ALESIS QS7 - Manual (Page 28)

Chapter 4: Overview
M
ODES
The QS is always in one of two main modes: Program Play Mode or Mix Play Mode.
Pressing [PROGRAM] selects Program Play Mode, while pressing [MIX] selects Mix
Play Mode. While in Program Play Mode, you can press [EDIT SELECT] to access
Program Edit Mode and Effects Edit Mode. While in Mix Play Mode, pressing [EDIT
SELECT] alternates between Mix Edit Mode, Program Edit Mode and Effects Edit
Mode. Once [EDIT SELECT] has been pressed (the upper-left corner of the display
reads “
ED: ”), pressing [ BANK] accesses Compare Mode (if the Program/Mix has
been edited, and pressing [BANK ] accesses Global Edit Mode. Pressing [STORE]
accesses Store Mode. Here are descriptions of these modes:
P ROGRAM P LAY M ODE
Program Play Mode lets you play the QS’s various Programs one at a time. The QS
contains 512 Preset and 128 User Programs (i.e., the sounds of various instruments,
effects, ensembles, etc.) that show off just how cool this instrument really is. Initially,
the 4 Preset Banks and the User Bank contain data loaded in at the factory. The User
Programs can be edited or replaced with your own Programs. However, you cannot
replace the Preset Programs, because these are stored in ROM (permanent
memory). In Program Play Mode, the QS responds to or generates messages on a
single MIDI channel.
M IX P LAY M ODE
Mix Play Mode lets you audition the QS’s various Mixes, and use it as a MIDI master
controller. The QS contains 400 Preset Mixes and 100 User Mixes. A Mix can
combine up to 16 different Programs, and the keyboard can generate up to 16
channels of MIDI data at once. Therefore, much thicker and richly textured sounds
can be created. In Mix Play Mode, the QS can be used in a wide range of
applications. It can be used for live performance, in which sounds are layered or
assigned to sections of the keyboard. It can also be used as a multitimbral sound
source for desktop music and home studio applications. A Mix can use the Effects
Patch associated with one of its Programs. Although there may be 16 Programs in a
Mix, there can only be one Effects Patch per Mix. In Mix Mode, the QS can respond
to messages on up to 16 MIDI channels simultaneously; different channels are
available depending on which Mix is selected.
P ROGRAM E DIT M ODE
In Program Edit Mode, you can change the various settings which determine the
sound of an individual Program, or create an entirely new Program from scratch.
Each Program is made up of four Sound layers, which you can edit individually, or
simultaneously. In Program Edit mode you can:
• select which sample waveform from the 16 megabytes of onboard sample ROM
will be used, in each of the 4 sounds;
• change the tone, level, attack and decay characteristics, modulation inputs, and
pitch of each layer;
• set modulation routings whereby any parameter can be controlled via MIDI;
• set the effect level for each Sound layer, and set which of the four effect sends
each Sound layer will use for signal processing (such as reverb, delay, and
chorus—or any combination of these).
M IX E DIT M ODE
28 QS7/QS8 Reference Manual