Programming instructions

Section 12 — Sequencer & Audio Track Concepts
Sequencer Basics 1
This section contains an introduction to the ASR-10 sequencer and all the information you’ll need
to get started sequencing. For more detailed descriptions of the actual parameters, refer to the
following section.
Sequencing on the ASR-10
The ASR-10 sequencer incorporates a range of features and capabilities you would expect to find
in stand-alone or computer sequencers, yet with the advantage of being part of an integrated
system.
The ASR-10 is both powerful and easy to use — having your sampler, sequencer, and master
keyboard controller right at your fingertips in one unit is what makes the ENSONIQ approach to
digital sequencing so intuitive and efficient.
If you can’t wait to start sequencing, you can turn right to “Recording a Sequence” later in this
section. We recommend, however, that you come back and familiarize yourself with the many
other sequencer controls and functions described in this section. This is the only way to truly
take advantage of the power of the ASR-10 sequencer.
Digital Sequencing
Imagine a recorder which, instead of recording the sounds of an instrument, records the same
kind of digital information that is sent and received via MIDI — key down, key up, key number
and velocity, pitch bend, mod wheel, program changes and so on — and you have imagined a
digital sequencer.
A sequencer records and plays back the “control information” rather than the actual notes. This
means that there is no degradation of the sound in the recording process no matter how many
times you overdub or rerecord a part. A sequencer is sort of like an electronic player piano.
It is important to bear in mind that a sequencer only records what you play. Sequencer memory
is used up on the basis of Events (keys struck, controllers, etc.), while a tape recorder’s memory
(the tape) is always used up by the same amount over a fixed period of time.
This means that a sequencer will use virtually the same amount of memory to record 100 notes,
whether you play those notes over ten seconds or ten minutes. When you strike a key, the
sequencer records a Key Down event. It then counts the clock pulses until you release the key,
when it records a Key Up event. The amount of time between the key down and the key up
doesn’t really affect the amount of memory required to record the note. Compare this to an
audio tape recorder. With tape, time is the main factor. A tape recorder will use the same
amount of tape to record a minute of music, whether the signal contains one note or one
hundred.
You might say that tape is linear — it is used at a fixed rate, while digital sequencer memory is
dynamic — it is used only as needed. Understanding the difference will help you to manage the
ASR-10 sequencer memory. For example, while key events (the notes you play) use up relatively
little memory each, controllers such as pressure, mod wheel, pitch bend, etc., are recorded as a
flood of numbers that can fill up the memory in a hurry. Thus, if you’re trying to squeeze one
more track into a sequence when there is not much memory left, you should go easy on the
controllers.