Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

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These are just some footnotes on the setup and interaction of beats and arps.

Test routing/setup {Meats Mode Setup page in Arp Menu system]:
BtsCh:16B - meaning button triggers and midi note triggers will play the bts preset on C16B if enabled.
TrigCh = 01B - meaning midi note triggers coming from channel 01 on port B will decide which parts/groups/functions to activate or toggle on/off depending on settings.

Beats parts can be triggered (momentary, 1-bar, latched) from function buttons.
Beats parts, groups, and other beats functions can simultaneously be triggered (activated or toggled) from external midi notes.
With all beats parts set up as latched, both the trigger buttons and the assigned midi notes will toggle a parts on and off.� Midi notes assigned to groups will toggle all parts assigned to that group.

Midi notes seem to have bts priority. In other words from the trigger channel [01B in my test setup] any notes assigned as beats triggers (as per the BEATS KEY LAYOUT page in the arp menu system) will not play the preset on C01B, but will be directed to the BEATS system--and will toggle or activate Beats on the BtsCh.� Any midi notes not assigned as beats triggers will be passed through to the preset on the trigger channel (01B in my test setup), not the beats channel (16B in my test setup).

Here's where the midi loopback technique can be used with arps to trigger beats parts (or groups and functions, I suppose).

Current settings include:
arp preset on trigger channel (01B)
transmit arps to midi is on and midi-ox is sending the arp notes back in [looping back]
sustain CC is on for trigger channel (01B)--basically
(1) to latch the arp pattern and
(2) to prevent the looped back note from turning the arp off.
[my test arp [S01] currently starts at Key = +0; it doesn't need to be]

The result:
Once the arp has been started the lopped back notes toggle beats parts.

For example, if I start beats with the triggers/parts on as follows:
T1, T3, T5, T7 on; T2, T4, T6, T8 off

I can have the arp so that with each step of the sequencer [both bts and arps are 1:1 as far as tempo) the triggers toggle. T1 goes off, then T2 goes on, then T3 goes off, then T4 goes on, etc.

The way I have my test setup, the triggers are chromatic C1, C# 1,� D1, etc. 
IMPORTANT: If I press C1 on the midi keyboard to try to start the arp, the arp never starts!!!!!!! This is because C1 is being intercepted by the Beats system [BEATS KEY LAYOUT settings] and is used to toggle or activate my Part 1 trigger [T1]. Midi note C1 toggles T1 (because I have it latched), the arp (on C01B) is not started, and no arps are therefore transmitted out and looped back in.

HOWEVER (also important) if I start the arp by playing B0 [one note below] the arps starts, steps 2, 3, 4, etc. play on C01B, are transmitted out, are looped back in, and continue because I have the arp effectively latched on by the CC sustain.

I can watch the trigger leds go on and off to verify the arp is indeed toggling the beats parts. For my test, I have the arp preset playing notes 9i.e., making sounds) but that doesn't seem to be necessary.

Bonus: If I have the display set to C16B, I can play the quick edit busy beats and vari beats CCs while the beats sequencer and the arp loopback toggles also do their thing. Or, I suppose I can map those CCs to two of my keyboards sliders.

Now, I assume if I can do this with external midi, maybe it can be done with midi notes as triggers on a dedicated drummer track in a pattern.� I think I'll save that experiment for another day; but if it can be done, I can envision setting up a pattern template + multisetup for my own E-Mu based self-contained "addictive drums" with programmed variety. �


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