- The Independent HI __ Resource for Emu-Ensoniq Users - ,,_ ___ W‘ X Notes In This Issueissue ... Garth HHjeltejelte & the ASR-X Internet List ATTICIQSZArticles: X Notes fixed and what hasn'thasn’t with the update. So, Garth HHjeltejelte & the ASR-X break out the checkbook and the hex wrench Internet List ................................................................................ cover again. See below for details on getting your new OS. The Keyboard Foley Artist Timing Errors JJ.D..D. Ryan ...................................................................................................... 4 Does the ASR-X seem sluggish to you —- EPS-16+ and ASR Editing Made Easy when you are using the internal sequencer, or Eric Montgomery .............................................................................. 5 when you are playing or sequencing from an external source?source‘? You'reYou’re not alone -— the ASR-X'sASR-X’s response to MIDI and its internal se­se- How Sounds Work _ quencer hasn'thasn’t been the best -— especially Part IV -— Groovy Guitars Galore! prior to 2.62 OS. Mark (The Kid) CliftonClifion ............................................................ 6 As time goes on, we are seeing more support for the ASR-X. It has been out for more than a For example, if you play 4 notes via MIDI or for the ASR-X. It has been out for more than a For example, if you play 4 notes via MIDI or Reviews: year --— boy, sure doesn'tdoesn’t seem like it. Let'sLet’s program 4 notes into the ASR-XASR-X sequencer, Reviews: . get up to datedate... ... timed to play at exactly the same time, not all Basement TapesTapes:: Michael Paradise Band the notes will sound exactly at the same time; Steve VVincent incenf .................................................................. ...................... 7 OS 2.62 Ships rather, they will come one after the other very quickly. Add more data, such as controller in-in­ Not everyone has it at the time of this writing, formation, polyphonic aftertouch, etc. and the Regular Stuff: but yes, it is shipping. There are no new fea­fea- possibility for sound delay becomes greater. tures, just fixes. Reasons for the delay are MIDI transmission Random Notes .............................................................................. .. 3 into the ASR-X, the efficiency of the ASR-X Hypersoniq ............................................................................................ 3 I) Addresses internal sequencer timing glit­ OS, the way the CPU processing is allocated, l) Addresses internal sequencer timing glit- OS, the way the CPU processing is allocated, The Interface ................................................... .................................. 9 ches and MIDI response and other factors. This is the way of life for Classifieds ........................................................................ ...................... 13wwww all electronic music instruments. :W1: 2) Improved loading time from floppy,floppy, Hacker Booteeq ................................................................... ........ 15I5 including speeding up EPS/EPS/ASR ASR conversions. We did a timing test with OS 2.62. We used an external sequencer to drive the X and L J 3) MIDI sync fixes, MIDI bank & program recorded the output from each track simul­simul- select fixes with a setting to support the back-back­ taneously to separate tracks on our hard disk # of tracks used: milliseconds between two ward standards of Roland and Alesis gear recorder. We then figured out the starting tracks (averaged over 4 beats) with MSB or LSB formats. _ sample for each beat by using a graphic sound editor. 2 2.9 5.8 4) Disk access problems loading and getting 3 5.8 4 8.7 the "no“no loadable files”files" errors have been ad­ad- We tested the timing delay between the same 5 11.6ll.6 dressed. beat on track lI and track 16 as the number of tracks (with thethe same pattern as the first) used 6 14.2 There may be more, but Emu-Ensoniq doesn'tdoesn’t wwasas increased. In this case I was looking for 7\lO\U1.|>~L»Jl\J 16.3 send any documentation on what has been ththee delay value to be as small as pospossible.sible. i 16l6 42.1 ----- — --' ' - _ ’ _ I r In __i ii nun-1|: in I - — W [ ISSUE NUMBER 159,I59, $2.50 SEPTEMBER, 1998I998 ) e u — ~ . — 7--_,_ ,_, - _ I 4--I - -- -- i -f j -- -- -W-7 - _ _ __ . 1 A timing reference to compare against are since it inhibits certain aspects of editing someosomeonene will edit an ASR-X generated AIFF 64th notes at 180 bpm, which are 20.8 ms these sounds via computer. (Specifically, file using Sound Forge or Coo/Edit,CoolEdit, only to apart. 64th notes at 120 bpm are spaced soloing a wave is difficult, you cannot edit find that it won’twon't load back into the X as part 31.25 ms apart. effects in realtime, and editing multiple of a I-SOUNDl-SOUND filefile.. waves in a keymap is made more difficult.) So with these nnumbersumbers in mind, the worst ASR/Akai/RolandASRI Akai/Roland translated sounds are the EmuEmu-Ensoniq-Ensoniq advertises the reading of "in­“in- delay was equivalent to about a 32nd note at most powerful types of sounds in the dustry standard AIFF files,”files," which is true, 180 bpm. The most inconsistent timing be­be- ASR-X, since they allow multiple voices to but the X-generated AIFF’sAIFF's have some addi­addi- tween beats was about 160th note at 120I20 play on one MIDI-note. tional chunks in their header. The AIFF file bpm. These numbers are reasonable. In real format allows for that; that'sthat’s the beauty of life situations these numbers can be im­im- Also, the present syssys-ex-ex dumping does not AIFF. Problem is, all PC sound editors that proved by moving a track slightly forward or reveal the loop information -— thus you can­can- we'vewe’ve seen do not preserve any extra chunks behind a few ticks so that not all note-on not edit loops in realtime from most sampled when they rewrite a file. So when the ASR-X events are occurring at the same time. In our sounds. Since Emu-Ensoniq didn'tdidn’t put a full tries to load them -— BURP. subjective opinion the X'sX’s timing is better featured editing interface on the ASR-X, I than the Emu Morpheus, but worse than the would hope that they would implement II’ve've written a free Windows utility called Waldorf Microwave and my Clavia Nord enough sys-ex stuff to enable these things. E-AIFF Loader. It allows you to select the Lead 22.. Of course the Nord and the MW are AIFF to edit, finds your related I-SOUNDl-SOUND different sorts of instruments and only have Presently the only ASR-X computer editor is file, starts up your choice of sound editor, 8 and 4 part multitimbral capabilities respec­respec- RCS'sRCS’s ASR-X Too/sjorTools for Windows. It now has and allows you to edit. After you are done, tively. the capability to create/delete/edit Insert Ef-Ef­ you save the AIFF file and close the editor. fects into I-S0UND's,l-SOUND’s, and fully edit ASR-X E-AIFF Loader cleans up the job by restor-restor­ In subjective analysis by listening to the AIFF files using your favorite sound editor ing/updating the E-specific chunks and up-up­ beats, we heard flangingflanging with 2 tracks, which (Sound Forge, Coo/Edit,CoolEdit, others). A Mac ver­ver- dating the .SOU file. It is available at is good. By the time we were up to 5 tracks sion is under development. http://www.soundcentral.com/~chickeneps/http://www.soundcentral.com/-chickeneps/ the flanging was gone, and we could start to asrx.html. (We'll(We’ll try to get it into Mac soon.) hear the attacks of the kick drums separately. ASR-X Pro At seven tracks we could very distinctly hear OS by Credit the two attacks of the drums. One thing we Yes, there is a new ASR-X model coming didn'tdidn’t test, and which could be very impor­impor- out -— see the announcement in this issue. Yes, you can call in your order for the latest tant, is to see how these numbers change Hey, 66MB --- with 2 SIMMs slots able to ASR-X OS and put it on your credit card. when some realtime controller messages are hold up to 32MB each. I like the Flash ROM Boy, that’sthat's cool. Or you can send a check for added to the tracks. Since the ASRASR-X-X has option -— letlet’s's see, how much have I forked $9$9.95.95 to: been "pitched"“pitched” to the "dance"“dance” crowd, timing over for new chips?chips‘? ASR-X Pro owners will is critical issue. probably have the option of downloading the Emu-Ensoniq latest OS from the Emu-Ensoniq web site, ATTN: ASR-X Upgrade If anyone is interested on the details of these instead of paying for it. Tempo resolution 155I55 Great Valley Parkway tests, let us know, and I will write it upup.. can now be set to within 11100l/100 BPM, and if Malvern, PPA A 19355 you have 8MB or more installed, the sequen-sequen­ Lastly, it was true that in OS versions before cer has 140,000 event capacity. Also new is RadRod Web Sites 2.62 you could easily make the internal se­se- Stomper, a software synthesis feature that quencer be inconsistent in its timing by can make synth drum (and other) sounds If you didn'tdidn’t know, there is a mailing list changing tracks or changing anything while from scratchscratch.. (See Zap'sZap’s site below -— a that focuses on the ASRASR-X.-X. The list address the sequencer was playing. Most of this has Windows version has been available for is [email protected], and you can subscribe been rectified in 2.62.