Alesis Harmony 61 Pro - Portable Keyboard Manual

Introduction

Box Contents
Harmony 61 Pro
Music Rest
Power Adapter
User Guide
Safety & Warranty Manual

Support
For the latest information about this product (system requirements, compatibility information, etc.), product registration, and translations of this guide in Spanish, French, Italian, and German, visit alesis.com. For additional product support, visit alesis.com/support.

Setup

Connection Diagram
Items not listed in Introduction > Box Contents are sold separately.
Note: Make sure to unplug/remove headphones before moving away from the keyboard.

Features

Top Panel

1. Power On/Off: Press this button to turn the keyboard on or off.
2. Master Volume: Turn this knob to adjust the Master Volume.
3. Mute: Press this button to mute the Master Volume.
4. Tempo: Press the Tempo buttons [<] or [>] to increase or decrease the speed of the accompaniment, demo song and/or metronome. Press the [<] and [>] buttons simultaneously to reset to the default value.
5. Touch Pad: Touch the Touch Pad and move your finger along the X- and Y-axis to control the selected effect. Use the Effect button to change the parameters controlled by the Touch Pad.
6. Effect: Press this button to select a group of parameters, and then use the Touch Pad to control the selected parameters in real time. See Operation > Touch Pad for a list of selectable parameters.
7. LCD: This screen shows settings information and displays the notes you play in real time.
8. Built-in Microphone: Use this microphone to record your own sounds when the Sampler is engaged. See Operation > Using the Sampler for more information.
9. Data Dial: Turn this dial to select a value or adjust a parameter.
10. [<] / [>] / Numeric Buttons: Press the left or right directional buttons to select a value or set a parameter. You can also use the numeric buttons to enter a value. Press both directional buttons at the same time to reset current parameter to its default setting.
11. Sound: Press this button to enter Sound mode and select a sound for the keyboard. See Operation > Playing a Sound for more information and > Sound List for a full list of instruments.
12. Style: Press this button to enter Style mode and choose an accompaniment rhythm style. See > Style List for a full list of playable styles.
13. Song: Press this button to enter Song mode and play stored songs. See > Song List for a full list of playable songs.
14. Lesson: Press this button to select and play a Lesson. When song playback is stopped, press this button to enter or exit Lesson mode. Press Lesson and Song buttons at the same time to select a hand-part to practice: L → R → L+R. See Operation > Using Lesson Mode for more information.
15. Mix: Press this button to enter Mix mode and adjust accompaniment instrument levels. Press Mix and Record buttons at the same time to engage the sampler. See Operation > Using the Mixer to learn more and > Mix Pattern List for a full list of mix patterns.
16. Record: Press this button to record a custom song. See Operation > Recording for more detailed instructions.
17. Piano: Press this button to turn Piano Mode on or off. Piano mode is a setting optimized for concert piano performances. See Operation > Piano Mode for more information.
18. Sustain: Press this button to activate a sustain effect which simulates a sustain pedal when playing the keyboard. Press this button again to disable the sustain effect. Press the Sustain and Harmony buttons at the same time to turn the Arpeggiator on or off. See Operation > Performance Enhancement for more information about using the Arpeggiator.
19. Harmony: Press this button to turn the harmony function on or off. The Harmony function can be set to play a specific interval above each note you play. See Operation > Performance Enhancement for more information.
20. Split: Press this button to split the keyboard into two different sounds. The sound that you were using before pressing the Split button will be applied to the left-hand side of the keyboard. To select a sound for the right-hand side, enter a number for the sound or use the + and – buttons. Press the Split button again to disable the keyboard split. Press Split and Layer buttons at the same time to turn Twinova function on or off. See Operation > Twinova for more information.
21. Layer: Press this button to layer two sounds together. The sound that you were using before pressing the Layer button will be used for one part of the layer. To select the other sound for the layer, enter a number for the sound or use the [<] and [>] buttons. Press the Layer button again to disable the layer function.
22. Chord Mode: Press this button to enter Chord mode and select how you play chords on the keyboard. See Operation > Chord Mode for more information.
23. Fade: Press this button to fade an accompaniment track in or out.
24. Intro/Ending: Press this button to play an intro and then start playback of an accompaniment rhythm. Press this button while the accompaniment rhythm is playing to play an outro and then stop playback of an accompaniment rhythm.
25. Fill A: Press this button to have the first of two types of temporary rhythm play during the accompaniment rhythm.
26. Fill B: Press this button to have the second of two types of temporary rhythm play during the accompaniment rhythm.
27. Sync Start: Press the Sync button, and then play the keys in the lowest two octaves (corresponding to the chords/notes). The playalong feature will start immediately when playing a key, instead of having to press the Start/Stop button to start it.
28. Start/Stop: Press this button to start or stop playing a style, song, or mix pattern.
29. Store: Press and hold this button, then press one of the Memory buttons M1 – M4 to save the current panel settings.
30. Bank: Press this button to enter Memory Mode and select a memory bank. See Operation > Performance Memory for more details.
31. M1 - M4: Press one of these buttons while in Memory Mode to store or recall panel settings. See Operation > Performance Memory for more details.
32. Quick Setting [Q.S.]: Press this button to turn the Quick Setting function on or off. See Operation > Quick Setting for more information.
33. Chord Ref.: Press this button to turn the chord reference function on or off. This function allows you to view a dictionary of chord diagrams on the LCD screen. See Operation > Chord Reference for more information.
34. SD Card: Press this button to enter the SD card menu. See Operation > Connecting an SD Card for more information.
35. Mixer: Press this button to enter the Mixer menu. See Operation > Playing Mixes for more information.
36. Metro: Press this button to start the metronome. Press this button again to change the time signature of this button or turn off the metronome. See Operation > Using the Metronome for more information.
37. Demo: Press this button to begin playback of the demonstration songs. Use the number buttons or [<] / [>] buttons to select another demonstration song. Press this button again to stop the playback.
38. Function: Press this button to enter the function menu. See Operation > Using the Function Menu for more information.
39. Pitch Bend Wheel: Roll this wheel up or down to apply a pitch-bending effect to the notes you play.
    

Rear Panel

1. SD Card port: Insert an SD Card containing MIDI or WAV music files here.
2. USB Port: Insert a USB-B cable here to connect the USB-A keyboard to a computer or a mobile device.
   Note: The Harmony 61 Pro features a class compliant plug-and-play connection, and this USB port enables sending and receiving MIDI data, as well as sending and receiving audio between the Harmony 61 Pro and a connected computer. To use these features, simply connect the Harmony 61 Pro to your computer and select it for use in your software or system preferences.
3. Sustain Input: Connect a sustain pedal with a 1/4" (6.35 mm) cable here.
4. Phones Output: Plug a pair of headphones into the 1/4" (6.35 mm) output here.
5. Aux Input: Connect an external audio source, such as an MP3 or CD player, using a 1/8" (3.5mm) cable here.
6. MIC Input: Connect a microphone with a 1/4" (6.35 mm) cable to the input here to sing along with the keyboard output.
7. Power Input: Plug in the included power adapter here.

Bottom Panel (Not shown)

1. Battery Compartment: Install 6 "AA" batteries here to power the keyboard if you are not using the power adapter.

Operation

Playing a Sound

1. Press theSound button to enter Sound mode. The "R1" indicator will light up. The LCD will show the current Sound name and number.
2. Use the data dial or[<] / [>] buttons to select a sound. Alternatively, use the numeric buttons to enter a preset sound number. See > Sound List for a full list of sounds.
3. Play the keyboard to use this Sound for performance.

Using Layer Mode:

1. Press theLayer button to enter Layer mode. The "R2" indicator will light up. The LCD will show the current layer sound name and number.
2. Use the data dial or[<] / [>] buttons to select a layer sound. Alternatively, use the numeric buttons to enter a preset sound number.
3. Play the keyboard. You will hear two different sounds playing together.
4. In Layer mode, press theLayer button to exit this mode.

Using Split Mode:

1. Press theSplit button to enter Split mode. The "L" indicator will light up. The LCD shows the current split sound name and number. The default split point is F#3 (19). You can change the split point in the function menu.
2. Use the data dial or[<] / [>] buttons to select a split sound. Alternatively, use the numeric buttons to enter a preset sound number.
3. Play the keyboard. You will hear different sounds from the left- and right-hand sections.
4. In Split mode, press theSplit button to exit this mode.
   Note: When layer and split sounds are in use, only the right-hand area plays the layered sound. Use the mixer to adjust the volume of each part.

Touch Pad
The Touch Pad controls vibrato depth and speed by default when no effect LED is lit.
Press the Effect button repeatedly to cycle through different sets of effects. When you select one from the 2-5 sets, the corresponding effect LED will turn on.
After selecting a set of effects, use the Touch pad to control these effects in real time.

Piano Mode
Press the Piano button to enter or exit Piano Mode.
In Piano Mode, all parameters become optimized for concert piano performance. You can start style playback, but it will play the rhythm track only.
Notes: When in Piano Mode is engaged, the Fingered function will be automatically turned off. In Piano Mode, the Layer and Split functions will not be available.

Twinova
The Twinova function splits the keyboard into two areas with the same sound and octave range, for the convenience of playing together with a friend or instructor.
Press the Split and Layer buttons at the same time to turn Twinova on or off. The default split point is E4 and F4.

To change the Twinova octave:

1. Press theFunction button to enter the function menu.
2. Use the data dial to select "TwinoOct".
3. Use the[<] / [>] buttons to change the octave setting.
   Pressing both [<] and [>] buttons at the same time will reset to the default octave setting.

Note: The Twinova mode and the split / layer functions cannot be used at the same time.

Using the Metronome
To turn the metronome on or off:

1. Press theMetro button to turn on the metronome. The beat indicators on LCD will blink and you will hear the metronome sound.
2. Press this button again to turn off the metronome.
   The default metronome beat is 4; this can be changed in the Function menu.

To change the metronome beat:

1. Press theFunction button, then use the data dial to select "Beat".
2. Use the[<] / [>] buttons to change the beat setting. The setting range is 0, 2 ~ 9.

Notes:

1. If you turn on the metronome during style playback, the metronome sound will start from the next beat. Its time signature and tempo will be reset to match the selected style.
2. If you turn on the metronome during MIDI recording, the metronome sound will not be recorded. But if you turn on the metronome in Audio recording, the metronome sound will be recorded

Performance Enhancement
Arpeggiator:
Press the Sustain and Harmony buttons at the same time to turn on the arpeggiator. The "ARP." indicator lights up on LCD. Repeat this operation to turn off the arpeggiator.

Arpeggiator split point:
When the arpeggiator is in use, the keyboard will be split into two sections. You can play chords with the left-hand side and play melody with the right-hand side. The default split point is F#3 (19) (same as the split point in Split mode). You can change the split point in the Function menu.

Harmony:
Press the Harmony button to turn this function on or off.
When harmony is in use, the "HARMONY" indicator will light up on the LCD. Turn on the Fingered function, then play a chord in the chord section. When you play in the right-hand section, it will add a harmony effect to the notes.

Setting the harmony type:
Press the Function button to enter the function menu. Use the data dial to select "HrmXXXX", then use the [<] / [>] buttons to change the harmony type. Pressing [<] and [>] buttons at the same time will reset to the default setting.
Note: Harmony types "1+5" and "octave" are always available, but the rest will not work until you turn on the Fingered function and then play a chord in the chord section.

Playing a Style

1. Press the Style button to enter Style mode. The LCD will show the current style name and number.
2. Use the data dial or[<] / [>] buttons to select a style. Or use the numeric buttons to enter a preset style number. Please see > Style List for a full list of playable styles.
3. Press the Chord Mode button to select Fingered mode or Full Range mode.
4. Press the Start/Stop button to start the rhythm track. Alternatively, press the Sync Start button to engage sync start function, then play a key on keyboard to start the rhythm track.

To fade a style in or out:

1. When style is stopped, press the Fade button to turn on the fade-in function. The "FADE" indicator will light up on the LCD. When the style starts playing, the volume will increase from low to high.
2. During style playback, press the Fade button to turn on the fade-out function. The volume will decrease from high to low until the style is stopped.
   The default fade-in / fade-out time setting is 10 seconds. You can change this time setting in the function menu.

To set the tempo:

1. Press the [Tempo </>] buttons to edit the tempo value.
2. When the tempo value is blinking on the LCD, use the[Tempo </>] buttons, [<] / [>] buttons or the data dial to change the tempo value.
3. Press [Tempo <] and [Tempo >] at the same time to reset to the default tempo.
   Note: When style playback is stopped, changing the style will automatically reset the tempo. However, changing the style during style playback will not result in tempo change.

Playing Songs

1. Press the Song button to enter Song mode. LCD shows the current song name and number.
2. Use the data dial or[<] / [>] buttons to select a song. Or use the numeric buttons to enter a song number. Please see > Song List for a full list of playable songs.
3. Press the Start/Stop button to start playing the song.
4. During song playback, press the Start/Stop button to stop. When playback is stopped, press the Style and Record buttons to exit this mode.

Notes:

1. While Song Mode is enabled, you cannot access the Memory Buttons, Quick Settings, Function Menu, Twinova, Record, or Chord Mode features. To regain access to these features, exit Song mode by the pressing Piano, Style, or Mix buttons.
2. By default, all songs will loop in order. You can change the playback mode in the function menu.

Controlling Song Playback:
Before the Intro section begins, the measure will start counting down from 4. When the measure goes to "1", the melody will start playing. You can use the group of buttons lettered A – E (Chord Mode, Fade, Intro/Ending, Fill A, Fill B) to control the playback. Their playback functions are indicated underneath the letters.

During playback:

• Press the A button to loop the selected song.
• Press the B button to loop all of the songs in order.
• Press the C button to rewind the song.
• Press the D button to fast forward the song.
• Press the E button to pause song playback.

Adjusting the Song volume:
You can adjust the song playback volume in the mixer menu. Press the Mixer button to enter the Mixer menu. Use the data dial to select "MusicVol", then use the [<] / [>] buttons to change the volume setting. Pressing [<] and [>] buttons at the same time will reset to the default volume.

Chord Mode
Entering Chord Mode:
Press the Chord Mode button to enter Chord mode. Press the button repeatedly to cycle between FINGERED, FULL RANG, and OFF.

• In Fingered mode, the keyboard is divided into two sections. The chord section is in the left-hand area. You can play Single Finger and Multi Finger chords in the chord section.
• In Full Range mode, the entire keyboard is the chord section. Only Multi-finger chords will be detected in the chord section.

Playing in Chord Mode:

1. Press the Sync Start button to engage the sync start function.
2. Play a chord in the chord section, and it will start playing auto accompaniment of all tracks. Alternatively, press theStart/Stop button to start percussion playback, and then play a chord in the chord section to start playing all tracks.

Single Finger:
Single-finger makes it easy to produce major, seventh, minor and minor seventh chords by pressing a minimum number of keys on the auto accompaniment section.

Multi-finger:
Multi-finger allows you to play chords in normal fingering.

Full Range:
In Full Range mode, it detects chords played in normal fingering (Multi-finger) over the entire keyboard range.

Quick Setting

1. Press the Q.S. button to turn on the Quick Setting function. The "Q.S." indicator will light up on the LCD. The Fingered function will be turned on automatically.
2. Press one of the M1 - M4 buttons to recall panel settings (including sound and effects) that match the current style. Each style has 4 preset Q.S. settings.
   Note: Memory function is not available when Q.S. is in use.

DSP Effects (Reverb/Chorus)
Digital Signal Processing is turned on by default. The "DSP" indicator will light up on the LCD.
To change the DSP setting:

1. Press the Function button to enter the function menu.
2. Use the data dial to select "DSP". The LCD will temporarily show "DSP ON".
3. Use the [<] / [>] buttons to turn the DSP on or off.
4. Pressing [<] and [>] buttons at the same time will reset to the default setting.
   Note: There may be a slight pause in the sound if you switch the DSP effect on/off while style or song is playing.

Using Lesson Mode
The Lesson, and L/R buttons are available only when song playback is stopped.
Lesson 1:
In Lesson 1, you will learn to play at the correct timing. As long as you play a key at the right time, the correct note will sound.

1. When song playback is stopped, press the Lesson button to enter Lesson 1. The "LESSON 1" indicator will light up.
2. Repeatedly press theSong and Lesson buttons to select to practice the L hand part, R hand part or both parts.
3. Press theStart/Stop button to start the lesson. Your performance will be evaluated when the lesson is finished. No score will be given if you stop halfway.

Lesson 2:
In Lesson 2, you will learn to play the correct notes. If you play a wrong note, the lesson will stop and wait until you correctly play the note displayed on the LCD.

1. When song playback is stopped, press the Lesson button twice to enter Lesson 2. The "LESSON 2" indicator will light up.
2. Repeatedly press theSong and Lesson buttons to select to practice the L hand part, R hand part or both parts.
3. Press the Start/Stop button to start the lesson.
   Your performance will be evaluated when the lesson is finished.
   Note: In Lesson 2, notes will not sound until they are played correctly on the keyboard.

Lesson 3:
In Lesson 3, you will learn to play the correct notes with the correct timing.

1. When song playback is stopped, press the Lesson button three times to enter Lesson 3. The "LESSON 3" indicator will light up.
2. Repeatedly press the Song and Lesson buttons to select to practice the L hand part, R hand part or both parts.
3. Press the Start/Stop button to start the lesson.
   Your performance will be evaluated when the lesson is finished.
   Note: In Lesson 3, all notes you play will sound. However, if no keys are played on the keyboard, only the accompaniment will be played back.

Documents / Resources

References

• Alesis
• http://alesis.com/support

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