ALESIS QS8.1 - Manual (Page 57)

MIDI: Part 5
QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual 51
SELECTING THE KEYBOARD MODE
In a Mix, the QS’s keyboard may be set up in several ways using the Keyboard Mode
parameter found on Page 6 of Global Edit Mode. You need to determine which way
is best for your application. The Keyboard Mode parameter determines how the
keyboard will function with regard to MIDI:
• OUT 01 – OUT 16. Use this mode if you’ll be sequencing parts for other MIDI
devices in addition to the QS. Select OUT 01, and the keyboard will send on only
MIDI channel 1 (or channel 2 if you select OUT 02, and so on). In this case the
sequencer must be used to set the MIDI channel of each track you want to record.
Note: With this mode selected you will not hear the QS unless your sequencer echoes
the MIDI data back to the QS’s MIDI IN. (This is also one way of verifying that
the sequencer is set to receive properly.) “Local” control of the QS is turned OFF
with this mode selected, so if things get disconnected somehow you won’t be
able to play anything from the QS’s keyboard. For example, this could happen if
you accidentally select the “desktop” on your computer, temporarily disabling
the sequencing application.
So be sure to set up your sequencer to “echo” the MIDI data back to the QS. You
can then set up the QS to pass the “auto-channelized” data along to other MIDI
devices by setting its MIDI Out Mode to Thru (Global Edit mode, page 16). If the
sequencing software is set up correctly, you’ll be able to play on a different MIDI
channel with each new track you record.
• NORMAL. Use this mode if the Mix is split or layered and sending on many
MIDI channels at once, and the sequencer will be able to record all channels at
one time. Good for capturing live performances in Mix mode.
This will only work if you have MIDI Out enabled for every MIDI channel within
the Mix which you would like the sequencer to record. The MIDI Out parameter
is on page 2 of the KEYBOARD/MIDI function in Mix Edit Mode. Once you’re in
Mix Edit Mode, select the MIDI channel for which you would like to set this up
by pressing its [SELECT] button ([0] - [9] for channels 1-10, [00] - [50] for
channels 11-16).
• CH SOLO. Use this mode if you’re sequencing with the QS alone (no external
MIDI modules). The keyboard only sends on one MIDI channel at a time, and
you change the channel on the QS for each separate track on the sequencer.
Naturally, this only works in Mix Mode, because Program Mode is kind of
already in Channel Solo mode by default.
This mode is automatically selected by the QS when the General MIDI function is
set to ON.
Note: In NORMAL or CH SOLO mode, the QS sounds are internally played from the
QS keyboard, so any echo features of the sequencer should be turned off.