-9
buttons
(Fig. 2).
3.
Alter selecting
the desired character, move
the cursor
to
the
next
letter
with the
arrow/cursor button and
repeat step
2.
if
you
make
a mistake
at
any
time,
back
the cusor up
to
the
in-
correct character and
repeat step
2.
4.
Important: After entering the
entire
name,
press ENT.
We
have
now
learned
how
to
scan
pages,
select parameters,
and
edit parameters. Before
continuing,
we
need
to
cover
some
basic
definitions.
DEFINITIONS
1
A
velocity
keyboard
is
a type
of
keyboard
that
measures
the
time
it
takes
for
a key
to
go from the up
to
down
position.
It
as-
sumes
that
if
this
time period
is
short,
you have
hit
the key
hard
and want
a loud sound;
if
this
time period
is
longer,
you
have
hit
the
key
softly
and want
a
soft
sound.
Therefore, even
though
velocity
is
measuring
the
speed
at
which a key goes
from key up
to
key down,
we
will
consider
it
as an
indication
of
how
hard
or soft
you
hit
the
key.
2.
A Sample
is
a single
sound
that
you
record
into
the S900.
To
cover more
than
one
key on
a keyboard, the sample may
be
transposed over
up
to
a
six-octave range.
3.
A
Keygroup
is
a
pair of
samples. Playing a
velocity
keyboard
harder increases the
level of
one
of
the samples and
de-
creases
the
level of the other
(or,
switches over from
one
of
the
samples
to the other
at
a certain velocity
threshold).
Thus,
with a
bass sound
you can have
a normally plucked
string at lower
levels
and
a slap
bass
effect at higher
levels.
The sample meant
to
be heard
at
higher
velocity levels
is
called the
Loud sample and
the
sample meant
to
be heard
at
lower
velocity levels
is
called the Soft sample.
4.
Trying
to
transpose a
sample
over too wide a range
leads
to
an
unnatural sound.
The S900
can
assign up
to
32
samples
over the keyboard. Using
multiple samples
means
that
indi-
vidual
samples need
not be transposed
very
far.
A
Program
(also called preset)
is
a
set
of
keygroups, and can
consist
of
up
to
32
different
keygroups
(or individual samples) assigned
across
the keyboard. For example,
with a five-octave key-
board you could
take
five
samples and
assign one
to
each
octave, or ten samples and
assign
one
to
every
half-octave.
Samples may
be
edited
in
a
number
of
ways, as can programs.
These
will
be described
fully later.
Once
samples and programs
are set
as
desired, the
S900 memory
can be saved
to disk.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING S900
MEMORY
DATA TO
DISK
PLEASE NOTE:
The S900
has no permanent memory.
If
you
load a disk
into the
S900
and
alter
it,
the altered
parameters
MUST
BE SAVED TO
DISK
or your
work
will
be
lost
if
you
turn
off
the power. This
is
described
fully in the section
of the
DISK
function.
ERROR MESSAGES
If
ail
eight function
lights flash,
there
is
a
usually not-too-serious
problem.
The LCD
will
give you
some
idea
of
what
is
wrong. To
return
to
normal
operation, press
one
of
the function buttons.