Alesis SR-18 Instruction manual

7 QUICKSTAHIT
7 GUiA DE INICiIO
7 GUIDED'UTILISATIION
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Pleaser
makesurethefollowing
itemscanbe located
inthe box:
' tiR18
. PowerAdapter(12V
DC
500mA)
. (f,uickstart
Manual
READTHE
SAFETY
AND
WARRANW
INFORMATION
BOOKLET
BEFORE
USINGTHIS
IPRODUCTT
' Reference
Manual
. Safety
andWarranty
Infonnation
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r"rTl lIr;1 Fi-,*Tf:;- r:-,t p-=t :
ffiffiHmhi:
|,,1
L-Ji 'l | ,| :1,
L*iJ'
Plug
%'TS cables
from
the
MArN
ourpurs toan
ampririer,
mixer,
orspeaker
system.
For
sound,
you
can
connect
only
one
output.
Alternatively,you
can
connect
apair
of%"
TFts
headphones
tothe
pHoNES
ourprur.
Connect
your
instrument
tothe
INSTRUMENT
lNpUT.
lfyouhave
%"TSfootswitches,
connect
them
tothesrARTi srop and
couNT / A/ B,
iacks.
Plug the included.power adapter (12v Dc 500mA)into the adapterjack and the adapter into
p:y^ul"orl"r iltemarivery, you maychoose
to power
rheunituy ins6rting
o ee u:rtteiiEs
intotr
Press
thePOWER
switch
toturn
onthe
unit.
Tap
the
pads
rohear
sounds'
y..ou
gal swr.lc!
qrgngthe three
ditferent
sound
categories
tor
pads
by
pressing
the
corresponding
button(DRUMS,
FenC,SASS;.
Adiust
thevolume
control
on
the
rear
panel
toasuitable
listening
level.
bottom
compartment.
_,o
il'*,
*-r*j:

Welcome
tothe
SR18Professional
Drum
Machine.
The
SRl8allows
you
toquickly
andeasily
program
drum,
percussion
andbasssounds
into
rhghm
patterns
and
loturnthese
patterns
into
songs.
Lets
heginwith
aquick explanation
ofsome
ofthe
keyelemqnts:
|4LTFRtitg: whenrecording
with
adrummachine,
i!'soften
easiertodivideasong
into
shorter
indMduaf
Patems
and
work
onthese
rather
thanrecorll
anentire
song.Atypical
Patt-em
might
be
lt'ltt' or32bgatslong,
and
correspond
to
averse,chorps,
bridge,instrumental,
intrar,
etc.Think
of
lPatterns
asthe
building
blocksforyour
songs.The
sht e holds
1oo
preset
1ii.e.,
can,t
beedited)
Fatterns
and1
00
user-programmable
patterns,
each
ofwhich
canbefrom
I to129l)eats
long.
SONGS are collectionsof Patternswhich are
sequenced
together. Withthe SR18,
youcan either
program
yourpatterns
in
theorder
inwhich
they
shoulp
heplayed, oryoucan
selectPatterns
in real-time
and
theSR18willrememberyourperformance.
The SR18 introduces
exciting
new Song constructionr
techniques.
The
performance--€omething
usually
not
associated
with
drumrhachines.
The
kev
leatures
istounderstand
the
ditferent
types
of
available
pattems.
' PRESET Pattems provide a variety of tock, iazz,rpop, and other rhythms programmed
professional
drummers.
usERPattems
arePatterns
you
can
program,
edit,
andsavo.
ThePRESET/USEF
button
selec
betweenthese
two
masterbanks
of
patterns.
Theonlyway
tomodity
a preset
pattBrn
isto
copy
SR18 excels at
tousingthese
adv€
to a UserPattem,
whereit can be edhed.
Therg
ar9100of each
gpe of Pattern,
numbered
oo-g9.iHowever,
eachnumbered
Faftern
containsfour
different
"sub-Patterns":
' Apair
otindependent
ltlAlN
Patterns
(A
andB,
selecte;d
by
theirrespective
buttons).
A pair
ofassociated
FILLPatterns(AFill
andB Fill,
selectedbypressing
theFlL.L
button
eitherA orBisselected).
The
Fills
primarily
provide
tiansitional
Fitterns
between
Main
pa
whichmakes
for more
realistic
drum
parts.
the assqciated
Fillpatterns
share
thesame
i
Drum
set,andname
astheir
Main
patterns
(e.g.,
itAis16beats,
A Fiilis 16
beerts).
theyareindependent.
Thereason
lorpairing
thetwo
different
AandBPatterns
togetherissimply
sothat
you
canswitch
andforth
between
themrapidly
inlive
performance
orwhilei-hprovising.
' -
2

Nowthatwe haveintroduced
youto the inlrastructure
of the SR18, let'sdivein andtake a closerlookat
someof theconlrols.
ffiffS$****-,
n(o po

6.
7.
L
9.
10.
TEMPoLED
- ThisLED
will
blink
ata rate
equaltothetempo
displayedon
thescreen's
bottom
right
corner.
RECLED
- ThisLED
willlight
when
the
SR18isrecording.
ltwill
blinkwhen
you
arerequired
to
confirm
orcancelan
action.
A &B- EachPattern
consists
oftwo
Main
sub-patterns
- A&B. youcanselecteach
ofthetwo
sub-patterns
by pressing
its corresponding
button. These
sub-patterns
allow
youto program
variation
in
your
Pattems(i.e.
sub-pattem
Aistheverse,
sub-pattern
Bis
thechorus).
FILL
- EachPattern
also
includes
two
Fills
associatedwith
eachofthe
twosub-patterns.
TheFills
areusedtotransition
from
one
sub-pattem
toanother
(i.e.
transitionfrom
versetochorus).
sAvE/ coPY- This
button
allows
you
tosave,copy
orappendthe
selected
pattem
orsongro
a
specificlocation,
inaddition
tovarious
other
save/ copy{unctions.
Thedifferent
functions
canoe
accessed
by
pressing
thePAGE
UP
buttonwhileholding
down
SAVE/ COpy.
12. MUTE- This buftonallowsyou to mute a selectedinstrument
layer. Holddown the button
pressDRUM, PERC or BASSto mutethe corresponding
instrument
layer. To ,n-,rutu th" l,
press
thecorresponding
button
again
while
MUTEisbeingheld
down.
NAI/IIGATION
BUTTONS:
13' INC/ DEC- These buttonsare usedto increment
and decrement
throughvalues and settings
the
SR18.
11.
14.
15.
16.
VALUE DIAL- This dialcan alsobe used
to incremenr
anddecrement
valuesand settings.
NUMBERBUTToNS - Arternativery,
youmayusethe number
bufionsto inDutvarues.
PAGE UP / DOWN- These two buttons
are usedto go betweenpagesof optionswhen
menus
andsettings.
4
SavesthBselected
Pattern,
alongwithall
patlems,
to a specific
location,
overuriting
any
datawhichmayalready
exist.
l. Press
andhold
SAVE/COpy.
2. Selectlh€ dsslination
withths DATAdial
or INC / DECbuttons.
Saves the selected Song to memory,
ovenflriting
anydatawhich
mayexist.
1. Press
and holdSAVE/ COPY.
2. Selectthe d€stination
wilh the DATAdial
or INC
/ DECbuttons.
3. Press
RECtosave.
Copies only the selecte
destination's
sub-Dattern.
1. Press
and hold
theSAVE
/ copy button.
2. PTe$ PAGERIGHT
3. Select tho destinationpattem with ths
DATA
dialor INC/ DECbuttons.
4. Press A, B or FILL to select the
destination
sub-pattern.
panems to a selecled Patern. Note that
Pattemscan only be appended
to pattemsol
thesametimesignalute,
1. Press
andholdtheSAVE
/ copy button.
2. Press
PAGERIGHT
twice.
3. Seleclthedestination
with
the DATA
dial.
Appends the current Song to another Song.
Note that the combined Song length cannot
exceedmore
lhan254steDs.
1. Press
and hold
theSAVE
/ COpy button.
2. Press
PAGERIGHT.
3. Select
thedestinationwiththe DATA
dial.
4. PressREC
to append.

MODE
BUTTONS:.
SETUP
BUTTONS:
' titiiiititiiil):,1i,,,.
--
17. PATTERN
/SONG -This button
toggles
between
the two ditferentmodeson the SRl8. In Pattern
Mode,
you can play, record and edit individual patterns. Patterns are short (i.e. 8-beat, 16-beat, etc) rhythm
sequenceswhich are assembled
together
to createSongs. A Song is a sequenceof Patterns. In Song
Mode, you can perform or program your Patterns lo create a Song. The cu(ently-selected mode will be
indicated
onthe display.
18. PRESET / USER - This button loggles between Preset and User Patterns. The selected mode will be
indicated in the upper right corner ot the display.
Preset Patterns provide a variety ot rock, jazz, pop and other rhythms programmed lcy professional
drummers and cannot be overwriften or edited (the only way a Preset Pattern can be edited is to copy it lo
a User Pattern).
User Patterns are Patterns you can program, edit and save as you wish.
19. STEP EDIT
- Pressing
thisbuttonenters
Step EditMode
for Pattern
or Songediting,depending
onwhich
ot the two modes is selected. This mode allows
you to "step"
through
your Pattern
or Song sequence
to
correctany mistakes. The display
will indicate
STEP EDITwhilein Step Edit Mode,and llhe
current
step
willbe displayed
on the top line. To movethroughthesteps
ofthe sequence,
use the PAGE UP / DOWN
buttons.
20- PTN PLAY - This button enables Pattern Play Mode. In this mode, you can play pre-selected Patterns in
a sequence,using the pads to triggerthe Patternsin reaFtime. See "PlayingPatterns
With the pads',
section.

lfthe
displafs
upperright
window
shows
SONG,
pressthe PATTERN
/ SONG
button
once
to
selectPattem
Mode.
i*ffi rl;iHilWiffii[txlir;ril;llii!{;tr{a{iiffi,4,
lfthedisplay's
upper
right
window
shows
USER,
press
the PRESET
/ USER
button
onceuntil
USER disappears;
this selects the preset
pattems.
Wilfi iffiig,}liliirf i#iiiftllffiifrfl*i'#fii#'iltltlWiiiiliffiiil',ii'fi
uil
,l!l, Press
thelNC./
DEO-buttons
oruse
theVALUE
dialtoselecta Pattern.
You
can
also
,-, a Pattern.number
(00-99)
with
thenumber
buttons.
Usea ,leading
zero"
(i.e.
01,
02,0g)
llil the
firstninePatrems.
|ffi| Press
PLAYtostartthepattern.
|E]| Press
STOP
tosrop
thePattern.
|ffi| Begin
byselecting
apittern
and
pressing
pLAy.
E].tr}
lf anA Pattem
is playing, press
theB button
(c
altematePattem
will
begin
playing
assoonas
the
@
B
pressAifaBrattern
isplaying).
Pattern
reaches
its
@l
gYou
can
callupa different
Pattern
number
while
tle sRlg isplaying.
press
theING
/
buttons
oruse
theVALUE
dial
toselect
a patterh.
you may
aliolnter a llattern
nu
withthe numberbuttons.
6

'9TiF,,ii,,IIil'jiiillili,:':,;::i:::.:.:'.:,,;liiiiirtil":','::.lir
| ,:!g, I Begin
byselecting
aPattern
and
pressing
PLAY.
l,o,r I PresstheF|LLbuttonagain.
Adifferentfillwill
transitionfromtheBPatterntrackintotheA
LLJ Pattern.
STEP4.
| "* | Fillsdo not alwayshaveto be hansitional
Patterns. Supposean A Pattern
is playing. lf you
[-, pressthe FILLbutton,
afillwillstart
- butthistime,keep
the FILLbutton heldclown
untilafter
the fill has finished playing. This cancels the tiansition to the alternate pattern (in this
example,theApattern
would
continue
playing).
The SRl8 allowsyou to play sequences
of Pattern
by triggering
Patternswiththe pads. This mode
calledPatternPlayMode.
Press
thePTNPLAY
button
- thiswill
enterPattern
play
Mode.
Thedisplay
willindicate
PATTERN
pLAy.
S"IHF,3
STE:P
2
F;- | Trytapping
a pad. Thepattern
associated
withthe
I ' I pad
will
begin
playing.
Asthe
Patternreaches
itsend,
Er itwill
continue
toloopfrom
thebeginning.
Now try hittinganother pad. The pattern associated
with the pad will begin playing as soon as the
previously
selected
Pattern
reachesitsend.
STEP4
tlg:, To change the Pattern assigned to a
PAGE
UPbutton. pad,press
the
m. Press
the
pad
which
you
woutd
tike
tomodiry.
l4l *q* usethe
VALUE
diat,tNC
/ DEC,
or number
buttonsto
Y selectthePattern
tobetriggered
with
thepad. you nlay
arso
lgl specify
A,BorFill
forthe
selected
pattern.
e{,
1,F,jS,l Finally,
press
PTN
PLAY
again
to
exitthe
editscreen
andconrinue
pertorming.
7
O
i'i-1',
;*

'|lliillllii;iii'i,i
i,,',",,,,,,;';,:.;;rrltlii:,.i,r
lf the display's upper right window shows SONG;
pressthe PAfiERN / SONG buttononceto select
PattemMode (PATTERN
willbedisplayed).
lf the display'supper right window does not show
USER, press the PRESET/ USER buttononce to
selectUser Patterns (USERwillbe displayedinthe
upperrightcorner).
CTtrD "
l$l Press
theINC
/ DEC buttons
orusetheVALUE
dialornumber
buttonsto sdectanempty
= Pattern.
lfthePattern
isempty,
thedisplaywill
readEMPTy
pATT.
lvl
STEP4
Press
the RECORD
SETUPbutton
to entertheRqcord
SetupMenu. Thismenu
allows
tocustomize
recording
seftings,
suchasQuantization
and
Swing,which
willaffect
thew
that
your
pattems
arerecorded.
Alternatively,you
maychoose
tousethe
delault
settings
whlchcaseyoushouldskipto Step8.
s]'E.P5
oFF,54%, 58/o,627".
b ilF b
s'rHF'7
Once you haveselecledyour Swingand euantizdtionsettings,
exitthe RecordSetup
by pressing
the REcoRD sETUp button
again.
|;l f.-_;:l Now
youareready
to startrecording your
pattern.press
andholdtheREC
bu
l'*Il I .*' I then
press
PLAY
tobeginrecording.
TheRFcLED
willilluminate
tolet
you
know
you
arerecording.
I

You will heara metronome
soundandthe top
line of the screen will display the Pattern's
current Beat Number. Play the pads to the
beat. As the Pattemloops, you canadd more
layers until you are satisfied. Note that the
Quantization and Swing settings will affect
howyour pattern
isrecorded.
Gil
rl
@l.@li@l X::jtl
li'"",H:'il'i"f,T.l:lfl
playing
outa sequence
onthe pads.
lf youmake
a mistake
while
recording,
you
looping
byholding
downERASE
rhen
holding
for
thedurationwhich
you
wouldlike
toerase.
Once you are salisfiedwith the Pattern
you have
the recording.
m]| Tohearthe
Pattern,
press
the
pLAy
button.
Torecord
more
Patterns,
select
another
pattern
andrepeat
the
procedure
above.
The
SR18allows
you
tomute
anyofits
threeinstrumenl (drums,
percussion,
bass)in real-time.
El go 5nmg"g:p:iil':?JR:;t*:t:
B
H
holdingdown MUTE and then
button
againwhile
MUTEis
I
threecategories
(Drums,
Percussion,
(DRUMS,
PEBC,B,ASS)
and
then
erasethe soundwhilethe Patternis
the pad correspondinlgto the sound
press
theSTOP
buttonto
the
ING
/ DEC buttons
orVALUE