Roland Mc909 Question , please help !

[Alphacode]

Hi Everyone

I am looking at buying an Mc909 for a good price. But i read about patterns cutting the sounds when you switch between a pattern and the next one. Now my suspicion from the videos i watched is that when you switch from a pattern to a completely different one with different sounds it does cut as the Mc909 does not have a function to keep the previous sound fading when switching sounds (like in a Virus TI).

BUT if i create 2 identical patterns with the only difference that the notes played will differ between the two but all sounds will be the same then that 'cutting' should not occur. Am i correct ?

Can someone with a 909 confirm and /or test this ?

I would reallllllllllllllllyyyyy appreciate guys !

Thanks

[Alphacode]

Oh yes also , Do the samples stay in the DIMM ram memory or have to be loaded from Smart media card on every boot ?

[somebedroomdj]

I don't have mine anymore so I can't check on about the duplicate pattern thing. But as to the question about the RAM memory, it does have to load up from the Smartmedia card on every boot. Nothing is retained when it is shut off. Usually doesn't take too long but really bogs down if you have, say, a ton of single cycle waveforms loaded up in the 16mb user section or the session RAM.

[Zamise]

Dont have one but thinking perhaps ut is phrase based, people use to pattern based looping have a bit of trouble getting the phrase concept. You might need to be swapping phrases out, or sections under the same pattern to retain your vouces and not have reset. Just a guees not sure, sorry bad spell on phone.

[meatballfulton]

I can count on one finger the synths I have owned that will sustain a held note once the patch is changed....Ensoniq SQ80 (and ESQ1) from almost 30 years ago.

Most mfrs cut off the note and FX to prevent glitching. Some don't cut off the note but switch the FX which can lead to some weird sounding transitions. This is really common with softsynths. Korg has been trumpeting that their Kronos workstation sustains held notes with their associated FX...good idea for a $3000 pro instrument

Of course this is a real issue with loop and pattern based devices like the 909. Over at the Roland Clan forum users were apoplectic about this with the MC-808 as if Roland were the Anitchrist. Over a decade ago users of the Yamaha AN200 and DX200 grooveboxes discovered that when switching to a new pattern with a different patch if there was note on the first beat it would be silent because the synth was still processing the patch change! Most recently this has been a hot issue with owners of the new Korg Electribes hearing "gaps" on pattern transitions.

if you want more detailed info about the 909's behavior head over to Roland Clan.