Owner’s Manual E 1
Precautions Location Using the unit in the following locations can result in a malfunction. • In direct sunlight • Locations of extreme temperature or humidity • Excessively dusty or dirty locations • Locations of excessive vibration • Close to magnetic fields Power supply Please connect the designated AC/AC power supply to an AC outlet of the correct voltage. Do not connect it to an AC outlet of voltage other than that for which your unit is intended.
Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...................... 7 Main features ................................. 7 Saving your data on the ESX-1 ................................. 8 About the vacuum tubes ........................................... 8 2. Parts and their functions ...... 9 Top panel ........................................ 9 Common section ........................................ 10 Edit section ................................................ 11 Part select section ................................
5. Pattern mode .................. 35 Playing patterns ............................ 35 What is a Pattern? ................................................. 35 Editing sounds .............................. 46 Playing a pattern ....................................... 35 Assigning a sample to a part ...................... 46 To start playback .................................................... To pause playback ................................................. To resume playback ..........................
Comparing the currently-edited pattern with the saved pattern (COMPARE) .......................... 67 Motion sequence ........................... 68 What is a motion sequence? ................................... 68 Recording a motion sequence ..................... 69 Playing a motion sequence ......................... 69 Checking motion sequence data .................. 70 Editing motion sequence data ..................... 70 Selecting the motion sequence that you want to edit ..
About MIDI ........................... 89 8. Appendix .......................... 97 About MIDI channels .............................................. 89 Using the ESX-1 as a sound module ............ 89 If you connect a multi-track MIDI sequencer to the ESX-1 ..................................................................... 89 Setting the MIDI channel of each part .......... 89 Can’t control the ESX-1 via MIDI ................. 97 Sound is distorted ......................................
1. Introduction 1. Introduction 192 internal patterns programmed for many genres of dance music Thank you for purchasing the ELECTRIBE SX (sub- The ESX-1 can hold 256 patterns in memory. Each one lets you store a sound and sequence (of up to sequently referred to as the “ESX-1”). The ESX-1 Music Production Station can be used 128 steps) for each part.
SmartMedia™ slot Patterns and songs you create on the ESX-1 can be saved on SmartMedia™. WAVE files or AIFF files you create on your computer or another device can be loaded via SmartMedia™ and used. Pattern writing on-the fly If you unexpectedly come up with a cool pattern or riff while playing patterns, you can write and save the pattern without stopping your performance. Arpeggiator Use the ribbon controller and slider for intuitive and hands-on control of automatically generated arpeggios.
2. Parts and their functions 2. Parts and their functions Top panel 1 2 3 6 4 5 7 9 8 1. MASTER VOLUME 5. Common section (☞p.10) This knob adjusts the output volume of the line out jacks and the headphone jack. The master vol- The controls grouped in the Common section allow you to switch modes, to use the display to edit ume does not adjust the volume of the individual out jacks. parameters, and to control playback and recording. 2. TUBE GAIN 6. Edit section (☞p.
Common section 5 1 2 3 4 6 8 7 9 10 11 12 1. AUDIO IN THRU key 10. RESET, ERASE key Pressing this key will immediately reset the current pattern or song back to the beginning. Dur- headphone jacks unchanged. When this key is on, the effect, part common, ing playback, you can hold down the shift key and press this key to erase data from the current part. 2. TEMPO LOCK key If this key is on, the tempo will stay at its current value, even when you switch patterns. 3.
2. Parts and their functions Edit section 2 part in the stereo field for the line outputs (L/MONO, R) or headphones. If a part is set to the individual (3/4) output bus (☞p.26: Output bus) this control will adjust the panning to the individual outputs (INDIV. OUT 3, 4). 3 1 : Adjusts the volume of each part. For an accent part, this will adjust the strength of the accent. START POINT : Sets the playback start point for the sample assigned to each part.
Part select section 1 2 1. (DRUM PART) 1...5, 6A-6B, 7A-7B (drum part keys) 3 4 5 6 5. SLICE (slice part key) These keys select drum parts. By pressing these This key selects the slice part. By pressing this key keys you can hear the sound that is assigned to each part. you can hear the sample that is assigned to the slice part. 2. ACCENT (accent part key) 6. AUDIO IN PART (audio in part key) This key selects the accent part. This key selects the audio in part.
2. Parts and their functions 5. Select LEDs 6. Step keys 1...16 The upper row of LEDs (green) indicates the location within the currently-playing pattern (length These keys can be used to enter data into a pattern, and will light to show the position or timing 1 through 8). The lower row of LEDs (red) indicates the posi- where each part will sound. When the KEYBOARD key is on (lit), you can use tion shown by the step keys (length 1 through 8).
Rear panel 1 2 3 1. ~AC 9V 2. STANDBY, ON (power switch) Pressing this switch will alternate between poweron and standby conditions. 3. MIDI connectors OUT THRU 6 7 This connector receives MIDI data. Use this when you want to control the ESX1 from an external MIDI device, or to receive a data dump. This connector transmits MIDI data. Use this when you want to use the ESX-1 to control another MIDI device, or to transmit a data dump.
2. Parts and their functions Items and functions in the display 4 5 1 2 1. Parameter display This area displays pattern names, song names, and parameter names. 2. Value display This area displays the selected parameter’s value. 3. PATTERN, SONG, SAMPLE indicator When the number of a pattern or song is shown in the value display, this will indicate the corresponding mode. 4. SmartMedia™ indicator This indicator lights when data is being read or written to the SmartMedia™.
3. Basic operation Preparations Connections You must turn off the power before making any connections. Careless operation can damage your speaker system or other equipment, and may cause malfunctions.
Playing a Demo song The ESX-1 contains several demo songs. Here’s how you can listen to the demo songs to get an idea of the ESX-1’s sound and potential. 1. Press the SONG key. The SONG key will light. 2. The display will show the current song name and number. If it does not, press the SONG key a second time. 3. Turn the dial to select a song. 4. Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to play back the song (the key will light). When the song ends, playback will stop automatically (the key will go dark).
4. Sample mode In this mode you can record (sample) a sound to create a new sample, modify samples in various ways, or delete an unwanted sample. Sampling procedure on the ESX-1 Here’s the procedure from sampling a new sound to assigning the new sample to a part. 1. Audition the existing samples (☞p.20) Sample mode Sampling area = total 285 seconds Monaural samples 000....255. (Slice samples displayed as ) (Stretch samples displayed as ) Stereo samples 000 ...
Auditioning samples 1. 2. 3. 4. Press the SAMPLE key to enter Sample mode (the key will light). Press the [ ] cursor key to make the display read “(sample name).” Turn the dial to select a sample. There are six types of sample. “001”: monaural sample “001 ”: stereo sample “001 ”: slice sample “001 ”: stretch sample “001 ”: stereo stretch sample “001 ”: slice stretch sample Press the PLAY/PAUSE key or one of the part keys to hear the sample. To stop playback, press the STOP/CANCEL key.
4. Sample mode Recording a new sample Here’s how to sample the output of an audio device (e.g., MD or CD player). Sampling Preparations for sampling 1. 2. 3. 4. Connect the ESX-1’s AUDIO IN jack to the output of the audio device you want to sample. This jack is a stereo phone jack, but can also be used with a monaural phone plug. Before you continue, set the Global mode AUDIO IN MODE setting to either monaural or stereo, as desired (☞p.83). Set the rear panel MIC/LINE gain select switch to LINE.
Using the external input sound to trigger sampling AUTO SAMPLING ................................................... Off, 1...15 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. From sampling-ready mode, this function automatically begins sampling when the input sound exceeds the “threshold level” you specify.
4. Sample mode Editing a sample You can use the knobs and keys of the Part Edit section and Effect section to modify the sound in Sample mode as well (☞p.35 “Pattern mode). The state of the knobs and keys in Sample mode are not saved when you execute the Write operation. The ROLL key is not available in Sample mode. Setting the start point START ..................................................................................... 1. 2. 3.
Adjusting the pitch of the sample SAMPLE TUNE ....................................... -64.00...+64.00(Cent) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 24 This lets you adjust the pitch (tuning) of the sample. When assigned to a drum part, a stretch part, or the slice part, the sample will sound at the pitch you specify here. When assigned to a keyboard part, the sample will sound at this pitch for the C4 note of the keyboard. Press the SAMPLE key. Press the [ ] cursor key to make the display read “(sample name).
4. Sample mode Directly sampling the sound of the ESX-1 (Resampling) You can sample the sound of the ESX-1 as it is playing. This is called “resampling.” Resampling lets you create a new sample that mixes several samples, or apply effects to an existing sample and record the result as a new sample. You cannot record a motion sequence and perform sampling at the same time. Resampling will capture the part(s) whose OUTPUT BUS is assigned to L-R.
During resampling, you can press the PLAY/PAUSE key to pause the pattern or song playback while continuing to sample. Resampling just one note of a part 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 26 Make sure that you are in Pattern mode, Song mode, or Sample mode. Pattern or Song mode are appropriate when you want to resample multiple parts together, but the sampled volume will be lower. If you are resampling only one sound, we recommend that you use Sample mode. Press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop playback.
4. Sample mode Slice What is “Slice”? This is a function used mainly on samples that contain definite attacks, such as rhythm loops. It divides the sample into separate notes (attacks). For example if you have a rhythm phrase sample that consists of kick, snare, and hi-hat, the Slice function can detect the attack of each note and divide the sample into separate notes. Each of the divided samples can also be assigned to a part as a one-shot sample.
6. 7. 8. If you specified the number of steps as 16 or higher in “4” (above), you can use the [ ][ ] keys to change the region of slice steps that is displayed. (The currently displayed region is shown by the lower line of LEDs.). You can increase or decrease the number of slices into which the sound is divided by holding down SHIFT and pressing a step key. This lets you manually specify a division that was not automatically detected, or delete an unwanted division.
4. Sample mode As a different example, suppose there were two steps of quiet notes following the “>_>_>>>>”, as in the example shown below: “>_>_>>>>__”. We want the ESX-1 to determine this as “10” steps, but if it displays an incorrect value such as “8,” the sample will be sliced incorrectly, so you will need to specify the correct setting. You can also specify the desired number of slices by holding down the SHIFT key and pressing one of the step keys.
to the slice part in Pattern mode, or by changing the pitch. Don't feel limited by the phrase of the original pattern you sampled; you can use motion sequences or effects to create truly original patterns. Using individual sample slices The individual slices (notes) produced by executing the Slice operation can be assigned to the drum parts or keyboard parts. (☞p.
4. Sample mode Stretch What is “Stretch”? This is a function that automatically matches the playback speed to the tempo without changing the pitch, letting you play a sample at a tempo different from the sample’s original tempo. A “stretch sample” is a sample whose length in 16th note steps (the STRETCH STEP parameter) has been specified beforehand. You can use a stretch sample only with a stretch part.
Convenient sample-editing functions If you want to save the edits that you made to sample, you must Write it before you switch to another sample or turn off the power. (☞p.32 “Saving a sample”) Normalize This operation boosts the level of the sample as much as possible without causing distortion. 1. Use the dial to select the sample you want to normalize. 2. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 11 (NORMALIZE). (Key 11 will blink.) 3. Press step key 11 once again to execute the Normalize operation.
4. Sample mode Saving a sample If you want to keep a newly recorded or edited sample, you must perform this Write operation. If you edited a sample but decide that you want to return to its original state, simply switch samples without writing. 1. Press the WRITE/RENAME key (the key will blink.) The display will indicate the writing-destination sample number. 2. Use the dial to select the writing-destination sample number. For a monaural sample you can select “000” through “255.
Deleting a sample This operation completely deletes a saved sample from the ESX-1’s internal memory. 1. Use the dial to select the sample that you want to delete. 2. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 14 (DELETE SAMPLE). (Key 14 will blink.) 3. Press step key 14 once again to execute the Delete operation. (Key 14 will go dark.) If you decide to cancel without executing, press the STOP/CANCEL key. Once deleted, a sample cannot be recovered.
5. Pattern mode Playing patterns What is a Pattern? A “pattern” is a short segment of a performance that consists of rhythm patterns created by drum parts (drum sounds) and phrase patterns (melodic lines) created by keyboard parts. The ESX-1 lets you create and store 256 patterns. Each pattern consists of 16 parts. In addition to the sound of each part, a pattern contains effect settings and phrases, and can also record knob movements. Part(☞p.38) Playing a pattern To start playback 1. 2. 3.
Selecting a pattern 1. 2. 3. Press the PATTERN key (the key will light). Press the [ ] cursor key until the display indicates “(patter n name ).” Turn the dial to select a pattern. You can use the dial to select from a total of 256 patterns: A.01–A.64, B.01–B.64, C.01–C.64, D.01–D.64. You can also select patterns while the ESX-1 is playing. To check which pattern is playing When the PATTERN key is lit, press the PATTERN key and the display will show “(pattern name ).
5. Pattern mode Using the TAP key to set the tempo While a pattern is playing, press the TAP key twice or more at quarter-note intervals of the desired tempo. The intervals at which you press the key will be detected and the tempo will be set accordingly. You can set the tempo this way even when the ESX-1 is stopped or paused. Twice or more Auto BPM Scanning 1.
Playing the sound of a part What is a Part? A “part” is the smallest unit within a pattern. Each part contains a sound, a rhythm or phrase pattern, effect on/off settings, and motion sequence data. For each individual part, you can edit the sound, store a rhythm or phrase pattern, and store motion sequence data. The ESX-1 uses three types of parts, for a total of sixteen parts. — Drum parts (1–5, 6A-B, 7A-B) These parts play a sample in “one-shot” mode.
5. Pattern mode Listening to the sound of a keyboard part (the Keyboard function) 1. 2. 3. Press one of the keyboard part keys 1, 2 (the key will light). Press the KEYBOARD key (the key will light). Use the step keys as a keyboard to play the part. Use the select keys to change the octave.The select LEDs (lower row, red) will light to indicate the pitch range. You cannot turn the KEYBOARD key on/off unless one of the keyboard part keys 1, 2 is selected.
Soloing a part 1. 2. 3. 4. Hold down the SOLO key and press the part key that you want to solo. You will hear only that part. (The SOLO key and part key will light.) While the SOLO key is lit, you can press another part key to solo that part. If you want to solo two or more parts, hold down the SOLO key and select the parts that you want to solo. Alternatively, hold down the SOLO key (or PART MUTE key) while the SOLO key is already lit and press a part key to add it to the soloed parts.
5. Pattern mode Transposing a phrase (Transpose) TRANSPOSE ............................................................... -24...24 1. 2. Use this function to transposea the pitch of keyboard parts 1, 2. While you hold down the TRANSPOSE key, the display will indicate the current transpose setting. Hold down the TRANSPOSE key and turn the dial to transpose the phrases in semitone steps. A setting of ±1 transposes the pitch by one semitone, ±2 by a whole step, ±7 by a fifth, and ±12 by one octave.
Applying a roll to a part Selecting a part and turning on the roll effect ROLL ...................................................................................... 1. 2. This switches the Roll (rapid successive strikes) effect on (lit) or off (dark) independently for each part.The interval between notes of the roll will depend on the tempo of the pattern, the roll type, and the amount of swing (☞“Setting the roll type”). Press the part key for the part you want to play a roll.
5. Pattern mode Connecting various devices to Audio In You can connect various audio devices or audio sources to the ESX-1’s audio in jack, and use them for performance or sampling. 1. Connect your audio device etc. to the audio in jack (AUDIO IN, ST./ MONO). Set the MIC/LINE gain as appropriate for the output level of the device you connected. This jack is a stereo 1/4" phone jack. If necessary, use an adaptor plug that is suitable for your device.
Using the arpeggiator Performing with the arpeggiator To arpeggiate a drum part, Stretch part 1. 2. Select the drum part that you want to play. When you touch the ribbon controller, the selected part will begin playing automatically. The timing of the repeated notes will vary depending on the location you touch. The speed of the repetition will depend on the specified tempo. If ARP CONTROL (☞p.83) is set to “Revers,” the slider will vary the timing of the notes. To play the slice part 1. 2.
5. Pattern mode 4. step key that you want to be the center note (press only one key). Save the pattern. The position of the slider when you make this setting has no effect on the setting. If ARP CONTROL (☞p.83) is set to “Revers,” the center note will be the note produced by touching the center of the ribbon controller. Changing the scale of the arpeggiator ARPEGGIO SCALE ......................................... Chroma...Octave 1. 2. 3.
Editing sounds You can choose a sample for each part, and edit the sound of the part using the level and pan knobs and the effect and amp EG keys. You can even edit while the pattern plays. You can also use an external MIDI device to control the values of the knobs (☞p.89 “About MIDI”). If you want to keep the pattern you edited, press the WRITE/RENAME key (☞p74 “Saving a pattern”). The knobs that are available will depend on the part. (☞p.
5. Pattern mode Assigning individual slices of a slice sample SLICE NO. ......................................................... All, 001...128 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The individual notes into which a sample is divided by the Slice operation (☞p.27) can be assigned as one-shot samples to the drum parts or keyboard parts. Make sure that the PART EDIT mode key is lit. Press the [ ] cursor key to make the display read “(sample name).” (The SAMPLE icon is lit).
EG TIME ...................................................................... 0...127 Specifies the EG decay time. The Amp EG setting determines how the volume will decay. This parameter is valid when the AMP EG is “ ” and when the filter EG INT is other than 0. GLIDE .......................................................................... 0...
5. Pattern mode REVERSE ..................................................................... On, Off Switches reverse playback for the sample on (lit) or off (dark). Modulation These parameters apply time-variant change to the sound, using an LFO or EG. S P E E D ........................................................................0...127 Adjusts the speed of modulation. If BPM SYNC is on, the speed will synchronize to the tempo. The range is 8/1~1/64. DEPTH ..........................................
TYPE ............................................................ LPF, HPF, BPF, BPF+ Selects the type of filter. LPF (Low Pass Filter): Cuts the high-frequency region, making the sound more mellow. HPF (High Pass Filter): Cuts the low-frequency region, making the sound sharper. BPF (Band Pass Filter): Outputs only the region in the area of the cutoff frequency.
5. Pattern mode Effects Using the effects The ESX-1 contains three separate effect processors. For each pattern, you can use up to any three of the sixteen effect types. The sound of each part can be sent to any one of the effect processors. You can also change the way in which the three effects are connected to each other, and in this way apply more than one effect to a part. To apply an effect 1. 2. 3. 4.
Effect types The effects of the ESX-1 can be classified into the following three groups. 1. Stereo This group includes: CHO/FLG, PHASER, RING MOD, COMPRESSOR, DECIMATOR, EQ, LPF, HPF For some of these effects you can adjust the level of the direct sound. INPUT L OUTPUT L FX FX INPUT R OUTPUT R 2. Mono mix This group includes: REVERB, MOD DELAY, GRAIN SHIFTER, TALKING MOD, PITCH SHIFTER, DISTORTION For some of these effects you can adjust the level of the direct sound.
5. Pattern mode FX EDIT2: Depth ............................................ 0...127 Effect parameters REVERB (Reverb) This effect simulates the reverberation and spatial character of a hall. FX EDIT1: Time ..............................................0...127 Turning the knob toward the right will lengthen the reverb time. FX EDIT2: Level ..............................................0...127 Turning the knob toward the right will increase the reverb level.
FX EDIT1: Speed ............................................ 1...127 Specifies the sampling interval and the sampling time. The sampling interval is synchronized to the number of steps in the sequencer. When the BPM changes, the length per step will also change, so the sampling interval will change together with this. The following table shows how the sampling interval corresponds with the speed value.
