SPD SX Tap Tempo

[PaulFleetwood]

Anyone have access to an SPD SX and can answer this?
On the SPD S it is possible to configure a sample to tempo sync with the 'patch', and you can assign a pad to be a 'tap tempo' for that patch. The problem is you have to be in patch edit mode for this to work (which is not ideal for live performance)
The SPD SX manual appears to show similar settings for setting a sample tempo sync, and tap tempo.
Can anyone confirm if the same limitation applies (you have to be in edit mode to adjust the tempo), or can you tap tempo to adjust sample playback speed 'on the fly'?
Also, I think the S will only adjust tempo when samples are not playing, is this improved in the SX ?
Thanks,

[Roving Drummer]

The SX you can use the tempo sync function and as long as your sample is cut correctly from the start, it will work. It changes in real time while playing. An example how I use it. I have a 1measure tambourine sample, 4 16th notes that loops until I stop it. The kit and song is at 117 bpm's. My guitar player starts the song and never starts at the right tempo. I tap tempo it before I come in and it usually goes up to about 120. The tambourine is perfect in the song every time. I can even go upto 200 bpm or down to 60 and it follows. The trick is to get your sample cut exactly right from the beginning. The SX doesn't have the sequencer that the older S has so this can be tricky to do on the unit itself. But it does work very well once you learn it. Hope this helps.

[PaulFleetwood]

Thanks for the confirmation Matt

[PaulFleetwood]

Sorry, just another thought / question.... I see from the manual you can now layer 2 samples on a pad (sub wave I think it's called?) - can you have a sample and 'tap tempo' on the same pad?

[Roving Drummer]

Sorry, just another thought / question.... I see from the manual you can now layer 2 samples on a pad (sub wave I think it's called?) - can you have a sample and 'tap tempo' on the same pad?

No you can't. But you really wouldn't want that anyway, when you hit the pad 3 or 4 times to get the tempo, the sample on the main layer would be starting or stopping with each hit.

The Subwave is pretty much the only thing on the SX that is useless. At least for me. You can have 2 samples on one pad, but they both fire off together. Im still holding out hope that they'll add an update so these can be velocity layered. So in order for the second wave to fire off, you have to give it a good whack. just for accents and things like that.

[PaulFleetwood]

Thanks, I was thinking more of assigning a simple Hi Hat or Ride sample to the 'tap' pad so that I could play simple 4's on there to set/change the tempo.

Also, have you tried using the tempo match on any tuned samples? I just tried it on a fairly simple musical riff (monophonic line on a single instrument) on the SPD-S and the time stretch quality is nowhere near good enough for live use (as soon as the tempo changes, you can hear very audible clicking artefacts in the playback). Does anyone know if the time stretch algorithms on the SX have been improved??

[Roving Drummer]

Thanks, I was thinking more of assigning a simple Hi Hat or Ride sample to the 'tap' pad so that I could play simple 4's on there to set/change the tempo.

Also, have you tried using the tempo match on any tuned samples? I just tried it on a fairly simple musical riff (monophonic line on a single instrument) on the SPD-S and the time stretch quality is nowhere near good enough for live use (as soon as the tempo changes, you can hear very audible clicking artefacts in the playback). Does anyone know if the time stretch algorithms on the SX have been improved??

I don't use it for this but I did play around with it when I first got it. My guitar player sampled a quick measure of rhythm guitar. We would then play with the tempo and he would play lead over it. It's been a while but I remember it being fine when changing a few bpm's(like 5 bpm's up or down)but if we went alot(like 15 - 20 bpm's) it changed a bit. There is a function(WAVE PITCH)to adjust the pitch but I've never used it. I've read from other's that it wouldn't do what they expected in that way.

[PaulFleetwood]

OK thanks,

[logan]

from roland support.
You don't have to be in Edit Mode to use the Tempo Sync feature in the SPD-SX ( like the SPD-S). You can tap in the tempo at any time.
The SPD-SX also lets you tap in the tempo while a wave is playing and it will adjust the wave in real time (unlike the SPD-S).

[diamondroad]

What i just found out from Roland regarding the TD-15 the only thing Tap Tempo controls is the speed of the metronome. It's a little crude, but I select the cowbell sound and use the tap tempo pad to control its speed based on rhe song I'm playing.