ALESIS SR-18 - Manual (Page 11)

8
RECORDING YOUR OWN PATTERNS
STEP 1
If the display’s upper right window shows SONG,
press the PATTERN / SONG button once to select
Pattern Mode (PATTERN will be displayed).
STEP 2
If the display’s upper right window does not show
USER, press the PRESET / USER button once to
select User Patterns (USER will be displayed in the
upper right corner).
STEP 3
Press the INC / DEC buttons or use the VALUE dial or number buttons to select an empty
Pattern. If the Pattern is empty, the display will read EMPTY PATT.
STEP 4
Press the RECORD SETUP button to enter the Record Setup Menu. This menu allows you
to customize recording settings, such as Quantization and Swing, which will affect the way
that your patterns are recorded. Alternatively, you may choose to use the default settings in
which case you should skip to Step 8.
STEP 5
On Page 1 of the Record Setup (page is indicated
in lower right corner of screen), you can select the
Quantization interval with the INC / DEC buttons or
the VALUE dial. Quantization shifts your playing to
the specified beat while you play, so choose the
desired value before playing out your rhythms.
Choose higher quantization settings for more
precise and rhythmically complex playing.
STEP 6
To go to the Swing setting, press the PAGE UP
button twice so PAGE 3 (SWING SELECT) is
displayed on the screen. The Swing setting imparts
the kind of feel found in shuffles and some jazz
tunes, by shifting the timing of pairs of equal-valued
notes. Select the Swing setting with the INC / DEC
buttons or the VALUE dial. Possible values are
OFF, 54%, 58%, 62%.
STEP 7
Once you have selected your Swing and Quantization settings, exit the Record Setup menu
by pressing the RECORD SETUP button again.
STEP 8
Now you are ready to start recording your Pattern. Press and hold the REC button,
then press PLAY to begin recording. The REC LED will illuminate to let you know that
you are recording.