Alesis SR-16 Quick Start Manual
Contents
1. Getting Started with the playing and creating ePatterns Songs Drum Kits preliminary guide to 1 Open this first to start playing immediately 16 BIT STEREO DRUM MACHINE A preliminary guide 1990 Alesis Corporation GETTING STARTED WITH THE SR 16 The SR 16 can be used on many levels from simply playing preset Patterns to creating your own complex polyrhythms in odd time signatures As a result there are two manuals This mini manual will acquaint you with a few of the SR 16 s most important functions Many musicians will only need to know as much about the SR 16 as is presented in this manual The Reference Manual is a complete self teaching course that explains every aspect of the SR 16 Please read the reference manual at some point to understand just how much power there is in this deceptively simple looking little box First here are a few basic facts about the SR 16 BUTTONS AND WINDOWS The Up Down arrow buttons to the right of the 0 and 5 number buttons increase or decrease values respectively Press only one button at a time The display has several windows that inform you of the SR 16 s status If the instructions mention that a particular word should or should not show up in a particular window check the window to see which is the case before proceeding WHAT THE THREE MODE BUTTONS DO There are three mode buttons that select basic operational modes These buttons toggle between the two op2. Patterns Suppose an A Pattern is playing If you press the FILL button a fill will start but this time keep the FILL button held down until after the fill has finished playing This cancels the transition to the alternate pattern in this example the A pattern would continue playing Create and Erase a Song The SR 16 can remember the order in which you selected Patterns which variations were selected and when you selected fills Recording this information in the SR 16 s Song mode creates a complete Song Begin with the SR 16 stopped 3 Press the PERFORM 1 Select Song mode COMPOSE button until the display s 2 The display upper left should say EMPTY lower middie shows SONG If not press the Up or Down buttons Saunas es til is selected play wi w ALAN empty song 1 selected STEP 01 and the contents of the step 4 Choose a Pattern for Song step 1 by entering a NE red Pattern number and A or B variation This step can END to indicate that be a Fill if you press Fill along with A or B User the song is empty Patterns should not be selected for now If User appears next to the Pattern number you entered in the upper left window press PRESET USER to select Presets 5 Press PLAY The Pattern specified in step 4 above will start playing 6 Choose Patterns A and B variations and Fills as described in the previous pages Each selection will be remembered as another Song st
3. derive a tempo the display will update the tempo with each tap Tapping the STOP button accomplishes the same result as tapping the Count A B Fill footswitch Start a Song or Pattern When the SR 16 is stopped pressing the Start Stop footswitch is equivalent to pressing PLAY When the SR 16 is running pressing the Start Stop footswitch is equivalent to pressing STOP Initiate a Fill When Playing Patterns In Perform mode the Count A B Fill footswitch duplicates the FILL button function when playing Patterns Cancel a Transition From A to B or B to A Patterns When you initiate a Fill an A Pattern will transition to a B pattern or vice versa when the Fill has finished playing However you can cancel this transition if desired We ve already explained how to do this with the front panel FILL button However you can also use the Count A B Fill footswitch If you press the footswitch before the fill has finished playing and hold it down until after the fill has played i e past the downbeat of the next Pattern the SR 16 will return to the original MainA or B Pattern Extend a Song Step When Playing Back a Song In Song Perform mode i e during song playback pressing and holding the Count A B Fill footswitch until past the end of a Song Step will cause that step to repeat This is great if the soloist wants to take a few more bars Record a Pattern The SR 16 offers very flexible and musical recording options This just give
4. e same manner to slow down the tempo Playing Sequences of Patterns Each Pattern number Preset and User includes A and B sub Patterns The Preset A and B variations complement each other For example in a Rock Pattern A could play the verse and B the chorus In fact you may construct many songs just by switching back and forth between the A and B variations You re not limited to using A and B variations of a particular Pattern number you can also call up other Pattern numbers and their A and B variations which will play as soon as the current Pattern has played through 1 Begin by selecting a Pattern and pressing 2 If an A Pattern is playing press PLAY as described on the previous page the B button or press A if a B The upper right window shows the Pattern is playing selected Pattern number and whether the The alternate Pattern will begin A or B variation is selected The display s playing as soon as the currently upper left line normally counts each beat selected Pattern reaches its end of the selected Pattern as it plays Until that happens the display will show the name of the Pattern ou selected e g NEXT 3 Experiment with switching PATTOIB After an alternate ee the AaB Pattern kicks in the display s variations Listen to how upper right window will show the patterns sound and the Pattern number and whether Care ad ine ceplay it is the A or B variation keeps you informed of what s happeni
5. ep and the SR 16 will also 8 To hear your Song press remember the exact PERFORM COMPOSE instant you selected a Fill to select Perform mode If you don t specify a new Then press PLAY Pattern every time a pattern repeats it will add 9 i you like the Song great a new song step The SR 16 will remember it Entering the Song number 7 When you ve finished creating in Song and Perform mode the Song press STOP will call up the Song 10 To erase the Song you must have the Song selected The SR 16 should be stopped and in Perform mode Press ERASE and while holding it down press PLAY The Song will be erased Footswitch Control Now that we have the basics down let s investigate some live performance options using footswitch control This is particularly useful if you re playing along with Patterns and Songs on the pads and can t use your hands to punch buttons As shown under Hook It Up there are two jacks for footswitches Start Stop and Count A B Fill Always plug these footswitches in before turning on power Either normally open or normally closed types the two most common footswitch types can be used the SR 16 determines which kind is in use during power up Here s how to use the footswitches Set Tempo The SR 16 must be stopped Before playing a Song or Pattern tap the Count A B Fill jack footswitch several times at the desired tempo The SR 16 will average the time between taps and
6. here you can assign the panning for each pad Tap a pad then use the UP DOWN buttons to select the pan position as shown on the display 5 ina manner similar to step 4 press the TEMPO PAGE UP button to choose Page 5 where you can assign the tuning for each pad Tap a pad then use the UP DOWN or number buttons to select the tuning as shown on the display 6 To save the new Drum Set parameters press the TEMPO PAGE UP button three times to choose Page 8 where you can save the drum set parameters you ve selected If you had selected a Preset Drum Set your changes will be saved in the like numbered User Drum Set or enter a different number Press PLAY to save or DRUM SET to back out 7 if you pressed PLAY press DRUM SET to return to normal operation Use the SR 16 as an Expander Module Note This tutorial requires some knowledge of MIDI See the MIDI supplement in the reference manual if you need to know more about MIDI Those with electronic drum pads or a sequencer can use the SR 16 as a tone module where different drums will sound in response to different MIDI notes received at the SR 16 s MIDI in You must run a MIDI cable from the sequencer or electronic drum set s MIDI out to the SR 16 s MIDI in The SR 16 has a special expander module mode that assigns a specific MIDI note to each pad of a set of 10 User Drum Sets The chart in section 6 9 of the reference manual shows which MIDI note triggers which pad
7. in position 5 Tap the pads to hear drum sounds as you to step 6 Check Out Some Patterns The SR 16 has a library of preset patterns for all kinds of music rock blues reggae fusion R amp B rap country even polka Many musicians will find the grooves they need here and will not have to worry about programming their own programs until they become more familiar with the SR 16 1 Ifthe display s upper right window shows Song Press the PATTERN SONG button once to select Pattern mode Pressing this button toggles between Song and Pattern modes 2 if the display s upper right window shows USER press the PRESET USER button to select Preset Patterns These are selected if the display s upper right window does not show USER and the display s upper left shows a pattern name Rock 1 Blues etc ROCKIN 1 er PEER ES TEE 3 Press the UP DOWN arrow buttons to select a Pattern You can also enter a pattern number 00 49 with the Number buttons Single digit Patterns require a leading zero e g 01 02 03 etc 4 Press PLAY to start a pattern STOP to stop it When a Pattern reaches 5 Speed up the tempo by pressing the its end it will loop back TEMPO UP arrow button to the beginning and press once to speed up by one BPM press play again unless you and hold to speed up rapidly Use the stop it or choose another TEMPO DOWN arrow button pattern described later in th
8. k up again Create a Drum Set This is an example of a function with multiple pages The SR 16 has 50 Preset and 50 editable User Drum Sets groups of sounds which can be assigned to any of the 100 Patterns After pressing the DRUM SET button each press of the TEMPO PAGE UP button selects a different kind of parameter drum sound tuning volume etc Tap the pad to be edited then enter the new parameter value with the UP DOWN arrow or number buttons To edit more pads tap another pad and enter a new value After editing the pad s press the TEMPO PAGE UP button to access the next type of parameter The SR 16 should be stopped 1 Press DRUM SET Select a number from 00 49 with the number buttons and Preset or User with the PRESET USER button Preset Drum Sets can only be saved to User locations 2 Press the TEMPO PAGE UP button to choose Page 2 see display lower right where you can assign different drum sounds to different pads Press the pad to be assigned then use the Up Down or number buttons to select one of the available sounds a 3 digit number don t forget leading zeroes if necessary 3 In a manner similar to step 2 press the TEMPO PAGE UP button to choose Page 3 where you can assign different levels for each pad Tap a pad then use the UP DOWN or number buttons to select the level as shown on the display 4 ina manner similar to step 3 press the TEMPO PAGE UP button to choose Page 4 w
9. ng 4 You can call up a different Pattern number if desired Press the UP DOWN arrow buttons to select a Pattern or enter a Pattern number 00 49 with the number buttons Single digit Patterns require a leading zero e g 01 02 03 etc 5 The new Pattern will play the same variation A or B as what s already selected To choose a different variation press A or B before the current Pattern has finished playing Fun With Fills Each A and B variation also includes associated Fill Patterns which can play expressive transitions between the A and B variations You can push a button to have a Fill take over from its associated main Pattern and transition to the alternate Pattern 3 Press the FILL button again A different fill will transition from the B pattern back into the A pattern You can select a fill at any time the main pattern is playing 2 Press and release the FILL button while the main A Pattern is playing preferably somewhere around beat 4 or so You ll hear a tasty drum fill that leads right into the associated B pattern as confirmed by the display 1 Begin by selecting an A Pattern then pressing PLAY as described previously The upper right window shows the selected Pattern number and should confirm that the A variation is selected The display s upper left line counts each beat of the selected Pattern as it plays 4 Fills do not always have to be transitional
10. of which Drum Set Assign sounds to each pad of these drum sets as described in the previous page The SR 16 should be stopped T Press MIDI SETUP Use the UP DOWN buttons to select Omni mode or a specific MIDI channel for Poly mode 2 Press the TEMPO PAGE UP button to choose Page 2 see display lower right Press the UP arrow button so that Drum In is on i e the SR 16 receives MIDI note data 3 Ina manner similar to step 2 press the TEMPO PAGE UP BUTTON three times to choose Page 5 Press the Down Arrow button so that the Clock In is Off i e the SR 16 ignores MIDI synchronization data 4 in a manner similar to step 3 press the TEMPO PAGE UP BUTTON three times to choose Page 8 Press the Down Arrow button so that the Prg Chng is Off e the SR 16 ignores MIDI program change data 5 Ina manner similar to step 4 press the TEMPO PAGE UP BUTTON to choose Page 9 Press the Up Arrow button so that the Note Map shows D00 09 D10 19 etc 6 The SR 16 is now set up as an expander module Press MIDI SETUP again to exit MIDI setup mode and return to normal operation 12
11. s a taste of what s available be sure to check out the reference manual for more information 1 if the display s upper right window shows SONG 3 Push the PERFORM press the PATTERN SONG button COMPOSE button once to select Pattern mode Pressing this button until the display s lower toggles between Song and Pattern modes middle shows COMPOSE 2 ifthe display s upper right window does not show USER press the PRESET USER butto to select User Patterns Unlike Preset Patterns you can record into and edit User Patterns 4 Press the Up Down arrow buttons until you find an EMPTY PATTern as shown on the display You can also enter a Pattern number 00 49 with the Number buttons and or select an Aor B Pattern 5 Press PLAY to start recording You will probably hear a metronome click When a Pattern reaches its end it will loop back to the beginning so you can do overdubs 6 Play the pads 7 u you make a mistake press and The SR 16 will shift your playing to the hold down the ERASE button nearest rhythmic value shown in the If you press a pad while holding lower left corner of the quantize down ERASE any notes played window Refer to the main manual for by that pad that occur between information on changing quantization the time you press and release the pad will be erased 8 Don t forget that you can play difficult passages by slowing down the tempo playing the part then speeding bac
12. tions press for one option press again for the other option PRESET USER This selects between two banks of drum sets and rhythm Patterns Preset and User Preset drum sets and rhythm Patterns are permanently etched into the SR 16 s little silicon brain and cannot be altered User drum sets and rhythm Patterns can be programmed erased and otherwise edited by the user PATTERN SONG In Pattern Mode you can play back and with User Patterns record individual rhythm Patterns These are usually fairly short say 4 to 16 beats and form the basic elements of a Song In Song mode you create a playlist of Patterns which plays various Patterns in the desired order PERFORM COMPOSE In the case of either Pattern or Song mode Perform mode is designed for playback and Compose for recording DON T PANIC If you re stuck in a situation and you don t know how to get out of it press the STOP button Hook It Up As you hook up the SR 16 the volume control on your power amp and the SR 16 should be all the way down and power to both units should be off 3 Plug the AC adapter cord into the 9V AC jack and 1 Plug 1 4 mono the adapter itself into a cords from the convenient wall socket 2 If you have a couple of main outputs to a footswitches plug stereo amp For them into the mono amps use Start Stop and either main output Count A B Fill jacks 4 Press the on off switch so that the switch latches in the
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