M50 Combi: Turn off Drum and Arp

[Pincho Paxton]

I think I'm going to wear those buttons out turning them off every 2 minutes when I swap combis. I found in Global that there is an off selector, but then you can't use them at all! I want an off option which allows you to still use them when you press them.

[nismology]

The arp button broke off last week on mine! I use both those buttons all the time when I'm playing, because I play my M50 like an arranger keyboard.

[Synthoid]

Just turn off the arps & drum track and save the program/combi like that.

[billbaker]

As an alternative (like if you broke the button) you should be able to en-able or dis-able the arp on the arp section (pg 3?) of the main performance menu using the touchscreen rather than a button; you'll see the arp assignment by track with a tick box for A & B. no checkmark - no arp. Also handy when you want to bring in drums then add bass.

BB

[Pincho Paxton]

I've started saving them all. But the fact that you can't switch them back on in the global settings is a bit of a mistake if you ask me. The Global setting should be to turn them off until you press the buttons.

[billbaker]

They (Korg) have designed for maximum gray area in choices.

Philosophically speaking, you design to what you think people will want to do. It would seem that Korg design couldn't see a situation in which you wouldn't want to impose your choice strictly as an individual decision by program or combi. They give you the choice and capacity for imposing your own desires. They just don't make it as easy as you'd like.

I could see that choice (drum or arp active vs inactive) being a feature of a deeper editor where batch file manipulation would be possible and more easily defined, but given that some combis and programs, as written, either don't have an arp / drum pattern or have a deliberate A-only or B-only selected, I can see situations in which there would be an equally unfulfilled expectation that if you said YES to global activation, that there would be some resulting change. And that's not the case here.

Plus, you have to put a practical limit what parameters can be manipulated -- otherwise the "global menu" would be as big as the full program edit and you have to spend all your time praying that the "UNDO" function never fails.


BB

[Pincho Paxton]

They (Korg) have designed for maximum gray area in choices.

Philosophically speaking, you design to what you think people will want to do. It would seem that Korg design couldn't see a situation in which you wouldn't want to impose your choice strictly as an individual decision by program or combi. They give you the choice and capacity for imposing your own desires. They just don't make it as easy as you'd like.

I could see that choice (drum or arp active vs inactive) being a feature of a deeper editor where batch file manipulation would be possible and more easily defined, but given that some combis and programs, as written, either don't have an arp / drum pattern or have a deliberate A-only or B-only selected, I can see situations in which there would be an equally unfulfilled expectation that if you said YES to global activation, that there would be some resulting change. And that's not the case here.

Plus, you have to put a practical limit what parameters can be manipulated -- otherwise the "global menu" would be as big as the full program edit and you have to spend all your time praying that the "UNDO" function never fails.


BB

I'm a software programmer, and you wouldn't have an ON option in Global Settings, just OFF and Default. It saves Korg repairing all of the broken keys that have to be pressed to turn them all off.

[billbaker]

Pincho,

That sounds more like a midi panic button. Why would you have a Global Arp/DM OFF and not a function to reverse that selection? (...as this conversation moves into angels on the head of a pin theory.)

BB

[Pincho Paxton]

Pincho,

That sounds more like a midi panic button. Why would you have a Global Arp/DM OFF and not a function to reverse that selection? (...as this conversation moves into angels on the head of a pin theory.)

BB

The reverse of OFF isn't ON on the M50, the reverse of OFF is Combi Default. Try it, and you will see that the Combi decides if the Arp, or Drum are on or not.

I like to build my music up to a climax. So I like the drums off at first until I press my switch pedal. But off doesn't allow that. OFF should be OFF until you press ON, not OFF forever. Perfectly logical, perfectly simple to program.

[billbaker]

Sorry, agree with OFf / Default as 2 states - misread your statement 2 posts back.

I guess my point is that the Global off is only really useful if there's something on to be turned off.

As far as repairing broken buttons, I'm just grateful that there are usually two approaches to solving problems. There's usually something you can do to make your gear work in the face of immediate, live failure (like something breaking on stage) short of getting out your spare keyboard (we all have one of those, right?) or not gigging until you get your keys back from the repair shop.

I've gone through my Triton Extreme and done a rewrite to make all combis active (which is how I prefer them) and adding / editing Arp information to fit my needs such that all but one bank have a rhythm track or "motion" that starts from the first note -- even on those combis that didn't originally feature a drum track or were one-arp "motion" type as many of the classical and orchestral combis were. That effort took considerable time, but I consider having a consistent active status worth my time.

And I do have that one non-rhythmic bank that I use for gigs that have live drums.

BB

[Producer_Dr_Cane]

To keep things Simple in the Chat got to Global.


1. Click Global once.
2. Right in front you the option is ARP/DRUM Track.
3. Click All ARP/DT OFF.
4. Save Global settings.
5. Turn keyboard off.
6. All you Combi Sounds will not play their Drums and ARP.


Have a Great Day