ALESIS

FIG. 1:A plethora of I/O options helps elevate the Q20 to pro status.
Superior multi-effects with a host of professional I/O options.

By John Kro g h

ell before the birth of the ADAT, Alesis enjoyed a reputation for making great gear at gro u n db reaking l ow prices. No p roduct helped build that re p utation more than the original Q u a d r a Verb multi-effects pro c e s s o r, which off e red four simultaneously p rogrammable ef fects, as well as audio quality previously unavailable at its price point. In 1995, Alesis upped the ante by rolling out the QuadraVerb 2, or Q2, which off e red twice the number of simultaneous effects and was one of the first effect s boxes to feature A D AT Optical (Lightpipe) I/O. Despite superior audio specs and many extra features, the Q2 didnt do as well as expected: perhaps because of the QuadraVerb moniker (the unit had been aimed toward budget users), re c o rding professionals overlooked it. Home-re c o rding folks, on the other hand, saw it simply as a rehashed QuadraVerb at a higher price. Several new, fully professional feat u res should make a real diff e rence in clearing the way for the Q20s acceptance in the pro-audio world. These additions include S/PDIF digital I/O (as well as ADAT Lightpipe), 20-bit converters, 200 user programs (twice as many as the Q2), and an intern a l power supply. Whats more, the additional 100 user programs in the Q20 include programs created by To d d R u n d g ren, Francis Buckley, the Angel, and many other well-known
musicians, engineers, and pro d u c e r s. Still, the Q20s operating system and front panel are virtually identical to those of the Q2 (reviewed in the June 1995 E M), so its fair to look at the Q20 as an improved Q2 rather t han as an entirely new animal. T h e re f o re, Ill discuss the units navigational details only briefly and focus primarily on whats new and diff e re n t about it. OUTSIDE THE BOX You could easily mistake the Q20 for the Q2 from the front, except that you wont find the name Q u a d r a Verb anywhere on the box. H o w e v e r, you will find dual 4-segment LED level indicators for the analog inputs, concentric knobs for right and left analog-input levels, a g e n e rous backlit LCD, a knob for analog-output level (digital signal levels are controlled through the operating system) , a Va l u e / E n t e r wheel, and two rows of seven buttons that get you around the many pages of effects and system parameters. A glance at the Q20s rear panel reveals a wealth of interface options (see Fig. 1). For starters, the analog inputs use Neutrik combination connectors that can accept either 1 balanced XLR or 4- i n c h bal anced/unbalanced jacks. The S/PDIF I/O is on standard RCA connectors, which Im happy to see because manufacturers of computer digital audio interfaces often favor this ki nd of connection over 1 AES/EBU. Separate XLR and 4- i n c h balanced outputs are also pro v i d e d , and a BNC jack is on hand for re c e i ving 48 kHz word clock. Footswitch jacks for bypass and advancing through programs are also
available on the rear panel. You can specify the range of programs you want to advance throughuser programs 10 through 20, for example. After the last program has been selected, the Q20 will wrap back a round to the first program of the specified rangean especially handy f e a t u re for live situations. The back panel also houses MIDI In and Out/Thru jacks so that you can c o n t rol a number of effects parameters in real time from your favorite c o n t roller or sequencer. And everyone should be happy that the lump in the middle power supply has been replaced by an internal power supply and standard IEC power cable. INSIDE THE BOX P rograms can comprise up to eight e ffects algorithms, or blocks, which o ffer four basic funct ions: EQ , Reverb, Pitch, and Delay. Each function has several types of effects, such as flange, 3-band parametric EQ , and so on. (See the table Building Blocks for a complete list of eff e c t s. ) The Q20 uses the same 24-bit DSP chip used in the Q2, so none of the e ffects are actually new. However, the Q20s effects do sound better, thanks to the 20-bit A/D and D/A converters. In general, the box sounds crisper, and the reverb programs are clearer and smoother in their decay, especially in the highs. To my ears, the chorus programs rival those of units costing twice the money. Anyone who is serious about tweaking will love the bevy of eff e c t s parameters in the Q20. You can modulate up to eight parameters per p rogram in real time through MIDI. Whats more, two modulation-sourc e generators are avai lable, each of

The Alesis Q20 uses the same effects and operating system as version 2 of the QuadraVerb 2; thanks to 20-bit converters, it sounds noticeably better.
b i z a r re, with an emphasis on re v e r b and chorus. There are 14 reverb types to choose from, including the usual suspects and spring, nonlinear, and reverse. Overall, the reverbs are smooth, transparent, and definitely expensive sounding. Gould agre e d , saying that they add presence and body, yet dont color the sound at all. My personal favorites are the room/ambience programs, followed by the plates. Gould and I both noticed, however, that, when fully cranked, the Q20 has a considerable noise floor. With the output knob set to about 75 perc e n t (the setting recommended by the manual), though, the noise was not noticeable. If you want unusual sounds, the modulation and resonator effects are very cool. The Q20 has a good selection of delay/chorus programs, too, which are best suited for sound e ffects and general moodiness. As for a wish list, mine would include some sort of lo-fi or overdrive eff e c t s like those currently heard in electro nica and dance music. BLOCK BUSTERS Considering the depth of contro l available in the Q20, pro g r a m m i n g your own effects is relatively straightf o r w a rd. Combinations of effects are made by connecting diff e rent types of blocks with virtual patch cords, for

Q20 Specifications

Analog Inputs Analog Outputs Digital Input/Output Digital Converters Frequency Response Dynamic Range Distortion (THD + N) Sampling Rate Preset Programs (ROM) User Programs (RAM) Dimensions Weight (2) Neutrik Combination XLR/14 TRS, balanced/unbalanced (2) XLR balanced, (2) 14 balanced/unbalanced ADAT Multichannel Optical Digital Interface, S/PDIF, BNC jack for 48 kHz word-clock connection 20-bit, 256x oversampling 20 Hz20 kHz (0.2 dB) >92 dB (20 Hz22 kHz) <0.005% @ 1 kHz 48 kHz (variable from 40.4 kHz50.8 kHz under external control) 19 (W) x 1.75 (H) x 7 (D) 4.25 lbs.
which can be set to one of five types: input envelope, peak follower, ramp, LFO, or footswitch. You could, for example, use the two footswitch inputs (Advance and Bypass) as modulat ion sources to turn specific e ffects on and off. In E Ms review of the Alesis Q2, Larry the O described several softw a re shortcomings, most notably that d i rect signal wasnt passed thro u g h the effects blocks to the outputs when the units bypass was engaged. H o w e v e r, version 2 of the Q2s operating system (which is the same OS used in the Q20) addressed this issue and added another 100 programs, to boot. Larry the O also took exception to the fact that the Q2s parameter display didnt show the effect of modulation, but Alesis has not a d d ressed that concern. PEDAL TO THE METTLE I used the Q20 in several applications, including mixing a demo of a five-piece band. I also enlisted the services of producer/musician Bill Gould (of Faith No More) and sound designer Malcolm Fifetwo people with very diff e rent eff e c t s - p ro c e s s i n g tastes and needsto rate the Q20 on sound and general ease of use. Comparing the Q20 with its pre d ec e s s o r, Fife noted that, although the Q20 offers the same effects as his trusty Q2, they sound much better

coming from the Q20s 20-bit converters. O n the w hole, theyre noticeably more crisp. For my work, the diff e rence in sound quality alone is worth the cost of upgrading. The Q20 is a breeze to operate, even with all of its editable parameters. In fact, experienced users could p robably get by without even opening the re f e rence manual. Those who do use the manual, however, will find it well organized, clearly written, and t h o rough. (A Quick Refere n c e Guide and lists of preset and user p rograms are provided separately on handy card-stock sheets.) E ffects range from utilitarian to

Building Blocks

Complex multi-effects can be created in the Alesis Q20 by combining up to eight of the effect types, or blocks, listed below. Blocks are combined by connecting them with virtual patch cords, which are displayed onscreen. Block Type EQ Variations lowpass, bandpass, highpass filters;lowpass, highpass shelf;1-band low and high parametric; 2-band sweep shelf;3- and 4-band parametric; 5-band graphic;resonator; mono and stereo tremolo;stereo simulator; soft and hard overdrive; panning; phase inverter mono and stereo chorus;quad chorus; mono and stereo flanging; phaser; mono and stereo Lezlie;pitch shift and detune; ring modulator; mono and stereo trigger flange mono and stereo; ping-pong (with tap tempo); multitap (with tap tempo); sampling room (4);hall (2); plate (3);chamber (2); spring; nonlinear; reverse

Delay Reverb

which you set level, source, and destination. As stated previously, you can combine up to eight effect blocks to c reate one program. In most cases, though, only four or five blocks can be combined before the unit runs out of DSP power. Beyond that, trying to add more blocks generally results in a DSP IS FULL message. Fortunately, the manual provides a list of how much DSP each kind of block uses. There f o re, with a bit of planning, you can squeeze out every last bit of DSP for large combinations. Of course, it would be nice to have some sort of DSP monitoring onboard to display the amount of pro c e s s i n g power used by a program and to tell you how much a block would use b e f o re you add it. 20/20 VISION The Q20 is a great-sounding box filled with lots of useful programs. Its p rogrammability is extensive, with most effects parameters contro l l a b l e t h rough MIDI for some intere s t i n g real-time possibilities. The effects are well programmed, too, although dance and remix musicians might be disappointed by the lack of lo-fi sounds. If you use effects primarily for live applications, such as sound re i n f o rc ement, then the Q20 offers but a few advantages over the Q2for example, an internal power supply and locking XLR connectors. Beyond that, the appeal is limited. After all, most users arent likely to need digital I/O for live shows, and the impro v e m e n t in audio quality probably wouldnt be noticeable out fro n t. H o w e v e r, if you do most of your work in a studio, especially with desktop re c o rding systems, then consider upgrading. The units digital I/O p rovides a lot of options. For example, in a hybrid comput er/ADAT re c o rding system, you could access the Q20s arsenal of software eff e c t s over the Lightpipe connectorwhich would be very handy if you ran short of CPU memory while trying to add another reverb plug-in. For pro c e s sing field-re c o rded sound eff e c t s completely in the digital domain, you could run digital signals from DAT t h rough the Q20 and then into your computers S/PDIF digital input. These abilities are something to c row about in a box with this price tag. In fact, its hard to cite any dire c t competitors for the Q20, because the closest comparisons come fro m p rocessors costing far more. (Alesiss own Q2 is perhaps the best head-tohead competi tor.) Although more p rocessing power would have been nice, overall the Alesis Q20 is a gre a t addition to anyones toolbox. San Franciscobased music journ a l i s t John Kro g h is currently wrapping up p re - p roduction with his band My New Gun for its upcoming release on G e ffen Record s

ALESIS Q20 multi-effects processor $999
FEATURES s s s s EASE OF USE s s s s AUDIO QUALITY s s s s VALUE s s s 5
PROS: Excellent sound quality, with 20-bit converters. ADAT Lightpipe and S/PDIF digital I/O. Easy to use. Extremely programmable. CONS: DSP typically limits programs to no more than four effects. Middle-of-the-road effects selection.
Reprinted from Electronic Musician, June 1999. Copyright 1999. Courtesy of PRIMEDIA Intertec, Emeryville, CA. All rights r e s e r v e d.