Drum Machine Question

[Walter Hamlin]

Is anyone familiar with the mechanics of the ALesis SR16 drum machine? If so, is there a way that we can make a numbered list of songs, enter it into the machine and when we get ready to play a song, call that drum set up in a simple way. I know we can go to the presets and get one up by calling up the number and bpm number.
Also, how do I get the drum click to count it off at the beginning of the song?
I'm very ignorant regarding such machinery.
Thanks

[Fred Amendola]

Hi Walter,
I used the SR-16 for a several years in a duo I had with a bass player. It's very friendly once you put in some time up front.
What you're asking about is "song mode."
Preset or User patterns, along with their fill licks, can be strung together, building a song. Chapter 5 in the manual.
The song will remember the drum set attached to the patterns and the tempo the song was last played at.
In our duo, we used the drum machine in two different ways.
1. Programming an entire song, then playing it the same way each time.
2. Using pattern mode, along with the start-stop footswitch, and the A/B fill footswitch. This was for more less structured songs, with some freedom. The entire song was played off of one pattern memory location.
Hope this helps a little, but the manual should get you on track.
Email me if necessary,
Fred

[Walter Hamlin]

Thanks Fred for the info. I am going to sit down and take time to read the manually slowly and work the machine.
What you did with the machine is what we are wanting to do.
Thanks again,
Walter

[Fred Amendola]

Glad to be of help Walter.
What I forgot to mention, is that songs do remember the tempo last used, but the raw patterns do not. So if you do a song using just pattern mode, you'll have to punch in the tempo. No big deal.
We used to carry a couple index cards, listing all the songs we did alphabetically, the song #'s, or the pattern # and tempo.
It was pretty easy to manipulate while the other guy was doing a little bit of talking on the mic.
Any questions, let me know.
Fred

[gary darr]

I allso own one of these machines, if you are hearing a click as like a click track, You may have the "compose" button engaged.
you need to press the compose/perform button to get it on to the perform mode. If that still doesnt stop it there may be a "side stick" sound allready written to a pattern by misstake for something.....hope that helps you out

[Walter Hamlin]

Thanks Gary, I am going to try it now. We only want to try to use this machine UNTIL a live drummer becomes available. Had one last night to say he would help us out some times.
Thanks Fred, We have been doing just what you suggested but I was hoping that it could be programmed a little more user oriented than this. We are going to keep playing with it and try to find a real easy way to use it. Our lead picker has bought one also, so between the two of us, maybe we can get it to do what we want it to do.
Thanks
Walter

[Joe Alterio]

I had the same drum machine, and it does indeed require a good full evening of reading the manual and playing around with it to fully understand it. It is a difficult item to use....but once you understand it, its not so bad. I used it for home recording, but it wasn't the difficulty that made me get rid of it....it was the fact it would take me well over an hour to program a full song (intro, breaks, fills, ending). :/

Joe

[Walter Hamlin]

Thanks Gary, I am going to try it now. We only want to try to use this machine UNTIL a live drummer becomes available. Had one last night to say he would help us out some times.
Thanks Fred, We have been doing just what you suggested but I was hoping that it could be programmed a little more user oriented than this. We are going to keep playing with it and try to find a real easy way to use it. Our lead picker has bought one also, so between the two of us, maybe we can get it to do what we want it to do.
Thanks
Walter