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| Roland P-6 |
This is a Roland P-6 Creative Sampler. I'll make some notes about it in case I forget how to use it, as it's quite a complex device with a limited interface. Actually, the interface is already notorious. But I'd argue P-6 is on the right side of challenging, I keep finding out new things weeks and months after arrival.
Why this instead of Korg Volca S or struggling with the old Korg Electribe ES-1?
Well, the P-6 can go on for hours on its built-in USB-rechargeable battery, so no hassle with wires or external PSU. It actually works as a sampler (unlike the Volca S), it packs almost everything the Electribe did, and it's still quite small.
I thought I'd occasionally produce sample sets for it and then use it as a mobile sketchpad. Afterwards the output could be recorded on a MIDI-sync'd multitrack recorder, with the possible addition of more organic synth sounds. In turn, the multitrack material can be chopped and re-edited in Ardour on Linux. Maybe more about that later.
I did notice the workflow is quite different to Electribe, and I'm bound to draw some comparisons between the two.
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| Overall map of Sample and Pattern/banks. |
The P-6 has a total of 48 sample instruments divided into 6-pad banks (A-H). The samples largely have their own characteristics, so adjusting a sample parameter like pitch, start, end, level, pan... will affect all the patterns the sample is used in. A pad can also have sub-samples.
The P-6 idea is quite useful for structuring songs out of patterns quickly, or for live playing with as little pre-preparation as possible. It can also make sense to fiddle with these parameters after creating a song structure (=multiple patterns) without having to tweak all sample data in all patterns.
However, working with multiple track ideas on different patterns, I'm bound to change the parameters of a sample so it will sound more appropriate for that pattern. It's easy to forget this will also change how it sounds in the other patterns which might be intended for something else entirely.
It's also unclear which parameters are pattern-specific, and which are not. For example the VOICE and MIXER are both under SAMPLE EDIT line, but only VOICE is pattern specific, whereas MIXER parameters for granular synthesis are not. Yet MIXER parameters for normal samples are again, sample-specific.
Four of the banks are immediately present through the four keys, but to switch between groups A-D and E-H the currently selected bank key needs to be pressed again. It's not instantly clear which half is currently active. A flashing button indicates the second half.
It's possible to mute individual pads, but also groups, which is neat. So if the percussion are organized at bank A, they can be shut easily with the bank mute.
When playing, the sample that is playing will make the relevant group flash a little, and a group is selected the used pads are flashing as they are played. It's not especially easy to find samples in the pattern in this way, but again this can be helped with using some rigor in placing similar-type sounds in similar banks.
Also, it may be a good idea to have some hygiene between the A-D and E-H bank sets, because it's annoying to switch between them when making a complex track.
My experiences so far have led me to think I'd probably sketch only one prototype on the device at a time, output it as audio tracks, and then erase and start afresh. Or even work on the patterns, record, and not save any changes. I can give up the idea of archiving any small variant I ever did.
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| The minimal connectors behind the box |
The Sequencer
There are 4 banks with 16 patterns each, and these 64 patterns can vary in length. While playing, the next pattern can be chosen by punching any of the 16 keys. Sadly there's no option for instant change. The value knob can also select another pattern, or a pattern from another bank.
When out of the pattern select mode, the 16 keys represent 16 pattern steps for the selected sample pad, out of a maximum of 64. So editing is basically turning those lights on and off. If Play and Record are on, the sample pad presses and any knob twiddling are recorded to the pattern.
Turning "keyboard" on, the current pad can be played chromatically from the 13 keys, and even chords are possible. (When the POLY parameter for the sample has been set). So far so simple.
Using the bare patterns easily leads to the chug-chug 16/16 aesthetic of an amateur Amiga module, which can be fun, but often more nuance and variety is needed.
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| Sequence steps, instrument pads and their parameters |
One way is to just extend the pattern. SHIFT+MENU, choose DUPL and the length of the pattern will be doubled, for example a 16-step pattern will become 32 steps with the 16-32 steps duplicating all the data of the first 16 steps. Then changes can be made to the overall pattern, using SHIFT+PAGE keys.
Or just create another pattern with different contents and swap between them while playing. Note there is no way to "build song" as in Electribe, the P-6 is more directed to a "live" play situation. Not that I used the song structure much on the Electribe.
Each individual note can be adjusted by holding down that note and turning the relevant knob. This way pitch, start, end and level can be fixed for any note. The subsequent notes will assume the same parameter, so it's more like adding a parameter change to that specific spot.
Hitting the GRANULAR key while holding down the note switches between different interesting parameters. (This doesn't activate the granular sample engine, it's just that the key needs to be used to access different options.) The note position on the pattern can be micro-adjusted, and they can be rapidly played in a kind of micro sub-pattern.
The "probability" tool is neat because it's not only about adding randomized notes, but notes that are played 1/2 times the pattern is played, 1/3 etc., so it's possible to do a single 16-step pattern that has something of the variety of a, say, 64-step pattern. Depending on the genre of music and the role of the P-6 in the overall song, this could be enough. The downside is that this can distract from the pattern content, as each note is still visualised whether it's going to be currently played or not.
It looked to me there's a limit to how many such edits can be added to a pattern, and it was unclear to me if this applies to the pitch/start/end/level just as well as to the parameters behind the step/GRANULAR menu.
Another means to adjust the track is to record the knob twiddling while playing. This way the pitch, start, end and level and various other mix parameters can be attached to the pattern. However, it's not especially easy to micromanage.
Messing around with the sample start position was quite a powerful tool in Amiga tracker music, and it should be here too. Suppose I have a long filter sweep baked in the sample, but only play a tiny slice of it, constantly varying the start position. Modulation wheel fiddling for free. This doesn't work all that well in realtime, but the step-edit appears ok to me. Electribe certainly can't do it at all.
And this was only the sequencer. The track can be positively mangled using Granular Synthesis, MFX and Scatter functions. More about these further below.
Sampling
Moving samples over to the P-6 is much less of a hassle than with the ancient Electribe. It still doesn't work exactly as a USB memory stick would, but in appearance it sort of does. I hold the SAMPLE key and turn on the P-6 power while connected to the computer. After a moment the drive appears on my Linux Mint and I can browse it.
These folders don't show the sample contents of the P-6. They are folders for "importing" new samples over to the P-6 relevant pad positions. After I have added 16-bit wav samples into the folders, I can eject the drive and press KEYBOARD on the P-6. If all is fine then the device visualizes the importing process. If even a single sample is bad (wrong format) there will be an uninformative ERR signal and everything has to be done again, starting from shutting down the P-6.
Oh, and before importing the samples the pad slots need to be really empty. So use that DELETE key, select a pad, press DELETE again.
When making a serious sound palette, I'd recommend using a decent soundcard on a computer to actually record and adjust the samples, as the samples made on P-6 are likely to be less than perfect. I did find the resampling useful for recording a distorted or otherwise mangled loop, then laying it as a basis for another pattern, with non-effected sounds on top.
There appears to be some lag between pressing the SAMPLE key and the P-6 actually starting recording, so it's better to be generous and then adjust the start position afterwards.
Just when I thought the sample/pad structure is too limited, in step the ... step samples. So, a sample pad can be dedicated to a long sample with maybe 8 sounds, evenly spaced inside the actual sample. These can easily be different percussion sounds, so instead of wasting a bunch of pads for drum machine sounds, one pad could hold Kick, Snare, Hihat, Tom, Clap etc.
After the sample has been set as a Step Sample, each of the sub-steps can be invoked by pressing the relevant note/step keys, and the same goes for editing. Obviously the sample parameters cannot be adjusted for each sub-step, but with correct decisions it might be more powerful to make sweeping changes to the entire set of sub-samples.
Granular Synthesis
The granular sample tool has been touted as a powerful element of P-6, a selling point even, but mostly I've only achieved some background gibberish with it. Whether it is really a "synthesis" may be a matter of debate.
The idea of granularity is that if a sample is seen as a series of tiny "grains", there's in theory no reason why they couldn't be played in a non-linear fashion. The granular engine plays the grains in various other, "creative" ways, for example, generated semi-randomly along time as the sample plays.
To me it's like one more special-case sample in addition to the 48 pads samples, although it doesn't actually have its own recorded sample data. What makes it interesting, is that it's pattern-specific.
If I hold the PATTERN, the intended pad, then the GRANULAR key, I can change the granular source sample from the already existing pads. So it only works with an already assigned sample pad.
Pressing these key together is somehow very messy and I still don't always get there. Seeing as how important the granular synthesis is supposed to be, it's been made really uncomfortable to use.
Hitting the GRANULAR key plays the currently organized granular sound, it can be added to the pattern sequence, played chromatically, etc.
The adjustments to the pattern's Granular Synthesis parameters are made from a menu dive. SHIFT+VOICE EDIT, then turn the menu knob to reach various arcane parameters.
VIEW CC
hPoS=0x13=Head (start) Position 0000-
hSPd=0x14=Head Speed -400-400
SPrd=0x19=Spread 0-100
GrnS=0x15=Grains Density generation 05-80
GShP=0x0F=Grain Shape OFF,1-49,50,1-100
GSiZ=0x17=Grain Size 0000-
GruS=0x03=Grain Reverse Probability 0-100
GtNJ=0x44=Grain Timing Jitter 0-100
GTYF=0x10=Grain Time Key Follow 0-25
StMd=0x4F=Start Mode COLD/HOT
Basically, the start position can be set to inside the chosen sample, and then this "playhead" can move either forwards or backwards in different speeds after the granular sample has been triggered. In this process the playhead reaches either the start or the end of the sample. During this time, "grains" will be generated according to the rules set in the other parameters.
I'm not especially thrilled about it yet, but perhaps I need time and experimentation. The granular synthesis might be seen as one way to counter the usual repetitiveness of samples, but it really depends on the source data too.
The Effects and Bus
It's become granted these days a sound source or mixer of this size holds its own effects processor. No exception here.
There's some terminological overlap here, as "effects" generally refers to the section near the top left, with six keys and three Control knobs. But these aren't the only effects in the box, as the MIXER section (hidden) hosts Delay and Reverb too.
But the main effects are available from the Looper, Pitch, Delay, Filter, Scatter and MFX keys.
MFX in itself holds 15 different effects behind the key, ranging from isolator, resonator, filter, reverb, chorus, phaser to "vinyl" and "cassette" simulations, each with 3-6 parameters.
MFX Key+Tempo switches FX, keys 1-15 can also be used. SHIFT+Ctrl for further parameters.
Holding PATTERN and using any of the six keys will activate the effect only for the duration of the keypress. Generally the section caters for more live play situation.
As mentioned, there's also the FX "bus", where reverb/delay type effects can be mixed in. However, it's only possible to select if a sample (one of 48) is directed to the bus or not, individual effects cannot be assigned to the pads. This isn't that much different from the Electribe, but again it's sample- and not pattern-specific.
The relation of the Mixer and the Effects portion are some of the more confusing aspects of P-6, at least initially. But it's really just a choice of an overall sound-mangling effect, and then the more generic option of reverb, delay and filter. Even the six "main effects" can be turned on and off per sample, by diverting the audio output to BUS A or B.
It's a pity that a generally useful effect like the Compressor, is under one of the MFX options.
Some End Notes
It's quite interesting that the Roland P-6, if I were to compare it the Electribe ES-1, isn't in all respects superior to that Korg offering from 25 years ago. No wonder many suggest getting a second hand ES-1 rather than the Volca S.
One thing is quite obvious. As the P-6 is quite small, it is physically unimpressive and this also has implications for the user interface. In nearly all categories of action, it feels there are always twice the amount of options than there are keys or knobs.
Electribe is quite intuitive, and even if it also uses a limited 7-segment display, there's an itemized table of all the functions on top of the box itself. Electribe's huge jog wheel is also quite helpful, and things like effects are easy to access. There are benefits from being simple, as there's not that many parameters to tweak.
Another problem is the weak MIDI implementation on the P-6. Whereas the Electribe had quite a comprehensive mapping of each imaginable parameter, using both CC and more device-specific NRPN codes, the P-6 bluntly refuses to do much else than delay and reverb parameters. There's quite a lot of CCs for the Granular engine though, which could make it more interesting.
This also means the P-6 refuses to perform as a full external sound engine to a MIDI sequencer. This is because even if all the pads play through MIDI, and the one pad plays chromatically via MIDI, all pads cannot be played chromatically at the same time.
With the Electribe, it was possible to hack the NPRN pitch parameter to provide note pitch to all the pattern samples, but P-6 has no such backdoor. The CCs do not help and the Program Change only addresses the pattern number.
But the P-6 might be seen as a mobile sketchpad, a part which the ES-1 plays poorly. So I shouldn't be too sorry I can't hack it to act as a versatile melodic sample player for a computer-based sequencer.
In fairness it has to be said the Electribe could only play a handful of samples simultaneously, and even this came with limits. The PC-connections and memory card usage are ancient, and the PSU plug is in constant danger of falling off.
The output format for the P-6 pattern data is in ASCII readable format, and presumably it can be also rewritten. Every note and note parameter that can be adjusted, is there for view. So, theoretically, some of the shortcomings of the editor could be by-passed. It's just a matter of when and how, as this is quite far from doing things live and on board.
