Here you can find all information about the Alesis Fusion Workstation. It’s all about sampling, creating ProgramPpresets, data handling and much more. There are also many useful links to resource websites listed at the bottom of this page.
My Fusion Secrets
This book is a Tutorial with 80 pages and comes with 2 special soundbanks and 1 exclusive sample library.
It is the ultimate source for musicians who want to get the most out of the Alesis Fusion Workstation. Klaus P. Rausch understands the mater like no one else: With factory presets as well as thousands of sounds and over 30 sample libraries, he made the Fusion a living legend. In this book, he shares exclusive tips & tricks and secrets. It comes with two special sound banks and an exclusive sample library.
Order the book including the sample library and Program Presets soundbanks here
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Tips, Tricks & Resources
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Sampling Quick Guide in 6 Steps
This tutorial is a guide for the time-starved musician who needs quick results. In this case, the Fusion’s sampler mode is not used, but the computer.
In addition to this and the Alesis Fusion, you will need a USB cable, audio recording and editor software, a program for sample mapping with Data Export Format Soundfont and the Fusionconverter program.
Note: Although the Fusion has its own sampler mode, it is somewhat cumbersome to use and does not offer any really extensive audio editing.
Step 1:
Record the instruments to be sampled. To do this, connect them to the sound card input and ensure an appropriate level that is slightly below 0 db. This gives you some headroom for editing.
Now all the required notes or tones are recorded, which experience has shown to be short intervals, such as C3, Eb3, Gb3, A3, etc.. This varies depending on the instrument; a guitar, for example, starts at E3 and the different sounding individual strings require carefully selected individual notes, which must then be played on a keyboard to create a consistent sound impression.
The recorded note length should allow for enough leeway, as a rule of thumb something between 5 and 10 seconds applies. What is too much for the later sample can be cut off during editing.
Step 2:
Die Aufnahme wird nun editiert und poliert. Also wird zuerst eine Arbeitskopie davon erstellt, das Original bleibt unangetastet und wird als Backup zum Beispiel auf einer externen Festplatte gesichert.
In den Audio Editor geladen wird nun die Lautstärke sämtlicher Einzelaufnahmen angeglichen, dafür nimmt man die Normalize Funktion. Einen gewissen Headroom sollte man sicherheitshalber übrig lassen, damit es bei späterer Bearbeitung, etwa mit EQ, nicht zu ungewollten Übersteuerungen des Signals kommt. Außerdem werden ungewünschte Nebengeräusche entfernt.
Then cut up the recording session to have all the individual samples separately. This can be done fully automatically by Wave Knife software. If there is still a little overhang here and there (before the start of the sound, after complete decay), the superfluous material is cut away manually. All samples are now labeled consistently and self-describing, such as Yam_PianoCF_mf_C3.
Once all this is done, it is best to create another backup so that this step is also saved. It is not a mistake to make notes during the individual steps, which may later serve as a memory aid or as descriptive information that will help you to identify the samples even years later based on the descriptions alone.
Step 3:
As the Fusion’s factory RAM memory of 64 MB is not very comfortable, the samples are always looped. Exception: Short decaying sounds. This saves space in the RAM, but requires this rather time-consuming step.
Looping needs to be learned, but good software that automatically finds the right loop points can help. As several loop points are usually possible, you need to gain some experience with this so that it works quickly. This step should also be saved as a backup.
Step 4:
Using mapping software, the individual samples are now distributed across the keyboard; the file names show you where each sample has to go.
Some programs do this mapping automatically by using the notes of the file names. Once this process is complete, the finished multisample is saved in one of the formats that the Fusion can read, for example Soundfont. This step is also saved as a backup.
Step 5:
The multisamples in soundfont format are loaded individually or collectively into the Fusion converter and converted into Fusion data format by the software using drag/drop. The result is a new volume folder with all subfolders for multisamples, samples, etc. in an extra folder. This should also be saved as a backup.
Step 6:
The switched-off Fusion is connected to the computer via USB cable and only then switched on. Data is now transferred from the computer to the Fusion, which may take some time depending on the amount of data. Once this process is complete, the USB connection is disconnected and the Fusion starts the Verify Process on the Global Page.
That’s it, and the samples are now permanently stored on the Fusion’s internal hard disk. What is still missing are program presets for the new multisamples. Although the Fusion converter creates one for each multisample, the settings are very rudimentary, without any dynamics or effects.
Hat man keine Erfahrung mit der Erstellung neuer Program Presets, nimmt man einfach eins, das schon existiert und tauscht lediglich das vorhandene Multisample gegen ein neues aus. Als Hilfsmittel reicht das wahrscheinlich für den Moment, dennoch sollte man für die neuen Multisamples auch wirklich individuelle Program Presets programmieren.
What about finished multisamples in other formats?
You can save yourself the trouble of re-recording the instruments. However, there is often no getting around proper editing so that the result is tailored to the technical requirements of the Alesis Fusion.
Example: A 300 MB “Grand Piano” multisample with 6 dynamic levels in the widely used NI Kontakt format cannot be loaded into the Fusion even after conversion with a sample converter, it is simply too large.
And what about Akai format? This was quite popular in the days of the Akai sampler series S1000 to S6000 and was quite widespread at the time. If these samples correspond to your own sonic ideas, you can usually load them directly with the Fusionconverter and in this case start with Step 5.
However, due to various features only available in the Akai sampler, the Akai format can be somewhat tricky and a conversion Akai format > Soundfont does not produce satisfactory results. Then start at step 4.
Software
Audio Recorder
Audio Editor
Sample Slicer
Sample Mapper
Sample Format Converter
Soundfont Editor
Fusionconverter
Resources
Internet Links to free Soundpacks from Hollow Sun and others, Owners Manuals and pfficial Alesis Tutorials, useful software and various documentations
Alesis Fusion official Download Page by Alesis
FuscionConverter, Hollow Sun and other FreePacks, OS Data, Tutorials and more
Owner’s manual (Reference Manual)
Owner’s manual (german language: Bedienungsanleitung:)
Instructions for OS updates (german language)Fusion tutorials by Alesis
GEOSynth Alesis Fusion Synthshow Video
Installing sample libraries to the Fusion from a PC Video
Alesis Fusion PowerStart Guide by Rich Menga
Back In Time Records Fusion sample libraries by kpr
Awave Studio Sample Format Converter
CDXtract Sample Format Converter
Endless WAV Automatic Sustain-Looper
Session 2 WAV Automatic Audio File Slicer
To be continoued …