User Manual

(EN) Step 3: Getting
started
RD-6 Getting started
OVERVIEW
This ‘getting started’ guide will help you
set up the RD-6 analog rhythm designer
and briey introduce its capabilities.
CONNECTION
To connect the RD-6 to your system, please
consult the connection guide earlier in this
document.
SOFTWARE SETUP
The RD-6 is a USB Class Compliant MIDI
device, and so no driver installation is
required. The RD-6 does not require any
additional drivers to work with Windows
and MacOS.
HARDWARE SETUP
Make all the connections in your system.
Keep the RD-6 power turned o when
making any connections.
Use only the supplied power adapter for
the RD-6. Ensure your sound system is
turned down.
Turn on the RD-6 before turning on any
power ampliers and turn it o last. This
will help prevent any turn on or turn o
“pops or thumps” in your speakers.
WARM UP TIME
We recommend leaving 15 minutes or
more time for the RD-6 to warm up before
recording or live performance. (Longer if
it has been brought in from the cold.) This
will allow the precision analog circuits
time to reach their normal operating
temperature and tuned performance.
SETTING SYNC and CLOCK TYPE
Step keys 1, 2, 3, or 4 represent clock
source INT, MIDI, USB, or TRIG respectively.
Step keys 5, 6, 7, or 8 represent clock rate
1PPS, 2PPQ, 24PPQ, or 48PPQ respectively.
1. Press Function.
2. Make sure no sequence is playing.
3. Press PATTERN GROUP and WRITE/
NEXT at the same time to enter Sync
setting mode.
4. Selector 1 to 8 LEDs will turn on, and
the current clock source (1 to 4) and
clock rate (5 to 8) will ash, you have
about 3 seconds to make any changes.
5. Press step keys 1, 2, 3, or 4 to change
the clock source to INT, MIDI, USB, or
TRIG respectively.
6. Press step keys 5, 6, 7, or 8 to change
the clock rate to 1PPS, 2PPQ, 24PPQ, or
48PPQ respectively.
7. Press any other buttons or after no
changes for a 3 seconds, the changes
are saved.
8. Repeat step 3 to check your selection.
MIDI CHANNEL SELECTION
Press and hold FUNCTION, then press
PATTERN GROUP to enter MIDI channel
setting mode, then press STEP KEYS 1-16
to select the channel, press PATTERN
GROUP to switch between MIDI transmit
(out) and receive (in).
PATCH BAY SECTION
This section allows you the versatility
to connect to other units and modular
synthesizer equipment to create many
dierent sounds. The connections
are standard 3.5 mm TS, and the
voltage requirements are shown in
the specications table. The RD-6 does
not need these connections in order
to operate, they are used for further
expansion of your system.
Caution: Do not overload the
3.5 mm sync input.
It can only accept the correct level of
voltages as shown in the specication
tables. The 3.5 mm outputs should only be
connected to inputs capable of receiving
the output voltages. Failure to follow
these instructions may damage the RD-6
or external units.
FIRMWARE UPDATE
Please check behringer.com regularly
for any updates to the Behringer Synth
tool app.
The app looks for the latest rmware le
which can then be downloaded and used
to update the RD-6. The Synth Tool app
can be used to change certain settings of
the RD-6.
WRITE A PATTERN
1. Select PATTERN WRITE mode.
2. Select a step key from 1-16.
3. Press START.
4. The default pattern length is 16 steps.
The end pattern point can be set by
holding FUNCTION/LAST STEP and
selecting the step key you wish the
pattern to end at.
5. Select the instrument you wish to
program with the control.
6. Select the steps you wish the
instrument to sound on or use the TAP
button to enter a rhythm in real time.
7. Repeat step 7 for other instruments.
Press stop to complete the pattern
write process.
PATTERN PLAY MODE
In PATTERN PLAY mode you can select
which pattern to play by selecting the step
key (1-16). PATTERN GROUP button can be
used to switch between the two banks of
patterns. It is possible to switch to pattern
write mode whist playing to make edits
in real time.
PATTERN CHAIN
In PATTERN WRITE/PLAY patterns can be
chained together in groups of up to 16 by
pressing and holding the rst pattern and
pressing the last pattern in the chain. This
allows up to 256 steps to be programmed
in one continuous sequence.
TRACK WRITE MODE
Select a track from 1 to 8. Press CLEAR/BAR
RESET to return to the start of the track.
Start the RD-6 playing and select the
pattern you want then press the WRITE/
NEXT button, then select the next pattern
and press WRITE/NEXT again. After the
last pattern press the CLEAR button,
then the WRITE/NEXT button. This tells
the sequencer that the last pattern has
been selected.
TRACK PLAY MODE.
Select the track you wish to play from
1 to 8, press CLEAR/BAR RESET to return to
the start of the track, then press START.
TAP
Depending on the MODE selector settings
and the RUN/STOP circumstance, this
button will perform dierent functions.
When running in PATTERN WRITE, it will
perform real time TAP programming.
When running in PATTERN PLAY, the TAP
button acts as a STEP RESET button to
immediately begin again from the rst
Step of the current Pattern.
When stopped in TRACK PLAY or TRACK
WRITE the TAP button will advance one bar
further into the selected Track.
When running in TRACK PLAY, pressing the
Tap button will instantly return the track
being played to the measure that has been
assigned the sign and continue normally
from that point.
When running in TRACK WRITE, the
Tap button will perform a WRITE/NEXT
function, writing a pattern currently being
heard and indicated on the LED indicators
into track memory and advancing the bar
number assignment accordingly.
This WRITE/NEXT function always deals
in complete pattern units. If a chained
pattern is written into a track using the
Tap button the bar number will advance
the number of bars contained within the
chained pattern.
RANDOM PATTERN
In PATTERN WRITE mode, whether the
pattern is playing or not, press CLEAR and
START/STOP at the same time to generate
a random pattern.
Note: This will overwrite the currently
selected pattern.
TRIGGER OUTPUTS
The RD-6 provides two independent,
programmable TRIGGER OUTPUTS. This
allow interfacing with other synthesizers
or sequencers. Each trigger signal is
a positive 15 Volt, pulse suitable for
activating either the Trigger or Gate inputs
of external equipment.
A synthesizer such as the Behringer
MS-1 may be gated to process its own
oscillators. The TRIGGERS may also be
used to control the rhythm and rate of the
Arpeggio of the MS-1 synthesizers.
The two TRIGGER OUT jacks correspond to
rhythms programmed into the Low Tom or
High Tom positions, rhythms determined
by the Track/Program selector and
programming.
These instruments may be used
simultaneously with their TRIGGER OUT
or programmed specically to provide
TRIGGER OUTPUT rhythms, silencing
the instruments using the individual
INSTRUMENT MIX LEVEL controls.
24 25Quick Start GuideRD-6