User Guide English ( 3 – 29 ) Appendix English ( 30 – 31 )
Table of Contents Introduction ................................................. 3 Trigger Mode ........................................ 19 Box Contents .......................................... 3 About Crosstalk (XTalk) .................. 20 Support ................................................... 3 Hi-Hat Pedal Setup ........................ 21 Setup ...................................................... 3 Metronome ........................................... 22 Features ........................
Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Strike Performance Drum Module. At Alesis, we know how serious music is to you. That’s why we design our equipment with only one thing in mind—to make your performance the best it can be.
Features Top Panel 7 8 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 2 5 4 3 6 11 9 10 1. Display: This full-color display shows the current kit, settings, and other information. Use the cursors to move through the menus and lists shown here. Use the Data Dial to scroll through available options. Use the Function Buttons (F1–F6) to select tabs shown at the bottom edge of the display. 2.
12. Note Chase: Press this button to activate or deactivate the Note Chase feature. When active, hitting a trigger will automatically select it in the drum module. This is useful for quickly making changes to multiple sounds on your kit, like selecting new instruments, editing voice parameters, etc. Alternatively, your Strike module’s menus allow you to select the current trigger using the cursors and data dial. 13. Mixer: Press this button to enter Mixer Mode. 14.
Rear Panel 2 1 3 4 9 8 12 5 11 6 10 7 1. Power Input: Connect the included power adapter (12 V, 2 A, center-positive) to this input. 2. Cable Restraint: You can secure the cable of the power adapter to this restraint to help prevent disconnecting it accidentally. 3. Power Switch: Press this button to power the drum module on or off. Power it on only after you have connected all of your input devices and before you power on any connected loudspeakers.
Operation This chapter contains information on how to use your Strike Performance Drum Module. Navigation Controls The Strike module’s display shows information about its current mode and operations. You can navigate its different modes, pages, etc. by using the following controls: • Data Dial: Use this dial to scroll through a menu or to change the selected parameter value, setting, etc. in the display. • Cursors: Use these buttons to select different areas shown in the current page in the display.
Overview This section provides an overview of each page shown in the display. To learn how to perform specific operations in the drum module, see the Kits, Trigger Mode, Metronome, Sample Mode, and Utility Menu chapters. Kit Menu This is the main menu where you can select kits or select individual triggers to edit within the kit. To view the Kit menu, press Kit.
Kit FX Mode Kit FX Mode lets you adjust the settings for the Reverb, EQ, Comp (compressor), and FX processors. You can then how much of each to apply to each voice in the kit (see Kits > Editing Kits > Editing Voices). To enter Kit FX Mode, press Edit > Kit FX. See Kits > Editing Kits for more information about Kit FX Mode. Voice Mode Voice Mode shows the settings for each voice within the kit. A voice is the sound produced by each trigger of your Strike Pro Special Edition.
Mixer Mode Mixer Mode shows you the output levels of each trigger, represented by 12 channel faders. To enter Mixer Mode, press Mixer. To adjust the level of each trigger, move its slider on the module up or down. Sample Mode Sample Record Mode contains controls for recording samples (before recording) and editing samples (after recording). To enter Sample Record Mode, press the Record () button. To start recording, press the Record () button.
Kits The Strike module contains many preset kits. You can also create and save your own user kits onto an SD card. You can save as many user kits as your SD card can hold. If you edit a preset kit and then save it, the saved kit will be stored onto your SD card, while the original preset kit remains unchanged on the module’s internal memory. You must have your SD card inserted into the SD card slot in order to save changes to preset kits. Selecting Kits To select a kit: 1.
Editing Kits You can edit several different areas of a kit: the instruments assigned to each layer, the effects applied to the kit, the settings for each trigger, and more. Assigning Instruments To assign an instrument in a kit: 1. Press Kit to show the Kit menu, and select a kit. 2. After selecting a kit, select a trigger: If the Note Chase button is off, press it so it turns on, and then strike the desired zone of the trigger (drum or cymbal pad). 3. Press Voice and then press F4/Inst. 4.
Using Kit FX Each kit has a processor for reverb, equalization (EQ), compression (Comp), and two FX processors. The Kit FX Mode is where you adjust the parameters for these effects. These settings are saved with each kit. After editing these settings, you can use the then determine how much of each effect is applied for each individual trigger zone. You can do this in the FX/MIDI tab of Voice Mode (see Editing Voices > FX/MIDI). To edit effects for an entire kit: 1.
Parameter Description EQ EQ lets you “boost” or “cut” low and high frequencies of the kit’s sound to change its sound. LF Gain This determines how much the equalizer’s low-frequency band is boosted or cut. -60 to 00 to +12dB LF Freq This determines the equalizer’s low frequency. 20 Hz – 18.5 kHz HF Gain This determines how much the equalizer’s high-frequency band is boosted or cut. -60 to 00 to +12dB HF Freq This determines the equalizer’s high frequency. 20 Hz – 18.
Editing Voices Voice Mode shows the kit’s voice settings, which determine how each instrument sounds when you strike each trigger. (When creating user kits, this is where you’ll spend most of your time.) To edit voice settings: 1. After selecting a kit, press Edit > Voice to enter Voice Mode. 2. Select a trigger by doing one of the following: • If the Note Chase button is off, press it so it turns on. Strike the desired zone of the trigger whose voice you want to edit.
These are the parameters on the Layers page of Voice Mode (identical for both layers): Parameter Description Values/Settings Loop This determines whether or not the sample on that layer will loop. When set to Loop, the sample will play repeatedly when you strike the trigger and stop playing when you strike it again (or set its Decay to 99 if you want it to play indefinitely). Off (---), Loop Vel Limit These two values determine the velocity range of the layer.
These are the parameters on the FX/MIDI page of Voice Mode (they affect both layers): Parameter Description Values/Settings EQ/Comp This determines if equalization and compression will be applied to the selected voice. Off, On Reverb Send This is the voice’s send level for the reverb effect. It determines how much reverb you want to apply to the selected voice. 00–99 FX1 Send, FX2 Send These are the voice’s send levels for the FX1 and FX2 effects.
Saving Kits After editing a kit, you may want to save it as a user kit on an SD card for a later performance. Important: If you edit a preset kit and then save it, the saved kit will be stored onto your SD card, while the original preset kit remains unchanged on the module’s internal memory. You must have your SD card inserted into the SD card slot in order to save changes to preset kits. To save a user kit: 1. After editing the kit, press Kit to enter the Kit Menu. 2. Press Save. 3.
Trigger Mode Trigger Mode shows the settings that determine how the trigger sensor for each drum or cymbal pad behaves when struck. If you want to make adjustments to the overall level of a sound, do this in the Layers tab of Voice Mode instead (see Kits > Editing Kits > Editing Voices); Trigger Mode settings are already optimized to work with your Strike Pro Special Edition, so they generally won’t require adjustment.
Parameter Description Values/Settings Curve This determines how a sound’s volume is affected by how hard you strike it—that is, how responsive the trigger’s dynamics are to changes in your playing. All triggers on your Strike Pro Special Edition use Linear as the default setting, which provides the most accurate and natural performance. Linear Log 1–4 Exp 1–4 Spline 1–4 Offset Constant Input Type This is the type of trigger connected to the corresponding trigger input.
Hi-Hat Pedal Setup While the trigger settings for the drums and cymbals of your Strike Pro Special Edition have already been optimized, you may need to make a small adjustment to further customize your hi-hat pedal performance. Hi-hat pedal designs can vary and the Strike module has an easy adjustment to help with this. To adjust your hi-hat top cymbal: 1. See the Strike Pro Special Edition Assembly Guide to be sure your hi-hat cymbal is connected and positioned properly. 2.
Metronome To turn the metronome on or off, press Metro > On/Off. To adjust the tempo of the metronome, do one of the following: • Press Metro > Tempo at least 3 times at the desired rate. • Press and hold Metro > Tempo, and then turn the data dial to select a new tempo. To change the metronome settings, see Utility Menu > Metronome (Metro). You can change the metronome sound, time signature, and volume levels. You can also enable or disable the Metro > Tempo button.
Sample Mode You can use your Strike module to record, edit, and save samples from another audio source. You can then assign those samples as instruments in a kit or play them back as loops or backing tracks. Recording Samples Sample Record Mode contains controls for recording from an audio source connected to the Strike module’s Aux In or Strike module’s own internal audio signal. To record a sample: 1. Press Record () to enter Sample Record Mode. 2.
Editing Samples Sample Edit Mode lets you edit the sample you just recorded. The module will automatically enter Sample Edit Mode when you stop recording. To enter Sample Edit Mode from another screen, press Sample. To adjust the start or end markers of the sample, press F1/Start to select the Start (left) marker, or press F2/End to select the End (right) marker. To adjust the start or end markers with more precision, press and hold F1/Start or F2/End while turning the data dial.
Saving Samples When you want to save the sample, you must select how you want to use it; you can save it as a loop—a normal audio file that you can play back in Sample Playback Mode—or as an instrument—a sound that you can assign to a voice in a kit. Important: When you save a loop or instrument, it will be saved to your SD card only. You cannot save or overwrite loops or instruments in your Strike module’s internal memory. To save the sample: 1.
Assigning Samples Once you have saved your edited sample as an instrument, you can assign it to a kit. To do this, see Kits > Editing Kits > Assigning Instruments. All samples saved as instruments are found in the User tab. Playing Loops You can play your edited sample as a loop (e.g., as a backing track) in Sample Edit Mode. Tip: You can also use Voice Mode to set a sample on a layer of a pad to loop. See Kits > Editing Kits > Editing Voices to learn about this. To play a loop: 1.
Utility Menu The Utility menu contains settings that determine the module’s overall operation, including global metronome functions, global trigger settings, and system information. Press the corresponding function button to show its settings: • F1/Metro: Metronome settings. See Metronome (Metro) in this chapter. • F2/MIDI: MIDI settings. See MIDI in this chapter. • F3/Trigger: Trigger settings. See Trigger in this chapter. • F4/SysEx: Send the trigger settings as a MIDI SysEx file.
Setting Description Values/Settings Subdvsn This determines the subdivision of each beat. Off, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64. Trplt indicates a triplet-based time division. Subd Lvl This is the volume level of subdivisions of each bar. 00–99 Subd Snd This is the sound used for subdivisions of each bar. Woodblock 1, Woodblock 2, Cowbell 1, Cowbell 2, Shaker Tap Tempo This determines whether the Metro > Tempo button is enabled or disabled.
Trigger Setting Description Values/Settings Trig Sensitivity This determines the overall sensitivity of all triggers connected to the module’s trigger inputs. Low Medium High HiHat This determines whether the hi-hat MIDI note will be sent with or without a MIDI CC message (CC#4). Note+CC#4 Note Only HiHat Splash This determines whether or not the hi-hat “splash” note (generated by quickly pressing then releasing the pedal) will be sent.
Appendix Effects Effect Name Parameters Off Mono Flanger Rate Depth Feedback Level Stereo Flanger Rate Depth Feedback Level Xover Flanger Rate Depth Feedback Level Mono Chorus 1 Rate Depth Feedback Level Mono Chorus 2 Rate Depth Feedback Level Stereo Chorus Rate Depth Feedback Level XOver Chorus Rate Depth Feedback Level Mono Vibrato Rate Depth Level Vibrato Rate Depth Level Mono Doubler Delay Level Doubler Delay Level Mono Slapback Delay Level Slapback
Technical Specifications Kits & Sounds 136 kits – 1,900 instruments Unlimited user kits, depending on SD card size (see requirements below) Display 4.4” / 111 mm (diagonal) 3.8” x 2.2” / 96 x 55 mm (width x height) Full-color LED-backlit display Connections Inputs (13) 1/4” (6.35 mm) TRS inputs (triggers) (1) 1/8” (3.5 mm) stereo input (auxiliary audio device) (1) 5-pin MIDI input Outputs (2) 1/4” (6.35 mm) TRS outputs (main outputs, left & right) (8) 1/4” (6.
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