Kawai Digital Drum Machine R-50 User manual

KAWAI
DIGITAL DRUM MACHINE o
R'S MANUAL

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
Thank you for purchasing the Kawai R-50 Digital Drum
Machine! While the R-50 is easy to operate, this Owner's
Manual contains valuable information to help you get the
most from your new instrument We recommend that you
read it carefully and keep it handy for future reference.
PROFESSIONAL-QUALITY PCM SOUNDS
The R-50's 24 separate drum and percussion sounds have
all been recorded in the professional 12-bit PCM with a
sampling rate of 32k. The sound quality is suitable for any
recording situation, including Compact Disk.
EASY TO USE
Getting around on the the R-50 is straight-forward and
intuitive. It even comes with 50 preset rhythm patterns
and 4preset pad set-ups to get you started.
PROGRAMMABLE DRUM KITS
The R-50 provides for 8user-defined pad set-ups. Each
pad can be assigned adrum, tuning, pan, accent, level,
delay, gate and flange.
PROGRAMMABLE TRIGGERS
Eight triggers can be incorporated into drum patterns to
fire external MIDI devices.
FLEXIBLE OUTPUT
Stereo and mono outputs are fed by the stereo pan control
on each drum. Asound can also be assigned to the
individual output on the rear panel.
COMPLETE CAPABILITIES
50 user-defined rhythm patterns with step or real-time
recording and editing. Build songs with sophisticated
features like insert, delete, and mulitply. 10 songs can
be linked together to make performances smoother.
FULL MIDI IMPLIMENTATION
The R-50's MIDI features let you record patterns from
external sources such as keyboards and drum pads. The
internal sounds can also be triggered by external devices
such as sequencers. MIDI clock in and out includes Song
Pointer for synchronization with sequencers, drum
machines and tape. The system-exclusive implimentation
also enables remote operation and MIDI Data Dumps to
another R-50 or MIDI data storage device.
POLYPHONIC
Sounds are dynamically assigned to the R-50's eight
voices. Sounds can be replayed without cutting off the
decay of the original sound.
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Text: Jeff Burger •Design: Interlace •ei 987 Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd. •All Rights Reserved •Printed in Japan

1.TABLE OF CONTENTS
LTABLE OFCONTENTS 1
ZCARE AND MAINTENANCE 5
iCONTRQIS 4
FRONT PANEL 4
R-50 PRESET RHYTHMS 4
REAR PANEL 5
4, OVERVIEW $
SOUNDS 6
Pads 6
GETTING AROUND 6
Cursor Keys 6
Volume 6
&WORKING WITH DRUM KITS Z
CHANGING USER SETTINGS 7
CHANGING DRUMS 7
Level 7
Accent 8
Tuning 8
Pan 8
Gate 8
Delay 9
Flange 9
MIXER 10
Level 10
Manual Pan 10
Pan 10
£. PLAYING RHYTHM PATTERNS JJ.
TEMPO 12
Tap Tempo 12
LRECORDING RHYTHM PATTERNS JL2
REAL TIME RECORDING 13
Number of Bars 13
Time Signature 13
Error Correct 13
Metronome 13
Recording 14
STEP RECORDING 15
Number of Bars 15
Time Signature 15
Recording 15
&EDITING RHYTHM PATTERNS
OVERDUB RECORDING
Overdubbing Preset Patterns
ERASING
Erasing aPattern
Erasing an Instrument
Erasing aBar
Erasing aNote
Erasing All Memory
SWING
COPYING PATTERNS
9, SONGS
BUILDING SONGS
Song Tempo
Song Construction
Building Tools-
Insert, Delete, and Multiply
Linking Songs
PLAYING SONGS
Start at aDesignated Section
Bar Count
ERASING SONGS
Erase All Songs
10. MIDI
MIDI SYNC
MIDI IN
Omni Mode
Receive Channel
Key Info
Velocity
Volume
Program Changes
Start/Stop
MIDI Note Assignments
Initial Reset
MIDI OUT
Poly/Mono Mode
Send Channel
Inst Info
Trigger Info
Velocity
Program Change
Stop/Start
MIDI Note Assignments
Note Trigger
MIDI SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE
Transmit
Receive
M
17
17
17
17
17
18
18
18
19
20
21
21
21
21
22
23
24
24
24
25
25
26
26
27
27
27
27
28
28
28
28
29
29
30
30
30
30
31
31
31
31
32
32
33
33
34
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
LL ASSIGN 21
ASSIGN VOICE 37
Assign Hi-Hat 37
Assign Crash 38
ASSIGN OUTPUT 38
ASSIGN FOOTSWITCH 39
Footswitch Functions 39
12. CASSETTE STORAGE 4Q
CASSETTE SAVE 40
CASSETTE VERIFY 41
CASSETTE LOAD 41
13. MEMORY MANAGEMENT 42
CHECKING AVAILABLE MEMORY 42
ERASING ALL OF MEMORY 42
14. R-50 PAD SETTING CHART 43.
15. MIDI NOTE ASSIGNMENTS 45
16. MIDI DATA FORMAT 4£
17. MIDI IMPLEMENTATION 47
18. SPECIFICATIONS 4fi
19. R-50 PRESET PATTERNS 42
Page 2•Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

2. CARE AND MAINTENANCE
PROTECT YOUR R-50 FROM:
•Direct sunlight and exposure to the elements
•Temperature and humidity extremes
•Unstable or "noisy" AC power
•Dust and sand
•Vibration during transport
POWER SUPPLY
•Use only the 12-volt power supply included with your R-
50. Other power supplies may damage the unit.
•Make sure that all power switches are off before
changing equipment connections
CLEANING
•Clean the instrument with asoft cloth, amild detergent
and lukewarm water.
•Never use harsh or abrasive cleansers or organic
solvents.
HELPFUL HINTS
•BATTERY BACK-UP
The lithium battery that preserves memory contents while
the power supply is off is good for more than five years of
normal use. We recommend however, that you have your
nearest authorized service representative replace it after 5
years have passed.
•LINE NOISE RESET
In the unlikely event of a"lock-up" due to line
interference, simply turn the R-50 off for afew seconds
and then turn it back on.
•REPAIRS
The R-50 should only be service by an authorized Kawai
repair stauon. Always save your valuable internal data to a
cassette tape or MIDI before taking the drum machine in
for service, as the data may be erased during repair.
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 3

3. CONTROLS
FRONT PANEL
COMMAND KEYS
KAWAI
DIGITAL DRMMACHINE
LCD DISPLAY
-J*J>V J>f J><&
,
CftlL PATTERN
I
CALL SOHO
REfiL\MCRCC STEPREC SHIHG
MIDI
-IHSERT-
3C
PAD 1PAD 2PAD 3
ACCENT KEY
ERASE KEY
DRUM PADS (1-10)
FlSSIGH
-DELETE-
PAD 4
COPY
SflVE/LOliO
-MULTIPLY
PAD 5
PAD 6PAD? /ADS PAD 9PAD 10
VOLUME CONTROL
VOLUME
MIXERJ
OUHT TfiF
:EHT/REP
START STOPi'CONT
CURSOR KEYS
START /STOP KEYS
SYSTEM CONTROL KEYS
R-50 PRESET PATTERNS
(PATTERNS 50-99)
123 4 56789
8 Beat 1
50
8Beat 28Beat 3 8Beat
Fill In 1
8Beat
Fill In 2
Elec. 8 Beat
Turbo 2
8Beat
Break
16 Beat 1
Electric 8
Bead Electric 8
Beat 2
16 Beat 3
Elec 8 Beat
Fill In 1
Elec 8Beat
Fill In 2
16 Beat
Fill In 2
Disco 2
-I
Bossa Nova
3
Drum
March
Elec. 8Beat
Fill In 3
160
Elec. 8Beat
Fill In 4
Elec. 8Beat
Fill In 5
Elec. 8Beat
Turbo 1
16 Beat 216 Beat
Fill In 1
16 Beat
Fill In 3
70
Bounce 1Bounce 1
Fill In
Bounce 2Bounce 2
Fill In
Waltz 1
Samba 5
Rock
Shuffle 1
Waltz 2
(3/4)
Samba
Break
Rock
Shuffle 2
Waltz 3
Rock
Shuffle Fill
Bossa Nova
1
Disco 1
Bossa Nova
2
March
i
Slow Rock
80
Slow Rock
Fill In
Swing 1Swing 2
Samba 4
Samba 1
90
Samba 2Samba 3Reggae Reggae
Fill In !
i
i
Page 4•Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

REAR PANEL
-'' Df2JNFHCHES RL<r1DM0> INDIU fl-FCOf-B rTPPEn OUT-MIDI-IN
OH OFF /"^^N S*°-\
©©©Q) ©©©©--^ ^*
•POWER -Main AC power ON/OFF switch
IX IN -Connection for 12V 500mA power supply.
•OUTPUTS
The R-50 does not include apower amp or speaker.
To hear the instrument you must use headphones or
connect it to asound system (preferably full-range).
PHONES
Connection for standard stereo headphones.
R
Connection for right portion of stereo output.
L(MONO)
Connection for left portion of stereo output. Also
used as amono output if stereo is not required.
INDIV.
Connection for the Individual Output channel to
which any given drum can be assigned.
•FT. SW. A
Connection for first optional F-l footswitch.
Footswitch functions are programmable.
•FT. SW. B
Connection for second optional F-l footswitch.
Footswitch functions are programmable.
•TAPE OUT
For connection to cassette deck input for data
storage.
•TAPE IN
For connection to cassette deck output for data
retrieval.
>MIDI IN/OUT
Connection to external MIDI gear.
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 5

4. OVERVIEW
SOUNDS
The R-50 features the following 24 digital drum and
percussion sounds:
BASS DRUM 1(BD1)
BASS DRUM 2(BD2)
BASS DRUM 3(BD3)
SNARE DRUM 1(SD1)
SNARE DRUM 2(SD2)
SNARE DRUM
3
(SD3)
TOM HIGH (TOMH)
TOM MID (TOMM)
TOM LOW (TOML)
HIGH HAT CLOSED (HHCL)
HIGH HAT OPEN (HHOP)
RIDE1 (RID1)
RIDE 2(RID2)
CRASH 1(CRS1)
CRASH 2(CRS2)
CHINA CYMBAL (CHNA)
COWBELL (COWB)
CLAPS (CLAP)
SHAKER (SHAK)
AGOGO BELL (AGOG)
CONGA (CONG)
TAMBOURINE (TAMB)
TIMBALE (TIMB)
CLAVES (CLVS)
These instruments can be assigned to Pads 1-10 along
with other parameters such as tunings, accent, panning,
level and processing. Four pad set-ups are preset and
eight combinations are user-definable.
Rhythm patterns can be recorded individually using any of
the pads in memory and up to eight voices can sound
simultaneously. Rhythm patterns can then be assembled
into asong and individual songs can be linked together to
automate entire sets.
PADS
The sounds in the current pad set-up or drum kit are
played using the 10 pads labeled PAD 1-PAD 10.
Additional kits are accessed using the PAD key.
GETTING AROUND
Operations on the R-50 are fairly uniform. Please take a
moment to familiarize yourself with standard
communication with the R-50.
Major command categories are engaged by pressing the
correspondingly marked button. For keys with two
commands, the lower command is accessed by pressing
the key twice in succession. In either case, pressing the
same button again exits the command category.
Additional commands are structured in amenu/sub-menu
format and are accessed by pressing the ENT./REP. key
successively for each command. In some instances, the
BACK key can be used to move backward through aseries
of sub-menu choices. The ENT./REP. and BACK keys
also serve as "Execute" and "Cancel" for certain
operations.
CURSOR KEYS
The iand keys are used to increment and decrement
the value displayed in the window. The ^and -w keys
change similar parameters in steps of +/-10. •* and ~w also
change certain other display attributes such as drum
selection. The arrow keys repeat their functions when held
down.
VOLUME
The VOLUME control serves as amaster volume control
for the entire instrument. Individual volumes are accessed
via the MIXER.
Page 6•Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

5. WORKING WITH DRUM KITS
It is important to understand that pads and drums are
independent of one another. Adrum can be assigned to
more than one pad at atime and the different pads can then
be set for different variations in tuning, level and
processing to facilitate easy and versatile entry of
patterns.
Pressing PAD displays the current drum kit. The R-50
comes with 4preset drum kits (PRE. 1-4) and 8user-
defined drum kits (USER 1-8). (The instrument comes out
of the box with PRE. 1assigned to the pads.) Play the 10
pads to hear each sound.
Pressing the 4and
(presets) and USER
play the 10 pads.
keys moves through PRE 1-4
.Select each kit in turn and
CHANGING USER SETTINGS
While the presets cannot be altered,
USER 1-8 are designed to be
programmed to suit your needs.
After selecting the appropriate
USER drum kit, ENT./REP.
accesses the next function and
BACK returns you to the previous
function. To exit PAD mode at
any time press PAD again.
You can select apad during any of
these functions simply by hitting it
The pad number is displayed along
with the appropriate information
for the current function and the
pads can be played while making
changes.
PAD
•
DRUM
LEVEL
•w
ACCENT
•v
TUNE
PAN
GATE
DELAY
FLANGE
CHANGING DRUMS
This is where drums are selected for the current pad
(the one played last). Besides the 24 percussion and
drum sounds, eight triggers are available which can be
programmed to play external MIDI devices. Trigger
parameters are set up under MIDI OUT.
Press ENT./REP. from the USER display. Press the ^
and wkeys to change the drum assignment. The display
will show the currently selected drum.
LEVEL
While the front-panel pads are not physically sensitive,
they can be programmed to record notes into patterns at a
specified velocity or volume.
Press ENT./REP. from the DRUMS display. Use the
4and keys to change the LEVEL assignment. The
bar graph in the display represents the LEVEL setting.
EXAMPLE
Press PAD to enter PAD
mode.
Use 4and to select akit.
Press ENT./REP. to get into
the kit.
Play apad to access
settings for that pad.
Press -a. and to change
the assigned instrument.
Press ENT./REP. to access
LEVEL.
Use 4and to change the
pad volume.
*PRD PRE.i
*PflD USER1
*FRD 1TOMH
*PflD 9RID2
*PRD 9CRS2
*PRD 9LUL. II
*PRD 9LUL. I
(continued on next page)
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 7

ACCENT
Each pad can be given an accent level which is invoked
when the ACCENT key is depressed in conjunction with
the given pad. The ACCENT level can actually be higher
or lower than the LEVEL setting.
Press ENT./REP. from the LEVEL display. Use the <
and keys to change the ACCENT level. The bar graph
in the display represents the level.
TUNING
Each pad can be tuned -8/+7 semitones from the drum's
original pitch. Several pads using the same drum could be
tuned differently to create tuned percussion.
Press ENT./REP. from the ACCENT display. Use the 4
and keys to change the tuning. The graph in the
display increases as the pitch gets higher and decreases as
the pitch gets lower.
PAN
Each pad can be positioned anywhere in the stereo field
when both the LEFT and RIGHT outputs are used.
Press ENT./REP. from the TUNE display. Use the 4and
keys to place the sound. The graph in the display
indicates the left-to-right placement of the current pad.
EXAMPLE (continued)
Press ENT./REP. to
access ACCENT.
Use 4and to change
the ACCENT setting.
Press ENT./REP. to
access TUNE.
Change pad tuning using 4
and .
Press ENT./REP. to
access PAN.
Use 4and to change
pad panning.
Press ENT./REP. to
access GATE.
Use 4and to change
the pad gate setting.
*PAD 3AC. II
*PflD 9
*PflD 9AC. I
*PRD 9TUNE!
TUNE1I
*PflD 9PAN I
*PAD 9PAN II
*PAD 9GATE 9
PAD 9GATE 1
(continued on next page)
GATE
Gating refers to cutting off part of asound. Apopular
recording technique today is to apply a gate to areverbed
drum sound to choke the reverb effect off abruptly.
Press ENT./REP. from the PAN display. Each pad can be
given its own gate setting using the 4and keys to
select GATE 1, GATE 2or GATE 3. GATE indicates
no gating effect.
Page 8•Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

DELAY
Digital delay effects can be used to fatten sounds and
create slapback echo effects. The delay time is preset for
each drum sound.
Press ENT./REP. from the GATE display. Each pad can
be given its own digital delay effect using the 4and to
select DELAY 1, DELAY 2or DELAY 3. DELAY
indicates no delay effect.
DELAY 1: The delayed sound plays at the same
volume as the original sound.
DELAY 2: The delayed sound plays louder than the
original sound.
DELAY 3: The delayed sound plays softer than the
original sound.
FLANGE
Flanging can be used as special effects to add an animated
or "spacey" effect.
EXAMPLE (continued)
Press ENT./REP. to access
DELAY.
Use 4and to change the
pad delay setting.
Press ENT./REP. to access
FLANGE.
Use iand to change the
pad flange setting.
Press ENT./REP. to return
to the beginning of PAD
mode.
Press PAD to exit PAD
mode.
*PAD 3DELAYS
*PAD 9DELAY
1
*PAD 9FLANGO
*PAD 9FLRNG1
*PRD USER1
CALL PTH 49.
Press ENT./REP. from the DELAY display. Each pad can
be given its own digital flange effect using the 4and to
select FLANGE 1, FLANGE 2or FLANGE 3. FLANGE
indicates no flange effect.
FLANGE 1: The delayed sound plays at the same
pitch as the original sound.
FLANGE 2: The delayed sound plays at ahigher
pitch than the original sound.
FLANGE 3: The delayed sound plays at alower
pitch than the original sound.
To exit PAD mode, press PAD again.
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 9

MIXER
The R-50 has abuilt-in mixer which governs the balance
of individual drums, as opposed to the pads. (Remember
drums are assigned to pads.)
Level controls are accessed by pressing MIXER. Pressing
ENT./REP. successively accesses the other functions
available and BACK returns you to the previous function:
You can use the mixer at any point while the drum
machine is playing and you can also play the pads to
monitor the changes you make in the mixer.
LEVEL
The LEVEL function provides for setting the level of the
individual drums. If one drum is assigned to several pads,
the volumes for all of those same pads will be changed.
If you are not in MIXER mode, press MIXER once to do
so. Use the 4and keys to change the volume of the
currently displayed drum. Press the *- and keys to
change to the drum you wish to work with.
MANUAL PAN
The pads are normally given their panning assignments in
the PAD sub-menu. It is possible to override those
assignments with the ones set in this next MIXER
function. If MANUAL PAN is OFF the panning set in
PAD mode is in effect for all drums. If MANUAL PAN is
ON, the panning set in MIXER mode is in effect for all
drums.
Press ENT./REP. from the LEVEL function to access
MANUAL PAN. Use the 4key to select MANUAL
PAN OFF and the key to select MANUAL PAN ON.
PAN
If MANUAL PAN is ON, the pan settings here will
override those set in the PAN mode. If MANUAL PAN is
OFF, these settings will have no effect.
Press ENT./REP. from the MANUAL PAN function to
access PAN. Use the 4and keys to change the
panning. Press the *- and ^keys to change the drum
being panned.
To exit the MIXER mode, press MIXER again.
Press the ENTER key to change functions:
f-> LEVEL -> MANUAL PAN -> PAN-,
Note:
Press MIXER again to exit the MIXER menu at any time.
Press MIXER to access
MIXER functions.
Use the 4and keys to
change the volume.
Press <* and -v to change
drums.
Press ENT./REP. to access
MANUAL PAN function.
Use the to turn MANUAL
PAN on.
Use the 4to turn MANUAL
PAN off.
Press ENT./REP. to access
PAN function.
Use the 4ar|dto change
the panning.
Press ENT./REP. to return
to the LEVEL function.
Press MIXER to exit MIXER
mode.
LEUEL CRS1 I
*LEUEL CRS1 II
*LEUEL RID1 II
*rifiHURL PAN OFF
*MfiNUfiL PRN OH
*MRHUfiL PRN OFF
*PflN RI01 II
*PflN RID1 1
*LEUEL RI01 II
CALL PTH 28
Page 1•Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

6. PLAYING RHYTHM PATTERNS
Arhythm "pattern" is asection of rhythm of agiven
length (such as 2bars). The R-50 comes with 50 preset
rhythm patterns (50-99) along with room for 50 user-
defined patterns (00-49). These patterns are the building
blocks of complete songs or agiven pattern can just loop
endlessly.
Existing patterns are accessed by pressing the CALL
PATTERN button. The display will then show the current
pattern number. The 4and keys decrement and
increment and decrement the pattern number one digit
at atime, while the -* and keys change the pattern
number in increments of 10. (Remember, all four keys
repeat their functions when held down).
Once arhythm pattern is selected, press the START
button to hear the pattern. When the end of the pattern is
reached, the same pattern is repeated over and over. The red
LED beside TEMPO flashes to indicate the downbeat.
Press the STOP/CONT. button to stop the pattern. Once
the machine has stopped playing, pressing the
STOP/CONT. button again will start the pattern playing
from the point where it was stopped.
Select and play apattern. While the pattern is still
playing, select adifferent pattern number with the arrow
keys. Notice that the next time the first pattern reaches its
end, the newly selected pattern begins.
At this point the display tells you several important
things. The first number shows the length of the pattern
in bars, while the second number represents the current bar
position within the pattern. The third number is the
current pattern number. When anew pattern has been
selected during playback the fourth position changes from
blank to the new pattern number.
Screen Legend:
Current Bar v
Total Bars .\^
\\
BAR 01-01 11.10
Curren
NextP
tPattern -"^"" y/
attern to Play
You may find it handy to establish how many bars have
been played since you pressed START or CONT. This is
the BAR COUNT feature and is accessed by pressing BAR
COUNT and TEMPO simultaneously. BAR COUNT can
be displayed whether apattern is playing or not and is
reset each time you press START.
Note that during playback, various other functions such as
PAD and MIXER are available. Experiment with selecting
and playing different patterns and adjusting the PAD and
MIXER settings to taste during playback.
EXAMPLE
Press CALL PATTERN to
access patterns.
Press to increment
pattern number by 1.
Press -*- to increment
pattern number by 10.
Press START to hear the
repeating pattern.
Press 4while pattern is
playing.
Press STOP/CONT. to end
performance.
Press STOP/CONT. again
to continue performance.
Press BAR and TEMPO
simultaneously to display
BAR COUNT.
CALL PTN 00.
CALL PTH 01 .
CALL PTN 11 .
BAR 01-01 11 .
BAR 61-01 11.10
BAR 01-01 10.
BAR 01-01 10.
*BAR= 002
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 1
1

TEMPO
MANUAL TEMPO CONTROL
The tempo can be altered regardless of whether the
machine is playing or stopped. Simply press TEMPO and
the display shows the current tempo in beats-per-minute.
The red LJ-D beside TEMPO will also light to indicate
TEMPO mode. The 4and keys are used to decrement
and increment the tempo by afactor of 1, while the *and
keys change the tempo by afactor of 10.
TAP TEMPO
The R-50's tempo can also be dictated by simply tapping
atempo in! First press TEMPO to enter TEMPO mode.
Then simply tap atempo using the TAP button. The R-
50 measures the time between any two taps and alters the
tempo accordingly. We recommend that you tap at least 4
beats to establish the desired tempo.
EXAMPLE
Press TEMPO to access
TEMPO mode.
Use 4and to change
tempo by afactor of 1.
Press .
Use *. and -v to change
tempo by afactor of 10.
Press -v .
Tap desired tempo using
TAP.
TEMPO 4'-=126
TEMPO 4==121
TEMPO W==111
TEMPO W==165
Page 12 •Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

7. RECORDING RHYTHM PATTERNS
Preset patterns 50-99 cannot be altered. Patterns 00-49
can be programmed and altered by the user. Two basic
methods can be used to enter new patterns -real-time
and step. Real-time mode is used to enter drums parts
in "live" against ametronome. Step mode is used to
enter patterns one beat at atime without any reference
to areal-time metronome.
In both modes, the 4and keys change the pattern
number by afactor of 1, while the a. and "" keys
change by afactor of 10. If "DUB" appears as part of
the display, apattern has already been recorded.
"NEW" represents apattern that is has not been
recorded. "PRE" indicates apreset pattern that cannot
be altered.
REAL-TIME RECORDING
As stated earlier, real-time mode is used to enter
drums parts in "live" against ametronome.
Press REAL TIME REC. to enter this mode. The
ENT./REP. key is used to step through aseries of set-
up functions before actually recording and BACK is
used to return to the previous function:
REAL TIME REC.
NUMBER OF BARS
TIME SIGNATURE (BEATS)
TIME SIGNATURE (BEAT VALUE)
v
ERROR CORRECT
•v
METRONOME COUNT
Note: You may exit from any of these functions by
pressing REAL TIME REC.
NUMBER OF BARS
Each pattern can be any desired length up to 99 bars.
The default is 1bar, but is easily changed.
Press ENT./REP. from the REAL TIME REC. display.
Use the 4and to change the number of bars by a
factor of 1and the -* and "v keys to change by afactor
of 10.
TIME SIGNATURE
The time signature of an R-50 pattern is very flexible.
Patterns are available from 1/4 to 99/16!
Press ENT./REP. from the BAR display to access the
number of beats per measure. The number of beats in a
measure can range from 1to 99. Use the 4and to
change the number of beats by afactor of 1and the *
and keys to change by afactor of 10.
Press ENT./REP. again to access the beat value of the
time signature. Use the 4and keys to select quarter
note, eighth note or sixteenth note beat value.
ERROR CORRECT
Error correct (also known as quantize) can be used to
correct your performance while recording apattern.
All entries are rounded to the closest value that you
specify.
Press ENT./REP. from the TIME SIGNATURE
display. The default error-correct value is 1/16 (your
recordings will be rounded to the nearest sixteenth
note). Use the 4and keys to specify the desired
error-correct value. (1/6 represents quarter-note
triplets, 1/12 represents eighth-note triplets, 1/24
represents sixteenth note triplets and 1/48 represents
thirty-second-note triplets.) If no error-correction is
desired, select 1/96 (the record resolution of the R-50
is ninety-sixth-notes).
METRONOME
Real-time recording is typically done with the aid of
an audible metronome. The beat value of the
metronome can be altered to suit your needs.
Press ENT./REP.
display. Use the 4
from the ERROR CORRECT
and keys to specify the desired
metronome beat value. (1/6 represents quarter-note
triplets, 1/12 represents eighth-note triplets and 1/24
represents sixteenth note triplets.) If no metronome is
desired, select OFF.
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 13

RECORDING
Once the record parameters are set properly, you're
ready to record. (If you like the default settings, you
don't have to access any of these set-up functions before
recording.)
From the metronome display, press either ENT./REP.
or REAL TIME REC. to return to REAL TIME
RECORD mode. Press START to begin recording and
you should hear the metronome assuming you did not
turn it off. (Note: If the metronome is too loud or
too soft, the level of the metronome can be adjusted
using MIXER.) The display will show the total
number of bars with the current bar number to the
right.
The pattern will play over and over again, with the
downbeat indicated by the red LED and an accented
metronome beat. This repetition allows you to take
your time and enter one thing at atime.
Drums are recorded into apattern by pressing the
desired pad at the appropriate time. (External MIDI
devices can also be used, covered under the MIDI
OPERATION section.) All data associated with a
given pad is recorded such as level, tuning and panning.
To enter accented drums, hold down the ACCENT key
while playing the appropriate pad.
If ENT./REP. and apad are held down while recording,
the pad will be entered repeatedly on every beat
specified by the ERROR CORRECT value. For
instance, if ERROR CORRECT is set for 1/16 and
ENTVREP. and apad assigned to hi-hat are held down
for half of ameasure, the hi-hat will be recorded on
every l/16th note in that half measure.
All drum kits are available while recording by entering
PAD mode and selecting the desired kit before
continuing to play the pads. TEMPO and MIXER are
also accessible while recording.
Note: Auseful technique is to stop the recording
process and change the error-correct value as needed for
each pad. (The number of bars and time signature cannot
be changed.) For example, you might want asnare hit
quantized to 1/4 while the high hat has no error-correction
at all.
EXAMPLE
Press REAL TIME REC.
Press 4to decrement
pattern number by 1.
Press to decrement
pattern number by 10.
Press ENT./REP to access
BARS.
Press to specify 2-bar
pattern.
Press ENT./REP. to access
BEATS.
Press 4to decrement
BEATS to 3/4 time.
Press ENT./REP. to access
BEAT VALUE.
Press to increment BEAT
VALUE to 3/8 time.
Press ENT./REP. to access
ERROR CORRECT.
Press 4to change ERROR
CORRECT to eighth-note
triplets.
Press ENT./REP. to access
METRONOME BEAT.
Press twice to set
metronome for eighth notes.
Press REAL TIME REC. to
exit.
Press START to begin
recording. Enter drums
using pads. (Access PAD
and MIXER as needed.
Press again to exit.)
Press STOP to end.
REAL :DUB PTN 1
1
REAL: DUB PTN 10
REAL: NEW PTN 00
BAR 01 04/04
BAR Q2 04/04
BAR 02 04/04
BAR 02 03/O4
BAR 02 03/04
BAR 02 03/68
EC. 1/16 M 1/4
E.C. 1/12 M 1/4
E.C.1/12 N1/4
E.C.1/12 M1/8
REAL: NEW PTN 00
BAR 02-61 -REC-
REAL:DUB PTN 00
Page 14 •Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

STEP RECORDING
Step recording is the process of manually stepping
through the beats of apattern and entering drum hits
where desired.
Press STEP REC. to enter this mode. The ENT./REP.
key is used to step through aseries of set-up functions
before actually recording and BACK is used to return
to the previous function:
STEP RECORD
NUMBER OF BARS
TIME SIGNATURE (BEATS)
TIME SIGNATURE (BEAT VALUE)
Note: You may exit any of these functions at any time
by pressing STEP REC.
Note: For this example we assume that you have erased
pattern 00.
NUMBER OF BARS
Each pattern can be any desired length up to 99 bars.
The default is 1bar, but is easily changed.
Press ENT./REP. from the STEP REC. display. Use the 4
and to change the number of bars by afactor of 1and
the -a. and -v keys to change by afactor of 10.
TIME SIGNATURE
The time signature of an R-50 pattern is very flexible.
Patterns are available from 1/4 to 99/16!
Press ENT./REP. from the BAR display to access the
number of beats per measure. The number of beats in a
measure can range from 1to 99. Use the 4and to
change the number of beats by afactor of 1and the -*
and yr keys to change by afactor of 10.
Press ENT./REP. again to access the beat value of the
time signature. Use the 4and keys to select quarter
note, eighth note or sixteenth note beat value.
RECORDING
Once these parameters are set properly, you're ready to
record. (If you like the default settings, you don't have
to access any of these set-up functions before
recording.) From the BEAT VALUE display, press
either ENT./REP. or STEP REC. to return to STEP
RECORD mode.
Pressing the START button gets the R-50 ready to
accept the first beat. The red LED beside TEMPO will
light to confirm that. Use the <and keys to select
the note value from those engraved on the display
window. The -a. and keys are used to change the
value from normal (shown with -a.) to triplets (shown
as "3") and back. Strike the desired pad to enter it's
sound at the selected value for that beat. Use PAD if
necessary to select the proper sound. To enter accented
drums, hold down the ACCENT key while playing the
appropriate pad.
This same process is repeated to enter each beat of the
pattern, with the display showing the number of bars
with the current bar to the right. It is up to the user
to keep track of what the current beat is within the
bar. Example: If an eighth note was entered as the first
beat, the next entry will appear on the next eighth
note of the bar. If aquarter note was entered, the next
beat will be placed on the next quarter note instead.
Rests are used to advance to subsequent beats without
entering notes. After selecting arest, play any pad to
advance to the next beat. You should only hear a
metronome click.
Rests can also used to erase adrum previously recorded:
Select the rest at the point in the pattern where the drum
to be erased is recorded. Then, press the pad assigned to
the same drum as you wish to erase. The ENT./REP. key
can be used to advance by the selected note value.
After the last beat of the pattern has been entered the
red LED lights again to show that the R-50 is ready to
record another pass starting with the first beat. The
STEP RECORD process can be repeated as many times
as necessary to record all desired drums.
Pressing STOP/CONT. at any time exits the recording
process.
To hear the pattern, you must exit STEP REC. mode.
Select CALL PATTERN and press START.
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 15

EXAMPLE A: SET UP EXAMPLE B: RECORDING
Press STEP REC.
Press 4to decrement
pattern number by 1
.
Press -v to decrement
pattern number by 10.
Press ENT./REP to access
BARS.
Press to specify 2-bar
pattern.
Press ENT./REP. to access
BEATS.
Press 4to decrement
BEATS to 3/4 time.
Press ENT./REP. to access
BEAT VALUE.
Press to increment
BEAT VALUE to 3/8 time.
Press STEP REC. to exit.
STEP: DUB PTN n
STEP: DUB PTN 10
STEP :HEW PTN 00
BAR Q] 04/04
BfiR 62 04/04
BRR 02 04/04
BRR 02 03/04
BRR 02 63/04
BRR 02 03/08
STEP -.NEW PTN 00
-1 ill Ml*
iii i iii
f01 -01
-iU-tiWf?
T01 "01
''''I'll
01-01
Note: The following enters asimple bass/snare pattern.
Select the PRE. 1kit. Also use ERASE PATTERN to
undo the changes made by Example Aand return to a
default of 4/4 time.
Press START.
Press 4twice to select
quarter-note entry.
Play PAD 6to enter abass
drum as quarter-note.
Press twice to select
eighth-note entry.
Play PAD 7to enter snare
drum as eighth-note.
Play PAD 6to enter bass
drum as eighth-note.
Play PAD 6to enter bass
drum as eighth-note.
Press to select eighth-
note rest entry.
Press any pad to enter an
eighth-note rest.
Press 4to select eighth-
note entry.
Play PAD 7to enter asnare
drum as eighth-note.
Press STOP/CONT. to exit
I'
01-01
-JJJ'YJiS'^
'' ''''
01-01
Press CALL PATTERN to
access pattern playback.
Press START to hear
pattern.
CALL PTN 00.
BAR 01-01 00. _
Page 16 •Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual

8. EDITING RHYTHM PATTERNS
OVERDUB RECORDING
Overdubs are done in the same way that patterns are
recorded, using either REAL TIME REC. or STEP REC.
The only difference is that the display will read "DUB"
instead of "NEW". Each pass can be done using adifferent
error-correction, metronome count and drum kit if desired.
Remember that the number of bars and time signature
cannot be changed in an already recorded pattern.
OVERDUBBING PRESET PATTERNS
Overdubbing using apreset pattern is an easy way to
create new patterns. Overdubbing using apreset pattern
causes the creation of anew pattern, which is
automatically saved in ablank pattern within the pattern
area 00-49.
If the patterns 00-49 are all recorded, the display shows the
error message "USER AREA OVER".
ERASING
ERASING APATTERN
User-definable patterns 00^19 can be erased easily. (Preset
patterns 50-99 are permanently stored in the machine.)
Simply select the pattern you wish to erase and press
ERASE. Press ENT./REP. to confirm or BACK to
cancel.
EXAMPLE:
Select the pattern to be
erased. Select Pattern 05.
Press ERASE.
Press ENT./REP. to verify.
Or, press BACK to cancel
erasure.
CALL PTN 65.
ERASE PTN 05 ALL
ERASE EXECUTED
ERASE CANCEL
ERASING AN INSTRUMENT
It may be desirable to erase all occurrences of an
instrument in a given pattern. This is easily
accomplished.
Make sure the pattern you wish to erase is selected, then
press ERASE. As with the ERASE PATTERN
operation, the display will show the pattern number and is
prepared to erase "ALL" drums. Use the a. and -w keys to
select the drum you wish to erase. Then press ENT./REP.
to proceed or press BACK to cancel the operation.
Note: This operation erases all events in apattern which
uses agiven drum. If different entries have been made
with .pads using different variations on that drum, all
those events will be erased. You are erasing adrum, not a
pad!
EXAMPLE:
Press ERASE.
Use a. and to select
drum.
Press ENT./REP. to
execute.
Or, press BACK to cancel.
ERASE PTN 05 ALL
ERASE PTN 05 BDi
ERASE EXECUTED
ERASE CANCEL
Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual •Page 17

ERASING ABAR
It is possible to erase all the contents of asingle bar
without disturbing the rest of the pattern.
Select CALL PATTERN and access the desired pattern
using the 4arrow keys. Press ENT./REP. to view the
number of bars and the current bar. Select the desired bar
using the 4and keys. (Alternately play the pattern,
press STOP/CONT. during the bar you wish to erase, then
press ENT./REP.) Press ERASE, then ENT./REP. to
execute or BACK to cancel.
ERASING ANOTE
Rather than erase all occurrences of an instrument
completely from apattern, it may be desirable to erase a
single note. This is done by holding the ERASE key
and the pad you wish to erase, while in RECORD
mode.
ERASING ALL MEMORY
You can erase all of the patterns in memory (except the
preset ones of course), by holding the ACCENT key and
then pressing the ERASE key.
EXAMPLE:
Select the pattern.
Press ENT./REP. to
access bar display.
Use 4and to select bar
to erase.
Press ERASE.
Press ENT./REP. to
continue.
Or press BACK to cancel.
CALL PTN 07.
BAR 02-01 07.
ERR 02-02 07.
ERASE BAR 02-02
ERASE EXECUTED
ERASE CANCEL
EXAMPLE:
Press REAL TIME REC.
Select pattern using arrow
keys.
Start recording by
pressing START.
While holding ERASE, hold
down pad to erase.
Release.
Press STOP/CONT.
REAL: DUB PTN 33
REAL: DUB PTN 34
BAR 61-01 -REC-
BAR 01-61 -REC-
REAL:DUB PTN 34
EXAMPLE:
Hold ACCENT and press
ERASE.
Press ENT./REP. to
continue.
Press ENT./REP. to
execute.
Or, press BACK to cancel.
ERASE ALL MEM0RV
ERASE SURE?
ERASE EXECUTED
ERASE CANCEL
Page 18 •Kawai R-50 Owner's Manual