Possible to program new patterns without auditioning them?

Been reading through the manual and watching videos on YouTube and Pyramid looks great. Not sure if one part of my usual workflow is possible though.

Say I have a pattern playing for my bass sound. Without stopping that pattern, can I create a new pattern in step mode, without the new notes being output to my synth, and then launch it later?

It’s not uncommon for me to think “I’d like an eighth note pattern of alternating octave root notes following the chords” for instance and want to be able to drop that in without having to hear it while I program it.

I’d like to use Pyramid as a live sequencer so it would be key to be able to bring in different patterns without the audience hearing me program them.

Anyone tried this out? Thanks!

It’s fairly easy.
Use 2 tracks and direct them to the same destination.
Play one track with prerecorded material and mute the second one.
Select the second track and program it. When you are done mute the first track and unmute the second.
Use patterns for each track. If you want to continue this method then go on and program a new pattern on the first track while hearing the second track and when you are ready mute the second track and unmute the first track.
And that way never stop improvising live!!!

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Now I’m imagining a Pyramid MK3 with a crossfader.

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Couldn’t you use the touchpad like a crossfader? X axis to control volume on one track, Y on the other and then swipe top left to bottom right (and back) to x-fade them?

Would that work?

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That’s really clever. Didn’t think of using multiple tracks per output. I guess I’m still thinking in the DAW mindset of one lane per instrument (traditionally).

you can also keep a single track that is your always-muted scratchpad for all other tracks. copy patterns from active tracks into it, make variation patterns of those, and copy those variations into the active tracks. switch to the pasted patterns on the active tracks when you want them to play.

this is a bit more convoluted than using multiple tracks per instrument, but I prefer that you can keep this one track’s midi/cv destination settings arbitrary (doesn’t get copied with the patterns that you copy out of it) and that you don’t have to proliferate A/B copies of tracks for each of your instruments.

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I do similar/same as @kraftf suggested…

I copy an existing track to another track for editing.

however, there is a small issue with this.

its easiest to copy the entire track (rather than notes), as you don’t need to mess about with zoom (to get entire range), and it also copies FX etc.
but the issue is, if you have the transport active, it will immediately start to play the new ‘pasted’ track, along with the existing track… so theres a duplicate playing

what Ive suggested to @squarpadmin , is one of two changes.

a) when you paste a track, with the transport running, it should be muted initially.
this way , you could copy/paste, alter the new track, then just flip the mute state between the new and old track.
(repeat and rinse :slight_smile: )

this might seem counter-intuitive , but I see no practical use, for playing an exact duplicate track, which a pasted track is by definition as everything is copied. only once you have edited something, does it become desirable to play it alongside the original track.

b) pasting should not change the mute state of the destination track.
currently, when you paste, if the destination track was muted, it will unmute it (actually I think it gets the mute state of the copy) … but if the mute state was left as before, then we could do as above… we would just make sure the destination track was muted before we did the paste.

this might be more intuitive, as mute states are part of the ‘track’ screen and are also kind of linked to sequences as well… so perhaps its more logical, that they are separate from track setup (notes, patterns, fx)


when I first tried to do this copy/paste for variation technique… I assumed the pyramid would allow for either (a) or (b), so I think, its something that will feel ‘right’ - (a) or (b) feels like quite a simple change, but open up a really quick n’ simple workflow for making variations on the fly. (*)

perhaps if you agree, then let squarp know via https://squarp.net/contact , perhaps if a few ask for it, and its technically not too difficult, they might consider it.


thanks @autopoiesis, I hadn’t thought of using patten copy to copy all notes… for some reason, I thought that only worked within a track - very useful :slight_smile:

its not quite what i want, as copying the whole track also copies FX and the full pattern stack, but definitely better than I was doing currently with note copying :slight_smile:

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