Tutorial 3 / 5

3. Shape the kick and check overlapping tails

All tutorials · FAQ: stored values and milliseconds · Starter values

Select the 808 kick. KICK RAM controls the hybrid layer, wave source/mix and step velocity selection; WAVE SHAPE and the later envelope pages are distinct groups. SYNTH ENV shapes the synth envelope; WAVE ENV shapes the added wave layer. Parameters are captured per hit, so a current tail and the next hit's intent need not be the same state.

Raw values versus the native display

WAVE ENV's fourth knob is W DECAY. Stored raw 0–127 becomes approximately 5–3,000 ms; the display uses integer 5 + raw × 2995 / 127. Raw 75 is displayed as 1,773 ms. Raw 17 is 405 ms, and the selected starter's raw 5 is 122 ms. These values belong to different sounds/test fixtures; do not copy the test fixture into the starter by mistake. WAVE SHAPE also has a W DECAY control, with different meaning.

A bounded overlap test

  1. Capture or write down your current values and keep a compatible project/preset backup.
  2. While stopped with MASTER down, use a test pattern with repeated kick hits and change only the intended WAVE ENV parameter. Leave W ENV enabled for this condition.
  3. For context, quarter notes at 134 BPM are about 448 ms apart. A 1,773 ms wave envelope spans later hits; this was the scoped long-tail fixture.
  4. Set a quiet level, play briefly, and listen for unexpected gaps, harsh glitches or abrupt tail cut-offs. A programmed click layer, velocity variation and the expected sound of overlapping envelopes are not automatically defects.
  5. Stop, turn MASTER down, record DROPOUTS/GUARD, and restore the exact captured values. Do not SAVE a temporary fixture unintentionally.

Filter and limiter control checks

On STRIP FILTERS, KNOB1 is HP and KNOB2 is LP; the other controls enable the corresponding filters. On STRIP LIMITER, KNOB1 is BOOST, KNOB2 is ceiling, KNOB3 is release, and KNOB4 is the limiter switch. These pages belong to the selected sound. Confirm selection and original values before a small sweep. Lowering BOOST for a check does not justify increasing MASTER. Return values exactly and verify before saving.