ISLA Instruments S2400 User manual
ISLA Instruments S2400 User Manual
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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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Vision/Design: Brad Holland
Audio Engine: Vladimir Pantelic
UI/Sequencer: Mickey Delp
PCB & CAD: Supul Sapukotana
Beta Testers & Factory Content: Alex Ball, Chaz Emphatic, 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, 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
ISLA Instruments S2400 User Manual
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Foreword ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 3
Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Front Panel ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Rear Panel........................................................................................................................................ 7
Instant Gratification ........................................................................................................................ 8
User Interface Elements .................................................................................................................. 9
Files and SD Card ........................................................................................................................... 13
Assigning Sounds to Tracks............................................................................................................ 16
Pattern Mode ................................................................................................................................ 17
Fader Modes.................................................................................................................................. 18
Multi Mode.................................................................................................................................... 25
Pattern Functions and Settings ..................................................................................................... 26
Step Program................................................................................................................................. 29
Playback Features.......................................................................................................................... 31
Record Features............................................................................................................................. 32
Live Looping................................................................................................................................... 33
Song Mode..................................................................................................................................... 35
Track Settings ................................................................................................................................ 37
Settings.......................................................................................................................................... 39
File ................................................................................................................................................. 42
Sync ............................................................................................................................................... 44
Sample Mode................................................................................................................................. 48
Resampling .................................................................................................................................... 50
Input Monitor................................................................................................................................ 51
Pan................................................................................................................................................. 52
Effects............................................................................................................................................ 53
Save ............................................................................................................................................... 53
Output Channels............................................................................................................................ 54
F-Key Quick Reference................................................................................................................... 56
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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 track bank. There are four banks of eight tracks.
I. Top Row Buttons: Dedicated buttons for the most commonly used Pattern mode functions:
Metronome, Swing, Copy, Time Signature, Pattern Length, Erase, Quantize, and Step
Program.
Holding Shift and pressing the top row buttons 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 lighted buttons that control various options
depending on the fader mode, they also light up to indicate mode-specific information.
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L. Faders: The focus of the front panel. They control level, pitch, and various parameters
depending on the Fader mode.
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 triggering 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 button exits menus and modes.
U. Help: The help button 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 a tab button.
W. Tempo: Press Tempo to set the tempo. Pretty straight forward.
X. Tap/Repeat: Works as a tap-tempo button when setting the tempo, or as a pad repeat
button 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.
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 channels. 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 channel 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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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 buttons 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 this 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.
Help shares a key with the number zero, so the same rules apply to it as to the F-keys.
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Navigating Menus
Most of the keys across the top of the screen open a menu. Some other keys, like Shift+A bring
open 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.
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.
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.
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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 channel lists, pressing 1-8 selects the channel. For time lists, the keys 4, 8, 1, 3, and 6
correspond to 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64.
Editing a Text Field
Accented characters are converted to their non-accented equivalents when a text field is edited.
Unsupported characters are converted to a question mark when a text field is edited.
Arrows/Encoder: Move underline cursor. During editing, arrows scroll through the list of valid
characters. For a space, select the "SP" character.
Shift+Arrows: Move the cursor to the beginning or end of the field. During editing, Shift+Arrows
scroll to the beginning or end of the alphabetic characters.
Shift: During editing, Shift changes the case of the character being edited. It is not necessary to
hold Shift when using F-keys in the text editor, but it is necessary for Help.
Enter/Encoder Press: Selects a character to be edited. During editing, enter selects the
highlighted character and moves the cursor to the right one position.
Back: Exits the text editor, discarding any changes.
F1: Deletes the character above the cursor or the character being edited. If the cursor is at the
end of the text, F1 works like backspace.
Shift+F1: Clears the entire text field.
F2: Inserts a character at the cursor location.
F3: Saves changes made to the text field and exits the text editor. A blank text field cannot be
saved.
F4-F9: Cellphone-style alpha keys. Pressing an alpha key scrolls the character editor to the first
character in that keys 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.
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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 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 click the encoder or press enter 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 typical 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
F2: Make New Folder
F3: Delete File/Folder
F4: Resample WAV File to 26Khz 12-bit
F6: Rename File/Folder
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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 File 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.
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 channel 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 opened, 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 LiveLoops. 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 opened,
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
Open 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 open 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.
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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.
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 selecting a kit folder will open it, 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.
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Pattern mode is the base mode of the machine. It is the mode in which patterns are created.
Some Handy Key Combos
Shift+Back: All sounds off in any mode.
Back+Pad: Resets all sound parameters (level, pitch, filters, etc) to their defaults for that track.
Does not reset multi parameters.
Shift+Tempo: Toggles global tempo or pattern-specific tempo for the current pattern.
Shift+Repeat: Locks the Repeat button. Press Repeat to unlock it.
Shift+Run/Stop: When running, restarts the pattern at the beginning. When stopped, continues
running from last stop point. When using an external clock source, forces a start.
Shift+Bank: Go back one bank.
Bank+Number Keys 1-4: Go directly to bank A-D.
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The row of buttons on the left (Level, Pitch, Envelope, and Loop/Slice) set the fader mode, that
is, which parameter the faders control. The key is illuminated to indicate the current mode.
Changing a parameter value will affect the sound when a pad is pressed and when the track is
recorded into a pattern. The faders, knobs, and A/B buttons have different functions in each of
the five modes, as described below.
Fader Lock
Pressing F8 locks the faders for the current fader mode. Pressing F9 locks the faders for all
modes. When locked, moving the faders has no effect on their associated parameter.
Holding Shift while moving a fader acts the opposite of the current lock state. That is, if the
faders are locked, holding Shift while moving a fader will modify the parameter, and if the faders
are not locked, holding Shift moves the fader without affecting the parameter. This is especially
useful for aligning the physical fader with the parameter before modifying it.
Parameter Settings
Pressing Shift+A (or Shift+B for filter) displays the parameter settings for the current fader
mode. All of the settings are per-track. All parameter settings menus have a “*Set for all tracks”
function which copies the value of all settings marked with an asterisk to all tracks.
Modify Pattern
The Modify Pattern function is also common to all parameter settings menus. This function sets
either the selected parameter or all parameters for either the selected track or all tracks to the
current fader/knob values throughout the whole pattern. In Multi Mode there is also the option
to modify only the selected track+pad in the pattern.
Mixer Mode
When no fader mode key is illuminated, then the faders are in Mixer mode. In Mixer mode, the
faders set the playback volume of the tracks. The mixer volume is not recorded into the pattern,
only the track level is. The levels that were recorded in the pattern are not changed, but are
combined with the mixer volume during playback.
Shift+A: Displays the mixer mode settings. On this screen the range of the mixer faders can be
set for each track. Since mixer mode is a performance feature, it is sometimes useful to limit the
range to what is useful during playback. The upper range can go beyond 0dB. At 0dB, the sounds
will play at full volume, beyond that the sound will be amplified. At some point, the sound will
clip. A tube-like soft clipping algorithm is used which can actually sound great for some samples.
Top Knob: Controls the cutoff frequency of the digital filter.
Bottom Knob: Controls the resonance of the digital filter.
B Button: During playback, toggles filter Parameter Playback Override on or off.
During recording it toggles Live Parameter Record Overwrite.
Shift+B: Displays filter settings such as the filter mode (low pass, band pass, or high pass), and
the common parameter settings.
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Level Fader Mode
The faders set the level of each track. Level is recorded into the pattern. If dynamic pads are
turned on, then the pad pressure sets the level, and the level faders are ignored. Note that the
dynamic level comes from how hard the pads are pressed, not how fast (velocity).
A Button: During recording it toggles Live Parameter Record Overwrite on or off.
During playback, the A button has no effect.
Shift+A: Displays the level settings menu.
The knobs and B button control the filter as described above for Mixer Mode.
Pitch Fader Mode
The faders set the pitch for each track. The on-screen faders show the number of semitones that
the pitch is offset from its original pitch.
A Button: During playback, toggles pitch Parameter Playback Override on or off.
During recording it toggles Live Parameter Record Overwrite.
Shift+A: Displays the pitch settings menu.
In addition to the common parameter settings. There is the Fine Pitch setting which allows for
fine adjustments of the pitch shift to an exact number of semitones and cents. The Fine Pitch
setting is available even when the pitch resolution is not set to Fine. It is not available when the
pitch resolution is set to Classic. This is just a more precise way of doing the exact same thing
the faders do. It is not the same as the track Transpose setting.
The knobs and B button control the filter as described above for Mixer Mode.
Envelope Fader Mode
Every track has two HiFi envelopes, and, optionally, a Classic volume envelope. The type of
volume envelope for a track can be set in track settings (Shift+Pad), or in Track Envelope
Settings (Shift+A in envelope fader mode). The descriptions below assume that the machine is in
envelope fader mode.
Classic Volume Envelope
A Classic volume envelope has two-stages: a sustain time at maximum volume, followed by a
release time. Both values are fixed times for each of the 32 envelope settings. When a Classic
envelope is set to maximum, then there is no volume envelope at all. This accurately duplicates
the functionality and sound of the Classic machine, including the 8-bit aliased release. The slider
selects the classic envelope length, and the knobs do nothing. On the screen, a classic envelope
is indicated with the same line and dash style of display used for other fader modes.
HiFi Volume Envelope
When HiFi Volume Envelope is selected, envelope 1 controls the volume of the sample. The
slider controls the release and the top knob controls the attack. On the screen, HiFi envelopes
are drawn accurately, albeit tiny and tilted to the left. This mode shows eight envelopes at a
glance and is sufficient for editing simple A/R envelopes. The HiFi envelope editor is more
precise.
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Switching Envelopes
Pressing B switches between envelope 1 and envelope 2, and the classic envelope if it is enabled
for the track. The volume envelope is indicated on-screen by a V over the fader number.
Envelope 1 (if it is not the volume envelope) is indicated by a single dot, and envelope 2 by two
dots.
HiFi Envelope Editor
Pressing A brings up the HiFi Envelope Editor, similar to the way that pressing A in loop/slice
brings up the HiRes slice editor. HiFi envelopes have six parts: attack, attack hold, decay, sustain,
sustain hold, and release. Sustain is the volume level that the envelope falls to after the decay.
All of the other parameters are time, expressed as a percentage of the total sample length.
Synthesizers have oscillators which are always running. In a synthesizer the envelope parts are
actual times. Increase any of them and the whole sound plays for more time. In the S2400, the
envelope parts are percentages of the total sample length. For example, if the sustain hold is set
to 50.0 and the decay to 50.0, with all other parts being zero, then the sound will begin to decay
half way through.
At the top right of the screen, next to the Σ symbol, is the total length of the envelope, which is
also expressed as a percentage. The envelope can be shorter than the full length of the sample.
For example, set the total to 75.0 to cut off the last 25% of the sound.
To switch between envelope 1 and 2, select and modify the envelope number at the top of the
screen, or press the B button for the appropriate track.
HiFi Envelopes as Modulators
Envelopes can modulate pitch and/or filter cutoff. Either parameter can be modulated by either
or both HiFi envelopes, even if a Classic volume envelope is used. At the top of the HiFi Envelope
Editor screen are pitch modulation amount and filter modulation amount. Pitch modulation
amount is specified in semitones and cents. Filter modulation amount is specified in Hertz. Note
that modulation amounts can be positive or negative.
HiFi Envelope Editor Controls
Enter/Encoder Press: Tab between fields to edit. Hold Shift to tab backwards. Another way to
tab between the fields is to hold Enter or Encoder then press Arrows or turn the Encoder.
Arrows/Encoder: Change the value of the selected field.
Fader 1-6: Change the six envelope parts.
Fader 7: Change the pitch modulation amount. The fader sets whole semitone values only, and
the encoder/arrows adjust one cent at a time.
Fader 8: Change the filter modulation amount. The fader is a coarse setting, and the
encoder/arrows allow fine adjustments.
Knob 7: Change the pitch (not the modulation amount).
Knob 8: Change the filter cutoff and resonance (not the modulation amount).
F1: Undo changes made to the envelope. Long-press to completely reset the envelope.
F2: Undo changes made to pitch or filter modulation. Long-press to set all modulation to zero.
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