The DRUM screen is your central sequencer. You've already used it to build beats with samples on pads. But beneath the step grid lies a set of professional tools that transform the drum screen from a pattern editor into a full production and performance instrument. This deep dive covers four pro features: RESAMPLE, SIDECHAIN, PUNCH-IN FX, and AUTOMATION.
1. Resample
Resample captures the entire drum mix — everything you hear with all effects, EQ, and volume settings — and bounces it to a new audio sample. The sample appears in your library, ready to load onto a sampler pad.
Why you'd use it
- Chop your own drums: resample a drum pattern, load the bounce into the Sampler, auto-chop it. Now you're chopping yourself.
- Layer complexity: program a complex pattern with automation, resample it to audio, then write a new pattern on top while the audio plays from a pad.
- Freeze effects: if you've got CPU-heavy plugins on your drum bus, resample to audio and remove the plugins — the sound is baked in.
- Create texture: resample a pattern, load it into a pad, reverse it, pitch it down an octave, add reverb. Your drum pattern is now an ambient texture.
How to use it
In the drum context bar, switch to TOOLS mode. Find the RESAMPLE section. Tap RESAMPLE, press play, and stop when you've captured what you want. The bounce opens as a new sample.
2. Sidechain
Sidechain compression ducks (lowers) the volume of the entire drum mix whenever a specific track plays. The classic use: set the kick as the sidechain source. Every time the kick hits, everything else briefly gets quieter — creating a pumping, breathing effect.
Why you'd use it
- EDM / House: the classic four-on-the-floor pumping effect. The kick triggers the duck, everything swells back between kicks. This is the sound of dance music.
- Clarity: sidechain the kick against the bass track. The kick and bass share low frequencies — sidechaining carves a brief hole in the bass for the kick to punch through. You hear both clearly without muddy low end.
- Creative: sidechain a hi-hat track against a pad. Every hi-hat hit ducks the pad — a fast, rhythmic tremolo effect synced to your pattern.
- Subtlety: low amount (10-20%) with fast release. You feel the breathing but don't hear the ducking. This is how professional mixes achieve clarity without obvious sidechain pumping.
Parameters
- Source track: Which track triggers the duck. "T1" is track 1, etc. "-1" or "OFF" disables sidechain.
- Amount: How much the volume drops. 10-20% for subtle clarity. 50-70% for obvious pumping. 100% for extreme gating effects.
- Release: How fast the volume recovers after the trigger. Fast (10-50ms) for tight, percussive pumping. Slow (100-300ms) for smooth, swelling recovery. Match the release to the tempo — shorter for fast BPMs, longer for slow grooves.
3. Punch-In FX
Punch-in effects are momentary — they apply only while you hold the button. Press CRUSH, the beat distorts. Let go, it's clean again. Four effects: CRUSH (bitcrush destruction), STUTTER (rapid amplitude gate), FILTER (low-pass sweep), TAPE (gradual slow-down like a tape stop).
Performance tool
Punch-in FX turn your drum screen into a performance instrument. During a live set or jam, hold a punch-in FX to transform the beat for a bar or two before the drop, then release for impact. The audience hears the beat get crushed, filtered, or stuttered — then BAM, clean beat drops back in.
When to use each
- CRUSH: Before a drop. The beat degrades into lo-fi noise, then punches back clean. Try it on the last bar of a build-up.
- STUTTER: For fills and transitions. The beat chops into rapid rhythmic bursts. Hold for 1-2 beats before a pattern change.
- FILTER: For breakdowns. Sweep the filter down during a breakdown section and release when the full beat comes back. The classic DJ filter sweep.
- TAPE: For endings and transitions. The beat slows down and dies, like stopping a tape deck. Perfect for the end of a section before a tempo or vibe change.
4. Automation
Automation records changes to volume, pan, and pitch over time. Turn on automation recording (AUTO-REC), press play, and move a fader or knob. Your movements are recorded and play back on every loop. You can also draw automation curves by hand in DRAW mode.
What you can automate
- Volume: Fade a track in over 8 bars. Drop the hi-hats out for a bar. Bring the snare up for the chorus.
- Pan: Make a percussion track swirl from left to right. Automate a hi-hat to bounce between ears.
- Pitch: Bend a synth bass note. Make a snare rise in pitch during a fill.
Automation lane
When automation exists on a track, a lane appears below the step grid showing the automation curve. Each point on the curve is a value at a specific step. Drag points to adjust. Add points by tapping. Delete points to simplify the curve.
Track vs Clip automation
TRK mode: automation lives on the track itself — affects everything on that track. CLP mode: automation lives inside a clip — moves with the clip when you drag it.
5. Practical Combinations
- Sidechain the kick with 40% amount and 80ms release. Add a CRUSH punch-in during the last two bars of the intro. When the verse drops, release CRUSH and the clean sidechained beat hits — maximum impact.
- Automate a filter sweep: set a track's volume automation to slowly rise over 8 bars. During the same 8 bars, manually hold the FILTER punch-in and slowly release it. The track fades in and opens up simultaneously.
- Resample a pattern with heavy automation and sidechain. Load the bounce into the Sampler. Reverse it. Now you have a reverse-swell drum texture that still has the pumping groove baked in.
You can resample your drum mix into new textures, sidechain for clarity and pumping effects, use punch-in FX as a live performance instrument, and automate volume, pan, and pitch for dynamic, evolving beats. The DRUM screen is no longer just a sequencer — it's your production center.