Files — load & save
PATT is the pattern slot screen — the place to save a numbered pattern. This chapter covers load/save, the NEW pattern generator (empty-slot load), stored settings, autosave, and how patterns relate to sample packs.
PATT — pattern slots
Open PATT from the root menu. Each slot is one numbered file on the SD card holding all pages, all voice lanes, every per-step value and every tone setting — effectively the whole session except the sample audio.
Existing slot: large green file number and a confident green load icon on row 1.
1 Encoder 1
| Short | Load | Reads the file into RAM and immediately becomes the live pattern. The big number turns bright green while it loads; brightness reflects whether the file actually exists. On an empty (dim blue) slot, load opens NEW instead. |
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2 Encoder 2
| Short | Save | Writes the live pattern into the chosen slot, overwriting any existing file at that number. No second confirmation — be sure of the slot before pressing. |
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3 Encoder 3
| Turn | Apply sound settings | Encoder 3 selects whether the loaded sound settings are applied to the audio objects. Settings are stored inside the pattern file; see below. |
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4 Encoder 4
| Turn | Slot number (0–999) | Slot 0 (A) loads session recovery and cannot be saved manually. Slots 1–999 hold numbered patterns. The slot colour indicates whether a file exists. |
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| Short | Back to grid | Leaves PATT without acting on the highlighted slot. |
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Read brightness as a status light: Green identifies an occupied slot; blue identifies an empty slot. A green animated checkmark confirms a successful save; a red animated cross signals a failed operation.
NEW — generate a starting pattern
Not a root-menu item — a child of PATT. Spin to an empty (dim blue) slot and press load (encoder 1). Missing file → pattern generator. It does not load a store; it invents notes with the same scale-aware generator as single-mode randomize, then parks the result in RAM.
NEW dialog with a genre selected; cyan title, pink length bar when not BLNK.
1 Encoder 1
| Short | Abort | Back to PATT without changing the live pattern. |
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3 Encoder 3
| Turn | Length in pages | 1–16 when a genre is selected. Disabled for BLNK (blank means blank — no length bar). |
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4 Encoder 4
| Turn | Genre | BLNK, TECH, HIPH, DNB, HOUS, AMBT — the short labels the matrix actually prints. |
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| Short | Generate & load | Runs the generator and drops you on the grid with the new pattern live. |
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Same genre + length still rolls differently each time. Save keepers via PATT before you invent again.
NEW overwrites the current pattern in RAM. Genre templates may also nudge BPM and related state — save first if the old idea still matters.
Settings inside the pattern file
A numbered pattern is a binary file in the SD card root, such as 42.txt. Despite the extension, it is not editable text. It contains all pages, per-step values, sound settings, mutes and the 64-slot page arrangement. There is no separate .dat file or sidecar.
Turning encoder 3 enables or disables applying the loaded filter, envelope and synth settings to the live audio objects. The stored settings are still read into memory when this is off; this is not a notes-only import and does not preserve a separate copy of the current sound settings.
The pattern does not contain sample audio. Keep the matching kit and any custom samples on the card.
Autosave — session recovery
Pausing playback and successful sample loads request a save to autosaved.txt. Successful autosaves have a five-second cooldown, so closely spaced actions may not create another checkpoint. Autosave does not overwrite the numbered PATT slot.
At boot, the firmware loads that recovery file. Saves use a temporary file for their destination (autosaved.txt.tmp or 42.txt.tmp) and retain the previous generation as .bak. A valid destination takes priority; if it is missing or unreadable, a complete temporary file or backup can be recovered for that same destination. The old shared pattern.tmp is not automatically loaded because it does not identify its target slot.
ETC → RSET → ASAV removes the recovery file and its transaction files. FULL resets the session and writes an empty recovery file. Saving an empty grid to a numbered PATT slot intentionally clears that slot, including its temporary file and backup. Autosave still preserves an empty session.
Save, then switch off. The physical power switch does not perform an automatic shutdown save. Save important work to a numbered PATT slot; a power loss after the latest checkpoint loses later edits.
How patterns relate to kits
PATT saves notes and sound settings; KIT saves the sample audio used by voices 1–8. Save both when you have replaced or recorded samples and want to recreate the session. Loading a pattern does not reload its samples.
To recall an idea, load its matching KIT, then its PATT and enable applying sound settings. To remix it, load another kit before loading the pattern. Keep a note of which kit belongs to each numbered pattern.