Groove Rider Gr-16: Jimaudio
Groove Rider Gr-16: Jimaudio
Groove Rider Gr-16: Jimaudio
5. Main Menu
5.1 Part Parameters List
5.2 Pattern Parameters List
5.3 Utilities List
5.4 Global Settings List
7. Song Mode
7.1 Song Mode in general
7.2 Song Menu
7.3 Song View
7.4 Song Edit
8. Midi Specification
8.1 Midi Input
8.2 Midi Output
8.3 Midi Thru
8.4 Synchronization to Midi Clock
8.5 Using external Midi notes to trigger Pads and Slices
8.6 Using Midi Learn
1. Basic Structure of Groove Rider GR-16
1.1 Pattern
A Pattern is an elementary musical block of the GR-16. There are currently five pattern banks in GR-16: Bank
A (factory preset patterns), Bank B (Techno Sessions patterns, available as optional In-App purchase), Bank
C (Vinyl House Grooves, In-App purchase), Bank D (Hip Hop Beats, In-App purchase) and a User Bank. User
Bank can store up to 256 user Patterns.
Pattern can be up to 8 Bars in length.
Each Pattern consists of 16 Parts.
Each Pattern can have one MFX (Master Effect) assigned.
Each Pattern can have one Send Effect assigned.
Each Pattern has its own set of Pattern Parameters, which are accessible from the Main Menu > Pattern
Parameters Menu. Only one Pattern can be loaded for playback / editing at one time. The name of currently
loaded Pattern is shown on the Display. Prefix «U» in the pattern name stands for User Bank patterns, prefix
«A» stands for Factory Preset Bank A patterns, prefix «B» for the Bank B and so on. To play loaded Pattern,
you just tap the Play button.
1.2 Part
A Part represents one particular sound (like a one track in a sequencer). There are 16 Parts in each Pattern,
numbered from 1 to 16. Every Part has its own Notes (Steps) track and Automation track (up to 128 Steps,
16 Steps per Bar), as well as unique set of Part Parameters, which determine Part’s sound and its specific
playback options.
Each Part can play back a sound of 3 types: synthesized oscillator sound, wavetable synthesis sound, or a
PCM sample.
Each Part has its own Filter with unique settings.
Each Part has its own Modulator, which can be assigned to one of the six Part Parameters.
Each Part can have one IFX (Insert Effect) assigned.
A Part sound signal is always Mono. It becomes Stereo at later stage, when you add a Pan parameter motion
to it, of pass it through the MFX or Send FX. You can also add a stereo to a Part by adjusting its Stereo Delay
parameter.
Tip: to select a Part directly without using part select buttons, hold one of the Pad Mode buttons and tap
a Pad. For example, hold TRIGGER button and tap Pad 1 to immediately select Part 1.
You can adjust the Parameters of Selected Part in the Parameters Panel of GR-16, by turning knobs and
buttons. Some of the Part Parameters are inaccessible directly from the Panel. You will need to open the Main
Menu > Part parameters to access them.
1.4 Step
A Step is an elementary block of Part’s musical data track. It is used in most classic step sequencer devices.
A Step can also be considered as a Note. Each Part has its own track of 128 Steps (16 Steps per one Bar).
Each Step consists of:
- Up to 4 Voices. It means one Step can play back up to 4 notes simultaneously;
- Velocity, which equals a volume of a Step;
- Time Shift value, to shift the Step along the time axis forward or backward;
- Length value (the same as note length);
- Stroke, allows to fire up to 4 Notes in place of just one written Note (this also known as Ratchet on the other
groove boxes);
- Chance (probability) value, can be used for randomization of corresponding Step’s playback.
1.5 Pad
A Pad is one of 16 buttons (Pads) in the bottom section of GR-16. Depending on the current Pad Mode, each
Pad can represent either a Part with corresponding Part number, or a specific Note, Chord or Slice. The red
led indicator over a Pad shows you currently Selected Part's number, 1 - 16. The blue LED over a Pad shows
you current playback cursor, or an event indicator (when in MUTE or ERASE Pad Mode). Pads can be assigned
to have different colors, corresponding to the Part they are representing. It can be done in the Part Parameters
menu.
2. Layout of Groove Rider GR-16
Top Panel area of GR-16 can display two pages: Main Page (with Display and Parameters Panel), and the
Mixer page. You can switch between these two pages by tapping the MIXER button in the top right corner of
the screen.
Display area is located at the left of the Top Panel. It has a Display, four buttons (ENTER, EXIT, UP, DOWN)
to navigate through the menus, a SONG button, and a Value Jog knob, which can be used to change menu
values, selected with a cursor.
Display can show different pages. In the pattern name display mode (as shown on the figure), it shows you
the name of currently loaded Pattern, output sound animation (its type can be selected from Settings), some
parameters of Selected Part (Filter type, Modulator type, IFX type), currently selected Master Effect and Send
Effect types. When on this page, you can load another Pattern by tapping UP or DOWN buttons, or by turning
the Value Jog knob. You can also tap the Pattern name on the Display to reveal a Pattern Selector, where
you can select Pattern Banks and Patterns.
SONG button is intended to switch between the Pattern Mode (default) and the Song Mode. In short, in
Pattern Mode you can create and design your Patterns. Use Song Mode to combine created Patterns to build
your Songs. Song Mode in detail is described below in the Section 7.
Top bar of the Display shows you the CPU load meter, the POLY meter (polyphony load meter), and a current
Pattern Tempo in BPM.
Bottom bar of Display shows you currently Selected Part. There is also a Part mute indicator in the right corner
of the bottom screen bar. You can tap it to mute/unmute the current Part.
Depending on the mode, Display can show you either Main Menu or lists of different selectable parameter
values. It also can display a Sample View of Selected Part, as well as the notes and Step Editor.
Tip: Tap the BPM indicator in the top of the Display to immediately access Pattern Tempo setting (a
Pattern parameters menu will open).
2.3 Parameters Panel
On the Parameters Panel, you can see a set of knobs and buttons. Each of them represents certain Selected
Part’s parameter. Let’s discuss them one by one.
Tip: you can double tap a knob or a fader to reset its Parameter to default value.
Tip 2: triple tap will activate the Midi Learn mode, in which you can assign incoming midi controllers to
specific knobs. Don’t forget to tap WRITE button to save your changes made in the Midi Learn mode.
WAVE button: tap to choose a wave source for the Selected Part. A list will appear on the Display, where you
can choose between many synth oscillator types (Osc folder), wavetable sounds (Wave folder), or PCM
samples (Kicks, Snares, Claps etc. folders), built-in PCM Instruments (Instrum folder) and user imported
samples (User folder and below it, at the end of the folders list) for the Selected Part. You can also switch to
the Part Sound Presets list from here, tapping on the “Preset >” button in the right upper corner of the Wave
selection table. Or switch back to the Wave selection table by tapping the “< Wave” button in the left upper
corner when in Part Sound Presets table.
PITCH knob: this parameter controls the pitch of Selected Part’s sound
EDIT 1 knob. This knob located right under the PITCH knob, and can control various parameters, depending
on the Wave type selected, and the Part’s «Osc Controls» Parameter. For oscillator sound parts, this knob
controls oscillator’s EDIT 1 parameter, which depends on selected oscillator type. For PCM sounds and
Instruments, this knob controls the DECIMATE effect for the Part. And, if you set current Part’s «Osc Controls»
Parameter to a «Sample» value (from the Part Parameters menu), this knob will control the Sample Start
parameter for this Part. For the wavetable type parts, this knob controls the wavetable position parameter.
EDIT 2 knob. This knob, located under EDIT 1 knob, can control several parameters, depending on the Wave
type selected, and the Part’s «Osc Controls» Parameter. For oscillator sound parts, this knob controls
oscillator’s EDIT 2 parameter, which depends on selected oscillator type. For PCM sounds and Instruments,
this knob controls the BOOST effect for the Part (by default). And, if you set current Part’s «Osc Controls»
Parameter to a «Sample» value (from the menu), this knob will control the Sample End parameter for this Part.
For the wavetable type parts, this knob controls the wavetable pulse width parameter.
TYPE button: tap it to choose Part’s Filter type. A list will appear on the Display, where you can select different
Filter types for the Selected Part.
CUTOFF knob: controls Filter’s cutoff frequency.
RESO knob: controls Filter’s resonance;
ENV knob: applies ADSR envelope from the Envelope section to a Filter cutoff parameter.
2.3.3 Modulator section:
TYPE button: tap it to choose Part’s Modulator type. A list will appear on the Display with available Modulator
waveforms, their sources and destinations;
DEPTH knob: controls Modulator’s depth
SPEED knob: controls selected Modulator’s LFO frequency, or the speed of Modulator’s EG
GLIDE knob: a parameter, which is not directly belong to a Modulator. It just controls the Portamento amount
of the Selected Part.
TYPE button: tap it to choose IFX type for the Selected Part from a given list, which will appear on the Display;
IFX EDIT knob: controls the selected Insert Effect parameter (depends on the selected IFX type);
IFX ON button: turns ON or OFF the Insert Effect, currently assigned to a Part;
MFX ON button: determines, if this Part’s output will be passed through the MFX (when ON) or will bypass it
(when OFF). You can choose, which Parts you want to be passed through the MFX, and which not.
SEND FX knob: controls the amount of Part’s sound, that will be sent to the Send Effect processing bus.
AMP EG button: when ON, Selected Part’s voice is being played back with the applied ADSR volume
envelope.
ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN and RELEASE knobs: use these to adjust ADSR envelope for the Selected
Part.
POLY button: when ON, Selected Part will play in polyphonic mode (several simultaneous voices can sound
at a time); when OFF, Selected Part is monophonic, meaning that a new note will mute the previous one.
LEVEL knob: controls the volume of Selected Part in a mix;
PAN knob: controls the stereo pan position of the Selected Part in overall mix;
2.4 Mixer Page
On the Mixer Page, you can see all 16 Parts at one time as mixer channels. In this view, you have an instant
access to every Part’s Level fader, Pan knob, Send FX knob, as well as Part’s Mute and Solo buttons. This
helps to instantly adjust the mix of the Pattern by controlling all the Parts at one time on one page. At the right,
you can see a Master Volume fader, which has its unique value, stored for each Pattern.
LIMITER button over the Master Volume fader allows you to switch On / Off the internal Limiter, which prevents
sound output from clipping. A peaking red led indicator over the LIMITER button shows you, when the clipping
of the input signal occurs. The output signal in this case will start to «duck». This won’t let the output to clip,
but the sound will become “squashed”. To avoid it, try to adjust your mix with the minimal amount of peaking
led flashes.
2.4.1 Moving / Displacing the Parts. You can move and change the order of Parts in your Pattern from the
Mixer Page. To do so, tap the Part’s label in the bottom of Mixer’s channel and hold it for a while. The channel
will popup. Drag it left or right to a new place and drop. After such rearranging Parts numbers will change,
corresponding to a new Part’s order.
2.4.2 Multi-Soloing the Parts. Hold down SHIFT button while tapping Solo buttons on the mixer page to make
multi-soloing of the Parts.
In the Middle Panel, you can see a set of buttons, which perform different functions, described below.
WRITE button immediately saves all the changes made in current Pattern to internal disk memory. Pressing
this button while holding SHIFT button invokes a Pattern Menu with the following options available:
• Rename Pattern. Don’t forget to hit WRITE after pattern renamed to save changes;
• Init Pattern. Clears current Pattern to Init state;
• Save to New. Saves current Pattern to the first empty user pattern slot next to current Pattern;
• Revert to saved. Discards changes made to current Pattern and reloads a saved version of it;
COPY button invokes Copy/Paste command. It can be used to copy Patterns, Parts, Steps / Bars or Mixer
levels. When you press it for the first time, it copies current Pattern and Part’s state (including the Current Bar
and Selected Part’s Steps data) into an internal clipboard buffer. The button will light up, indicating that the
Copy operation is just has been made. Then you need to go to a place, where you need it to Paste. It can be
either a specific Pattern, Part or a Bar inside a Part. Press this button for a second time, and the Paste dialog
will appear, asking you what do you want to Paste here:
• Paste Part Notes: one bar - use it to paste one Bar of the copied Part to the Current Bar of currently
Selected Part.
• Paste Part Notes: all bars - use it to paste all 8 Bars (128 steps) from the copied Part into currently
Selected Part. It is usually used when you want to copy one Part’s notes to another Part, without
affecting Part’s sound settings.
• Paste Part Sound - use it to copy some Part’s sound settings to another Part, not affecting Part’s
notes data.
• Paste Entire Part - usually used to copy one entire Part to another Part (including both Part’s sound
parameters and notes/automation data).
• Paste Whole Bar – use it to copy the whole bar within the Pattern to another bar. It will copy all 16
Part’s notes and automation data (including MFX automation) from the source bar to the destination
bar with overwriting previously existing material. It will not copy any Part Sound data.
• Paste Pattern - use it to paste the whole copied Pattern. This will overwrite currently selected Pattern
with the copied one.
• Paste Mixer – use it to paste only Mixer state from one Pattern to another. It will paste Part Level, Pan
and Send FX parameters of every Part, from the source to the destination Pattern. Also, it will paste
the Master Pattern volume.
Pressing the COPY button while holding SHIFT button invokes a CLEAR command. It will show you a dialog,
asking what you want to clear:
• Clear Part: Current bar - clears only one Current Bar in Selected Part
• Clear Part: All bars - clears all 8 Bars of the Selected Part
• Clear Part Automation - clears all parameter’s automation of Selected Part, while leaving its Notes
data unmodified.
• Init Part - resets both, Sound Parameters and Note data of Selected Part, including Part automation.
• Init Part sound - resets only sound parameters of Selected Part to defaults, not touching its Notes
data.
UNDO button allows you to cancel one last recent change of some parameter in a Pattern. Useful when
making a lot of edits. Pressing UNDO button while holding SHIFT button invokes a REDO command. When
you save changes to your part using WRITE button, the undo history is cleared.
EDIT button allows to enter a special Step Editor Mode, which allows you to edit Part’s note data and
automation in a visual representation on a Display.
SHIFT button. When held, this button can be used to invoke alternate functions of the Editor buttons,
described above. Also, if you hold SHIFT button while turning a knob or a fader, it will switch between
coarse/fine adjustments of that knob’s parameter value.
SHIFT Lock mode. Sometimes it is not convenient to hold the Shift button, while making knob adjustments
with another hand or finger. For this reason, you can use a Shift Lock feature. You can hold the SHIFT button
and slide a finger up (or down) for some distance to activate Shift Lock mode. In this mode you can use only
one finger for knob adjustments. Shift Lock mode is deactivated when you tap anything on the screen, which
is not a knob.
Bar / Octave Selector allows you to switch between the Bars, and also to select a keyboard Octave, depending
on the current Pad Mode:
- When in SEQ or JUMP Pad Mode, the bar buttons (+ and -) select the current Bar, from 1 to 8. In this case,
a big digit shows the currently selected Bar number.
- When in KEYS, CHORDS or SLICE Pad Mode, the bar buttons (+ and -) select the keyboard Octave. There
are 8 octaves available, numbered from -1 to 6. In this case, a big digit shows the octave number.
A small number inside this window shows you a playback position, which Bar is currently being played.
These are eight black buttons in the Middle Panel, from MUTE to JUMP. They select the Pad Mode you
currently using, and will be described in detail below.
2.6 TouchPad area
A TouchPad is a rectangle area with the JimAudio logo in it. It can be used to control MFX parameters, as well
as to play Arpeggiator and Scale features with a touch of your finger. Red background color of the TouchPad
indicates, that the MFX is currently being turned ON (held) and processes the sound. Four buttons above the
TouchPad are used to switch between different modes of the TouchPad:
ARPEG button. When this button is lit, and the SCALE button is not (so called "Arpeg" mode, as seen on the
figure above), then the TouchPad currently controls the Arpeggiator. You can hold down your finger on the
TouchPad, while simultaneously press some Pads when in KEYS, CHORDS, SLICE or TRIGGER Pad Mode
to play these Pads through Arpeggiator. The X axis in this case controls the time divider of the Arpeggiator,
while the Y axis controls a note gate (note length) of played notes.
Tip: Tap the ARPEG button for a second time, and it will bring you directly to the Arpeggiator settings
menu, where you can adjust Arpeggiator parameters.
Tip 2: While touching the TouchPad, if you tap it with the second finger, not releasing the first one,
Arpeggiator will enter a latch mode. It will hold on current held pads without using your fingers, unless
you tap the TouchPad again.
SCALE button. When this button is lit, and the ARPEG button is not (so called "Scale" mode), then the
TouchPad is currently used to play notes from a selected scale.
Tip: Tap the SCALE button for a second time, and it will bring you directly to the Scale selection menu,
allowing to select a desired scale.
Arpeg + Scale mode. This is a special mode, when both ARPEG and SCALE buttons are lit. In this mode,
you play the notes from a selected scale through the Arpeggiator. X axis selects a note from the scale, while
Y axis controls note's gate (note length).
MFX button. When this button is lit, then a TouchPad controls the parameters of currently selected MFX
(depend on MFX type you select).
Tip: If you tap the MFX button for a second time, it will bring you directly to the MFX type selection
dialog on the Display.
HOLD button. When this button is ON (lit), it allows you to leave the MFX being ON even when you put away
your finger off the TouchPad. When this button is OFF, then the MFX works only while you hold the finger on
the TouchPad, and releases when you put it away.
3. Pad Modes explained
There are eight different Pad Modes, which determine Pads behavior. You select between them by using the
eight Pad Mode buttons, located in the Middle Panel. A corresponding Pad Mode button will light up when you
tap it. Each Pad Mode is described below:
MUTE mode. When it this mode, Pads are acting as a Mute button for each Part. A Pad is lit, when the
corresponding Part is not muted (playing), and is dark, when that Part is being muted (not playing). Also, a
blue led indicators over the Pads in the MUTE mode show you the note events, which occur on their
corresponding Parts.
If you press a Pad while holding the MUTE button, you will activate the SOLO mode. A MUTE button
becomes blinking, indicating that you are in the SOLO mode. In SOLO mode, you can listen to one Part, which
is currently soloed. To solo multiple Parts, tap several Pads while holding down MUTE button. You can also
do multi solo / unsolo by holding SHIFT button and pressing Pads while in MUTE+SOLO mode. To Unsolo,
you can tap the blinking MUTE button.
Mute Sync mode. By default, Mutes in this mode work immediately, when user hits a corresponding Pad. You
can enable so called “Mute Sync” mode, to make mutes work in sync with the Beat, Bar or Pattern. This is
extremely useful during live performances. Enable it from the Settings menu -> “Mute Mode” parameter.
ERASE mode. Use this mode to erase some already recorded notes in your Parts. To do so, enter ERASE
mode. Each Pad in this mode represents the corresponding Part. Press Play, and while the Pattern is being
played, tap a Pad at some moment of time, when you want to erase the existing note. It lets you to quickly
erase specific notes without getting deep into the Step Edit mode. If you hold down the Pad while the whole
pattern loop is played one cycle, it will erase all the notes in the corresponding Part.
Tip: You can also erase several Part's notes by holding several Pads simultaneously while playback.
TRIGGER mode. This is standard drum machine layout, where you can play all the 16 Parts from the one
screen. In this mode, each Pad represents one of the 16 Parts. If you hit the Pad, it will immediately play the
corresponding Part's note (its pitch depends on currently selected Key Pattern Parameter). When you hit a
Pad in the TRIGGER mode, a corresponding Part will automatically be selected.
Tip: If you want to select a Part silently WITHOUT its sound being played, then tap a Pad while the
TRIGGER button is being held down.
SEQ mode. In this mode, you can quickly edit Part's Steps (notes) data, the same way as on most popular
drum machines. When in this mode, each Pad represents one of 16 steps of currently Selected Part. So, you
are able to see only one Bar in this mode. The Bar Selector display shows you, which Bar is currently visible.
Pressing a Pad in this mode places/removes a note into a corresponding Step. When you place a note here,
its octave and pitch will correspond to the currently selected Octave and the Key Pattern Parameter.
KEYS mode. This mode turns the Pad buttons into a virtual keyboard, so you can play notes, according to the
currently selected Key and Scale. Bar Selector in this case represent currently selected Octave, and allows
you to change the current Octave if you tap the “+” and “-“ buttons.
CHORDS mode. This mode allows you to play scale chords, according to the current Key, Scale and Chord
Set Pattern Parameters.
Tip: to quickly change current Chord Set without going deep into the menus, hold down the SHIFT button
and press the CHORDS button. You may want to do it several times to find desired Chord Set.
Tip 2: don't forget to turn ON the POLY button on the Part which you want to play chords. Otherwise
you will hear only one note instead of chord.
SLICE mode. This mode allows you to play back your imported sample like it is being split into 16 slices. It
works only with imported samples, not with the built-in PCM or Instrument sounds. When in this mode, each
Pad represents one slice (from 1 to 16) of the currently Selected Part. By default, when you import a sample
into GR-16, it will be mapped to 16 equal slices. In case you need to edit or fine tune them, you can use Slice
Edit mode by tapping the SLICE button until it start to blink. When in this mode, you will see 3 oscillator section
knobs become pink color. Use them to adjust every slice's Pitch, Slice Start and Slice End parameters
accordingly.
JUMP mode. Allows to immediately change the playback order of pattern steps. Use it to create interesting
fills and breaks during live performance. In this mode, every Pad represents a one Step. When pressed, a
playback cursor will immediately jump to the corresponding Step. You can hold down Pads to achieve the 16th
notes repeating effect. You can also hold several Pads simultaneously, to achieve more complex and
interesting conditions.
Note, that after you have made a jump, the JUMP button will start to flash. It means, that the Pattern is currently
not in sync with its original beat timeline. To get the Pattern back to the original beat sync, just press the
flashing JUMP button again and release all the Pads you have been holding.
Step Editor mode allows you to perform detailed edits of your Part's notes and automation data. To enter it,
press the EDIT button. Editor window will appear on the Display, and the EDIT button will start to flash. You
can view and edit only one Selected Part’s data in this mode. To view/edit another Part's data, simply select
another Part with the part select buttons. To exit Step Editor, either tap EDIT button again, or tap EXIT button.
In Step Editor you can see notes on a Display. Default-colored notes represent normal (not sliced) notes, while
Pink colored notes represent notes with a slice number assigned to them. Green notes represent notes with
step trigger condition assigned to them (refer section 4.5).
There are 4 sub modes of the Step Editor mode, depending on what button flashes in sync with the EDIT
button: SEQ, KEYS, CHORDS or SLICE button.
4.1 Step Edit mode (EDIT+SEQ flashing)
This mode is activated by default when you tap the EDIT button. In this mode, pressing a Pad will move the
edit cursor to the corresponding Step position, from 1 to 16. You can also move the edit cursor by tapping
steps on the Display, or pressing the UP or DOWN menu buttons, when the ENTER button is not lit. Just like
in the SEQ Pad Mode, Pads in this mode represent corresponding Steps in currently Selected Part. Those
Pads, which have notes recorded on their corresponding Steps, will glow.
You can use Bar Selector buttons to switch between the Bars while in this mode.
When you move edit cursor to a Step position with some note stored in it, a corresponding note on the Display
will become white and start to blink (as seen on the figure above). It is now the currently selected note, and
you can edit its properties by tapping the numeric values above the notes display and turning the Value Jog
knob. There are 9 values you can edit for a single Step:
Voice 1 - Voice 4 values (in the top row): set the note pitch, played at this Step. So, there are maximum 4
notes you can store simultaneously at one Step, accordingly. Turn the Value Jog to change the pitch by
semitones, when Voice 1 - Voice 4 value is selected with cursor. If you hold down the SHIFT button while
turning it, note values will change by octaves.
Length value: sets the note length in Steps, floating point value. Use SHIFT while turning the Value Jog knob
for smaller fine-tuning values.
Velocity value: sets the note velocity, from 1 (min) to 127 (max).
Time Shift value: sets the shift of the note along the time axis, from -100 (one step earlier) to +100 (one step
later). Again, you can use SHIFT button for smaller value changes.
Stroke value: sets the special stroke for the note. Allows to play up to 4 notes at a time of one note (also known
as a Ratchet feature in the drum machines world) with a velocity variation for each note, allowing you to create
drum fills and rolls effects. Stroke also lets you to turn on the Sample Reverse effect for any specific note in
your Part. There are two types of Sample Reverse: one is full reverse ( ) - the whole sample is played in
reverse, and second if half-reverse ( ) - played from the middle of a sample. Half-reverse can be handy
for one-shot samples, to skip their low-volume tail.
Condition value: sets the step trigger condition value for the note. It allows you to make interesting variations
in the Pattern, by allowing given note play only at certain moments of time, when you need it. Step trigger
conditions values are described in detail in the 4.5 section below.
Tip: you can directly add or delete certain Steps while in this mode, just like in regular SEQ Pad Mode.
The only difference is that you need to hold the SHIFT button while pressing the Pad.
Tip 2: You can select several Steps at one time by holding down SHIFT button while tapping and dragging
the notes area (Step range selection). In this case, you will able to tweak several selected notes’ properties
simultaneously
4.1.1 Automation Editing
You can edit Part’s automation data when in EDIT+SEQ mode. To do so, hold down the Pad, which
corresponds to a Step you want to edit automation for, and turn the Part’s Parameter knob in the Parameters
Panel to a desired value. A yellow automation curve will appear over the note editor display, allowing you to
view the whole automation track for the chosen Parameter in the Selected Part.
In the Step Editor (EDIT button flashing), no matter what of its sub-mode is chosen, you can edit a step trigger
condition of every note. This is how it’s done:
1. In EDIT mode, select a note you want to edit by tapping the corresponding step on the editor display,
so the desired note must start blinking.
2. In the upper part of Display you will see selected note’s properties. Tap the most right cell in the bottom
row of these properties, so the title of Display should change to “Edit Step: Condition”.
3. Drag the Value Jog to change the value. If you drag the value forward, you will see different trigger
condition options, described below. If you drag the value backward, you will see a probability options
for a given note. Holding down the SHIFT button changes the units of value adjustment.
--- means that no trigger condition is assigned to the current step; A note will be played normally, every
time it is triggered by a sequencer.
XX% percentage value indicates, that a probability of playback is assigned to the current step. A note will
be triggered randomly, with a given probability, from 1% (very rare) to 99% (very often).
Prev this value indicates, that current step will be triggered in accordance with the most recent evaluated
step condition in the current Part. It copies the condition of the previous step in the Part. Use it to group several
notes, that intended to be played using exactly the same trigger condition, which precedes them.
!Prev the same as “Prev”, but uses the opposite (inverted) value of the most recent evaluated step condition
in the current Part. A note will be played, if the previous step condition was not triggered, and vice versa.
NPar this value indicates, that current step will be triggered in accordance with the most recent evaluated
step condition in the Neighboring Part. Neighboring Part is the part with previous index number. This value is
mostly used if you need to interconnect several conditional notes, which belong to different (neighboring)
Parts.
!NPar the same as “NPar”, but uses the opposite (inverted) value of the most recent evaluated step condition
in the Neighboring Part. A note will be played, if the previous step condition on the Neighboring Part was not,
and vice versa.
1st means, that current step will be triggered only once, during the first playback cycle of the Pattern.
!1st the same, as “1st", but inverted. I.e. current step will be triggered every time, except during the first
playback cycle of the pattern.
Fill this value indicates, that current step will be triggered only when the Fill mode is activated. To activate
the Fill mode, just hold down the SHIFT button during pattern playback. A Fill mode is deactivated when you
release the SHIFT button.
!Fill the opposite of previous condition: current step will be triggered when Fill mode is not activated, and
will be silent while Fill mode is active.
A:B this type of trigger condition is used, when you want a note to be triggered once during the given
number of pattern playback cycles. Examples:
1:4 a note will be triggered during the 1st playback cycle of each 4 repeating cycles (during 1st, then
during 5th, then 9th and so on);
2:3 a note will be triggered during the 2nd playback cycle of each 3 repeating cycles (during 2nd, then
during the 5th, then 8th and so on);
1:2 a note will be triggered during each first playback cycle of a given two repeating cycles;
2:2 a note will be triggered during each second playback cycle of a given two repeating cycles;
4:4 a note will be triggered during each fourth playback cycle (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and so on).
!A:B the opposite of “A:B”. Condition value is inverted. It means, a note should be triggered every time,
except for those cases, that match the “A:B” condition described above. Examples:
!1:4 a note will NOT be triggered during the 1st playback cycle of each 4 repeating cycles, but will play
normally within the rest 3 playback cycles;
!2:3 a note will NOT be triggered during the 2nd playback cycle of each 3 repeating cycles (during 2nd,
then during the 5th, then 8th and so on);
!1:2 a note will NOT be triggered during each first playback cycle of a given two repeating cycles;
!2:2 a note will NOT be triggered during each second playback cycle of a given two repeating cycles;
!4:4 a note will NOT be triggered during each fourth playback cycle (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and so on).
5. Main Menu
To enter Main Menu, tap the ENTER button when GR’s Display is on the pattern name display screen. If GR
is currently in the Step Editor or other mode, you will need to tap EXIT button one or several times before
doing so, and only then tap ENTER button to enter the Main Menu. You can navigate through the menu items
by using UP and DOWN buttons, or by touching the menu screen directly. To modify certain Parameter in the
menu, first select a parameter with the cursor, and then use the Value Jog knob to modify its value. Use
SHIFT button together with the Value Jog knob to fine tune the value with smaller amounts. Some items in the
menu have a list of possible values for them. To enter such list, you just tap the Parameter, or press the ENTER
button, and a list of values will appear in the square window on the Display.
Main Menu is subdivided into four main categories, which can be seen in the left column: Part, Pattern, Utils
and Settings (see figure above).
Part Parameters menu (Part NN Settings) displays Parameters of only one currently Selected Part. These
parameters are unique for each of the 16 Parts in a Pattern.
Pattern Parameters menu (Pattern Settings) contain global settings for the whole Pattern. They are stored
within each Pattern you create.
Utils menu contains some handy utilities and functions, which you can perform by selecting one in a list and
hitting the ENTER button.
Settings menu (Global Settings) contain settings and parameters, which are global for the entire Groove Rider
app. These settings are stored globally, meaning that they are not stored inside any of the Patterns.
1. First location is application’s Documents folder, which you can access using iTunes File Sharing, or
Files.app. This location is open for the user. You can put your wav or aiff user samples in there in any
way you want, and GR will access them, allowing you to load these samples into your patterns. Think
of it as a temporary media (just like a USB stick), where you put files to be able to load them into your
patterns inside GR.
2. Second location is GR’s Internal sample cache. It is hidden from the user and controlled automatically.
When you load some user sample from Documents folder into one of your patterns, this sample is
automatically being copied to the internal sample cache and no longer connected with the original
sample file in the Documents folder. All currently loaded patterns inside GR are also located in the
internal cache. You cannot access them directly. However, you can import and export these patterns
inside/outside of GR by using build-in Utility functions.
First, you can safely delete/move/reorganize contents of the Documents folder without risk to your
patterns. You can even entirely delete all the contents of the Documents folder, and your patterns that are
loaded in GR will still be played back with all the user samples on their right places! This is because all the
data is stored in the well-organized internal cache.
Second, Internal cache holds only those samples, which are being used by your patterns. So, it is quite
easy just to call Export Patterns Bank utility, and all of your 256 user patterns, currently loaded in GR, will be
immediately exported to a single .bank.gr16 file including all the samples used in them! Without any extra
unused data. And later you can restore it all just by importing this single file back into GR. No need to mess
with samples and project folders.
Third, if you decide to replace a sample in one of your patterns with another one, all the other your
patterns which could share the same sample will remain unchanged.
Groove Rider GR-16 is capable of importing user samples in .wav or .aiff format of length up to 16 seconds
each. GR-16 supports mono samples only. When you import a stereo file in GR, it will be automatically
converted to mono internally.
There are several ways of importing your user samples into Groove Rider, described in the following sections
below. Choose one which is more suitable for you.
6.2 Importing samples from computer using iTunes File Sharing
1) Connect you iPhone or iPad to a computer and open iTunes.
You will see a list of apps on your device, which support iTunes File Sharing, including Groove Rider app.
Click it, and you will see the contents of Groove Rider’s Documents folder at the left.
4) Drag your samples into this window. You can also drag-in entire folders with samples, but remember:
GR does not support nested folders (i.e. folders inside folders), only one level folders can be copied
here.
5) Now it’s time to use those imported samples. Open GR-16 app, press the WAVE button on a free Part
you want to use. A wave select list will appear on Display with folders list at the left. Scroll it down to
see “User” folder and tap it. You will find all your sample files there. You will also be able to see your
sample folders, which will appear right under the “User” folder in wave selection list.
Note: a subfolder’s name must be not more than 14 characters in length. Otherwise GR will not display it in
the samples list.
6.3 Importing samples using Files.app (on iOS 11+)
You can copy samples easily between different apps inside your device using Files.app, if you have iOS version
11 on your device. The process is straightforward. Open Files.app, select “On My iPad / iPhone” from a
Locations list and you will see a list of app folders, which support Files.app. Open desired app’s folder to see
a list of document files it contains. Select one or several files and copy them to Groove Rider’s folder, using
standard interface functions.
1) Use Share sheet (Open In…) dialogs from the other apps, or even Air Drop if you are transferring a file
from Mac or other device, to open it in Groove Rider. Groove Rider will automatically detect, that given
.wav file is not a sample, but a wavetable, and will store it in the appropriate place inside the app.
2) You can just place your wavetable files manually into the Groove Rider’s Documents/Wave folder (no
subfolders in it currently supported), by using Files.app, for example.
When imported, you can access your wavetables by tapping the WAVE button in the Oscillator section, and
selecting the “Wave” folder from the left list of folders, which is located at the top of the list next to the “Osc”
folder.
7. Song Mode
7.1 Song Mode in general
Song Mode is used to create a sequence of user patterns (a Song) to be played back from the first pattern to
the last one. It is very similar to the introduced earlier pattern Chain mode, but has much more possibilities.
You can create unlimited number of songs from the existing 256 user patterns.
• You can use the same Pattern several times inside a Song. In Chain Mode, every pattern can only be
used once.
• You can assign a specific combination of Part Mutes for every pattern in a Song. For example, imagine
a Song, created from only one user Pattern, by varying only Part Mutes of this Pattern.
• You can set bar start and bar end number for each Pattern used in a Song.
• You can easily rearrange Pattern order in a Song, which is nearly impossible to do in a Chain mode.
• You can record Song Automation over the existing Pattern Automation when in Song Mode.
• Export the whole Song to a wav file. Or export its stems.
• Finally, you can export your Song to a single *.song.gr16 file, which will contain all the necessary data
of a Song, including all used Patterns and samples in it. This can help, for example, if you want to
create a backup of a whole Song, to be restored back in the future. As well as to transfer a whole Song
to another iOS device with GR-16 installed.
To enter Song Mode, you just tap the SONG button, located in the left top corner. It will lit red, indicating that
GR-16 is now in the Song Mode. To go back to the normal pattern mode, tap the SONG button again.
After entering Song Mode, some of GR-16 controls and the whole workflow will start behaving a bit differently.
For example, in Song Mode, you can still edit all the parameters of the patterns on the screen by turning knobs
and buttons, however these changes will not be saved. Because in Song Mode you can modify and save only
Song parameters and settings, such as the order of patterns in a song, song automation, and specific song
parameters. If you want to edit the original patterns, you should go back to the pattern mode and do it there.
Song Automation is a special kind of parameter automation in GR-16. You can record your Song Automation
after pressing the REC button in real-time. Unlike Pattern Automation, Song Automation recording can be
done for the whole Song in one record take. Note, that you can record only one knob movement at a time.
Song Automation has a higher priority over the existing Pattern Automation. Recording of Song Automation
does not affect the original Pattern Automation, instead, it simply overrides it. Song Automation cannot be
edited. However, you can use the UNDO button to cancel your last recording automation session.
Note: Recording in the Song Mode is only intended to record the Song Automation (the movement of knobs
and the MFX). You won’t be able to record any other events in Song Mode.
7.2 Song Menu
After entering Song Mode, the main menu of GR-16 will change. To enter main menu, tap ENTER button. In
Song Mode, you will not see a Part, Pattern and Utils menus anymore. Instead, you will see a new, «Song»
menu, which is used to set or modify the parameters of currently selected Song, as well as to perform some
operations with songs. You can also call Song Menu directly by pressing SHIFT+WRITE.
Song menu functions are described in a table below:
If you tap on either of these two text lines, GR-16 will show a Song View:
On the left panel, there is a Song list, where you can see all the songs you’ve created. If you tap on any Song,
you will see its contents - a Pattern list on the right panel. To switch from one Song to another, you should tap
the desired Song in the left list AND also select any its Pattern in the right list.
There are several things you can do when GR-16 is in the Song Edit mode:
• Add patterns to your Song. To do so, tap the “Add…” label in the end of the patterns list. You will see
a list of user patterns appear. Select one from this list and tap on it.
• Rearrange the order of patterns in a Song (or move patterns). To do so, select (tap) the Pattern you
want to move, and then tap the small down/up arrow button in the bottom edit bar, and then use the
Value Jog knob (as well as Up/Down buttons) to move currently selected Pattern up or down in the
list. Tap EXIT button when done.
• Change the starting bar of a Pattern. It can be useful, if you want a certain Pattern in a Song to start
playing, from any its bar other than Bar 1. To do so, select (tap) desired Pattern from a list and then
tap the START button in the bottom edit bar, and then use Value Jog (or Up/Down buttons) to adjust
the desired starting bar value for the selected Pattern in a list.
• Change the ending bar of a Pattern. By doing so, you can set a specific Pattern to play more than
one time (repeat) for given number of bars. To do so, select (tap) desired Pattern from a list and then
tap the END button in the bottom edit bar, and then use Value Jog (or Up/Down buttons) to adjust
the value for the selected Pattern. Note, that by default, this value will change by the multiple of the
Pattern’s length number, for convenience. To make it change by smaller values (bars), hold SHIFT
button while adjusting the value.
• Swipe left for Menu on a Pattern, to perform some specific operations with a certain Pattern. A menu
dialog will appear with the following options:
- Insert New Pattern: choose it to insert new user pattern at selected position without replacing
any existing patterns;
- Duplicate Pattern: duplicates selected Pattern in a list;
- Replace Pattern: choose another user Pattern to be placed instead of the selected one;
- Clear Pattern Automation: clears recorded Song Automation (if any) in the selected Pattern
(original Pattern Automation will not be affected);
- Delete Pattern: removes selected Pattern from the Song. Note, that the original user Pattern will
not be deleted or affected.
You can also call Pattern Menu by pressing SHIFT + COPY.
• Edit Pattern’s Part Mutes. Select desired Pattern from a list (tap it), then tap the MUTE pad mode
button to see current Part mutes state. Tap the Pads to mute/unmute certain Parts in current
Pattern. These changes will be immediately assigned to current Pattern in a Song, only when you are
in the Song Edit mode. If you change the mutes when not in Song Edit mode, then these changes will
have temporary effect.
• Copy / Paste Patterns inside your Song. Tap the COPY button to copy selected Pattern. Select new
position in the Patterns list and tap COPY button again to paste previously copied Pattern into new
selected position in your Song. A paste dialog will appear with two options: Paste and Insert & Paste.
The first one will paste new Pattern by overwriting the old one, while the second one will insert a new
pattern.
To store any changes in your Song, don’t forget to tap WRITE button. Otherwise, your changes will be
lost after you switch to another Song, or when you exit the Song mode.
8. Midi Specification
8.1 Midi Input
There are two midi input modes in GR-16: Omni and Poly. As described above, in Omni mode, all incoming
midi events are redirected to one currently Selected Part (you can also set up a receive channel filter for this
from the Settings menu). So, the user can play and control only one Part, which is currently selected in the
interface. In Poly mode, every Part receives data by its separate midi channel from 16 available, with
corresponding number.
GR-16 supports Midi Control Change messages (midi mapping is listed in the table below), as well as Program
Change and Pitch Bend events.
Program change message switches User Patterns from 0 to 127 (midi bank 0). To be able to select User
Patterns numbered 128-255 (midi bank 1), you must first select midi bank 1 (send Bank Select LSB = 1 and
Bank Select MSB = 0 messages) before sending Program change message.
Pad 1 C-1, C1, C3, C5, C7 Pad 9 G#-1, G#1, G#3, G#5, G#7
Pad 2 C#-1, C#1, C#3, C#5, C#7 Pad A-1, A1, A3, A5, A7
10
Pad 3 D-1, D1, D3, D5, D7 Pad A#-1, A#1, A#3, A#5, A#7
11
Pad 4 D#-1, D#1, D#3, D#5, D#7 Pad B-1, B1, B3, B5, B7
12
Pad 5 E-1, E1, E3, E5, E7 Pad C-2, C0, C2, C4, C6, C8
13
Pad 6 F-1, F1, F3, F5, F7 Pad C#-2, C#0, C#2, C#4, C#6, C#8
14
Pad 7 F#-1, F#1, F#3, F#5, F#7 Pad D-2, D0, D2, D4, D6, D8
15
Pad 8 G-1, G1, G3, G5, G7 Pad D#-2, D#0, D#2, D#4, D#6, D#8
16
Tip: You can also play selected Part’s slices by sending midi notes in similar way. The only difference is
that you need to select SLICE pad mode, and make sure, that the Part you want to play is currently
selected.
Tip 2: You can use your midi keyboard to input/edit notes and slices in the Step Editor. This is very
convenient way of writing and editing notes in GR-16 by using midi keyboard. Just make sure Midi Mode
is set to Omni, and one of the SEQ+NOTES or SEQ+SLICE modes are selected.
8.6 Using Midi Learn
You can assign various knobs, faders and some of the buttons of GR-16 to be controlled via Midi from your
external Midi Controller using Midi Learn feature.
To enter Midi Learn mode, tap very quick 3 times onto any GR-16 knob, until it starts to flash. When control is
flashing, you can examine the Midi CC# number, assigned to this control, on the main display (or “N/A” if not
assigned yet). When in this mode, you can tap and select any control you want (knobs, faders, and some
buttons). If they start to flash, it means they are available for assignment.
Next, to make an assignment, after you’ve selected the desired control and it is flashing, start moving (or
switching) your midi control on your external controller. You’ll notice a Midi CC number will be displayed on
main display, and selected control will start to move.
To save changes, you must tap WRITE button. If you will not, your changes will be cancelled and discarded.
You can assign several controls during one Midi Learn session this way. Just don’t forget to tap WRITE button
to save changes in the end. Also remember: if you tap somewhere outside of any control, or you tap a control,
that cannot be assigned, Midi Learn mode will be cancelled and your changes will be discarded.
Note about Momentary and Toggle buttons on your external Midi controller. Some of the buttons are
Momentary (they send 127 value while held down, and 0 value when released), and some are Toggle (every
time you push it, it toggles between OFF and ON, and sends one value, 0 or 127, accordingly). Usually, any
Midi controller device has its own onboard configuration system (or menu), which allows you to configure its
buttons, and set the desired mode for any of them. GR-16 supports both of these modes, but you need to
select, which one you are going to use, from GR-16 Settings menu -> Mute Buttons and Settings menu ->
Other Buttons. Mute Buttons setting determines, which type of buttons you are going to use to control GR-16
channel Mute buttons (on the Mixer page), while Other Buttons setting determines, which type of buttons you
are going use for all the rest of GR-16 onscreen interface buttons.