Section 17 — Sequencing/MIDI Applications
Using the ASR-10 with a Drum Machine7
Using the ASR-10 with a Drum Machine
When you use the ASR-10 in conjunction with a drum machine or other rhythm sequencer, there
are three ways to have them operate together:
• Sync the drum machine’s clock to the ASR-10
• Sync the ASR-10’s clock to the drum machine
• Sequence the drum machine from the ASR-10, just as you would a synthesizer
To Sync a Drum Machine to the ASR-10:
• Connect the MIDI Out of the ASR-10 to the MIDI In of the drum machine.
• Set the drum machine to sync to MIDI clocks.
• Set the drum machine to receive on an unused MIDI Channel, OMNI Off; or disable channel
information. You don’t want the drum machine receiving and playing back ASR-10 sequence
data intended for other instruments. MIDI clocks, start, stop, and continue are real time
commands that are sent and received regardless of MIDI channel or mode.
• The drum machine should now sync to the ASR-10’s clock. Pressing Play or Stop•Continue
will start, stop, and continue the drum machine, assuming it receives those commands.
To Sync the ASR-10 to a Drum Machine:
• Connect the MIDI Out of the drum machine to the MIDI In of the ASR-10.
• Set the ASR-10 to sync to MIDI clocks. On the Edit/Seq•Song page, select CLOCK
SOURCE=MIDI.
• Set the drum machine to not transmit channel information, or to transmit on a MIDI Channel
that none of the ASR-10 Instrument•Sequence Tracks have their Edit/Track MULTI-IN MIDI
CHANNEL set to receive on. Again, MIDI clocks, start, stop, and continue are sent and
received regardless of MIDI channel or mode.
• The ASR-10 should now sync to the drum machine’s clock. Starting, stopping, or continuing
the drum machine will start, stop, and continue the ASR-10.
To Sequence a Drum Machine from a Track of the ASR-10:
• Connect the MIDI Out of the ASR-10 to the MIDI In of the drum machine.
• Set the drum machine to Tape Sync or External Clock, or any setting other than Internal or
MIDI Clock. This way it will not play its own patterns, but will act only as a sound-producing
device, sequenced from a track of the ASR-10.
• Set the drum machine to POLY (OMNI Off) mode and select a MIDI channel.
• From the Edit/Instrument page, set the MIDI Status for an ASR-10 Instrument to MIDI. Set
the instrument’s MIDI OUT CHANNEL to the same MIDI channel you assigned the drum
machine to receive on.
• You should now be able to play the drum machine from the ASR-10 keyboard. You can then
record a track on the ASR-10, from the ASR-10 keyboard, which will play on the drum
machine — just as if you were sequencing an external synthesizer. The advantage of this
approach is that some drum machines respond better to velocity when played via MIDI than
when played from their own front panels. Thus, you may get more dynamic range out of your
drum machine if you use this approach. The disadvantage is that you use up ASR-10
sequencer memory to sequence the drum machine.
