Author Topic: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat  (Read 1653 times)

Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« on: April 06, 2018, 07:20:02 AM »
I acquired an open box Alesis Strike module about a week ago, and am using it with my DM10X kit.  It is such an awesome upgrade!!   I feel like I'm playing on a pro-level kit now.   

I have been a mad man finding sound files on line.   Some free, some I have paid for as my goal is to get my electronic kit sounding as close as possible to my Pearl MMX acoustic kit.   To this point I have everything I need but my hi hat.   I used a 14" New Beat, and managed to locate and purchase the sound files for it.   What I am not having any luck doing is turning those sound files in to a usable hi hat on the Strike Module.  I have read the manual, and watched the Alesis Youtube videos where they say that info will be in another video, but I haven't been able to find that video.  I complete understand using multiple .wav files, the Auto Mapping feature, but just can't seem to understand how to make it work with the instrument creator and the multiple dynamic range settings.  It doesn't appear to match up to actually assigning a bow, edge, and foot sound when you assign voices.    I would greatly appreciate if anyone could help me get this done.   Thanks!

Offline Purpledc

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2018, 11:19:22 AM »
I'm not exactly sure where you are stuck?   Are you still trying to make the actual instrument?  Or do you have the instrument saved and cant find it to load it?   

Basically the way I do it Is I open my USB:F folder and say I want to make a kick drum.  I drop the samples I'm going to make that kick drum sound out of into the folder marked "samples" 

Then in the strike editor you go into "user samples"   hi light that group of samples you want to create the drum from and hit auto map and pick your velocity layers.   

This is where I'm assuming you are confused on where to go next? 

After pressing auto map you should see the center column have a completed sample and show the velocity layers.   I have NO idea why there is more or less information here but it doesn't seem to matter.  Just go up into file and click save.  If its an acoustic instrument save it to your acoustic folder.   It will automatically put it into your acoustic instrument folder in user samples.   Then you just assign it to any pad you want. 

Remember you have to make a separate sample for a bow sound, and a separate sample for the edge.  It wont take that sample and alter it depending on which zone you assign it to.   If you want a separate sound for the bow and edge you will have to create two samples and assign them respectively.

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2018, 09:02:04 PM »
Thanks for the reply!

I understand that, and have done that.  Where I am getting lost is trying to follow the Alesis diagram of Closed, Open, Part Open and the different velocity numbers that go with it.   I can get a closed hi hat sound load, easy.  Not by following the directions to create a hi hat, which are very different that a single instrument, but by following the directions for a single instrument.  I have done that a number of times with no issue.   I can't seem to figure out any way to get the hi hat to play an open sound when the pedal is up, and close it when I press the pedal down.  The velocity levels thing on the hi hat doesn't seem to tie to a particular sound assignment, aka open, bow, edge.   

Offline Purpledc

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2018, 10:22:59 AM »
So wait you are making a hi hat instrument as a "single"?   I don't think you can get proper hi hat response by creating one as a single instrument. 

Now if you are actually creating a hi hat and hi hat pedal instrument combination the issue may be hardware related.   Do you have this issue only with the kits you create or are you having issues with this on stock kits as well?

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2018, 11:18:27 PM »
I know I can’t get proper response as a single instrument.  I don’t have issues with stock kits, so it is obviously user error.  I just can’t figure out how to make it work right. 

Offline Purpledc

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2018, 08:43:01 AM »
but that is exactly what I am saying.  You are trying to make a hi hat as a single instrument.  You wont get proper response as a single.  You need to make a hi hat using only the method for making a hi hat.  If you try to make a hi hat a single its just not going to work.

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2018, 12:28:09 PM »
I think my statement was misinterpreted.  I can get a closed hi hat sound by making it a single instrument,  I know that’s not the way to make a hi hat work.  I am missing something in the directions, or what I perceive (right or wrong) is an incomplete set of directions. 

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2018, 02:16:01 PM »
Let me see if I can make this a bit more clear.   Strike Editor has options when you create a hi hat for Open, up to 3 Semi-Open, and Closed.  Each of these has a velocity range that collectively must fall between 0-127.   Here is where I am getting confused.   In the module, you have the ability to assign sounds to Bow, Edge, and Foot.   I would have a sound or maybe a range of sounds of a particular hi hat I want to program for closed, say 4 samples for the sake of argument.  Then I have 4 different sounds that would work for Semi-Open 1, 4 sounds for Semi-Open 2, 4 sounds for Semi-Open 3, and four sounds for the foot.  I know I am missing something here.   How do I assign say the 4 sounds each for Closed, Semi-Open 3, Semi-Open 2,  Semi-Open 1, and Foot when my only options are Bow, Edge, Foot?  What am I missing?

Offline Purpledc

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2018, 08:36:29 AM »
Even though your only options are for foot, bow and edge   the module knows which sample to play based on your foot controller pressure.   So you make your hi hat cymbal and it has you make a semi open, semi closed and so on.  you want to make sure every sample you want for that position  are used when you auto map. And when you play it uses an algorithm to make sure there is no machine gunning.  And when you are playing the kit it knows which of those samples to play based on your pedal position and the pressure it puts on your control plate.   So you are setting up 3 zones really.  You bow, your edge and your foot but the semi closed and open sounds are actually part of the cymbal sounds and depending on your foot position it will play the corresponding sample.   So if you want a certain 4 sounds for your semi closed 1  make sure all those samples are auto mapped for that before you move on to the next thing.   Or am I still missing what you are asking?  Its not like you are creating 7 zones.  Its just that one of those zones has a lot of samples that only play at certain pedal positions.
« Last Edit: April 22, 2018, 12:49:35 PM by Purpledc »

Re: Alesis Strike - Create New Hi Hat
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2018, 09:38:57 PM »
Purpledc, thank you!   That helped a lot.   I gigged with it last weekend, and am now 90% of the way there.   Just need to take time to do a little more tweaking and I should get it where I want it.