Akai S612 User manual

AKAi
MIDI DIGITAL SAMPLER
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-
WARNING-----------...
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this ap-
pliance to ra in or moisture.
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SPEED DEPTH OEtAY TUf,IE
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flLT EI I OECIU LEVEL
Operator's Manual
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V I
Warning
Power requirements
Power requirements for electrical equipment differ from area to
area. Please ensure that your machine meets the power require-
ments in yourarea.
If in doubt, consultaqualified 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
110 V/120 V/220V/240 V, 50/60 Hz
convertible foroth_er coutries.
Voltage conversion
Models for Canada and USA are not equipped with this facility.
Each machine is preset at the factory according to its destina-
tion, but some machines can be set to 220 V or 240 V as re-
quired.
Ifyour machine's voltage can be converted:
Before connecting the power cord, turn the VOLTAGE
SELECTOR located on the rear panel with a screwdriver to the
correctvoltage is indicated for yourarea.
This equipment conforms to EEC standard No. 82/499.
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.
Precautions
FOR CUSTOMERS
IN THE UK
IMPORTANT FOR YOUR SAFETY
The flex supplied with your machine will have either two wires or
three, as shown in the illustrations.
TWO CORE FLEX
IMPORTANT
The wires in this mains lead are
coloured in accordance with the follow-
ing code:
Bl'ue: Neutral
Brown: Live L
As the colours of the wires in the mains
lead of this apparatus may not corre- N
spend with the coloured markings in-
dentifying the terminals in your plug, pro-
ceed 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 Blue Brown
be connected to the terminal which is (Neutral) (Live)
marked with the letter Lor coloured red.
• Do not connect any wire to the larger pin marked E or~
when wiring a plug . Ensure that all terminals are securely
tightened and that no loose strands of wire exist.
Lh
The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol
superimposed across a graphical representa-
tion of a person, within an equilateral triangle,
is intended to alert the user to the presence of
uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the
product's enclosure; that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric
shock.
The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intented to alert the user to the pre-
sence of important operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the literature accom-
panying the appliance.

AKAi MIDI DIGITAL
SAMPLER S612
The Akai MIDI Digital Sampler S612 is an amazingly sophisti-
cated electronic instrument which enables you to record
(sample) any kind of sound, and reproduce it at any desired
pitch or pitches. The following are only a few examples of the
many sounds that the S612 can sample.
1. Sounds of acoustic musical instruments (such as pianos,
strings or percussion instruments).
2. Sounds of nature (such as sounds made by animals, wind,
wild birds and rain).
3. Human voices, radio, television, CDs, analogue records, me-
chanical noises, etc.
With the S612, you are able to perform musically with ease
using a wide variety of sound sources (only a few of which are
li sted above). The acoustic instruments can be sampled and
reproduced as realistically as the original sound. Existing syn-
thesizers, up to now among the most advanced electronic musi-
cal instruments, are unable to sample and reproduce in this way.
The S612 offers entirely new and unique ways to express your
musical creativity.
Table of Contents
Warni ng .. . .. .. .. ... .... .. ... . ... . .. . ... . ... .. .. ... .. . . .. . 1
Precautions .. . .. . .. .... . ... ... . ... ... ... .. ... .. .. . .. . .. . .. 1
Features ..... . .. .. ... . ... ... ...... .. ... .. . ... ... .. .. .. . .. . 2
Controls . ...... . ... .. ....... . ..... .. . . ... .. .... ... .. .. . 3-5
Connections ..... .. .. . .. ... ....... ......... ... .. ... .. .. . .. 6
Sampling . .... ... . ... . ... . .... . ........... .. . ... . ..... . 7-8
Overdubbing .... .. .... .. ...... ... .. .. .. .. .. . . ... .... . ... .. 9
Sampling by REC Trigger ..... . . .. ... . .. ... .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. 10
EDIT ... .. .. .. ... .... ... .. .. .... .. ... .. .... ... ... .. . ..... . 11
Scanning . .. .. .. . .. ... .. ... . ... .. .. .. .... .. .... . .. . . 12-15
LFO ... .. .. .. ..... .. .. . .. .. .. ... .. ..... .... .. ..... . .. .. .. 16
2V
Features
• Realization of super high quality sound by 12-bit sampling
technology.
• 6-vo ice polyphonic performance is possible in connection
with MIDI keyboards , synthesizers, sequencers and many
others.
• Realization of sampling time up to eightseconds.
• A short sampled sound can be continuously played with no
time restrictions and without sounding awkward. The S612
contains an advanced scanning mode system with "looping"
and "alternating" modes.
• The best splicing point for "looping" can be selected instantly
by the automatic splicing system.
• A splicing point can be selected at any time by switching to
the manual splice mode.
• Because the starting or ending point of the sample can be
selected at any time, it is possible to play the sound afterelim-
inati on of an undesired portion of the sample. It is also possi-
ble to reproduce the sample in reverse.
• It is possible to overdub samples and accumulate various
sounds infinitely.
• The S612 is equipped with an L.F.O., which can add vibrato
effects with adelay.
• The S612 is also equipped with continuous variable low-pass
filters for adding a mildertouch to samples.
• 2.8 inch sample disks can be used for data files. "Save" and
"load" procedures are extremely quick .You can continuously
build your own tone sample library with the specially de-
signed Sampler Disk Drive MD280. (optional)
• Any type of sound can be tuned to a designated pitch by
transposing it by a half step. This can also be done by tuning
±100 cent. The sound can then be stored on a disk.
• The S612 is rack mountable (EIA/2U type) for excellent oper-
ation in the studio as well as at live performances. It can be
handled with ease and offers astonishing performance.
OUTPUT .... .. .... . ... ... . ...... . .. .. . .... .. .. . ... . ... .. . 17
TRANSPOSE. .. .. .. .. . . .. ... .. . ..... . .. .. ... ... .. .. .. ... . 18
TUNING .... . .... . .. . . .. . . .. . .... .. . ....... ... ..... .. .. .. 19
MIDI . . . .. .. .......... ... ...... .... . .. .. .... ... ... ... . .. .. 20
MIDI Mode ..... .. ........... .. . .. . ..... . .. .. ....... ...... 21
SAVE, VERIFY and LOAD .... .. .. . .. .... .. . ....... ... 22-24
Specifications. ...... . ...... .. .. .... .. .. . . ... .... .. ... .. .. 25
MIDI lnplementation Chart . . .. .... . ..... .. .. ... . .. .. ..... . 26

V3
Controls
MONITOR Control---------~
This control adjusts the monitor level
while sampling a live sound . The
monitor level is not affected by the
output LEVEL control. When sampling
by microphone and the monitor level
is too high, "howling" may result.
REC LEVEL Control--------~
This control adjusts the recording
level ofthe incoming signal.
MIDI CH Disp ay -----------,
Normally, this will indicate the MIDI
reception channel. However the dis-
play will light up to confirm proper op-
eration when saving, verifying and
loading tone data.
• When the power is on, the display
will show "O" (omni on). When the
unit receives MIDI signals, such
as key-on, key-off, etc ., the dis-
play will brighten momentarily.
REC LEVEL Indicator --------
Shows the recording level which can
be adjusted by the REC LEVEL control.
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LOOPING Button---------- - -,
Press this button to set the scanning
mode to looping. The LED indicator
will light.
ONE SHOT Button ----------,
Press this button to set the scanning
mode to one-shot. The LED indicator
will light.
Save Load Indicator --------,
The SAVE, LOAD LED will light when
the respective function has been
selected.
-
.--------E]~ ~
MIN MAX MIN MA X
POWER Switch -----------'
Use the POWER switch to turn the
poweron andoff.
Note: Do not attempt to connect
the sampler disk drive
MD280 after the S612 has
been turned on.
MIC INPUT Jack--------~
This jack is used for sampling from a
microphone or a electric guitar . The
input sensitivity is -63 dB. Connect
a standard 6.3 mm<f> phone plug to
this jack.
LINE INPUT Jack ------------'
This jack is used for sampling the line
out from keyboards or audio equip-
ment, etc . The input sensitivity is
-27 dB. Connect a standard 6.3
mm<f> phone plug to this jack.
Note: When both MIC and LINE
input jacks are used, the
MIC input has priority.
--INPUT -
MIC LINE
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REC
TRIGGER
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---■
REC TRIGGER Jack ------------~
This jack allows the use of a foot
switch to trigger the sampling pro-
cess.
Note: Connect a standard 6.3
mm<f> phone plug to this
jack. Use the Akai PS - X80
or the circuit is opened
when the connected switch
is pushed down.
NEW Button----------~
Press this button when you make a
new sample.
• The previous sample will be
erased.
OVERDUB Button ------------'
Press this button when you wish to
overdub oneor more sounds.
You can overdub many times.
SAVE Button _______ ___,
Press this button to save the sound
data in the S61 2 ontodisk.
MIDI MONO/POLY Mode Select ---~
Button
This button is used to switch between
the MIDI mono and poly modes. The
indicator lights when the mono mode
is set.

-
II ■
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··-
END Pointlever
This lever sets the end-point of the
sampled sound.
START /SPLICE Lever
This lever sets the start/splice point
of the sampled sound.
Note: Normally, this lever sets the
starting point . However,
when the MANUAL SPLICE
button is pressed, it will set
the splicing point.
ALTERNATING Button
Press this button to set the scanning
mode to alternating. The LED indica-
tor will light.
--
LIO
~
~ TART/SPLICE SPl :
EO
DEl 'TH
:(~5) .:
:((2) :
LOW
HIGH
MIN MAX
::, §
OUTPUT
J FILTER OECAY
T
-
J
~
s
LOW HIGH 0 10
--
DEi AV
MANUAL SPLICE Button
Press this button to set a splicing
point manually. The LED indicator will
light.
LFO , SPEED, DEPTH, DELAY controls
A vibrato effect can be added to the
sampled sound by using the LFO .
SPEED -Adjusts the speed of the vi-
brato.
DEPTH -Adjusts the depth of the vi-
brato.
DELAY - Adjust the delay time of the
vibrato.
-
TUNE
~
. ..
' .
0 10
LEVEL LINE
OUT
@ I
,o
-
'--------------------- KEY TRANS Button
Press this button to transpose the
sampled sound . The LED indicator
will light.
'----------------------- MIDI CHANNEL UP Button
----- MIDI CHANNEL DOWN Button
Press this button to lower the MIDI
channel number.
• Pressing once decreases the
channel by one . Pressing the
button while "O " is disp layed on
the MIDI CH . display will revert the
display to "9 ".
-----VERIFY Button
Press this button to verify the sound
data saved on disk.
Press this button to increment the
MIDI channel number.
• Pressing once increass the chan-
nel by one. Pressing the button
while "9" is displayed on the MIDI
CH . display will forward the dis-
play to "O".
LOAD Button
Press this button to load the sound
data, saved on disk, into the S612.
4v
TUNE Control
The sampled sound can be fine tuned
using this control. It will also serve as
a pitch control when replaying
sampled sound.
LINE OUT Jack
The monitor/output signal of the
S61 2 appears at this LINE OUT jack,
which can be connected to the line
inputofmixers or amplifiers.
• Connect a standard 6.3 mm¢
phone plug tothis jack.
Note: This jack is connected in paral-
lel with the LINE OUT jack on
the rear panel.
LEVEL Control
This control adjusts the output level
of the sampled sound . The monitor
level is not affected by the output
LEVEL control.
DECAY Control
This control adjusts the decay efect
of the sampled sound . Turning the
knob clockwise will increase the
decay ti me afterkey-off.
FILTER Control
This control adjusts the low-pass
fHtering on the sampled sound. The
replayed sampled sound will become
mellower as the control is turned to-
wards the LOW position.

MIDI OUT Jack -------------------
This jack is for sending MIDI system
~------------ MIDI IN Jack
exclusive information to other MIDI
equipment.
MIDI THRU Jack------------------,
This jack provides a direct copy of
data coming in the MIDI IN jack .
LINE OUT Jack _________________ __,
The monitor / output signal of the
S612 appears at this LINE OUT jack,
which can be connected to the line
inputof mixers or amplifiers.
• Connect a standard 6.3 mm¢
phone plug to this jack .
Note: This jack is connected in paral-
lel with the LINE OUT jack on
the front panel.
DCOUTJack------------------------
This jack provides a DC power
supply [8 V] for the MD280 .
This j ack is for receiving MIDI infor-
mation from other MIDI equipment.
--------- VOICE OUT Jack
The six voices of the S612 can be in-
dividually accessed through this jack .
"-- MD280 connector (MD280 ONLY)
This connector is specially designed
for connection of the Sampler Disk
Drive M D280, and is used for save/
load operation onto samplerdisks.

Connections
The S612 is a MIDI digital sampler which will function only if
input information is received at MIDI-IN. Ensure that all the cor-
rect connections have been made between the MIDI-IN and
MIDI-OUT of the S612 and any keyboards (such as the Akai
Diagram 1
Speaker
UV
AX80) or sequencers. Obviously, unless a sound is being input
or a sample has been loaded into the S61 2, it will not reproduce
any sounds. The S612 will not "remember" any data after it has
been switched off.
,--------------► to other MIDI equipment
,,~ ------
Effectordevice
Keyboard
0
Diagram 2
Record/Cassette/ CD
Mixer/
recorder
- 11--------...,..-.1,
~
:: \'i,, .. :i: ... -:.;:,.~111:, · -~ ·"""' $
E>G> E>E> @,
-
MIDI Keyboards
------------► to Personal computer
S61 2 rear panel
-
El
-
DC powersupply
Electricguitar
SamplerDisk Drive
MD280
------------------------
~-- Mixer/amplifier
(
I S61 2 front panel
MIC
I
I
I
I -
Sampler Disk Drive MD280
AKAi _. ..
0
...:::-.:'"~ " 612
EJ ij _ .© .,
The Sampler Disk Drive MD280 (optional) is the device which
quickly and accurately saves the sound data. The format of 2.8"
disk makes the filing space very compact.
"'"'"
-?.- - S- © ~
_ ©_ © ©.
-
-
Note: If the MD280 is to be used, it should be connected with
the S612 before switching on the S612, Any sampled
data in the S612 will be lost if the MD280 is plugged in
or unplugged while the S612 is switched on .

VI
Sampling
I PREPARATIONS I
Before Turning the Power On
Make sure the various connections with MIDI and audio equip-
ment have been completed before turning the power of the S612
on. (Refer to the chapter concerning connection with external
equipmenton page 6.)
When using the specially designed MD280 Sampler Disk Drive,
ensure that the correct connections between the MD280 and
the S61 2 have been made.
Note: Connecting the MD280 while the S612 is switched on
will result in the loss of sound data sampled in the
S612.
Connections to Input
Connect the sound source that you want to sample to the MIC or
LINE INPUT jacks.
Adjustment of Recording Level
Set the recording level by the REC LEVEL control. To obtain the
best results in sampling, bring the level close to "+3" on the REC
LEVEL indicator.
MonitorLevel
Use the MONITOR level control when monitoring the sound
source to be sampled. When using a microphone, feedback may
occur ifthe monitor level is too high.
Designation ofthe Sampling Frequency
This brief outline may help to clarify some different aspects
of sampling technique:
Are you trying to reproduce (a) high or (b) low frequency
sounds?
(a)To faithfully reproduce high frequency sounds, a faster
(therefore, shorter) sampling time will be required.
The S61 2 can be "instructed" to accept a wider bandwidth
sample by pressing a higher note on the MIDI keyboard prior
to making the sample; seeTable #1.
(b)The reproduction of lower frequency sounds, typically much
longer in duration, will require a longer sampling time.
The S612 can be "instructed" to accept a long sample by
pressing a lower note on the MIDI keyboard prior to making
the sample; seeTable #1.
(c) For accurate reproduction (pitch) of a sampled sound it is
necessary to first press the same note on the MIDI keyboard
as thatbeing sampled.
This process can be extended to allow for pitch transposition
ifrequired.
Table 1
Equipment to be connected. Input. Input Sensitivity.
Equipment or devices,such as
guitars or microphones, have low MIC
-63dB
output levels.
Audio equipment, such as
televisions,cassette tape decks, CD
players, tuners or preamplifiers, or
musical instruments, such as LINE
-27dB
synthesizers or electric keyboards
have higher output levels (line level).
Note: When both the MIC and LINE INPUT jacks are connect-
ed, the MIC jack overrides LINE jack.
-
REC LEVEL
-
•
Example: Press A2 (lowest A) on the MIDI keyboard, then
play (sample) A3 (A string) on a guitar. Now
when A3 is played on the MIDI keyboard the
actual pitch of the reproduced note will be A4:
The pitch has been transposed up by one
octave.
This technique can be used to transpose from 1 /2 stops through
to several octaves if required.
Note: If the MIDI keyboard or the S61 2 have just been
switched on and no key has been pressed before sam-
pling, the S61 2 will automatically designate C4 as the
desired pitch.
Key No . C2 C3 C4 C5
MIDI Note No. 36 48 60
72
Sampling
4kHz 8 kHz 16 kHz 32 kHz
Frequency
Sampling Ti me 8 sec. 4sec . 2 sec. 1 sec.
Note: Although only four (4) keys are depicted, other keys
may be selected if intermodiate frequencies are
desired.

/Sampling I
1. Once you have adjusted the recording level and designated
the desired sampling frequency , you are ready to sample.
Press the NEW button. The LED indicatorwill light. This in-
dicates thatthe unit is standby for sampling.
2. Using a microphone, make a sample. Say "ahh .. ." for example.
The LED indicator should start blinking from the moment you
begin speaking into the microphone. After blinking for the
length of time of the designated sampling frequency, the LED
indicator will go out automatically. This indicates the comple-
tion of the sampling process.
Automatic Trigger
Because the S612 contains an automatic trigger circuit, it will
automatically start the sampling process when the sound
level reaches a certain preset level. You will notice that the
unit may start off the process prematurely by picking up sur-
rounding noise when the sampling is done through a microph-
one. On the other hand, when the recording level is too low,
Cancelling the Sampling Standby Mode
To cancel the sampling standby mode, press the NEW button
again.The LED will go out.
3. Thus, sampling has been completed. This sampled sound
data will be maintained until either the power is turned off, the
process is repeated for another sampling or other sampled
data is loaded from the disk.
* If necessary, save the sound data for later use with the
specially designed Sampler Disk Drive MD280 (optional).
Refer to page 22.
4. You should now be able to enjoy six-voice polyphonic, veloci-
ty touch sensitive sounds, from the S612, by playing MIDI
keyboard instruments.
Note: All six voices may not be able to be heard when music
is played mostly on the keys around the fifth octave (the
highest octave range for the AX80). This is not a defect
in the unit.
5. After connecting the MIDI keyboards, ifsampling is done with-
out any keys being pressed down, the sampling frequency
will be setat 16 kHz with asample time of 2 seconds.
av
1
REC MODE REC MODE
□
,IG
-•
/ I '
(LED Indicator ON)
2
REC MODE
~
,1G
~
-□
/ I '
(Blinking)
the sampling process may not begin because the sound level
is not high enough to trigger the circuit. In which case, after
increasing the recording level, reset the unit by pressing the
NEW button again to get it into the standby mode, then start
sampling.
3 On
Off
REC MODE REC MODE
~.G ➔ □ B
/ 1 'Sampling
stand-by
Cautions when Designating the Sample
Frequency
Release
1. Because the last key to be pressed down will determine the
sampling frequency, if connected with MIDI keyboards, make
sure to press down the key to designate the frequency before
going through the sampling process.
2. The range of the keys to which a sampling frequency can be
designated is between MIDI key number 36 (C2) and 72 (C5).
The keys out of this range are invalid.

V D
Overdubbing
By means of pressing the OVERDUB button instead of the NEW
button for the above mentioned sampling process, you are
able to overdub a newly sampled sound without erasing the
previously sampled sound.
1. After adjusting the recording level and designating the sam-
pling frequency, press the NEW button. Sample your voice
(ahh ... ).
2. You are about to overdub (ohh .. .) on (ahh ... ), which you have
just sampled. (It is possible to designate the sound to a dif-
ferent frequency.) Press the OVERDUB button. The LED next to
the button will light. This indicates the unit is in standby for
overdubbing.
3. Say (ohh ... ) into the microphone. From the moment you start-
ed to say (ohh... ), the LED should start blinking.This blinking
indicates overdubbing is in progress. After blinking for the
length of time equivalent to the designated frequency, the
LED will go outautomatically.
4. Thus, the overdubbing process has been completed. When
you play the MIDI keyboard, you should be able to hear the
combined sounds of (ahh .. .) and (ohh...).
Overdubbing can be done as many times as you wish.
Note: Once the overdubbing is done, there is no way to
single out the individually sampled sounds. We ,
therefore, recommend that you store and save the in-
dividual sounds on disk if they are needed for later
use.
Let's try to overdub (ohh .. .) as a second sound over the first
sound (ahh ... ). The setting-up process is identical to the
previous chapter for sampling (Refer to page 8) .
1
2
3
, I §VER
' / DUB
- ■
/ I '
LED indicatorOn
□ I I.I
·------------~
, , /~
-□~
/ I '
Blinking
~
□~
LED indicatorOff
OVERDUB SOUND LEVEL
As with any overdubbing process, there will be some attenuation
(reduction) of previously recorded material (approximately -6
dB) for each "take".
If it is desfred that the combined sounds are to be of equal level
when replayed , then, the last sound to be sampled should be
recorded at a lower level to compensate for the attenuation of
previous samples.