Realtime vs. TR-REC recording

It took me awhile to realize the advantage of having two different ways to record on the 307: Realtime and TR-REC. Both are useful depending on what kind of sounds you envision and how you approach programming. Here are a few thoughts for anyone just getting into them:

Realtime Recording is like using a tape recorder, and it's good if you want to enter data as a live performance. In essence, you choose a part and hit Record, hit Realtime, then hit Play twice. After the countdown, whatever you play on the keys (or your attached MIDI keyboard) gets recorded into the 307's memory, and you'll hear it whenever you play back the pattern. The video I mention here shows the basic process.

TR-REC Recording is for programming individual note data values by location. While it would be difficult to enter a complex piano solo this way, it's good if you want a sound that have a lot of repetition: Either a lot of the same note coming from a synth part or a lot of the same drum hit from the rhythm part. Enter TR-REC mode and choose the note you want to enter. The red lights along the keys will show you all the points where that note will sound.

If you can divide up a measure into its 16th notes and point to the spots where those notes or drum hits fall as the sequencer runs (for example, 3, 7, 11 and 15 for every upbeat in the measure), then it might be easier to enter the notes with TR-REC rather than perform them live, because you'll be sure the timing is right for every one of them and they will all sound exactly the same.

The methods can both be used on one part to save you time. Create a drum performance in Realtime. Then edit it in TR-REC, so you can see the red lights indicating where the hits are as the pattern plays. Press the 16 buttons to turn the red lights off and on to move the hits around...this might be easier than looking for note data in Microscope mode. Or create a simple repetitive bassline in TR-REC, and then go back and give it some life by adding embellishments to it in Realtime.