Alesis NanoBass, Reference Manual, Page: 25 / 83

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NanoBass Reference Manual
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sonic textures by stacking voices together in combination. Suddenly the “number
of voices = polyphony” equation didn’t directly apply anymore.
In one program on an instrument, for example, playing a single key might trigger
a flute voice and a choir voice simultaneously: one note, two voices. Another
program in the same instrument might stack another two voices into the mix:
one note, four voices. If such an instrument had 16 voices to start with, playing
just four notes would max it out.
It’s important for you to understand that interaction.
The NanoBass is a 64-voice instrument. Some of its programs trigger only one
voice per note played. With those programs, you’ll have 64 notes of available
polyphony. Other programs trigger two voices per note, giving you 32 voices of
available polyphony. Still others trigger four voices per note, allowing you 16
notes of polyphony.
Why In The World Would I Want 64 Voices Of Bass?
Excellent question. The answer, of course, is that making the NanoBass capable
of generating 64 simultaneous voices is a severe case of technical overkill. But
since Alesis had to design one basic Nano hardware package for all the products
in the line, and the others did need 64 voices, the engineers figured “What the
heck! Somebody out there might just feel like pushing the envelope.”
Off the top of my head, I can think of one definite benefit that having 64
available voices provides, and three experiments you ought to consider trying.
The definite benefit: Some of the programs use multiple voices per note, making
for a fatter, richer sound.
Experiment #1: Along that line, you might try sending the same Note On
message repeatedly, at increments only a few MIDI ticks apart. Depending on
how many Note Ons you send, you can thicken the sound (or blur its attack) in
interesting ways. Yamaha DX7 owners use to do this deliberately by routing the
DX7’s MIDI OUT jack directly into the instrument’s MIDI IN jack, which caused
voices to automatically double up on playing.
Experiment #2: Explore the upper registers of programs. Just because a
program is useful for bass lines doesn’t mean it is automatically devoid of useful