Make patterns

Start and stop a pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT. The screen reads SELECT and shows the pattern’s BPM, and every pad holding a pattern turns purple.
2. 2Press a purple pad. The pattern starts and its pad lights white.
3. 3To stop, press the white pad again or press EXIT.

Moving between patterns

• Queue the next one: press another pad while a pattern plays. It waits in standby and takes over when the current pattern reaches its end.
• Change straight away: hold SUB PAD and press a pad.
• Select without hearing it: hold VALUE and press a pad. The pattern is selected but stays silent.

What else works during playback

• Press REC to add to the pattern in real time. See Record a pattern as you play.
• Press SHIFT + REC to switch to step programming. See Program steps with TR-REC.
• Press SHIFT + PAD 9 to turn the metronome on or off. See Get a count-in and a click.

Key combinations

Hold SUB PAD + PAD

Changes to that pattern straight away.In pattern mode

Hold VALUE + PAD

Selects that pattern without playing it.In pattern mode

Record a new pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press REC. Every pad without a pattern blinks red.
3. 3Press a blinking pad to choose where the pattern goes. The 404 goes into standby and opens the RECORD SETTING screen.
4. 4Look at the mode shown on the screen and press REMAIN if it doesn’t read Real-Time. The button stays lit for Real-Time and blinks for TR-REC.
5. 5Set the tempo, length and timing options listed below.
6. 6Press REC and play. The pattern loops at the length you chose, and each pass adds to what’s there instead of replacing it.
7. 7Press EXIT when you’re done. Recording ends and the pattern saves itself to the pad, while playback carries on.
8. 8Press EXIT again to stop playback.

Settings on the RECORD SETTING screen

BPM

The pattern’s tempo.CTRL 1 knobRange 40–200

LENGTH

How many measures the pattern runs for before it loops.CTRL 2 knobRange 1–64 measures

STRENGTH

Available when QTZ is a GRID value. Decides how firmly your notes are pulled towards the grid. At 100% they land right on it.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–100%

SHFL RATE

Replaces STRENGTH when QTZ is a SHUFFLE value. Moves the off-beats to add swing: 0 is straight, and somewhere from +10 to +16 usually feels good.CTRL 3 knobRange -50–+50

TIME SIGN

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 2. The pattern’s time signature.Range 1/4–7/4

METRO VOL

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 3. How loud the metronome is.Range 0–5

QTZQuantize

Tidies your timing as you record by lining notes up to the division you pick here. Nobody hits a pad perfectly every time, and this covers the difference. To correct timing after recording instead, see Tighten the timing after recording.VALUE knobRange Off, GRID 32, GRID 16.3, GRID 16, GRID 8.3, GRID 8, GRID 4.3, GRID 4, SHUFFLE 16, SHUFFLE 8

REC MODE

Press REMAIN to choose how the pattern gets recorded: by playing it here, or by programming steps in Program steps with TR-REC.Range Real-Time, TR-REC

While you’re recording

• Rehearse: press REC. The pattern keeps looping but nothing you play is kept, so you can practise the part. Press REC again to go back to recording.
• Undo: press SHIFT + PATTERN SELECT to take back what you just recorded, which is the quick fix for a badly timed take.
• Erase as it plays: press DEL for erase mode, then hold a pad. That pad’s notes are wiped for as long as you keep holding it. Press DEL again to leave erase mode.
• Check the settings: press RECORD SETTING, in rehearsal too, then EXIT to come back. LENGTH can’t be changed at this stage, so decide it before you start.
• Play from outside: note messages arriving at the MIDI IN connector or the USB port get recorded as well. See Connect MIDI gear and sync tempo.

Key combinations

SHIFT + PATTERN SELECT

Undoes what you just recorded.While recording a pattern

REC

Switches between recording and rehearsal.While recording a pattern

DEL

Enters or leaves erase mode.While recording a pattern

REMAIN

Switches the recording method between Real-Time and TR-REC.On the pattern RECORD SETTING screen

SHIFT + CTRL 2

Sets TIME SIGN.On the pattern RECORD SETTING screen

SHIFT + CTRL 3

Sets METRO VOL.On the pattern RECORD SETTING screen

Count-in settings

The related settings in UTILITY > SYSTEM > CLICK

Metronome:PTN

Lets the metronome sound while you record a pattern.Range OFF, ON

Metronome:REC

Lets the metronome sound while you sample or resample, which includes resampling a pattern (Turn a pattern into a sample).Range OFF, ON

Count-In:PTN

How pattern recording begins, with the same choices as the table above.Range OFF, 1 MEAS, 2 MEAS, WAIT

Key combinations

SHIFT + PAD 9

Turns the metronome on or off.

SHIFT + PAD 10

Moves to the next count-in setting for pattern recording.In pattern mode

Start a new TR-REC pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press REC. Every pad without a pattern blinks red.
3. 3Press a blinking pad to choose where the pattern goes. The RECORD SETTING screen opens with the 404 in standby.
4. 4Press REMAIN until the mode on the screen reads TR-REC. The button blinks in this mode.
5. 5Set the pattern options listed below.
6. 6Press REC. TR-REC begins.

Pattern options, before you start

BPM

The pattern’s tempo.CTRL 1 knobRange 40–200

LENGTH

How many measures the pattern runs for.CTRL 2 knobRange 1–64 measures

SHUFFLE

Moves the off-beats to add swing. 0 is straight, and somewhere from +10 to +16 usually feels good.CTRL 3 knobRange -50–+50

TIME SIGN

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 2. The pattern’s time signature.Range 1/4–7/4

METRO VOL

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 3. How loud the metronome is.Range 0–5

Place the notes

1. 1Hold SUB PAD and press a pad to choose the sample you want to place.
2. 2Dial in how that sample should sound, using the sample options below.
3. 3Press pads to put the sample on those steps. A lit pad is a step that plays. Press a lit pad to clear its step.
4. 4Turn VALUE to move to the next measure and carry on there. BAR on the screen shows where you are.
5. 5Choose the next sample with SUB PAD and do the same again.
6. 6Press EXIT when you’re done. Recording ends and the pattern saves itself to the pad.
7. 7Press EXIT again to stop playback.

Sample options, while you place notes

SUBSTEP

Only when MODE is TRIG. Splits a step into smaller divisions and chooses which of them sound. See Split a step into quick repeats.CTRL 1 knob

HOLD STEP

Only when MODE is HOLD STEP. How many steps the sample lasts. The top of the range changes with your settings.CTRL 1 knobRange 1–32, LAST

PITCH

The sample’s pitch.CTRL 2 knobRange -12–+12

PITCH MODE

Press PITCH/SPEED. CHROMATIC gives every step its own pitch: press VALUE to choose a scale, then hold VALUE and turn it to pick a note from that scale. PAD locks every step you enter to the one PITCH value.Range CHROMATIC, PAD

VELOCITY

How hard the sample is hit.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–127

BPM

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 1. The pattern’s tempo.Range 40–200

SHUFFLE

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 2. The same swing setting as above.Range -50–+50

START

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 3. Moves the moment the sample begins playing. Anything other than 0% rules out substeps.Range -50–99%

MODE

Press REMAIN. TRIG fires the sample on each step you light. HOLD STEP runs steps together into one long note, at the length set with CTRL 1, the same as tying two notes. In HOLD STEP, the 404 switches the sample’s GATE on for you (Gate and hold: what letting go of a pad does).Range TRIG, HOLD STEP

Key combinations

SHIFT + REC

Switches to TR-REC, so you can add to the pattern that’s playing.While a pattern plays

Hold SUB PAD + PAD

Selects the sample to place.In TR-REC

Hold VALUE + SUB PAD + PAD

Selects the sample without playing it.In TR-REC

DEL + A/F

Deletes one measure of notes for the selected pad.In TR-REC

DEL + B/G

Deletes one measure of notes for all the pads.In TR-REC

ROLL + CTRL 1

Records the movement of CTRL 1 into the steps, when MODE is TRIG.In TR-REC

ROLL + CTRL 2

Records the movement of CTRL 2 into the steps, when MODE is TRIG.In TR-REC

ROLL + CTRL 3

Records the movement of CTRL 3 into the steps, when MODE is TRIG.In TR-REC

SHIFT + CTRL 1

Sets BPM.In TR-REC

SHIFT + CTRL 2

Sets SHUFFLE.In TR-REC

SHIFT + CTRL 3

Sets START.In TR-REC

REMAIN

Switches MODE between TRIG and HOLD STEP.In TR-REC

PITCH/SPEED

Switches PITCH MODE between CHROMATIC and PAD.In TR-REC

HOLD

Lets you hear the selected pad on its own.In TR-REC

Use one

1. 1In Program steps with TR-REC, check that MODE is TRIG and START is at 0%. Substeps aren’t available otherwise.
2. 2Hold SUB PAD and press a pad to choose the sample.
3. 3Turn CTRL 1 to choose a value from the tables below.
4. 4Press the pad for the step you want it on.

One or two parts

Three parts

Four parts

Edit a note

1. 1Get into TR-REC. Program steps with TR-REC shows how, and SHIFT + REC does it for a pattern that’s playing.
2. 2Hold SUB PAD and press a pad to choose the sample whose notes you want to edit.
3. 3Hold PATTERN EDIT and press the pad for a step that already has a note on it. The Microscope screen opens.
4. 4Make your changes with the controls below.
5. 5Press EXIT to close Microscope.

Note settings

ITEM

When a step holds several notes, this chooses which one you’re editing. With one note in the step, it does nothing.CTRL 1 knob

PITCH

This note’s pitch.CTRL 2 knobRange -12–+12

VELOCITY

How hard this note hits.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–127

• Turn VALUE to shift when the note plays.
• Press DEL to remove the selected note.

Key combinations

Hold PATTERN EDIT + PAD

Opens Microscope on the notes in that step.In TR-REC

DEL

Deletes the selected note.On the Microscope screen

Tap in a part

1. 1Get into TR-REC as in Program steps with TR-REC.
2. 2Hold SUB PAD and press a pad to choose the sample.
3. 3Press REC at each point where you want a note.

Parameters

Quantize

Lines your taps up to a rhythmic division.CTRL 2 knob

Shuffle

Adds swing to them.CTRL 3 knob

Key combinations

REC

Records a note for the selected sample at that moment.In TR-REC

Quantise a pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press PATTERN EDIT.
3. 3Press the pad of the pattern you want to fix. The pattern edit screen opens.
4. 4Press RECORD SETTING to open the quantize screen. If it doesn’t appear, press the button once more.
5. 5Press the pads of the samples you want to correct.
6. 6Set the options listed below.
7. 7Press VALUE. The screen asks Quantize Pattern.
8. 8Turn VALUE to OK and press it.

Quantize screen

QTZQuantize

The rhythmic division notes move to. GRID 32 means thirty-second notes and GRID 4.3 means quarter-note triplets, and the other GRID values follow the same naming. SHUFFLE 16 and SHUFFLE 8 add a swing.CTRL 2 knobRange GRID 32, GRID 16.3, GRID 16, GRID 8.3, GRID 8, GRID 4.3, GRID 4, SHUFFLE 16, SHUFFLE 8

STRStrength

With a GRID value, 100% puts notes exactly on the grid, lower values leave them looser, and 0% changes nothing. With a SHUFFLE value, 50% spaces notes evenly and higher values lean towards a dotted rhythm.CTRL 3 knobRange 0–100%

QTZ.STARTQS on the screen

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 2. Where the corrected range begins.

QTZ.ENDQE on the screen

Hold SHIFT and turn CTRL 3. Where the corrected range ends.

Key combinations

RECORD SETTING

Opens the quantize screen.On the pattern edit screen

SHIFT + CTRL 2

Sets QTZ.START.On the quantize screen

SHIFT + CTRL 3

Sets QTZ.END.On the quantize screen

Record a roll

1. 1Start real-time recording, as in Record a pattern as you play.
2. 2Hold ROLL and press a pad. Or hold the pad first and then press ROLL.

Key combinations

Hold ROLL + PAD

Records a roll on that pad.While recording a pattern

Hold PAD + ROLL

Records a roll on the pad you’re holding.While recording a pattern

Record effect moves

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT. Pads holding patterns turn purple.
2. 2Press the pad of the pattern you want to add moves to. It starts playing.
3. 3Press REC. Real-time recording begins.
4. 4Press MARK. The screen shows MOTION REC START.
5. 5Work the effects while the pattern runs.
6. 6Press EXIT to finish. The pattern carries on and your moves play back with it, which is called EFX MOTION PLAY.

Erase every effect move in a pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press PATTERN EDIT.
3. 3Press the pad of the pattern. The pattern edit screen opens.
4. 4Hold DEL and press MARK. The screen confirms with Operation Completed!.

Erase the moves in one passage

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT. Pads holding patterns turn purple.
2. 2Press the pad of the pattern. It starts playing.
3. 3Press REC. Real-time recording begins.
4. 4As the passage you want to clear arrives, press SHIFT + MARK. The screen shows MOTION ERASE ON.
5. 5Where you want clearing to stop, press SHIFT + MARK again. The screen shows MOTION ERASE OFF, and the moves between those two points are gone.
6. 6Press EXIT to finish.

Key combinations

MARK

Starts recording effect moves.While recording a pattern

START/END

Turns playback of recorded effect moves on or off.In pattern mode

SHIFT + MARK

Starts or stops erasing effect moves as the pattern runs.While recording a pattern

DEL + MARK

Deletes all the recorded effect moves from the pattern.On the pattern edit screen

Record mutes

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT. Pads holding patterns turn purple.
2. 2Press the pad of the pattern you want to work on. It starts playing.
3. 3Press REC. Real-time recording begins.
4. 4Hold SHIFT and press REVERSE and REMAIN. The screen shows PAD MUTE MODE (MOTION REC).
5. 5As the pattern runs, press a sample’s pad to mute it and press it again to bring it back. Muted pads show red and the others show white.
6. 6Press EXIT to finish. The pattern carries on with your mutes playing back, which is called PAD MUTE MOTION PLAY.
7. 7Press EXIT again to go back to normal playback. The mutes stop being applied, but they stay stored in memory.

Erase every mute in a pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press PATTERN EDIT.
3. 3Press the pad of the pattern. The pattern edit screen opens.
4. 4Hold DEL and press REVERSE. The screen confirms with Operation Completed!.

Erase one pad’s mutes in a passage

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT. Pads holding patterns turn purple.
2. 2Press the pad of the pattern. It starts playing.
3. 3Press REC. Real-time recording begins.
4. 4Hold SHIFT and press REVERSE and REMAIN. The screen shows PAD MUTE MODE (MOTION REC).
5. 5Press DEL. The screen changes to PAD MUTE MODE (Motion ERASE) and the pads turn blue.
6. 6When the passage arrives, hold the pad you want to clear. Its recorded mutes are removed for as long as you hold it.
7. 7Press DEL when you’re done. The screen returns to PAD MUTE MODE (MOTION REC), and you’re recording mutes again.

Key combinations

SHIFT + REVERSE + REMAIN

Starts recording pad mutes.While recording a pattern

DEL

Switches between recording pad mutes and erasing them.In PAD MUTE MOTION REC

DEL + REVERSE

Deletes all the recorded pad mutes from the pattern.On the pattern edit screen

Open the screen

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press PATTERN EDIT.
3. 3Press the pad of the pattern. The pattern edit screen opens.
4. 4Turn the knobs to make your changes.

Pattern edit screen

BPM

The pattern’s tempo.CTRL 1 knobRange 40–200

LOOP START

The measure playback starts from. It only matters when LENGTH is set shorter than the whole pattern.CTRL 2 knobRange 1–64 measures

LENGTH

How many measures play.CTRL 3 knobRange 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 measures

Double a pattern with DUPLICATE

1. 1On the pattern edit screen, press VALUE. A menu opens.
2. 2Turn VALUE to DUPLICATE and press it. A copy of the pattern is joined onto its end, so the pattern is now twice as long.

Keep only the range with CROP

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press PATTERN EDIT.
3. 3Press the pad of the pattern. The pattern edit screen opens.
4. 4Use LOOP START and LENGTH to mark the range you want to keep.
5. 5Press VALUE. A menu opens.
6. 6Turn VALUE to CROP and press it. Everything outside the range is deleted.

Delete from inside the loop range

1. 1On the pattern edit screen, hold DEL. The pads inside the loop range turn blue.
2. 2Keep holding DEL and press the pad you want to remove. It turns bright blue.
3. 3Keep holding DEL and press VALUE. The pad you picked is deleted. Roland only calls it a “pad (pattern)” and doesn’t say exactly which notes go, so listen back afterwards.

Key combinations

DEL + PAD

Picks a pad inside the loop range for deletion.On the pattern edit screen

DEL + VALUE

Deletes the pad you picked.On the pattern edit screen

Which button reaches which bank

Build a chain

1. 1Record the patterns you want to use (Record a pattern as you play, Program steps with TR-REC).
2. 2Press PATTERN SELECT.
3. 3Hold HOLD and press a pad to choose a chain number from 1 to 16. The PATTERN CHAIN screen opens.
4. 4Press pads to add patterns to the chain. To use a pattern from another bank, press its BANK button first.
5. 5Press EXIT. The chain saves itself and you’re back on the PATTERN SELECT screen.

Editing a chain on the PATTERN CHAIN screen

• Turn VALUE to move the cursor. New patterns can go in at the cursor position.
• Press DEL to take out the pattern at the cursor.
• An asterisk (*) at the top right shows the chain has been edited. Press SHIFT + DEL to undo those edits.

Repeat settings

Play a chain

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Hold HOLD and press the pad for the chain number. The PATTERN CHAIN screen opens.
3. 3Press SUB PAD to start the chain. Press it again to stop.
4. 4Press EXIT to go back to the PATTERN SELECT screen.

Resample a chain as it plays

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press RESAMPLE.
3. 3Press RECORD SETTING. The input setting screen opens.
4. 4Turn CTRL 2 to set ROUTING to Mix.
5. 5Press EXIT.
6. 6Press an empty pad, which blinks red, to hold the new sample. It starts blinking purple and the screen shows Press Pad to START.
7. 7Hold HOLD and press the pad for the chain number. The PATTERN CHAIN screen opens.
8. 8Press SUB PAD. Sampling starts along with the chain. Press EXIT if you change your mind.
9. 9Press REC to finish, and the new sample lands on that pad.

Bounce a chain

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press COPY.
3. 3Hold HOLD and press the pad for the chain number, from 1 to 16.
4. 4Press the pad that should receive the sample. Choose an empty one: bouncing a single pattern erases any sample already on the destination pad (Turn a pattern into a sample), so assume a chain does the same.
5. 5Press COPY. The chain is converted and the sample is assigned to that pad.

Key combinations

Hold HOLD + PAD

Opens that pattern chain.In pattern mode

SUB PAD

Plays or stops the chain.On the PATTERN CHAIN screen

REMAIN

Turns repeat on or off.On the PATTERN CHAIN screen

DEL

Removes the pattern at the cursor.On the PATTERN CHAIN screen

SHIFT + DEL

Undoes your edits to the chain.On the PATTERN CHAIN screen

Bounce or resample?

Choose a bounce when

• You want a clean copy of the pattern, with room to add different effects later.
• You want the whole thing and don’t need to listen as it converts.
• You only want some of the pads: a bounce can be combined with the extraction described in Swap, copy, extract and delete patterns.

Choose a resample when

• The effects are part of the sound and you want them in the sample.
• You only want part of the pattern, and would rather stop by ear at the point you like.

Resample a pattern

1. 1Press PATTERN SELECT.
2. 2Press RESAMPLE.
3. 3Press RECORD SETTING. The input setting screen opens.
4. 4Turn CTRL 2 to set ROUTING to Mix.
5. 5Press EXIT.
6. 6Press a pad that’s blinking red. These are the empty pads, and this one receives the sample. The screen shows Press Pad to START, and pads holding a pattern blink blue.
7. 7Press the pad of the pattern. Sampling starts as the pattern starts. Press EXIT if you change your mind.
8. 8Press REC when you want to stop.

Good to know when resampling

• With ROUTING set to ExtIn, the sample only takes what’s coming in from an external device. The pattern’s sound stays out of it, so you can capture yourself playing along with the pattern as a backing track.
• The metronome follows Metronome:REC here, and SHIFT + PAD 9 turns it on or off (Get a count-in and a click).
• More on resampling in general is in Resample what the 404 is playing.

Bounce a pattern

1. 1With PATTERN SELECT lit, press COPY. The COPY screen opens.
2. 2Press the pad of the pattern you want to convert.
3. 3Press PATTERN SELECT. The destination on the screen changes to SAMPLE. Pads that already hold a sample glow dim blue, and empty ones blink blue.
4. 4Press the pad that should receive the sample. To reach another bank, press its BANK button first. To reach another project, turn CTRL 3. Press EXIT if you change your mind.
5. 5Press VALUE or COPY. The pattern is converted and the sample is assigned to that pad.

Key combinations

PATTERN SELECT

Switches the destination from a pattern to a sample, turning the copy into a bounce.On the pattern COPY screen

Swap two patterns

1. 1Stop the pattern if one is playing.
2. 2Hold SHIFT and press PAD 5. The EXCHANGE screen opens.
3. 3Press the two pads, one after the other. To swap across banks, press the other BANK button before pressing that pad. Press EXIT if you change your mind.
4. 4Press VALUE or COPY. The two pads trade patterns.

Copy a pattern to another pad

1. 1Press COPY. The COPY screen opens.
2. 2Press the pad you’re copying from, then the pad you’re copying to. To reach another bank, press its BANK button before pressing the destination pad. To reach another project, turn CTRL 3. Press EXIT if you change your mind.
3. 3Press VALUE or COPY. A pad with no sample assigned can be copied this way too.

Make a new pattern from just some of its pads

1. 1Press COPY, then the pad of the source pattern, then the pad where the new pattern should go. As with a copy, you can press a BANK button or turn CTRL 3 to save to another bank or project, and press EXIT to back out.
2. 2Press REMAIN. The pads this pattern uses glow dim white.
3. 3Press the pads you want to keep. They turn full white.
4. 4Press REMAIN.
5. 5Press VALUE or COPY. The new pattern is saved with only those samples switched on.

Copy a whole bank of patterns

1. 1Stop the pattern if one is playing.
2. 2Hold COPY and press EXIT. The COPY BANK screen opens.
3. 3Press the BANK button of the bank you’re copying from.
4. 4Turn VALUE clockwise to move the cursor.
5. 5Press the BANK button of the bank you’re copying to.
6. 6Press VALUE or COPY.

Protect a bank

1. 1Press a BANK button to select the bank. For banks F–J, press it twice so that it blinks.
2. 2Hold SHIFT and press COPY. A confirmation message appears. Press EXIT to back out.
3. 3Turn VALUE to OK and press it.

Delete a pattern

1. 1Stop the pattern if one is playing.
2. 2Press DEL. The DELETE screen opens.
3. 3Press the pad holding the pattern. Press EXIT if you change your mind.
4. 4Press VALUE or DEL.

Delete a whole bank of patterns

1. 1Stop the pattern if one is playing.
2. 2Hold DEL and press EXIT. The DELETE BANK screen opens.
3. 3Press the BANK button of the bank to clear.
4. 4Press VALUE.

Key combinations

SHIFT + PAD 5

Opens the EXCHANGE screen, for swapping the patterns on two pads.In pattern mode

COPY + EXIT

Opens the COPY BANK screen, for duplicating a whole bank of patterns.In pattern mode

DEL + EXIT

Opens the DELETE BANK screen, for clearing a whole bank of patterns.In pattern mode

REMAIN

Lets you choose which of the pattern’s pads to keep.On the pattern COPY screen