Session 13: Grid & Live Recording — All Trig Types

Objective: Switch fluently between Grid Recording (step entry) and Live Recording (real-time tap-in), and place each of the OT's 7 trig types — sample, note, lock, trigless, one-shot, swing, slide. Hear the difference each makes.

Warm-Up (2 min)

Up to now, you've placed trigs in Grid Recording mode (press [RECORD], tap [TRIG] keys). That's one of two recording modes. The other — Live Recording — turns the OT into a real-time drum machine. You're about to feel the difference.

Setup

Start from the LAB project. Track 1 should have a drum loop or kit (a kick on a Flex slot is fine). Tracks 2-3 should have other percussion or melodic samples. Set tempo to 120 BPM ([TEMPO] + Level knob).

Exercises

Exercise 1: Grid Recording — Step Entry (4 min)

Grid mode places trigs on specific steps without playback running.

1. Press [STOP] (sequencer stopped). Press [RECORD] — RECORD LED steady on
2. Press [TRACK 1]. Now press [TRIG 1], [TRIG 5], [TRIG 9], [TRIG 13] — kicks on every beat
3. Press [TRACK 2] (snare). Press [TRIG 5], [TRIG 13] — snares on beats 2 and 4
4. Press [TRACK 3] (hat). Press [TRIG 3], [TRIG 7], [TRIG 11], [TRIG 15] — hats on offbeats
5. Press [PLAY] to listen — basic 4-on-the-floor with hat. Press [STOP], [RECORD] to exit grid mode

Exercise 2: Live Recording — Real-Time Tap (4 min)

Live mode lets you tap trigs while the sequencer plays — like playing a drum pad live.

1. Clear the pattern: [FUNC] + [CLEAR] while in Grid Recording (clears track), or just press [TRIG] keys to remove trigs
2. Press [PLAY] — sequencer running with empty pattern. Press [RECORD] while playing — both LEDs lit. You're in Live Recording
3. Press [TRACK 1] (kick). Now tap [TRIG 1] in time with the click — tap once per bar
4. Switch to Track 2 ([TRACK 2]), tap [TRIG 1] to lay snares on the beat
5. Live mode quantizes to the nearest step (default). Your taps land on grid positions
6. Press [RECORD] to exit live mode but keep playing. Press [STOP] to end

Exercise 3: Sample Trigs vs. Note Trigs (3 min)

Two fundamentally different trig types.

1. Press [STOP], [RECORD]. Press [TRACK 1]. Tap [TRIG 1] — that's a SAMPLE TRIG (default). It plays the track's current sample
2. Now make a NOTE TRIG: hold [FUNC] + tap [TRIG 1] to remove the sample trig. Then press [TRIG 5] — sample trig
3. Note trigs are for melodic playback: hold a [TRIG] key + turn knob A on the SRC page to set a pitch. Note trigs play the sample at that pitch
4. Hold [TRIG 5], look at the screen — it shows current parameters for that step. Turn Data Entry knob B (or look for PITCH) to set the played pitch
5. Note trigs are LEDed slightly differently than sample trigs — usually a different color brightness

Exercise 4: Lock Trigs, Trigless Trigs, One-Shot Trigs (4 min)

Three less-common but powerful trig types.

1. Lock trig — a trig that only changes parameters, doesn't trigger sample. Useful for parameter changes mid-pattern without re-triggering audio
   • Hold a step that's already a sample trig. Press [FUNC] while holding to convert to a lock trig (or vice-versa). LED color changes. Now that step's p-locks apply, but the sample doesn't re-trigger
2. Trigless trig — pure parameter automation, no sample play. Same as a lock trig in newer firmware. Used heavily for filter sweeps without re-triggering each step
3. One-shot trig — fires only once, then stops the trig. Useful for fills that happen exactly once (you have to manually re-arm). Held [FUNC] + [TRIG] in Bank Selector mode toggles ONE SHOT (firmware-dependent)

Exercise 5: Swing Trigs and Slide Trigs (5 min)

Two trig types that change feel.

1. Swing: not a trig type per se, but a per-track or per-pattern setting. Press [FUNC] + [TEMPO] to access SWING — adjust 50-80% (50% = no swing, 60% = light swing, 75% = heavy shuffle)
2. With swing at 60%, your hat pattern (3, 7, 11, 15) feels groovier — the offbeats land slightly late
3. Slide trig: glides parameters from the previous step's value to this step's value. Useful for portamento, filter sweeps, pitch slides
   • Hold a [TRIG] step that has different parameter values from the previous step. Press the SLIDE button (or use the trig types menu, firmware-dependent)
   • On playback, the parameters interpolate smoothly between steps instead of jumping
4. Try slide on a note trig: step 1 plays note C2, step 9 plays note G2, slide trig on step 9 — pitch glides from C2 to G2 over the intervening time

Exploration (if time allows)

• In Live Recording mode, press [FUNC] + [TRACK] to mute that track during recording — useful for "drop-in" overdubs
• Try unquantized live recording: in PROJECT > MIDI/SYNC, set RECORD QUANTIZE = OFF. Now your taps land exactly when you tapped (microtiming)
• Combine: place sample trigs on beats 1, 5, 9, 13. Place lock trigs on 3, 7, 11, 15 — those steps p-lock the filter cutoff to descending values. Result: 4-on-the-floor with a stair-step filter sweep, but the sample only re-triggers on the kick

Output Checklist

• I placed trigs in Grid Recording mode
• I placed trigs in Live Recording mode while playback ran
• I created at least one note trig with a custom pitch
• I converted a sample trig to a lock/trigless trig
• I adjusted swing and heard the rhythmic shift
• I tried at least one slide trig with parameter interpolation

Key Takeaways

• [RECORD] alone = Grid Recording (step entry, sequencer stopped); [PLAY] + [RECORD] = Live Recording (tap in time)
• 7 trig types: sample (default), note (pitched), lock (params only), trigless (=lock), one-shot, swing (groove setting), slide (parameter glide)
• Lock/trigless trigs are the secret to changing sound mid-pattern without re-triggering — heavy use case in p-lock-driven patterns
• Swing and slide are the feel/expression layer — they make patterns groove instead of march

Next Session Preview

Next: parameter locks. The OT's most powerful compositional feature. Lock the filter cutoff on step 5. Lock a different sample on step 9. Build a melody from a single note sample by p-locking pitch. This is where compositions emerge from beats.