Pro 3 Drum Machine Madness

[creativespiral]

I fell down the rabbit hole of Wavetable Shape Mod Sequencing... it's deep.  Beware!   This keyboard is crazy versatile... can pull of some wild drum machine sounds.   This patch uses the 4x16 sequencer for four drum pattern variants (each with 10 seq tracks used for modulation), plus 24 mod slots and 3 lfos routed to a variety of envelope, osc, mix, effect and filter settings... big macro style changes from the Pitch Wheel, Mod Wheel and Slider.     

This one I'm calling "Drum Maze"  - sorta has a 80s Peter Gabriel / Phil Collins feel to it.. with a more modern edge.   

https://youtu.be/Z_uJF2OwdWw

[Mr.Dezent]

good stuff, really digging that!

Do the Sequences reset to step 1 when changing them or do they keep running in the background?

[creativespiral]

Thanks!   

The sequences continue playing at whatever the current step is - which makes it so you can tap dance with your fingers and create really intricate variants of your phrases.   There is a dedicated reset button too if you want to reset to step 1 at any point.

[LoboLives]

Thanks!   

The sequences continue playing at whatever the current step is - which makes it so you can tap dance with your fingers and create really intricate variants of your phrases.   There is a dedicated reset button too if you want to reset to step 1 at any point.

Can you "latch" the reset button so that way when you alternate between sequences they each start on the first step as opposed to having to do in manually?

[creativespiral]

Can you "latch" the reset button so that way when you alternate between sequences they each start on the first step as opposed to having to do in manually?

Currently there's no setting to force restart of the sequence to step 1 upon sequence change, with a single button press (A|B|C|D) (one hand operation).   Perhaps that could be a firmware request for a new setting?   For most cases you probably won't want that behavior anyways... it's usually more useful to keep the beat locked in time and just change which seq phrase steps are played.. and that behavior works perfectly.   

There is a "Restart" option in sequencer settings that will cause sequence restart upon hitting any key on the keyboard...  and actually that seems to be the best way to trigger a seq restart in time with seq change (you can just hit the middle C key to restart the pattern in the same/default octave... or any other key to transpose the seq up/down and restart).  You can also do rapid fire re-trigger/restart from the keyboard using this method.. each key strike re-triggering the step 1, transposed to whatever key you hit... useful for mixing things up and performing fills at end steps of sequence, before resuming normal sequence on downbeat.

Also, if you want to use the FWD, FWD/REV, REV, RAND buttons and trigger a reset simultaneously, you can do it with one hand pretty easily, since the buttons are close together.   For example, you can put the seq into Random mode for a bit, and then on the downbeat hit the FWD and RESET buttons with one hand to immediately resume the main seq order in time.

All in all, its the best / most fluid sequencer I've used on a keyboard synth.

It can coax some great cinematic type evolving sounds too - with the massive mod matrix and sequencing options... definitely think you'd enjoy it!      I've got a couple patches I've been working on that have a cinematic horror character to them.

[LoboLives]

Can you "latch" the reset button so that way when you alternate between sequences they each start on the first step as opposed to having to do in manually?

Currently there's no setting to force restart of the sequence to step 1 upon sequence change, with a single button press (A|B|C|D) (one hand operation).   Perhaps that could be a firmware request for a new setting?   For most cases you probably won't want that behavior anyways... it's usually more useful to keep the beat locked in time and just change which seq phrase steps are played.. and that behavior works perfectly.   

There is a "Restart" option in sequencer settings that will cause sequence restart upon hitting any key on the keyboard...  and actually that seems to be the best way to trigger a seq restart in time with seq change (you can just hit the middle C key to restart the pattern in the same/default octave... or any other key to transpose the seq up/down and restart).  You can also do rapid fire re-trigger/restart from the keyboard using this method.. each key strike re-triggering the step 1, transposed to whatever key you hit... useful for mixing things up and performing fills at end steps of sequence, before resuming normal sequence on downbeat.

Also, if you want to use the FWD, FWD/REV, REV, RAND buttons and trigger a reset simultaneously, you can do it with one hand pretty easily, since the buttons are close together.   For example, you can put the seq into Random mode for a bit, and then on the downbeat hit the FWD and RESET buttons with one hand to immediately resume the main seq order in time.

All in all, its the best / most fluid sequencer I've used on a keyboard synth.

It can coax some great cinematic type evolving sounds too - with the massive mod matrix and sequencing options... definitely think you'd enjoy it!      I've got a couple patches I've been working on that have a cinematic horror character to them.

I’m hoping we will see that mode in a firmware update. It would be nice to alternate between two totally different 16 step sequences in terms of a song structure...or perhaps some type of song mode where you can specify a chain of patterns into full songs.

Example
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
C plays 4 times
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
D repeat 4 times.
End of chain

[creativespiral]

I’m hoping we will see that mode in a firmware update. It would be nice to alternate between two totally different 16 step sequences in terms of a song structure...or perhaps some type of song mode where you can specify a chain of patterns into full songs.

Example
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
C plays 4 times
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
D repeat 4 times.
End of chain

Yeah, I'd like to see that added too!... though more for quicker beat juggling type behavior.    For cases where you're going to let the entire sequence phrase play out and then switch to a different phrase, I think you'll find its pretty good with current functionality.   You don't even need a reset if waiting for the phrase to end and then switching... in fact, its probably more seamless without.

Also, there is a sort of "song mode":  The Que Program option gives extra flexibility if you're putting together very complex/long sequences, or songs that have various parts... you can copy/paste your program, make alterations to sequences/modulation, then use the CUE in live performance to jump between patches seamlessly, with the sequencer running into the next patch... works really well if you want to just have more than the four sequence phrases, or verse/chorus/bridge sections on separate but similar patches.   Or you can run in extended 64-step seq mode and que/chain multiple patches together (for more complex patterns) 

[LoboLives]

I’m hoping we will see that mode in a firmware update. It would be nice to alternate between two totally different 16 step sequences in terms of a song structure...or perhaps some type of song mode where you can specify a chain of patterns into full songs.

Example
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
C plays 4 times
A repeat 3 times
B repeat once
D repeat 4 times.
End of chain

Yeah, I'd like to see that added too!... though more for quicker beat juggling type behavior.    For cases where you're going to let the entire sequence phrase play out and then switch to a different phrase, I think you'll find its pretty good with current functionality.   You don't even need a reset if waiting for the phrase to end and then switching... in fact, its probably more seamless without.

Also, there is a sort of "song mode":  The Que Program option gives extra flexibility if you're putting together very complex/long sequences, or songs that have various parts... you can copy/paste your program, make alterations to sequences/modulation, then use the CUE in live performance to jump between patches seamlessly, with the sequencer running into the next patch... works really well if you want to just have more than the four sequence phrases, or verse/chorus/bridge sections on separate but similar patches.   Or you can run in extended 64-step seq mode and que/chain multiple patches together (for more complex patterns)

Does the Que Program run between the parts on it's own or do you have to manually trigger it? I'm just thinking of a "Set it and Forget it" type of approach of a bass line or sequence playing in the background while you play on another instrument.

[OceanMachine]

For me, it would have to have a song mode to be the brain of a setup. Four 16 step patterns is not a lot to work with, but enough for most standard compositions. My question is, are the tracks able to sequence external gear polyphonically or do you have to eat up mono tracks to get polyphonic external sequencing?

What I would like to see is a module groovebox edition of the Pro 3 with more patterns, a song mode, and (if it's not possible already) the ability to sequence external gear polyphonically per single track. Obviously a single voice is capable of killer linear grooves alone.

[creativespiral]

Does the Que Program run between the parts on it's own or do you have to manually trigger it? I'm just thinking of a "Set it and Forget it" type of approach of a bass line or sequence playing in the background while you play on another instrument.

The Cue Program is manually set...  so, yeah, no really set and forget...  it does require live performance control.  It is pretty quick/easy to do it in a live performance setting though, if your programs are in consecutive memory slots.  You just hold the Cue and turn a knob one tick (can be done with a single hand)... and you can set the Cue at any time while the current sequence is playing... it will wait until the end of sequence / next downbeat to switch programs and start the sequence on new program.

Not sure if there's a MIDI control for a Cue-Based Program Change... Does anyone know?

For me, it would have to have a song mode to be the brain of a setup. Four 16 step patterns is not a lot to work with, but enough for most standard compositions. My question is, are the tracks able to sequence external gear polyphonically or do you have to eat up mono tracks to get polyphonic external sequencing?

What I would like to see is a module groovebox edition of the Pro 3 with more patterns, a song mode, and (if it's not possibly already) the ability to sequence external gear polyphonically per single track. Obviously a single voice is capable of killer linear grooves alone.

Each track can send a single note.  So you have to use multiple tracks for poly seq output - but you've got 16 tracks to use.  Each track has 4 phrases x 16 steps... or a combined 64 step sequence.   
 
For a true "studio brain" and controlling a set of devices for song performance, you're definitely gonna be better off going with a device intended for that (Pyramid, Octotrack, MPC, one of Polyend devices, etc..)   

[AJ317]

What I would like to see is a module groovebox edition of the Pro 3 with more patterns

+1.
I had dreams for a Pro 2 desktop module that never came. My dream for Pro 3 desktop module is still alive.

[smerny]

I think a fairly strong suit of the P3 is the wavetable use.  I would love to get started making hybrid rhythmic based patches with maybe some traditional osc parts sparingly interspersed.

Creative Spiral, Is there any way to get a copy of this specific patch to help me get up to speed a little quicker?

Many thanks,
Eric