Alesis Andromeda A6 Tips And Tricks Manual
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Alesis Andromeda A6 Tips And Tricks Manual

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Andromeda Tips and Tricks
Version 2.01

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  • Page 1 Andromeda Tips and Tricks Version 2.01...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Section 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE ANDROMEDA TIPS AND TRICKS ARCHIVE..........................8 1.1 welcome!..............................8 Section 2: OSCILLATORS AND PRE-MIX..............10 the square bug:............................10 thickening up oscillator sound:......................10 using vco intervals to get huge sounds:....................10 negative vs. positive sawtooth:......................10 the fat, deep sawtooth sound:........................10 the fat, deep square squelch:........................11...
  • Page 3 filter 1 width (variable state filters explained):..................21 improving filter 2’ s sound by running filter 1 in notch mode:............21 working around the filter 2 resonance bass drop:................21 filter fm:..............................22 modulating filter fm with noise, without hearing noise:..............22 3.10 improving filter sweep range:......................22 3.11 filter keytracking...
  • Page 4 5.12 panning based on number of notes played:..................35 5.13 quick reference – dynamics:.........................35 5.14 quick reference – looping:........................35 5.15 quick reference – envelope modes:......................36 5.16 creating tremelo:.............................36 5.17 a possible way of doing a gated sound:....................36 5.18 fast envelopes (by avoiding modulation):..................36 5.19 improving envelope 3...
  • Page 5 global midi sync:............................50 using external midi cc controllers:......................50 9.10 transmitting / receiving programs:.....................50 9.11 transmitting midi knobs:........................50 Section 10: EFFECTS TIPS....................52 10.1 emulating more lexicon-like sounds:....................52 10.2 panning a delay:.............................52 10.3 effects and clipping:..........................52 10.4 instant stereo delay:..........................52 10.5 effects 101:...............................53 Section 11: TIPS FOR DESIGNING BASS...
  • Page 6 14.4 real time keytracking..........................68 Section 15: DESIGNING STRINGS, CHOIRS, ACOUSTIC INST, EFFECTS..69 15.1 formant effects:............................69 15.2 thinner pwm method from mike peake:.....................69 15.3 thicker strings with unison detune:.....................69 15.4 acoustic “ piano” simulation tips:......................69 15.5 string synthesizer simulation:......................71 15.6 pwm tricks for thicker sounds:......................71 Section 16: TIPS FOR DESIGNING EFFECTS...
  • Page 7 21.2 microtuning and music perception.....................86 21.3 why the moog filter (filter 2) attenuates bass:..................86 21.4 filters just aren’ t perfect:........................88 21.5 temperature tuning..........................88 21.6 solving ground loop problems......................89 Section 22: THE LAST TIP PAGE..................92 22.1 current os version:..........................92 22.2 unison x button bug:..........................92 22.3 ribbon...

  • Page 8: Introduction To The Andromeda Tips And Tricks Archive

    section 1: introduction to the andromeda tips and tricks archive 1.1 welcome! Despite the Andromeda being an analog synthesizer, it is also a very modern synthesizer. This means that much of the work and fine-tuning is done via a menu based system. However, the menu is controlled by well over 70 knobs.
  • Page 9 While we are at it, if you are not familiar with the downloadable patch banks at http:// www.alesis.com/, and the Andromeda patch archive / mailing list at http://www.code404. com/a6/, now is the time to become familiar with it. This resource is invaluable, and the bulk of where the majority of this information came from.

  • Page 10: Oscillators And Pre-Mix

    section 2: oscillators and pre-mix an entire section on oscillator tricks! 2.1 the square bug: If you want a perfect square, unfortunately, there is a bug on the Andromeda that prevents 50 (the default “ midpoint” ) from being that value. 52 instead is the perfect square number. Keep that in mind when programming sounds.

  • Page 11: The Fat, Deep Square Squelch

    Wet Sound section for this trick) on Filter 1 and filter with Filter2. I'll upload a patch later today that shows this wall of bass sound! Adding a little filter feedback (say, 9%) can give a nice midrangey sound, good for Oberheim brass patches.

  • Page 12: A Nice Thick Oscillator Method

    2.12 a nice thick oscillator method: Colin called this PWM; I would disagree with this, it sounds a bit different. But it’ s a nice chorus-y type effect. Colin writes: Put a NegativeSaw on one oscillator and a PositiveSaw on the other. The more detune between the oscillators the faster the PWM.

  • Page 13: Pwm Lfo Setting Fun

    Two sources of phase cancellation are: 1. Using too much PWM on square waveforms, especially non-square waves which can sweep out of the range where anything generates if you are not careful. Time your sweeps so that the sound doesn’ t drop out so bad. 2.

  • Page 14: Oscillator Sync

    compatable with each change. The existing version of voice select has to my knowledge been either Rotary or Lowest, selectable in the Kbd Section (Poly / Mono assign page); it's stored per Program. Rotary always assigns the next voice to a new note. Lowest always assigns voice 1 to the first note played and goes from there.

  • Page 15: Stepping Notes In Unison With Unique Arpeggiator Patterns Each

    The result is a slight phasing which can yield to a pleasing, punchy sound. 2.25 stepping notes in unison with unique arpeggiator patterns each: From Ronald: Is it possible to use an envelope or something to modulate the each notes oscillators so that they step the pitch from unison, 7ths, octave +1, 19ths in that order using 16ths timing and then loop this? So in effect each note has its own rppegiator pattern.

  • Page 16: Another Way To Do Unison-X

    AUD IN is a switch which enables/disables the VCA path to the Filter audio inputs. You of course do not want a DC CV signal running into the filter audio inputs... And in the cases where you want to FM the filters with Noise or the External Audio signal but not hear them filtered simultaneously, you turn AUD IN to OFF.

  • Page 17: Modulating Oscillators With Noise

    2.30 modulating oscillators with noise: The external input, or noise, can modulate oscillators the following way: Modulation destination NZEXT -> PWIDTH: Have the noise / external path modulate the pulse width of the oscillator. Modulation destination NZEXT -> Lin FM: Have the noise / external path modulate the linear FM of the oscillator.

  • Page 18: Keep In Mind - The Octave Light

    2.37 keep in mind – the octave light Michael Caluroso wrote: Note that when you move the SEMITONE knob, there's an "OCT" LED that lights when the VCO is tuned to an octave setting. I've grown used to it, and I own other synths like you're talking about. I like the SEMITONE knob in place of octave buttons because it's quicker to dial up non-octave intervals like fifths.
  • Page 19 I was in touch for a short while with a gent who was creating a feature- packed modular called the EVOS (info in the AH archives). It never saw the light of day AFAIK but it's oscillators had the same continuously variable Sync input function.

  • Page 20: Filters And Post-Mix

    section 3: filters and post-mix an entire section on filter tricks! 3.1 the two filters explained: One of the nice features of the Andromeda is its flexibility. Certainly the fact that the Andromeda is a 16 voice polysynth (more than the typical polyphonic synthesizer of old) with two filters each (most polyphonic synthesizers only had one filter) allows the Andromeda to create some unique tones.

  • Page 21: Getting A Better Filter Sweep

    Offset = -50 works well. 3.4 getting a better filter sweep: The filters available have a very high sweep range. This is necessary for some special filter FM tricks; however, this can be a hinderance when programming patches that need real-time sweeping.

  • Page 22: Filter Fm

    Now the bass sustain will be as loud as the decay portion! To get the Roland sound, set the filters to notch mode set FIL2 level on the Post mixer to 80, and then FIL1 LPF to 50, and set its cutoff to anywhere from 10-15khtz depending on how much top end you want :) You can turn on keytrack and resonance on to "EQ"...

  • Page 23: Making Two Filters Track Each Other

    The Amount is rated at +/- 100; for some reason a value of 50 is equal key tracking, which would be "100" on a Minimoog. It can easily be acheived by tweaking the Tracking parameter pot and then simultaneously pressing Inc/Dec. Lots of parameters "snap" to zero or useful values in this manner. Regarding a centre note selection: there is one o the Envelope Velocity scaling, but not on the keytrack yet.

  • Page 24: Using A Notch Filter

    Well little did I know, you can use the 12db filter to add warm overdrive to the signal path :) If you set the filter cutoff of Filter 1 to 22khtz and crank the Resonance up you get a nice warm overdrive. even at 100 your not gonna hear it much at that freq, especially since the 24db Filter will be filtering out those frequencies.

  • Page 25: Preventing Clipping On The Filters

    3.20 preventing clipping on the filters: (how not to act like a memorymoog) The Andromeda overdrives on the filters rather easily. This is good – it allows you to get that aggressive Memorymoog type sound. However, sometimes you prefer a smoother sound. The following are some collected tips on getting a smoother sound out of the Andromeda.

  • Page 26: Filter Bypass (Making Extremely Bright Sounds)

    parallel. Both are resonant, but not enough to self-oscillate. When the mod wheel is adjusted, the bandpass filter cutoff is modulated by an amount close to – 1 2 . Meanwhile the lowpass filter cutoff is modulated by +15. The net effect is a nice “ closing” type sound that is somewhat reminiscent of a human voice. Suggested by Mike Peake on the Andromeda mailing list was a book called “...

  • Page 27: Really Fake 18Db Technique

    Run a patch chord from the AUX jack to EXTERNAL INPUT V15. For patch #2, set the EXTERNAL FILTER INPUTS to V1-16. (You can also use EXTERNAL FILTER V15 or V16 if you prefer.) This will automatically set the NOISE input to EXTERNAL, adjust the NOISE volume (which is now the volume of the external input) to taste.
  • Page 28 Offset: set to bring out the bass best Keytrack: 50 (select the parameter and hit the Inc/Dec keys simultaneously) Set Filter 2 as follows: Frequency: 0.0233 Res: 0.00 Env2: 51.00 Select Filter 2 Mod 1. Set Envelope 2 to modulate Resonance and keep the Level the same.

  • Page 29: Lfos And S&H

    section 4: lfos and s&h an entire section on various lfo pointers 4.1 setting up lfo and s/h triggers: (from using_a6_public.txt) LFO: The LFO's Clock (Rate knob) will start upon each keystroke if VOXTRG: ON VOX. Turn FREERUN: -ON- and the LFO will be cycling upon each note but the phase will be free-running. If VOXTRG: ON TRIG and TRIG: ON and Freerun: OFF, then the Clock will start upon the first received Trigger from the Mod.

  • Page 30: Polarity

    Choose an envelope. Instead of modulating something by an LFO, you will be modulating something by a looping envelope, as follows: FAST TRIANGLE LFO: Set the envelope attack to 2ms. Set the envelope decay 1 to 2ms and then drop D2 level to the lowest level. For a triangle LFO, you set the slopes of the envelopes to linear;...

  • Page 31: To Enable Freerunning Lfos

    FREERN – On or off. If you want the LFOs to freely run, turn this on. 4.6 to enable freerunning lfos: Go to TRIGGER menu of the LFO. Set Enable to Off. VOXTRG to On Vox. FREERN to ON. 4.7 about lfo triggers: LFOs can reset their phase position every time a Trigger occurs by Enabling Trigger and selecting the desired Source and Level.

  • Page 32: Lfo Sync: The Tixprd Parameter (1/2 Note Sync, ¼ Note Sync, Etc.)

    sync with my midi bpm? Aren't I essentially changing the "bpm" of the lfo by turning the rate knob, thus forcing them out of sync? You can set each LFO to local, clock or midi.Local will be indepandant, clock can be set to A6's local BPM or to midi time divisions.

  • Page 33: Envelopes, Voice Mix, Triggers, And The Vca

    section 5: envelopes, voice mix, triggers, and the vca an entire section on envelope tricks! 5.1 tuning the vca: Tuning the Andromeda is simple – click the autotune button twice, and everything will be tuned. However, by default this does not tune the VCA. Under normal circumstances, you will not need to calibrate the base VCA levels;...

  • Page 34: Using The Envelope Shapes

    Note: Currently the envelopes do not have MIDI sync. Just something to keep in mind. 5.5 using the envelope shapes: Remember that whenever you are setting the time of any envelope stage, soft knob 5 controls the shape for each stage. This is important for determining the overall quality of the sound! In general, “...

  • Page 35: Colin's Guide To Random Panning

    5.11 colin’s guide to random panning: After playing around with values - here is my dummies guide to get it working. Part 1 will just get the simple voice panning working and then you'll having glorious stereo pads! Best to start with a sound with fastish attack and long sustain. 1.

  • Page 36: Quick Reference - Envelope Modes

    abrupt or if you increase Smoothing, well, 'smooth'. Smooth Shape allows the same choice of 9 slopes for the Smooth stage as for the rest of the stages. -Note that to be able to utilize all of the available Stages in a Loop, the Envelope Trigger Mode must either be Freerun or Modtrg. All others will not allow the Loop to continue after the key(s) is (are) released.

  • Page 37: Colin's Notes On The Shapes And Sound

    5.21 colin’s notes on the shapes and sound: I've ben using Log3 for most of my patches, but there always seemed to a softness about the attack. After experimenting a bit, a find the EXP3 to be much more percussive sounding but it also makes the patch sound "smaller", and you get a bit of air before the sound fully kicks in.

  • Page 38: Alternate Triggering Techniques

    5.23 alternate triggering techniques: (triggering methods instead of the keyboard) Doug wrote: Inverting an envelope is simple. The only envelopes that can be inverted are envelopes one and two. Simply view the envelope, then click on soft button 2 to go to the LEVEL page if necessary. Soft knob 8 controls whether the wave is a POSWAV (the default, a positive wave, meaning that the affected sound will open up or go up in pitch, then go down) or a NEGWAV (meaning that an affected sound will go down and then go up in pitch.)

  • Page 39: The Mysterious Croutes, Info On Modulations

    section 6: the mysterious croutes, info on modulations add more modulation to your pallette 6.1 modulation tutorial 101 Consequence wrote: imagine a modular system where you can set patchcords.. examples?? thats easy: you want an lfo moding filter 1 and another lfo and the ribbon control filter 2. well thats done by mods.. simply hit the mod button at the filter you want to mod, set the source (lfo) , the amount (how much do you want it to be modded??) and thats it..

  • Page 40: What Are Croutes

    3. The Mod Sources list: Sources with a Vox prefix are per Voice, and are per-note functions; Sources with a PGM prefix, later in the list, are per Program, or are 'global' and will effect all voices at once in the same way. At the end of the list are Clock and Gate Sources. The clocks should be self-explanatory in name;...

  • Page 41: The Arpeggiator And The Sequencer

    section 7: the arpeggiator and the sequencer getting the most out of this in the andromeda. 7.1 sequencer tutorial 101: From Arnd: The A6 sequencer is an analog-style step sequencer. It does not record like a realtime sequencer would. Instead it uses manually entered values for up to three rows of sixteen steps of control voltages.

  • Page 42: The Clock Start Parameter Explained

    This was the last thing that I worked on for the A6 OS before I left Alesis :) This parameter affects how a sequence plays when keys are hit. The manual doesn't say so, but It affects the both the internal clock AND midi sync.

  • Page 43: Arpeggiator Latch

    Should be easy, I have not probs with it. Set the arpeggiator and sequencer to sync to clock under the sync menu. Then hit the Sync/mod button Under tempo knob set the clock to sync to midi.Where it says global. Colin 7.4 arpeggiator latch: Mike Peake wrote:...

  • Page 44: For Those With Problems Changing Banks In Logic

    • Now set MODE to RANDOM. While holding a note, each time you tap the ribbon, a random stage from the sequencer will fire. • The ADVANCE MODE is supposed to advance the sequencer one stage per Trigger, but it doesn't appear to work in this OS.

  • Page 45: Mix Mode Tips

    section 8: mix mode tips 8.1 quick mix mode guide: Mix mode confused me the first time I used it, so here are the general hints I use: 1. In the normal MIX menu, click on any SELECT button to select a mix channel. (1-8, use the shift button to get to 9-16.) 2.

  • Page 46: Fun With The 16 Mix Mode Edit Buffers

    There are overrides in Mix for the Main/Aux/Off output setting. I don't see one for the individual Voice Mix output however, so this was a good question. We need to be able to assign a Mono Program to an individual Voice and it's output as well. and is each seperate output - 1) a voice/program output 2) or oscillator *within* a voice/single program?

  • Page 47: Using A6 As Master Keyboard Warning

    V15 (or V16) button off then on, thereby re-executing the V15 (or V16) macro for that mix channel. 8.5 using a6 as master keyboard warning: From Colin: I tried again last night, and found that if you turn all the keyboard on/off option for all parts to off, then the A6 will not transmit any notes, ie it ceases to function as a master keyboard :( So one mix channel must have the keyboard turned on with the whole range of the keyboard assigned, if you wish to use the A6 as a master keyboard.

  • Page 48: Preventing Voice Stealing

    It's doubtful that this will happen (one pot effecting all Programs), however, you can program the ribbon to effect all Program's Filters and get the same effect. You'll notice that when in Mix mode, there is indeed a flashing LED that shows which Mix channel is active (you have to select one for it to begin).

  • Page 49: Midi Settings

    section 9: midi settings getting the most out of this in the andromeda. 9.1 transmit mode: Remember to set the transmit mode – check that first if you are not getting any sound! Under the global menu, use soft knob 4 to set the mode. MIDI is used when you want to turn the local keyboard off, and transmit only MIDI information (good when you have an echo sending your notes back to the keyboard).

  • Page 50: If You Are Still Having Trouble With Sysex

    http://members.home.net/sgrace9/sysex/ It works great. 9.7 if you are still having trouble with sysex: From Mike Peake. Please don’ t mess with the ASIC parameters btw.  But you can also read the release notes for the OS here! There is a parameter to increase the sysex delay which may help those of you experiencing related issues.
  • Page 51 You can now send and receive MIDI NRPN messages to control the A6 knobs and buttons (and all other patch and mix parameters as well)! This is useful if you want to save your knob moves in a sequencer and play them back later. To enable this feature, go to the GLOBAL/PANEL page.

  • Page 52: Effects Tips

    section 10: effects tips 10.1 emulating more lexicon-like sounds: Posted by Jeff Laity: I wrote a lot of the programs for the Wedge, on which the A6 FX section is based. Here are a few tips we learned while programming the reverbs. •...

  • Page 53: Effects 101

    10.5 effects 101: Mike Peake explains the basics of the delay: What is the max delay time and can the fx processor do 'panning' 'multitap' delay in stereo? Also, how many fx are available simultaneously per program? The max delay time in a mono delay is 5 seconds, and half that in ping-pong mode. The multitaps divide it up further.

  • Page 54: Tips For Designing Bass Sounds

    section 11: tips for designing bass sounds 11.1 resonance and bass: The two filters handle resonance differently, based on their style. When you crank up filter 2, the resonance cancels out some of the bass. This is exactly the same way the Moog Modular, and the Moogerfooger filter, handle resonance as well.

  • Page 55: Filter Feedback

    The sound will not sound like an oscillator with a lower octave tacked onto it; rather, it will sound like a completely different waveform, at one octave below the semitone setting that you use in the oscillator menu. 11.4 filter feedback: You can browse the general Filter comments for some hints on programming filter feedback.

  • Page 56: Gain Possible Clarity By Running The Filters In Series

    Fast – Fast filter changes, good for bass sounds. • Slow – Slow filter changes, better for long sweep sounds. • Medium – Medium percussive, for slower bass sounds. • In general, you want “ fast” VCO changes, and either “ fast” or “ medium” filter changes (depending on whether you are doing techno bass or more of a funky bass feeling).

  • Page 57: Tips For Designing Wet Sounds

    section 12: tips for designing wet sounds rolandizing moog and other filter techniques 12.1 the two filters explained: Repeating from the filter section: One of the nice features of the Andromeda is its flexibility. Certainly the fact that the Andromeda is a 16 voice polysynth (more than the typical polyphonic synthesizer of old) with two filters each (most polyphonic synthesizers only had one filter) allows the Andromeda to create some unique tones.

  • Page 58: Feed 12Db Lowpass Into A 24Db Open Filter, With Feedback

    Filter feedback is critical to getting a bit of that acid sound as well, around 10-15 seems best. Keeping filter 2 open even will sound Rolandish on filter 1 (filter 1 will even sort-of self oscillate with the filter feedback enabled), but you can adjust to taste. As posted by him: •...

  • Page 59: Post-Mix Levels And Pre-Mix Levels

    house! Just setup a single VCO at level 20 and its Sub-Oscillator at 19 and you've got the classic Juno/Sh-101/Mc-202 bass sound! Add some white noise at 0.1 to add some analog noise :) Turn off the mod to the VCA, and well its not quite the same is it? ^_^ Only thing is, if you sweet the cutoff by hand then the effect is somewhat lost.

  • Page 60: The Fat, Deep Square Squelch

    AND: The most important key to the sound of the A6 is the VCO Pre-Filter mixer, The Post mixer can be set where you like the sound. But the VCOs will really fizz if you go above 30 for any channel of the Pre-Filter mixer.

  • Page 61: Getting A Better Minimoog Sound

    section 13: getting a better minimoog sound SOME GENERAL TECHNIQUES: 13.1 use filter 2: Filter two is the Moog Modular filter, and most closely resembles a Minimoog. 13.2 run filter 2 in series with filter 1: Use Filter 1 in notch mode, with the LPF on only. This essentially means filter 1 will be interacting in low-pass mode, so you can set a fixed cutoff there.

  • Page 62: Michael Calaroso's Minimoog Squelch Filter Trick

    This has eluded people for years who were trying to duplicate the classic Minimoog bass sound. Lucky for us, Alesis included voltage controlled resonance on both filters and that allows us to better emulate the Minimoog filter behavior. The trick I use on the A6 is to spike the cutoff AND resonance with the filter EG, so as the filter cutoff drops to low frequencies the resonance also decreases.

  • Page 63: Colin's Technique For Adding Some Minimoog Snap

    lets the VCOs interact with each other. I can list many others, and the sum of all these contribute to the Minimoog sound we all know and love. It's easy to get Minimoog timbres out of the A6, but some Minimoog sounds won't ever be duplicated on ANY synth. I tried. My Minimoog has a "growl" that I have yet to duplicate on ANY synth.

  • Page 64: Michael Caloroso's Filter Feedback Tip

    Add some filter feedback for extra thickness if you so desire :P A level of 95 for the attack also works as well :) But if you want to be exact - set the overall envelope level, and sustain levels to 65 and its a Minimoog VCA envelope.
  • Page 65 For pre-mix, Around 50 is mellow and warm (also good for Roland), around 60 is balls-ier (best for Minimoog emulations). 70 and over seems to have more of that Memorymoog Curtis feeling to it. VCA Envelope Level Setting: Apparantly there is a “ less squished” tone at around 75, according to Colin’...

  • Page 66: Tips For Designing Pad Sounds

    section 14: tips for designing pad sounds 14.1 bandpass -> lowpass pads: This is a favorite type of sound of mine, it gives a really “ icy” feeling that is unique to this synthesizer. Here’ s an example patch that I did just recently, called “ IceySpace” . This is an example of the deep, warm sound that the Andromeda can do: 1.

  • Page 67: Using The Filters For A Jean-Michel Jarre Style Phased Pad

    12. Now, set up Sample and Hold for random panning. To do this, use VOICE RANDOM modulating at any rate. Go to the TRIGGER menu (soft button 2); set the ENABLE for the trigger as on, set the TRGSAMP on (which will hold the sample instead of moving around);...

  • Page 68: Real Time Keytracking

    In general, you want “ smooth” or “ mushy” VCO changes, and “ slow” filter changes for pads. However, not pad has a slow attack and decay. Adjust the engine optimizer to your taste. Here are some other miscellaneous techniques and tricks that may be helpful in designing a pad sound: 14.4 real time keytracking You may ask, is there a possibility with this knob, for real-time manipulation? The short...

  • Page 69: Designing Strings, Choirs, Acoustic Inst, Effects

    section 15: designing strings, choirs, acoustic inst, effects 15.1 formant effects: Good vocal effect sounds require a “ formant” type of effect. Although other synthesizers are better equipped for pure formants, the Andromeda has two resonant filters; that alone is enough to construct a good vocal patch with two formant peaks.
  • Page 70 I'm still refining a Wurlitzer piano patch, which will be included in the bank I ship off to Alesis. I've done a couple of variations of "Frankensteinwey", one of which I turned off keyboard tracking of the sync'd VCO2 and modded the pitch with less than 100% keynumber, which worked for another style piano I wanted.

  • Page 71: String Synthesizer Simulation

    drop-off, and a pretty fast attack, which is true since you are striking strings pretty quickly with the key hammers. I grew up playing piano in church so I have a good knowledge of that sound. There is still an extra harmonic (or two) in the sound that does not belong, and I am trying to figure out how to get rid of them.

  • Page 72: Tips For Designing Effects Sounds

    section 16: tips for designing effects sounds 16.1 create a better storm sound: Colin wrote: • Turn on White noise only, set its level to 50. • Turn on filter feedback. • Bring up Filter 1's LPF set its level at 25 •...
  • Page 73 Turn the oscillator 1 or 2 sine on (depending on which oscillators you are modulating like above). Now bring the pre-filter mix up. Enjoy the nice rumble effect. Smile. You can now add noise and create a thunderclap, a rumbling wind, or something along those lines.

  • Page 74: Tips For Designing Drum Sounds

    section 17: tips for designing drum sounds 17.1 first, let’s introduce a good tutorial: (courtesy of sound on sound magazine) http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/1996_articles/apr96/analoguedrums.html And now, some interesting Andromeda techniques. 17.2 using portamento on the vco to do your attack: From Colin. This sounds like a better alternative than using the self-oscillating filter 2, especially considering another option: you can bypass the filter with the pre-filter mix.

  • Page 75: Some Notes On Playing The Portamento

    17.3 some notes on playing the portamento: When using Unison Detune, set the portamento to Chord mode. Also, portamento only works on the active voice, as described below by a mail that Michael Caluroso replied to: Changes to portamento time don't seem to work on an active voice. Meaning if I start with a long slide and want to land on the destination note/chord on a beat, I can't just throw the knob back and have it affect the voice(s) that are sounding.

  • Page 76: Use Negative Envelopes For Drum Sounds

    The mod buttons run slower than the hardwired modulations such as the filter envelope - by how much Mike? (ed: 2ms updates fast mods, 10ms slow mods) In any case I've had good results taken advantage of the slower speed :) Why waste an envelope when you can use the natural curve of the mods.

  • Page 77: My First Tr-808 Sound

    Its just Pink noise going into the filters set up in series. I used Filter 2 to take the top end out. The HPF and the BPF. The key to the sound is the looping VCA envelope :) On the 808, the clap is made by 2 BPF'ed noise each with their own modulated VCA. One is toppy and short and the other is around 1300htz with along decay, sorta gives it that reverb sound :) I used Filter1's resonance to tune the pink noise to the frequencies used on the 808, ie 1300htz The end result is halfhouse between an 808 and 909 :)

  • Page 78: Setting The Engine Optimizer

    17.12 setting the engine optimizer: Normally, you want to set the engine optimizer as quick as possible. See “ Setting the Engine Optimizer” in “ Tips for Designing Bass Sounds” for a description of this function, and some suggested settings to use. You basically want to set the engine optimizer to the fastest settings.

  • Page 79: Tips For Warming Up Your A6

    section 18: tips for warming up your a6 or: how to get that “classic analog” looseness out of the andromeda The Andromeda shares a lot in common with other modern, computer controlled analogs. It is incredibly flexible, and can imitate a wide variety of sounds that other analogs cannot touch.

  • Page 80: Use The Random Function

    18.2 use the random function The oscillators are the key places where you want a little “ drift” to occur. Producing slight detunes per note creates a feeling that the synthesizer is “ a live” . Usage: click one of the modulation buttons (such as Mod 1). Set the modulation source to “...

  • Page 81: Making The Andromeda Sound Big

    18.6 other tips posted by brian kehew: Digital FX - I hear almost universally that people do NOT like the FX. I think it's good for sounds that NEED it, but most do not. Programmmers were asked to put some type of effect on each sound, even minimal.

  • Page 82: The Andromeda Patch Archives

    section 19: the andromeda patch archives or: loading and saving your patches and banks Now that you’ ve created some beautiful patches using these techniques, it’ s time to share these patches with the Andromeda mailing list! And see a whole array of sounds that other users have created.
  • Page 83 Click OK on MIDI-OX to confirm that the manual dump has been received as normal. • You now can use Display Window -> Save As to save the patch to a file on your • computer. This file in turn can be loaded onto the Andromeda archives! The procedure for saving a full bank of patches to the PC is similar, except that in step 6 you set the selection to “...

  • Page 84: Troubleshooting Beyond The Standard Methods

    20.4 diagnostic mode: Hold soft button 1 while powering up. This will put you in diagnostic mode. As a note, Alesis doesn’ t recommend you doing this without having a good reason.  20.5 problems with loading the os: Sometimes the problem with this can be as simple as a corrupt bootloader. To solve this problem, simply re-load the current bootloader.

  • Page 85: If A Voice Is Shut Off During Tuning

    Use the 1-8/9-16 buttons below the soft buttons to Enable any voices that have been turned off and Autotune again. Note if it has passed or not. Contact Alesis if problems are repeatedly happening.

  • Page 86: Technical Stuff

    section 21: technical stuff really technical stuff 21.1 microtuning and music perception Michael Caloroso wrote: I've heard that the ear perceives sounds tuned sharp as bright and sounds tuned flat as darker. Orchestras have been slowly increasing their center of pitch for this reason (I've heard). Because they are not on a fixed scale, string sections will do this to enhance the effect of the music.
  • Page 87 That is why the filter sounds pleasing to the ear when it is overdriven. Everyone has their tastes and preferences. The quality of a filter is very subjective. Alesis chose the Moog filter because of its popularity and the Oberheim filter because of its sound and relative inaccessibility, owing to the small number of SEM systems in the market compared to Moog systems.

  • Page 88: Filters Just Aren't Perfect

    21.4 filters just aren’t perfect: Michael Caloroso wrote: Many moons ago I took my favorite CD and pumped it through my Micromoog filter with it wide open and quite frankly it sounded like shit too. Scholastically speaking, most if not all synthesizer filters are Chebyshev class filters. Chebyshev filters can provide a steep and consistent cutoff slope, but at the expense of flat response in the passband (unfiltered frequencies).

  • Page 89: Solving Ground Loop Problems

    Right next to the background tuning enable on the tune page is a parameter called 'TMPTUN'. This enables temperature tuning for the oscillators. With this enabled, you can actually leave background tuning off and the A6 will stay in tune. Each oscillator chip has a temperature sensor that always reports the current chip temperature to the A6 engine.
  • Page 90 it is necessary to locate any ground loops and break them in some way. And this creates a dilemma; we either have to disconnect a signal screen at some point to break the loop, or we must remove the mains earth and keep the signal screens connected. The latter usually works, but then there will be no protective earth other than via the signal leads, which won't stand the kinds of currents that occur during serious fault conditions.
  • Page 91 If (no buzz) then (we work with your PC next). Isolate everything on that one too. Unplug your internet connection, your printer, your USB stuff, your scanner, your digital audio stuff, EVERYTHING. You should only have your monitor, keyboard, and mouse hooked up. Then connect MIDI from the PC to the A6 and see if it still buzzes.

  • Page 92: The Last Tip Page

    section 22: the last tip page if it doesn’t fit elsewhere, it’s here! 22.1 current os version: From http://www.sequencer.de/efra.html Want to see the current OS in the Andy? Just go to GLOBAL, press soft buttons 6+7 simultaneously, then press SB 7+8 simultaneously.

  • Page 93: Locking The Display

    22.4 locking the display: This technique is useful if you are doing rapid editing or live tweaking, and are annoyed by the constant flickering of the display. Hit soft buttons 7 and 8 simultaneously. The display will be locked, and you can tweak away. To unlock the display, hit soft buttons 7 and 8 once again.

  • Page 94: Setting Which Voice A Monophonic Sound Uses

    Soft knob 6 controls which buffer the copy gets put in. • From here, you can hit 22.10 setting which voice a monophonic sound uses: When you set up a sound to be monophonic (by pressing the POLY / MONO button), the synthesizer defaults to using V1 (voice 1) as the monophonic voice.

  • Page 95: Initializing An Sram Card

    22.14 initializing an sram card: Doug Pearson wrote: The procedure is a little tricky; you have to follow the directions carefully or you'll miss the important step (like I did about 6 times). After it displays the card size, it should then display a message something like: SB1=programs SB2=mixes SB3=progs&mixes This means that you hit soft button 1 to put only program banks on the card, soft button 2 to put only mix banks on the card, and soft button 3 to put a combination on.
  • Page 96 1. Set KBD MODE = MONO. 2. Set MONVOX = V15 in KBD MODE page. 3. Make sure UnisonX is off. V16 button: 1. Set KBD MODE = MONO. 2. Set MONVOX = V16 in KBD MODE page. 3. Make sure UnisonX is off. NOTE: If both V15 AND V16 are turned on, the following occurs: 1.

  • Page 97: External Modulations

    PRESETS are available in the User bank (AudInV1-16F1, AudInV16MIDIGa, etc.) that demonstrate external inputs and modulation. 22.19 external modulations: To set up continuous Oscillator modulation: Press the OSC button in the External Inputs section. • Select a Mod in the target oscillator and select a Destination with the EXT-> signification. •...

  • Page 98: Cv Inputs Must Be Triggered By Another Method

    • Press the Filter CV Input button. • There is another shared path here; analog Noise modulation of Filter Frequency/External Audio In is disabled to allow this DC signal's use. • Note that Aud Ext In is automatically selected in the Pre Filter Mixer. •...

  • Page 99: External Output Quick Reference

    22.22 external output quick reference: • output1=voice1&2 • output2=voice3&4 • output3=voice5&6 • output4=voice7&8 • output5=voice9&10 • output6=voice11&12 • output7=voice13&14 • output8=voice15&16 to be used with (stereo) TRS cords so, for example, if I wanted to run voices 1 & 2 out to a mixer, I would need 1 TRS cable (connect single/stereo end to Andromeda voice output 1..) then plug the other end of TRS cable (2 plugs) to mixer chans 1&2 and pan accordingly.

  • Page 100: Use Aux Outs For A Slightly Purer Signal Path

    At the lower levels that Colin is using to tap the purity of the analog signal path, the FX self-noise begins to become apparent and objectionable. The Aux outputs are recommended in their place. By me, not by Alesis :-) 22.27 voice random explained: From Mike Peake: Voice Random is a digital noise source which is calculated per voice (asynchronous and unrelated).

  • Page 101: Speeding Up Patch Naming

    Andy... but I'm going to consider rubber coated replacements for mine should I ever lose any. I'll report any good replacements if I find them. When can we expect Alesis to have spare knobs available? Try Radio Shack or an electronics component distributer, such as Newark Electronics.

  • Page 102: Hoover Emulation

    OK, you knew that. It's here for clarity. Alesis refers to this as packing. I'm a little more fancy and call it "8/7 encoding" referring to the bits per byte. If you have 7 normal bytes laid-out like this (B=byte, b=bit; be sure you're using a mono-...

  • Page 103: For Fun - The Andromeda Light Easter Egg

    I came up with the name Andromeda. All Alesis gear is assigned a two character factory code at the start of its life. A DM Pro is a D6, a BRC is BR, Microverb IV is M4 - you get the idea...Andromeda's original name was A6. That has to...

  • Page 104: For Fun - Some Factory Sound Designers

    Summer NAMM 1999, and surveyed dealers, reps, press, distributors, etc. The surveyconcerned festures, pricing, and a bunch pof other questions, too, and I included other Alesis employees in the process to ensure that there wold be no questions about my objectivity.

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