Introduction In the center of the front panel, below the display are two knobs used during most ASR-X activities. These knobs are known by two different sets of names, since they serve two general purposes. When you’re selecting sounds for tracks or for pads in the ASR-X, the central knobs should be thought of as the “Sound Type” and “Sound Name” knobs. Sound Type Sound N ame For every other activity, the knobs will be referred to as the “Parameter knob” and the “Value knob.” Va lue Param eter Both sets of names are printed on the front panel, as you can see. Some ASR-X Terms You Really Need to Know It’s important that you understand the meaning of these terms as you use the ASR-X:
parameter—This is any characteristic of the ASR-X software that can be changed. value—This is the setting of a parameter. select—This is the act of choosing a sound for playing or recording, or choosing a parameter to be edited. standard sound—A sound is a program that plays one or more digital audio recordings arranged in layers. The recordings, or waves , can be data permanently stored in the ASR-X’s ROM (for “read- only memory”), or something you’ve sampled or loaded into the ASR-X. Standard sounds based on ROM waves can have up to 16 layers; sounds that play sampled waves use one layer for mono waves, or two layers for stereo waves.
kit sound—A kit is a sound in which each of its 64 notes can play a different standard sound. Since the ASR-X is designed for beats and loops, kit sounds are its most potent sounds. Tip: See Chapter 3 of the ASR-X Reference Manual to learn more about standard and kit sounds. Getting Ready to Go Making Connections There are a few types of connections you’ll want to make as you set up the ASR-X —all of the jacks necessary for these connections are located on the rear panel of the ASR-X. You’ll want to set up: a way of listening to the ASR-X—You can connect the ASR-X’s Left and Right Main Out jacks to a mixer, amplifier or stereo system.
If you’d like to use the ASR-X in mono, connect only the Left or Right Main Out jack to your mixer or amplifier, and make sure nothing is plugged into the other Main Out jack. If you’d rather listen to the ASR-X through headphones, you can plug yours in to the ASR-X’s Phones jack—your headphones will need to have a 1/4” stereo plug or adapter to work correctly with the Phones jack. ii ENSONIQ ASR-X User’s Guide