A palette of samples for fingerdrumming and live-recording, playable via MIDI

[krx]

UPDATE after thread has been closed: A slimmer version of this concept is now ready for voting: Faster pick and place with a user-customizable sample palette

A pick & place palette for frequently used samples where each individual sample-slot can be triggered from incoming MIDI Notes that also solves live recording of drum patterns:

Suggestion for implementation:

Palette:
Use the (rightmost) 4x8 grid of pads as a ‘palette’ for up to 32 user-selected sample slots (Ableton Drum Rack style) where each slot can be triggered via incoming midi notes with velocity (one note triggers one sample slot). The palette would also allow for fast and intuitive pick & place access to the users favourite samples AND also work as an interface for basic finger drumming on the Play itself.

Live Recording:
When live recording is enabled, sample triggers from incoming MIDI-notes (or the Play’s pads) should be recorded to the selected track(s) of a sample-pattern (similar to the implementation of the piano roll). If more samples are played than tracks are selected, the triggers should fall into any selected track that has a free step at the current position. If all tracks are occupied, overwrite the oldest/shortest/most-quiet/…?! event at that position.

UX-Bonus - palette pad-colors that indicate sample type:
Provide users with a hint to the content of each sample slot: filled palette pads could be illuminated with predefined colors that are unique to their corresponding sample folder (e.g. kicks = red, snare = orange, hihat = yellow) for easier orientation.

What is the problem?

• Individual samples can not be triggered via MIDI input (only the most recently picked sample can be played chromatically, which is only useful for playing melodies but not for drum sequences).
• Live-recording of drum patterns or fingerdrumming-style performances are not possible (this seems to be a dealbreaker for many people).

What do you want to achieve?

Make the Play feel even more immediate as a live performance instrument by implementing:

• Live recording of drum sequences to sample patterns, based on incoming MIDI note-events and the pads on the Play.
• Live fingerdrumming using external MIDI-controllers (e.g. Beatstep, QuNeo, Joue, Akai LPD/MPD etc.)
• Faster pick and place by providing the user with a custom palette of frequently used or favourite samples

Are there any workarounds?

• Improvised palette for pick and place (0:45):
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6bZFwLuhhI&t=45s
• My kind of humour :
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pt2QZ_fCYM

Any links to related discussions?

Audio steps playable via MIDI

But that’s not a problem, because then you wouldn’t create 512 steps in the first place, right? I was just saying that it is technically possible, and this feature must be flexible enough to cover it. Isn’t that more complicated? How do you select a sample from the pool via MIDI? And how do you assign that sample to a step via MIDI? You mentioned the Digitakt and the Roland MC-707. If you have drum machines in mind, we could add the MPC One, the Maschine… I might be mistaken,…

Ability to play and record finger drumming style performance with both hands

What is the problem? Currently players have the ability to play different notes of the same sample using the View Controller. However, they can’t play multiple samples at once, finger drumming style. What do you want to achieve? Having an ability to load (partial?) pool of samples into the view controller and trigger them from there directly. Are there any workarounds? No. Any links to related discussions? Audio steps playable via MIDI Any references to other products? Tracker can do i…

Any references to other products?

• Drumracks in Ableton Live
• Pads in the Instrument View Polyend Tracker
• Novation Circuit Rhythm & Tracks
• almost any other sample based groovebox with live pattern recording… (MPC, Maschine, etc…)

[icaria36]

@krx welcome to Backstage. We try to keep wishes simple, as modules, so Polyend can evaluate them and eventually implement them one by one as building blocks.

Your wish contains at least three wishes welcoming votes, the two you have already mentioned

• Ability to play and record finger drumming style performance with both hands
• Audio steps playable via MIDI

And maybe this one:

• Color coded instruments by folder name

If there is a “sub-wish” that is missing in your vision that it could stand in its own, then please focus drafting that wish specifically. Maybe the live-recording bit? I didn’t quite get it together with the other features requested. Your votes for the related wishes are welcome too (everyone has up to 10 votes). Otherwise, I doubt Polyend will accept for the Wishlist this complex wish as is…

[Sandroid]

It’s been a while since the last activity on this wish. I’m closing this in the next 7 days.
As @icaria36 suggested, it would be better to separate this into individual wishes. Thank you