In Reply to: 12 months using QS6 & I still understand how you change the effects - Please help posted by Pete on December 07, 1999 at 09:06:20:

: Please see example of QS6 set up:

: QS6 in Mix mode - multibrl 00

: chn1 = Violin sound
: chn2 = Bass sound
: chn3 = Drums

: Computer with OMS Vision software
:
: Track 1 = Violin sound
: Track 2 = Bass sound
: Track 3 = Drums

: Now for the last year this is a good example of how I use my QS6 (don't use patches and stuff because I have absolutely no idea what they are!).

I don't understand this commnet - "don't use patches and stuff because I have absolutely no idea what they are!" . Since you are setting up different patches on different channels you ARE using patches - you are simply applying them in MIX Mode (up to 16 patches at a time) as opposed to Program mode (one patch at a time).

: With my computer, to play back music from the QS6 I recorded (say 2 weeks ago) I just reset all the channels on the QS6 to same configuration I had when I originally created the song (just like above) . This maybe seem a strange laborious way of doing things - but it works in my small midi world !!

You are correct - this is laboruios - have your computer sequencer save the patch/channel combo in your sequencer file or in the midi file. Or save this setup on the QS6 itself as a User bank program number 1 (e.g., as "My_Mix#1 with violin on ch1, bass on ch 2, and drum on ch 3 - however I would suggest ch 10 for most drum work - it is the defacto standard ch for drums). Then at start of computer sequence have your sequencer "song" call-up program number one from user bank and "viola" you are ready to play.

: The question : Again, using the same example as above - if I wanted to change the effects on say Chnl 1 to give the Violin more reverb without any changes to channels 2 & 3. What do I do ?

This is a "loaded" question (like when did you stop beating your wife) and I know it is the heart of what you want to know but....

Your question can be inferred to mean that you already HAVE some effect configuration (one of the five FX Configurations on the QS6) assigned to one of the three patches (violin, bass, or drum) and that you generally like this FX Config. Also, you have selected the channel (1, 2, or 3) of this patch for the FX in Mix Mode (i.e., you assigned the patch with the FX Config. you liked to be the FX channel. Again either the violin, bass, or drum patch). And Lastly, you generally like the outcome of this FX configuration as applied to ALL three patches when in Mix mode. However, you would like to add a just a little more reverb on only the violin?

For example, you ALREADY have reverb on violin, and some other fx from this FX configuration on the Bass (e.g., maybe Delay or maybe reverb or maybe nothing at all). Also you have yet another fx from this FX configuration on the drums (e.g., agasin a little delay, or reverb, or nothing at all). Now just for this example lets assume that it is the BASS patch with the FX you like. However it makes no difference which patch - it could be any one of the three programs/patches with the FX configuration and settings you like.

Now you simply go to PROGRAM edit mode (not mix edit mode), edit the Violin patch and increase the "send" level (actually called FX level) on edit page 4 of each, all, or any combinations of "sounds" making up the Violin patch (Sound 1, Sound 2, Sound 3, and/or Sound 4). Of course if the “send level” is already at 99 you won’t be able to get more reverb without affecting the other two patches (bass and drums) assuming the other two patches are sending ANYTHING to the FX. If the other two patches (bass and drums) aren’t sending anything to the FX then you can increase the reverb “in level”, “balance” and “reverb mix” in the FX configuration itself.

If the Drums and/or Bass do have some signal sent to the FX configuration then you really need to understand how that FX Configuration works to make only the violin reverb increase and not the other two. Example, you be able to increase the reverb “mix level” or the “in level” in the FX Configuration to get teh desired Violin reverb level. But then you must go back to the drums and bass patches and DECREASE the send level going into this FX Configuration - effectively keeping the bass and drums “perceived” reverb level the same.

Note, if “send level”, “in level”, “reverb mix”, etc. settings in the violin patch and the FX Configuration are ALL already max’ed-out then, you need an external processor(s) and learn to use the four outputs (Mains and Auxs) and process some sounds externally. Example, put the violin output on the aux outs (dry signal only goes out the aux), don’t send any violin to the internal FX processor but go ahead and put the bass and drums on the Mains and use the FX configuration for those that you like.

I have a QS8 manual but I suspect the chapters are the same so - Read Chapter 6, paragraph "About Signal Processing", and approx. 2 pages later under the "Level" paragraph read the sub-paragraphs "Effect Level" and "Effect Bus". THEN GO READ THE EFFECTS CHAPTER until you understand about the busses and which FX configurations have which effects on which bus. Note that in the Effects Chapter the four fx busses are called FX Send 1, Fx Send 2, Fx Send 3, and Fx Send 4 (in the various diagrams). However, I would have called them "FX receive 1", FX recieve 2", etc. or better yet "FX bus 1 receive", "FX bus 2 receive", etc. since, it was Alesis that called them busses in the first place. In the program edit mode it makes sense to call them sends, but in the FX edit mode it would make it clearer if Alesis would have referred/described the in-coming signal as the "FX receive" not the "FX send" in the various diagrams. This is because, you can consider the 5 effects Configurations as 5 separate external FX processors which receive synth. sounds from the QS6 to be processed. But the rub (or "gottcha") is you are only allowed to connect ONE of these external processors at a time to your QS6 synth. (whether or not you are using one program/patch in a mix or up to 16 programs/patches in a mix).

I doubt if this helped but you never know - Good luck.
lgk