Numark Industries CDN90 - Manual (Page 12)

CDN90
THE BEATKEEPER™ III and INTERLOCK
The CDN90 includes the latest Numark patented Beatkeeper™ technology. The Beatkeeper™ automatically
tracks beats based upon a combination of frequencies and rhythm patterns in the music. It shows BPM in the
display and outputs 4-count (a.k.a. measure) information about the music in a marching bar graph.
Bar Graph: Most dance music and rock is set up in 4 beat increments called measures. Many of the features within the
AXIS-8 use this information for incredible results. It’s important to understand the basics of how the
Beatkeeper works to effectively take advantage of other advanced features in the unit. The bottom LED is for
the 1
st beat or “Down Beat”. Typically most music starts on the downbeat so the unit sets the first beat to
where the music begins. Occasionally this may not be correct or you may wish to reset it. To reset the
downbeat simply tap the at the new downbeat location as the music is playing or in pause.
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TAP: This button is used for resetting the downbeat and also re-calibrating the BPM. The Beatkeeper is considered by
many to be the most accurate automatic beat counter on the market today, however, it occasionally may have
trouble determining the correct BPM. This will happen when the music contains complex rhythms or may start
without a beat at all. If the BPM showing in the display you know is incorrect or the beat LEDs are not flashing
with the beat you have 2 options to reset the Beatkeeper. The first way is to tap on the downbeat and
hold for a second. This will tell the unit to search and display the next BPM it finds. If this doesn’t work you
can manually tap on the beat and the display will indicate the new BPM. The BPM will be based upon the
average of your last 8 taps. The Beatkeeper will then know which beats in the music it should be using to
determine the correct BPM and track them through the song. Occasionally the unit will be tracking the
wrong beat but have the correct BPM. To reset the downbeat, simply tap the once on the
downbeat.
SYNCED Bar Graph: This is the middle graph that compares the music from both units. When the
BPM and down beat match the green middle LEDs will also light up indicating a perfect mix when beat
mixing
INTERLOCK: This button will automatically match the BPM both sides of the CDN90 and lock them together on the
beat. Before using this function it is important to be sure the Beatkeeper is tracking the correct BPM and is
actually synchronized with the beat. In order to match with control one side is called the master and the
other a slave. The master is always the first unit to be playing. The slave follows the master. As soon
as the master is stopped for any reason the opposite side becomes the new master control. Before using this
function it is advisable to activate the key lock since pitch shifts are automatic and can be audible. When
interlock is pressed you will see the BPM display of the slave automatically change to match the master and
the pitch indication in the display change the amount needed to match speeds. During interlock all pitch
functions of the slave will deactivate and follow everything you do with the master. All actions of the slave
such as loop functions and PLAY will now also be beat aligned with the master.
• If both units are playing the slave will adjust to match to the nearest beat of the master.
• If is pressed the slave will now start with the next beat of the master.
• If is pressed during , the slave will automatically start the next time the master
matches the beat of the slave.
When the slave becomes the master or is released from interlock and still playing, the pitch playing will often
be different than the original position of the pitch slider. The pitch slider will not function until it is brought to
the new position. Move the pitch slider in the direction shown in the display. For example if the display says
“INCREASE 4.5%” move the slider in the positive direction 4.5% (increase). If it says “DECREASE -3%”
then move the slider in the negative direction 3% (decrease). As you get closer to the correct position the
indication will reduce until you are at the pitch currently playing. After this has been achieved all pitch
functions will return to the player and pitch can be adjusted as normally. If the unit is stopped for any reason
the pitch will automatically reset to the current position of the slider. Note: Interlock may automatically
deactivate when effects are engaged that can not be beat aligned such as live scratch.