I am about to ask

FatStratCat · Post by **FatStratCat** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:14 pm

"Sorry For the Long answer"? lol That's the kind of answer I wanted!

Korg should hire you to edit their manual. I'm sure that the info is in it, but you explained how to use it way better than the manual does.

Thanks a lot for your patience. This is the first sequencer/sampler I've ever owned. I have a boss digital recorder, but the interface for it and the manual are so well put together I had no problems figuring it out.

With this, I was not understanding how to use the 16 keys, and that was screwing me up.

Blankman8503 · Post by **Blankman8503** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:21 am

If you can think about your music and rhythms in terms of numbers the step sequencing functions of this are awesome. I know someone who just can't think of it like that, incredible rhythm just cant program it has to play it live on the machine and record it. But if you can just think of them as 16th notes through the measures and they're incredibly useful.

Also in step mode you can change note, note length, etc for each step. I find this useful when I play a synth line and hold a note a little too long or such. you just go in and you can correct your note lengths and move around where notes play in the step sequencer, instead of re-recording as I did before I discovered the part mode and the step sequencer.

FatStratCat · Post by **FatStratCat** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:40 am

Well thanks to you I have figured out my errors on the pattern record. I was just not understanding how each measure has its own 16 notes that need to be cleared before you record a new pattern. I expected that "record" would clear all prior sounds without having to manually clear each 16th of each measure.

SO - I was able to program the drum beats without all the mess I had before.

Now I have to fine tune because I'm off a beat or two here and there.

BUT - I get an error message when I try the step edit function. It isn't listed in the error part of the manual.

it says:

MotDest
NotAsin

I'm sure after a little more hair pulling I will figure it out.

Geez - you guys are gonna want to put me on ignore in a few weeks.

Or a week.

Pastor-of-Muppets · Post by **Pastor-of-Muppets** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:43 pm

FatStratCat wrote:Well thanks to you I have figured out my errors on the pattern record. I was just not understanding how each measure has its own 16 notes that need to be cleared before you record a new pattern. I expected that "record" would clear all prior sounds without having to manually clear each 16th of each measure.

aaaah.

recording incrementally adds to what's already recorded, it doesn't clear anything. that's to allow you to keep adding to the pattern as it plays, layering extra notes each time it loops and plays the measure again.

FatStratCat wrote: SO - I was able to program the drum beats without all the mess I had before.

Now I have to fine tune because I'm off a beat or two here and there.

BUT - I get an error message when I try the step edit function. It isn't listed in the error part of the manual.

it says:

MotDest
NotAsin

that's not an error, it's just telling the motion sequence data destination is not assigned - I think that's probably because you haven't recorded any motion sequence data on the part.

what are you trying to do?

if you're not rying to edit Motion Sequence data just use the up and down cursor keys (labelled 7 on page 10 of the manual) to select Step Rec instead of Motion Dest.

But if you're just trying to clear sounds recorded on some steps and record sounds on other steps you can do that in realtime recording mode

Pastor-of-Muppets · Post by **Pastor-of-Muppets** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:52 pm

Blankman8503 wrote:You can move between measures via the arrows above the 16 pads. So to input your 1,2,3,and rhythm in step mode (if i'm understanding the rhythm you're trying to textually notate) would be done by:
-Enter step mode (the step button below the LCD)
-On the first measure the rhythm would be input by pressing the 1,5,9,11
If this drum rhythm is the same across the 8 measures, just repeat the step above, if not, then input the new rhythm in the same way.

yeah if you'd done as Blankman8503 describes you'd have seen the lit steps in each measure indicating where a drum was set to trigger, and it should have been obvious why it was playing when you didn't expect it to

FatStratCat · Post by **FatStratCat** » Sun May 01, 2011 12:43 am

POM,

I'm understanding it better, I've been out of town on business for over a week, but I try to squeeze in time whenever I can.

I can think in terms of numbers, and that does help

You know I never used one of these units before, and the first video I saw - confused me because it was done so quickly, and the manual is a bit confusing to me as well.

and I did record 8 measures of bass and snare (one at a time), but a couple of the beats were off so I tried to step edit and got that message, but I've got it figured out now.

Again, it's just my inexperience with this unit.

Blankman8503 · Post by **Blankman8503** » Sun May 01, 2011 7:22 pm

Don't worry about your inexperience. Just keep at it and keep coming here (and electribe-forum.com) and asking questions when your encounter a problem you can't work your way around. s**t i'd suggest just sitting down and reading through both forums as much as you can in your spare time. I've gotten immense amounts of help from both locations and both are frequented by very, very knowledgeable users, many of whom are on both. Nothing but gaining experience will make you better and these two forums have been an incredible aid to me and for what its worth, they seem more amiable forums than my experience on ableton forums. Lots of people willing to help if they can, fewer who will berate you for not understanding something they consider simple. Though before you ask anything you should, as a rule, RTFM.

FatStratCat · Post by **FatStratCat** » Sun May 01, 2011 7:38 pm

Haha yeah I know, but some parts of the manual are just not well explained, and the time I spend cross eyed trying to decipher what they mean instead of programming the unit is frustrating.

For example, this thread helped me to understand something i wasn't getting out of the manual, and now I am programming patterns on the fly, changing up beat placement after recording the parts. It all makes sense to me now.

So presently I'm trying to edit the stock parts, changing the sounds but it seems like not all parts are fully editable, for example a clap sound that has reverb on it but none of the FX lights are lit up, and the dials don't reduce the level of reverb. I am assuming that it was recorded that way, with reverb?

I think sampling is the solution to that, but first I need to work on putting together patterns in song mode.

One thing at a time.

Blankman8503 · Post by **Blankman8503** » Sun May 01, 2011 8:08 pm

That's what we're here for (more others than me, though I help when I can). When the manuals too technical/doesn't answer your questions. The users on here an e-f are very knowledgeable and at least one of them will be able to put things in terms you can understand. I constantly find myself diving into things that are over my head and the users on those forums has always been more patient and friendly.

I don't have an ESX but I assume that some of the drum samples that are stock have effects that are on the sample, not the machine. Somewhere on either this forum or in the General Discussion or Technical Talk sections of electribe-forum, there is a topic where someone posted samples from the 303, 808, 909, and other drum machines for use on the ESX. I believe they are already set up in the correct format, maybe even use in the sample editor program. But as I said I don't have an ESX so I'm not sure on the details of sampling. If you can't find the topic, PM me because I have them somewhere on my hard drive for possible use elsewhere, or if i can ever afford/justify an ESX.

FatStratCat · Post by **FatStratCat** » Tue May 03, 2011 12:03 am

Thanks for that tip. I'll search for them.

I did find a website with a lot of free sounds from old drum machines like the 808 and 606, I have not tried them out yet though. they are in MP3 format.

http://samples.sonicstate.com/listsamples.cfm?

If you want to have a look, just change the type of sound to what you want in the drop down, and a new list will appear. This is the bass guitar link but you can go anywhere from that point. They even let you listen to the sound sample before you download.

sauce · Post by **sauce** » Wed May 04, 2011 7:38 am

By the way -and I am sure this has been covered, but in case it hasn't- you can clear any pattern all at once by holding "shift" and pressing pad #7 "clear pattern" twice.