Velocity-sensitive Preview button. Audition sounds at the D4 itself, so you dont have to go back and forth between a controller and the D4 when making drum kit assignments or checking out sounds. Headphone jack. This is excellent for practicing, or for creating drum kits while other activity is taking place in the studio. Hi hat pedal footswitch. This lets you incorporate a footswitch to create very realistic hi hat effects. Note chasing. You can select a note for editing or previewing based on the most recently received MIDI note or trigger input. Drum sound editing. Vary tuning, mix, and panning, as well as assign drums to groups for special effects (such as hi-hat sounds that cut each other off, or cymbals that restrike).
1.1 RETURN YOUR WARRANTY CARD NOW!
Your warranty will be in effect and you will receive product update information only if you send in your warranty card.
1.2 HOOKUP/INSTANT GRATIFICATION
This section describes how to hook up the D4, select Drum Sets, and audition different drum sounds. For more detail on these and other operations, refer to Chapters 2-5.

MIDI THRU/OUT Jack

Main Output Jacks

Footswitch Jack

MIDI IN Jack

Trigger Jacks

Aux Output Jacks

1.2A Installation

For most applications the D4 should be installed in a rack frame so that you can tap the Preview button without causing the unit to slide around. The D4 generates very little heat so it is not necessary to leave an empty space for ventilation above or below the unit.
1.2B Hook Up Audio (rear panel)
1. Turn down the master volume control of your monitoring system, PA, mixer, instrument amp, etc. 2. Turn down the D4s front panel volume control. 3. Connect the D4s Main stereo outputs to a suitable stereo monitoring system or mixer. 4. The D4s Aux jacks can provide additional outputs for selected drums. To use these optional outputs, patch them into your monitoring system or mixer. 5. To monitor via headphones, plug them into the front panel Phones jack. If you monitor only through headphones, it is not necessary to hook up the Main and/or Aux outputs.

NOTE: 038 D1 Snr/01: Raw Hide
6. Use the Data knob to change Banks. The drum sound number will reset to 01. To listen to other sounds within the Bank, repeat steps 3 and 4 and tap the Preview button as needed.
1.2I Assign Drum Sounds to Particular MIDI Notes
1. Press the Voice button. 2. Use the cursor buttons to place the cursor under the MIDI note number on the top line. 3. Rotate the Data knob and select the note to which you want to assign a particular drum sound. 4. Select the desired Bank and drum sound as described in section 1.2H, Audition Different Drum Sounds.
NOTE: It is important to note that your MIDI controller (keyboard or drum pad controller) must have its MIDI note numbers assigned to the corresponding set of note numbers which you have selected for the D4. You now know how to select Drum Sets, Banks, and individual sounds, as well as how to assign sounds to MIDI notes. However, there is much more to the D4. The next part describes all of the D4s editing features in detail. Please read the entire manual at some point to understand the D4s many capabilities.
1.3 BASICS AND DEFINITIONS

1.3A The Voice

Each time the D4 receives a MIDI or acoustic trigger, it plays a voice. A voice is a sound-generating element with several variable parameters: Drum sound, tuning, volume, output assignment (the voices audio output can go to either one of two sets of stereo outputs), panning (the voices audio output can be positioned at any of the seven positions available within the stereo field of the chosen set of outputs), and MIDI note number. Each voice is velocity-sensitive: the harder you hit a drum pad (or the Preview button) or the higher the velocity value of the MIDI trigger, the louder the drum sound assigned to the pad will play. Thanks to the Dynamic Articulation techniques mentioned earlier, the timbre (tonal content) and pitch will often change as well, just like real drums.
1.3B About the Edit Buffer
Whenever you select a Drum Set, all parameters associated with the Drum Set load into a temporary memory buffer. As you edit the Drum Set, changes are made to this temporary version rather than the original Drum Set. This is important for two reasons: If you dont like the results of your edit, you can always revert to the original Drum Set. If you do like the results of your edit, you must save the buffers contents. It can overwrite the original Drum Set data, or be written to a different Drum Set.
If you select another Drum Set, the data in the edit buffer will be overwritten with the newly-selected Drum Sets parameters.

1.3C About Defaults

A default is a setting that is automatically assumed until you purposely change it. Example: When you turn on a VCR, it automatically defaults to Stopyou have to purposely tell the machine to go into Record or Play. Stop is therefore the VCRs power-up default status. The D4 includes several default settings. Example: If you want to save a Drum Set, the D4 will default to saving it to its existing memory slot. However, if desired you can save to another location in memory. Defaults save time by giving you a setup thats instantly ready to go; sometimes youll need to change only a few parameters to modify the default setup to your liking. Often the default is whatever was selected last. Example: If the D4 was set to Drum Set 14 just before you shut off power, upon power-up the D4 will return to Drum Set 14.

1. Press the Store Button. The LCDs top line shows the memory location into which the Drum Set will be saved; the lower line shows the Drum Set name. 2. Use the Data wheel to select the memory location into which the edited Drum Set should be saved (as shown by the cursor). This defaults to the location of the currently-selected Drum Set, but can be changed to any set from 00 to 20. Important: Saving to a Drum Set overwrites any existing data in that Drum Set. 3. To rename the Drum Set, press the > cursor button. The cursor will jump to the first character of the name. Use the Data wheel to select the desired character. Characters available (in addition to a blank space, Yen symbol, and left and right arrows) are:

! ( / 6 = D K

) > E L

# * ? F M

$ + @ G N

% , 3 : A H O

& 4 ; B I P

. 5 < C J Q

R Y a h o v }

S Z b i p w

T [ c j q x

U ] d k r y

V ^ e l s z

W _ f m t {

X ` g n u |
4. After naming the Drum Set and selecting where it should be stored, press the Store button again. The LCD will briefly show DRUMSET STORED to confirm that it has been stored. The Store LED will then go out and the D4 will return to the mode it was in prior to the Store button being pressed.
Note: If you change your mind and want to cancel the storage process, press any of the eight Function buttons before pressing Store a second time. Your edits will remain intact until you select another Drum Set.
2.2 RECALLING FACTORY DRUM SETS
The D4 includes 21 factory-programmed Drum Sets that are useful in a wide range of applications. To recall one of the factory Drum Sets:
1. Press and hold the Drum Set function button. While holding this button, press the Store button. Release both buttons. The display shows something like:
RECALL ALESIS SET 01 INTO 01
2. The cursor will be under the Drum Set to be recalled. Use the Data wheel to select the desired Drum Set. As soon as you select a Drum Set, it will be loaded into the edit buffer (and overwrite any existing edit buffer datacareful!) so you can play some notes and make sure its the right set. 3. Press the > cursor button to select the destination Drum Set number for the recalled Drum Set. 4. Use the Data wheel to select the desired destination memory slot. To recall all of the original factory Drum Sets, press the > cursor button one more time. 5. To complete the operation, press the Store button. The display will confirm that whatever you selected has been stored.

If you change your mind and want to cancel the recall process, press any of the eight Function buttons before pressing Store a second time. Note: Remember that recalling a Drum Set overwrites the edit buffer contents. If you cancel the recall operation by pressing one of the eight Function buttons, any Drum Set you recalled will remain in the edit buffer but Drum Sets 00-20 will remain unchanged. This can be useful for auditioning the various preset Drum Sets. Also note that if you are concerned about overwriting data you want to keep, save the D4s memory first, as described in section 4.6.
CHAPTER 3: FUNCTION BUTTONS
The function buttons allow you to edit Drum Set parameters on a fairly detailed level.
3.0 NOTE CHASE/DRUM NOTE SELECTION
The Voice, Tune, Mix, Output, and Group buttons all require selecting a particular drum note for editing. The top line of each of these screens shows the note that is being edited. For example, the Voice selection screen shows: NOTE: 054 F#2 Kik/01: Big "O" There are two ways to select the drum sound to be edited or previewed: Place the cursor under the note and turn the Data wheel to select a different note. The D4 has a function called Note Chase. When this button is enabled, an incoming MIDI note or trigger will select the note to be edited. This makes it easy to change the same parameter for all drums; call up the editing function (voice, tune, mix, etc.) and select various drums by playing their associated keys. The display will read out the note name and MIDI number. Note Chase can also be used as a piece of MIDI test equipment to determine the note number of an incoming MIDI note. This will only happen if the sending device is on the same MIDI channel as the D4 and if the sending note is within the note range of the currently selected drum kit. Also, whenever the D4 receives a signal to play one of its sounds (via either trigger or MIDI input) the Note Chase LED will flash.

3.1 VOICE

Press Voice, and the LCD shows the selected MIDI note number on the top line and two parameters, drum Bank and Drum Sound, on the bottom line. Example: NOTE: 054 F#2 Kik/01: Big "O" To select a drum Bank, place the cursor under the drum Bank name and turn the Data wheel. Bank options are:
To select a drum sound within the Bank, place the cursor under the drum sound and turn the Data wheel. The accompanying chart included with the D4 shows the names of all available drum sounds.

3.2 TUNE

Press Tune, and the LCD shows the selected MIDI note number on the top line and the Pitch on the bottom line. Example: NOTE: 054 F#2 PITCH: +0.00 To change the pitch one semitone at a time, place the cursor under the units (leftmost) digit and turn the Data wheel. To change the pitch one cent at a time, place the cursor under the tens (middle) digit and turn the Data wheel. The range is from +3.00 (most sharp) to 0 (normal pitch) to -4.00 (most flat).

3.5 DRUM SET

Press Drum Set, and the LCD shows the selected Drum Set number on the top line and the Drum Sets name on the bottom line. Example: DRUMSET 00 Standard Stuff
To select a particular Drum Set, turn the Data wheel. Numbers range from 00 to 20. Drum Set selection and management was already covered in more detail in Chapter 2.

3.6 EXT TRIG

Press Ext Trig, and the LCD shows the Trigger input and Trigger Characteristics (Type) on the top line, and the note associated with the Trigger on the bottom line. Example: TRIG: 01 TYPE: 01 NOTE: 050 D2
External triggering is a somewhat complex topic and is described in detail in Chapter 5.

3.7 GROUP BUTTON

Press Group, and the LCD shows the selected MIDI note number on the top line and drums Mode on the bottom line. Example: NOTE: 054 F#2 MODE: MULTI To change the mode, turn the Data wheel. There are four options: Multi: When triggering a note repeatedly, each trigger will cause the sound to go through its entire decay. This is useful with cymbals, since early strikes continue to decay as you play later strikes. Single: When triggering a note repeatedly, a new hit will automatically terminate any sound that is still decaying. This is useful with many percussion sounds (such as tambourine, agogo, etc.). Group 1 and 2: A newly-triggered voice assigned to a particular group (1 or 2) will cut off a voice assigned to the same group if the older voice is still sustaining. The classic use of this is with hi-hats; a closed high-hat will cut off an open hi-hat, and hitting an open hi-hat sound will cut off a closed hi-hat. The D4 can play up to 16 voices at a time, so its possible to run out of voices if you play a flurry of notes and have lots of drum sounds assigned to Multi mode. If 16 sounds are playing and you ask the D4 to play another one, the sound thats closest to finishing its decay cycle will be stolen so that the most recent sound can be played. In practice, its difficult (and usually not artistically desirable!) to create drum parts so complex that voice-stealing becomes a problem. However, if this is a
problem, try assigning all the toms to a group so that they only use up one voice at a time.

3.8 MIDI BUTTON

Press MIDI, and the LCD shows the root note for the selected drumset on the bottom line. Example: DRUMSET ROOT NOTE: 036 C1 MIDI options are spread over five different screen displays, which are described in detail in Chaper 4.

2. Turn the Data wheel to select the desired Drum Set root note.
4.1 MIDI CHANNEL SELECTION
The D4 can receive and transmit MIDI data in Omni mode (receives data appearing on any of the 16 MIDI channels, transmits data over channel 1) or Poly mode (transmits and receives over any one of the 16 MIDI channels). Use Omni when playing the D4 from an external MIDI controller (MIDI drum pads, MIDI keyboard, etc.) since its not necessary to match channels. When several instruments are being driven by MIDI (e.g., when a sequencer sends out data over several channels to different instruments), use Poly mode so that the D4 tunes in to only the channel containing drum data.
1. The top line of the second page shows the channel status. Example:

CHANNEL: OMNI THRU: OFF

2. Make sure the cursor is set under the channel status. 3. Turn the Data wheel to select Omni or one of the 16 channels (selecting a single channel automatically puts the D4 in Poly mode).
4.2 MIDI THRU/OUT SELECTION
When on, this function passes data appearing at the MIDI In to the MIDI Out/Thru jack as well as to the D4s internal circuitry. This input data is merged with any data being generated by the D4. Example: If the D4 is being used for trigger-to-MIDI conversion and Thru is on, the notes generated by the triggers will be merged with the data appearing at the MIDI In jack. When off, the MIDI Out/Thru jack serves as a MIDI Out only from the D4. Input data present at the D4s MIDI In is not passed through.
1. The bottom line of the second page shows the Thru status. Example:
2. Place the cursor under the Thru status. 3. Turn the Data wheel to select Off (Out/Thru acts as a MIDI Out jack) or On (Out/Thru acts as a MIDI Thru jack).
4.3 PROGRAM CHANGE ENABLE
Program Change commands can change Drum Sets at any time, including while the D4 is playing. A Program Change Table (section 4.5) determines which Drum Set will be called up in response to a particular Program Change number. The default is Program Changes 00-20 call up Drum Sets 00-20; so do Program Changes 21-41, 42-62, 63-83, 84-104, and 105 to 125. 126 calls up Drum Set 00, and 127 calls up Drum Set 01. Caution: Some MIDI devices number Program Changes as 1-128, others as 0-127, and some as banks of programs. Use the Program Change Table to compensate for these differences.
1. The top line of the third page shows the Program Change status. Example:
PROG CHANGE: ON CONTROLLERS: ON
2. Make sure the cursor is under the Program Change status. 3. Use the Data wheel to select a status of On (the D4 selects Drum Sets when it receives Program Change commands) or Off (the D4 ignores Program Change commands). Note that even with status set to On, you can still select Drum Sets manually at any time.

4.4 CONTROLLER ENABLE

The D4 can respond to several standardized MIDI controllers appearing at the D4s MIDI In jack:

GAIN. This is the signal strength that the transducer is sending to the triggers in the D4. It's adjustment is very similar to that of a tape recorder's VU meter. With the gain set too low, soft hits may never be recognized. With the gain set too high, you may experience false, or double triggering. A properly adjusted gain setting will allow the highest dynamic range for the pad being used. The gain is the most important parameter in the D4. It must be correctly set for the remaining parameters to work properly, and to assure reliable triggering with the D4.

5.0 TRIGGER SELECTION

There are 12 input triggers with corresponding rear panel jacks. Each is edited independently, so it is first necessary to select a trigger input for editing. Note: The MIDI note number default settings for the D4 triggers can be found in the D4 Factory Drumset Reference Chart. Editable parameters are identical for all 12 triggers, and the trigger set up is global for all drum sets.
1. The first Ext Trig page shows three parameters, such as:
TRIG:01 VCURVE:4 NOTE: 046 A#1 As with the other screens, the cursor buttons move between the three parameters.
2. Place the cursor under the TRIG parameter. 3. Turn the Data wheel to select the desired trigger for editing.
5.1 TRIGGER NOTE SELECTION
Each trigger can be assigned to any MIDI note number, which is associated with a corresponding drum sound (programmed according to the instructions in section 3.0). Trigger note assignments are recalled as part of a Drum Set whenever a new set is selected.
1. The first Ext Trig page shows three parameters. Example:
TRIG:02 VCURVE:4 NOTE: 036 C1
2. Place the cursor under the Note parameter. 3. Turn the Data wheel to select the note that will be assigned to the selected trigger input.
5.2 TRIGGER VELOCITY SELECTION
The velocity sensitivity of each trigger input can be adjusted to accompany a wide variety of playing styles, and to help compensate for sensitivity variances between various brands of drum pads and transducers. For example, a hard hitting player might have a difficult time in playing the softer velocity sounds available in the D4 due to the high impact of most of his hits. Using a lower VCURVE setting (1 - 3) would require a much harder strike to generate a full MIDI velocity of 127, and make it much easier to obtain the more "subtle" velocity sounds when playing the drum pad. When using a higher VCURVE setting (5 - 7) the opposite applies, or a much softer hit would generate a MIDI velocity of 127.
1. While in the first Ext Trig page, place the cursor under the VCURVE parameter. Example:
2. Turn the Data wheel to select the sensitivity value desired to suite the style of play, or the pads being used. The default setting of 4 is the "median" velocity curve. For average play (hits ranging from very soft to very hard) this curve gives you the full range of sensitivity which corresponds to MIDI velocities 1 through 127.

Note: The setting of 0, Unassigned, is selected by rotating the Data wheel fully counterclockwise. This is a special case VCURVE setting which allows a trigger input to contribute to the D4s master suppression threshold. However, it will not trigger any sounds or MIDI note messages. In certain circumstances this setting can help suppress false triggering on the other inputs. Example: Suppose three drum pads are mounted on a single drum stand while set up on a noisy stage. Normally, a higher XTALK setting would be used to eliminate interaction between the pads, and a high NOISE floor setting would be selected to reject the high level of ambient noise and vibration. In certain cases with crosstalk and noise floor settings too high, softer hits might become rejected because the D4 assumes that they are noise. Instead of compromising between the two parameters, there are two methods which can improve this scenario.
Method One: 1. First, attach an inexpensive contact transducer to the center of the drum stand and plug it into a D4 input. 2. Next, go to the VCURVE page under the EXT TRIG function and select the VCURVE setting of 0 (Unassigned) for this trigger. 3. Go to the next page and set the XTALK, DCAY and the NOISE levels all to 00. This low level will allow the maximum amount of noise and stand vibrations to be detected by the D4. 4. Press the EXT TRIG button again to get to the GAIN page showing the bar graph meter display. Using the meter, adjust the level to select a "hotter" than usual GAIN setting. Since in this case the gain is effected only by the the stand vibrations, a very strong signal is needed to maximize the trigger's performance. 5. Now as the stage vibrates, or when other signals trigger the drum stand transducer, the suppression function will note this signal and determine that any softer signals coming from the other three pads must be crosstalk. Also, if the suppression function sees a soft signal from the three main pads but little or no signal from the drum stand transducer, it will assume that the pad signals are valid hits and trigger the D4 sounds. Method Two:
In severe cases, this is another way in which the Unassigned feature can be used. For this scenario lets use the bass as the reason the surrounding noise level is making proper triggering difficult. Each time the bass player "pops" a string, the vibration triggers the tom 1 pad.

1. First, take a direct out from the bass amplifier, and plug it into an unused trigger input on the D4. 2. Next, go to the VCURVE page under the EXT TRIG function and select the VCURVE setting of 0 (Unassigned) for this trigger.
3. Go to the next page and set the XTALK, DCAY and NOISE levels all to 00. This low level will allow the maximum signal to be detected by the D4. 4. Press the EXT TRIG button again to get to the GAIN page. Using the bar graph meter, adjust the level according to the severety of the false triggering. If notes are constantly triggering, use a high gain. If only occasional, select a lower level.
Note: The peak level indicator (a period) explained in section 5.7 will not appear next to the value when in the Unassigned mode.
5. Now when the D4 receives a signal (from the tom 1 pad) which was generated by the string pop from the bass, not only will it compare this signal to the other drum pads, it will also compare it to the bass. In essence, the D4 isolates the bass from the noise floor and "thinks" the bass is a another drum pad. It will now treat it the same as any other pad and "filter" out the unwanted signals.
Note: Note Chase will not follow any trigger that has been set to Unassigned. To view an Unassigned triggers VU-style bar graph meter in order to adjust gain (section 5.7s), use the Data wheel to select the corresponding trigger input (section 5.0).
5.3 TRIGGER PARAMETER SELECTION
To compensate for differences in transducer outputs, the crosstalk, decay time, and noise floor level for each trigger can be set independently. These are Global settings that apply to all Drum Sets.
1. The second Ext Trig page shows four parameters. Example:
TRIG:02 XTALK:30 DCAY:10 NOISE:00 As with the other screens, the cursor buttons move between the three parameters.
5.4 TRIGGER CROSSTALK SELECTION
If several pads are mounted on one stand or rack it is possible to experience interaction or "crosstalk" problems. Adjustment of the XTALK parameter makes it possible to resolve these problems. Note: In configurations where some pads are individually mounted, the default setting of 30 may be sufficient, making it unnecessary to adjust this parameter. In that case, skip this section and go on to 5.5 DCAY Control Selection.
1. After selecting the desired Trigger place the cursor under the XTALK parameter. Example:
TRIG:03 XTALK:30 DCAY:10 NOISE:00
2. Turn the Data wheel to select the desired level of crosstalk suppression necessary to stop the problem pad from triggering. (00 is minimum, 99 maximum) This level will depend entirely on your current pad or drum configuration. Remember: When experiencing an interaction problem, the trigger that needs adjustment is the pad that is false triggering, not the pad being struck. One easy way to remedy an interaction problem is to "silence" the pad(s) which are not "false triggering".

5.6 TRIGGER NOISE LEVEL SELECTION
When in a high noise floor level situation such as playing live on a stage with bass cabinets nearby, it may be necessary to adjust the NOISE parameter level. If your situation does not necessitate the need to make these type of adjustments, skip this section and go on to 5.7 Trigger Gain Selection.
1. After selecting the desired Trigger whose noise level needs to be set, place the cursor under the NOISE parameter. Example:
2. Turn the Data wheel to select the desired level of suppression necessary to stop the pad from false triggering. (00 is minimum, 99 maximum) Stage noise and rumble, the stability of drum risers and platforms, volume, and crowd vibrations are all factors in choosing the proper level.
Remember: In keeping potential problems to a minimum, it is always a good idea to try to keep some distance between your pad or drum kit, and nearby speaker cabinets (especially bass cabinets). Whenever possible, try to aim them so they are not facing directly towards your set up. Also, avoid unsteady drum risers and hardware.
5.7 TRIGGER GAIN SELECTION
To compensate for differences in transducer outputs, the gain for each trigger can be set independently.
1. The third Ext Trig page shows two parameters. Example:

TRIG:01 GAIN:50

As with the other screens, the cursor buttons move between the two parameters. The Trig parameter is identical to the one on the first two Ext Trig pages, and allows you to select different Trigger inputs for editing.
2. After selecting the desired Trigger whose gain needs to be set, place the cursor under the GAIN parameter. 3. Turn the Data wheel to select the desired amount of gain (00 is minimum gain, 99 maximum gain).
4. To aid in the adjustment of this parameter, strike the pad or drum whose transducer is plugged into the selected input. The lower LCD line will turn into a bar-graph meter that shows the peak strength of the transducer signal. Adjust the gain so that a powerful strike results in the meter reaching the right-most side of the display, and a period appears to the right of the GAIN number. This period indicates that the input is reaching it's full dynamic range. When a trigger's gain is properly adjusted, the period will appear only on the strongest hits.

5.8 FOOTSWITCH MODE

There are two footswitch options, Hi Hat Pedal (which lets a footswitch act like a hi hat pedal) and Drumset Advance (pressing the footswitch increments the Drum Set to the next higher number; past 20, it wraps around to 00 again). You can use either a normally closed or normally open momentary contact footswitch. Plug it in to the rear panel footswitch jack before powering up the D4; on power up, it will automatically sense the footswitch polarity and calibrate itself accordingly. If your footswitch seems to respond backwards, turn off the D4, make sure the footswitch plug is fully inserted into the footswitch jack, then turn power back on.
1. Select the fourth Trigger page, which shows:
FOOTSWITCH MODE: HI HAT PEDAL
2. Use the Data wheel to select the desired footswitch function. 3. When Hi Hat Pedal mode is selected, the External Trigger has two more pages. The fifth Trigger page shows the MIDI note number that the footswitch will trigger when it is pressed. 4. The sixth Trigger page shows the MIDI note number that Trigger Input #1 will play when that pad is hit while the footswitch is held closed.
5.8A Understanding Hi Hat Pedal Mode
This is a feature for hardcore drummers. Its a little complicated, but hang in there the D4 finally gives you a way to get truly realistic hi hat effects with electronic drums. An acoustic hi hat produces three main types of sound: Open hi hat. The pedal is up so that the upper and lower cymbals do not touch. Striking the upper cymbal causes it to ring until it is struck again, or until the pedal begins closing. Foot closed hi hat. This is the sound generated by pushing down on the pedal; it is not initiated by hitting the hi hat with a drum stick, but by the sound of the upper cymbal striking the lower one. Closed hi hat. Once the hats are closed (pedal down), then striking the upper cymbal with the drumstick produces the closed hi hat sound.
To replicate these individual effects:
1. Patch a drum pad (the hi hat striking surface) into D4 Trigger input 1 and a footswitch (for opening and closing the hi hat) into the footswitch input. Hi Hat Pedal must be selected for the footswitch mode. 2. If it isn't assigned already, assign an open hi hat sound to the note triggered by Trigger Input 1. 3. Press the EXTERNAL TRIG button until the display shows the Footswitch Closing note. This is the note that will be played when the footswitch is pressed. If it hasn't been assigned already, assign a closing hi hat sound to this note. This will give the hi hat a realistic closing sound, as opposed to an abrupt switch from an open sound to a closed sound.

Note that you don't necessarily have to use hi hat sounds while using this mode. If you wish, you can use any sound available in the D4.
4. Press the EXTERNAL TRIG button until the display shows the Footswitch Held note. This is the note that will be played when Trigger 1 is struck AND the footswitch is held. If it hasn't been assigned already, assign a closed hi hat sound to this note. 5. Using the Group function (section 3.7), assign all the hi hat sounds to Group 1 so that you cant have two different hi hat sounds ringing at the same time. (The hi hat sounds could be assigned to Group 2 if youre already using Group 1 for other drum sounds.)
If you strike the hi hat pad while the footswitch is not pressed, youll hear the open hi hat sound. Pressing the footswitch triggers the foot closed sound (at the same velocity as the most recent open hi hat hit); just like a real hi hat, you dont have to strike the padsimply closing the hi hat by pressing the footswitch triggers the sound.
Striking the pad while the footswitch is held down plays the closed hi hat sound.
CHAPTER 6: MIDI SUPPLEMENT
(This chapter is an abridged version 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.)

6.0 MIDI BASICS

Most current electronic instruments and signal processors, including the D4, contain an internal computer. Computers and music have been working together for decades, which is not surprising considering musics 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. They were used for everything from sound generation to storing parameters in memory for later recall. In 1983, the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) specification was introduced to better exploit the computers inside these new musical instruments, primarily to insure compatibility with equipment from other manufacturers. MIDI expresses musical events (notes played, vibrato, dynamics, tempo, etc.) as a common language consisting of standardized digital data. This data can be understood by MIDI-compatible computers and computer-based musical instruments. Before electronics, music was expressed exclusively as written symbols. By translating musical parameters into digital data, MIDI can express not only the types of musical events written into sheet music, but other parameters as well (such as amount of pitch bend or degree of vibrato).

6.1 MIDI HARDWARE

MIDI-compatible devices usually include both MIDI In and MIDI Out jacks, which terminate in 5-pin DIN-style connectors. The MIDI Out jack transmits MIDI data to another MIDI device. As you play a MIDI controller such as a keyboard, data corresponding to what you play exits the MIDI Out jack. Example: If you play middle C, the MIDI Out transmits a piece of data that says middle C is down. If you release that key, the MIDI Out transmits another piece of data that says middle C has been released. If the keyboard responds to the dynamics of your playing, the note data will include dynamics information too. Moving the modulation wheels and pedals attached to many synthesizers will also generate data associated with the wheel or pedal being used. The MIDI In jack receives data from another MIDI device. In addition to the type of performance data described above, rhythmically-oriented MIDI devices (e.g., drum

Continue Unlike a Start command, which re-starts a sequencer or drum machine from the beginning of a song each time it occurs, sending a continue message after stop will re-start units from where they were stopped.

6.5 BOOKS ON MIDI

The preceding does not substitute for reading a good book on the subject of MIDI. For further information, refer to the following: MIDI For Musicians and The Electronic Musicians Dictionary by Craig Anderton; AMSCO Publications. The former was written specifically for musicians with no background in MIDI, and the latter defines terms related to musical electronics. Music Through MIDI by Michael Boom; Microsoft Press. An excellent text for those just getting started with MIDI, synthesis, and related topics. The Murphys Law MIDI Book by Jeff Burger; Alexander Publishing. Emphasizes applications and problem-solving. Using MIDI by Helen Casabona and David Frederick; Alfred Publishing. A general guide to MIDI with an emphasis on applications. Understanding MIDI and Understanding MIDI 2 by various authors; Amordian Press. A collection of MIDI-oriented articles from Musician magazine. Descubriendo MIDI by Jos Valenzuela; Alesis Publishing. A thorough overview of MIDI in Spanish, suitable for beginners and/or advanced users.

6.6 VIDEOS ON MIDI

The Basics Of MIDI featuring Craig Anderton with Steve Smythe; Alesis Publishing. An overview of the concepts and applications of the MIDI interface. Available through Alesis Command Performance Accessory Collection.

OPCODE

Editor: Alesis D4/DM5

TECH PUB

This Galaxy Plus Editors module adds support for the Alesis D4 and DM5 drum modules. The D4 and DM5 each contain over 500 sampled drum and percussion sounds, which can be triggered by MIDI or with built-in trigger inputs (placed on acoustic drums or percussion instruments, or drum sounds recorded on tape). These Alesis drum modules can also convert external triggers to MIDI notes. The Macintosh user interface allows many parameters to be displayed simultaneously and grouped into windows that make it easy to understand and access the D4/DM5s capabilities. This editor manual describes only features specific to the D4/DM5 Editor. See your Galaxy Plus Editors manual for information on: Installing Editor and Librarian modules; Loading/sending Bundles, Banks, and Patches; Using common editing features such as graphic envelopes, pop-up menus, and numericals. You should also read the device specific online Help, which is available from the Apple Help menu when an Edit or Librarian Window is active. This manual does not attempt to teach D4/DM5 programming and it does not discuss each parameter in detail. Often, the effect of one parameter depends on the settings of other parameters. If you alter a parameter and dont hear any change in sound, examine how other parameters may affect the desired outcome. Refer to your Alesis manual to learn how various parameters interact and affect the overall sound.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ch 1: Instrument Setup
D4 Configuration.... 1 ROM Versions Earlier Than 1.02.. 1 DM5 Configuration... 2
Ch 2: D4/DM5 Bank Types Ch 3: Editing Drum Sets
Drum Set Edit Window... 4 Drum Set.... 5 Copying Note Settings... 6 Trigger Notes... 7 Root Note and Footswitch... 7 Special Menu Commands... 8
Ch 4: Editing Trigger Setups
Trigger Setup Edit Window... 9
Ch 5: Editing Program Table and System Info
Program Table Edit Window....11 Editing System Information... 12 System Information Edit Window... 13

D4/DM5 Editor

INSTRUMENT SETUP

D4 CONFIGURATION

Before using the Alesis D4 with Galaxy or Galaxy Plus Editors make sure: The instruments MIDI input and output are connected to your MIDI interface; if using a multiport interface, connect both MIDI cables to the same port number. The MIDI channel matches the Device ID setting in your OMS Studio Setup. The units THRU setting is off. To set the MIDI channel and thru parameters from the D4s front panel: Press the MIDI button until CHANNEL and THRU are displayed. Use the cursor keys to select the channel parameter; then set the channel to
match the Device ID number in your OMS Studio Setup.
Use the cursor keys to select the thru parameter; then set it to OFF. ROM VERSIONS EARLIER THAN 1.02 Early versions of the D4 ROMs contained some problems that affect the use of your D4 Editor. To find out which ROM version your D4 has, press the Drum Set button and then press and hold the left and right cursor buttons simultaneously. ROM versions 1.0 and 1.01 had limitations on how fast MIDI System Exclusive (sysex) messages could be accepted. The Has 1.01 or Older ROMs command, available in the Load/Send menu when a Drum Set Bank or Edit Window is open, adjusts the rate at which sysex is transmitted to the D4. If your D4 contains a ROM version earlier than 1.02, enable (check) this menu item. ROM versions earlier than 1.02 also use a different format for Trigger Setup data. Although the Editor is capable of dealing with all versions, the Librarian must handle them differently. If you are using a version earlier than 1.02, set up your Bundle as follows:

Click the D4 device name in an open Bundle and choose Bundle>Banks in
Device. The following dialog appears.
Figure 1: Banks in Device Dialog
Check the option for Trigger Setup (<1.02). Uncheck the option for Trigger Setup (>=1.02). Click OK to confirm your selections and close the dialog box.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that only one Trigger Setup item is
selected. If both check boxes are selected, Galaxy will put both Bank types into the Bundle, which could cause problems when loading or sending the Bundle.

DM5 CONFIGURATION

Before using the Alesis DM5 with Galaxy or Galaxy Plus Editors make sure: The instruments MIDI input and output are connected to your MIDI interface; if using a multiport interface, connect both MIDI cables to the same port number. The MIDI channel matches the Device ID setting in your OMS Studio Setup. The units THRU setting is off. To set the MIDI channel and thru parameters from the DM5s front panel: Press the MIDI button until CHANNEL and THRU are displayed. Use the parameter keys to select the channel parameter; then set the channel to
Use the parameter keys to select the thru parameter; then set it to OFF.

D4/DM5 BANK TYPES

To open a new Bundle for the Alesis D4 or DM5: Make sure your Current OMS Studio Setup contains either an Alesis D4 or DM5,
then launch Galaxy Plus Editors. When launching Galaxy for the first time, Librarian modules for devices contained in your OMS Studio Setup are automatically installed.
Choose File>New Bundle.
A dialog box listing all installed Librarian modules appears.
Select the D4 or DM5 by clicking the device name.
Its name will become highlighted to illustrate that its selected.
Click the OK button to place all D4/DM5 Bank types in a new Untitled Bundle.
When opening or a creating a Bundle, a Bundle menu becomes available; to retrieve all Banks from your instrument, choose Bundle>Get All Banks in Bundle.

BANK TYPES

Below is a brief description of each D4/DM5 Bank type:
Figure 2: Bundle Listing DM5 and D4 Bank Types
Drum Set: Bank of 21 drum setseach specifying a keyboard layout
of drum sounds with settings for volume, tuning, pan, and routing. Trigger Setup: Stores settings for triggering parameters for each of the 12 external trigger inputs. D4 users, must choose Bundle>Banks in Device to specify your ROM version (see ROM Versions Earlier Than 1.02, pg. 1). Prog Tbl: Determines how the D4/DM5 responds to MIDI program changes. System Info: Defines global MIDI settings, configures footswitch mode, and enables note chase.

Ch 2: D4/DM5 Bank Types

EDITING DRUM SETS
To edit a Drum Set: Open a Bank of D4/DM5 Drum Sets.

Figure 3: Drum Set Bank

Highlight a patch from the Drum Set Bank and click the Edit button.
You can also double-click a Drum Set to edit it.

DRUM SET EDIT WINDOW

The Drum Set Edit Window assigns drum and percussion sounds to keys, along with settings for volume, tuning, pan, and routing. This window also assigns MIDI notes to each of the 12 external trigger inputs.
Figure 4: Drum Set Edit Window
The Drum Set Edit Window consists of three main edit blocks: Drum Set, Trigger Notes, and Root Note/Footswitch.

Ch 3: Editing Drum Sets

DRUM SET
The Drum Set edit block is the heart of the D4/DM5 editor, where sounds are selected, mapped to notes, tuned, and routed.
Figure 5: Drum Set Edit Block
Note: Indicates the MIDI note being assigned, starting at the Drum
Set Root Note (see Root Note and Footswitch, pg. 7) and covering a 61-note range. Clicking a note name selects the entire line for copying or pasting. Keyboard: The column to the right of the note names is a scrollable keyboard for auditioning sounds. Clicking any note on the keyboard triggers the corresponding sound. Clicking the up/down arrows, scrolls the display an octave at a time. Option-clicking an arrow, scrolls one note at a time. The velocity of the MIDI note played is set with the Mac KV setting in the MouseKeys Window. Bank: Specifies a Drum Bank from which the Drum Sound for that note is chosen. Drum: Assigns a Drum Sound, from the indicated Drum Bank, for that note. Volume: Sets the Drum Sounds volume. Coarse: Tunes the Drum Sound in semitone steps within a range of +3/-4 steps. Fine: Tunes the Drum Sound in cents within a range of +99/-99 cents. Panning: Pans the Drum Sound to any of seven possible stereo locations. The Output setting determines between which two outputs the sound is panned. Output: Routes the Drum Sound to either the Main or Aux outputs. Assign Group: Specifies a trigger mode for the Drum Sound.

COPYING NOTE SETTINGS

Settings for a note can be copied to another note, or even to another Drum Set. Click the note name in the left column to select the source note and its parameters.
Figure 6: Source Note Selected
Choose Edit>Copy. Click the destination note name to select it.
If you are pasting to a different Drum Set, first open the Edit Window for the desired Drum Set.
Figure 7: Destination Note Selected

Choose Edit>Paste.

The new notes parameters are then updated.
Figure 8: Note Pasted into Destination
COPYING PARAMETERS Individual parameters can be copied to other notes, or Drum Sets, in similar fashion. Do this by clicking the individual source and destination fields instead of the note names. Additionally, multiple parameters can be copied by shift-clicking on source and destination fields. Of course, these copy/pasting techniques may also be used in other Edit Windows.

TRIGGER NOTES

In the Trigger Notes edit block, each of the D4/DM5s external trigger inputs is mapped to a MIDI note. This mapping determines both which sound is triggered and which MIDI note is output.
Figure 9: Trigger Notes Edit Block
The left column shows the external trigger input numbers, to which the Trigger Notes column assigns MIDI notes. ROOT NOTE AND FOOTSWITCH The third edit block of the Drum Set Editor, edits Root Note and Footswitch settings.
Figure 10: Drum Set General Edit Block
Drum Set Root Note: Sets the lowest MIDI note to be used for that Drum Sets 61-note range. Changing this parameter transposes all note settings in the Drum Set Edit Window. Footswitch Closing: Selects the MIDI note generated when a footswitch, plugged into the D4/DM5s footswitch input, is pressed. Footswitch Held: Selects the MIDI note generated when a trigger is received at External Trigger Input 1 while the footswitch is held down.
SPECIAL MENU COMMANDS IN THE DRUM SET EDIT WINDOW
The following Edit menu commands are available when the Drum Set Edit Window is active: Note Chase: Enables a sound in the D4/DM5 to be selected for editing simply by striking the associated pad or other trigger device. 1 Oct (small screens): Sets the display in the Drum Set Edit Window to one octave. 2 Oct (large screens): Sets the display in the Drum Set Edit Window to two octaves. The following Load/Send menu commands are available when a D4 Drum Set Bank or Drum Set Edit Window is active: Store Drum Set in D4: Stores an edited Drum Set in the D4, as opposed to remaining only in the units edit buffer. This saves the trouble of having to send the entire Bank to the D4 simply to store a single edited Drum Set. This command is disabled when Load/Send>Has Old ROMs is checked. Has Old ROMs: Compensates for problems caused by older D4 ROM versions. See ROM Versions Earlier Than 1.02, pg. 1

EDITING TRIGGER SETUPS

To edit a Trigger Setup: Open a Trigger Setup Bank.
Figure 11: Trigger Setup Bank Window
Click the Edit button to open the Trigger Setup Edit Window.
TRIGGER SETUP EDIT WINDOW
The Trigger Setup Edit Window is where triggering parameters are set for each of the D4/DM5s 12 external trigger inputs. Although each of the 21 Drum Sets has its own set of trigger note assignments, the following Trigger Setup parameters are global and therefore affect all Drum Sets.
Figure 12: Trigger Setup Edit Window
Gain: Sets the amount of amplification applied to the trigger input. Velocity Curve: Sets the sensitivity of a trigger input with any of
eight velocity response curves.
Cross-Talk: A threshold parameter that enables a trigger input to
avoid false triggering from a nearby pad or drum being struck. Noise Floor: A threshold parameter that enables the D4/DM5 to avoid false triggering by distinguishing between genuine triggers and ambient noise. Decay: Sets a delay time during which the D4/DM5 will not accept another trigger for that input. Set Select: Auditions any of the D4/DM5s 21 Drum Sets during Trigger Setup configuration. The D4/DM5 can hold only one Trigger Setup at a time, so this feature is provided to audition how well the Trigger Setup works with different Drum Sets.

NOTE: Option-clicking on the Drum Set pop-up opens the Edit
Window for that Drum Set, enabling editing of Trigger Notes or sound assignments.
Destination: Displays the sounds, assigned to the corresponding
MIDI notes, for the selected Drum Set. Note: Displays the MIDI notes, assigned to the external trigger inputs, for the selected Drum Set. Destination and Note columns cannot be edited from the Trigger Setup Window. These edits must be made from the Drum Set Edit Window.

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EDITING PROGRAM TABLE AND SYSTEM INFO
To edit a Program Table: Open a Program Table Bank.
Figure 13: Program Table Bank Window
Click the Edit button to open the Program Table Edit Window.
PROGRAM TABLE EDIT WINDOW
The Program Table Edit Window specifies which Drum Set is selected when receiving a particular MIDI program change number.
Figure 14: Program Table Edit Window
The left column shows the program numbers with their corresponding Drum Set (chosen from a pop-up menu) in the right column.

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When the Program Table Edit Window is open, the following commands are available from the Edit menu: 0-127, 1-128, or A11-B88: Sets the numbering scheme for how patches appear when published to Name Manager compatible applicationslike Opcodes Vision. Sequential Assign: Opens the following dialog which sequentially assigns Drum Sets to the indicated range of program change numbers.
EDITING SYSTEM INFORMATION
To edit the System Information: Open a D4/DM5 System Info Bank.
Figure 15: System Information Bank Window
Click Edit button to open the System Information Edit Window.

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SYSTEM INFORMATION EDIT WINDOW
The System Information Edit Window defines global MIDI settings, configures the footswitch mode, and enables note chase.
Figure 16: System Information Edit Window
Footswitch Mode: Configures the external footswitch jack for
Hi Hat triggers or program advance (Advance). Note Chase Enable: Enables or disables Note Chase, which allows selection of a sound for editing by striking the appropriate trigger or by sending the assigned MIDI note to the D4/DM5. Channel: Sets the D4/DM5s MIDI channel. This parameter is only enabled when Omni is set to Off. Omni: Enables or disables MIDI Omni mode, determining whether the D4/DM5 responds to MIDI data on all channels or only to the one set by Channel. Thru Enabled: Configures the D4/DM5s MIDI Out jack as a MIDI Thru jack. If this is inadvertently checked, MIDI feedback problems may occur. Programs Enabled: Allows the D4/DM5 to respond to MIDI program changes, based on its Program Change Table. If this box is not checked, the unit will not respond to program changes. Controllers Enabled: Enables reception of MIDI continuous controller messages, as described in the D4/DM5 manual.