Alesis QSR 64 Reference Manual
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Alesis QSR 64 Reference Manual

64 voice expandable synthesizer module
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  • Page 1 ALESIS Reference Manual...

  • Page 2: How To Use This Manual

    Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Alesis QSR 64 Voice Expandable Synthesizer Module. To take full advantage of the QSR’s functions, and to enjoy long and trouble-free use, please read this user’s manual carefully. How To Use This Manual This manual is divided into the following sections describing the various modes of the QSR.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    1: Setting Up...7 Unpacking and Inspection ... 7 AC Power ... 7 Line Conditioners and Protectors ... 7 Basic Audio Hookup ... 8 About Audio Cables ... 9 2: Your First Session ...11 Powering Up ... 11 Playing the Demo Sequences... 11 What’s a Program?...
  • Page 5 MIDI CH Buttons ... 32 Editing Values ... 32 Parameter Editing Overview ... 32 Comparing Edited and Stored Versions... 33 Preset Memory and User Memory ... 33 Storing ... 34 Store a Program or Mix... 34 To Audition Programs Before Storing ... 35 Copying Sounds Between Programs...
  • Page 6 Programming Drum Sounds ... 82 Voice ... 82 Level ... 83 Pitch ... 83 Filter... 83 Amp/Range ... 84 Amp Envelope... 84 Copying Sounds ... 85 Copying Effects ... 85 7: Editing Effects ...87 About Signal Processing ... 87 Selecting an Effects Patch in Mix Mode... 88 Setting Effects Send Levels...
  • Page 7 9: MIDI Transfer And Storage Operations...119 Using PCMCIA Expansion Cards... 119 Saving the User Bank to a PCMCIA Card... 119 Loading a Bank from an External Card ... 120 Storing an Individual Program or Mix ... 120 Loading an Individual Program or Mix ... 121 Card Storage RAMifications ...

  • Page 8: 1: Setting Up

    • Alesis warranty card ✪ It is important to register your purchase; if you have not already filled out your warranty card and mailed it back to Alesis, please take the time to do so now. OWER OOKUP AC P...

  • Page 9: Basic Audio Hookup

    ASIC UDIO OOKUP ✪ When connecting audio cables and/or turning power on and off, make sure that all devices in your system are turned off and the volume controls are turned down. Because the QSR includes extensive signal processing as well as a full complement of sounds, you can make great sounds with nothing more than an amplifier or a set of headphones.

  • Page 10: About Audio Cables

    BOUT UDIO ABLES The connections between the QSR and your studio are your music’s lifeline, so use only high quality cables. These should be low-capacitance shielded cables with a stranded (not solid) internal conductor and a low-resistance shield. Although quality cables cost more, they do make a difference.

  • Page 11: 2: Your First Session

    OWERING After making your connections, turn on the system’s power using this procedure: ➀ Before turning on the QSR’s power, check the following items: • Have all connections been made correctly? • Are the volume controls of the amplifier or mixer turned down? •...

  • Page 12: What's A Mix

    get back to it instantly at the touch of a button. When you select a Program, all of its parameter settings are recalled to recreate the original sound. The QSR provides 640 internal Programs, divided into 5 Banks of 128 Programs each. More Programs can be added by inserting a Sound Card into the Sound Card slot on the front panel of the QSR.

  • Page 13: Playing The Qsr

    LAYING THE The QSR is shipped from the factory with 5 Banks of 128 Preset Programs (sounds) each. Additionally, there are 100 Mixes in each of the 5 Banks. ROGRAM ODE AND The QSR is always in one of two modes: Program Mode or Mix Mode. When you are auditioning Programs, you will be in Program Play Mode.

  • Page 14: Selecting Program Banks

    ➀ Press the [PROG] button to select Program Play Mode. The [PROG] button and the PROG indicator in the display will light. You can now play the QSR from an external MIDI keyboard; the Program will be whatever was selected when last in Program mode (Program number 00 –127).

  • Page 15: Realtime Performance Functions

    EALTIME ERFORMANCE The QSR provides various ways to control the sound as you are playing. Try out some of these functions while playing your MIDI keyboard. The sound of the effects can also change by using these controllers. The effect of these realtime controllers varies from Program to Program;...

  • Page 16: Auditioning Mix Play Mode

    UDITIONING Mix Play Mode allows you to assign a Program to each of the 16 MIDI channels. This makes it easy to create multitimbral setups for use with an external MIDI sequencer. Additionally, a MIX can be used to “layer” sounds together, or “split” your keyboard in a number of ways, or any combination of these.

  • Page 17: Choosing Programs In A Mix

    HOOSING ROGRAMS IN A In this section, we will choose Programs for the 16 channels in a Mix, for playing back tracks from a MIDI sequencer. There are many other aspects of a Mix we may wish to edit, however. Refer to Chapter 5 for more information about Mix editing. You do not have to access Mix Edit Mode to select Programs for a Mix (i.e.

  • Page 18: Enabling General Midi Mode

    TORING AN Once you have made changes to a Mix, you will need to store the Mix into the User Bank; that is, if you want to keep the changes you have made. The User Bank is designed to hold up to 100 (00 – 99) of your custom-made Mixes. Whenever you store an edited Mix, the User Bank is automatically selected.

  • Page 19: Using The Pcmcia Expansion Card Slots

    Flash RAM cards: If you want to burn your own custom sample cards, Flash RAM cards are available in 2 MB, 4 MB, and 8MB sizes. Alesis Sound Bridge software (see next section) will translate from Sample Cell, AIFF, WAV and other formats to Alesis QSR Composite Synthesis format, and then you can write your own custom Programs and Mixes that use these samples.

  • Page 20: A Word About The Qs Cd-Rom

    QS Synthesis Voice format, and downloads the compiled data to an Alesis PCMCIA Flash RAM Sound Card via MIDI Sysex to a QSR, QS8, QS7 or QS6. Sound Bridge allows individuals and sound developers to make their own Sound Cards, using whatever samples they want.

  • Page 21: 3: Connections

    ONNECTIONS MIDI H ASIC OOKUP MIDI is an internationally-accepted protocol that allows musical-related data to be conveyed from one device to another. See the MIDI Supplement in Appendix B if you are not familiar with how MIDI works. The QSR has three MIDI connectors which provide the following functions: •...

  • Page 22: Using An External Sequencer

    Chapter 3: Connections SING AN XTERNAL The MIDI keyboard or controller (such as the QS7 or QS8) can generate MIDI signals that are recorded by a sequencer. On playback, the sequencer sends this data to the QSR, which then serves as a multitimbral sound module (in Mix Mode). The sequencer can generate data over several channels;...

  • Page 23: Using A Computer

    SING A OMPUTER The QSR can communicate directly with a computer via its [SERIAL PORT] connector. This eliminates the need for an additional computer-MIDI interface, as well as the MIDI cables to connect to it. The [SERIAL PORT] can be set to one of three modes, depending on the computer you are using.

  • Page 24: Ibm ® Pcs And Compatibles

    MIDI software to determine which port it is using. Alesis provides a MIDI serial driver that works with Windows 3.1, Windows NT and Windows 95. This can be found on the QSR CD-ROM disk that came with your QSR package (located in the \ALESIS\ASDWIN\ directory).

  • Page 25: Digital Audio/Optical Hookup

    Either pair of outputs can be converted into standard AES/EBU or S/PDIF stereo digital audio format by using the Alesis AI-1 interface. Fiber optic cables of various lengths are available from your Alesis dealer. However, the shorter the cable, the better.
  • Page 26 Chapter 3: Connections 48 KH If your ADAT system has an Alesis BRC Remote Controller, the QSR’s digital clock must be synchronized to the clock coming from the BRC. This requires that a connection be made providing the clock signal to the QSR and that the QSR’s Clock function be set to either one of its two external settings (Ext48kHz or Ext44.1k).

  • Page 27: 4: Overview

    ASIC RCHITECTURE The QSR contains 16 megabytes of Sound ROM which provide digitized acoustic and electronic samples. These samples are organized into 17 sample groups of different types. The groups are: Piano Chromatic Organ Guitar Bass Several functions (filter, amplitude envelope, pitch envelope, LFO, multiple modulation sources, signal processors, etc.) can be used to process a sample.

  • Page 28: Modes

    ODES The QSR is always in one of two main modes: Program Play Mode or Mix Play Mode. Pressing [PROG] selects Program Play Mode, while pressing [MIX] selects Mix Play Mode. While in Program Play Mode, you can press [EDIT] to access Program Edit Mode and Effects Edit Mode.

  • Page 29: Global Edit Mode

    Mix Edit Mode lets you change the parameters of an existing Mix. Up to 16 Programs can be active in each Mix, and Mix Edit mode sets up how each will be played. Mix Edit Mode allows you to: • set the output level, effects level, and pan of each Program in the Mix;...
  • Page 30 NTERFACE AGES AND ARAMETERS The key to the QSR user interface is the combination of the Display, the [VALUE] CURSOR knob and the [ QSR’s status. The [ (such as a parameter, a Sound, a page, etc.), and the [VALUE] knob lets you adjust the selection.
  • Page 31 When [EDIT] is pressed, the display enters Edit Mode (which Edit Mode you are in depends on whether you were already in Program Mode or Mix Mode). When in an Edit Mode, the display will look something like this: • Edit Mode.

  • Page 32: Midi Ch Buttons

    MIDI CH B UTTONS MIDI CH The [ Play Mode, they are used to select a MIDI channel from 1 to 16. In Program Play Mode, they are used to select the basic MIDI channel the QSR will receive and transmit MIDI messages on.
  • Page 33 OMPARING DITED AND When you edit a Program or Mix, you are actually editing a copy which is in a temporary edit buffer. Therefore, to retain the results of your edit, you must save it to a particular memory location (see the next section on Storing). If you change memory locations before saving, the buffer will be replaced and your edits lost.

  • Page 34: Storing

    TORING The [STORE] button selects Store mode. Store mode has several pages which you can scroll through by using the [ provides a different type of storage, copy or data transfer function. When storing edited Mixes or Programs into the User Bank or a RAM Card Bank, you will use the first page of Store mode (for more information about the other pages of Store mode, see Chapter 9).

  • Page 35: To Audition Programs Before Storing

    UDITION To look for available memory locations to permanently store your Program into, you can move between Program Mode and Mix Mode without losing your changes. This is because Program Mode uses a Program edit buffer, and Mix Mode uses its own Mix edit buffer along with 16 additional Program edit buffers.
  • Page 36 To audition Programs before overwriting them with STORE …when editing a Program in Mix Play Mode: ➀ While in Mix Program Edit mode, press [PROG]. This selects Program Play Mode, retaining your edits to the Program in Mix Edit. ➁ Use the BANK SELECT [DOWN] and [UP] buttons to select the User Bank.

  • Page 37: Copying Sounds Between Programs

    OPYING OUNDS Follow the steps below to copy one of the four Sound layers from one Program to another Program in the User Bank. When copying Sounds between Programs, the “new” Sound will replace the same numbered Sound in the destination Program, i.e., Sound 3 will replace Sound 3.

  • Page 38: Initializing The Program/Mix Buffers

    ➄ Press [CURSOR the lower section of the display. ➅ Turn the [VALUE] knob to select the Program Number in the User Bank you wish to copy the Effects to (000–127), or the Program. ➆ Press [STORE] to complete the copy function. NITIALIZING THE If you want to start programming from “scratch”, you can easily reset all parameters to their default settings by re-initializing the Program/Mix Buffers.
  • Page 39 Overview: Chapter 4 QSR Reference Manual...

  • Page 40: Editing Mixes

    DITING HAT IS A Mix Mode is one of the most powerful features of the QSR. Although in Program Mode you can play only one Program at a time, in Mix Mode you can play up to 16 Programs at once, either from the keyboard (as layers or splits) or from an external sequencer (via 16 MIDI channels) or a combination of both.

  • Page 41: Understanding The Edit Buffers

    Effect, etc.) If a Function Group has more than one parameter, press the [CURSOR ] button to advance the cursor in the display, and then turn the [VALUE] knob to locate a specific parameter. Each channel of a Mix may be enabled or disabled, without changing any of its parameter settings.

  • Page 42: Level Setting For Each Program

    EVEL ETTING FOR The Level function of Mix Edit is used to control several parameters that deal with the audio output of the selected channel. Parameters in the Level Function’s group include: Volume, Pan, Output, Effects Send Level, Effects Bus and Program Enable. Program Enable (On or Off) This determines whether the selected channel is enabled or disabled.

  • Page 43: Pitch

    ITCH The Pitch function lets you transpose a channel’s Program in either semitone or octave increments. Tune Octave (-2 to +2 octaves) This transposes the Program’s pitch in octave (12 semitones) steps from -2 (transposed down 2 octaves) to +2 (transposed up two octaves). Semitone (-12 to +12 semitones) This transposes the Program’s pitch in semitone steps, from -12 (transposed down one octave) to +12 (transposed up one octave).

  • Page 44: Controllers

    ONTROLLERS The Controllers function lets you turn on and off the various MIDI controllers that can effect the selected MIDI channel. The following four parameters determine whether or not specific types of MIDI information will be received or transmitted, and are set separately for each Channel in the Mix. These, however, are dependent on how each Channel has its MIDI parameters set (see page 38).

  • Page 45: Naming A Mix

    ETTING THE ANGE AND The Range function allows you to restrict each MIDI channel to a specific range of the keyboard. This is ideal for creating splits (e.g., bass in the lower octave and a half, piano in the middle three octaves, and strings in the upper octave). In order to hear anything on a particular channel, turn the MIDI In parameter on (KBD/MIDI function) set the Range so that the low note and high note values are set beyond where you want to play.

  • Page 46: Polyphony In Mix Play Mode

    OLYPHONY IN The QSR has 64-note polyphony. In Mix Play Mode, if you have all 16 MIDI channels assigned to the same keyboard range, and each channel’s Program has only one active Program Sound, you’ll have 4-note polyphony as you play the keyboard (but a really thick layer...).
  • Page 47 To turn on the Group function for a channel in a Mix: ➀ From Mix Play Mode, press [EDIT]. ➁ If necessary, use the [ line of the display. Then turn the [VALUE] knob until the Keyboard/MIDI function is displayed. ➂...

  • Page 48: 6: Editing Programs

    DITING VERVIEW Synthesizer programming is the art and science of shaping sounds in a particular way by altering the parameters of various modules. Like music itself, learning synth programming is an ongoing process. Although this manual presents information about synthesizer programming, no manual can offer a complete course in programming (at least for a price that customers would be willing to pay!).

  • Page 49: How The Qsr Generates Sound

    QSR G OW THE The QSR uses custom integrated circuits, developed by the Alesis engineering team specifically for the QSR. These resemble the types of chips used in computers and other digital devices. In fact, you can think of the QSR as a special-purpose computer designed to generate and process audio.

  • Page 50: Qsr Signal Flow

    • When you want to layer more than four voices. In Mix Play Mode, it is possible (though not advisable) to stack all 64 voices onto a single key. • When each sound is likely to be used by itself by other setups. For example, if you are programming three different keyboard splits, each of which uses the same left-hand bass patch, it makes sense to use Mix Play Mode.

  • Page 51: Voice

    OICE This digitally-based oscillator provides the actual raw sounds from the 16 megabyte library of on-board samples. The oscillator’s pitch can be tuned to a fixed frequency or modulated. Modulation is the process of varying a parameter dynamically over time; the oscillator pitch can be modulated by envelope, keyboard, pressure, pedal, LFO, and other control sources (described later).

  • Page 52: Amp

    Each voice/filter combination is followed by an amplifier whose level can be controlled by a variety of modulation sources. This allows for creating sounds with percussive or slow attacks, particular types of decays, tremolo, etc. Filter and amp settings can interact. If the filter cutoff is extremely low, then no signal will get through, no matter how the amp is set.

  • Page 53: Lfo (Low Frequency Oscillator)

    BOUT IGNAL The QSR features a signal processing section based on the Alesis QuadraVerb 2. It is a complete digital signal processing unit with four input buses, simultaneous multiple effects, and flexible signal routing. Sound Effects parameters are edited separately from either the Program or the Mix, using Effects Edit Mode (more in Chapter 6).

  • Page 54: Drum Mode

    Any one or all of the four sounds in a Program can be put into Drum Mode. The Drum Mode parameter is found in the Voice Function. Note that Drum Mode isn’t the only way to hear drums or percussion from a Program. In Keyboard mode, if you select a kit (such as “Rock Kit 1”) as the voice of a Program sound, an entire arrangement of preset, pre-mapped drum sounds will be assigned across the keyboard.

  • Page 55: Program Edit Functions

    ROGRAM To edit a Program you must select Program Edit mode. This is done by pressing the [EDIT] once from Program Play Mode (each time you press [EDIT] in Program Mode, the display cycles between Program Edit and Effects Edit Modes). When editing a Program in Program Mode, the letters “PROG EDIT”...
  • Page 56 Sound Group (17 options) Choose from among 16 different sample groups (see chart below). Sound Selects one of the available samples by name from the selected group, or OFF (no sample selected). Each group has a variety of samples from which you can choose, although some groups (such as waves) have more samples than others.
  • Page 57 WhiteNoise, Spectral, Crickets, Rain Noise, FiltrNoise, ShapeNoise, VeloNoise1, VeloNoise2, Noise VeloNoise3, NoiseLoop1, NoiseLoop2, NoiseLoop3, NoiseLoop4, NoiseLoop5 VocalAhhs, Soft Ahhs, Ahhs Wave, VocalOohs, Soft Oohs, Oohs/Ahhs, Ahhs/Oohs, Whistle, Voice Phonic Sitar, Sitar Wave, Shamisen, Koto, DulcimerHd, DulcimerMd, DulcimerSf, DulcimrVel, Ethnic DulcmrWave, MandlnTrem, Accordian, Harmonica, Banjo, Kalimba, Steel Drum, Tuned Pipe Stndrd Kit, Rock Kit 1, Rock Kit 2, Dance Kit, Brush Kit, ElctricKit, Tek Kit, Rap Kit, Street Kit, Drums MetalliKit, HvyMtliKit, VeloMtlKit, Trip Kit 1, Trip Kit 2, Trip Kit 3, Wild Kit, Octave Kit,...

  • Page 58: Level

    EVEL The Level function allows you to control the volume, pan position, output assignment and effects send level for each sound layer. With up to four sounds per program, this allows for a wide variety of stereo effects and level balances between the sounds.

  • Page 59: Pitch

    ITCH The Pitch function lets you control the pitch aspects of each sound layer. Semitone (-24 to +24 semitones) Sets the oscillator pitch in semitone steps, from -24 (transposed down two octaves) to +24 (transposed up two octaves). Detune (-99 to +99 cents) Sets the oscillator pitch in cents, from -99 (transposed down 99/100 of a semitone) to +99 (transposed up 99/100 of a semitone).
  • Page 60 Portamento (Exponential, Linear, 1 Speed) This provides the sweep’s “curve.” • With an exponential curve, the pitch change seems to happen more rapidly at first, then slows down as it approaches the ending pitch. • A linear curve produces a constant pitch change throughout the glide. •...

  • Page 61: Filter

    ILTER The Filter function lets you control the tone of each sound layer. Filter Frequency (00 to 99) This sets the filter's initial cutoff frequency. Lower values give a duller sound since this removes more harmonics; higher values let through more harmonics, which gives a brighter sound.
  • Page 62 Modulation Wheel Depth (-99 to +99) Determines how moving your controller's modulation wheel affects the filter cutoff frequency. Example: With positive settings, moving a modulation wheel up raises the filter cutoff frequency and moving it down lowers the filter cutoff frequency. With negative settings, moving the modulation wheel up lowers the filter cutoff frequency and moving it down raises the filter cutoff frequency .

  • Page 63: Amp/Range

    ANGE The Amp/Range function lets you control the velocity and keyboard range of each sound layer. Velocity Curve (13 choices) This selects how the sound will respond to the dynamics of your playing the keyboard. A LINEAR curve is the norm, whereby the increase in level is equal to the increase in velocity;...
  • Page 64 Amp LFO Depth (-99 to +99) At +00, the Amp LFO has no effect. Higher positive values increase the amount of LFO modulation. Negative values give the same apparent effect, but with reversed LFO phase (i.e., if the amplitude would normally be increasing with depth set to a positive number, the amplitude would instead be decreasing at that same moment had the depth been set to a negative number).
  • Page 65 Editing Programs: Chapter 6 Sound Overlap (00 to 99) Page 6 This determines how many voices can overlap on the same pitch. Example: If you hold the sustain pedal down and play the same note over and over, Sound Overlap determines how many voices are available for that note, and thus how many voices will overlap (play simultaneously).

  • Page 66: Pitch Envelope

    PITCH ENVELOPE The Pitch Envelope function can lead to dramatic effects, since it can cause the pitch of a single key to change drastically over time. It’s typically used in special-effect synthesizer programs, but it may also be used more subtly in an acoustic program to simulate the characteristic of some instruments to go sharp on the initial attack, especially when played hard.
  • Page 67 Delay (00 to 99, Hold) This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything; very useful if you want to affect one element of a sound sometime after the sound starts. When the Delay is set to 0, the envelope attacks right away, without any delay. Play some notes while turning up the delay and see that the time between playing the note and hearing the effect of the Pitch Envelope gets progressively longer as the Delay control is turned up.
  • Page 68 Sustain Pedal (On or Off) This determines whether or not a Sustain Pedal will have an effect on the envelope. When turned on, holding down the Sustain Pedal while playing short notes is virtually the equivalent to holding down those notes on the keyboard with some subtle but important differences.

  • Page 69: Filter Envelope

    ILTER NVELOPE The Filter Envelope function is crucial whenever you want the tonal quality of a note to change over time, differently from its overall level. Example: When you want the initial attack of a note to be bright, but want the sustaining part to be filtered. ✪...
  • Page 70 Delay (00 to 99) This is the amount of time that the envelope will wait before doing anything; very useful if you want to affect one element of a sound sometime after the sound starts. When the Delay is set to 0, the envelope attacks right away, without any delay. Play some notes while turning up the delay and see that the time between playing the note and hearing the effect of the Filter Envelope gets progressively longer as the Delay control is turned up.

  • Page 71: Amp Envelope

    subtle but important differences. If the Delay and Attack are set to 0 and either the Decay is 0 or the Sustain is 99, the envelope will immediately jump to the release stage (if not already there) when the note is released and the sustain pedal is held down.
  • Page 72 the Sustain Decay control (see below), the envelope will either hold at the sustain level until you release the note on the keyboard, or decay to 0 at the Sustain Decay rate (which is on page 2 of the envelope). You can create a long "plateau" at the start of a note by setting the Sustain to 98 and the Decay to 99.

  • Page 73: Name

    If a sound layer’s Keyboard Mode parameter (found in the Pitch Function, Page 10,) is set to “Mono”, the Amp Envelope will only retrigger when playing legato if the Trigger Mode is set to either “Reset” or “Reset-Freerun”. Time Tracking (On or Off) This determines whether or not keyboard position will affect the cycle speed of the envelope.

  • Page 74: Mod 1 - Mod 6

    1 – M About General Purpose Modulation Although there are several dedicated modulators in the QSR (e.g., the pitch can always be modulated by the pitch LFO and Pitch Envelope), sophisticated synthesizer programming demands the ability to use as many modulation sources as possible to modulate as many modulation destinations as desired.
  • Page 75 • Aftertouch Pressing on the keys after they’re down generates this control signal. Aftertouch is also called channel pressure, and represents an average of all keys being pressed. This affects any keys that are held down. The harder you press on the keys, the greater the degree of modulation.
  • Page 76 • Controllers (A, B, C, D) Four incoming MIDI controllers can be recognized by the QSR and used as modulation sources. These controllers are assigned as A–D in Global Mode (see Chapter 8). • Tracking Generator This accepts the output of a signal processed by the Tracking Generator module (see page 81).

  • Page 77: Pitch Lfo

    ITCH The Pitch LFO function is most often used to apply vibrato to a sound. ✪ The following Pitch LFO variables will make a difference in the sound only if the PITCH LFO DEPTH (on Page 6 of the PITCH function) is set to a value other than 0, or, if the Pitch LFO is a source in the MOD function.
  • Page 78 Trigger (Mono, Poly, Key Mono, or Key Poly) The Trigger parameter determines how the LFO should be triggered, or started. There are four possible settings: Mono, Poly, Key Mono and Key Poly. When playing multiple voices in a single sound, each voice has its own LFO. However, the LFO Trigger parameter determines whether or not they should be in sync, and whether or not they can be retriggered independent from one another.

  • Page 79: Filter Lfo

    Aftertouch Depth (-99 to 99) This is the modulation amount of Aftertouch over the Pitch LFO’s Level. A positive value raises the level as more Aftertouch is applied. A negative value will lower the amount of Pitch LFO level as more Aftertouch is applied. ILTER The Filter LFO function is most often used to apply tremolo-like or "wah-wah"...

  • Page 80: Amp Lfo

    Mod Wheel Depth (-99 to 99) This parameter sets how much the Mod Wheel will increase or decrease the Filter LFO’s Level. A positive value raises the level when the Mod Wheel is moved up, and lowers the level when moved down. Negative settings of this parameter will decrease the output level of the Filter LFO as the Mod Wheel is raised.

  • Page 81: Tracking Generator

    Level (00 to 99) This is the base output level of the Amp LFO. If you want to have a constant value of tremolo, even without using the Mod Wheel or Aftertouch, set Level above 00. The Mod Wheel and Aftertouch will add or subtract from this base level. Example: If Level is set to 10 and the Mod Wheel parameter is set to 10, there will always be some tremolo, and raising the Mod Wheel will add more tremolo.

  • Page 82: Qsr Reference Manual

    destination is set to “Pitch” and the Tracking Generator’s input is an LFO using an “Up Sawtooth” as its waveform. POINTS: 0 POINTS: 0 POINTS: 0 TIP: The Tracking Generator can be used to turn a variable control, such as the Mod Wheel or velocity, into a switch by setting all of the points to 0 except for point 10.

  • Page 83: Programming Drum Sounds

    ROGRAMMING To program a sound in Drum Mode, you must first set the Sound Type to “Drum” for that particular sound in the Voice Function, page 2 (see previous section). When editing a Sound in Drum Mode, check the upper-middle section of the display (S1Då...

  • Page 84: Level

    Bird Tweet, Bird Chirp, Bird Loop, Fret Noise, Fret Wipe, Orch Hit, Dance Hit, Jungle 1, Snd FX Jungle 2, Applause, GoatsNails, Brook, Hi Bow, Low Bow, ShapeNzHi, ShapeNzMid, ShapeNzLow, ScrtchPull, ScrtchPush, ScrtchLoop, ScrtchPlLp, ScrtcPshLp, RezAttkHi, RezAttkMid, RezAttkLow, RezZipHi, RezZipMid, RezZipLow, Zap 1 Hi, Zap 1 Mid, Zap 1 Low, Zap 2 Hi, Zap 2 Mid, Zap 2 Low, Zap 3 Hi, Zap 3 Mid, Zap 3 Low, FltrNzLoop, Romscrape, Rain, Telephone, Sci Loop 1, Sci Loop 2, Sci Loop 3, Bit Field1, Bit Field2, Bit Field3, Bit Field4, Bit Field5, Bit Field6, WavLoop1.0, WavLoop1.1, WavLoop1.2,...

  • Page 85: Filter

    Selects how much velocity will affect the selected drum’s tuning (0-7). When this value is set to 7, the drum will be played sharp when the associated note is played hard; when played soft, the drum’s tuning will be unaltered. ILTER Velocity>Filter (0 to 3) The Filter function lets you control the “brightness”...
  • Page 86 Editing Programs: Chapter 6 Page 1 in the Amp Envelope Function lets you adjust the Decay time of the selected drum (00 to 99, Gate00 to Gate99). If this is set to 0, only the very beginning of the drum sample is played; setting this to 99 will cause the entire drum sample to play. When set above 99, the Decay uses a gated mode.

  • Page 87: Copying Sounds

    Mute Group (Off, 1, 2, or 3) This is an important feature when using multiple sounds of the same instrument. Mute Groups allow multiple drums to share a single voice. For example, if you have assigned a Closed Hat and an Open Hat to two different notes, playing either note should cut-off the other (if it had recently been played).

  • Page 88: Copying Effects

    OPYING FFECTS While editing a Program, it is helpful to be able to copy the Effects Patch from a different Program. This can be done very easily from within the Store function. ✪ Be sure to save your changes to the current edited Program before going to a new Program. Otherwise, all your changes will be lost.

  • Page 89: About Signal Processing

    BOUT IGNAL The built-in effects processor of the QSR is similar to that of the Alesis QuadraVerb 2, capable of generating multiple, fully digital effects simultaneously. The QSR effects processor has four inputs, called effect sends. You might think of these as the typical post-fader sends found on a mixing console.
  • Page 90 ELECTING AN FFECTS Each Program has its own Effects Patch that is recalled when you select a Program in Program Mode. However, since a Mix can have up to 16 Programs (one on each Channel), you need to select which Channel’s Program you wish to use the Effects Patch from.

  • Page 91: Clip

    Effects Patch. So keep in mind that when you edit an Effects Patch, it may affect the sound of any other Mixes that also use it. If the input to the effects becomes overloaded, the “!” symbol will temporarily appear in the upper display (directly after the Mix/Program name) when in either Mix Play or Program Play Modes.
  • Page 92 Editing Effects: Chapter 7 “(NOT IN CONFIG).” This is because a Pitch module is available on sends 1, 2 and 3 in Configuration #1, but not on send 4—as you can see in the chart on page 92. QSR Reference Manual...
  • Page 93 TORING FFECT Effects are an extension of a Program. So, when you store a Program, you store its Effects Patch along with it. Once a Program’s Effect Patch has been altered, the display will show the word “EDITED” next to the Program/Mix Mode indicator in the lower-left corner of the display (if in Program Mode, the display will read “PROG EDITED”...

  • Page 94: Configurations

    ONFIGURATIONS A Configuration is essentially the starting point of any Effects Patch. You must select the Configuration you are going to use before making any other edits, since all routings and parameters change to their default settings each time you change the configuration.
  • Page 95 ONFIGURATION AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT FX SEND 1 PITCH 1 PITCH 1 FX SEND 2 PITCH 2 PITCH 2 FX SEND 3 PITCH 3 PITCH 3 FX SEND 4 Pitch 1 Delay 1 Mono chorus Mono delay Stereo chorus Stereo delay Mono flange...
  • Page 96 Editing Effects: Chapter 7 Think of the diagram as a “road map” showing all possible paths from the starting points (FX SEND 1 through 4) to the ultimate destinations (LEFT and RIGHT outputs at the top of the page). The dotted lines indicate the divisions between different functional blocks, and the solid lines indicate signal paths between the blocks and controls.
  • Page 97 ONFIGURATION AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT FX SEND 1 DELAY DELAY 1 FX SEND 2 FX SEND 3 FX SEND 4 Delay 1 Pitch 1 Mono delay Mono chorus Stereo chorus Pitch 3 Mono chorus This Configuration differs from Configuration #1 in many ways. In this Configuration, there is only one Delay effect, two Pitch effects and two Reverb effects.
  • Page 98 ONFIGURATION AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT FX SEND 1 LEZLIE PITCH 1 FX SEND 2 PITCH 2 PITCH 2 FX SEND 3 PITCH 3 PITCH 3 FX SEND 4 Pitch 1 Delay 1 Lezlie Mono delay Pitch 2 Delay 2 Mono chorus Mono delay...
  • Page 99 ONFIGURATION AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT FX SEND 1 PITCH 1 PITCH 1 FX SEND 2 PITCH 2 PITCH 2 Pitch 1 Delay 1 Mono chorus Mono delay Stereo chorus Stereo delay Mono flange Ping-Pong delay Stereo flange Pitch detune Resonator Pitch 2...
  • Page 100 ONFIGURATION AUX LEFT AUX RIGHT MAIN LEFT MAIN RIGHT BAL. FX SEND 1 PITCH 1 OVERDRIVE MISC. 1 PITCH 1 FX SEND 2 FX SEND 3 FX SEND 4 Pitch 1 Delay 1 Mono chorus Mono delay Mono flange Stereo delay Resonator Ping-Pong delay This is an “all-for-one”...

  • Page 101: Mod

    The shelving EQ is only available in Configuration #s 4 and 5. It provides bass and treble boost, and effects the entire Main Output (not just the Effects Sends). Four EQ parameters are included: Low Frequency (range: 30Hz to 180Hz), Low Frequency Gain (0dB to +12dB), High Frequency (3kHz to 10kHz), High Frequency Boost (0dB to +9dB).
  • Page 102 Mod Source The Mod Source parameter selects the MIDI controller which will remotely cause a change (modulate) in one or two of the parameters in the effects processor. Nearly every MIDI controller can become a Mod Source (using controllers A-D, set in Global mode, page 3), with the most common controllers appearing as a direct option in the display.

  • Page 103: Lezlie

    EZLIE The Lezlie function is only available in Configuration #s 3 and 5. The Lezlie parameters found in Configuration 3 include: Motor (on/off), Speed (fast/slow), and Horn Level (-6 to +6 db). In addition to these, the Lezlie found in Configuration #6 also provides 3 additional parameters: Input 1, Input 2 and Input 1 &...
  • Page 104 ITCH The Pitch function is used to edit Pitch parameters. Pitch Type The Pitch Type function allows access to 6 pitch altering modes. The Pitch types available are: Mono Chorus, Stereo Chorus, Mono Flange, Stereo Flange, Pitch Detune and Resonator. Although some of these effects can sound similar to one another depending on the parameter settings, each is achieved differently and can be quite dramatic under the right circumstances.
  • Page 105 Stereo Chorus. In the case of a Stereo Chorus, the signal is split into three parts with a dry signal and a separate Detuning section for both left and right channels. When the left channel is detuned sharp, the right is detuned flat, and vice versa. Once again, this causes the effect to become more pronounced and dramatic.
  • Page 106 Stereo Flange. In the case of the Stereo Flange, the signal is split into three parts with a dry signal and a separate Delay section for both left and right channels with one channel flanging up while the other channel flanges down. Once again, this causes the effect to become more pronounced and dramatic.
  • Page 107 If the Pitch type is Mono Chorus, Stereo Chorus, Mono Flange or Stereo Flange, page 2 through 5 of the Pitch function contain the following four parameters: Waveform Shape (Sine or Square) This determines the LFO’s waveform shape. This parameter only appears when the Mono or Stereo Chorus or Flange are selected.

  • Page 108: Delay

    ELAY The Delay function is used to edit Delay parameters. The QSR’s effects processor has three different Delay types available. Note: Some Configurations only feature a mono Delay, and therefore the Delay Type parameter will be unavailable. Instead the parameters normally found on page 2 of the Delay function are shown in page 1, and there are no other pages (please refer to next section for a description of those parameters).

  • Page 109: Reverb

    EVERB Reverb can be thought of as a great number of distinct echoes, called reflections, that occur so fast that our ear hears them blurred together as one. In nature, different sized spaces give distinctly different sounding reverbs, depending on the size and shape of the space, and the texture of surfaces that the reflections bounce off of.
  • Page 110 Chorus Input Level (00 to 99) If Configuration #2 is selected (refer to block diagram of Configuration #2, earlier in this chapter), the first page of the Reverb function will look like this: The Configuration has two Reverbs, one on send 1 (which send 2 can share), the other on send 3 (which send 4 can share).

  • Page 111: Reverb Parameters

    Editing Effects: Chapter 7 EVERB ARAMETERS Use the [CURSOR ] button to move the cursor to the lower line of the display, and turn the [VALUE] knob to advance the display through the remaining pages of the Reverb function. However, you must have the correct effect send selected (1–4) in order to get at the Reverb parameters (in Config.
  • Page 112 Pre-Delay Mix (<99 to <0> to 99>) This allows you to mix the amount of Pre-Delay into the Reverb signal path. This gives you the ability to hear a bit of the Reverb before the loudest part of the Reverb (the Pre-Delayed Reverb) sounds.

  • Page 113: Overdrive

    VERDRIVE The Overdrive effect provides four parameters spread across four editing pages. It is only used in Configuration #5. Overdrive Type (Hard or Soft) This selects one of two Overdrive Types: Soft and Hard. The Soft Overdrive has less gain and provides slightly less distortion than the Hard Overdrive. Also, there will still be a slight bit of distortion when using the Soft setting, if the signal feeding the Overdrive effect is below the Overdrive Threshold setting (see below).

  • Page 114: Mix

    Not to be confused with an actual Mix or Mix mode, the Effect’s Mix function is where you can mix the various signal levels of all the effects to the Main Left and Right outputs of the QSR. Only effect modules that have access to the Main outputs will appear on the Mix page.
  • Page 115 Editing Effects: Chapter 7 QSR Reference Manual...

  • Page 116: Global Settings

    LOBAL Global Edit Mode is where you will find several parameters which affect the entire instrument, such as overall master tuning, controller settings, and keyboard mode. DITING LOBAL To select Global Edit Mode, follow these steps: ➀ Press the [EDIT SELECT] button. ➁...

  • Page 117: Enabling General Midi Mode Via Midi

    Chapter 8: Global Settings NABLING ENERAL The QSR will respond to a universal MIDI Sysex message to turn General MIDI mode on or off. Some (but not all) General MIDI sequences will have a Sysex message at the beginning (bar 1) which tells the receiving device to go into its General MIDI mode.

  • Page 118: Midi Program Select

    Global Settings: Chapter 8 MIDI P ROGRAM ELECT Page 10 Page 14 of Global Edit mode lets you determine the MIDI Program Select Mode (Off, On, Channel 1 – 16). When this is set to “Off”, the QSR will not respond to incoming MIDI Program Change messages, nor will it transmit Program Changes.

  • Page 119: Input/Output Mode

    Chapter 8: Global Settings If the MIDI Program Select parameter is “On” and a new Bank is selected using the BANK SELECT [DOWN] and [UP] buttons, a Bank Change message (followed by the appropriate Program Change message) will be transmitted out the MIDI [OUTPUT] connector.

  • Page 120: Midi Out

    MIDI O The MIDI Out Mode determines whether the MIDI [OUTPUT] connector will transmit MIDI information originating from the QSR (when set to “OUT”), or will “echo” MIDI information that is received at the MIDI [INPUT] connector (when set to “THRU”).

  • Page 121: Clock

    Chapter 8: Global Settings LOCK The Clock function, found on Page 14 of Global Edit Mode, determines the sample clock rate the QSR will use. Normally the QSR uses its own internal clock to determine the actual number of samples per second. Remember, the sounds in the QSR are based on digital recordings.

  • Page 122: Midi Transfer And Storage Operations

    [A] on the QSR. Depending on the amount of RAM a particular card has, up to 8 complete banks can be stored onto it. ➀ Insert a card into Sound Card slot A on the front of the QSR. Alesis recommends that you use card slot A for all RAM card storage operations. ➁...

  • Page 123: Loading A Bank From An External Card

    Mixes or Programs onto it until you store an entire QSR Bank onto it first. ➀ Insert a card into Sound Card slot A on the front of the QSR. Alesis recommends that you use card slot A for all RAM card storage operations. ➁...
  • Page 124 MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 User Bank in the QSR, and then save them back onto the card in order to re-format the card using the new format. QSR Reference Manual...

  • Page 125: Card Storage

    Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations OADING AN NDIVIDUAL You can load a single Mix or Program from a Sound Card into the User Bank, instead of having to load the entire Bank from the Sound Card. To do this, select the Mix or Program in the Sound Card Bank that you wish to copy, then use the Store Function (as described above) to designate a location you wish to store to in the User Bank.
  • Page 126 MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations: Chapter 9 storing some Programs from a RAM Card into one of the internal Banks. Although this is very limiting, it makes things much simpler in the long run. QSR Reference Manual...

  • Page 127: Saving Programs Via Midi Sys Ex

    Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations AVING ROGRAMS VIA As an alternative to storing data to a card, the QSR lets you transmit internal data via MIDI System Exclusive messages. This data can be sent to a storage device, or recorded into a MIDI sequencer, or sent to another QSR or S4.
  • Page 128 To send a single Program via MIDI to a different Program number: ➀ ➀ Follow steps through ➁ Press [CURSOR ➂ Use the [VALUE] knob to select a Program number to send the Program to. ➃ Press [STORE] to transmit the data out the MIDI Out connector. The procedure is similar for sending Mixes.
  • Page 129 Chapter 9: MIDI Transfer and Storage Operations QSR Reference...

  • Page 130: Troubleshooting

    ROUBLE ROUBLE HOOTING If you are experience problems while operating the QSR, please use the following table to locate possible causes and solutions before contacting Alesis customer service for assistance. Symptom The display does not light when the ON/OFF switch is turned on.

  • Page 131: Maintenance & Service

    Tape a note to the top of the unit describing the problem, include your name and a phone number where Alesis can contact you if necessary, as well as instructions on where you want the product returned. Alesis will pay for standard one-way shipping back to you on any repair covered under the terms of this warranty.
  • Page 132 Los Angeles, CA 90016 Customers outside the USA: Contact your local Alesis dealer for warranty assistance. The Alesis Limited Warranty applies only to products sold to users in the USA and Canada. Customers outside of the USA and Canada are not covered by this Limited Warranty and may or may not be covered by an independent distributor warranty in the country of sale.

  • Page 134: Appendix B: Midi Supplement

    MIDI S MIDI B ASICS Most current electronic instruments and signal processors, including the QSR, contain an internal computer. Computers and music have been working together for decades, which is not surprising considering music’s mathematical basis (consider frequencies, harmonics, vibrato rates, tunings, etc.). In the mid-70s, microcomputers became inexpensive enough to be built into consumer-priced musical instruments.
  • Page 135 MIDI M ESSAGE The are two main types of MIDI messages. Channel messages, which are channel- specific, consist of Voice and Mode messages. System messages, which do not have a channel number and are received by all units in a system, include Common, Real Time, and Exclusive messages.
  • Page 136 Each type of controller is stamped with its own controller identification number. Not all controller numbers have been standardized for specific functions, but the following indicates the current list of assigned controllers. Numbers in parenthesis indicate the controller range. Function Modulation Wheel (0-127) Breath Controller (0-127) Early DX7 Aftertouch (0-127)

  • Page 137: System Common Messages

    MIDI which is intended only for that manufacturer’s equipment. Example: Sending a QSR message to an Alesis D4 Drum Module won’t do anything, but the message will be understood by other QSR. This data often contains information about individual instrument programs.
  • Page 138 (Portions of this appendix are abridged versions of material from Power Sequencing with Master Tracks Pro/Pro 4 and The Complete Guide to the Alesis HR-16 and MMT-8, copyright 1990 and 1989 respectively by AMSCO Publications, and is adapted with permission.)

  • Page 139: Midi Implementation Chart

    MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART Function Basic Default Channel Changed Default Mode 3 Mode Messages * * * * * * * * Altered Note Number True Voice Velocity Note On Note Off After Key’s Touch Ch’s Pitch Bender 0 — 120 X Control Change Prog...

  • Page 140: Index

    ARAMETERS ROGRAM Parameter Aftertouch Depth: Amp Aftertouch Depth: ALFO Aftertouch Depth: Filter Aftertouch Depth: FLFO Aftertouch Depth: Pitch Aftertouch Depth: PLFO Amp ENV Level Amp ENV Trigger Amp LFO Delay Amp LFO Depth Amp LFO Level Amp LFO Mod. Wheel Depth Amp LFO Speed Amp LFO Trigger Amp LFO Waveform...
  • Page 141 Parameter Modulation: Gate Mode Modulation Level Modulation: Quantize Mode Modulation Source Name (Program) Output Pitch ENV Depth Pitch ENV Level Pitch ENV Trigger Pitch ENV Velocity Depth Pitch LFO Delay Pitch LFO Depth Pitch LFO Level Pitch LFO Mod. Wheel Level Pitch LFO Speed Pitch LFO Trigger Pitch LFO Waveform...

  • Page 142: Mix Edit Parameters

    Parameter Velocity Curve/Crossfade Sound Group Sound Name Sound Volume ARAMETERS Parameter Aftertouch Controllers A–D Effect Channel Effect MIDI Keyboard MIDI In MIDI Out Name Pitchbend and Mod Wheels Program Effect Bus Program Effect Level Program Enable Program Output Program Pan Program Volume Range Lower limit Range Upper Limit...
  • Page 143 Index Aftertouch 15 Amp 62 Filter 60 Pitch 58 Compare 29, 34 Computer 23, 117 Controllers 115 Copy Sound 85 Effects 85 Demo 11 Direct Select 33 Digital Output 25 Display 30 Drum Mode 53 Edit buffer 34, 40 Effects Edit 29, 89 Clip 88 Configuration 91, 92-97 EQ 98...

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