Sampling & recording

Sampling (REC) records the external input (USB, LINE IN, mic/guitar) to an empty pad.

Resampling (RESAMPLE) records the unit's own playback, with effects, to a new pad; use it to print effects or merge several pads into one.

Skip-back sampling keeps the last 25 seconds (40 with SYSTEM > MARK Function = "SBS Long"). While MARK is blinking, press MARK, then REC, then a pad to save it. EXIT or power-off without saving loses it.

The looper (MARK Function = "Looper") records up to 16 seconds with overdub; it can't be used at the same time as skip-back.

If the audio is already a file on the PC, importing it from the SD card is cleaner than recording it over USB (no level or timing errors); record over USB for streams, a DAW or a browser.

Press REC: empty pads blink red. CTRL 1 sets the sample tempo, CTRL 3 the input volume. Press a blinking pad, then REC to start; press the pad or REC again to stop; EXIT cancels.

In sampling standby CTRL 2 sets the length (1–32 measures, or ∞) and SHIFT + CTRL 2 the time signature (1/4–7/4).

RECORD SETTING screen: CTRL 1 REC BPM (40.0–200.0, SHIFT for finer steps, or tap tempo), CTRL 2 ROUTING ("ExtIn" = external input only, "Mix" = input plus the unit's playback), CTRL 3 LEVEL (0–127), SHIFT + CTRL 3 PAN.

Pressing VALUE on the input setting screen opens INPUT FX, which processes the input you are sampling.

SHIFT + pad 10 cycles the count-in: 1MEAS, 2MEAS, WAIT, OFF. WAIT starts sampling when the input exceeds SYSTEM > Auto Trig Level (1–10).

SHIFT + pad 9 turns the metronome on/off (it sounds while sampling when SYSTEM > CLICK > Metronome:REC is ON).

END SNAP: in sampling standby press START/END ("END Snap ON", button lit) and the end point is set on the beat near where you stop.

An external MIDI device can start and stop sampling with start (FA) / stop (FC) messages.

To get a loop that syncs: set REC BPM to the source's real tempo, set the length in whole measures (not ∞), and turn on END SNAP before recording.

Count-in WAIT suits sampling from vinyl or a phone: recording starts on the first sound, with no dead air.

When preparing loops in a DAW, run it at 48 kHz (the unit's rate) and loop exactly 1, 2 or 4 bars; an exported exact-length WAV at a known tempo needs no trimming on the unit.

Big tempo stretches sound grainy; staying within about ±10 BPM of the original keeps it clean (rule of thumb, not a manual figure).

START/END, then select the pad: CTRL 1 moves the start point, CTRL 3 the end point, CTRL 2 the loop point (when the loop is on).

With RESAMPLE lit on the START/END or marker screen, points snap to the nearest zero crossing, which avoids clicks.

Pressing VALUE on the START/END screen offers TRUNCATE (delete audio outside the points), NORMALIZE and EMPHASIS. These rewrite the sample data and cannot be undone.

Markers: select the pad, then SHIFT + START/END. CTRL 1 moves the cursor and MARK adds a marker; CTRL 3 selects a marker, CTRL 2 moves it, DEL deletes it. Pads 1–16 preview each slice.

Marking by ear: on the marker screen press pad 1 to play, then tap the blinking pads 2–16 where you want cuts.

AUTO MARK (VALUE > AUTO MARK on the marker screen): TIME DIVISION 2–16 equal slices, LEVEL 1–10, or TRANSIENT HARD/MID/SOFT. TIME DIVISION suits loops trimmed to exact bars, TRANSIENT suits drum breaks.

VALUE > ASSIGN TO PAD sends slices to pads: turn VALUE to choose the first pad, MARK confirms the layout, VALUE assigns. You can switch bank before MARK; CTRL 3 toggles GATE for the slices. Pads that light red already hold a sample and will be overwritten.

A sample seems limited to 16 slices (markers map to pads 1–16); the manual doesn't state a limit.

To chop a whole song, narrow START/END to one section, chop and assign it, then move START/END to the next section; the song pad stays intact. Delete the song pad afterwards to save storage.

Three tempos: the sample tempo (per sample), the bank tempo and the project tempo. Patterns always play at the base tempo (bank or project); a sample follows it only when its BPM SYNC is on.

SHIFT + pad 11 opens TEMPO SEL: CTRL 1 chooses PROJECT or BANK as the base tempo, VALUE sets the BPM (SHIFT + VALUE for decimals).

Tap tempo: SHIFT + pad 11, tap SUB PAD (blinking orange) in time, then EXIT; the tempo is set for the project or bank.

BPM SYNC makes a sample play at the bank or project tempo; SHIFT + BPM SYNC switches it for every sample in the bank. It needs accurate tempo data in each sample.

A sample's tempo is set on the PITCH/SPEED screen: turn VALUE to BPM SET. AUTO with a range (100-199, 80-159, 70-139, 50-99) analyses the whole sample; "SX (Length)" derives it from the sample length (good up to about 10 s); MANU (0.1 steps) and MANU-F (0.01 steps) set it by hand.

SYSTEM > "BPM Auto Dtct" ON detects the tempo when a sample is imported, using the "BPM Detect Rng" range.

PITCH/SPEED, then a pad: CTRL 1 SPEED (50–150%, only when BPM SYNC is off), CTRL 2 PITCH, CTRL 3 VOLUME (0–127); SHIFT + CTRL 2 FINE, SHIFT + CTRL 3 PAN.

PITCH runs -12.00 to +12.00 with VINYL MODE "No" but -12.00 to +7.00 with VINYL MODE "Yes".

VINYL MODE (SHIFT + turn VALUE on the pitch/speed screen): "Yes" changes speed and pitch together like a record; "No" keeps them independent and enables VARI MODE: "Backing" for decaying, percussive sounds, "Ensemble" for sustained sounds (twice the voices for mono, four times for stereo).

To make a speed/pitch change permanent, resample the pad to a new one.

The Humanize / Rate / Groove screen is the Groove screen: press PITCH/SPEED, then ROLL. CTRL 1 Humanize (Off, Low, Mid, High), CTRL 2 Rate (1–15), CTRL 3 Groove template (Off, 8<…16>>).

Groove templates follow the sample's tempo, so its BPM must be set correctly, and they are all 4/4.

Pressing ROLL again should return from the Groove screen to pitch/speed (not documented); otherwise EXIT, then PITCH/SPEED.

SHIFT + PITCH/SPEED opens ENVELOPE: CTRL 1 ATTACK (0–127, 127 = 3 s fade-in), CTRL 2 HOLD (1–100% of the sample), CTRL 3 RELEASE (0–127, 127 = 3 s fade-out).

A short RELEASE hides clicks at the ends of slices.

Samples are stored as 16-bit linear, 48 kHz; the maximum sampling time is 16 minutes (about 185 MB per sample).