Chicken Systems Fusion Creator User Manual
Fusion Creator™
Version 0.9, Build 21
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Fusion Creator™
Table Of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 5
Basic Concepts. ........................................................................................................................... 7
The Fusion Document
Main Screen ................................................................................................................................ 8
Fusion Object Views. .....................................................................................................................10
Keyboard Optional Display ............................................................................................................12
Wave Optional Display ..................................................................................................................13
Working with Objects
Adding Objects. ............................................................................................................................14
Deleting Objects. ..........................................................................................................................15
Editing Objects. ............................................................................................................................16
Renaming Objects. .........................................................................................................................17
The Fusion Player ...........................................................................................................................18
Preparing and Re-importing. ............................................................................................................19
Editing Single Samples Externally ..............................................................................................................21
Exchanging Objects. .........................................................................................................................22
Auditioning Samples and Multisamples. ............................................................................................23
Importing External Instruments. .....................................................................................................24
Editors.
The Program Editor .....................................................................................................................26
The Oscillator/Zone Editor ...........................................................................................................27
The Multisample Editor ................................................................................................................28
The Sample Editor ......................................................................................................................29
The Mix Editor ............................................................................................................................30
The Part Editor ...........................................................................................................................31
AutoSampler
Introduction ..............................................................................................................................32
Audio/MIDI ...............................................................................................................................33
Placement ................................................................................................................................33
Recording .................................................................................................................................34
Processing ................................................................................................................................35
Switches ...................................................................................................................................35
Parameters ...............................................................................................................................35
Menus
File. ............................................................................................................................................36
Program/ Mix. ..............................................................................................................................37
Oscillator/Zone/Part. .......................................................................................................................38
Multisample. ................................................................................................................................39
Sample. ......................................................................................................................................40
View ...........................................................................................................................................41
Help .............................................................................................................................................42
Gear Menus - Program/Mix ...............................................................................................................43
Gear Menus - Multisample. ...........................................................................................................44
Gear Menus - Sample ....................................................................................................................45
...................................................................................................................................25
Preferences
General. ......................................................................................................................................46
Colors. ...........................................................................................................................................47
Import .......................................................................................................................................47
Export .......................................................................................................................................47
Data Processing ...............................................................................................................................48
Audio/MIDI. .................................................................................................................................49
Support
Troubleshooting. .............................................................................................................................51
FAQ ..........................................................................................................................................51
Bug Reports. ..............................................................................................................................51
Contacting Technical Support. .............................................................................................................53
Updating. ..................................................................................................................................54
Contact Us .................................................................................................................................55
Credits. .......................................................................................................................................56
Fusion Creator
™
Introduction
Fusion Creator™
Introduction
Fusion Creator™ is a powerful Program, Mix, Multisample, and Sample creator/editor for all Alesis Fusion
workstations.
The Alesis Fusion line of workstations
61-key, 76-key, and weighted 88-key)
were a new generation Workstation-style
keyboard system that has excellent
sounds and advanced functionality,
for superior usage in the studio and
playing live. The most immediate
gratication of the Fusion is playing
its unique and distinctive onboard
sounds. However, the Fusion also
allows for user-dened
keymaps (called “Multisamples” with
the same possibilities as the onboard
ROM Multisamples. This functionality is
accessible under the Sampler button on
the Fusion.
multisampled
Although the Fusion is a less exible
then the older specialized hardware
samplers (e.g. Akai S-5000/Z-Series,
Emu Emulator 4, Ensoniq ASR-10), and more less so then powerful software samplers such as Kontakt, it
is still very powerful, and with the right software platform to assist in creating these sampled Multisamples
and Programs, the Fusion can go beyond it’s stock sounds and y high with your own custom Programs.
That is the goal and stated purpose of Fusion Creator.
Like most (if not all) hardware musical instruments, the onboard display and provided access do not give
access to the Fusion user-sampled area exceptionally well. Some Supermen have used it and worked with
it, but among us Mere Mortals it’s “in and out”, since it is slow and difcult not only to view the total range
of information, but also to apply new edits etc. Again, Fusion Creator leverages the natural power of your
computer to access, display, and arrange information that it’s a perfect and powerful bridge to create and
edit Fusion user-created content.
Fusion Creator™ takes advantage of only access to user Multisample data - via the les themselves It’s
practically a virtual Fusion specialized for editing. You can make your own user Multisamples, edit and
create your own Samples within those Multisamples,
ways to listen and audition those sounds. Since it’s not a Fusion, it can’t substitute for it, but with sampled
sounds you can come awfully close. Most of the time, we foresee Fusion users to operate Fusion Creator™
to take care of the sampled side, since it more clear, powerful, and efcient then the Fusion itself, but when
it comes time to tweak the sounds and do the real-time parameter editing, we expect them to write the
les and read them into Fusion, edit away, then resave.
and much more. Fusion Creator also allows innovate
Fusion Creator™ also includes management of ROM data. Renaming objects (Programs, Multisamples,
etc.) is a breeze on Fusion Creator™. You can manage your Categories (sometimes the center of most
Fusion user’s experience) in new powerful ways beyond what the Fusion itself can do. You can even set up
a library of Programs and create your own compilations to be written into a le for particular uses.
Fusion Creator™, while powerful, is still a simple application. It was designed to give you easy and
intuitive access to Fusion data, with no funny business or confusing Corvette-looking widgetry.
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Introduction
Some notes regarding the documentation:
This document is synced to the Fusion Creator™ version denoted on the cover of this document. It is a
dynamic document and often is revised with every major, minor, or even build of Fusion Creator™.
In this document, the term “right-click” also refers to “control-click” on a Mac. Only “right- click” will be
used. Similarly, “Preferences” is term for different optional parameters that can be set in the program;
on the Mac you will see the word “Preferences”, but on Windows you will see “Options”. In this document,
Preferences will be used. Graphics are all Mac, but look very similar to the Windows version.
Since the Fusion regards the middle C key on a keyboard (MIDI note 60) as C3, by default Fusion Creator™
shows the textual representation of MIDI note 60 as C3. This is the non-US representation. However, if you
are more used to seeing C4 as middle C (like GigaStudio or other US models - or even some varied non-US
samplers), you can change this in Preferences- General.
If you are a registered owner, you are qualied for free updates for the life of the program. You can
download these from your program using the Check for Update feature, or from the Chicken Systems
Update Area.
Fusion Creator
™
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Fusion Creator
™
Basic Concepts
Basic Concepts
The Fusion Creator™ Fusion Document represents a Fusion Volume. It can be one that is existing, or a
new one that hasn’t been saved to disk yet.
Your experience with Fusion Creator™ revolves around creating a new (or opening an existing) Fusion
Volume into a Fusion document, editing the objects within that document, then saving the document
as a complete Fusion Volume. This
saves all objects (Programs, Mixes,
Multisamples, and Samples, into a
single le/folder set.
A Fusion Volume consists of a folder
called ‘Volume’, and contains folders
called ‘Programs’, ‘Multisamples’,
‘Samples’, and ‘Mixes’. (If there are
no les of that type, the folder won’t
exist.) Inside those folders are folders
that represent a Bank. Each folder
has (mostly) the same-named folders
in them. Inside those folders are the
actual Program/Multisample/Sample/
Mix les that contain the information.
Along with those folders and les are
text les called ‘bank.txt’ These con-
tain information that determines the
Program number of the objects and the
Favorites condition, These are mostly optional - they can be deleted with no harm - except you will lose
any Favorites inclusions and any specic numbering of the Programs in the Bank.
Programs have the extension .AFP and contain references to Multisamples, either ROM or RAM. Multisamples have the extension .AFI and reference the Samples included in that Multisample. Samples have the
extension .AFS and contain the sample data and other information.
Samples can be compressed and although Fusion Creator does not support playing those back, it certainly
can maintain those objects and access them.
The Fusion Document shows you the most important aspects of the Fusion les: the Programs, the
Oscillator/Zones within each Program, the Multisamples, and the Samples within a Multisample. These are
represented in four Lists; the Programs with the Oscillator/Zones, and the Multisamples with the Samples.
There is also a Mix List and a Part List, shown in the Mix View.
From there, you are free to add, delete, or edit any of the objects to your needs. For more information on
the Fusion Document, where you’ll do the majority of your work, see The Fusion Document elsewhere in
this document.
Each object has an Editor. There is a Program Editor, Oscillator/Zone Editor, Multisample Editor, and Sample
Editor; and additionally, a Mix Editor and Part Editor. One editor can be open at a time, and it edits the
current selection in the list on the Fusion document. For more information on Editors, please see the
Editors section elsewhere in this document.
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The Fusion Document
Fusion Creator
The Fusion Document
The Fusion Document represents a Fusion Volume, an existing or a new one that hasn’t been written
yet. Your experience with Fusion Creator revolves around creating a new or opening an existing Fusion
le, changing the objects within using
the Fusion Document, then saving the
document which saves everything to
the a new or existing Fusion le, for
immediate use in your Fusion.
Lists
The Lists on a normal Fusion document
show the principal objects; the
Programs (List 1) and the Multisamples
(List 3). The Oscillator/Zone List (List 2)
shows the Oscillator/Zones contained in
the currently selected Program, and the
Sample List (List 4) shows the Samples
in the currently selected Multisample.
There are two other Lists; the Mix List
and the Part List. These appear when
you are in the Mix View.
™
The purpose of the List is so you can
view the contents of the File that is
represented by the document and apply functions to change, edit, or build up the le.
Views
Speaking of Views, the Fusion document interface is highly customizable, so you can either have all the
List on the document at one time (admittedly crowded), or you can see only what you want to see for
handy editing. The Views are:
-
Program/Oscillator/Zone/Multisample
-
Multisample/Sample
-
Mix/Part/Program
-
“Four Corners” (Program & Oscillator/Zone on top, Multisample & Sample on the bottom)
-
Full View
You can choose which view you’d like with the Gear menu on the upper right, or the top level Views menu.
For more information of Views, see the Views section in this manual.
Range Maps
On top of the Oscillator/Zone List and the Part List you can have Range Maps perched on top of them. This
allows for graphical editing of the Ranges (Key and Velocity) of Each Oscillator/Zone or Part. Key is selected
by the top button to the left of the Range Maps, Velocity by the second button. A green color indicates
which Range you are viewing. The third button (yellow) gives you a context menu by selecting it, giving
you some auto-mapping options, plus some viewing options. If you have no immediate use for them, you
can hide them using the context menu or the Views top-level menu.
Having the Range Maps mounted on top of each other makes it easy to see how Oscillator/Zones or Parts
are arranged against each other. Alter the range by simply grabbing and pulling each end with the mouse.
Selecting the middle of the range allows you to slide it back and forth.
(Remember, these Ranges are actually “Limits”; that is, with an Oscillator/Zone, you are restricting the key/
velocity response. The Multisample the Oscillator/Zone refers to may have information beyond the limits,
you are simply creating a smaller “window” into the Multisample (or Program).
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Fusion Creator
Also remember that the Ranges do not appear on Drum Programs, since there are no Key/Vel Ranges to
deal with, just the natural 1-Key limit of a Drum Oscillator/Zone.
Optional Displays
There are two option items you can display on a Fusion Document; the Keyboard Display and the Wave
Display. The Keyboard Display shows the contents of the Multisample that is selected in the Multisample
List, and also responds to dragging and dropping of external Samples into that Multisample. It makes
mapping incoming samples a breeze. The Wave Display shows the Multisample of the Sample selected in
the Sample List, for easy recognition.
For more information on the Optional Displays, see either the Keyboard Display or the Wave Display areas
of this document.
Filtering Lists
The text eld and popup menu above each list lter the lists contents. Typing into the text eld lters
the list based on what you typed; e.g. typing in “Trum” (without the quotes) in the text eld above the
Program List brings up Programs with the names “Trumpet Short”, “TrumLngBrght”, and “Guitar Strum”.
Multiple criteria can be inputted by separating them with commas.
The popup menu varies with each List. but give you common ways of making each list more specic; e.g in
the Sample List you can view just the external samples.
™
The Fusion Document
Performing Functions on List Objects
The whole purpose of Fusion Creator is to add, edit, delete and change objects. Programs can’t be deleted
per se but they can be initialized. A “blank” Program is one that starts with the letters “INIT” (case
insensitive); initialized Programs usually have no sampled Multisamples referenced, just has the rst
Oscillator/Zone enabled, and is set to the rst Piano Multisample.
Mostly what you’ll edit in Programs is the contents of the Oscillator/Zones. Other then providing a set of
real-time parameters, an Oscillator/Zone’s main purpose is to playback a Multisample, whether it is a ROM
Multisample or sampled (RAM) Multisample.
RAM Multisamples are listed in the Multisamples List. A RAM Multisample is a collection of non- overlapping
samples within a MIDI Keyboard with variable Velocities. By selecting a Multisample in the Multisample List,
the associated Samples show in the Samples List, with their properties.
There are many ways of adding, editing, and deleting objects. Most of these are standard computer
methods. More specic information will be given in other places in this document, so we’ll cover them
briey here.
You can use the Gear and Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons below each list. Clicking the Gear button exposes
a Menu that is very much like the top-level menus titled Programs-Oscillator/Zones- Multisamples-Samples.
You can apply the function to selected objects in the list, or to all of them, by selecting the popup menu
next to the buttons (Apply to All, Apply to Selected).
Ctl/Right-clicking on a list brings up a Context Menu which is usually identical to the Gear Menu for that
list. It ALWAYS applies to the selected items in that list.
Dragging objects is a very powerful editing method. All drags and drops do what you would think they
would do. If you drag a Wavefrom and drop it on an Oscillator/Zone, it will set that Oscillator/Zone to
that Multisample. If you drag a couple of WAVE les from outside Fusion Creator and drop them on the
Sample List, it will automatically add those WAVE les to the Samples List. You can also drag Programs,
Multisamples, or any object from one Fusion document to another.
The INS and DEL buttons are active to make new Multisamples or Samples, and Backspace serves as
another DEL button.
Two very powerful functions are included on the Main Screen; Importing and Preparing. These are covered
in depth in other areas of this document. Consider turning this viewer off in Preferences.
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Object Views
Fusion Creator
™
Fusion Object Views
The Fusion Creator™ Fusion Document has several views so you can work efciently. Sometimes it is
important to get a birds eye look at your Fusion le, and sometimes you need to only look at a portion of
the le.
Views can be access either by the Views top-level menu, or the Master Gear Menu on the upper right of the
document.
Fusion Volumes have up to six components to them:
Programs
Oscillator/Zones (within a Program le)
Multisamples
Samples
Mixes
Parts (within a Mix le)
Generally the Program is the Queen of the Bank, because so much centers on the Program. Because of this,
most Views have at least something to do with the Programs.
There are 5 Views, separated into 3 Categories: General, Detailed, and Special.
There are two General Views:
Full View
This includes from right to left: Program-Oscillator/
Zones, Multisample-Samples.
This is a good general view of the Bank. You can select
Programs and see the Oscillator/Zones that work
within them. You can view the Multisamples, and view
the Samples referenced by them. And you can assign
Multisamples to Oscillator/Zones very easily, since the
lists are ght next to each other.
Four Corners
This includes from right to left: Program-Oscillator/
Zones, the below that left to right MultisampleSamples.
This performs the same purposes of Full View, except
that it values the details of each view (you can see
more of the columns) because of 2x2 alignment. Full
view is more valuable when you want to see more
entries of one list.
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Fusion Creator
There are two Detailed Views:
Program-Oscillator/Zone-Multisample
View
This includes from right to left: Program,
Oscillator/Zones, Multisamples.
This is when you are most concerned with
assign already-designed Multisamples to
Oscillator/Zones. The Samples list is omitted
since you are already comfortable with the
contents of the Multisamples.
You have more horizontal information since
there are only 3 lists.
Multisample-Sample View
This includes from right to left: Oscillator/
Zones and Samples
™
Object Views
This is for hardcore Multisample designing,
you can see the minutiae of the Multisamples
and of the Samples. You are not concerned
with Programs or anything other then the
Multisamples and Samples.
You have much more horizontal information
since there are only 2 lists.
Finally, there is one Special View:
Mix View
This includes from right to left: Mixes, Parts,
and Programs.
This is the Mix Editor, where you can assign
Programs to Parts, and thus develop your own
Mixes easily. Mixes do not exist on any other
list, since Programs are more commonly used
and Mixes are “far away” from Multisamples
and their dealings.
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Keyboard Display
Fusion Creator
The Keyboard Optional Display
Since the Fusion is basically a keyboard, and everything revolves around a keyboard, so it’s just natural
that we put a keyboard display on a Fusion document. It shows you what the contents of the current
Multisample are, allows you to select a
Sample within the Multisample, and also
allows dropping to import Samples into
the currently selected Multisample and
determine their Key Ranges.
Sample View
The Keyboard display shows in
alternating pink and green the Samples that are referenced in the currently selected Multisample
(on the Multisamples List). Velocities are also shown, in various tints.
Sample Select
By clicking on the Keyboard display, this selects the Sample according to where you clicked. This
also pertains to Velocity -the higher up you click, the higher velocity gets selected.
Sample Import
By dragging and dropping external Samples (WAVE and AIFF) onto the Keyboard display, this
allows you to import Samples into the currently selected Multisample. If you drag more then
one Sample or a Folder, multiple overlays will appear as you drag onto top of the display, with a
maximum of an octave spread. Dragging higher on the Keyboard makes for wider spreads.
™
Dropping on the Keyboard display imports the Samples into the currently selected Multisample. If there are
overlapping Samples, they are deleted or cut-away - this is because Multisamples do not allow overlapping.
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Fusion Creator
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Wave Display
The Wave Optional Display
No editor would be complete without a Wave Display!
Although there is one in the proper place in the Sample Editor, you can display one on the main screen by
checking the Wave Display menu in the top-level View menu, or the master Gear Menu.
This displays what you play
in the Sample list. There are
no transport controls; well,
there actually is - the single
button on the Sample List
performs this function.
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Adding Objects
Fusion Creator
™
Adding Objects
You add Programs, Multisamples, Samples, or Mixes by dragging objects into the Lists, by clicking the +
button under the List, or pressing the Insert button (INS) on the computer keyboard.
Program List
Drop a Program from another Fusion document into this list, and it will add it to the Program List. (We
should say it will replace the Program selected.) Or drop an external le, like a Kontakt .nki, Apple .exs,
SoundFont, etc., or even one or more WAVE/AIFF les, on the Program List and it will create a Program and
make Multisamples that will hold the samples. Clicking the + button or pressing INS will allow you to select
one or more external Instruments to Import in (See Importing External Instruments for more information.)
Multisample List
Drop a Multisample from another Fusion document into this list, and it will add it. Or drop an external le,
like a Kontakt .nki, Apple .exs, SoundFont, etc., or even one or more WAVE/AIFF les, on the Multisample
List and it will create Multisamples that will hold the samples. (You then have to assign the Multisamples
to Oscillator/Zones within Programs, if you wish.) Clicking the + button or pressing INS creates a blank
Multisample, in which you can add Samples to.
Sample List
Drop a Sample from another Fusion document into this list, and it will add it. Or drop a WAVE/ AIFF. When
importing external samples, Fusion Creator assigns the rst available key from the left of the keyboard and
gives it a one note range. You can edit the range afterwards. Clicking the + button or pressing INS brings
up a Open dialog where you can select WAVE/AIFF les to import.
You can also add Samples by dropping them on the Keyboard Display at the bottom of a Fusion document.
This provides an easy way to add a sample to a specic keyrange. For more information, see the Keyboard
Optional Display in this document.
Mix List
Drop a Mix from another Fusion document into this list, and it will add it to the Mix List. (We should say it
will replace the Mix selected.) Note: you cannot import external foreign formats into the Mixes List yet,
even if the format is a Mix-type (like a Roland Performance). This will be incorporated in a future version.
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Fusion Creator
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Deleting Objects
Deleting Objects
You delete objects in a List by clicking the minus sign (-) button under the List, selecting the “Delete” Gear,
Ctl/Right-click Context, or top-level menu option, or by pressing the Delete button (DEL) on the computer
keyboard.
The popup menus under the lists determine if you are deleting all the objects or just the selected ones.
Since it is impossible to delete a Program or Mix, in this context it means Initializing the
Program(s).
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Editing Objects
Fusion Creator
™
Editing Objects
You edit an object by double-clicking the object in the list, or by selecting the Gear or top-level menu
“Edit...”. It is only possible to edit one object at a time, so if there are multiple objects selected in a List,
only the rst selection will be edited.
When you edit, the appropriate editor appears. For more information on Editors, see the Editors section of
this document.
For Samples, there is also an additional “Edit External...” menu option. This allows you to edit the sample in
an external editor that you specify in the Preferences dialog. For more information, please see the Editing
External Samples section in this document.
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Fusion Creator
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Renaming Objects
Renaming Objects
You can rename any object by selecting it, then selecting it again. Although you can name things whatever
you want, Fusion Creator will apply the natural Fusion text and length restrictions.
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