Drum Mute Mode Bug

[gumcontrol]

In firmware version 2.0.0.2 you can no longer see drum activity when in drum mute mode (DRUM + MUTE to mute individual drums). In the old firmware, the pads used to flash to show individual drum activity.

Please advise me on how to get this working again. I rely heavily on drum muting in my live performances.

[megamarkd]

Weird, I read about this and it was a concern that was holding me back from updating, but once I did update, I checked and found that it wasn't an issue for me.  Very odd.

[gumcontrol]

That is very odd as there's at least one other person on the forum reporting the issue. But it gives me hope there's an easy fix--maybe something in MCC?

To be sure: The individual pads on your BSP *flash* with each pad's programmed rhythm as you press and hold DRUM + MUTE? On mine I can only turn the pads on/off (i.e. steady LED or dark) and there's no rhythmic flashing like there used to be.

Can anyone else confirm or disprove this behavior in the new firmware?

[vykaar]

When I press Drum + Drum Pad + Mute the blue mute light flashes and muted pads are constantly dark or lit when you are holding Drum+mute. Maybe it would be better if muted pads changed to a different colour ( if possible) and continued to show the muted rhythm? It's not a big problem for me.

[megamarkd]

That is very odd as there's at least one other person on the forum reporting the issue. But it gives me hope there's an easy fix--maybe something in MCC?

To be sure: The individual pads on your BSP *flash* with each pad's programmed rhythm as you press and hold DRUM + MUTE? On mine I can only turn the pads on/off (i.e. steady LED or dark) and there's no rhythmic flashing like there used to be.

Can anyone else confirm or disprove this behavior in the new firmware?

Ah, right, you are talking about the pads flashing as they are triggered by the sequence, not that the muted pads are not being displayed.  That is not happening, no flashing pads as the sequence plays as used to occur.

When I press Drum + Drum Pad + Mute the blue mute light flashes and muted pads are constantly dark or lit when you are holding Drum+mute. Maybe it would be better if muted pads changed to a different colour ( if possible) and continued to show the muted rhythm? It's not a big problem for me.

It's useful if you do a lot of muting/unmuting so spend a good amount of time looking at the muted pad display.

[gumcontrol]

Different colored LEDs for muted drums is a great idea but it still wouldn't tell you visually which of the pads has drums sequenced on them. I'd be happy with just a bug fix to get it back to flashing pads. This feature was one of the big reasons I bought the sequencer.

[I grec]

Hi all,
I confirm this behavior. This is not a bug. Just push or release MUTE button (while holding DRUM button) to see or not the playing/muted tracks.

It is not possible to have a different color for muted tracks. Leds are white only.

Best,
Y.

[gumcontrol]

If it's not a bug then is Arturia taking away features of the BSP? 

In prior firmware versions the pads flashed in rhythm to the programmed beats when holding DRUM + MUTE. We did not have to do yet another keypress as a work around. This method you suggest impedes our workflow. The old method was intelligent, practical design.

So either this is a bug or Arturia is now removing features. Which is it?

[I grec]

I understand your point of view.
However, try this: tie all the steps of a drum track. Also tie the last step to the first one (infinite length note). Select another track. Now, how would you differentiate this track from a muted one as it always stays lit? Even if you do not create an infinite length note, when a note is tied, it is difficult to fastly tell (visually) if it is muted or not. The "key press work around" is way faster.
Hope this help.

Best,
Y.

[gumcontrol]

Thanks for your response and helping me troubleshoot this issue.

I tried what you suggested but I'm having a hard time understanding why someone would program rhythms this way. Perhaps you can clarify. Here's what happens on my BSP when I try what you suggest:

• With all drum steps tied, I only hear the drum sounds play once when I press play on the sequencer. After that the drums are not triggered again unless I stop and restart the sequencer. This makes perfect sense because all of the steps are tied together, but then I don't hear the programmed rhythm when the sequencer loops; I instead only hear the rhythm the first time the sequence plays upon starting playback. Is it normal for people to program drum patterns they can only hear on the first pass of a sequence? In my experience, musicians want to hear their rhythm patterns on each successive loop of a sequence, unless certain steps/drums have been intentionally muted.
• With only some drum notes tied (so I can hear the rhythm every time the sequencer loops) I still see the pads flash with the rhythm (this is without DRUM + MUTE held down of course). This also makes sense because the drums are being triggered on notes that aren't tied. Thus, the user would be able to see the programmed patterns flash on each pad when holding down DRUM + MUTE, thereby helping them identify each pad's rhythm visually without the need to perform another key press, as it functioned in prior firmware versions.

If I've misunderstood your suggested test please let me know as I'd really love to get back to the streamlined workflow of the prior firmware. If you haven't already, you might load the old firmware to see how the pads flash while holding DRUM + MUTE. It might help you better understand why it was such a useful feature.

That said, your response suggests that Arturia has removed a feature in order to make room for a different feature, a feature that--to me--seems counterintuitive to normal drum sequencing. If this is the case (i.e. that Arturia will not fix this issue and has chosen to remove features from the BSP) I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me that so I can move forward in my production with a different sequencer.

Thanks for your time!

[I grec]

Hi gumcontrol,

• Yes this is a normal behavior. This was just an example where the former behavior was an issue. Furthermore, the fact is that the drum sequencer can now be used as polyphonic sequencer for melodies (and not only drums). People may want to tie all their steps.
• In this case, when it is needed to rapidly perform a mute, waiting for the pads to flash may lead being late in the muting action. IMHO, it is faster to push and release MUTE button.

If you still want to use that previous feature, I suggest you to open a ticket and ask for a new feature. Arturia is listening to customers asking for new features. 2.0.0.2 firmware update is made of bug fixes and new features asked by customers.

Y.