ION iDM02 User manual

1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Quick Description
The iDM02 includes over 230 high-fidelity drum/percussion sounds and a library of preset
rhythm Patterns prepared by professional drummers.
It also has 11 external trigger inputs to which you can connect your external triggers. Inputs
1-9 will accept drum pad trigger signals. Inputs 10-11 will accept switch-type inputs (usually
from foot pedals). Please consult the Quickstart Guide for information on connecting your
kit’s triggers.
The iDM02 offers two main modes, Perform (for playback) and Compose (for recording).
The Pattern/Song Recording Method
When recording with a drum machine, it's often easier to divide a song into shorter individual
Patterns and work on these rather than record an entire song. After perfecting these Patterns,
Song mode offers two ways to create a song:
Program a list of Patterns, in the order in which they are to be played.
Select Patterns in real time, and the iDM02 will remember your performance.
The iDM02 stores up to 100 User-programmable Songs.
The Four Different Types of Patterns
Preset Patterns provide a variety of rock, jazz, pop, and other rhythms programmed by
professional drummers.
User Patterns are Patterns you can program, edit, and save. The Preset/User button
selects between these two master banks of Presets.
There are 50 of each type of Pattern, numbered 00-49. However, each numbered Pattern
actually contains four different "sub-Patterns":
A pair of independent Main Patterns (A and B, selected by their respective buttons).
A pair of associated Fill Patterns (A Fill and B Fill, selected by pressing the FILL button
when either A or B is selected). The Fills primarily provide transitional Patterns between
Main Patterns, which makes for more realistic drum parts.
The reason for pairing the two different A and B Patterns together is simply so that you can
switch back and forth between them rapidly in live performance or while improvising.
However, A and B Patterns can be treated as completely independent Patterns if desired and
can have different lengths, Drum Sets, etc.
Always think of the Main Pattern and its associated Fill as a unit. For example, if you copy a
Main Pattern to another Main Pattern, its Fill will travel along with it.
Note that even though there are "only" 50 Patterns, the A and B variations double that to 100
Patterns, and the Fills double that again to 200 Patterns. Added to the Preset Patterns, 400
total Patterns are available.
Velocity Sensitivity
Each pad is velocity-sensitive: the harder you hit the pad, the louder the drum sound
assigned to the pad will play. Thanks to the dynamic articulation techniques mentioned
earlier, the timbre will often change as well, just like "real" drums.
There are eight levels of pad volume resolution, from soft to loud. However, when using
the iDM02’s external trigger inputs, it responds to all 127 MIDI volume levels.

2
Physical Layout
The iDM02 includes seven main types of controls, along with a group of connectors
(located on the back panel). The control groups (see diagram) are:
1. Display. The display informs you of the instrument's status, and also prompts you
for data from time to time. A detailed description of the display follows shortly.
2. Volume knob. This controls the volume of the headphone and main outputs.
3. Pads (play buttons). Tapping each button triggers an iDM02 voice.
4. Playback buttons. These control playback and stop, and work similarly to a tape
recorder.
5. Pattern select buttons. These choose between the A, B, and Fill variations for a
Pattern.
6. Mode buttons. These choose between Pattern and Song modes, Perform
(playback) and Compose (record) modes, and the Preset and User patterns.
7. Function buttons. These six buttons select various functions, some of which include
multiple "pages" of options.
8. Tempo/Page buttons. These alter the tempo and also select different "pages"
present in the Drum Set, Record Setup, MIDI Setup, and Backup functions.
9. Data entry buttons. The data entry buttons include number entry buttons (0-9) and
up arrow (increment, or INC) and down arrow (decrement, or DEC). The latter
increase or decrease parameter values on step at a time.

3
Display Layout
Name, "Dialog" box, Real
time Song/Pattern readout,
beat counter
Quantize
Selected Function
Swing
Click
Play
/
Record
Compose
Perform
Page number
and Tempo
display
Press Play
Pattern/Song
readout (also
drum set edit)
The LCD is divided into several "windows." Each window contains information that helps
you monitor the iDM02's status, and/or indicates what type of data should be entered.
Name, "dialog" box, real time Song/Pattern readout, beat counter. This shows
Pattern and Song names, the beat counter if a Pattern or Song is playing, and the
Pattern (including A/B/Fill/Preset or User designators) that is currently playing in
Song mode. When acting as a "dialog box," it lists parameters and the value to be
edited (e.g., MIDI channel and the channel number).
Pattern/Song readout (also Drum Set edit and drum pad readout). This shows the
selected Song or Pattern number; with Patterns, the A/B/Fill/Preset or User
designators are also shown. If you have edited a Drum Set to which a particular
Pattern was assigned, the display also shows DRUMSET EDITED. In operations
that require selecting a drum pad, this window displays the drum pad number.
Press PLAY. For some operations, it is necessary to press the PLAY button to
confirm a particular operation, such as copy or erase. This portion of the display will
say PRESS PLAY if it is necessary to press PLAY to complete an operation.
Page number and tempo display. When stopped or running, this shows the current
tempo and includes a visual metronome block that flashes on the beat. For
functions that have multiple "pages" of parameters (Drum Set, Record Setup, MIDI
Setup, and Backup), this portion of the display shows the currently selected page
number.
Compose/Perform. This indicates whether the iDM02 is in Compose or Perform
mode.
Click. In Compose mode, shows the current click rhythm in standard music notation
(or OFF if click is off).
Quantize. In Compose mode, shows the current quantization rhythm in standard
music notation (or OFF if quantization is off).
Selected function. This shows which function is currently selected: Drum Set,
Record Setup, MIDI Setup, Backup, or Step Edit.
Swing. In Compose mode, shows the current swing rhythm, expressed as a
percentage (or OFF if swing is off).
Play/Record. If the iDM02 is playing and in Compose mode, this will say
RECORDING. If the iDM02 is playing and in Perform mode, this will say PLAYING.

4
How to Communicate With the iDM02
Numeric Keypad
If a value to be edited is a two-digit number, you must enter a two-digit
number. If the number is a three-digit number, you must enter a three-digit
number. If necessary, enter a leading 0 to fill out the required number of digits.
The INC/DEC Buttons
The two small buttons with the up arrow and down arrow symbols (next to the
number keys) are called the INC/DEC buttons respectively. Pressing the INC
button once increases the value of the entire number by one. Pressing the
DEC button once decreases the value by one.
These buttons, and the TEMPO/PAGE buttons, also have a "scroll" feature. If
you press and hold a button, after a short pause the display will either
increment or decrement at a rapid rate.
Buttons that Toggle
The Mode buttons, FILL button, and several function buttons (DRUM SET,
RECORD SETUP, MIDI SETUP, and UTIL) "toggle" between two states. Each
button press sets the switch to its alternate state. Example: Press the
PATTERN/SONG button once to change from Pattern to Song; press again to
change from Song to Pattern.

5
Instant Gratification (Setup & Checkout)
1. Connect the Main outputs (either left or right for a mono monitoring system, or both
for stereo) to an amplifier or PA. The amp and iDM02 volume controls should be all
the way down (counter-clockwise).
2. Plug the iDM02's AC adapter into the wall. The smaller plug inserts in the 9V AC
Power jack on the back.
3. Turn on the rear panel On/Off switch, then turn on the amplifier.
4. The upper right of the display should say PATTERN and not SONG; if it shows
SONG, press the PATTERN/SONG button.
5. Start tapping the pads. Adjust the
volume control for a comfortable
listening level, and check out the
sounds.
6. To hear the built-in demo, hold down
the PATTERN/SONG button and press
PLAY. To stop the demo, press STOP.
If you want to play along with the demo,
feel free to bash away on the pads.
7. Press PLAY, and you'll hear a Preset Pattern. (In case the iDM02 has already been
played with, make sure that the display shows PERFORM and does not show
USER before continuing. To choose Perform mode, press the
PERFORM/COMPOSE button until the Perform/Compose section of the display
shows PERFORM). To choose Preset rather than User Patterns, press the
PRESET/USER button until the display does not show USER. If USER is not
showing, then Preset Patterns are selected.
8. Try the following:
Enter a two-digit number between
00-49 using the number keys, then
press PLAY.
Press the INC (up arrow) button to
select the next higher-numbered
Preset Pattern. It will play at the
end of the current Pattern.
Press the DEC (down arrow) button to select the next lower-numbered Preset
Pattern.
Press the B button to select the B variation of the selected Pattern.
Press the A button to select the A variation of the selected Pattern.
Press FILL briefly while a Main (A or B) Pattern is playing. Note how the Main
Pattern switches from either A to B or B to A after the Fill has played.
Press FILL and hold it down until after the Fill has played. If the FILL button is
held down past the next downbeat, the Fill's associated Main Pattern (A or B)
continues to play rather than switch from A to B or B to A.
Press the TEMPO/PAGE buttons to change the tempo.

6
CHAPTER 2: RECORD SETUP
Several parameters are often adjusted prior to recording a Pattern, such as metronome,
Pattern length, etc. General instructions are:
1. Press the RECORD SETUP button.
2. Use the PAGE (up and down) buttons to select different "pages" of functions.
These pages are described below.
3. Adjust values on pages, if necessary, as described for each page.
4. After making all needed changes, press RECORD SETUP again to exit, or choose
another page.
Page 1: Select The Quantization Value (Quantize Select)
The display shows QUANTIZE SELECT and
a note icon in the lower left Quantize
window.
The note icon displays the quantization value
in standard rhythmic notation. Enter the
desired quantization value with the INC/DEC
or number buttons:
KEYPAD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9, 0
NOTE VALUE
1/4
1/6
1/8
1/12
1/16
1/24
1/32
1/48
1/384
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
NOTE NAME
QUARTER NOTE
QUARTER NOTE TRIPLET
EIGHTH NOTE
EIGHTH NOTE TRIPLET
16th NOTE
16th NOTE TRIPLET
32nd NOTE
32nd NOTE TRIPLET
384th NOTE
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
3
3
3
3
off
DISPLAY
Quantization shifts your playing to the specified beat while you play, so choose the
desired value before tapping out your rhythms. Remember that you can also change
quantization while recording if, for example, you want to record snare with eighth note
quantization but high-hats with 16th note quantization.
Note: The quantize value also sets the step length in Step Edit mode.
Background As you record a Pattern, quantization shifts all drum events to the nearest
selected rhythmic value to eliminate small timing errors. Example: With a quantize value
of 1/16, all drum events you play will be shifted to the nearest 16th note.

7
Page 2: Select The Swing Value (Swing Select)
The display shows SWING SELECT; the
Swing window shows the swing value.
Enter the desired swing percentage with the
INC/DEC or number buttons (1 = 54%, 2 =
58%, 3 = 62%, 4-0 = Swing Off).
Swing shifts notes as specified while you
record, so choose the desired value before
tapping out your rhythms.
Background Swing affects the timing of pairs of equal-value notes. Each note normally
defaults to taking up 50% of the total duration of both notes; adding swing lengthens the
first note of the pair, and to keep the total duration of both notes the same, shortens the
second note of the pair. This imparts the kind of feel found in shuffles and some jazz
tunes. Example: With Swing set to 62%, the first note of the pair takes up 62% of the
total duration of the pair of notes, while the second note takes up 38% of the total
duration.
Page 3: Enable Click (Metronome) And Set Rhythm (Click Select)
The display shows CLICK SELECT; the
Click window shows the click's rhythmic
value.
Enter the click value with the INC/DEC or
number buttons (1 = quarter note, 2 =
quarter note triplet, 3 = 8th note, 4 = 8th note
triplet, 5 = 16th note, 6 = 16th note triplet, 7-
0 = Click Off).
The click is audible only in Compose mode.
Page 4: Set Click (Metronome) Volume (Click Vol)
The display shows CLICK VOL and a two-
digit number representing click volume (00 =
inaudible, 99 = maximum volume). Enter the
desired click level with the INC/DEC or
number buttons.

8
softer  TAP FORCE  harder
louder

VOLUME

softer
Page 5: Adjust Velocity Response (Velocity)
There are 11 ways in which a pad's output
level can respond to the force with which you
tap it: soft, medium, loud, and eight fixed
responses.
The display says VELOCITY. To select the
desired dynamic response, use the INC/DEC
or number buttons (1 = Fixed 1, 2 = Fixed 2,
3 = Fixed 3, 4 = Fixed 4, 5 = Fixed 5, 6 =
Fixed 6, 7 = Fixed 7, 8 = Fixed 8, 9 = Soft,
and 0 = Loud). Medium can be selected
only with the INC/DEC buttons.
Background This feature accommodates
players with a heavier or lighter touch.
Referring to the diagram, soft response
weights the response toward softer sounds;
with medium response, the level is directly
proportional to how hard you tap the pad;
loud response weights the response toward
louder sounds.
Fixed volume plays back the associated drum sound at one of eight possible volume
levels. With Fixed Volume 1, all drums assume the level of the softest possible tap,
regardless of how hard you tap the pads. With Fixed Volume 8, all drums assume the
level of the loudest possible tap, regardless of how hard you tap the pads. Fixed
Volumes 2-7 provide the levels between the softest and loudest extremes, with lower
numbers giving softer levels.
Page 6: Add/Remove Beats From Pattern End (Length)
This option either adds beats to, or subtracts beats from, the end of the Pattern.
Changing a Pattern's length also changes the length of the associated Fill Pattern.
The display says ### BEAT and LENGTH.
This indicates a Pattern's length in beats
(quarter notes). Enter the desired length with
the INC/DEC or number buttons (this must be
a three digit number; enter leading zeroes if
necessary). To prevent accidental length
alteration, you must press PLAY before the
iDM02 will store the new Pattern length.

9
Page 7: Add/Remove Beats From Pattern Beginning (Start)
This option either adds beats to, or subtracts beats from, the beginning of the Pattern.
Shortening a Pattern's start point erases any drum events that fall outside the remaining
part of the Pattern; lengthening a Pattern's start point adds silence at the beginning of a
Pattern.
The display says ### BEAT and START.
This indicates a Pattern's length in beats
(quarter notes). Enter the desired length with
the INC/DEC or number buttons (this must
be a three digit number; enter leading zeroes
if necessary).
Page 8: Offset A Pattern Or Drum Part
Offset shifts a Pattern or individual drum parts ahead of or behind the beat in 1/384th
note increments to allow for altering the "feel" of a piece. This only affects already-
recorded parts.
1. The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode
and stopped. The display says
OFFSET, which will be 00/384 (no
offset).
2. Press the pad to be offset (as
confirmed by the display). If you don't
select a pad, offset affects the entire
Pattern.
3. Enter the two-digit offset value with the INC/DEC or number buttons. Positive
numbers shift events ahead of the beat (lead), negative numbers shift events
behind the beat (lag). The default is positive numbers; to enter a negative number
with the number buttons, press DEC first. Example: To offset a part 1/16th note
later, enter -24 as the offset value since 24 sub-beats equals a 1/16th note.
4. Press PLAY to enter this number into the iDM02. To apply the same amount of
offset to additional pads, press the next pad then press PLAY.
Notes: The display counter resets after you exit the function. Therefore, it does not keep
track of the total amount of offset, but only changes in offset.
Drums offset to before the first beat "wrap around" to the end of the Pattern; drums offset
past the end of the last beat "wrap around" to the beginning of the Pattern.

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Page 9: Step Mode Recording (Step Mode)
The display shows STEP MODE? This is your
"gateway" to step editing, which provides
detailed Pattern editing and recording. To enter
the step editor, press PLAY.
The display now shows the beat and sub-beat.
If a drum event exists on this beat/sub-beat, the
display will also show the drum pad that played
the event and the event volume. If more than
one drum event occurs on the same sub-beat,
the PAGE UP/DOWN buttons step forward or
backward respectively through each drum one
at a time.
If no drum event exists on this beat/sub-beat,
the display will show no pad number, and
EMPTY in place of volume data.
To navigate through the steps at the current
quantization rate, use the PAGE UP button to
move forward or PAGE DOWN to move
backward. If a drum exists between those beats that fall on the current quantization value, the
drum will sound as you go past it, but the display will not stop on that drum.
Background Step mode provides detailed Pattern editing. (Note that "step" does not refer to
Song steps, but to the steps in a Pattern that hold drum events.) You can move through a
Pattern one step at a time, stop at each event as desired, and delete the event, add an event,
or change an event's volume. While occasionally somewhat tedious, Step Edit mode allows
editing drum parts to your exact specifications.
Each step (also called a sub-beat) is 1/96th of a beat in duration, so at maximum resolution it
takes 96 steps to "move through" a quarter note. To save time, you can step through the
Pattern at various note values, as set by the quantization value (which is why it's preferable to
select the quantization rate at which the Pattern was recorded). Example: A 16th note
consists of 24 sub-beats, so setting the quantization value to 1/16 lets you step through the
Pattern 24 sub-beats at a time. The following chart relates the number of sub-beats to
note/quantization values.
NOTE VALUE
1/4
1/6
1/8
1/12
1/16
1/24
1/32
1/48
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
NOTE NAME
QUARTER NOTE
QUARTER NOTE TRIPLET
EIGHTH NOTE
EIGHTH NOTE TRIPLET
16th NOTE
16th NOTE TRIPLET
32nd NOTE
32nd NOTE TRIPLET
SUB-BEATS
96
64
48
32
24
16
12
8
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
3
3
3
3
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

11
The following page summarizes the step edit options.
Add a New Drum to a Step
Use the PAGE buttons to select the step where the drum is to be added. Press
the pad that corresponds to the sound you want to add. That drum, along with
its volume (how hard the pad was hit), will be recorded into the displayed step.
If you play a pad and there is already a drum event played by that pad on the
displayed step, you will edit the volume rather than add another event. This is
true even if there are several events on the displayed beat, and an event other
than the one to be edited is showing.
Erase a Drum Sound From a Step
Use the PAGE buttons to locate the step containing the drum to be erased.
While holding down the ERASE button, press PLAY. The drum that was being
displayed will be erased.
Change a Drum Sound's Volume in a Given Step
Use the PAGE buttons to select the step containing the drum whose volume
needs to be changed. Either press a number button from 1-8 (1=softest,
8=loudest), use the INC/DEC buttons, or tap the displayed drum pad at the
desired level. If you play a pad to change the level and there are several
events on the same step, the display need not show the specific drum whose
volume you want to edit.
Exit Step Mode
To exit step mode, press STOP, RECORD SETUP, or PLAY.
Page 10: Name The Pattern (Name)
The display shows NAME and the current
name (or NO NAME if the Pattern has not yet
been named). To name, use the PAGE
UP/DOWN buttons to select the character to
be changed; select the desired character with
the INC/DEC buttons. Lower case and upper
case letters, numbers, punctuation, and
various special-purpose characters are
available. You can also enter numbers with
the number buttons.

12
CHAPTER 3: PLAYING BACK/RECORDING PATTERNS
Playback/Record Basics
The PATTERN/SONG button chooses
between Pattern and Song modes. For all of
the following Pattern operations, Pattern
mode must be selected, as confirmed by the
display.
The Dual-Purpose Fill Button
In addition to calling up Fill Patterns as described in the Introduction, the FILL
button can also be used while recording to create a series of notes at the
desired quantization rate.
Perform/Compose Modes
The iDM02 doesn't have a record
button. Instead, press PLAY to
start the Pattern, then select either
Perform or Compose mode (as
selected by the
PERFORM/COMPOSE button).
To record, choose Compose mode
(as shown in the display). This
also activates the click.
To listen, choose Perform (this de-activates the click). You can drop in and out
of these two modes as you record. While the iDM02 is in either mode, you can
change Pattern quantization, swing, click rhythm and volume, pad velocity
response, name, drumset, drumset parameters, and MIDI parameters.
Note: Compose mode cannot be selected when using Preset Patterns, since
they cannot be altered. If you wish to alter one of the Preset Patterns, copy it
to an empty User Pattern first.
Set Pattern Tempo
Tempo can be changed while the iDM02 is stopped or running. There are two
ways to set tempo:
Before initiating Pattern play, tap the STOP button several times at the
desired tempo. The iDM02 will average the time between taps and derive
a tempo.
Use the TEMPO/PAGE up and down buttons. Press once to
increment/decrement 1 BPM at a time, or press and hold to scroll through
the tempo values.

13
Select Individual Patterns
1. Make sure the iDM02 is in Pattern mode.
2. Enter a two-digit Pattern number (remember to enter a leading 0 if
necessary).
3. Press the A button to select the A Main Pattern, or B to select the B Main
Pattern. To select a Fill Pattern, first select the desired Main Pattern (A or
B) then press the Fill Button.
4. Press PRESET/USER to select either a Preset or User Pattern.
When a Main Pattern reaches its end, it will loop back to the beginning and
continue playing from that point unless you select a new Pattern, selected a
Fill Pattern initially, or stop the Pattern.
Stop/Restart a Pattern
1. To stop the Pattern, press STOP.
2. To restart the Pattern from the beginning, press PLAY. Pressing PLAY
will always restart a Pattern from the beginning, regardless of whether
the Pattern is stopped or already playing.
Select New Patterns While in Perform (Playback) Mode
In Perform mode, you can select a
new Pattern number (with the
desired A or B designator) or
switch from A to B Patterns within
a Pattern number at any time. The
newly-selected Pattern will play
back as soon as the current
Pattern plays through its entire
length. The display shows the
Pattern to be played next.
To select a new Pattern in Perform mode, enter the two-digit Pattern number.
You can also enter a two-digit Pattern number followed by A or B or
PRESET/USER to call up an A or B or Preset or User Pattern, regardless of
the Pattern that is currently playing.
Select Fill Patterns in Perform (Playback) Mode
Fill Patterns are the key to creating expressive drum parts. Fills are always
the same length, and use the same Drum Set, as the associated Main Pattern.
This lets you "drop in" a Fill at any time. As soon as you press the FILL button,
the Fill takes over from the Main Pattern and starts playing until the end of the
Fill.
Suppose an 8-beat A Main Pattern is playing and you press the FILL button on
beat 4. The A Fill Pattern will play the last 4 beats and then automatically
transition into the B Main Pattern. Conversely, if B Main is playing and you
press Fill, after B Fill has played, the iDM02 will transition to the A Main
Pattern. You can select the Fill at any time the Main Pattern is playing.

14
Background This way of handling Patterns explains the logic behind having
A, B, and Fill Patterns. In typical pop tunes, A would be the verse and B the
chorus. A Fill provides the Fill that transitions from verse to chorus, and B Fill
provides the Fill that transitions from chorus to verse. Thus, one of the
numbered Patterns may be all you need to put together a tune.
This structure makes it possible to put together songs in minutes using the
Preset Patterns. It also makes it easy to play drum parts live. For example, if
there's a solo happening over the A Main Pattern, you can keep the Pattern
repeating until the solo is about to end, at which point you select the Fill that
leads out of the A Main Pattern.
Record a Pattern
To record, select the desired User Pattern. Select Compose mode and press
PLAY. Remember that you can switch between Compose and Perform while
recording.
To record drum parts into the Pattern, tap the onboard drum pads, or play the
external drum pads connected to the iDM02’s trigger inputs. The Pattern will
"loop" during the record process so that you can overdub different drums on
different passes.
To exit Record mode, press STOP.
Select New Patterns and Fills While in Compose (Record) Mode
In Compose mode, Main Pattern selection works in the same manner as
Perform mode—select a Pattern number (with the desired A or B designator),
and the newly-selected Pattern will play back as soon as the current Pattern
plays through its entire length. The display will show the Pattern to be played
next.
In Perform mode, Fills are transitional Patterns. If you press FILL in Compose
mode, a Fill will continue playing—not transition to a different Pattern when it's
finished playing—so you can record into it, like a standard Pattern.
Remember, as mentioned earlier, that the Fill also plays the downbeat of the
next Pattern.
Using Fill to Create Repetitive Drum Hits
The FILL button performs two different functions. We've already covered how
to use the FILL button for Pattern selection, however, it can also trigger a drum
sound at the current quantization rate (e.g., eighth notes, 16th notes, etc.; if
quantization is off, though, this function is inactive) and swing value. This
allows playing a series of drum hits without having to repeatedly press the
pads, and is typically used to create steady 16th note hi-hat parts, quarter note
kick drum parts, snare rolls, etc.
1. The iDM02 should be in Compose mode and recording.
2. Press a pad on the first beat of what will be a series of hits and hold it
down.
3. Immediately after pressing the pad, press and hold the FILL button. The
drum will be re-triggered at the current quantization rate for as long as
the pad and FILL buttons are held down. All hits will be at the same
volume as the first pad hit.
Caution: If you don't hit the drum first, pressing the FILL button will select a Fill
Pattern.

15
Erase Functions
Erase Mistakes While Recording
While the iDM02 is recording, you can erase any individual drum event or
series of events in real time to fix up errors. Erasure occurs only on those
beats that coincide with the current quantization and swing values; turn
quantization off to erase a drum wherever it occurs.
1. The iDM02 should be in Compose mode and recording.
2. Press and hold ERASE.
3. While holding down ERASE, press the pad corresponding to the sound to
be erased just before the first event to be erased, and release just after
the last event to be erased. To erase a single event, tap the pad on that
single event.
Erase an Entire Pattern
If you erase both Main and Fill Patterns associated with a numbered Pattern,
or you erase a Main or Fill Pattern and the other is empty, the Drum Set
assignment (but not its Drum Set parameters), name, and length will revert to
the default settings (i.e., the Drum Set with the same number as the Pattern,
EMPTY PATTERN as the name, and a length of 8 beats). However, as long
as either a Main or Fill Pattern contains previously-programmed data, the
numbered Pattern will remember the Drum Set assignment, name, and length.
1. The iDM02 must be in Pattern mode and stopped to allow erasing a
Pattern.
2. Enter the two-digit Pattern number to be erased with the number or
INC/DEC buttons.
3. Press and hold the ERASE button. The display says PATTERN ERASE?
4. While continuing to hold the ERASE button, press PLAY. The display
says PATTERN ERASED, followed by FILL ERASE? .
5. While continuing to hold the ERASE button, press PLAY again. The
display will read FILL ERASED.
Note: To retain the Drum Set assignment, length, and name when you erase a
Pattern, hold ERASE and tap each drum pad. This erases the drum events,
but retains all other Pattern parameters.
Erase All Events Played by a Particular Drum Pad
This erases all events in a Pattern played by a specific pad. The Drum Set's
parameters are not altered.
1. The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode and stopped, in either Perform or
Compose mode.
2. Press and hold ERASE.
3. While holding down ERASE, tap a pad to erase all events played by that
pad. The display shows the drum pad number whose events were
erased. You can continue to erase more drum sounds while ERASE is
held down.

16
Copy Functions
The following Copy functions assume that you are copying a Main Pattern to a
Main Pattern (remember, copying a Main Pattern to another Main Pattern
copies the Fill along with it). Other combinations take the following rules into
account.
Copying a Main Pattern to a non-empty Pattern or to itself appends the
Fill to the existing Fill, as well as appends the Main Pattern to the existing
Main Pattern.
If you copy from Main to Fill (or vice-versa) within a particular numbered
Pattern, the destination will be erased and replaced with the source
Pattern since Main and Fill Patterns must have the same length. This is
useful if you want the Fill to contain variations on the Main Pattern—just
copy the Main to Fill and make your additions/changes.
Copying a Fill to a Fill follows the same rules as copying a Main Pattern
to a Fill.
The only copy technique that appends a Pattern to another Pattern is
copying a Main Pattern to another Main Pattern.
Copy, Append, and Double Patterns
1. The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
2. Select the Pattern to be copied.
3. Press and hold the COPY button, and keep holding it down until step (6).
The display says COPY TO PATT.
4. Enter the destination Pattern number into which the current Pattern will
be copied.
Copying a Pattern to a blank destination Pattern replaces the blank
Pattern with the original Pattern data.
Copying to a Pattern that already contains data appends the original
data to the end of the data in the destination Pattern. If this would
result in a Pattern with more than 128 beats, the display will say
TOO MANY BEATS.
Copying a Pattern to itself doubles the length.
The Drum Set assignment and Pattern name are copied along with
the drum data only if the destination Pattern is empty.
5. Press PLAY. The display says COPY DONE.
6. Release the COPY and PLAY buttons.

17
Copy One Drum Pad's Part to Another Drum Pad
Merge: When the destination drum pad already has a pattern, the source
pattern will be merged with the destination pattern. Note that if the two parts
contain events for the same pad on the same beat, only one event will prevail
and it will take the level of the source Pattern event.
Sound Stacking™: When the destination drum pad is empty (no recorded
pattern), the source pattern will be copied and any drum sound assigned to the
destination drum pad will play the exact same pattern as the source drum pad.
This technique lets you stack multiple drum sounds together to create monster
composite sounds.
1. The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
2. Select the Pattern containing the drum part to be copied.
3. Press and hold the COPY button, and keep holding it down until step (7).
The display says COPY TO PATT.
4. Tap the pad to be copied. The display shows the pad number (e.g., D8 if
you hit pad 8).
5. Tap the destination pad that should hold the copied part. As long as
COPY is held down, the destination pad can still be changed by selecting
another drum pad.
6. Press PLAY. The display says COPY DONE.
7. Release the COPY and PLAY buttons.
Copy a Single Drum Pad's Part to a Drum Pad in a Different Pattern
This copy function merges the source drum pad rhythm with the destination
drum pad rhythm in a different Pattern. To replace the destination rhythm with
the source rhythm, first erase the destination pad rhythm to be replaced.
1. The iDM02 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
2. Select the Pattern containing the drum part to be copied.
3. Press and hold the COPY button, and keep holding it down until step (8).
The display says COPY TO PATT.
4. Enter the destination Pattern number to which the drum part should be
copied.
5. Tap the pad containing the part to be copied. The display will show the
drum number (such as D2 if you hit pad 2).
6. Tap the destination pad to which the source part will be merged. Often
when copying to a different Pattern, this will be the same drum pad
number as selected in step (5). As long as COPY is held down, the
destination pad can still be changed by selecting another drum pad.
7. Press PLAY. The display says COPY DONE.
8. Release the COPY and PLAY buttons.

18
CHAPTER 4: CREATING DRUM SETS
The iDM02's 12 pads and 11 trigger inputs can be assigned to various drum sounds,
with different levels, tuning, panning, triggering mode, and output jack assignment. Each
set of pad parameters is given a number and collectively are called a Drum Set; each A
and B user Pattern can have its own Drum Set assignment. There are 50 preset Drum
Sets and 50 user-programmable Drum Sets.
Note that if you edit a Drum Set, any Pattern using that Drum Set will be affected. Most
iDM02 aficionados keep a one-to-one correspondence between Drum Sets and Patterns
by assigning Set 00 to Pattern 00, Set 01 to Pattern 01, Set 02 to Pattern 02, etc.
General instructions for Drum Set construction are:
1. Press the DRUM SET button.
2. Use the Page (up and down) buttons to select different "pages" of functions; the
display's lower right window shows the page number. These pages are described
below.
3. Adjust values on pages, if necessary, as described for each page.
4. After making all needed changes, save the Drum Set if desired (Page 8), then
press DRUM SET again to exit (or choose another page).
Page 1: Select Drum Set (Drumset Select)
The display shows DRUMSET SELECT, the
currently selected Drum Set number, and
whether the Preset or User Drum Set bank is
currently selected.
1. Press the PRESET/USER button to
choose the desired bank of Drum Sets.
2. Enter the desired Drum Set number
(from 00 to 49) with the number or
INC/DEC buttons. With the number buttons, enter a leading zero if necessary.
3. User Patterns will remember the selected Drum Set assignments.
Page 2: Assign Sounds To Pads
The display shows the currently selected pad
number and the sound assigned to that pad.
You can assign any of the iDM02's sounds
to any of the pads, or to more than one pad.
Each individual Drum Set can have its own
drum sound assignment.
To assign a sound to a pad:
1. Press the pad (the display will show the pad number).
2. Enter the desired drum sound number with the number or INC/DEC buttons. When
using the number buttons, enter a leading zero if necessary.
3. When the display confirms your choice, either store the edited Drum Set or do more
assignments by tapping another pad to select it, and assigning a drum sound to it.