How The S2000 Works - Akai s2000 Owner's Manual

INTRODUCTION

HOW THE S2000 WORKS

Despite its versatility, the S2000 is very straightforward and once you have a basic grasp of the
flowcharts shown on the next pages, things will make more sense.
Basically, you can have SAMPLES. These are the pieces of raw digital audio that are always the
basis of any sound in the S2000. These may be derived from floppy disk, hard disk (including
Magneto Optical (MO) Disks, removable cartridge types), CD ROM or, of course, you may
sample your own sounds via the analogue or, if the optional digital interface is fitted, via the
digital inputs.
Once you have a raw sample, there are many things you can do with it within EDIT SAMPLE.
You may TRIM it - that is, remove any unwanted audio from the start or end. You may also TUNE
and/or REVERSE the sample.
Of course, one problem always associated with sampling is LOOPING. Because any given
sample is only a few seconds long, if you want to sustain that sample longer than its original
length, some method has to be sought to do this. This is LOOPING. A loop is a section of the
sound that repeats as long as you hold your finger on the key and is set by setting a start and
end point for the loop. This is something of an art and a science and something we won't delve
into here in great detail. To make looping as easy as possible, the S2000 has FIND and
CROSSFADE functions to help you set good loops.
Other sample editing functions include TIMESTRETCH which allows you to lengthen or
shorten a sample without changing its pitch (again, we will look at this in more detail later in this
manual) and RE-SAMPLING, a technique that allows you to squeeze the optimum
performance out of available memory space. On the S2000, you may also NORMALISE a
sample's level for optimum signal to noise performance.
Once you have edited a sample you may place it into a PROGRAM.
A PROGRAM is where you assemble your sample(s) for playback. In a program, you allocate a
sample to a KEYGROUP (in fact, you can allocate 4 samples to one keygroup for layering,
velocity switching and velocity crossfading but more on that later!). A program may have as little
as one keygroup spanning the entire keyboard or as many as one keygroup for every key each
with four samples in them! To overcome the abrupt tonal discrepancies sometimes
experienced when two different samples are placed 'side by side' on the keyboard, positional
keygroup crossfading can be used for a smoother transition.
Once in a keygroup, the sample may be passed through resonant filters for tonal modification,
through amplifiers for amplitude control and through a pan section for stereo placement.
Keygroups may be freely assigned to the individual outputs for external processing on a
mixing console.
On top of this, you may apply modulation from 2 x Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs) for vibrato
and other effects. A SINGLE TRIGGER LEGATO mode allows you to emulate solo instruments
such as woodwind and brass more realistically and to allow for greater expression when playing
synth bass parts or lead sounds.
One powerful feature of the S2000 is the flexible ASSIGNABLE PROGRAM MODULATION
(known as APM for short) in EDIT PROGRAM. Using this, any modulation source may be
routed to virtually any control input. In this way, the S2000 is a powerful synthesiser as well,
except that you may use almost any sampled sound (of your own or from a sound library) as the
basis of your own powerful and expressive sounds.
Once you have placed your sample(s) into a program, you may play them from a MIDI controller
in SINGLE mode. If the optional effects processor is fitted in your S2000, you may add
powerful multi-effects such as simultaneous distortion, EQ, chorus/flange, delay and reverb to
these programs.
S2000 Operator's Manual - Version 1.30 Page 21