Alesis D4 manual EXT Trig, Group Button, Mode Multi

To select a particular Drum Set, turn the Data wheel. Numbers range from 00 to 20.

Drum Set selection and management was already covered in more detail in Chapter 2.

3.6 EXT TRIG

Press Ext Trig, and the LCD shows the Trigger input and Trigger Characteristics (Type) on the top line, and the note associated with the Trigger on the bottom line. Example:

TRIG: 01 TYPE: 01

NOTE: 050 D2

External triggering is a somewhat complex topic and is described in detail in Chapter 5.

3.7 GROUP BUTTON

Press Group, and the LCD shows the selected MIDI note number on the top line and drum’s Mode on the bottom line. Example:

NOTE: 054 F#2

MODE: MULTI

To change the mode, turn the Data wheel. There are four options:

Multi: When triggering a note repeatedly, each trigger will cause the sound to go through its entire decay. This is useful with cymbals, since early strikes continue to decay as you play later strikes.

Single: When triggering a note repeatedly, a new hit will automatically terminate any sound that is still decaying. This is useful with many percussion sounds (such as tambourine, agogo, etc.).

Group 1 and 2: A newly-triggered voice assigned to a particular group (1 or 2) will cut off a voice assigned to the same group if the older voice is still sustaining. The classic use of this is with hi-hats; a closed high-hat will cut off an open hi-hat, and hitting an open hi-hat sound will cut off a closed hi-hat.

The D4 can play up to 16 voices at a time, so it’s possible to run out of voices if you play a flurry of notes and have lots of drum sounds assigned to Multi mode. If 16 sounds are playing and you ask the D4 to play another one, the sound that’s closest to finishing its decay cycle will be “stolen” so that the most recent sound can be played. In practice, it’s difficult (and usually not artistically desirable!) to create drum parts so complex that voice-stealing becomes a problem. However, if this is a

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