Session 16: Micro Timing, Slide Trigs, Scale Settings

Objective: Use micro timing to shift individual trigs off the grid by up to 23/384th of a step (humanization). Use slide trigs to glide parameters smoothly between steps (portamento). Use scale settings to set per-track lengths (polymetric), time signature, and per-pattern tempo.

Warm-Up (2 min)

You've made patterns generative (Session 15). They evolve. But they still feel like a machine — perfectly on the grid. This session adds the human element: tiny timing shifts, smooth glides, polyrhythms. Press [PLAY] on a current pattern. Notice how rigid the timing feels. Time to break the grid.

Setup

Start from the LAB project. Have a working multi-track pattern (drums + at least one melodic track with note trigs and pitch p-locks from Session 14). Press [PLAY] to confirm sound.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Micro Timing — Per-Step Nudges (6 min)

Shift individual trigs forward or backward by fractions of a step.

1. Press [STOP]. Press [TRACK 3] (your hat track)
2. Hold [TRIG 3]. Look for the MICRO TIMING parameter (sometimes labeled MICRO or μT). Range is typically -23 to +23 (in 23/384ths of a step)
3. Set MICRO = +5 (slightly late). Release
4. Hold [TRIG 7] + MICRO = -3 (slightly early). Release
5. Hold [TRIG 11] + MICRO = +8 (laid back)
6. Hold [TRIG 15] + MICRO = -2 (pushed)
7. Press [PLAY]. The hat track has subtle timing variation — feels human, not machine
8. Pro tip: positive values = later (laid back, drag); negative = earlier (pushed, ahead). Most "humanization" uses small positives on offbeats

Exercise 2: Push and Pull — Genre Feel (4 min)

Different genres have characteristic timing pushes/pulls.

1. Hip-hop drag: snare slightly late. Hold your snare trig (step 5 or 13) + MICRO = +8
2. Drum & bass push: hat 16ths slightly early. Hold all 16th-note hat trigs + MICRO = -3 to -5
3. Boom-bap swing: kick on the beat, snare slightly late, hat behind the kick. Combine all three
4. Press [PLAY]. The pattern feels wholly different from the same trigs at MICRO = 0
5. Save snapshot of timings — write them in your notes for that style

Exercise 3: Slide Trigs — Parameter Glides (5 min)

Slide trigs interpolate parameter values between consecutive trigs.

1. Press [TRACK 2] (your melodic with pitch p-locks from Session 14)
2. Confirm steps 1, 5, 9, 13 have pitch p-locks (e.g., 0, +5, +7, +10)
3. Now make step 5 a slide trig: in many firmware, hold [TRIG 5] + press a SLIDE key (or convert via the trig types menu)
4. The trig icon changes — slide trig has a distinctive look
5. Press [PLAY]. Pitch from step 1 (0) glides smoothly to step 5's value (+5) over the 4 steps in between
6. Make step 9 also a slide trig — pitch glides from +5 to +7
7. Make step 13 a slide trig — pitch glides from +7 to +10
8. Result: continuous portamento melody — like a synth with full glide
9. Slide works on ANY parameter, not just pitch — try it on filter cutoff, FX wet level, volume

Exercise 4: Scale Settings — Per-Track Length (5 min)

Each track can have a different pattern length — polyrhythms, polymeters, evolving textures.

1. Press [FUNC] + [PAGE] (or [SCALE] key, varies by firmware) to enter the SCALE menu
2. Two modes: MASTER LENGTH (whole pattern) and PER-TRACK (each track independent)
3. Switch to PER-TRACK mode if not already
4. With Track 3 (hat) selected, set its length to 12 steps instead of 16
5. Now Track 3 loops every 12 steps while other tracks loop every 16. Press [PLAY]
6. Listen — the hat shifts position relative to the kick over multiple bars. After 4 cycles of the master pattern (16 × 4 = 64 steps), Track 3 has cycled 5+ times (12 × 5 = 60, then partial)
7. Try Track 2 = 15 steps, Track 1 = 16 steps. The kick anchors, snare and hat drift. Polymeric magic
8. Reset to all 16 if it gets too chaotic for your composition needs

Exercise 5: Scale — Time Signature & Per-Pattern Tempo (3 min)

Two more scale-page powers.

1. In the SCALE menu, find TIME SIGNATURE. Default is 4/4. Try 3/4 (waltz), 5/4, 7/8 (odd meter)
2. The pattern length adjusts — at 5/4, you have 20 steps per bar instead of 16
3. Place trigs accordingly to feel the new meter
4. Find PER PATTERN TEMPO — set this pattern to a different BPM than the project default
5. Now switching from this pattern to another (via PTN + TRIG) auto-changes tempo
6. Use case: pattern A01 = 90 BPM hip-hop, pattern A02 = 140 BPM DnB — pattern change becomes tempo + style change

Exploration (if time allows)

• Combine MICRO timing + slide trigs + p-locked pitch — fully expressive monophonic synth from a single sample
• Set a track to length 7 for a polyrhythmic shaker that never lines up the same way twice across long sections
• Set TIME SIGNATURE = 7/8 and build a pattern in odd meter — escape 4/4

Output Checklist

• I added MICRO timing to at least 4 steps with mixed positive/negative values
• I created a "feel" by combining MICRO timings (drag, push, etc.)
• I converted at least 2 trigs to slide trigs and heard parameter interpolation
• I set a track to a non-16 length and heard polymeter
• I tried a non-4/4 time signature on at least one pattern
• I saved the project

Key Takeaways

• Micro timing = per-step humanization in 23/384ths of a step (positive = late, negative = early)
• Slide trigs = parameter interpolation between steps — works on pitch, filter, FX, anything
• Per-track length = polymetric patterns. Tracks of different lengths drift against each other
• Time signature + per-pattern tempo unlocks compositions in odd meters and tempo-changing arrangements

Next Session Preview

Next: Module 6 — modulation. The OT has 3 LFOs per track. Set LFO1 to wobble the filter, LFO2 to pan, LFO3 to vary delay time. Movement in every dimension.