After unpacking the unit, save all packing materials in case you ever need to re-ship. Thoroughly inspect the unit and packing materials for signs of damage.
Report any shipment damage to the carrier at once; report equipment malfunction to your dealer.
Notice
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may cause
interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in
Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designated to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause 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 the receiving antenna; relocate the computer with respect
to the receiver; move the computer away from the receiver; plug the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary,
the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helpful: "How to identify and Resolve Radio/TV Interference Problems." This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.
Le présent appareil numérique n'émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la class B prescrites dans le Règlement sur
le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le ministère des Communications du Canada.
Lexicon Inc.
3 Oak Park
Bedford, MA 01730 USA
Copyright 1994, Lexicon Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Alex gives you world class reverberation
and effects to enhance any audio performance. Sixteen preset effects provide a wide
range of superb sounds right out of the box.
Three adjustable parameters allow you to
make subtle or dramatic changes to each
preset, and a bank of 16 registers is available
for storing your own customized effects.
Footswitch control allows you to set up register loops and chains to suit your performance needs.
Some of the exciting features of Alex are:
• 16 presets, each with 3 adjustable parameters
• 4096 possible effect variations
• Full-rack size with large LED display of
currently running effect
settings
• 16 registers where you can store your own
customized effects
and
parameter
1
• Edit compare of a preset and your modifi-
cations
• Footswitch control of bypass (input muting), register loading and register chains
• Stereo Inputs and Outputs
• Easy operation
To make sure you get the most out of
Alex, be sure to read the manual.
Front Panel Overview
MIX
Controls the proportion of processed
OUTPUT
Controls Alex's output level.
(wet) to unprocessed (dry) signals sent
to the outputs.
PARAMETER
INPUT
Sets the level of the incoming
signal.
INPUT
DIGITAL
EFFECTS
PROCESSOR
OUTPUTMIX
DRYWET
Selects DECAY, DELAY or FX LVL for
adjustment with the VALUE knob. (Selection indicated by lit LED.)
STORE (+)/CLEAR (–)
STORE (+)/CLEAR (–)
Toggles the Store and Clear functions. When "+" is displayed,
press and hold to store the current effect to displayed register.
When "–" is displayed, press and hold to clear a register to allow
effects to be skipped for a footswitch step or chain sequence.
VALUE
Adjusts selected parameter.
DECAY
DELAY
FX LVL
PARAMETER
VALUE
DISPLAY
Numeric display of digits 1-16, and decimal point. Displayed digits
indicate ID number of currently running effect or parameter setting
if one of parameter LEDs is flashing. Decimal point lights to show
an effect has been modified since it was stored.
2
REGISTER/PRESET
Button selects preset or register mode.
LED lights when register mode is selected,
turns off in preset mode.
Knob will select presets 1-16 or registers
1-16, depending on button setting.
REGISTER/PRESET
GATE
INVERSE
TILED ROOM
GUITAR ROOM
CHAMBER
RECITAL HALL
STRING HALL
LARGE HALL
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
9
GOLD PLATE
10
VOCAL PLATE
11
BRASS PLATE
12
PERC PLATE
13
CHORUS
14
FLANGE
15
ECHO
16
DELAYS
Setting Audio Levels
1. Turn Alex INPUTand OUTPUT controls
all the way down (fully counter-clockwise).
2. Connect Alex inputs to an audio source,
and outputs to an amplifier or mixer.
3. Apply an input signal at a level that you
typically use.
4. While sending audio to Alex, gradually
turn up the INPUT control until the Input
Status LED* lights green. Continue to
advance INPUT until the LED lights red
on only the loudest peaks. If the LED is
continuously red, turn the INPUT control
down.
5. If Alex is using a console's sends and
returns, set the MIX control fully clockwise (100% wet). If you are using an
instrument amplifier, start with MIX set
halfway up.
3
6. Gradually increase the setting of the
OUTPUT control until the audio level
from the amplifier or mixer is approximately the same as when Alex is bypassed.
* The Input Status LED is off when the incoming
signal is low; it lights to indicate acceptable levels
(6dB to 30dB below overload). The LED lights red
when the signal approaches overload. Acceptable
signals will trigger red flashes only on peaks.
POWER
Use Lexicon MSA power pack,
or 9VAC 1 amp equivalent.
Rear Panel Connections
OUPUT
Single-ended (unbalanced) stereo outputs provide
-2dBu nominal output level. Use the right output
connector for mono output.
FOOTSWITCHPOWEROUTPUTSINPUTS
TIP - BYPASS
RING - REG STEP
SLEEVE - COMMON
FOOTSWITCH
Tip/Ring/Sleeve phone input, for momentary contact footswitches, allows footswitch control of Register Step and Bypass functions.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
4
9V~, 1A,
50-60Hz
ALEX
LEXICON, INC.
WALTHAM MA 02154
MADE IN U.S.A.
P/N 021-09504
SERIAL #
L
(MONO)
RLR
(MONO)
INPUT
Single-ended (unbalanced) inputs accept levels as
low as -30dBu. Input impedance is 50 kΩ in stereo, 25
kΩ in mono. Use the right for mono input.
Footswitch Connections
A footswitch connected via the rear-panel
footswitch jack allows you to perform register
STEP and BYPASS functions. Two
footswitches can be wired to a tip-ring-sleeve
connector, or a single, mono connector can
be used. (With a single connector, insert halfway in for register step, all the way in for
bypass.) A stereo Y-connector allows two
identical single switches to be used.
TipSleeve
Ring
TipSleeve
Ring
TIP
RING
SLEEVE
or
TIP
RING
SLEEVE
Bypass
Step
Bypass
When shipped, Alex is configured to use
push on/push off type switches. You can
change this configuration to allow the use of
momentary contact switches by performing
the following procedure:
1. Power up Alex while holding in both the STORE/
CLEAR and the PARAMETER buttons. (This
will put the unit into Diagnostic mode with a "d"
displayed.)
2. Press STORE/CLEAR, then turn the REGIS-
TER/PRESET knob until the display reads "0"
(push on/push off) or "1" (momentary contact).
5
3. Press STORE/CLEAR to enter the change. The
display will show "+", and then the number you
have selected.
4. Power the unit off, then on again to restore
normal operation with the selected configuration.
BYPASSSTEP
A dual-function footswitch is provided with
your unit, along with a set of labels to identify
footswitch functionality.
Presets and Parameters
Alex front panel operation is simple and
straightforward. Effect selection, editing,
store, and clear functions are easily accomplished with dedicated knobs and buttons.
This section describes all of these basic
functions, as well as using footswitches to
step through registers and register chains.
The Presets
Alex is loaded with 16 permanent presets,
designed to give you the following effects:
Hall and Rooms (1-6) range from large natu-
ral-sounding spaces with the spread, attack
and build of a concert hall, to small rooms
with sudden attacks and the coloration characteristics of tight, intimate spaces. In addition to general instrumental and vocal applications, halls are a good choice for giving
separately recorded tracks the sense of belonging to the same performance.
Inverse (7) is similar to a gated reverb,
except that the initial portion of the reverb
envelope builds up before the sharp reverberation cut-off.
Gate (8) has a fairly constant sound with no
decay until the reverberation is cut off abruptly.
Inverse and Gate are both excellent effects
for percussion — particularly for snare drum.
Plates (9-12) mimic the sound of metal plates,
with high initial diffusion and a relatively
bright, colored sound. Plates are effective on
a variety of percussion instruments, as well
as on horns and voice. They are designed to
be heard as part of the music, thickening and
fattening the source material.
Chorus (13) is a 6-voice stereo chorus with
echo. Controls are provided for echo delay
and recirculation. Great on guitars and voices.
6
Flange (14) is a stereo flange with control of
resonance and the depth and speed of the
flange.
Echo (15) Digital audio's most basic effect.
Try it on everything.
Delays (16) is a 4-tap bouncing delay. The
bounce goes back and forth between left and
right outputs.
Each of the presets contains a unique
version of the 3 parameters; DECAY, DELAY and FX LVL. The parameters of each
preset are available for front panel adjustment along their entire range, allowing you to
create hundreds of variations of each effect.
Presets cannot be erased or overwritten
by parameter changes; the original version
will always be restored. If you make changes
to a preset and want to save the changes as
a custom effect, you must store your new
version in one of Alex’s 16 registers.
About the Parameters
Each of the 16 presets in Alex consists
of a unique combination of as many as 32
different parameters. These fixed parameters determine the type of preset — hall,
room, plate, etc. that you will hear when you
turn the REGISTER/PRESET knob.
For each preset, several parameters
have been made available for front panel
control through the DECAY, DELAY and FX
LVL controls.
In Halls and Rooms (1-6), and in the
Plate presets (9-12), DECAY sets the nominal reverberation decay time for a predetermined room size which is unique to each
preset.
In the Inverse and Gate presets (7-8 ),
DECAY changes both the size and the character of the program, while DELAY varies the
predelay before the gated effect. (Note that
changing the setting of DECAY in either of
these presets will briefly mute the effect.)
In Chorus (13), Echo (15) and Delays
(16), DECAY controls recirculation. In the
Flange preset (14), DECAY controls flange
resonance.
DELAY generally sets the amount of
predelay (the length of time between the
input of signal and the onset of reverberation). The range of this control varies with the
type of preset.
In Chorus and Echo, DELAY controls
the echo delay. In Flange, it controls the
depth of the flange effect. In Delays, it controls the delay time for the first of four equally
spaced delay taps.
In each preset, FX LVL sets the level of
the effects being added to the signal.
7
Note that the setting of the MIX control is
very important with several of the presets. In
the Inverse and Gate presets, MIX allows
you to set up anything from a subtle thickening or enhancement, to a solid wall of reverb.
In the Chorus and Flange presets, MIX should
be set higher than 50% wet to get rich chorus
and flange effects.
Parameter Settings
The actual parameter values available
at each of the 16 settings of the VALUE knob
are shown on the following charts.
PresetsParameters12345678910111213141516
1 Large HallDECAY (rm size=60M).60 sec .70 sec .80 sec .90 sec 1.0 sec 1.2 sec 1.3 sec 1.5 sec 1.7 sec 2.1 sec 2.4 sec 2.9 sec 3.6 sec 4.9 sec 6.1 sec 8.9 sec
2 String HallDECAY (rm size=51M).51 sec .60 sec .68 sec .77 sec .85 sec 1.02 sec 1.11 sec 1.28 sec1.45 sec 1.79 sec 2.04 sec 2.47 sec 3.06 sec 4.17 sec 5.19 sec 7.57 sec
3 Recital HallDECAY (rm size=45M).45 sec .53 sec .60 sec .68 sec .75 sec .90 sec .98 sec 1.13 sec1.28 sec 1.58 sec 1.80 sec 2.18 sec 2.70 sec 3.68 sec 4.58 sec 6.68 sec
4 ChamberDECAY (rm size=38M).38 sec .44 sec .51 sec .57 sec .63 sec .76 sec .82 sec .95 sec 1.08 sec 1.33 sec 1.52 sec 1.84 sec 2.28 sec 3.10 sec 3.86 sec 5.64 sec
5 Guitar Room DECAY (rm size=25M).25 sec .29 sec .33 sec .38 sec .42 sec .50 sec .54 sec .63 sec .71 sec .88 sec 1.00 sec 1.21 sec 1.50 sec 2.04 sec 2.54 sec 3.71 sec
6 Tiled RoomDECAY (rm size=15M).15 sec .18 sec .20 sec .23 sec .25 sec .30 sec .33 sec .38 sec .43 sec .53 sec .60 sec .73 sec .90 sec 1.23 sec 1.53 sec 2.23 sec
7 InverseDECAY (time)150 ms 165 ms 180 ms 196 ms 211 ms 227 ms 242 ms 258 ms 273 ms 289 ms 304 ms 320 ms 335 ms 351 ms 366 ms 382 ms
8 GateDECAY (time)150 ms 165 ms 180 ms 196 ms 211 ms 227 ms 242 ms 258 ms 273 ms 289 ms 304 ms 320 ms 335 ms 351 ms 366 ms 382 ms
DELAY (predelay)0 ms16.3 ms 32.7 ms 49.1 ms 65.5 ms 81.9 ms 98.3 ms 114 ms 131 ms 147 ms 163 ms 180 ms 196 ms 212 ms 229 ms 245 ms
DELAY (delay spacing) 1.7 ms 2.6 ms 3.9 ms 5.8 ms 8.7 ms 13.1 ms 19.7 ms 29.2 ms44.3 ms 66.4 ms 99.6 ms 150 ms 224 ms 336 ms 412 ms 505 ms
FX LVLOFF-28 dB -26 dB -24 dB -22 dB -20 dB -18 dB -16 dB -14 dB -12 dB -10 dB-8 dB-6 dB-4 dB-2 dB0 dB
9
Loading an Effect
The REGISTER/PRESET button deter-
mines whether the knob will load registers or
presets. The LED will light when register
mode is selected.
Alex has 16 presets and 16 registers for
storing your customized effects. Pressing
the REGISTER/PRESET button ...
REGISTER/PRESET
LED indicates register selection.
GATE
INVERSE
TILED ROOM
GUITAR ROOM
CHAMBER
RECITAL HALL
STRING HALL
LARGE HALL
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
In either mode, turn the REGISTER/PRESET knob to select and load an effect. The
display will update to show the number of the
currently loaded effect.
When you change between register and
preset modes, you will always recall the last
preset or register loaded, in whatever state
you left it.
Editing an Effect
For each preset, three parameters have
been made available for front panel control
through the DECAY, DECAY, and FX LVL
controls. Control over these parameters is
simple — press PARAMETER/LEARN to
select a parameter, then adjust it with the
VALUE knob. All parameter settings made
from the front panel can be stored with the
effect.
The PARAMETER button cycles the selection
of DECAY, DELAY and FX LVL. A lit LED
indicates the currently selected parameter.
The VALUE knob is always active, and will
adjust whichever parameter is indicated by
the display LEDs. The first turn of VALUE will
display the current parameter setting. Subsequent adjustments will increment or decrement parameter values along their entire
range (1-16).
Turn VALUE to adjust the selected parameter.
The display will show parameter values while the
knob is being turned. A decimal point in the
display indicates changes have been made
since the last store operation.
DECAY
DELAY
FX LVL
PARAMETER
11
VALUE
The decimal point on the display will light
when a parameter is adjusted to indicate that
the effect has been modified since the last
store operation. If no further adjustments are
made with VALUE, the display will revert to
showing the number of the currently running
effect. The edit indicator will remain on until
the effect is stored, or until changes are lost
by selecting another effect with the REGISTER/PRESET knob.
Performing an Edit Compare
If you do not perform a store operation,
changes made to effects will be lost as soon
as another effect
(preset or register) is selected. Changing
between
ever, will not erase your changes. This provides an edit compare capability which allows you to toggle back and forth between an
effect you are working on and the original
version. For example:
preset and register modes, how-
within
the same mode
1. Select a preset and store a copy of it in
any register.
2. Make any changes you want to either the
preset or the register.
3. Compare your new effect to the original
version simply by pressing the REGISTER/PRESET button.
4. Use the REGISTER/PRESET button to
toggle back and forth as many times as
you like between the original effect and
the new version, making changes as desired.
12
When you are satisfied with the effect,
perform a store operation to any register you
want using the procedure described on the
following page.
Storing an Effect
Alex presets cannot be erased or overwritten by parameter changes; the original
version will always be restored when loaded.
If you make changes to a preset and want to
save the changes as a custom effect, you
must store your new versions into registers.
When first shipped, Alex has a duplicate
set of the presets loaded into the registers.
Although these are grouped into different
effect types (halls, plates, etc.) there is no
need to maintain this format. You can, for
example, overwrite a gate effect with a chorus effect, or a plate with a hall.
To store the currently running effect:
1. Press STORE.
2. If you were in preset mode, the register
LED will go on, indicating that Alex has
automatically switched to register mode
— selecting whatever register is indicated by the position of the REGISTER/
PRESET knob. The plus sign (+) on the
display will light to indicate that the store
function is armed.
3. Releasing STORE will store the currently
running effect into the register indicated
on the display, overwriting the effect previously stored there. The display will flash
briefly to indicate the store operation was
successful.
13
4. Store operations are executed on release of the STORE button. If you want
to store to a different register, or to a
different register bank, than the one
displayed, turn the REGISTER/PRESET knob to the register number you
before
want
releasing STORE.
Using Footswitches
A dual footswitch can be connected to
Alex's rear-panel footswitch jack. Refer to
the diagram shown in
tions
.
Rear panel Connec-
Bypass
A footswitch can be used to bypass effects. When active, a "P" (byPass) appears
on the display. The + and – symbols, and the
parameter LED are turned off. In this state
everything is bypassed: effect select, register increment, parameter select and adjustment, etc.
Stepping through the Registers
You can use a footswitch to step through
the registers. The footswitch will increment
continuously up to register 16 then wrap
back to register 1 (or the first uncleared
register). If you are in preset mode, the first
click of the switch will automatically switch
you into register mode, loading whatever
register is indicated by the position of the
REGISTER/PRESET knob; subsequent
clicks will increment from that point on.
Clearing Registers
Aex has a clear function which allows the
use of footswitches to link effects in a variety
of useful ways. Clearing a register does not
erase the contents of a register pair. It clears
a space in the register sequence so that the
register is skipped in any effect sequence
you create.
To clear a register...
1. Briefly press STORE/CLEAR until a mi-
nus sign (-) is displayed.
2. Press and hold STORE/CLEAR. If you
were in preset mode, the register LED will
go on, indicating that Alex has automati-
14
cally switched to register mode — selecting whatever register is indicated by the
position of the REGISTER/PRESET
knob. The "–" symbol in the display will
flash, indicating that the CLEAR function
is armed.
3. Releasing STORE/CLEAR will clear the
displayed register. The display will flash
briefly to indicate the clear was successful. (The ID number of any cleared register flashes when selected with the REGISTER/PRESET knob.)
To restore a cleared register, simply repeat the clear operation with the "+" displayed.
Note using a footswitch to step through registers will
cause a discrepancy between the REGISTER/PRESET knob setting and the display (which will show the
number of the register that is actually running.)
Registers 4, 9, 10 and 14 have been cleared...
1234567891011 12 13 14 15 16
With the REGISTER/PRESET knob set to Register 1, the footswitch will
step through the remaining registers, then loop back to Register 1.
12356781112131516
Turning the REGISTER/PRESET knob to any position other than 1,
will set up register chains which use cleared registers as loop points.
The combination of cleared registers shown above would create these
1235678151611 12 13
If the REGISTER/PRESET knob is set to a register within a chain, the
footswitch will cycle through the chain until the next cleared register,
then loop back to the first register in the chain.
(To use a chain containing Register 1, you must set the
REGISTER/PRESET knob to another register in the chain.)
With the REGISTER/PRESET knob
set to Register 7, the footswitch will
step through this sequence ...
If the REGISTER/PRESET knob is set to a cleared register, the footswitch will
skip to the first register in the next chain, then step through that chain.
four chains ...
7856
15
Skipping Registers and
Creating Chains
Alex’s clear function allows you to use a
footswitch to
a sequence, or to create register
Skipping allows you to create a specific
sequence of effects. If, for example, you
want to use a series of 8 effects, simply clear
the 8 unwanted registers and turn the REGISTER/PRESET knob to 1. Now, the
footswitch will increment through the registers, passing over the cleared registers without requiring you to step through them.
Turning the REGISTER/PRESET knob to
any position other than 1, will set up register
chains which use cleared registers as loop
points.