Alesis QuadraSynth Plus manual Realtime Performance Functions, Quad Knobs

Your First Session With The QuadraSynth Plus: Chapter 2

Realtime Performance Functions

The QuadraSynth Plus provides various ways to control the sound as you are playing. Try out some of these functions while playing the keyboard. The sound of the effects can also change by using these controllers. The effect of these realtime controllers varies from Program to Program; in some they may not be active, and in others they may have a dramatic effect.

•Velocity. The volume and tonal quality of the sound will change according to how hard you play the keyboard.

•Aftertouch. The action of pressing a key down after playing it is called “aftertouch” (it is also sometimes referred to as “Pressure” since it corresponds to the amount of pressure being applied to the keyboard).

Pitch, tone and volume (among other things) can be changed using aftertouch.

•Pitch Bend Wheel. While playing a note, you can move the PITCH BEND WHEEL up to raise the pitch, or down to lower the pitch. The amount of pitch bend available can be different for each Program.

•Modulation Wheel. By raising the MODULATION WHEEL, you can add expressive modulation effects (such as vibrato or tremolo) while you play. The type of modulation effect can be different for each Program.

•The Quad Knobs. These are described below.

Further expressive control is available with a pedal switch (included) or expression pedal (optional, see page 25). By connecting a pedal switch to the SUSTAIN jack on the rear panel, you can have the sound sustain even after you release the keys. By connecting an expression pedal to one of the pedal jacks (PEDAL 1 or PEDAL 2), you can use the pedal to change the volume or tone (or some other quality such as reverb depth or vibrato speed) of the sound, if the Program is edited to use the pedal(s).

The Quad Knobs

To the right of the display are four knobs referred to as Quad Knobs, [1]—[4], each with its own button. The Quad Knobs provide control over various parameters depending on the mode you are in. The parameters in the display will change depending on which function and page are selected. Not all four Quad Knobs are active in all windows; there are many pages that have only one active Quad Knob.

In Program Play Mode and Mix Play Mode, the Quad Knobs act as Controllers A–D. These Controllers are defined in Global Edit Mode (Page 3) to transmit various MIDI controller messages. If a Program or Mix uses these Controllers A–D, a pair of arrows will point towards the active controller’s letter in the display. This indicates that moving the related Quad Knob will have some kind of effect on the selected Program or Mix. In the illustration below, Controller A (Quad Knob [1]) is used by the selected Program.

QuadraSynth Plus Piano Reference Manual 22