Alesis Quadrasynth Plus
| (No photo yet. Please contribute one!) Alesis Quadrasynth + piano keyboard  Alesis Quadrasynth S4+ Module |
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| W × H × D (mm) | 1220 × 115 × 355 (keyboard) 482 × 43 × 150 (module) |
|---|---|
| Rack units | 1U, full width (modules only) |
| Weight | 13.6kg (keyboard) ~2kg (module) |
| Keyboard | 76 keys |
| Manufacturer | Alesis |
| Release date | 1995, 1996 |
| Standards | General MIDI |
| Parts | 16 |
| Max polyphony | 64 |
| Normal presets | Programs: 512 factory, 128 user Mixes: 400 factory, 100 user |
| Effects | Variable, see effects. |
| ← Alesis Quadrasynth | |
| Alesis QS6 → | |
The Quadrasynth Plus refers to an upgrade to the Alesis Quadrasynth released by Alesis in 1995. This documents both the Quadrasynth Plus Piano as well as the Quadrasynth S4 Plus.
Many of the elements from the prior synth remain intact, but the v2.0 upgrade adds a lot of new things, such as an entirely new General MIDI mode, three extra banks of non-editable preset sounds (one of which is a GM-compatible map), adds either 4Mb or 8Mb worth of new waveforms depending on if you're using the module or keyboard respectively, mostly located in their own wave groups[1], expands the effects section to include higher fidelity effects, as well as a new "overdrive" algorithm, new LFO shapes, the ability to change banks via the use of CC#0 (Bank MSB/Bank coarse), support for panning, and more.[2]
The demo tracks have been replaced as well, three new tracks and a shorter version of Bach's Bad Dream is available, albeit it seems to set the pitch bend ranges for the square lead errorenously. It is unknown if these new tracks have any names or who composed them at this time however it is likely the same person who sequenced the original two demo tracks, Stephen Kay.
Effects
Configuration #1 to #4
Effects from the previous iteration are still present, however Configuration #1 and #3 have been changed to lock the third pitch unit into a permanent "resonant" mode, made as a concession for higher quality sounds.[3]. Please see the previous effect listing for more information about the first four configurations.
Configuration #5 - Overdrive > Chorus > Delay > Reverb > Leslie
4 FX sends are available, but only FX1 gets access to the overdrive module, which is introduced with this upgrade. All the modules here are fully editable, and with exception to Overdrive can all be routed to any effect send (but not multiple). Terminates with an equalizer module.
Alesis Quadrasynth Plus Piano
Beyond firmware, the keyboard body has been recoloured from gray to black. It and the module would also include a software called Sound Bridge, which could interface with a PCMCIA card to upload extra samples. Notably, it could load SampleCell formatted files as well.[4][5] These cards could also be used to store extra programs and mixes if desired.
Alesis Quadrasynth S4 Plus
Released in 1996, this is a rackmount version of the Quadrasynth Plus Piano, except it omits the extra piano sounds, for a total of 20 megabits of sample ROM. Software-wise, it is identical in all other respects. The QSPlus bank has been renamed to S4Plus.
The rackmount body itself features a few changes: "EXPANDED ROM - GENERAL MIDI" text can be found below the 8 buttons on the left, a bracket below the PAGE pair of buttons indicate that these can also increment or decrement a value by 10, the VALUE pair of buttons have a similar bracket, but for incrementing or decrementing by 1, and the logo has a fancy "Plus" handwritten on top of the logo.
References
- ↑ Alesis Quadrasynth Plus manual, page 37 - "Overview - Chapter 4".
- ↑ Alesis Quadrasynth S4 Plus manual, pages 135 onwards - "WHAT’S NEW IN THE 2.0 "PLUS" UPGRADE"
- ↑ Alesis Quadrasynth S4 Plus manual, page 145 - "Effect Configurations 1 and 3, Send 3 Pitch"
- ↑ Sound on Sound, November 1995 issue.
- ↑ Alesis Quadrasynth S4 Plus manual, page 10 - "A word about Sound Bridge"