User Interface Basics

Navigation

The Top Line

On the top line of most pages, there’s a reminder of which mode you’re in and which page you’re on. Many pages display additional information in the top line, as well. The Program-mode page above, for example, shows you the current amount of MIDI transposition and the currently selected MIDI channel. The top line is almost always “reversed”—that is, it has a white background with blue characters.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is divided into six (sometimes fewer) sets of reversed characters that serve as labels for the six buttons directly beneath the display. These labels—and the functions of the buttons—change depending on the currently selected page. Consequently the buttons that select these functions are called “soft” buttons.

The Soft Buttons

The soft buttons are called “soft” because their functions change depending on the currently selected mode. Sometimes they perform specific functions, like changing MIDI channels in Program mode. In the Program Editor and other editors, they’re also used to move to different pages of programming parameters. If a soft button’s label is in all capital letters (KEYMAP, for example), pressing the corresponding soft button takes you to a page of parameters. If the soft button is labeled in lower-case or mixed-case letters (Save, for example), the soft button performs some kind of function.

The Cursor Buttons

To the right of the display are four buttons arranged in a diamond fashion. These are called the cursor buttons. They move the cursor around the currently selected page, in the direction indicated by their labels. The cursor is a highlighted (reversed) rectangle (sometimes it’s an underscore). It marks the value of the currently selected parameter.

Programming the K2661 involves selecting various parameters and changing their values. Select parameters by highlighting their values with the cursor. You can change the highlighted value with any of the data entry methods described in the data entry section below.

The Chan/bank Buttons

To the left of the display are two buttons labeled Chan/Bank. Their function is related to the two small arrows—<>—that appear in the top line of the display when there are multiples of the current page—for example, the LAYER pages in the Program Editor. When you see these arrows, you can use the Chan/Bank buttons to scroll the values of the parameter that appears to the right of the arrows. In Program mode, for example, they shift through the MIDI channels, showing the program assigned to each channel.

When you’re in the Program Editor, the Chan/Bank buttons let you view each layer in the program. You can see the corresponding parameters in each layer by scrolling through the layers with these buttons. In the Keymap Editor, Chan/Bank scroll through key ranges of the current keymap. In the Setup Editor, the Chan/Bank buttons scroll through the zones in the current setup. In Quick Access mode, they scroll through the Quick Access banks, and in Song mode they scroll through recording tracks.

We’ll let you know, when applicable, what the Chan/Bank buttons do.

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Alesis K2661 specifications Top Line, Bottom Line, Soft Buttons, Cursor Buttons, Chan/bank Buttons