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Welcome Alesis D4 Enthusiasts! Thank you for downloading or requesting the unregistered version of D4man, developed by Zorch brotherz software. This package should contain the following files: D4man.EXE - Alesis D4 Manager program, unregistered version. D4man.ICO - Microsoft Windows icon for D4man. D4man.INI - Default startup D4 data file. D4man.DOC - This file, manual and documentation text. D4man.LOG - D4man's update history log. ORDER.FRM - Order form for registering your copy. Please include the completed order form with your order. ALLSYS.SYX - Sample D4 "System (All)" file in MIDIEX format. DRUMST??.SYX - Sample D4 "Single Drumset" file(s) in MIDIEX format. TRIGGERS.SYX - Sample D4 "12 Trigger Setup" file in MIDIEX format. PROGMAP.SYX - Sample D4 "Program Change Map" file in MIDIEX format. INTRODUCTION ------------ The Alesis D4 Drum Module is the latest in the line of popular Alesis drum machines. It offers over 500 sounds in the space of a single- height 19" rack-mount unit, with an incredibly low price tag. Although its number of sounds and its size are advantageous, they present a problem as far as managing and configuring the unit - so many options, but only one two-line LCD to program it with! With this in mind, Zorch brotherz software has developed D4man, the D4 Manager program that runs on your IBM PC or compatible, allowing you to edit all D4 parameters while taking advantage of the PC's screen and disk storage capabilities. We are now making the D4man program available to D4 users at a reasonably-priced shareware registration fee (please see order form). This one-time fee will also include free tech support and upgrades as required. Upgrades will be made available to registered users for the cost of shipping and handling. And now a commercial from our sponsor: ********************************************************************* This manual and the software it pertains to are distributed as shareware, (C) Copyright 1992, by Bret Costin and Zorch brotherz software. The unregistered version of this material may be copied and distributed freely, provided the following conditions are met: - Any copying or distribution must be done free-of-charge. - The D4man program, this manual, and any data or utility files included in this package must be distributed together and unaltered. - If you do decide to keep a copy of this material for your own use, please register your copy so that we can keep you posted on upgrades. Your registration and money will help us to continue supporting our products and make them available to users at a reasonable price. If you find D4man useful, please distribute it to your favorite local MIDI and/or Music BBS. As with any software package, the more users there are, the better environment for exchanging configurations and ideas! Thank you in advance for supporting the shareware concept. ********************************************************************* HOW TO REGISTER --------------- It's easy to register D4man, and there are several benefits if you do. Just fill out the order form that came zipped with the unregistered version of D4man (file name is ORDER.FRM), complete the form, and send with check or money order to the address in ORDER.FRM. (It is important that you fill out the form so that we may note your address, configuration, media preference, etc. for future upgrades and technical support.) Also, be sure to make the check or money order out to Bret Costin. Finally, once you become a registered user, you have access to the D4man Registered Users' Area of our support Bulletin Board System. This allows you to download your registered version immediately (well, ok, allow at least 24 hours) after your order form and payment arrive! Whether or not you download the registered version from the BBS, please allow two weeks for your D4man disk to arrive in the mail. Future upgrades will be available via the BBS and by mail. Upgrades by mail will be available for a shipping/handling charge of $5.00 (USA) per upgrade. This rate may increase as the price of US Mail service increases. In addition, if you live outside of the USA, there may be an additional shipping charge. Well, now that we've got the obligatory text out of the way, let's roll up our sleeves (some musician's still prefer them) and get down to business! WHAT D4man CAN DO (AND CAN'T DO) -------------------------------- The D4man program is currently a D4 Librarian and Editor that allows an Alesis D4 user to configure the D4 and store/recall its configurations from disk. D4man, in quick summary, allows a user to: - Define individual drumsets and modify all drumset parameters. - Setup all parameters associated with each trigger input. - Audition individual sounds or entire drumsets via computer keyboard and mouse. - Setup an entire D4 "system" configuration, including all drumsets, triggers, program change table, footswitch modes, etc. - Modify the 128 Program Change Table locations. - Store and retrieve all data to/from disk media, using a widely accepted and supported (by both commercial and shareware programs) file format, MIDIEX (a.k.a., Sysex, System Exclusive, or Cakewalk System Exclusive). - Operate the D4 via a programmable MIDI Patch Bay. The D4man program is available in two versions, the "registered" and the "unregistered" version. Both operate in the same fashion with a few exceptions: - The unregistered version displays an invocation message that informs the user that the program is unregistered. - The unregistered version's Zorch pull-down menu displays "How To Register" information. - The unregistered version does not allow data to be stored to disk. It does allow data to be loaded from disk. Samples of all file formats are provided so that you may operate D4man and test file compatibility with other products. - The unregistered version displays an exit message that gives information regarding registration. The unregistered version contains no hidden "time bombs". It does not automatically exit after a given session time, nor does it self- destruct after a given time period. If either occurs with your version, please note your setup and notify Zorch brotherz software. This software has been tested on several different brands and configurations of computers and MIDI interfaces. If D4man does not operate correctly on your machine, notify us and we will attempt to remedy the situation. Also, if there's a feature you'd like to see, we're open to suggestions - many of the powerful features of our Zorch brotherz software products are the result of registered users' and unregistered evaluators' suggestions. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS --------------------- To take advantage of all D4man program features, you should have the following hardware: - Alesis D4, with internal software revision 1.02 or later, - IBM PC or compatible computer (this includes the Yamaha C1 Music Computer), with at least 512k of RAM, - DOS 2.0 (MS-DOS 3.31 or later preferred) operating system, - A MIDI interface that is Roland MPU-401 compatible (this includes Voyetra's, Music Quest's, and CMS lines of MPU compatibles, as well as Micro Channel Architecture versions of the MPU). IRQ is not critical as D4man utilizes the MPU's UART, or "dumb" mode, OR A Yamaha C1 MIDI interface (connected to first IN port and first OUT port only), - CGA or better video card and monitor, - An optional Microsoft, Logitech, Genius, or compatible mouse or trackball with its software driver installed. You should have at least 256k of RAM available to run D4man. Shelling to DOS from inside the program may require even more memory. The DOS CHKDSK.COM program displays the number of free bytes in your machine, as does DOS 5.0's MEM.EXE command. For more information on determining available memory, please consult your DOS manual. Most IBM PC-compatible video cards are supported - D4man currently operates in 80-column, color text mode. D4man will run with or without a mouse and/or MIDI interface. Without a MIDI interface, don't expect to hear any sound except the hi-tech BEEP! of the PC speaker. When no MIDI interface is installed, it is best to setup D4man with the MIDI interface disabled (see D4man Setup section), or to invoke D4man with the "no midi" command line switch set. INSTALLING AND RUNNING D4man ---------------------------- D4man's installation is simple. First back-up your copy to another floppy disk, then just copy the D4MAN.EXE and other files to the disk and directory you would like D4man to run from. Then change to that disk/directory (or include its directory specification in your DOS PATH statement) and start D4man. The first time you start D4man, you may have to specify one or more of the D4man command switches: -base=AAAh Set I/O base address if using MPU-401 compatible interface. AAA specifies the hexadecimal I/O base address of the MPU card installed in your system. -c=XX Set MIDI channel. D4man automatically sets its internal MIDI channel to the value specified by XX (acceptable values: 1 through 16). Note that once D4man is running, you can also set the MIDI channel via pull-down menu or D4man Setup Screen. -c1 Executing on a Yamaha C1 computer. "C1 mode" may also be configured from the D4man Setup window. -n No MIDI interface. Setting this switch allows you to run D4man, edit all D4 parameters locally on the PC, and store files to disk without actually having a MIDI interface physically residing in the system or a D4 attached. -q=FFFF Quickload. D4man will automatically load the filename specified by FFFF, transmit it to your D4 via MIDI, then immediately exit. Quickloading is handy for loading banks from the DOS prompt or from within batch files and is especially useful in live performance applications as it acts like a MIDI "data disk". Here's a few examples of switch usage (by the way, instead of using a '-' at the beginning of a switch, you can alternately use a forward slash character '/'): D4man -n <Enter> The user's PC has no MIDI interface. D4man -c=13 -c1 <Enter> The user's D4 is on MIDI channel 13 and the computer being used is a Yamaha C1. D4man -c=8 -q=c:\d4\sys.all <Enter> The user is quickloading file SYS.ALL from directory C:\D4 to a D4 on MIDI channel 8. D4man -base=230h <Enter> The user has an MPU- compatible MIDI card installed at I/O base address 230h. After entering the command line, if the quickload switch has been set, the program name, version number, and copyright notice will appear. Then the file will load to the D4. Immediately after the file has loaded, the program will return to the DOS prompt. If the quickload switch has NOT been set on the command line, the program name, version number, copyright notice, and Zorch brotherz logo will appear. If you are running an unregistered copy, that fact will also be displayed. Strike any key to continue. The screen should clear and the main program screen will immediately appear. If you have D4man's MIDI Patch Bay feature enabled (see D4man Setup section), D4man will now switch your Patch Bay over to your predefined setup. Once in the program, if it is the first time you have run D4man (or no D4man.CFG file exists in the same directory as D4MAN.EXE) the program will prompt you with the Setup Window. Set D4man's parameters to match your system (see D4man Setup section), and press <Esc> to return to D4man's main screen. Also, if D4MAN.INI exists in the D4man directory (and it should!), D4man will load in the default drumsets and setup. By the way, the file D4MAN.INI may be modified to your own tastes (See D4MAN.INI Section). USING THE INTERACTIVE MENU SYSTEM --------------------------------- D4man implements an interactive pull-down menu system similar to many of today's commercial products. The menu system makes the tasks associated with the D4man program simpler and more intuitive. Menus may be operated by either a mouse or the computer's keyboard. Hot- keys are implemented that allow the user to execute D4man functions via single keystrokes (typically function keys). To select a menu via mouse, position the mouse cursor (a red rectangle) on the top menu bar and hold down a mouse button. If the cursor is on one of the top line menu fields, a pull-down menu will appear and remain until all mouse buttons have been released. To select a pull-down menu item, while pressing the mouse button, "drag" the mouse cursor over the pull-down fields. As the cursor passes over each field, it highlights that particular field. To run a routine associated with a field, release the mouse button(s) as the mouse cursor selects the field. If you don't want to run any of the routines on that pull-down menu, merely move the mouse cursor outside of the pull-down menu and release the mouse button(s). Various pop-up windows will allow selection via single and double clicks. Just place the mouse cursor over the selected field and click once or twice. When in Full-Screen Edit Mode, parameters are highlighted by mouse clicking, and selected for edit by mouse double- clicking. To select a menu via keyboard, hold down the <Alt> key and press the highlighted (black) letter of the top line menu topic you would like to pull-down. Once the pull-down menu appears, the menu's fields may be highlighted by using the keyboard's cursor keys, <Home>, and <End> keys. To run a routine from the pull-down, highlight the desired field and press the <Enter> key. To abort a pull-down menu, press <Esc>. Notice that many of the functions displayed in the pull-down menus have a function or control key "hot key" associated with them. These designated "hot keys" allow the user to execute functions with one keystroke. For example, to quit the D4man program, press <F10>. Adios. BROWSING THE MAIN (OR "CURRENT DRUMSET") DISPLAY ------------------------------------------------ Users may browse around the main screen and edit the various parameters of the currently selected drumset. Supporting both the mouse and the keyboard, D4man provides multiple methods for operating the display. There are several ways to select a parameter. A parameter may be selected by moving the blue bar cursor via the computer's cursor, <Home>, and <End> keys until the desired field is highlighted. Mouse users, on the other hand, may merely click on the desired field to highlight it. Once highlighted, a parameter may be selected for edit by pressing <Enter> (mouse users may double-click on the parameter field). The blue cursor will change to red - this indicates that you are editing the current parameter. To change the parameter value, use the up/down cursor keys to increment/decrement the value. To change the value in larger increments, use the PgUp/PgDn keys. Maximum and minimum values may be set by pressing the <Home> and <End> keys, respectively. Once you have completed setting a parameter, you have a choice of saving the current value, or cancelling and returning the value to its original value (setting before you edited it). To save the edited value, press <Enter>, to cancel press <Esc>. Mouse users may select a parameter for editing by double-clicking the desired parameter's field. Once the cursor turns red, a mouse user may edit the selected parameter using the keyboard as described in the above paragraph. Mouse users also have the added advantage of incrementing and decrementing the selected parameter by pressing a mouse button and moving the mouse in the vertical axis. While pressing the left button, the parameter is incremented or decremented by 1; while pressing the right button, the parameter is incremented or decremented by larger increments (the larger increment's size is dependent on the parameter). To save the edited value, double-click the mouse or press <Enter>. To cancel, press <Esc>. A D4 drumset is assigned across a 60-note window. Because D4man displays only 18 note assignments at a time, there are two ways to pan up and down the 60-note D4 window. One way is via the cursor, <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, and <PgDn> keys, the other is via mouse. A mouse click on the top and bottom keys of the keyboard display will pan you up or down a page, respectively. Also, the D4 sounds may be triggered from the computer keyboard, as well as via mouse. Keyboard keys '1' through '0' (left to right across the keyboard) will trigger the drums assigned to your D4 triggers 1 through 10, while the '-' key will trigger drum trigger 11 and the '=' key will trigger drum trigger 12. Mouse users may press click on the displayed keyboard to test sound assignments. Holding the button down will continually trigger the D4 note selected on the D4man display. Experiment in the drumset display - there are lots of thrill-packed features. You can't hurt anything if you don't write to disk or D4, so practice freely. Now let's go over the various pull-down menus that are accessible from the top line menu. FILE Menu --------- The File menu allows the user to load various types of files from disk, save data to disk files, configure D4man, shell to DOS, and quit the program. FILE - Load (F1) ----------------- The File Load function allows the user to load data files into the computer's memory. Once Load is selected via mouse, <Enter> key, or the <F1> key, a directory window pops up allowing the user to select a specific file to load. (Note that you may scroll to the top of the directory window and change disks and directories freely.) A file may be selected via double mouse click, clicking the LOAD button, or by pressing the Enter key. To exit the Load function without loading a file, press the <Esc> key or click on the CANCEL button. After selecting a file to load, D4man will display the file name and file type, then ask you if you would like to load the file. Mouse users should click on LOAD to load the file, CANCEL to cancel the load. Keyboard users should press the <L> or <Enter> key to load, the <C> or <Esc> key to cancel the load. FILE - Save (F2) ----------------- The File Save function allows the user to store specific D4 information to the computer's disk as a MIDIEX format file. When prompted for a file name, the user must enter a filename that conforms to DOS conventions. During entry, the user may edit that name via the cursor, <Ins>, <Del>, backspace, <Home>, <End>, and alphanumeric keys. To exit the File Save function without storing the bank to disk, either click on the CANCEL button or press the <Esc> key. Once the output filename has been specified, D4man prompts the user for the type of file to save. The user has 4 options: - Single Drumset (Current). Save the currently selected drumset as the specified filename. - Program Change Map. Save the current Program Change Map as the specified filename. - Trigger Setup. Save the current setup for all 12 trigger inputs as the specified filename. - System All. Save the state of the entire D4 as the specified filename. This is the same format as the D4's built-in MIDI "System (All)" function. The mouse user selects one of the file types by double-clicking the appropriate field, or by highlighting the field and clicking on the SAVE button. The keyboard user selects a file type via the cursor keys and presses the <Enter> or <S> key. Please note that the unregistered version of D4man does not actually store the files to disk. FILE - Setup D4man (Ctrl-F1) ----------------------------- The Setup D4man function is used to configure your copy of D4man to match your system. Parameters set in the Setup window take effect immediately after exiting Setup and also become default values each time you start D4man. Once the Setup window pops up, keyboard users may highlight parameters via the cursor keys. Once highlighted, a parameter may be selected for edit by pressing the <Enter> key. Mouse users may highlight a parameter by clicking on it, then select for edit by double-clicking on it. Once selected, the parameter may be edited via the cursor, <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, and <PgDn> keys. To exit the edit, press <Enter> again to save the value, or press <Esc> to restore the value to its state before you began editing it. The Setup window is exited via the <Esc> key or a mouse click on the "window close" icon (a small yellow square) in the upper left-hand corner of the Setup window. Setup allows the user to set the following parameters: MIDI Port - Enable/Disable D4man's use of the MIDI port, and if enabled, select the type of MIDI interface installed in your system. Set to "Not Installed" if you have no actual MIDI interface installed. MIDI Channel - If MIDI Port is enabled, then this is the MIDI channel that D4man will use to communicate with your D4. Your D4 must also be set to this channel or set to "omni" mode for successful communication. File Path - This is the disk and directory where you usually keep your D4 data files. D4man will automatically change to this path when the program is first invoked. Mouse Resolution - This is the mickey resolution of the mouse while modifying a selected parameter via mouse. The higher the resolution, the further you will have to move the mouse in order to modify that selected parameter. Patch Bay Support - Enable/Disable D4man's MIDI Patch Bay support. When enabled, your patch bay will be sent a predefined message at program startup, and another predefined message at program exit. Patch Bay Channel - If MIDI Patch Bay is enabled, then this is the MIDI channel that D4man will use to communicate with your Patch Bay. Patch Bay Entry - If MIDI Patch Bay is enabled, this is the byte value transmitted to it when D4man is first invoked. Patch Bay Exit - If MIDI Patch Bay is enabled, this is the byte value transmitted to it when D4man is exited. Exiting the Setup function will store your configuration to a D4MAN.CFG file. Once a D4MAN.CFG file has been created, it is automatically loaded each time D4man is started - that way you don't have to specify your command line switch(es) every time you run D4man. You may also change D4man's setup in any session via the Setup function under the Files Menu (see D4man Setup section). Note that even once a D4MAN.CFG file has been created, you may still override your default setup by using command line switches. FILE - Dos Shell ---------------- The DOS Shell function temporarily suspends execution of the D4man program and allows command entry from the DOS prompt. When ready to return to D4man, enter "exit" at the DOS prompt. FILE - Quit (F10) ------------------ The Quit function causes the D4man program to terminate and return to DOS. When Quit is selected, D4man will pop-up and indicate which of the 6 banks have been saved to disk and which haven't. You are given a choice whether to Cancel (go back to D4man) or to Exit (exit program and return to DOS). EDIT Menu --------- The Edit Menu allows the user to modify the Footswitch Setup, Program Change Map, Trigger Setup, current Drumset Name, and the current drumset's Root Note. EDIT - Footswitch Setup (F3) ----------------------------- The Footswitch Setup function enables the user to set the Footswitch Mode (as either Hi-Hat or Drumset Advance mode), and the Footswitch Close and Footswitch Open note assignments. The footswitch setup is shared amongst all 21 loaded drumsets. Please note that Footswitch Close and Footswitch Open note assignments are only valid if the Footswitch Mode is currently set to "Hi-Hat." Exit from this pop-up is performed by pressing the <Esc> key, or by clicking on the "close" icon in the top left corner of the pop-up window. Mouse users may optionally double-click their way out of the pop-up. EDIT - Program Change Map (F4) ------------------------------- The Program Change Map function allows modification of the D4's program change assignments. Each MIDI program change number (numbered 0 through 127) is assigned to one of the D4's 21 drumsets (numbered 0 through 20). Each assignment pair is displayed in column order with the program change number on the lefthand side of the colon, and the drumset assignment on the righthand side of the colon. Exit from this pop-up is performed by pressing the <Esc> key, or by clicking on the "close" icon in the top left corner of the pop-up window. Mouse users may also double-click their way out of the pop- up window. Be aware that program change numbers vary amongst manufacturers. Some manufacturers' MIDI devices may implement program numbers starting with 1 instead of 0. You may adjust for this by either modifying the D4 program change map, or changing the setting of the MIDI device that is transmitting the program change message to the D4. For example, if you are running a sequencer that automatically sets the program number of the D4 before starting the sequence, just adjust the program number setting in your sequencer. EDIT - Trigger Setup (F5) -------------------------- The Trigger Setup pop-up window is used to set the parameters of the D4's 12 trigger inputs. These trigger parameters include MIDI Note Assignment, Gain, Velocity Curve, Cross-talk, Decay, and Noise Floor. Each parameter may be selected and modified in a manner similar to the D4man main screen. Please be aware of the fact that when a trigger's velocity curve parameter is set to 0, the trigger is effectively disabled and may not be assigned to a MIDI note. Also note that the Note Assignment in the Trigger Setup is actually relative to the Root Note of the currently selected drumset. As you select different drumsets that have different Root Notes, you will notice that the Trigger Setup's MIDI Note Assignments change along with them. This is not a D4man anomoly - it concurs with the D4's design. Exit from this pop-up is performed by pressing the <Esc> key, or by clicking on the "close" icon in the top left corner of the pop-up window. EDIT - Drumset Name (F6) ------------------------- The Drumset Name function allows the user to edit the name of the currently selected drumset. Once this function is selected, the drumset name field on the bottom lefthand corner of the screen is highlighted and D4man allows the user to edit the current voice name via the cursor, backspace, <Ins>, <Del>, <Home>, <End>, and alphanumeric keys. A shortcut to this function exists for mouse users - instead of having to select <F7>, a mouse user may double- click on the drumset name field in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen. EDIT - Drumset Root Note (F7) ------------------------------ This function sets the Root Note for the current drumset. Each drumset maintains its own root note, ranging from MIDI note #0 (note C-2) to #67 (note G3). Use the cursor, <PgUp>, and <PgDn> keys to increment and decrement the root note. Exit from this pop-up is performed by pressing the <Esc> key. (Mouse users may optionally exit by double-clicking either mouse button). Mouse users may also select the root note for edit by double-clicking on the topmost displayed note number in the current drumset window. The effect of this shortcut will be the same as pressing the <F8> key. Then to set the Root Note via mouse, hold the left mouse button down and move the mouse in the vertical axis. For larger steps, push the right button instead of the left one. MIDI Menu --------- The MIDI menu allows the user to reset the MIDI interface, transmit data to the D4, and receive data from the D4. D4man's MIDI channel is set via D4man's Setup Screen (See FILE - Setup D4man section). MIDI - Reset MIDI Interface --------------------------- The Reset MIDI Interface function resets and initializes the MIDI interface to the proper mode of operation. This function should not be required unless some external event on the MIDI bus (beyond D4man's control) hangs up the MIDI interface. For example, a user might shell to DOS and run an ill-behaved MIDI program. Upon return to D4man, the MIDI interface is locked-up. In such a case, the user may reset the MIDI interface via the Reset MIDI function. MIDI - Read D4 Drumset (F8) ---------------------------- This function reads a D4 drumset via MIDI and stores the information in the currently-selected D4man drumset. After selecting the Read D4 Drumset function, the user must specify the D4 drumset number to read. Then, once the user indicates that it's OK to transfer the drumset information, the transfer is automatic. This function reads data to the D4man current drumset, but does not store the information to disk - if you desire to save this data to disk, it must be saved afterwards via the File Save function. If you have problems transferring data from the D4 to the computer, make sure the D4man MIDI channel matches the unit's MIDI channel and the unit's MIDI In and MIDI Out cables are connected properly. MIDI - Read D4 All (Ctrl-F8) ----------------------------- This function reads all D4 data that is included in a D4 System (All) dump. This data includes all 12 trigger setups, program change table, all 21 internal drumsets, footswitch setup, and system data such as MIDI channel, omni on/off, and currently selected drumset. This function reads the D4, but does not store the information to disk - if you desire to save this data to disk, it must be saved afterwards via the File Save function. If you have problems transferring data from the D4 to the computer, make sure the D4man MIDI channel matches the unit's MIDI channel and the unit's MIDI In and MIDI Out cables are connected properly. MIDI - Write D4 Drumset (F9) ----------------------------- This function writes the information from the currently-selected D4man drumset to a specified internal drumset on the D4 via MIDI. The term "internal drumset" refers to a drumset location, 0 through 20. The storage is similar to storing a drumset from the D4 front panel - once stored, the D4 "remembers" the drumset even if you select another drumset number. Remember that you can always restore the factory drumsets via the D4 front panel. If you have problems transferring data from the computer to the D4, make sure the D4man MIDI channel matches the unit's MIDI channel and the unit's MIDI In and cable is properly connected to the computer's MIDI Out. MIDI - Write D4 All (Ctrl-F9) ------------------------------ This function writes all D4 data that is included in a D4 System (All) dump. This data includes all 12 trigger setups, program change table, all 21 internal drumsets, footswitch setup, and system data such as MIDI channel, omni on/off, and currently selected drumset. If you have problems transferring data from the computer to the D4, make sure the D4man MIDI channel matches the unit's MIDI channel and the unit's MIDI In and cable is properly connected to the computer's MIDI Out. ZORCH Menu ---------- The Zorch menu displays information about the program itself. The unregistered version of D4man displays information on how to register your copy of the program. QUITTING D4man -------------- To quit the D4man program, select the Quit function under the Files menu, or type <F10> from the keyboard. D4man will ask you whether you would like to exit the program, or cancel and return to the program. Press <X> to exit, <C> to cancel. Mouse users may press the mouse on either the EXIT or CANCEL buttons. If you decide to exit the program, you will be automatically returned to the DOS directory that you entered D4man from. MIDI PATCH BAY SUPPORT ---------------------- D4man provides support to MIDI Patch Bays that are MIDI-controllable via MIDI "Program Change" messages. D4man does this by sending specific program change numbers to your MIDI patch bay on your patch bay's MIDI channel. A program change number must be specified for entry into the D4man program, and another must be specified for exit from D4man. The "entry" value will set your patch bay so that your D4 Midi In and Midi Out ports will be routed to your computer's MIDI interface. The "exit" value will return your patch bay to your default setting. Also, you must specify your patch bay's MIDI channel (this should be a different channel than your D4 is on!). "Entry" and "Exit" patch numbers, and patch bay MIDI channel are application-specific and vary from user to user. In order to configure D4man for your patch bay setup, enter D4man Setup, enable patch bay support, set the MIDI channel of your patch bay, and then set the "entry" and "exit" values for your specific system. FILE FORMATS ------------ Four different file formats are supported by D4man at this time, all of which contain one or more consecutive MIDIEX message(s). The file formats are identical to those output by the D4 when manually running a Sysex Backup from the D4's fifth MIDI page. This means that data dumped directly to disk from the D4 may also be loaded by D4man, and vice-versa. Here are the 4 supported formats: Single Drumset - Same format as D4's "Edit Buffer" format. Data includes drumset name, footswitch closing and holding notes, trigger note assignments, and volume, pan, output, bank, voice, tune, and group assign information. Program Change Map - Same format as D4's "Program Table" format. Data includes all 128 Program Change assignments. Trigger Setup - Same format as D4's "Trigger Setup" format. Data includes gain, velocity curve, cross- talk, noise floor, and decay settings for all 12 trigger inputs. System (All) - Same format as D4's "System (All)" format. Data includes 25 consecutive MIDIEX messages: the Program Change Table, Trigger Setup, Edit Buffer, 21 Single Drumsets, and the System Info message. MIDIEX format files may be used with other popular shareware programs such as SYSX.EXE (any version) or MIDIEX.EXE (we suggest version 1.9 or later), or with commercial products such as the Cakewalk sequencer. When a MIDIEX file is loaded by the D4man program, the MIDI channel embedded in the MIDIEX file is replaced by D4man's current MIDI channel setting. In the same manner, MIDIEX files stored by D4man will have the same MIDI channel as D4man's current setting. D4MAN.INI File -------------- The D4MAN.INI file contains D4 information that will be loaded automatically every time you start D4man. Included in this information is data for all 21 drumsets, the trigger setup, the program change map setup, the footswitch setup, and all D4 system parameters. The D4MAN.INI file is actually a MIDIEX file in the same format as the D4's "System (All)" format (also same as D4man's "System (All)" format). Therefore, you may replace D4MAN.INI with your own file by just renaming and copying your file to the same disk directory as D4MAN.EXE and D4MAN.CFG. Just be sure that the file is the proper format! We recommend that you keep a copy of the original D4MAN.INI as a safety precaution. The original D4MAN.INI file matches the actual Alesis factory configuration. HOT KEY REFERENCE ----------------- F1 = Load File Ctrl-F1 = Setup D4man F2 = Save File F3 = Footswitch Setup F4 = Program Change Map F5 = Trigger Setup F6 = Drumset Name F7 = Drumset Root Note F8 = Read D4 Drumset Ctrl-F8 = Read D4 All F9 = Write D4 Drumset Ctrl-F9 = Write D4 All F10 = Quit Program FUTURE UPGRADES --------------- Key Midiator interface support. MORE INFO --------- A great deal of time and effort went into developing and testing D4man. If you experience problems with D4man, please note the symptoms and contact us. We'll do our best to rectify the situation. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about D4man or other Zorch brotherz products, we will be glad to receive and/or answer them. We may be contacted by mail at: Bret Costin c/o Zorch brotherz software 3475 Rolling Trail Palm Harbor, FL 34684 or leave us a message at one of these Bulletin Board Systems: - The Gulf Coast MIDI Users' Group BBS (Sponsored by Zorch brotherz software), (813) 789-5880 (To: Bret Costin), - Compuserve Mail [70474,3534] (To: Bret Costin), - The MIDILINK Musicians' Network, (708) 949-MIDI, Main Board or IBM Conference, (To: Bret Costin). The Gulf Coast MIDI Users' Group BBS is sponsored by Zorch brotherz software and is loaded with additional Zorch products and public domain demos, patches, samples, and sequences, as well as messaging to MIDILINK, the premiere Musician's Network.