REFERENCE MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1 REGISTRATION....................................................................... 1 FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW.................................................... 2 REAR PANEL OVERVIEW ...................................................... 2 HOOKUP DIAGRAM................................................................ 3 COMPUTER INSTALLATION..................................................
INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your purchase of the Alesis Trigger IO USB/MIDI Percussion Interface. With the Alesis Trigger IO, you can connect your favorite acoustic drum triggers or electronic percussion pads and control sounds on external drum machines, modules or software devices. Here at Alesis, we take pride in building electronic instruments and controllers for the modern musician. The Trigger IO allows you to explore new avenues of sonic possibilities with an intuitive percussion interface.
FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW 1. 2. 3. 4. FUNCTION UP/DOWN – These buttons are used to select through different functions on the Trigger IO. VALUE UP/DOWN – These buttons are used to cycle through kits and parameters for the different functions. FUNCTION LEDs – Each function on the Trigger IO is paired with a corresponding LED on the panel. These LED will reflect which function is currently being selected. LED SCREEN – The LED screen displays information about the state of the Trigger IO.
HOOKUP DIAGRAM Please study the following diagram to connect your Trigger IO. POWER ADAPTER (OPTIONAL) ATTACH 2 BUTTON FOOTSWITCH HERE ATTACH ADDITIONAL TRIGGERS HERE TO EXTERNAL MIDI MODULE TO COMPUTER 1. 2. 3. Before turning on the Trigger IO, connect all triggers, pads, footswitches, MIDI devices and external modules as shown above. If you would like to use the Trigger IO with a computer, connect a USB cord from the Trigger IO to your computer’s USB port. Connect a power source to the Trigger IO.
COMPUTER INSTALLATION The Trigger IO is a Plug-and-Play device so there is no driver or special software installation required. When the Trigger IO is connected to a computer, it will automatically be recognized as an available USB device. How to connect and use the Trigger IO with a software application: 1. Connect a USB cord from the USB port of the Trigger IO to the USB port of your computer.
! A Note About Audio Latency Latency describes the time that it takes for your soundcard to respond to a command. In other words, this is the time that it takes for your computer to process incoming data (for example, MIDI Note events) and output a sound. The lower your latency is, the faster your computer will respond to commands and output sound.
GETTING STARTED – USING KITS What is a Kit? A Kit, also known as a Preset, is a collection of parameters which describe different configurations of the Trigger IO. These parameters include the MIDI Note Numbers assigned to triggers, MIDI Channels on which the triggers are sending information, as well as associated Program Change messages. Using kits allows you to store and access different trigger setups and allows you to address different hardware and software module configurations.
PROGRAM CHANGE MESSAGES A Program Change, often referred to as a Patch Change, is a MIDI message used for sending data to devices to cause them to change to a new program. This allows you to tell a hardware or software device which sound to play. For example, if your Trigger IO is controlling a rock drum kit in your DAW or on an external hardware device, using a Program Change command allows you to easily switch to an electronic kit.
EDITING KITS Editing kits is a powerful tool for customizing your Trigger IO. When you are editing a kit, the information displayed on the screen will always reflect the parameters of the last trigger in the current kit that was hit. To modify the parameters of a certain trigger, just strike it – this is often referred to as “chase mode”. The parameters that you can modify for each trigger are Pad MIDI Channel, Pad Note Number.
TRIGGER MIDI NOTE This is the MIDI Note Number that the particular pad or trigger is sending. For example, if you are controlling an external drum machine, there are unique MIDI Note Numbers associated with the kick drum, snare drum or hi-hat. If the initial configuration does not trigger the sounds you want, change the MIDI Note Numbers to trigger the desired sounds.
SETTING GLOBAL PARAMETERS Global parameters change how your connected triggers function in a general way. The following parameters will affect each trigger input on a global level, regardless of the specific kit that you are working with. So even if you change kits, the settings for each trigger input will remain in place as long as they are saved. The global parameters include Gain, Velocity Curve, Threshold, Crosstalk, Retrigger and Trigger Type.
GAIN The Gain parameter describes how a trigger will react when it is engaged. With a high gain setting, you don’t have to engage the trigger very hard to achieve a maximum velocity output. On the other hand, with a low gain setting it is harder to achieve a maximum velocity output when engaging the trigger hard. If you find it very easy to achieve maximum velocity (127) when you engage a specific trigger, you might want to set its Gain to a lower value.
VELOCITY CURVE A Velocity Curve describes how a trigger’s velocity varies with the force applied. This is a useful feature when trying to customize how a trigger responds to your playing style. Different Velocity Curves will have different input/output ratios associated with them and will cause a different response, so take some time to get familiar will how the Velocity Curve setting corresponds to the way you like to play. Velocity is most often used to control a sound’s volume or brightness.
THRESHOLD False triggering occurs when a trigger is engaged accidentally, often due to stage vibrations. The Threshold setting helps prevent false triggering. The threshold value is the minimum velocity needed to be registered for the trigger to output data. This Threshold should be set based on your playing style. Try different Threshold settings until you find one that works best for you. How to change trigger Threshold: 1. Select the trigger you would like to edit by striking the trigger/pad. 2.
X-TALK (CROSSTALK) Crosstalk occurs when triggers in close proximity are falsely triggered. For example, when using acoustic drum triggers mounted on a drum kit, hitting a certain drum may cause the drums to vibrate and other triggers to trigger as well. There is no definitive way to deal with crosstalk. Setting a combination of Gain and Threshold for each trigger can help alleviate crosstalk. You may also wish to use the X-Talk function as well.
RETRIGGER The Retrigger setting describes how the Trigger IO interprets and outputs successive triggers from the same input. The Retrigger setting is the minimum amount of time between successive triggers needed to generate a second sound. For example, if a trigger is engaged twice within a 50 ms time period and the Retrigger setting is 100ms, the Trigger IO will ignore the second sound and only output the first.
TRIGGER TYPE You can select the type of trigger you are using in the Trigger Type function. There are many different types of triggers available on the market today – too many to cover individually in this manual – but most triggers can be grouped into the categories outlined below. Please consult you trigger devices’ documentation to find out which of the following categories best fits the device. If you have a single zone drum trigger, then ignore the “ring” column in the table below.
USING HI-HAT PEDALS When using a hi-hat pedal connected to the Hi-hat pedal input on the Trigger IO, the Hi-hat input (Input 3) can send two different MIDI Notes, depending on the position of the Hi-hat pedal. In effect, this allows you to assign two different notes for the hi-hat input (Input 3) and with the pedal toggle between which note the hi-hat trigger sending. In addition, you can also assign another MIDI Note Number to the pedal down position of the pedal.
SENDING MESSAGES In addition to global parameters, there are four special functions available on the Trigger IO: the All Notes Off message, the Return to Default Value message, and the Factory Reset message, as well as MIDI SysEx messages. You might rarely have to use these, but it is good to keep in mind that they are available in case you run into trouble. ALL NOTES OFF This function sends an All Notes Off message on all MIDI channels.
USING THE TRIGGER IO WITH BFD LITE The Trigger IO comes bundled with the BFD Lite software drum module, which includes high-quality drum samples. You can trigger these drum samples directly from the Trigger IO with the authentic feel and control of playing a real drum kit. Once you have installed the BFD Lite software, you can begin playing immediately. Following are some basic tips and suggestions on how to begin using the software: Instructions: 1.
DEFAULT SETTINGS FOR THE TRIGGER IO The Trigger IO has been initialized with a preset which automatically maps the first 8 trigger inputs to drum sounds in the BFD Lite software. You can access this configuration by selecting preset 0 on the Trigger IO while in Kit function. The configuration of the kit is labeled on the back of the Trigger IO and is as shown below. Please ensure that your triggers are connected in the way described below to take advantage of the BFD Lite preset. 1. KICK NOTE # 35 2.
CUSTOMIZING YOUR KIT IN BFD LITE You may wish to customize your kit to your desired playing style. You can quickly switch the sounds that the pads are triggering by changing the MIDI Note Number that the pad is assigned to. To do so, make sure that you are in Pad Note Number function by pressing the function button until the LED next to Pad Note Number is lit. Then strike the pad that you want to change and use the value up and value down buttons to scroll to a different Note Number.
OTHER APPLICATIONS OF THE TRIGGER IO The Trigger IO can be used for a variety of applications which use MIDI as their control protocol. For example, the Trigger IO can be used to trigger melodic sounds on sound modules or VST instruments. This means that you can play pitched instruments, such as vibraphones, marimbas, xylophone, even a piano or a violin, straight from the Trigger IO.
UPGRADING SOFTWARE As we continue to improve the Trigger IO to provide you the best user experience, software upgrades may be released at www.alesis.com. Please check regularly for software upgrades and latest news from Alesis. UPGRADE PROCEDURE To see if your software version is the most current version available, you will need to compare it to the upgrade version, if one is available, on our website. 1. Press and hold the function up and value down buttons while powering on the Trigger IO. 2.
TRIGGER IO KIT PRESETS INPUT KIT#0 – BFD LITE TIP ZONE RING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CHANNEL 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 MIDI NOTE # 35 38 46 55 47 45 43 49 55 53 CHANNEL 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 MIDI NOTE # 35 40 48 54 35 35 35 58 35 35 HI HAT FOOT SWITCH – CHANNEL 10, MIDI NOTE # 44 (INPUT3) CLOSED HI HAT NOTE # 42 INPUT KIT#1 – GM DRUMS TIP ZONE RING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 CHANNEL 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 MIDI NOTE #
INPUT KIT#3 – CHROMATIC 1 TIP ZONE RING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 CHANNEL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 1 MIDI NOTE # CHANNEL 60 1 62 1 64 1 66 1 68 1 70 1 72 1 74 1 76 1 78 1 MIDI NOTE # 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 HI HAT FOOT SWITCH – CHANNEL 1, MIDI NOTE # 35 (INPUT3) CLOSED HI HAT NOTE # 42 INPUT KIT#4 – CHROMATIC 2 TIP ZONE RING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 CHANNEL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 1 MIDI NOTE # CHANNEL 48 1 50 1 52 1 54 1 56 1 58 1 60 1 62 1 64 1
TROUBLESHOOTING SYMPTOM CAUSE SOLUTION The display does not light up. No power. If you are using USB power, check that the power switch on the back of the Trigger IO is in the OUT (USB) position. If you are using an AC adapter, check that the adapter is plugged into a live power outlet and that the power switch is in the IN (AC) position. MIDI: No sound from target device. Trigger IO USB not properly connected.
SYMPTOM CAUSE SOLUTION Notes sustain continuously. Stuck notes due to incomplete MIDI data. Send an All Notes Off message by pressing function up and function down buttons simultaneously. Pad triggers when another pad is hit. Gain, X-Talk and Threshold not set correctly. Please refer to “Setting Global Parameters” section to fine tune the Trigger IO. There is too much delay or latency between the time that the pad is hit and the time that the sound triggers on the computer.
SYMPTOM CAUSE SOLUTION Improper open and closed hi-hat sounds Variable-position pedal not calibrated properly. If your hardware or software program does not completely open or close your hi-hat sounds as it should as your foot moves through the range of your variable-position hi-hat pedal, the TriggerIO probably needs to be calibrated to match the output of your particular pedal. Perform the calibration procedure described in the "X-Talk" discussion on page 17 of this manual.
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION Function Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Default 1-16 X Memorized Channel Changed 1-16 X Adjustable by user per pad 0-127 X Note On 1-127 X Note Off 0 X After Touch X X Pitch Bend X X Note Number: Velocity Control Ctrl # 4 0-127 X Foot Pedal CC message Change Ctrl # 64 0-127 X Sustain Pedal CC message 0-127 * X Program Change System Exclusive O O Song Pos X X Song Sel X X Tune X X System Clock X X Realtime Commands X X Lo
MANUAL REVISION B
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