- Select the drum kit<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Record the pattern<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nHow to register the SR-16 and SR-18<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first thing you\u2019ll need to do is register the drum machine with Alesis before you get going. Upon registration, you\u2019ll gain access to software downloads, as well as firmware updates, which you\u2019ll need. Follow these steps to register your SR-18 and SR-16 with Alesis.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n- Log in to your Alesis account<\/a>. If you don\u2019t have one yet, you can create one here<\/a>.<\/li>
- Navigate to the Alesis registration page, use the Product drop box and select the Surge.<\/li>
- Enter the serial number (located on the module packing box, underneath the module, and on the front page of the manual), enter the purchase date on your Sweetwater invoice, and then click Register My Product<\/strong>. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"Alesis](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/09\/Alesis-Surge-Registration-Page-1-254x300.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nClick the image to register your SR-16 or SR-18<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nReturn to top<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSR-16 and SR-18 setup and connections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Setting up and connecting your Alesis SR-16 or SR-18 is straightforward. It has all of the usual connections you\u2019d see in classic drum machines, like Main and Aux outputs, MIDI I\/O, and Footswitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
NOTE: <\/strong>The SR-16 has a Tape in\/out<\/strong><\/a> where the SR-18 has an Instrument input.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n- Turn everything down before connecting your gear. This will reduce the risk of any sudden pops, which can potentially damage your external equipment.<\/li>
- Per Alesis, any momentary non-latching footswitch is compatible with the SR-16 and SR-18.<\/li>
- The Instrument input<\/strong> and Main outs<\/strong> only accept TS connections.<\/li>
- The SR-16 and SR-18 both recognize that when one cable is connected to the output, it\u2019s mono, so it disables any pan settings.<\/li>
- You can change the output of individual instruments (drums, bass, percussion)<\/em>, then connect those to an audio interface to treat them as two separate tracks.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nReturn to top<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nHow to create patterns with the SR-16 and SR-18<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Once you have everything set up and connected, it’s time to make some beats! To get a feel of what you can do with the SR-16 or SR-18, play the demo by holding down PATTERN\/SONG <\/strong>then pressing play. If you want to play on top of it, press the drum pads however you like! If you’re going to record a beat from scratch using your SR-16 or SR-18, You’ll need to create a blank pattern, update its record options, then start recording. Follow these steps to start creating beats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSelect the drum kit<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before creating your pattern, go through all of the kits available and find the one you like best. A great thing about the SR-16 and SR-18 is that you can even assign sounds to specific pads so you can make your own kit! Follow these steps to select and create a drum kit.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n- Press the DRUM SET <\/strong>button, then use the jog wheel<\/strong>, UP and DOWN<\/strong> buttons, or enter the number pads’ drum set number.<\/li>
- Switch between factory preset and user drum kits by pressing the PRESET\/USER <\/strong>button. Today, we’ll be creating a kit from scratch, so press the button so you’re in User<\/em> mode.<\/li>
- Press the pad you want to change. You’ll notice the current sample’s name on the display.<\/li>
- Press the UP\/DOWN<\/strong> buttons to change the pads sound.<\/li>
- Use the PAGE UP<\/strong> and PAGE DOWN <\/strong>buttons to adjust the sample parameters, such as the tuning, volume, and panning.<\/li>
- Save your kit and exit.
- SR-16<\/strong>: Press the PLAY <\/strong>button to save it to the currently selected drum kit’s number. If you want to save the kit to a different location, use the number buttons or INC\/DEC<\/strong> buttons to select the location.<\/li>
- SR-18<\/strong>: Press and hold the SAVE\/COPY <\/strong>button. Once the REC <\/em>LED blinks, press the REC<\/strong> button. If you want to save the kit to a different location, use the jog wheel, number buttons, or INC\/DEC <\/strong>buttons to select the location.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nRecord the pattern<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve selected the drum kit you want, you can then start recording. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Press the Preset\/User <\/strong>button, then press the Record Setup <\/strong>button.<\/li>
- Use the PAGE UP<\/strong> and PAGE DOWN <\/strong>buttons to scroll through the menus. The three you\u2019ll mainly want to focus on are Quantization<\/a>, Swing<\/a>, and Click<\/a>.
- To change the value in the selected menu, use the Up <\/strong>and Down<\/strong> buttons.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Once all the settings have been updated, press the Record Setup <\/strong>button to exit.<\/li>
- Once you\u2019re back in Composer<\/em>, begin recording.
- SR-16 – <\/strong>Press the Play<\/strong> button to start recording.<\/li>
- SR-18 <\/strong>– Press and hold both the Play <\/strong>and Record <\/strong>buttons to start recording.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Press Stop<\/strong> once you\u2019ve finished.
- If you\u2019re happy with everything except for one, you can overdub it without needing to re-record the whole pattern by following the same steps above. <\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Return to top<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nRelated content<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n![\"Quantization-When-\u2013-and-When-Not-\u2013-to-Quantize-Featured-Image\"](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/11\/Quantization-When-\u2013-and-When-Not-\u2013-to-Quantize-Featured-Image-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLearn more about when and when not to quantize your audio samples<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn More<\/a>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
- SR-18 <\/strong>– Press and hold both the Play <\/strong>and Record <\/strong>buttons to start recording.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Once all the settings have been updated, press the Record Setup <\/strong>button to exit.<\/li>
- Use the PAGE UP<\/strong> and PAGE DOWN <\/strong>buttons to scroll through the menus. The three you\u2019ll mainly want to focus on are Quantization<\/a>, Swing<\/a>, and Click<\/a>.
- SR-18<\/strong>: Press and hold the SAVE\/COPY <\/strong>button. Once the REC <\/em>LED blinks, press the REC<\/strong> button. If you want to save the kit to a different location, use the jog wheel, number buttons, or INC\/DEC <\/strong>buttons to select the location.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
- Switch between factory preset and user drum kits by pressing the PRESET\/USER <\/strong>button. Today, we’ll be creating a kit from scratch, so press the button so you’re in User<\/em> mode.<\/li>
- Record the pattern<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
![\"Drum](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/11\/Drum-Machine-vs-Sampler-Whats-the-Difference-Featured-Image-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"SR16](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/11\/SR16-manual.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"SR18](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/11\/SR18-manual.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n