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I've been watching Synthmania Youtube vids recently, where he puts together vintage drum machines and synths and makes a demo or a song. Then I try to figure out how I do something similar on my Kronos.

I discovered using the pattern loop recording to make drum patterns. And I also figured out how to make bass patterns, and transpose them for each key when assigning to RPPR keys.

However, is it just me, or is the RPPR feature sorely missing a "group" mode, where the pattern stays latched until you select another pattern of that type? If I have a couple of keys assigned to drum patterns, and a range assigned to bass patterns, and want to change both patterns at once, I either have to hold down two keys for both to keep playing, or play a 4-note "chord", two to shut off the previous pattern, and two to turn on the new patterns. And heaven help me if I get it wrong and end up with 3 bass patterns playing at once!

It'd be great if there was a mode where starting a new pattern stopped any other patterns assigned to the same midi channel.

Am I missing something? Am I doing this wrong?

I think KARMA could work the way I want, at least for bass notes, if I was patient enough to take the time to find the right pattern among the GEs, but if you know what you want, it's so much quicker to make your own than to search for something close.

In RPPR Setup, explore the settings for Mode and Sync (Kronos PG p. 605). I'm usually running the sequencer to record the pattern notes with RPPR on. I find that Mode=Manual and Sync=SEQ works well in this scenario and it lines up well to the beat / measure, even if I'm a little off on my key up / key down transitions (eliminates the occasional fraction-of-a-beat offset).

There is no RPPR equivalent to the grouping that prevents simultaneously playing open/closed hi hats in a drum kit, for example. It's all up to you to manually group as you're using RPPR keys. I do sometimes want more than one drum pattern to play at the same time in the same MIDI track. Some drum patterns do overlay well to create a real-time variation by pressing the RPPR keys assigned to those patterns simultaneously.

But yes you're right - grouping would be a good feature to add to RPPR which could be simply an integer field the user could optionally turn on and set. Only the latest RPPR pattern of the same group would play, the others in that group would be turned off.

You aren’t missing anything. I already put this request in our “top 50 enhancements” thread. I think it would be super useful too.

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not sure if I should read through the top 50 enhancements thread; I could find myself pining for features I otherwise wouldn't have known weren't there. But I probably will!