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

Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of differing length?  You can only set the bar length for each pattern and play one pattern at a time as far as I can tell.

I did a search and found this:

> You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> alongside each other (e.g
> a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> Patterns can be up to 256
> bars long....

Is this possible?  Can someone elaborate?

Sorry if this has been answered before.

I recall this being discussed before, but I don't remember when or the results. I will look in the archives.

I seem to recall the answer being no, but there are some work arounds, such as by using arps of different lengths instead of patterns. Or, to juxtapose 3 against 4, you could have two patterns based on 12, one with a duple meter and the other with a triple meter.

Not sure this is what you want, but maybe someone else has some other thoughts on how to do it.

Steve



--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@...> wrote:
>
> Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of differing length?  You can only set the bar length for each pattern and play one pattern at a time as far as I can tell.
> 
> I did a search and found this:
> 
> > You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> > alongside each other (e.g
> > a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> > Patterns can be up to 256
> > bars long....
> 
> Is this possible?  Can someone elaborate?
> 
> Sorry if this has been answered before.
>

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any major discussions, but this thread touches on it: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/14111 .

If I find any other related discussions, I will post them.


--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@...> wrote:
>
> Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of differing length?  You can only set the bar length for each pattern and play one pattern at a time as far as I can tell.
> 
> I did a search and found this:
> 
> > You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> > alongside each other (e.g
> > a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> > Patterns can be up to 256
> > bars long....
> 
> Is this possible?  Can someone elaborate?
> 
> Sorry if this has been answered before.
>

Haven't found other discussions of this. There are a number of discussions related loop points that might be useful--specifically using the extend function.

So, it seems you could do it using a lowest common multiple. For example, take a measure of 3 and extend it to 12 measures and take a measure of 4 and do the same. 

I haven't tried this yet, but based on the discussions in the archives (and the mathematics), it should work. 

Steve



--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@...> wrote:
>
> Unfortunately, I couldn't find any major discussions, but this thread touches on it: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/14111 .
> 
> If I find any other related discussions, I will post them.
> 
> 
> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@> wrote:
> >
> > Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of differing length?  You can only set the bar length for each pattern and play one pattern at a time as far as I can tell.
> > 
> > I did a search and found this:
> > 
> > > You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> > > alongside each other (e.g
> > > a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> > > Patterns can be up to 256
> > > bars long....
> > 
> > Is this possible?  Can someone elaborate?
> > 
> > Sorry if this has been answered before.
> >
>

Thanks steve.  I was hoping to use it in this way:  
You have a 4 bar bass line and you have have an 8 bar melody.
Instead of having to duplicate the 4 bars to fit into an 8 bar pattern, you could somehow have them looping together.

Being able to play two patterns simultaneously, or convert a pattern to a track would work nicely.  :)

I'll keeping thinking about it.  



--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@...> wrote:
>
> Haven't found other discussions of this. There are a number of discussions related loop points that might be useful--specifically using the extend function.
> 
> So, it seems you could do it using a lowest common multiple. For example, take a measure of 3 and extend it to 12 measures and take a measure of 4 and do the same. 
> 
> I haven't tried this yet, but based on the discussions in the archives (and the mathematics), it should work. 
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
> 
> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@> wrote:
> >
> > Unfortunately, I couldn't find any major discussions, but this thread touches on it: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/14111 .
> > 
> > If I find any other related discussions, I will post them.
> > 
> > 
> > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of differing length?  You can only set the bar length for each pattern and play one pattern at a time as far as I can tell.
> > > 
> > > I did a search and found this:
> > > 
> > > > You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> > > > alongside each other (e.g
> > > > a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> > > > Patterns can be up to 256
> > > > bars long....
> > > 
> > > Is this possible?  Can someone elaborate?
> > > 
> > > Sorry if this has been answered before.
> > >
> >
>

Hi guys,

AFAI have heard Ableton is able (no pun intended) to do this.

2011/6/9 lutherblisset63 <lutherblisset63@...>:
> You have a 4 bar bass line and you have have an 8 bar melody.
> Instead of having to duplicate the 4 bars to fit into an 8 bar pattern, you could somehow have them looping together.
>
> Being able to play two patterns simultaneously, or convert a pattern to a track would work nicely.  :)

Isn't it something the X-Mix should make possible (mix two patterns,
even if they are of different length)? I actually tried it once to see
the interface, without focusing on details yet. Maybe this weekend
will experiment with it.

Cheers,

Bruno

From my brief experimentation with xmix, I recall that a pattern of greater length than the source is truncated (though the data is still there if you extend the source pattern), and a pattern of smaller length remains as is and is not looped.  Could be wrong though.


> Isn't it something the X-Mix should make possible (mix two patterns,
> even if they are of different length)? I actually tried it once to see
> the interface, without focusing on details yet. Maybe this weekend
> will experiment with it.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Bruno
>

Yeah--Aaron knows the Command Station inside and out!!!

BTW, there's an extra slash after the http: so the link doesn't work, but people can just look for that specific message number in the yahoo search bar.

As far as using the arps, you might want to test setting up a note trigger for an arp to do a 4 measure bassline against an 8 measure pattern. I am not sure that will fit your performance style, but it might---as long as the bass part will fit within the allowable number of steps.

Steve


--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@...> wrote:
>
> I don't really understand the use of arps to create the separate loops
> effect, I'll have to try it out.  This  was the best
> explanation for composing with uneven measures I could find:
> 
> http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/20411 <http://>
> 
> 
> 
> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks steve.  I was hoping to use it in this way:
> > You have a 4 bar bass line and you have have an 8 bar melody.
> > Instead of having to duplicate the 4 bars to fit into an 8 bar
> pattern, you could somehow have them looping together.
> >
> > Being able to play two patterns simultaneously, or convert a pattern
> to a track would work nicely.  :)
> >
> > I'll keeping thinking about it.
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" smw-mail@ wrote:
> > >
> > > Haven't found other discussions of this. There are a number of
> discussions related loop points that might be useful--specifically using
> the extend function.
> > >
> > > So, it seems you could do it using a lowest common multiple. For
> example, take a measure of 3 and extend it to 12 measures and take a
> measure of 4 and do the same.
> > >
> > > I haven't tried this yet, but based on the discussions in the
> archives (and the mathematics), it should work.
> > >
> > > Steve
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Unfortunately, I couldn't find any major discussions, but this
> thread touches on it:
> http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/14111 .
> > > >
> > > > If I find any other related discussions, I will post them.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@>
> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of
> differing length?  You can only set the bar length for each pattern and
> play one pattern at a time as far as I can tell.
> > > > >
> > > > > I did a search and found this:
> > > > >
> > > > > > You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> > > > > > alongside each other (e.g
> > > > > > a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> > > > > > Patterns can be up to 256
> > > > > > bars long....
> > > > >
> > > > > Is this possible?  Can someone elaborate?
> > > > >
> > > > > Sorry if this has been answered before.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Yeah it's really the only way to do it it seems.  I just wanted to see if it was possible to have separate track lengths.  This would would be much easier. 

Extending a 4 bar into and 8 bar melody is easy.  It gets complicated pretty quickly when you have long melodies/ need to go back and change original elements etc.  

I also tried aaron's method of reverting to the original pattern lenght to make changes then extending again.  He may have meant to use the acutal loop feature.  I have tried so far with the re-extending with the extend feature and changing the pattern length and run into problems. Sometimes the start of the bar is missing, sometimes it seems like the data is duplicated.  I may be doing something wrong though.

Simply extending then cutting and pasting works well enough.  I'll probably experiment a bit more anyway.  Anyone with ideas/techniques on composing in this way?

 





--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Matt <somatt@...> wrote:
>
> Can't you just extend the first four bar pattern to 8 bars with extend to:
> and then put your melody in? And if u want to pull it from another pattern
> just use xmix.
> Or am I missing something?
> 
> sent from my gTab
> On Jun 9, 2011 5:04 AM, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@...> wrote:
> > Thanks steve. I was hoping to use it in this way:
> > You have a 4 bar bass line and you have have an 8 bar melody.
> > Instead of having to duplicate the 4 bars to fit into an 8 bar pattern,
> you could somehow have them looping together.
> >
> > Being able to play two patterns simultaneously, or convert a pattern to a
> track would work nicely. :)
> >
> > I'll keeping thinking about it.
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@> wrote:
> >>
> >> Haven't found other discussions of this. There are a number of
> discussions related loop points that might be useful--specifically using the
> extend function.
> >>
> >> So, it seems you could do it using a lowest common multiple. For example,
> take a measure of 3 and extend it to 12 measures and take a measure of 4 and
> do the same.
> >>
> >> I haven't tried this yet, but based on the discussions in the archives
> (and the mathematics), it should work.
> >>
> >> Steve
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "steve_the_composer" <smw-mail@> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > Unfortunately, I couldn't find any major discussions, but this thread
> touches on it: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/message/14111 .
> >> >
> >> > If I find any other related discussions, I will post them.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, "lutherblisset63" <lutherblisset63@> wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > Is it possible to simultaneously play tracks or patterns of differing
> length? You can only set the bar length for each pattern and play one
> pattern at a time as far as I can tell.
> >> > >
> >> > > I did a search and found this:
> >> > >
> >> > > > You can have patterns of different lengths playing
> >> > > > alongside each other (e.g
> >> > > > a 3 bar pattern looping over a 4 bar pattern).
> >> > > > Patterns can be up to 256
> >> > > > bars long....
> >> > >
> >> > > Is this possible? Can someone elaborate?
> >> > >
> >> > > Sorry if this has been answered before.
> >> > >
> >> >
> >>
> >
> >
>