E-Mu Emulator III User Manual

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E-mu Systems, Inc.

applied magic for the arts

E M U L A T O R T H R E E

D I G I T A L S O U N D P R O D U C T I O N S Y S T E M

R E F E R E N C E M A N U A L

■ FI 351 Rev H

Manual by Craig Anderton, Nancy Enge, and Riley Smith

E-mu Systems, Inc. 1600 Green Hills Road P.O. Box 660015 Scotts Valley, California 95067-0015 (831) 438-1921

CONTENTS

1-GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Introduction 1-3 Connection Instructions 1-5 Sampling Basics 1-7 Definitions 1-10 Additional Definitions 1-14 Character Charts 1-18

2-CONTROLS

■ MODULES

3-MASTER

1. Master Tune 3-2

2. Rename Bank 3-3

3. Erase Bank 3-4

4. Supermode 3-5

5. Audio Trigger 3-7

6. Memory Available 3-9

7. Disk Utilities 3-10

8. Special 3-24

4-SAMPLE

1. Load Sample 4-2

2. Rename Sample 4-4

3. Erase Sample 4-5

4. Copy Sample 4-6

5. Setup 4-7

6. Place Sample 4-9

7. Arm Sampling 4-11

8. Force Sampling 4-12

9. MIDI Sample Dump 4-13

0. Select Sample 4-15

5-PRESET MANAGEMENT

1. Load Preset 5-2

2. Rename Preset 5-4

3. Erase Preset 5-5

4. Copy Preset 5-6

5. Create Preset 5-7

6. Preset Size 5-8

7. Stack Mode 5-9

8. Velocity Switch Level 5-10

CONTENTS

6-DIGITAL PROCESSING

Background 6-2

1. Setup 6-10

2. Loop 6-13

3. Truncation 6-16

4. Copy Section 6-17

5. Cut Section 6-19

6. Paste Section 6-21

7. Sample Rate Conversion 6-25

8. Digital Effects 6-26

9. Undo 6-52

0. Select Sample 6-54

7-PRESET DEFINITION

1. Load Zone 7-2

2. Edit Assignment 7-6

3. Erase Zone 7-9

4. Copy Zone 7-11

5. Crossfade/Switch 7-14

6. MIDI 7-18

7. Arpeggiator 7-23

8. Pitch Blend Range 7-27

9. Velocity Curve 7-28

0. Realtime Controls 7-29 Keyboard Velocity Curves 7-34

■ SEQUENCER

9-BACKGROUND TRANSPORT CONTROLS

10-MANAGEMENT

1. Load Segment/Song 10-2

2. Tempo 10-3

3. Clock 10-4

4. Track Status 10-6

5. Track Mix 10-7

6. Data Filters 10-8

7. MIDI Options 10-9

8. SMPTE Start 10-10

9. Write SMPTE 10-11

11-SETUP

1. Length 11-2

2. Time Signature 11-3

3. Countdown 11-4

4. Autocorrect 11-5

5. Metronome 11-7

6. Looping 11-8

7. Preset Assignment 11-9

8. Cue List Mode 11-10

8-ANALOG PROCESSING

Background 8-2

1. Setup 8-4

2. VCA 8-6

3. VCF 8-9

4. LFO 8-12

5. Auxiliary Envelope 8-14

6. Velocity To 8-16

7. Keyboard Mode 8-20

8. Realtime Control Enable 8-22

9. Output Channels 8-23

0. Select Zone 8-24

12-EDIT

SEGMENT/CUE LIST

1. Step Edit 12-2

2. Rename Segment 12-5

3. Erase Segment 12-6

4. Copy Segment 12-8

5. Cut Segment 12-13

6. Paste Segment 12-15

7. Erase Track 12-18

8. Bounce Track 12-19

9. Punch-in 12-21

0. Special Functions 12-23

SONG

1. Step Edit 12-31

2. Rename Song 12-34

3. Erase Song 12-35

4. Copy Song 12-37

5. Cut Song 12-39

6. Paste Song 12-40

CONTENTS

13-EPILOGUE

Glossary 13-3 MIDI Charts 13-20 Transposition Charts 13-22 Error Codes 13-24 Troubleshooting 13-26 Warranty 13-33 Registration Card 13-35

1-GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

INTRODUCTION 1-3 CONNECTION 1-5

INSTRUCTIONS SAMPLING BASICS 1-7 DEFINITIONS 1-10

ADDITIONAL 1-14 DEFINITIONS

CHARACTER CHARTS 1-18

1-2

This is the reference manual for the Emulator Three Digital Sound Production System. It contains detailed information on all aspects of the EIII's operation.

If you are totally unfamiliar with samplers and synthesizers in general, you may need more information than this manual provides. We suggest that you read some of the many books and magazines on the subject of music synthesis in order to learn the basics while you are learning about the Emulator III. This will help you to get the most out of this extremely powerful instrument.

The functions of the Emulator III are detailed in this manual by their module. Screeen displays and step-by-step instructions are described for all aspects of use and operation. ■ Sidebars are used to highlight important points or to give useful operational tips which might not be readily apparent. A glossary at the end of this section provides a reference for unfamiliar terms.

We encourage you to take a moment now to read the E-mu Systems Warranty and to fill out and send in your warranty registration card. By doing so, you are assured of receiving news of all updates and manual revisions.

1-3

INTRODUCTION

1-4 Connection Diagram

EIII CONNECTION INSTRUCTIONS

ConnectingTo a Mixer

■ Stereo: The Emulator III has provisions for a variety of output connection schemes. The most common hookup will probably be for stereo operation. Stereo operation allows the use of the EIII’s panning features and adds another dimension to the sound. Connect the left and right audio out phone jacks to the inputs of your mixer or stereo preamp. The EIII will also drive stereo headphones, which can be plugged directly into the left/stereo output.

■ Mono: If a monophonic amplifier is used, connect the right/mono output to the input of the amplifier. The output level of the EIII is somewhere between instrument and line level. Care should be taken when connecting to an instrument amplifier so that delicate nerve cells in your ears are not damaged.

■ Individual Outputs: There may be times when different equaliza- tion or reverb settings are desired on the various instruments that have been sampled. The EIII has sixteen channel outputs that can be used when individual processing on specific instruments is desired. Inserting a plug into an output channel jack removes that channel from the stereo mix. Zones can be assigned to output channels. Output impedance is 470 Ω.

General Instructions

1-5

Sample In Connection

The sample input jacks can accept any signal level from microphone level to line level. The gain is adjusted with the data slider while in VU/gain mode in the sample module. The levels can be read in the display while in this mode. Input impedance is 10K Ω. If you need to preamplify the signal being sampled, set the sample gain to 00 dB (which is one third of the way up) and use an external, high-quality mic preamp to increase the signal level going into the EIII.

MIDI Connection

The Emulator III provides a MIDI IN, a MIDI OUT, and a MIDI THRU port.

■ The MIDI IN port on the EIII is connected to the MIDI OUT port of an external MIDI controller which could be a keyboard, a sequencer, MIDI drum kit or whatever. Note that the EIII can only respond to information that your controller transmits. If your MIDI keyboard does not have velocity and pressure sensitivity, the EIII will not respond to velocity and pressure.

1-6

■ MIDI OUT can be connected to another MIDI instrument or sequencer. In MIDI OUT mode, only information from the EIII’s keyboard, sequencer or realtime controls will be transmitted, except when overflow mode is selected. Overflow mode allows a second EIII to be connected to the MIDI OUT to allow 32 channel operation. See Preset Definition, 6. MIDI for more details.

■ MIDI THRU simply retransmits any information that is received at the MIDI IN port. Use cords that have been designed specifically for MIDI. While regular 5 pin DIN cords may work, they are not shielded correctly for MIDI use and may cause ground loops between equipment.

Footswitch and Pedal Connection

■ Two control footswitch jacks are provided for performance control of sequencer, arpeggiator, sustain, Xswitch, and preset increment/decrement. The footswitches need not be connected for the unit to operate but they offer exciting control possibilities. Footswitches should be of the momentary-contact type but can be either normally-open or normally-closed.

■ The control pedal is used as a realtime control in the same manner as the wheels. It can be programmably routed to a destination by using the realtime control section of the Preset Definition module. The pedal should be a voltage type (which varies 0-10 volts on the tip of the jack).

SMPTE In and SMPTE Out Connection

■ The SMPTE (clock) In jack allows the Emulator III's sequencer to read SMPTE time code at any of the four standard frame rates (24, 25, 30, 30 df). It also allows an external non-MIDI device such as a drum machine or sequencer to control the tempo of the sequencer or arpeggiator. The Emulator III can receive input clock rates of 24, 48, or 96 pulses-per-quarter-note. The pulses should be at least one millisecond wide and have a level of one to five volts.

■ The SMPTE Out jack allows the Emulator III to generate industry standard SMPTE time code at any of the four frame rates (24, 25, 30, 30df).

RS-422 Connection

The RS-422 connector is a high-speed serial communication port which allows data to be transferred to and from an external computer at a very high rate (500K baud). The connection cable to the external computer will generally be supplied with a software package that you purchase.

SCSI

The SCSI connector is a high-speed parallel interface which is normally used to interface the EIII with external mass storage devices such as hard disks, optical discs, or WORM drives. The SCSI port can also be used to link the EIII with an external computer for extremely fast file transfers. When connecting multiple external devices to the SCSI port, the external devices should be powered up before the Emulator Three. For more information on installation, see Master module, 7. Disk Utilities, 1. Mount Drive, or the manual that accompanies the external device.

110V/220 V Selector

The 110V/220V selector allows the Emulator III to be used in either 110 volt or 220 volt environments at either 50 Hz or 60 Hz. In the USA, 110 volts is the standard. To change the voltage setting, first UNPLUG the unit; then use a flat blade screwdriver to change the setting. WARNING: Operating EIII at the wrong setting will seriously

damage the unit.

AC Power Connection and Fuse

The AC power connector is how the Emulator III gets power. The fuse receptacle is not as obvious. It is located directly over the power receptacle. Before changing or checking a fuse, UNPLUG the power cord. To remove the fuse holder, squeeze the two tabs located on either side of the fuse holder together. The fuse holder will now pop out with its two fuses. The Emulator III uses two 2-amp, 250 volt fastblo mini-fuses. The EIII should not normally blow fuses. If a fuse that has been replaced blows again, do not attempt another replacement. Have the unit serviced!

1-7

SAMPLE

In Out SMPTE

Met

OUTPUTS

2 Pedal

FOOTSWITCH

MIDI

MIX

SCSIRS 422ThruOutIn

13121110987654321RL

1514

1-8

Sampling Basics

SAMPLING BASICS

Each vertical line represents a sample. Each sample takes a "snapshot" of the instantaneous signal level.

Percussive Sample

1 second

DIGITAL SAMPLING. Each vertical line represents a sample. Each sample takes a snapshot of the instantaneous signal level.

Throughout this manual we will use the terms and concepts described and defined below. Read through this section carefully, even if you don’t retain it all. You can refer back periodically as you read through the manual until you understand the basics and definitions.

The Emulator III is conceptually like a tape recorder in that it records sound. However, the recording process is very different since the EIII digitally records into its computer memory.

Computers can accept information only in the form of numbers, so first the EIII converts audio signals into numbers. It does this by examining (sampling) the incoming signal level at your choice of either 44,100 times a second (for maximum fidelity) or 33,100 times

a second (to use less memory), and sequentially records these different levels in memory. Once stored in the EIII’s memory bank, these samples may be played back (in the proper sequence, of course) to reconstruct the original signal. For instance, if a twosecond sound was being sampled at the highest sampling rate, it would require (2 X 44,100) or 88,200 samples to be recorded. As you might imagine, shorter sounds require fewer samples.

Just like tape, a sound can be manipulated once it has been recorded. Playing back the samples in reverse order from which they were stored plays the sound backwards. Playing back the samples at a faster rate than the rate at which they were stored raises the pitch. Playing back at a slower rate lowers the pitch, much like a tape recorder’s variable speed control.

How the Emulator III Organizes Sounds

Sure, you’re anxious to start coaxing wonderful sounds from the instrument—but the following is a necessary part of learning how to play the Emulator III. It is important to understand how the EIII organizes sounds in order to make best use of the instrument in the shortest possible time. Many terms will be introduced now that show up later in the manual.

You can think of the EIII as resembling a collection of soundorganizing modules, all contained within an EIII bank. Pathways indicate how information flows within the EIII. Let’s take a closer look at what makes up this information, and how it is transferred from one section of the instrument to another. We’ll start with individual samples, then work our way through the system.

1-9

The Sample

Sampling any sound in mono or stereo using the Emulator III’s recording capabilities creates a sample, the raw material with which the EIII works. The total available sampling time can be divided up any way you like—one long sample, lots of short samples, a few medium samples, or any combination thereof.

The term sample commonly means two different things:

1) A digital recording of a complete sound, or

2) each snapshot of the sound that makes up the complete sample. Confusing? You bet! In this manual, we’ll assume sample means the complete recorded sound unless indicated otherwise.

You can modify a raw sample in several ways:

■ Transposition: A sample can be transposed up or down in pitch to cover a particular range of the keyboard. By doing this, it is not necessary to record a sample for every key.

■ Digital Processing: Digital processing includes Looping a sample

■

Since wide-range transposition alters the sample’s timbre, it is often necessary to use multiple samples and transpose each one over a small range to give the most realistic sound. This is particularly true with acoustic instruments.

1-10

DEFINITIONS

(allowing even short samples to play indefinitely), Truncating (cutting off unneeded parts of the sound, thus saving memory), and many Special Effects, to name but a few. These functions are very sophisticated and are described later in full.

■ Analog Processing: Just as a standard analog synthesizer includes signal processors (filter, voltage-controlled amplifier, envelope generators, LFO, and so on) to modify the sounds produced by the synth’s oscillators, the Emulator III includes similar modules for modifying raw samples or combinations of samples.

The Zone

A particular range of the keyboard is called a zone. This can include one or more samples. The zone’s boundaries need not be the same as the boundaries of the samples contained in the zone. For example, if one sample covers the range from C1 to Bb1, and a second sample covers the range from C2 to C3, the zone could cover C1 to C3; but F1 to F2, G1 to A2, and so on are also equally acceptable zones.

A zone can be sent to the Analog and Digital Processing modules. The samples (or portions thereof) included in the zone will then be processed as specified in the Analog and Digital Processing module functions.

Every key potentially has two zones (primary and secondary) assigned to it. If a zone is selected which includes previously defined zones, only the parameters that are altered in the new zone will be altered in the previously defined zones. All other parameters will remain as previously specified.

The Preset

As mentioned above, a sample can be assigned to a single note on the keyboard, or transposed polyphonically to cover a wider keyboard range. The process of assigning, and optionally transposing, samples to specific ranges of the keyboard is called making a preset. Making a preset is a three-step process:

1. Create the preset and give it a number and name.

hold up to 100 Presets (00-99).

2. Place samples to different keyboard ranges.

five samples you could assign each sample to cover one octave of the

The bank can

For example, with

Mic or Line

Inputs

Hard

Disk

Floppy

Disk

Drive

EIII BANK

Analog

Processing

Module

Zones can be

applied to any

area of the

keyboard

Central Computer

and Master Control

Preset Definition Module

Sample and Digital Processing Modules

Sample

Pri Pri Pri Pri

Filt.

Cutoff

Sample

Sec

LFO->VCA Arpeg.

ANALOG PROCESSING ZONES

Sample

Vel/Level

Sample

Pan

Sample

Tun i ng

1-11Block Diagram

1-12

keyboard. A sample can be assigned more than once within a given preset, and assigned to more than one preset.

3. Choose from a number of the available options that further define the preset

tially or fully overlap other samples, thus producing doubling effects, or assigning dynamic control to individual samples in a preset. You can modify zone parameters, add arpeggiation, and set up MIDI and analog processing parameters.

. Some examples are: assigning samples to par-

The Bank

The memory bank contains samples, presets, and sequence data. Everything. Consider the bank as the central storehouse for all of the Emulator III’s data. Although the memory is volatile, meaning that the data disappears when you turn off power, all bank data can be saved permanently to either the floppy disk or hard disk drive (described below) to keep a record of your work.

The Internal Drives

A disk drive is a mass-storage memory device that stores banks. The Emulator III has two built-in drives, the floppy drive and hard drive. However, other types of drives, as described below, can connect to the EIII and provide additional storage.

■ Floppy Disk Drive (Drive 0): The floppy disk drive accommodates

3.5", double-sided, double-density (DSDD) floppy disks. The floppy drive has four major applications:

■ Saving Bank Data: The EIII’s volatile bank memory can be saved to floppy disk for more permanent storage. Since the bank memory may exceed the capacity of the floppy disk, it may be necessary to save to more than one disk.

■ Backing up the Hard Disk: The hard disk data can be backed up to floppy disks. If the hard disk is full, it is necessary to save a lot of data—you’ll need about 40 floppy disks to do the job. The EIII has a special backup routine that guides you through the backup process.

■ Restoring the Hard Disk: If for some reason the hard disk fails, you can take your backup floppies and re-construct the hard disk data. As with backing up, the EIII has a special routine that guides you through the restoration process.

■ Distributing New Software: When the E-mu wizards come up with exciting new enhancements, the new software is usually distributed on floppy disk. As described later in the manual, this software can be copied on to the hard disk and made a permanent part of the EIII.

■ Hard Disk Drive (Drive 1): Floppy disks have been used for years

as a mass memory storage unit for samplers. However, a hard disk provides the advantages of much higher memory capacity (over 40 times that of a floppy disk) and far faster access time. In most cases, you can treat the hard disk like a super-floppy. Transferring data to and from the EIII is quite straightforward. However, you cannot remove a hard disk and replace it with another one—the disk is a permanent part of the drive. There are three main cautions involved with hard disks:

■ Hard disks are sensitive to extreme mechanical shocks. If your EIII falls off a keyboard stand, chances are the hard disk will be damaged.

■ Make sure power is not interrupted when you write data to the hard disk.

■ Hard disks have reached a very high level of reliability. However, they can fail from time to time (as can any part of a computer), so any data should be backed up periodically and regularly on some other medium.

External Drives 2-7 (User Assigned Systems)

The EIII includes a SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) connector on the rear panel. This interface is commonly used in the computer industry, so many devices made to work with computers—particularly mass storage devices—will also work with the EIII. Here are some of the types of mass storage devices that can now, or will soon be able to plug into the EIII’s SCSI connector.

■ CD-ROM Drive: A CD-ROM is a playback-only (data cannot be written to it) mass storage memory device whose capacity is approximately 16 times greater than the Emulator III’s internal hard disk (660 Megabytes instead of 40 Megabytes). Companies such as Optical Media International produce CD-ROM disks that hold a variety of high-quality digitized samples and sound effects. These can be loaded into the bank as easily as you would load from a floppy or hard disk.

■ WORM Drive: WORM stands for “Write Once, Read Many.” This is like a CD-ROM, however, you get one shot at writing data to it, after which that data is permanently stored in the WORM drive. After writing, the WORM drive becomes a read-only device.

■ External Hard Disk Drives: If more memory is required, addi- tional hard disk drives can connect to the SCSI port.

1-13

1-14

ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS

The Primary and Secondary Sample

An Emulator III key provides for two channels. These contain the primary and secondary samples. For example, the primary sample might be a guitar note and the secondary sample a detuned version of the same guitar note. When played together, you hear chorusing. Also, a preset contains information about how the keyboard dynamics affect the primary and secondary samples. As an example, the primary sample could be that of a drum hit played softly, and the secondary of a drum hit played loudly. Thus, playing the keyboard softly would play the primary sample, and playing the keyboard more forcefully would play the secondary sample.

The Current Preset

When you load a bank, a preset will be ready to play and the display will show the preset number. This is the current preset. If you select another preset, or create a preset, that will become the current preset.

■

If a module is already active, and you are finished with one submodule, you do not need to re-activate the module—just key in the new submodule number.

The Current Sample

When recording a sample, you will need to specify the sample number and name into which the sound should be recorded. This is called the current sample.

Modules

A module controls a particular set of functions in the Emulator III. There are six main modules : Master, Preset Management, Preset Definition, Sample, Digital Processing, and Analog Processing. The sequencer is made up of: Management, Setup, Edit, and Mode. The large module to the left of the sequencer is the Control Panel. This provides several controls, many of which are designed to select options when working with the main or sequencer modules.

■ Activating a Module and the Module Identifier: To work with a module, you must first activate it. Press the button associated with the desired module. The display will then show the Module Identifier and invite you to select a submodule.

■ Submodule: Each module contains several numbered submodules that set controls for additional functions. There are two ways to select a submodule within the module. You can move the data slider until the display shows the desired submodule, then press ENTER. As you work with the EIII, though, you will start to memorize the submodule numbers and will probably find it faster to simply key in the appropriate submodule number using the numeric keypad.

When using the keypad, it is not necessary to press ENTER. Pressing the module button will cancel the operation.

Velocity-Sensitive Keyboard

A velocity-sensitive keyboard measures how long it takes for a key to go from the key up to key down position, and uses this data to control dynamics. If it takes a long time for the key to reach the key down position, it is assumed you are playing that key less forcefully (minimum dynamics). If the key goes to the key down position almost instantaneously, it is assumed that you are playing the key more forcefully (maximum dynamics). In this manual, we will refer to playing the keyboard harder or softer, even though technically speaking the keyboard is reacting to speed of key position change, not force.

Pressure-Sensitive Keyboard

A pressure-sensitive (also called aftertouch) keyboard responds to the pressure applied to a key after it is down. This pressure data typically controls vibrato amount, pitch-bending, volume, and/or other elements that add expressiveness to a part.

Saving

The bank only retains data for as long as the Emulator III is plugged in and turned on. Of course, we don’t expect you to leave the thing on all the time, which brings us to the subject of saving data.

Pressing the SAVE BANK button on the Control Panel shuttles all the bank data (samples, presets, and sequences) to the drive of your choice (usually the internal hard disk). The hard disk permanently stores data (well, at least as long as the disk lasts) so that even after turning off the Emulator III, the disk will contain a record of your work. Data can also be saved to floppy disks.

IF YOU DO NOT SAVE A BANK, ALL BANK DATA WILL BE LOST WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE MACHINE . Do not wait until the end

of a session to save. Save your work periodically in case of power failure or some other unforeseen circumstance that might erase the bank’s memory. Hard disks are not infallible. All hard disk banks should be backed up periodically on floppy disk. Should you improve the preset, sample, or sequence later, you can always replace the original with the revised version. And if something goes wrong, the original will still be available to save you the ordeal of starting from scratch. Individual presets, and the samples they contain, can also be saved to disk. Whenever you have done enough work on a preset, sample, or sequence that you would hate to lose it, back it up!

Since the disk (hard or floppy) contains a record of the bank data,

1-15

1-16

loading the disk back into the bank transfers all the sample, preset, and sequencer data into the bank. This will replace the existing bank data, if any.

The Channel Outputs

The Emulator III assigns the sounds you play to the various output channels. For example, when you play a key, that key’s sound is assigned to output channel one. If you hold this key and play another key, the new key’s sound will be assigned to output channel two. The EIII includes sixteen channels. You can play up to sixteen sounds simultaneously. Each channel has its own output jack, and there are also stereo output jacks (use one for mono) that mix the sixteen channels together.

You can change the channel assignments.This process is described in Analog Processing, 9. Output Channels.

Booting

Booting is a computer term that means “having the computer read the software necessary for its operation from the disk.” (It’s easy to see why this was shortened to booting.) The EIII automatically boots itself from the hard disk when you turn it on. Once booted, the instrument is ready to go. If the hard disk is damaged for some reason, the EIII can be booted from a suitable floppy disk.

Default

A default setting is what we’ve judged to be a useful initial setting, and remains in effect until you change it. For example, if you create a new preset, the arpeggiator will default to Off. Had it defaulted to the on position, all new presets would be arpeggiated.

The Cursor

The cursor is that small flashing line on the display. It sits under the number or letter that will be altered if you enter data. Entering a new value will overwrite the number or letter above the cursor, whereupon the cursor will move on to the next number or letter (if applicable). If the EIII is expecting a two or three-digit number, in most cases you must enter all the required digits even if some of these are zeroes (called leading zeroes). For example, if the EIII is expecting a three-digit number and you want to enter 8, you would enter

008. If it is expecting a single-digit number, entering 8 would be sufficient.

Data Slider & Increment/Decrement Buttons

In virtually all instances where the data slider selects options, the Increment +/YES/ON and Decrement -/NO/OFF switches duplicate the slider. Press +/YES/ON to increase a value, or -/NO/OFF

to decrease.

Selecting

When the instructions say to select an option, you can use whatever method is most comfortable for you: the data slider, the Increment/ Decrement buttons, the numeric keypad (if applicable) and, when naming, the keyboard keys. Some functions do not implement all these options; you can’t go wrong by trying, though. If a function doesn’t respond to the numeric keypad, for instance, then pressing the keypad will have no effect. Use the data slider or the Inc/Dec buttons instead.

The Big Re-Cap

One more time: A sample is a raw sound that is recorded into the bank. The sample can be processed or otherwise modified.

To create a new preset, make sure you have all the samples required for the preset in the bank, number and name a preset, then assign combinations of samples from the bank to specific sections of the keyboard. By specifying one or more of these samples (or portions thereof) as a zone, the zone may then be processed by the EIII’s analog and digital signal processors.

After arranging a bank , it can be saved to one or more drives. Usually this will be the internal hard drive or floppy drive.

Since loading from a floppy or hard disk fills the bank with samples and presets, you can group these samples into new presets, process the samples contained in particular zones, or alter existing presets.

1-17

1-18 Keyboard Characters

■

The shaded area represents the five octave keyboard on the Emulator III.

[

{

}

;

]

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B Pitch

1-19Available Characters

-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

blank

'()*+,-./012 3456789: ;< >= ?@ABCDEFGH I J

KLMNOPQRSTUV

WXYZ[¥]^_`ab

cdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz

{|}

"!#$%&

Octave No.

AVAILABLE CHARACTERS. Banks, drives, samples, presets, segments, and songs can be named or renamed using these characters. Select the characters using the ten key pad, data slider, and keyboard. You can also use the up cursor to insert spaces and the down cursor to delete spaces. Shaded characters are only available using the data slider.

1-20

3-MASTER

1. MASTER TUNE 3-2

2. RENAME BANK 3-3

3. ERASE BANK 3-4

4. SUPERMODE 3-5

5. AUDIO TRIGGER 3-7

6. MEMORY 3-9 AVAILABLE

7. DISK UTILITIES 3-10

0. Change SCSI ID# 3-11

1. Mount Drives 3-11

2. Rename Drive 3-12

3. Erase Disk Bank 3-12

4. Copy Software 3-13

5. Lock Bank and Drive 3-14

6. Disk Status 3-15

7. Format Disk 3-16

8. Backup and Restore 3-17

9. Erase Software 3-20

8. SPECIAL 3-22

1. Audition Key 3-23

2. Disable Outputs 3-23

3. Recalibrate 3-24

4. Footswitch Polarity 3-25

5. Dynamic Allocation 3-26

6. Software Version 3-26

7. MIDI Globals 3-27

8. Volume Pedal Global 3-28

9. MIDI Load Bank 3-29

3-2

Master Tune

1. MASTER TUNE

Master Tune adjusts the tuning of all the samples in the current bank, so that you can tune the Emulator III to other instruments.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 1.

3. Select the desired tuning offset.

semitone below concert pitch) to +100 (one semitone above concert pitch).

This is variable from -100 (one

MASTER TUNE

Offset: + 0.0 cents Select Tuning Offset

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

2. RENAME BANK

This submodule allows you to rename any bank.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 2.

3. Rename the bank.

left and right cursor buttons. Select the desired characters by using the ten key pad, data slider and keyboard. You can also use the up cursor to insert spaces and the down cursor to delete spaces.

B01 Current Bank

[0-9]/Slider/Keyboard

Choose the characters to be changed with the

RENAME BANK

Rename Bank

■

Use the data slider to access the full character set. The keyboard does not have enough keys to access all available characters.

3-3

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier

The EIII will return to the

3-4

Erase Bank

3. ERASE BANK

Erasing a bank erases ALL the memory in the Emulator III, which includes all samples, presets, and sequences.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 3.

■

After erasing the bank, the EIII will automatically create an empty preset for you.

3. Decide if you really want to erase the bank.

inform you that you are about to erase all samples, presets, and sequences in the current bank.

The display will

ERASE BANK Erases All Presets, Samples & Sequences!

Are You Sure? Y/N

4. Press Yes to erase the bank or No to cancel the operation.

either case, the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

Supermode is a wonderful MIDI function that maps data occurring on a specific MIDI channel to a specific preset within the bank. This is similar to MIDI’s standard Omni Off/Mono mode but much more flexible, since each channel will not only be directed to its own preset, but can contain polyphonic note data as well. Supermode allows up to 16 individual presets to be addressed and play simultaneously over MIDI.

When used in conjunction with Supermode, the internal sequencer built into the EIII is capable of simultaneously recording data received on multiple MIDI channels and routing the data received on each individual MIDI channel to a separate sequencer track. For more information, refer to the Sequencer section.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 4.

3-5Supermode

4. SUPERMODE

■

Enable Supermode by pressing the Supermode button located in the Controls section.

3. Select a MIDI channel.

the EIII displays the currently mapped preset on line three.

As you scroll through the MIDI channels,

SUPERMODE MIDI Channel: 01 P00 Mapped Preset

Select a Channel

4. Move the cursor to line three and select a preset.

default to the first non-empty preset, if the previous mapped preset was empty.

The EIII will

SUPERMODE MIDI Channel: 01 P01 Current Preset

Select a Preset

5. Move the cursor to line two and repeat steps 3 and 4 to map additional MIDI channels.

■

Even in Supermode, the total number of voices sounding on all channels cannot exceed

16.

■

Only one set of Supermode preset assignment parameters can be stored in each bank.

3-6

SUPERMODE

MIDI Channel 1 MIDI Channel 2 MIDI Channel 3

MIDI Channel 15 MIDI Channel 16

Preset 20 Preset 01 Preset 12

Preset 02 Preset 10

MIDI

Supermode

6. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

In addition, Supermode preset assignments can be changed in realtime over MIDI. For preset changes to occur, Supermode must be enabled by pressing the Supermode button. (Its associated LED will light, and remain lit until Supermode is disabled.)

Also, you must set preset change parameters to On for the current preset in the Preset Definition module, 6. MIDI, as shown on line three of that window:

The EIII will return to the

MIDI Send Preset Chg: on Recv Preset Chg: on Send Start/Stop: on

■ To Execute a Supermode Preset Change Over MIDI:

1. Send the preset change command on the MIDI channel that the desired change is to occur upon.

5. AUDIO TRIGGER

The Audio Trigger function allows the Emulator III to be triggered from an audio source or directly from electronic drum pads. Applications include replacing sounds recorded on tape with sampled sounds, using the EIII as a fast, 16-bit drum set with two pads, or perhaps as a high-fidelity, sonically triggered burglar alarm.

In the Audio Trigger mode, the sample inputs function as the trigger inputs. Standard (Simmons-type) electronic drum pads work well as trigger sources, as do acoustic drums recorded on tape. Use the sample input slider to adjust the level. A microphone serves well to help learn the operation of the various functions.

1. Activate Master module.

Audio Trigger

■

Audio Trigger assignments and parameters are stored for each individual bank. They also affect the current preset.

3-7

2. Select Submodule 5.

the following parameters:

There are two pages. The first page shows

AUDIO TRIGGER:Both Threshold: | Left: Off | Right: C#1 |||||||||

3. Select page two by pressing the right cursor button.

display shows:

The

AUDIO TRIGGER Duration: 999ms Capture Time: 20ms Recovery Time: 5ms

4. Use the cursor buttons to select one of the following parameters to edit:

■ Audio Trigger: Allows you to select whether you are viewing and editing the trigger parameters for the left, right, or both channels.

■ Threshold: This is the level at which a sound is triggered. The trigger threshold should be set at a point high enough so that the background noise does not trigger the sound and low enough so that

___________________________

3-8

Audio Trigger

Noise Floor

Capture Time

Trigger Threshold

Percussion Transient

Recovery

Time

Note Duration

AUDIO TRIGGER FUNCTIONS. This chart displays trigger threshold, capture and recovery times and the note duration of a percussion transient.

■

Experiment with the Gate/ Trigger Keyboard modes (Analog Processing, 7. Keyboard Mode) and/or the VCA Envelope generator (Analog Processing, 2.VCA) for best triggering results, and also for special effects.

the sound will trigger accurately. It should be noted that the trigger threshold “rides” the noise floor. The EIII constantly measures the noise floor and keeps track of the minimum value. The minimum value is reset after every trigger.

■ Left: This allows you to set the keyboard note to be triggered by the left input. The VU meter shows the relative input level as controlled by the sample input slider.

■ Right: This allows you to set the keyboard note to be triggered by the right input. The VU meter shows the relative input level as controlled by the sample input slider.

■ Duration: The note duration is the time between note on and note off. If you were playing the keyboard, this would be the amount of time that you held the note. This also affects the MIDI OUT note duration. Re-triggering the input will cause an immediate note off to occur.

■ Capture Time: This is the amount of time that the EIII will analyze

■

When a sound is re-triggered using the Audio Trigger function, each new trigger will cause the sound to be played on a new output channel. This may cause the sounds to overlap and may not always be desirable. To re-trigger the same channel, assign the selected key to only one output channel in Analog Processing,

9. Output Channels.

the trigger input signal to determine the maximum level that is used to determine velocity.This should be kept at a minimum to avoid unnecessary delay. Since this function does delay the trigger, it should be set to 0ms if velocity is not being routed to any analog parameters as set in Analog Processing, 6.Velocity To.

■ Recovery Time: This is the time period which must elapse before the EIII will allow re-triggering of the sound.

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

The EIII will return to the

Module Identifier.

6. MEMORY AVAILABLE

Memory Available shows how much of each type of memory is available, both as a percentage of available memory and as memory units. For example, if you have used up 90.0% of the available preset memory, the display will show that there is 10.0% preset memory remaining. This is equivalent to 5,555 memory units.

MEMORY AVAILABLE (EMPTY BANK)

Preset Sample Sequence 4 Mbyte 8 Mbyte

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 6.

55,554 2,092,032 523,008

55,554 4,189,184 1,047,296

Memory Available

3-9

3. Observe the display.

of preset memory available. Line three shows the percentage and amount of sample memory available. Line four shows the number of sequencer events available.

Line two shows the percentage and amount

MEMORY AVAILABLE Preset: 99.7% 55512 Sample: 100% 2092032 Seq Events: 523008

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

■

The EIII uses the same block of memory for samples as it does for sequences. Creating samples will eat up sequence events and vice versa. The ratio is four sample words for each sequence event.

3-10

Disk Utilities

7. DISK UTILITIES

Disk Utilities include several additional numbered sub-sections. Here are brief descriptions of each sub-section. More extensive descriptions follow.

■ 0. EIII SCSI ID#: Allows you to change the EIII's SCSI ID number.

■ 1. Mount Drives: Instructs the Emulator III to check the SCSI bus

for the presence of SCSI devices.

■ 2. Rename Drive: Changes the name of a particular drive.

■ 3. Erase Disk Bank: Erases a bank from any of the available hard

drives.

■ 4. Copy Software: Allows you to update and make new copies of the operating software supplied on a floppy disk by E-mu Systems or your authorized dealer.

■ 5. Lock Bank and Drive: Prevents a specific bank and/or drive from being overwritten.

■ 6. Disk Status: For a hard disk drive, this function displays the amount of space that is available, and if the drive is locked or not. For floppy disks this function indicates if it is a software disk, the name and number of a bank disk, and if the disk is blank.

■ 7. Format Disk: Initializes a floppy disk, or the hard drive, to store Emulator III data.

■ 8. Backup and Restore: Although E-mu has taken every precau- tion to ensure reliable components, hard disk drives can fail from time to time. This function allows you to backup the hard disk contents on to multiple floppy disks, and if necessary, re-construct

■

All external SCSI devices should be turned on before the Emulator Three.

the hard disk from the data on those floppies.

■ 9. Erase Software: Erases the operating software from any of the available hard disk drives.

■ To Access Any of the Disk Utilities:

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 7.

3. Select the desired disk utility within Submodule 7.

■

0. CHANGE SCSI ID#

This utility allows you to change the SCSI ID number of the EIII (not it's internal hard disk) or the HD300 in the event that they conflict with a device on the SCSI bus having the same ID number.

The SCSI interface, located as a 25-pin connector on the back panel, allows the EIII to communicate with external storage devices. The EIII can support seven SCSI devices (including it's internal HD). Each device on the SCSI bus has it’s own ID number so that it can distinguish its data from data meant for other SCSI devices. If a SCSI device is added to your system which has the same ID number as an existing device, a SCSI error would occur. To remedy this situation, the ID number on the new device will have to be changed. Consult the operation manual of the external device for information on changing the SCSI ID number.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 0. Change SCSI ID# (7/0).

3. Select a SCSI Device (either the EIII or the HD300).

4. Select the new SCSI ID number.

3-11Disk Utilities

CHANGE SCSI ID#

Device Type: EIII

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

choice to the System and return to the Module Identifier.

■

1. Mount Drives

This utility instructs the EIII to check the SCSI bus for the presence of SCSI devices.

If a SCSI device has been powered up after the Emulator III, it will not appear in the list of available devices. The Mount Drives utility tells the EIII to check the SCSI bus and to add any SCSI devices that it finds to its list of available SCSI devices. Normally, if the external devices are powered up before the EIII, this will be done automatically.

The EIII will save your

■

Use the "Mount Drives" utility whenever an external SCSI device does not appear on the list of available devices.

3-12

Disk Utilities

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 1. Mount Drives (7/1).

3. The Emulator III will mount the drives, then return to the Module Identifier.

■

2. Rename Drive

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 2. Rename Drive (7/2).

3. Select an installed drive, then press ENTER.

RENAME DRIVE

D01 Current Drive

Select a Drive

4. Rename the drive.

left and right cursor buttons. Select the desired characters by using the ten key pad, data slider and keyboard. You can also use the up cursor to insert spaces and the down cursor to delete spaces.

Choose the characters to be changed with the

RENAME DRIVE

D01 Current Drive

[0-9]/Slider/Kybd

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

3. Erase Disk Bank

With this utility, banks can be erased from any of the available drives.

1. Activate Master module.

The EIII will return to the

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 3. Erase Bank (7/3).

3. If you wish to select a different drive, press the up cursor. If not, proceed to step 5.

4. Select the drive containing the bank to be erased, then press ENTER.

ERASE DISK BANK

D1 Internal HD

Select a Drive

5. Select the bank to be erased, then press ENTER.

ERASE DISK BANK D1 Internal HD B00 Current Bank

Select a Bank

Disk Utilities

■

The display will advise you if you try to erase a bank or drive that is locked. Unlock the bank and/or drive before proceeding.

3-13

6. Decide if in fact you want to erase the selected bank.

display will ask if you’re sure.

7. Press Yes to erase the bank or No to cancel the operation.

either case, the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

■

4. Copy Software

From time to time, E-mu engineers devise new operating system software intended to enhance or add new features to the EIII’s existing capabilities. This software is distributed on a floppy disk. Software should be copied over to the hard disk so that the new system will automatically load whenever you turn on the EIII. The system software should be resident on only one hard disk drive in your equipment setup. If you do not install new software on the hard disk you will have to load it from the floppy disk each time you power up the machine. Each version of the operating system is numbered, and is indicated when you select 8. Special, 6. Software Version (8/6). Copying software on to the hard disk will not change any other data like samples, presets, and sequences. It is a good idea to keep at least two backup copies of the system software on floppy disk.

The

■

If the disk you are copying to is an un-formatted floppy, you will be asked if you wish to format the disk. Press Yes to format the floppy disk, or insert a formatted disk and press No.

■

It is also possible to copy the system software from the hard disk back to a floppy, although sounds and software cannot coexist on a floppy.

3-14

Disk Utilities

■

If there is not enough sample memory left to accomodate the new software, the display will ask if you want to erase the bank. Press Yes to erase the bank and continue loading software from the drive. Press No to cancel the operation so that you can save the bank first, before copying the new software.

■

If you copied new software to the boot drive, now is a good time to power the Emulator III off and on.

Hard Disk Drive

w/software

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 4. Copy Software (7/4).

3. Select the drive containing the new software and press ENTER.

ENTER, the display will inform you that the new software is being loaded.

Usually this will be the floppy drive. After pressing

COPY SOFTWARE from

D0 Floppy Drive

Select a Drive

4. Select the destination drive for the new software and press ENTER.

drive. After pressing ENTER, the software will be copied and the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

Typically, this will be the Emulator III’s internal hard disk

COPY SOFTWARE into D0 Floppy Drive D1 Internal Drive

Select a Drive

After copying new software from a floppy disk to the internal hard disk drive, it is a good idea to

save the software from the internal hard disk back to a floppy disk.

Hard Disk Drive

No software

Floppy

Software

This process will save the EIII’s calibrations as well as the software on the floppy disk. The calibrations include important information pertaining to the panel controls and individual channel

trims.

■

5. Lock Bank and Drive

If you don’t want to risk curious hands unintentionally erasing a bank or drive, here’s a safeguard. A complete drive or any bank within that drive can be locked against inadvertent erasure or tampering, and subsequently unlocked as needed.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 5. Lock Bank/Drive (7/5).

3. If you want to lock a drive or change the current drive, press the up cursor button. If not, go on to step 6.

the current drive and its lock status, whether on or off.

The display will show

LOCK DRIVE: off D1 Current Drive

Select a Drive

4. Select the drive to be locked or unlocked, then press ENTER.

Disk Utilities

3-15

5. Select whether lock is on or off, then press ENTER.

6. Select the bank to be locked or unlocked, then press ENTER.

The display will show the current bank and its lock status, whether on or off.

LOCK BANK: off D1 Selected Drive B00 Current Bank

Select a Bank

7. Select whether lock is on or off, then press ENTER.

will return to the Module Identifier.

■

6. Disk Status

This function displays the amount of space that is available on a hard disk drive and if the drive is locked or not. For floppy disks, this function indicates if it is a software disk, the name and number of a bank disk, or if the disk is blank.

The EIII

■

This function will not let you lock a floppy disk. To lock a floppy, open the write-protect window on the disk.

3-16

Disk Utilities

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 6. Disk Status (7/6).

3. Select a drive, then press ENTER.

insert a disk before pressing ENTER.

If selecting the floppy drive,

DISK STATUS

D1 Internal HD

Select a Drive

4. One of the following displays will appear:

DISK STATUS D1 Internal HD Avail: 20.7% 8.49Mb 88 Banks Unlocked

DISK STATUS D0 Floppy Drive Software: v1.00 Software Floppy Disk

DISK STATUS D0 Floppy Drive

Piano Bank

Disk 4 of 8

DISK STATUS D0 Floppy Drive

Floppy Disk is Blank

To select another disk, press ENTER and return to step 3.

Disk Utilities

3-17

6. Press the Master button to exit the submodule.

return to the Module Identifier.

■

7. Format Disk

Before a new floppy disk or hard disk can record or store any data, it first must be told how to record this data. This is called formatting. The floppy disk formatting procedure should be run on any new disk, or on recycled disks previously used with other systems (such as home computers), since these will not be formatted correctly for the Emulator III.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 7. Format Disk (7/7).

3. Select the drive to be formatted and press ENTER.

default to the floppy drive.

The EIII will

FORMAT DISK

D0 Floppy Drive

Select a Drive

■

Use only 3.5 inch DSDD (double-sided, double-density) disks. Avoid bargain disks. To save money, consider purchasing disks in large quantities.

■

Formatting a floppy disk will not erase the bank currently in memory.

4. Consider the implications of your action.

or hard disk erases all information on that disk completely. The display will inquire if in fact you want to do this.

Formatting a floppy

FORMAT DISK

D0 Floppy Drive

Are You Sure? Y/N

5. Press Yes to continue the formatting procedure or No to cancel the operation and return to the Module Identifier.

6. If in step 3 you selected the floppy drive, insert a floppy disk, and press ENTER.

Formatting takes about 20 seconds.

3-18

Disk Utilities

■

The recommended type of R/W Optical drive for the EIII uses the Sony type cartridge. Brand names include Sony, Pinnacle, PLI, and Alphatronics to name a few.

7. After formatting a floppy disk, format another, if desired.

The

display will ask if you want to format another floppy. To do this, press Yes, remove the current disk, insert a new disk, and press ENTER. Otherwise, press No to cancel the operation and return to the Module Identifier.

FORMATTING HARD DISKS

This works exactly like formatting a floppy disk except when the display asks you to "Select a Drive", you should select the hard disk instead of the floppy. If the hard disk is not listed, use Disk Utilities 1, to Mount Drive. The hard disk drive should now be listed. Formatting a hard drive takes about 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the HD.

R/W OPTICAL DISKS

Read/Write Optical disks are formatted in the same way as a hard disk. Use optical disk cartidges with 512 bytes/sector rather than the 1024 byte/sector type. New optical disk cartidges usually come with the "low level" formatting already in place. If so, the disk will format normally. If this low level formatting has not been performed, the EIII will interrupt the formatting process and show a "SCSI Hardware Error". If this happens, follow the procedure for Low Level formatting on the next page, then format the disk in the normal way.

Note: Optical disks always verify the data as it is written and so do not require the long verify process that occurs after formatting has been completed. You can save hours of time by ejecting the cartridge and re-booting the system after the "VERIFYING FORMAT" message appears in the EIII display (about 10 seconds).

HARD DISK INTERLEAVE

The Emulator Three contains an internal list of recognized hard disk drives. The list contains parameter information designed to optimize the interface between the EIII and the drive. The following hard disk drive brands are currently listed:

■ Miniscribe 2:1 interleave

■ Rodime 2:1 interleave

■ Conner 3:1 interleave

■ Seagate 3:1 interleave

■ CDC 1:1 interleave

■ Syquest 1:1 interleave

■ Qume 4:1 interleave

Other hard disk brands will probably also work. If in doubt, the best idea is to try out the drive with the EIII before you buy it. If your brand of hard drive is not listed but works with the EIII, you may be able to optimize its performance even further.

8. There is a hidden menu when the display asks: "Are You

Sure?".

Before choosing Yes or No you may choose one of the following hard disk interleave options:

FORMAT DISK

D1 Internal HD

Are You Sure? Y/N

0--- Uses the EIII's default interleave for the type of HD.

Fast 1--- 1:1 interleave

2--- 2:1 interleave (this is the EIII's default setting) 3--- 3:1 interleave 4--- 4:1 interleave 5--- 5:1 interleave 6--- 6:1 interleave 7--- 7:1 interleave

Slow 8 --- 8:1 interleave

9--- Optical Disk Low Level Formatting

Disk Utilities

3-19

After formatting the HD, measure the time it takes to save a file to the hard disk using the different interleaves. The fastest one wins! The lower the interleave ratio, the faster the hard disk.

Option #9 allows you to perform a low level format on a "virgin" optical platter (of the Sony type only). Most optical disks that you buy will already have this low level formatting, but some don't and will not be recognized by the EIII. This utility allow you to perform the function. This takes about 25 minutes, so don't do it unless absolutely necessary.

3-20

Disk Utilities

■

8. Backup and Restore

This module allows you to backup and restore a portion or the entire contents of the hard disk. This function makes it so easy that you really will have no excuse for not backing up all your hard disk banks. If you'd hate to lose it, BACK IT UP.

There are two ways to back up your sound banks:

■ To Backup to Floppy Disk:

We suggest labeling bank sets numerically. Keep your bank sets organized, and try to backup regularly, at least once a week.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 8. Backup & Restore (7/8).

■

Use only 3.5 inch DSDD (double-sided, double-density) disks. Avoid bargain disks. To save money, consider purchasing disks in large quantities.

■

If the disk you are copying to is an un-formatted floppy, you will be asked if you wish to format the disk. Press Yes to format the floppy disk or insert a formatted disk and then press No.

3. Select the source drive.

contains the data you wish to backup. The display shows:

The source drive is the drive that

BACKUP/RESTORE from

D1 Internal HD

Select a Drive

4. Use the data slider to select the internal hard disk drive and press ENTER.

BACKUP/RESTORE into D1 Internal HD D0 Floppy Drive

Select a Drive

5. Use the data slider to select the destination, D0 Floppy Drive, then press ENTER.

updated banks, which are the banks that have changed since you last backed up. Saving a bank to the hard disk constitutes a change

You now have the option to backup all banks or

If you select all banks, then you may choose from any bank on the hard disk. If you select updated banks, you may choose only from the updated list.

Disk Utilities

3-21

6. Press ENTER after you have selected the Backup mode.

display will say Erases Bank! OK? Y/N. Press Yes if you want to erase the bank, or press No to cancel the operation and return to the Module Identifier.

The

BACKUP/RESTORE from D1 Internal HD D0 Floppy Drive Bank Type: All

If you selected Yes, the display will say Select a Bank and the cursor will flash under the lowest numbered bank.

BACKUP/RESTORE into B01 Stereo Grand

Select a Bank

7. When you have selected a bank to be backed up, press ENTER.

bank.

The display will prompt you to insert the first disk of the

8. Press ENTER after inserting each disk in the drive as directed by the Emulator III.

BACKUP/RESTORE from B01 Stereo Grand to Floppy Drive Insert Disk 1 of 5

3-22

Disk Utilities

■ To Backup to an External Hard Disk: If you have another hard disk drive, you will be able to save even more time when backing up.

1. When the display asks you for the destination drive, select the external hard disk drive, then press ENTER.

BACKUP/RESTORE into D1 Internal HD D2 External HD

Select a Drive

2. Select between Automatic or Interactive backup modes.

BACKUP/RESTORE from D1 Internal HD to D2 External HD Mode: Interactive

■ Automatic Mode : transfers the complete contents of the source hard disk (or just the updated banks) to the destination drive without prompting you at each bank. Existing destination disk banks will be overwritten with the like-numbered source bank files. For example, if you have banks one, three, and five on the internal hard disk, those same banks will be overwritten on the destination drive. The other banks will be left untouched.

BACKUP/RESTORE into D01 Floppy Drive D1 Internal HD Select a Drive

■ Interactive Mode: transfers the complete contents of the source

hard disk drive (or just the updated banks) to the destination drive, but prompts you to select each source and destination bank.

Disk Utilities

3-23

3. Select the backup mode and press ENTER.

inquire if you are sure. Press Yes if you are, and backup will proceed. Press No to cancel the operation and return to the Module Identifier.

■ To Restore: Restore works in exactly the same way as Backup. The only difference is that the source and destination drives are reversed.

■

9. Erase Software

With this function, software can be erased from any of the hard disk drives.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 7. Disk Utilities, 9. Erase Software (7/9).

3. Select the drive containing the software to be erased, then press ENTER.

The display will

ERASE SOFTWARE

D1 Internal HD

Select a Drive

4. Decide if you really want to erase the software.

erase the system, which includes all the calibration and machine variables. The display will ask if you really want to do this.

5. Press Yes to erase the software or No to cancel the operation.

In either case, the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

This will also

3-24

Special

8. SPECIAL

This section contains several additional numbered functions. Here are short descriptions of each sub-module. More extensive descriptions follow.

■ 1. Audition Key: Allows the Emulator III to be played without a keyboard. This is particularly useful for the rack mount EIII.

■ 2. Disable Outputs: If an Emulator III output channel fails, you can locate and disable it with this function.

■ 3. Recalibrate: With this function you can select minimum and maximum values for the data slider,volume slider, left wheel, right wheel, keyboard pressure, and foot pedal. You can also select a center value for the left wheel. If you feel that one or more of the realtime controllers is not operating correctly, or the EIII seems to drift in pitch, it may be time to recalibrate. This procedure should be done periodically since the analog components used in the realtime controls may change over time.

■ 4. Footswitch Polarity: This allows you to use a normally closed or normally open footswitch, and determine which state represents on and which state represents off.

■ 5. Dynamic Allocation: This function bypasses existing zones to output channel assignments, and makes all zones available at all channels.

■ 6. Software Version: States the current version of the operating system software.

■ 7. MIDI Globals: MIDI Global commands override the MIDI settings programmed for each preset in the Preset Definition module and return us to a simpler time when MIDI settings affected all presets.

■ 8. Volume Pedal Global Override: Overrides any footpedal assignments made in Realtime Controls and forces the footpedal to become a volume pedal.

■ 9. MIDI Load Bank: This feature allows a MIDI command to load banks from the hard disk.

■ To Access Any of the Special Functions:

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select Submodule 8 and press ENTER.

3. Select the desired function in Submodule 8 and press ENTER.

■

1. Audition Key

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 1. Audition Key (8/1).

3. Select the pitch to be auditioned.

AUDITION KEY

Pitch: C3 Select a Key & [0-9]

Special

3-25

4. Press a numeric key between 0 and 9.

lower the velocity value. You can press the numeric keys while adjusting the data slider to select different pitches.

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

2. Disable Outputs

In rare situations, an output channel can fail. It may go quietly, or it may produce unwanted sounds. In either case, the individual output channel can be temporarily turned off so as not to cause problems until it can be repaired.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 2. Disable Outputs (8/2).

3. Use the left/right cursor buttons to place the cursor under the channel to be disabled.

small bar graphs of the VCA Envelopes for each of the 16 channels, making it easier to determine the bad channel(s).

As notes are played the display will show

The lower the key, the

The EIII will return to the

DISABLE OUTPUTS

1 5 9 13

---- ---- ---- ----

3-26

Special

4. When the cursor is under the channel to be edited, press Off to disable, or On to enable.

indicated by a small X below the channel number.

If the channel is disabled, it will be

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

3. Recalibrate

With this function you can select minimum and maximum values for the data slider, volume slider, left wheel, right wheel, keyboard pressure, and foot pedal. You can also select a center value for the left wheel. If you feel that one or more of the realtime controllers is not operating correctly, or the EIII seems to drift in pitch, it may be time to recalibrate. This procedure should be done periodically since the analog componants used in the realtime controls may change over time.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 3. Recalibrate (8/3).

3. Select the controller to be recalibrated and press ENTER.

The EIII will return to the

RECALIBRATE 3 Left Wheel Value:

Select a Controller

4. While holding the wheel in position,vary the control to select the minimum desired value, then press ENTER.

RECALIBRATE 3 Left Wheel Min: 0015

Set Minimum Value

5. Vary the control to select the maximum desired value, then press ENTER.

RECALIBRATE 3 Left Wheel Min: 0015 Max:6BE3

Set Maximum Value

6. If you are recalibrating the left wheel, then vary the left wheel to select the center desired value. Press ENTER.

RECALIBRATE 3 Left Wheel Center: 3A34

Set Center Value

7. Vary the control and check the range covered by each control, then press ENTER.

This should be in the range of 0 to 255.

RECALIBRATE 3 Left Wheel Value: 127

Check Value

Special

3-27

8. To save the calibration, press Yes. To cancel the recalibration, press No.

higher-numbered controller to be recalibrated. Upon initiating this step and after reaching the last control to be recalibrated, the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

■

4. Footswitch Polarity

With this function you can choose whether a footswitch’s open or closed state will be interpreted as on by the Emulator III.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 4. Footswitch Polarity (8/4).

3. Select the desired footswitch polarity.

In either case, the display will jump ahead to the next

■

The pitch wheel and volume slider must be “flipped” after recalibration to assume their correct positions.

3-28

Special

■

You must exit the recalibration menu and hit the foot switch twice to see the effect of changing the footswitch polarity.

FOOTSWITCH POLARITY

Footswitch On=Closed

Select Open/Closed

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

5. Dynamic Allocation

This function bypasses existing zone-to-output channel assignments, and makes all zones available at all channels.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 5. Dynamic Allocation (8/5).

3. Select whether dynamic allocation is on or off.

The EIII will return to the

DYNAMIC ALLOCATION

Mode: off

Select on/off

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

6. Software Version

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 6. Software Version (8/6).

The EIII will return to the

SOFTWARE VERSION

3. The display shows the RAM software version.

Special

3-29

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

7. MIDI Globals

MIDI Global commands override the MIDI settings programmed for each preset in the Preset Definition module and return us to a simpler time when MIDI settings affected all presets. When MIDI Globals are On, the MIDI settings for each preset are ignored (except Realtime Controls). When MIDI Globals are turned Off, the MIDI settings for each preset are valid. For explanations of each MIDI parameter refer to the Preset Definition module, 6. MIDI.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 7. MIDI Globals (8/7).

3. Move the cursor to the parameter(s) to be adjusted, and select the desired value(s) with the data slider.

The EIII will return to the

The first page shows:

MIDI GLOBALS: off Basic Channel: 1 MIDI Mode: omni MIDI Overflow: on

4. Select page two by pressing the right cursor button.

second page shows:

MIDI GLOBALS Send Preset Chg: on Recv Preset Chg: on Send Start/Stop: on

5. Select page three by pressing the right cursor button.

third page shows:

The

3-30

Special

MIDI GLOBALS Recv Start/Stop: on Send Clocks Only: on Recv Clocks Only: on

6. Select page four by pressing the right cursor button.

fourth page shows:

The

MIDI GLOBALS

Local Control: on

■

8. Volume Pedal Global Override

This command overrides any footpedal assignments made in the Realtime Control submodule and forces the footpedal to become a volume pedal.With the pedal in the "up" position, the EIII will have no output; With the pedal fully depressed, the level of each zone will be equal to the VCA Level setting as specified in Analog Processing #2. Volume Pedal Global Override can be turned "On" or "Off" (default is Off). This setting is stored as part of the "System Software" and will remain in its setting after the EIII is powered down and rebooted. The Volume Pedal Override allows the VCA levels of each zone to retain their respective level differences in relationship to each other.Volume Pedal Global works both locally and over MIDI. To receive volume pedal data over MIDI, make sure that each preset that is to receive pedal data is set to the same MIDI controller number (as specified in the MIDI submodule, Preset Definition, #6).

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 8. Volume Pedal (8/8)

VOLUME PEDAL

Global Override: off

3. Select whether volume pedal global override is on or off.

3-31

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

■

9. MIDI Load Bank

This feature allows a MIDI command to load banks from the hard disk. The "Magic Preset" is a preset number which tells the EIII that the next preset change command that it receives over MIDI is the bank number to be loaded. Therefore, to load a hard disk bank over MIDI, two program change commands must be sent, the "Magic Preset" and the bank number. For example, if the "Magic Preset" is set at "P85", and the EIII receives a preset change command of 85 followed by a preset change command of 11, the EIII will load bank 11 from the hard disk. If multiple SCSI drives are connected, the EIII will load from the drive most recently accessed. The "Magic Preset" is user definable and can be turned off or set to any preset number from 0 to 99. MIDI Load Bank always works, regardless of MIDI Global or MIDI submodule settings.

1. Activate Master module.

2. Select 8. Special, 9. MIDI Load Bank (8/9).

The EIII will return to the

MIDI LOAD BANK

Magic Preset: Pxx Off

3. Select the Magic Preset or Off to disable MIDI Load Bank.

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

3-32

4-SAMPLE

1. LOAD SAMPLE 4-2

2. RENAME SAMPLE 4-4

3. ERASE SAMPLE 4-5

4. COPY SAMPLE 4-6

5. SETUP 4-7

6. PLACE SAMPLE 4-9

7. ARM SAMPLING 4-11

8. FORCE SAMPLING 4-12

9. MIDI SAMPLE DUMP 4-13

0. SELECT SAMPLE 4-15

4-2 Load Sample

1. LOAD SAMPLE

Samples can be loaded individually from the internal hard disk, or external storage devices.

1. Activate Sample module.

2. Select Submodule 1.

3. If you wish to select a different drive, then press the up cursor button. If not, proceed to step five.

4. Select the drive containing the sample to be loaded, then press ENTER.

LOAD SAMPLE from

D1 Internal HD

Select a Drive

5. Select the bank that contains the sample to be loaded, then press ENTER.

LOAD SAMPLE from D1 Internal HD B00 Current Bank

Select a Bank

6. Select the sample to be loaded, then press ENTER.

scroll through the samples, the display shows the names of the existing samples, whether stereo or mono, sampling rate, and sample length.

As you

LOAD SAMPLE from S00 Current Sample Stereo 44100Hz

3.0secs

7. Select the destination sample number into which the source sample will be loaded, then press ENTER.

an existing sample, you will be asked if you do want to overwrite. Enter Yes to replace the existing sample, No to cancel the operation.

If you try to overwrite

LOAD SAMPLE into S00 Selected Sample S00 Empty Sample

Select Dest Sample

4-3Load Sample

8. If desired, rename the sample.

changed with the left and right cursor buttons. Select the desired characters by using the ten key pad, data slider and keyboard. You can also use the up cursor to insert spaces and the down cursor to delete spaces. (See Sample, 2. Rename Sample.)

9. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

Choose the characters to be

The EIII will return to the

4-4

Rename Sample

2. RENAME SAMPLE

This submodule allows you to rename any sample.

1. Activate Sample module.

2. Select Submodule 2.

3. Scroll through the samples available for renaming, then press ENTER.

S00 Current Sample

RENAME SAMPLE

Select a Sample

■

Use the data slider or Increment/Decrement buttons to access the full character set. The keyboard does not have enough keys to access all available characters.

4. Rename the sample.

the right and left cursor buttons. Select the desired characters by using the ten key pad, data slider and keyboard. You can also use the up cursor to insert spaces and the down cursor to delete spaces.

Choose the characters to be changed with

RENAME SAMPLE

S00 Untitled Sample

[0-9]/Slider/Kybd

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

3. ERASE SAMPLE

Individual samples can be erased from the bank loaded into the Emulator III, and newly created locked samples currently in memory can be erased using this function.

1. Activate Sample module.

2. Select Submodule 3.

3. Select the sample to be erased, then press ENTER.

ERASE SAMPLE

S00 Current Sample

Select a Sample

4. If the sample is stereo, select whether you want to erase the left side, right side, or the entire stereo sample.

4-5Erase Sample

ERASE SAMPLE S00 Selected Sample Side: Stereo

Select L/R/Stereo

5. Decide if you really want to erase the sample.

inquire if you are sure.

6. Press Yes to erase the sample, or No to cancel the operation.

In either case the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

The EIII will

4-6 Copy Sample

4. COPY SAMPLE

Samples can be copied to other sample numbers within the same bank.

1. Activate Sample module.

2. Select Submodule 4.

3. Select the sample to be copied, then press ENTER.

4. Select the destination sample number into which the source sample will be copied, then press ENTER.

an existing sample, you will be asked if you do want to overwrite. Enter Yes to replace the existing sample, or No to cancel the operation.

COPY SAMPLE from

S00 Current Sample

Select Source Sample

If you try to overwrite

COPY SAMPLE to S00 Selected Sample S00 Empty Sample

Select Dest Sample

5. Rename the sample.

6. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

Choose the characters to be changed with

The EIII will return to the

In this submodule, you will prepare the Emulator III for sampling. When sampling, make sure all proper connections have been made. If you are sampling in stereo, plug into the left and right sample input jacks. If you are sampling in mono, plug into either the left or right sample input jack.

Setup

5. SETUP

4-7

1. Activate Sample module.

number shown on the display, you need do nothing except proceed to the next step. To sample into a different sample number, refer to

0. Select Sample.

2. Select Submodule 5.

3. Use the cursor buttons to select one of the following parameters to edit.

Page one displays:

If you want to sample into the sample

SAMPLE SETUP Thresh: | L : O n ||||||| | R: Off |

■ VU Meters: Set the sample level with the sample input slider so that the left and right side meters indicate optimum sampling level. This is defined as the maximum level short of reaching the extreme right side of the display.

■ Thresh: (Threshold) Set the sampling threshold with the data slider. If you arm sampling (7. Arm Sampling) and the signal to be sampled exceeds the threshold, sampling will begin.

■ L: (Left Channel) Line three shows the left input level, record status, and whether on or off. Press On or Off to enable or disable recording into the left channel. When sampling into one channel only, turn off the other channel to conserve memory.

■ R: (Right Channel) Line four shows the right input level, record status, and whether on or off. Press On or Off to enable or disable recording into the left channel. When sampling into one channel only, turn off the other channel to conserve memory.

4. Select page two by pressing the right cursor button.

shows:

Page two

4-8

Setup

■

Line four displays how much sampling time is left in memory. The sample length set on line three cannot exceed this.

SAMPLE SETUP Rate: 44053Hz Length: 100.3secs

120.4secs Available

■ Rate: Choose between 44053 Hz (20 kHz bandwidth, maximum fidelity) or 33333 Hz (15 kHz bandwidth, uses less memory) sample rate.

■ Length: This allows you to select the amount of sampling (recording) time. The maximum available length depends on the amount of memory available and the sampling rate.

5. Select page three by pressing the right cursor.

shows the following parameters:

Page three

SAMPLE SETUP(Auto) Truncate: off Normalize: absolute Placement: 24 Keys

■ Truncate: automatically truncates the start, end, or both start and end as soon as the sample is taken. Selecting Off disables autotuncation.

■ Normalize: increases the amplitude of a sound until the peak amplitude of the loudest sample reaches 100% of full scale. If either Absolute or Relative is selected this is done automatically after the sample is taken. Selecting Off disables auto-normalization. Relative increases the amplitude of stereo samples until the peak sample of either the left or right sample reaches 100% of full level. The relative amplitudes of the left or right samples remain intact. Selecting absolute will increase the amplitude of both the left and right samples to full level. When sampling in mono, selecting absolute or relative makes no difference.

■ Placement: selects the transposition range in which new samples will be placed. For example, selecting a range of 24 keys places the next sample over a 24 key range with the original pitch in the center of that range. Selecting white keys places each new sample on the next white key, which is useful for sound effects.

6. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

6. PLACE SAMPLE

Samples in the bank can be placed to cover a particular range of the keyboard. The exact pitch shifting range depends on the sample rate.

Place Sample

4-9

1. Activate Sample module.

sample number and name. If this is not the sample you want to place, refer to Sample, 0. Select Sample.

2. Select Submodule 6.

3. Select whether you want to place the sample to a primary or secondary zone, then press ENTER.

The display will show the current

PLACE SAMPLE

pri

Select pri/sec

4. Select the original pitch of the sample, then press ENTER.

you select notes, the display will show the samples mapped into the preset.

PLACE SAMPLE

pri G1

Select Original Key

5. Select the lowest key of the sample range, then press ENTER.

The display will indicate the preset status (described in step four).

PLACE SAMPLE

pri G1 C1

Select Low Key

4-10

■

Preset templates may be created by assigning empty samples and analog parameters to keyboard locations and then saving the bank.

Place Sample

6. Select the highest key of the sample range, then press ENTER.

The display will indicate the preset status (as described in step four).

PLACE SAMPLE

pri G1 C1 to B1

Select High Key

7. If the display asks overwrite, or N o to return to the Module Identifier.

Yes to overwrite, any previously assigned samples that fall within the just-specified keyboard zone will be de-assigned from that zone.

Overwrite Zone? Overwrite Zone?

Overwrite Zone?

Overwrite Zone? Overwrite Zone?

press Yes to

If you press

7. ARM SAMPLING

Upon initiating this submodule, the Emulator III will begin sampling as soon as the sound to be sampled exceeds the threshold set in Sample, 5. Setup. The EIII will actually capture samples just before the threshold is exceded to preserve the attack portion of the sound (12mS at 44100Hz, 17mS at 31000Hz).

1. Activate Sample module.

Arm Sampling

4-11

2. Select Submodule 7.

sample prior to arming, the first empty sample will be automatically selected. To overwrite an existing sample, erase it first.

3. Play the sound to be sampled.

the threshold set in 5. Setup, the display will indicate that sampling has begun.

4. Terminate sampling.

the end of the sample length set in 5. Setup, or if the EIII runs out of memory. To stop sampling manually, press ENTER. In any case, the display will return to the Module Identifier.

5. Decide if you like the sample.

the sample, re-arm sampling or force sampling and re-sample before de-activating the module. Once you de-activate the module, the sample will be locked against re-sampling. To erase a locked sample, use 3. Erase Sample.

If you did not select a specific empty

When the sound level exceeds

This will occur automatically after reaching

Play the keyboard. If you don't like

■

If the input was clipped during sampling the display will say

Overload

4-12

Force Sampling

8. FORCE SAMPLING

Force Sampling lets you initiate sampling manually as an alternative to threshold-sensitive sampling. This is useful for situations where the signal to be sampled is more or less continuous. Continuous signals greatly complicate the threshold-setting process described in Sample, 5. Setup. Upon initiating this submodule, the Emulator III will begin sampling immediately.

1. Activate Sample module.

■

If the input was clipped during sampling the display will say

Overload

2. Select Submodule 8 when you are ready to begin sampling.

you did not select a specific empty sample prior to force sampling, the first empty sample will be automatically selected. To overwrite an existing sample, erase it first.

3. Wait as the signal is sampled.

4. Terminate sampling.

the end of the sample length (if set in 5. Setup), or if the EIII runs out of memory. To stop sampling manually, press ENTER. In any case, the display will return to the Module Identifier.

5. Decide if you like the sample.

the sample, re-arm sampling or force sampling again and re-sample BEFORE de-activating the module. Once you de-activate the module, the sample will be locked against re-sampling.

This will occur automatically after reaching

Play the keyboard. If you don't like

9. SAMPLE DUMP

Sample Dump allows sample data to be transferred to and from the Emulator Three using the MIDI Sample Dump Standard. The EIII can transmit sample data with a word size of either 14 or 16 bits (Certain instruments such as the SP-1200 require the use of the 14 bit word size). In addition, for instruments that use 14 bits or less, 14 bit mode transmits data 30% faster.

4-13

Before initiating MIDI Sample Dump, make sure that the MIDI cables are properly connected. A single MIDI cable (open-loop) is sufficient but the data transfer will be much faster if two MIDI cables are used (closed-loop). The closed-loop allows the two units to handshake and prevents idle time between each data packet. The cables should be connected between the MIDI In and MIDI Out of both units.

In the Sample Dump Standard and in the EIII, samples are assigned numbers. The EIII sample number and the MIDI sample number remain the same. For example, sample #36 transferred from another device to the EIII will be placed in sample location 36.

When transferring samples to the Emax, the sample location numbers correspond to sample dump MIDI key numbers. For example, a sample placed in location #60 in the EIII, once transmitted, will be placed on MIDI key #60 (middle C) of the Emax. If sample location #36 is chosen as a reception location on the EIII, the EIII will request that the sample placed on MIDI key # 36 (C1) of the Emax be sent.

1. Activate Sample module.

2. Select Submodule 9.

3. Select whether you want to transmit or receive a sample and press ENTER.

EIII

MIDI

Out

Computer

or Sampler

■

A "closed-loop" connection greatly accelerates MIDI data transfer.

MIDI

Out

MIDI

SAMPLE DUMP

Direction: Transmit

Select Direction

4-14

■

Sampling with the EIII and transmitting the data to other samplers can dramatically improve the quality of the other sampler's sounds.

4. Select the word size and press ENTER.

SAMPLE DUMP Direction: Transmit Word Size: 16 Bits

Select 14/16 Bits

5. Select a sample to be transmitted and press ENTER.

selected sample is stereo, the EIII will ask you to select which side is to be transmitted.

If the

SAMPLE DUMP Direction: Transmit S01 Selected Sample

Select a Sample

6. Press ENTER to begin the Sample Dump.

0. SELECT SAMPLE

This submodule selects a sample for placing on the keyboard, or the sample into which a sound will be recorded.

1. Activate Sample module.

2. Select Submodule 0.

Select Sample

4-15

3. Select the desired sample and press ENTER.

through non-empty samples, the display will show the sample number, name, sampling rate, sampling length, how many presets use the sample, and whether the sample is stereo, left, or right. And, as you scroll through the samples, they will be playable on the keyboard. Is that considerate, or what?

As you scroll

SELECT SAMPLE S00 Selected Sample Stereo 44100Hz 10 Presets 120.3secs

4-16

5-PRESET MANAGEMENT

1. LOAD PRESET 5-2

2. RENAME PRESET 5-4

3. ERASE PRESET 5-5

4. COPY PRESET 5-6

5. CREATE PRESET 5-7

6. PRESET SIZE 5-8

7. STACK MODE 5-9

8. VELOCITY SWITCH 5-10 LEVEL

5-2

Load Preset

1. LOAD PRESET

A preset, with its samples, can be loaded from the internal hard disk or external storage devices.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select Submodule 1.

3. If you wish to select a different drive, move the cursor to the drive number. If not, go to step 5.

4. Select the drive containing the preset to be loaded, then press ENTER.

LOAD PRESET from

D1 Internal HD

Select a Drive

5. Select the bank number that contains the preset to be loaded, then press ENTER.

LOAD PRESET from D1 Internal HD B00 Current Bank

Select a Bank

6. Select the preset to be loaded, then press ENTER.

LOAD PRESET from

P00 Current Preset

Select Source Preset

7. Select the destination preset number into which the source preset will be loaded, then press ENTER.

an existing preset, you will be asked if you are sure. Enter Yes to replace the existing sample, or No to cancel the operation.

If you try to overwrite

LOAD PRESET into P00 Selected Preset P00 Empty Preset

Select Dest Preset

8. If desired, rename the preset.

Choose the characters to be

5-3Load Preset

■

If you load a preset that uses samples already present in the bank, new copies of the samples will not be loaded. This technique saves a great deal of memory space. However the samples must be identical, even to the name, otherwise new samples will be loaded.

9. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

5-4

Rename Preset

2. RENAME PRESET

This submodule allows you to rename any preset in the Emulator III's current bank.

■

Use the Data Slider or Increment/Decrement buttons to access the full character set; the keyboard does not have enough keys to access all available characters.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select Submodule 2.

3. Scroll through the presets available for renaming. When the display shows the desired preset, press ENTER.

RENAME PRESET

P00 Current Preset

Select a Preset

4. Rename the preset.

left and right cursor buttons. Select the desired characters by using the ten key pad, data slider, and keyboard. You can also use the up cursor to insert spaces and the down cursor to delete spaces.

Choose the characters to be changed with the

RENAME PRESET

P00 Untitled Preset

[0-9]/Slider/Kybd

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

3. ERASE PRESET

Individual presets, with or without their samples, can be erased from the bank loaded into the Emulator III to free up memory space.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select Submodule 3.

3. Select the preset to be erased, then press ENTER.

Erase Preset

5-5

ERASE PRESET

P00 Current Preset

Select a Preset

4. Press Yes to erase the preset, or No to cancel the operation.

If the preset you are erasing contains samples unique to this preset, you will be asked if you want to Erase Samples Also? Enter Yes to erase the unique samples, or No to erase the preset. In either case the EIII will return to the Module Identifier.

■

Erasing a preset won’t necessarily free up sample memory if the same samples are used in other presets that are not erased.

5-6

Copy Preset

4. COPY PRESET

Presets can be copied to other preset numbers within the same bank. This is useful if you want to create variations on a particular preset.

■

Copying a preset will not make copies of the samples used in the preset.

For example, you may want to alter the MIDI, velocity, or arpeggiator setups, or Analog Processing parameters.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select Submodule 4.

3. Select the preset to be copied, then press ENTER.

4. Select the destination preset number into which the source preset will be copied, then press ENTER.

an existing preset, you will be asked if you want to overwrite. Press Yes to replace the existing sample, or No to cancel the operation.

COPY PRESET from

P00 Current Preset

Select Source Preset

If you try to overwrite

COPY PRESET into P00 Selected Preset P00 Empty Preset

Select Dest Preset

5. If desired, rename the preset.

6. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

Choose the characters to be

The EIII will return to the

5. CREATE PRESET

An empty preset must be initialized by the Emulator III before it can hold samples. This initialization process is called creating a preset.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select Submodule 5.

Create Preset

5-7

3. Select the preset to be created, then press ENTER.

to overwrite an existing preset, you will be asked if you want to overwrite. Enter Yes to replace the existing preset, or No to cancel the operation.

If you try

CREATE PRESET

P00 Empty Preset

Select a Preset

5. If desired, rename the preset.

6. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

Choose the characters to be

The EIII will return to the

5-8

Preset Size

6. PRESET SIZE

■

The percentages of sample memory used may add up to considerably more than 100% if the same samples are used in several presets.

How much bank memory does a preset require? Use this function to find out.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select Submodule 6.

3. Scroll through the preset numbers and select the Preset whose size you want to check.

preset, the third line the amount of preset memory used (both as a percentage of the total bank memory and as an absolute number of bytes), and the fourth line the amount of sample memory used (both as a percentage of the total bank memory and as an absolute number of bytes).

The second line shows the selected

PRESET SIZE P00 Current Preset Preset:3.5% 1962 Sample:27.9% 877020

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

7. STACK MODE

Stack Mode allows you to place multiple presets on each key of the keyboard. In stack mode, the current preset can be linked with another preset. The linked preset can in turn, be linked with another preset and so on until all of the available channels are used up. As an example, suppose you link preset 01 to preset 02 and that preset 02 has previously been linked to preset 08. When preset 01 is played, presets 02 and 08 will play as well. When preset 02 is played, preset 08 will also play. The polyphony of the Emulator III will vary according to the voice architecture of each preset in the stack. If two presets are linked to themselves, forming a loop, those two presets will play in unison up to the 16 channel limit of the EIII.

Stack Mode

5-9

Link to:

P02

Preset 01 Preset 02 Preset 08

1. Select the current preset.

2. Activate Preset Management module.

3. Select submodule 7.

4. Use the data slider to choose the preset (or none) that will be linked to the current preset.

Link to:

P08

STACK MODE

Link to: Pxx No Link

5. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

5-10

Velocity Switch

8. VELOCITY SWITCH LEVEL

The velocity cross-switch function in the Preset Definition module, (5. Crossfade/Switch) allows overlapping samples to be switched according to key velocity. This function sets the velocity at which samples are cross-switched.

1. Activate Preset Management module.

2. Select submodule 8.

3. Use the data slider to select the velocity at which samples will be cross-switched.

Level:64

Velocity values range from one to 127.

VEL SWITCH LEVEL

4. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier.

The EIII will return to the

6-DIGITAL PROCESSING

BACKGROUND 6-2

1. SETUP 6-10

2. LOOP 6-13

3. TRUNCATION 6-16

4. COPY SECTION 6-17

5. CUT SECTION 6-19

6. PASTE SECTION 6-21

7. SAMPLE RATE 6-25 CONVERSION

8. DIGITAL EFFECTS 6-26

1. Digital Tuning 6-26

2. Taper 6-27

3. Gain Change 6-29

4. Reverse Section 6-31

5. Stereo<->Mono 6-32

6. Sample Calculator 6-33

7. Left<->Right 6-33

8. Ping Pong 6-33

9. Digital Delay 6-36

0. Digital Effects 2 6-38

9. UNDO 6-46

0.SELECT SAMPLE 6-48

6-2

Digital Processing

BACKGROUND: ABOUT LOOPING

Sampling is the process of storing sounds in digital memory. Since each individual sample (not the complete sample, but each element of the sample) requires one memory slot, memory requirements increase if you sample long sounds or use high sampling rates.

The Emulator III does not scrimp on memory. It has more than a stock Mac Plus or SE, Amiga, and Atari ST computer put together. But memory capacity is finite. Cost considerations dictate how much memory can be included...which brings us to looping.

■ How Looping Works: Looping is a technique that can extend a sound’s length without using lots of memory. It is based on the fact that many sounds start off with a complex attack transient, then settle down to a comparatively steady sound. Listen carefully to a

Loop

plucked guitar string. The first part of the sound consists of a generally complex mixture of pick noise and several harmonics; after a while, the string decays down to a pretty steady repetitive waveform.

Since the latter part of the waveform is repetitive, there is no need to waste memory sampling several seconds of it. Instead, you can mark off a loop of the repetitive section, and instruct the EIII to play that looped section for as long as the key is held down. After playing to the end of the loop, the EIII will jump back to the beginning of the loop and play through the loop again. This process repeats until you release the key playing back the sample.

■ Looping Saves Memory: Since the loop can repeat indefinitely, any samples that occur past the loop end are unneeded. Therefore, you can truncate those samples, and free up the memory they used.

■ Creating Attack and Decay Characteristics for the Looped Portion: One potential problem is that the loop repeats at the same level.

This is usually acceptable for sustaining instruments (flute, organ, brass, etc.), but is unacceptable for plucked or struck sounds, which decay over time. Fortunately, the Analog Processing module provides a means to shape the attack, sustain, and decay characteristics of a sample. You can create a decay during the looped portion, and simulate pluck or struck sounds.

Digital Processing

6-3

Artificial Decay can be applied to a looped sound.

■ Different Ways of Looping: Another potential problem is that loop beginning and end points must be very carefully chosen for the best sounding loop. If there is a level shift between the beginning and end of the loop, a pop or tick will sound every time the loop jumps from the end of the loop back to the beginning. The Emulator III offers four different ways to overcome this notorious problem:

■ Auto Correlation: The EIII’s computer examines the loop points, and shifts your estimated loop start and end points to provide the best possible loop within the vicinity of the estimated loop points you set.

6-4

Digital Processing

■ Forward/Backward Looping: With this type of loop, the EIII plays to the end of the loop, then reverses direction and plays backward to the beginning of the loop. It then reverses itself and plays forward to the loop end, repeating this process for as long as the key is held down. Forward/backward looping is usually most effective with fairly long loops.

...then replays the marked loop for as long as the key is held down.

First the note

plays to the end

of the loop...

- Size -

Start-

- End

■ Loop Compression: The looped section of the sample can be compressed, which "evens out" any changes in amplitude. Changes in amplitude can cause "breathing" effects, thumping or clicks.

■ Crossfade Looping: The Emulator III fades between the beginning and end of the loop so that as the end fades out, the beginning fades in. This virtually eliminates the clicks and pops that can occur with other types of looping.

Source Data is faded in and out with this data

Loop Start Loop End

CROSSFADE LOOPING. Crossfade Looping takes sound data from around the loop start point and fades it into the sound data around the loop end point so that the data at those loop points is identical.

Digital Processing

6-5

BACKGROUND: CUT, COPY, PASTE, & UNDO

Imagine a printout of a sample. Now imagine that you have a pair of scissors capable of cutting a piece out of that sample (or a copy of that piece if you don’t want to affect the original), as well as a clipboard to neatly hold the cut or copied piece. Now imagine that you can either perfectly insert the clipboard contents at any given point in any sample, or mix the clipboard contents in with any sample, starting at any designated point. The Emulator III can do all this, and all electronically. The EIII also provides Auto Correlation and optional Crossfade functions that result in seamless transitions between the cut, copied, and pasted parts.

■

The clipboard contents are

designated as Sample 00.

Sample 00

CLIPBOARD DATA. The clipboard will retain data until replaced by other data to be copied, cut, or backed up. This occurs with several EIII operations where you want to be able to undo an action that doesn’t work out as anticipated. Since clipboard data stays intact when you call up another sample, data can be cut or copied from one sample and

pasted to another.

■ Undo and Redo: During several Emulator III digital processing operations such as cut, paste, and

6-6

Digital Processing

sample rate conversion, the EIII will automatically back up the sample being processed and store this backup on the system drive. If you do not like the results of the processing, you can call up the Undo function, and restore the original sample from the system drive. (Ah, if only life itself was so simple.) Best of all, the processed sample will now move onto the system drive. Thus, if you decide you liked the processed version better after all, you can actually undo the undo. (Redo.)

■ Insufficient System Drive Memory: The display will inform you if there is not enough memory to back up a sample onto the system drive. You then have two choices: either free up some additional memory by erasing banks on the system drive, or call up the Undo function (Digital Processing, 9. Undo) and disable the backup process. Of course, if backup is disabled, you will not be able to undo an operation.

■ Typical Applications: Typical cut/copy/paste applications would be to splice the beginning of one sample to the end of another,or to mix two samples together to conserve memory. (Do this by copying an entire sample, then pasting it at the beginning of the second sample using the mix option.) You can splice an attack transient on to a synthesizer waveform loop to produce realistic sounds that take up virtually no memory, or take out a pop or click in a sample. Another possibility is for flanging and chorusing. Paste (mix) a sample to itself, offset from the beginning by a few hundred samples or so, to thicken up the sound.

We suggest you practice cut, copy, and paste techniques on a spoken phrase. Samples of political speeches can be particularly amusing when subjected to cut and paste operations.

This submodule lets you select the type of loop, the playback mode,

BACKGROUND: THE SCRUB WHEEL

The Scrub Wheel is an Emulator III function that allows you to use the pitch wheel in many Digital Processing functions to quickly move through a sound, similar in concept to rocking the reels of a reel-to-reel tape recorder. The scrub wheel makes it easy to locate a particular section of a sound because you are able to hear the sound as you move through it.

To use the scrub wheel, move the pitch wheel of the EIII or your MIDI keyboard while in a Digital Processing function such as Truncation or Looping. If the pitch wheel is moved slightly forward, the sound will play slowly through its length. If the wheel is pushed forward all the way, the sound will play through faster. If the wheel is moved backwards (towards you) the sound will play backwards through the sound. The scrub wheel operates like the accelerator on your car: the harder you press it, the faster it goes. The scrub wheel can be calibrated to your own preference in Digital Processing, 1. Setup. If the scrub wheel does not seem to work properly, the left wheel may need recalibration. (Refer to the Recalibration function, located in the Master module, 8. Special, 3. Recalibrate.)

Digital Processing

6-7

FAST

FORWARD

SLOW

STOP

SLOW

REVERSE

FAST

EMULATOR THREE SCRUB WHEEL. Move the wheel slightly to advance slowly through the sound. Move the wheel more to advance quickly through the sound.

6-8

Digital Processing

BACKGROUND: AUTO CORRELATION AND ZERO CROSSING

Auto Correlation

First of all, just what does auto correlation mean? Auto correlation simply means automatic correlation or comparison. The computer analyzes the signal around the loop points you have specified and then moves the end point of the loop until it finds a section of the wave that closely matches the section around the start point. Auto correlation may be used again and again with the computer moving the analysis window slightly each time to try to zero in on the optimum loop.

Zero Crossing

The term zero crossing refers to the point at which the positive slope of a waveform passes through zero. In many digital processing applications, such as splicing and looping, it is useful to locate zero crossings in order to make glitch-free joins and loops. On some signals, however, a simple zero crossing may not be effective because the signal contains excessive noise or low-level, high-frequency harmonics. In these cases, every few samples may cross through zero. By setting a zero crossing threshold, we can ignore low-level zero crossings and wait for the signal to reach a certain level before choosing the next zero-crossing. Zero crossing threshold sets a level that a signal must exceed before the next zero crossing with a positive slope is selected. The selected zero crossing threshold is used in the Auto-Truncate function (Sample, 5. Setup) or whenever you manually select a zero crossing using the cursor keys.

The diagrams on the following page illustrate zero crossing in action. The small x marks the initial position. To move forward through the sound to the next zero crossing, press the right cursor button, as shown in the upper diagram. The EIII will find the first zero crossing on the positive slope after the signal has crossed the designated threshold.

To move backward through the sound to the next zero crossing, as shown in the lower diagram, press the left cursor button. The EIII will find the first zero crossing on the positive slope after the signal has crossed the designated threshold.

Ignored

Zero X Threshold

(Set at -30 dB)

Selected

Slope of

wave

Slope of

wave

Digital Processing

6-9

Ignored

Selected

ZERO CROSSING POINTS. To move forward through the sound to the next zero crossing, press the right cursor. To move backward through the sound to the next zero crossing, press the left cursor. The Emulator III will find the first zero crossing on the positive slope after the signal has crossed the designated threshold.

6-10

1. SETUP

Setup

and set various parameters concerning other Digital Processing functions. For more information, see Background: About Looping ,The Scrub Wheel, and Zero Crossing at the beginning of this section.

1. Activate Digital Processing module.

2. Select Submodule 1.

3. Select the loop type on line two.

SETUP Loop Type: forward Loop in Release: on Reverse Playback:off

Your choices are:

Start-

■ Off: The loop is disabled and the sample plays as recorded.

■ Forward: The sample plays normally

Loop

- Size -

- End

until it reaches the end of the loop. It then jumps back to the start point and replays through the loop. Upon reaching the loop end, it again re-plays the loop. This looping process continues for as long as the key is pressed.

■ Fwd/Bkwd: (Forward/Backward)The

sample plays normally until it reaches the end of the loop. It then plays backward until it reaches the start point, then reverses direction and replays through the loop until it reaches the loop end. At that point, playback reverses direction again. This forward/backward looping action continues for as long as the key is pressed.

6-11Setup

4. Select whether Loop in Release on line three is on or off.

are your choices:

■ Off: Lifting your finger off a key initiates the release phase of the VCA envelope. If Loop in Release is off, the loop will not continue during the release phase. The portion of the sample after the loop will be played during release. The signal may cut off abruptly after you remove your fingers from the keys if the sample has been truncated after the loop.

■ On: With Loop in Release on, the loop will keep playing—even after you lift your finger off the key—for the duration of the VCA release.

5. Select whether Reverse Playback on line four is on or off.

Here are your choices:

■ Off: The sample plays back as recorded.

■ On: The sample is played back in the reverse order in which it was

recorded. For example, a percussive sound, when played backwards, will have an attack time instead of a decay time.

Here

■

If a sample ends in a loop, playing it backwards will repeat the loop. The sample will not play back prior to the loop start.

6. Select page two by pressing the right cursor.

SETUP Scrub Slow: - 0 semi Scrub Fast: + 0 semi Beep Type: orig key

Scrub Slow sets the speed at which the sample will play when the wheel is moved slightly. Scrub Fast sets the speed at which the sample will play when the wheel is moved full forward or backward. If the Scrub Slow setting is set at -12 semitones and the wheel moved slightly forward, the sound would play as if you had hit a key one octave down from the original pitch or at half its original speed. The

6-12

Setup

Scrub Slow and Fast settings allow you to adjust the scrub wheel to your personal preference.

If Beep Type is enabled, you will get an audible indication when the digital processing is done. The second page allows you to select the beep type on line four. Your choices are:

■ Off: no beep

■ Original Key: will play the calculated sound in the original key.

■ Metronome: will buzz the metronome.

7. Select page three by pressing the right cursor.

SETUP

Audition Sample: on Zero X Thresh: -54dB

■

If Audition Key is "Off", pressing a key once selects the primary sample and pressing it again selects the secondary sample.

8. Select whether Audition Sample is on or off.

Sample "Off" allows you to listen to the current preset while working in the Digital Processing module (default is "On"). When Audition Sample is turned "Off", all parameters assigned to the current preset (VCA, VCF, Realtime Controls, etc.), will remain in effect while working in the Digital Processing module. In addition, while in the Select Sample, Cut, Copy,or Paste functions, samples can be selected simply by playing the keyboard.

Caution:

not be able to hear your changes until the proper preset is selected.

9. Use the data slider to select the desired zero crossing threshold.

-30dB will be least sensitive. The selected Zero Crossing Threshold is used in the Auto-Truncate function (Sample, 5. Setup) or whenever you manually select a zero crossing using the cursor keys. If the Auto-Truncate function does not seem to be working well, try adjusting the zero crossing threshold.

10. Press ENTER to exit the submodule.

Module Identifier. This submodule allows you to specify loop start and length points.

If the current sample is not in the current preset, you will

A setting of -96dB will be most sensitive, and a setting of

Turning Audition

The EIII will return to the

If you have a difficult time finding good loop points, the Emulator III can assist you with the Auto Correlation function. If Auto Correlation doesn’t produce acceptable results , the beginning and end of a loop can be Crossfaded to help mask loop discontinuities. For more information, see Background: About Looping at the beginning of this section.

1. Activate Digital Processing module.

2. Select Submodule 2.

Loop

6-13

2. LOOP

LOOP secs samples Start: 1.59 35016 End: 2.43 53599 Size: 0.84 18584

3. Select the values for the start point on line two and the loop size on line four that give the best looping effect, then press ENTER.

size so that the loop automatically falls on positive zero crossing points in the waveform.

The sample size equals the difference in samples between the start and end points. These settings interact in the following ways:

4. The display will inquire if you want to Auto Correlate. Press YES to Auto Correlate, or NO to proceed directly to step six, Compress Loop.

niques to choose optimum loop points. Without Auto Correlation, unless you are proficient with sampling techniques, loops will usually have discontinuities between the splice points that can produce annoying ticks, pops, or other glitches. With Auto Correlation, the Emulator III looks for loop points near

The left and right cursor will change the start point and/or

■ Changing the size will automatically change the end point, so that the difference in samples between the start and end points remains equal to the size.

■ Changing the start point will change the end point to maintain a constant size.

■ Changing the end point changes the size, and the start point remains constant.

Auto Correlation uses artificial intelligence tech-

■

The loop points can be continually adjusted using the scrub wheel or data slider while the sound is playing.

6-14

■

If a sample's loop disappears as soon as you have left the Digital Processing module, check to see if the loop function has been disabled in Analog Procesing, 1. Setup.

Loop

LOOP secs samples Start: 1.59 35016 End: 2.43 53599 Auto Correlate? Y/N

the ones you chose that can be spliced together with minimum discontinuity. Occasionally it will be impossible for either you or the EIII to locate a perfect splice point, but in most cases you’ll find that Auto Correlation, combined with practice and experimentation, can produce very smooth loops.

5. If desired, repeat steps three and four, until the best possible loop results.

and carry on.

6. The display will inquire if you want to Compress the Loop.

When you’re finished looping, press NO in step four

LOOP secs samples Start: 1.59 35016 End: 2.43 53599 Compress Loop? Y/N

Press Yes to Compress, or No to proceed directly to step seven, Crossfade Loop.

yet another way to achieve a smooth sounding loop. Compression "evens out" the changes in level during the loop which are perceived by the listener as amplitude modulation.

7. Select the Crossfade Loop size and type, then press ENTER.

Crossfading means that as one part of the loop fades out, the other fades in. Instead of butt-splicing the end of the loop back to the beginning when forward looping, (or butt-splicing the loop end and start points with forward/backward looping), Crossfade looping smoothly crossfades between the two sounds on either side of the splice. Crossfading virtually eliminates any loop glitches, although there may be level variations instead. These variations are not as noticeable as loop glitches. For more information, see Background: About Looping at the beginning of this section. Your Crossfade looping type choices are:

Compressing just the loop portion of the sound is

E-Mu Emulator III User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual