Two notes on moving patches and parts

Two recent discoveries I've made concern moving patches and parts from one pattern to another. There are limits to what we can do here, but it's possible to use them to our advantage.


1. If you want to copy a part from one pattern to another pattern (see manual page 76), you have to copy it to the same part number it occupied in the first pattern. It is evidently impossible* to copy it onto a different part in the new pattern. (In other words, if you want to move the melody you wrote for pattern U.001 part 4 to pattern U.002, you can only move it to U.002's part 4.)

This limitation makes a good case for laying your tracks out in the same general way every time. So for example: If you always use part 1 for bassline, parts 2-5 for melody and pads, and parts 6-7 for extra percussion and sound effects, you'll be able to move parts between patterns with less restriction. It also means less to think about when you're muting parts on the fly for dramatic effect.

*UPDATE: Apparently you CAN move data to different parts if you run OS 1.03 (my 307 runs 1.02, unfortunately). Thanks to Gastón for pointing this out in the comments below.


2. If you're planning to make a series of patterns that will use the same group of patches, but that nonetheless are going to sound very distinct from one another (i.e. different rhythms, melodies, time signatures, etc.), here's a quick way to create the blank patterns using an easy MIDI trick. See manual page 126:

Get into the SYSTEM:MIDI menu and turn RX.PROG CHANGE to OFF. Then whenever you switch patterns, the patches you used in the previous pattern will be retained -- but not the rhythmic and melodic data. You can save this new blank pattern as many times as needed. (If, however, your patterns are going to be fairly similar to one another, it's easier to make one finished pattern, copy it, then alter the copies...this is just another trick for your bag.)

NOTE: Don't forget to switch RX.PROG CHANGE back to ON when you finish...or all of the 307's patterns will use the same patches, whether you like it or not!