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ION iDM02 Manual

24-bit stereo drum machine with trigger inputs
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Summary of Contents for ION iDM02

  • Page 3: Chapter 1: Introduction

    CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Quick Description The iDM02 includes over 230 high-fidelity drum/percussion sounds and a library of preset rhythm Patterns prepared by professional drummers. It also has 11 external trigger inputs to which you can connect your external triggers. Inputs 1-9 will accept drum pad trigger signals.

  • Page 4: Physical Layout

    Physical Layout The iDM02 includes seven main types of controls, along with a group of connectors (located on the back panel). The control groups (see diagram) are: Display. The display informs you of the instrument's status, and also prompts you for data from time to time.

  • Page 5: Display Layout

    Perform The LCD is divided into several "windows." Each window contains information that helps you monitor the iDM02's status, and/or indicates what type of data should be entered. Name, "dialog" box, real time Song/Pattern readout, beat counter. This shows Pattern and Song names, the beat counter if a Pattern or Song is playing, and the Pattern (including A/B/Fill/Preset or User designators) that is currently playing in Song mode.
  • Page 6 How to Communicate With the iDM02 Numeric Keypad If a value to be edited is a two-digit number, you must enter a two-digit number. If the number is a three-digit number, you must enter a three-digit number. If necessary, enter a leading 0 to fill out the required number of digits.
  • Page 7 Instant Gratification (Setup & Checkout) Connect the Main outputs (either left or right for a mono monitoring system, or both for stereo) to an amplifier or PA. The amp and iDM02 volume controls should be all the way down (counter-clockwise).

  • Page 8: Chapter 2: Record Setup

    CHAPTER 2: RECORD SETUP Several parameters are often adjusted prior to recording a Pattern, such as metronome, Pattern length, etc. General instructions are: Press the RECORD SETUP button. Use the PAGE (up and down) buttons to select different "pages" of functions. These pages are described below.

  • Page 9: Select The Swing Value (Swing Select)

    Page 2: Select The Swing Value (Swing Select) The display shows SWING SELECT; the Swing window shows the swing value. Enter the desired swing percentage with the INC/DEC or number buttons (1 = 54%, 2 = 58%, 3 = 62%, 4-0 = Swing Off). Swing shifts notes as specified while you record, so choose the desired value before tapping out your rhythms.

  • Page 10: Adjust Velocity Response (Velocity)

    (quarter notes). Enter the desired length with the INC/DEC or number buttons (this must be a three digit number; enter leading zeroes if necessary). To prevent accidental length alteration, you must press PLAY before the iDM02 will store the new Pattern length.

  • Page 11: Add/Remove Beats From Pattern Beginning (Start)

    -24 as the offset value since 24 sub-beats equals a 1/16th note. Press PLAY to enter this number into the iDM02. To apply the same amount of offset to additional pads, press the next pad then press PLAY.

  • Page 12: Step Mode Recording (Step Mode)

    Page 9: Step Mode Recording (Step Mode) The display shows STEP MODE? This is your "gateway" to step editing, which provides detailed Pattern editing and recording. To enter the step editor, press PLAY. The display now shows the beat and sub-beat. If a drum event exists on this beat/sub-beat, the display will also show the drum pad that played the event and the event volume.

  • Page 13: Name The Pattern (Name)

    The following page summarizes the step edit options. Add a New Drum to a Step Use the PAGE buttons to select the step where the drum is to be added. Press the pad that corresponds to the sound you want to add. That drum, along with its volume (how hard the pad was hit), will be recorded into the displayed step.

  • Page 14: Playback/Record Basics

    To listen, choose Perform (this de-activates the click). You can drop in and out of these two modes as you record. While the iDM02 is in either mode, you can change Pattern quantization, swing, click rhythm and volume, pad velocity response, name, drumset, drumset parameters, and MIDI parameters.
  • Page 15 B Main Pattern. Conversely, if B Main is playing and you press Fill, after B Fill has played, the iDM02 will transition to the A Main Pattern. You can select the Fill at any time the Main Pattern is playing.
  • Page 16 To record drum parts into the Pattern, tap the onboard drum pads, or play the external drum pads connected to the iDM02’s trigger inputs. The Pattern will "loop" during the record process so that you can overdub different drums on different passes.

  • Page 17: Erase Functions

    Erase Functions Erase Mistakes While Recording While the iDM02 is recording, you can erase any individual drum event or series of events in real time to fix up errors. Erasure occurs only on those beats that coincide with the current quantization and swing values; turn quantization off to erase a drum wherever it occurs.

  • Page 18: Copy Functions

    Main Pattern to another Main Pattern. Copy, Append, and Double Patterns The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode and stopped. Select the Pattern to be copied. Press and hold the COPY button, and keep holding it down until step (6).
  • Page 19 This technique lets you stack multiple drum sounds together to create monster composite sounds. The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode and stopped. Select the Pattern containing the drum part to be copied. Press and hold the COPY button, and keep holding it down until step (7).

  • Page 20: Chapter 4: Creating Drum Sets

    CHAPTER 4: CREATING DRUM SETS The iDM02's 12 pads and 11 trigger inputs can be assigned to various drum sounds, with different levels, tuning, panning, triggering mode, and output jack assignment. Each set of pad parameters is given a number and collectively are called a Drum Set; each A and B user Pattern can have its own Drum Set assignment.

  • Page 21: Set Pad Volume (Volume)

    Page 3: Set Pad Volume (Volume) The display shows VOLUME, the currently selected pad number, and the volume of the sound assigned to that pad. To change the volume associated with a given pad: Press the pad (the display will show the pad number).

  • Page 22: Set Triggering Mode (Asn Mode)

    The iDM02 can play up to 16 voices at a time, so it's possible to run out of voices if you play a flurry of notes and have lots of pads in the Multi assign mode. If 16 sounds are playing and you ask the iDM02 to play another one, the sound that's closest to finishing its decay cycle will be "stolen"...

  • Page 23: Manual Drum Set Override (Set Mode)

    Background Each Pattern has an associated, assigned Drum Set. However, you can tell the iDM02 to ignore these stored assignments, and retain the currently selected Drum Set regardless of whether or not you change Patterns. This is useful if you want to hear how a Pattern would sound with a different Drum Set (just set one up manually) as opposed to the one stored with the Pattern.

  • Page 24: Chapter 5: Song Mode

    Song steps, delete Song steps, etc. The iDM02 holds up to 100 Songs, and each Song can contain up to 254 steps. Each step holds either a Pattern number or Fill. Each Song remembers the tempo at which it was last played.
  • Page 25 Make sure the iDM02 is in Compose mode, even if you don't plan to record anything. Use the INC/DEC buttons to select the Song step at which you want the iDM02 to start playing. Press PLAY. The iDM02 will start playing at the downbeat of the selected Song step.

  • Page 26: Real Time Song Creation

    Song step with its Pattern number every time it repeats. In addition to selecting different Patterns, you can press FILL at any time. The iDM02 will remember where you pressed FILL. As in Pattern mode, pressing FILL will automatically transition to the B Pattern if the A Pattern is currently playing (and vice versa), or will continue playing the same Pattern if the FILL button is held past the end of the Fill.
  • Page 27 Add a Fill With the iDM02 in Song and Compose modes, select the step where the Fill is to be added. Press and hold the FILL button. Enter the number of beats and sub-beats after the start of the current step in which the Fill is to start playing with the number buttons and INC/DEC buttons respectively.
  • Page 28 Copy a Song to an iDM01 or SR16 Via MIDI The iDM02 can send Song system exclusive information to an iDM01 or Alesis SR16 via MIDI. If you don’t have one of those drum machines, you can skip this section.

  • Page 29: Chapter 6: Midi Setup

    ON. Select OFF if you don't want the iDM02 to transmit note data. Background Select ON to if you wish to use the pads on the iDM02 to drive other drum sound expander modules. If the iDM02 is acting as a drum machine and provides...
  • Page 30 This operation clears the memory and re-initializes all parameters. It can also be a useful service technique to restore the iDM02 to normal operation if it "locks up" due to some unforeseen event like a static electricity jolt or power supply interruption.

  • Page 31: Chapter 8: Application

    Press PLAY on the iDM02. The slave units should start at the same time, and progress at the same tempo. If the slaves respond to Song Position Pointer, you can start an iDM02 Song at any point, and after a few seconds the slaves will catch up and synchronize from that point on.
  • Page 32 STRATEGIES FOR ASSEMBLING PATTERNS AND SONGS Ideally, you should be able to translate your inspirations into tangible form with a minimum amount of effort. The following tips and techniques help speed up the process of creating Patterns and Songs. Create Fills Quickly with the Copy Function Many times a Fill will simply be a variation on another Pattern, but with a few minor differences to add variety or serve different musical purposes.
  • Page 33 UNDERSTANDING RHYTHMIC NOTATION Measures A piece of music is divided into smaller units called measures (also called bars), and each measure is divided into beats. In the SR-18, each beat is further sub-divided into 96 sub-beats. Rhythmic Values for Notes With a measure written in a 4/4 time signature, there are 4 beats per measure, and each beat represents a quarter (1/4) note.
  • Page 35 MANUAL VERSION 2...

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