Usability

Usability

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The conventions that make the mod predictable, the shortcuts that work in every view, and the playing and recording helpers.

Conventions

Each chapter is a view of the device: how to get there, what every pad, knob and button does, and the sub-menus it opens.

• Pads 1-32 from top-left to bottom-right: row 1 = 1-8, row 2 = 9-16, row 3 = 17-24, row 4 = 25-32.
• Knobs K1-K4 on top, K5-K8 below. «Shift + X» = hold Shift while using X; the same with Clear and Duplicate.
• Anything not described here works as on the original device (Novation's official manual).
• (since RC2) = new since RC2 (not in RC0.9 / RC0.9S). The safer build, RC4S (and the earlier S builds), writes nothing of its own to the card: what is marked «writes to the card» does nothing there (the Save LED turns red).
• (since RC2.02) = new in RC2.02 (not in RC2.01).
• (since RC4) = new in RC4 (not in RC2.11 or earlier).
• (since RC4.02) = a fix of RC4.02 (in Beta 5.0 too; not in RC4 / RC4.01).
• (Beta 5.0 only) = only in Beta 5.0 (not in RC4.02).
• The feature list (the previous manual) sums up every feature in one line, by topic.

Buttons that work in every view

Shift, Clear, Duplicate, Save and Octave gain functions depending on the view; here, the ones valid almost everywhere.

Gesture	Where	What it does
Clear + knob to the right	drums, MIDI track engine, Master FX	The knob goes back to its default (both layers, with and without Shift). Lavender LED = done, as on the original.
Clear + knob to the left	drums (stock knobs), MIDI track engine (since RC2)	Deletes that knob's automation in the playing pattern, as on the original (red LED). On the MIDI engine, that of the knob's two lanes (with and without Shift) that have automation.
Shift	all	While Shift is held, the shortcuts available light yellow; the chosen option, another colour. (Beta 5.0 only) Also, the eight track buttons (Synth 1 / 2, MIDI 1 / 2, Drum 1-4) light white while their track has a note sounding (from the sequencer, the pads or the arpeggiator) and go dark when it ends (the drums, from the hit to its note-off).
Save	all	Saves the project as always; it also writes into the pack the samples replaced by captures (drum Preset), if they fit in the sample memory (writes to the card).
Press the track button again	Synth 1 / 2	Opens the synth's source view (2.3).
Clear + Synth 1 / 2	its view	(since RC2) Its eight macros back to the loaded patch's values.
Shift + Preset	Synth 1 / 2's and MIDI 1 / 2's views (the own synth on)	(Beta 5.0 only) That track's sound back to the project's: Synth 1 / 2, the whole patch as the project saved it; MIDI 1 / 2, the own synth saved with the project (without it, its defaults). With Shift, Preset lights yellow where it works.
Clear + a drum's button	its view	(since RC2) Deletes the automation of its knobs in the playing pattern and puts its eight knobs back to their defaults.
Two note-track buttons together	all	Split keyboard (since RC2): Synth 1 + Synth 2; (since RC2.02) any pair of Synth 1, Synth 2, MIDI 1 and MIDI 2.
Shift + Clear	all	Metronome in four states (since RC2): no metronome → metronome → count-in only → count-in and metronome. While Shift is held the Clear LED shows the state: red (no metronome) / green (metronome) / magenta (count-in only) / cyan (both). The click's volume is the stock's: Tempo/Swing and K5. (since RC4) With the Mixer's cue mode, the click in the cue only (right output).
Play with Record armed and the count-in	stopped	One bar of count-in (4 clicks at the project's tempo, Record blinks red), then recording starts (since RC2). Play during the count cancels it. The count-in is saved with the project.
Shift + Play	all	(since RC2) Quantizes the pattern the selected track plays: notes and hits recorded off the grid go to the nearest step (micro steps 1-2 → the start of their step; 3-5 → the start of the next; the last step's, to the first). On the drums, a step with several hits (a roll) stays. While Shift is held the Play LED is yellow; green after quantizing. It replaces the original's Shift + Play (another way to start playback).
Shift + Scales	all	Custom scale editor (since RC2) (2.2). (since RC4): also Scales twice.
Velocity twice (since RC4)	Velocity view	Fixed velocity on / off, like the stock's Shift + Velocity.
Shift + Synth 1 / 2, Shift + MIDI 1 / 2 (since RC4)	all	The same as pressing the button twice: Synth = the source view (2.3), MIDI = its Preset view.
Mixer twice	all	Master FX (6.1).
Scales + Preset + Note at power-up	—	Novation's bootloader recovery mode: lets you install any firmware again.

• The knob LEDs show the value of the new functions with their brightness (brighter = more; bipolar knobs are dark in the middle).
• Animated (pulsing) colours are never used for steady states.
• LFO synced to the tempo (since RC4): the LFO rate knobs (K7 of the VCA-VCF page of the MIDI 1 / 2 engine, Shift + K4 of the matrix, Shift + K7 of the drums, K1 of the Auto-Filter and of the Phaser in Master FX) are bipolar: at the centre the LED is dim; to the right, a free LFO (faster further right); to the left, synced to the tempo, from the centre outwards 1/16T, 1/16, 1/8T, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/4, 1/2T, 1/2, 1 bar T, 1 bar, 2T, 2, 4T, 4, 8T and 8 bars (4 clicks each), each cycle starting on the bar's first beat (it is put back in place on every sequencer tick; stopped, it keeps the tempo). In the matrix, each shape of Shift + K4 is a stretch with its own centre. What was saved before with another rate may sound different.

Playing and recording

Synth 1 / 2 track view (Note, Velocity, Gate)

How to get there: Press Synth 1 or Synth 2. The pads play the synth as always.

• Source view — the synth can process an audio input instead of its noise.
• Split keyboard (since RC2) — one synth on top and the other below, each with its scale, octave and velocity; (since RC2.02) with any pair of note tracks.

→ Full details in the guide

Scales view and custom scale

How to get there: Press Scales as always (root and stock scale); Shift + Scales for the custom scale.

• Custom scale (since RC2) — up to 7 notes over the root and a free period (for example, a scale that repeats every 7 semitones). The note tracks' pads, the quantising and random-mutate use it; saved with the project.

→ Full details in the guide

Micro Step view (note tracks)

How to get there: Press Gate twice with a note track selected (Synth 1 / 2, MIDI 1 / 2).

• Micro steps and Tie (stock) — place each note off the grid and tie it to the next step.
• Gate by holding (since RC2) — when entering notes by hand, how long you hold is how long the note lasts.
• Fixed length (since RC2) — every note you enter by hand gets the same length.

→ Full details in the guide

Pattern Settings view

How to get there: The Pattern Settings button with a track selected: first / last step, sync rate and direction as always, plus pads 25-28 and the arpeggiator (Shift).

• Nudge — rotates the pattern so that it starts on another step.
• Fractal and deconstructed orders — walk through the pattern another way without changing its notes.
• Arpeggiator (since RC2) — the pattern's chords (and the ones you play) sound note by note, in their order and resolution; on the drums, jumping from sample to sample.
• Dynamics and random-mutate (pad 25) — variations so that the pattern does not always sound the same.

→ Full details in the guide