Akai CD3000i User Manual

INTRODUCTION ................................................................ .......................................................... 1

FEATURES ................................................................ .................................................... 2

ABOUT THIS MANUAL .................................................................................................. 5

FRONT PANEL ................................................................ .............................................. 6

TAKING CARE OF YOUR DISKS ................................................................ ................... 8

REAR PANEL ................................................................ ................................................. 9

SETTING UP THE S3000XL ................................................................ .......................... 11

CONNECTIONS.............................................................................................................. 11

LOADING THE DEMO FLOPPY DISKS.......................................................................... 12

MOUNTING THE S3000XL ................................................................ ............................. 13

GETTING AROUND THE S3000XL ................................................................................ 14

OPERATING MODES ....................................................................................... 14

SOFT KEYS ..................................................................................................... 14

SELECTING PARAMETERS AND ENTERING DATA ........................................ 15

MARK AND JUMP KEYS .................................................................................. 16

NAMING FILES - THE NAME KEY .................................................................... 17

THE ENT/PLAY KEY ........................................................................................ 17

LCD CONTRAST ............................................................................................................ 17

RECORD LEVEL, MAIN VOLUME, HEADPHONE OUTPUT ............................................ 18

HOW THE S3000XL WORKS ........................................................................................ 19

S3000XL FLOWCHART ................................................................................................. 20

SINGLE MODE ........................................................................................................................... 23

MULTI MODE - COMBINING SEVERAL PROGRAMS ................................................................. 37

SELECTING PROGRAMS .............................................................................................. 23

VIEWING PROGRAMS ................................................................ .................................. 24

SETTING PROGRAM LEVELS, PAN, FX SENDS .......................................................... 24

SETTING PROGRAMS’ MIDI PARAMETERS ................................................................. 25

SETTING PROGRAM LOUDNESS AND VELOCITY ....................................................... 26

LOADING FROM FLOPPY DISK ................................................................ .................... 28

LOADING FROM HARD DISK ................................................................ ........................ 28

DELETING PROGRAMS................................................................................................ 30

RENUMBERING PROGRAMS........................................................................................ 32

USING THE S3000XL IN ‘OLD AKAI’ MODE! ................................................................. 33

USING SELECT PROG - PROGRAMS WITH THE SAME NUMBER .................. 33

LAYERING PROGRAMS ................................................................................... 33

CREATING KEYBOARD SPLITS ................................................................ ...... 33

USING RENUMBERING TO CREATE MULTI-TIMBRAL SETUPS ..................... 34

SINGLE VS MULTI ........................................................................................... 35

ASSIGNING PROGRAMS TO PARTS ............................................................................ 38

SETTING A PART’S MIDI CHANNEL .............................................................................. 38

MIXING THE PARTS ................................................................ ...................................... 38

SENDING PARTS TO THE INTERNAL EFFECTS ........................................................... 38

ASSIGNING PARTS TO THE INDIVIDUAL OUTPUTS .................................................... 39

TUNING AND TRANSPOSING PARTS ........................................................................... 39

SETTING A PART’S LOW AND HIGH KEYRANGES ...................................................... 39

SETTING A PART’S PRIORITY ...................................................................................... 40

INITIALISING A PART.................................................................................................... 40

SETTING UP A MULTI ................................................................................................... 41

MODIFYING THE MULTI ................................................................ ................................ 42

NAMING A MULTI .......................................................................................................... 43

SAVING A MULTI .......................................................................................................... 43

LOADING A MULTI ........................................................................................................ 43

RENUMBERING PROGRAMS........................................................................................ 44

USING MULTI MODE FOR LAYERING PROGRAMS ...................................................... 47

USING MULTI MODE TO SET KEYBOARD SPLITS ...................................................... 48

PROGRAM EDITING ................................................................................................................... 50

WHAT IS A KEYGROUP? .............................................................................................. 51

KEYGROUP ZONES ...................................................................................................... 52

OVERLAPPING AND CROSSFADING KEYGROUPS..................................................... 53

ASSIGNABLE PROGRAM MODULATION ...................................................................... 54

EDIT SINGLE................................................................................................................. 58

NAMING PROGRAMS - COPYING AND RENAMING ...................................................... 59

DELETING PROGRAMS................................................................................................ 60

MIDI PAGE .................................................................................................................... 64

OUTPUT LEVELS PAGE................................................................................................ 66

PAN PAGE ................................................................ .................................................... 69

THE TUNE PAGE ........................................................................................................... 71

MODULATION PAGES .................................................................................................. 72

KEYGROUP PARAMETERS - CREATING KEYGROUPS ............................................... 85

ASSIGNING SAMPLES TO KEYGROUPS AND ZONES - SMP1 .................................... 90

THE FILTERS ................................................................................................................. 96

ENV1 - SHAPING AMPLITUDE ...................................................................................... 99

ENV2 - SHAPING THE FILTER................................................................ ....................... 101

THE SECOND FILTERS ................................................................................................. 103

ENV3............................................................................................................................. 111

KEYGROUP PITCH/AMPLITUDE MODULATION ............................................................ 112

PITCH BEND ................................................................ .................................... 72

LFO1................................................................................................................ 74

SETTING LFO1 MODULATION DEPTH ............................................................ 77

LFO2................................................................................................................ 78

SETTING UP THE SOFT PEDAL ................................................................ ...... 81

PORTAMENTO ................................................................................................. 82

MAPPING OUT YOUR KEYGROUPS - SETTING KEYSPAN ............................ 88

SMP2............................................................................................................... 93

SMP3............................................................................................................... 95

USING THE FILTER AND ENVELOPE GENERATORS ..................................... 102

CREATING 24db/8ve 4-POLE LOWPASS FILTER ............................................ 107

THE TONE PAGE ................................................................ ............................. 109

EDIT MULTI ................................................................................................................................. 114

SAMPLE MODE .......................................................................................................................... 116

EDIT SAMPLE ............................................................................................................................ 125

SCREEN DIFFERENCES IN EDIT MULTI ................................................................ ....... 115

WHAT IS SAMPLING? ................................................................................................... 116

RECORD MODE ............................................................................................................ 118

THE MAIN RECORD PAGE ................................................................ ............................ 120

NAMING SAMPLES FOR RECORDING ......................................................................... 120

ADJUSTING THE RECORDING AND THRESHOLD LEVELS .......................................... 122

RECORDING ON THE S3000XL ................................................................ .................... 122

DIGITAL RECORDING................................................................ .................................... 123

NAMING SAMPLES - COPYING AND RENAMING ......................................................... 127

DELETING SAMPLES .................................................................................................... 128

TRIMMING SAMPLES ................................................................ ................................... 129

LOOPING....................................................................................................................... 133

LOOP AUTO FIND AND CROSSFADE LOOPING ........................................................... 134

MAKING A GOOD LOOP ................................................................ .................. 136

LEVEL NORMALISATION ................................................................ .............................. 138

DSP FUNCTIONS - TIMESTRETCH, RE-SAMPLING AND EQ........................................ 139

TIMESTRETCH ................................................................................................. 139

PERFORMING A TIMESTRETCH ................................................................ ...... 142

RE-SAMPLING ................................................................................................. 143

PERFORMING A RE-SAMPLE ......................................................................... 144

EQ.................................................................................................................... 145

EQ’ING A SAMPLE .......................................................................................... 147

USING THE EQ ................................................................................................ 147

FURTHER EDITING FUNCTIONS ................................................................ ................... 148

THE PARAMETER PAGE ................................................................................. 148

REVERSING SAMPLES ................................................................................... 150

SECTIONAL EDITING ....................................................................................... 151

THE JOIN PAGE ................................................................ ............................... 154

SPLICING SAMPLES ....................................................................................... 154

CROSSFADING ................................................................................................ 155

MIXING AND LAYERING SAMPLES ................................................................ 155

SETTING DIGITAL FADES ................................................................ ................ 157

EFFECTS MODE ......................................................................................................................... 159

EFFECTS EDIT ................................................................ ........................................................... 173

ORGANISATION OF EFFECTS FILES ........................................................................... 162

ASSIGNING EFFECTS TO SINGLE PROGRAMS .......................................................... 163

ASSIGNING EFFECTS TO MULTI PARTS ................................................................ ...... 165

ASSIGNING EFFECTS TO INDIVIDUAL KEYGROUPS .................................................. 167

PROCESSING EXTERNAL SOUND SOURCES THROUGH THE EFFECTS .................... 168

ROUTING EXTERNAL SOUNDS THROUGH THE EFFECTS........................................... 169

SELECTING THE EFFECTS OUTPUT ............................................................................ 169

CHAINING EFFECTS ................................................................ ..................................... 170

MUTING EFFECTS ................................................................ ........................................ 172

DISTORTION/RING MODULATION ................................................................ ................ 174

EQ ................................................................................................................................. 175

MODULATION EFFECTS ............................................................................................... 177

CHORUS, PHASE SHIFT AND FLANGING EFFECTS ....................................... 177

ROTARY SPEAKER EFFECTS ......................................................................... 179

AUTOPAN AND FREQUENCY MODULATION EFFECTS .................................. 182

STEREO PITCH SHIFT EFFECTS................................................................ ..... 183

BYPASSING THE MODULATION EFFECTS ..................................................... 185

DELAY AND ECHO EFFECTS ........................................................................................ 186

MONO DELAY/ECHO EFFECTS ................................................................ ....... 188

PING PONG ECHO EFFECTS ................................................................ .......... 189

CROSSOVER DELAY ....................................................................................... 190

STEREO DELAY/ECHO EFFECTS ................................................................. .. 191

REVERB EFFECTS ........................................................................................................ 192

REVERSE REVERB ................................................................ .......................... 195

GATED REVERB .............................................................................................. 196

EFFECTS OUTPUT SECTION ................................................................ ........................ 198

EFFECTS DIRECTION................................................................ .................................... 199

SOLOING THE CURRENT EFFECT ................................................................................ 201

COPYING EFFECTS...................................................................................................... 202

SAVE MODE ............................................................................................................................... 204

LOAD MODE ............................................................................................................................... 216

SELECTING FLOPPY OR HARD DISK ........................................................................... 204

SELECTING THE HARD DISK PARTITION ..................................................................... 204

SELECTING THE HARD DISK VOLUME........................................................................ 204

SELECTING THE TYPE OF SAVE ................................................................ ................. 204

SAVING TO FLOPPY DISK ................................................................ ............................ 206

SAVING TO HARD DISK ................................................................................................ 207

RENAMING FILES......................................................................................................... 209

DELETING ITEMS FROM DISK ................................................................ ..................... 210

HARD DISK CONTROL .................................................................................................. 211

FORMATTING A FLOPPY DISK ..................................................................................... 212

FORMATTING A HARD DISK ......................................................................................... 214

NOTES ON USING EXISTING S1000/S1100 SOUND LIBRARY..................................... 215

SELECTING FLOPPY OR HARD DISK ........................................................................... 216

SELECTING THE HARD DISK PARTITION ..................................................................... 216

SELECTING THE HARD DISK VOLUME........................................................................ 217

SELECTING THE TYPE OF LOAD ................................................................ ................. 217

LOADING FROM FLOPPY DISK ................................................................ .................... 219

LOADING FROM HARD DISK ................................................................ ........................ 220

LOADING S900/S950 SAMPLES AND PROGRAMS ...................................................... 222

LOADING S1000/S1100 DATA ................................................................ ...................... 222

AUTO LOADING FROM DISK ................................................................ ........................ 222

SEARCHING FOR FILES - USING THE FIND FUNCTION ............................................... 223

USING THE TAG DIRECTORY SYSTEM ................................................................ ........ 225

NAMING TAGS................................................................................................. 226

HARD DISK CONTROL .................................................................................................. 228

IMPORTING SOUNDS FROM OTHER MANUFACTURER’S CD-ROMS ........................... 229

NOTES ON USING THE TAGGING SYSTEM .................................................... 227

GLOBAL MODE .......................................................................................................................... 231

TUNING THE S3000XL .................................................................................................. 231

SETTING THE MASTER OUTPUT LEVEL...................................................................... 231

MIDI FUNCTIONS ................................................................ .......................................... 232

MIDI FILTER ..................................................................................................... 232

PPM PAGE - MONITORING MIDI..................................................................... 233

MIDI RECEIVE PAGE - ANALYSING MIDI ........................................................ 233

TRANSMIT TEST PAGE - SETTING THE ENT/PLAY KEY ................................ 234

MIDI SAMPLE DUMPS ..................................................................................... 235

PERFORMING A MIDI SAMPLE DUMP ............................................................ 236

MIDI VIA SCSI .................................................................................................. 237

ME35T DRUM SETTINGS.............................................................................................. 238

DAT BACK-UP AND RESTORE ...................................................................................... 240

PERFORMING A DAT BACK UP....................................................................... 241

PERFORMING A DAT RESTORE ...................................................................... 241

STANDARD MIDI FILE - MIDI SONG FILE PLAY ............................................................ 242

LOADING STANDARD MIDI FILES ................................................................. .. 243

USING THE SMF FUNCTION ............................................................................ 244

HARD DISK RECORDING ................................................................ .............................. 245

APPLICATIONS................................................................................................ 245

FORMATTING THE HARD DISK FOR DISK RECORDING ................................. 246

CREATING NEW TAKES .................................................................................. 251

COPYING TAKES............................................................................................. 251

RENAMING TAKES .......................................................................................... 251

DELETING TAKES FROM DISK ................................................................ ....... 251

RECORDING A TAKE ....................................................................................... 255

EDITING A RECORDING................................................................ ................... 258

PLAYING A TAKE IN THE EDIT PAGE ............................................................. 259

USING THE EDITING FUNCTIONS ................................................................ ... 259

PLAYING TAKES ............................................................................................. 261

USING THE PLAY PAGE ................................................................ .................. 263

EDITING A TAKE FOR SYNCHRONISED PLAYBACK ...................................... 264

NOTES ABOUT SYNCHRONISING TO EXTERNAL AUDIO............................... 264

USING THE SONG MODE ................................................................ ................ 265

CREATING A SONG ......................................................................................... 265

TRIGGERING TAKES FROM MIDI .................................................................... 268

USING MIDI TRIGGERING ................................................................................ 268

USING THE SONG MODE TO CHAIN TAKES................................................... 271

USING THE NUMERIC KEYPAD IN THE SONG MODE..................................... 272

BLOCK EDITING IN SONG MODE ................................................................ .... 273

NAMING SONGS .............................................................................................. 275

SAVING A SONG ................................................................ ............................. 275

LOADING A SONG ................................................................ ........................... 275

BACKING UP TAKES TO DAT .......................................................................... 276

RESTORING TAKES BACK FROM DAT TO DISK ............................................. 277

APPENDIX 1 ............................................................................................................................... 279

CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL HARD DISK DRIVE ......................................................... 279

NOTES ON USING HARD DISK DRIVES................................................................ ........ 279

SCSI CABLES.................................................................................................. 279

TERMINATION ................................................................................................. 279

SCSI CABLE LENGTH ................................................................ ...................... 280

APPENDIX 2 ............................................................................................................................... 281

APPENDIX 3 ............................................................................................................................... 283

APPENDIX 4 ............................................................................................................................... 285

APPENDIX 5 ............................................................................................................................... 301

DATA COMPATIBILITY ISSUES .................................................................................... 281

SOUND DATA................................................................ ................................... 281

EFFECTS FILES ................................................................ ............................... 282

MULTIS............................................................................................................ 282

ME-35T DRUM SETTINGS ................................................................ ................ 282

SONGS AND QLISTS ....................................................................................... 282

INSTALLING THE OPTIONS ................................................................ .......................... 283

INSTALLING MEMORY EXPANSION............................................................... 283

USING THE FXM008 FLASH ROM BOARD(S) ............................................................... 285

APPLICATIONS............................................................................................................. 286

HOW THE FLASHROM WORKS ................................................................ .................... 287

SAVING DATA TO THE FLASHROM .............................................................................. 288

WHAT TO DO NEXT ....................................................................................................... 291

USING THE FLASHROM AS A FAST HARD DISK.......................................................... 292

EDITING SOUNDS ON THE FLASHROM ................................................................ ....... 293

COPYING A FLASHROM SAMPLE TO RAM ................................................................ . 294

FORMATTING AND ARRANGING THE FLASHROM ....................................................... 295

SAVING FLASHROM DATA BACK TO DISK .................................................................. 297

BACKUP/RESTORE OF THE FLASH ROM TO/FROM DAT ............................................ 297

INSTALLING THE FLASHROM ................................................................ ....................... 298

MIDI CONTROLLER LIST ................................................................ .............................. 301

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Akai S3000XL stereo digital sampler and thank you for buying it! The S3000XL features 32-voice polyphony, expandable memory, DSP functions, etc.,

and using the S3000XL’s resonant lowpass filters, multiple LFOs, envelope generators and extensive modulation possibilities, your new sampler can double as a first class synthesiser as well.

Certain new functions are introduced in the S3000XL In software, the new MULTI mode of operation simplifies multi-timbral sequencing and layering whilst hardware options include a multi-effects processor that offers no less than four channels that include two multi-effects channels with distortion, EQ, ring modulation, modulation effects such as chorus, flanging, pitch shifting, auto panning and rotary speaker effects plus delay and reverb. Two ‘spare’ channels of reverb are also available providing a total of four reverbs. Add to this the second bank of optional resonant multi-mode filters and you can see that the S3000XL is a sampler that can grow with your needs.

Bundled with the S3000XL is a software application for the Macintosh™ computer that allows you to operate the sampler from your Macintosh allowing large screen operation of waveform and program editing, sophisticated organisation of your sound library on the Macintosh as well as the ability to integrate your sampler more conveniently with your computer sequencer.

Naturally, all sound library developed for the Akai S900, S950, S1000, S1100, S2000 and the S3000 range of samplers is compatible in the S3000XL giving you access to thousands of sounds on floppy disk, hard disk, removable cartridges, MO disks and CDROM. The ability to read CD ROMs made for other manufacturer's samplers gives access to an even further range of sounds.

All this adds up to a price breakthrough in sampling technology - the new Akai S3000XL.

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 1

INTRODUCTION

FEATURES

• Polyphony 32 voices

• A-D Conversion 16-bit stereo with 64-times oversampling

• Internal processing 28-bit accumulation

• D-A Conversion 18-bit with 8-times oversampling

• Sampling rates 44.1kHz/22.050kHz

• Phase locked stereo sampling and playback

• Internal memory 2Mbytes standard, expandable to 32Mbytes using SIMMs

• Sampling times 2Mbytes 24 seconds mono @ 44.1kHz

• Inputs L/Mono and R jack inputs

• Outputs L/R stereo jack outputs

32Mbytes 5.94 minutes mono @ 44.1kHz (Halve these times for stereo sampling)

8 assignable individual outputs Stereo headphone jack output

• Display 40 x 6 character backlit LCD with graphic waveform editing.

• Digital I/O SPDIF digital audio input/output on RCA phonos.

• Effects Optional 4-channel multi-effects processor offering two channels of simultaneous distortion, three-band EQ, ring modulation, modulation (chorus, phase shift, flanging, pitch shift, autopan or rotary speaker), stereo delay and reverb plus two ‘spare’ channels of reverb (four reverb processors in total).

• DSP Functions Timestretch, re-sampling and digital EQ.

• Filters 2-pole (12dB/Octave) resonant lowpass per voice. Optional IB304F offers a 2nd bank of 2-pole resonant

multi-mode (HP, BP, LP, EQ) filters and tone control.

• Envelopes 1 x ADSR and 1 x multi-stage envelope generator (an extra multi-stage envelope is added with the installation of the IB304F).

• LFOs 2 x multi-wave low frequency oscillators (triangle, square, sawtooth and random waves).

• Legato mode Single trigger playback to emulate old monophonic synths and solo instruments’ playing styles.

• Portamento Polyphonic and monophonic portamento.

• Sound library Fully compatible with Akai S900, S950, S1000, S1100, S2800, S3000, S3200, S2000 and S3200XL samplers.

Page 2 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

The S3000XL can also read CD-ROMs made for other manufacturer's samplers1.

• Data storage A variety of storage devices may be used to store data including floppy disk, hard disk, Syquest™ removable cartridges and Magneto Optical (MO) disks. Hard disk data may be backed up to a normal DAT tape using the digital i/o.

• Flash ROM You may install up to 16Mbytes of FLASH ROM over and above the 32Mbytes of ordinary RAM giving you a total of 48Mbytes of memory. FLASH ROM allows you to keep your favourite sounds in memory even when the sampler is switched off.

• Disk recording Capable of stereo recording and editing on hard disk.

• SMF capability The S3000XL an play Standard MIDI files (sequences) from the floppy disk drive. This allows you, for example, to play sequenced backing tracks directly from the S3000XL.

• DAT Backup You can backup the hard disk (sound data and/or disk recordings) to an ordinary DAT recorder.

• Real-time digital output This digital audio output can be used to mix down digitally to DAT or any other digital recorder such as DCC, MiniDisk or a hard disk recorder such as the Akai DR4d, DR8 or even the S3000XL’s disk recorder. With the optional EB16 multi-effects processor installed, you may add four channels of effects processing to the mixdown.

• OPERATING MODES

SING LE For playing single programs. MULTI For playing up to 16 programs together for multi-timbral

sequencing, layering and key splits.

SAMPLE For making recordings. EFFECTS For selecting effects. EDIT For editing programs, samples and effects. GLOBAL For setting parameters that affect the sampler as a whole

plus access to utilities such as DAT backup, MIDI song file play and hard disk recording

SAVE For saving programs, samples, multis, effects and

operating systems, etc., to floppy or hard disk.

LOAD For loading programs, samples, multis, effects, operating

systems, etc., from floppy or hard disk and CD-ROM.

1 Some sounds may need adjustment and ‘tweaking’ depending on the sampler they were

originally created on.

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 3

INTRODUCTION

• EDITING FEATURES

EDIT SAMPLE Trim, Loop (with FIND and CROSSFADE functions), Join,

EDIT PROGRAM Resonant lowpass filters, ADSR envelope generator (with

MULTI Part select, program select, MIDI channel, level, pan,

EFFECTS In the two multi-effects channels (with the EB16 effects

Merge, Splice, Chop, Extract, Reverse, Gain normalisation, Timestretch, Re-sample.

templates), multi-stage envelope generator (with templates), 2 x multi-wave LFOs, sample layering, 4-way velocity crossfade and switching, keygroup crossfade, portamento (rate and time modes), monophonic legato triggering, mute group function, panning and autopanning, held pitchbend mode, separate pitchbend up/down ranges, output selection. (With 2nd filter bank installed, a further set of multi-mode filters and a third multi-stage envelope generator are added).

transpose, fine tune, output routing, FX routing, FX send, low key range, high key range, note priority.

processor installed): DISTORTION - distortion, level EQ - low gain, mid gain, high gain, RING MODULATION - frequency, depth MODULATION EFFECTS - chorus, flange, phase shift,

rotary speakers, autopan/frequency mod, pitch shift with parameters as appropriate.

DELAY - effect select (mono, stereo, ping pong), delay times, feedback.

REVERB - effect select (large hall, small hall, large room, small room, gated, reverse, etc.), size, decay time, HF damping, LF damping, pre-delay.

FX DIRECTION: dist/EQ/ring mod > mod/delay + reverb (parallel) dist/EQ/ring mod > mod/delay > reverb (series) dist/EQ/ring mod > reverb > mod/delay (series)

In the two reverb channels: Effect select (large hall, small hall, large room, small room,

reverse, gated, etc.), decay time, HF damping, LF damping, pre-delay, diffusion.

A multi-effects channel may also be routed to its ‘neighbouring’ reverb channel for dual reverb multi-effects.

Page 4 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

This manual has been written to allow you to get the most out of your new sampler. Please take the time to read it as a fuller understanding of the instrument will enable you to use the S3000XL’s remarkable facilities to the full. Not only are the controls and screens explained in detail but you will find hints and tips to help you with your sampling and programming. If you are new to sampling or synthesisers, some of the sections explain the basic principles behind the techniques employed in the S3000XL so if words like ”bandpass”, “modulation”, “diffusion”, “multi-timbral” and “sample rates”, etc., are unfamiliar to you, we hope that this manual is not just a boring explanation of functions but something you can refer to for information beyond the scope of the S3000XL. Even if you’re a seasoned programmer, we hope that there is information in this manual that you find useful..

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 5

INTRODUCTION

FRONT PANEL

POWER SWITCH

AKAI

OFF

POWER

PHONES

HEADPHONE

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE

professional

SINGLE/ MULTI/BSAMPLE/CEFFECTS/

DISPLAY

CONTRAST

PUSH ON/OFF

EDIT/

GLOBAL/ SAVE/GLOAD/

CONTRAST

DATA ENCODER

LCD

MIDI DIGITAL STEREO SAMPLER

F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8

F1/IF2/JF3/KF4/LF5/MF6/NF7/OF8/

SCREEN FUNCTION

SOFT KEYSDISPLAY

s3000xl

CURSOR KEYSMODE KEYS

RECORD LEVEL

DATA

CURSOR

MAIN VOLUME

REC GAIN

MIN MAX

MARK/#

JUMP/.

NAME

ENT/PLAY

-/+/

NUMERIC KEYPAD

MARK/JUMP,

NAME and ENT/PLAY

MODE KEYS Selects the operating mode for the sampler. ‘SOFT’ KEYS These select functions displayed on the LCD above. They

have no fixed function but change according to the page currently displayed on the screen.

LCD The 40 x 8 character display shows parameters and values

and displays the ‘soft’ keys’ function and graphic display of waveforms for sample editing, etc..

CURSOR KEYS This block of keys moves the cursor up, down and left and

right around the screen.

DATA ENCODER Allow s you to enter data values and for scrolling through

lists, etc..

NUMERIC KEYPAD This is used to enter data numerically. MARK/JUMP These keys allow you to mark two functions and switch

between them using the JUMP key. In this way, it is quick and easy to enter data even across two different screens.

NAME KEY This takes you the ‘naming mode’ where you may name

samples, programs, effects, etc..

ENT/PLAY KEY Allows you to play a sound without the need for a MIDI

controller to be connected.

RECORD LEVEL Sets the record level for the analogue inputs. MAIN VOLUME The MAIN VOLUME control sets the main output level of

the L/R stereo outputs (this control does not affect the level of the signal appearing at the individual outputs or digital output).

POWER SWITCH Applies power to the S3000XL.

Page 6 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

PHONES This stereo jack socket allows you to monitor the L/R

(stereo) output of the S3000XL through stereo headphones. The level is regulated using the MAIN VOLUME control (see below).

DISPLAY CONTRAST Sets the viewing angle for the LCD. You will note that

pressing this control in switches off the LCD’ backlight thus preserving the LCD (think of it like a ‘screen saver’ on a computer.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE The 3.5 inch floppy disk drive will accept high density and

low density disks. Disks are inserted into the drive thus:

DISK EJECT BUTTONDISK ACTIVITY LED

WRITE PROTECT TAB

HIGH DENSITY DETECTION TAB

The label should be facing upwards when it is inserted (actually, it is physically impossible to insert disks the wrong way round without using an extreme amount of brute force!).

To eject the disk, simply press the DISK EJECT button. When a disk is loading, saving or formatting, the DISK ACTIVITY LED will be lit.

It is important to remember that, unlike a synthesiser, the S3000XL has no means of storing sounds in an internal memory. As a result, it is vital that you save your work to disk before turning the power off otherwise you will lose your work and, unless previously saved, it will be gone for ever. In fact, it is a good idea to regularly save your work as you are working. All good computer users do this and it prevents the accidental loss of data should power be accidentally removed from the instrument. This also serves as a form of ‘undo’ - if you make some kind of mistake in your programming and editing and can’t fix it, you can load the last level of editing back into the sampler. It may be a bit tedious to keep stopping every now and then to save your work but it is better than losing some valuable sounds.

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 7

INTRODUCTION

TAKING CARE OF YOUR DISKS

These floppy disks contain valuable sound data and, as such, should be treated with extreme care. Please observe the following points, therefore:

1 Never slide the metal cover back and touch the disk. Finger marks may render the

disk unreadable.

2 Don’t leave the disk in the drive wherever possible. When the disk is in the drive, the

metal protective cover slides back exposing the actual disk inside - this makes the disk

susceptible to picking up dust which may cause read errors. 3 Do not leave your disks in a hot car. 4 Do not place your disks next to any magnetic sources such as speakers, amplifiers,

televisions, etc.. Also, try to avoid X-ray machines. At airports, it is sometimes possible

to ask for your disks to be inspected by hand at security desks but, with the added

security at airports these days, this may not be possible. Always check with the

security officer though, just in case. Security X-ray machines are generally safe with

disks, though. If in doubt, make backup copies which should be left at home.

NOTE: Some checked in luggage is X-rayed by quite powerful machines that are not as safe as those that check hand luggage. It is probably best to take your disks as hand luggage.

5 Do not leave your disks around when drinking liquids - one accidental spillage could

ruin a lot of work! 6 Always use high quality disks. Whilst cheap ones may be appealing, they are prone to

errors more than good ones. 7 Try to ensure that the write protect tab is switched on (i.e. the tab blocks the hole).

This will prevent accidental erasure, formatting and loss of data. It may be a nuisance

to try to write to the disk and find it write protected but it is less of a nuisance than

accidentally over-writing a set of your favourite samples and programs! 8 Try to get into the habit of labelling your disks - it will pay dividends in the end when

you are searching for something. 9 Invest in a sturdy carrying case for your floppies especially if you are a gigging

musician. Heavy duty metal camera cases are ideal and some flight case

manufacturers now make special heavy duty disk flightcases. 1 0 Even if you are using a hard disk of any sort, please make sure you have backed up

your work to floppy disks. It can be time consuming but it will be worth it if you ever

have a problem with your hard disk!

Page 8 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

REAR PANEL

INTRODUCTION

ANALOGUE AUDIO INPUTS

INPUT

L/MONO R

STEREO OUT

L/MONO R

L/R STEREO OUTPUTS

12345678IN OUT

INDIVIDUAL AUDIO OUTPUTS

OUTPUT

MIDI

IN OUT THRU

MIDI IN/OUT/THRU

DIGITAL IN/OUT

DIGITAL

SCSI

SCSI CONNECTION

AKAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD

S3000XL

POWER CONNECTION

ANALOGUE AUDIO INPUTS You make recordings through these two inputs. You can

record in mono by connecting the audio source to only the L/MONO input.

INDIVIDUAL OUTPUTS The S3000XL has a total of ten analogue audio outputs.

There are the stereo L/R outputs which take a mix output of all programs. If the optional EB16 multi-effects processor is installed, the outputs of the four effects channels are also mixed here. You may also use the eight assignable individual outputs. Programs (or groups of programs) may be assigned to these outputs for mixing on a mixing console. Furthermore, individual keygroups may be assigned to these outputs so that, for example, individual drums could have a separate channel on the mixer for EQ’ing, adding effects, etc..

NOTE: In the case of you only connecting the L/MONO outpput, the S3000XL only outputs the left channel signal and the left/right stereo signals are not mixed at this output. The old S3000 series carried a mix ed output of the left/right channels. In the case of wanting to play some existing sound library in mono using only the L/MONO output, some 'tweaking' may be necessary to /monofy' the program.

DIGITAL I/O The digital input can be used to record digitally from CD or

DAT or any other audio source that has a digital output. The digital output carries a digital clone of the main stereo

outputs so you may also mixdown digitally from the S3000XL to any digital audio recorder such as DAT or a hard disk recorder/editor such as the Akai DR4 or DR8 thereby ensuring the highest quality audio during mixdown.

The digital i/o is also used to back data up to a normal DAT tape.

SCSI This 25-way connector is used to attach hard disks, CD-

ROMs, Magneto Optical (MO) disks and removable cartridges to the S3000XL for data storage and retrieval. You may also connect the S3000XL to a Macintosh™

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 9

INTRODUCTION

MIDI Your MIDI controller (keyboard, drum pads, EWI, etc.)

POWER CONNECTION This should be connected to an AC power source.

BEFORE CONNECTING ANY AC POWER, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR UNIT IS

DESIGNED FOR YOUR AREA’S POWER SUPPLY. A MISTAKE NOW COULD RUIN

computer for use with the editing software that is bundled with the S3000XL.

should be connected to the MIDI IN. The THRU socket carries a duplicate of the MIDI IN signal ‘thru’ to other modules or MIDI devices that may be connected. The OUT is normally only used to transmit MIDI System Exclusive data to another Akai sampler or to a computer.

** IMPORTANT NOTE **

YOUR WHOLE DAY NOT TO MENTION YOUR S3000XL!!!

Page 10 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

SETTING UP THE S3000XL

This short section tells you how to get ‘up and running’ fast. For full details of operation, please refer to the appropriate section in this manual.

CONNECTIONS

Don’t switch the S3000XL on for the moment.

L/R OUTPUTS

SCSI

HARD DISK, CD-ROM, MO DRIVE, etc..

AKAI

MIDI IN

MIDI OUT

IND OUTS - to mixer

DIGI I/O

DAT

mx1000

Connect the MIDI output of your MIDI controller (in this example, an Akai MX1000 master keyboard) to the MIDI input of the S3000XL. Connect the L/R audio output to a stereo amplifier (or use the L/MONO output of the sampler if you only have a mono amp) or to two channels of a mixer (remembering to pan each channel hard left and right accordingly to take full advantage of the S3000XL’s stereo outputs). The digital i/o can be connected to a DAT machine (or any other digital recording device) or you could leave the digital outputs of a CD player connected to the S3000XL’s digital input for sampling from the many special sampling CDs that are currently available..

Before turning on the sampler, it’s a good idea to turn its volume down or to turn the volume down on the amplifier or the mixer channels as the power up ‘thump’, although very slight, could damage sensitive speakers, especially if the amp is turned up loud. Now turn on the S3000XL. You will see a message in the LCD informing you of what is going on.

After 15 seconds or so, your S3000XL is ready for use. Turn the volume up on the sampler, amplifier and/or mixer.

Making sure that the MIDI controller is sending data on MIDI channel 1, play a few notes. You will hear the oh so impressive test tone! Hardly inspiring is it? We want something a bit more interesting than that.

NOTE: If no sound appears, check your MIDI connections and check that your MIDI controller is sending MIDI channel 1. If, after this, you still hear no sound, try pressing the ENT/PLAY key on the S3000XL’s front panel. If you hear a sound, then at least your audio connections are o.k. and it’s the MIDI that needs attention. If you still don’t hear a sound when you press the ENT/PLAY key, check your audio connections, volume controls, etc..

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 11

INTRODUCTION

LOADING THE DEMO FLOPPY DISKS

To get you started, some sounds are provided on floppy disk. To load the sound library disk, insert it into the drive and press the LOAD key. Now simply press F7 - CLR. You will receive a prompt asking you if you want to clear the entire memory. Respond by pressing F8 - YES

The library disk supplied comes with several programs. In SINGLE mode, these may be selected from the S3000XL’s front panel using the DATA wheel or alternatively, you may use MIDI PROGRAM CHANGE commands from your MIDI controller to select new programs.

You will also note that they are laid out in a MULTI for multi-timbral sequencing. You may use this to play the demo sequence that is also supplied on floppy disk with the S3000XL.

To play the demo sequence on the S3000XL, assuming the sound data disk has been loaded, follow the procedure below.

1 Insert the DEMO SEQUENCE floppy disk into the disk drive. 2 In GLOBAL mode, press (F5) to get to the MIDI SONG PLAY page and press

(F2) to get to the LOAD page for song files.

3 Select and load a MIDI song file from the file list. You can load as many files as you

like as long as there is enough memory space. 4 Once the files are loaded, press (F1) to return to the MIDI SONG PLAY page.

Select the file you wish to play and press (F7) to play the selected MIDI song

file. Press (F8) to stop playback.

If you have owned an Akai sampler before, you may also have other sounds on CD-ROM or hard disk. Operation is virtually identical to the S3000 series and the S1000/S1100. To load sounds from hard disk, press the LOAD key and select HARD at the top of the screen. Move the cursor to the volume name field and select the volume you wish to load. Press F7 - CLR - followed by F8 - YES - to clear the current contents of memory and load the entire hard disk volume. If you have not used an Akai sampler before and you need more detailed information on loading from hard disk or CD-ROM, please see the section LOAD MODE.

However you load sounds, whether it’s from floppy disk, hard disk, cartridge or CD-ROM, just load them and enjoy playing with your new sampler. Although we suggest you read the operator’s manual thoroughly, of course, at this stage, you don’t want be bothered with that so just experiment and get a feel for the S3000XL. As long as you don’t press the SAVE key and accidentally overwrite your floppy disk or hard disk volume, you can’t damage your sounds permanently or come to any harm (you can’t damage a CD-ROM as it’s a read only device). If you do start messing with the samples and programs and don’t like the results, simply re-load the sounds in or load another bunch of sounds to play with.

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INTRODUCTION

MOUNTING THE S3000XL

If you plan to rack mount the S3000XL, try to leave some ‘breathing space’ around it to prevent overheating. It is recommended you leave 1U of rack space above and below the sampler.

If you are placing the sampler on a table, make sure that the table is sturdy and that the sampler is not positioned precariously.

If you are using the S3000XL with a hard disk device of any kind, the disk drive MUST be mounted horizontally. If the disk drive is at an angle, even a slight one, you may have unreliability problems and even data corruption.

If you are planning to rack mount the hard disk with the sampler, it is recommended you use the ‘padded’ type of rack mount adapter available from most manufacturers of rack and flight cases especially if you are likely to be travelling a lot with the set-up. The padding will help protect the disk drive’s delicate head mechanism against shock and excessive vibration.

It goes without saying that the S3000XL and the disk drive are delicate pieces of precision electronics and they don’t take kindly to being thrown around however sturdy your flight case might be!

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 13

INTRODUCTION

GETTING AROUND THE S3000XL

The S3000XL is pretty straightforward to use. Basically, it operates in different ‘modes’ which are selected according to what it is you want to do. In these modes, you navigate your way around the functions using the soft keys. You move around the screens using the CURSOR keys and data is entered either using the DATA wheel or numerically from the numeric keypad.

OPERATING MODES

The S3000XL has various modes in which it works and these are selected using the eight large mode keys found beneath the floppy disk drive. Each key is illuminated to indicate the sampler’s current status.

These modes are: SINGLE For playing single programs. This mode is best suited for ‘playing’ the

sampler (i.e. performing a piano solo or whatever) although it can also be used when sequencing a single sound from the S3000XL.

SINGLE/ MULTI/BSAMPLE/CEFFECTS/

EDIT/

GLOBAL/ SAVE/GLOAD/

MULTI For playing up to sixteen programs together. Typically, this mode would be

used for multi-timbral sequencing by setting each ‘part’ to a different MIDI channel but it can also used for layering and creating key splits by setting

two or more parts to the same MIDI channel. SAMPLE For making recordings. EFFECTS For selecting effects to assign to single programs or to parts in a multi if

the optional EB16 multi-effects processor board is installed. EDIT Puts the sampler into edit mode for any of the four modes described

above. For example, EDIT SINGLE allows you to edit single programs;

EDIT MULTI allows you to edit the program in the currently selected part;

EDIT SAMPLE allows you to edit the recording you have just made (or

samples currently in memory, of course); EDIT EFFECTS allows you to edit

the parameters of the optional effects processor (if fitted). GLOBAL Allows you to set certain ‘global’ settings that affect the S3000XL as a

whole such as MIDI channel, SCSI ID, output level, overall tuning, etc.. It

also gives access to utilities such as disk recording, MIDI song file

playback, importing ‘foreign’ CD-ROMs from other manufacturers, etc.. SAVE For saving data to floppy or hard disk. LOAD For loading data into the sampler.

SOFT KEYS

The SOFT KEYS directly under the LCD call up various functions and pages within each mode - these vary from mode to mode and have no pre-defined function. As such, they cannot be easily explained here!

F1/IF2/JF3/KF4/LF5/MF6/NF7/OF8/

Page 14 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

There are many common keys in many of the functions, however, such as, for example, COPY, RENAME and DELETE which are always on F6, F7 and F8 in those pages where they appear. Commands such as GO, and ABORT always appear on F7 and F8. There is also a convention to the type of functions available which is worth noting.

If a key has this highlighted type of display: then this signifies that pressing this key will take you to another page. If the key has this type of display: (i.e. the function simply has a box around it and is unhighlighted) then this signifies that the key is an ‘do it’ key and will instigate some kind action such as SAVE, LOAD, DELETE, GO, ABORT, etc..

If the key has no form of box around it and is not highlighted - i.e: , then this indicates the page you are currently in although this is always shown in the top left corner of the display as well. This type of key switches between two types of display - pressing it once displays note names, pressing it again displays notes as MIDI note numbers.

SELECTING PARAMETERS AND ENTERING DATA

You move around the screen using the CURSOR KEYS and data is input either from the DATA ENTRY ENCODER or from the NUMERIC KEYPAD. You may move around within digit fields using the +/< and -/> keys found on the numeric keypad.

DATA

-/+/

CURSOR

On simple fields like filter cutoff, attack time, MIDI channel, etc., that have two digits, you may simply type in a two digit number - i.e. 23, 45, etc.. On such fields, you will find that the DATA ENTRY ENCODER will cover the whole range quite quickly so you may find that more convenient. The same is true of three digit fields. Turning it clockwise increases numeric values, and turning it counter-clockwise decreases these values. You may also use the +/< and -/> keys to position the cursor on the ‘tens’ or ‘hundreds’ field to make more rapid changes. For non-numeric values (i.e. sample rates, sample type, loop type, etc.), turning the encoder will display all the options in order. Normally, there is no other entry procedure required; simply displaying the correct value of a parameter using the DATA encoder selects and stores it into the S3000XL’s memory. Our sound programmers at Akai usually use a combination of the numeric keypad and the DATA WHEEL for speedy input of parameter values.

When editing numeric parameters, some of the values can be quite large, and it would be necessary to turn the DATA WHEEL thousands of times (literally!) in order to go through the whole range if the value was only changed by 1 for every click of the DATA control. There is an alternative to turning the control thousands of times, though. When you press the CURSOR keys, you move from one parameter to another and, using the +/< and -/> keys, you may move around within a large numeric field.

If a number such as 123456.78 is displayed, and the +/< key is pressed so that only the first three digits are highlighted thus:

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 15

INTRODUCTION

Turning the DATA ENTRY ENCODER clockwise by one step now will increase the value of the last highlighted digit, so:

Now if the -/> key is pressed once, the first four digits will be highlighted:

and turning the DATA ENTRY ENCODER one click clockwise will produce:

If you turn the DATA control more than ten clicks, of course, the value of the whole parameter will be incremented or decremented by the number of clicks. In this way, with very little effort, fast accurate editing of numbers can be achieved using only the +/< and

-/> keys and the DATA ENTRY ENCODER. The best way to learn how this works is to practise; after a short time, it should become second nature.

On ‘signed’ fields (that is, fields that have a + or a - before them), the +/< and -/> will do two things. Pressing the +/< key will move the cursor left within the field and, when it reaches the furthermost left digit, you may use it to switch between + and - depending on the selection you wish to make. The -/> key will move the cursor right and, when it reaches the furthermost right digit you may toggle between + and - again.

As mentioned above, as an alternative to turning the DATA control, you can also use the numeric keypad for direct entry of data. When you know the exact number you want to enter, this can be faster than using the DATA control, but when experimenting (for example, when setting loop points or sample start and end times), the DATA control may be faster than the numeric keypad. You’ll probably discover quickly what method works best for you in each situation.

NOTE: The cursor always stays on the last currently selected field in any screen. For example, if you are in, say, the filter pages and are setting envelope 2’s depth and then go to the ENV2 page to make an adjustment there, when you return to the filter page, the cursor will still be on envelope 2’s depth parameter.

MARK AND JUMP KEYS

These two grey buttons to the right of the number keypad are used in conjunction with each other.

MARK/#

JUMP/.

If you are carrying out editing operations which require changing display pages a lot, these can save a lot of time and effort. Pressing the MARK/# button when the cursor is on a field will cause the S3000XL to remember the position of the cursor, and pressing JUMP/. will take the cursor back to the MARK(ed) position from any other page. Pressing JUMP/. again will take you back to the page and function you were at before you JUMP(ed).

You can reset the MARK position at any time. This position is lost when the power is turned off. At power-on, this position defaults to the program select field in the initial SINGLE mode.

Page 16 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

NAMING FILES - THE NAME KEY

When samples, programs, effects or drum input settings are changed, they should be given a name for easy reference.

NAME

Pressing the NAME button in certain pages will enable you to name the data and you will notice that each button has a letter following its primary function (i.e. EDIT PROG/K, F4/D, HELP/P). Up to 12 characters (uppercase only) are entered by pressing the front panel buttons (although you may also scroll through letters and numbers using the DATA control). When actually entering names, pressing the NAME button will switch the function of the numeric keypad between letters and numbers. The CURSOR keys moves the cursor around inside the name field when naming a sample or program.

When entering names in letter mode, the +/< and -/> buttons work as backspace and space-bar buttons respectively (when in number mode, they enter the “+” and “-” characters), and the MARK/# and JUMP/. keys enter “#” and “.” respectively. The last button, ENT/PLAY, enters and confirms the name and the S3000XL prompts you to either copy or rename the item.

THE ENT/PLAY KEY

Underneath the NAME key, you will see the ENT/PLAY key:

ENT/PLAY

This is a dual-purpose button. When naming samples, programs, etc., pressing this button will end the naming process in conjunction with COPY and REN(ame) as described above. In other modes of operation, this key will play the sound at a pitch, velocity and MIDI channel as set in the GLOBAL mode. The default may be freely set as you wish.

NOTE: When editing samples in EDIT SAMPLE, pressing this button will play back the sample at its correct pitch and not necessarily the one set in the GLOBAL pages.

LCD CONTRAST

Underneath the floppy disk drive, you will find the DISPLAY CONTRAST CONTROL:

DISPLAY

CONTRAST

PUSH ON/OFF

You may adjust the viewing angle for the screen using the DISPLAY CONTRAST control.

NOTE: To preserve the life of your LCD, this control also has a switch which you can use to turn the backlight of the LCD on or off. At times when you are not actively using the S3000XL’s front panel for programming (i.e. when actually sequencing or recording to tape, for example, or when using the sampler live on stage), you might like to switch this off. All LCD’s of this type progressively get dimmer with age and this switch can help prevent this. The switch should be pushed in to switch the backlight off and pushed in again to switch it back on.

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 17

INTRODUCTION

RECORD LEVEL, MAIN VOLUME, HEADPHONE OUTPUT

Above the numeric keypad, you will find the RECORD LEVEL and MAIN VOLUME controls:

REC GAIN

MIN MAX

MAIN VOLUME

MIN MAX

Input level for sampling is regulated using the RECORD LEVEL control and the S3000XL’s overall output level is controlled, not surprisingly, by the MAIN VOLUME control. This also governs the level of the sound appearing at the HEADPHONE OUTPUT.

NOTE: The MAIN VOLUME control does not affect the level appearing at the individual outputs or the real-time digital audio output.

Page 18 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

HOW THE S3000XL WORKS

Despite its versatility, the S3000XL is very straightforward and once you have a basic grasp of the flowcharts shown on the next pages, things will make more sense.

Basically, you can have SAMPLES. These are the pieces of raw digital audio that are always the basis of any sound in the S3000XL. These may be derived from floppy disk, hard disk (including Magneto Optical (MO) Disks, removable cartridge types), CD ROM or, of course, you may sample your own sounds via the analogue or the digital inputs.

Once you have a raw sample, there are many things you can do with it within EDIT SAMPLE. You may TRIM it - that is, remove any unwanted audio from the start or end. You may CHOP it - that is, remove a section in the middle and splice the two remaining sections together or you may CUT it - that is, remove a section in the middle and keep the gap thus created. You may also EXTRACT part of the sound - that is isolate a section (such as one snare drum in a breakbeat) and extract that snare hit from the original. You may also TUNE and/or REVERSE the sample.

Of course, one problem always associated with sampling is LOOPING. Because any given sample is only a few seconds long, if you want to sustain that sample longer than its original length, some method has to be sought to do this. This is LOOPING. A loop is a section of the sound that repeats as long as you hold your finger on the key and is set by setting a start and end point for the loop. This is something of an art and a science and something we won’t delve into here in great detail. To make looping as easy as possible, the S3000XL has FIND and CROSSFADE functions to help you set good loops.

Other sample editing functions include TIMESTRETCH which allows you to lengthen or shorten a sample without changing its pitch (again, we will look at this in more detail later in this manual) and RE-SAMPLING, a technique that allows you to squeeze the optimum performance out of available memory space. On the S3000XL, you may also NORMALISE a sample’s level for optimum signal to noise performance.

Once you have edited a sample you place it into a PROGRAM. A PROGRAM is where you assemble your sample(s) for playback. In a program, you

allocate a sample to a KEYGROUP (in fact, you can allocate 4 samples to one keygroup for layering, velocity switching and velocity crossfading but more on that later!). A program may have as little as one keygroup spanning the entire keyboard or as many as one keygroup for every key each with four samples in them! To overcome the abrupt tonal discrepancies sometimes experienced when two different samples are placed ‘side by side’ on the keyboard, positional keygroup crossfading can be used for a smoother transition.

Once in a keygroup, the sample may be passed through resonant filters for tonal modification, through amplifiers for amplitude control and through a pan section for stereo placement. Keygroups may be freely assigned to the individual outputs for external processing on a mixing console.

On top of this, you may apply modulation from 2 x Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs) for vibrato and other effects. A SINGLE TRIGGER LEGATO mode allows you to emulate solo instruments such as woodwind and brass more realistically and to allow for greater expression when playing synth bass parts or lead sounds.

One powerful feature of the S3000XL is the flexible ASSIGNABLE PROGRAM MODULATION known as APM for short) in EDIT PROGRAM. Using this, any modulation source may be routed to virtually any control input. In this way, the S3000XL is a powerful synthesiser as well, except that you may use almost any sampled sound (of your own or from a sound library) as the basis of your own powerful and expressive sounds.

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 19

INTRODUCTION

Once you have placed your sample(s) into a program, you may play them from a MIDI controller in SINGLE mode. If the optional effects processor is fitted in your S3000XL, you may add powerful multi-effects such as simultaneous distortion, EQ, chorus/flange, delay and reverb to these programs.

Once you have several programs in memory, you may use the MULTI mode to combine them together. Typically, this will be to set different programs to different MIDI channels for multi-timbral sequencing but you may also use the MULTI mode for layering programs and for key splits. In MULTI mode, the four channels of the optional effects processor may be used so that different programs may have different effects applied to them. Furthermore, the MULTI’s internal mixer allows you to mix the level and pan of each program as well as set its effects send level. With the individual output board fitted, these programs may be assigned to their own output for mixing on an external mixing console.

Once you are happy with everything, the whole thing may be saved to disk for recall at a later date.

One of the beauties of the Akai samplers is that there are no restrictions on what you do with samples - any sample can be placed into any keygroup in any program. One sample may be placed into a variety of different programs, each of which impose different envelope or filter settings to create a wide range of possibilities from very little. One or more samples may be used in any other programs even on other disks and/or one program can be used as the basis for processing other samples.

S3000XL FLOWCHART

The following flowcharts will help your understanding of the S3000XL.

EFFECTS (optional)

PROGRAM(S)SAMPLE(S)

Here, samples are made and edited, placed into programs (which can be played singly if you wish) and these programs can be placed into a multi (where several programs my be played together). Programs and multis can use the optional effects processor if fitted.

EFFECTS

(optional)

MULTI

Page 20 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

SAMPLE(S)

EDIT SAMPLE

KEYGROUP(S)

EDIT PROGRAM

PER KEYGROUP

MODULATION SOURCES

MASTER PROGRAM OUTPUT

INTRODUCTION

ANALOGUE INPUTS DIGITAL INPUTS FLOPPY DISK HARD DISK/CARTRIDGE CD ROM

TUNE

TRIM CHOP CUT

LOOP (X4) JOIN

NORMALISE/RE-SCALE

XFADE

FADE

TIMESTRETCH RESAMPLE

SAMPLE 1

SAMPLE 2

SAMPLE 3

SAMPLE 4

12dB/8ve LOWPASS RESONANT FILTER

AMP

PAN

EXTRACT

TUNE

REVERSE

FX SEND

MASTER OUTPUT LEVEL

IND. OUT 1 - 8

IND. OUTPUT ASSIGN

AUTO PANNING

KG PITCH

VEL SW/XFD

ENV 2 ENV 1

KEYSPAN

MOD.WHL P.BEND AFTERTOUCH VELOCITY EXT.MIDIKBD

ENVELOPE TEMPLATES

ENV 1 ENV 2 LFO 1 LFO 2

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 21

INTRODUCTION

PARTS 1-16

PER PART

MULTI-MODE

FX SEND LEVEL

4-CHANNEL EFFECTS PROCESSOR

MULTI-EFFECTS CHANNEL x 2

DISTORTION EQ RING MOD

TUNEPROGRAM SELECT OCTAVE LEVEL PAN FX BUSS

OUTPUT ASSIGN

MOD/DELAY EFFECTS REVERBDISTORTION/EQ

CHORUS

FLANGE

PHASE

PITCH SHIFT

PAN/FMOD

DELAY REVERB

PRIORITYMIDI CH

REVERB ONLY CHANNEL x 2

REVERB

Page 22 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

SINGLE MODE

SINGLE is where you may select and play programs. Pressing SINGLE gives this screen display.

NOTES REGARDING THE S3000XL’S SINGLE MODE

Before we look at the functions in this mode, please bear the following in mind. SINGLE mode, as the name suggests, is essentially designed to play single programs.

However, for historical reasons, in order to be compatible with sound disks created on Akai S1000, S1100 and the S3000 series, you can, in fact, play several programs at once. This is done by setting two or more programs to the same program number (see below RENUMBERING PROGRAMS). Furthermore, you may have several programs active at any one time and each of these may have a different MIDI channel so that they play multi-timbrally. However, as mentioned, this is included here so that such disks created on earlier Akai samplers can be used without tedious re-programming or conversion.

NOTES FOR EXISTING AKAI SAMPLER USERS

If you have used an Akai S1000, S1100 or any of the S3000 series samplers and are familiar with the concept of several programs sharing the same program number, you may continue to work in this way if you wish but we feel sure you will appreciate the speed and convenience of the MULTI mode for layering and multi-timbral sequencing once you give it a try as it has many advantages over the way earlier Akai samplers dealt with multitimbral applications. However, retaining the old method as well gives you the best of both worlds in that any setups you may have using the older method can still be used plus you can avail yourself of the new functions as and when you like. You may like to convert existing S1000/1100/3000 multi-timbral setups into new MULTI files if you wish.

NOTE FOR NEW USERS

If you are new to Akai samplers but have had some experience of other sound modules, you will probably feel more at home setting up multi-timbral data, layered programs and key splits in the MULTI mode as this is more in keeping with how other sound modules work these days. You can use the SINGLE mode for playing single programs. With that in mind, you may like to skip a lot of this section as it really refers to the ‘old method’ of using earlier Akai samplers.

SELECTING PROGRAMS

Selecting sound to play can be done in several ways: 1 In the main SELECT PROG screen as shown above, turning the DATA

control will select different programs for playback. 2 In the main SELECT PROG screen, use the numeric keypad to select

sounds by number. To do this, press the </+ key twice followed by a three

digit number. I.e. to select program 25, press </+ and 025. To then select

program 26, simply press 6. To then select program number 1, press </+

once followed by 01 or twice followed by 001. 3 Send MIDI program change commands from your keyboard, synthesiser,

sequencer or whatever MIDI controller you are using. You will note that the

S3000XL uses ‘actual’ program numbers 1-128 - if your keyboard sends

S3000XL Operator’s Manual Page 23

SINGLE MODE

Whichever method you use for selecting programs, when the program is selected, an asterisk appears alongside it number and the program number is indicated. One useful feature of the S3000XL is that it is possible to be playing one program whilst another is being selected. For example, whilst holding down a low string note you could select, say, a brass sound. The strings will continue to sound and you may now play the brass part. Please note, however, that if you are using the internal effects on either or both of these sounds, there may be a noticeable change as only one effect can be used at once. In this case, the brass program’s effects would take priority.

VIEWING PROGRAMS

The LCD can display 5 programs at any one time. There may be occasions when you have more than this and so you may use the CURSOR keys to scroll through your program list. Pressing the CURSOR LEFT or RIGHT keys will scroll though the list one at a time and pressing the CURSOR DOWN or UP keys will increment through the list in steps of five programs. This can be helpful if you are searching for a particular sound and need to see what is loaded in the S3000XL. The display will tell you how many programs are loaded and in the above example, we can see that there are actually 8 programs in memory even though only the first five are displayed. It is possible to be viewing other programs whilst playing another.

out 0-127, please bear this in mind as you will have to offset all program

change commands you issue by 1.

SETTING PROGRAM LEVELS, PAN, FX SENDS

In the MIX page of SINGLE, you may view the programs in memory and set their level, pan, etc.. This is a convenient and quick way to adjust the levels of single programs

masse

press and you will receive the following display:

On this page you may set, from left to right across the screen:

without having to edit each one individually in EDIT PROGRAM. To access this,

This shows the number of the program selected in the main SINGLE page

although you may select another program or group of programs in this

field.

This sets the level of the program as it appears at the left/right stereo

outputs of the S3000XL. This would normally be used to mix the levels of

different programs and is the equivalent of a mixers fader control. It is

possible to send programs to individual outputs but, by mixing them out of

the stereo outputs by setting this parameter to 00, you remove them from

the main mix. In this way, for example, you could send individual drums to

separate channels of an external mixer for more elaborate level and tonal

control whilst other instruments appear only at the stereo outputs of the

S3000XL. In this way, very complex mixes can be set up. Another method

may be to send, say, snare and kick to individual outputs (but take them

out of the stereo mix) and just have toms and percussion in a stereo

image coming out of the main stereo mix. In this way, you save on

channels on your external mixer.

Page 24 S3000XL Operator’s Manual

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