MIDIVOX LT ============================================================= MIDI INTERFACED ACCORDION OWNER S MANUAL
"MIDIVOX LT" ============================================== MIDI INTERFACED ACCORDION The new Excelsior MIDIVOX LT accordion has been designed to provide a compact and low-cost solution to all those accordionists who wish to enter the wonderful world of electronic music. The new midi interface design provides basic controls for an easy-to-use operation. The MIDIVOX LT model extends, downward, the range of Midi-equipped accordions manufactured by Excelsior. Accordion features (mod. 1320E) : piano keyboard, 41/120, 4/5, 11+5 ; weight Kg. 11,8 Pick-ups Panasonic condenser pickups, battery powered preamplifier and volume controls included. Pickup output on the grill. Power supply AC wall adapter with on-board MIDI OUT outlet. 2
IMPORTANT SAFETY AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS WARNING When using electrical products, basic precautions must be taken, including the following: 1. Read all instructions before using the product, particularly what described at par. HOW TO MAKE CONNECTIONS. 2. When the instrument is used by children, supervision by adults is advisable. 3. Do not use the instrument near water, i.e. bath tub, washbowl, kitchen sink, or near a swimming pool, or in a wet or damp basement. 4. The instrument should never be positioned in direct sunlight and should always be kept away from heat sources such as radiators, heaters or similar equipments. 5. Do not use the instrument in extremely hot or damp locations or in dusty or dirty conditions. 6. Do not position the instrument where excessive vibrations may occur. 7. Connect the instrument to the AC mains power only through the supplied AC adapter. 8. Connect the supplied AC wall adapter to an AC outlet of the same voltage as specified on the adapter cabinet. 9. The mains lead should be unplugged from the wall socket when the instrument is not in use. Do not pull the wire: hold the plug when unplugging. 10. Care should be taken to avoid any object falling into or liquid being spilt into the inside of the instrument and/or the AC adapter through any hole or opening of the grill and/or the cabinet. 11. Refer to an approved or qualified Service Center in case: a. the mains lead or plug has been damaged; b. objects have fallen into the instrument or liquid has been spilt into ; c. the instrument has been exposed to rain; d. it appears to operate uncorrectly; e. it has been dropped and/or damaged. WARNING: A DAMAGED AC ADAPTER AND/OR MAINS CABLE MAY CAUSE HIGH RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK. 3
HOW TO MAKE CONNECTIONS Warning: All connections must be made before turning all instruments on. The package includes a specific AC mains adapter with built-in MIDI OUT output and adapter-to-accordion connecting cable, which is to be used to power the accordion. First connect the cable to the accordion, plugging the 8-pin round connector to the socket on the accordion grill. The round connector has an insertion notch and can be plugged in one way only: be careful not to force the connector in the wrong way. Once the connector has been securely plugged, screw the fastening ring, gently. In case you wish to make use of the built-in pickups, connect the jack output located on the grill to an amplifier s low-sensitivity input by means of the supplied jack cable. The built-in pickups are powered by a standard 9V battery, which is located in the bass side, below the bass cover. The battery is connected to the circuit as soon as a jack is plugged into the pickups output. Thus, to get the longest operational time before the battery exhausts, do not forget to unplug the jack cable at the accordion end whenever pickups are not to be used. If the pickups seem not to work properly, or the output level is lower than usual, it could be necessary to replace the 9V battery (see Battery Replacement ). Once the accordion has been connected to the AC adapter and to the power amplifier, connect the adapter s MIDI OUT output to a MIDI IN input of your sound module, keyboard or Midi equipment, by means of the supplied Midi cable. Refer to the specific User s Manual to locate the right MIDI input. Inspect all connections and once you are sure everything is all right, switch on all equipments and power the accordion plugging the AC adapter to an AC mains outlet. All the lights on the accordion control panel must light up, signaling the accordion is ready to work. Warning: The AC adapter has no power switch: the accordion is powered as soon as the AC adapter is plugged to an AC mains outlet. To switch off power simply unplug the AC adapter. 4
BATTERY REPLACEMENT A standard 9V battery powers the pickups preamplifier circuitry. Power is supplied as soon as a jack plug is plugged in. The average battery duration is 100 hours of continuous operation, depending on the quality and type of the battery (alkaline long life cells recommended). To avoid unuseful battery consumption do not forget to unplug the jack cable when pickups are not to be used. The battery is located inside the bass shell, below the bass cover, near to the bass mechanism. To replace an exhausted battery it is necessary to remove the bass strap and unscrew the bass cover. Once the battery has been replaced and securely fastened, put in place the bass cover and screw it with care. MIDI OPERATION The MIDIVOX LT sends midi messages over three midi channels, each of those related to an accordion section: Treble keyboard (right hand), Chords (left buttons -chord rows), Bass (left buttons-bass rows). The transmitted midi messages are Note On/Note Off, according to the pressed keys, and Program Change messages to select the desired sounds by means of the local Program Up and Program Down buttons. It is also possible to raise or lower the octave range of each section separately, and activate /deactivate (cancel) each section separately. Control Panel The three section buttons (TRBL, CHRD, BASS ) are used to activate - deactivate each section separately (a deactivated section doesn t play). They are also used to select the section on which a sound selection has to be carried out or the octave range has to be modified. 5
The led lamps signal the section status: - Led steady on: the section is activated - Led blinking: the section has been selected; pressing either the UP or DWN button, a new sound will be selected upward or downward in the connected sound module. - Led off: the section is de-activated (no sound) At power-up all sections are activated by default and no one is selected (all three leds are steady on). Pressing any of the section buttons, the corresponding led will start to blink and that particular section will be selected. Any operation carried out on the UP and DOWN buttons will be effective on the selected section. To select a different section, press the corresponding section button. If a section must be deactivated instead (for instance you want to cancel the TRBL section for playing an accordion sound solo), the section button must be pressed once more after selecting that particular section. In this case the led lamp goes off signaling the off status of that section. "Activity" Led Lamp The "activity" (ACT) led lamp is used to monitor the operation of the unit: it comes on at power up and blinks each time a midi message is sent over (e.g. each time a button or key is pressed). Octave Shift It is possible to modify the note range of each section separately by one octave up or down. First select the section where the octave range is to be shifted (the section led must start blinking). Then press either UP or DOWN button keeping the other one pressed: each time either button is pressed (keeping the other one pressed) the octave range shifts up or down, sequentially (+1,0,-1). The octave setup is kept stored until power off. 6
Midi Transmitting Channels The Midi Transmitting Channel setup is fixed and not alterable by the user. Standard setup: - Treble : Channel #1 - Chords : Channel #2 - Bass : Channel #3 EXCELSIOR ACCORDIONS A Division of PIGINI s.r.l. Via Carlo Marx, 127 60022 Castelfidardo (AN) ITALY tel. +39-071-7820982 fax +39-071-7820104 http://www.excelsior-accordions.com e-mail: info@excelsior-accordions.it mvoxlte.doc 21/03/2007 7