Novation Impulse User manual

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Novation
A division of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Windsor House,
Turnpike Road,
Cressex Business Park,
High Wycombe,
Bucks,
HP12 3FX.
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.novationmusic.com
Disclaimer
Novation has taken all possible steps to ensure that the information given here is both correct and
complete. In no event can Novation accept any liability or responsibility for any loss or damage to
the owner of the equipment, any third party, or any equipment which may result from use of this
manual or the equipment which it describes. The information provided in this document may be
modied at any time without prior warning. Specications and appearance may differ from those
listed and illustrated.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Clean only with dry cloth.
6. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other
apparatus (including ampliers) that produce heat.
7. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
8. Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.
9. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specied by the
manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution
when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
10. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
11. Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when the
apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged,
liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
12. No naked ames, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.
WARNING: Excessive sound pressure levels from earphones and headphones can cause
hearing loss.
WARNING: This equipment must only be connected to USB 1.1 or 2.0 ports.

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ENVIRONMENTAL DECLARATION
Compliance Information Statement: Declaration of Compliance procedure
Product Identication: Novation Impulse Keyboard
Responsible party: American Music and Sound
Address: 5304 Derry Avenue #C
Agoura Hills,
CA 91301
Telephone: [phone]
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
For USA
To the User:
1. Do not modify this unit! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions
contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modications not expressly approved by
Novation may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use this product.
2. Important: This product satises FCC regulations when high quality shielded USB cables
with integral ferrite are used to connect with other equipment. Failure to use high quality
shielded USB cables with integral ferrite or to follow the installation instructions within this
manual may cause magnetic interference with appliances such as radios and televisions and
void your FCC authorization to use this product in the USA.
3. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

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For Canada
To the User:
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
RoHS Notice
Novation has conformed and product conforms, where applicable, to the European
Union’s Directive 2002/95/EC on Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) as
well as the following sections of California law which refer to RoHS, namely sections
25214.10, 25214.10.2, and 58012, Health and Safety Code; Section 42475.2, Public
Resources Code.
CAUTION:
The normal operation of this product may be affected by a strong electrostatic
discharge (ESD). In the event of this happening, simply reset the unit by removing and
then replugging the USB cable. Normal operation should return.
COPYRIGHT AND LEGAL NOTICES
Novation and Automap are registered trade marks of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited.
Impulse is a trade mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited.
VST is a trade mark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
Audio Units (AU) is a trade mark of Apple, Inc.
RTAS is a trade mark of Avid, Inc.
All other brand, product and company names and any other registered names or trade marks
mentioned in this manual belong to their respective owners.
2011 © Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ........................................ 3
ENVIRONMENTAL DECLARATION............................................ 4
For USA............................................................... 4
ForCanada............................................................ 5
COPYRIGHT AND LEGAL NOTICES .......................................... 5
INTRODUCTION.......................................................... 8
KeyFeatures........................................................... 8
AboutThisManual ...................................................... 8
What’sInTheBox....................................................... 9
PowerRequirements.....................................................10
Glossary ..............................................................10
HardwareOverview......................................................12
Top View – assignable and non-assignable controls.........................12
Rear view – connections ..............................................14
IMPULSE SETUP EXAMPLES ...............................................15
Interfacingtoacomputer .................................................15
Automapmode......................................................15
Manualmappingmode ...............................................15
InterfacingtoMIDIhardware...............................................16
Using external hardware and a computer together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
MENU OVERVIEW.........................................................17
LCDfeaturesandMenuNavigation .........................................17
EXPLORING IMPULSE .....................................................18
Loading and Saving a Template ............................................18
HelpMode.............................................................19
Conguring Impulse Controls ..............................................19
Preview.............................................................. 20
Setup Mode ........................................................... 20
Keyboard Settings...................................................... 22
MIDIChannel ......................................................... 23
Zones ............................................................... 23
ProgramChange........................................................24
TransportControls...................................................... 25
Arpeggiator........................................................... 25
Arpeggiator Settings menu ........................................... 26
Setting the Arp/Roll Tempo ........................................... 27
RollMode ............................................................ 28
BootMenu............................................................ 28

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USING IMPULSE WITH AUTOMAP 4 ......................................... 29
Introduction........................................................... 29
InstallingAutomap4onyourcomputer...................................... 29
Updating Impulse’s rmware .......................................... 29
Conguring your DAW for Automap 4 control ................................. 30
ThePlugin,MixerandMIDIbuttons......................................31
AutomapMode..................................................... 32
TheAutomapMappingEditor ......................................... 32
TrackUp/Down..................................................... 34
BankUp/Down..................................................... 34
LearnMode ....................................................... 34
DAW GUIDE ............................................................. 35
Ableton Live and Clip-launch mode (Mac or Windows) ......................... 35
TROUBLESHOOTING ......................................................37
BasicTroubleshootingExamples........................................37
FACTORY TEMPLATES.................................................... 38
ASSIGNABLE CONTROLS –
PARAMETERS AND RANGES .............................................. 39
MIDIIMPLEMENTATIONTABLE............................................. 43

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INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing the Novation Impulse MIDI controller keyboard. As well as the music
keyboard itself, Impulse is equipped with a range of controllers to allow the modern musician to
create great music in the studio, in live performance or on the move. Easy integration with your
music software has been a primary consideration of Impulse’s design team.
This guide will introduce you to Impulse and explain the various ways you can use Impulse with
your music software, either with or without other MIDI hardware, in your recording set-up.
Impulse is supplied with Novation Automap 4 software, giving you a powerful yet simple way
to control all your favourite music software applications. Automap 4 is compatible with other
Novation hardware so if you are already using Automap with existing Novation hardware
to control your software, you may only need to read the rst few chapters of this guide to
familiarise yourself with Impulse.
Full information about installing, setting up, and operating Automap 4 software can be found in
the separate Automap 4 User Guide. It can be downloaded from our website:
www.novationmusic.com/support
For additional information, up to date support articles and a form to contact our Technical
Support Team please visit the Novation Answerbase at: www.novationmusic.com/answerbase
Key Features
• Available with 25, 49 or 61-note semi-weighted piano-style keyboard
• 8 rotary encoders
• 9 faders (49/61 note versions)
• 8 drum pads with tri-colour backlighting and roll mode
• Large (75 x 32 mm) multifunction LCD displaying DAW data directly
• Standard transport control set
• Arpeggiator with pad-based rhythm editor
• Integrated with Automap 4 for seamless control of plug-ins and DAW mixers
• Buttons with QWERTY support via Automap (49/61 note versions)
• Very simple installation procedure
About This Manual
We don’t know whether you’ve got years of experience with using MIDI, or if this is your very
rst keyboard controller. In all probability, you’re somewhere between the two. So we’ve tried
to make this manual as helpful as possible for all types of user, and this inevitably means that
more experienced users will want to skip over certain parts of it, while relative novices will want
to avoid certain parts of it until they’re condent they’ve mastered the basics.

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However, there are a few general points that are useful to know about before you continue
reading this manual. We’ve adopted some graphical conventions within the text, which we hope
all types of user will nd helpful in navigating through the information to nd what they need to
know quickly:
Abbreviations, conventions, etc.
Where top panel controls or rear panel connectors are referred to, we’ve used a number thus:
6to cross-reference to the top panel diagram, and thus: 1 to cross-reference to the rear
panel diagram. (See page 12 and page 14).
We’ve used BOLD to name physical things like top panel controls and rear panel connectors,
and also to name on-screen buttons which you need to click, and LCD dot-matrix text
to denote text which appears on the LCD.
Tips
These do what it says on the tin: we include bits of advice, relevant to the
topic being discussed that should simplify setting up Impulse to do what you
want. It’s not mandatory that you follow them, but generally they should make
life easier.
What’s In The Box
The Impulse has been carefully packed in the factory and the packaging was designed to
withstand rough handling. Should the unit appear to have been damaged in transit, do not
discard any of the packing material and notify your music dealer.
Save all the packing materials for future use if you ever need to ship the unit again.
Please check the list below against the contents of the packaging. If any items are missing or
damaged, contact the Novation dealer or distributor where you purchased the unit.
• Impulse MIDI controller keyboard
• Getting Started Guide
• Installation DVD, containing:
• Automap 4 software installer which includes drivers
• Impulse User Guide
• Xcite+ pack (Novation Bass Station soft synth, Mike the Drummer samples,
Loopmaster samples, Ableton Live Lite music software)
• USB Type A to Type B cable (2 m)
• Ableton Live Lite authorisation card
• Bass Station authorisation card

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Power Requirements
Impulse is powered via its rear panel USB connector. Normally, DC power will be supplied by
the computer to which Impulse is connected through a standard USB cable. We recommend
that you connect Impulse directly to a computer’s native USB port, and not via a USB hub.
Correct operation cannot be guaranteed if a hub is in use.
If you wish to use Impulse as a stand-alone MIDI controller for other hardware MIDI sound
sources (or other devices) without a computer – as you might in live performance, for example –
you should obtain an AC-to-DC USB mains adaptor, which you should plug in to Impulse’s USB
port in the same way as a standard USB cable. When using this method, please ensure that
your local AC supply is within the range of voltages required by the adaptor BEFORE you plug
it into the mains. Please contact your Novation dealer for advice on suitable mains adaptors if
you are in any doubt.
A word about laptops:
When powering Impulse from a computer, you should be aware that although
the USB specication agreed by the IT industry states that a USB port should
be able to supply 0.5 A at 5 V, some computers - particularly laptops – are
unable to supply this current. Unreliable operation may result in such a case.
When powering Impulse from a laptop’s USB port, it is recommended that the
laptop is powered from AC mains rather than its internal battery.
Glossary
Certain terms are used throughout this User Guide which may be new or unfamiliar to some
users. We have listed a few of them here to help you understand the Guide more easily.
Arp
Short for Arpeggiator, an Impulse feature. Arp mode lets you set up rhythmic patterns of notes
using the drum pads, and modify them in real time (great for live performance!), changing the
pattern length, the pattern itself and the way certain notes are accented.
Clip launch
This is a term specic to Ableton Live including the Lite version supplied with Impulse. Within
Ableton Live Lite, a Clip is essentially a sound le (of any duration) which can be assigned
to any DAW Track. Provision has been made for launching Clips directly from drum pads on
Impulse.
DAW
Digital Audio Workstation. An alternative term for your music creation/recording/editing
software.