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3 TAPE

TAPE is all four tracks together: which patterns play when, the song's arrangement, the mix, the sends and the master effects. Five pages (CTRL steps):

SESSION SONG MIX SENDS FX

Saving, loading and the project's BPM are global and live in 0 SETUP: see PROJECT and FILES. Everything on these five pages except the master volume is part of the project. The bottom row of the FN menu is the same on every TAPE page: SAVE (FN+S), TAP (FN+T), REC (FN+▶PLAY) and SETUP.

SESSION: launch like Ableton​

One column per track (in its colour), one row per pattern slot; each cell draws the pattern's 16 steps.

The screen and the key lights at that moment
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  1. 1T1
  2. 2T2
  3. 3T3
  4. 4T4
  5. 5T2's second pattern
  6. 6+: new pattern
  7. 7Current pattern: fully lit
  8. 8Another pattern: half lit
SESSION: the four tracks side by side.
01▶PLAY›PG6

While playing, tap a cell: the track switches when its loop ends. The cell shows NXT, its light is blinking.

02

The loop ends and T2 switches to P02. When stopped, a tap switches at once.

  • Tap a cell: that track plays that pattern (and becomes the current track). The "+" after a track's last pattern creates a new, empty one and launches it.
  • ↑← / ↓SUB: move the cursor row up / down and scroll; ↵OK: launch the cursor's whole row (every track that has that pattern).
  • FN+↵OK: capture what every track plays (or has queued) as a new part at the end of SONG; the part lasts as long as its longest pattern.
  • FN menu: LAUNCH (the cursor's row) and ADD TO SONG (the same as FN+↵OK).
  • Launching from SESSION leaves SONG mode. A playing cell is green with ▶ and a moving playhead.

SONG: arranging the song​

The song as a tape: each column is a part (time runs left to right), each row a track; a cell holds the pattern that plays in that part and the part's length in bars (xN).

The screen and the key lights at that moment
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  1. 1Part 1
  2. 2Part 2
  3. 3Selected cell
  4. 4Bars: xN
  5. 5+ column: add a part
  6. 6LOOP / SONG mode
SONG: each column a part, each row a track.
  • Tap a cell to select it; tap the same cell again to switch between "pattern" and "bars" (the bars of the part light up yellow). -- means the track is silent in that part.
  • Tap the + column after the last part: a new part, a copy of the last one (on an empty song: what every track plays now).
  • ↑← / ↓SUB: change the cell's pattern (-- included), or the part's length in bars (1–16); FN+↑← / FN+↓SUB always change the bars.
  • ↵OK: play from this part (switches to SONG mode; while playing it jumps there); FN+↵OK: SONG / LOOP.
  • FN+C / FN+V / FN+X / FN+D: copy, paste (after the cursor), delete, duplicate a part. The FN menu has them too (COPY, PASTE, DELETE, DUP, each marked ROW n), with PLAY for SONG / LOOP.
  • The PLAY switch on PROJECT is the same SONG / LOOP setting. It is a performance control and is not saved in the project; launching from SESSION switches back to LOOP.

In SONG mode each part plays xN bars (1 bar = 16 steps), then the next; after the last part it starts over from the first. LOOP mode: every track loops its current pattern. The playing part has a green tape head; a part waiting to start is framed in yellow.

tip

Put together a combination in SESSION and FN+↵OK records it as the next SONG part: arrange while you jam.

MIX: the mixer​

The screen and the key lights at that moment
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  1. 1T1's column
  2. 2Selected track
  3. 3MUTE
  4. 4SOLO
  5. 5SEQ: sequencer on / off
  6. 6MASTER volume · output level
  7. 7Selected: fully lit
  8. 8MUTE / SOLO off: half lit
  9. 9SEQ on: fully lit
MIX: four faders, MUTE / SOLO / SEQ switches, the master volume at the bottom.
  • One GRID column per track: row 1 select, row 2 mute, row 3 solo, row 4 sequencer on / off.
  • ↑← / ↓SUB set the selected track's level (0–100, default 100; FN+↑← / FN+↓SUB ±10); ↵OK switches between the track and MASTER. Hold a track's row-1 key: the pads are its levels.
  • MASTER is the device's output volume, the same as VOLUME on SYSTEM: it belongs to the device, not to the project. Track levels, mute, solo and SEQ are saved with the project.
  • FN menu: UNMUTE ALL and UNSOLO ALL (available when a track is muted / soloed).
tip

Holding TAB gives the same layout on any screen (the track map).

SENDS: every track's effects at once​

The screen and the key lights at that moment
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  1. 1FILTER
  2. 2CHORUS
  3. 3DELAY send
  4. 4REVERB send
  5. 5Focus
  6. 6Focus: fully lit
  7. 7Changed from the default: half lit · at the default (off): off
SENDS: one column per track, one row per effect.
  • Tap a cell to select it (and its track), ↑← / ↓SUB change it (FN+↑← / FN+↓SUB 10 at a time); hold a cell and the pads are its values. Cells that are off are dimmed.
  • ↵OK, or a second tap on a CHORUS cell: CHORUS changes mode, other cells turn off / back to their value; FN+↵OK or RESET in the FN menu: default.
  • These are the same fx.* values as the track's INSTR FX page (Sends: delay and reverb).

FX: master effects​

The master bus effects, part of the project:

The screen and the key lights at that moment
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  1. 1DELAY: time · feedback · TONE · return
  2. 2REVERB: SIZE · DAMP · LOCUT · return
  3. 3COMP · LOW · HIGH · TAPE
  4. 4Echo train · reverb decay
  5. 5Focus: fully lit
  6. 6Parameters: half lit
Master FX.

Tap a cell to focus it, ↑← / ↓SUB change it (FN+↑← / FN+↓SUB 10 at a time on wide ranges), hold a cell and the pads are its values. ↵OK on DELAY steps the note value (the time follows the BPM); FN+↵OK (or RESET in the FN menu) restores the default. See Master effects.