Gen16 AE Advanced User's Manual

Cymbal system

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Advanced User Guide

A Supplement to the AE Cymbal Quick Start Guide

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Summary of Contents for Gen16 AE

Page 1 Advanced User Guide A Supplement to the AE Cymbal Quick Start Guide...
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents: Page ● Introduction ● Controls and Connectors ● System Set Up ● System Operation ● Troubleshooting ● Specifications ● Midi Specifications ● Contact Us...
Page 3: Introduction
Like the birth of the electric guitar, the Fender Rhodes™ piano, or the electric bass, the AE Cymbal is more than just a new twist on the same old game. It’s a whole new game - a new instrument that will inspire and impact our creativity in ways you never imagined! Although you’ll find the AE Cymbal System to be intuitive and easy to use, please take a few minutes...
Page 4: Controls And Connectors
Controls & Connectors: Front Panel ● ● Illuminated Logo (2) Cymbal Channel Pan (3) ● Cymbal Channel Volume (4) ● ● ● Channel Preset Control (1) ● ● Master Volume Level (5) ● ● Channel Preset Display (11) ● ● Edrum/Cymbal Mix (6) ●...
Page 5: Channel Preset
Controls & Connectors Descriptions: Front Panel Channel Preset Control: Selects a tone-shaping preset for each of the five AE Cymbal input channels. 2. Illuminated Logo: The “Z” logo lights steadily while the DCP is operating. While the Standby/Power switch (14) is in standby (“sleep”) mode it pulsates.
Page 6 Rear Panel ● ● Line Outputs (12) Drum Inputs (13) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● DIGITAL CYMBAL PROCESSOR ● ● Power / Lights Switch (14) USB Connector (16) ● ● Power Input (15) AE Cymbal Pickup Inputs (17)
Page 7: Power
Power Input: Connect the supplied power supply here. Use only the power supply provided with your AE Digital Cymbal Processor. USB Connector: Connect to a computer for firmware and presets updates. AE Cymbal Pickup Inputs: Connect the color-coded cable ends of the AE Cymbal Pickup cable snake to these inputs.
Page 8: System Setup
Note: shape / style / specification of power DIGITAL CYMBAL PROCESSOR supply may vary per country / region Digital Cymbal Processor (DCP) Master Audio Level Tone Shape Edrum/AE Cymbal Blend Level Preset Control Master Reverb Level Headphone Level Channel R/L Pan Channel Volume...
Page 9 System Setup (cont.): Setting Up Your Digital Cymbal Processor: Mounting the DCP: Secure the DCP Mounting Bracket to your existing drum hardware. The bracket has an embedded magnet that makes mounting the DCP quick and easy. Slide the lip of the mount into the tab on the underside of the DCP. The DCP will snap into place, locking with the mounting bracket.
Page 10: Ae Cymbal Pickup
While the snake cable branches are interchangeable and any pickup will work in any channel, we do recommend that you connect your Hi-Hat to the “Hi-Hat” channel and your Ride cymbal to the “Ride” channel. Connect the short ends of the included cable snake to the matching color-coded AE Cymbal Pickup Input jacks (17) on the rear panel of the controller.
Page 11 The Mix control is used to regulate the balance between the input signal from the Drum Inputs (13) and the AE Cymbal Inputs (17). Headphone Output: Connect a 3.5 mm Stereo headphone connector to this output. (Use 8 - 64 Ohm Headphones for best performance.) The headphone output level is controlled by the Phones Volume control (8).
Page 12: Setting Up Your Ae Cymbals
To mount the Hi-Hat pickup, slide a foam washer over the shaft of the supplied clutch. Slide the shaft through the top Hi-Hat cymbal and slide on another foam washer, then an AE pickup without a cymbal sleeve. (Note: the top Hi-Hat fits very snugly onto the clutch shaft.) Finally, screw on the bottom clutch nut.
Page 13 Remove your existing cymbal felts and cymbal sleeve. Slide a Gen16 cymbal sleeve onto your cymbal stand and place the pickup over the sleeve. Place a Gen16 foam washer over the pickup, place your AE Cymbal on the washer, place another Gen16 foam washer over the cymbal, and secure with the supplied stabilizing washer.
Page 14 Adjusting the Tone of Your AE Cymbals With Dampeners: The AE Cymbal System’s Digital Cymbal Processor is capable of a lot of tonal variation, but you may want to customize the sound of your cymbals further by using the included Dampening Pins and accompanying rubber pads.
Page 15: System Operation
System Operation: CAUTION: The Digital Cymbal Processor’s headphone amplifier is capable of driving many headphones to very high sound levels. Use care in setting the headphone volume level control to avoid potential hearing damage. After connecting the system, begin by setting headphone and Master Volume levels to minimum before power- ing on the Digital Cymbal Processor.
Page 16 System Operation (cont.): Advanced Functions Your DCP includes five “second-level” functions which are accessed by pressing and holding both the up and down buttons of a channel for about a second. There’s no need to use two hands or fingers, though – just press and hold the center of the button firmly until the second level mode is indicated on the display.
Page 17: Cymbal Channel
System Operation (cont.): Channel Solo Mode: Channel solo mode provides a quick way to listen to only one cymbal channel while muting all the others. This can be useful for tracking down which cymbal might be feeding back or for just “zoning in” on one cymbal to ad- just its sound.
Page 18 In DCP firmware versions lower than 1.2.2, Cymbal Finder mode was not available as a separate func- tion; it was combined with Solo Mode. We recommend all users upgrade to the latest firmware version for the most up-to-date features. Visit www.Gen-16.com to download the Gen16 DCP Access Tool application program and updates.
Page 19 System Operation (cont.): Kit Preset Mode: Kit Presets allow you to create and save custom “kits” of cymbal presets that you can recall instantly. To enter Kit Preset Mode, press and hold the Cym5 tone-shape button until the top four cymbal channels dim to show that they are part of a kit preset.
Page 20 System Operation (cont.): Settings Menu: To access the Settings menu, press and hold the Hi-Hat button. The Hi-Hat preset display identifies the specific setting to be adjusted, and the Cym5 display shows the current value of that setting. PRESET Press Cym5 to change the value of the current setting.
Page 21 • Hardware Version Number (“hdwr”) – Displays the hardware version number of your DCP. Note that the System Info can also be read via USB using the AE Cymbals Gen16 DCP Access Tool application Program for Macintosh® or Windows®, available as a free download from www.gen-16.com.
Page 22: Reverb Return
Note: Some Program Change messages are only supported in DCP firmware version 1.2.3 and above. Please make sure you have the latest firmware version installed by using the AE Cymbals DCP Access Tool program to check the Gen16 update server.
Page 23 • To minimize the potential for feedback, try not to position your drum kit too near your PA speakers or stage monitors. • To prevent the AE pickups from rotating from their optimum orientations, you can use cable ties (not included) to secure the snake cable to your cymbal stand(s).
Page 24: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting: Your AE Cymbal System is designed to deliver many years of trouble-free operation. However, should some- thing seem “not quite right,” it’s best to begin by checking your signal chain. Below are some suggestions for troubleshooting a few common issues: No sound from any cymbals: •...
Page 25 My cymbal has an overtone that I don’t like: • You can vary the overtones of your AE cymbals by changing the foam damping washers beneath and above it. Larger washers will help dampen ringing; smaller washers will let the cymbal ring more. The included dampening pins and accompanying rubber pads can also be inserted through the perforations in your AE cymbals at various locations (typically near the bell) to control overtones.
Page 26 • Some drum racks can be quite resonant. If that’s true in your case you can try filling the tubes of your rack with spray-in foam insulation to damp the vibrations. The Gen16 AE Drum Rack has been specially- designed to minimize any kind of resonance or vibration; visit the Gen16 website for details.
Page 27 Visit www.gen-16.com/support for information on the latest firmware updates. If you have checked your full signal path and things are still not functioning correctly, contact Gen16 Tech Support for assistance. See the Contact Us section for contact information.
Page 28: Specifications
Specifications: Note: All specifications are for reference only and subject to change without notice. Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.27 x 2.7 in 172 x 134 x 68 mm Weight 632 g (1lb 6.3 oz) excluding power supply Power Requirements: AC Adaptor 100-240VAC 50-60Hz Power Consumption: Operating...
Page 29: Midi Specifications
The AE Digital Cymbal Processor incorporates a class-compliant MIDI-over-USB device port. No special device drivers are required for either Mac OS or Windows. The USB port is used in conjunction with the AE Cymbals DCP Access Tool application Program (available via download from the Gen16 tech support website) for uploading firmware updates to the DCP.
Page 30 MIDI Specifications (cont.): Gen16 AE Digital Cymbal Processor MIDI Implementation Chart Program Change On Channel Cymbal Preset Transmit to DCP to change a preset, DCP transmits (base channel Change when preset is changed via onboard buttons. Channel + target cym- determines target cymbal.
Page 31 MIDI Specifications (cont.): Gen16 AE Digital Cymbal Processor MIDI Implementation Chart On Channel Store Kit Preset The currently-displayed cymbal presets are saved (base channel to the Kit Preset indicated by the Program Change + 7) Message’s value. For example, if Base Channel = 1,...
Page 32: Contact Us
Contact Us: Gen16 Support: The Zildjian Company continues to build on its legacy of listening to drummer’s needs. If you have something to tell us then we want to know what it is. Please send all correspondence to Attn: Customer Service...