Lesson 6
Playing the pads
Play drums and melodies on the pads, softly and loudly, and switch Full Velocity on and off.
- A Move that is switched on
- A Set open in Note Mode (the new Set from the last lesson is perfect)
The idea
The pads work a lot like a real instrument: how you hit them matters. Tap a pad gently and the sound is usually quiet. Strike it firmly and it usually gets loud. Musicians call this strength velocity. It is what makes a drum groove feel alive instead of robotic: real drummers play some hits softer and some harder.
What the pads play depends on the sound on the track you picked.
- A drum kit (Move calls it a Drum Rack) puts one sound on each pad. On a drum track you play the kit on the 16 pads on the left, the 4 by 4 block. One pad might be a kick drum, another a snare, another a hi-hat or a clap.
- A melodic instrument, like a bass, piano or synth, plays the same sound at different pitches. Each pad is a note, and all 32 pads are yours to play.
Many sounds also react to pressure. After a note starts, you can keep your finger on the pad and push harder. On sounds that support it, this reshapes the note while it rings. This is called aftertouch, and each pad feels your pressure on its own.
Press the top track button, on the left of the pads. In a brand-new Set, like the one from the last lesson, the top track always holds a drum kit.
Didn’t work?
If tapping a pad starts or stops a clip instead of playing a sound, you are in Session Mode. Press Note/Session to switch to Note Mode.You should see: The top track is now selected, and in Note Mode the pads play its sound.
Tap each of the 16 pads in the left block, one by one, and listen.
Didn’t work?
If every pad plays the same kind of sound, just higher or lower, this track is a melodic instrument. You may have opened a demo Set or swapped a sound: press the other track buttons and try again. If none of your four tracks sounds like drums, Lesson 8 shows you how to choose one.You should hear: If this track is a drum kit, the pads play different kinds of hits: booms, snaps, ticks and claps.
Pick one drum pad. Tap it very gently a few times, then hit it harder.
Didn’t work?
Use the pad of your finger, not your nail. Try three levels: a light touch, a medium tap and a firm hit.You should hear: Gentle taps sound quiet; firm hits sound loud and punchy.
Hold Shift and press Step 10. This turns on Full Velocity.
Didn’t work?
Use this in Note Mode, where you play a single track. If nothing seems to change, press Note/Session to make sure you are in Note Mode, then try again.You should see: Full Velocity is now on. Nothing plays yet; the change is in how the pads respond.
Tap the same drum pad softly again.
Didn’t work?
Full Velocity is handy when you want every hit to be loud and even, for example a steady kick drum.You should hear: Every hit now plays at full strength, however gently you tap.
Hold Shift and press Step 10 again to turn Full Velocity off.
Didn’t work?
The same combination switches it on and off. Tap a pad softly to check: if it still sounds loud, press the combination once more.You should see: Full Velocity is off again, so the pads follow your touch.
Press the second track button from the top. Its pads play notes of a melody instead of drums.
Didn’t work?
If this track sounds like drums, try the other track buttons. When neighbouring pads sound like the same instrument at different pitches, you have found a melodic sound.You should see: The second track is now selected. In a new Set it holds a bass: a melodic sound.
Play a few pads one after another, slowly, as if you were picking out a tune.
Didn’t work?
Some notes sound better together than others. Lesson 7 explains how the notes are laid out on the pads.You should hear: The pads play different notes of the same instrument.
Press one pad and keep your finger on it. While it sounds, push down harder, then ease off.
Didn’t work?
Not every sound responds to pressure. If nothing changes, this sound simply ignores it. Try the other melodic tracks, and choose a sound with a long, held note.You should hear: On some sounds the note changes while you press harder, and relaxes when you ease off.
Lesson complete! Try the challenge below, or keep going.
Next lesson →Try it yourself
- Go back to your drum track and play a simple beat: a kick on one pad, a snare on another, and taps on a hi-hat in between. Play the hi-hat softly and the snare hard, and hear how much more natural it feels.
- Play a drum sound as a melody. On the drum track, hold Shift and press Step 8 to turn on the 16 Pitches layout. Press a drum pad in the left block to choose its sound, then play the 16 pads on the right: each one plays that sound at a different pitch. Hold Shift and press Step 8 again to turn it off.
- On a melodic track, hold two or three pads down at once and lean into each one with a different pressure.
Good to know
- In the 16 Pitches layout, Plus and Minus move the pitches on the right-hand pads up or down an octave.
- Every pad senses pressure by itself. Hold down a chord, press harder with one finger than the others, and only that finger’s note changes. The manual names the Drift and Wavetable instruments as the ones that react to pressure, so presets built on them are the best place to try it.