ENSONIQ TS-10 / TS-12 Musician’s Manual

Performance / Composition Synthesizer · Version 3.0

Section 10 — Understanding the Sequencer

This section contains an introduction to the TS‑10 sequencer and all the information you’ll need to get started sequencing. More detailed descriptions of the actual parameters are covered in the following section. Section 12 — Sequencing/MIDI Applications explains some typical uses of the TS‑10 sequencer.

Introduction

The TS‑10, with its 24-track sequencer, incorporates a range of features and capabilities you would expect to find in stand-alone or computer sequencers, yet with the advantage of an integrated system. The TS‑10 is both powerful and easy to use — having your synthesizer, 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 TS‑10 sequencer.

Digital Sequencing

Now imagine a recorder which, instead of recording the sounds of an instrument, records the same kind of digital information that is sent and received over 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 re-record 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. In other words, a digital 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 thing. 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 spent 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 TS‑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 which 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 know to go easy on the controllers.

What is a Sequence?

A Sequence on the TS‑10 is a collection of 12 independent tracks and an effects algorithm and its settings. Each track has its own sound and complete set of track parameters (volume, pan, timbre and all the other track parameters, including MIDI channel, status, etc.) all of which are remembered with the sequence.

A sequence has a fixed length (though you can change it at any time) which is set by the length of the first track you record. A given sequence can be as short or as long as you like (within the limitations of memory).

Each sequence has an eleven-character name which you assign to it at the time of its creation. The name can be changed at any time from the Info sub-page of the Edit Sequence page.

When you select a new sequence, each track used within a sequence will send out a MIDI program change and MIDI volume instructions on its designated MIDI channel, unless the track has been assigned ----/RECV only status — in which case you can have the new track play a new internal sound.

What is a Song?

In Song Mode, sequences are assigned to play consecutively in any order, with up to 99 Steps, and up to 99 Repetitions of each Step. Within each Song Step, individual tracks within the sequence can be muted or transposed.

But a Song on the TS‑10 is much more than just as collection of sequences playing in order. This is because each song has an additional set of 12 tracks which are completely independent of the tracks in its component sequences.

Each Song Track has its own sound program and a full set of track/performance parameters, just like a sequence track. The length of the song tracks is defined by the combined length of the steps and repetitions which make up the song. Song tracks are selected from the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 and 7-12 pages when a song is selected.

This means that after you’ve completed a number of sequences and linked them together to form a song, you have 12 more linear tracks which run the entire length of the song. This gives you 24 tracks to work with.

Sequencer “Transport Controls”

The three buttons at the bottom of the Sequencer section serve to start, stop and continue the sequencer, and to put it into Record and Overdub modes. In addition to these three buttons, either of the Foot Switches can be assigned to function just like the transport control buttons, when both hands are busy.

Sequencer Transport Controls
Start/stop/continue functions in buttons, and hands-free using SW-10 foot switch.

Assuming the Autopunch function is OFF:

When the Autopunch function is ON, the sequencer will only enter and exit Record mode at the points specified by the Edit Times on the Locate page.

Sequencer Status

On most sequencer pages the lower-left-hand corner of the display indicates the Sequencer Status.

The sequencer is always in one of the following states:

To exit Audition Stop and return to the normal stop state, you must first instruct the TS‑10 to KEEP either the new or the original track (see Audition Play/Keep Page later in this section).

Sequencer Banks

Pressing the Seqs/Songs button located beneath the display puts the TS‑10 into sequencer mode. The ten Bank buttons (labeled 0-9) will now select Sequencer Banks. Each bank contains six sequencer locations, any of which can contain a sequence or a song, or may be blank.

VFD: SEQ2.$MY-HIT-SNG | .FIRST-VERSE | .2ND-VERSE / · | .CHORUS | .BIG-FINISH | -BLANK-

Song names always have a dollar sign ($) as the first character, so that you can tell at a glance which locations contain sequences and which are songs.

The names of sequences and songs which contain actual recorded track data are preceded by a dot (.) on sequencer bank pages. Locations which have not yet been defined as a song or sequence show -BLANK-.

Selecting an undefined -BLANK- field will initiate the Create New Sequence or Song function (see Creating New Sequence or Song, later in this section).

Selecting a Sequence or Song

When you select a song or sequence it becomes underlined. The currently selected song or sequence is always underlined.

Playing Sequences and Songs

Try selecting a sequence, and pressing the Play button in the Sequencer section, to the right of the display. The selected sequence will begin to play.

While one sequence is playing you can select another one. An underline will begin to flash beneath the new sequence, but the original one will continue to play. When the first sequence is finished, the underline will switch to the new sequence, and it will play. In this fashion you can string sequences together in real time, as they play. The display always tells you which is playing (underline) and which is selected to play next (flashing underline).

Press either the Stop/Continue button or any Foot Switch assigned to either PLAY/STOP or STOP/CONT to stop the sequence.

Sequencer Tracks

Each TS‑10 sequence and song has twelve independent polyphonic Tracks on which you can record notes, controllers, and program changes using local TS‑10 sounds, remote MIDI instruments, or both. These tracks are selected from the two Seq/Song Track pages, labeled Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 and Seq/Song Tracks 7-12.

Let's take a look at the Seq/Song Tracks pages.

Press Seq/Song Tracks 1-6. This takes you to the first of the two pages:

Seq/Song Tracks 1-6
VFD: TRAX | .DRUM-KIT-06 | .SMAK-BASS | .ALTO-SAX / STOP | SYNTH-HORNS | .LUSH-STRINGS | -UNDEFINED-

The LED above the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 button lights, and the display shows the names of the programs on the six tracks of the current song or sequence. Press the soft button next to a track to select that track.

Press Seq/Song Tracks 7-12. This takes you to the second of the two Tracks pages:

Seq/Song Tracks 1-6
VFD: TRAX | SHIMMERY | .CHIFF-FLUTE | .HARPSICHORD / STOP | MIRROR-BELL | -UNDEFINED- | -UNDEFINED-

The LED above the Seq/Song Tracks 7-12 button lights, and the display shows the names of the programs on the remaining 6 sequence tracks. Tracks which show –UNDEFINED– instead of a program name have not yet been defined (to define an undefined track you just select it).

A dot to the left of the track location indicates that there is recorded data on the track.

One these two pages you can select and layer the tracks of a sequence (by clicking or double-clicking) just as you would on regular program bank pages. You can go back and forth between Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 and Seq/Song Tracks 7-12 without losing what was selected or layered in the other half. The LEDs above the two Seq/Song Tracks buttons tell you where you are.

Replacing the Sound on a Sequence or Song Track

To replace the TS‑10 sound on a given Sequence or Song track with a sound of your choice:

To copy a sound along with its effect into the sequence (replacing the current sequence effect with the one in the sound), you follow the same procedure as above, with the addition of double-clicking the Replace Track Sound button.

Using SoundFinder in Sequencer Mode

Here’s how to select Programs that have the same defined Program Type in Sequencer mode. For this example, we’ll replace the Program on a sequence track from a sequence used in the DEMO-SONG found on the TSD-200 floppy disk that came with the TS‑10.

The sequence will now be playing GLASS-KEYS where BEST-PAD used to be.

This is the sound that we want to use to replace BEST-PAD.

Layering Sounds on The Tracks Pages

In a preset, a maximum of two sounds may be layered with the selected sound. Within a sequence, you can layer as many as 11 sounds with the selected sound. You can have up to 12 tracks layered (stacked) on one key, or up to 12 different tracks split across the keyboard by using the Key Zone function described in Section 4 — Understanding Presets.

Layering sounds is the same as in a normal Preset Track Parameter page:

Sequencer Tracks and the Track Parameters

Every sequencer track has a full set of Track parameters which are saved with the sequence or song. The values of the following are remembered for each track:

• Mix • Sostenuto On/Off
• Pan & Pan Mode • Pitch Bend On/Off
• Attack * • Mod Wheel On/Off
• Release * • Reset Controllers On/Off
• Brightness * • All-Notes-Off On/Off
• Timbre * • Patch Select Mode *
• External MIDI Controller (XCTRL) * • Pressure Mode *
• Key Zone • Volume Pedal Mode
• Velocity Range • MIDI Status
• Velocity Sensitivity • MIDI Channel
• Transpose • MIDI Program *
• Detune • MIDI Bank Select *
• Rate (LFO and/or Wave List Duration) * • Effects Bus Routing
• Sustain On/Off • Effect Mod Control

Track Parameters marked with an asterisk “*” are stored with each sound.

You should refer to Section 4 — Understanding Presets and Section 5 — Preset/Track Parameters for a full discussion of the performance/track parameters and their functions.

As described in Section 1 — Controls & Basic Functions and Basic Functions, whenever you go from Sounds or Presets mode to the Track Parameter pages, the TS‑10 displays the names of the three most recently selected sounds (on the top line) and their parameter values (on the bottom line).

Sequencer Tracks are similar, except that the names of the sounds and their corresponding Track parameters are shown on different pages. When you press Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12, the TS‑10 displays the names of the six sounds on those six tracks:

VFD: TRAX | .DRUM-KIT-06 | .SMAK-BASS | .ALTO-SAX / STOP | SYNTH-HORNS | .LUSH-STRINGS | KOTO

When you then select any of the Track parameter pages, the display will show only the parameter values for the six tracks, and not the names of the sounds:

VFD: ATTACK | +00 | +63 | +17 / STOP | -64 | +25 | +00

Let’s look at a Sequencer Track Performance parameter, and you’ll get a better idea how this works. Using the Brightness/Timbre page as an example:

Each of the six parameter values corresponds to one of the 12 track locations (the LED above the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 button will be lit to tell you which half you are in). You can verify this by pressing the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 button again. Repeatedly pressing either the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 button will toggle between the TRAX Page and the last-selected Track Performance parameter. This will help you keep track of what you’re editing. Notice that the upper left corner of the display still shows the Track Parameter Page name, but it may appear differently for Sequence tracks, because there is more room to display full page name. Other than that, Track parameter editing for a sequencer track is the same as for presets. All Track parameter values are remembered for each track of each sequence and song.

Important:

In Sequencer mode, selecting and editing a track from a Track Parameter page does not change what is selected or layered on the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 and 7-12 pages — i.e. it does not affect what you hear when you play the keyboard. This means that you can edit a track parameter value for one (or more) of the tracks within a group of layered sounds without changing the layer.

You can adjust volume, pan, timbre, etc. for tracks other than the selected track while playing back a sequence. However, this also means that you could edit a performance value for a track that you are not currently hearing from the keyboard, so be careful that you know what track(s) you are listening to in relation to what is selected on the Track Parameter pages.

The track that is selected on the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 pages is the one that will be recorded if you go into record.

You should get in the habit of always selecting a track from the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 page before going into record.

The Tempo Track and the Track Parameters

Note that the Tempo Track feature offers no Track Parameter values, and appears on all of the track parameter pages as TEMPO. For example, the Track Parameters Mix page would look something like this:

VFD: MIX | 127 | 064 | 101 / SNGS | 069 | (127) | TEMPO

Copying a Preset into 3 Sequencer Tracks

You can copy the three tracks of a preset, with all Track Parameter settings preserved, into three tracks of the current song or sequence. The preset will be copied whole into the three tracks on the upper or lower line of either the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or the 7-12 page:

When you copy a preset into a sequence, the values of all the Track Parameters are copied. However, the selected and layered status of the tracks in the preset is not copied. Whichever tracks in the sequence are selected or layered when the preset is copied will remain so after it is copied. This also does not affect the track data in the sequence. The sequencer can only record one track at a time (except in Multi-Track Record, described later in this section). If you want the preset to play a sequence track, you must copy the sequence data to the other two tracks, if needed.

Copying a Preset Along With its Effect into 3 Sequencer Tracks

To copy a preset along with its effect into the sequence (replacing the current sequence effect with the one in the preset), follow the same procedure as above, with the addition of pressing the Track Effects button before pressing Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 in the last step.

Creating a New Sequence

Creating a new sequence or song is easy:

Creating a New Song

Song names are always preceded by $ to indicate their special nature. Note that you cannot change this $ character. The other ten characters can be edited.

Erasing All Sequencer Memory

When you want to erase all sequences and songs in the TS‑10 sequencer memory, first make sure you have saved any important data to disk, then:

Recording a Sequence

Here we will describe recording a new sequence from scratch. First we will concentrate on sequencing with the TS‑10 alone, and then cover sequencing remote MIDI devices.

1) Create a New Sequence:
2) Select a Track:
3) Select a Sound for the Track:
4) Check the CLICK and COUNTOFF settings:
5) Record the First Track:

The length of the first track defines the length of the sequence. For this reason, there is a special procedure for recording the first track of a new sequence.

The display will ask "KEEP FIRST TRACK?" The length (in bars) of the first track is shown in the lower left corner of the display. This will determine the length of the sequence.

6) Record Additional Tracks:

After you have answered *YES* to the question “KEEP FIRST TRACK?”, all other recording, including re-recording the first track, will follow the same basic routine. The length of the sequence is now defined (by the length of the first track). The rest of the tracks will automatically have the same length.

At the end of the sequence, the TS‑10 will leave record mode and (assuming LOOP=ON) enter Audition mode.

About the Audition Play/Keep Page

  • Press Stop/Continue or the assigned AUX Foot Switch to stop the Sequencer. This puts you onto the Audition Play/Keep page:
    • VFD: PLAY ORIGINAL TRACK | PLAY NEW TRACK / KEEP ORIGINAL TRACK | KEEP NEW TRACK
  • Press PLAY ORIGINAL TRACK to hear the track as it was before you recorded the new track.

    • The first time you record a particular track, this isn’t very useful, but it is invaluable when you begin to do second and third takes, since it allows you to compare the tracks before deciding which to keep.

    The Audition page appears after all track recording and after all track edit functions. The TS‑10 always gives you a chance to audition changes to the track data before deciding whether to keep them.

    Playing Tracks in Audition Mode

    It is possible to alternate between playing Original and New tracks in Audition mode without having the track restart from the beginning, making comparisons more convenient. If the sequencer is playing, each time Play New or Play Original is selected, the context will instantly switch. Pressing Play will play the selected track from the beginning.

    When ineligible buttons are pressed while in Audition mode, a message appears to indicate that it is necessary to decide which version of the most recently recorded track is to be kept before the desired action can be performed. The message appears momentarily, and then the display changes back to the Audition page.

    “Punching In” on a Track

    The TS‑10 offers two methods for “punching in” (or re-recording) a specific part of a track. When AUTOPUNCH=OFF (on either the Locate or Sequencer Control sub-page), you can punch in manually just by playing the keyboard to start recording. When AUTOPUNCH=ON, the TS‑10 will enter and exit Record mode automatically at the precise times that you specify on the Locate sub-page.

    To Punch in manually on a track (meaning AUTOPUNCH=OFF on the Locate page):
    To Punch in and out automatically on a track (meaning AUTOPUNCH=ON):

    When AUTOPUNCH=ON, the TS‑10 will record events only within the window of time specified by the Edit times, no matter how you enter record. Thus if you press Play, then Record the TS‑10 will wait for you to play before entering record, but recording will only be triggered by notes within the Edit times window. Notes played before the Edit IN time or after the Edit OUT time will not initiate recording.

    If the RECORD MODE=LOOPED (on the Sequencer Control page) and AUTOPUNCH=ON, the sequencer will continue to go in and out of record at the Edit points each time the sequence repeats, for as long as you let it play.

    Finding the BankSet, Bank, and Display Location for Sounds on Sequencer Tracks

    To find the BankSet, Bank and Display location (U0-1.5, U1-3.1, R2-7.4, etc.) for the sounds assigned to sequencer tracks:

    See Section 14 — Understanding Sampled Sounds for more information about Surrogate Programs.

    Edit Sequence Page — Sequence Edit Functions

    Pressing the Edit Sequence button displays the sequence editing page. Pressing the button twice will display the sub-page containing the ADD & DELETE BARS function.

    The following functions can be selected from the Edit Song page:

    The MIDI Connection

    Almost everyone is familiar with MIDI — that magical connection that lets you play one instrument (or a whole roomful of them) from another. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard that has been agreed upon by manufacturers for translating musical events into specific numbers which are transmitted and received by MIDI instruments.

    When you play middle C on the TS‑10, for instance, it instantly sends to its MIDI Out jack a series of numbers representing a Key Down event, along with the location of the note on the keyboard and how hard the key was struck. When you release the key the TS‑10 sends a number meaning Key Up. A MIDI instrument connected to the TS‑10 can receive and translate those numbers, and will play the middle C itself. The same thing happens whenever you move a controller, such as the Pitch or Mod Wheel, or when you select a new sound — each of these events is translated into a series of numbers which are transmitted by the MIDI Out jack.

    MIDI Sequencing on the TS‑10 — MIDI Connections

    You can use the TS‑10 sequencer to drive external MIDI devices, greatly enhancing the number of available voices and timbres. A sequence or song track can be assigned MIDI status (on the Track MIDI page) so that it plays only out MIDI; so that it will play only locally; or both, in which case it will play a local sound and send on its designated MIDI channel.

    MIDI Connections

    When controlling multiple remote MIDI devices, first connect the various devices to the TS‑10, and to each other, as shown here. Connect the MIDI Out jack of the TS‑10 to the MIDI Thru jack of the first device. Connect the MIDI In jack of the first device to the MIDI Out jack of the second device. Connect the MIDI Thru jack of the second device to the MIDI In jack of the third device. And so on, for as many devices as you will be using.

    With this arrangement, once you set up the proper MIDI channels, etc., each remote MIDI device will receive and play only the data that is intended for it, and will “pass along” all other data.

    Also, each can be played from its own keyboard (as well as from the TS‑10’s) without affecting the others, because MIDI Thru jacks only pass along incoming MIDI data, and do not transmit what is played on the instrument.

    This set up is ideal for controlling everything right from the TS‑10. Simply by selecting the track which is set to the same MIDI channel as to a particular instrument, you can:

    1. Play the remote MIDI device from the TS‑10 keyboard
    2. Record a track that will play back on the MIDI device when you play the sequence or song
    3. Send the remote MIDI device Program Changes and adjust its volume (assuming the device receives MIDI Volume)

    In other words, once you have made the appropriate connections, and set up the MIDI configuration of the tracks and all remote MIDI devices, you can use the TS‑10’s keyboard and its front panel to control and record all the remote MIDI devices in your rig.

    MIDI Mode and Channel — Remote MIDI Device

    The next step is to set up each remote MIDI device to receive only the MIDI information that is intended for it. When each of the receiving units is set to receive on a different MIDI channel (or a number of them, for multi-timbral units) you can control them all right from the TS‑10.

    For each remote MIDI device:

    Once you have assigned MIDI channels to each instrument in your rig, write them down, and keep the paper handy for quick reference.

    MIDI Track Configuration

    After you have made the MIDI connections, and set up your remote MIDI devices as described above, you now configure the tracks of a sequence to send to those remote MIDI devices. Let’s suppose that you are sequencing several remote MIDI devices, as depicted in the illustration on the previous page.

    For each track which you want to drive a remote MIDI device:

    1. Select a track. Go to the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 page and press the soft button corresponding to a track location to select a track.
    2. Assign the track MIDI Status. Press the Track MIDI button once to display the STATUS sub page. The selected track is underlined. Use the data entry controls to set the track to LOCAL-OFF status. You will notice that when you play the keyboard now, it doesn’t sound on the TS‑10.
    3. Assign the track a MIDI Channel. Press the Track MIDI button again — the CHANNEL sub page appears. Set the track to the MIDI channel of the remote MIDI device you want to sequence from that track. Playing the TS‑10 keyboard should now play the Receiving Instrument.
    4. Set the Program Number. Press the Track MIDI button a third time — the PROGRAM sub page appears. Now you can use the data entry controls to change the program that the receiving unit is playing. While playing the TS‑10 Keyboard, adjust the program number until the external instrument is playing the sound you want.

    From now on, whenever you select that sequence, or when it plays as a step in a song, this track will send out this program change on its selected MIDI channel.

    Recording MIDI Tracks

    Once everything is set up, you can proceed with recording MIDI tracks exactly as you would for tracks with local or both status. Tracks that are sent out MIDI are treated the same as internal tracks in terms of recording, overdubbing, punching in, editing, etc. Follow the same steps outlined earlier in this section for recording the first track and then for additional tracks.

    For each successive track you record, the procedure will follow the same lines:

    1. Define the MIDI configuration of the track on the Track MIDI page
    2. Record the track
    3. Either keep or reject the new track from the Audition page

    MIDI tracks can be selected and stacked from the Tracks pages, and can be muted or soloed from the Mix/Pan page, the same as any other tracks. Performance/Track parameters such as Mix, Key Zone and Transpose all apply to MIDI tracks just as with local tracks.

    Most often you will be recording sequences and songs which contain some MIDI tracks and some local tracks. When this is the case, be sure that you assign local status (as opposed to both local and MIDI) to the tracks that you want to play only on the TS‑10. This will avoid accidentally sending unintended MIDI data to an external instrument.

    Additional Sequencer Functions

    Recording Controllers into Sequencer Tracks

    When recording sequencer tracks, the TS‑10 will record all changes to controllers such as the pitch and mod wheels, pressure, foot pedal, patch selects, sustain, sostenuto, effect, foot switch, etc.

    There are other, less obvious, controllers that will be recorded into the track if they are changed while the track is being recorded — The Pan, Attack, Release, Brightness, Timbre, XCTRL, and Rate Track parameters. When the sequencer is in Record or Overdub mode, if you go to any of these Track Parameter pages and change the value for the current track, the changes will be recorded. When you play back the track, you will notice that the screen is updated with the new value.

    Changing a Sound within a Sequence or Song Track (Recording Program Changes)

    The TS‑10 can change track sounds in a sequence or song, allowing you to change the sound that is playing on the track as the track plays. There are two ways to do this. Both methods will have the same effect, but the first is best suited for local tracks, the second for MIDI tracks.

    To change a sound within a local track:
    To change a sound within a MIDI track:
    To send/record a MIDI program change:
    VFD: TRAX . | ROCK-KIT . | SMAK-BASS . | SWELLSTRINGS / STOP . | ALTO-SAX . | PIANO-1 . | -UNDEFINED-

    Defining Track Pressure in Sequencer Mode

    When Track PRESSURE=OFF:
    When PRESSURE=KEY:
    When PRESSURE=CHAN:

    At present, Channel pressure is recognized by more MIDI devices than Poly-Key pressure. If you are playing or sequencing an external MIDI device from the TS‑10 and pressure doesn’t seem to have an effect, it could be the TS‑10 is set to transmit Poly-Key pressure and the receiving instrument only recognizes Channel pressure. In this case, set Track PRESSURE=CHAN when playing or sequencing that instrument.

    Assigning a Track to the AUX Outputs

    Until you change it, each sequencer track will be sent to the output bus which is programmed into the sound. In almost all cases this means that the track will be sent to the MAIN stereo outputs.

    To assign a track to the AUX outputs for separate processing:

    This page serves as a mixer for the various tracks, letting you determine how each track is routed to (or around) the effects. The available settings are:

    Using the AUX Outputs as Separate Mono Outs

    If you want to use the two AUX outputs as independent mono outputs, use the track PAN control in conjunction with the Effects Bus Override:

    Edit Track Page — Track Edit Functions

    Pressing the Edit Track button displays the top level track editing page. Pressing the button twice will display the track edit options sub-page. These edit functions will affect the currently selected track. If a sequence is selected, the current sequence track will be edited; if a song is selected, the current song track will be edited.

    The following functions can be selected from the Edit Track page:

    Track Mix Functions — Mixing, Muting and Soloing Tracks

    Once you have recorded a few tracks of a sequence, you will want to balance the levels of the tracks, and maybe listen to them one or two at a time. This is done from the Mix/Pan page.

    Select a track from the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 page, then press the Mix/Pan button. The display shows:

    VFD: MIX | 127 | 085 | 092 / STOP | 086 | (127) | (127)

    From this page, in addition to balancing the levels of the tracks in the sequence, you can solo and mute individual tracks just as you can with voices on the select voice page. Notice that the levels for any tracks without recorded data will appear in brackets:

    Song Mode

    The TS‑10’s Song Mode is the key to unlocking its true power as a Performance/Composition Synthesizer. In song mode, you can chain a number of sequences together to form a song. Songs are made up of Steps — for each song step, you can choose a sequence to play and the number of repetitions of that sequence, as well as mute and transpose status for each track of the sequence.

    But wait, there’s more. Each TS‑10 song also contains its own effects set-up (see below) and 12 additional tracks which are independent of the tracks in the component sequences that form the song steps. This gives you a 24 track sequencer with tremendous flexibility. You can choose which musical parts you want to put into the component sequences, and which parts you put in the song tracks. Discussion of song tracks begins on the next page.

    Switching Effects in Song Mode

    As you are probably aware, when you are playing TS‑10 sounds and you select a sound which uses a different effect from the previous one, there is a momentary muting of the audio output. This is because, like all digital signal processors, the TS‑10 requires some time to switch from one effect to another. The software program which defines the effect must be changed for each different effect.

    The same holds true when selecting sequences. Each sequence has its own effects set-up, which is completely programmable and is saved with the sequence. When you select a sequence, if the new one has a different effect than the previous one there will be a brief muting of the output.

    This can pose a problem when playing a song — as a new song step begins to play, if the sequence in that step has a different effect than the previous one, there might be a muting of the audio output. Since it is usually not desirable during sequencer play to mute the output, the TS‑10 offers some alternatives.

    The SONG STEP EFFECT parameter on the Sequencer Control page determines which effect(s) will be heard when a song is played:

    The setting of this parameter is saved with each song. Whenever a new song is created, it defaults to SONG STEP EFFECT=SONG. This ensures that there will be no output muting, but it also means that a sequence might sound different in a song than when it is played on its own.

    If you use the SONG STEP EFFECT=SEQ setting for a given song, you can minimize the muting by doing the following:

    Edit Song Page — Song Edit Functions

    Pressing the Edit Song button displays the top level song editing page. Pressing the button twice will display the Song Step Editor. If you press the Edit Song button when a sequence is selected, the display will respond SONG NOT SELECTED and will not allow you onto this page.

    The following functions can be selected from the Edit Song page:

    Editing Song Steps — Using the Song Step Editor

    For each Song Step you want to create, on the Edit Song Page:

    To go to a different Step in the Song:

    To change anything in an existing Song Step:
    To Insert a step anywhere in the song:
    To Delete a step anywhere in the song:

    When you are done editing the song, press Locate (or any other sequencer page button) to exit. You can then press Play to hear your new song.

    Song Tracks

    A Song on the TS‑10 is much more than simply a group of sequences chained together. Once you have created a song and edited its steps, you can record another complete set of 12 song-length tracks. These Song Tracks are completely independent from the individual sequence tracks; each has its own sound and complete set of track parameters. The length of the song tracks is determined by the combined length of the song’s component sequences.

    Let’s suppose you have constructed a song. For our example, we will take three sequences, each using up to 12 tracks, and combined those sequences into a song:

    Your Song would look like this:

    SONG
    Song Step 1:
    Sequence 01 (4 bars)    		Song Step 2:
    Sequence 02 (8 bars)    		Song Step 3:
    Sequence 03 (4 bars)
    Sequence Track 1Sequence Track 1Sequence Track 1
    Sequence Track 2Sequence Track 2Sequence Track 2
    Sequence Track 3Sequence Track 3Sequence Track 3
    Sequence Track 4Sequence Track 4Sequence Track 4
    Sequence Track 5Sequence Track 5Sequence Track 5
    Sequence Track 6Sequence Track 6Sequence Track 6
    Sequence Track 7Sequence Track 7Sequence Track 7
    Sequence Track 8Sequence Track 8Sequence Track 8
    Sequence Track 9Sequence Track 9Sequence Track 9
    Sequence Track 10Sequence Track 10Sequence Track 10
    Sequence Track 11Sequence Track 11Sequence Track 11
    Sequence Track 12Sequence Track 12Sequence Track 12

    Now, with the song selected, you can press the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 and 7-12 buttons and see an entirely new set of empty tracks. These are the song tracks. Continuing with the above example, the song tracks might look like this:

    SONG
    Song Step 1:
    Sequence 01 (4 bars)    		Song Step 2:
    Sequence 02 (8 bars)    		Song Step 3:
    Sequence 03 (4 bars)
    Song Step 1:Song Step 2:Song Step 3:
    Sequence 01 (4 bars)Sequence 02 (8 bars)Sequence 03 (4 bars)
    Sequence Track 1Sequence Track 1Sequence Track 1
    Sequence Track 2Sequence Track 2Sequence Track 2
    Sequence Track 3Sequence Track 3Sequence Track 3
    Sequence Track 4Sequence Track 4Sequence Track 4
    Sequence Track 5Sequence Track 5Sequence Track 5
    Sequence Track 6Sequence Track 6Sequence Track 6
    Sequence Track 7Sequence Track 7Sequence Track 7
    Sequence Track 8Sequence Track 8Sequence Track 8
    Sequence Track 9Sequence Track 9Sequence Track 9
    Sequence Track 10Sequence Track 10Sequence Track 10
    Sequence Track 11Sequence Track 11Sequence Track 11
    Sequence Track 12Sequence Track 12Sequence Track 12
    Song Track 1 (16 bars)
    Song Track 2 (16 bars)
    Song Track 3 (16 bars)
    Song Track 4 (16 bars)
    Song Track 5 (16 bars)
    Song Track 6 (16 bars)
    Song Track 7 (16 bars)
    Song Track 8 (16 bars)
    Song Track 9 (16 bars)
    Song Track 10 (16 bars)
    Song Track 11 (16 bars)
    Tempo Track or Song Track 12 (16 bars)

    Song tracks are treated like normal sequence tracks whose length is equivalent to the combined length of all the sequences which make up the song. The length of the song tracks is set according to the song length at the time the first song track is recorded. Changes made to the song structure after the first song track is recorded will not affect the length of the song tracks.

    Viewing Sequence Tracks in Song Mode

    When a song is selected, what you see on the Seq/Song Tracks pages and the track parameter pages depends on the setting of the EDIT TRACKS parameter on the Sequencer Control page.

    When a song is selected and EDIT-TRACKS=SEQ, the LED’s above the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 and 7-12 buttons will flash to remind you that the track data is for the currently selected sequence in the song step and not the actual song tracks.

    Mixing Down Sequence and Song Tracks in Song Mode

    After you have created and edited a song, you can “mix down” the volume and pan of the sequence tracks that make up the song steps, and of the song tracks themselves. The mixdown process does not affect the data in the individual sequences that compose the song steps; it creates a song-length Mixdown Track (which is actually a part of the song track) on which you can record mix and pan changes which will affect the sequence and/or song tracks over the course of the entire song. You can use this function to fine-tune the dynamics of certain tracks during part of a song, or to simply fade them out at the end of the song.

    To Record Mix or Pan Changes to Sequence Tracks in a Song:

    To Record Mix or Pan Changes to a Song Track:

    (Note that you can toggle between Song tracks and Sequence tracks in song mode by doubleclicking the Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 button.)

    Important:

    The mixdown data is always recorded into the song track which is selected on the Seq/Song Tracks page, whether you are mixing a sequence track or a song track. You must, therefore, select the appropriate-numbered song track (while EDIT TRACKS=SONG on the Sequencer Control page) before entering Record, even if you then switch to EDIT TRACKS=SEQ to mix a Sequence track. For example, if you want to mix down Sequence track 3 over the length of the song, you must have song track 3 selected.

    A Few Notes About Mixdown Mode

    Mixdown volume and pan are recorded on the song track in a special form of ADD mode. When you record mixdown volume or pan, the information is added to the data in the song tracks. This means that:

    Whenever possible, you should use this function as the last step in the production chain, after you have finished changing the song length, recording and erasing song tracks, etc.

    Sequencer Tempo Track

    As of software version 2.0, songs are created with Song Track 12 assigned to be a Tempo Track by default. This allows you to record continuous tempo changes to the sequences that make up a song. Here’s how:

    VFD: CONTROL | CLOCK=INT | RECORD-MODE=REPLACE / SNGS | TEMPO=+00 | ACTUAL=025 | LOOP=ON

    When the Tempo Track is selected on the Seq/Song Track 7-12 page, the AUTOPUNCH switch (normally found in the bottom center of the Sequencer Control page) is replaced with the ACTUAL tempo value. The Song TEMPO parameter allows you to increase or decrease the tempo(s) of the sequences that make up the song: When TEMPO=+00, the ACTUAL value shows the actual tempo of the sequence corresponding to the song step that is currently playing.

    Raising or lowering the TEMPO value will re-compute the actual sequence tempo, and the ACTUAL value will show the sequence tempo biased by the TEMPO value. The TEMPO value range for songs is -64 to +63.

    Removing the Song Tempo Track

    When the Tempo Track feature is used, you are limited to 23 Seq/Song Tracks. If you do not need to record continuous tempo changes, you can gain back the Song Track 12 for recording a sound, but you will lose any continuous tempo changes that you may have recorded.

    To Remove the Song Tempo Track:

    If you change your mind, you can use the ADD-TEMPO-TRK command on the Edit Song page to regain the Song Tempo Track feature. See Section 11 — Sequencer Parameters for more about the ADD-TEMPO-TRK feature.

    Tempo Track Edit Functions

    The following EDIT TRACK commands will function normally when a Tempo Track is selected:

    Thinning Out Tempo Changes Using the Event Editor

    When you record Tempo changes with the Tempo Track feature, the Data Entry Controls will “scroll” through every value between where you start and where you want to end. For instance, if your song Tempo Track value starts at +00, at the bridge in your song (song step 3), and you want to slowly increase the tempo to +05, and then at the beginning of the second verse (song step 4) instantly return to +00, the Tempo Track events will scroll through all values between +05 and +00. These extra Tempo Track events can be eliminated using the Edit Track EVENT-LIST command. Here’s how:

    1. First, create a song with at least four song steps, as explained later in this section.
    2. Select Song Track 12 (*TEMPO-TRK*) of the song (it should be underlined).
    3. Press the Locate button, followed by the lower left soft button in the display to select the TEMPO parameter. This page shows the step of the song you are currently in and the name of the sequence assigned to the step, and allows you to record tempo changes to the Tempo Track. The TEMPO parameter defaults to +00. If it is not set at this value, set it to +00 at this time using the Data Entry Controls.
    4. Press Record then Play.
    5. At the bridge (song step 3), press the Up Arrow button five times slowly to increase the tempo.
    6. At the end of song step 3, quickly press the Down Arrow button five times to return the tempo to +00. You can either let the song finish playing, or press the Stop•Continue button.
    7. On the Audition page, press the soft button beneath KEEP NEW TRACK. You have just recorded a Tempo Track to your song. Now we’ll go into the Event Editor to eliminate unwanted Tempo Track events.
    8. Press Edit Track twice, and then press the lower left soft button to select the EVENT LIST.
    9. Press the upper left soft button to select the EVENT TYPE parameter, and use the data entry controls to set it to TYPE= TMP (tempo). The display looks something like this:
      VFD: EVENT TYPE=TMP | TIME=01.01.001.01.01 | *EXIT* / NUM=00000 | EVENT=***.000 | *EDIT*
    10. Press the soft button beneath the NUM parameter.
    11. Press the Up Arrow button once. The display now shows the first Tempo event value +01, as it slowly increases within the third song step.
    12. Press the Up Arrow button four more times. The display should show the fifth Tempo event value NUM=00005. This is located within the third song step (the bridge in your song), and is the fastest tempo that we want. The next four Tempo events (+04, +03, +02 and +01) are the ones that we want to delete — so that at the beginning of the fourth song step (the second verse), the song tempo will instantly change from +05 to +00 without any gradual tempo changes.
    13. Press the Up Arrow button one more time. This shows the sixth Tempo event NUM=00006 with a value of +04 (EVENT=TMP.+04.XXX) that we want to delete.
    14. Press the soft button beneath *EDIT*.
    15. Press the top center soft button above DELETE. This returns you to the previous display.
    16. Press the Down Arrow button once, then the Up Arrow button once. This now shows that the sixth Tempo event value (EVENT=TMP.+04) was deleted, and the seventh Tempo event value (EVENT=TMP.+03.XXX) is now in its place.
    17. Repeat steps 14 through 16 three times. Each time you repeat these three steps, you are eliminating another recorded Tempo event value from the Tempo Track. When you are finished, the display should show the sixth recorded Tempo event (NUM=00006) with a value of EVENT=TMP.+00.XXX.
    18. Now let’s place this Tempo event at the exact beginning of the fourth song step (if it isn’t already there).
    19. Press the soft button beneath *EDIT*.
    20. Press the bottom center button. The display shows START TIME=XX.XX.XXX.XX.XX.
    21. Use the Data Entry Controls and set the START TIME to TIME=04.XX.XXX.XX.XX. This sets the Start Time to begin at Song Step 4.
    22. Press the bottom center button again. The second value shows the REP number. Use the Data Entry Controls to set this to 04.01.XXX.XX.XX.
    23. Press the bottom center button again. The third value shows the bar number. Use the Data Entry Controls to set this to 04.01.001.XX.XX.
    24. Press the bottom center button again. The fourth value shows the beat number. Use the Data Entry Controls to set this to 04.01.001.01.XX.
    25. Press the bottom center button again. The fifth value shows the clock number. Use the Data Entry Controls to set this to 04.01.001.01.01.
    26. Press the soft button above *EXIT*. This returns you to the EVENT TYPE page.
    27. Press the soft button above *EXIT*.
    28. You can audition your tempo changes by pressing the soft button above PLAY NEW TRACK, and keep them by selecting KEEP NEW.

    You have just successfully eliminated four Tempo Track events (+04, +03, +02, and +01) using the Event Editor.

    Using Multi-Track Record

    Tracks do not have to be selected in order to have data recorded on them, but they must be defined. Each channel of incoming MIDI data will be recorded on the lowest-numbered TS‑10 track which has the corresponding MIDI channel number. For example, if both track 1 and track 2 are set to MIDI channel 1, only track 1 will receive and record any data because it is the lowestnumbered track set to MIDI channel 1. It is suggested that you set each track to a different MIDI channel to avoid confusion.

    A newly created sequence (or song) will have MIDI channels 1 to 12 automatically assigned to the 12 tracks in ascending order, but all of the tracks except track 1 are initially -UNDEFINED-. Selecting undefined tracks while on the Track Select page (TRAX) will cause all the settings from the previously selected track to be copied to the new track, including the MIDI channel number. You will have to make sure that the channel assignments and other settings are correct after you have defined the appropriate number of tracks to record on.

    Suggestion for Advanced Users:

    If you wish to define a new track but leave its settings alone, you can use Replace Track Sound after underlining one of the new track’s Track Parameters (i.e. MIDI Channel). Underlining this parameter sets up the new track to have its sound replaced without actually “selecting” the track. This method allows you to define the track without changing most of the settings (except for MIDI Program number, Timbre, Release, and Pressure mode). Beware - this technique can cause problems if a MIDI loop is present.

    There is no Audition when using Multi-Track Record. All new tracks that received data are kept automatically after recording ends. The EDITING DATA... message is displayed while the sequencer is processing the data you have recorded. The time required for processing depends on how much data and how many tracks were recorded, and it can take several minutes. After the processing is complete, the Locate page is displayed. You can either re-record or erase the tracks (or the entire sequence or song) if you do not wish to keep the results after recording. Multi-Track Record always operates in Replace mode, regardless of the setting of the REC-MODE switch on the Sequencer Control page.

    Data is not recorded on tracks whose status is set to MIDI-OFF, but all defined tracks will have “dots” next to the program name after recording, even if they do not have any actual track events on them.

    If external sync is being used (CLOCK=MIDI), recording begins with the first clock received after the MIDI Start command. If internal sync is selected (CLOCK=INT), then recording begins when the first note is received.

    Basic Multi-track Recording from an External Sequencer

    The following procedure is the basic method for recording a multi-track sequence from an external sequencer into the TS‑10.

    1. Set MODE=MULTI on MIDI Control page.
    2. Set CLOCK=MIDI and REC-SOURCE=MULTI on the Sequencer Control page(s).
    3. Disable count-off on both systems to avoid problems.
    4. Disable sequence looping on the external sequencer.
    5. Create a new sequence with the correct time signature.

    Recording into the Sequencer in a MIDI Loop

    Use the following basic procdure if you want to record into the TS‑10’s sequencer from its own keyboard in a MIDI loop. You can record to a single track, or to multiple stacked tracks, depending on which tracks are selected, and how you set the REC-SOURCE parameter on the Sequencer Control page:

    Using the Step Entry Recorder

    All notes played and all control changes made in Step Entry mode will always be recorded into the new track.

    With GATE-TIME=HELD, if you enter a note and release the key without advancing the track location (time), then the note will be recorded with minimum (1/64th note) duration. This is also true when using AutoStep because the key down and key up appear to occur at the same time.

    For controllers, it is necessary to advance the track location after entering the event so that they will be correctly recorded. Use *STEP* or advance one of the TIME fields.

    It is possible to record trills played with monophonic sounds when AUTOSTEP=ON if you set the gate-time to be less than the step size, and remember to change GATE-TIME to HELD just before you finally release the held key. For example, if STEP=1/16, then GATE-TIME must be less than 1/16 (i.e. 1/16T, 1/32, etc.).

    This is useful when you are looking for the right key(s) to play next and you do not want to inadvertently enter wrong notes into the track.

    Access to Other Pages while in Step Entry

    Your access to other pages is restricted in Step Entry mode, in a way similar to Audition mode.

    You may get to any of the Track Parameter pages, the Click page, and the System page. The Seq/Song Tracks 1-6 or 7-12 pages may be displayed, and you may use Replace Track Sound to enter program changes onto the current track, but you may not change tracks. The BankSet and Bank buttons may be used in Replace Track Sound mode to change BankSets and Banks. Pressing any of the other restricted buttons will return you to the Step Entry page. This is a convenient way to get back after you have selected one of the accessible pages while in Step Entry mode.

    Entering Audition Mode from Step Entry

    As with the normal mode of recording, when you have completed recording a track in Step Entry mode, either by pressing Stop/Continue or by reaching the end of the track, you will enter Audition mode, which behaves as it always has.

    Entering Step Entry Record after Locating or from Play

    You can use the Locate page to get to the place in the track where you wish to begin Step Entry recording, and then hold Record and press Stop/Continue to enter record at that point. You may also be in PLAY and press the Record button at the point where you want to start Step Entry recording. Note that autopunch does not affect Step Entry recording.

    About the SAVE CHANGES... Page

    Along with the notes, controllers, and program changes that are recorded on each track, there are many other parameters that are saved with each sequence or song. These are:

    Whenever you record any track of a sequence or song, all of these values are automatically saved — that is, they will be remembered by the TS‑10 if you leave the sequence (by selecting another one) and return to it later. However, if the SAVE CHANGES parameter is set to ASK, and you edit any of the above values, and then select a new sequence or song before you record any new track data, the following message will appear:

    VFD: SAVE CHANGES TO <SEQ NAME> ? | *YES* / · | *EXIT* | · | *NO*

    No matter which response you select, the recorded track data (notes, controllers and program changes) are always saved. Sometimes it’s hard to remember, when you get this page, exactly what you changed. As a general rule, if you are happy with the sequence or song as it is, answer *YES*. If you have just been experimenting with different tempos, Programs, MIDI configurations, etc., and want to leave the sequence as it was before your experiments, answer *NO*. If you’re not sure whether you want to save or discard your changes, and you want to reexamine the sequence or song, press *EXIT*.

    As mentioned earlier, you can avoid being asked to save changes by setting the SAVE CHANGES parameter on the Sequencer Control page to NO. For live performance, and other applications in which you want to experiment with tempo, track parameters, etc. without being bothered about saving the changes, this is the preferred setting. And if you are always willing to commit to your edits as you go, SAVE CHANGES=AUTO is the preferred setting.