One extra thing about firmware updates, it took 3 years from the release to bring the MC101/707 to a mature level (and some bugs still linger).
Doing the math, the SH-4d has 128 pattern slots and 246 user tone slots, but if you have to save 4 tones every-time you save a pattern (assuming you use all available tones) then you can only have a total of 64 patterns - unless you reuse sounds you created for other patterns without editing them.
One thing I will say is that is a very solid v1.0 release. Iāve found no bugs whatsoever (and I seem to have a knack at finding these things).
Oof, thanks for taking the time to write this up, much appreciated!
Yet another good reason to externally sequence this thingā¦ Thanks for the review and info!
At its core itās a portable multitimbral synth and not a sequencer. If you want to use the sequencer to perform with elements it seems good, but not to program out a song.
The sample and looper capabilities on both are still some of the most convoluted and limiting Iāve ever experienced. It comes off as an after thought.
@x0x: Thanks for reporting on the turnoffs, quite helpful gas therapy.
Can you overwrite factory tone presets permanently without any hacks? Or are they blocked?
Iāve not tried, will report back
Edit: You can overwrite factory patterns, but not factory tones. All tones you create (or edits to factory tones) have to be saved into one of the 256 user preset tones.
Iām definitely keeping it. Itās really good
Really weird thereās no motion recording on drum part, looks like another thing simplified from MC series. Is there at least random/alternate pan & pitch parameter for specific drums? On MC-707 this helps a lot for hats and percussion. And how about velocity sensitivity for filter cutoff and envelopes?
Hmm I thought this function was demonstrated in one of the reviews, forgot which oneā¦ or maybe it was something else that I thought I saw
Edit: yeah, looks that was just an arp (I was thinking about the beginning of sonicstate review). Oh wellā¦
Is it possible to load a set of four tones (+ a kit) at once, i.e. a project? Say youāre playing a gig and you have four tones for one track, and a different set of four for the next track: can you load them all at once somehow? Or do you have to manually select and load four different tone presets? In this case ignoring the internal sequencer and just using the unit as a multitimbral sound module.
Unfortunately not
This can be done on the tone tracks via the mod matrix, but not on the drum tracks.
You can do that by loading the four tone patches into an empty pattern, then use the save option called āpattern+tonesā. Then when you load the pattern all four tones will also be loaded. Save a pattern for each of your songs.
Fantastic, good to know
That drum part and sequencer really are just for some quick laying down ideas when not in the studio. Shame that itās not possible to live transpose patterns though, I sometimes do this on sh-01a and td-3 and itās a lot of fun. Thanks for all info!
With 26 drums parts I guess you could duplicate drum parts with different pan, pitch or cutoff settings and sequence them to add variations
Yeah, but like you said in your stream, that would be a bit much too handle. I like to have drums always on the same spot and not multiplicated, so I can mute them by ear and muscle memory. If you look at it primary as a synth (which it is), drums are a nice bonus, especially for a portable device. And sequencer isnāt bad either, if it had 128 steps and live transpose with integrated keyboard, I would consider it to be even pretty great for a synth.