Problems with sequencer

[twigman]

Hi,
Not sure how to to that...
I've got a sample (4 bars / time 140) of a keyboard and 3 different drum samples (exactly same length as keyboard sample). What I'd like to do, is be able to switch between the drum samples, leaving the keyboard sample playing in the background, without having to press the switch in time (my hands are busy with other things, see).
So I though ok, I'll just create 3 patterns, each of one measure, each with the keyboard sample and a drum sample and it will work. Well it doesn't.
Although the sample states 140, it's more like 70, and it's quite a long sample. I worked out that to have the sample playing all the way I had.
I first started with 1 measure and realised it was to short, so it was croping up the sample.
I worked out 4 was probably the number. So I go for 4 and it seems to work fine...but it goes around twice, recording silence on the second run!!!!
1...2...3....4...(sample ok) and then 1...2...3...4...(with nothing)
Why would that happen? Could it be the sample is longer than the measure??? in that case wouldn't it just crop it up??? Can't patterns be played as loops (I doubt that...)???

Thanks for your help////

[Jim Y]

Hi.

This is becoming the most frequently asked question here!

If you forget about patterns for minute, and play your looped samples from the pads, you'll noticed one hit starts the loop and it keeps on looping until you hit the same pad - then it stops - it won't play again until you hit the pad again. When a sample is set to loop, think of the pad as a single play/stop button that always does the opposite of what it's already done - toggles that is.

Now, in a pattern, all you recorded was the one pad hit to start the loop (a play command). Next time the pattern repeats you still have that same single pad hit which as we've seen, is now a stop command. So that's why the next pattern repeat was silent. Next time the pattern plays the loop starts again and next after that it stops etc, etc etc...

Answer? Don't have the loop sample set to loop! If it doesn't last the pattern length, hit the pad again when recording. If you set the quantise to 4's, it'll be easy to get the sample to start precisely on a bar start. This is better all round, because the sample gets retriggered every time "in-time" with the 404 tempo and keeps better sync.

[Cheenergies]

yea thas how I do it too!