ALESIS QS8.1 - Manual (Page 153)

Editing Programs: Part 8
QS7.1/QS8.1 Reference Manual
* If you want finer control over the way the envelope tracks the keyboard than is
afforded by the TRACK: ON/OFF parameter, then you can use a mod routing to do it.
But please compare the two ways so you’re sure there’s a significant difference before
sacrificing a mod routing to do keyboard/envelope tracking.
Selecting the Modulator (1 to 6)
Use the [0] – [5] buttons to select one of the six modulators (modulator 1 is [0],
modulator 2 is [1], modulator 3 is [2], etc.). All modulators work in the same way, so
only the pages of one will be described here.
Note: When you’re on one of the pages within a Mod, the top of the display will
show you whether or not that Mod is active. If the Level parameter for a Mod is set to
00, you’ll see the word “mod” on the top line in small letters (because the mod is
disabled). But as soon as you change the Level, the word “mod” will be capitalized
(so “mod 1 becomes MOD 1”, etc.). This way you can tell at a glance whether or not a
Mod is active, without having to look at the Level page.
Modulation Source Page 1
Note: Remember that these can be routed negatively, also. For example, Velocity
doesn't have to increase something when you play harder. Things can be made to
decrease when you play harder.
Select from the following modulation sources:
• Note # provides a modulation signal that corresponds to the note played on the
keyboard (higher keys give higher values). Example: Use this modulation source
to obtain a different chorus sound in the upper and lower keyboard ranges.
• Velocity relates to how fast a key goes from the key up (note off) to the key
down (note on) position (or, how hard you hit it), and therefore represents the
dynamics of your playing.
• Release velocity relates to how fast a key goes from the key down (note on) to
the key up (note off) position. Example: Use this to affect the rate of a sound’s
release based on how quickly you remove your fingers from the keys.
• Aftertouch Pressing on the keys after they’re down generates this control signal.
Aftertouch is also called channel pressure, and represents an average of all keys
being pressed. This affects any keys that are held down. The harder you press on
the keys, the greater the degree of modulation.
• Polyphonic Pressure This is similar to aftertouch, but each key can respond to
individual pressure messages. Although the QS keyboard does not generate poly
pressure, its internal sound generators can respond to poly pressure signals
entering via the MIDI Input or serial port. Example: Assign poly pressure to the
sound’s amplitude in a string ensemble patch. You can then increase the level of
selected notes of a held chord to “pull” some notes out of the chord.
• Modulation Wheel The rightmost wheel, Modulation, is traditionally assigned
to LFO amount (level) so that rotating the wheel away from you introduces
vibrato. However it is also well-suited to controlling timbre, vibrato speed, and
many other parameters.