lodo

4 core concepts

4.2master track

Pattern-wide musical rules and sequenced commands for the tracks below.

The master track is the pattern's control layer. It gives you one place to shape the musical rules for the whole pattern and another place to send timed commands to playback tracks. Those jobs share a grid, but they do not share a lane.

Pattern data: the rule set

The master data lane holds values and transformations that apply to the pattern. It includes BPM, ROOT, and SCALE, along with mapping and variation components such as MAP NOTE, MAP INST, MAP STATE, GROOVE, HUMANISE, RANDOMISE, DENSITY, and velocity controls. Some of these rules can be scoped to a particular instrument.

Use these components to give a pattern a musical frame. For example, set its tempo and tonal centre here, then use a note or state map to adapt material across the pattern without rewriting each playback track. The data lane describes how the pattern is interpreted; it is not a fourth live command lane.

Live components: commands at the master playhead

Beside the data lane are three master component lanes. Their components run when the master playhead reaches their step. A component can target playback tracks, change the master output, or move the arrangement to another pattern.

Aim commands at tracks

Without a SELECTOR, a track-targeting master component addresses every playback track. To narrow the target, put SELECTOR in a live component lane before the commands it should affect. Its X value is the start track index and Y is the end track index; both ends are included, and the range can run in either direction. Set X to -1 to choose a random starting track, with Y still providing the end of the range.

The selection applies only to later component lanes on that same master step. It is rebuilt at the next master step. If you place another SELECTOR before a later command, it replaces the earlier range for commands to its right. A selector placed after a command cannot change the command that has already run.

For a compact variation, put SELECTOR first, JUMP second, and RETRIG third on one master step. Set the selector to the tracks you want to vary. When the master reaches the step, the selected tracks jump and then receive the retrigger command; tracks outside the range keep their own playheads and current settings. If a playback track also advances on that pulse, it evaluates its current step before the master commands run. A master JUMP to a different step then seeks to that destination and immediately evaluates it. The following RETRIG immediately retriggers a note that is sounding on that track, then uses its interval and velocity-fade values.

For master JUMP, X chooses the destination step. The selector also describes Y as a relative offset, but current playback ignores Y; use X to choose the destination. Track-level JUMP has the same unused Y field, while X set to -1 chooses a random track step.

The selector scopes track operations such as REVERSE, MASTER SYNC, RATE, TRANSPOSE, REPEAT, HOLD, JUMP, RETRIG, PROBABILITY, and CLEAR. It does not scope master-bus effects: LOW PASS, BAND PASS, HIGH PASS, SAMPLE RATE, BIT REDUCE, and TAPE LOOP shape the combined output regardless of the selected track range.

PROBABILITY sets the chance that a selected track's note will play. The setting stays with that track until another master probability value replaces it or playback-session state resets. CLEAR resets the selected track's master transpose and immunity state; it does not restore every playback setting.

The component selector also lists master MUTE, SOLO, and RANDOMISE, but those entries currently have no playback effect. Use the track controls in the Track Grid toolbar to mute or solo a track. RAMP (LEGACY) is explicitly unavailable.

The difference between JUMP and PATTERN JUMP is useful when building a changing arrangement:

  • JUMP moves selected playback-track playheads to the step chosen in X.
  • PATTERN JUMP moves to another arrangement row. Later master components on that same step do not run after the jump.

Master component lanes are sequenced control signals. The master data lane remains the place for pattern-wide tempo, tonality, mapping, and variation. Components explains per-track operations, probability, lane order, and parameter lifetimes.

The master playhead and pattern length

The master playhead provides a steady timing reference. Track-specific components can redirect playback-track playheads without redirecting the master playhead. The master track has its own length and LPB; the pattern's step count is the length of its longest track, including the master track.

This gives you two kinds of movement at once: the master track can keep marking a steady pattern cycle while individual playback tracks reverse, jump, repeat, retrigger, or follow a different rate. A short master track does not truncate a longer playback track. Use Arrange View when you want to decide how patterns follow one another in the song.