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REFERENCE
MANUAL
Spring 1999
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Your shipping carton should contain the following items: 1. DG8 piano 2. Sustain pedal 3. Music stand 4. AC power cable 5. Warranty Registration card 6. Reference Manual 7. QuickStart Guide If anything is missing, please contact your dealer or Alesis immediately. Optional accessories available from your Alesis reseller: Alesis GS-1 Digital Piano stand w/3-pedal assembly for sustain, sostenuto and soft pedal functions TM Alesis QCard sound-expansion card library NOTE: Completing and returning th
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Contents CONTENTS Alesis Contact Information ..........................................................................4 Important Safety Instructions......................................................................7 Instructions de Sécurité Importantes (French)...........................................................................9 Beim Benutzen dieses Produktes beachten Sie bitte die folgenden Sicherheitshinweise: (German)...............................................................
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Contents MIDI Functions............................................................................................53 MIDI Basics .......................................................................................................................................53 MIDI Hardware................................................................................................................................54 MIDI Messages...........................................................................
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Important Safety Instructions IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS SAFETY SYMBOLS USED IN THIS PRODUCT This symbol alerts the user that there are important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying this unit. This symbol warns the user of uninsulated voltage within the unit that can cause dangerous electric shocks. PLEASE FOLLOW THESE PRECAUTIONS WHEN USING THIS PRODUCT: 1. Read these instructions. 2. Keep these instructions. 3. Heed all warnings. 4. Follow all instructions.
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Important Safety Instructions 12. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The product may fall, causing serious personal injury and serious damage to the product. Use only with cart, stand, or table recommended by the manufacturer or sold with the product. The combination of the product and stand should be moved carefully. Quick movements, excessive force on uneven surfaces may overturn the combination which may damage the product and stand combination. Follow the manufac
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Important Safety Instructions INSTRUCTIONS DE SÉCURITÉ IMPORTANTES (FRENCH) SYMBOLES UTILISÉS DANS CE PRODUIT Ce symbole alèrte l’utilisateur qu’il existe des instructions de fonctionnement et de maintenance dans la documentation jointe avec ce produit. Ce symbole avertit l’utilisateur de la présence d’une tension non isolée à l’intérieur de l’appareil pouvant engendrer des chocs électriques. VEUILLEZ SUIVRE CES PRÉCAUTIONS LORS DE L’UTILISATION DE L’APPAREIL: 1. Lisez ces instructions. 2. Garde
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Important Safety Instructions 14. Faites réparer par un personnel qualifié. Une réparation est nécessaire lorsque l’appareil a été endommagé de quelque sorte que ce soit, par exemple losrque le cordon secteur ou la prise sont endommagés, si du liquide a coulé ou des objets se sont introduits dans l’appareil, si celui-ci a été exposé à la pluie ou à l’humidité, ne fonctionne pas normalement ou est tombé. 15. Cet appareil produit de la chaleur en fonctionnement normal. 16. Ce produit, utilisé avec
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Important Safety Instructions BEIM BENUTZEN DIESES PRODUKTES BEACHTEN SIE BITTE DIE FOLGENDEN SICHERHEITSHINWEISE: (GERMAN) 1. Lesen Sie die Hinweise. 2. Halten Sie sich an die Anleitung. 3. Beachten Sie alle Warnungen. 4. Beachten Sie alle Hinweise. 5. Bringen Sie das Gerät nie mit Wasser in Berührung. 6. Verwenden Sie zur Reinigung nur ein weiches Tuch. Sprühen Sie keine flüssiger Reiniger auf die Oberfläche, dies könnte zur Beschädigung der Vorderseite führen und auch weitere Schäden verursac
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Important Safety Instructions INSTRUCTIONS TO THE USER This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communicatio
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Important Safety Instructions CE DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Manufacturer’s Name: Alesis Corporation th Manufacturer’s Address: 1633 26 Street Santa Monica, CA 90404 USA declares, that the product: Product Name: DG8 Model Type: Digital Grand Piano conforms to the following Standards: EMC: EN55103: 1997 Class B Safety: EN 60065 European Contact: Sound Technology 17 Letchworth Point, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, SG6 1ND, England. Phone: +44.1462.480000 Fax: +44.1462.480800 June, 1999 DG8 REFERENCE M
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Important Safety Instructions 14 DG8 REFERENCE MANUAL
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Introduction INTRODUCTION In the years since electronic musical instruments made their debut in the early 1970s, the quest for a transportable piano that had the sound and feel of a true acoustic instrument seemed to elude every manufacturer. They tried everything, including a rather ingenious re-design of the grand piano that you could take apart into two pieces when travelling. The trade-off? It was still bulky, rather expensive, and because it had strings (just like a real piano) it needed to
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Introduction TYPOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONS In this manual, we attempt to make the reading as easy as possible by using fonts and symbols that are easy to identify. The following list describes the conventions we use in the manual for special or important information. Slider, button and back panel labels are in SMALL BOLD CAPITALS. Words or phrases that appear in the display are printed using type that resembles the display characters. A new or important term is in italics followed by its definition o
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Chapter 1: Getting Started CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED WHAT YOU’LL NEED The DG8 is a completely self-contained instrument that needs nothing more than a standard AC electrical outlet and a stand to put it on. Before placing the DG8 on a stand, see the topic Set It Up at the bottom of this page for specifics. USING THE DG8 WITH OTHER EQUIPMENT If you plan to use the DG8 with other equipment, such as other MIDI devices, a sound system or in recording environment, you’ll need: 1. Standard MIDI cables
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Chapter 1: Getting Started ATTACHING THE MUSIC STAND The DG8 is shipped with a music stand that attaches easily to the top of the instrument: 1. Remove the music stand from its plastic wrapping and extend the braces away from the front of the stand approximately 5 - 6 inches. The braces swing out from the front of the stand on a pair of hinges. 2. Insert the ends of the braces into the two mounting holes located along the rear edge of the DG8’s top. 3. You can adjust the angle of the stand once
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Chapter 1: Getting Started SETTING UP THE DG8 IN A HOME Placement of your DG8 in the room can have a great effect on its overall tonal balance. Placing the DG8 is like placing loudspeakers in a room – placing the unit right up against a wall will accentuate the bass and if the wall has thick draperies, they will also cut the treble producing a dark, boomy sound. The most accurate sound is usually achieved when the DG8 is placed on an appropriate stand and positioned out and away from highly refl
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Chapter 1: Getting Started THE DG8 IN A MUSIC SYSTEM If you plan to use the DG8 with other MIDI instruments and devices in a music system, you’ll need to integrate it into your system. Here’s a list of items you’re likely to need: 1. standard MIDI cables: refer to the following examples for possible connection schemes. 2. a basic working knowledge of MIDI. If you’re new to all of this, read our brief MIDI tutorial in Chapter 3. 3. two 2-conductor (unbalanced) audio cables if you plan to route th
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Chapter 1: Getting Started As a Slave: If you plan to control the DG8 from another MIDI device, you’ll need a MIDI cable connected to its MIDI IN port. You will also need a MIDI cable connected to the DG8’s MIDI THRU if you plan to pass MIDI data from the master through the DG8 to other MIDI devices in your rig. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to the DG8’s MIDI THRU. Plug the other end of the cable to the MIDI IN of the next device in the system. VALUE EDIT MODE PLAY MODE POWER 64 VOICE EXPANDAB
