Ensoniq ASR-10 Rack User Manual

Welcome!

Congratulations and thank you for your purchase of the ENSONIQ ASR-10 Advanced Sampling Recorder, another milestone in digital sampling keyboards. The ASR-10 revolutionizes the way sampling is integrated into a workstation, by including 24-bit dynamic effects processing and allowing the stereo audio input to be monitored, sampled, and resampled through the effects. And only ENSONIQ offers all the expressive control that turns a sampler into a truly musical instrument.

Sampling

The ASR-10 features true stereo Sigma-Delta (one-bit) 64 times oversampling technology with a selectable sample rate of 30kHz or 44.1 kHz. Samples can be recorded from a variety of input sources including: the stereo audio inputs, the optional DI-10 Digital I/O Board (consumer AES/EBU digital interface) or the ASR-10’s own Main Audio Output (for resampling). The ASR10 can sample while the sequencer is playing, and can even sample its own sequencer playback. CD quality output circuitry provides state of the art playback performance. The ASR-10 has all the on-board editing functions you’ll ever need. Autolooping, volume smoothing, gain normalization, and multiple types of crossfading provide complete control over your sampled sounds.

An advanced Time Compression/Expansion function allows you to change the length or tempo of a sample without affecting the pitch, a necessity for dance music or broadcast needs.

Preface

Synthesis Functions

Not only does the ASR-10 provide superb stereo sampling, it is also a full function synthesizer, allowing you to reshape your sampled sounds with maximum flexibility. 31 voice polyphony, multiple filters and envelopes, and a comprehensive modulation matrix gives the ASR-10 the power to manipulate your WaveSamples into many exciting new sounds.

Effects

The ASR-10 incorporates effects processing into a sampler in new and exciting ways — with 50 different 24-bit effect algorithms, the ASR-10 provides a complete arsenal of signal processing and conditioning tools for your use. State-of-the-art Reverbs, Chorusing, Flanging, Phasing, Distortion, Digital Delays, and Speaker Effects, will make your sampled sounds and sequenced music sound totally professional. Signal conditioning effects, like EQ, Compression, and Ducking can be used to process sounds as they are being sampled to get the perfect sound every time.

The ASR-10 offers continuous audio monitoring of the stereo audio inputs on two dedicated Audio Tracks. The audio inputs can be monitored through the effects and if desired, audio input can be sampled through the effects. Audio Tracks also allow live external signals to play through the effects processor, so that you can use the ASR-10’s high quality effects on other instruments in your rig, or allow fellow musicians to plug right in and play — no mixer required! The ASR-10 also has the ability to resample sounds with effects in real time. For example: add reverb to a drum sample, resample it, then reuse the effects processor to further color your music.

Sequencing

The ASR-10 is also a 16-track sequencing workstation with complete mixdown capabilities. You can record and edit your performances with a wealth of creative tools. And only ENSONIQ sequencers allow you to audition your changes to decide which version to keep. This flexible combination of high fidelity sampling and synthesis, versatile effects processing, and sequencing is what makes the ASR-10 unique.

Preface ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Audio Track Recording Capability

Version 2 O.S. adds two tracks of digital audio recording capability to the ASR-10. Audio Tracks can be recorded directly into RAM (RAMTracks™) or directly to a SCSI storage device (hard disk, removable media, etc.) via the optional SP-3 SCSI Interface (DiskTracks™). Now you can combine live performances with MIDI sequenced tracks for full production recording within the ASR-10. Sing, play your guitar, blow your horn — add whatever live performances you wish. Recognizing that you want to get up and running quickly, we strongly recommend that you try the section titled “An Audio Track Tutorial” in Section 18 — Audio Track Applications to get a feel for the Audio Track recording process.

Support for the Optional DI-10 Digital I/O Interface

ASR-10 Version 2 supports the optional DI-10 Digital I/O Interface. When installed, the DI-10 provides direct digital input and output connection to and from the ASR-10 using RCA-type connectors. The Digital Output will provide 44.1 kHz digital output of the Main Out mix when the current effect uses a 44.1 kHz sample rate. The Digital Input can be used for direct digital sampling from an external digital audio source at 44.1 or 48 kHz.

The Digital Input and Output conforms to the S/PDIF standard (Sony/Phillips Digital Interface Format). S/PDIF is a digital audio communication standard for digital hardware devices. Be sure that any digital devices used with the DI-10 conform to this standard. For more information about using the DI-10 Digital I/O Interface, refer to the DI-10 Manual.

Note: If you wish to record the 44.1 kHz digital output of the ASR-10 to a DAT recorder, the DAT

recorder recorders do not record at 44.1 kHz as a copy protection scheme: These DAT recorders will

record the ASR-10’s 44.1 kHz digital output.

must be able to record from its digital input at 44.1 kHz. Some older/consumer DAT

Additional 44.1 kHz Effect Algorithms

The O.S. disk also includes 12 additional effect algorithms, designed exclusively for the ASR-10, that use the 44 .1 kHz system sample rate (note: polyphony is reduced to 23 voices). Audio Tracks recorded at the 44.1 kHz sample rate can be output directly from the ASR-10’s Digital I/O Output jack (which requires the optional DI-10 Digital I/O Interface). For a complete description of all the effect algorithms, see later in this document.

Clean Up and Maintenance

Only clean the exterior of your ASR-10 with a soft, lint-free, dry (or slightly damp) cloth. You can use a slightly dampened cloth (with a mild neutral detergent) to remove stubborn dirt, but make sure that the ASR-10 is thoroughly dry before turning on the power. Never use alcohol, benzene, volatile cleaners, solvents, abrasives, polish or rubbing compounds.

About The Manual

The Musician’s Manual is your guide to unlocking the full power of the ASR-10. At this point, you’re probably anxious to plug in your ASR-10 in and get playing. The rest of this section contains important information about power, grounding, amplification and care of the floppy drive. We recommend that you read through it, and then follow the Tutorial. The Tutorial is designed to provide step-by-step procedures for performing basic operations on the ASR-10.

not

After the initial “I just gotta hear it” phase has passed and you’re ready to utilize the full potential of the ASR-10, please take the time to read through the sections in this manual on sampling, programming, sequencing, effects, and storage. The Musician’s Manual is designed to be used as a reference tool. Both manuals provide valuable information and tips that will speed up the learning process and ensure your maximum enjoyment of this powerful musical instrument.

Thank-you again for choosing ENSONIQ. Enjoy the music!

Preface

iii

Preface ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Power

Insert the line cord into the line receptacle on the back of the ASR-10 (2), next to the power switch (1). Plug the other end of the cable into a grounded AC outlet. The proper voltage for your ASR10 is listed on the Serial Number label on the rear panel. Turn the ASR-10 power on and make sure the display lights up. If not, check your connections and power source.

Power — Polarization and Grounding

Like many modern electrical devices, your ASR-10 has a three-prong power cord with earth ground to ensure safe operation. Some products have power cords with only two prongs and no earth ground. To ensure safe operation, modern products with two-prong power cords have polarized plugs that can only be inserted into an outlet the proper way. Some products, such as older guitar amplifiers, do not have polarized plugs and can be connected to an outlet incorrectly. This may result in dangerous high voltages on the audio connections that could cause you physical harm or damage any properly grounded equipment to which they are connected, such as your ENSONIQ product.

To avoid shock hazards or equipment damage, we recommend the following precautions:

• If you own equipment with two pronged power cords, check to see if they are polarized or non-polarized. You might consider having an Authorized Repair Station change any nonpolarized plugs on your equipment to polarized plugs to avoid future problems.

• Exercise caution when using extension cords or plug adapters. Proper polarization should always be maintained from the outlet to the plug. The use of polarized extension cords and adapters is the easiest way to maintain proper polarity.

• Whenever possible, connect all products with grounded power cords to the same outlet ground. This will ensure a common ground level to prevent equipment damage and minimize hum in the audio output.

AC outlet testers are available from many electronic supply and hardware stores. These can be used to check for proper polarity of outlets and cords.

iv Disk Care

Ground Loops

Sometimes currents flowing through the ground line generate a signal seen by another part of the circuit sharing the same ground. In other words, if there are two identical signal paths within a circuit, they can form a loop which can result in hum and/or noise. If you are using equipment that has 3-prong “grounded” AC power cords, you may suffer from a ground loop resulting from the interconnection of this equipment. The following diagram shows how cascading or “chaining” the output of one 3-prong grounded system into the input of another 3-prong grounded system with a standard unbalanced 2 conductor cord (like a 1/4” guitar cable) can result in a ground loop.

Preface

Unbalanced Output to Unbalanced Input. Single conductor shielded cable

3-Prong "Grounded" System

SIGNAL PATH

(circuit ground)

Earth Ground

Fig. 1 depicts a system interconnection where a ground loop can exist. Fig. 2 depicts a system interconnection where a ground loop does NOT exist. When interconnecting 3-prong grounded systems, you can use signal isolation transformers to prevent ground loops. This coupling transformer effectively isolates two interconnected system signal grounds, while still allowing the signal to pass through.

AC Line Conditioning

As is the case with any computer device, the ASR-10 is sensitive to sharp peaks and drops in the AC line voltage. Lightning strikes, power drops or sudden and erratic surges in the AC line voltage can scramble the internal memory and, in some cases, damage the unit’s hardware. Here are a few suggestions to help guard against such occurrences:

Ground Loop

FIG. 1

3-Prong "Grounded"

System

Unbalanced Output to Unbalanced Input. Single conductor shielded cable

3-Prong "Grounded" System

SIGNAL PATH

(circuit ground)

Earth Ground

2-Prong "UNGrounded"

System

FIG. 2

• A Surge/Spike Suppressor. The cheaper of the options, a surge/spike suppressor absorbs surges and protects your gear from all but the most severe over-voltage conditions. You can get multi-outlet power strips with built-in surge/spike suppressors for little more than the cost of unprotected power strips, so using one is a good investment for all your electronic equipment.

• A Line Conditioner. This is the best, but by far the more expensive, way to protect your gear. In addition to protecting against surges and spikes, a line conditioner guards the equipment against excessively high or low line voltages. If you use the ASR-10 in lots of different locations with varying or unknown AC line conditions, you might consider investing in a line conditioner.

Disk Care v

Preface ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Amplification

Connect the Main Audio Outputs of the ASR-10 to the line level inputs of a mixer, instrument amplifier, stereo, or any other sound system, using 1/4 inch audio cables. If your system is stereo, connect the Left and Right Main Outputs to two channels of your mixer, stereo, etc. If it’s mono, use either of the Main Audio Outputs, but make sure nothing is plugged into the other output. For listening through headphones, plug the phones into the rear panel jack marked Phones. If you’re running the ASR-10 through a mixer, in stereo, be sure to pan the left input channel on the mixer fully left, and the right input channel fully right.

It is a good idea to make sure your audio system is turned off (or down) when making connections, to avoid damaging speakers or other components.

Note: The ASR-10 outputs are line-level, and are intended to be connected only to line-level inputs,

such as those on a mixer, stereo pre-amp, keyboard amp, etc. Connecting the ASR-10 audio outputs to a mic-level input, such as a guitar amp or the microphone jacks on a tape deck, is not recommended, and might result in damage to the device input.

Move the Volume Slider all the way up. As with any digital musical instrument, the ASR-10 will give the best results if you keep the Volume Slider full on, and use the volume control on your mixer or amp to adjust its level.

Switch the audio system on, and adjust the amplifier volume for normal listening levels. If you hear no sound while playing the keyboard, switch the audio system off and check your connections.

Running Your ASR-10 Through a Home Stereo System

If you are thinking about amplifying your ASR-10 through your home stereo, a word of caution is in order. A home stereo is great for playing CD’s, albums, tapes — the dynamic range of these media is limited, and your speakers aren’t usually subjected to extreme volume changes and frequency transients. While the dynamic range of CD’s is significantly greater than LP’s or tapes, the output of a CD player is still conservative compared to the uncompressed, unlimited linelevel output of a pro-level keyboard. Running your ASR-10 — or any pro-level keyboard through a home stereo at high volume levels can damage your speakers, not to mention the impedance mis-match this can create. If your only means of amplification is your home stereo, then try to keep your levels on the conservative side.

vi Disk Care

Care and Feeding of the Disk Drive

The ASR-10’s built-in disk drive is used to store all your Instruments, Banks, and Sequencer data, as well as System Exclusive messages from other MIDI devices. The ASR-10 uses a Quad-density disk drive that can store 1600 Kilobytes of data on a Double-Sided High-Density (DSHD) 3.5” micro-floppy disk and 800 Kilobytes of data on a Double-Sided Double-Density (DSDD) 3.5” micro-floppy disk. The disks are enclosed in a protective plastic carrier with an automatic shutter to protect the diskette from physical damage. It is important not to alter this carrier in any way.

Preface

Do’s:

The 3.5” disks have a sliding writeprotection tab so that you can protect your sounds and sequences against accidental erasure. Sliding the writeprotection tab in the lower left corner of the disk so that the window is closed will allow you to store information on the disk. Sliding the tab so that the window is open will protect the disk against being accidentally reformatted or having files deleted. Double-Sided High Density disks can be easily identified because they have an additional window (with no writeprotection tab) located on the lower right corner of the disk.

Floppy disks are a magnetic storage medium, and should be treated with the same care you’d give important audio tapes. Just as you would use high quality audio tapes for your important recording needs, we recommend using high quality floppy disks for your ASR-10. Here are a few Do’s and Don’t’s concerning disks and the disk drive.

• Use either Double-Sided High-Density (DSHD) or Double-Sided Double-Density (DSDD) 3.5 inch Micro-floppy disks. Both types are available from almost any computer store and many music stores carry them as well.

• Keep your disks and the disk drive clean and free of dust, dirt, liquids, etc.

• Label your disks and keep a record of what is saved on each.

• Only transport your unit with nothing in the drive.

Double-Sided High-Density (DSHD)

Disk Window

Write Protect Tab

Double-Sided Double-Density (DSDD)

No Disk Window

Write Protect Tab

Don’t’s:

• Don’t use Single-Sided (SSDD or SSSD) disks. These disks have not passed testing on both sides. While a single-sided disk might work successfully with the ASR-10, it is possible that you will eventually lose important data to a disk error if you try using Single-Sided disks.

• Don’t put anything other than a disk or the plastic sheet in the disk drive.

• Don’t transport the unit with a disk in the drive.

• Don’t expose disks to extremes of temperature. Temperatures below 50˚ F and above 140˚ F can damage the plastic outer shell.

• Don’t expose your disks to moisture.

• Don’t dry your disks in a microwave oven.

• Don’t subject disks to strong magnetic fields. Exposure to magnetic energy can permanently damage the information on the disk. Keep disks away from speaker cabinets, tape decks, power cables, airline x-ray equipment, power amplifiers, TV sets, and any other sources of magnetic energy.

• Don’t eject the disk while the drive is operating (i.e. when the disk drive light is on).

Disk Care vii

Preface ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Backing-up the O.S. Disk

Since floppy disks are vulnerable to the affects of magnetic fields, we highly recommend making back-up copies of your O.S. disk. Doing so can save time and frustration in the unlikely event that the O.S. disk becomes damaged. Since the tutorial files and the additional 44.1 kHz effect algorithms are on the O.S. disk, you will need a HD (high density) disk to save all of the information. We’ll use the COPY FLOPPY DISK command to back up the disk. Here’s how:

1. Slide open the plastic write-protect tab on the original O.S. disk (you should be able to see through the little square hole) so that the disk is write-protected (protected from being written to). This is an extra precaution to safeguard the data.

2. Press Command, then System•MIDI, and scroll to the COPY FLOPPY DISK command.

3. Press Enter•Yes. The display shows INSERT SOURCE DISK (the one you want to copy).

4. Insert the source disk, then press Enter•Yes. The drive will engage and the display will flash READING SOURCE DISK. Once the drive stops, the display will change to show INSERT DEST DISK.

5. Insert the destination disk (the one you want to copy to) and press Enter•Yes. If the destination disk is unformatted, the display will ask ERASE AND FORMAT DISK? Press Enter•Yes to format the disk. When formatting is complete, the drive will engage and the display will flash WRITING DEST DISK. After writing to the destination disk, the display will read VERIFYING DEST DISK. If the copy is complete, the display will read DISK COMMAND COMPLETED.

If you do not want to copy all of the tutorial files or the 44.1 kHz effect algorithms, use the

Command/System•MIDI, COPY O.S. TO DISK command (as described in Section 2 — System•MIDI).

We recommend that you use the copied O.S. disk for daily use, and store the original O.S. disk in a safe place. If your O.S. disk becomes damaged and you do not have a back-up copy made, your local Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer can make a new copy for you (you must supply the disk).

viii Backing-Up the O.S. Disk

Accessories

These optional accessories are available from your Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer:

• OEX-6sr Output Expander — The OEX-6sr gives the ASR-10 six additional outputs, grouped in three stereo pairs in addition to the built-in stereo outputs. Each WaveSample, or an entire instrument/track can be assigned to any of the stereo pairs and panned within the stereo field.

• SP-3 SCSI Kit — This SCSI (Small Computer Serial Interface) allows the ASR-10 to communicate with a hard drive, CD ROM player, or computer. Hard drives provide a faster, more convenient way to store instrument, sequencer, bank, and MIDI files. The SP-3 must be installed by an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

• DI-10 Digital I/O Board (S/PDIF) — Allowing digital input and output using RCA-type connectors. The DI-10 must be installed by an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

• Model CVP-1 CV PEDAL — A Control Voltage Foot Pedal which can be assigned as a modulator within the voice section of the ASR-10 or used as a volume pedal.

• ENSONIQ Model SW-10 Dual Foot Switch — Can be used for hands-free patch select control (when plugged into the Patch Select jack) or used for modulation control, voice sustain, or starting, stopping, and continuing the internal sequencer (when plugged into the Foot Switch jack).

• ENSONIQ Model SW-6 Foot Switch — A single damper piano style foot switch, for sustain, or to function as the right patch select button.

• CDR Series — These CD ROMs offer a vast array of instruments, banks, and sequence/song arranged in directories by file types. The CDR Series also features Direct Macros, which allows instant access (direct-dial) to any instrument file.

• AS –Series Sound Libraries — The AS sound libraries are designed exclusively for the ASR10, provided on five High Density disks.

• SL, SLT, and ESS Sound Libraries — The ASR-10 can read all of the disks designed for the EPS Series. These disks offer the largest, most accurate, responsive, and musical sampled sounds available anywhere. These sounds are divided into three separate libraries: SL, a series of five-disk sets featuring sounds specifically designed for the EPS-16 PLUS, but fully compatible with the ASR-10; SLT, a series of ten-disk packs originally designed by top sound programmers for the EPS, also compatible with the ASR-10; and ESS, three-disk “Signature Series” sets designed by renowned industry performers and producers like Joey DeFrancesco, Jason Miles, Maurice White, The System, Nile Rodgers, David Hentschel, and others.

Preface

An Important Note About Non-ENSONIQ Accessories and Your ENSONIQ Warranty

ENSONIQ highly recommends that users who wish to add SCSI or a Digital I/O Interface to their ASR-10 use ENSONIQ-made accessories. However, for those who wish to purchase a nonENSONIQ product, there are some important things to know about non-ENSONIQ products and your ASR-10’s warranty:

• ENSONIQ

ASR-10.

• If your ASR-10 requires servicing, and a non-ENSONIQ accessory is installed, ASR-10 owners will pay a service fee to have it removed so that a technician can diagnose the base unit.

• If it is determined that the use of an unapproved Non-ENSONIQ product caused damage, then the repair of that damage is not covered by the ENSONIQ warranty. Any nonENSONIQ product which requires opening the case must be installed by an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

• In addition, if it is found that continued use of a non-ENSONIQ product causes damage to your ASR-10, any future service that your unit might require may not be covered under the ENSONIQ warranty.

will not

approve any Non-ENSONIQ SCSI kits or Digital I/O Interfaces for the

An Important Note ix

Preface ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Need More Help?

Whether you’re an aspiring programmer looking for additional information about basic sampling techniques and MIDI theory, or a professional sound designer working with advanced applications, you may want more detailed information that is beyond the scope of this manual. The following books can help enhance your understanding of sampling, synthesis, MIDI, and related topics. These, in addition to the numerous monthly magazines, provide a wealth of information. While we don’t endorse any one of these publications, we offer this partial list as a resource for you to draw on.

The Mix Bookshelf

For prices and more information call: 1-800-233-9604

MIDI

MIDI FOR MUSICIANS, Craig Anderton THE MIDI MANUAL, David Huber THE MIDI HOME STUDIO, Howard Massey THE NEXT MIDI BOOK, Rychner & Walker THE MIDI BOOK, Steve De Furia, Joe Scacciaferro THE MIDI RESOURCE BOOK, Steve De Furia, Joe Scacciaferro HOW MIDI WORKS, Dan Walker MIDI SYSTEMS & CONTROL, Francis Rumsey USING MIDI, Helen Casabona, David Frederick MIDI, THE INS, OUTS AND THRUS, Jeff Rona

SAMPLING

THE SAMPLING BOOK, Steve De Furia, Joe Scacciaferro SAMPLING BASICS, Bobby Maestas

SYNTHESIZERS

GUITAR SYNTH & MIDI, Guitar Player Magazine SECRETS OF ANALOG AND DIGITAL SYNTHESIS, Steve De Furia SYNTHESIZER PERFORMANCE & REAL TIME TECHNIQUES, Jeff Pressing SYNTHESIZER BASICS, Dean Friedman MUSIC & TECHNOLOGY, H.P. Newquist A SYNTHESIST'S GUIDE TO ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS, Howard Massey

Alfred Publishing Company

For prices and more information call 1-818-891-5999

MIDI

ADVANCED MIDI APPLICATIONS, GPI BASIC MIDI APPLICATIONS, GPI WHAT IS MIDI?, GPI

SYNTHESIZERS

BEGINNING SYNTHESIZER, GPI PLAYING SYNTHESIZERS, GPI SYNTHESIZER PROGRAMMING, GPI

Hal Leonard Publishing

For prices and more information call 1-414-774-3630

MIND OVER MIDI, GPI SYNTHESIZER TECHNIQUE (REVISED), GPI

Monthly Magazines

The following magazines offer many specific articles and columns that can provide a plethora of useful information.

THE TRANSONIQ HACKER

For prices and more information about this independent news magazine for ENSONIQ Users, call 1-503-227-6848

KEYBOARD

For subscription rates and more information call 1-800-289-9919

ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN

For subscription rates and more information call 1-800-888-5139

HOME & STUDIO RECORDING

For subscription rates and more information call 1-818-407-0744

MIX

For subscription rates and more information call 1-800-888-5139

For subscription rates and more information call 1-212-213-3444

Preface

Section 1 — Controls & Architecture

This section provides an introduction to the ASR-10’s many controls and rear panel connections, a conceptual overview of the system, a guide to understanding memory, and a discussion of editing various types of parameters. We suggest you read this section carefully — it will help you get the most out of your ASR-10.

Rear Panel Connections

MIDI

Thru OutIn

Patch Select

Foot Switch

Pedal•CV

1 3

1) Power

The power switch turns the ASR-10 on and off. When you turn the power on, the display lights up and shows “PLEASE INSERT DISK,” which is the prompt to load the operating system.

2) AC Line In

The supplied line cord connects here. The correct voltage for the ASR-10 is on the rear panel along with the serial number. If you travel, remember the ASR-10 will only operate on the listed voltage.

3) MIDI Thru

This jack “passes on” all MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) information received by the ASR-10 to other MIDI devices. Information generated by the ASR-10 itself does not go to this jack — the Thru jack merely echoes what comes into the MIDI In jack.

4) MIDI In

This jack receives MIDI information from other MIDI instruments or computers.

5) MIDI Out

This jack transmits MIDI information generated by the ASR-10 keyboard and/or sequencer to other instruments and computers.

6) Patch Select (Foot Switch)

If you connect the optional SW-10 Dual Foot Switch in this jack, it duplicates the function of the Patch Select buttons, allowing hands-free patch select changes. This jack requires a dual foot switch and will not work properly with a single foot switch (SW-2 or SW-6).

6 8

7) Foot Switch

This jack supports either one or two foot switches depending on what is plugged into it:

• If you plug the ENSONIQ Model SW-2 Foot Switch (which came with your ASR-10) into this jack, it will act as a Sustain pedal. Holding it down will cause notes to continue to sustain after the key has been released.

• Or you can connect the optional ENSONIQ Model SW-10 Dual Foot Switch here. The SW-10 is a dual (piano-type) foot switch with two separate pedals. When the SW-10 is connected, the Right Foot Switch will act as a sustain pedal and the Left Foot Switch is assignable.

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Note: If you are using a single foot switch (SW-2 or SW-6), the Edit/System•MIDI, LEFT FOOT SW

parameter should be set to OFF. This will prevent unexpected behaviour. Remember that the Foot Switch jack is optimized for use with a dual foot switch (SW-10), and when a single foot switch is connected, it behaves like the Right Foot Switch.

When the SW-2 is connected

to the Foot Switch jack:

It acts as the

Sustain Pedal.

A parameter on the Edit/System•MIDI page (press Edit, then System•MIDI, then scroll until the display reads “LEFT FOOT SW=OFF”) determines the function of the Left Foot Switch.

Tip: The Sustain pedal can be used to dynamically “latch” the current amount of pressure being

exerted on the keyboard. Here’s how:

1) Select a sound that responds to pressure. Choose a sustaining sound like an organ.

2) Play a key and press into the keyboard until you can hear the pressure modulation

affect the sound of the note.

3) Press and hold the Sustain pedal.

4) Release the key. You will hear that the sound continues to be modulated by pressure

at the depth to which you were pressing.

5) Play a different key. Notice that the new note is not modulated. You can now press

into the keyboard and modulate the new note independent of the note that is sustained. When the current pressure output exceeds the latched level, pressure on the new note will modulate both notes.

6) To release the “latched” pressure value on the sustained note, either press the

“latched” key again, or release the Sustain pedal.

When the SW-10 is connected to

the Foot Switch jack:

The Left Foot Switch

is assignable.

The Right Foot Switch acts

as the Sustain Pedal.

2 Rear Panel Connections

8) Pedal•CV

This jack is for connecting an optional ENSONIQ Model CVP-1 Control Voltage Foot Pedal, which is assignable as a modulator to various parameters within the ASR-10. The pedal gives you a handy alternative modulation source when, for example, you would want to use the Mod Wheel but both hands are busy.

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

ENSONIQ

CVP-1

Control Voltage Foot Pedal

A CV pedal plugged into this jack can also act as a Volume pedal, controlling the volume of the currently selected Instrument•Sequence Track(s). A parameter on the Edit/System•MIDI page (press Edit, then System•MIDI, then scroll until the display reads PEDAL=VOLUME MIDI=7), determines whether the CV pedal will act as a modulator or as a volume pedal. Set to PEDAL=VOLUME to use the CV pedal to control volume.

Pedal/CV Specs: 3-conductor (Tip= control voltage input, Ring=510 ohm resistor to +5 Volts, Sleeve= ground). 36 KOhm input impedance, DC coupled. Input voltage range=0 to 3 volts DC. Scan rate=32mS (maximum recommended modulation input= 15 Hz). For use with an external control voltage, use a 2-conductor cable with the voltage on the tip and the sleeve grounded.

Rear Panel Connections 3

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Rear Panel Connections Cont’d.

Digital I/O

Out

SCSI

Output

Expander

11 1312

Mic

Line

Input Level

Audio Input

B/Right

A/Left

Main Out

Left/MonoRight/Mono

9) Digital I/O — Input/Output

The DI-10 Digital I/O Interface (S/PDIF) provides direct Digital Input and Output connection to and from the ASR-10 using RCA-type connectors. The Digital Output will provide direct 44.1 kHz digital audio output of the Main Output mix when the current effect uses a 44.1 kHz sample rate. The Digital Input can be used for direct digital sampling from an external digital audio source at 44.1 or 48 kHz.

The Digital Input and Output conforms to the S/PDIF standard.

Note: If you wish to record the 44.1 kHz digital output of the ASR-10 to a DAT recorder, the DAT

recorder

must be able to record from its digital input at 44.1 kHz. Some older/consumer DAT

recorders do not record at 44.1 kHz as a copy protection scheme: these DAT recorders will not

record the ASR-10’s 44.1 kHz digital output.

Phones

169

10) SCSI Interface

This space is for the optional SP-3 SCSI kit that allows the ASR-10 to transfer data to and from a SCSI-compatible hard disk, CD ROM player, or exchange information with computers at very high speed.

11) Output Expander (AUX 1, 2, 3)

This multi-pin connector is used to connect the optional OEX-6sr Output Expander box, which provides the ASR-10 with three pairs of stereo outputs (or 6 individual outs) in addition to the built-in stereo outputs. Each WaveSample, or an entire Instrument•Sequence Track, can be assigned to any of the three AUX stereo pairs and can be independently panned within the stereo field.

12) Mic/Line Switch

This switch is used to change between either a mic (up) or a line (down) level input source.

13) Input Level Trim Control

This knob allows you to amplify the level of the external signal source.

4 Rear Panel Connections

14) Audio Input — B/Right and A/Left

These jacks are the Right and Left Audio Inputs into the ASR-10 for sampling or Audio Track monitoring of external analog audio sources.

SPECS: 140 KOhm input impedance, AC coupled. The Audio Inputs have 2 ranges: Line and Mic. With the Mic/Line switch set to Line, the ASR-10 will accommodate signals from +15.5dBV (Input Level Trim control fully counterclockwise) to -16.5dBV (Input Level Trim control fully clockwise). With the Mic/Line switch set to Mic, the ASR-10 will accommodate signals from -11.5dBV (Input Level Trim control fully counterclockwise) to -43.5dBV (Input Level Trim control fully clockwise). Matching the appropriate input level with the correct settings of the Mic/Line switch and Input Level Trim control will bring the external signal source up to clipping level.

15) Main Out — Right/Mono and Left/Mono

To operate the ASR-10 in stereo, connect these outputs to two discrete channels of your mixer and pan the mixer channels right and left. Note that either of the audio outputs can be used as a mono output. If you want to listen to the output in mono, make sure that only one of the output jacks is connected.

16) Phones

To listen to the ASR-10 in stereo through headphones, plug the phones into this jack. The phones output contains a mix of the signal from the main outputs. Headphone volume is controlled by the volume slider on the front panel. Note that plugging headphones into this jack does not automatically turn off the audio in the right and left outputs.

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

Rear Panel Connections 5

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Front Panel Controls

Almost everything you do on the ASR-10 — whether it’s selecting a sound, editing that sound, adjusting the tuning, etc. — is controlled from the front panel using the following controls:

Volume Data Entry

1) Volume Slider

This controls the overall volume of the ASR-10 audio outputs.

2) Mode Buttons

These three buttons are the key to finding your way around the ASR-10. The ASR-10 is always in one of these three Modes — LOAD, COMMAND, or EDIT. The current mode is selected by pressing the appropriate mode button. The highlighted word in the upper left corner of the display tells you which is the current mode.

• LOAD mode is the one you will be in most often — since the ASR-10 lets you continue playing while loading sounds and sequences, LOAD mode also doubles as the “Performance” mode. When the LOAD indicator is flashing, the display is showing you disk files for loading. When the LOAD indicator is lit but not flashing, the display is showing you the name(s) of the instruments in the Internal Memory.

Load

(Select Preset)

Command

(Create Preset)

Edit

Instrument

Seq•Song

System•MIDI

(Directory)

Effects

Env 1

Env 2

Env 3

192

Pitch

LFO

Filters

Amp

Wave Layer

Track

3 4

EnterCancel

YesNo

Tip: In flashing LOAD mode (when the LOAD indicator is flashing), successive presses of the

Instrument, Seq•Song, System•MIDI, or Effects buttons will scroll through the available files

of that type on the selected storage device.

• COMMAND mode is used to execute a wide variety of commands, such as: saving instruments, banks, and sequences to disk; copying instruments, layers, and WaveSamples from one internal location to another; creating and modifying sequences and songs; and manipulating WaveSamples and their loops in various ways... just to name a few.

Tip: In COMMAND mode, successive presses of each of the 14 page buttons will scroll through the

Command screens, one at a time.

• EDIT mode is used to select and modify a great many variables — or parameters — ranging from the volume of a WaveSample, to the velocity response of the instrument, to the MIDI In Mode. Edit mode is also the mode in which all sequence recording and mixing is done.

Tip: In EDIT mode, successive presses of each of the 14 page buttons will scroll through the Edit

screens, one at a time.

6 Front Panel Controls

3) Page Buttons

Within each mode, the available disk files, commands, and parameters are organized into Pages. A page is selected by pressing one of these fourteen page buttons. Once you are on the correct page, you use the Data Entry Controls to scroll through the files, commands or parameters on the page. A given page will have different functions depending on the current mode. Each mode has a different set of pages available. Not all fourteen page buttons are active in all three modes.

The ten numbered page buttons also double as a numeric keypad for “direct-dialing” a given disk file, command, or parameter or for sending MIDI Program Changes.

4) Data Entry Controls

Once you are in the desired mode and have selected the proper page, you use the controls in the data entry section to: locate and load the desired file (in Load mode); locate and execute the desired command (in Command mode); or locate and modify the value of the desired parameter (in Edit mode).

• The Data Entry Slider and the Up and Down Arrow buttons will: move through the files on the current disk or directory (in flashing LOAD mode); change the value of the current parameter (in Edit mode); or respond when the ASR-10 asks you for further input during the execution of a command (in Command mode).

• The Left and Right Arrow buttons are used primarily to move to the next parameter or command on the current page.

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

Tip: To advance by screens (instead of by parameters), while holding down the Right Arrow button,

press the Up Arrow button, or while holding down the Left Arrow button, press the Down Arrow button.

• The Enter•Yes and Cancel•No buttons are used to either proceed with or cancel the function currently showing on the display.

Tip: When editing any parameter, pressing Cancel•No will reset the parameter to the value it was set

to before it was last edited.

Tip: In Load mode, successive presses of the Cancel•No button will alternate between solid and

flashing Load modes.

Tip: When editing any parameter that has a center value, there is an easy way to reach that value.

While holding down the Down Arrow button, press the Up Arrow button, then quickly release both buttons.

Parametric Programming

The method used to modify or edit programs, presets and system parameters is called Pagedriven Parametric Programming, which sounds like a mouthful, but don’t worry. Once you’ve grasped a few basic concepts you’ll find that operating the ASR-10 is quite simple, given its many capabilities.

It is likely that you have already encountered some form of parametric programming on other synthesizers or samplers. What this means is that instead of having a separate knob or slider for each function, you have one master Data Entry Slider and the Up/Down and Left/Right Arrow buttons, which adjust the value of whichever parameter you select.

This approach has many advantages, the most obvious is that it greatly reduces the amount of hardware — knobs, switches, faders, etc. needed to control a wide variety of functions. If the ASR-10 had a separate control for each function, it would literally have hundreds of knobs.

Front Panel Controls 7

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Additional Front Panel Controls

5) Display

The ASR-10 Display is divided into two main sections: the Indicator Lights in the top half of the window and the 22-character Alphanumeric Display at the bottom of the window.

StopRecord

Continue

FX Select

FX Bypass

Play

Left Right

Instruments

Sequence Tracks

Mode Indicator Page Indicator

Peak

Signal

Input Level

Audio Tracks

Sequencer

Sample

Source Select

Status

LOAD INST STOP

The indicator lights will tell you which mode the ASR-10 is in (Load, Command, or Edit); which page it is on; and the sequencer status (Stop, Play, Record, etc.). The 22-character alphanumeric display is used to show you information about specific files, commands, parameters, etc. It will also ask you for additional input when necessary, such as which track you want to load an instrument into, or which WaveSample you want to edit.

6) Input Level LED Meters

These 2 dedicated Input Level meters provide separate Left/Right metering of the Audio Input levels, pre-FX, at all times. The green Signal LEDs light at -24 dB. The red Peak LEDs light at 6 dB below clipping.

7) Sample•Source Select Button

This button is used to initiate sampling (digitally recording sounds) by the ASR-10. The Record Source selected on this page will determine the audio signal that will be monitored on the Audio Tracks.

FILE 2 GRAND PIANO

22-character Alphanumeric Display

8 Front Panel Controls

8) FX Select•FX Bypass Button

This button acts as the “master” control switch for the built-in effects, determining which, if any effect will be used and how it will interact with the instruments that reside in the internal memory. The controls on this page also determine the current sample rate and polyphony.

9) Instrument•Sequence Track Buttons — 1 through 8

These eight buttons are used to select, deselect, and “stack” the various instruments that are loaded into the internal memory of the ASR-10. For each of the eight locations, the two LEDs above the button indicate whether an instrument is Loaded into that location (red LED lit) and whether it is Selected (yellow LED lit). See “Playing Instruments” later in this section for a full discussion of the Instrument•Sequence Track buttons.

Each instrument location is also a sequencer track — that is, whatever is recorded on track 1 of a sequence will play the instrument that is loaded into location #1. When you are recording, editing or mixing sequences and songs, you use these buttons to select the current track.

10) Audio Track Buttons — A and B

Audio Tracks are used to record RAMTracks and DiskTracks. The two Audio Track buttons control audio monitoring of the stereo audio inputs through effects (if desired), enabling you to monitor during sampling, sing along (or play a guitar) to sequencer playback, or record your performance to the Audio Tracks. Each Audio Track has its own Edit/Track MIX, PAN, and OUT bus assignment. The signal monitored on Audio Tracks is the signal that will be sampled or recorded to the Audio Tracks.

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

Each Audio Track button contains 2 LEDs:

• The left LED is red, and is labelled “Source Monitor.” When lit, it indicates that the Audio Track Record Source (set on the Sample•Source Select page, REC SRC parameter) can be monitored on the Audio Track, and that a voice is being used to monitor this audio signal. When the Source Monitor LED is off, the Audio Track is muted and inaudible.

When REC SRC= MAIN-OUT, the audio inputs are disabled, and both Source Monitor LEDs remain off at all times. This happens because REC SRC= MAIN-OUT recording is all ASR-10 generated audio that is routed to BUS1, 2, or 3, and the Source Monitor voices are not needed to monitor this REC SRC, as it is always audible out the Main Outs.

• The right LED is yellow, and is labelled “SELECTED.” When lit, it indicates that the track is selected for parameter editing and/or Audio Track Recording, and that the Audio Signal Source being monitored on the track is selected for sampling. When the SELECTED LED is off, the track’s Edit/(audio) Track parameters cannot be edited, and the Audio Signal Source being monitored on the track will not be sampled and will not be recorded to Audio Tracks.

See Section 12 — Sequencer and Audio Track Concepts for more information on Audio Tracks.

11) Sequencer “Transport Controls”

These three buttons are used to control the ASR-10’s internal multi-track sequencer.

Front Panel Controls 9

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Performance Controllers

The ASR-10 features a number of real-time performance controllers that can modify sounds as you play for maximum expressiveness. Three of the most important controllers are located to the left of the keyboard:

Patch Select

Buttons

Pitch Bend

Wheel

• PATCH SELECT BUTTONS — These two buttons are used to select alternate groups of voices (called Layers) within a sound. The ASR-10 can be programmed so that the sound changes (sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes radically) when you play notes with one or both Patch Select buttons held down As you play instruments on the ASR-10, make sure you explore what these buttons do to each sound.

• PITCH BEND WHEEL — This wheel bends the pitch of a note up or down. The wheel is normally centered, where it has no effect on the pitch — moving the wheel up or down will bend the note by the amount specified in the Bend Range parameters contained on the Edit/System•MIDI page (for GLOBAL BEND RANGE) and on the Edit/Pitch page (for an individual WaveSample’s BEND RANGE).

• MODULATION WHEEL — Perhaps the most common use of the Mod Wheel is to add vibrato, but it can also be assigned as a modulator anywhere within the ASR-10 voice architecture to alter the pitch, brightness, volume and a great many other aspects of the sound.

Modulation

Wheel

10 Performance Controllers

Pressure (After-touch)

Another important controller is Pressure. Pressure (often called after-touch) is a modulator that allows you to change the sound in various ways by pressing down harder on a key or keys after the initial keystrike. The ASR-10 keyboard is capable of generating two types of pressure — Channel Pressure and Poly-Key™ Pressure.

Like the mod wheel or foot pedal, pressure is a modulator and can be chosen wherever a modulator is selected in the programming section (see Section 9 — WaveSample and Layer Concepts) of the ASR-10. Pressure can be assigned to alter the pitch or volume of voices, filter cutoff frequency, LFO rate or depth, pan location, etc.

There are two types of Pressure:

• Channel Pressure, also called Mono pressure, affects all notes that are playing when you exert pressure on any of the keys. For example, if you play a three note chord, pressing down harder on any of the three notes of the chord will modulate all three notes. This type of pressure is the more common of the two types.

Most MIDI instruments that currently implement pressure send and receive only channel pressure. If you are playing such an instrument from the ASR-10, you should set the ASR-10 to send channel pressure. (Note that some devices, including all ENSONIQ products, respond to both types of pressure.)

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

• Poly-Key™ Pressure, also referred to as polyphonic pressure, is a more sophisticated and expressive type of pressure. Poly-Key pressure affects each key independently. For example, if you play a three-note chord, pressing down harder on any of the three notes of the chord will modulate only that note. The other two notes will remain unaffected.

Each Instrument•Sequence Track can be programmed to generate Poly-Key pressure, channel pressure or none at all. If you wish to change the pressure type for a given track, you can do so on the Edit/Instrument page.

Tip: Poly-Key pressure generates a tremendous amount of data and will consume sequencer memory

much faster than other types of events, such as notes and program changes. You should turn pressure off when sequencing instruments which do not respond to pressure, such as piano and drum sounds.

About Pressure 11

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

Architecture

“Booting” the ASR-10

Insert the power cord into the line receptacle on the back of the ASR-10, next to the power switch. Plug the other end of the cable into a grounded AC outlet. The proper voltage for your ASR-10 is listed on the Serial Number label on the rear panel. Turn the ASR-10 power on and make sure the display lights up. If not, check your connections and power source.

The ASR-10 Operating System (O.S.) — the computer program that tells the hardware what to do — is “disk based.” This means that each time you turn the ASR-10 on, the first disk you insert must be one containing an ASR-10 Operating System (see the disk label). This is called “booting” the machine. Insert the disk with the label facing up and the sliding metal door facing away from you. The display will read LOADING SYSTEM while the O.S. is being loaded. You should always use the latest (highest-numbered) Operating System. If the first disk you put in the drive doesn’t contain the ASR-10 Operating System — the display will flash O.S. NOT ON DISK or DISK NOT FORMATTED. Just remove that disk and insert a proper ASR-10 O.S. disk.

Note: We recommend that you use a copy of the original O.S. Disk for daily use, and store the original

O.S. Disk in a safe place. For more information, see the Preface. Right after the ASR-10 is finished loading the Operating System, and before it puts itself into

LOAD mode, it will calibrate its keyboard. During calibration the software scans each key and optimizes its velocity and pressure response. The display will briefly read TUNING KBD HANDS OFF. It is important that you don’t play or hold down any keys during this time (see below).

Once it has “booted” the ASR-10 is ready to operate, but it won’t make any sound until you LOAD an instrument into its internal memory and then select that instrument by pressing its Instrument•Sequence Track button. These functions will be covered later in this section.

Keyboard Calibration

Each time you switch it on, the ASR-10 will go through a boot-up routine that includes calibrating the keyboard — a process by which the ASR-10 software is able to scan the entire keyboard and optimize the response of each key. This ensures that the keyboard is always fine tuned for the best possible response. The calibration process only takes about three seconds.

Never play the keyboard while it’s calibrating:

After you turn on the ASR-10 and insert the Operating System in the drive, the display will show LOADING SYSTEM, then TUNING KBD - HANDS OFF. You should not play the keyboard while this message is on the display. After about three seconds, the display will automatically switch to show the instrument files on the current disk and the ASR-10 is ready for use.

If you do play the keyboard while it’s calibrating:

Playing keys during calibration will cause the display to show KBD FAILED - RETRY? Press Enter•Yes to allow it to calibrate again, taking care not to play keys this time. In short, you should make it a point not to play keys during the first few moments after turning the unit on.

If the KBD FAILED message appears without touching the keys:

If the display repeatedly shows KBD FAILED RETRY? even when you are not touching keys during calibration, this would indicate a hardware problem and the unit should be serviced by an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

Using the ASR-10 as a sound module only, after getting repeated KBD FAILED messages:

If you want to use the unit as a sound module after the display shows repeated KBD FAILED RETRY? messages, press Cancel•No. This will disable the Poly-Key™ keyboard completely, but the ASR-10 will respond normally to all button presses and incoming MIDI information from another MIDI instrument.

12 Architecture

Memory

Disk Memory vs. Internal Memory

The instruments, banks, and sequences that the ASR-10 plays are stored on 3.5” micro-floppy disks. The ASR-10 uses a high-density (HD) drive, allowing you to uses both Double-Sided High-Density and Double-Sided Double-Density disks:

Disk Type High-Density High-Density Double-Density Double-Density

Format

(Sector Offset)

Kilobytes 1600 1440 800 720

Sample Words 800k 720k 400 360k

Blocks 3176 2863 1585 1426

A Block is a handy unit that the ASR-10 uses to measure Internal and Disk memory — 1 Block=256 sample words; 4 Blocks=1k sample words.

Sounds and sequences must be loaded from the disk into the internal memory of the ASR-10 before they can be played. Once it’s loaded into memory, an ASR-10 sound or sequence is completely independent of the copy on the disk — you can do anything you want to it without harming the version on the disk, unless you intentionally save the changes. You should feel free to experiment as much as you like with the instrument, layer, and WaveSample parameters of any sound that came with the ASR-10. As long as you have it safely on the disk, you can just reload it and start over if your experiments go awry.

ENSONIQ

(offset 0)

COMPUTER

(offset 1)

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

ENSONIQ

(offset 0)

COMPUTER

(offset 1)

Important:

The data in the ASR-10 internal RAM Memory is not retained when the power is turned off. Anything in memory, whether Instruments, Banks, or sequencer data, must be saved to disk before you switch the power off, or it will be gone forever.

Warning!

If you are unfamiliar with installing SIMMs, or do not want to risk the possibility of causing damage to the SIMMs or your ASR-10, we highly recommend having an Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer install them. We also recommend reading all of the SIMM information before attempting to install SIMMs in your ASR-10.

Purchasing SIMMs

Here is some important information you should know about purchasing the proper SIMMs:

• The ASR-10 was designed to use 1m x 8 or 4m x 8 (Macintosh) non-parity SIMMs (not 1m x 9 or 4m x 9 parity SIMMs). We highly recommend using this type of SIMMs.

• We do not recommend using parity SIMMs (designed for IBM PC compatibles). These SIMMs may not operate properly, and may cause damage to the ASR-10.

• We recommend using SIMMs with an access speed of 80 nanoseconds or faster.

About Memory 13

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

MEM EXP JMP

Standard SIMM Slots

What is a SIMM?

SIMM is an acronym which stands for Single In-line Memory Module. SIMMs have become the industry standard used by most computers (both IBM and Mac compatible) to expand the computer’s memory. Because of this, SIMMs are readily available in most computer software stores, and from mail order organizations. The ASR-10 memory, like a computer, is also expanded using SIMMs.

Drams (amount varies)

Alignment Notch

Internal Memory

As it comes out of the box, the ASR-10 contains 2 MegaBytes or 1 MegaWord of internal memory (a word is one single sample, or 16 bits). That’s enough for 31.5 (mono) or 15.75 (stereo) seconds of sampling at a 29.8 KHz sample rate, or about 400,000 notes of sequencer memory.

This internal memory is shared by sounds and the sequencer. The memory is distributed dynamically between instruments and sequences, which means that the more sounds you have in memory, the less sequencer memory you have, and vice versa.

Expanding the ASR-10 Memory

If you want to expand the memory, the ASR-10 can address up to 16 MegaBytes/8 MegaWords, using industry standard 1m x 8 or 4m x 8 non-parity SIMMs. There are five different memory allocations, as shown below:

SIMMS 1m x 8 (standard) 4m x 8 1m x 8 1m x 8 & 4m x 8 4m x 8

SIMMS Used two two four two & two four

MegaBytes 2 8 4 10 16

MegaWords 1 4 2 5 8

Blocks 3,800* 16,000* 7,900* 20,000* 31,000*

* Actual block count may vary due to different O.S. Versions.

Latching Hole

Edge Connector

Accessing SIMMs

To access the SIMMs in your ASR-10, make sure all cables, especially the power cable, are unplugged from the ASR-10. Turn the unit upside down on a soft surface with the keys facing away from you. Remove the two screws holding the trap door and remove the trap door from the bottom of the ASR-10. As it comes from the factory, the ASR-10 would look like this underneath the trap door:

STD

EXP

Jumper is connected for STANDARD SIMM Memory. Move to the other pins when using Expansion SIMM Slots.

Two 1-MegaByte SIMMs

Expansion SIMM Slots

Expansion slots are empty

adding expansion memory

Move jumper when

14 About Memory

You will notice that there are two slots with SIMMs installed, and two slots that are empty. These empty slots are called Expansion SIMM Slots, and are used for adding additional SIMMs (when expanding the memory). Directly above the Standard SIMM Slots, you will find the Memory Expansion Jumper.

About the Memory Expansion Jumper

The Memory Expansion Jumper allows you to access the information in the Expansion SIMM Slots. It must be moved to the EXP (Expansion) pins in order for any SIMMs plugged into the expansion slots to be recognized. If you do not have any SIMMs plugged into the Expansion slots, the Memory Expansion Jumper must be installed on the STD (Standard) pins, or the ASR-10 will not boot up (display will be blank).

Installing SIMMs

Memory is user-installable in 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8 MegaWord configurations, with 1 and 4 MegaByte SIMMs, as shown below. There are only five possible memory configurations available on the ASR-10, as shown in the diagram:

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

1 MegaWord

Jumper is connected to STD (Standard) pins

Two 1-MegaByte SIMMs (Standard Slots)

Expansion slots empty

(as shipped from the factory)

5 MegaWords

Jumper is connected to EXP (Expansion) pins

2 MegaWords

Jumper is connected to EXP (Expansion) pins

8 MegaWords

Jumper is connected to EXP (Expansion) pins

Two 4-MegaByte SIMMs (Standard Slots)

Two 1-MegaByte SIMMs (Expansion Slots)

Four 1-MegaByte SIMMs

4 MegaWords

Jumper is connected to STD (Standard) pins

Two 4-MegaByte SIMMs (Standard Slots)

Expansion Slots empty

Four 4-MegaByte SIMMs

THESE ARE THE ONLY CONFIGURATIONS THAT WILL WORK PROPERLY! Any other configurations will not yield the maximum memory available, or provide the optimal performance.

About Memory 15

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

About the SIMM Socket

The SIMM socket uses the pins on the end of the latching posts to hold the SIMM in place. The alignment notch on the SIMM prevents it from being installed backwards. Once installed, the retaining posts hold the SIMM in place securely, preventing it from dropping out of the socket inside the ASR-10.

ASR–10 SIMM Socket

Latching Posts

Retaining Post

To Remove a SIMM from a SIMM Socket:

Bend the two retaining posts out of the way…

just far enough to remove the SIMM

• Carefully spread open the retaining posts found on each end of the SIMM. Only spread the posts as far apart as needed to clear the board; these posts can easily break if too much force is applied. If broken, it will be very difficult to secure a new SIMM back into that socket. We suggest spreading one post at a time; that way it’s easier to control the amount of pressure being applied to remove the SIMM.

• Once the retaining posts are out of the way, tilt the SIMM toward you, and lift up and out of the socket.

Retaining Post

To Install a SIMM into a SIMM Socket:

SIMM Installation - Side View

Push

Step 1

• Place the connector edge of the SIMM into the SIMM Socket, pressing down slightly. The latching holes on each end of the SIMM will line up with the latching posts when the SIMM is seated properly.

• Tilt the SIMM back into the socket until the retaining posts snap in front of the SIMM. A properly installed SIMM should look like this:

Press until SIMM locks into position

Step 2

16 About Memory

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

Proper SIMM Installation

Retaining Post

• Reinstall the trap door with the original screws. To verify that you’ve expanded your memory correctly, after powering up the ASR-10, press Edit, then System•MIDI and scroll until the display shows FREE SYSTEM BLOCKS= (expanded memory amount in blocks). See the memory allocation chart (found earlier) for the proper number of blocks for each configuration.

Warning

The ASR-10 was designed to use 1m x 8 or 4m x 8 non-parity SIMMs (not 1m x 9 or 4m x 9 parity SIMMs). We do not recommend using parity SIMMs. These SIMMs may not operate properly, and may cause damage to the ASR-10.

Important Information about SIMMs

• When adding memory, only install D-RAM SIMMs in the expansion slots. The ASR-10 will not accept static RAM or ROMs.

• If SIMMs are installed in a less than optimal configuration, the display will read SIMMS IN WRONG SOCKETS after booting. If this message is displayed, you should power off and check the SIMMs configuration. Here is a example of what could be the most likely installation mistake:

Jumper is connected to EXP (Expansion) pins

Retaining Post

Two 1-MegaByte SIMMs (Standard Slots)

Two 4-MegaByte SIMMs (Expansion Slots)

• Any configuration which does not use two or four SIMMs will not work (the system will not even boot up).

• Any combination of SIMMs in which there are two different kinds of SIMMs in the standard slots and/or two different kinds of SIMMs in the expansion slots will not work properly. The following diagram shows some examples of incorrect configurations:

Incorrect Configuration

This configuration can cause continuous noise and distortion on sounds or when sampling/monitoring Audio Tracks.

Incorrect Configurations

1-MegaByte SIMM

4-MegaByte SIMM

1-MegaByte SIMM

4-MegaByte SIMM

1-MegaByte SIMM

4-MegaByte SIMM

1-MegaByte SIMM

4-MegaByte SIMM

1-MegaByte SIMM

4-MegaByte SIMM

Standard

Slots

Expansion

Slots

• These incorrect configurations of 1 and 4 MegaByte SIMMs could produce inaccurate

About Memory 17

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture ASR-10 Musician’s Manual

information concerning the number of blocks, or noise and distortion.

• If the jumper is not moved from the “STD” position to the “EXP” position, no memory in the expansion slots will be recognized. The wrong number of blocks will be displayed on the Edit/System•MIDI page.

• If the jumper is moved from the “STD” to the “EXP” position and there are no SIMMs in the expansion slots, the system will not boot up (display will be blank).

• 1m x 9 or 4m x 9 parity SIMMs (for IBM PC compatibles) should not be used. Only 1m x 8 or 4m x 8 (Macintosh) SIMMs should be used.

Troubleshooting Memory Expansion

If the correct number of blocks is not displayed on the Edit/System•MIDI page:

1. Make sure that there is no mix-up between 4m x 8 and 1m x 8 SIMMs (or that the store did not sell you the wrong parts).

2. Check that the jumper is in the correct position.

3. Check that you are using one of the five proper configurations. Improper configurations may work, but they will not work properly.

Make sure that you are careful when removing the SIMMs. If the plastic retaining posts are broken, the SIMMs will not stay in place, and the main board will have to be replaced at an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station (a costly error).

An Important Note About ElectroStatic Discharge

SIMMs are susceptible to ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) commonly known as “static.” ElectroStatic Discharge can destroy or damage SIMMs. In order to minimize the possibility of causing ESD damage, here are some procedures you can follow when installing SIMMs:

1. Before installing SIMMs, you should be grounded by using a ground strap to discharge any static electric charge built up on your body. The ground strap attaches to your wrist and a ground source allowing your hands to be free to work.

2. Avoid any unnecessary movement, such as scuffing your feet when handling SIMMs, since most movement can generate additional charges of static electricity.

3. Minimize the handling of the SIMMs. Keep them in their static free packages until needed. Only transport or store the SIMMs in their protective packages.

4. When handling the SIMMs, avoid touching the connector pins. Try to handle the SIMMs by the edges only.

If you have any questions concerning the use of SIMMs, the ASR-10, or for additional technical support, please contact ENSONIQ Customer Service at (610) 647-3930 Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

18 About Memory

About Instruments

We refer to ASR-10 sounds as Instruments. A grand piano, an electric bass, a multi-sampled drum set, a complete string section — each of these would be an example of an instrument. You can load up to eight instruments into the ASR-10, memory permitting, and have instant access to any or all of them.

Each instrument contains four different Patches that are selected with the Patch Select buttons. These patches allow a single instrument to have four different inflections, voicings, tunings, or synth-type program variations all available at the press of a button.

An instrument can be any size (within the limits of memory) — one instrument might consist of a single WaveSample that plays over the entire keyboard, while another might have as many 127 different WaveSamples.

For controlling remote devices, you can create an instrument that contains no samples at all and assign it to play only out MIDI, on a particular MIDI Channel.

Loading an Instrument

You can load up to eight different instruments into the ASR-10 at once (within the limits of memory). First, insert a disk containing one or more instrument files into the disk drive.

• Press Load. The LOAD indicator flashes.

• Press Instrument. The display looks like this:

Section 1 — Controls and Architecture

LOAD INST STOP

When the LOAD indicator is flashing, the ASR-10 is showing you disk files (think of it as a question mark — the ASR-10 is saying “Load the file showing on the display?”). Pressing the Up/Down Arrow buttons takes you through the files on the disk. If there are none, the display will read “NO INST OR BANK FILES.”

Whenever a disk file is displayed as above, you can press the Left or Right Arrow button to see the size of that file in Blocks (a Block is 256 samples; 4 Blocks=1K sample words). Press the Left or Right Arrow button again to return to the file name.

• Use the Data Entry Slider or the Up/Down Arrow buttons to view the various instrument files on the disk. Each file has its own File Number. When an instrument file is showing, the INST indicator is lit. The BANK Indicator will light when a bank file is showing.

• Find the instrument you want to load, and press Enter•Yes. The display will say PICK INSTRUMENT BUTTON. The ASR-10 is asking in which instrument location you want to load the sound into.

• Press any of the eight Instrument•Sequence Track buttons. The ASR-10 will begin immediately loading the instrument into the selected location. The display reads LOADING FILE… and the left red LED flashes while the instrument is being loaded.

About Instruments 19

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