. .--; -;. ~~~~ .,''':;"" . "! '- " - . . . :f') tf::J' . . JVIA t. :'C St: -1' .J :P . T A D R U M M A CHINE OBERHEIM ELECTRONICS, INC.
DIGITAL DRUM MACHINE Owner's Manual Daniel Soter SECOND EDITION JANUARY 1985 For Units With Serial Number H44801 or Above CAUTION: To Prevent lire or shock hazard do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture. Do not remove cover. No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personel. WARNING: This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and il not inslaUed and used properly, Le.. in strict accordance with the instruction manual.
I/iDLC ur !-UIV/C/V/i) TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO THE DX PICTURES Rear Panel Front Panel Sound Hookup GETTING AROUND SEQUENCES Selecting A Sequence Playing A Sequence Real Time Recording Erasing A Sequence Erasing Notes Within A Sequence Tempo Length SONGS Selecting A Song Playing A Song Creating A Song Erasing A Song Song Length THE VOICES SOUNDS Tuning Changing Sounds SOUND LIBRARY SOPHISTICATION QUANTIZE SWING METRONOME SIGNATURE STEP RECORDING GOODIES RECORDING Countdown Pu
TABLE OF CONTENTS EDIT PARAMETERS 00 Countdown 01 Timing Source 02 Auto Start 03 Clock Out Rate 04 Set Programmable Click 05 Set Drum Outs 06 Set Trigger In MIDI EDIT PARAMETERS 07 Receive Channel 08 Transmit Channel .
I/iDLC ur r.UfY/CfY/;) SYNCHRONIZING TO TAPE Recording The Sync Tone Onto Tape Playing The Sync Tone To Sync The OX Hints.
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO THE DX You have just purchased a most powerful tool for composition and performance. The Oberheim DX Programmable Digital Drum Machine represents the latest in the Oberheim line of drum computers. The DX has been designed with the idea of giving you better sound , and better control of it , than has ben previously available in a drum box at a more economical price. The DX generates the sounds of real drums.
;,........;..;..::.. ..-..;,,-........;,.. Data Stora 1 Enables transfering Memor Power Switch On/Off! Protect Prevents changi ng programs. 1 Tunin Turn off to Record , Erase , etc. !Individual pitch for each voice Oberheim DIG IT "'L DRUM M "'CHINE "'"91111' programs via tape o j DRUM TUN ING 000000 Mocll DK 140.
OP enough for two- finger operation. Play the drums with these buttons. Big LO CRASH 01RE 08TRCJ DSooM: IDMDCUcx RAV/S lO=!=! OU 0i TR t:l . ::11: IGBBJEJ :0:i GIEj Cf C, AU .CN to select Sequences Songs, Tempos , etc. or use the arrow keys. Enter numbers directly KEYPAD: settngs. OPERATION BUTTONS: These buttons access the different modes of the machine , such as PLAY . STOP , RECORD, TEMPO. etc. 0t l. . -- l: .
:::-=.,~~~ ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ::::::::::::;::::::::;:::::::::::::;;::;:::...-_.... :::: :::: ~~~ ~~~~~~~~ :::;:;::;:::: ;.", I Sound Hookup ?- Miller/Amp j Audio Outputs Power :8I: :::t::. :T. :;T T:: I=f ;T:' .::::::ii:Q:.:: :::8::::8::::8::::8::-.:8:::.8=::::::::::.:.:.:.:: ;;h;f;..m"""'"''-'''M_''' ."....--.... The lIolume of each sound is controlled by the front panel sliders for the MIH OUTPUTS. Each lIoice has its own OIAECT OUTPUT as well , independent of the sliders.
IitllllVli IIHUUIVU GETTING AROUND SEQUENCES Selecting A Sequence The DX can store up to 100 drum sequences. numbered 00 thru 99. Select one by pressing two numbers , or one of the arrow buttons. The display will show you which sequence you have selected. Playing A Sequence Press PLAY. The sequence will play over and over until you press STOP. You can also select another sequence while playing ahd the OX wil play it immediately after the first sequence has finished.
""'''.'' -----.... -.. -.. - --- - --- --- -............ ----.. ---.... --.... ---.. ...-.. -._.-.---""""."",,...' - - - ---- ---.. -...... - --- ----.. .. --- --- --------.... - ------.. ----.--.. -- - ._-.... - - - --------- GETTING AROUND Erasing A Sequence If you have made a mistake , or would like to record over again , press and hold ERASE and while holding ERASE press RECORD. The current sequence will be erased, and you can record again from scratch.
GETTING AROUND Tempo Setting the Tempo: Enter TEMPO Mode: (Display) C 11 TEMPO Set Tempo to 105 Beats/Minute The DX is normally set to a tempo of 80 Beats per Minute , but can be varied within a range of 25 to 250 Beats per Minute. You can change the tempo at any time by entering the tempo mode. Press TEMPO. The Tempo button will light and display wil show the tempo currently selected.
"" .'-_.. - . . . ~~~ .. ..'''''-- .......... ----' - SONGS One prominent feature of music is that it is organized into sections that repeat and alternate with each other. The Song Mode allows you to record each section of a piece as a separate sequence and then combine sequences into a complete composition. A Song is a listing of sequences. The DX contains 50 Songs , numbered 00 thru 49 , in addition to the 100 sequences.
n,u_ GETTING AROUND There are four editing commands: ADD: If the display shows the end of a song list (only a part number displayed on the left side - right side blank), you can add a seuence to the end of the song byenter- ing the desired sequence number. If a song list is empty, the first part wil be blank. REPLACE: You can REPLACE any sequence currently displayed with another simply by entering the new sequence number.
OJ , v .. The OX contains six sets of voices. Each voice has three variations , and some of the voices contain two completely different sounds. Only one voice variation can be played at a time. The sound of each voice is contained on one or several memory chips. SOUNDS The OX comes from the factory with the following voices and these variations: BASS / Bass drum , with three volume levels. SNARE / Snare drum , with three volume levels.
THE VOICES Changing Sound Chips """H"......m :"H""""' '-""_H"_"""""_"_"'HHm ::8I: I"- 7.: ::!!=-I! Remove Power Cord Before Doin jl:rijt;; ANYTHING! Then :.=:.:i:iU:: "----'-"-'_W' Open your OH... L-Remoye Screws-. end Lift up Front Pene! ::Q :. ::Q Locete the Sound Chip to be remoued.. Using a small s crewdriuer or Chip EHtractor , CAAEFULL Y lift the chip out of its socket from both sides.
:)UfHI:)T/CATION SOPHISTICA TlON The OX incorporates several functions that change the time and feel of the machine and enable programming one beat at a time. Utiizing them wil increase your rhythmic possibilities and make QUANTIZE gramming faster and easier. Quantizing automatically corrects your playing to the nearest beat. The quantizing value also establishes the smallest beat that can be recorded . and is used for establishing the value of a " Beat" as used in STEP and SWING.
SOPHIST/CA T/ON METRONOME Ouantize lues Metronome 18 Half Note Half Note Triplet Quarter Note Quarter Note The Metronome can be set to click in any note value between half-notes and onehundred-ninety-second-notes (48 clicks per 1/4 note). The Metronome defaults to eighth notes and varies in speed according to the tempo. A dot representing the Metronome pulse also appears on the display. To change the Metronome , press SIGNATURE. The current Metronome click value wil appear on the display.
...... .......... -. -----,....,.,-...-................,..._ '--""""""-_- ------_ --_ ..-._-_..-..._.._-------~~~ - ----------------. -- --:-.----. - ---_...._ ..-----..-,........- --- - -., - .----- - - -.. ---- --.- -.,.... ,........... -.. SOPHISTICATION STEP RECORDING STEP enables Recording a Sequence one step at a time. STEP advances at a rate determined by the Quantize Value. Normally the Quantize Value is set to a sixteenth note , but this can be changed-see QUANTIZE.
"& RECORDING Countdown The OX can be set to countdown four metronome clicks before recording. EDIT PARAMETER 00 turns the countdown on and off. Remember that the metric value of the countdown clicks is determined by the Metronome setting. See " EDIT PARAMETER 00:' Punch- Out Metronome Punch- Holding RECORD and pressing PLAY while recording a sequence " Punches Out" into Play mode.
COPYING Copying Sequences The DX can copy a rhythm from one sequence to another. This is useful to make changes in a rhythm without erasing the original or strting over from scratch. Press COPY. The display shows the sequence to be copied from (on the left. ) Select the desired Sequence number. Press COpy again and the display wil show the destination Sequence. Select the desired Sequence number. Press COpy a third time and the Copy wil execute.
"- ," OTHER TRICKS Programmable Metronome Click The Metronome can also be programmed to click only when a drum or combination of drums is played. This is useful for clocking other devices . such as the arpeggiator on the 08-8 , in uneven patterns. Select EDIT PARAMETER 04 by presing EDIT , then 04 (See the EDIT PARAMETER section for more information.
Data Check One of the features of the DX is a data check routine that runs automatically when the unit is turned on and when leaving the Data Storage mode. The data check routine looks at each sequence and song to make sure that it is properly configured in memory. Bad Sequences can appear in the DX' s memory several ways , by loading a cassette tape with more than 2200 notes from a OMX into a OX , for example.
CUll ED I T Ii n Ii IVI t; I t; H PARAMETERS Many aspects of the OX can be customized by the user with a series of switches called EDIT PARAMETERS. These EDIT PARAMETERS can be accessed by pressing the EDIT button at any time except while in SELECT SONG mode where the EDIT key is used to edit songs. Use the :: keys to select the desired parameter or type in the number of the parameter to be changed. The STEP key is used to change parameters from ON ("On ) to OFF ("' ) and vice-vers.
L.U, , "n"mCfCn,) 02 AUTO START(- On) When this feature is on , external Timing Sources (EXTERNAL CLOCK . TAPE SYNC or MIDI) will cause the OX to enter play mode automatically. Because the OX is always looking for a clock signal in this mode , any signal (even noise) that is present at the CLOCK IN or FROM TAPE jacks wil place the DX into Play. This may cause occasional false starts. However, the OX wil not false start once the leader tone is detected at the FROM TAPE input. When Auto Start is oft .
EDIT PARAMETERS MIDI EDIT PARAMETERS (also see " ABOUT MIDI" 07 RECEIVE CHANNEL (1-16) This sets the MIDI Channel that the DX receives on. If OMNI MODE (Parameter , the OX wil receive on ALL channels. 08 09) (1- 16) TRANSMIT CHANNEL This sets the MIDI Channel that the DX sends MIDI intormation on. On) 09 OMNI MODE When OMNI MODE is on , the DX will receive MIDI information on ALL 16 channels. When off , the DX wil only receive information on the RECEIVE CHANNEL . set on EDIT PARAMETER 07.
.. U A OAT A " !! - , =-: ",,:," ;' ;: '.'...... ;;""" : ;..".::.. :::.::::.::::.::::.::::.::::.::::::::::-.:::::::.:.:.:.:: := "' ::: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' ~~~~~ :::: ::: :::: ~~~~~~ ::::~~~~~~~~ ~~~ ::/UHAfiE STORAGE The OX Data Storage feature permits off- line backup storage of all of your rhythm programs. Making backups of your wqrk is something that you should do frequently, with aU your machines.
OAT A STORAGE Save It Press the RECORD switch on the tape recorder. You should now hear a steady tone through the MIXED OUTPUTS of the DX. The volume of the tone is controlled by the Metronome control. Press the CASSETTE SAVE button on the DX. After the SAVE button is pressed , seven seconds of the steady " leader " tone will be sent out followed by the actual memory information. The SAVE button will be lit during the leader tone and then flash as each sequence is transferred.
un, u'uunuL. Compatibility The OX can read tapes recorded on other Oberheim drum machines. See the accompanying char for compatibilty. When reading a tape from a Rev. 3 OMX . only Sequences 0-99 and Songs 0-9 will be read in. In addition , only the first 2200 notes of the 5000 note DMX memory will be read in. II the OX' s memory capacity is exceeded , the OX will " beep " and the display will read " FULL:' Individual Sequences and Songs can only be read from Revision 3 tapes , produced by Rev.
.. OAT A STORAGE The playback head azimuth of the tape recorder may be out of alignment. This wil only affect recordings made on other tape reorders. A minor head adjustment may required. be There Is a bad spot (dropout) on the tape. The tape heads are dirt. Clean and degauss the tape heads stan and pinch roller. , and clean the tape cap- Sometimes tape errors are caused by poor reordings. Use a LINE or AUX input If available.
TALK TO THE WORLD The OX can be connected to most other electronic musical instruments , as well as computers and tape recorders. The OX can operate in sync with other equipment by interconnecting timing signals , and notes can be exchanged via MIDI or trigger pulses. The OX is designed to operate synchronously with a variety of other devices. The OX can start automatically from these devices as well as slave to its own tape sync pulse while driving other devices.
T E R SYNCHRONIZING WITH THE EXTERNAL CLOCK The Exernal Clock generally provides the " tightes" syc between machines and is the recommended timing source if you have a choice of hookups. The DX can be set to three different clock rates: 96 , 48 , or 24 Puls per Quarter note. Most equipment uses one of these standards. The extemal clock can be use for timing at the time that MIDI is use for notes. same Setup For bes results , tum off both units before conneting.
SYNCHRONIZING WITH THE MIDI CLOCK Utilizing the MIDI Timing Clock provides an easy method of interconnecting MIDI devices. Setup For best results , turn off both units before connecting. Using a standard MIDI cable connect the MIDI OUT jack on the rear panel of the unit to be the master to the MIDI IN jack on the rear panel of the unit to be the slave. DX As Master To use the DX as the master, set EDIT PARAMETER 02 to " I" for Internal Clock , and turn " ON" EDIT PARAMETER 10 (MIDI Clock Out).
F A The DX will output the timing data only while in RECORD or PLAY. In STOP or other modes , the output wil be the leader tone. Make sure the tempo that is set on the DX is the proper tempo , because the tempo wil be controlled by the sync tone when playing back. (Because the DX is reading timing information from the tape , the DX wil tollow changes in the tape speed within a range of about 20% up or down.
F A Noise Reduction / Generally, sync to tape wil work bener without noise reduction. Noise reduction won t record the sync signal better, since the level o f the sync tone doesn t change appreciably the way that music does. However, using noise reduction may reduce crosstalk between the sync signal and adjacent tracks.
----..-.. ---.. . ----.............. ..-------------------------..-........ ----.. ---- ------..- -------------.. - -------.... -.. --------.-----.. -..... - ---- -------.. -- -----.. -- MIDI NOTES The OX can transmit and receive notes played via MIDI. Drum notes are the same as melodic notes. This means that a DX can be played from a keyboard , MIDI drum pads or even another DX. MIDI notes such as these can also be recorded andplayed back as well.
REALTIME MIDI RECORD One additional feature of the DX is the ability to transfer sequences between diferent of drum machines. This is done by recording on the DX while slaved to another drum machine. The second machine sends notes across MIDI as it plays them , and the DX simply records the notes that are received. brands To transfer sequences this way: Connect the two drum machines so that the OX is the slave unit. Set the EDIT PARAMETERS on the DX: .
,._--m u c: IIV run IYIM I I MORE INFORMA TION ABOUT MIDI MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is designed to allow computer controlled musical instruments such as the OX to communicate with each other. Messages There are several different types of data messges that are transmitted via MIDI: VOICE / These are messages about notes. MIDI transmits a NOTE ON and a NOTE NUMBER when a note is played on a keyboard or drum machine. On some devices velocity is transmitted as well.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DlmTAL AUDIO The DX is not a Synthesizer. It does not synthesize sound. What it does is play back sounds from it memory. These sounds are stored as numbers , inside special integrated circuits called ROMs (Read Dnly Memory) which are pre- programmed. Before explaining how digital audio works , let's digress for a minute and discuss how regular analog audio works: Sound , as far as your ears are concerned. is caused by very small but regular changes in atmospheric pressure.
INltHtAt;t tiUIUt INTERFACE GUIDE Use this chart to find the optimum way to connect your OX to your other equipment. INSTRUMENT EXTERNAL CLOCK DX Master DX Slave MIDI CLOCK DX Master MIDI NOTES MIDI SONGS DX Slave Oberheim YES YES YES YES OMX OSX (via OB-B) Transmits EMu Emulatoril Orumulator YES YES YES YES Fairlight CMI (W / General Interface Card) YES Kurzweil 250 YES Linn linnOrum (New Version) 9000 YES YES PPG Wave 2.
This Glossary contains definitions of terms as used in the OX Manual. Address A location in memory that contains DATA. Beat Value The note value of the time signature. In a time signature of 3/4 , the BEAT VALUE is equal to a quarter note , and there are three quarter notes per measure. Click Value The note value of the metronome click. The CLICK VALUE can be the same or differ- ent than the BEAT VALUE.
RAM RAM or Random Access Memory acts like a piece of scratch paper for the MICROPROCESSOR. Unlike Read Only Memory (ROM , PROM , or EPROM), RAM can be read from AND written into by ttie MICROPROCESSOR. RAM is usually used in a oomputer sysem to store information that is constantly changing. In the case of the , that includes notes , tempos , sequences , etc.
.)rt:t.lrlt.JlIIUIV SPECIFICA TIONS Voices Sounds Frequency Response Dynamic Range Maximum Number Of Notes Sequences Songs 10- 000 Hz (varies among voices and is dependent upon tuning) 80Db 2200 Events , each of which can contain as many as six notes occurring simultaneously 100 Maximum Typical Sequence 6 Minutes of 1 /8 Notes at 80 Beats/Minute Maximum Sequence Length Over 5 Hours at 25 Beats/Minute .
