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

I just discovered today how to delete a step from a song.  The 
behavior is a little odd as it makes the pattern before the deleted 
one LONGER, but that is OK – I know how to fix that.  However, 
inserting a new pattern doesn't seem to work.  I can change a pattern 
in a song, and I can make a pattern longer, but when I hold REPEAT 
and then press ENTER, it acts as if I had merely pressed ENTER.  I 
have OS version 1.18 (installed today).

Think of inserting and deleting pattern steps as inserting and deleting
events.  Say you have a pattern change A, B and C at bars 1, 5 and 9.  If you
delete step B, all you've done is erase that event that says "play B".
Therefore, A now plays from bar 1 to 9.

Inserting also works the same way.  Lets go back to our original A, B, C
song.  If you go to bar 5 (where the "play B" event is) and ask it to put a
step in, it does nothing because there's already a step there.  If you go to
bar 7 for example, and insert a step there, now your song looks like this: A,
B, X, D at bars 1, 5, 7, 9, where X is the new pattern.  You can then change
the lengths just like you would have if you deleted a pattern.

Odd as this is, it's done that way for a reason.  In song mode, the
assumption is that you're interested in a long linear song track.  Since
moving steps around can cause the song track to no longer line up with the
patterns that used to be there, inserting and deleting steps tries to avoid
moving patterns as much as possible unless it has no choice (as when you
change the length of a step).

-Aaron

lorithantos wrote:

> I just discovered today how to delete a step from a song.  The
> behavior is a little odd as it makes the pattern before the deleted
> one LONGER, but that is OK \ufffd I know how to fix that.  However,
> inserting a new pattern doesn't seem to work.  I can change a pattern
> in a song, and I can make a pattern longer, but when I hold REPEAT
> and then press ENTER, it acts as if I had merely pressed ENTER.  I
> have OS version 1.18 (installed today).

OK, this makes sense.  I don't really think this is explained well in 
the RevC manual I downloaded from EMU, but I understand both the 
mechanism and the reason.  Now that I understand that I need to FIRST 
extend the part, then insert a pattern change, I will have much less 
difficulty creating dance remixes of radio length songs.

Thank you for your prompt and accurate (I've tested it) response.

--- In xl7@y..., Aaron Eppolito <aarone+xl7@e...> wrote:
> Think of inserting and deleting pattern steps as inserting and 
deleting
> events.  Say you have a pattern change A, B and C at bars 1, 5 and 
9.  If you
> delete step B, all you've done is erase that event that says "play 
B".
> Therefore, A now plays from bar 1 to 9.
> 
> Inserting also works the same way.  Lets go back to our original A, 
B, C
> song.  If you go to bar 5 (where the "play B" event is) and ask it 
to put a
> step in, it does nothing because there's already a step there.  If 
you go to
> bar 7 for example, and insert a step there, now your song looks 
like this: A,
> B, X, D at bars 1, 5, 7, 9, where X is the new pattern.  You can 
then change
> the lengths just like you would have if you deleted a pattern.
> 
> Odd as this is, it's done that way for a reason.  In song mode, the
> assumption is that you're interested in a long linear song track.  
Since
> moving steps around can cause the song track to no longer line up 
with the
> patterns that used to be there, inserting and deleting steps tries 
to avoid
> moving patterns as much as possible unless it has no choice (as 
when you

> change the length of a step).
> 
> -Aaron