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TIME & TIMBRE v 2.0

a toolkit for exploration and coherence by skinnerbox

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HELLO. !!!We are Skinnerbox. We are proud to introduce you to TIME & TIMBRE v2.0, a set of tools using a unique time engine. These are the result of 5 years of studio work and the demands emerging from it. It is our take on synthetic percussion, melody generation, sequencing and handling of time, making radically generalised controls available for musicians. TIME is a 6 channel polyrhythmic and polymetric sequencer capable of producing a wide range of untraditional grooves. It becomes a complete drum machine together with TIMBRE - a collection of 5 innovative and flexible drum sound modules. TimeSTING is a melodic line generator which is inclined to produce content in the style of acid techno. TimeDELAY is a delay that can swing and groove the same way TIME can. TimeLFO can modulate parameters in Live and control external analog hardware via CV and clock signals, making the rhythmic capabilities of TIME available for any outboard equipment. !Our goal is to deliver a versatile toolkit that sounds profound and punchy, invites you to explore new sound ventures and unorthodox rhythms and can apply all that grooviness to other elements of your tracks resulting in tightness and unification. !Being active electronic musicians ourselves, we have packed this toolkit with features that were envisioned while producing and improvising electronic music. It was created with love and passion, and we hope that you will enjoy diving into it as much as we do! !!!!!!!!!PLEASE NOTE: MAX FOR LIVE VERSION 7.2.3 IS
REQUIRED.


A. TIME !!

TIME is a 6 channel polyrhythmic and polymetric sequencer - meaning that one bar can be divided by any whole number from 1 to 32. At the same time the length of the pattern (the loop) can be anything from 2 to 32 steps. This means that - unlike "usual" sequencers - you can easily experiment with all different tempi and loop-lengths in order to reach out for completely new rhythmic worlds. Although TIME comes along with the 5 sound-modules of TIMBRE it is not bound to these but can be used to sequence external gear or anything within Live by making use of a Drum Rack. Thus, it beautifully integrates into Live and extends it´s time-engine to a modern composer´s demand for rhythmical freedom. !ABOUT: SWING !Due to the abilities of TIME to divide a bar not only into 4th-, 8th- or 16th-notes but also into e.g. 5th- or 11th-notes, you can choose the note value to swing freely from 1 to 32. This is called SwingBase . As in most sequencers, if you want the 8th-notes to swing - resulting every second 8th-note being delayed, the 16th-notes between the 8th-notes will be affected as well (so are 32nd-notes and any note-value shorter than what you want to swing). This applies to the behaviour of TIME as well as the extensions it comes with. For example a regular 16th-note pattern (shaker, hi-hat, ...), with a SwingBase set to 12 (which actually makes the 8th-triplets swing) and SwingAmount lightly applied will cause the 16th-notes to swing in a very peculiar way. It gets even more interesting when an odd or even a prime number is chosen.


A.1.1 MASTER PANEL

!!!Swing Amount (-50 .. 50) - 0 = no swing, positive = swing (notes are late), negative = inverted swing (notes are early). Swing Base (1 .. 32) - define what to swing - e.g. 16 = 16th notes, 8 = 8th notes, 24 = 16th triplets, 5 = quintuplets.

!!Roll Amount (2 .. 100) - defines the number of roll-strokes to be performed. Roll Type (1 .. 5) - type 1: gate (all strokes have same volume) - type 2: decay (strokes decrease in volume) - type 3: reverse1 (strokes increase in volume) - type 4: reverse2 (strokes increase in volume but 1st on is full volume) - type 5: random (strokes have random volumes)

!Accent (0 .. 100) - defines the volume of sequencer steps that are accented. - 50 = same volume as normal steps, 50 = louder.

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Randomize All (button) - this button remotely randomizes all enabled parameters.

Select All (toggle) - this button will enable remote random for all sound module.

Morph Time (0 .. 10) - interpolation time (in seconds) between random values can be set using this slider.

! Space (0 .. 100) - adds artificial room to the overall sound.

!!Squash (toggle) - compresses the overall sound.

!!Morph Master Mike (button/slider) - morph master mike lets you save two sound snapshots and morph between them. Click on “A” to store a snapshot, change the sound, click on “B” and use the slider to morph between the two points.

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Convert to MIDI (buttons/num box) - "Convert" transfers the sequencer's content to a MIDI clip with respect to swing settings, accent and roll. - "One Clip" puts all six channels into one MIDI clip, "Six Clips" creates one MIDI clip per channel. - define the length of the MIDI clip in bars using the num box below. This is particularly useful when the sequence is of polyrhythmic nature.

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A.1.2 SEQUENCER CONTROLS

! Clear Pattern (button) - clears the corresponding pattern. ! Randomize Pattern (button) - randomizes the corresponding pattern. ! Shift Left/Right (button) - shifts the corresponding pattern one step to the left or right. ! Direction (switch) - switches pattern play direction. !!!Pattern Length (2 .. 32) - defines how long is a pattern for each channel of the sequence. Beat Division (1 .. 32) - selects the beat division for each channel of the sequence. Link Division and Length (toggle) - when link is on, pattern length will correspond to the beat division. Length Link Division

! Randomzie All Activator (toggle) - when activated all parameters will be “randomize all” enabled. !!

A.1.3 SEQUENCER

! Step (toggle) - click on any step of the sequencer enter a note, click again to clear it. !! Accented Step (toggle) - shift+click on any step of the sequencer to enter an accented note. !! Rolled Step (toggle) - alt+click on any step of the sequencer to enter a drum roll note. !! Rolled Accented Step (toggle) - shift+alt+click on any step of the sequencer to enter an accented drum roll note. !!!!Manual Play (other) - command+click on mac, ctrl+click on windows anywhere on a sequencer channel to manually trigger the corresponding note. !!Randomzie All Activator (toggle) - when activated all parameters will be “randomize all” enabled. 


A.1.4 PATTERN !“TIME” features 64 user patterns divided into 4 banks of 16 slots. The slots can be triggered via MIDI notes C-2 - D#3 respectively. In order to change slots via MIDI notes the MIDI settings must be set to ”pattern change” (see preferences).

!!Pattern (1 .. 64) - click on any pattern slot to edit it. Copy (button) - click copy followed by another pattern in order to copy the current slot. Chain Pattern (other) - in order to chain 2 or more patterns click the first and the last pattern of the desired chain while holding down shift. Click on any pattern to stop chaining. Follow Pattern (toggle) - when “follow” is enabled, the sequencer will change pattern with respect to a chain or a MIDI clip. When disabled, only the actual pattern will be played. !

A.2 LFO !

“TIME” features 4 LFOs that are intended to modulate parameters within the drum modules but can nevertheless modulate anything else in the live set.When in sync mode, the LFOs will follow the unique swing features of TIME. !*note, if you wish to use the LFOs to modulate any parameters of “TIME” you will have to map it to “multimap” max for live device and map it back to your desired parameter.

!!!!LFO on/off (toggle) - turns each LFO on or off.

!!Sync Rate (1..32) - the LFO´s rate in subdivisions of one bar. (e.g. 4 = quarter note, 16 = 16th note)

!!Free Rate (0..20 Hz) - the LFO´s rate in Hz (unsynchronised to Live´s tempo).

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Amount (0 .. 100) - LFO modulation amount.

!!Offset (0 .. 100) - offsets the modulation center point.

!!Sync/Free switch (switch) - defines the LFO´s clock.

!!Waveform (1 .. 6) - choose between 6 different modulation waveforms: - type 1: sine - type 2: saw up - type 3: saw down - type 4: triangle - type 5: square - type 6: random

!!Map to Parameter* - click on “map” and then on a desired parameter anywhere within the drum modules or Live. Click on “X” to unmap.

!!!!!!!*This feature is taken from Christian Kleine´s M4L control devices and is used with his kind permission.


A.3 PREFERENCES

!!!MIDI In To: - when set to "pattern change", incoming MIDI notes C-2 - E3 will trigger the corresponding pattern. When "voice trigger" is selected, incoming MIDI notes will be passed thru to trigger the sound sources in the associated drum rack.

!!Voice Assign - assign MIDI note-numbers to the 6 channels of the sequencer.

!!Chain Length - defines when the next pattern will be triggered when auto-chaining patterns. - can be set to 1 or 2 bars (of 4/4). Any other interval can be achieved by chaining the patterns via midi notes (see Midi In To).


Push Discover - in case “Ableton PUSH” is plugged AFTER the drum machine has been loaded, “discover” must be clicked. Push Mute Takeover - when “Mute Takeover” is enabled, mute controls will be also accessible when PUSH focuses on other channels. This is useful when using the drum machine in a live situation where PUSH is the only controller. Please note that using this function will disable the usual “Mute” functionality.

!!2nd Instance - if you use more than one instance of TIME, you can slave the swing settings of one instance to the other by enabling “2nd instance”.

!!Tempitch - enabling "tempitch" will link Live´s tempo to the machine´s global pitch and simulate vinyl-record/sample behaviour while maintaining complete control over the sound. 


B. TIMBRE !

TIMBRE is a set of 5 drum sound modules (bass-drum, snare, tom, hi-hat, cymbal) that are - unlike their names might suggest - anything but traditional. since synthetic drums exist for almost 50 years now and many technical approaches are regarded as very effective and useful, we did not want to make another machine doing what generations did before but rather to extend and innovate the good stuff. TIMBRE introduces controls over things that could not be controlled yet at all - one good example would be noise. noise is a fundamental element of drum synthesis. yet normal white or pink noise has not much to control - it´s just a random signal. the noise engine we developed can be explored best in the hi-hat module. the noise can be resolved on the time axis by the "speed" parameter. when "speed" is set to maximum you just hear a white noise. lowering this value actually performs a zoom on the time axis. we have done our very best making sure that the modules will be very “experimentation” friendly giving you new tools to play with yet capable of producing excellent sounding “functional” drum sounds on demand. a great way to experience the vast sound spectrum of the modules is to click the “randomize all” button in each module and listen to the results! !additionally, all TIMBRE modules can be treated as mono-synths if used standalone on a midi track (not inside a drum rack) which extends the sonic possibilities even more! !!!!!!! !

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B.1 COMMON PARAMETERS !!Attack (0 .. 100) - defines the attack of the sound. low values = hard, high values = soft Decay (0 .. 100) - defines the decay (length) of the sound. low values = short, high values = long Tune (0 .. 100) - defines the pitch of the sound. low values = low, high values = high

!!Volume (inf - +6) - controls the output volume of the module. Link to “Randomize All” (toggle) -when activated all parameters can be remotely randomized from “TIME”. Randomize All (button) - locally randomizes all module´s parameters. Velocity (0 .. 100) - velocity/accent modulation depth.

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B.1.1 SPECIFIC PARAMETERS !!BASS-DRUM

!!!Kick (0 .. 100) - controls the amount of the “clicky” sound the pedal makes when hitting the skin. Bright (0 .. 100) - controls the brightness of the Kick. Skin (0 .. 100) - controls the pitch envelope (amount and decay at the same time). Drive (0 .. 100) - overdrives the sound. HiFi/LoFi (switch) - applies subtle sound-degradation. !

SNARE

!!!Noisetype (1 .. 3) - Digital - a very raw kind of noise - Analog - not really an analog noise but much smoother than "Digital" - Complex - a really versatile noise RND (button) - randomises the noise. This is audible in the attack of the sound, and especially with low values of the "Density". Color (0 .. 100) - higher values establish a comb-filter effect on the sound. Bright (0 .. 100) - the brightness of the snare. Density (0 .. 100) - low values give a rougher noise. !

TOM

!!!RND (button) - randomly changes the character of the attack click. HiFi/LoFi (switch) - applies subtle sound-degradation. Tension (-50 .. 50) - controls the amount of the pitch envelope. Harmonics (0 .. 100) - controls the amount of harmonics. Color (0 .. 100) - controls the pitch of harmonics and attack-click. !

HI-HAT

!!!Tone (0 .. 100) - controlling the character of the sound. RND (button) - randomises the noise pattern. This is especially audible in the attack of the sound as well as with low values of the "Density". Speed (0 .. 100) - lowering this value actually means zooming into the noise on the time axis. The result is a resolved and thus rougher sound. The continuity still remains though. Density (0 .. 100) - when lowered, this will increasingly lead to gaps in the sound, giving it a quite harsh and grainy character. Width (0 .. 100) - the bandwidth of the noise. !

CYMBAL

!!!RND (button) - randomises the cymbal´s spectral content. Color (0 .. 100) - changes all magnitudes (somehow "scrolls" through them). Hitting a real cymbal on different spots has a similar effect. Width (0 .. 100) - adjusts the bandwidth of the cymbal (the range over which the spectrum is stretched). Spread (0 .. 100) - low values give a more tonal sound - just try (and try to explain what you hear). Bright (0 .. 100) - adjusts the brightness of the cymbal.

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C. MASTERBLASTER !

The “MASTERBLASTER” unit is a post processing unit with some secret duck sauce in it, it will only work in conjunction with “TIME” and has no onboard parameters.

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D. PUSH / PUSH2

!!!!!!1. The Six voice Triggers - changing functionality according to “ARM” state.

the three “ARM” states:

- Pale blue: voice selector

- Green: voice selector + manual play

- Blinking red: voice selector + tap recorder

!2. Accent

- Hold accent and tap on a step within the sequencer field to enter an accented step.

!3. Repeat

- Hold accent and tap on a step within the sequencer field to enter a drum roll step.

!4. Octave Up

- Press to shift sequence one step to the right.

5. Octave Down

- Press to shift sequence one step to the left.

!6. Mute

- Toggles mute row.

!7. Shift

- Holding shift and pressing on any step from 1 to 32 on the sequencer will define

pattern-length for the selected voice.

!8. Select

- Holding select and pressing on any step from 1 to 32 on the sequencer will define beat-division for the selected voice.

!9. Beat Division (standard)

- Provides quick access to standard beat division resolution.

!10. Touch Strip
 - The Touch Strip controls Morph Master Mike. Slide along to morph, hold Shift and press the bottom end to store point A, hold shift and press the upper end to store point B.
!11. Delete

- Hold “Delete” and press any of the six voices to clear its sequence.

!12. Direction

- Hold “Shift” and press the left arrow to change the playing direction of the selected

voice to backwards, hold “Shift” and press the right arrow to play forward.

13. Duplicate
 - Slots can be copied using the following method: select the slot you wish to copy from, hold “Shift” and press “Duplicate”, select the slot you wish to copy to.
!14. Randomize Section

- Hold shift to access the Randomize Section. Three blinking blue lights will appear on the state button row.

- The first from the right will randomize the selected voice (the selected voice device must be within Push´s focus). - The Middle one will randomize the selected voice sequence.

- The Third from the right will randomize all “Randomize All” enabled parameters.
!15. Display
 - all the Machine´s parameters are mapped to the encoders and reflected on the display. The LFO menu is the only sub menu and can be accessed by focusing on TIME and pressing the In button !16. Shift INIT
 - Swing and Accent controls can be initialized by holding “Shift” and tapping on the corresponding encoder.


E. TimeLFO !!TimeLFO is a modulation source for practically everything - from parameters/controls in Live to external gear via CV and clock signals. Of course it comes with the same rhythmic freedom as TIME and all other devices. This means that TimeLFO can produce modulations with inherent groove. To make all this available for your external analog hardware we made a CV-version called TimeLFO.cv which outputs a control voltage through your sound card.* Also a clock signal is available. If you have sequencers with clock input TimeLFO will teach them some proper groove! !*Note that you will need a sound card with DC-coupled outputs for proper operation. !


E.1 GENERAL CONTROLS !!Rate (32 / 1 .. 1 / 32) - the frequency of the LFO represented as multiples of subdivisions of one bar. Phase (0 / 32 .. 32 / 1) - the starting point of the waveform represented as a time offset in multiples of subdivisions of one bar. ! Examples: 1/4 is one quarter-note 3/16 is three sixteenth-notes (or dotted eighth-notes) 1/20 is one twentieth-note (or 16th-quintuplets) 8/1 is eight bars 11/7 is weird (but possible) !!!!!!!Freerate (0.01 .. 20) - the frequency of the LFO in Hz - available only when the clock is set to "Free" => see Clock !Freephase (0 .. 360) - the starting point of the waveform represented in degrees of a full cycle - available only when the clock is set to "Free" => see Clock

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Amount (0 .. 100) - the LFO´s magnitude or amount of modulation. the amount by which the modulated parameter will differ from it´s original value when the LFO´s waveform reaches it´s maximum. Offset (0 .. 100) - the base value or center point of the modulation. when mapping the LFO to a parameter in live, the Offset will automatically be set to that parameter´s value.

!!Swing Amount (-50 .. 50) - 0 = no swing - positive = swing (notes are late) - negative = inverted swing (notes are early) Swing Base (1 .. 32) - define what to swing - e.g. 16 = 16th, 12 = 8th triplets etc. Slave (toggle) - slave the swing settings to another device using our time engine (TIME, TimeLFO, TimeDELAY, TimeSTING or TimeLFO). If there´s more than one device being master (hence not in slave mode), any change of swing controls in any of those master devices will change the slaved one´s.

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E.2 MAPPING & BEHAVIOUR !!Map (button) - define the destination of the LFO - first click "Map" and then click on the control in Live you want to modulate

!!Waveform (menu) - selects the waveform desired for modulating the target parameter. Clock (menu) - in "Sync2Live" mode, the LFO´s frequency is bound to Live´s tempo. - the "Free" mode let´s you define the LFO´s rate in Hz instead. Following modes are only available in the LFO version for audio channels and the CV-version. Use them to synchronise the LFO to external clock sources: - "Tap 16ths" a clock signal in left input channel is interpreted as 16ths - "Tap 32nds" a clock signal in left input channel is interpreted as 32nds - "Tap 96ths" a clock signal in left input channel is interpreted as 96ths Mode (switch) - set to "Loop" the LFO keeps cycling through it´s waveform. - setting it to "One Bar" or "One Shot" will result in only one bar (or one waveform- cycle, respectively) of waveform-output. Also, "One Bar" or "One Shot" automatically switches Retrigger on and locks it (cannot be switched off). Without that, you wouldn´t be able to restart the waveform anymore. Retrigger (toggle) - when switched on, the LFO will restart it´s waveform on each incoming MIDI-note (or a trigger pulse in right input channel for the audio channel version and CV-version). - it is automatically switched on an locked (cannot be switched off) when Mode is set to "One Bar" or "One Shot".

!!Polarity & Trigger Length (switch & num box) --- only available in CV-version! - "Uni" (Unipolar) results in an output signal from 0 to 1 with the Amount value being add to the Offset value - everything´s working in positive direction. - "Bi" (Bipolar) centres the output at the Offset value. It then alternates between Offset plus Amount and Offset minus Amount, thus ranging from -1 to 1. - the num box next to the Polarity switch sets the length of the trigger pulse in ms. - this trigger pulse is sent out the right (or 2nd) output channel on phase restart.


E.3 OUTPUT !!CV - control voltage (signal) The CV-version outputs 2 channels of control signals. - Left channel - the actual LFO signal: Use Amount and Offset to set your desired output range. - Right channel - clock signal: A short impulse is sent out each time the waveform cycle restarts. This can be used to sync external sequencers to Live and to any groove TimeLFO can produce. !Display - the display is intended to give you visual feedback (sounds trivial, is trivial) - the white dot indicates the momentary value, whereas the blueish line is no more than history. - what do we learn from history? 1) it often repeats itself 2) it can be beautiful 3) it´s in our hands

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F. TimeDELAY !!

The idea to create TimeDELAY was born when we once again made the annoying observation, that using a rhythmical delay in a track with swinging beat completely kills the groove and is therefore not applicable. We could have gone for a workaround once again but "What if we had a delay that can swing?" As we already came up with our time engine which is capable of much more than just "computer swing" we felt the necessity of a delay which stays in the groove, regardless of how weird that groove actually is.

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F.1 CONTROLS !Delay Time (32 / 1 .. 1 / 32) - the time by which the signal is delayed before being output and (eventually) fed back. - you can set individual delay times for left and right input channel. - the Delay Time is represented as multiples of subdivisions of one bar. Examples: 1/4 is one quarter-note 3/16 is three sixteenth-notes (or dotted eighth-notes) 2/1 is just two bars 24/7 is open always !!!!!Link (toggle) - you can link the right channel´s Delay Time control to the one of the left channel resulting in the same Delay Time for both. !!Feedback (0 .. 100) - the percentage of the output signal that is fed back into the delay. - higher values give a longer delay tail. Dry / Wet (0 .. 100) - the mix between input and delayed signal in percent.

!!Filter Center Frequency (50Hz .. 10kHz) - the centre frequency of the bandpass filter in the feedback loop. Filter Q (0.1 .. 1.5) - the bandwidth of the bandpass filter in the feedback loop.


Swing Amount (-50 .. 50) - 0 = no swing - positive = swing (notes are late) - negative = inverted swing (notes are early) Swing Base (1 .. 32) - define what to swing - e.g. 16 = 16th, 12 = 8th triplets etc. Slave (toggle) - slave the swing settings to another device using our time engine (TIME, TimeLFO, TimeDELAY, TimeSTING or TimeLFO). If there´s more than one device being master (hence not in slave mode), any change of swing controls in any of those master devices will change the slaved one´s.


G. TimeSTING !!

TimeSTING is a sophisticated acid line generator which serves as an inspirational tool for composition purposes as well as a live jamming tool. To get started, load TimeSTING before any midi instrument and click the smily face.  Each button press generates an array of 16 musically related patterns that you can browse thru using the “Density” dial.


G.1 CONTENT GENERATION & GENERAL CONTROLS !Type (RANDOM .. ACID) - the type dial determines which kind of sequences will be generated. The left most will generate rather random sequences and the right most rather acid lines. Var (0 .. 16) - this determines the note variation amount the generated patterns will have. When set to 0, the patterns will vary only in terms of velocity, gate and octave. A variation of 16 will lead to each pattern having different notes also. smily face (button) - click to generate an array of 16 patterns. Density (1 .. 16) - selects one of the 16 patterns created. Patterns with lower numbers contain less notes (are emptier) than the ones with higher numbers (are quite busy). Pitch (-24 ..24) - transposes the sequence.

!!Length (2 .. 32) - defines the number of steps being played from the pattern. Division (1 .. 32) - selects the beat division or the playback speed (i.e. 16 = 16th notes, 8 = 8th notes etc.) Link "=" (toggle) - when Link is on, the pattern length and beat division will always be equal. 


Swing Amount (-50 .. 50) - 0 = no swing - positive = swing (notes are late) - negative = inverted swing (notes are early) Swing Base (1 .. 32) - define what to swing - e.g. 16 = 16th, 12 = 8th triplets etc. Slave (toggle) - slave the swing settings to another device using our time engine (TIME, TimeLFO, TimeDELAY, TimeSTING or TimeLFO). If there´s more than one device being master (hence not in slave mode), any change of swing controls in any of those master devices will change the slaved one´s.

!!!G.2 MIDI CONTROLS !Thru (toggle) - when on, sting is bypassed and incoming MIDI notes just pass through. Transpose (toggle) - when on, incoming MIDI notes will transpose the playing sequence. Convert! (button) - pressing Convert! will create a MIDI clip of the playing sequence taking swing and pattern length into account.


!F.2 EDITOR !EDIT (toggle) - click the triangle to expand the editor

!!Top Row - represents the generated notes !Middle Row - represents either velocity, gate or octave depending on Middle Row Selector !Bottom Row - represents note state (on/off) !Shift (arrow left/right buttons) - shifts the sequence to the left or right !Scale (arrow up/down buttons) - scales velocity, gate or octave values !Initialize (button) - resets Notes, Velocity, Gate and Octave for the selected pattern !Middle Row Selector (tab "Vel Gate Oct") - selects what to display in the middle row