Groove Function Play Effects in the Motif/Motif ES

The SWING RATE and GATE TIME parameters found in the OFFLINE Quantize Job (Motif and Motif ES) can be used to adjust the position and duration of notes respectively. A clear understanding of just what this means can help in using the “real-time” GROOVE function more effectively. I’ll try and shed some light on this. In both the original Motif and the Motif ES, the GROOVE function is found on the main SONG or PATTERN screen by pressing [F2] GROOVE.

The GROOVE function allows you, in realtime (as the music is playing) to offset the timing and duration of notes that fall within a particular segment of time.

The Grid Groove function makes it possible to adjust the pitch, timing, length, and velocity of notes in a specified track via a 1-measure 16th-note grid to create “grooves” that would not be possible with precise sequencer-like programming. The Grid Groove function affects playback without actually changing the sequence data.

The GROOVE function divides a measure into 16 time segments. And is applied as a template to each measure as it plays. As I discussed in my Clinician’s Corner article on “So what makes your music Swing?” when a computer tries to analyze and recreate swing timing, what it does is apply a delay on the off-beat notes.

If you apply a sixteenth note swing quantize what you are doing is delaying the even numbered 16th notes by a set amount. So for example, say you record a straight 16th note hi-hat pattern. With strict 16th quantize the notes will fall as shown below in the left column - what happens when you apply a 60% SwingRate shown in the right column:

strict -------------- SwingRate60%
001:1:000 ---------- 001:1:000
001:1:120 ---------- 001:1:144
001:1:240 ---------- 001:1:240
001:1:360 ---------- 001:1:384
001:2:000 ---------- 001:2:000
001:2:120 ---------- 001:2:144
001:2:240 ---------- 001:2:240
001:2:360 ---------- 001:2:384
001:3:000 ---------- 001:3:000
001:3:120 ---------- 001:3:144
001:3:240 ---------- 001:3:240
001:3:360 ---------- 001:3:384
001:4:000 ---------- 001:4:000
001:4:120 ---------- 001:4:144
001:4:240 ---------- 001:4:240
001:4:360 ---------- 001:4:384

Every other 16th note is delayed by 24 clock pulses. To accomplish this same thing on the GROOVE screen you would simply use the CLOCK SHIFT parameter to “delay” each even numbered segment by +24. This would yield the exact same results. This based on the concept that swing is adjusting (holding back) the timing of the off beat segments. This would give you swing 16th notes.

Now just as important as the time position of the notes are the Velocity of the swing notes (basically controlling where the accents occur). Adjusting accents, of course, will depend on what you are attempting to accomplish in this “groove”. Sometimes de-emphasizing the swung note is important, sometimes accenting the swung not is the thing… your mileage will vary.

The GATE Time parameter does not (by default) work on unedited Drum Kits - but will work on ‘normal’ Voices.*

*Gate Time (or duration of notes) does not work on drum kit Voices because usually drum kits are setup so that they ignore NOTE-OFF messages. Because a drummer cannot hold a note, you normally want the entire drum sound to occur without having to hold your finger on the note (as you would with a piano, for example). Drum envelopes complete the sound even if you play staccato. The parameter is called “Receive Note Off” and is typically set to OFF on Drum Keys.

The GROOVE function is designed to allow you to setup a Groove template. the shifting you do is applied, non-destructively to each measure as it passes. You can think of the data being sifted through this grid prior to going to output. When you like what you have you can re-write the EVENT LIST in one of two ways:
1) Use the NORMALIZE PLAY EFFECT JOB (Track Job)
2) Place the Track in OVERDUB record.

Either of these will re-write the Event list track data and zero out the GROOVE grid.