4.STORING Voice Data

B16 (FUNCTION MODE): VOICE NAME

This function is accessed in the FUNCTION mode—press the FUNCTION button and then the B16 (VOICE NAME) button.

The VOICE NAME function can be used to give voices in the voice memory an identifying name. Voice names can be up to 10 characters in length.

When this function is called the flashing cursor will appear at the beginning of the voice name entry space on the lower display line, ready for you to enter the first character. The available characters are printed in white on the right side of the voice selector buttons and the group of six buttons to the left of the LCD. To enter a character in the FUNCTION: VOICE NAME mode, hold down the CHARACTER button (this is the same as the FUNCTION button) and press the corresponding character button. As each character is entered the flashing cursor moves one space to the right, ready for the next character. A character entered over an existing character will replace the original character. The PLAY SINGLE button can be used to enter a space. To correct errors, the cursor may be moved to the left and right using the - 1 /NO/OFF and +1 /YES/ON switches, respectively.

If you have edited any of the above voice parameters and wish to keep the edited data, you must use the STORE function BEFORE PRESSING ANY VOICE SELECTOR AFTER EXITING THE EDIT OR FUNCTION MODES, and store the new data in one of the 32 RAM voice memories. Of course, this means it is a good idea to have a free memory location ready before you begin editing. If you are editing voices that were originally called from the internal ROM memory, don’t worry, you can recall the ROM memory voices any time you need to. If the RAM is full of original voices, however, make sure any voices you want to keep have been saved to cassette tape from which they can later be recalled.

To STORE a newly edited voice, first exit the EDIT mode by pressing the PLAY SINGLE mode selector. Then, hold down the STORE button (this is the same as the EG COPY button) and press the voice selector to which you want to save the edited voice data. The MEMORY PROTECT function must be OFF before attempting to use the STORE function.

5.Two Approaches to Creating Your Own

Voices

There are two basic approaches which can be taken when programming voices on the DX21. First, you can run through all the existing voices, choose one that is close to the sound you wish to create, and then edit that voice to create your own. Second, you can “initialize” the the voice edit buffer (seeCHAPTER III: MEMORY MANAGEMENT, 1. The Initialize Voice Function) setting all parameters to their initial values and begin programming your voice from scratch.

The first method, editing a preset voice, is generally a much more efficient approach, provided the sound you want is close to something that already exists. If, however, you are looking for a unique voice that is totally unlike any of the available presets, it is probably best to initialize and start from scratch.

If you choose to program a voice from scratch, you’ll need to have a clear memory location (or one containing a voice that you either don’t want or have already backed up on cassette tape), so that when you’ve completed programming the voice, you can save it. Since all editing is done in the separate voice edit buffer, nothing is erased while you are actually programming the voice. But when you save the new voice whatever was in that memory location will be erased and replaced by the new data.

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