Ensoniq MR-61 User Manual

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6 4 V o i c e E x p a n d a b l e S y n t h

M u s i c i a n ’ s M a n u a l

V e r s i o n 1 . 5 0

M R - R a c k M u s i c i a n ’ s M a n u a l :

Documentation Team: Robby Berman, Jonathan Coulton, Tom Tracy, Bill Whipple

Please record the following information: Your Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer:___________________________ Phone:_______________ Your Dealer Sales Representative:_________________________________________________ Serial Number of Unit:___________________________ Date of Purchase:_________________

Your Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer is your primary source for service and support. The above information will be helpful in communicating with your Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer, and provide necessary information should you need to contact ENSONIQ Customer Service. If you have any questions concerning the use of this unit, please contact your Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer first. For additional technical support, or to find the name of the nearest Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station, call ENSONIQ Customer Service at (610) 647-3930 Monday through Friday 9:30 AM to 12:15 PM and 1:15 PM to 6:30 PM Eastern Time. Between 1:15 PM and 5:00 PM we experience our heaviest call load. During these times, there may be delays in answering your call.

You can utilize ENSONIQ’s Automatic Fax Retrieval System to obtain further information about your MRRack and other ENSONIQ products. The Fax Retrieval System is available 24 hours a day at (800) 257-1439. If you’re connected to the Internet, visit ENSONIQ’s World Wide Web site at www.ensoniq.com for more information on the MR-Rack and other ENSONIQ products. CompuServe subscribers can also find ENSONIQ at GO ENSONIQ.

This manual is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by ENSONIQ Corp. This document may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior written consent from ENSONIQ Corp. The MR-Rack software/firmware is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by ENSONIQ Corp. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the text and illustrations in this manual, no guarantee is made or implied in this regard.

IMPORTANT:

Note: This equipment has been designed and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the

interference by one or more of the following measures: * Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. * Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. * Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. * Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Changes or modifications to the product not expressly approved by ENSONIQ could void the user’s FCC

authority to operate the equipment.

CAUTION! Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or

equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Discard used batteries according to

manufacturer's instructions.

In order to fulfill warranty requirements, the MR-Rack should be serviced only by an Authorized ENSONIQ

Repair Station. The ENSONIQ serial number label must appear on the outside of the unit, or the ENSONIQ

warranty is void.

• ENSONIQ, MR-Rack are trademarks of ENSONIQ Corp.

Part # 9310 0191 01 - E Model # MM-130

I n s t a n t M R - R a c k !

The following is not a description of the only way to use the MR-Rack—it simply gets you down to the business of making music immediately. It doesn’t explain any of the whys and wherefores or discuss the many creative possibilities of the MR-Rack. The rest of this manual, however, does.

To Get Started

1. Turn the MR-Rack’s front-panel Volume knob down all the way.

2. Connect the MR-Rack’s Main Outs (the two jacks on the right when viewing the MR-Rack from the rear) to a mixer or stereo keyboard amplifier set to conservative levels, or connect a pair of stereo headphones to the MR-Rack’s front-panel Phones jack.

3. Connect the MIDI Out of your sequencer/interface/controller, etc. to the MRRack’s MIDI In.

4. Power up your sequencer/interface/controller, etc.

5. Connect the MR-Rack to a grounded AC outlet, using its supplied AC cord.

6. Power up the MR-Rack.

7. Bring up the MR-Rack’s Volume knob about halfway—you can adjust it later, after you start playing some music. Your display looks something like this:

pt01:§01 ROM:004:030 DEMO-SND: Dense Mist

You’re seeing the Sound selected for Part 01. The MR-Rack contains 16 Parts, which are currently set to MIDI channels 1-16. Try the Sound out, if you like, by setting your MIDI controller to transmit on MIDI channel 1.

To Change the Sound on This Part

1. Turn the Sound Type knob clockwise or counter-clockwise to select the type of Sound you want.

2. Turn the Sound Name knob in either direction to choose a particular Sound.

To Get to the Other 15 Parts (MIDI Channels 2-16)

• Press one of the Select Parts buttons to select another Part. The number of the Part you’re working on will be shown in the upper left-

hand part of the display.

To Mute a Part

• Select the Part you want to silence and press the Mute button. The button’s red LED will light, and the word “mute” will be displayed.

T e m p e r a t u r e G u i d e l i n e s

The MR-Rack contains a substantial amount of computerized and electronic circuitry that can be susceptible to damage when exposed to extreme temperature changes. When the MR-Rack is brought inside after sitting in a cold climate (i.e., the back seat of your car), condensation builds up on the internal circuitry in much the same way a pair of glasses fogs up when you come inside on a cold day. If the unit is powered up as this condensation occurs, components can short out or be damaged. Excessively high temperatures also pose a threat to the unit, stressing both the internal circuits as well as the case. With this in mind, it is highly advisable to follow these precautions when storing, mounting and setting up your MR-Rack:

• Avoid leaving the MR-Rack in temperatures of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit or more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

• When bringing the MR-Rack indoors after travel, allow the unit at least 20 minutes to reach room temperature before powering up. In the case of excessive outdoor temperatures (below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit), allow an hour or more before power up.

• Avoid leaving the MR-Rack inside a vehicle exposed to direct sunlight.

C l e a n U p a n d M a i n t e n a n c e

Clean the exterior of your MR-Rack 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 MR-Rack is thoroughly dry before turning on the power. Never use alcohol, benzene, volatile cleaners, solvents, abrasives, polish or rubbing compounds.

R a c k M o u n t I n s t r u c t i o n s

The MR-Rack can be rack mounted in a standard 19” audio rack:

• The MR-Rack occupies one standard rack space (1 3/4”). We recommend the use of nylon washers when rack mounting any unit. This will protect the faceplate from any damage.

• If you’re using only two screws to mount your unit into a rack space (we don’t recommend this), we suggest that you support the bottom of the unit.

• You may want to install the MRRack into a rack using quickrelease screws. Quick release screws don’t require a screwdriver, so it’s easy to move things in and out of a rack. Four posts are screwed into the rack holes, the unit goes over the posts, and then knurled nuts are screwed on by hand.

P o l a r i z a t i o n a n d G r o u n d i n g

Like many modern electrical devices, your ENSONIQ product has a threeprong 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 which can only be inserted into an outlet the proper way.

Three-prong

PolarizedNon-polarized

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, which 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 twopronged power cords, check to see if they are polarized or nonpolarized. 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

with earth ground

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.

A C L i n e C o n d i t i o n i n g

As with any computer device, the MR-Rack 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:

• 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 MR-Rack in lots of different locations with varying or unknown AC line conditions, you might consider investing in a line conditioner.

Table of Contents

Instant MR-Rack! Chapter 1—Welcome

Welcome!....................................................................................................................1

Getting Ready to Listen.............................................................................................1

Powering Up...............................................................................................................1

Choosing Sounds......................................................................................................2

Understanding the MR-Rack......................................................................................3

Sounds....................................................................................................................3

Parts........................................................................................................................3

Performances...........................................................................................................4

Choosing Performances on the MR-Rack............................................................4

Effects......................................................................................................................4

Drum Kits................................................................................................................5

Staks.......................................................................................................................5

SoundFinder™........................................................................................................5

How the MR-Rack’s Memory Works........................................................................5

ROM and RAM........................................................................................................6

ROM Cards..............................................................................................................6

SRAM Cards............................................................................................................6

EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards.......................................................................6

The MR-Rack Display.............................................................................................6

Playing the MR-Rack Demo.......................................................................................7

To Play the MR-Rack Main Demo........................................................................7

Playing Other Demos.................................................................................................7

To Play Other MR-Rack Demos...........................................................................7

Other Points of Interest.............................................................................................8

All Notes Off............................................................................................................8

The MR-Rack’s Battery...........................................................................................8

Battery Low Warning...........................................................................................8

If You Experience Odd Behavior.............................................................................9

To Perform A Soft Reset.......................................................................................9

To Perform a Standard Reinitialization..............................................................9

To Perform a Hard Reinitialization......................................................................9

Available Options for Your MR-Rack........................................................................10

Need More Help?.........................................................................................................10

Table of Contents

Chapter 2—Connections

Introduction...............................................................................................................13

To Get Ready..........................................................................................................13

What Connections Need to be Made?.....................................................................13

Making MIDI Connections.........................................................................................13

Using the MR-Rack with a Controller.....................................................................14

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................14

To Connect the MR-Rack.....................................................................................14

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................14

Using the MR-Rack with a Workstation.................................................................14

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................14

To Connect the MR-Rack.....................................................................................15

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................15

Using the MR-Rack with a Stand-Alone Sequencer...............................................15

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................15

To Connect the MR-Rack.....................................................................................16

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................16

Editing Sounds with the MR-Rack and a Computer..............................................16

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual Table of Contents — 1

Table of Contents

Sequencing with the MR-Rack, a Computer and a Controller..............................17

Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Merger.......................18

Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Patchbay..................19

Making Audio Connections.......................................................................................21

Making the Power Connection..................................................................................22

Powering Up............................................................................................................22

Confirming Your MIDI Connection...........................................................................23

To Verify that the MR-Rack is Receiving MIDI.......................................................23

Setting Volume Levels...............................................................................................24

Using the MR-Rack for General MIDI Music..............................................................25

Moving On.................................................................................................................25

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................16

To Connect the MR-Rack....................................................................................16

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................17

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................17

To Connect the MR-Rack....................................................................................17

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................18

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................18

To Connect the MR-Rack....................................................................................18

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................19

What You’ll Need.................................................................................................20

To Make Your MIDI Patchbay Connections........................................................20

Connecting the Rest of Your System..................................................................20

To Connect the MR-Rack’s AC Power..................................................................22

To Confirm that the MR-Rack is Responding to MIDI........................................24

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

Using the Global Pitch Bend Settings.......................................................................26

Global Pitch Bend Up and Down...........................................................................27

To Determine the Global Pitch Bend Up Range..................................................27

To Determine the Global Pitch Bend Down Range.............................................27

Setting the Global Pitch Bend Mode......................................................................27

To Determine the Global Pitch Bend’s Behavior................................................28

Retuning the MR-Rack..............................................................................................28

Fine Tuning the MR-Rack......................................................................................28

To Fine Tune the MR-Rack.................................................................................28

Using Pitch Tables..................................................................................................28

To Assign a Global Pitch Table...........................................................................29

To Assign a Part to a Special Pitch Table...........................................................29

Synchronizing the MR-Rack to MIDI........................................................................29

To Set the Global Tempo Clock as the Timing Reference...................................29

To Sync the MR-Rack’s Clock to an External MIDI Device.................................29

To Set the Global Clock Tempo...........................................................................30

Protecting Part Settings.............................................................................................30

To Protect Part Parameter Settings When New Sounds are Selected.................30

To Protect Part Parameters from Reset All Controllers MIDI Messages...............31

To Allow the Selection of New Sounds to Reset Part Parameter Settings..........31

To Allow Reset All Controllers Messages to Reset Part Parameter Settings.......31

Letting the MR-Rack Pick Your Chorus or Reverb....................................................31

To Let the MR-Rack Automatically Pick a Sound’s Chorus or Reverb...............32

To Protect Part Effect Bus Settings When a New Sound is Selected..................32

Using the MR-Rack’s Four Outputs..........................................................................32

Routing Sounds to Specific Outputs.....................................................................33

To Send a Part, Its Sound and Effect to the Desired Outputs...........................33

To Send a Part and Its Dry Sound to the Desired Outputs...............................33

Determining the Behavior of the Aux Outs...........................................................34

To Enable Automatic Aux Out Routing Based on Cabling................................34

To Use the Aux Outs with Permanently Connected Outputs...........................34

Auditioning Sounds on the MR-Rack.......................................................................35

To Set What’s Heard When the Audition Button is Pressed..............................35

Table of Contents — 2 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Table of Contents

Waking up..................................................................................................................35

To Set How the MR-Rack Will Wake Up .............................................................36

Protecting the MR-Rack’s Memory.............................................................................36

To Enable the Write Protect Prompt....................................................................36

To Disable the Write Protect Prompt...................................................................36

Setting the Stak MIDI Channel.................................................................................37

To Set the Stak MIDI Channel............................................................................37

Adjusting Stak Coherence.........................................................................................37

To Perfectly Synchronize the Start of All Notes in a Stak..................................37

To Allow All Notes in a Stak to Start Normally...................................................38

Using MIDI Program Changes....................................................................................38

Changing Performances Via MIDI...........................................................................38

To Select New Performances With MIDI Program Changes.................................38

To Disable the Selection of Performances By Program Changes........................39

Setting the Global Reception of MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes...........39

To Enable Reception of Bank Selects and Program Changes..............................39

To Disable Reception of Bank Selects and Program Changes.............................39

Responding to MIDI “Panic” Messages.......................................................................40

Setting the MR-Rack’s Response to Reset All Controllers MIDI Messages................40

To Set the Response to Reset All Controllers Messages......................................40

Setting the MR-Rack’s Response to All Notes Off MIDI Messages.............................40

To Set the MR-Rack’s Response to All Notes Off Messages.................................40

Using MIDI SysEx.......................................................................................................41

Enabling and Disabling System Exclusive Communication..................................41

To Enable or Disable SysEx Communication.....................................................41

Using SysEx Device IDs.............................................................................................41

To Set the MR-Rack’s SysEx Device ID Number..................................................41

Setting Up New Real-Time Controllers......................................................................42

To Set Up the Four System Controllers..............................................................42

Learning How Much RAM is Available for New Sounds...........................................43

To Find Out How Much Free Memory (RAM) is Available in the MR-Rack........43

Learning the Number of Banks on a Data Card........................................................43

To Learn How Many Banks are on the Currently Installed Card.......................44

Identifying Installed Wave Expansion Boards..........................................................44

To Identify an Installed Expansion Board..........................................................44

Using the MR-Rack to Play General MIDI Music.......................................................45

To Use the MR-Rack as a General MIDI Sound Module......................................45

To Set the MR-Rack to Power Up Ready for General MIDI Music.......................45

To Reset the MR-Rack for Use with Non-General MIDI Music............................46

MR-Rack General MIDI Details for the Curious......................................................46

Chapter 4—Parts

To Select a Performance.........................................................................................47

To Select a Part.......................................................................................................47

Choosing a Sound for a Part..................................................................................48

To Change Sounds on a Part..............................................................................48

A Note About Sounds and Effects..........................................................................49

To Designate a Part as the Insert Control Part...................................................49

Auditioning Sounds...............................................................................................49

To Audition a Sound...........................................................................................49

To Stop the Auditioning of a Sound...................................................................49

Editing Parts............................................................................................................49

Understanding Part Parameters.................................................................................51

The Two Kinds of Part Parameters.........................................................................51

Parts Parameters and Sounds.............................................................................51

When a Part Has Been Edited.................................................................................51

Working With an Edited Performance That Hasn’t Yet Been Saved......................51

To Recall an Edited Performance.........................................................................52

Saving a Performance.............................................................................................52

To Save a Performance........................................................................................52

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual Table of Contents — 3

Table of Contents

Saving a Part’s Sound............................................................................................53

The Structure of MR-Rack Sounds........................................................................55

How Sound-Related Part Parameters Work...........................................................55

Getting Back to Square One In a Flash....................................................................56

To Instantly Reset the MR-Rack’s Parts, Sounds, and Effects..............................56

Protecting Your Part Edits......................................................................................56

Muting and Soloing Parts.........................................................................................57

Mute........................................................................................................................58

Solo.........................................................................................................................58

Group Solo.............................................................................................................59

Setting a Part’s MIDI Channel...................................................................................60

Using Staks................................................................................................................61

Controlling a Part’s Loudness...................................................................................63

Adjusting a Part’s Stereo Positioning........................................................................64

Adding Effects to Part Sounds...................................................................................65

Routing a Non-Insert Control Part to an FX Bus via MIDI....................................65

Controlling a Part’s Pitch Bend Response.................................................................66

Retuning a Part.........................................................................................................67

Using Special Pitch Tables........................................................................................68

Determining Whether a Part’s Sound Will Glide......................................................69

Setting a Part’s Glide Time.....................................................................................70

Delaying Part Sounds...............................................................................................71

Customizing Part LFOs.............................................................................................71

Controlling the Shape of Part Sounds......................................................................74

To Save a Part’s Sound.......................................................................................53

To Set What Happens to Edits When New Sounds Are Selected.......................56

To Set the MR’s Response to Reset All Controllers Messages.............................57

About the Mute LED............................................................................................57

To Mute a Part.....................................................................................................58

To Un-Mute a Part...............................................................................................58

To Solo a Part......................................................................................................59

To Un-Solo a Part................................................................................................59

To Learn Whether Other Parts Were Already Muted..........................................59

To Group-Solo Parts...........................................................................................60

To Un-Solo a Part from a Group Solo.................................................................60

To Learn Whether Other Parts Were Already Muted..........................................60

To Set a Part’s MIDI Channel..............................................................................60

To Create a Stak..................................................................................................61

To Set a Part’s Maximum Volume.......................................................................63

To Adjust the Relative Loudness of a Part.........................................................63

To Invert a Part’s Response to Volume and Expression Values.........................64

To Set a Part’s Panning.......................................................................................65

To Route a Part to an Effect................................................................................65

To Set the Part’s Response To a Pitch Bend Wheel Pushed Forward................66

To Set the Part’s Response To a Pitch Bend Wheel Pulled Back........................67

To Re-Tune a Part by Octaves............................................................................67

To Re-Tune a Part by Semitones........................................................................67

To Fine-Tune a Part............................................................................................68

To Assign a Part to a Special Pitch Table...........................................................68

To Enable a Part’s Glide Mode From the MR-Rack’s Front Panel.......................69

To Disable a Part’s Glide Mode From the MR-Rack’s Front Panel.....................69

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Glide Mode via MIDI.............................................70

To Set a Part’s Glide Time...................................................................................71

To Set a Part’s Delay Time..................................................................................71

To Convert Sync’d LFOs and Noise to Normal LFOs and Noise........................72

To Set the Relationship of Sync’d LFOs and Noise to the System Clock..........72

To Change a Part Sound’s Normal (Unsynchronized) LFO Rates......................73

To Set a Part Sound’s LFO Depth......................................................................73

To Set a Part’s LFO Delay...................................................................................73

To Adjust the Attack Time of Notes in a Part.....................................................74

Table of Contents — 4 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Table of Contents

To Adjust the Decay of Notes in a Part...............................................................74

To Adjust the Release of Notes in a Part.............................................................75

To Adjust the Filter Cutoff of a Part....................................................................75

To Adjust the Filter Attack of a Part....................................................................75

To Adjust the Filter Decay of a Part....................................................................76

To Adjust the Filter Release of a Part..................................................................76

To Adjust Amp and Filter Envelopes’ Velocity Sensitivity..................................77

Changing a Part’s Key Range.....................................................................................77

To Set a Part’s Keyboard Range..........................................................................77

To Create a Keyboard Split..................................................................................78

To Create a Split with Layered Regions..............................................................78

Setting Part Velocity Ranges.....................................................................................79

To Set a Part’s Velocity Window.........................................................................79

Isolating Velocity-Dependent Components of Sounds.............................................79

To Extract Favorite Velocity-Dependent Components of Sounds......................80

Setting a Part's Response To MIDI Pressure Messages..............................................80

To Set a Part’s Pressure Response.......................................................................80

Working with Program Changes and Bank Selects...................................................81

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Program Change Messages..............81

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Bank Select Messages......................81

Finding Out What Bank Select and Program Change Values to Send..................82

How to Select the Current Sound Via MIDI........................................................82

Enabling and Disabling Part Response to MIDI Controllers.....................................82

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Data Entry Messages.......................82

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pitch Bend Messages.......................83

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Mod Wheel Messages.......................83

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Foot Pedal Messages........................83

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Volume Messages............................83

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pan Messages..................................84

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Expression Messages.......................84

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Sustain/Sostenuto Messages.........84

Working With System MIDI Controllers....................................................................84

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Assigned System Controllers..........84

Editing Drum Kits......................................................................................................85

To Edit a Drum Kit You’ve Chosen for a Part.....................................................85

To Edit the Current Performance’s PerfEditKit....................................................86

Selecting a DrumKey for Editing.............................................................................87

To Select a DrumKey for Editing.........................................................................87

Changing the Source of a DrumKey’s Sound........................................................87

To Change the Sound Type Used by the Selected DrumKey..............................88

Changing a DrumKey’s Sound by its Sound Name...............................................88

To Change a DrumKey’s Sound By its Name......................................................88

Changing a DrumKey’s Sound by its Program Change Number............................89

To Change a DrumKey’s Sound By Program Change Number...........................89

Changing a DrumKey’s Volume..............................................................................89

To Change a DrumKey’s Volume.........................................................................90

Changing a DrumKey’s Panning............................................................................90

To Change a DrumKey’s Panning.......................................................................90

Changing a DrumKey’s Effect.................................................................................91

To Change a DrumKey’s Effect............................................................................91

Changing a DrumKey’s Tuning..............................................................................92

To Change a DrumKey’s Tuning.........................................................................92

Saving Your Edited Drum Kit Sound.....................................................................92

To Save Your Drum Kit as a New Sound............................................................92

Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters........................................................94

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual Table of Contents — 5

Table of Contents

Chapter 5—Effects

Understanding the MR-Rack Effects..........................................................................95

Insert Effects...........................................................................................................96

Global Chorus........................................................................................................96

Global Reverb.........................................................................................................96

Dry..........................................................................................................................97

Understanding Effect Busses.....................................................................................97

The Insert Bus........................................................................................................97

The Chorus Bus.....................................................................................................97

The Three Reverb Busses.......................................................................................98

The Dry Bus...........................................................................................................98

Understanding the Special Alt. FX Bus..................................................................98

A Diagram of the MR-Rack Effects.............................................................................99

Working with the Insert Effect...................................................................................99

Using the Insert Control Part.................................................................................100

Editing the Insert Effect..........................................................................................101

Selecting an Insert Effect Preset.............................................................................102

Using the Insert FX Bus Input Mix.........................................................................103

Adding Global Reverb to the Insert Effect..............................................................104

Adding Global Chorus to the Insert Effect.............................................................105

Modulating the Insert Effect in Real Time..............................................................105

Choosing a Real-Time Insert Effect Modulator......................................................106

Verifying That Your Real-Time Controller Is Enabled...........................................107

Setting the Real-Time Insert Effect Modulation Reception Window.....................107

Setting the Insert Effect Parameter to be Modulated in Real-Time........................108

Setting the Allowable Amount of Real-Time Insert Effect Modulation..................109

Determining Which MR-Rack Outputs the Insert Effect Will Use..........................110

Working with the Global Chorus..............................................................................111

Selecting a Global Chorus Preset...........................................................................112

Using the Chorus Bus Wet/Dry Mix......................................................................112

Adding Reverb to the Global Chorus.....................................................................113

Adjusting the Global Chorus LFO Rate.................................................................114

Adjusting the Global Chorus Depth......................................................................115

Adjusting the Global Chorus Center......................................................................115

Adjusting the Global Chorus Spread.....................................................................116

The LightReverb Bus...........................................................................................98

The MediumReverb Bus......................................................................................98

The WetReverb Bus.............................................................................................98

To Designate a Performance’s Insert Control Part..............................................100

Using the Insert Control Part to Determine the Insert Effect..............................100

Using the Insert Control Part to Pick Insert Effects Via MIDI..............................100

To Edit the Insert Effect.......................................................................................101

To Manually Select an Insert Effect....................................................................101

To Select an Insert Effect Preset..........................................................................102

To Set the Insert FX Bus Wet/Dry Input Mix.....................................................103

To Add Global Reverb to the Insert Effect...........................................................104

To Add Global Chorus to the Insert Effect..........................................................105

To Assign a Real-Time Insert Effect Modulator...................................................107

To Confirm That Real-Time Controller Reception Is Enabled............................107

To Set the Insert Effect’s Modulation Reception Window..................................108

To Select an Insert Effect Parameter for Real-Time Modulation.........................109

To Set the Insert Effect Modulation Amount......................................................109

To Set the Insert Effect’s Output Routing..........................................................110

To Access the Global Chorus Parameters...........................................................111

To Select a Global Chorus Preset........................................................................112

To Set the Chorus FX Bus Wet/Dry Input Mix..................................................113

To Add Global Reverb to the Global Chorus......................................................113

To Adjust the Global Chorus LFO Rate..............................................................114

To Adjust the Global Chorus Depth...................................................................115

To Adjust the Global Chorus Center..................................................................116

Table of Contents — 6 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Table of Contents

To Adjust the Global Chorus Spread..................................................................116

Adjusting the Global Chorus Phase.......................................................................117

To Adjust the Global Chorus Phase....................................................................117

Determining Which MR-Rack Outputs the Global Chorus Will Use.....................118

To Set the Global Chorus’s Output Routing......................................................118

Working with the Global Reverb................................................................................118

To Access the Global Reverb Parameters............................................................119

Selecting a Global Reverb Preset............................................................................119

To Select a Global Reverb Preset.........................................................................119

Setting Reverb Amounts for the Light, Medium and Wet Reverb Busses..............120

To Set the LightReverb Amount..........................................................................120

To Set the MediumReverb Amount.....................................................................121

To Set the WetReverb Amount............................................................................121

Setting the Global Reverb’s Volume.......................................................................122

To Set the Global Reverb Overall Volume..........................................................122

Setting the Global Reverb’s Decay Time................................................................122

To Set the Global Reverb’s Decay Time..............................................................123

Setting the Global Reverb’s High-Frequency Damping..........................................123

To Set the Global Reverb’s HF Damping.............................................................123

Setting the Global Reverb’s Brightness..................................................................124

To Set the Global Reverb’s HF Bandwidth..........................................................124

Setting the Global Reverb’s Diffusion....................................................................125

To Set the Global Reverb’s High-Frequency Diffusion.......................................125

To Set the Global Reverb’s Low-Frequency Diffusion........................................125

Setting the Global Reverb’s Definition...................................................................126

To Set the Global Reverb’s Definition.................................................................126

Determining Which MR-Rack Outputs the Global Reverb Will Use......................127

To Set the Global Reverb’s Output Routing.......................................................127

Working with Dry Sounds.........................................................................................128

To Set the Dry Bus’s Output Routing................................................................128

Bypassing Effects.......................................................................................................128

Bypassing and Un-Bypassing With the Effects Button.........................................129

To Bypass an Individual Effect Using the Effects Button...................................129

To Un-Bypass an Individual Effect Using the Effects Button.............................130

To Use the Effects Button Alone to Bypass All Effects at Once..........................130

To Use the Effects Button to Un-Bypass All Effects at Once..............................130

Bypassing and Un-Bypassing with the Bypass Parameter....................................131

To Bypass and Un-Bypass Effects With the Bypass Parameter..........................131

Quick Bypass of All Effects with the Bypass Parameter......................................132

Learning Which Effects are Bypassed When the Red Effects LED Is Lit.................132

To Easily Find Out Which Effects are Bypassed.................................................132

Chapter 6—Special Commands

The Four Special Commands....................................................................................133

To Abort a Command..........................................................................................133

Saving Commands.....................................................................................................134

Saving the Current Performance............................................................................134

To Save the Current Performance.......................................................................134

Saving the Current Effects Setup...........................................................................135

To Save the Current Effects Setup......................................................................135

Saving the Current PerfEditKit...............................................................................136

To Save the Current PerfEditKit..........................................................................136

Saving the Current Part’s Sound...........................................................................137

To Save the Current Part’s Sound......................................................................137

Dump Functions........................................................................................................139

Dumping the Current Performance........................................................................139

To Dump the Current Performance.....................................................................139

Dumping the Current PerfEditKit...........................................................................139

To Dump the Current PerfEditKit........................................................................140

Dumping the Current Part’s Sound.......................................................................140

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual Table of Contents — 7

Table of Contents

Dumping All RAM Performances............................................................................141

Dumping All RAM Sounds.....................................................................................141

Performing a System Parameters Dump.................................................................142

Sending SysEx Data Back to the MR-Rack............................................................143

Copy Functions.........................................................................................................143

Copying RAM Performances to a PCMCIA Card.....................................................143

Copying PCMCIA Card Performances to RAM........................................................144

Copying RAM Sounds to a PCMCIA Card..............................................................146

Copying PCMCIA Card Sounds to RAM.................................................................147

Initialize Functions...................................................................................................148

Initializing a Performance.......................................................................................148

Initializing an Effects Setup...................................................................................149

Initializing a PerfEditKit..........................................................................................150

Initializing a Part’s Sound......................................................................................151

Initializing RAM Performances...............................................................................152

Initializing RAM Sounds........................................................................................152

Initializing the System Setup.................................................................................153

Formatting a PCMCIA Card....................................................................................154

To Dump the Current Part’s Sound....................................................................140

To Dump All RAM Performances.........................................................................141

To Dump All RAM Sounds..................................................................................141

To Perform a System Parameters Dump.............................................................142

To Receive a SysEx Dump...................................................................................143

To Copy RAM Performances to a PCMCIA Card..................................................143

To Copy PCMCIA Card Performances to RAM.....................................................144

To Copy RAM Sounds to a PCMCIA Card...........................................................146

To Copy PCMCIA Card Sounds to RAM..............................................................147

To Initialize a Performance..................................................................................148

To Initialize an Effects Setup..............................................................................149

To Initialize a PerfEditKit.....................................................................................150

To Initialize a Part’s Sound.................................................................................151

To Initialize RAM Performances..........................................................................152

To Initialize RAM Sounds...................................................................................152

To Initialize the System Setup............................................................................153

To Initialize and Format a PCMCIA Card............................................................154

Chapter 7—Expanding the MR-Rack

Using PCMCIA Data Cards.........................................................................................156

Working With ROM PCMCIA Data Cards...............................................................156

To Install a ROM Data Card...............................................................................156

To Remove a ROM Data Card.............................................................................158

Accessing a ROM Card’s Sounds, Performances and Demos.............................158

Working With SRAM PCMCIA Data Cards.............................................................158

SRAM PCMCIA Cards and Batteries.......................................................................158

To Install the Battery in an SRAM PCMCIA Card...............................................158

To Install a New SRAM Data Card......................................................................159

To Initialize and Format a PCMCIA Card............................................................161

To Install an Already-Formatted SRAM Data Card............................................161

To Remove an SRAM Data Card.........................................................................162

Accessing an SRAM Card’s Sounds, Performances and Demos.........................162

Using ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards..............................................162

An Important Note About Electro Static Discharge...............................................162

Installing and Removing Expansion Boards.............................................................163

How To Install an Expansion Board...................................................................163

How To Remove an Expansion Board................................................................164

To Identify an Installed Expansion Board..........................................................165

Updating the MR-Rack Operating System................................................................166

Learning the Version Number of Your MR-Rack Operating System......................166

To Find the Operating System............................................................................166

Table of Contents — 8 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Table of Contents

Chapter 8—Insert Effect Parameters

List of MR-Rack Insert Effects....................................................................................168

List of Effect Modulators............................................................................................168

LFO Wave Shapes.....................................................................................................169

Distortion Curves......................................................................................................169

Insert Effect Parameters.............................................................................................170

Common Insert Effect Parameters...........................................................................170

Common Modulation Parameters...........................................................................170

Insert Effect Descriptions...........................................................................................170

01 Parametric EQ...................................................................................................170

02 Hall Reverb........................................................................................................171

03 Large Room.......................................................................................................171

04 Small Room.......................................................................................................171

05 Large Plate.........................................................................................................172

06 Small Plate........................................................................................................172

07 NonLinReverb1.................................................................................................173

08 NonLinReverb2.................................................................................................173

09 Gated Reverb.....................................................................................................174

10 Stereo Chorus...................................................................................................175

11 8-VoiceChorus..................................................................................................175

12 Rev→Chorus.....................................................................................................176

13 Rev→Flanger.....................................................................................................177

14 Rev→Phaser......................................................................................................178

15 Chorus→Rev.....................................................................................................179

16 Flanger→Rev.....................................................................................................180

17 Phaser→Rev......................................................................................................181

18 EQ→Reverb.......................................................................................................182

19 Spinner→Rev....................................................................................................183

20 DDL→Chorus....................................................................................................184

21 DDL→Flanger....................................................................................................185

22 DDL→Phaser.....................................................................................................186

23 DDL→EQ...........................................................................................................187

24 Multi-Tap DDL..................................................................................................188

25 Dist→Chorus.....................................................................................................189

26 Dist→Flanger.....................................................................................................190

27 Dist→Phaser......................................................................................................192

28 Dist→AutoWah.................................................................................................193

29 ResVCF→DDL....................................................................................................194

30 Dist→VCF→DDL................................................................................................195

31 Pitch Detuner....................................................................................................197

32 Chatter Box.......................................................................................................198

33 Formant Morph.................................................................................................199

34 RotarySpeaker...................................................................................................200

35 Tunable Spkr....................................................................................................202

36 Guitar Amp.......................................................................................................203

37 Dist→DDL→Trem..............................................................................................205

38 Comp→Dist→DDL.............................................................................................206

39 EQ→Comp→Gate..............................................................................................208

40 EQ→Chorus→DDL............................................................................................209

Chapter 9—Supplemental Information

List of SoundFinder Types........................................................................................211

Performance Types..................................................................................................211

Sound Types...........................................................................................................211

List of Wave Names and Classes...............................................................................213

What Is MIDI..............................................................................................................214

Life In The MIDI World............................................................................................214

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual Table of Contents — 9

Table of Contents

Understanding MIDI..................................................................................................214

MIDI Hardware........................................................................................................214

How MIDI Channels Work......................................................................................215

How MIDI Messages Work.......................................................................................216

The Art of MIDI.......................................................................................................217

What Is General MIDI................................................................................................217

General MIDI Sounds.............................................................................................217

General MIDI Drum Kits.........................................................................................217

Earning the Logo....................................................................................................217

General MIDI Sound Map..........................................................................................218

GM and GS Percussion Key Maps (Channel 10).......................................................219

MR-Rack MIDI Implementation.................................................................................221

MIDI Implementation Chart......................................................................................222

MIDI Controllers Reception Behavior........................................................................223

List of MIDI Controller Names...................................................................................224

Reset All Controllers (MIDI controller 121) Reception Behavior...............................225

Registered Parameters................................................................................................225

Non-Registered Parameters........................................................................................226

Registered and Non-Registered Parameters (RPN/NRPN)..........................................226

Universal Non-Real-Time SysEx General MIDI On/Off............................................227

Pitch Tables and the MIDI Tuning Standard Format...............................................228

List of ROM System Pitch Tables..............................................................................228

Using the MR-Rack Outputs.....................................................................................230

A Note About the Main and Aux Output Jacks....................................................230

Ground Compensated Outputs.............................................................................231

Using XLR Outs with the MR-Rack........................................................................231

Using Headphones with the MR-Rack....................................................................231

Troubleshooting the MR-Rack..................................................................................232

If the MR-Rack Doesn’t Play...................................................................................232

If You’re Hearing Sounds You Don’t Expect to Hear.............................................232

If You’re Seeing One Sound on the Display but Hearing Another.......................233

If You’re Selecting New Sounds But What You Hear Remains the Same.............234

If Sounds Are Behaving Unexpectedly...................................................................234

If the Sounds You’re Hearing Sound Unexpectedly Strange.................................235

If You’re Hearing Music You Don’t Expect to Hear................................................236

Sounds That You Expect to Hear Are Unexpectedly Silent..................................236

The MR-Rack is Not Responding to Program Changes or Bank Selects................237

You’re Trying to Modulate a Sound Via MIDI, But Nothing’s Happening............237

You’re Trying to Modulate an Effect Via MIDI, But Nothing’s Happening............238

Error/Informational Messages...................................................................................239

Storage Prompts and Messages.................................................................................239

The Unisyn MR-Rack Software.................................................................................241

Using the Unisyn Sound Editor................................................................................241

Getting Pre-Existing Standard Sounds From the MR-Rack Into Unisyn..............241

Creating New Standard Sounds or Editing Pre-Existing Sounds..........................242

Copying Layer Parameters......................................................................................242

Sending Standard Sounds From Unisyn to the MR-Rack.....................................243

Sound Editor Overview..........................................................................................244

Sound Settings.......................................................................................................245

Edit Context Parameters.........................................................................................246

Select Parameters...................................................................................................247

Pitch Parameters.....................................................................................................249

Wave Parameters....................................................................................................250

Sending the Aux Signals to the Headphones.....................................................231

To Route the Aux Signals to the Main Outputs

To Move a Standard Sound From the MR-Rack Into Unisyn............................241

To Prepare Unisyn for Sound Editing.................................................................242

To Copy Layer Parameters Within the Same Standard Sound.........................243

To Copy Layer Parameters Between Standard Sounds......................................243

To Send Sounds From Unisyn to the MR-Rack..................................................243

Table of Contents — 10 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Table of Contents

Envelope 1 Parameters............................................................................................252

Filter Parameters.....................................................................................................254

Filter 1 Parameters..................................................................................................254

Filter 2 Parameters..................................................................................................255

Envelope 2 Parameters............................................................................................255

Amp Parameters......................................................................................................257

Envelope 3 Parameters............................................................................................258

LFO Parameters......................................................................................................260

Effect Parameters.....................................................................................................262

Using the Unisyn DrumKit Editor..............................................................................263

Getting Pre-Existing Drum Kit Sounds From the MR-Rack Into Unisyn...............263

To Move a Drum Kit Sound From the MR-Rack Into Unisyn.............................263

Creating New Drum Kit Sounds, Editing Pre-Existing Sounds with Unisyn.........263

To Prepare Unisyn for Drum Kit Sound Editing..................................................264

Sending Drum Kit Sounds From Unisyn to the MR-Rack.....................................264

To Send Drum Kit Sounds From Unisyn to the MR-Rack..................................264

DrumKit Editor Overview.......................................................................................265

DrumKey Parameters..............................................................................................265

Drum Kit Parameters..............................................................................................266

Using the Unisyn Perform (Performance) Editor........................................................267

Getting the Current Performance From the MR-Rack to Unisyn...........................267

To Move the Current MR-Rack Performance Into Unisyn...................................267

Creating New Sounds and Editing Pre-Existing Performances with Unisyn.........268

To Prepare Unisyn for Sound Editing..................................................................268

Sending a Performance From Unisyn to the MR-Rack...........................................268

To Send a Performance From Unisyn to the MR-Rack........................................268

Perform (Performance) Editor Overview..................................................................269

Part Assign Parameters...........................................................................................269

Part Pan Parameters...............................................................................................269

Part Volume Parameters.........................................................................................269

Part Edit (1/3) Parameters......................................................................................269

Part Edit (2/3) Parameters......................................................................................271

Part Edit (3/3) Parameters......................................................................................273

Reverb.....................................................................................................................274

Reverb Routing.......................................................................................................274

Reverb Params........................................................................................................275

Chorus....................................................................................................................275

Chorus Routing......................................................................................................275

Insert.......................................................................................................................276

Insert Routing......................................................................................................276

Output Assigns.......................................................................................................277

Glossary.....................................................................................................................278

How did we do?..........................................................................................................282

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual Table of Contents — 11

Table of Contents

Table of Contents — 12 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

We lc om e !

Congratulations on your purchase of the MR-Rack, and thank you for choosing ENSONIQ. We designed the MR-Rack with a single goal in mind: to create an easy-to-use box packed with great sounds. With ENSONIQ’s exclusive SoundFinder™, picking Sounds couldn’t be easier.

This chapter will show you how to find Sounds in the MR-Rack. It will also provide an easyto-understand conceptual overview of the MR-Rack, show you how to play the built-in demonstration songs, offer a few technical notes and provide you with some additional reading resources to help deepen your understanding of sound and MIDI.

Chapter 1—Welcome

Ch apt e r 1

We lc om e

Ge t t ing R e ady to List e n

The simplest way to listen to the MR-Rack is by using stereo headphones. Turn the frontpanel Volume knob all the way down and plug your headphones into the Phones jack. Turn the Volume knob up to a comfortable listening level once the MR-Rack starts making sound. The Phones jack output is designed to work with both low- and high-impedance headphones. Make sure you set the Volume knob carefully—high output volume levels could damage your hearing.

You may also use MR-Rack’s rear-panel Main Outs. If you’re connecting the MR-Rack to a mixer, turn the MR-Rack’s Volume knob all the way up for the best possible sound. Adjust the input trims on your mixer to set the MR-Rack to an appropriate level.

If you’d like to run the MR-Rack’s Main Outs through your home stereo, bear in mind that the MR-Rack is capable of producing a far greater dynamic range than what your system may be used to, and so, a little care is required. Turn the MR-Rack’s Volume knob to about 12 o’clock, and operate your stereo at conservative levels to be on the safe side.

There’s a more detailed description of how to connect the MR-Rack and set appropriate volume levels in “Setting Volume Levels” in Chapter 2 of the MR-Rack Musician’s Manual.

P ow e r ing U p

Once you’ve got a listening method established, you can power up the MR-Rack.

1. Plug the MR-Rack’s line cord into the line receptacle on its rear panel.

2. Connect the other end of the cable to a grounded AC outlet.

3. Press the Power button on the MR-Rack’s front panel.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 1

Chapter 1—Welcome

Once the MR-Rack completes its power-up sequence, the display will look something like this:

You’re ready to start exploring the MR-Rack Sounds.

Note: If you’ve already customized the MR-Rack’s wake-up mode—as described in Chapter 3—press the Performance and Sound buttons simultaneously.

C hoosing Sounds

The MR-Rack’s SoundFinder™ makes choosing Sounds a snap!

1. Press the Sound button—its LED lights up.

2. Turn the left-hand Sound Type knob on the MR-Rack’s front panel clockwise or counter-clockwise.

pt01:§01 ROM:004:030 DEMO-SND: Dense Mist

Sound Type

SoundFinder™

As you turn the Sound Type knob, you’ll see different Sound categories appear in the lower left part of the MR-Rack’s display.

pt01:§01 RAM:005:021 VOCALS : Aaaahhhs

Sound Type

3. Find a Sound Type category that interests you.

4. Turn the Sound Name knob clockwise or counter-clockwise to choose a Sound of the selected type.

64 Voice Expandable Synth

SoundFinder™

Sound Name

2 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

Sound names appear on the lower right-hand portion of the display.

pt01:§01 RAM:001:015 VOCALS :Airy Voices

5. To hear what a Sound sounds like, press the Audition button. A brief demo of the Sound will play. (You can change what plays when you press the Audition button—see “Auditioning Sounds on the MR-Rack” in Chapter 3.)

If you’ve already connected your MR-Rack to your MIDI set-up, you can set your controller to MIDI channel 1 and use it to play the Sound. You can also use MIDI program changes to select other Sounds. Chapter 2 shows how the MR-Rack can be wired into your rig.

U nde r st anding the M R - R ac k

The MR-Rack is easy to use, once you understand its simple internal structure. Here’s how it works.

Chapter 1—Welcome

Sound Name

Sounds

Sounds are the basic building blocks of the MR-Rack. They’re constructed from digital sound waves resident in the MR-Rack’s permanent memory.

If you’ve got a Macintosh or IBM-compatible computer, you can also create your own Sounds using the Unisyn editor ENSONIQ will supply to you when you send in your completed MR-Rack warranty card.

You can add additional Sounds by purchasing MRC Series Sound Cards and ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards, which will be explained later in this chapter.

Parts

The MR-Rack can play 16 individual Sounds at once. Each Sound fits into one of 16 slots, called Parts. You can select any MR-Rack Sound for use by any Part.

Each Part can have its own MIDI channel, and provides options—called Part parameters—for controlling the behavior of the Part. Part parameters also offer tools that allow each Part to shape the Sound it uses. See Chapter 4 for details.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 3

Chapter 1—Welcome

Performances

A collection of up to 16 Parts—including all the Sounds they contain and any of the alterations you’ve made to them, as well as a complete Effects setup—is called a Performance.

You can save Performances to the MR-Rack’s internal memory. This is useful for keeping track of the Sounds and settings for a particular song, project or live performance.

Choosing Performances on the MR-Rack

You can select the Performances in the MR-Rack in a manner very similar to the manner in which Sounds are selected.

1. Press the Performance button so that its amber LED lights.

2. Turn the Sound Type knob clockwise or counter-clockwise to choose the type of Performance you’d like.

3. Turn the Sound Name knob clockwise or counter-clockwise to pick an individual Performance.

Performances can also be selected via MIDI. See “Using MIDI Program Changes” in Chapter 3 for details.

Effects

The MR-Rack contains a powerful 24-bit effect processor that provides a wide range of Effects that can be applied to any Sound. Each Performance contains three types of Effects:

• an Effect that can be borrowed from one of the Sounds in the Performance, known as the Insert Effect.

• a Global Chorus

• a Global Reverb

To provide maximum flexibility, the MR-Rack offers six busses to these Effects:

• the Insert FX Bus

• the Chorus FX Bus

• the LightReverb FX Bus

• the MediumReverb FX Bus

• the WetReverb FX Bus

• the Dry FX Bus

Each bus has its own settings that determine how it will use the Effect—or Effects—it can access, as well as which rear-panel outputs it will ultimately utilize. Parts may be assigned to any one of the six busses. The bus settings and the Part assignments are saved with each Performance. For more information on Effects, see Chapter 5.

4 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

Chapter 1—Welcome

Drum Kits

The MR-Rack contains a special category of Sounds called Drum Kit Sounds. Drum Kit Sounds allow you to have up to 64 non-Drum Kit Sounds assigned to individual keys. Though these are most commonly drum and percussion Sounds, you can use any kind of Sound you’d like in a Drum Kit. Each Drum Kit key has its own Volume, Pan, Tuning and Effect settings. You can use as many Drum Kits in a Performance as there are Parts. In addition, every Performance offers an editable Drum Kit, called the PerfEditKit, which you can customize and save as a Drum Kit Sound that you can use again. Drum Kits are described fully in “Editing Drum Kits” Chapter 4.

Staks

The MR-Rack features an innovative device called a Stak, which is used for grouping Sounds together on a single MIDI channel. Staks make it easy to create layered Sounds and keyboard splits. Every Performance provides one Stak, which is created by assigning Parts to the designated Stak MIDI channel.

Staks provide a number of improvements over the traditional method of stacking or splitting Sounds assigned to a common MIDI channel. In conventional layers and splits, a program change sent over the common MIDI channel would set all of the layered or split Sounds to the same program number, ruining your carefully chosen sound selection—Staks, on the other hand, are program-change proof. The Stak MIDI channel can also be changed with a single adjustment, sparing you the work of reassigning every layered or split component individually, should you need to change the channel you want to use. And since the Stak MIDI channel is a global setting, you can easily access Staks in ROM Performances without having to copy the Performance into RAM.

For more information on Staks, see “Using Staks” in Chapter 4.

SoundFinder™

SoundFinder™ is an exclusive ENSONIQ feature that makes it simple to find the Sounds and Performances you want. Computer users may be familiar with databases, which allow you to view information in a manner of your choosing. SoundFinder™ operates in much the same way. The MR-Rack keeps a list of all the Sounds and Performances available to it at any given time, and shows them to you in logical, musically convenient categories called Sound Types and Performance Types.

Sound Types let you view Sounds by instrument family—Vocals or Bells, for example—or by a number of other useful criteria, including the location in the MR-Rack’s memory where they reside. The ALL-SND category is especially useful, since it shows all of the MR-Rack’s Sounds arranged in alphabetical order. If you program your own sounds, you can store them in the USER-SND or *CUSTOM SoundFinder categories.

Performance Types allow you to view Performances according to where in the MR-Rack they reside.

How the MR-Rack’s Memory Works

Sounds and Performances are stored in memory locations called banks. Each bank may store up to 128 Sounds—depending on how much memory each Sound requires—and 32 Performances. The MR-Rack is designed to access up to 128 banks. Banks may reside in the MR-Rack’s internal memory or on PCMCIA data cards and ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards you can purchase separately.

Banks become most important when using MIDI Program Changes to select Sounds and Performance. Each Sound or Performance is invoked with a Bank Select message—which tells the MR-Rack where the Sound or Performance resides—and a Program Change

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 5

Chapter 1—Welcome

message, which pinpoints the Sound or Performance itself.

Tip: When you’d like to know the necessary Bank Select and Program Change for a Sound you’ve currently got selected, press the Sounds button and consult the upper right-hand corner of the MR-Rack’s display: the pair of three-digit numbers tell you, first, the Bank Select and, second, the Program Change required for that Sound. To learn a Performance’s Bank Select and Program Change, press the Performance button—the Performance display shows Bank Select and Program Change information in the same manner as the Sound display.

ROM and RAM

ROM (“Read Only Memory’”) and RAM (“Random Access Memory”) are the two areas within the MR-Rack’s internal memory where Performances and Sounds are stored in banks.

Performances and Sounds saved into ROM memory are permanent and unalterable—these Performances and Sounds are always available. (You can edit them using the MR-Rack’s Part parameters, and then save the edited versions to non-ROM memory locations.)

Performances and Sounds you edit or create are saved into the MR-Rack’s RAM memory bank. RAM can be used over and over again, and, therefore, Performances and Sounds stored in RAM can be edited, re-saved or erased, as you wish.

ROM Cards

The Data Card slot on the MR-Rack’s front panel allows you to add new Sounds and Performances to the MR-Rack through the purchase of ENSONIQ’s MRC Series Sound Cards. These PCMCIA ROM cards are inserted into the Data Card slot on the MR-Rack’s front panel. The Sounds and Performances on these cards are permanent. (You can use the various Part parameters to customize them, and then save the edited versions to the MRRack’s RAM memory.)

SRAM Cards

The Data Card slot on the MR-Rack’s front panel also allows you to add additional RAM memory banks through the purchase of SRAM PCMCIA cards, such as ENSONIQ’s MC-512 card. These cards are great for storing your own MR-Rack Sounds and Performances.

EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards

The MR-Rack can be upgraded to hold more digital sound waves and more Sound and Performance banks with the installation of ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards. EXP Boards are mounted inside the MR-Rack’s case—you can easily install them yourself!

For more details, see “Using ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards” in Chapter 7.

The MR-Rack Display

The MR-Rack’s display has been designed to provide you with all the information you’ll need as you use the MR-Rack. The display will change as you perform different tasks, since what you’ll need to know at any given time will vary depending on what you’re doing. Each chapter in the MR-Rack Musician’s Manual contains an introductory section describing how the display will function in that chapter’s context.

P laying the M R - R ac k D e m o

The MR-Rack can play special demonstration songs to give you an idea of how terrific it sounds.

6 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

Chapter 1—Welcome

To Play the MR-Rack Main Demo

1. Press the Audition button, and hold it down.

2. While still holding Audition, press the Save button.

3. Let go of both buttons. In an unexpanded MR-Rack, the display shows:

Hit ENTER to Play: MAINDEMO:MR Internal

If you’ve installed any Expansion boards or a ROM card containing MAINDEMO-type demonstration songs, your display will differ. Turn the Value knob counter-clockwise until the display looks as it does above.

Note: When MR-Rack demos are being viewed or playing, MIDI In is disabled.

4. Press Enter to play the demo.

5. Press Enter again to stop the demo.

6. When you’re done listening to the demo song, press Exit to return to normal MR-Rack operation.

Note: When you press Exit after selecting and/or listening to the MR-Rack’s demos, three System parameters are reset if the MR-Rack’s WakeUpMode System parameter is set to Demo: the AutoSelect FXBus and Part Param Reset parameters are set to On, and the Perf ProgChgRecv parameter is set to Off (see Chapter 3 if you’d like more information on these System parameters).

P laying Ot he r De m os

ROM data cards, wave expansion boards and future operating systems can provide additional demos for your MR-Rack.

To Play Other MR-Rack Demos

1. Press the Audition button, and hold it down.

2. While still holding Audition, press the Save button.

3. Let go of both buttons.

4. Turn the left-hand Sound Type knob to select a demo type.

Hit ENTER to Play: WORLD : Paddy&Pals

Demo Type

The demos you see may differ from the demos shown here.

Note: When MR-Rack demos are being viewed or playing, MIDI In is disabled.

5. Turn the right-hand Sound Name knob to choose a demo.

Hit ENTER to Play: AMBIENT : MR Trance

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 7

Chapter 1—Welcome

6. Press Enter to play the demo.

7. Press Enter again to stop the demo.

8. When you’re done listening to the demo songs, press Exit to return to normal MR-Rack operation.

Ot he r P oint s of In te r e st

All Notes Off

When using MIDI equipment, there are occasions when your system may get confused. This can cause a barrage of notes to sound which will continue until you do something to stop them. The MR-Rack provides an All Notes Off button, which you can double-click (press two times quickly) to silence these unwanted notes. You'll find it to the right of the MR-Rack’s display. Think of the All Notes Off button as a “panic button.”

Demo Name

All Notes Off

Audition

The MR-Rack’s Battery

The MR-Rack “remembers” Sounds, Performances and its various settings even when its power is turned off, since it contains a battery which keeps its memory intact. All batteries eventually become discharged, and though your MR-Rack battery should last for years, you may eventually need to have it replaced by an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

Battery Low Warning

The MR-Rack will tell you when its battery needs replacing. It will flash the following when you power up:

Sorry! Main battery is low. See manual.

8 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

Chapter 1—Welcome

This display will appear only briefly, and then allow you to proceed normally. Make sure that everything in RAM that you’d like to keep—or any special System settings—has been safely stored on a Data Card or external MIDI storage device, and take the MR-Rack to an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station as soon as possible to have the battery replaced.

For more about saving MR-Rack data, see Chapter 6.

If You Experience Odd Behavior

If your MR-Rack is behaving peculiarly—for instance, the display is showing characters that shouldn’t be there, or you’re experiencing surprising Unexpected Event messages—a soft reset may cure the problem. There are three special procedures you can try:

• A soft reset is similar to turning the MR-Rack’s power off and then on again. This procedure doesn’t erase or adversely affect the contents of the MR-Rack’s memory.

• A reinitialization procedure clears out the MR-Rack’s internal memory, including any system data corruption. Reinitializing erases the contents of the MR-Rack’s internal memory. This means that any Performances, Sounds, Effect set-ups or PerfEditKits stored in RAM will be lost. If you decide to reinitialize, try saving any items you want to preserve to a Data Card or via MIDI SysEx (see Chapter 6 for details).

• A hard reinitialization procedure performs a very deep-level reinitialization of the MRRack. This means that any Performances, Sounds, Effect set-ups or PerfEditKits stored in RAM will be lost. If you decide to reinitialize, try saving any items you want to preserve to a Data Card or via MIDI SysEx (see Chapter 6 for details). This procedure should be used in cases when the MR-Rack’s front-panel buttons, for some reason, don’t allow you to perform a standard reinitialization.

To Perform A Soft Reset

1. Press and hold down the Save button.

2. While still holding Save, press the Exit button. If performing a soft reset doesn’t end the strange occurrences, you may need to

reinitialize the MR-Rack. Make sure that everything in RAM that you’d like to keep—or any special System settings—has been safely stored on a Data Card or external MIDI storage device before you reinitialize, since reinitialization will clear the MR-Rack’s internal memory.

To Perform a Standard Reinitialization

Make sure that everything in RAM that you’d like to keep—or any special System settings—has been safely stored on a Data Card or external MIDI storage device before you reinitialize, since reinitialization will clear the MR-Rack’s internal memory.

1. Press and hold down the Save button.

2. While still holding Save, press the Enter button.

3. Let go of both buttons.

4. Press the Enter button again to perform the reinitialization

To Perform a Hard Reinitialization

1. Using its front-panel Power switch, turn the MR-Rack’s power off. The hard reinitialization process is performed by switching the MR-Rack off and on

eight times in rapid succession. Use the following technique:

2. Turn the MR-Rack’s power back on just until the display flickers on, then shut if off again, then immediately back on—do this eight times.

If reinitializing the MR-Rack fails to correct the problem, contact an Authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 9

Chapter 1—Welcome

A vailable Opt ions f or Your M R - R ac k

These optional accessories are available from your Authorized ENSONIQ Dealer:

• EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards — a user-installable board for Sound memory expansion. Each EXP Board contains 256 ROM Sounds, up to 24 MB of wave ROM, with Performances and demos. The MR-Rack can have up to three different EXP Wave Expansion Boards.

• ROM Card — a PCMCIA type ROM card containing 256 ROM Sounds, and 32 ROM Performances

• SRAM Card, including ENSONIQ’s MC-512 Card — a PCMCIA type SRAM card containing a variable number of banks of Sounds and Performances. The number of banks on a card depends on the size of the card. Each bank is equal in size to the base unit RAM, and can hold the same number of Sounds (up to 128 RAM Sounds per bank) and Performances (128 RAM Performances per bank). The number of RAM Sounds depends on the number of layers in each Sound.

N e e d M or e He lp?

Whether you’re an aspiring programmer looking for additional information about basic effect processing techniques and MIDI theory, or a professional sound engineer working with advanced applications, you may want more detailed information beyond the scope of this manual. The following books can help enhance your understanding of effect processing, 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: (800) 233-9604

MIDI

BECOMING A COMPUTER MUSICIAN, Jeff Bowen MAKING MUSIC WITH YOUR COMPUTER, David (Rudy) Trubitt, Ed. MIDI: A COMPREHENSIVE INTRODUCTION, Joseph Rothstein MIDI XPLAINED, Steinberg/Jones THE MIDI MANUAL, David Huber UNDERSTANDING MIDI, David Wills WHAT’S MIDI?, Jon Eiche

RECORDING

IMPROVING YOUR SIGNAL PROCESSING SKILLS, (cassette & manual) Bill Gibson MASTER HANDBOOK OF ACOUSTICS, F. Alton Everest MODERN RECORDING TECHNIQUES, Huber & Runstein SOUND REINFORCEMENT HANDBOOK, Davis & Jones

SYNTHESIS

FUNDAMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES OF THE SYNTHESIZER, Errol G. Specter SYNTHESIZER PERFORMANCE, Jeff Pressing WHAT’S A SYNTHESIZER?, Jon Eiche

VIDEOS

SHAPING YOUR SOUND, (video series) Tom Lubin

Alfred Publishing Company

For prices and more information call (818) 891-5999

10 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

MIDI

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

Hal Leonard Publishing

For prices and more information call (414) 774-3630

MIND OVER MIDI, GPI TUNING IN: MICROTONALITY IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC, Scott R. Wilkinson

Monthly Magazines

The following magazines offer many specific articles and columns that can provide additional information.

THE TRANSONIQ HACKER

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

KEYBOARD

For subscription rates and more information call (800) 289-9919

Chapter 1—Welcome

ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN

For subscription rates and more information call (800) 888-5139

HOME & STUDIO RECORDING

For subscription rates and more information call (818) 407-0744

MIX

For subscription rates and more information call (800) 888-5139

For subscription rates and more information call (212) 213-3444

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 11

Int r oduc t ion

The MR-Rack is an outstanding addition to any MIDI set-up. This chapter describes how to connect the MR-Rack in some of the most popular MIDI environments.

The key to setting up any MIDI system is to approach the process in an orderly, methodical manner. As each cable or wire is added, the system grows in complexity. If you have a firm grasp of what’s connected, and where, you’ll find managing your rig to be much more pleasant. As you add more gear—or troubleshoot—the extra care you take now will pay off in the ease with which you’ll be able to adapt your system to future needs.

Chapter 2—Connections

Ch apt e r 2

Con ne ct i ons

To Get Ready

It’s always good policy to turn everything off—and all volume settings down—before you wire equipment together. This protects you and your gear from unwelcome surprises.

1. Turn the volume off for each piece of equipment you plan to include in your set-up.

2. Turn down any mixer faders or other volume controls for the sound system you’re using.

3. Turn off the power for everything being included in your set-up.

What Connections Need to be Made?

In any MIDI system, there are three types of connections to be made:

• MIDI connections

• Audio connections

• Power connections

M aking MID I C onne c t ions

The MR-Rack will communicate with the rest of your equipment via MIDI. The nature of these connections and the number of MIDI cables you’ll need varies, depending on your setup. Each system has its own needs, which we’ll explain in the individual set-ups in this chapter.

The MIDI set-ups described in “Making MIDI Connections” are:

• Using the MR-Rack with a controller

• Using the MR-Rack with a workstation

• Using the MR-Rack with a computer/stand-alone sequencer

• Editing Sounds with the MR-Rack and a computer

• Sequencing with the MR-Rack, a computer and a controller

• Using the MR-Rack with a computer, a controller and a merger

• Using the MR-Rack with a computer, a controller and a MIDI patchbay

If you’ve got questions about MIDI itself, or any of the terms above, consult the Glossary or “What Is MIDI?” sections of Chapter 9.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 1

Chapter 2—Connections

Even if your plans for the MR-Rack differ from the scenarios described in this chapter, you’re likely to find the set-ups you’ll find here useful as starting points for your own system design.

Using the MR-Rack with a Controller

The MR-Rack can be used as a sound source with any type of MIDI controller. This includes MIDI keyboards, MIDI drum pads or triggers, MIDI guitars, or anything else a musician might play which sends out MIDI data.

What You’ll Need

• A single MIDI cable.

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your connections

To Connect the MR-Rack

1. Connect one end of your MIDI cable to your controller’s MIDI Out.

2. Connect the other end to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In.

Note: If your set-up utilizes a MIDI patcher, consult your patcher’s documentation to learn how to set up the equivalent of this MIDI connection, or see “Using the MRRack With a Computer, Controller and MIDI Patchbay” later in this chapter.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Now that you’ve made the MIDI connections between your controller and the MR-Rack, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” later in this chapter.

Using the MR-Rack with a Workstation

A workstation is a MIDI instrument with a keyboard, a sequencer, built-in synthesizer or sampler, effects processor and disk drive or memory card. Adding an MR-Rack vastly expands the workstation’s sonic palette and provides 64 voices of added polyphony. The MRRack can be played via MIDI from a workstation’s keyboard, or addressed by its sequencer.

Often, a workstation’s disk drive can be used to archive the memory contents of external devices—such as the MR-Rack—through the “dumping” of MIDI System Exclusive (SysEx) data. (If you’d like to know more about SysEx, see the Glossary and “What Is MIDI?” in Chapter 9.) Consult your workstation’s manual to see if yours can receive MIDI SysEx dumps—if not, you can simply skip the MIDI connection which would run from the MRRack back to your workstation. To learn how to perform a SysEx dump from the MR-Rack, see Chapter 6.

What You’ll Need

• Two MIDI cables

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your connections

To Connect the MR-Rack

1. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to your workstation’s MIDI Out.

2. Connect the cable’s other end to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In.

3. Connect one end of the other MIDI cable to the MR-Rack’s MIDI Out.

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Chapter 2—Connections

4. Connect its other end to the workstation’s MIDI In.

Note: If you use a MIDI patcher, consult your patcher’s documentation to learn how to set up the equivalent of these MIDI connections, or see “Using the MR-Rack With a Computer, Controller and MIDI Patchbay” later in this chapter.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Now that you’ve made your MIDI connections between your workstation and the MR-Rack, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” later in this chapter.

Using the MR-Rack with a Stand-Alone Sequencer

Sequencers provide a means of playing and/or recording MIDI music (including General MIDI music). There are essentially two physical types of sequencers. There are sequencer programs which run on a personal computer, and there are stand-alone boxes dedicated solely to the job of sequencing. This set-up describes how to use a stand-alone sequencer with the MR-Rack.

Note: If you’ve got a controller and a MIDI merger, you can follow the instructions in “Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Merger” later in this chapter, by simply replacing any references to “computer” with “sequencer.”

A sequencer is also likely to include a disk drive. Often, the drive can be used to archive the memory contents of external devices—such as the MR-Rack—through the “dumping” of MIDI System Exclusive (SysEx) data. (If you’d like to know more about SysEx, see the Glossary and “What Is MIDI?” in Chapter 9.) Consult your sequencer’s manual to see if yours can receive MIDI SysEx dumps—if not, you can simply skip the MIDI connection which would run from the MR-Rack back to your sequencer. Chapter 6 describes how to perform a SysEx dump.

What You’ll Need

• Two MIDI cables

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your connections

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 3

Chapter 2—Connections

To Connect the MR-Rack

1. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to your sequencer’s MIDI Out.

2. Connect the cable’s other end to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In.

3. Connect one end of the other MIDI cable to the MR-Rack’s MIDI Out.

4. Connect its other end to the sequencer’s MIDI In.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Now that you’ve made your MIDI connections between your sequencer and the MR-Rack, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” later in this chapter.

If you’re using a General MIDI (GM) sequencer, you’ll want to see “Using the MR-Rack for General MIDI Music” near the end of this chapter once you’ve finished setting up.

Editing Sounds with the MR-Rack and a Computer

ENSONIQ will provide you with Unisyn sound editing software for your computer when you fill out and mail in your completed warranty card. Once you’ve installed the Unisyn editor on your computer, you’ll be able to create your own new Sounds for the MR-Rack (Chapter 9 provides information on using the Unisyn software).

What You’ll Need

• Two MIDI cables

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your connections

To Connect the MR-Rack

1. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to your computer’s MIDI Out.

2. Connect the cable’s other end to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In.

3. Connect one end of the other MIDI cable to the MR-Rack’s MIDI Out.

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Chapter 2—Connections

4. Connect its other end to the computer’s MIDI In.

Note: This set-up is for MR-Rack users working with minimal MIDI hardware. If you own a MIDI merger or a MIDI patchbay, see “Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Merger,” or “Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Patchbay” later in this chapter.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Now that you’ve made your MIDI connections between your computer and the MR-Rack, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” later in this chapter.

Sequencing with the MR-Rack, a Computer and a Controller

Computers are powerful musical tools when outfitted with the proper musical hardware and software. Some computers sport MIDI In/Out/Thru jacks. If yours doesn’t, you’ll need to purchase a MIDI interface for your computer. There are many excellent MIDI sequencing programs on the market, including General MIDI sequencers. Once you’ve installed one on your computer, you’ll be able to purchase and play pre-recorded sequences—or record your own music—using the Sounds onboard the MR-Rack.

This set-up will allow you to play the MR-Rack’s Sounds from your controller while recording into the computer sequencer. When the sequencer plays back the music, it will use the same MR-Rack Sounds. When using a computer sequencer, it’s critical that your controller, sequencer, computer and—if you’re using one—your MIDI interface be configured correctly. Consult their documentation to learn how to use them with a multi-timbral module such as the MR-Rack.

What You’ll Need

• Two MIDI cables

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your connections

To Connect the MR-Rack

1. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to your controller’s MIDI Out.

2. Connect the cable’s other end to the computer’s MIDI In.

3. Connect one end of the other MIDI cable to the computer’s MIDI Out.

4. Connect its other end to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 5

Chapter 2—Connections

Note: This set-up is for MR-Rack users working with minimal MIDI hardware. If you

own a MIDI merger or a MIDI patchbay, see “Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Merger,” or “Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Patchbay” later in this chapter.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Now that you’ve made your MIDI connections between your computer, controller and the MR-Rack, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” later in this chapter.

If you’re using a General MIDI (GM) sequencer, you’ll want to see “Using the MR-Rack for General MIDI Music” near the end of this chapter once you’ve finished setting up.

Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Merger

Computers are powerful musical tools when outfitted with the proper musical hardware and software. Some computers provide MIDI In/Out/Thru jacks. If yours doesn’t, you’ll need to purchase a MIDI interface for your computer. There are many excellent MIDI sequencing programs on the market, including General MIDI sequencers. Once you’ve installed one on your computer, you’ll be able to purchase and play pre-recorded sequences—or record your own music—using the Sounds onboard the MR-Rack. ENSONIQ will provide you with Unisyn sound editing software for your computer when you fill out and mail in your completed warranty card. Once you’ve installed the Unisyn editor on your computer, you’ll be able to create your own new Sounds for the MR-Rack (Chapter 9 explains how to use the Unisyn software). You can also use the computer’s storage devices to archive the contents of the MR-Rack’s internal memory, via SysEx dumps. (If you’re unfamiliar with SysEx, see the Glossary and “What Is MIDI?” in Chapter 9.) Chapter 6 describes how to perform a SysEx dump.

When using a computer, it’s critical that your controller, all of your computer’s software and—if you’re using one—your MIDI interface be configured correctly. Consult their documentation to learn how to use them with a multi-timbral module such as the MR-Rack.

Note: The following set-up will also work for MR-Rack users with a stand-alone sequencer, a controller and a MIDI merger. Follow the instructions below, and simply replace any references to “computer” with “sequencer.”

What You’ll Need

• Four MIDI cables

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your connections

To Connect the MR-Rack

1. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to your controller’s MIDI Out.

2. Connect the cable’s other end to one of the merger’s MIDI Ins.

3. Connect one end of a second MIDI cable to the merger’s MIDI Out.

4. Connect its other end to the computer’s MIDI In.

5. Connect a third cable from the computer’s MIDI Out to the MR-Rack’ s MIDI In.

6 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

Chapter 2—Connections

6. Connect the fourth cable from the MR-Rack’s MIDI Out to the merger’s second MIDI In.

MIDI

merger

Note: This set-up is for MR-Rack users with a computer (or a stand-alone sequencer), a controller and a MIDI merger. If you don’t own a MIDI merger, see “Editing Sounds with the MR-Rack and a Computer,” Sequencing with the MR-Rack, a Computer and a Controller,” or “Using the MR-Rack with a Stand-Alone Sequencer” earlier in this chapter. If you’ve got a MIDI patchbay, see “Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, a Controller and a MIDI Patchbay” below.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Now that you’ve made your MIDI connections between your computer, controller and the MR-Rack, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” later in this chapter.

If you’re using a General MIDI (GM) sequencer, you’ll want to see “Using the MR-Rack for General MIDI Music” near the end of this chapter once you’ve finished setting up.

Using the MR-Rack with a Computer, Controller and MIDI Patchbay

Today’s personal computers can be musical powerhouses when outfitted with MIDI In and Out jacks and used in conjunction with a device like the MR-Rack. Some computers have MIDI In/Out/Thru jacks. If yours doesn’t, you’ll need to purchase a MIDI interface for your computer.

With a computer, you can create new Sounds for the MR-Rack by using the Unisyn editing software ENSONIQ will provide to you when you send in your completed warranty card (see Chapter 9 to learn more about using the Unisyn software).

Some people use computer sequencers to play back General MIDI songs that they’ve purchased. If you’re not sure exactly what General MIDI is, consult the Glossary or “What Is General MIDI?” in Chapter 9. Other people use computers sequencers to create their own music. For these musicians, it’s desirable to include a MIDI controller in their computer/MR-Rack system so they can perform their parts and record them into the sequencer.

Any storage device connected to the computer— a floppy drive or a hard disk, for example—can provide a place to store the contents of the MR-Rack’s memory. You can also use the computer’s storage devices to archive the contents of the MR-Rack’s internal memory, via SysEx dumps.(If you’re unfamiliar with SysEx, see the Glossary and “What Is MIDI?” in Chapter 9.) Chapter 6 describes how to perform a SysEx dump.

A MIDI patchbay—especially one with merging capabilities—is the ideal way to connect your controller, computer, MR-Rack and any other MIDI device. Once everything is wired up to the patchbay, all inter-device connections are just a few mouse clicks, button presses or knob twists away.

MIDI patchbays typically provide numbered pairs of MIDI In and Out jacks—each of these pairs is used by a single MIDI device. Consult your patchbay’s documentation to see if the manufacturer has recommendations as to which location—that is, pair—should be used by

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 7

Chapter 2—Connections

your controller or computer. If not, you can connect any device to any location.

What You’ll Need

• Six MIDI cables

• Stereo headphones, for verifying your MR-Rack connections

To Make Your MIDI Patchbay Connections

1. Select three patchbay locations: one for your computer, one for your controller and one for the MR-Rack.

2. Connect the computer’s MIDI Out to the MIDI In of the patchbay location you’ve chosen for the computer.

3. Connect the same location’s MIDI Out to the computer’s MIDI In.

4. Connect the controller’s MIDI Out to the MIDI In of the patchbay location you’ve chosen for the controller.

5. Connect the same location’s MIDI Out to the controller’s MIDI In.

6. Connect the MR-Rack’s MIDI Out to the MIDI In of the patchbay location you’ve chosen for the MR-Rack.

7. Connect the same location’s MIDI Out to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In.

MIDI Patchbay

Consult your patchbay’s documentation to learn how to route MIDI signals from one MIDI device to another (or others). The optimal routings will vary for the different software programs you’ll be using—consult their manuals for details.

Connecting the Rest of Your System

Once you’ve programmed your patchbay, skip ahead to “Making Audio Connections” below. If you’re using a General MIDI (GM) sequencer, you’ll want to see “Using the MR-Rack for

General MIDI Music” near the end of this chapter once you’ve finished setting up.

8 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

M aking Audio C onne c t ions

In any set-up, you’ll need to determine what type of audio connection you’d prefer to establish between the MR-Rack and the rest of your system. There are a number of options.

• You can listen to the MR-Rack with headphones plugged into the front-panel Phones jack. This is great for privacy—when you’re practicing, no one else can hear what you’re up to. It’s also a convenient way to troubleshoot your system, and it’s perfect for simply experiencing the MR-Rack’s crystal-clear sound without added noise from other equipment in your rig. The MR-Rack’s Volume knob controls your listening volume.

Phones Volume

Using headphones is always available as an option, regardless of other audio connections you’ve made with the MR-Rack.

Plugging them in does not automatically mute the other audio outputs from the MRRack.

• If you’d prefer to use the MR-Rack in mono through a traditional keyboard or guitar amplifier, or through a single fader on a mixing console, connect one end of a 1/4” phone-type audio cable to the Main Out Left jack on the MR-Rack’s back panel, and the other end to your amplifier or mixer. The “MR-Rack Output Jacks” section in Chapter 9 contains technical information about the MR-Rack’s output jacks.

Chapter 2—Connections

Aux Out

Right Left

Mono

Right Left

Mono

• If you’d like to operate your MR-Rack in stereo through a pair of faders on a mixing console, a stereo amplifier or two separate mono amps, you’ll need two 1/4” phone-type cables. Connect one end of each cable to the MR-Rack’s rear-panel Main Out Left and Right jacks and the other end to your desired destination. The “MR-Rack Output Jacks” section in Chapter 9 contains technical information about the MR-Rack’s output jacks.

Aux Out

Right Left

Mono

Right Left

Mono

• You can also connect the MR-Rack to your home stereo, though a bit of caution is required. The MR-Rack is capable of producing a far greater dynamic range than a home stereo typically encounters when playing compact discs, cassettes and LPs. See “Setting Volume Levels” later in this chapter to learn how to safely set the MR-Rack’s Volume when using it with a home stereo. You’ll need two 1/4”-phone-to-RCA-type

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 9

Chapter 2—Connections

Right Left

Mono

cables, or you’ll need to create some by attaching adapters to standard 1/4” phone or RCA cables. Connect the 1/4” phone plug end of each 1/4”-to-RCA cable to the MRRack’s rear-panel Main Out Left and Right jacks and the RCA end to your stereo’s auxiliary inputs. The “MR-Rack Output Jacks” section in Chapter 9 contains technical information about the MR-Rack’s output jacks.

Right Left

Aux Out

Right Left

Mono

• If you’re connecting the MR-Rack to an audio patch bay, or if you’ve got four available inputs on your mixing console, you may elect to use all of the MR-Rack’s Outs. The MRRack offers—in addition to its Main Outs—a pair of Aux Outs, useful for extracting Sounds or groups of Sounds from the MR-Rack’s Main Outs mix. This allows you to treat the extracted material with its own outboard processing, or to control its volume more easily by assigning it its own faders on a mixer. To use all four Outs, you’ll need four 1/4” phone-type cables. connect one end of each to the MR-Racks’ rear-panel Main and Aux Outs Left and Right, and the other end to a patch bay position or mixer channel. The “MR-Rack Output Jacks” section in Chapter 9 contains technical information about the MR-Rack’s output jacks.

Aux Out

Right Left

Mono

Chapter 3 of the MR-Rack Musician’s Manual describes how to route specific Sounds to the Aux Outs. The MR-Rack also provides a simple switch for easily sending everything you may have routed to the Aux Outs back into the Main Outs mix. See “Using the MR-Rack’s Four Outputs” in Chapter 3.

M aking the P ow e r C onne c t ion

The MR-Rack requires grounded AC power, supplied through the power cord that came with your MR-Rack. The MR-Rack power supply is intelligent and will adjust to your local voltage.

To Connect the MR-Rack’s AC Power

1. Connect one end of the MR-Rack’s power cable to a grounded AC outlet.

2. Connect the other end of the MR-Rack’s power cord to the jack labeled “Line” on the MR-Rack’s rear panel.

3. Connect the other pieces of equipment in your system requiring AC power to AC outlets.

Powering Up

You should always turn on the device which will be transmitting MIDI before you turn on the device which will be receiving it. If you have a series of MIDI devices, start with the first device in the chain, then power up the second, the third, and so on. This prevents

10 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

unpleasant surprises which can result from unplanned MIDI information being “spit” out of transmitting devices as they power up. Such MIDI garbage could confuse a receiving device, and possibly disable it temporarily. If this should happen for some reason, turn the MRRack’s power off, and then back on.

C onf ir m ing You r MID I C on ne ct ion

It’s important when setting up a MIDI system to verify your connections in an orderly manner, one step at a time. This is the best way to ascertain what’s working and what isn’t.

The following verification procedure details how to confirm that the MR-Rack is receiving MIDI properly. If your set-up requires communication in the opposite direction—from the MR-Rack back to another device—you’ll need to consult that device’s documentation to ascertain its method for verifying MIDI reception.

MIDI patchbay users should test their set-up with either the controller or the computer sending MIDI to the MR-Rack.

To Verify that the MR-Rack is Receiving MIDI

• Play a few notes on your controller or play a sequence from your computer or standalone sequencer.

• If you’re using the “Editing Sounds with the MR-Rack and a Computer” set-up, and Unisyn editing software, open up a Sound-editing window and use the Screen Keys or Mouse Play feature to play a few notes. (Consult your Unisyn manual for information on configuration instructions and using these features.)

There’s a MIDI light on the MR-Rack’s front panel, located between the Audition and Save buttons.

Chapter 2—Connections

All Notes Off

Audition

MIDI

Save

As you play, you should see it flicker. This tells you that your MIDI controller is properly connected to your MR-Rack.

If the MR-Rack’s MIDI light doesn’t flicker as you play your controller:

1. Check your controller’s MIDI transmission settings to make sure that it is set to transmit MIDI. Consult your controller’s manual if you’re not sure how to do this.

2. Double-check your MIDI cables. Is your controller’s MIDI Out connected to the MRRack’s MIDI In?

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 11

Chapter 2—Connections

To Confirm that the MR-Rack is Responding to MIDI

1. Press the Performance button on the MR-Rack’s front panel.

2. Turn the left-hand Sound Type knob so that the lower left-hand part of the display looks like this:

Performance System Effects

Sound Params Mute

perf ROM004:000 ALL-PERF:~PlaySounds

Performance Type

Bypass

Part

3. If "→PlaySounds" doesn't already appear in the lower right-hand corner of the display, turn the right-hand Sound Type knob until the display looks like this:

perf ROM004:000 ALL-PERF:~PlaySounds

4. Plug a pair of stereo headphones into the MR-Rack’s front-panel Phones jack.

5. Bring up the MR-Rack’s Volume knob as you play your controller. You should be hearing notes as you play. If you’re not hearing anything, check your

MIDI cabling, and make sure that your MIDI controller is set to transmit MIDI.

Se t t ing Vol um e Le ve ls

The MR-Rack’s best sound is obtained when its Volume knob is turned all the way up—you should always set it as high as possible. How high you can go before audible distortion occurs will vary, depending on how you’re using the MR-Rack. Here are some tips:

• If you’re using the MR-Rack’s Phones jack, the Volume knob controls your listening level. Set it to a comfortable level.

• If you’re using the MR-Rack with a keyboard or guitar amplifier, start with your amp input at a low setting. Turn the MR-Rack’s Volume up as far as you can without experiencing distortion (unless that’s what you want). Then turn up your amp channel to a comfortable listening level.

• If you’re routing the MR-Rack directly to a mixing console, or indirectly through a patchbay, turn the MR-Rack’s Volume all the way up and make adjustments to the input gain of your mixer faders to ensure the sound doesn’t undesirably distort.

• If you’re listening to the MR-Rack through a home stereo, set your stereo’s volume to its normal level. With the MR-Rack’s Volume knob all the way down, play your controller with maximum force, or load up the loudest sequence you have and press Play. Slowly bring up the MR-Rack’s Volume knob as far as you can without hearing distortion. The

Performance Name

12 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual

MR-Rack is capable of producing a far greater dynamic range than a home stereo typically encounters when playing compact discs, cassettes and LPs, and you’ll have to make sure that loud notes from the MR-Rack will not damage your system.

U sing the M R - R ac k f or Ge ne r al M ID I Music

Once you’ve made all of your connections, getting the MR-Rack ready for General MIDI is simple:

• Press the System button until the display shows:

System parameters: Hit ENTER for GM!

• Press the Enter button.

Enter

Select Part

Exit

Chapter 2—Connections

The MR-Rack is now General-MIDI-ready. Start your General MIDI sequencer and the MRRack will do the rest.

M oving On

Since the MR-Rack is capable of playing 16 different Sounds at once—on 16 different MIDI channels—you’ll want to get familiar with the way MIDI channels, Sounds and Parts work together. For a brief overview of the MR-Rack, see “Understanding the MR-Rack” in the first chapter of the MR-Rack Musician’s Manual, Welcome. For more detailed information on this subject, turn to Chapter 4.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician's Manual 13

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

Ch apt e r 3

P er son ali z in g Your Sys t em

The MR-Rack offers a range of options that allow you tailor its behavior to suit your way of working. These global, system-wide settings operate in the background, letting you get on with the art of making music. They remain in effect at all times and are preserved when the MR-Rack’s power is switched off.

To access these options, press the System button. When you press the System button, its yellow LED will light.

Performance System Effects

Sound Params Mute

Part

Each of the System options is called a parameter. When you change the setting of a parameter, you are editing the parameter’s value.

To select System parameters, turn the Parameter knob. To edit a System parameter’s value, turn the Value knob.

Parameter Value

When selecting and editing System parameters, the MR-Rack always shows “System parameters:” on the top line of the display.

U sing the Global Pit c h Be nd Se t t ings

A Pitch Bend Wheel is a spring-loaded wheel typically located to the far left of a MIDI keyboard. It’s most commonly used to bend the pitch of notes up or down by pushing the wheel forward (up) or pulling it back (down). Some manufacturers employ a left/right scheme.

Bypass

Most MR-Rack Sounds are programmed to respond to MIDI Pitch Bend messages in ways appropriate to the Sound. The MR-Rack also offers a global Pitch Bend set-up, which is always available. By setting the Part’s Pitch Bend Up and Down Part parameters to “Sys,”

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 1

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

you can instruct a Part—and its Sound—to use the global Pitch Bend settings instead of those originally programmed into the Sound. (See “Controlling a Part’s Pitch Bend Response” in Chapter 4 for details.)

The MR-Rack offers three parameters for controlling the global Pitch Bend range:

• Pitch Bend Up

• Pitch Bend Down

• PitchBendMode

Global Pitch Bend Up and Down

Both Pitch Bend Up and Pitch Bend Down have their own individual settings, and either can be set to raise or lower the pitch of any Part Sound whose Pitch Bend Up or Down Part parameter is set to “Sys.”

To Determine the Global Pitch Bend Up Range

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pitch Bend Up=.” The global Pitch Bend Up parameter can be set to:

• 1-12dn or 1-12up—the pitch of Part Sounds whose Pitch Bend Up=Sys will be lowered or raised by the number of equal-temper semitones set here when a Pitch Bend Wheel is pushed all the way forward

• Off—any Part Sounds whose Pitch Bend Up=Sys will ignore MIDI messages received from a Pitch Bend Wheel pushed forward

3. Use the Value knob to set the Pitch Bend Up value you desire.

To Determine the Global Pitch Bend Down Range

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pitch Bend Down=.” The global Pitch Bend Down parameter can be set to:

• 1-12dn or 1-12up—the pitch of Part Sounds whose Pitch Bend Down=Sys will be lowered or raised by the number of equal-temper semitones set here when a Pitch Bend Wheel is pulled all the way back

• Off—any Part Sounds whose Pitch Bend Up=Sys will ignore MIDI messages received from a Pitch Bend Wheel pulled back

3. Use the Value knob to set the Pitch Bend Down value you desire.

Setting the Global Pitch Bend Mode

The PitchBendMode parameter unlocks a powerful feature that allows you to decide which notes will be affected by Pitch Bend messages when Part Sounds use the global Pitch Bend. (See “Controlling a Part’s Pitch Bend Response” in Chapter 4 for details.) It can be set to one of three values:

• Normal—Pitch Bend messages will affect all notes currently sounding.

• Held—Pitch Bend messages will affect only those notes sounding from keys which are being physically held down.

Notes held with the sustain pedal or in their release stage will remain at their original pitch. This feature can be used to create guitar-style pitch bends or to “paint” with pitch, leaving different notes sustaining at different pitches.

• Prog—the global Pitch Bend will not alter the Normal/Held settings programmed into

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

2 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

any Sounds using the global Pitch Bend set-up.

To Determine the Global Pitch Bend’s Behavior

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “PitchBendMode=.” The global PitchBend Mode parameter can be set to:

• Normal—all notes of Part Sounds utilizing the global Pitch Bend will be affected when Pitch Bend messages are received

• Held—only notes of Part Sounds utilizing the global Pitch Bend set-up which are being physically held down will be affected when Pitch Bend messages are received

• Prog—notes set to bend according to the programming of Part Sounds utilizing the global Pitch Bend will be affected when Pitch Bend messages are received

3. Use the Value knob to set the PitchBend Mode to the desired value.

R e t uning the M R - R ac k

Fine Tuning the MR-Rack

There may be a time when you need to use the MR-Rack with an instrument that just can’t be tuned, or if you have to deal with musicians who don’t want to retune for one reason or another. The tuning parameter allows you to adjust the MR-Rack's tuning to match other instruments. The MR-Rack defaults to A=440, with an equi-tempered pitch table.

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

To Fine Tune the MR-Rack

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Fine Tuning=.”

3. Use the Value knob to set the amount that you want to raise or lower the pitch. The pitch can be lowered or raised from -50 to +49 cents.

Note: Setting the MR-Rack to 0 cents is equivalent to A=440. 100 cents is the equivalent of a semitone.

Using Pitch Tables

The intervals (or relationships) between notes in a scale can be altered to create special pitch tables. The MR-Rack’s pitch tables have a tuning resolution of 256 cents per semitone. The default pitch table is “EqualTemper,” the western 12-tone equi-tempered pitch table. However, you can select from a large assortment of traditional, modern, ethnic, and exotic pitch tables in the MR-Rack. The MR-Rack also provides a RAM location for a custom pitch table, and supports the MIDI pitch table Bulk Tuning Dump and Single Note Tuning Change standards. If you’ve got the appropriate computer program, you can create your own pitch tables, and transmit them to the MR-Rack via SysEx (see “Pitch Tables and the MIDI Standard Tuning Format” in Chapter 9 to learn more).

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 3

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

To Assign a Global Pitch Table

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “PitchTbl=.”

3. Use the Value knob to select the pitch table that you want to use. This selects the system pitch table, and will affect all Parts that have their PitchTbl Part parameter set to PitchTbl=Sys. (See Chapter 4 for details.)

To Assign a Part to a Special Pitch Table

1. Use the Select Part Buttons to choose the Part whose pitch table you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “PitchTbl=.” PitchTbl can be set to:

• Prog—to use the PitchTbl value programmed into the Sound.

• Sys—to use the global System PitchTbl.

• use one of the special pitch tables built in to the MR-Rack’s memory.

4. Turn the Value knob to set PitchTbl to Sys.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, PitchTbl will be reset to Prog if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On. The Part Param Reset parameter is described later in this chapter in “Protecting Part Settings.”

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 021. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of Chapter 4.

For a complete list of pitch tables and their descriptions, see Chapter 9.

Sync hr oniz ing the M R - R ac k t o MID I

MR-Rack Sounds and Insert Effect LFOs and DDLs use Low Frequency Oscillators (LFOs) as a means of creating vibrato and other rhythmic sonic changes. LFOs can be synchronized to a reference tempo. The MR-Rack contains an internal clock to provide such a reference. The clock can also be synchronized to MIDI clocks received from an external source—this is useful if you want to use another device (such as a computer sequencer or drum machine) as the master clock source, and want to synchronize the MR-Rack’s LFOs to it.

To Set the Global Tempo Clock as the Timing Reference

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Tempo Clock Src=.” The Tempo Clock Src parameter can be set to:

• Int—to use the MR-Rack’s own internal clock as the timing source.

• MIDI—to use external MIDI clocks as the timing source.

3. Turn the Value knob to set Tempo Clock Src to Int.

To Sync the MR-Rack’s Clock to an External MIDI Device

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Tempo Clock Src=.” The Tempo Clock Src parameter can be set to:

• Int—to use the MR-Rack's own internal clock as the timing source.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

4 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

• MIDI—to use external MIDI clocks as the timing source.

3. Turn the Value knob to set Tempo Clock Src to MIDI.

To Set the Global Clock Tempo

If the Global Tempo Clock Source parameter is set to Int, this parameter sets the tempo of the MR-Rack’s internal clock.

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “System Tempo=.”

3. The System Tempo parameter can be set to any tempo from 25 bpm (beats per minute) to 250 bpm.

4. Turn the Value knob to set System Tempo to the tempo that you want to use.

Note: If the Global Tempo Clock Source is set to MIDI, this display will show “MIDIbpm” as its value, and cannot be changed.

P r ot e c t ing P ar t Se t t ings

Sounds are programmed with their own optimal Part settings built-in, and when you choose a Sound, those settings are applied to the currently selected Part. The following Part parameters may be reset when you select a new Sound on a Part: FX Bus (see Chapter 5 for details), Pitch Bend Up, Pitch Bend Down, Octave Tuning, Coarse Tuning, Fine Tuning, PtchTbl, Glide Mode, Glide Time, Delay Time, SyncLFO&Noise, Normal LFO Rates, LFO Depth, LFO Delay Time, Amp Env Attack, Amp Env Decay, Amp Env Release, Filter Cutoff, Filt Env Attack, Filt Env Decay, Filt Env Release and Amp&FiltEnv Vel.

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

You might prefer to choose new Sounds without losing your current Part settings. You can use the Part Param Reset System parameter to determine whether or not these Part parameter settings will be retained when you select a new Sound. This parameter affects Sound selection from the MR-Rack’s front panel, as well as Sound selection through the reception of MIDI Program Changes.

The Part Param Reset System parameter also affects the response of Parts to a Reset All Controllers MIDI message. When the ResetControlRecv System parameter—described later in this chapter—is set to On, a number of Part parameters are reset to default values when the MR-Rack receives a Reset All Controllers message. (See “Receiving Reset All Controllers MIDI Messages” later in this chapter.) Setting the Part Param Reset to Off will protect the settings of the Part parameters listed above from Reset All Controllers MIDI messages.

To Protect Part Parameter Settings When New Sounds are Selected

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part Param Reset=.” The Part Param Reset parameter may be set to:

• On—Part parameters will be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part or Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

• Off—Part parameters will not be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part, or when Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

3. Use the Value knob to set Part Param Reset to Off.

To Protect Part Parameters from Reset All Controllers MIDI Messages

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 5

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part Param Reset=.” The Part Param Reset parameter may be set to:

• On—Part parameters will be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part or Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

• Off—Part parameters will not be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part, or when Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

3. Use the Value knob to set Part Param Reset to Off.

To Allow the Selection of New Sounds to Reset Part Parameter Settings

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part Param Reset=.” The Part Param Reset parameter may be set to:

• On—Part parameters will be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part or Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

• Off—Part parameters will not be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part, or when Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

3. Use the Value knob to set Part Param Reset to On.

To Allow Reset All Controllers Messages to Reset Part Parameter Settings

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part Param Reset=.” The Part Param Reset parameter may be set to:

• On—Part parameters will be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part or Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

• Off—Part parameters will not be reset when new Sounds are selected for a Part, or when Reset All Controllers MIDI messages are received

3. Use the Value knob to set Part Param Reset to On.

Le t t ing t h e MR - R ac k P ic k Your C hor us or R e ve r b

Each Sound in the MR-Rack has a special Effect bus parameter called the Alt. FX Bus. When a sound uses an Insert Effect, its Alt. FX Bus setting designates a second-choice Effect for situations in which the Insert Effect is already in use (in Sounds that use an Insert Effect, the Alt. FX Bus parameter can be edited using the Unisyn editing software). The Alt. FX Bus is also used for routing non-Insert Effect Sounds to the Global Chorus or Global Reverb—when you set a Part’s FX Bus parameter to Chorus or one of the Reverbs, you’re editing the Alt. FX Bus parameter as well.

The MR-Rack can use the Alt. FX Bus to automatically choose an appropriate Chorus or Reverb for Sounds that are meant to use an Insert Effect but are not assigned to the Insert Control Part in a Performance. The Sound’s Part will be assigned to the FX Bus designated by its Alt. FX Bus setting. The AutoSelect FXBus parameter enables this process. For more on how the MR-Rack ’s Effects work, see Chapter 5.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

6 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

To Let the MR-Rack Automatically Pick a Sound’s Chorus or Reverb

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “AutoSelect FXBus=.” The AutoSelect FXBus parameter can be set to:

• On—to let the MR-Rack pick the Chorus or Reverb for newly-selected Sounds on Parts not designated as the Insert Control Part.

• Off—to leave the Part’s FX Bus assignment unchanged when a new Sound is selected.

3. Use the Value knob to set AutoSelect FXBus to On.

To Protect Part Effect Bus Settings When a New Sound is Selected

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “AutoSelect FXBus=.” The AutoSelect FXBus parameter can be set to:

• On—to let the MR-Rack pick the Chorus or Reverb for newly-selected Sounds on Parts not designated as the Insert Control Part

• Off—to leave the Part’s FX Bus assignment unchanged when a new Sound is selected

3. Use the Value knob to set AutoSelect FXBus to Off.

U sing the M R - R ac k’ s F our Out put s

The MR-Rack rear panel offers four audio outputs. There are two stereo pairs: the Main Outs and the Aux Outs. The Main Outs are used as the primary feed from the MR-Rack. The Aux Outs are useful for extracting Sounds or groups of Sounds from the MR-Rack’s Main Out mix. By routing a Sound to the Aux Outs, you can treat it to its own outboard processing, or control its volume individually by assigning it to its own fader on a mixer.

Use standard balanced (TRS stereo cables) or unbalanced (TS mono cables) for the Main and Aux Outs.

Aux Out

Right Left

Mono

As the labels below the Aux Out jacks and Main Out jacks indicate, the MR-Rack employs automatic switching on each pair of outputs:

• Main Outputs Left and Right are normally stereo outputs. However, if nothing is plugged into the Right Output, the stereo signal will be summed to mono and sent to the Left Main Output.

• Similarly, the Aux Outputs Left and Right are normally stereo outputs. However, if nothing is plugged into the Right Aux Output, the stereo signal will be summed to mono and sent to the Left Aux Output.

Right Left

Mono

The Main Outs

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 7

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

Routing Sounds to Specific Outputs

All Parts—and the Sounds they use—are routed to an FX (Effect) bus. Each bus goes to an Effect, which is then assigned to either the Main Outs or the Aux Outs. The Dry bus is a special case in that it’s assigned to the Main or Aux Out without going through an Effect. These assignments are part of the current Performance and may be saved with the Performance; the FX Bus parameter setting can also be saved into a Part’s Sound. (See Chapter 6 for details on saving Performances and Sounds.)

In routing a Sound to a particular pair of Outs, here’s what happens:

• The Sound is assigned to a Part

• The Part is assigned to an FX bus

• The bus goes to an Effect (except the Dry bus, which goes directly to the Outs you choose)

• The Effect is assigned to either the Main Outs or the Aux Outs

To Send a Part, Its Sound and Effect to the Desired Outputs

1. Use the Select Part Buttons to make sure the Part you want to assign to the Main Outs is selected.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “FX Bus=.”

4. Using the Value knob, select an Effect bus to route the Part’s Sound through the Effect you desire.

5. Press the Effect button.

6. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows:

Hit ENTER to edit: Output Assigns

7. Press Enter.

8. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows the Output Assign parameter for the FX bus you’ve chosen.

Note: The LightReverb, Medium Reverb and WetReverb busses all use the Global Reverb Output Assign.

9. Use the Value knob to select either the Main or Aux Outs.

To Send a Part and Its Dry Sound to the Desired Outputs

1. Use the Select Part buttons to make sure the Part you want to assign to the Main Outs is selected.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “FX Bus=.”

4. Using the Value knob, select Dry.

5. Press the Effect button.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

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Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

6. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows:

Hit ENTER to edit: Output Assigns

7. Press Enter.

8. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows the Output Assign parameter for the Dry bus.

Note: The LightReverb, MediumReverb and WetReverb busses all use the Global Reverb Output Assign.

9. Use the Value knob to select either the Main or Aux Outs.

Determining the Behavior of the Aux Outs

The Aux Outs are used for the extraction of Sounds from the Main Outs mix. The MR-Rack is designed to provide the maximum flexibility when using the Aux Outs in your rig. The AuxToMainOuts System parameter offers three different ways to employ the Aux Outs. You can choose which one will work best for you.

When AuxToMainOuts is set to Auto, the MR-Rack employs intelligent jack switching, which allows it to sense whether or not you’ve got a cable plugged into the Left Aux Out jack. If you do, the Main and Aux Outs function as totally discrete stereo feeds. If there’s nothing connected to the jack, any signal sent to the Aux Outputs will be summed into the Main Outputs. This is convenient for musicians whose limited instrument inputs necessitate an economical, flexible use of cables, or who anticipate using the Aux Outs only rarely.

Musicians who would prefer to permanently connect all four MR-Rack Outs will find the remaining two AuxToMainOuts values useful. When the parameter is set to Never, the Aux and Main Outs are kept discrete. When it’s set to Always, the Aux Outs are summed into the Main Outs. This allows musicians to leave all four MR-Rack output cables connected. When the Aux Outs are needed as a separate stereo feed, the AuxToMainOuts parameter can be set to Never. When only the Main Outs are required, it can be set to Always.

To Enable Automatic Aux Out Routing Based on Cabling

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “AuxToMainOuts=.” The AuxToMainOuts parameter can be set to:

• Never—the Aux and Main Outs will be discrete, even if the Left Aux Out is not connected

• Always—the Aux signal will be summed into the Main outputs, even if the Left Aux Out is connected

• Auto—the MR-Rack will sum any Sounds sent to the Aux Outs into the Main Outs if there’s no cable plugged into the Left Aux Out jack

3. Use the Value knob to set AuxToMainOuts to Auto.

To Use the Aux Outs with Permanently Connected Outputs

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “AuxToMainOuts=.”

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 9

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

The AuxToMainOuts parameter can be set to:

• Never—the Aux and Main Outs will be kept as discrete stereo feeds

• Always—the Aux signal will be summed into the Main Out stereo feed

• Auto—the MR-Rack will sum any Sounds sent to the Aux Outs into the Main Outs if there’s no cable plugged into the Left Aux Out jack

3. Use the Value knob to set AuxToMainOuts=Never when you need to use the Aux Outs as a discrete stereo feed, or to Always when using the Main Outs only.

A udit ioning Sounds on the M R - R ac k

Pressing the Audition button on the front panel will play a brief Sound audition demo for the Sound on the currently selected part. The nature of the audition material is determined with the setting of the Audition System parameter. When the Audition button is pressed, the MRRack can play octaves in any key, a major chord in any key, or a brief piece of music that’s appropriate to the currently selected Sound Type.

To Set What’s Heard When the Audition Button is Pressed

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Audition=.”

3. The Audition parameter can be set to:

• Sound Type—a short composition appropriate to the currently selected Sound Type will play when the Audition button is pressed

• A Octaves to G# Octaves—arpeggiated octaves up the keyboard will play when the Audition button is pressed

• A maj Chord to G# maj Chord—a major chord in a central pitch range will play when the Audition button is pressed

• A maj Arpeg to G# maj Arpeg—an arpeggiated major chord will play when the Audition button is pressed

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Audition type that you prefer.

Waking up

You can determine how the MR-Rack will “wake up” when you turn its power on. It can power up a number of different ways, depending on the setting of the WakeUpMode parameter. The MR-Rack can turn on showing the last display—or “page”—you viewed when you turned the MR-Rack off. It can display the last Sound you selected. It can power up

ready for General MIDI. Or it can wake up with the →PlaySounds Performance and Part 1 selected.

Note: The MR-Rack powers on with the Sounds LED lit, except when WakeUpMode is set to Last Page—in that case, the LED that was lit when the power was turned off will be lit when the MR-Rack is turned back on.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

10 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To Set How the MR-Rack Will Wake Up

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “WakeUpMode=.” The WakeUpMode parameter can be set to:

• Last Page—the last page displayed when the MR-Rack was turned off will be restored when it’s turned on

• Last Sound—the last Sound selected when the MR-Rack was turned off will be displayed when it’s turned on

• GM—when the MR-Rack is turned on, it will be ready to operate with a General MIDI sequencer. See "Using the MR-Rack to Play General MIDI Music" later in this chapter for further details on how the MR-Rack works with General MIDI

• Demo—when the MR-Rack is turned on, the Demo Performance and Part 1 will be selected, the AutoSelect FX Bus and PartParamReset parameters will be turned on and the Perf ProgChg parameter will be switched off (these parameters are described elsewhere in this chapter)

3. Use the Value knob to set Wake Up Mode to the desired value.

P r ot e c t ing t he MR - R ac k’ s M e m or y

When operating in the heat of creativity, it’s all too easy to inadvertently erase things you’d rather preserve. The MR-Rack offers a special display prompt as a reality check during activities that could result in the loss of Sounds or Performances you don’t really want to lose. When saving, copying or initializing Sounds and Performances—or when initializing data cards—the MR-Rack can be set to display:

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

System Write Protect On! ENTER overrides.

When you encounter this message, you can press Enter to continue what you were doing, or press Exit to abort the procedure. The Write Protect System parameter allows you to enable this feature if you feel you’d benefit from this double-check, or to disable it if you’d find the prompt unnecessary.

To Enable the Write Protect Prompt

1. Press the System button.

2. Use the Parameter knob to scroll until the display shows “Write Protect.”

• Off—the MR-Rack will execute the Save, Copy or Initialize procedure without displaying the Write Protect prompt

• Prompt—the MR-Rack will display the Write Protect prompt before it executes Save, Copy or Initialize procedures

3. Use the Value knob to set Write protect to Prompt.

To Disable the Write Protect Prompt

1. Press the System button.

2. Use the Parameter knob to scroll until the display shows “Write Protect.”

• Off—the MR-Rack will execute the Save, Copy or Initialize procedure without displaying the Write Protect prompt

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 11

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

• Prompt—the MR-Rack will display the Write Protect prompt before it executes Save, Copy or Initialize procedures

3. Use the Value knob to set Write protect to Off.

Se t t ing th e St ak MI D I C hanne l

The MR-Rack introduces Staks, a convenient new way to create layers and keyboard splits. Staks are created by assigning two or more MR-Rack Parts—and the Sounds they use—to the Stak MIDI channel. (See “Using Staks” in Chapter 4 for a fuller explanation of Staks.)

The Stak MIDI channel plays another important role in the operation of the MR-Rack. It can be used to receive MIDI Program Changes that will select new Performances. This will occur when the Perf ProgChgRecv System parameter is enabled (see “Changing Performances Via MIDI” below).

To Set the Stak MIDI Channel

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Stak MIDI Channel=.” The Stak MIDI channel parameter may be set to any MIDI channel.

3. Use the Value knob to select the Stak MIDI Channel you prefer.

Note: When this parameter is edited, all currently sounding voices on all Parts will be muted.

A dj ust ing St ak C ohe r e nc e

Since Staks contain multiple Parts, it may appear at times that they respond in a loosely synchronized manner. This can be a desirable effect, as it makes a Stak sound bigger. In other situations, it’s not as musically appropriate. The Stak Coherence parameter allows you to instruct the MR-Rack to fire off all of the Staks voices precisely at once, for a tighter sound. The Stak Coherence parameter can be used to tighten up any Parts that share MIDI channels, even when they aren't assigned to the Stak MIDI channel.

Tip: When Stak Coherence=On, the overall timing of Parts that share MIDI channels may appear a bit sluggish as the MR-Rack perfectly lines up all of the notes before sounding any of them. If you're sequencing, you can compensate for this slower, more synchronized response by shifting tracks slightly ahead of the beat.

To Perfectly Synchronize the Start of All Notes in a Stak

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Stak Coherence=.” The Stak Coherence parameter may be set to:

• Off—the Stak’s notes will sound normally

• On—all notes in a Stak will sound at exactly the same time

3. Use the Value knob to set Stak Coherence to On.

Note: When this parameter is edited, all currently sounding voices on all Parts will be muted.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

12 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To Allow All Notes in a Stak to Start Normally

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Stak Coherence=.” The Stak Coherence parameter may be set to:

• Off—the Stak’s notes will sound normally

• On—all notes in a Stak will sound at exactly the same time

3. Use the Value knob to set Stak Coherence to Off.

Note: When this parameter is edited, all currently sounding voices on all Parts will be muted.

U sing MID I P r ogr am C han ges

Changing Performances Via MIDI

The MR-Rack allows you to send MIDI Program Changes on the Stak MIDI channel as a means of selecting Performances. See “Setting the Stak MIDI Channel” above to learn how to set the Stak MIDI channel.

When the Perf ProgChgRecv System parameter is set to On, Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel will select new Performances. Any Part whose MIDI channel is set to Stak or to the same channel as the Stak MIDI channel will ignore Program Changes.

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

When ProgChgRecv is set to Off, Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel won’t select Performances. They’ll also be ignored by any Parts whose MIDI channel is set to Stak. Parts which use the same channel as the Stak MIDI channel, however, will respond to Program Changes received on this channel normally.

Note: The Perf ProgChgRecv parameter only affects Parts whose MIDI channels are set to Stak, or to the same channel as the Stak MIDI channel. Whether the Perf ProgChgRecv parameter is set to On or Off, all other Parts receive MIDI Program Changes according to the settings of their ProgramChngeRecv and Bank Select Recv Part parameters (see Chapter 4 for details), and the setting of the Global Bank&ProgChgRecv System parameter described below.

To Select New Performances With MIDI Program Changes

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Stak MIDI Channel=.”

3. Use the Value knob to select the Stak MIDI Channel you prefer.

4. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Perf ProgChgRecv=.” The Perf ProgChgRecv parameter can be set to:

• On—Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel will select new Performances

• Off—Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel won’t select new Performances.

5. Turn the Value knob to set Perf ProgChgRecv to On

6. Send Program Changes on the Stak MIDI channel to select Performances.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 13

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

Note: This parameter is overridden if Bank&ProgChgRecv (described below) is set to

Off.

To Disable the Selection of Performances By Program Changes

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Perf ProgChgRecv=.” The Perf ProgChgRecv parameter can be set to:

• On—Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel will select new Performances

• Off—Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel won’t select new Performances

3. Turn the Value knob to set Perf ProgChgRecv to Off. Any Parts set to the same channel as the Stak MIDI channel will respond to Program

Changes received on the channel.

Note: This parameter is overridden if Bank&ProgChgRecv (described below) is set to Off.

Setting the Global Reception of MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes

The MR-Rack allows you to enable or disable its response to MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes on a system-wide basis. The global Bank&ProgChgRecv System parameter functions as a master switch that can turn off the MR-Rack’s reception of Bank Selects and Program Changes regardless of the ProgramChngeRecv and Bank Select Recv Part parameter settings, or the setting of the Perf ProgChgRecv System parameter described earlier in this chapter. When Bank&ProgChgRecv=On, the above parameters control how each Part responds to or ignores Bank Select and Program Change messages, and whether or not Program changes received on the Stak MIDI channel will select new Performances. When Bank&ProgChgRecv is set to Off, the MR-Rack will ignore MIDI Bank Select and Program Changes completely.

To Enable Reception of Bank Selects and Program Changes

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Bank&ProgChgRecv=.” The Bank&ProgChgRecv parameter can be set to:

• On—MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes will be responded to according to the settings of the ProgramChngeRecv and Bank Select Recv Part parameter and the Perf ProgChgRecv System parameter

• Off—the MR-Rack will ignore MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes

3. Turn the Value knob to set Bank&ProgChgRecv to On.

To Disable Reception of Bank Selects and Program Changes

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Bank&ProgChgRecv=.” The Bank&ProgChgRecv parameter can be set to:

• On—MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes will be responded to according to the settings of the ProgramChngeRecv and Bank Select Recv Part parameter and the Perf ProgChgRecv System parameter

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

14 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

• Off—the MR-Rack will ignore MIDI Bank Selects and Program Changes

3. Turn the Value knob to set Bank&ProgChgRecv to Off.

R e sponding to M ID I “P anic ” M e ssage s

Occasionally MIDI devices get confused. As a result, some MIDI products are able to send out “panic” messages to quickly bring MIDI chaos under control. The MR-Rack responds to the following panic messages:

• Reset All Controllers (MIDI controller #121)

• All Notes Off (MIDI controller #123)

• All Sounds Off (MIDI controller #120)

Setting the MR-Rack’s Response to Reset All Controllers MIDI Messages

The ResetControlRecv System parameter allows you to determine how the MR-Rack will respond to Reset All Controllers MIDI messages. When it’s set to On, and a Part receives a Reset All Controllers message on its MIDI channel, it will return all of its real-time controllers and any parameters that respond to MIDI controllers to their default values, clearing up any hung values or unexpected settings. When ResetControlRecv is set to Off, no MR-Rack Parts will respond to Reset All Controllers messages. For more information on the MR-Rack's response to Reset All Controllers messages, see "Reset All Controllers (MIDI controller 121) Reception Behavior" in Chapter 9.

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

To Set the Response to Reset All Controllers Messages

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “ResetControlRecv=.” The ResetControlRecv parameter can be set to:

• Off—the MR-Rack will ignore Reset All Controllers MIDI messages

• On—any Part receiving a Reset All Controllers message on its MIDI channel will reset its real-time controllers and any parameters that respond to MIDI controllers to default values

3. Turn the Value knob to set ResetControlRecv to the desired value.

Setting the MR-Rack’s Response to All Notes Off MIDI Messages

The MR-Rack can respond to All Notes Off and All Sounds Off MIDI control messages. When a Part receives either of these on its MIDI channel, it silences any of its notes that are currently sounding. The AllNotesOff Recv System parameter is a combined filter for both of these messages. When it’s set to On, the MR-Rack will respond to them—when it’s set to Off, it will ignore them.

To Set the MR-Rack’s Response to All Notes Off Messages

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “AllNotesOff Recv=.” This AllNotesOff Recv parameter is a combined All Notes Off (MIDI control #123) and All

Sounds Off (MIDI control #120) reception filter. It can be set to:

• Off—the MR-Rack will ignore the All Notes Off and All Sounds Off MIDI messages

• On—any Part receiving an All Notes Off and/or All Sounds Off MIDI message on its MIDI channel will silence all of its currently-sounding notes

3. Turn the Value knob to set AllNotesOff Recv to the desired value.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 15

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

U sing MID I SysEx

Enabling and Disabling System Exclusive Communication

The MR-Rack can use MIDI System Exclusive (or “SysEx”) messages to communicate with computer programs—such as the Unisyn sound editor ENSONIQ will provide you with when you send in your completed warranty card—and as a means of archiving the contents of its memory to an external storage device such as a floppy disk drive or a computer’s hard drive. SysEx data is a special kind of MIDI data which doesn’t require a specific MIDI channel. The SysEx Recv System parameter globally enables or disables the MR-Rack’s MIDI SysEx communication capabilities, with exception of SysEx data dumps, described in Chapter 6, which can always be performed. (If you’d like to learn more about MIDI SysEx, see “What Is MIDI” in Chapter 9.)

To Enable or Disable SysEx Communication

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “SysEx Recv=.” The SysEx Recv parameter can be set to:

• Off—the MR-Rack will not receive or transmit MIDI SysEx data, except for the always-enabled SysEx data dumps described in Chapter 6

• On—the MR-Rack will receive and transmit MIDI SysEx data

3. Use the Value knob to set SysEx Recv to the desired value.

Using SysEx Device IDs

Every MIDI product has its own SysEx identity—but what if you’ve got several MR-Racks connected at the same time? Each one of them can be assigned its own SysEx Device ID number, from 000 to 127. In this way, each MR-Rack can identify the MIDI SysEx data that it’s meant to receive. Of course, it’s vital that no two MR-Racks share the same SysEx Device ID number.

Note: The SysEx ID number is not a MIDI channel—SysEx data doesn’t require one.

To Set the MR-Rack’s SysEx Device ID Number

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob clockwise to “SysEx Device ID=.” The SysEx Device ID parameter can be set to any number from 000 to 127.

3. Use the Value knob to select the System Exclusive Device ID number you want to use for this MR-Rack.

Note: When performing SysEx dumps from the MR-Rack using the Dump commands described in Chapter 6, make note of your MR-Rack’s current SysEx Device ID number. This number is embedded in the dumped data. Your MR-Rack will need to be set to this ID number when you want to re-transmit the data back into the MRRack.

Se t t ing Up N e w R e al- Tim e Cont r olle r s

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

16 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

Each Part in the MR-Rack can respond to the following real-time MIDI controllers and messages:

• Data Entry Slider

• Pitch Bend Wheel

• Mod Wheel

• Foot Pedal

• Sustain/Sostenuto pedals

• MIDI Volume messages

• MIDI Pan messages

• MIDI Expression messages In addition, the MR-Rack allows you to define four additional real-time MIDI controllers:

System Controller 1, System Controller 2, System Controller 3 and System Controller 4. These can be assigned to respond to any legitimate MIDI controller. Any one of the four can be used to modulate the MR-Rack’s Sounds or Effects. See Chapter 5 to learn how to use one of these System Controllers as an Effect modulator. See Chapter 9 to learn about using the System Controllers to modulate elements within MR-Rack sounds.

Note: Each Part has four parameters which determine whether or not its Sound or—when the Part is designated as the Insert Control Part—its Insert Effect will respond to each of the four controllers. See “Working With System MIDI Controllers” in Chapter 4 for details.

To Set Up the Four System Controllers

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows the name of the System Controller you’d like to use:

• CTRL1—System Controller 1

• CTRL2—System Controller 2

• CTRL3—System Controller 3

• CTRL4—System Controller 4

3. After selecting one of the four System Controllers, use the Value knob to locate the MIDI controller number you’d like to assign to the System Controller you’ve selected.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 17

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

Note: If more than one System Controller is assigned to the same MIDI controller

number, only the lower-numbered System Controller will respond to the MIDI controller.

When the MR-Rack is shipped from the factory:

• CTRL1 is assigned to Breath Controller (MIDI controller #002).

• CTRL2 is assigned to FXControl1 (MIDI controller #012).

• CTRL3 is assigned to PatchSelct (MIDI controller #070).

• CTRL4 is assigned to Timbre (MIDI controller #071).

Le ar ning How M uc h RA M is Avai lable f or N e w Sounds

Unisyn, a computer-based, external sound editing program, can be used to create and edit your own Sounds. ENSONIQ will provide you a copy of the Unisyn MR-Rack Editor when you send in your completed MR-Rack warranty card. See the Unisyn documentation to learn how to install it on your computer. Chapter 9 describes using the Unisyn editor to create and edit MR-Rack Sounds.

When you create a new Sound, you’ll need to know if there’s enough memory available in the MR-Rack to accommodate it. Each MR-Rack Sound can contain up to 16 layers. Each bank can contain up to 361 layers. The amount of free internal memory (RAM) in the MRRack is expressed as the number of layers still available in its RAM Sound bank.

To Find Out How Much Free Memory (RAM) is Available in the MR-Rack

To get an idea of how much RAM memory is available for creating your sounds, the MRRack displays the amount of free Sound layers.

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Free RAM:.” This read-only display shows the number of free Sound layers still available in RAM.

Le ar ning the N um be r of Banks on a Dat a C ar d

Data cards—or PCMCIA cards, as they’re known throughout the computer and musical instrument industries—are credit-card-sized memory cards. A PCMCIA card is an easy way to instantly access new MR-Rack Sounds, Performances, and demos. MR-Rack-formatted cards may be inserted into the Data Card slot on the MR-Rack ’s front panel. There are two types of PCMCIA cards that can be used with the MR-Rack.

ROM cards provide new Sounds, Performances and demos in a read-only format that can’t be erased. Each ENSONIQ MRC Series ROM Sound card offers two Banks of new Sounds, Performances and demos.

SRAM cards—for saving your own Sounds and Performances. These cards vary in size, from 512k up to 2 MB. The number of banks on a card depends on the card’s size:

• 512k cards can hold 4 Banks of Sounds and Performances

• 1 MB cards can hold 9 Banks of Sounds and Performances

• 2 MB cards can hold 18 Banks of Sounds and Performances Each card bank is equal in size to the MR-Rack’s RAM memory—with a maximum

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

18 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

capacity of 361 Sound layers—and can hold the same number of Sounds (up to 128) and Performances (32).

SRAM Cards can be purchased inexpensively from computer supply stores or from ENSONIQ, whose MC-512 SRAM Card offers 4 Sound/Performance banks.

For more information, see “Using PCMCIA Data Cards” in Chapter 7.

Note: The MR-Rack will not accept Flash PCMCIA cards, or any special-function PCMCIA cards, such as modem cards for portable computers, etc.

To Learn How Many Banks are on the Currently Installed Card

1. Insert an MR-Rack formatted PCMCIA data card into the Data Card slot with its label side up and its connection edge toward the MR-Rack.

To learn how to format a PCMCIA SRAM card, see Chapter 7. The display will momentarily show:

PCMCIA Card Inserted Registering...

2. Press System.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “CRD Size:” This read-only display shows the number of banks on the installed card. If no card is

installed, the display will show “ No card!” in place of the bank number.

Ide nt if ying Inst alle d Wave Expansion Boar ds

The MR-Rack can accommodate up to three ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards. Wave Expansion Boards provide new wave data for the MR-Rack, as well as new Sounds, Performances and demos. For a full description of how to install and use ENSONIQ EXP Series Wave Expansion Boards, see “Using ENSONIQ EXP Wave Expansion Boards” in Chapter 7.

The MR-Rack provides three displays which can identify any EXP Wave Expansion boards you have installed.

To Identify an Installed Expansion Board

1. Press the System button.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows:

System parameters: WaveEXP1:xxxxxxxxxxx

Expansion Board name

When an Expansion Board is installed, this read-only display will show the name of the Expansion Board located in the first slot.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 19

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

3. Turning the Parameter knob two more times will reveal two more displays which show the names of the Expansion Boards in Wave EXP Slots 2 and 3 (if they’re installed).

If there are no Expansion Boards installed, the display will show “WaveEXP1= **EMPTY**.”

Note: If you’ve installed Expansion Boards and the MR-Rack appears not to be recognizing them, carefully repeat the instructions in “How To Install an Expansion Board” from Chapter 7. If the MR-Rack still doesn’t recognize the Expansion Board, call ENSONIQ Customer Service at 610-647-3930.

U sing the M R - R ac k t o Play Ge ne r al MID I M usic

General MIDI is an agreed-upon set of sounds and protocols which aims to ensure that, no matter what brand or model General MIDI instrument you use in conjunction with your personal computer to play back a General MIDI recording, the music is guaranteed to sound good. For a more detailed description of General MIDI, see “What Is General MIDI?” found in Chapter 9.

To Use the MR-Rack as a General MIDI Sound Module

1. Press System.

2. Press System again. The display shows:

System parameters: Hit ENTER for GM!

3. If you’d like to continue, press Enter. If not, press Exit. Pressing Enter selects the ROM GM performance, selects Part 1, and sets Perf

ProgChgRecv=Off.

The MR-Rack is now prepared to operate in conjunction with General MIDI. If your GM sequencer’s MIDI Out is connected to the MR-Rack’s MIDI In, you’re ready to start the music!

To Set the MR-Rack to Power Up Ready for General MIDI Music

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “WakeUpMode=.” The WakeUpMode parameter can be set to:

• Last Page—the last page displayed when the MR-Rack was turned off will be restored when it’s turned on

• Last Sound—the last Sound selected when the MR-Rack was turned off will be displayed when it’s turned on

• GM—when the MR-Rack is turned on, it will be ready to operate with a General MIDI sequencer

• Demo— when the MR-Rack is turned on, the Demo Performance and Part 1 will be selected, and Program Changes received on the Stak MIDI channel will choose new Performances

3. Use the Value knob to set WakeUpMode to GM.

To Reset the MR-Rack for Use with Non-General MIDI Music

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

20 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 3—Personalizing Your System

1. Press the Performance button.

2. Use the Sound Type and Sound Name knobs to select a new Performance. When the MR-Rack prepares itself for General MIDI music, it alters the settings of a

number of System parameters.

3. Check the settings of the Part Param Reset, PitchBendMode, AutoSelect FXBus, Perf ProgChgRecv, Bank&ProgChgRecv, ResetControlRecv, AllNotesOff Recv and SysEx System parameters to see if you’d like to reset them.

MR-Rack General MIDI Details for the Curious

General MIDI is designed to be extremely easy to use, and requires no background knowledge of its workings. However, for MR-Rack users who are interested, here’s what happens when you “Hit ENTER for GM!”

• The MR-Rack selects a General MIDI Performance whose Parts 1-16 are set to MIDI channels 1-16, respectively. These Parts are pointed towards the MR-Rack’s banks of General MIDI Sounds, and their Bank Select reception has been disabled so that they’ll only be able to select Sounds from these banks when they receive Program Changes. The GM Standard drum kit is assigned to Part 10.

• The System Perf ProgChgRecv parameter is set to Off to ensure that Program Changes don’t unintentionally select a new, non-GM Performance.

• The System AutoSelect FX Bus parameter is set to Off to allow General MIDI Effect change messages to control the MR-Rack’s chorus and reverb.

• The Part Param Reset parameter is set to Off to protect various Part parameters that are preset for General MIDI.

• PitchBendMode is set to Prog so that the GM Sounds are allowed to interpret Pitch Bend messages as they’re programmed to, in accordance with General MIDI.

• Bank&ProgChgRecv is set to On so that the MR-Rack can respond to General MIDI Program Changes.

• ResetControlRecv and AllNotesOff Recv are set to On so that the MR-Rack can respond to MIDI panic messages.

• SysEx Recv is set to On so that you can return the MR-Rack to its original General MIDI settings any time you like, via a General MIDI On SysEx message.

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

Press the System button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 21

Chapter 4—Parts

Ch apt e r 4

P art s

The MR-Rack can play 16 individual Sounds at once. Each Sound fits into one of 16 slots, called Parts. You can assign any MR-Rack Sound to any Part.

All 16 Parts, their settings and the current Effects set-up are components of a Performance. For a conceptual overview of the MR-Rack, see “Understanding the MR-Rack” in Chapter 1.

To Select a Performance

1. Press the Performance button so that its LED lights up. If it’s flashing, press it again.

2. Use the knob to the left of the MR-Rack’s display to select an area of the MR-Rack’s memory you’d like to select a Performance from.

3. Use the knob on the right side of the display to select a Performance.

To Select a Part

To select a Part, press one of the Select Part buttons, which are located just to the left of the Parameter knob.

for higher-numbered Parts

Select Part

for lower-numbered Parts

The upper button moves upward through the Parts, and the lower one downward. The Part Number field on the display will change to reflect your Part selection.

Tip: To move more quickly through the Parts, hold down either Select Part button when the Sound or Params LED is lit—the MR-Rack will scroll through the Parts for you. You can also hold a Select Part button down and use the Parameter knob to dial in the desired Part.

Enter

Exit

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 1

Chapter 4—Parts

number

Choosing a Sound for a Part

Each of the 16 Parts in every Performance can have its own Sound. The MR-Rack’s SoundFinder makes choosing Sounds easy.

To Change Sounds on a Part

1. Using the Select Part buttons, choose a Part.

2. Press the Sound button. The display will look something like this:

Part

Part MIDI

channel

Part Sound

residency

MIDI Bank

Select number

MIDI Program Change number

l l l m n

pt01 §01 ROM004:080 DEMO-SND: Evolution

i i

Sound Type Sound Name

The MR-Rack display provides helpful information when selecting Sounds. The top line tells you where you are, starting with the Part Number field, which shows you which of the 16 Parts you're editing, and the Part MIDI Channel, which shows you which channel the Part will respond to.

Note: To hear Sounds as you select them, you’ll need to make sure that your MIDI controller is transmitting on the MIDI channel that the currently selected Part uses. Any Part can be set to any MIDI channel or the special Stak channel. See “Setting a Part’s MIDI Channel” later in this chapter to learn how to assign a Part to a MIDI channel. “Using Staks” describes Staks and how to use them.

The Part Sound Residency is a three-letter abbreviation to tell you where in the MRRack’s memory the current Sound resides. The next two fields provide the current Sound’s MIDI address: its MIDI Bank location and its Program number.

Tip: When you’ve selected a Sound that you’d like to invoke with MIDI program changes, the upper right-hand corner of the Sounds display gives you the Bank Select LSB and Program Change values required to call up the Sound. If you’d like, you can select Sounds in the MR-Rack with Program Changes that are unaccompanied by Bank Select messages—they’ll simply choose Sounds from the currently selected bank. Unaccompanied Bank Select messages can be sent to the MR-Rack to “arm” a Part for a bank change that will occur when the next unaccompanied Program Change is received.

3. Turn the Sound Type knob. As you turn it, you’ll see different Sound categories appear in the lower left part of the MR-Rack’s display.

Tip: You can press the Sound button to toggle the Sound Type display field between the selected Sound’s musical instrument category and its location within the MRRack’s memory.

4. Locate a SoundFinder Sound Type category that interests you. (You can find a list of the SoundFinder Sound Types in Chapter 9.) When you select new Sounds from the MR-Rack’s front panel, each SoundFinder

category remembers which of its Sounds you selected last, and goes immediately to that Sound when you pick the category again. This makes it easy to get back to your favorite Sounds.

2 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

5. Turn the Sound Name knob to choose a Sound of the selected type. Sound names appear on the lower right-hand portion of the display. When you select a

new Sound, any notes currently playing on the selected Part will be silenced.

6. To listen to the Sound you’ve selected, send MIDI data to the MR-Rack on the MIDI channel to which the Part is assigned, as shown in the display above. Any Part can be edited to use any MIDI channel.

Note: If you hear more than one Sound playing as you listen to Sounds, it may be that another Part is set to the same MIDI channel you’re using for the currently selected Part. Press the Select Part buttons to go through the other Parts and see if there’s a conflict. If necessary, change the other Parts to a MIDI channel you’re not using, or mute the unwanted Part. (See “Setting a Part’s MIDI Channel” or “Muting and Soloing Parts” later in this chapter).

A Note About Sounds and Effects

Most MR-Rack Sound are programmed with an Effect. Each Performance offers three types of Effects—an Insert Effect, Global Chorus and Global Reverb—and Parts may be routed to any of the three, or left dry. Sounds often sound best when they’re on a Part that’s been designated as the current Performance’s Insert Control Part. Chapter 5 provides a full explanation of the MR-Rack Effects.

To Designate a Part as the Insert Control Part

1. Press the Effects button.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the bottom line of the display shows the InsertContrlPart parameter.

3. Turn the Value knob to select the number of the Part you’d like to use as the current Performance’s Insert Control Part.

Auditioning Sounds

The MR-Rack offers several convenient ways to audition Sounds. You can hear a brief demonstration of the Sound playing a piece of music appropriate to its SoundFinder Sound Type category, playing octaves in any key, or playing a major chord, also in any key. As shipped from the factory, the MR-Rack will play a piece of music appropriate to the currently selected Sound Type. To learn how to change what you’ll hear when you audition a Sound, see the Audition parameter in Chapter 3 .

Note: Pressing the Audition button will have no effect when the Sound is being used on a Part that’s muted.

To Audition a Sound

• Press the Audition button.

To Stop the Auditioning of a Sound

• Press the Audition button again. You can also turn the Sound Type knob or press any of the MR-Rack's buttons to stop

auditioning.

Editing Parts

Each Part offers a number of options for determining how it—and any Sound the Part uses—will behave. These options are called Part parameters. When you edit a Part parameter’s setting, you are editing its value.

To access Part parameters, press the Params button. When you press the Params button,

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 3

Chapter 4—Parts

its green LED will light.

Once you've pressed the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to select the desired parameter. To edit a parameter’s value, turn the Value knob.

The MR-Rack display provides helpful information when working with parameters.

Performance System Effects

Sound Params Mute

Part

Parameter Value

Bypass

Select Part

Part number Part MIDI channel Sound Name

m m m

Enter

Exit

pt01 §01 Harpsichord Part MIDI Chan = 1

i i

Selected parameter Value setting

The top line tells you where you are, starting with the Part Number field, which shows you which of the 16 Parts you're editing. To select another Part, press one of the Select Part buttons, which are located just to the left of the Parameter knob.

for higher-numbered Parts

Select Part

for lower-numbered Parts

The upper button moves upward through the Parts, and the lower one downward. The Part Number field on the display will change to reflect your Part selection.

The Part MIDI Channel field shows which MIDI channel the Part will be responding to, or if the Part is set to the Stak MIDI channel, which is described later in this chapter. Whenever you’re selecting Sounds or editing Parts, you can always look to this spot on the display to quickly learn a Part’s MIDI channel, or if it belongs to a Stak. The Sound Name field tells you which Sound is assigned to the Part. The bottom line of the display shows the currently selected parameter on the left, and its current value on the right.

Enter

Exit

4 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

U nde r st anding Par t P ar am e t e r s

The Two Kinds of Part Parameters

Each Part contains a broad selection of settings called Part parameters. These parameters fall into two general types of settings:

• Some Part parameters control the behavior of the Part, for example, the MIDI channel on which the selected Part will receive MIDI data, and whether or not the Part will respond to MIDI Bank Select and Program Change messages and various other MIDI controllers

• Some Part parameters determine the behavior of the Part’s Sound while it’s being used by the Part—a broad collection of Sound-modifying tools lets each Part use its Sound in a manner of your choosing.

Parts Parameters and Sounds

It’s important, when editing Part parameters, to understand the relationship between Parts and the Sounds they use. You can think of a Part as a bin—or a slot, as mentioned above—that contains a Sound. When you adjust Part parameters to change the way a Sound is heard, the Sound is altered only for as long as it’s being used by the Part you’re editing. You’re not permanently altering the Sound itself—you’re merely changing the way the Part uses the Sound.

Chapter 4—Parts

When a Part Has Been Edited

Since the MR-Rack’s 16 Parts collectively comprise a Performance, whenever you edit a Part’s parameters, you’re altering the currently selected Performance. Changes you make to any of the 16 Parts are temporary until you save this edited Performance to the MR-Rack’s memory or a PCMCIA card. This is accomplished through the use of the Save: ThisPerformance command, described below in “Saving a Performance.”

If you’ve used a Part’s parameters to alter the nature of a Sound it’s using, and would like to save those changes into the Sound itself, the MR-Rack allows you to do so by using the Save: ThisPart’sSound command, described below in “Saving a Part’s Sound.” By saving a Part’s Sound, the changes you’ve made to the Sound will be heard whenever the Sound is selected for use by any Part.

Working With an Edited Performance That Hasn’t Yet Been Saved

When the Performance button is pressed after a Part parameter has been changed—or when a parameter setting is changed via MIDI while the Performance is being displayed—the word “EDITED” appears on the display to signify that the Performance has been altered. (“EDITED” also appears in the Performance display when an Effect has been edited; see Chapter 5.)

perf **EDITED** ROM-PERF:~PlaySounds

Before you save a Performance, the MR-Rack temporarily stores your changes in an edit buffer. You can listen to other Performances without losing these edits, as long as you don’t

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 5

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

do any further editing. Once you make any further changes, those edits will be placed in the buffer, wiping out your earlier work. To truly protect your edits, you’ll need to save your Performance, or the Sound—or Sounds—you’ve been working with.

Warning: If a single Performance is transmitted to the MR-Rack via SysEx, it will be placed in the Performance edit buffer, replacing any edited Performance you have there. (See Chapter 6 for more information on MIDI SysEx transmission and reception.)

To Recall an Edited Performance

• Press the Performance button twice if it’s not already lit, or once if it is.

Saving a Performance

When you save a Performance, you save the current Part parameter settings for all 16 Parts—including which Sounds they use—and the current Effects setup (Chapter 5 describes the MR-Rack’s Effects).

To Save a Performance

1. Press the Performance button and select the Performance that you want to save.

2. Press the Save button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob all the way counter clockwise.

4. Turn the Value knob all the way counterclockwise. The display shows:

The Performance button’s LED will begin blinking on and off and the display will flash “**EDITED**.” You can now hear your edited Performance.

Hit ENTER to: Save:ThisPerformance

5. Press the Enter button. If the System Write Protect parameter is set to Prompt, the display will show:

System Write Protect On! ENTER Overrides.

This display is offered as a double-check for you to make sure you really want to save this Performance. If you’d like to avoid this prompt in the future, see “Protecting the MR-Rack’s Memory” in Chapter 3.

6. If you’d like to cancel the operation, press the Exit button. If you’d like to proceed, press the Enter button. The display now allows you to name your Performance:

6 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

Left knob function Right knob function

m m

LEFT:pos RIGHT:char New Name=FinePerform

New Performance Name

The Parameter knob (left) is used to select the character position within the name. You will know which character is selected because the position in the display will be underlined. Turning the knob clockwise moves the location to the right, and counterclockwise moves it to the left. The Value knob (right) is used to select the alphanumeric character for that location.

7. Use the Parameter and Value knobs to select a name for your Performance.

8. When you’ve named your Performance, press the Enter button.

9. Use the Parameter knob to select either:

• RAM—to save the Performance to the MR-Rack’s internal RAM memory.

• CRD—to save the Performance to an installed data card (see “Formatting a PCMCIA Card” below for instructions on how to prepare a data card for storage).

10. Use the Value knob to select a specific location for your Performance.

11. When you’ve selected a location for your Performance, press the Enter button. The MRRack will provide confirmation of your Save operation’s success, and then display the newly-saved Performance.

Warning: When saving a Performance to a data card, avoid removing the card from its slot until the saving procedure is complete—doing so may result in corrupted data on the card and/or in the MR-Rack’s internal memory.

Saving a Part’s Sound

When you save a Part’s Sound, all of the selected Part’s parameter settings affecting the way its Sound is heard become permanent attributes of the Sound.

To Save a Part’s Sound

1. Press the Sound button, and use the Select Part buttons to find the Sound that you want to save.

2. Press the Save button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob all the way counterclockwise.

4. Turn the Value knob until the display shows:

Hit ENTER to: Save:ThisPart’ sSound

5. Press the Enter button.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 7

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

6. If you’d like to cancel the operation, press the Exit button. If you’d like to proceed, press

7. Use the Parameter and Value knobs to select a name for your Sound.

8. When you’ve named your Sound, press the Enter button.

9. Use the Value knob to select a SoundFinder type for your Sound. This feature allows

10. When you’ve defined a SoundFinder type, press the Enter button.

11. Use the Parameter knob to select either:

12. Use the Value knob to select a specific location for your Sound.

13. When you’ve selected a location for your Sound, press the Enter button. The display

If the System Write Protect parameter is set to Prompt, the display will show:

System Write Protect On! ENTER Overrides.

This display is offered as a double-check for you to make sure you really want to save this Sound. If you’d like to avoid this prompt in the future, see “Protecting the MRRack’s Memory” in Chapter 3.

the Enter button. The display now allows you to name your Sound:

Left knob function Right knob function

m m

LEFT:pos RIGHT:char New Name=MySoundName

New Sound Name

you to easily locate similar Sounds. For more information about using SoundFinder, see Chapter 1. For a complete list of SoundFinder types, see Chapter 9.

• RAM—to save the Sound to the MR-Rack’s internal RAM memory.

• CRD—to save the Sound to an installed data card (see “Formatting a PCMCIA Card” below for instructions on how to prepare a data card for storage).

momentarily confirms the successful completion of your command, and selects the newly-saved Sound. All of the Part’s Sound-related parameters are reset to their nominal values.

Warning: When saving a Sound to a data card, avoid removing the card from its slot until the saving procedure is complete—doing so may result in corrupted data on the card and/or in the MR-Rack’s internal memory.

If you’d like to install the newly-saved Sound as a SoundFinder category’s favorite, turn the Value knob one tick clockwise or counter-clockwise and back to register the new Sound as the current category’s favorite.

The Structure of MR-Rack Sounds

8 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

The MR-Rack contains two types of Sounds: standard Sounds and Drum Kit Sounds. Standard MR-Rack Sounds—constructed from high-quality digital sound waves resident in

the MR-Rack’s permanent memory or on wave expansion boards—can employ up to 16 layers, any number of which may be heard simultaneously, or switched on and off by modulators such as velocity.

Drum Kits allow you to have up to 64 different standard Sounds assigned to individual keys from the B two octaves below Middle C (B1) to the D three octaves above (D7). Though these are most commonly drum and percussion Sounds, you can use any kind of Sound you’d like in a Drum Kit. Each Drum Kit key, or DrumKey, has its own Volume, Pan, Effect and Tuning settings.

Note: When you assign a Sound to a DrumKey, the DrumKey makes note of the location of the Sound in the MR-Rack’s memory. When you play the DrumKey, it looks to that location and uses the Sound it finds there. If you edit the Sound or replace it, the DrumKey will play the edited version or the Sound you’ve replaced it with. If you’ve assigned a memory card or Expansion board Sound to the DrumKey, and removed the card or board, the DrumKey will be unable to locate its Sound and will produce silence when played.

You can use as many Drum Kit Sounds in a Performance as there are Parts. In addition, every Performance offers an editable Drum Kit, called the PerfEditKit, which you can customize and save with the Performance or as a new Drum Kit Sound that can be used again. Drum Kits have a number of special parameters of their own, which are described “Using Drum Kits” later in this chapter.

The parameters and procedures described in this chapter apply to both types of Sounds, except as noted.

How Sound-Related Part Parameters Work

Each MR-Rack Sound is programmed on a computer using Unisyn editing software. (ENSONIQ will provide you with Unisyn software when you send in your warranty card). This software allows the programming of the individual layers within each Sound (see Chapter 9 for details). The Part parameters let you quickly alter this programming in two ways. The parameters offer:

• overrides, which set all of the layers in the currently selected Sound to the absolute value you set

• offsets, which raise or lower the programmed values by the amount you set

A Part parameter is an override when its typical use would be to set all of a Sound’s layers to the same absolute value.

Layer 1's parameter is set to 96

Layer 2's parameter is set to 27

Layer 3's parameter is set to 44

When an override parameter is set to “Prog,” the originally programmed setting for each layer is retained.

An override

value of 10

changes all of

the Sound's

layers to a

setting of 10

Layer 1's parameter is set to 10

Layer 2's parameter is set to 10

Layer 3's parameter is set to 10

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 9

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

A Part parameter is an offset when it would typically be used to affect all of a Sound’s layers at once while retaining their different settings in relation to one other. Offset parameters offer values that have positive/negative aspects (denoted with a “+” or “-”). When an offset is set to “0,” the originally programmed value for each layer is in effect.

Layer 1's parameter is set to 96

Layer 2's parameter is set to 27

Layer 3's parameter is set to 44

Note: Part offsets adjust layer parameters only within the parameters’ legitimate ranges—offsets will not force them beyond those limits. If a Part offset parameter appears to be having no effect, it’s likely that the layer parameter has already reached its maximum or minimum setting.

An offset

value of +10

raises all of the Sound's

layers by

value of +10

Ge t t ing Bac k to S quar e One In a Flash

There may be times when you’d like to abandon your Part editing or Sound selections and quickly return the MR-Rack to the state it was in when you first powered it up.

The MR-Rack contains a special Performance called “→PlaySounds,” which is selected when you turn the MR-Rack on (unless you’ve changed the MR’s wake-up settings—see Chapter

3). In the →PlaySounds Performance:

• Parts 1 through 16 are set to MIDI channels 1 through 16.

• a Sound from the DEMO-SND SoundFinder category is selected for each Part.

• all of the Part parameters are reset to their default settings.

• Part 1 is designated as the Insert Control Part (Chapter 5 contains a description of the Insert Control Part).

• the Sound LED lights.

• Part 1 is selected.

You can instantly reset the MR-Rack to the →PlaySounds Performance, and these settings.

Layer 1's parameter is set to 106

Layer 2's parameter is set to 37

Layer 3's parameter is set to 54

To Instantly Reset the MR-Rack’s Parts, Sounds, and Effects

• Press the Performance and Sound buttons simultaneously.

Protecting Your Part Edits

When you’ve made changes to a Part’s parameters, those changes are temporary until you save the current Performance or the Part’s Sound. The MR-Rack lets you choose whether your edits will be retained when new Sounds are selected for Parts, and when the MR-Rack receives Reset All Controllers MIDI messages.

To Set What Happens to Edits When New Sounds Are Selected

1. Press the System button.

2. Turn the Parameters knob until the display shows:

10 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

System parameters: Part Param Reset= On

This may say “Off”

3. Set the Part Param Reset parameter’s value to suit your needs:

• If you’d prefer Part parameters to be reset for each new Sound selected for a Part, set Part Param Reset to On.

• If you’d prefer for the current Part parameter settings to remain intact when a new Sound is selected for that Part, set to Part Param Reset to Off.

To Set the MR’s Response to Reset All Controllers Messages

1. Press System.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “ResetControlRecv=.” The ResetControlRecv parameter can be set to:

• Off—the MR-Rack will ignore Reset All Controllers MIDI messages

• On—any Part receiving a Reset All Controllers message on its MIDI channel will reset its real-time controllers and any parameters that respond to MIDI controllers to default values

3. Turn the Value knob to set ResetControlRecv to Off if you want to protect changes you’ve made to Part parameters, or to On if you prefer Reset All Controllers messages to reset the Part parameters described above.

M ut ing and Soloing Par t s

The Mute button serves three functions:

• It can mute a Part.

• It can solo a single Part.

• It can group solo multiple Parts.

About the Mute LED

The Mute LED informs you of the mute/solo status of any Part you select:

• The Mute LED turns off if the selected Part is not muted.

• The Mute LED lights solidly if the selected Part is muted.

• The Mute LED flashes if the selected Part is soloed (single or group solo).

Performance System Effects

Sound Params Mute

Part

Bypass

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 11

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

Mute

The mute function can be used to silence individual Parts. This can be handy as a temporary measure when you’re refining your set-up. In addition, Performances remember which Parts are muted—when you save a Performance, the mute status of each Part is saved as well—so you can also make your mutes a permanent feature of any given Performance.

It’s worth noting that, even though muting turns off a Part’s Sound, MIDI controllers are still received by the Part. This allows the silenced Part to continue to control the Insert Effect if it’s designated as a Performance’s Insert Control Part (see Chapter 5 for more information on Insert Effects).

The setting of the Part Param Reset System parameter (see "Protecting Your Part Edits" above) will determine whether or not the Part will automatically un-mute when you select a new Sound for it. If Part Param Reset=On, the Part will be un-muted when you pick a new Sound; if it’s set to Off, the Part will remain muted until you un-mute it with the Mute button.

To Mute a Part

1. Make sure the Part you want to mute is selected. If it’s not, use the Select Part buttons

2. Press the Mute button once—its LED will light. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 36. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

to select it.

To Un-Mute a Part

1. Make sure the Part you want to un-mute is selected. If it’s not, use the Select Part buttons to select it.

2. Press the Mute button once—its LED will turn off.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 36. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Solo

The Mute button can also be used for soloing Parts. When a Part is soloed, all the other Parts in a Performance are silenced. Soloing allows you to isolate an individual Part when a number of them are currently responding to incoming MIDI. If more than one Part is responding to the same MIDI channel—as when you’re using a Stak—soloing lets you listen to a single Part all by itself. If you’re using a sequencer, soloing provides a way to quickly turn off all of the Parts so that you can listen to one Part alone.

The MR-Rack’s solo feature is exceptionally smart—when you solo a Part, the MR-Rack remembers the mute/solo status of all the other Parts in the Performance. When you unsolo the soloed Part, all the other Parts will be conveniently returned to their prior state.

Parts can be soloed temporarily as you refine your set-up. In addition, Performances remember which Parts are soloed—when you save a Performance, the solo status of each Part is saved as well—so you can also make a soloed Part a permanent feature of any given Performance.

12 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

To Solo a Part

1. Make sure the Part you want to solo is selected. If it’s not, use the Select Part buttons to select it.

2. Double-click the Mute button—its LED will start to blink on and off.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 36. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

To Un-Solo a Part

1. Make sure the Part you want to un-solo is selected. If it’s not, use the Select Part buttons to select it.

2. Press the Mute button once—its LED will turn off.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 36. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

To Learn Whether Other Parts Were Already Muted

While you’ve got a Part soloed, you can tell whether or not the currently muted Parts had already been muted.

1. Select the Part whose prior status interests you, using the Select Part buttons. On the top line of the display, next to the number of the Part you selected, the word

“mute” will appear.

pt02mute ROM004:000 AC-PIANO: Piano

(The rest of the display will vary depending on what you were doing before you soloed your Part.)

• If the “mute” is solidly lit, this Part was not muted before you soloed your Part.

• If “mute” is flashing, this Part was muted before you soloed your other Part.

Group Solo

The Mute button can be used to solo multiple Parts, which is referred to as a group solo. When the group of Parts is soloed, all the other Parts in a Performance are silenced. Soloing groups of Parts allows you to isolate them when other Parts responding to MIDI are making them hard to hear. Group soloing would allow you to listen only to particular components in a Stak, or selected elements of a Performance when using an external sequencer.

The MR-Rack’s solo feature is exceptionally smart—when you solo Parts, the MR-Rack remembers the mute/solo status of all the other Parts in the Performance. When you unsolo the soloed Parts, all the other Parts will be conveniently returned to their prior state.

Parts can be group soloed temporarily as you refine your set-up. In addition, Performances remember which Parts are soloed—when you save a Performance, the solo status of each Part is saved as well—so you can also make a group of soloed Parts a permanent feature of any given Performance.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 13

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

To Group-Solo Parts

1. Make sure the first Part you want to solo is selected. If it’s not, use the Select Part

2. Double-click the Mute button—its LED will start to blink on and off.

3. Repeat these two steps for all of the Parts you want to solo. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 36. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

To Un-Solo a Part from a Group Solo

1. Make sure the Part you want to un-solo is selected. If it’s not, use the Select Part

2. Quickly double-click the Mute button—the Part’s LED stops blinking, indicating that

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 36. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

To Learn Whether Other Parts Were Already Muted

While you’ve got multiple Parts soloed, you can tell whether or not the currently muted Parts had already been muted.

1. Select the Part whose prior status interests you, using the Select Part buttons.

buttons to select it.

buttons to select it. the Part is now muted along with the other un-soloed Parts.

On the top line of the display, next to the number of the Part you selected, the word “mute” will appear.

pt02mute ROM004:000 PIANO-A :StereoGrand

(The rest of the display will vary depending on what you were doing before you soloed any Parts.)

• If the “mute” is solidly lit, this Part was not muted before you soloed any Parts.

• If “mute” is flashing, this Part was muted before you soloed any Parts.

Se t t ing a P ar t ’ s M ID I Channe l

Each Part can be set to any of the standard 16 MIDI channels, or to a special channel called the Stak channel.

To Set a Part’s MIDI Channel

1. Use the Select Part buttons to select the Part whose MIDI channel you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Move the Parameter knob all the way counterclockwise. The display will show “Part MIDI Chan=.”

You can set any Part to any of the 16 MIDI channels, or to Stak.

4. Use the Value knob to select the Part MIDI Channel. When edited, all currently sounding voices on the selected Part will be muted.

The display will reflect the changes you make.

14 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

Tip: When a standard Sound (not a Drum Kit) is assigned to a Part, repeatedly pressing the Params button will toggle between this parameter and the FX Bus parameter. If the Part uses a Drum Kit, pressing the Params button will toggle between the Part MIDI Channel parameter and the DrumKey FX Bus parameter.

U sing St aks

The MR-Rack offers a powerful new device for layering Sounds or creating splits—it’s called a Stak—and there’s one available in each Performance.

Multi-timbral MIDI modules have traditionally offered the possibility of creating layers and splits by assigning multiple Sounds to the same MIDI channel. (In the case of splits, the Sounds are mapped to respond to different pitch ranges.) Creating layers and splits in this manner can be awkward, however, since any program changes on the common MIDI channel will undo your carefully-designed Sound combinations, forcing all of the Sounds to the same program. In addition, if you decide to change the MIDI channel you want to use for the layer or split, you have to individually reset the MIDI channel of each Sound involved. While you’re free to use the traditional method with the MR-Rack, Staks offer a more elegant approach.

Chapter 4—Parts

The current Part’s MIDI channel

Pt01§01 Harpsichord Part MIDI Chan= 01

In the MR-Rack, you can create layers and splits by assigning Parts—and their Sounds—to the Stak MIDI channel. This accomplishes four things:

• All of the Parts—and their Sounds—will respond to the same MIDI channel.

• By changing a single System parameter you can set the entire group of Parts to respond to the MIDI channel of your choice.

• You can protect your Sound combinations from unintentional alteration.

• You can still customize each Part independently without affecting the other Parts in the Stak.

To Create a Stak

1. Press the System button and turn the Parameter knob until the following display appears:

System parameters: Stak MIDI Channel=01

This number may be different on your display

2. Turn the Value knob to select the MIDI channel you want to use to control the Stak.

3. Press the Params button.

4. Press the up or down Select Part buttons until the number of the first Part you want to

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 15

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

5. Turn the Parameters knob until the bottom line of the display shows “Part MIDI

6. Turn the Value knob until Part MIDI Channel=Stak.

use in your Stak is displayed in the upper-left-hand corner of the display. Channel.”

Your top line may look a bit different

pt01 §01 Harpsichord Part MIDI Chan= 01

This number may be different on your display

Note that the Part’s MIDI channel on the top line of the display has changed to “stak.” When you’re selecting Sounds for a Part, or editing Part parameters, you can look to this area to quickly ascertain if the selected Part is assigned to a Stak.

pt01stak Harpsichord Part MIDI Chan= Stak

The Part you’re working with will now respond to MIDI on the Stak MIDI channel you chose in Step 2.

7. Press the Sounds button.

8. Use the Sound Type knob and the Sound Name knob to select a Sound for the first Part in your Stak.

9. Repeat Steps 3 through 8 to add other Parts—and Sounds—to the Stak.

Each Part in the Stak can be edited, using the Part parameters described in this chapter, without affecting the other Parts in the Stak. You create splits by setting Parts in a Stak to different key ranges with the Key Range Lo and Hi parameters, described later in this chapter.

The System parameter Stak Coherence allows you to perfectly synchronize the beginning of any notes played in a Stak. Details on this parameter can be found in Chapter 3 .

Tip: If you’d like to enjoy the layers or splits in any of the MR-Rack’s ROM Performances, Steps 1 and 2 above will allow you to access them on any MIDI channel that’s convenient for you.

16 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

C ont r olling a P ar t ’ s Lou dne ss

The loudness for each Part can be set manually from the MR-Rack’s front panel or via MIDI Volume or Expression control messages. The Volume amount determines the maximum loudness of a Part’s Sound. Expression can raise or lower the Part’s level, but only up to the maximum set by Volume.

Volume setting

Mix (Expression)

This allows you to set an acceptable loudness ceiling for a Part, and to adjust its level without worrying that it will ever become too loud. It’s also possible to invert the Part’s response to Volume and Expression messages, so that greater values lower the Part’s volume, and vice versa. This can be useful, for instance, when you’d like a Part to fade in as a result of MIDI Volume or Expression messages, while another Part fades out from the very same messages.

Chapter 4—Parts

127

To Set a Part’s Maximum Volume

The Part Volume parameter allows you to override the loudness level programmed into the Sound currently installed on the Part you’re editing. A Volume setting of 100 will leave the Sound’s level set as programmed. Lower values will reduce the Sound’s loudness—down by 96dB at a value of 0—and values above 100 will make it louder than programmed.

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose volume ceiling you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part Volume=.”

4. Turn the Value knob from 0 to 127 to adjust the part’s Volume, or transmit MIDI Controller #7 values to the MR-Rack. See “To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pitch Bend Messages” later in this chapter.

The MR-Rack’s display will reflect Volume changes made via MIDI just as if you’d made them from the front panel.

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously by the changes you make.

To Adjust the Relative Loudness of a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose relative loudness you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Expression (Mix)=.” The Part Expression parameter allows you to mix the level of the Sound currently

installed on the Part you’re editing, up to the maximum set by the Part Volume parameter above. A setting of 000 will reduce the Part’s loudness -96dB below the level set with the Part Volume parameter.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 17

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

4. Turn the Value knob from 000 to 127 to adjust the part’s Expression, or transmit MIDI

To Invert a Part’s Response to Volume and Expression Values

The Vol/MixPolarity parameter reverses the manner in which a Part will respond to Volume and Expression settings. When set to +Pos, the Part will respond normally: higher Volume and Expression values will result in greater loudness. When it’s set to -Neg, higher Volume and Expression values will lower the level of the Part’s Sound.

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose relative loudness you’d like to

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Vol/MixPolarity=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Part’s Volume/Mix polarity as you prefer.

Controller #11 values to the MR-Rack. See “To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pitch Bend Messages” later in this chapter.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 034. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The MR-Rack’s display will reflect Expression changes made via MIDI just as if you’d made them from the front panel.

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously by the changes you make.

adjust.

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously by the changes you make.

A dj ust ing a P ar t ’ s St er e o Posit ioning

MR-Rack Sounds are programmed to appear in specific places in the left/right stereo field. By adjusting a Part’s pan setting, you can offset the stereo placement of any Sound it uses. A value of Center 00 will leave the Sound panned as it was programmed. Lower values will shift it to the left, and higher values will move it to the right. A Part Pan value of Left -64 shifts a Sound hard left, while +63 shifts it hard right.

64 Left 63 Right

Center

If components within the Sound are panned differently, their relative positions will be maintained as the Part Pan value shifts the Sound in either direction.

To Set a Part’s Panning

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose stereo panning you’d like to adjust.

18 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pan=.” The Pan Part parameter can be set from -64 (hard left) to +63 (hard right).

4. Turn the Value knob to select a location within the stereo field for the part, or transmit MIDI Controller #10 values to the MR-Rack.

The MR-Rack’s display will reflect Part Pan changes made via MIDI just as if you’d made them from the front panel.

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously by the changes you make.

A dding Ef f e c ts t o P ar t Sounds

Every MR-Rack Performance contains three Effects:

• a stereo Insert Effect

• a stereo Global Chorus

• a stereo Global Reverb

You’ll find a detailed description of the MR-Rack Effects in Chapter 5. Parts may be routed to any of these Effects, or left dry. To send a Part’s Sound to an Effect,

the Part must be assigned to an Effect bus. There are six possible busses, named for the Effect they access. You can select:

• Insert—to send a Part to the Performance’s Insert Effect.

• Chorus—to send a Part through the Global Chorus.

• LightReverb—to add a minimal amount of Global Reverb to a Part’s Sound.

• MediumReverb—to add a greater amount of Global Reverb to a Part’s Sound.

• WetReverb—to add a large amount of Global Reverb to a Part’s Sound.

• Dry—for Parts that you don’t want to send through any of the Effects.

Chapter 4—Parts

Tip: When a standard Sound (not a Drum Kit) is assigned to a Part, repeatedly

pressing the Params button will toggle between this parameter and the Part MIDI Channel parameter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Route a Part to an Effect

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part you’d like to route to an Effect.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “FX Bus=.”

4. Use the Value knob to select Insert, Chorus, LightReverb, MediumReverb, WetReverb, or Dry.

Routing a Non-Insert Control Part to an FX Bus via MIDI

Part that are not designated as the Insert Control Part can be assigned to the Chorus bus, one of the Reverb busses or the Dry bus via MIDI. If such a Part receives MIDI controller 93 with a value of 1 or higher, it will be assigned to the Chorus FX bus. If the Part receives MIDI controller 93 with a zero value, it will be assigned to one of the Reverb busses or the Dry bus, according to the following scheme:

• If the Part receives a Controller 91 value of 0, it will be assigned to the Dry bus.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 19

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

• If the Part receives a Controller 91 value of 1-40, it will be assigned to the LightReverb bus.

• If the Part receives a Controller 91 value of 41-80, it will be assigned to the MediumReverb bus.

• If the Part receives a Controller 91 value of 81-127, it will be assigned to the WetReverb bus.

Tip: See “Using the Insert Control Part to Pick Insert Effects Via MIDI” in Chapter 5 to learn how to select Insert Effects via MIDI.

C ont r olling a P ar t ’ s P it c h Be nd R e spon se

A Pitch-Bend Wheel is a spring-loaded wheel typically located to the far left of a MIDI keyboard. It’s most commonly used to bend the pitch of notes up or down by pushing the wheel forward (up) or pulling it back (down). Some manufacturers employ a left/right scheme.

The MR-Rack offers two parameters—Pitch Bend Up and Pitch Bend Down—that allow you to separately set how you want each Part to respond to MIDI Pitch Bend messages received from a Pitch Bend Wheel pushed in either direction.

These parameters will have no effect if the Pitch Bend Recv parameter is set to Off. See “To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pitch Bend Messages” later in this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set the Part’s Response To a Pitch Bend Wheel Pushed Forward

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Pitch Bend you’d like to customize.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pitch Bend Up=.” Pitch Bend Up can be set to:

• 1-12dn or 1-12up—to lower or raise the pitch of the Part’s Sound by 1 to 12 equaltemper semitones when a Pitch Bend Wheel is pushed all the way forward

• Prog—to respond to upward Pitch Bend movements according to the value programmed into the Sound

• Sys—to use the global System Pitch Bend Up value (see Chapter 3 for details)

• Off—to ignore MIDI messages received from a Pitch Bend Wheel pushed forward

4. Turn the Value knob to select the Pitch Bend Up value you prefer. This parameter also responds to an RPN LSB value of 000 and an NRPN LSB value of 022.

See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set the Part’s Response To a Pitch Bend Wheel Pulled Back

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Pitch Bend you’d like to customize.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pitch Bend Down=.” Pitch Bend Down can be set to:

20 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

• 1-12dn or 1-12up—to lower or raise the pitch of the Part’s Sound by 1 to 12 equaltemper semitones when a Pitch Bend Wheel is pulled all the way back

• Prog—to respond to downward Pitch Bend movements according to the value programmed into the Sound

• Sys—to use the global System Pitch Bend Down value (see Chapter 3 for details)

• Off—to ignore MIDI messages received from a Pitch Bend Wheel pulled back

4. Turn the Value knob to select the Pitch Bend Down value you prefer. This parameter also responds to an RPN LSB value of 000 and an NRPN LSB value of 023.

See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Pitch Bend Up and Pitch Bend Down will be reset to Prog if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

R e t uning a P ar t

On a global level, the MR-Rack’s overall tuning can be adjusted with the System Fine Tuning parameter (see Chapter 3 for details). This parameter retunes all the Parts in the MR-Rack simultaneously. You can also re-tune individual Parts with the Part Octave Shift, Semitone Shift and Fine Tuning parameters.

Chapter 4—Parts

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Re-Tune a Part by Octaves

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose octave tuning you’d like to alter.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Octave Shift=.”

4. Use the Value knob to retune the Part’s Sound in octave steps, if desired. A setting of 0oct will result in the Part using the octave tuning value programmed into

any Sound it uses. You can shift the Part up or down by a maximum of four equaltemper octaves.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 011. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Re-Tune a Part by Semitones

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose coarse—or semitone—tuning you’d like to alter.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Semitone Shift=.”

4. Use the Value knob to set the semitone tuning for the part. A setting of 0st will result in the Part using the semitone tuning value programmed into

any Sound it uses. You can shift the Part upward by a maximum of 63 keyboard equaltemper semitones or downward by a maximum of 64.

This parameter also responds to an RPN LSB value of 002. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 21

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Fine-Tune a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose fine-tuning you’d like to alter.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Fine Tuning=.”

4. Use the Value knob to adjust the fine tuning for the Part. A setting of 0cents will result in the Part using the fine-tuning value programmed into

any Sound it uses. You can lower or raise the Part's fine tuning by -50 to +49 cents. 100 cents equals one semitone.

This parameter also responds to an RPN LSB value of 001. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, all of the Part tuning values will be reset to obey the tuning values programmed into the new Sound if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

U sing Spe c ial P it c h Table s

The MR-Rack provides a number of special pitch tables, as well as a custom pitch table which you can design on your computer with the proper software and transmit via MIDI over to the MR-Rack. "About RAM Pitch Tables" in Chapter 9 provides detailed information on creating your own pitch tables, and Chapter 3 contains more information on setting the MR-Rack’s system, or global, pitch table. Any Part can be assigned to use one of these special tuning tables.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Assign a Part to a Special Pitch Table

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose pitch table you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “PitchTbl=.” PitchTbl can be set to:

• Prog—to use the PitchTbl value programmed into the Sound

• Sys—to use the global System PitchTbl (see Chapter 3 for details)

• One of the special pitch tables built in to the MR-Rack’s memory

Chapter 9 provides a list of the MR-Rack pitch tables.

4. Turn the Value knob to select the PitchTbl value you prefer.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, PitchTbl will be reset to Prog if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 021. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

D e t e r m ining Whe t he r a P ar t ’ s Sound Will Glide

It can be desirable for the notes in a Sound to glide from one to the next as you play them.

22 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

By setting the Part Glide Mode parameter to On, the Sound the Part is using will be endowed with this gliding capability. Some of the MR-Rack’s Sounds are already programmed with components that glide between notes—if you’d like, you can disable the glide built into such a Sound by setting its Part’s Glide Mode parameter to Off. If you’d like the Sound to operate as programmed, you can choose the Prog value for the parameter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Enable a Part’s Glide Mode From the MR-Rack’s Front Panel

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose glide mode you’d like to enable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Glide Mode=.” You can set the Part Glide Mode to:

• Prog—to use the glide characteristics of the Sound used by the Part

• Off—to disable the glide characteristics of the Sound used by the Part

• On—to enable the Part’s Sound to glide from note to note

4. Turn the Value knob to set the parameter to On.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Glide Mode will be reset to Prog if you’ve changed it by using the MR-Rack’s front-panel controls, and if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Disable a Part’s Glide Mode From the MR-Rack’s Front Panel

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Glide mode you’d like to disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Glide Mode=.” You can set the Part Glide Mode to:

• Prog—to use the glide characteristics of the Sound used by the Part

• Off—to disable the glide characteristics of the Sound used by the Part

• On—to enable the Part’s Sound to glide from note to note

4. Turn the Value knob to set the parameter to Off.

The MR-Rack also supports the use of MIDI controller 65 as a switch for turning a Part’s glide—or portamento—on and off (with no Prog option). Some MIDI control devices allow you to accomplish this with a foot switch. Since the MR-Rack’s Glide Mode parameter has three options—Prog, On and Off—and MIDI controller 65 supports only two settings (a simple On and Off switch), Glide Mode in the MR-Rack is a bit more complex than other Part parameters. The two-way MIDI controller 65 is supported behind the scenes, while the three-way MR-Rack control is accessible through the Glide Mode parameter and display. The two methods for turning Glide Mode on and off overlap in function, and therefore, a particular methodology is required when using controller 65 to switch glide on and off.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 23

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Glide Mode via MIDI

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Glide mode you’d like to enable or

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Glide Mode=.”

4. Using the Value knob, set Glide Mode to Off.

5. Send a MIDI controller 65 value of 64 or higher to turn Glide Mode on.

6. To turn Glide Mode off, send a MIDI controller 65 value of 63 or lower.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

disable.

If either the hidden two-way controller 65 switch or the visible three-way parameter are set to On, Glide Mode will remain On. By setting the visible three-way parameter to Off, you allow the Part to respond to MIDI controller 65 without any unintended interference from the visible parameter.

At this point, Glide Mode will be enabled, even though the display remains unchanged (it still shows “Off”).

If you’ve enabled glide via MIDI, the MR-Rack’s Value knob will have no effect on the Glide Mode setting until the two-way controller 65 switch has been set to Off via MIDI, following the same logic discussed above in Step 4—neither switch can be on if you’d like to turn Glide Mode off, or to Prog.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 031. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Glide Mode will be reset to Prog if neither the visible three-way parameter or hidden two-way switch are set to On, and if the System Part Param Reset parameter is also set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

Setting a Part’s Glide Time

When a Sound in the MR-Rack is set to glide—as a result of its original programming or the Part Glide Mode parameter—you can adjust the speed at which its notes will glide from one to the next. This is accomplished by adjusting the Glide Time of the Part that uses the Sound. A Glide Time of 0 means that the Sound will glide at its programmed speed. If the Sound is gliding only as a result of the Part Glide Mode parameter, it probably has no glide time programmed into it at all, and therefore won’t glide with a Glide Time setting of 0. Higher Glide Time values speed up the Sound’s glide; lower values slow it down. The maximum Glide Time setting is +63, the minimum is -64.

24 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set a Part’s Glide Time

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Glide Time you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Glide Time=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to adjust the Part’s Glide Time.

This parameter also responds to MIDI controller 5 or an NRPN LSB value of 032. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Glide Time will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

D e laying Par t Sounds

You can use the Part Delay Offset parameter to increase the amount of time it will take for a Part’s Sound to be heard after it receives a MIDI Note On message. If a Sound has a delay time already programmed into it, the Part Delay Offset can be used to lengthen that delay by up to 2500 milliseconds (ms). If a Sound has no programmed delay time, the Delay Offset parameter can delay it up to 2500ms. If the Part Delay Offset is set to 0ms, no delay time will be added to the Sound the Part uses.

Chapter 4—Parts

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set a Part’s Delay Time

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Sound you’d like to delay.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Delay Offset=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to select the Delay Offset value you prefer.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 024. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, the Delay Offset will be reset to 0ms if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

C ust om iz ing Part LF Os

LFOs—Low Frequency Oscillators—and noise generators are two important programming devices used in the creation of MR-Rack Sounds. They’re both rhythm-oriented sound modulators. Some of the LFOs and noise generators in MR-Rack Sounds are programmed to be synchronized (or “sync’d”) to the MR-Rack’s internal clock (see Chapter 3 for more information on using the system clock). By setting the SyncLFO&Noise Part parameter to Normal, you can convert a Sound’s sync’d LFOs and Noise to the normal, unsynchronized variety. You can also use this parameter to alter the relationship of a Sound’s sync’d LFOs and Noise to the system clock by setting them to a division of the tempo produced by the system clock, from 1/1 to 1/32, including triplets.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 25

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

You can adjust a Part Sound’s normal LFO rates with the Normal LFO Rate parameter, and the depth and delay time for all of its LFOs with the LFO Depth and LFO Delay Time Part parameters.

To Convert Sync’d LFOs and Noise to Normal LFOs and Noise

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose System-sync’d LFOs and Noise

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “SyncLFO&Noise=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the SyncLFO&Noise parameter to Normal. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 25. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

you’d like to convert.

The SyncLFO&Noise parameter can be set to:

• Prog—to leave the sync’d LFOs and Noise as they’re programmed into the Part’s Sound.

• Normal—to convert the sync’d LFOs and Noise to unsync’d LFOs and Noise.

• 1/1 to 1/32T—to set the rhythmic relationship of the sync’d LFOs and Noise to the system clock’s tempo—a "T" following a number signifies a triplet value.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, SyncLFO&Noise will be reset to Prog if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set the Relationship of Sync’d LFOs and Noise to the System Clock

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Sound contains the System-sync’d LFOs and Noise you’d like to re-time.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “SyncLFO&Noise=.” The SyncLFO&Noise parameter can be set to:

• Prog—to leave the sync’d LFOs and Noise as they’re programmed into the Part’s Sound.

• Normal—to convert the sync’d LFOs and Noise to unsync’d LFOs and Noise.

• 1/1 to 1/32T—to set the rhythmic relationship of the sync’d LFOs and Noise to the system clock’s tempo—a "T" following a number signifies a triplet value.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the SyncLFO&Noise parameter to the desired fractional value to the system clock.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 25. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, SyncLFO&Noise will be reset to Prog if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Change a Part Sound’s Normal (Unsynchronized) LFO Rates

26 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Sound contains the Normal LFOs you’d like to re-time.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Normal LFO Rates=.” The Normal LFO Rates parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from

or add to the Part Sound’s programmed LFO rates. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s normal LFOs at their programmed rate.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Normal LFO Rates parameter to the desired rate offset.

This parameter also responds to MIDI controller 75 or an NRPN LSB value of 008. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set a Part Sound’s LFO Depth

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the LFOs whose depth you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “LFO Depth=.” The LFO Depth parameter can be set to -64 to +63 to subtract from or add to the Part

Sound’s programmed LFO depth. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s LFOs at their programmed depth.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the LFO Depth parameter to the desired depth offset.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 009. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, LFO Depth will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Set a Part’s LFO Delay

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the LFOs whose delay time you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “LFO Delay Time=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Delay Time offset to the desired amount. The LFO Delay parameter can be set to -64 to +63 to subtract from or add to the Part

Sound’s programmed LFO delay time. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s LFOs at their programmed delay setting.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 010. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, LFO Delay will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

C ont r olling the Shape of P ar t S ounds

Most of the Sounds in the MR-Rack use envelopes to shape the volume and frequency

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 27

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

content of their components. The MR-Rack provides a number of Part parameters that allow you to adjust these envelopes to suit your needs. These parameters subtract from or add to the programmed values of the envelopes programmed into a Part’s Sound. This preserves the relationship between all the various envelopes that may exist in a Sound while still giving you a great degree of control over the Sound’s volume and timbral contours. The Part parameters which refer to volume, or amplitude, shaping are Amp Env Attack, Amp Env Decay, and Amp Env Release. The parameters which affect the filtering of the Sound’s frequency content are Filter Cutoff—which allows you to adjust its filter cutoff settings—Filt Env Attack, Filt Env Decay, and Filt Env Release. Many envelopes in the MR-Rack’s Sounds respond to MIDI Velocity. The Amp&Filt Env Vel Part parameter allows you to subtract from or add to the velocity sensitivity programmed into the amplitude and filter envelopes of a Part’s Sound.

To Adjust the Attack Time of Notes in a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose amplitude

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Amp Env Attack=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Amp Env Attack offset to the desired amount. This parameter also responds to MIDI controller 73 or an NRPN LSB value of 014. See

“Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

attack time you’d like to adjust.

The Amp Env Attack parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from or add to the Part Sound’s programmed attack times. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various attack times at their programmed settings.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Amp Env Attack will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Adjust the Decay of Notes in a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose amplitude decay time you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Amp Env Decay=.” The Amp Env Decay parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from or

add to the Part Sound’s programmed decay times. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various decay times at their programmed settings.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Amp Env Decay offset to the desired amount.

This parameter also responds to MIDI controller 76 or an NRPN LSB value of 015. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

28 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Amp Env Decay will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Adjust the Release of Notes in a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose amplitude release time you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Amp Env Release=.” The Amp Env Release parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from

or add to the Part Sound’s programmed release times. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various release times at their programmed settings.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Amp Env Release offset to the desired amount.

This parameter also responds to MIDI controller 72 or an NRPN LSB value of 016. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Amp Env Release will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Adjust the Filter Cutoff of a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose filter cutoff you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Filter Cutoff=.” The Filter Cutoff parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from or

add to the Part Sound’s programmed filter cutoff settings. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various filter cutoffs at their programmed settings.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Filter Cutoff offset to the desired amount.

This parameter also responds to MIDI controller 74 or an NRPN LSB value of 012. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Filter Cutoff will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Adjust the Filter Attack of a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose filter attack time you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Filt Env Attack=.” The Filt Env Attack parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from or

add to the Part Sound’s programmed filter attack times. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various filter attack times at their programmed settings.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 29

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Filt Env Attack offset to the desired amount. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 017. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Filt Env Attack will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

To Adjust the Filter Decay of a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose filter decay

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Filt Env Decay=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Filt Env Decay offset to the desired amount. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 018. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

time you’d like to adjust.

The Filt Env Decay parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from or add to the Part Sound’s programmed filter decay times. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various filter decay times at their programmed settings.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Filt Env Decay will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Adjust the Filter Release of a Part

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the Sound whose filter release time you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Filt Env Release=.” The Filt Env Release parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from or

add to the Part Sound’s programmed filter release times. A value of 0 will leave the Part Sound’s various filter release times at their programmed settings.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Filt Env Release offset to the desired amount.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 019. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Filt Env Release will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

30 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

The following parameter is not present when the Part being edited uses a Drum Kit.

To Adjust Amp and Filter Envelopes’ Velocity Sensitivity

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part containing the amplitude and filter envelopes whose velocity sensitivity you’d like to adjust.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Amp&Filt Env Vel=.” The Amp&Filt Env Vel parameter can be set anywhere from -64 to +63 to subtract from

or add to the Part Sound’s amplitude and filter envelopes’ velocity sensitivity. A value of 0 will leave the envelopes’ sensitivity to MIDI velocity at their programmed settings.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Amp&Filt Env Vel offset to the desired amount.

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 020. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Amp&Filt Env Vel will be reset to 0 if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

C hanging a P ar t ’ s Ke y R ange

Each Part in the MR-Rack can be set to respond to MIDI Note-Ons received from within a specified region of a MIDI keyboard controller. This allows the creation of splits and layers. You can split the entire 88-note keyboard range into as many as 16 different key zones by assigning up to 16 Parts to separate keyboard ranges (some MIDI keyboards have only 76 or 61 keys). In addition, you can set a Part’s key range to overlap another’s, producing “layered” ranges in which you would hear Sounds from more than one Part. A Part’s key range is defined by setting its lowest note with the Key Range Lo Part parameter, and its highest with the Key Range Hi Part parameter.

Chapter 4—Parts

Note: A Part’s Key Range Lo value should not be set above its Key Range Hi setting,

nor should its Key Range Hi value be set below its Key Range Lo setting.

To Set a Part’s Keyboard Range

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose keyboard range you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Key Range Lo=.” The low end of a Part’s key range can be any note you desire, from A0 to C8

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Key Range Lo to the desired note. Middle C is C4 (some MIDI controller manufacturers refer to Middle C as C3 check your

controller’s or sequencer’s manual to see if that’s the case). This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 026. See “Using RPNs and

NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

5. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Key Range Hi=.” The high end of a Part’s key range can be any note you desire, from A0 to C8.

6. Turn the Value knob to set the Key Range Hi to the desired note. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 027. See “Using RPNs and

NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter. If you want to reset the range, simply reselect these parameters and repeat the process.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 31

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

To Create a Keyboard Split

1. Press the System button.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Stak MIDI Channel.”

3. Set the Stak MIDI channel to the channel you’d like to use for your split.

4. Press the Sound button.

5. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the first Part you’d like to use in your split.

6. Using the Sound Type knob and the Sound Name knob, locate a Sound you’d like to use

7. Press the Params button.

8. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part MIDI Chan.”

9. Set Part MIDI Chan to Stak.

10. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Key Range Lo=.”

11. Turn the Value knob to set the Key Range Lo to the desired note.

12. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Key Range Hi=.”

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously by the changes you make.

for your first split Part.

The low end of a Part’s key range can be any note you desire, from A0 to C8. Middle C is C4 (some MIDI manufacturers refer to Middle C as C3 check your

controller’s or sequencer’s manual to see if that’s the case).

This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 026. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

The high end of a Part’s key range can be any note you desire, from A0 to C8.

Note: A Part’s Key Range Lo value cannot be set above its Key Range Hi setting, nor can its Key Range Hi value cannot be set below its Key Range Lo setting.

13. Turn the Value knob to set the Key Range Hi to the desired note. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 027. See “Using RPNs and

NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter. If you want to reset the range, simply reselect these parameters and repeat the process.

14. Repeat steps 4-14 for each Part you’d like to use in your split, setting each Part to a unique keyboard range.

Once you’ve set up your split, you’ll probably want to set up the Effects and Effect routing for your Parts. See Chapter 5 to learn more about Effects.

To Create a Split with Layered Regions

1. Press the System button.

2. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Stak MIDI Channel.”

3. Set the Stak MIDI channel to the channel you’d like to use for your split.

4. Press the Sound button.

5. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the first Part you’d like to use in your split.

6. Using the Sound Type knob and the Sound Name knob, locate a Sound you’d like to use for your first split Part.

7. Press the Params button.

8. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Part MIDI Chan.”

9. Set Part MIDI Chan to Stak.

10. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Key Range Lo=.” The low end of a Part’s key range can be any note you desire, from A0 to C8.

32 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

Middle C is C4 (some MIDI controller manufacturers refer to Middle C as C3 check your controller’s or sequencer’s manual to see if that’s the case).

11. Turn the Value knob to set the Key range Lo to the desired note. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 026. See “Using RPNs and

NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

12. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Key Range Hi=.” The high end of a Part’s key range can be any note you desire, from A0 to C8.

Note: A Part’s Key Range Lo value cannot be set above its Key Range Hi setting, nor can its Key Range Hi value cannot be set below its Key Range Lo setting.

13. Turn the Value knob to set the Key Range Hi to the desired note. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 027. See “Using RPNs and

NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter. If you want to reset the range, simply reselect these parameters and repeat the process.

14. Repeat steps 4-14 for each Part you’d like to use in your split. Parts that you’d like to layer over each other should share portions, or all, of their keyboard ranges. Parts that are meant to be unlayered should be set to key ranges that are unused by any other Part.

Once you’ve set up your split, you’ll probably want to set up the Effects and Effect routing for your Parts. See Chapter 5 to learn more about Effects.

Se t t ing Par t Ve loc it y R ange s

Parts can be programmed so that the Sounds they use are only heard when the Part receives MIDI Velocity messages within a specified range.

To Set a Part’s Velocity Window

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose velocity window you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “VelocityRange Lo=.” The low boundary of a Part’s velocity window can range from 0 to 127.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the VelocityRange Lo parameter to the desired value. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 028. See “Using RPNs and

NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

5. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “VelocityRange Hi=.” The high boundary of a Part’s velocity window can range from 0 to 127.

6. Turn the Value knob to set the VelocityRange Hi parameter to the desired value. VelocityRangeLo and Hi also respond to an NRPN LSB value of 029. See “Using RPNs

and NRPNs to Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously bythe changes you make.

Isolat ing Ve locit y- D e pe nde nt Com pone nt s of Sounds

Many of the Sounds in the MR-Rack are designed to respond to MIDI Velocity messages. It’s not uncommon for different components of Sounds to be revealed only when the Part receives specific MIDI Velocity values. The MR-Rack provides a way to set Parts so you can reliably produce these values and therefore, the Sound components they produce. This lets you easily extract favorite aspects MR-Rack Sounds that are only heard at specific velocities.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 33

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

When the Velocity Mode Part parameter is set to any value other than Normal, Velocity messages that fall within the Part’s velocity window (see “Setting Part Velocity Ranges” above) are automatically converted to the velocity set with the Velocity Mode parameter.

To Extract Favorite Velocity-Dependent Components of Sounds

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Sound contains component you’d

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Velocity Mode=.”

• Normal—to allow the Part Sound’s velocity response to function normally.

• 0 to 127—to convert any Velocity messages received within the Part’s velocity window to

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Velocity Mode parameter to the desired velocity value. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 035. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

like to isolate.

The Velocity Mode parameter can be set to:

the value selected.

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously bythe changes you make.

Se t t ing a P ar t 's R e spons e To M ID I Pr e ssur e M e ssage s

The MR-Rack supports Key Pressure as a modulator of its Sounds and Effects. A MIDI keyboard controller produces Key Pressure when a key is physically pressed down after it has traveled through its normal range of motion. There are two types of Key Pressure: Channel Pressure and Key Pressure (also referred to as PolyKey or Polyphonic Pressure). Channel Pressure simultaneously affects all currently-sounding notes as if they were a single entity. Key Pressure allows you to affect each note individually by applying pressure to its counterpart key on your keyboard controller.

MR-Rack Parts can be set to respond to both types of Pressure. Set the PressureMode Part parameter to Channel if you’d like the Part’s Sound to respond only to Channel Pressure, or set it to Key if you’d like it to respond only to Key Pressure. If you’re not sure which type of Pressure you’d like to use, you can set the parameter to Auto—the Part will sense which type of Pressure is required, based on what kind of MIDI Pressure data it receives.

To Set a Part’s Pressure Response

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose Pressure response you’d like to set.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pressure Mode=.” The Pressure Mode parameter can be set to:

• Off—so that the Part will not respond to Pressure. If Pressure is assigned as an FX Mod Source, effects modulation is disabled.

• Auto—so that the Part senses the appropriate type of Pressure required based on the incoming MIDI Pressure data.

• Channel—so that the Part will only respond to Channel Pressure.

• Key—so that the Part will only respond to Key Pressure.

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Pressure Mode parameter to the desired value. This parameter also responds to an NRPN LSB value of 030. See “Using RPNs and NRPNs to

34 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

Edit Part Parameters” at the end of this chapter.

Note: When you select a new Sound for the Part, Pressure Mode will be reset to Auto if the System Part Param Reset parameter is set to On (see Chapter 3 for details).

When this parameter is edited on a Part that uses a Drum Kit, all of the Sounds in the

Drum Kit are affected simultaneously bythe changes you make.

Wor king wit h P r ogr am C han ges and Bank Se le c t s

MIDI allows you to select MR-Rack Sounds remotely from your MIDI controller through the transmission of Bank Select and Program Change messages. A Bank Select message will specify the area in the MR-Rack’s memory where a particular Sound resides, and a Program Change message will select the Sound itself. Each Part can receive Bank Select and Program Change messages on its MIDI channel, or it can be set to ignore either type of message.

When using Program Changes, you can guarantee that the Sound will be selected from the intended bank by sending the appropriate Bank Select message along with, and just prior to, the Program Change. If you’d like, you can select Sounds in the MR-Rack with Program Changes that are unaccompanied by Bank Select messages—they’ll simply choose Sounds from the currently selected bank. Unaccompanied Bank Select messages may be sent to the MR-Rack to “arm” a Part for a bank change that will occur when the next unaccompanied Program Change is received.

Chapter 4—Parts

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Program Change Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Program Changes you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “ProgramChngRecv=.” The ProgramChngRecv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to MIDI Program Change messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore MIDI Program Change messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the ProgramChngRecv parameter value.

Note: BankSelect Recv will have no effect if the global Bank&ProgChgRecv is set to Off. See Chapter 3 for details.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Bank Select Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Bank Selects you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Bank Select Recv=.” The Bank Select Recv parameter functions as a combined filter for Bank Select MSB

and LSB values. It may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to MIDI Bank Select messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore MIDI Bank Select messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Bank Select Recv parameter to the desired value.

Note: This parameter will have no effect if the global Bank&ProgChgRecv is set to Off.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 35

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

See Chapter 3 for details.

Finding Out What Bank Select and Program Change Values to Send

The MR-Rack’s display makes it easy to find out which Bank Select and Program Change values you’ll need to select the current Sound via MIDI.

How to Select the Current Sound Via MIDI

1. Press the Sound button.

2. Using the Sound Type and Sound Name knobs, select a Sound.

3. Instruct your controller to send the MR-Rack the displayed Bank Select and Program

The display will tell you which Bank Select and Program Change values you’ll need to send the MR-Rack to select the current Sound from your controller:

The Bank Select value for this Sound The Program Change value for this Sound

l n

pt01 §01 RAM001:033 ALL-SND Your Sound

Change values.

Enabling and D isabling Par t R e sponse to M ID I Cont r olle r s

The MR-Rack recognizes all of the major MIDI controllers. You can set individual Parts to respond to a each of these controllers, or to ignore it.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Data Entry Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Data Entry messages you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Data Entry Recv=.” The Data Entry Recv parameter functions as a combined filter for Data Entry, Data

Increment and Decrement, NRPN MSB 099 and LSB 098, and RPN MSB 101 and LSB 100 messages. It may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond the above messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore the above messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Data Entry Recv parameter to the desired value.

Note: When the Data Entry Recv parameter is edited, Data Entry settings for the currently selected Part will be reset to 000 in order to prevent hung Data Entry values.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pitch Bend Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Pitch Bend messages you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pitch Bend Recv=.” The Pitch Bend Recv parameter may be set to:

36 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Pitch Bend messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Pitch Bend messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Pitch Bend parameter to the desired value. Note: When the Pitch Bend parameter is edited, Pitch Bend settings for the currently

selected Part will be reset to 064 in order to prevent hung Pitch Bend values.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Mod Wheel Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Mod Wheel (MIDI Controller #1) messages you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Mod Wheel (1) Recv=.” The Mod Wheel (1) Recv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Mod Wheel messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Mod Wheel messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Mod Wheel (1) Recv parameter to the desired value.

Note: When the Mod Wheel (1) Recv parameter is edited, Mod Wheel settings for the currently selected Part will be reset to 000 in order to prevent hung Mod Wheel values.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Foot Pedal Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Foot Pedal (MIDI Controller #4) messages you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “FootPedal (4) Recv=.” The FootPedal (4) Recv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Foot Pedal messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Foot Pedal messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the FootPedal (4) Recv parameter to the desired value.

Note: When the FootPedal (4) Recv parameter is edited, Foot Pedal settings for the currently selected Part will be reset 000 in order to prevent hung Foot Pedal values.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Volume Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Volume (MIDI Controller #7) messages you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Volume(7)Recv=.” The Volume(7)Recv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Volume messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Volume messages

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Volume(7)Recv parameter to the desired value.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Pan Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Pan (MIDI Controller #10) messages you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual 37

Chapter 4—Parts

To access the Parameters described on this page (unless otherwise noted):

press the Params button, turn the Parameter knob to locate the parameter,

and then turn the Value knob to change the parameter's setting.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Pan(10)Recv=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Pan(10)Recv parameter to the desired value.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Expression Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Expression

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Expressn(11)Recv=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Expressn(11)Recv parameter to the desired value.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Sustain/Sostenuto Messages

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of MIDI Sustain and

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “Sustain/SostRecv=.”

4. Turn the Value knob to set the Sustain/SostRecv parameter to the desired value.

The Pan(10)Recv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Pan messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Pan messages

(MIDI Controller #11) messages you’d like to enable or disable.

The Expressn(11)Recv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Expression messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Expression messages

Sostenuto messages you’d like to enable or disable.

The Sustain/SostRecv parameter may be set to:

• On—to instruct the Part to respond to Sustain and Sostenuto messages

• Off—to instruct the Part to ignore Sustain and Sostenuto messages

Note: When the Sustain/SostRecv parameter is edited, Sustain and Sostenuto settings for the currently selected Part will be reset to 000 in order to prevent hung Sustain and Sostenuto values.

Wor king Wit h Syst e m MID I C ont r olle r s

The MR-Rack allows you to add four new MIDI controllers in addition to those the MR-Rack is already designed to receive. This is accomplished by designating your new MIDI controller as System Controller 1, System Controller 2, System Controller 3 or System Controller 4, via the System parameters CTRL1, CTRL2, CTRL3 and CTRL4. (See “Setting Up New Real-Time Controllers” in Chapter 3 for more information.) Once you’ve assigned your new controller one of these identities, you can enable or disable each Part’s response to each controller.

To Enable or Disable a Part’s Reception of Assigned System Controllers

1. Use the Select Part buttons to choose the Part whose reception of Controller 1, Controller 2, Controller 3 or Controller 4 you’d like to enable or disable.

2. Press the Params button.

3. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “SysCTRL1 Recv=.”

4. Use the Value knob to turn SysCTRL1 Recv On or Off.

5. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “SysCTRL2 Recv=.”

6. Use the Value knob to turn SysCTRL2 Recv On or Off.

7. Turn the Parameter knob until the display shows “SysCTRL3 Recv=.”

8. Use the Value knob to turn SysCTRL3 Recv On or Off.

38 ENSONIQ MR-Rack Musician’s Manual

Ensoniq MR-61 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual