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alesis QS series


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One of my favorites that I ever wrote for that synth. I actully did it in a hotel room in Sao Paolo, Brazil one evening while I was on the introductory tour with the pre-production QS8.

 

dB

 

16 year old me thought you were AWESOME.

 

Speaking of the Emerson patches, I also distinctly remember "FromDBeginning" (which actually contains your initials!) Which NAILED that outtro synth sound. So many memories!

Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8

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Any KC folk have notes on that Program, or be willing to write the parameters down for me ?

Sysex dump via MIDI OX?

 

dB

 

 

Thanks, dB. I used MIDI OX several years ago, when reloading the factory set for a Kurzweil PC2r; that worked well. But is the Alesis sysex data set up to allow individual Program installation ? Ideally, I want to slot-in InstantEdge only, and keep some of the other User Programs created by the previous owner.

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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But is the Alesis sysex data set up to allow individual Program installation ? Ideally, I want to slot-in InstantEdge only, and keep some of the other User Programs created by the previous owner.

I think so. Someone would just need to save the single program as a dump; then, it should just show up in the play buffer when loaded, and should be able to be saved to any user slot.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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My feelings toward this series are no doubt colored by a traumatic experience I had.

 

I was late to a band audition (darn gps issue) and the whole band was set up and waiting as I walked in (and a bit grumpy honestly). The singer's boyfriend had a QS7 (iirc) already set up and off to the side, and he said I could just use it if I wanted to. Nervous, and feeling many sets of eyes on me--there were a few spouses/girlfriends there, wtf--I said "ok".

 

Note to self: never play an audition on other people's gear. It sounded bad, the angle was WAY off on the stand, and I also made it more horrible by re-learning Boston's Foreplay at the last minute from youtube (i had been playing it very incorrectly for many years LOL!). I ended up doing a bastard version that sounded worse than either. The boyfriend was there and he kept reaching over and trying to tweak the sound as I played :P

 

Five years later, I've been playing in a great band--and it isn't that one. I don't think they ever gigged :)

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I gig regularly with my QS8 and probably will for a long time to come. I own several, and leave them set up in various places where I rehearse, and one in the basement where I work on patches. I leave an additional one in a travel case for gigs. All of my patches come with me on an SRAM card, so it's plug-and-play wherever I go, with no setup and tear-down except at gigs. Just plug in the card, turn it on, and it's now identical to the one in my basement! I'm sure the QS8 is not the only board that can perform this trick (some modern boards must be able to load entire performance banks on and off of, say, USB sticks) but because it's so cheap out there in the wild, it actually becomes practical to own many of them and just carry around the patches, instead of the board. I love it!

 

Of course, this wouldn't matter if the QS8 had lousy sounds or bad action, but far from it -- I love the action, and still think the AP and EP's sound great! (Those sounds are what made me buy my first one brand new, back in, maybe 1998?) The pads are very nice, many of the synth leads and basses are excellent, drums are nice, brass and strings are ok. Never cared for the organs very much, but I made a custom one that I run out through a Vent II, and it's good enough to get through a song or two.

 

Another thing this board gives me is complete control over every sound in a mix, operating on every MIDI channel, with splits and layers however and wherever I feel like making them -- no "preset split points" or other limitations. Again, I know that there must be modern boards that are this configurable, but it seems like many of them assume I'm only going to need, oh, 2-3 layers at most, and maybe one or two split points that can go here or here, but not there. Say what? I would never settle for that!

 

20 years later and I'm still learning what this board can do! dB, I am so grateful!

MODX7, Alesis QS8, Hammond XK-2, DSI Tetra

QSC K8.2 x2, CPS Spacestation v.3

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I used to own both the QS7 and QS8. Still have my QSR module but it doesn't get anymore use these days (only used it for the great pipe organ sounds, now I play the real thing). Not sure what some of you guys are hearing, but this series has some of the worst sounding acoustic piano patches I've ever heard! Now I just learned that it's a Bosendorfer sample inside, you have to be kidding me! Definitely some cool synth sounds and the Rhodes isn't bad, but most of the sounds are pretty dated by today's standards.

'57 Hammond B-3, '60 Hammond A100, Leslie 251, Leslie 330, Leslie 770, Leslie 145, Hammond PR-40

Trek II UC-1A

Alesis QSR

 

 

 

 

 

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I toured with the QS8 for about 3 years and kept a QSR identically programmed for fly dates. A great piece of gear in its day. I preferred it over the Yamaha that everyone in Nashville was schlepping around and used it on Jo-El Sonnier's "Cajun Blood" album. I sold the 8 but kept the R and use it from time to time as a vocoder carrier.

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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The above-mentioned InstantEdge:

 

InstantEdge patch

:thu:

 

It's original name, before Alesis sanitized it because they were worried they'd get sued:

 

KzS26NR.jpg

 

 

A tune with it featured prominently

 

Stu Kimball from Bob Dylan's band playing all the other guitars that don't sound like the Instant U2 program, Nick D'Virgilio playing drums on an Alesis DM Pro kit. Rayz Roads program (another fave) also featured in the middle section.

 

:w00t:

 

dB

 

 

 

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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I still use my QS7 occasionally at gigs and a QSR in my studio. Although I also had a QS8.1 and QS6.2 at times in the early 2000s.

 

I created a synth patch that would use the mod wheel to crossfade from a sawtooth sound to a sort of noisy resonance sound (using some various synth and noise waveforms) which was a rather convincing pseudo-analog patch, considering the QS series didn't have resonant filters.

 

Built like a tank indeed. My QS7 still plays just dandily!

"The devil take the poets who dare to sing the pleasures of an artist's life." - Gottschalk

 

Soundcloud

Aethellis

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Another thing this board gives me is complete control over every sound in a mix, operating on every MIDI channel, with splits and layers however and wherever I feel like making them -- no "preset split points" or other limitations. Again, I know that there must be modern boards that are this configurable, but it seems like many of them assume I'm only going to need, oh, 2-3 layers at most, and maybe one or two split points that can go here or here, but not there. Say what? I would never settle for that!

 

Nope. I know of no other boards where you can split/layer all 16 MIDI channels.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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My QS8.2 now sits (along with my Z1) at a rehearsal space for one of my bands.

 

It served me well for 8 to 10 years of gigging. I used my own piano samples (EP and AP) that I burned to a card using Soundbridge.

 

I really did get the MOST out of this synth that you could possibly get out of it (the sampling feature, 5 and 6 way splits, etc.)

Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M
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My QS8.2 now sits (along with my Z1) at a rehearsal space for one of my bands.

 

It served me well for 8 to 10 years of gigging. I used my own piano samples (EP and AP) that I burned to a card using Soundbridge.

 

I really did get the MOST out of this synth that you could possibly get out of it (the sampling feature, 5 and 6 way splits, etc.)

 

I think the only thing I havent done is launch SMF from the card. Those old programs from Alesis will no longer install on my Windows 10 machines. Does anyone know why? I keep an old desktop with XP that I would have to dig out if I ever wanted to use them again.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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  • 1 year later...

Hi,

I just picked up an Alesis QSR. Like its sounds. I am noticing something with the sample bend range. It seems that some of the samples do not allow for bending up a full octave. Sound 107, Preset Bank 3 "Trilogy Ld". Set the bend range on the 3 active elements to 12 (1 Octave), play middle B and bend up. Voice element 1 (SND 1) only goes to a M7th, at least on my unit. Other notes on the keyboard will bend the full range, others less. I'm guessing this has to do with how the multi samples are layed-out for the wave. If I change the waveform it will cover the full octave. Seems some waves will and others will not, this seems to be only when bending up. Do any other QS players see this?

Thanks for your time,

B-

 

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wow - this thread will never die!

Full Disclosure: I still own at least 8 pieces of Alesis gear, including my original QuadraSynth 1.04 purchased in 1994.

 

y5av0

Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine.

 

HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama.

 

 

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QS8.1 was my first synth that I gigged around with. Got it in 1999 and used it exclusively for the next 12 years. Then it became a controller for my laptop setup, now the beast is retired in storage. I think the QSs greatest strength is its speed and flexibility of programming. For having a chincy 2-line display, it's got one hell of an intuitive UI. Nice big buttons with their functions all laid out. 1:1 buttons per feature. I could program patches on the fly during rehearsal, and not have to make my bandmates sit around. Patch switching is a dream too, you can get to any of the 128 patches per bank with two button presses. The organs are quite good, the Leslie sim rivals the best on the market of the late 90s. I disagree that the E.Pianos are terrible, They're not 100% authentic, but there is a few juicy rhodes sound. I'm less impressed with the Wurli. The synths are alright, there is no resonant filter, but there are some resonant samples. It's pretty easy to get a very fat mono or poly synth. And the pads are fantastic.

 

The one caveat is the ACOUSTIC PIANOS ARE TERRIBLE! I can smell a QS piano a mile away. You hear them occasionally on late-90s rock albums, and they stick out like a sore thumb. I was kind of embarrassed by my piano sound and opted for E.Pianos to cover for them. There's something just extremely displeasing about them, IMO. I know you can buy aftermarket piano cards which are probably fantastic, but the stock ones are awful.

 

But on the plus side, I LOVE the pitch and mod wheels. They were huge, rubbery, and felt great!

 

All said and done, if I were to get a 90s board again, I would get a Korg Trinity, no question. Even at the time I drooled over them, but they were a bit out of my college-age price range.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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I am noticing something with the sample bend range. It seems that some of the samples do not allow for bending up a full octave. Sound 107, Preset Bank 3 "Trilogy Ld". Set the bend range on the 3 active elements to 12 (1 Octave), play middle B and bend up. Voice element 1 (SND 1) only goes to a M7th, at least on my unit. Other notes on the keyboard will bend the full range, others less. I'm guessing this has to do with how the multi samples are layed-out for the wave. If I change the waveform it will cover the full octave. Seems some waves will and others will not, this seems to be only when bending up. Do any other QS players see this?

Here's the funny thing: I wrote the Trilogy Lead program, along with all the other ELP programs in the QS series.

 

Here's the funnier thing - it's been so long that I don't remember the specifics of how the keymaps worked with the PB.

 

dB

 

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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Sorry, but the 6.1 was the biggest POS I've ever owned. Sounded like a toy, and in two years the main outputs blew out. Couldnt wait to get rid of it and would never endorse it. The Q cards were the 2nd biggest POS. Also sounded like toys.

57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn

Delaware Dave

Exit93band

 

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I'm with Delaware Dave. The QS6 I bought in '98 was to me, a prime example of a keyboard that sounded good in a store but was utterly useless live, as far as the organs, EP's and AP's. Those sounds seemed to have no sonic "weight" or body, esp. when compared with Roland, Yamaha, Korg..something that was brought home to me every time someone sat in on my rig. "Ray's Rhodes" being a particular disappointment in that regard. QS8's were all the rage but I never heard anyone, even good touring players, sound good on one. The vaunted piano card in particular had a disagreeable tinny veneer FOH.

 

OTOH, my QS6 had a good build quality, was a great MIDI controller for it's time, a very good semi weighted action, some nice synth sounds and pads and was very cleverly programmed- for example, the sax patch had a great sounding vibrato that you brought in with aftertouch. Which led me to favor it onstage, over a superior Roland sample. My favorite patch of all was a Hendrix-y sounding synth lead with appropriate mod wheel effects, it was a hoot to play. I think DB was involved in the programming, if so he added much value to that board.

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Huh. I never had a 6, but I got a lot of use out of my QS7. In fact, I had the opposite experience from "sounded good in a store but was utterly useless live". Some of the patches didn't sound so great on their own, but sat in the live mix just right IMO. There was one brass section that I recall in particular that sounded buzzy and artificial in a quiet room all by itself, but people in the audience and in the band would come up and ask "How did you get that hyper realistic Motown horn section?" Go figure.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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My long love affair with the QS8.2 ended last month, when I finally sold it off.

 

I gigged it for about 13 years, and YES I used my own acoustic and Rhodes piano samples (burned them to a card using Soundbridge).

 

In fact, I sold those copies of those homemade cards on eBay for just as long as I had the synth. Lots of people bought them.

 

Bought a MOX8 a few years ago, and it replaced the QS8.2 as my bottom board (much lighter in weight, and better pianos/sounds). The Alesis then was used for a couple years in a band rehearsal room... then finally sold off last month.

 

Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M
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Hi,

I just picked up an Alesis QSR. Like its sounds. I am noticing something with the sample bend range. It seems that some of the samples do not allow for bending up a full octave. Sound 107, Preset Bank 3 "Trilogy Ld". Set the bend range on the 3 active elements to 12 (1 Octave), play middle B and bend up. Voice element 1 (SND 1) only goes to a M7th, at least on my unit. Other notes on the keyboard will bend the full range, others less. I'm guessing this has to do with how the multi samples are layed-out for the wave. If I change the waveform it will cover the full octave. Seems some waves will and others will not, this seems to be only when bending up. Do any other QS players see this?

Thanks for your time,

B-

I recall having an issue like this with my QS6.1. My memory of it is vague because I probably haven't played that synth in years (in storage now) but I had programmed a synth brass-type patch with a full octave bend. When initially programmed it worked fine, but at some point it started bending up a 7th instead of the full octave. I think I was assuming at the time that it might have actually been a hardware issue (pitch wheel potentiometer going bad?)

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wow - this thread will never die!

Full Disclosure: I still own at least 8 pieces of Alesis gear, including my original QuadraSynth 1.04 purchased in 1994.

 

y5av0

I think I have you beat, and still have:

 

3 Quadrasynth+Piano (I gave one away to a young musician 3 weeks ago)

3 QS7.1

2 S4+ rack units

1 DMPRO drum unit

1 QSR rack unit

1 Fusion 6HD

2 Quadraverb GT (guitar processor, but if you dump the distortion it makes a nice warm vocal unit)

1 3630 Compressor

1 NanoCompressor

Various Q Cards

 

I bought a QS6.1 but sold it. I thought it would be overkill. :laugh:

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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Y'all do not want to know how much Alesis gear I still have. I even have things like two QCards that never made it to market. Heck, I have two Andromedas (Andromedae?)... :D

 

I also have one of the $6k (at the time) Studer ADATs. Worth it just for the Crystal converters.

 

Still in use in the studio: one Andy (the blue one), NanoBass, QSR (with unreleased Guitar/Bass QCard), DMPro, Quadrasynth Plus with Vintage Synths QCards, Wedge reverb, Ion (mainly controlling my Mellotron 4000D rack) and an AI-3, which converts 8 channel ADAT lightpipe to 8 analog ins and outs - gives me 8 extra channels of analog i/o with my TASCAM DM3200.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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I was a real Alesis fanboy. Gigged with the QS7 for 10 or 12 years. Had several pieces of rack equipment. My favorite piece may have been the MMT-6 sequencer. It was great for workflow, really intuitive. I also still own a Micron. This is a great second board to use with my Motif. My only complaint about the Micron is the awful keyboard action.

Yamaha Motif XF6, Yamaha AN200, Logic Pro X,  Arturia Microbrute, Behringer Model D, Yamaha UX-3 Acoustic Piano, assorted homemade synth modules

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