SP-12 SAMPLING PERCUSSION SYSTEM OWNERS MANUAL By Craig Anderton Version 2.3 © 1985 E-mu Systems, Inc. Scotts Valley, CA.
CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................6 WHAT IS IT? ............................................................................................................. 7 SP-12 GROUND RULES........................................................................................... 8 Activating and De-activating Modules ...................................................................
CONTENTS 1N PLAYING BACK SEGMENTS ..................................................................... 21 1O SETTING TEMPO........................................................................................ 22 1P PROGRAMMING THE METRONOME ........................................................ 23 PART 2: RECORDING SEGMENTS .............................................................24 2B ERASING A SEGMENT ..............................................................................
CONTENTS 3G CHANGING THE SONG DRUM SOUND MIX.............................................. 47 3H SETTING SONG TEMPO ............................................................................ 48 3I PROGRAMMING TEMPO CHANGES WITHIN A SONG............................. 49 3J JUMPING TO A SUB-SONG........................................................................ 50 3K PROGRAMMING TRIGGER OUTPUTS ......................................................
CONTENTS 6C INTERNAL SYNC (SYNC 1) ........................................................................ 73 6D MIDI SYNC (SYNC 2) .................................................................................. 73 6E SMPTE SYNC (SYNC 3) ............................................................................. 74 6F CLICK SYNC (SYNC 4) ............................................................................... 75 6G WRITING SMPTE TIME CODE ON TAPE .......................................
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION WHAT IS IT SP-12 GROUND RULES SETTINGS AND VALUES THE TRANSITORY NATURE OF SEGMENT MODE BEEP MESSAGES © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 6 www.emulatorarchive.
INTRODUCTION WHAT IS IT? The SP-12 is the latest member of E-mu’s family of high - technology musical instruments. It combines the most popular features of our first drum machine, the Drumulator, along with the Emulator II’s sampling capabilities, modular design, and extensive use of display messages. Thanks to 12 bit sound digitizing, the drum sounds have a crispness and dynamic range unattainable with the more common (and inexpensive) 8 bit digitizing technology.
INTRODUCTION SP-12 GROUND RULES Here are all the background terms you will need to know in order to make sense of the manual. Activating and De-activating Modules The SP-12 is organized as seven modules: Set-up, Cassette/Disk, Sync, Sample, Master Control, Programming, and Performance. The Set-up, Cassette/Disk, Sync, and Sample modules are used less frequently than the others, and are normally inactive.
INTRODUCTION SETTINGS AND VALUES There are two ways of altering the SP-12’s parameters. One is to alter a slider setting this is typically done when changing levels, pitch, and so on. The other is to specify a numeric value with the keypad. This is typically done when telling the SP-12 how many measures long a segment should be, the time signature, and so on.
INTRODUCTION THE TRANSITORY NATURE OF SEGMENT MODE Segment mode is the SP-12’s “scratchpad” where you work up rhythmic segments prior to combining them in songs. Therefore, tempos, mixes, and most other segment parameters set while in segment mode (except tuning and dynamics) are retained only while you are in segment mode. When going into song mode, the song parameters for tempo, mix, and so on replace the parameters worked out in segment mode.
GETTING READY PART 1: GETTING READY 1A SETUP 1B INSTANT GRATIFICATION! 1C BACKGROUND: THE PERFORMANCE MODULE 1D SELECTING DRUM SOUNDS 1E ADJUSTING THE MIX 1F TUNING THE DRUMS/CHANGING DECAY 1G BACKGROUND: ADDITIONAL SOUNDS 1H ACCESSING/EXITING MULTILEVEL 1I ACCESSING/EXITING MULTIPITCH 1J ACCESSING DYNAMICS 1K STORING (DEFINING) A MIX 1L AUDITIONING (SELECTING) A MIX 1M ASSIGNING DRUM SOUNDS TO OUTPUT CHANNELS 1N PLAYING BACK SEGMENTS 1O SETTING TEMPO 1P PROGRAMMING THE METRONOM
GETTING READY 1A SETUP IMPORTANT!! Before you turn on your SP-12: There is a 115/230 Volt selector switch on the back of the SP-12, next to the ON/OFF switch. Make sure the AC voltage indicated on the switch agrees with the AC voltage present in your part of the world. If not, change the switch settings with a small screwdriver. 1. Set up the SP-12 on a hard surface so that the bottom plate ventilation holes are not obstructed. 2.
GETTING READY 1B INSTANT GRATIFICATION! Yes, the SP-12 is an extremely versatile device. But that versatility means that in order to learn about all the options, you’ll have to spend a few hours with the SP-12 and this manual. If you’re patient enough to actually do that right now, we salute your willpower. Chances are, though, you can hardly wait to start making some sounds. So, we’ll short circuit the learning process a bit with this little exercise. Follow these steps EXACTLY as given. 1.
GETTING READY 1C BACKGROUND: THE PERFORMANCE MODULE This module is where you select drum sounds, tuning, drum mix, and so on. All of these adjustments reset to their default values when the SP-12 is turned off. However, eight different drum mixes may be stored in memory and recalled when creating a song. 1D SELECTING DRUM SOUNDS The row of eight large buttons (Drum Play buttons) along the bottom of the SP-12 play the different drum sounds.
GETTING READY 1E ADJUSTING THE MIX 1. Press the TUNE-MIX-MULTI switch (towards the upper left corner of the Performance module) until the MIX LED lights. The display graphically shows the level of each drum in the selected bank. 2. Vary the slider above the corresponding Drum Play button to vary the level of each individual drum. As soon as you move the slider, the graph in the display will jump to its new position. 3. Note that MIX settings are not stored while in segment mode.
GETTING READY 1F TUNING THE DRUMS/CHANGING DECAY (SET-UP 18) 1. You may tune or change the decay time of any of the drum sounds. Cymbals may also be tuned, but due to the nature of the SP-12’s tuning change software, the sound will probably be different from your expectations of a “tuned cymbal” (SP-12 tuning creates more of a ring modulation type of effect). 2. Each sound may be programmed to have its tuning or decay (but not both) varied by its associated slider while the TUNE/DECAY LED is lit.
GETTING READY 1H ACCESSING/EXITING MULTILEVEL (SET-UP 12 & 13) 1. Activate the SET-UP module by pressing its button. Its LED will glow, and the display will ask for a function from the list printed to the right of the SET-UP button. 2. Key in 12 (MULTI-LEVEL). Select the sound to be multileveled by using SELECT to select the Bank containing the sound, then press the sound’s Play button. 3. To edit the factory preset levels, select MIX with the TUNE- MIX-MULTI switch and vary the sliders to change levels.
GETTING READY 1I ACCESSING/EXITING MULTIPITCH (SET-UP 11 & 13) 1. Activate the SET-UP Module by pressing its switch. Its LED will glow, and the display will ask for a function from the list printed to the right of the SET-UP switch. 2. Key in 11 (MULTI-PITCH). Select the sound to be multi-pitched by using SELECT to select the bank containing the sound, then press the sound’s Play button. That sound will now be spread across the Play buttons at factory preselected pitches. 3.
GETTING READY 1J ACCESSING DYNAMICS (SET-UP 14) Yes, the harder you hit the buttons the louder the sound. We did this in such an incredibly ingenious way that engineers across the country will burst out laughing when they take the SP-12 apart for the first time. 1. Activate the SET-UP Module by pressing its switch. Its LED will glow, and the display will ask for a function from the list printed to the right of the SET-UP switch. 2. Key in 111 (DYNAMIC BUTTONS).
GETTING READY 1L AUDITIONING (SELECTING) A MIX (SET-UP 16) You may select an already defined drum mix (see Section 1K) which will assign the mix levels to the drum sounds in all four banks. 1. Activate the Set-Up module by pressing its switch. Its LED will glow, and the display will ask for a function from the list printed to the right of the SET-UP switch. 2. Key in 16 (SELECT MIX). The display will ask for the desired mix number (as defined according to the instructions in Section 1K).
GETTING READY 1N PLAYING BACK SEGMENTS You can record and play back 100 rhythm patterns called segments. These are numbered from 00 through 99. Several segments were loaded into the SP-12 at the factory; here is how to play them. 1. Press the SONG/SEGMENT button a few times. The SEGMENT light shows you are in segment mode, and can play back or record segments. The SONG light shows you are in song mode. For now, choose the segment mode. The display will show the segment number and tempo In Beats per Minute.
GETTING READY 1O SETTING TEMPO The tempo may be varied from 40 to 240 Beats Per Minute. Segment tempo settings are “remembered” by the SP-12 only while you are in segment mode. If you switch over to song mode (as described later), the SP-12 acquires the tempo of the selected song. If you then switch back to segment mode, the SP12 will retain this song tempo. 1. To change tempo (the SP-12 may be stopped or running), press TEMPO. The cursor will flash under the first digit of the tempo display.
GETTING READY 1P PROGRAMMING THE METRONOME When playing back or recording segments, you can program the metronome for a variety of different beats. The metronome produces an accented click on the first beat of each measure and a softer click on the other beats. 1. The SP-12 must be stopped (RUN/STOP light off), and the SEGMENT light must be on. 2.
RECORDING SEGMENTS PART 2: RECORDING SEGMENTS 2A OVERVIEW 2B ERASING A SEGMENT 2C “DIMENSIONING” A SEGMENT 2D UNDERSTANDING AUTO CORRECT 2E SETTING AUTO CORRECT 2F RECORDING A SEGMENT IN REALTIME 2G RECODING A SEGMENT IN STEP TIME 2H ERASING A SPECIFC DRUM SOUND 2I ERASING A SPECIFIC NOTE OF A DRUM TRACK 2J COPYING AND APPENDING SEGMENTS 2K ADDING SWING 2L SWAPPING DRUM SOUNDS 2M COPYING SOUNDS 2N CLEARING THE MEMORY © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 24 www.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2A RECORDING A SEGMENT - OVERVIEW There are two ways to record a segment, real time and step time. In both cases, recording initially consists of: 1. Programming the metronome (if necessary). 2. Erasing previously recorded sounds (if necessary). 3. Defining the segment’s time signature and the number of measures in the segment (“dimensioning” the segment). 4.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2B ERASING A SEGMENT Erasing a segment clears out all existing drum sounds, and automatically redimensions the segment to two measures of 4/4. Before erasing a segment, always check whether that segment already contains something you want to keep. To erase: 1. Stop the SP-12, confirm that you are in segment mode, and press ERASE. 2. The display helpfully mentions that you can erase either a sound or segment.
RECORDING SEGMENTS Part 1: Standard Dimensioning 1. Set the time signature by pressing TIME SIGNATURE. The display will probably show the 04/4 default time signature and a cursor will be flashing under the first digit. There are three ways to enter the desired time signature numerator (number of beats per measure): Press the Right Arrow button once to increase the numerator value by one. Hold the button down to increment through the tempo one digit at a time.
RECORDING SEGMENTS Part 2: Real-Time Dimensioning Real-time dimensioning mode is useful when you want a segment’s length to be other than some number of whole measures and beats (i.e. if you wanted 2 measures, 1 beat, and just a tiny bit more). 1. Press SEGMENT LENGTH then press RUN/STOP; the metronome will click and the display will count off the beats and measures as they go by. 2. After the appropriate number of beats and measures have gone by, press RUN/STOP a second time.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2D UNDERSTANDING AUTO CORRECT Auto correct lets you create patterns with perfect timing by placing whatever drum sound you play on your choice of the nearest eighth note, eighth note triplet, sixteenth note, sixteenth note triplet, thirty-second note, or thirty-second note triplet. (For more information on rhythmic notation, see Appendix B.) To understand how this works, consider Fig.
RECORDING SEGMENTS Fig. 2-3 This illustrates an important point: Use the least amount of resolution needed. If you are recording a simple snare back beat, there’s no point in using an Auto Correct setting with any more resolution than eighth notes. To record something more complex, set a finer resolution (such as sixteenth or even thirty-second notes). You may change Auto Correct while you are in segment mode, whether the SP-12 is running or stopped.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2E SETTING AUTO CORRECT To set Auto Correct, the SP-12 must be in segment mode. The SP12 can be stopped or running (recording). 1. Press AUTO CORRECT. The display shows the current Auto Correct value (default is 1/Il). 2.
RECORDING SEGMENTS b. Change tempo by pressing the TEMPO button. c. Change Auto Correct by pressing AUTO CORRECT and using the Left and Right Arrow buttons. d. Change the mix by selecting MIX with the TUNE/MIX/MULTI button and varying the sliders. Real time level changes are not recorded along with the segment; to record different drum levels, either use the dynamic buttons option (Section 1J) or access multilevel (see step “f” below). e.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2G RECORDING A SEGMENT IN STEP TIME Here is an alternate way to record and edit drum sounds which is particularly helpful with unusual rhythms. 1. If necessary, program the Auto Correct resolution. Auto Correct determines the rate at which you step through the song; for example, when set to 1/16th notes you will step through the segment a sixteenth note at a time.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2H ERASING A SPECIFIC DRUM SOUND When you are in segment mode and editing a segment, you may erase a drum/percussion sound wherever it appears in the segment. 1. Stop the SP-12, confirm that you are in segment mode, and press ERASE. 2. The display helpfully mentions that you can erase either a sound or segment. To erase a sound, hit the appropriate Play button.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2J COPYING AND APPENDING SEGMENTS You may copy a segment to one or more other segments. For example, suppose you set up a great hi-hat and bass drum pattern in segment 54. Now suppose you want segment 55 to contain a snare part recorded over the basic bass drum/hi-hat pattern, and segment 56 to contain a tom part recorded over the same basic bass drum/hi-hat part.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2K ADDING SWING While in segment mode, you may specify that a segment have a particular rhythmic swing to it. The SP-12 defaults to a “swing factor” of 50%, which means that each quarter note is weighted so that the first eighth note takes up 50% of the quarter note, and the second eighth note takes up the other 50%. This is the way you would normally expect things to be. However, you may change the swing factor to 514%, 58%, 63%, 67%, or 71%.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2L SWAPPING DRUM SOUNDS After recording the segment, you might come to the realization that a part would sound better with, say, the Electric Snare than the regular Snare. No problem! Just swap sounds... 1. Activate the SET-UP module and key in 23 (SPECIAL) then 18 (special function “swap sound”). The display will ask which original sound you want to swap. Press the appropriate play button. 2.
RECORDING SEGMENTS 2N CLEARING THE MEMORY If you reach a memory FULL condition (as indicated by the display), save what you have on cassette or disk. After doing this, you will probably want to clear some or all data in the SP12’s memory to create more space. Another occasion where you might want to clear data is if you’ve finished working on a song/segment or group of songs/segments, saved the data, and want to start over from scratch. Here’s how to clear data: 1.
CREATING A SONG PART 3: CREATING A SONG 3A CREATING A SONG: OVERVIEW 3B SELECTING A SONG 3C CHAINING SEGMENTS TOGETHER 3D ENDING A SONG 3E EDITING SONGS (STEPPING, INSERTING, DELETING) 3F USING REPEATS 3G CHANGING THE SONG DRUM SOUND MIX 3H SETTING SONG TEMPO 3I PROGRAMMING TEMPO CHANGES WITHIN A SONG 3J JUMPING TO A SUB-SONG 3K PROGRAMMING TRIGGER OUTPUTS 3L STARTING AT A SPECIFIED POINT IN THE SONG 3M EFFICIENT USE OF MEMORY © E-mu Systems, Inc.
CREATING A SONG 3A CREATING A SONG: OVERVIEW There are two ways to create songs using segments. One way is to simply run the SP-12 and key in each segment just before you want it to appear. However, a far easier way is to go into song mode (by pressing the SONG/SEGMENT button), and programming a sequence of segments to create a song. We suggest first writing out the order of segments on paper, and also noting any repeats, tempo changes, or mix changes.
CREATING A SONG Note: When going to song mode from segment mode, segment level and tempo settings are not transferred over to the song. Instead, each song has its own programmed tempo (see Section 3H) and can acquire (at any time during the song) any of the eight previously defined drum sound mixes (see Section 1K). When it comes time to end the song, you may: Unconditionally end it. Repeat the song indefinitely. Link the end of the song to the beginning of another song.
CREATING A SONG 3C CHAINING SEGMENTS TOGETHER As mentioned in the overview, it’s best to write out the order of segments you want to program into a song. Let’s try a simple example: Step Step Step Step Step Step Step Step Segment # 1: 61 2: 62 3: 61 4: 63 5: 64 6: 64 7: 64 9: End Section of Song Introduction “ “ “ First verse “ “ End Here is how you would write a song using these segments: 1. Make sure you are in song mode (SONG light glows). 2.
CREATING A SONG 3D ENDING A SONG After programming your song, you have several ways to end it. This assumes that you’ve already entered all the segments, and that you are one step past the last step in which you entered a piece of song data (for example, if you’ve entered eight segments, the display’s lower line should now show Step 9:). Here are your options: 1. To repeat the song indefinitely (loop the song), press END (a flashing cursor will appear after End), and then press REPEAT.
CREATING A SONG 3E EDITING SONGS (STEPPING, INSERTING, DELETING) 1. Stepping: To change a song step, locate the step with the Right Arrow and Left Arrow buttons. Pressing Right Arrow increases the step number, Left Arrow decreases the step number. Tap either key once to move one step at a time, or hold either key down for a “fast forward” or “fast backward” effect. When you reach the step you want to change, simply key in the new information. 2.
CREATING A SONG 3F USING REPEATS You may enclose a segment, or group of segments, inside repeat instructions to repeat the segment(s) a selected number of times. This not only simplifies song programming, but also saves memory compared to entering multiple segments.
CREATING A SONG We can simplify this by using the repeat function: Song Step # Segment to be Played or Instruction Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Step 8: Step 9: Step 10: Step 11: Step 12: Step 13: Step 14: Begin Repeat 61 End repeat 4 (┼ 4) 62 63 67 68 Begin Repeat 65 66 67 68 End Repeat 5 (┼ 5) End Here’s how you would use repeat instructions to advantage in this example: 1. At step 1, press REPEAT. The right-hand display shows ┼ the begin repeat sign.
CREATING A SONG 8. When you reach step 13, press REPEAT to end the repeat, and then press 05 to indicate that you want segments 65, 66, 67, and 68 repeated five times. Finally, press ENTER to enter this step into the SP-12’s memory. 9. At step 14, press END twice to unconditionally end the song. 10. Now start the SP-12. It will play back the song, with the lower display line showing each segment as it occurs. 11.
CREATING A SONG 3H SETTING SONG TEMPO Each song can have its own programmed tempo from 40 to 240 Beats Per Minute. 1. To change tempo (the SP-12 may be stopped or running and in or out of’ EDIT mode), press TEMPO. (Note: If’ you change tempo while the SP-12 is running, the tempo setting is not stored and does not loop around if a song should repeat. For best results, change tempo while the SP-12 is stopped.) The cursor will flash under the first digit of’ the tempo. There are five ways to enter tempo: a.
CREATING A SONG 3I PROGRAMMING TEMPO CHANGES WITHIN A SONG The tempo change feature is very handy if you want to program the tempo to speed up or slow down at specific places in the song. You may introduce tempo changes at any point in a song; as you write out the song steps, allot a step for each tempo change instruction. 1. Make sure you are in song mode. 2. At the song step immediately prior to where you want the tempo to change, press TEMPO CHANGE.
CREATING A SONG 3J JUMPING TO A SUB-SONG At any point in a song, you may jump to another song. This song will play through in its entirety, at which point you will return to the first song at the same point at which you left it. To jump to a Sub-song: 1. When you reach the song step where you want to go to the Sub-song, press SUB-SONG. The display will ask you for the song to which you want to jump. 2. Key in the desired song number. When the display confirms your choice, press ENTER.
CREATING A SONG 3. When the display shows the desired trigger value, press ENTER. When playing back the song, the trigger pulses will begin (or change, or end, depending on what you programmed) simultaneously with the next segment programmed into the song. 4. If you reach a step where you want to change the pulses to a different rate or stop generating a pulse, repeat steps two and three. 3L STARTING AT A SPECIFIED POINT IN THE SONG The SP-12 should be stopped. Activate the SET-UP module and key in 21.
CREATING A SONG 3M EFFICIENT USE OF MEMORY The more efficiently you use memory, the more space you’ll have available for storing all those wonderful drum patterns. Consider a song where you have an 8 measure chorus, consisting of 7 identical measures followed by 1 different measure that serves as a “fill”. The least efficient use of memory would be to treat the entire 8 measure chorus as one long segment.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS PART 4: SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4A SAMPLING: AN OVERVIEW 4B SETTING LEVELS PRIOR TO SAMPLING 4C ASSIGNING THE SAMPLE TO A PARTICULAR USER NUMBER AND OUTPUT CHANNEL 4D SETTING THE SAMPLING THRESHOLD 4E SETTING THE SAMPLE LENGTH 4F INITIATING AND STOPPING SAMPLING 4G DELETING (ERASING) A USER SOUND 4H MODIFYING A SAMPLE VIA TRUNCATION AND LOOPING © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 53 www.emulatorarchive.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4A SAMPLING: AN OVERVIEW The SP-12’s sampling capabilities are pretty staggering. Bank 4 has eight sounds (User 1 through User 8) dedicated to sampled sounds. These samples can come from acoustic drums, electronic drums, synthesizers, or even records, CDs, and tapes. Note that you are not limited to eight sampled sounds; while sounds can only be sampled into bank 4, once recorded in the bank they may then be copied over to other banks with the sound copy function.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4B SETTING LEVELS PRIOR TO SAMPLING There are two Sample module functions involved in level setting: VU Mode (SAMPLE 1) and Level (SAMPLE 3). The module’s GAIN control trims the record level, just like the record level control on a tape recorder. 1. Plug the output of the sound being sampled (microphone, Synth drum output, etc.) into the rear panel SAMPLE IN jack. 2. Activate the SAMPLE module; this automatically puts the SP-12 in VU mode (SAMPLE 1).
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4C ASSIGNING THE SAMPLE The SP-12 default assignment places the sampled sound on the lowest available empty user number, with the sound appearing on output channel 7 or 8. Both of these can be changed as follows: 1. With the SAMPLE module active, key in 2. The display’s top line will give the current User number, with a cursor appearing underneath the number.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4E SETTING THE SAMPLE LENGTH Once sampling starts, the SP-12 will normally sample until it runs out of memory or is stopped (Section 4F). However, this function let’s you program a fixed sample time up to 2.5 seconds; after this time has elapsed, the SP-12 will stop sampling. 1. With the SAMPLE module active, key in 5. The display’s top line indicates the amount of time available for sampling (with a standard SP-12, this will be 1.2 seconds if the User Sounds are all empty).
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4. If you are not satisfied with the sample, try again by keying in 6 to re-sample the sound. 4G DELETING A USER SOUND Recording over a User Sound will erase the previous User Sound contents. However, you might also want to erase a User Sound without recording over it in order to create more memory space. To erase a User Sound: 1. Activate the SET-UP module and key in 20. The display will ask you which User Sound you want to delete. 2.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 4H MODIFYING A SAMPLE VIA TRUNCATION AND LOOP Truncation shortens a Voice’s length by trimming off parts of the beginning and/or end. This allows you to cut off unneeded portions of a Voice to save memory, change instrument characteristics (i.e. remove the attack from a plucked string note), cut off a long decay (which is great for simulating noise- gated reverb effects on drums), or isolate a particular section of a sample.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS 6. Looping can be set at the same time as truncation, or you can loop a previously truncated sample. Looping marks off a section (called a loop) of a User Sound. The display indicates the Loop Length (L=), whose end point is the end of the sample. With a looped User Sound, the sound plays normally until it reaches the end of the loop. It then jumps back to the Loop start point and re-plays through the loop. Upon reaching the loop end, it again re-plays the loop. Fig.
SAMPLING YOUR OWN SOUNDS Fig. 4-1 Note: Activating SET-UP and selecting SPECIAL FUNCTION 19 sets a default decay for all sounds (as set by Slider 1). This is useful if you loop a sound and want it to decay, but also want to produce different pitched sounds. © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 61 www.emulatorarchive.
SAVING YOUR DATA PART 5: SAVING YOUR DATA 5A BACKGROUND: SAVING DATA 5B GENERAL CARE AND HANDLING OF DISKS AND CASSETTES 5C HOOKING UP THE 15K1 DISK DRIVE OR CASSETTE 5D FORMATTING DISKS 5E DISK AND CASSETTE OPERATIONS © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 62 www.emulatorarchive.
SAVING YOUR DATA 5A BACKGROUND: SAVING DATA Since you spend a lot of time working on segments, songs, and sampled sounds, you should spend the small amount of time necessary to save them. Don’t just save when you’ve filled up the memory; save periodically in case something goes wrong (yes, integrated circuits are subject to Murphy’s Law). There are two ways to save: via cassette or via disk. To save on disk you will require a Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive, as used with the Commodore 64 computer.
SAVING YOUR DATA The SP-12 requires double-sided, double-density, 48 tracks per inch (TPI) 5.25” floppy disks. Cassettes should be high-quality data cassettes, not standard audio cassettes. Disk drives are somewhat fragile. Before transporting the 1541 (even if it’s only across the room), always insert and latch either the original packing material or a “scrap” disk into the drive. This protects the drive from vibration. Do not use a good disk, as it could become damaged during transit.
SAVING YOUR DATA To write-protect a cassette, knock out the little tabs on the back of the case as shown in Fig. 5-3. These can be covered over with masking tape later if you want to “unwrite-protect” them. Fig. 5-3 © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 65 www.emulatorarchive.
SAVING YOUR DATA 5C HOOKING UP THE 1541 DISK DRIVE OR CASSETTE 1. Power off both the SP-12 and the 1541. 2. Patch the disk cable from the plug above the 1541’s fuse post to the SP-12’s rear panel disk jack (see Fig. 5-4). Fig. 5-4 3. Turn on the disk drive, and then turn on the SP-12. 4. To insert the disk in the drive, first make sure that the latch is in the open position (see Fig. 5-5). 5. Next, insert a disk label side up with the labelled side going in last (see Fig. 56). Fig.
SAVING YOUR DATA Gently push the disk all the way in until it can go no further, then push the latch downward until, at the end of its travel, it pops forward somewhat. To hook up the cassette, patch the CASS/SYNC/SMPTE OUT jack to the cassette’s line level input. Patch the CASS/SYNC/SMPTE IN jack top the cassette’s earphone or speaker output. As you work with the cassette, note carefully what playback level gives the most consistent results.
SAVING YOUR DATA 5E DISK AND CASSETTE OPERATIONS Cassettes and Disks have nine operations in common, as printed in the Cassette/Disk module. Formatting applies only to disks. Here is a description of each operation, along with which buttons should be pressed for disk and which should be pressed for cassette. After pressing the indicated buttons, follow any instructions given in the display, and then press ENTER to initiate the function.
SAVING YOUR DATA Verify Sequences Disk: Key in 2 then 7 Cassette: Key 1 then 7 After saving sequences, run this verify function to make sure that the data was saved correctly. The display will let you know if all is well. Verify Sounds Disk: Key in 2 then 8 Cassette: Key 1 then 8 After saving user sounds, run this verify function to make sure that the data was saved correctly. The display will let you know if all is well.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE PART 6: MIDI, SYNC, & SMPTE 6A MIDI CHANNEL AND MODE SELECT (SET-UP 22) 6B BACKGROUND: SYNCHRONIZATION 6C INTERNAL SYNC (SYNC 1) 6D MIDI SYNC (SYNC 2) 6E SMPTE SYNC (SYNC 3) 6F CLICK SYNC (SYNC 4) 6G WRITING SMPTE TIME CODE ON TAPE 6H WRITING A 24 PULSES-PER-QUARTER NOTE CLICK SYNC TRACK ON TAPE © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 70 www.emulatorarchive.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE OVERVIEW The SP-12 includes several MIDI functions and synchronization options. We will describe MIDI options first, then move into synchronization. The non-sync oriented MIDI functions include select MIDI channel and play drums from MIDI keyboard. MIDI is a way of exchanging musical information between various electronic music instruments. If you are not familiar with MIDI basics, refer to Appendix D. 6A MIDI CHANNEL AND MODE SELECT 1.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE The following table shows which Emulator II keyboard notes trigger which SP12 drum sounds (of course, other MIDI keyboards may also be used).
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE 6B BACKGROUND: SYNCHRONIZATION The SP-12 can synchronize to one of several different tempo references: Internal clock, external click track, MIDI timing messages, or SMPTE time code. It can also generate (write) a click track or SMPTE time code signal on tape. Once recorded, these signals can feed the SP-12 during overdubs to maintain synchronization with the original tempo.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE Note: If for some reason the MIDI device does not send start/stop commands but does provide timing information, you can set the SP-12 to “ready” mode prior to receiving the MDI signal. Select the desired SP-12 segment or sequence and press RUN/STOP. The sync light will flash, indicating that the SP-12 is awaiting sync. As soon as the MIDI master is started and sends out MIDI tempo information to the SP12, the sync light will go out and the segment or sequence will start playing.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE Note: The MIDI output “tracks” the SMPTE output, so if you are driving, say, a MIDI sequencer from the SP-12 MIDI OUT, the sequence will “fast-forward” along with the SP-12. However, you will not hear the SP-12, as it is muted while fast forwarding. If the SMPTE time code being read from tape is much later than the SP-l2’s start point, the SP-l2 may need to “fast-forward” several times through the song or segment before it catches up with the tape. 6F CLICK SYNC (SYNC 4) 1.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE 6G WRITING SMPTE TIME CODE ON TAPE The SP-12 is a SMPTE time code generator that can write SMPTE time code on tape (typically one track of a multitrack recorder), to which the SP-12 can later synchronize. Recording SMPTE on tape is called “striping” the tape. 1. Choose the desired SMPTE start point and frame rate as described in Section 6E. When you write SMPTE time code, it will start from this point and at the specified frame rate. 2.
MIDI, SYNC & SMPTE 6H WRITING A 24 PPQN CLICK SYNC TRACK ON TAPE The SP-12 can write a Click track to tape (typically one track of a multitrack recorder), to which the SP-12 can later synchronize. 1. Activate the SYNC module and key in 1 for Internal sync. 2. Program the desired tempo as described in Sections 1O and 3H, and program the Metronome to generate a 214 pulses-per-quarter note click (this appears at the rear panel MET OUT jack).
MIXING AND PROCESSING PART 7: MIXING AND PROCESSING 7A MIXING AND PROCESSING: OVERVIEW 7B PSEUDO AUTOMATED MIXDOWN 7C CREATING AMBIENCE 7D USING SPECIAL EFFECTS IN THE STUDIO © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 78 www.emulatorarchive.
MIXING AND PROCESSING 7A MIXING AND PROCESSING: OVERVIEW Sure, the SP-12 sounds astonishingly realistic...but it doesn’t necessarily sound like the drum sounds you hear on records. Why? Because when recording engineers record acoustic drums, the drums become part of a stereo acoustical space (“ambience”). Also, special effects may be added to various drums to make them punchier, brighter, fatter, and so on. The SP-12 can benefit from these same techniques.
MIXING AND PROCESSING So far, that’s one channel of ambience. You could add a second channel, but another approach is to split the mono ambient signal into two feeds. One of’ these would be panned left, while the other would be delayed by about 15 to 80 ms and be panned right. This gives a uniform ambient sound, yet one that covers the full stereo field. Connecting more time delay effects (chorusing, flanging, pitch transposers, etc.
APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX A: THE ART OF SAMPLING APPENDIX B: UNDERSTANDING RHYTHMIC NOTATION APPENDIX C: UNDERSTANDING TIME SIGNATURES APPENDIX D: UNDERSTANDING MIDI/SMPTE APPENDIX E: TIPS ON CREATING REALISTIC DRUM PARTS APPENDIX F: TIPS ON USING CASSETTE INTERFACES APPENDIX G: HOW THE SP-12 WORKS © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 81 www.emulatorarchive.
APPENDIX APPENDIX A: THE ART OF SAMPLING Recording good samples is not always easy; creating a really super set of User sounds requires patience, practice, and skill. Sure, you can get musically useful results within a few days after working with the SP-12, but as you learn your craft the quality of your samples will improve dramatically. Sampling involves two major processes: 1. Taking the best possible sample. 2. Manipulating the sample within the SP-12 (truncating and looping).
APPENDIX Removing the ground connection defeats the safety advantage of using a three-wire plug. Make sure the SP-12 chassis - some other path to ground (usually via the audio input and output cables). Having two paths to ground can cause ground loops, but having no paths to ground can cause a potential shock hazard if there’s an equipment malfunction in the studio. E-mu cannot be responsible for the use of ground lifters in improperly or inadequately wired environments.
APPENDIX Audio “exciters”: To brighten up a sampled signal, use a device such as an Aphex Aural Exciter or EXR Projector. Both of these devices add a high-end “sheen” without adding the stridency encountered with excessive high-frequency equalization. Using noise reduction: A number of single-ended noise reduction units (such as the MicMix Dynafex or Rooktron Hush) are now available; these do not require that the noisy signal have been previously encoded, as is the case with Dolby and dbx.
APPENDIX SAMPLING FROM TAPES Maintaining sample quality via VCR recording: One excellent way to sample involves using a VCR and digital audio adapter (sucb as the Sony PCM-F1) for recording different sounds. Compared to using conventional reel-to-reel tape recorders, this approach offers several advantages: Digital-quality fidelity. A VCR/audio adapter combination adds virtually no degradation to the signal being sampled.
APPENDIX PART 2: MANIPULATING THE SAMPLE Proper use of truncation and looping can conserve memory and create novel effects; let’s show how it’s done with an example. Suppose you want to sample a long, sustaining sound such as a gong. Although this will eat up a fair amount of memory, here are some suggestions. Compress the gong sound when sampling to even out level variations. This will help create the smoothest looping effect.
APPENDIX © E-mu Systems, Inc. 1985 Enhanced by The Emulator Archive 2002 Page 87 www.emulatorarchive.
APPENDIX APPENDIX B: UNDERSTANDING RHYTHMIC NOTATION This extremely brief overview is intended solely as a refresher and memory jogger; for a detailed description of rhythm notation, see any good book on music theory. Measures: A piece of music is divided into measures, and each measure is divided into notes. The number of notes, and rhythmic value of the notes, depends both on the composition and the time signature (see Appendix C).
APPENDIX APPENDIX C: UNDERSTANDING TIME SIGNATURES A time signature (also called metric signature) describes the meter of a piece of music. It consists of two numbers arranged like a fraction, such as 3/4, 4/4, etc. The top number (numerator) indicates the number of’ beats in each measure, while the bottom number (denominator) indicates the rhythmic value of each beat.
APPENDIX APPENDIX D: UNDERSTANDING MIDI/SMPTE MIDI is causing a certain amount of confusion among musicians. Fear not -- it’s not all that difficult to understand, and the SP-12 makes it particularly easy to deal with MIDI. For those of you who aren’t that familiar with MIDI, we’ll first answer some common questions. - What does the MIDI cable do? An instrument already has an AC cord that carries electrical current, and an audio cord that carries audio signals to an amplifier.
APPENDIX particular moment, thus letting you determine the flow of information from one MIDI device to another. This is why having a specification which manufacturers can follow is so important; it insures that a variety of otherwise incompatible devices will be able to communicate with each other over a common data bus. How does MIDI differentiate between different instruments? MIDI provides 16 independent channels of information suitable for driving up to 16 polyphonic synthesizers or other MIDI devices.
APPENDIX The words of greatest interest to the SP-12 relate to pitch and tempo. The SP-12 sounds can respond to different notes being sent over MIDI (see Section 6A); therefore, drum sounds can be played by hitting individual notes on a MIDI keyboard. If the keyboard sends velocity (dynamics) data, the SP-12 will respond to this data. The SP-12 can also “slave” to tempo data being sent over MIDI from a master, or serve as a MIDI master to which other MIDI devices refer for tempo information.
APPENDIX APPENDIX E: TIPS ON CREATING REALISTIC DRUM PARTS If you’re a drummer, you probably don’t need to read this. But for those of you who are primarily melodic players and are using the SP-12 to augment your recordings or live act, read on. Listen to drum parts by good drummers. Whenever a record comes on, study the drum sound. Note how the drummer not only sets a solid base on which the other instruments can play, but makes creative use of both notes and spaces. Keep it simple.
APPENDIX APPENDIX F: TIPS ON USING CASSETTE INTERFACES Here is a collection of background information and tips concerning cassette interfaces. Note that it might take you some time to set levels properly and get everything working right. However, once you get the hang of it, using the cassette interface should be simple and its operation highly reliable. How they work: Pushing buttons on the SP-12 feeds data on songs and segments into the SP-12’s “brain”.
APPENDIX Identify data vocally: Since most small cassette machines have built-in mikes, and other decks have mic input jacks, it’s easy to record a brief bit of narration describing the nature of the data saved on the cassette. However, note that the vocal sounds may cause strange triggering of the cassette interface. So, listen to the recorder with the interface de-activated (or the cassette output unplugged from the SP-12) until hitting the vocal announcement.
APPENDIX APPENDIX G: HOW THE SP-12 WORKS Here’s a brief idea of how the SP-12 does its magic. The drum sounds were recorded at a studio using real drums and a human drummer. These sounds were then converted into digital form (“digitized”), and “recorded” into computer memory chips. This may sound like an involved process; and it is. Fortunately, the people at E-mu are experts at digitizing sounds, thanks to their experience with the Emulator, Drumulator, and Emulator II.
APPENDIX APPENDIX H: SPECIAL FUNCTIONS (SET-UP #23) NOTE: In the following feature descriptions the abbreviation “RAM” (Random Access Memory) means all sounds that are not permanently burned into the factory chips. These can be User-sampled sounds, or any sound loaded in from cassette or disk. The term “ROM” (Read Only Memory) refers to those sounds that are permanently burned into the factory chips.
APPENDIX 17. COPY SOUND This function allows you to move any sound in the SP-12 to any location (Banks 1 - 4.). You should think of the front panel instrument names (Bass 1, Rim, User 6, etc.) as locations as well as sounds. For example, if you want to move the factory COWBELL sound to the RIM location (Bank 1, location 7), and the USER 1 sound to the COWBELL location (Bank 1, location 8), you would follow the procedure outlined below. PROCEDURE DISPLAY READS 1. PRESS: Set-up module button 2.
APPENDIX 18. SWAP SOUNDS Please refer to section 2L of the SP-12 owners manual. 19. DEFAULT DECAY This function applies only to RAM sounds in the TUNE mode (Set-up function # 18 – Decay/Tune Select) that need to be decayed as well. A decay range of 0 - 31 (short long) is available. Note that all RAM sounds in the tune mode will be affected by this setting. 20.
