ALESIS CONTROLPAD Details
ControlPad
USB/MIDI Percussion pad controller
The Alesis Control Pad USB/MIDI Percussion Controller is a compact (carry under
one’s arm) percussion pad controller that is equally at home as a performance
instrument and as a MIDI programming tool for studio recording. The Control Pad
features 8 velocity sensitive pads with gum rubber surfaces for excellent stick
response as well as two trigger inputs for connecting external pads such as the
Alesis Drum Pad and Cymbal Pad expansion kits. Further, there are two switch pedal
inputs to accommodate open and closed hi-hat as well as kick drum. Percussion
setups are stored to internal memory and are accessible via MIDI Program Change
commands. In addition to being USB bus-powered—eliminating the need for an
external power supply while connected to a computer—the Control Pad includes an
AC adapter for use without a computer.
The Control Pad is a compact drum/percussion system that functions equally well as
a recording tool and as an on stage electronic “trap table”. It is a “must have” item for
serious recording musicians and a valuable tool for percussionists seeking to “lighten
the load” in terms of the number of accessory instruments they carry.
Applications
The Alesis Control Pad is limited only by the sound sources connected to it. As a
MIDI controller, it can trigger samplers (sampled sounds and sampled sound effects),
drum machines, and synthesizers. Melodic percussion (mallet instruments such
as vibes and marimba) can be played by assigning the desired MIDI note numbers
to the controller’s various pads. The Alesis Control Pad is perfect for the following
applications
> Programming of drum and percussion parts with a MIDI sequencer
> Studio recording
> Live performance—primarily as an expander instrument for shakers, congas,
bongos, etc.
_ USB/MIDI drum controller for studio or live use
_ 8 high-quality velocity-sensitive percussion pads
_ 2 trigger inputs for connecting external pads (compatible with
the Alesis Drum Pad and Cymbal Pad expansion kits)
_ 2 switch pedal inputs
_ Up/down footswitch input
_ USB Plug-and-Play connectivity (no drivers necessary)
_ USB bus-powered (no power supply necessary when
connected to a computer)
_ PC and Mac compatible
_ MIDI I/O
_ Pad sensitivity adjustment
_ Stores MIDI setups with program change capability
_ Power adapter included for use without a computer
The Controller's up/down footswitch input lets players change styles fluidly and quickly. For example, a player can move from an elaborate conga, bongo, and shaker setup to a marimba or trap set in seconds. Similarly, the Control Pad's 20 percussion setups stored to internal memory are accessible via MIDI Program Change commands.
In the studio and live, the Pad is USB plug-and-play ready, integrating perfectly with Mac and PC desktop recording systems. Its intuitive interface allows quick editing and easy user setup. This versatile instrument also is USB bus-powered, eliminating the need for an external power supply while connected to a computer.
For interfacing with dedicated hardware such as sound modules, samplers, or hardware-based sequencers, the Control Pad provides MIDI input/output connectors, and the AC power adapter (included) powers the Control Pad when it is used without a computer. It's also bundled with BFD Lite software containing professional-quality acoustic and electric drum modules. BFD Lite enhances the Pad's functionality with several features including multi-velocity kits with customizable drum sounds, microphone mixing, and preset grooves. The Control Pad is also compatible with other software such as Propellerhead's Reason, which gives musicians additional sound options.
BFD offers a library of seven high quality drumkits recorded with multiple microphones through racks of expensive preamps and converters. Stereo overhead, room and PZM mics capture natural ambience alongside close direct mics on the kit for the dry sound. The kits are recorded with up to 46 velocity layers, with multiple articulations for kicks, snares, hihats and cymbals.
Built around a custom disk-streaming engine, BFD delivers the power of an 18-piece customisable drumkit directly into your sequencer as multiple-channel, high quality 24 bit audio. The recordings are raw and unprocessed, with the plugin’s routing and mixing system allowing you total freedom to tweak the sound of the kit in a variety of ways before adding additional processing in your sequencer’s mixer. BFD also includes a flexible automated drummer, to deliver realistic drum performances on demand.
Virtually all plugin formats for Mac OSX and Windows are provided in the box. BFD can also can function as a ReWire slave or standalone application.
BFD System Requirements:
1 GHz Pentium III or Athlon (Windows)
Apple PowerMac G4, OSX 10.2.8 733 MHz (G4 1.2 GHz recommended) (MacOSX)
512 MB of RAM (1GB Recommended)
DVD drive(For installation)
Windows 2000 or XP or MacOSX 10.2.8
9 GB of free hard disk space (Separate drive recommended)
These are MINIMUM specs for running BFD. Using BFD in conjunction with other software will increase your system requirenments.
BFD Screenshot
BFD Screenshot #2
BFD Walk-through
Take a guided tour of BFD with this interactive shockwave movie. Learn about the layout and features and hear the mic blending options. You'll need the shockwave plugin to view this movie.
BFD Tutorial (63MB RAR)
Learn the basics of using BFD.
Use rightclick -> 'Save target as' to save the video on your computer. It needs to be UNRAR'ed before viewing.
BFD Tutorial Zipped (151MB)
Alesis Control Pad USB Midi Percussion
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