Akai S900 User manual

AKAI
professional
MIDI DIGITAL SAMPLER
Boba"a* "S" ooa"**
aaanoaaQ
^^————
^
=3 P
IfctSB
US
fc
|§g S£5=£ so
•:d- :©:• :<!):•
.,'. i., »• ;.,
»- ;.. _' i.,
-WARNING —*
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this ap-
pliance to rain or moisture.
Operator's Manual

\/
1
Warning Precautions
Power requirements
Power requirements for electrical equipment differ from area to area.
Please ensure that your machine meets the power requirements in your
area.
If in doubt, consult aqualified electrician.
120 V, 60 Hz for USA and Canada
220 V, 50 Hz for Europe except UK
240 V, 50 Hz for UK and Australia
FOR CUSTOMERS
IH THE UK
IMPORTANT FOR YOUR SAFETY
The flex supplied with your machine will have two wires as shown In the
illustration.
What you should know to protect yourself and
the Akai S900.
Watch out! You might get an electric shock.
•Never touch the plug with wet hands.
•Always pull out by the plug and never the cord.
•Only let aqualified professional repair or reassemble the Akai
S900. An unauthorized person might touch the internal parts and re-
ceive aserious electric shock.
«Never allow achild to put anything, especially metal, into the Akai
S900.
Let's protect the Akai S900 too.
•Use only ahousehold AC power source. Never use aDC power
source.
»If water is spilled on the Akai S900, disconnect it and call your dealer.
»Make sure that the Akai S900 is well ventilated and away from direct
sunlight.
•To avoid damage to the internal circuits and the external surface,
keep away from heat (stoves, etc.).
»Avoid using spray type insecticide near the Akai 8900. It can
damage the finish and might Ignite suddenly.
»To avoid damaging the finish, never use denaturated alcohol, paint
thinner or other similar chemicals to clean the Akai S900.
»Place the Akai S900 on aflat and solid surface.
To enjoy the Akai S900 for long time, please read this operator's manual
thoroughly.
Should aproblem persist, write down the model and serial numbers and
all pertinent data regarding warranty coverage as well as aclear descrip-
tion of the existing trouble. Then, contact your nearest authorized Akai
Service Station, or the Service Department of Akai Electric Company,
Tokyo, Japan.
TWO CORE FLEX
IMPORTANT
The wires in this mains lead are coloured in
accordance with the following code:
Blue: Neutral
Brown: Live
As the colours of the wires in the mains lead
of this apparatus may not correspond with the
coloured markings identifying the terminals in
your plug, proceed as follows: The wire which
is coloured blue must be connected to the
terminal which is marked with the letter Nor
coloured black.
The wire which is coloured brown must be
connected to the terminal which is marked »«• Brown
with the letter Lor coloured red. (Neutral) (Live)
*Do not connect any wire to the larger pin marked Eor -=k when
wiring aplug. Ensure that all terminals are securely tightened and
that no loose strands of wire exist.
L
N/Pt
mil
ACAUTION A
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
/1\ •
s
The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol superimposed across
graphical representation of aperson, within an equilateral triangle,
intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "danger-
ous voltage" within the oroducfaenclosure; that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute arisk of electric shock.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is Intented to
*alert the user to the presence of important operating and mainte-
mnance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the ap-
pliance.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1:fNTRODUCTION
WELCOME!
SET IT UP
PLAYING BACK SOUNDS
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE S900
FUNCTIONS, PAGES, and BUTTONS
GETTING AROUND THE S900: APRACTICAL EXAMPLE
CHANGING PARAMETERS
ENTERING TEXT AND NAMES: MEET THE S900 WORD
PROCESSOR
DEFINITIONS
VELOCITY KEYBOARD
SAMPLE
KEYGROUP
PROGRAM
THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING S900 MEMORY DATA TO
DISK
ERROR MESSAGES
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
CHAPTER 2: REFERENCE SECTION
PART 1:INTRODUCTION, SHORT FORM
FUNCTIONS, PAGES, and BUTTONS
SELECTING APAGE
ARROWS, CURSORS, and GADGETS
CHANGING PARAMETERS
ENTERING TEXT AND NAMES
ERROR MESSAGES
DEFINITIONS
THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING MEMORY DATA TO DISK
PART 2: THE PLAY BUTTON FUNCTIONS
PLAY FUNCTIONS
PART 3: THE TUNE BUTTON FUNCTIONS
TUNE FUNCTIONS
PART 4: THE MIDI BUTTON FUNCTIONS
PAGE 01 :MIDI CHANNEL AND MODE SELECT
PAGE 02: MIDI TEST SIGNAL TRANSMIT (CHANNEL,
NOTE, VELOCITY, TRIGGER)
PAGE 03: INCOMING MIDI SIGNAL ANALYZER
PAGE 04: PITCH WHEEL RESPONSE
PAGE 05: RS-232 PORT PARAMETERS
PART 5: THE DISK BUTTON FUNCTIONS
PAGE
PAGE.01:
02: LOAD SOUND DATA FROM DISK TO MEMORY
LOAD PROGRAM, OR PROGRAM AND
SAMPLES, FROM DISK
PAGE 03: LOAD SAMPLE FROM DISK
PAGE 04: ERASE DISK, THEN SAVE S900 MEMORY TO
DISK
PAGE 05: PARAMETERS: SAVE PROGRAM, OR
PROGRAM &SAMPLES, FROM S900 TO DISK
PAGE 06: SAVE SAMPLE TO DISK
PAGE 07: PARAMETERS: ERASE SAMPLE OR
PROGRAM FROM DISK
PAGE 08: FORMAT DISK
PART 6: THE EDIT PROGRAM BUTTON FUNCTIONS
PAGE 01 :PROGRAM SELECT/COPY/RENAME/DELETE
PAGE 02: KEY/LOUDNESS INTERACTION, POSITIONAL
CROSSFADE
PAGE 03: KEYGROUP SELECT/COPY/DELETE
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PAGES 04
to 16
PAGE 04: VELOCITY CROSSFADE, VELOCITY SWITCH
THRESHOLD
PAGE 05: SOFT SAMPLE RANGE ASSIGNMENT
PAGE 06: SOFT SAMPLE LOUDNESS, FILTER,
TRANSPOSE, AND FINE PITCH
PAGE 07: HARD SAMPLE RANGE ASSIGNMENT
PAGE 08: HARD SAMPLE LOUDNESS, FILTER,
TRANSPOSE, AND FINE PITCH
PAGE 09: KEYGROUP ENVELOPE SETTINGS
PAGE 10: KEYGROUP VELOCITY RESPONSE
PAGE 11:WARP (automatic pitch bend)
PAGE 12: LFO (low frequency oscillator for modulation)
PAGE 13: LFO DEPTH (via aftertouch or modulation wheel)
PAGE 14: KEY FILTER (filter keyboard tracking)
PAGE 15: KEYGROUP MIDI ASSIGNMENT, STATUS, AND
CHANNEL
PAGE 16: ASSIGNING KEYGROUP AUDIO OUTPUT
PART 7: THE EDIT SAMPLE BUTTON FUNCTIONS
PAGE 01
PAGE 02
PAGE 03
PAGE 04:
PAGE 05:
PAGE 06
PAGE 07
PAGE 08
PAGE 09
PAGE 10:
PAGE 11
:
PAGE 12:
SELECT/COPY/RENAME/DELETE SAMPLE
SELECT PROGRAM MONITOR
SAMPLE LOUDNESS, NOMINAL PITCH, AND
FINE PITCH
REPLAY MODE SELECT
TIME DIRECTION (NORMAL/REVERSE)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PAGES
06, 07, and 08
START POINT
END POINT
LOOP LENGTH
RESAMPLE, DISCARD (memory saving
features) IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
PAGES 10, 11, and 12
SPLICE X-FADE (select samples to be spliced,
name new sample)
SPLICE CROSS-FADE TIME
SPLICE ORDER
PART 8: THE REC BUTTON (SAMPLING) FUNCTIONS
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEPS
STEP 6
STEP 7
STEP 8
STEP 9
NAME SAMPLE
SELECT PROGRAM FOR MONITORING
SPECIFY SAMPLE TYPE
SPECIFY AUDIO BANDWIDTH
SPECIFY RECORDING TIME
ASSIGN SAMPLE PITCH
SELECT TRIGGER
SETTING LEVELS
SAMPLING

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
WELCOME!
Welcome to the Akai S900 Sampler. This versatile sampler pro-
vides the flexibility associated with more expensive machines,
yet is quite easy to use once you become familiar with its opera-
tion.
It took many months of intensive development to produce the
S900, and it will take you some time and practice to master this
advanced instrument. But the reward for your efforts will be the
opportunity to make creative, exciting music using the latest in
sampling technology.
The S900 has several features of interest:
•12bit sampling resolution for less noise and better high fre-
quency response than older, eight bit samplers.
•Variable sampling bandwidth to save on memory.
•Built-in disk drive for added convenience.
•A"user-friendly" liquid crystal display (LCD) that displays
helpful messages and instructions.
•Versatile MIDI implementation (omni, poly, and mono modes
available)
*Individual audio outputs for eight signals, left and right mix
outputs, and mono mix output.
Of course, this list just skims the surface (for example, with an
optional hardware card the S900 becomes afull-featured sam-
pling drum machine). You will find out much more about the
S900's capabilities over the course of this manual, but since you
are no doubt very eager to get started, let's set up the S900 and
play back some sounds.
SET IT UP
1
.
Connect acord from the master MIDI controller MIDI Out to
the S900 MIDI In jack. Akai recommends the MX73 master
MIDI keyboard, but other MIDI-compatible controllers can be
used (MIDI keyboards, guitar-to-MIDI converters, MIDI drum
controllers etc.).
2. Connect an audio patch cord from the S900 Mix Out jack to a
suitable amplification system, initially turned to zero level.
(We will describe how to use the other outputs later in the
manual.)
Speakers
£_£ Mixer/
recorder
Amplifier
Effector
Keyboard
amplifier
Mixer
.q66
-To personal computer
•To other MIDI equipment
MIDI IN
MIDI OUT
*££ TIhhM?!UMX73
clull m*IMF
iT•i
HI
MIDI Master Keyboard
X^/ Guitar
Player, Deck, CD etc.
ininiiirminfnnnraii
Microphone
D5aaSSaaaS
'FoOtSwitCrKAKAl PS-X80)

PLAYSNG BACK SOUNDS
We know you can't wait any longer to hear the S900, so grab one
of the factory disks and let's go. Follow these instructions exact-
ly as given.
1
.
Insert afactory sound disk as shown in Fig. 1. Push gently
until the disk locks in place. Apush tab will pop out from
below the disk slot after the disk is inserted. When you want
to change disks, push on the tab and the disk will pop out.
2. Turn on the S900 power. The red light in the lower right-hand
side of the disk drive will light. This indicates that disk activity
is taking place {in this case, sound data is being transferred
from the disk into the S900's memory).
Caution: NEVER, EVER remove adisk while the red disk activi-
ty light is on!! This is true of all disk drives, not just the S900's.
Removing adisk when the disk light is on may damage the disk
or drive.
3. It can take up to 40 seconds to load adisk, depending on how
much data is on the disk. While you're waiting, adjust the
CONTRAST control for the most readable LCD display.
4. Turn the large gray CONTROL counter-clockwise. The sound
programs contained in memory will scroll past the LCD
window. Each program has an associated number; press the
key corresponding to that number to select aparticular
program.
5. Turn up your audio amplifier, turn up the S900 Output control
for aconfortable listening level, and play your master control-
ler. The MIDI RECEIVE light (towards the right side of the
LCD) should light up as you play, and you should hear some
pretty life-like sounds coming out of your amplifier, if not,
check your connections. If the MIDI RECEIVE light does not
light up, the S900 is not receiving MIDI data. Make sure your
controller is generating MIDI data. For more information, turn
to the MIDI section of this manual.
6. To audition other disks, first press the tab below the disk
drive insertion slot. The previously inserted disk should pop
out. Now insert the next disk you want to hear as described in
step 1
.
7. Note that there are eight function buttons below the LCD. The
second one from the right says "DISK." Press this button (Fig.
1).
8. Note the matrix of buttons shaded in gray and located under
the right side of the LCD. Press the ENT button (bottom row,
second from the right) (Fig. 1)
.
9. The new sounds will be loaded into S900 memory and the
disk activity light will come on. After the sounds are loaded,
the disk activity light will go off. Play your master controller.
Now you know how to play back sounds, but there is much,
much more to learn about the S900. When you're ready, pro-
ceed to the next section.
AKAI^— ss™ 3DD
OD
aa"S" "8" aa.-a
nn
p^
LlftSLi^Sl.
«™ o
O
..: i. o: o:
CONTROL
ENT button
Disk button
Label
-Push tab
-Disk slot Fig.1

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE S900
This section is very important. Read it carefully, as it lays the
foundation for the rest of the manual,
FUNCTIONS, PAGES, and BUTTONS
The S900 has eight functions selected by eight front panel
master buttons: PLAY, REC, EDIT SAMPLE, EDIT PROGRAM,
MIDI, UTILITY, DISK, and MASTER TUNE.
Each function (except MASTER TUNE) includes several pages.
Each page covers aspecific aspect of the function's operation.
For example, typical DISK function pages are load sound from
disk, save sound to disk, erase disk, etc.
Each page also displays several of the S900's parameters.
These are changed with the page programming buttons (con-
tained within the gray rectangle below the right side of the LCD)
and the upper-right hand CONTROL.
GETTING AROUND THE S900:
APRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Let's learn how the Function/Page/Button system works. We
will do all our practicing with ablank, formatted disk so that if
you make any errors nothing of importance will be lost.
1
.
Turn on power if it is not already.
2. Insert ablank, double-sided 3.5" disk as shown previously in
Fig. 1.Push gently until the disk locks in place.
3. Press the DISK function button. The LCD will show Page 01
,
the Load Disk page. There are several other pages associated
with the DISK function, and three ways to access them:
•Enter the page number directly with the numeric (0—9)
PARAMETER KEYS. This must be atwo-digit number; if you
are calling up asingle-digit page number, press the button
first (e.g. to call up Page 7, press the key then the 7key).
•You may advance to the next page by pressing PAGE (down
arrow), or return to the previous page by pressing PAGE (up
arrow).
•If the arrow points at the page number (see next section for
more about the arrow), CONTROL will select the different
pages within afunction.
CONTRAST-
POWER SWITCH -
FLOPPY DISK DRIVE-
AJh^kl ftmfemmai
EDIT PROGRAM
EDIT SAMPLE—
REC
PLAY-
Hmm3hm ai ImmI
"\mOr"
13 CI SIIU MtlHM
ot
FLOPPY WSK DRIVE
,—yaasff'--wwb|_^__^
tzz _______
1™_™_r
£™2
i
""""' ZZZ3
iv.'fvum.:-:-'.vrriHii
i%PLAV MO0E 04 SAMPUS NAM! OS
START POWT OS AJJAR 09
END S»0!Wr 07 VLCTY3BMS. W
LOOP UEHOTH oa MTCH WARP 11
SHJCS X-FAOS 10 U=0 a
PARAMETER KEYS-
ON/+, OFF/- KEYS -
ENTKEY

The front panel shows some of the most used page numbers for
the EDIT SAMPLE, EDIT PRESET, and DISK functions.
4. Scan through the other pages by using one or more of the
methods described above. Don't expect the LCD messages to
make much sense; they will be explained later. We just want
to get afeel for how the machine works.
5. Select Page 08. The LCD asks if you want to FORMAT, and
explains that means to "Prepare anew disk" for use with the
S900. It also reminds you to press ENT if you want to have
this happen. Since you have ablank disk in the drive which
you will eventually want to use with the S900, press ENT.
6. The Disk Activity light goes on. Remember, NEVER remove a
disk when this light is on! The cursor will overwrite the exist-
ing display with dots. When the LCD is filled with dots and the
Disk Activity light goes off, the disk is ready for use with the
3900. Pop out the disk, and you have aformatted disk ready
for later experiments.
Now let's learn how to select parameters within apage. Press
the EDIT PRESET function button and select Pag© 06. Again,
we don't need to concern ourselves with the specific LCD
message other than to know that an asterisk (*) indicates a
parameter that may be altered.
Two "gadgets" help you locate the desired parameter:
An Arrow gadget point to the name of the currently selected
parameter (this will be the page number when the page is first
selected).
Aflashing cursor indicates the value of the parameter pointed
to by the Arrow. If you enter a piece of data (number, yes, no,
letter, etc.), it will be entered in the space indicated by the
flashing cursor.
Use the elongated ARROW/CURSOR KEY to move the arrow
and cursor. Press the left side of the switch to move the ar-
row/cursor left, and the right side to move the arrow/cursor to
the right. Try this now.
ARROW/CURSOR KEYS
PAGE KEYS
CONTROL
LETTER KEY
PB KEY
SPACE KEY Fig. 2

CHANGING PARAMETERS
Now practice changing parameters. Parameters can usually be
changed in two ways:
•Scroll by turning the CONTROL through the available options
•Use the PARAMETER KEYS if you know the value you want
to enter. If the value is anumber, use the 0-9 keys (remem-
ber that numbers must have leading zeroes -e.g. if athree-
digit number is required, enter zeroes if necessary. Thus, 9
would be entered as 009. If atwo-digit number is required,
then 9would be entered as 09). Some parameters expect a
yes/no answer, or apositive/negative indication; for these,
usetheON/+ and OFF/- buttons.
Important: If the LCD asks you to press ENT after altering
aparameter, do so.
ENTERING TEXT AND NAMES: MEET THE
S900 WORD PROCESSOR
Occasionally you will need to enter aname rather than a
number, so let's meet the S900's "word processor".
Assuming that ablank disk is still in the drive, and that the EDIT
PRESET function is still active, select Page 01 .Move the arrow
so that it points at "Select, Copy." This parameter requires a
name instead of anumber; here's how to enter aname.
1
.
When the arrow point to aparameter that requires aname,
press the LETTER button (Fig. 2). The cursor will be replaced
by aline under the letter to be entered.
2. Turn the control to choose aletter (A-Z). You may also
choose 0-9, space, and #. To quickly choose aspace with-
out having to turn the CONTROL, press the SPACE button. To
quickly choose anumber, press the 0-9 buttons (Fig. 2).
3. Alter selecting the desired character, move the cursor to the
next letter with the arrow/cursor button and repeat step 2. if
you make amistake at any time, back the cusor up to the in-
correct character and repeat step 2.
4. Important: After entering the entire name, press ENT.
We have now learned how to scan pages, select parameters,
and edit parameters. Before continuing, we need to cover some
basic definitions.
DEFINITIONS
1
.
Avelocity keyboard is atype of keyboard that measures the
time it takes for akey to go from the up to down position. It as-
sumes that if this time period is short, you have hit the key
hard and want aloud sound; if this time period is longer, you
have hit the key softly and want asoft sound. Therefore, even
though velocity is measuring the speed at which a key goes
from key up to key down, we will consider it as an indication
of how hard or soft you hit the key.
2. ASample is asingle sound that you record into the S900. To
cover more than one key on akeyboard, the sample may be
transposed over up to asix-octave range.
3. AKeygroup is apair of samples. Playing avelocity keyboard
harder increases the level of one of the samples and de-
creases the level of the other (or, switches over from one of
the samples to the other at acertain velocity threshold).
Thus, with abass sound you can have anormally plucked
string at lower levels and aslap bass effect at higher levels.
The sample meant to be heard at higher velocity levels is
called the Loud sample and the sample meant to be heard at
lower velocity levels is called the Soft sample.
4. Trying to transpose asample over too wide arange leads to
an unnatural sound. The S900 can assign up to 32 samples
over the keyboard. Using multiple samples means that indi-
vidual samples need not be transposed very far. AProgram
(also called preset) is aset of keygroups, and can consist of
up to 32 different keygroups (or individual samples) assigned
across the keyboard. For example, with afive-octave key-
board you could take five samples and assign one to each
octave, or ten samples and assign one to every half-octave.
Samples may be edited in anumber of ways, as can programs.
These will be described fully later. Once samples and programs
are set as desired, the S900 memory can be saved to disk.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING S900
MEMORY DATA TO DISK
PLEASE NOTE: The S900 has no permanent memory. If you
load adisk into the S900 and alter it, the altered parameters
MUST BE SAVED TO DISK or your work will be lost if you turn
off the power. This is described fully in the section of the DISK
function.
ERROR MESSAGES
If ail eight function lights flash, there is ausually not-too-serious
problem. The LCD will give you some idea of what is wrong. To
return to normal operation, press one of the function buttons.

8
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
We have now covered how to communicate with the S900. To
learn about how the S900 works, we suggest the following:
1
.
Load in various sound disks and select the EDIT PRESET
function. Go through the EDIT PRESET section of this
manual and vary parameters on the various pages, carefully
noting the effects on the sound caused by these parameter
variations. Feel free to experiment as much as you like —
parameter editing only affects what is in the S900 memory,
and sound disk data remains intact UNLESS you save the
S900 memory to disk. Therefore, as long as you don't save to
disk, you won't lose any data on the disk.
2. After getting afeel for the EDIT PRESET (program) functions,
load in various sound disks and select the EDIT SAMPLE
function. Go through the EDIT SAMPLE section of this
manual and vary parameters on the various pages, carefully
noting the effects on individual samples caused by these
parameter variations. As mentioned above, as long as you
don't save to disk, you won't lose any data on the disk.
3. Start making your own samples. Insert ablank, formatted
disk into the S900, select the REC function, and go through
the REC section of this manual. We suggest speaking some
sentences for your first few samples, as this makes it very
easy to observe the effects of looping and other sampling
parameter edits.
4. Practice making up disks using samples and programs from
various other disks. Read through the DISK section of the
manual to find out how this is done.
5. Experiment, experiment, experiment. The more you play with
the S900, the more you will become familiar with its operation
and the better you'll be able to exploit its many features.

CHAPTER 2: REFERENCE SECTION
PART 1:INTRODUCTION, SHORT FORM ~1 ENTERING TEXT AND NAMES
The following is asummary of the information presented in the
introduction and is intended to serve as areference. For further
information, re-read Chapter 1
.
FUNCTIONS, PAGES, and BUTTONS
The S900 has 8functions selected by 8front panel master but-
tons: PLAY, REC, EDIT SAMPLE, EDIT PROGRAM, MIDI,
UTILITY, DISK, and MASTER TUNE.
Each function (except MASTER TUNE) includes several pages.
Each page covers aspecific aspect of the function's operation.
For example, typical DISK function pages are load sound from
disk, save sound to disk, erase disk, etc.
Each page also displays several of the S900's parameters.
These are changed with the page programming buttons (con-
tained within the gray rectangle) and the upper-riqht hand
CONTROL.
SELECTING APAGE
There are three ways to select apage:
1. Enter the page number directly with the numeric (0-9)
PARAMETER KEYS. This must be atwo-digit number; if you
are calling up asingle-digit page number, press the button
first (e.g. to call up Page 7, press the key then the 7key).
2. You may advance to the next page by pressing PAGE (down
arrow), or return to the previous page by pressing PAGE (up
arrow).
3. If the arrow points at the page number (see next section for
more about the arrow), CONTROL will select the different
pages within afunction.
ARROWS, CURSORS, and GADGETS
Upon selecting apage, the LCD will indicate parameters related
to that page. Two "gadgets" help you locate the desired parame-
ter:
1
.
An Arrow gadget point to the name of the currently selected
parameter.
2. Aflashing cursor indicates the value of the parameter pointed
to by the Arrow. If you enter apiece of data (number, yes, no,
letter, etc.), it will be entered in the space indicated by the
flashing cursor.
Use the elongated arrow/cursor switch to move the arrow and
cursor. Press the left side of the switch to move the arrow/cursor
left, and the right side to move the arrow/cursor to the right.
CHANGING PARAMETERS
Parameters can usually be changed in two ways:
1
.
Scroll through the available options by turning the CONTROL.
2. If you know the value you want to enter, use the PARAMETER
KEYS. If the value is anumber, use the 0-9 keys (remember
that numbers must have leading zeroes-e.g. if athree-digit
number is required, enter zeroes if necessary. Thus, 9would
be entered as 009. If atwo-digit number is required, then 9
would be entered as 09).Some parameters expect ayes/no
answer, or apositive/negative indication; for these, use the
ON/+ and OFF/- buttons.
Important: If the LCD asks you to press ENT after altering a
parameter, do so.
To enter aname:
1
.
When the cursor specifies aparameter that requires aname,
press the LETTER button. The cursor will be replaced by a
line under the letter to be entered.
2. Turn the control to choose aletter (A~Z). You may also
choose 0-9, space, and #. To quickly choose aspace with-
out having to turn the CONTROL, press the SPACE button.
3. After selecting the desired character, move the cursor to the
next letter and repeat step 2. If you make amistake at any
time, back the cursor up to the incorrect character and repeat
step 2.
4. After entering the entire name, press ENT.
ERROR MESSAGES
If all eight function lights flash, there is an error. Press one of the
function buttons to return to normal operation.
DEFINITIONS
1
.
Avelocity keyboard is atype of keyboard that measures the
time it takes for akey to go from the up to down position and
therefore indicates dynamics.
2. ASample is asingle sound that you record into the S900. To
cover more than one key on akeyboard, the sample may be
transposed over up to asix-octave range.
3. AKeygroup is apair of samples. The sample meant to be
heard at higher velocity levels is called the Loud sample and
the sample meant to be heard at lower velocity levels is called
the Soft sample.
4. Trying to transpose asample over too wide arange leads to
an unnatural sound. The S900 can assign up to 32 samples
over the keyboard. Using multiple samples means that indi-
vidual samples need not be transposed very far. AProgram
(also called preset) is aset of keygroups, and can consist of
up to 32 different keygroups (or individual samples) assigned
across the keyboard.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING MEMORY
DATA TO DISK
PLEASE NOTE: The S900 has no permanent memory. If you
load adisk into the S900 and alter it, the altered parameters
MUST BE SAVED TO DISK or your work will be lost if you turn off
power. This is described fully in the section on the DISK func-
tion.
PART 2: THE PLAY BUTTON FUNCTION
PLAY FUNCTION
To play back programs stored in the S900 memory (usually
these are loaded from disk first; see DISK function Page 01 ):
1. Press the PLAY function button.
2. Turn CONTROL counter-clockwise. The programs contained
in memory will scroll past the LCD window.
3. Each program has an associated number. Press the key cor-
responding to that number to select aparticular program.

10
PART 3: THE TUNE BUTTON
FUNCTIONS
TUNE FUNCTIONS
To adjust the S900 tuning to that of other instruments:
1
.
Press the MASTER TUNE function button.
2. Enter the desired detuning as +or —followed by atwo digit
number between 00 and 16. Negative numbers offset tuning
lower, positive numbers offset tuning higher. Numbers greater
than 16are not recognized.
3. To exit MASTER TUNE mode, hit any other function button.
PART 4: THE MIDI BUTTON FUNCTIONS
MIDI FUNCTIONS
AMIDI controller sends out MIDI data that describes your perfor-
mance—which notes are being played, dynamics, modulation,
etc. The S900 receives this data (if all is set properly) and pro-
duces sounds according to the data it receives.
MIDI CHANNEL AND MODEPAGE 01
SELECT^
MIDI transmitters send data out over aparticular channel from 1
to 16 (this is usually selectable). AMIDI receiver (such as the
S900) has two main modes of operation:
•OMNI ON (the S900 receives any MIDI data that appears on
any channel) .This mode is useful for having the S900 receive
master controller data without having to think about channel
selection.
•OMNI OFF (the S900 receives any MIDI data that appears on
one channel). In most situations, turn OMNI off and set the
S900 to the same channel number as the transmitter (see
below).
MIDI CHANNEL SELECT
1
.
Point arrow at "Basic MIDI channel."
2. Enter atwo-digit channel number with the 0—9 keys. Enter
leading zeroes (i.e. 01 ,not 1).
OMNI ON/OFF (MODE) SELECT
1. Point arrow at "Omni on/off."
2. Press +key for OMNI ON and -for OMNI OFF.
3. If the channels have been properly selected, playing the
master controller will cause the MIDI RECEIVE light to glow.
IPAGE 02
1
MIDI TEST SIGNAL TRANSMIT
^CTfMNEL, NOTE, VELOCITY, TRIGGER)
This page lets you trigger anote in the S900 via the Play parame-
ter button (not the PLAY function button). Pushing the Play
parameter button also sends MIDI note and velocity data out the
MIDI Out connector. This feature is useful for triggering anote
without having to use an external controller (e.g. MIDI keyboard).
CHANNEL SELECT
Point arrow at "Channel" and enter the two-digit channel
number (i.e. 01 ,02 ... 16) over which the MIDI test signal will
appear.
NOTE: This must be the same number as the S900 basic MID!
channel (selected on Page 1)if you want to trigger the S900.
NOTE SELECT
Point arrow at "Key" and use the 0—9 keys or CONTROL to
enter the desired MIDI note number (middle C=60h
VELOCITY SELECT
Point arrow at "Velocity" and use the 0-9 keys or CONTROL to
enter the desired velocity (loudness).
TRIGGER NOTE
Press the Play parameter button (not the PLAY function button)
at any time to send the MIDI data through MIDI Out and also trig-
ger the specified note within the S900.
IPAGEQ3IINCOMING MIDI SIGNAL
ANALYZER
Page 03 is your "window on MIDI" and shows:
®The channel over which the Master Controller is sending
notes.
•The last note played by the Master controller, both in musical
terminology and MIDI note number.
®The velocity (dynamics) of the last note played (displayed for
as long as the note is held down)
.
There are no user-settable parameters on this page. It is used
solely as amonitor. If the S900 is not responding properly to the
master controller, use this function to verify the channel number
and also, that the master controller is sending out valid note and
velocity data.
PAGE 04I PITCH WHEEL RESPONSE
This page lets you trim the S900's response to the MIDI Master
Controller's pitch wheel.
1
.
Point arrow at "Pitch wheel range (±semitones)."
2. Select the range of the pitch bend travel, from :±1 semitone to
±1 2 semitones, by entering atwo-digit number (01 ,02 ..
.
12) or turning the CONTROL.
PAGE 05 RS-232 PORT PARAMETERS
The S900 may be controlled from the RS-232 port included on
many home computers as well as via MIDI (for more information,
refer to the Appendix "RS-232 Applications"). In RS-232 mode,
the S900 Baud Rate (speed of communications) must match
that of the computer.
MIDI/RS-232 SELECT
Point arrow at "Control by MIDI (1) RS232 (2).
or 2for RS-232. Enter 1for MIDI
RS-232 BAUD RATE SELECT
Point arrow at "RS232 Baud rate." The Baud rate is afive-digit
number; enter the first four digits of the number. Example:
For 19200 Baud rate, enter 1-9-2-0.
For 300 Baud rate, enter 0-0-3-0.
For 9600 Baud rate, enter 0-9-6-0.
You can also use the CONTROL but this is not recommended as
it takes more time to make adjustments.
The LCD will show ameasurement of the actual Baud rate. If It is
more than ±2% different from the intended Baud rate, there is a
problem.

11
IPART 5: THE DISK BUTTON FUNCTIONS
DISK FUNCTIONS
The disk drive:
•Loads disk samples and programs into the S900, and
•Saves samples and programs stored in the S900 to disk.
The S900 loses ail data in its memory when power is turned
off, so save your work to disk before turning off power. Also
save your work to disk periodically to guard against power
failures or unforeseen problems.
One additional function, format, converts standard disks into
disks suitable for use with the S900. Any new disk, or disk used
previously with adiffeent piece of equipment (e.g. personal
computer, other instrument) must be formatted before it can be
used with the S900.
Disks have awrite-protect feature that helps prevent accidental
erasure. There will be asmall, movable tab in one corner of the
disk. When slid towards the outside of the disk, ahole will
appear and you will not be able to record data on, or format, the
disk. Moving the tab towards the inside of the disk blocks the
hole and defeats the write-protect feature.
PAGE 01
DISKTO" LOAD SOUND DATA FROM
"MEMORY
-*0 IClnr memory and load
antir«disk (ENT) Mamo ry_76%
Disk_78»
Selecting Page 01 displays "Clear memory and load entire disk
(ENT)." To do this, press the ENT button. Any data in the S900's
memory will be replaced with data from the disk.
After loading, the LCD wil! indicate what percentage of the S900
memory has been filled, and what percentage of the disk was
filled.
PAGEQ2 LOAD PROGRAM, OR PROGRAM
AND SAMPLES, FROM D!SK
~0Z LOAD PROGRAM (ENT) *PR
*r>ama WELCOME *PR onIy-M-76«
*Samples—
This page offers two main choices:
»Load program only. Use this when you have samples in
memory that you want to arrange into aprogram, and already
have aprogram on disk that would be suitable for the samples
currently in S900 memory.
•Load program and samples. Use this to make up adisk with
many different sounds by loading programs and samples
from other disks. (Example: Load bass program and samples
from one disk and drum program and samples from another
disk to make up a"rhythm section" disk.)
1
.
Point arrow at "name." Turn CONTROL to scan the catalog of
available programs, or enter the name of the program you
want to load.
2. Point arrow at "PR only" to load only the program data. Point
arrow at "PR &Sample" to load the programed samples that
make up the program.
3. After making your choice, press ENT. The disk activity light
wili turn on to indicate that loading is taking place.
PAGE 03I LOAD SAMPLE FROM DISK
'03 LOAD SAMPLE (ENT)
*nama WELCOME M*m-76»
Use this feature to fill the S900 memory with many different
sounds by loading samples from various disks.
1
.
Point arrow at "name." Turn CONTROL to scan the catalog of
available samples, or enter the name of the sample you want
to load. If the LCD says "none," there are no samples on the
disk.
If you switch disks during this process, press the DISK function
button immediately after the change to load the new disk sample
catalog.
2. After selecting asample, press ENT. The disk activity Sight
will go on to indicate that loading is taking place.
PAGE 04 1ERASE DISK, THEN SAVE S900
M1W0W"T0 DISK
*0A Clear disk and sava
entire mamory (ENT) M«m-76K
Disk-788
Selecting Page 04 displays "Clear disk and save entire memory
(ENT)." To do this, press the ENT button. Caution! This will
erase whatever had previously been on the disk, unless it was
write-protected. If the disk is write-protected, the LCD will notify
you and advise you what to do.
After saving, the LCD will indicate what percentage of the disk
has been filled, and what percentage of the S900 memory was
filled.
PAGE 05!SAVE PROGRAM, OR PROGRAM
&SAMPLES, FROM S900 TO DISK
—0& SAVE PR OS RAM (ENT)
*name WELCOME PR only- Disk
*PR &smpls- 78%
This page offers two main choices:
*Save program only. Use this when you come up with apar-
ticularly useful program in the S900. Once saved to disk, you
can subsequently use this program with different sets of
samples.
•Save program and samples. Use this to transfer acomplete
program, including the samples contained in the program
from S900 memory to disk. To transfer aprogram and its sam-
ples from one disk to another disk, load the program and sam-
ples from one disk in memory (Page 02), then save to another
disk from S900 memory.
1.Point arrow at "name." Turn CONTROL to scan the catalog of
available programs, or enter the name of the program you
want to save.

12
If you switch disks during this process, press the DISK function
button immediately after the change to load the new disk sample
catalog.
2. Point arrow at "PR only" to save only the program data. Point
arrow at "PR &samples" if you want to save the program and
the samples that make up the program.
3. After making your choice, press ENT. The disk activity light
will turn on to indicate that saving is taking place.
PAGE08J FORMAT DISK
PAGE 06 SAVE SAMPLE TO DISK
»*T6 SAVE SAMPLE (ENT)
*n«me WELCOME Disk 78%
This page saves asample in memory to disk. You may transfer a
sample from one disk to another by loading the sample in
memory from one disk (Page 03), then saving the sample from
S900 memory to adifferent disk.
1
.
Point arrow at "name." Turn CONTROL to scan the catalog of
available samples, or enter the name of the sample you want
to save. If the LCD says "none," there are no samples on the
disk.
If you switch disks during this process, press ENT immediately
after the change to load the new disk sample catalog.
2. After selecting asample, press ENT. The disk activity light
will go on to indicate that saving is taking place.
iPAGE 07 [ERASE SAMPLE OR PROGRAM
FROirDTSK
-01 ERASE FROM tSmph
DISK (ENT) *progri
Disk
%
1
.
To erase asample, point arrow at "Sample." Turn CONTROL
to select the sample to be erased. Press ENT.
2. To erase aprogram, point arrow at "Program." Turn
CONTROL to select the program to be erased. Press ENT.
3. After making your selection, press ENT. The disk activity light
will indicate that erasure is taking place. The Disk space in-
dicator will update the percentage of the disk allocated to
data.
Note: If the disk space indicator shows no change, the sample or
program to be erased was not found. Make sure the disk drive's
disk catalog matches that shown in the LCD. If you switch disks,
press the DISK function button to load the new catalog, then
reselectPage07.
-0B DISK FORMAT.
Prepare new dsk (ENT) Disk
This page formats new or differently formatted disks to S900
specifications. Caution: Formatting will bulk-erase the entire
disk of previously stored data, so double-check the disk's identi-
ty before formatting.
1
.
Selecting Page 08 displays "DISK FORMAT. Prepare new
disk (ENT)." After making sure ablank disk (or one you want
to bulk-erase) is in the drive, press ENT.
2. The Disk Activity light in the lower right side of the drive will
turn on. Remember not to remove the disk when this light is
on!
3. When formatting begins, the cursor will overwrite the existing
display with dots. When the LCD is filled with dots and the
Disk Activity light goes off, the disk is formatted and ready for
use with the S900.

PART 6: THE EDIT PROGRAM BUTTON
FUNCTIONS
EDIT PROGRAM FUNCTIONS
The EDIT PRESET (Program) function provides extensive ways
to alter the program. Editing options include velocity sensitivity,
amplitude envelopes, filtering, positional crossfade, etc.
PAGE 01 PROGRAM SELECT/COPY/
RERKME7DELETE
—15' 'Sllect, Copy TONE PRGRM
PROGRAM tRinimi, 0#l»t« (-) TONE PRGRM
This page offers four choices:
SELECT (the program you want to edit)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy." Use CONTROL to scan the availa-
ble programs for editing. When the LCD shows the desired pro-
gram, press ENT.
COPY (one program to another and keep both in memory)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy" and select the program to be
copied (see above). Press the +key then ENT. Note: Prior to
pressing +, you can select where the +will appear in the pro-
gram name by pressing LETTER then placing the cursor (with
the ARROW/CURSOR button) where desired.
RENAME (an existing program)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy" and select program to be re-named
(see above, SELECT). Then point arrow at "Rename, delete (-)."
Name the program (as described in Chapter 2, Part 1).
DELETE (an existing program)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy" and select program to be deleted.
Then point arrow at "Rename, delete (-)." Check that the cursor
is on the first character of the name (if not, then point arrow at
"Select, Copy" and start over). Press -, then ENT. This erases
the sample from S900 memory.
PAGE02JKEY/L0UDNESS INTERACTION,
P^STflONAL CROSSFADE
—H2 *Key— loudness ±^ 00
Positional crossfade OFF
KEY/LOUDNESS INTERACTION
This sets how much the pitch of the note being played affects
the loudness.
1
.
Point arrow at "Key-loudness."
2. Rotate CONTROL between -50 and +50 for the desired
degree of interaction. With +00 Key/Loudness, the loudness
remains constant no matter where you play on the keyboard.
Increasing the Key/Loudness up to +50 decreases the loud-
ness as you play further down on the keyboard and increases
the loudness as you play further up on the keyboard. De-
creasing the Key/Loudness to —50 increases the loudness
as you play further down on the keyboard and decreases the
loudness as you play further up on the keyboard.
POSITIONAL CROSSFADE
Samples may be assigned so that the high range of one sample
overlaps the low range of another sample. With positional cross-
fade on, the lower sample will fade out as the higher sample
fades in over the range of the overlap. This is useful for creating
asmooth, natural-sounding transition between adjacent sam-
ples.
Point arrow at "Positional crossfade." Press ON/+ for positional
crossfade on, OFF/— for crossfade off.
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 1
amplitude Sample 2
amplitude
Positional crossfade
region
3JKEYGROUP
/COPY/DELETE
*03 KEYGROUP :—Select [0 to IOIUI
•Copy (+). Diletl (—)_
This page offers three choices:
SELECT (the keygroup to be edited)
Point arrow at "Select." Use CONTROL to scan and select the
available keygroups for editing (or enter the keygroup number
with the 0—9 keys). To edit all program keygroups simultane-
ously, press "all."

14
COPY (on© keygroup to another and keep both in memory)
Point arrow at "Copy(+), Delete(—)." Press the +key then ENT.
The copied keygroup will be numbered one digit higher than the
previously highest-numbered keygroup.
DELETE (an existing keygroup)
Point arrow at "Copy( +) ,Delete(—)." Press the —key then ENT.
The keygroup will be removed from memory.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PAGES 04 to 16
The LCD shows the keygroup number being edited below
each page number. To change keygroups at any time, point
the arrow at "KG—" and use CONTROL (or enter atwo-digit
number with the 0—9 keys) to select the new keygroup. This
feature is also convenient for efficiently adjusting identical
parameters for various keygroups with aminimum of button-
pushing.
PAGE04VEL0CITY CROSSFADE,
VELOCITY SWITCH THRESHOLD
•04 *VeIocItyCrgsslldl ON
KGIiViitc ity switch threshold I28
VELOCITY CROSSFADE
This function crossfades between the two samples of the key-
group so that as you play harder, the Soft sample volume gets
softer and the Hard sample volume gets louder. This provides a
smooth transition between Soft and Loud samples as you play
with greater or lesser dynamics.
Point arrow at "Velocity Crossfade." Press ON/+ for velocity
crossfade on, OFF/— for velocity crossfade off.
VELOCITY SWITCH THRESHOLD
As you play avelocity keyboard, it produces numbers that corre-
spond to your dynamics, with representing asoft keystrike
and 128 representing ahard keystrike. You may select any
number between and 128 with this function. If the velocity
data is less than the selected number, the Soft sample will play.
If the velocity data is greater than the selected number, the Loud
sample will play.
Point arrow at "Velocity switch threshold." Use CONTROL to
select the desired switch point, or enter athree-digit number
with the 0—9 keys.
Note: Asetting of 128 plays the Soft sample only since it is not
possible to play a note louder than 128. Asetting of 000 plays
the Loud sample only since it is not possible to play anote softer
than 000.
Playing harder fades in loud
sample and fades out soft
sample. With velocity switch,
there is an abrupt transition from
soft sample to hard sample at
the specified velocity.
Soft VELOCITY
.PAGE05I SOFT SAMPLE RANGE
ASSIGNMENT
-ig5 Soft *sam pi#
•KG ISOFT *LowKey
C0 24 (Hi (h Ki G8 I27
Keyboard assignment determines the range (from lowest note to
highest note) covered by asample. Example: If you have a
sample recorded at C3 (MIDI note 60) and want to transpose it
plus and minus one octave, the low note would be C2 (MIDI note
48) and the high note would be C4 (MIDI note 72).
If there is no soft sample, which is the case if velocity threshold
=(thus precluding the use of aloud sample—see Page 04),
the LCD will say "No soft sample, vlcty thrsh -0."
1
.
Point arrow at "sample." Use CONTROL to select the sample
to be assigned to agiven range of the keyboard.
2. Point arrow at "Low key." Adjust CONTROL to select the
desired note, or enter the three-digit MIDI note number with
the 0—9 keys.
3. Point arrow at "High key." Adjust CONTROL to select the
desired note, or enter the three-digit MIDI note number with
the 0—9 keys.
lEAGE06 SOFT SAMPLE LOUDNESS,
FILTER, TRANSPOSE, AND FINE PITCH
—^6 S(Logdmss *FiIt•r
•KSt I I +00 99 *Trinfpon *fini
+00 +00
Loud
This page edits four soft sample parameters.
LOUDNESS (soft sample level adjust)
Each sample level can be adjusted by itself (Edit Sample PAGE
03) or as part of akeygroup, as in this case. Different sections of
the keyboard can play at different levels if desired, or samples
with unequal levels can be balanced out for uniform keyboard re-
sponse.
Point arrow at "Loudness." Use CONTROL to increase loudness
above the nominal +00 point (up to +50), or decrease loudness
below the nominal +00 point (down to -50). Note: These fig-
ures represent arbitrary volume units, not deciBels.
FILTER (soft sample high frequency response)
Low pass filtering passes low frequency sounds and attenuates
high frequency sounds. The frequency at which the filtering
action occurs is adjustable. One application is to clean up noisy
samples by removing high frequency hiss; also, filtering inter-
acts with filter velocity sensitivity (see PAGE 10).
Point arrow at "Filter." Use CONTROL to set the initial fiiter fre-
quency or enter atwo-digit number with the 0—9 keys. The
lower the number, the lower the cutoff frequency.
TRANSPOSE (soft sample transposition)
Point arrow at "Transpose." Use CONTROL or the +, -, and
0—9 keys to vary transposition amount in semitones from 50
semitones up (+50) to 50 semitones down (—50). +00 gives no
transposition.
Note: Not atl samples are capable of being transposed over the
full range.
FINE PITCH (soft sample pitch)
Point arrow at "fine." Use CONTROL or the +, -, and 0-9 keys
to fine-tune the sample pitch up to just over aflatted fifth (+99)
or an equivalent amount in the downward direction (—99). +00
gives no pitch change.

15
PAGE 071 LOUD SAMPLE RANGE
ASSIGNMENT
~jg!7 Loud *sampIe*Low Kgy
*KGI TONEI C0 24 «h K« y
G8 I27
Keyboard assignment determines the range (from lowest note to
highest note) covered by asample. Example: If you have a
sample recorded at C3 (MIDI note 60) and wanted to transpose it
plus and minus one octave, the low note would be C2 (MIDI note
48) and the high note would be C4 (MIDI note 72).
If there is no loud sample, which is the case if velocity threshold
=128 (thus precluding the use of aloud sample; see Page 04),
the LCD will say "No loud sample, vlcty thrsh =128."
1
.
Point arrow at "sample." Use CONTROL to select the sample
to be assigned to agiven range of the keyboard.
2. Point arrow at "Low key." Adjust CONTROL to select the
desired note, or enter the three-digit MIDI note number with
theO—9keys.
3. Point arrow at "High key." Adjust CONTROL to select the
desired note, or enter the three-digit MIDI note number with
the 0—9 keys.
PAGE08i LOUD SAMPLE LOUDNESS,
FILTER, TRANSPOSE, AND FINE PITCH
*0B L*LoudneS5 *Fi It«r *Transpos8 *fi
*KGI +00 99 +00 +00
This page edits four hard sample parameters.
LOUDNESS (hard sample level adjust)
Each sample level can be adjusted by itself (Edit Sample Page
03) or as part of akeygroup, as in this case. Different sections of
the keyboard can play at different levels if desired, or samples
with unequal levels can be balanced out for uniform keyboard re-
sponse.
Point arrow at "Loudness." Use CONTROL to vary loudness
from +50 above the nominal +00 point (louder) to —50 below
the nominal +00 point (softer). Note: These figures represent ar-
bitrary volume units, not deciBels.
FILTER (hard sample high frequency response)
Low pass filtering passes low frequency sounds and attenuates
high frequency sounds. The frequency at which the filtering
action occurs is adjustable. One application is to clean up noisy
samples by removing high frequency hiss; also, filtering inter-
acts with filter velocity sensitivity (see PAGE 10).
Point arrow at "Filter." Use CONTROL to set the initial filter fre-
quency or enter atwo-digit number with the 0—9 keys. The
lower the number, the lower the cutoff frequency.
TRANSPOSE (hard sample transposition)
Point arrow at "Transpose." Use CONTROL or the +, —,and
0—9 keys to vary transposition amount in semitones from 50
semitones up (+50) or 50 semitones down (—50). +00 gives no
transposition.
Note: Not all samples are capable of being transposed over the
full range.
FINE PITCH (hard sample pitch)
Point arrow at "fine." Use CONTROL or the +, —,and number
keys to fine-tune the sample pitch up to just over aflatted fifth
(+99) or an equivalent amount in the downward direction
(—99). +00 gives no pitch change.
PAGE 091 KEYGROUP ENVELOPE
SETTINGS
-M9 ENV *Attack
*KG I
*Oac a ytSustiin tRiliin
80 99 30
Sounds are often looped to create continuous sustain. This
saves memory but unfortunately sacrifices the natural dynamics
of asound. The envelope function allows dynamics to be put
back in to asound, and can also be used to create special ef-
fects—super percussive piano sounds, for example, or guitar
notes with the attack characteristics of awoodwind instead of
plucked instrument.
There are four adjustable parameters, as summarized below.
Decay
Attack .Sustain level
Release
Key down Key up
ATTACK
Attack is the envelope generator's first phase, and sets the
amount of time required for the keygroup sound level to go from
full off to full on. Short attacks are characteristic of plucked
instruments; longer attacks are characteristic of woodwind and
some bowed instruments.
Point arrow at "Attack." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the 0—9 keys. Higher numbers give
longer attack times.
DECAY
Decay is the envelope generator's second phase, and sets the
time the keygroup sound level takes to fall from the maximum
sound level attained during the attack phase to an arbitrarily-set
sustain level (see next heading).
Point arrow at "Decay." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the 0—9 keys. Higher numbers give
longer decay times.
SUSTAIN
Sustain, the envelope generator's third phase, sets the keygroup
sound level during the time the key is held down. Alooped
sound will remain at this level until the key is released.
Point arrow at "Sustain." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the 0—9 keys. Higher numbers give
higher sustain levels.
RELEASE
Release, the envelope generator's fourth phase, starts upon
releasing akey and sets how long it takes for the keygroup
sound level to fall from the sustain level back to zero. Completion
of the release phase terminates the envelope generator cycle.
Point arrow at "Release." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the —9keys. Higher numbers give
longer release times.

16
PAGE 1Q1KEYGRQUP VELOCITY
RESPONSE
-*\£ VLCTY *Loudness 3tHtatk 50
*KGI SENS. *Filt«r 50 *Rt!iin +00
Three different paramenters can be altered by the note-on
velocity: loudness, filter frequency, and attack time. Release
time can be altered by anote's release (note-off) velocity.
LOUDNESS
Point arrow at "Loudness." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the 0-9 keys.
With 00 loudness, the loudness remains constant regardless of
keyboard velocity. Increasing this number (up to 99) increases
the effect that velocity has on loudness, with more velocity
giving alouder sound. Thus, the harder you play, the louder the
keygroup sound.
FILTER
Point arrow at "Filter." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the 0—9 keys.
With asetting of 00, the filter cutoff frequency remains constant
regardless of keyboard velocity. Increasing this number (up to
99) increases the effect that velocity has on filter cutoff, with
more velocity giving ahigher filter cutoff frequency. Thus, the
harder you play, the brighter the sound.
This effect is characteristic of many acoustic instruments.
ATTACK
Point arrow at "Attack." Use CONTROL or enter atwo-digit
number (00—99) with the 0—9 keys.
With asetting of 00, the attack remains constant regardless of
keyboard velocity, increasing the number (up to 99) increases
the effect that velocity has on attack time, with more velocity
giving shorter attack times. Thus, playing forcefully creates
more percussive sounds than playing lightly.
RELEASE
Point arrow at "Release." Use CONTROL or use the +, —,and
0—9 keys to enter atwo-digit from —50 to +50.
With asetting of 00, the release remains constant regardless of
the release velocity. With higher numbers (up to +50), releasing
the keys quickly gives alonger release time than releasing the
keys slowly. With lower numbers (down to —50), releasing the
keys quickly gives ashorter release time than releasing the keys
slowly.
PAGE 11WARP (automatic pitch bend)
*il]l WARP tViltcit) Time 99
•KGI *Attuk offset +00
Warp adds apitch-shift to anote's attack so that the note starts
slightly sharp or flat before gliding down or up respectively to the
normal pitch.
1
.
Point arrow at "Velocity." Use CONTROL to set warp interac-
tion with velocity as follows:
0: Velocity does not affect warp, which is constant.
1-1 28: Higher numbers give more warp with greater velocity.
The amount of warp is hardly noticeable at 1even with very hard
playing; at 128, playing hard gives strong warps.
2. Point arrow at "Time." Use CONTROL to set the amount of
time over which the warp occurs (0 =short, 128 =long).
3. Point arrow at "Attack offset." Use CONTROL, or the +, -,
and 0—9 keys, to set total amount of pitch warp and direction.
Examples: +00 gives no pitch warp. —25 gives aslight warp
from fiat to normal pitch, —50 gives astrong warp from flat to
normal pitch, and +50 gives astrong warp sharp to normal pitch.
Note: An upward pitch warp is characteristic of wind instruments
(sax etc.); adownward pitch warp is characteristic of plucked
instruments (bass, drums, etc.).
PAGE 121 LFO (low frequency oscillator for
modulation)
—T2 LFO. *Depth (Rita lOil «*D«sync
•KGI 64 64 ON
The S900's LFO adds vibrato effects and has four parameters:
DEPTH (of modulation)
Point arrow at "Depth." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys to select
atwo-digit number (up to 99). Larger numbers make the vibrato
effect more noticeable.
RATE (of modulation)
Point arrow at "Rate." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys to select
atwo-digit number (up to 99). Larger numbers increase the vi-
brato speed.
DELAY (th© time over which modulaton fades In)
Point arrow at "Delay." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys to select
atwo-digit number (up to 99). Larger numbers increase the
amount of time over which the modulation fades in.
DESYNC (LFOs)
Each S900 voice has its own LFO. These may be synchronized
so that all notes vibrato together, or desynchronized so that vi-
brato occurs individually for individual notes. Desync LFO ef-
fects are useful when creating complex sounds, such as string
sections.
Point arrow at "Desync." Press ON/+ to sync LFOs, OFF/— to
desync.
PAGE 131 LFO DEPTH (via aftertouch or
modulation wheel)
—13 UFO DEPTH Mf tirtoueh *Mod. >hnl
*KG ISO
LFO depth is often not set for afixed amount (as described in
Page 12) but selectively introduced under control of the player.
One method is to use amodulation wheel, where turning the
wheel adds modulation. Another is to use akeyboard with after-
touch, where pressing on keys once they are down introduces
modulation.
Note: Any modulation added on this page is in addition to the
modulation depth specified on PAGE 12.
AFTERTOUCH (LFO depth control)
Point arrow at "Aftertouch." Use the CONTROL or the 0-9 keys
to enter atwo-digit number. The higher the number, the greater
the modulation depth when aftertouch is activated.
MOD WHEEL (LFO depth control)
Point arrow at "Mod. wheel." Use the CONTROL or the 0-9
keys to enter atwo-digit number. The higher the number, the
greater the modulation depth when the modulation wheel is
turned to its maximum travel.

17
PAGE 14[KEY FILTER (filter keyboard
trackingF
*I4-K.i-Ht.r
*KG I5/2T
Constant pi to h
OFF
This sets how much the pitch of the note being played affects
the filter cutoff.
Point arrow at "Key-filter." Use CONTROL or the 0-9 keys to
enter atwo-digit number. With 00 key-filter, the cutoff frequency
remains constant no matter which keygroup keys you play. In-
creasing the key-filter amount (up to 99) lowers the cutoff fre-
quency as you play lower notes of the keygroup.
PAGEtSjKEYGROUP MIDI ASSIGNMENT,
STATUS, AND CHANNEL
"* 5*MI I channel Thiskaygroup on
*KGI off set (JZT-I 5) #• Ml DIch. ALL
The S900 is very flexible in its MIDI implementation. Akeygroup
can be assigned to any one of the 16MIDI channels. This allows
for MIDI mono mode operation, where each sound is driven by
its own channel. This mode is very popular for use with MIDI
sequencers and guitar synthesizers. Acompete discussion of
MIDI is beyond the scope of this manual; Akai suggests the book
"MIDI For Musicians" (written by Craig Anderton and published
by AMSCO, adivision of Music Sales) for those who want to
learn more about MIDI.
MIDI STATUS
The LCD's right side shows the keygroup's MIDI channel as ini-
tially set on MIDI Page 01 ("all" for Omni mode on, or achannel
number from 1to 16 if that was specified instead).
MIDI CHANNEL (offset)
Point arrow at "MIDI channel offset." Use CONTROL or enter a
two-digit number with the 0-9 keys to offset the channel shown
in the LCD by to 15. Example: If the MIDI channel specified on
MIDI Page 01 is 4, then adding an offset of 1for akeygroup
means that particular keygroup will respond to MIDI data coming
in over channel 5instead of channel 4. Adding an offset of 2
would set the keygroup to receive on MIDI channel 6. The LCD
will update the channel number to reflect any offset you add.
Offsetting achannel beyond the number 16 will de-assign that
keygroup from responding to any MIDI information on any chan-
nel and the LCD will show "NONE."
jPAGE 16
[
ASSIGNING KEYGROUP AUDIO
OUTPUT
•IS »OUTPUT All ,)>0I, Monoij3l-)38)
*KGI VOICE iS) Left {09) ,Right i\ 0)
The S900 offers several audio outputs. Each keygroup can be
assigned to one of these outputs.
Point arrow at "Output Voice(s)," Use CONTROL or enter atwo-
digit number with the 0—9 keys as follows:
00 (All) The keygroup audio output will appear at the Mix Out
jack.
01-08 (Mono) The keygroup output will appear at output jack
1-8, as designated. This is recommended for MIDI mono mode,
as separate keygroups can respond to separate MIDI channels
and produce separate audio outputs.
09 (Left) The keygroup output will appear at the Left Out Jack.
10 (Right) The keygroup output will appear at the Right Out
jack.
PART 7: THE EDIT SAMPLE BUTTON
FUNCTIONS
EDIT SAMPLE FUNCTIONS
Edit sample provides extensive ways to alter the sample. Editing
options include level, tuning, nominal pitch, play forwards/back-
wards, looping, and more.
PAGE 01
SAMPLT SELECT/COPY/RENAME/ DELETE
'&_\ *Select.Copy
SAMPLE *Rename,delete TONE
TONE
This page offers four choices:
SELECT (the sample you want to edit)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy." Use CONTROL to examine the
catalog. When the LCD shows the sample you want to edit, press
ENT.
COPY (one sample to another and keep both in memory)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy" and select the sample to be copied
(see above). Press the +key then ENT. Note: Prior to pressing
+,you can select where the +will appear in the sample name
by pressing LETTER then placing the cursor (with the
ARROW/CURSOR button) where desired.
RENAME (an existing sample)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy" and select sample to be re-named
(see above, SELECT). Then point arrow at "Rename, delete (-)."
Name as described in Chapter 2, Part 1
.
DELETE (an existing sample)
Point arrow at "Select, Copy" and select sample to be deleted
(see above, SELECT). Then point arrow at "Rename, delete (—)."
Check that the cursor is on the first character of the name (if not,
then point arrow at "Select, Copy" and start over). Press —,then
ENT. This erases the sample from S900 memory.
PAGE 02! SELECT PROGRAM MONITOR
-*j2 2*S®Ie c tprogram Monitor
Point arrow at "Select program monitor." Turn CONTROL dial to
select either aprogram or the direct input being sampled. If the
latter, adjust the monitor control for the desired level.
PAGE03JSAMPLE LOUDNESS, NOMINAL
PTTCH7AND FINE PITCH
•13 Loudness
+00 *
H
ompitch
C3 B0 pitch
-00
This page edits three parameters.
LOUDNESS (sample level adjust)
This option allows for mixing individual sample levels within a
program to allow for auniform sound across the keyboard. Point

arrow at "Loudness." Use CONTROL to vary loudness from +50
above the nominal +00 point (louder) to —SO below the nominal
+00 point (softer). Note: These figures represent arbitrary
volume units, not decibels.
NOMINAL PITCH (of sample)
Point arrow at "Norn pitch." Use CONTROL to set the initial pitch
of the sample in semitones. To transpose up, choose ahigher
number. To transpose down, choose alower number.
Note: If you trigger the sound with the PLAY button, ahigher
number will produce alower pitch. This is because as the
sample gets higher in pitch, the PLAY button (which keeps put-
ting out the same note) will transpose the note lower by acorre-
spondingly greater amount.
FINE PITCH
Point arrow at "Fine Pitch." Use CONTROL or the +, —,and
number keys to adjust the pitch plus or minus 1semitone, in
cent (hundredth of asemitone) increments.
PAGE 04 1REPLAY MODE SELECT
-2* «REPLAY MODE On« shot (I).
Looping (2). Alternating (3)
Asample may be played back in one of three ways. Point arrow
at "Replay mode" and indicate your choice with anumber key:
(1
)
One shot. Triggering the sample will cause it to play for the
duration of the sample, then stop. This is the default setting.
(2) Looping. If you hold down akey, the sample will play all the
way through. If the key is still held down, the sample will
play again from beginning to end and keep repeating in this
manner for as long as the key is down. Note: The entire
sample need not be looped; aportion can be designated for
looping, as set on Pages 06, 07, and 08.
(3) Alternating. If you hold down akey, the sample will play all
the way through. If the key is still held down, the sample will
play again from end to beginning, then from beginning to
end, from end to beginning, and so on for as long as the key
is down.
Note: The entire sample need not be looped; aportion can be
designated for alternating looping, as set on PAGES 06, 07, and
08.
PAGE05JTIME DIRECTION
(NORMAL/REVERSE)
-|? 5tTIME DIRECTION
Normal (I). Rotrsi (2)
Point arrow at "Time Direction." Use anumber key to enter
either:
(1
)
The sample plays from beginning to end.
(2) The sample plays from end to beginning ("backward tape"
effect).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PAGES 06, 07, and 08
Looping asample, which creates acontinuous, sustained tone
from ashort sample, is an art and ascience. Much of this art in-
volves finding the proper loop points and sample length, the
parameters adjusted on PAGES 06, 07, and 08.
Fig. 3graphically shows aflute note's amplitude envelope. Note
how there is an attack phase as the player blows wind into the
flute, where the flute level builds up to full. Then comes asus-
tained portion where the note stays basically the same until the
decay, where the player runs out of breath and the level goes
back to zero.
If we wanted to play long flute notes, we could sample the lon-
gest notes we think we might need. Unfortunately, this uses up
lots of memory, which we might want to use for other sounds.
One solution is to loop (continuously repeat) aportion of the
sound to create asustained tone. This process involves setting
astart point, stop point, and loop length.
Asample is measured not in seconds, but in samples. Therefore,
start, stop, and loop length are specified in samples.
The Start point sets the beginning of the sample. This has two
main uses:
•If you started sampling too early, or if sampling was triggered
by noise, you will probably want to remove these unwanted
sounds from the beginning of the sample.
*For special effects (e.g. cutting off the attack of apercussive
note).
The End point sets the end of asample. This has two main uses:
•Set the end of the loop point.
*Determine apoint past which no more sample is needed. The
remaining part of the sample can be discarded, thus freeing
up more memory.
Fig. 3
;Sustained Release
Attack phase (player runs
phase out of break)
The Loop Length determines the loop length in sample points
(so called because asample consists of afinite number of
points along awaveform; these points define the waveform's
amplitude over time). The loop's beginning point is the end of the
sample minus the loop length.
Example: In the flute sound shown, the start point is at 500
points, the end point is at 4673 points, and the loop lenght is
1,223 points.
Holding down akey will repeat the looped portion, as shown in
Fig. 4.
However, note that the flute volume does not stay constant over
the duration of the sample. Therefore, there is a"glitch" (abrupt
level change) where the beginning of the loop splices on to the
end of the previous loop.
Choosing better loop points can produce aloop without such
glitches. Refer to Fig. 5.

19
Fig. 4Key held down
loop repeats
01 j500
point |;points Note abrupt
level change
Fig. 5Looped
portion
No abrupt
changes New loop
length
Asustained tone, such as aflute, is easier to loop than apercus-
sive tone, which does not have asteady level. To loop apercus-
sive sound, try limiting or compressing the sound when sam-
pling to even out volume variations, then use ashort sample
length located fairly late in the note's decay. Since the note now
sustains continuously, and you want it to decay, use the S900's
on-board envelope generator (see EDIT PROGRAM, Page 09) to
add an artificial decay effect.
Another solution is to use alternate looping (Page 04). This cre-
ates the effect shown below, which also helps to minimize glitch-
ing.
Alternate looping applied to Fig. 4
Looped Alternating
portion loops
mim S2!2 mim
i.ia £:3. £:§.
Note smooth portion
loops transitions
between loops
PAGE 06 START POINT
-H6 START POINT
(0- 24. 900)
•Ciiii »Fina
0. 000
Start point sets the sample's beginning. The lower left LCD line
displays your range of choices—from the start of the sample to
100 points less than the total sample length.
1
.
To vary the start athousand sample points at atime, point
arrow at "Coarse." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys (enter a
three-digit number, such as 021, 201, etc.) to specify the
coarse start point.
2. To vary the start one sample point at atime, point arrow at
"Fine." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys (enter athree-digit
number, such as 009, 138, etc.) to specify the exact start
point.
PAGE07IEND POINT
-1J7 END POINT *C» s 9*Fin»
{000, I00-0ZS. 000) 25. 000
End point sets the sample's end. The lower left LCD line displays
your range of choices-from 100 points greater than the start
point (as set on Page 06) to the end of the sample.
1. To vary the end athousand sample points at atime, point
arrow at "Coarse." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys (enter a
three-digit number, such as 007, 4S6, etc.) to specify the
coarse end point
2. To vary the end one sample point at atime, point arrow at
"Fine." Use CONTROL or the 0-9 keys (enter athree-digit
number, such as 009, 138, etc.) to specify the exact end
point.
PAGE 08 LOOP LENGTH
*|?8 LOOP LENGTH »Co«rs« *Fin * * Auto
(S- 25, 000) 2, 000 (ENT)
Loop length sets which portion of the sample will repeat continu-
ously when the key is held down. The lower left LCD line dis-
plays your range of choices—from 5sample points up to the ex-
isting sample length (taking any start or stop points specified on
Pages 06 and 07 into account).
1
.
To vary the loop length in thousand of sample points, point
arrow at "Coarse." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys (enter a
three-digit number, such as 002, 608, etc.) to specify the
coarse loop length.
2. To vary the loop length one sample point at atime, point arrow
at "Fine." Use CONTROL or the 0—9 keys (enter athree-digit
number, such as 009, 138, etc.) to specify the exact loop
length.
AUTO (computer-generated loop length)
As noted previously, looping can produce glitches unless the
beginning and end points are carefully chosen to minimize
abrupt level changes. The S900's computer can compare the
loop beginning and end points, then automatically choose a
length that provides the least amount of glitching.
Point arrow at "AUTO" and press ENT. Each time you press
ENT, the S900 will select anew loop length with aslightly short-
er length than the previous try. Listen to each change and use
the loop length that sounds best. Caution: Write down good loop
lengths so that if you try for abetter auto-length and it turns out
to produce more glitching (computers aren't perfect at choosing
loop lengths, nor are they musicians!), you can go back to your
original setting. The Auto function is very powerful and can help
you make much better-sounding loops.