ISLA Instruments S2400 User manual

S2400
User Manual
Copyright © 2020-2022 ISLA Instruments
Revised February 24, 2022
The most up to date version can be downloaded from
https://islainstruments.com/docs-downloads/

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First and foremost, if you’re reading this user manual then the likelihood is that you have either
already purchased an S2400 or are perhaps considering doing so. If you have, then thank you.
I’ve had a serious drum machine fetish for about 25 years now. The first machine I bought was a
broken MXR-185 for cheaps at a local thrift store circa 1996. Broken only in the sense that it had
been abused so much that the insides of the switches had a sticky residue on them from a
certain plant species, resulting in them not releasing after being pressed. After I got it all
running, I was hooked and spent countless evenings making up my own drum patterns.
Not long after that, I got my first sampler; an 8-bit parallel port attachment for my Commodore
Amiga 2000. Sequencer One and OctaMED were my music software weapons of choice for this
machine. From these formative experiences, my fate was set. Electronics repair, computers,
music gear, and music production is pretty much all I’ve ever done, and have been my lifelong
love ever since those early days.
The engineering side of me pretty much took a hiatus for the best part of a decade as I worked
as a co-producer and record label manager for the DJ/Producer Ian Carey. Fast forward to 2015,
and again, a visit to a thrift store here in the USA (I’d emigrated here from the UK a few years
before, via Spain for seven years) resulted in me walking out with a broken Alesis HR-16 drum
machine of which I started modifying and hot rodding into being able to do all sorts of things
including reading samples from custom burnt EPROMS. I uploaded the results of my
modifications onto YouTube (lookup: Rhythm Imposer) and pretty soon after was bombarded
with emails from folks wanting me to make them a similar machine.
I guess the universe was trying to tell me something, and that was to culminate my love of
electronics, music production, and old-skool hardware workflows into a modern, yet familiar
machine with the aesthetic and sonic character that pays tribute to some of the most inspiring
and prolific machines of the 80s and 90s. And, Dave Rossum, a true pioneer, and a personal hero
of mine, I hope this machine pays tribute to you as well.
Bringing this machine to life has been a labour of love from a very small team of like-minded and
dedicated individuals of whom, with the exception of myself, are an absolute crock-pot full of
talent and experience, without which, there would be no S2400.
Once again, THANK YOU to our customers and followers, for believing in this project enough to
crowd-fund it into existence. I for one can’t wait to see what you come up with on your
machine.
Now, switch your machine on, take a deep breath, relax… and turn the page.
Brad Holland
ISLA Instruments

ISLA Instruments S2400 User Manual
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AAcckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeennttss
Vision/Design: Brad Holland
Audio Engine: Vladimir Pantelic
UI/Sequencer: Mickey Delp
PCB & CAD: Supul Sapukotana
Beta Testers & Factory Content: Alex Ball, Chaz Emphatic, Corrinne Haskins, Craig Albright,
David Noller, Dennis Ferrer, DJ Battlecat, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Doug Terrebonne, E-A-Ski, Easy Mo Bee,
Fred Wreck, Jamie Lidell, Just Blaze, Ken Flux Pierce, Kenny Dope, Lisa Vazquez, Questlove,
Rory Dow, Scott Wozniak, Ski Beatz, Steve Mac, Sunshine Jones, Todd Terry, Young Guru,
Matt Jones, Goldbaby, Grant Nelson, Burning Rainbow
Additional Thanks: Bill Behrendt, Paul Schreiber, Rob Orr, Dave Rossum, Marco Alpert,
Adventure Kid, Erin Parr

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CCoonntteennttss
Foreword ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 3
Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 5
Front Panel ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Rear Panel........................................................................................................................................ 8
Instant Gratification ........................................................................................................................ 9
User Interface Elements ................................................................................................................ 10
Files and SD Card ........................................................................................................................... 16
Assigning Sounds to Tracks............................................................................................................ 19
Pattern Mode ................................................................................................................................ 20
Fader Modes.................................................................................................................................. 24
Multi Mode.................................................................................................................................... 33
Pattern Functions and Settings ..................................................................................................... 34
Step Program................................................................................................................................. 39
Playback Features.......................................................................................................................... 46
Record Features............................................................................................................................. 47
Live Looping................................................................................................................................... 48
Song Mode..................................................................................................................................... 51
Track Settings ................................................................................................................................ 54
Pitch Stretching ............................................................................................................................. 57
Time Stretching ............................................................................................................................. 58
Resampling .................................................................................................................................... 60
Bouncing........................................................................................................................................ 61
Settings.......................................................................................................................................... 62
File ................................................................................................................................................. 66
Sync ............................................................................................................................................... 68
MIDI Control of Parameters .......................................................................................................... 72
Sample Mode................................................................................................................................. 73
Input Monitor................................................................................................................................ 75
Pan................................................................................................................................................. 76
Effects............................................................................................................................................ 77
Save ............................................................................................................................................... 77
MIDI-Only Tracks ........................................................................................................................... 78
MIDI Tracks MAP File Format........................................................................................................ 83
Sample Tracks MAP File Format.................................................................................................... 84
Sample Track MIDI CC Numbers.................................................................................................... 85
Global MIDI CC Numbers............................................................................................................... 86
F-Key Quick Reference................................................................................................................... 87

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IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn
The 1980s and 1990s were a groundbreaking time for electronic music. Samplers like the Emu
SP-1200 and Akai MPC60 revolutionized music and shaped new genres like hip hop, house, and
jungle. Thanks to their crunchy 12-bit sound and solid workflow, these samplers have become
sought-after classics. The S2400 retains the sound and soul of these machines whilst adding
current features like built-in USB soundcard, disk streaming, WAV import, and much more.
The S2400 is a 16-voice machine, meaning it can play 16 mono or stereo samples
simultaneously. Each of these samples can be assigned to a Track, and there are 32 sample
Tracks available. Each Track can be sent to one of the eight individual outputs and into your
audio interface or mixing desk. There are also 32 MIDI tracks that you can use to sequence
external synths, drum machines, and samplers.
As well as loading WAV samples from the SD card, you can record from a turntable (phono) or
line input. Then modify each sample with pitching, envelopes, filters, slicing, and sequence using
the sophisticated onboard sequencer. Because the S2400 can also stream samples from the SD
card, you can even playback very long samples like acapellas (the only limit to sample length is
the SD card itself).
Once you've created a set of patterns in the sequencer, you can put them together into a song,
bounce them down to WAV files or record them to your DAW using the analog outputs or USB
audio interface.
We have designed the S2400 to be the centrepiece in a modern studio. Create songs entirely in
the S2400, if that's your jam, or sync it up with your other sequencers, DAW, modular synths,
etc., using MIDI or analog clock. How ever you choose to use it, we hope you'll enjoy making
music with the S2400 as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

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A. Song: Switches between Song and Pattern modes.
B. Shift: Shift is used in conjunction with other controls for additional features.
C. Level: Sets the Level fader mode.
D. Pitch: Sets the Pitch fader mode.
E. Envelope: Sets the Envelope fader mode.
F. Loop/Slice: Sets the Loop/Slice fader mode.
G. Multi Mode: Engages Multi Mode, which spreads eight values of a parameter across the
faders/knobs for a single track.
H. Bank: Change the bank. There are four banks of eight tracks.
I. Top Row Keys: Dedicated keys for the most commonly used Pattern mode functions:
Metronome, Swing, Copy, Time Signature, Pattern Length, Erase, Quantize, and Step
Program.
Holding Shift and pressing a top row key accesses configuration options: Settings, File, Sync,
Sample, Input Monitor, Pan, Effects, and Save.
J. Knobs: Context-specific, multi-purpose dual knobs that control filter cutoff, resonance, loop
points, and more depending on the fader mode.
K. A & B: Two Context-specific, multi-purpose illuminated buttons that control various options
depending on the fader mode, they also light up to indicate mode-specific information.
L. Faders: The focus of the front panel. They control level, pitch, and various parameters
depending on the Fader mode.

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M. Mute & Solo: A pair of illuminated buttons to mute/solo a track. They double as step buttons
in TR Mode.
N. Pad: Velocity sensitive, RGB illuminated pads for playing and recording sounds.
O. Phones: Volume control for the headphones.
P. Mix Out: Volume control for the mix out jacks.
Q. Select: A rotary encoder with integrated pushbutton. The encoder is used for editing
settings, scrolling, and a multitude of other things.
R. Screen: White OLED screen that displays menus, waveforms, envelopes, and lots of
information.
S. Keypad: Used for numeric entry as well as F-keys.
T. Back: The Back key exits menus and modes.
U. Help: The help key displays context sensitive information about the active mode. Press Help
for a reminder of what the F-keys, faders, knobs, and buttons do in the active mode.
V. Enter: Confirms data entry. On some screens, Enter is used as a tab key.
W. Tempo: Press Tempo to set the tempo. Pretty straight forward.
X. Tap/Repeat: Works as a tap-tempo key when setting the tempo, or as a pad repeat key when
playing or recording the pads.
Y. Run/Stop: Starts and stops the sequencer.
Z. Rec/Edit: Turns recording of patterns on/off. In Step Program mode, turns editing on/off.
<> Left & Right Arrows: Function just like turning the encoder left and right. Long-press the
arrow keys to auto-repeat.

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A. Power Inlet: Accepts a C13 style power cord. Input voltage can be 125 or 250. Above the
inlet is the main power switch.
B. USB: USB type B jack for connecting the S2400 to a computer.
C. USB Host: USB type A jack for connecting controllers to the S2400.
D. SD-Card: SD-Card slot for saving samples and projects.
E. Clock Out: 3.5mm clock out jack clocking external hardware or modules.
F. Clock In: 3.5mm clock in jack for clocking the S2400 from external hardware or modules.
G. MIDI In: MIDI DIN jack for controlling the S2400 via MIDI.
H. MIDI Out: MIDI DIN jack for controlling other MIDI devices from the S2400.
I. MIDI Thru: MIDI DIN jack which outputs the same data that is on the MIDI In jack.
J. Input Trim: Knob adjusts the hardware amplifier that is internally connected to the sampler.
Note that higher is clockwise –when adjusted from the front of the machine, not the rear.
K. Input 1 & 2: Two ¼" mono jacks for sampling input. Connected to a preamp.
L. Input 3 & 4: Two ¼" mono jacks for sampling input. Connected to a preamp. Input 3&4 are
normalized to Phono1 so you can connect RCA plugs, but still go through the preamp.
M. Phono 1: A pair of phono jacks for sampling turntables. Connected to RIAA preamps.
N. Phono 2: A pair of phono jacks for sampling turntables. Connected to RIAA preamps.
O. Mix Out: Two ¼" mono jacks output the sum of the eight outputs. If a plug is inserted into
only one of the Mix Out jacks, it will include both signals, albeit at a slightly lower volume.
P. Channel Outs: Eight individual output jacks. They are switched jacks, so when a plug is
inserted into an individual output, that output is mechanically removed from the mix out.
The channel outs are pseudo balanced. Which means they are TRS jacks, but the ring does
not carry an inverted copy of the signal as with actual balanced jacks. Instead, the ring is
connected to ground with an impedance matching that of the signal on the tip. This
configuration still gives noise reduction when connected to a balanced input, albeit with a
6dB reduction in level.
Q. Ground: Grounding screw for connecting turntables.

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IInnssttaannttGGrraattiiffiiccaattiioonn
You just got your S2400 and you want to make some beats now!
Make Some Sounds
Connect the Mix Out jacks on the back to an amp, mixer, or audio interface.
Or, plug headphones into the headphone jack on the front.
Turn on the S2400 with no SD card inserted.
A default kit will load from the internal memory.
Press the pads. Wee! Sounds!
Shift the Pitch
Press the Pitch key on the left.
The faders now control the pitch of the sounds.
Pads 7 and 8 in the default kit are toms and sound great pitch shifted.
Record a Pattern
Press and hold the Rec/Edit key, then press the Run/Stop key.
The S2400 is now recording.
Press pads to record sounds into the pattern.
The pattern will repeat.
Press more pads to add to the pattern.
Learn More
The S2400 can do a whole lot more!
Read the whole manual to learn all of its secrets.
Watch the S2400 Video User Manual on YouTube.

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Highlighted Field
When a field on the screen is highlighted (black text on a white background), then that field is
currently being edited. Its value will change when the arrow keys are pressed or the encoder is
turned, or, in the case of a numeric field, when the number keys are pressed, and in some cases,
when a fader is moved.
The Encoder
Turning the encoder always does the same thing as pressing the arrow keys, and pressing the
encoder always does the same thing as pressing the Enter key. They are just two different ways
of interacting with the machine.
Press and hold the arrow keys to repeat the key. Only the arrow keys repeat when held.
Shift
Shift+Key means hold the Shift key, then press another key. Shifted keys are used all over.
The keys across the top of the S2400 are all dual function, except Song. Press the key to access
the function written under the key, and press Shift+ the key to access the function written
above it.
Sticky Shift key allows single handed Shift+Key presses. Press and release Shift without pressing
any other key to "stick" Shift. The Shift key's LED will be illuminated. The next key pressed while
Shift is stuck will behave as if Shift was held, and then Shift will be unstuck. Pressing and
releasing the Shift key when it is stuck will unstick it.
F-Keys
The F-keys (function keys) are context specific. They do different things depending on what
screen is active. They share the same keys as the number keys. If a numeric field is highlighted,
pressing the number keys changes that field, so the F-keys are activated by either Shift+ the
number key, or by long-pressing the number key. When a non-numeric field is highlighted, then
the F-keys can be accessed with or without Shift or long-press.
Help
The help key displays the built-in help. Help is context sensitive and gives information about the
active screen or mode. The built-in help is not the entire user manual, but more of a quick
reference. It lists the functions of all of the faders, knobs, buttons, and F-keys, which change
depending on the active screen or mode. At the top of the help for many screens is an F-key
quick reference grid. At the bottom of the help is a QR code which links to this manual.
Help shares a key with the number zero, so the same rules apply to it as to the F-keys.

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Tabbing
Several screens use the Enter key to switch between fields to edit (e.g. Sampling, Pan,
Waveform Editor, Envelope Editor). On those screens pressing Enter or the Encoder highlights
the next field, just like pressing the tab key on a computer keyboard. Pressing Shift+Enter or
Shift+Encoder works like back-tab, and highlights the previous field. Holding down Enter or the
Encoder while pressing the Arrow keys or turning the Encoder also tabs forward and backward
between fields.
Double Clicking
Some of the keys across the top of the S2400 can be double clicked (rapidly pressed twice) to
quickly access the most common feature, or toggle the most common setting, for the associated
menu, without having to navigate through the menu and click on the option.
Metronome: Toggles play during the current mode (playback, recording, sampling).
Settings: Displays the organize tracks screen.
File: Displays the file browser.
Sync: Toggles the clock source between internal and the last selected external source.
Input Mon: Turns monitoring on or off.
Pan: Performs an auto-pan.
Navigating Menus
Most of the keys across the top of the screen display a menu. Some other keys, like Shift+A
display a menu depending on the active mode. Menus contain settings and actions. Most menus
have a specific purpose and sub-menus are kept to a bare minimum.
Use the arrow keys or encoder to scroll through the menu and highlight an action or setting.
Press the encoder or Enter key to execute the action, or edit the setting. Press Enter or Back to
stop editing and return to highlighting. Press Back while highlighting to exit the menu.
Settings have the name on the left, and the value on the right. Action menu items are indicated
by an arrow on the far right. Press Enter or encoder on an action item to execute that action.
Some settings have a track as the value. Pressing a pad while the setting is highlighted sets the
value to the track whose pad was pressed.
Some menus have settings that are track specific. Pressing a pad will scroll to the first menu
item specific to that pad.
A setting can have one of four types of values: on/off, numeric, list, or text.
On/off fields look like a check box. Press the encoder or Enter to toggle the value.

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Editing a Numeric Field
Arrows/Encoder: Increments/decrements the number. For settings with a range of 99 or more,
arrow key autorepeat or encoder fast turn changes the number by 10 instead of 1.
Shift+Arrows/Encoder: For any field with a decimal point, hold Shift to change the fractional
part of the number. Without shift, the whole part of the number is changed.
Enter/Encoder Press: Saves the setting value and exits edit mode.
Back: Exits edit mode. If a multi-digit number is partially typed, Back clears the number without
exiting edit mode.
Number Keys: Allows for directly typing the setting value. Leading zeros are optional. Editing
ends when all digits have been entered or when Enter is pressed.
F1: Changes the sign of a numeric field, if the range can be negative.
If a numeric field is highlighted, but not yet selected for editing, pressing a number key begins
editing it, the same as pressing Enter, then pressing the number.
When typing a field that has decimals, a leading zero is needed when the value has fewer than
the maximum allowable digits. For example, to set tempo to 91.2, type 0912.
Editing a List Field
List fields have a list of possible values. The values may be text, numeric, or a mix of both. The
values in a list field are not edited, just selected.
Arrows/Encoder: Scrolls to the previous/next value in the list.
Shift+Arrows/Encoder: Scrolls to first/last list value.
Enter/Encoder Press or Back: Exits edit mode for the setting.
Number Keys: Some list fields have numeric shortcut keys. When editing, pressing a valid
shortcut key selects the associated list value. If a list field is highlighted, but not selected,
pressing a valid shortcut key is like selecting the field, then pressing the key.
For output lists, pressing 1-8 selects the output. For time lists, the keys 4, 8, 1, 3, and 6
correspond to 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64.

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Editing a Text Field
F1: Delete the character to the right of the cursor. If the cursor is at the end of the text, F1 is
backspace.
Shift+F1: Backspace, deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
Long-press F1: Clears the entire text field.
F2: Switch between moving the cursor or selecting characters.
F3: Saves changes made to the text field and exits the text editor. A blank text field cannot be
saved.
Back: Cancel editing, discarding any changes.
F4-F9: Cellphone-style alpha keys. Pressing an alpha key highlights the first character in that
key’s group. Additional presses of the same character select the next character in the group. The
number-character assignments are not the same as on a phone. They are rather easy to
remember since most of the groups begin with a vowel.
The character groups are:
ABCD EFGH IJKL
MNOP QRST UVWXYZ
0-9
0/Help: The zero key cycles through numbers like F4-F9 cycle through letters. To display the
help screen, hold shift and press zero. Sticky-Shift will not work here because Shift changes case.
Shift: During editing, pressing Shift changes the case of the characters. It is not necessary to hold
Shift when using F-keys in the text editor, but it is necessary for Help.
In Cursor Mode
Arrows/Encoder: Move the cursor, which is the point where characters are inserted.
Shift+Arrows/Encoder: Move the cursor to the beginning/end of the text.
Enter/Encoder Press: Switch to character select mode (same as F2).

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In Character Select Mode
Arrows/Encoder: Highlight the next/previous character
Shift+Arrows/Encoder: Move the highlight up/down one row
Enter/Encoder Press: Insert the highlighted character into the text at the cursor position. The
“SP” character inserts a space. The character toggles upper/lower case.
With a USB Keyboard
Just type to enter text. Arrows move the cursor. Delete, backspace, home, end keys do what it
says on the label. Escape cancels editing. Enter or F3 saves the changes and exits the editor.

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Browsing Files and Folders
The S2400 has a file browser that is used for selecting sounds, kits, and projects to load, and for
selecting the folder where a new sample will be saved. The SD card and internal samples can
also be browsed by selecting Browse Files from the File menu.
The top row of the file browser, above the line, shows the action being performed, e.g. Load Kit,
or Select Sample Folder. Below the line is the list of folders and files.
The first row of the list has the name of the current folder, and to the left of that, an up arrow.
Highlight the up arrow and press Enter or the Encoder to go up one level in the folder structure.
Pressing Shift+Back has the same effect.
When the action is selecting a folder, the current folder name is highlightable and clickable. This
is necessary to select a folder that has sub-folders.
Arrows/Encoder: Highlights the next or previous file/folder.
Shift+Arrows/Encoder: Scrolls to the first or last file.
Arrows Autorepeat: Scrolls a file list by a page at a time.
Encoder fast turn: Scrolls a file list by a page at a time.
Back: Exits the file browser.
Shift+Back: Goes up one folder level.
Enter/Encoder Press: When a folder is highlighted, navigates into the folder. When a file is
highlighted selects that file and exits the file browser.
File Browser F-Keys: Several common file system functions are available while browsing.
Note: Do not rename files that are inside project or kit folders. Use the rename project, kit, or
track functions. See the Files and SD Card section for more details.
F1: File/Folder Info –Shows the file size of any file. For folders, shows the file count and total
size. For WAV files, shows the length, channels, sample rate, bit depth, BPM estimation, and
note detection. If F1 is pressed when “SD Card” is selected, shows card capacity used space, free
space, and free time (how many minutes of samples can be saved). Arrow keys or encoder can
be used in the file info screen to scroll to the next/previous file in the current directory.
F2: Make New Folder
F3: Delete File/Folder
F4: Resample a WAV File to 26Khz 12-bit
F5: Preview Sound Settings – When browsing files from “Assign Sound”, the track’s settings
override default preview settings
F6: Rename File/Folder
F7: Time Stretch a WAV file
F8: Lock/Unlock the faders for the current fader mode (see discussion of fader lock)
F9: Lock/Unlock the faders for all fader modes

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SD Card Format
The S2400 uses an SD Card to store samples, kits, projects, and settings. It must be formatted as
FAT32, which is standard for most new SD cads. We have tested it with up to 512 GB cards. An
inserted SD card can be formatted by the S2400 with the format option in the Settings menu.
File and Folder Names
The S2400 can only read valid FAT32 file and folder names. A square character (□) in a file or
folder name indicates an untranslatable Unicode character. It also means that it is an invalid
FAT32 name, and the S2400 cannot open that file/folder. MacOS allows invalid folder names
(including trailing spaces and embedded slashes) that no other OS can read. Rename invalid
folders/files on your computer.
Samples
Samples (.WAV files) can be saved to and loaded from any folder on the SD card. When saving a
sample to a project, the project must exist. If no project was loaded or saved before sampling,
the new project must be named and saved before the sample is saved. If the project exists, the
sample is saved in the project directory, but the project itself is not saved at that time.
Sample Size
There is no limit on the length of a sample that can be played from the SD card. The only size
limits are on sampling time, and waveform editing.
Supported Sample Formats
File Format: WAV
Sample Rates: 26KHz, 44.1KHz, and 48KHz
Bit Depth: 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit, and 32-bit float
Files other than WAV are not loaded. Sample rates other than those listed play at 48KHz. Bit
depths other than those listed do not play.
Optimal Sample Format
The S2400 Audio Engine is 48KHz, 16-bit, so that is the optimal sample format for playback.
44.1KHz files are supported because they are so common, however, they have to be resampled
to 48KHz during playback, which can add some aliasing in low frequencies.
Samples with a bit depth higher than 16-bit are converted during playback. So, there is no
benefit to loading files of higher bit depth. They will also take up more memory and CPU
resources.

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Kits
A kit is a set of sample files and their settings file. When a kit is saved, all of the samples
currently assigned to tracks are copied (not moved) to the kit’s folder. All of the track settings
and output settings are saved in a file with the same name as the folder and a KIT file extension.
If a track is not assigned to a sound, the settings for that track are not saved. When a kit is
loaded, only those tracks that are in the kit are loaded, and other tracks will not have their
settings overwritten.
New kits are each saved in their own folder inside of the KITS folder in the root of the SD card.
Kits that are stored in folders other than the KITS folder can be loaded, edited, and saved.
The Load Kit function can load a stand-alone kit, or a project's kit.
Projects
A project folder contains:
1. A project file with the same name as the folder and an S24 extension.
2. A kit file with the same name as the project file and a KIT extension.
3. Optionally, a MIDI map file with the same name as the project file and a MAP extension.
4. All of the samples in the project's kit, and the Live Loops. Samples that are assigned to
tracks are copied (not moved) to the project folder when the project is saved.
New projects are each saved in their own folder inside of the PROJECTS folder in the root of the
SD card. Projects that are stored in folders other than the PROJECTS folder can be loaded,
edited, and saved.
To make a copy of a project, load the project then "save as" a different project name. When a
project is "saved as" on the S2400, it will be saved in a new folder inside the PROJECTS folder.
The original folder and its contents are not changed.
Global Settings File
Global settings are saved in a file called S2400.SET in the root of the SD card. The file contains all
settings found in the Global Settings, Sync, Input Monitor, and Metronome menus, plus the
sampling settings. The global settings file is automatically saved whenever a setting is changed,
and it is automatically loaded at power-on.
MIDI Maps
MIDI Map files have a MAP file extension. Maps can be loaded from any folder, but are always
saved in the MIDI MAPS folder. See the MIDI Mapping section for more details.

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Editing the SD Card
The SD card can be edited on a computer, either by inserting it into an SD card slot on the
computer, or with a USB SD card reader, or by leaving the card in the S2400 and enabling MSC
mode from the File menu.
In general, the S2400 saves files to specific folders, but can read them from any folder. Samples,
kits, projects, and maps can be copied to and from the card. If a more complex directory
structure is desired, kits and projects saved by the S2400 in the PROJECTS and KITS folders can
be moved to other folders, or into sub-folders. They will still be accessible on the S2400.
Likewise, kits and projects downloaded from other users can be placed anywhere. Because the
Load Project function starts in the PROJECTS folder, it is helpful to create a sub-folder under that
for other people's projects.
If a project folder is renamed, the associated S24 file should be renamed also. If not, it will take
an extra click to load it. If the KIT file does not have the same name as the S24 file, the sounds
and their settings will not be loaded when the project is loaded. Either rename both files, or use
the rename project function on the S2400 File menu.
Do not rename the WAV files inside of a kit or project folder. The KIT file contains the name of
each WAV file and if that file name does not exist, the sound will not be loaded when the project
or kit is loaded. Use the rename track function on the S2400 Track Settings menu.

ISLA Instruments S2400 User Manual
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There are four ways to assign sounds to tracks.
Assign Sound
Press Shift+Pad, or select Track Settings from the Settings menu, then select Assign Sound. The
File Browser is displayed. Navigate to a folder containing WAV files. As you scroll over files, they
are previewed. Repeat the preview by pressing the pad. When pressing the pad, sounds will
preview using the track’s settings (pitch, envelope, etc.). Press Enter or click the encoder to
select a sound and assign it to the track.
If the sound being assigned is in a kit or project folder with a .KIT file that has the same name as
the folder, then the track settings will automatically be loaded from the kit file.
Track settings, and therefore the Assign Sound function, can also be accessed from the Organize
Tracks screen.
Load Kit
Select Load Kit from the File Menu. In the file browser, highlight a kit folder, and press Enter or
click the encoder to load the whole kit of sounds and their settings. As long as the KIT file has
the same name as the folder, there is no need to navigate into the folder. If the names do not
match, then clicking on a kit folder will open the folder, and highlighting the KIT file and pressing
enter or clicking the encoder will load it.
Load Sounds Folder
Select Load Sounds Folder from the File Menu. Navigate to a folder containing sounds. The
sounds will preview as you scroll over them. Highlight a WAV file and press Enter or click the
encoder. The sounds from the highlighted file down will be loaded. The sounds will load starting
at the last track with no sound assigned, and filling as many tracks as are empty. If track D8 has a
sound assigned, then the sounds are assigned to tracks starting at A1, overwriting what used to
be assigned to those tracks.
Browse Files
Select Browse Files from the File Menu. This mode shows all file types, not just WAVs. Navigate
to a folder containing sounds. To preview a sound, press Enter or click the encoder. Press a pad
to assign a sound to that track.

ISLA Instruments S2400 User Manual
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Pattern mode is the base mode of the machine. It is the mode in which patterns are recorded,
modified, and played back. The screen shot above is annotated to point out the various bits of
information on the screen in pattern mode.
Banks, Tracks, Pads
The S2400 holds 32 samples at a time, organized into four banks of eight tracks each. The
sample banks are referred to by letters A through D. Individual tracks are referred to by their
bank letter plus their pad number, e.g. A1, B1, C5, D7, and so on.
There can also be up to four MIDI-only banks which are described in their own section.
There is always an active bank, which is displayed on the third line of the screen after the word
Bank. Pressing the Bank key cycles through the banks.
Playing Patterns
The current pattern number (from 0 to 99) is displayed on the second line of the screen after
the word Pattern. When the pattern number is highlighted, pressing the arrow keys, or turning
the encoder changes the pattern. To go directly to a pattern, use the numeric keys to enter the
number. Type a leading zero for patterns 0 to 9.
Run/Stop: Start playing the current pattern. Press it again to stop.