Chapter 1 Pattern Basics
18
6
Messing with the Beat
There’s more than one way to mess with the rhythm. Actually, the DX200 gives you a truckload of ways you
can disturb and deconstruct your beats. One of these is the (appropriately named) Beat function.
You’ll be meeting up with this control again when you record your own Patterns. But let’s see how you can
use it now to change the feel of a Pattern while it’s actually playing...
1 Select a Pattern and start it by pressing the Start/Stop button.
2 While the Pattern is running, hold down [SHIFT] and press [SWING]
(BEAT).
Now, you’ve got Beat called up and ready, so turn the [DATA] knob to
change the setting.
You can tell from the lit number buttons how the Pattern is affected. When
set to “
16
,” all 16 step buttons are lit and all 16 steps play back normally.
Change the setting to “
12
,” and Steps 13 - 16 drop out. Notice how the
Pattern not only slows down but “feels” different, too. Change Beat to “
8
,”
and you’ve only got Steps 1 - 8 happening. That’s half of the original 16-
step Pattern, and naturally, it plays back at half the speed.
7
Double time, half time
Here’s a dramatic way to instantly double the speed of a Pattern — or slow it down by one-half.
Simply hold down [SHIFT] and press the [OCT <<] button — just before the beginning of the Pattern — to
slow down the bpm by one-half. The first half of the Pattern plays at the new speed, before returning to the
original speed.
To double the bpm, hold down [SHIFT] and press the [OCT >>] button just before the top of the Pattern. The
Pattern plays back twice at the new speed, then returns to normal.
Beat
Determines the number of steps in the
selected Pattern for playback: 16, 12, or 8.
To set, hold [SHIFT] and press [SWING], then
use the [DATA] knob.
Range
16, 12, 8 steps
