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Play Bass, Melody, and Chord

Adding these musical parts lets you layer bass notes, melodies, and chords over beats and samples. Even without knowing music theory, the pads offer notes that fit the shared Key and Scale.

Get to know the three roles

Part Role Playing characteristics
BASS Low notes and the foundation of the song 12 notes. Each new note replaces the previous Bass note
MELODY Melodies and fills 12 notes that fit the Key / Scale
CHORD Chords and the mood of the song 7 chords and 5 Modifiers

Start with a beat playing, try Bass one note at a time, then move on to Melody and Chord.

Play Bass and Melody

  1. Use Fn1 to play the beat or Loop
  2. Turn the lower dial to select BASS
  3. In PLAY mode, press the pads one at a time
  4. Follow the same steps to switch to MELODY

The pads on the screen show note names for the current Key and Scale. Every pad plays a note within the selected Scale.

Play Chord

The seven CHORD chord pads are in the following positions.

  • P1, P2, P3: The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd chords
  • P5, P6, P7: The 4th, 5th, and 6th chords
  • P9: The 7th chord

The remaining positions are Modifiers that change the chord type.

Pad Modifier
P4 SWAP. Switch between Major and Minor
P8 7th
P10 sus4
P11 9th
P12 M7

Hold a Modifier while pressing a chord pad. A Modifier alone does not produce sound.

Change the Key and Scale

  1. Press the lower dial to open the menu
  2. Go to Music → Key / Scale
  3. Use Key to choose the song's tonal center
  4. Use Scale to choose the set of notes

Here is a guide to the main Scale options.

Scale Suitable character
Pentatonic Recommended to start with. Notes are less likely to sound out of place
Major Bright songs
Minor / Pentatonic Min Darker, calmer songs
Blues A blues or Hip Hop feel
Japanese A Japanese-style sound
Chromatic All 12 notes. More freedom, but you need to choose your notes
Dorian / Mixolydian More advanced playing with a modal character

Key / Scale settings are shared by Bass, Melody, and Chord.

Tuning

On the same screen, Tuning lets you choose A=425–455Hz. Normally, leave it at the default A=440Hz. Adjust it only when the pitch is slightly out of tune with another instrument or an older recording.

Change the tone, Octave, and Volume

When you display the Bass, Melody, or Chord part and open the menu, that part's settings appear at the top.

  • Sound Source → General MIDI → Tone: Choose a built-in sound
  • Sound Source → Pad → Pad Sound: Use the sound from a sampler pad
  • Octave: -2 to +2 octaves
  • Volume：0〜100%

To use a sampler pad as an instrument sound source, also see Sample synth.

Use Pitch Bend

In Bass or Melody, the lever on the right side lets you smoothly bend the pitch up or down. Set its range with Pitch Bend in the part menu.

  • 1 Semitone: Subtle expression. Start with this setting
  • 1 Octave: Large pitch changes

Pitch Bend performed in REC mode is recorded into the Loop.

Perform with TOUCH

While holding Fn3 TOUCH in Bass or Melody PLAY mode, you can perform by touching the screen or tilting the device.

  • Vertical position on the screen: Pitch within the Scale
  • Horizontal position on the screen: Changes to the tone
  • When you are not touching the screen: Perform by tilting the device

During TOUCH, the recorded performance for the current part is temporarily Muted. The TOUCH performance itself is not recorded into Rec.

Add a layer to the Loop

Once you know how to play the part, switch to REC mode. As with the sampler, you can add performances for each part, use Undo and Mute, and Delete the recording for a specific pad.

Record a performance into Rec