Alesis QS8 split

bbdancer

New member
Just getting started with an Alesis QS8. I TRIED to read the manual.... Can anyone tell me how to set up a keyboard split? Manual discusses setting the low and high range. I can do this for one voice at a time. How do I do it for another and then add the two together? ie bass guitar on low keys, organ on higher keys.
 
Here are the main things you have to setup in order to split the keyboard. There are many more settings and possibilities than I have listed here, but these steps should get you started.

Some things to note first,
On the right side of the console are two rows of buttons.
Above the top row of buttons and below the bottom row of buttons are descriptions indicating each button’s alternate function. The functions you need correspond to MIX.

1) Begin by selecting MIX mode (under the Play Mode functions at right of LCD display)
2) Use the Bank and Value buttons to select the USER bank, Program 00 (Multitmbral)
3) Press the Page button until you see CH1 in the display (top left)
4) Set the Program you want to use for this channel. For this example use button 40 (Sharpstick bass)
5) Press the Edit Select button
6) Select Channel 1 (lower row, button 0)
7) Press Level (top row, button 60). If the display reads “Program Enable: OFF”, use the Value buttons to toggle it to ON.
8) Press Keyboard (top button 90). Similarly, set to ON

Next is where you set up the split for this channel
9) Press Range (110)
10) Set the Low Limit for channel 1 (bass for this example) by holding 110 and pressing
the lowest note you want the use on the bass range. For this example use your keyboards lowest key
11) Press the page button to display the Hi Limit. Use the same procedure to set the top of the range. For this example set it to B below middle C

Now you have the bass setup

Press MIX to get you back to the top

To setup the Organ,

Repeat steps 3 through 11 for CH2 except set the program to 20 (Organ) in step 4 and,
for steps 8 and 9, set the Lo Limit to middle C and the Hi Limit to your highest note.

****Do not exit the MIX mode at any time during this procedure as you will lose all your changes and have to start over****

The Multitmbrl mix is kind of a mix scratch pad so don’t hesitate to save the new settings there, you can always change them again.
 
I tried but failed!

Thanks for you help with this, but I could not get it to work.

Step 3 - I have no display in upper left but I do have the channel selections on the lower left, so I hoped this was the CH1 you were talking about.

When I finished, the only thing that happened is that the mix was the last instrument I selected. Even though the display showed all the correct setting - hi and low notes, it played the same instrument on the whole keyboard. I also tried changing the second instrument to CH2 but that did not help.
 
It's possible that my QS is an older model than your (mine is ~1999 - 2000) so the displays may be different. I've attached a pictures of mine below showing the CH1 indicator referenced in step 3 and the button layout.

But even if yours is newer, I don't think this procedure would have changed too much. The bass program will go on Ch1 and the Organ will go on CH2. It sounds like you may be overwriting the bass program when you setup the organ

In generic terms;

1)Enter mix mode
2)select a User mix
3)Edit Ch1 program low and hi limit to low range of keys

4)***test here to see if you have the low range working before setting the high range. Regardless of what you have mapped to CH2, the low keys should only indicate MIDI activity on the display for CH1***

5)Edit Ch2 program low and hi limit to high range of keys
6) save mix
 

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Success!!!

My keyboard is the same, with the exception of the display. It is slightly different. However, with your tutelage, I was pointed in the right direction. I actually got it to work! I was not careful enough with the channel assignments before.

Thanks so much!
 
My keyboard is the same, with the exception of the display. It is slightly different. However, with your tutelage, I was pointed in the right direction. I actually got it to work! I was not careful enough with the channel assignments before.

Thanks so much!

Excellent, now with some adjustments you can split the keyboard in just about any way you want.

Good luck
Erich
 
Great info. Alesis describes this procedure very poorly in the manual.

I do do require a bit of help tho with my Alesis Q 6.1.
I have had no luck splitting Woody Xylo (Program 14) and ArtSolean2 (Vintage Keyboard Q Card, Program 105) at C4.
Have assigned Woody Xylo to CH 1 and made the lo/hi split C1-B3. This works fine.
Problem is assigning ArtSolean2 to Ch 2. I get no sound for ArtSolean2 for C4-C6. Is it not possible to assign a program from a Q card?
I have tried assigning Tron Mood (Program 56) to Ch 2 as a substitute for ArtSolean2 without success.
Have followed ErichS procedure step by step.

I am no Bob Moog..would surely appreciate any redirection
 
Dano - I have the vintage keys card so I gave this a try and it does work with the card.

Do you get any sound at all on Ch2 when using the qcard? If not, make sure the program enable (step 7) and keyboard (step 8) are set to "on" for both channels as each setting is channel specific.
 
EUREKA!! The Keyboard has been split.

Another success. Channel 2 was in the Keyboard off mode. Many thanks for making the effort to help me out. My bandmates will be happy with this quasi Psychedelic Furs sample. Happy Holidays.

Dano
 
Good deal. It's a shame that Alesis didn't do a better job documenting/explaining these (and many other) features on these boards. I had mine for several years before I started to figure out some of this stuf.

Happy Holidays to you too
 
Thank you so much for these instructions! I have a QS6.2 and a QSR and was able to apply the instructions to both, with a little modification. It took me FOREVER to find out how to split the keyboard on the QS6.2, the QSR was slightly easier due to less buttons.
 
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