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Editing on the Wavedrum: Tips & Tricks

I’ve been meaning to start this thread for several months now. I’ll probably add to this as we go along, and hopefully others will too. If you have any good shortcuts or workarounds, feel free to share!

Some of this may seem obvious to those familiar with the Wavedrum, but I wanted to make this useful to people of all levels and backgrounds. That being said, you'll need to be at least somewhat familiar with the owner's manual and have a basic understanding of how to access the editing features of the Wavedrum. Trying to explain all the basics is a bit beyond what would be practical for this forum.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive “how-to,” (although it might turn into that) rather, I want to shed some light on a few things that should make editing on the Wavedrum more productive and rewarding in the end. Editing on the Wavedrum is far from perfect—there doesn’t seem to be any disagreement on that. But it is what it is, and that shouldn’t stop anyone from taking advantage of the tremendously rewarding possibilities contained within the Wavedrum.

Another reason for starting this thread is that parts of the manual are, quite honestly, horribly written and confusing at best. But think of it like this: If it were easy, or at least more intuitive, then more people would do it. With that in mind, this only leaves more unexplored territory for the rest of us. Embrace it and you can end up with combinations of sounds that, quite literally, no one else on the planet will have!

There are many things that the owners manual does NOT include, and that will be my primary focus as we begin this adventure. That being said, having the manual by your side during the editing process is absolutely essential. Since many of the parameters that are available will change drastically from one algorithm to the next, referencing the manual is the only way to know what those parameters are.

Creating your own sounds on the Wavedrum is, for me, where the real fun begins. The potential for truly unique sounds and textures is limitless. Most significantly, delving into the inner-workings of the Wavedrum can give one a better understanding of the nature of sound itself. As you break down the programs to their core components, you will often find surprising revelations in terms of what makes a “drum” sound like a drum, or how altering parameters can reveal the sometimes-subtle differences between a triangle sound and, perhaps, a cowbell. What is it that makes something sound “metallic”? What makes something sound “warm” or “earthy”? These are the realms one can explore when delving into the more advanced editing features. It is also what sets the Wavedrum apart from so many other “electronic drum” devices.

First things first!

As you are editing, the most important thing to remember is to save, save, save...AND SAVE! Save all your work as you go along. It is far too easy to unwittingly undo hours of work if you don’t take this precaution. For the same reason, it’s also a good idea to write down all your settings for a permanent record. Of course, after “saving,” you must return to one of the Edit Modes in order to continue programming.

Since there is no way to start with a “blank” template, no way to “clear all sounds,” the first thing to do is decided which Program number you are going to “over-write.” Whether you are only slightly modifying a factory program or building an entirely new one from scratch, you must start with one of the already existing “user” programs. If you start with one of the “Factory Programs” you can edit all you like but when you save it, it will automatically be saved in one of the “User” locations. That way, the factory programs will always remain intact and can not be permanently altered.

One thing to be aware of: Whenever you “save” your settings to a selected Program number, you are simultaneously saving that program to one of the “Live Mode” locations. That is, it will be automatically saved in whatever location you began with e.g. A-1, A-2, B-4, or wherever your starting point was. This isn’t a big deal because it’s extremely easy to change which programs are assigned to which “Live Mode” location points, but this may explain why some of your favorite “Live Mode” settings get changed during the programming process.


What parameters are you starting with?
When you are creating a new program, it’s important to be aware of ALL the settings that are in place depending on which program you start with. As previously stated: There is no “blank” program, so you must always start with an existing sound. Of course all the parameters can be changed, but if the program you start with has dramatic pitch-bending or decay settings applied to the “Pressure” parameters, for instance, those will affect the new program you are creating unless you change them.

The difference between Algorithms and PCMs.
For many people, one of the first things they want to do is listen to all the different sounds individually. When viewing the extensive list of PCM sounds it’s quite natural to want to hear each sound by itself.

Given the four locations that are usually available for sounds (except when using Double-Size Algorithms)—Head ALG; Head PCM; Rim ALG; Rim PCM—the only way to hear an Algorithm or PCM by itself is to turn the LEVEL (volume) to “00” on three of the four locations.

If you select an Algorithm for editing, as soon as you call up a new one, it will be set to the Factory Default settings for that particular Algorithm. These are displayed in parenthesis in the Owner’s Manual list of Algorithms. If you change any of these parameters without “saving” the changes, and then select another Algorithm—or accidentally switch the Algorithm—the parameters will be reset to the Factory Default.

This is not the same for PCMs!
If you are selecting different PCM instruments, you need to be aware of what Tuning and Decay settings you are starting with. There are no "default" settings for the PCMs. If, for instance, you start with a PCM that has been tuned to -10, every PCM sound you select will be tuned to -10. The same is true for the Decay settings. That is why I always suggest making sure that the tuning and decay parameters are set to “00” when listening to different PCM sounds. I made this mistake the first time I was scrolling through the PCM list. Some of the instruments sounded completely unusable to me, but it was only later that I realized I had started with a high-pitched tuning setting. Many of the sounds were completely unnatural and didn’t seem to match their description at all. Setting the tuning to “00” gave me a much better reference point.

The exception for Double-Size Algorithms.
Isolating a Double-Size Algorithm (#27 and higher) is easy because as soon as you select one of these for the head, the other three locations (Head PCM, Rim ALG & Rim PCM) will be blank and cannot accept sounds. Double-Size Algorithms can only be used by themselves because of the increase in data required to create those sounds.

Don’t lose sleep over Algorithm #26 1812.
I mentioned this in another thread but it bears repeating. ALG #26, 1812 sounds very intriguing by its description in the Owners Manual:
“This algorithm produces an ensemble of five snare drums. Open rim shots produce the sound of a cannon shot.”

But as far as I can determine, this Algorithm is defective and simply does not work. I know what snare drums sound like and I know what a cannon sounds like. 1812 does not sound like either. To me, it doesn’t really sound like much at all. If you isolate Algorithm #26 by itself, you will probably discover the same thing. I’ve tested this on several different Wavedrums, all with the same result. I don’t have an explanation for this so I think it’s just easier to ignore it.

I have also found something similar with a few of the PCM sounds. A few of them just don’t match their description at all, and sometimes I find that adjacent sounds are totally identical. I can only assume these are programming errors of some sort. I’ve only come across it a few times, so again, I don’t lose sleep over it.

That’s it for now.

Add any comments or questions you may have!

Save save save, so very true! Twice I have stripped down a korg patch only to tweak and tweak and tweak some more then have one of my kids run by and trip over the power cord pulling it from the wall!

I also noticed I like to first work on the base sound with out reverb or delay or panning on any kind. I also noticed that once I add some effects in I may prefer a different pressure curve then I originally started with.


Great post WaveDrummer!

thanks Wave Drummer for all of yr post.i have added both the log and hang drum programs to my WDO,i own 3 log drums that are between 30 and 40 yrs old and aren't tuned to a tempered scale,yr program sounds like a Schlagwerk drum which ain't bad at all even though i prefer non tempered tunning,great program.the hang drum program is genus,probaly better than the real thing! thanks again.

Thanks WaveDrummer

Thanks for the support and encouragement, guys!

I've been out of the loop all week due to some very unusual and severe weather. The Nor'easter that hit us last week took out my power, heat and running water. It's been six days so far and it looks like I won't get anything back for at least another two to three days! I've never seen anything like this in my life. It's like Godzilla came to town!

No internet at home but I have a few minutes here to catch up on the forum (lots of new stuff this week, I see). I'll continue this thread with some "back to basics" and a few other things once I get my life back!

Seven threads. I think I'm all caught up for the moment!

I'll be back when the power is back...

Thanks ever so much for your tips , insight , knowledge and experience.

Great tip about zeroing the tuning of the PCM samples, it really helps a lot with my programing now.

Any news on the new WD?

Hope that you get your power back soon.

WaveDrummer wrote:First things first!

Don’t lose sleep over Algorithm #26 1812.
I mentioned this in another thread but it bears repeating. ALG #26, 1812 sounds very intriguing by its description in the Owners Manual:
“This algorithm produces an ensemble of five snare drums. Open rim shots produce the sound of a cannon shot.”

But as far as I can determine, this Algorithm is defective and simply does not work. I know what snare drums sound like and I know what a cannon sounds like. 1812 does not sound like either. To me, it doesn’t really sound like much at all. If you isolate Algorithm #26 by itself, you will probably discover the same thing. I’ve tested this on several different Wavedrums, all with the same result. I don’t have an explanation for this so I think it’s just easier to ignore it.

Finally, I can get some sleep. How frustrating.

winged EEL wrote:Great tip about zeroing the tuning of the PCM samples, it really helps a lot with my programing now.

One thing to think about when trying different PCMs:
Leveling those settings to "00" is important as a reference point, but there are some great sounds to be found by tuning the PCMs really low or really high—especially the low tunings.

You can completely alter the original and discover some nice surprises in the process. You just need to remember if you've altered the tuning or not as you explore other sounds. With so many different parameters to adjust, it's easy to forget all the tweaking that takes place along the way.

Hope that you get your power back soon.

Thanks. It ended up being ten days total. That's never happened around here before. Crazy.

Back to Basics: Part I

Before I move on too much, I wanted to include some basic info for those just getting into the Wavedrum or for anyone who likes to have reinforcement of some things they may already know.

One of the main obstacles to using the Owner’s Manual is that it requires the reader to jump around, back-and-forth, from page-to-page just to accomplish anything deeply interesting. In a few instances, the manual is just flat-out wrong. However, once you get a grasp on all of what the Wavedrum can do, most of the information on those pages becomes very valuable and extremely useful. Deciphering it all in the process, however, is a different matter altogether.

How do I get access to these different “Modes”?
The panel of buttons at the top of the Wavedrum make up the user interface. This is where all the action happens. In fact, this the only place where the action happens—there is no other way to edit any of the functions of the Wavedrum.
(Well, of course that’s not entirely true, but you’ll have to explore some of the other threads to find out how to hack into the inner workings and create your own home-made Frankenstein.)

Getting in and out of any of the different modes usually requires a combination of holding the BANK/MODE button plus one other button. When the Wavedrum is turned on, it normally ends up in LIVE MODE, which is the main mode for playing the Wavedrum and selecting different programs from the Program List.

What’s with those not-so-easy to read labels on the User Interface?
Glad you asked. In Live Mode you really only have to pay attention to the bolder markings above the buttons. These will correspond to all the basic feature of Live Mode. I won’t go into all the details of Live Mode because those are explained adequately enough in the Owner’s Manual under the heading, Performing.

Edit Mode is where those other, less obvious labels, come into play. If you’re not in Live Mode, getting there is easy enough. Just hold down the BANK/MODE button while pressing button #1. It reads Live right underneath it. Simple enough.

It’s the other buttons that can confuse new users (and not-so-new users sometimes).
To access Edit 1 Mode, hold down the BANK/MODE button while pressing button #2. See the confusion? To access Edit 2 Mode, hold the BANK/MODE button while pressing button #3. Sure, the terms Edit 1 and Edit 2 are shown below their corresponding buttons, but these same buttons have different numbers more boldly displayed right above them! The trick to editing is to be able to shift your focus back and forth between the numbers above the buttons to those below the buttons depending on which feature you are working on.

Like most things, it all becomes pretty automatic with a bit of practice, but it can sure be confusing to someone who pulls a Wavedrum out of box for the first time and is faced with a somewhat convoluted Owner’s Manual.

OK, now let’s get something done...

Back to Basics: Part II
Where am I? What have I done?

OK, hopefully you’ve figured out how to get into Edit Mode, now what?

For first time users, there is one thing that often eludes those who want to explore the editing features (I definitely went through this myself!). And it's one thing that is never clearly explained in the manual. This applies mostly to the Edit 1 Mode, and it's important because that's where most of the editing tends to take place. The important thing to be aware of is that in Edit 1 Mode there are almost always two steps to every decision you make.
Now, repeat after me: What-Where...What-Where...What-Where.

You could also think of it as: Parameter-Location...Parameter-Location...Parameter-Location.

What I mean is:
With most of the editing functions, first you have to select WHICH parameter you want to edit, and then WHERE you want those changes to take effect. In other words: What changes do I want to make, and Where do I want to make them?

Example:
Suppose you want to change the volume level of the different sounds within a specific program. As long as you haven't chosen a program that uses a double-size algorithm (see my previous posts in this thread), you will have four different "locations" (each with its own sound) to choose from when changing the volume. Once you've entered into Edit 1 Mode, it's not enough just to select LEV (level). You must then select WHICH level it is you are going to adjust. These will correspond to the four buttons in the user interface.
1- Head Algorithm
2- Head PCM
3- Rim Algorithm
4- Rim PCM

You can then go through each location and adjust the volume of each accordingly. If you ever find yourself staring at a number in the display, and forget exactly which parameter you've chosen, just hit the BANK/MODE button and the display will change back to the selected parameter. In this example: LEV. You can then go back to choosing any one of the four locations to adjust the Level.

Also be aware that not all parameters are available for every one of the four locations. With some of the parameters, once you select a certain location, you may see this [---]. Don't worry, it's not an error. It simply means that the parameter you have chosen can not be adjusted for that particular location, within that particular program.
(Some of this is explained, rather clumsily, on pg. 12 of the Owner's Manual)

How do I access the different parameters of Edit 1 Mode?
Once you enter Edit 1 Mode, there are two ways to select the different parameters.
You can simply turn the Value Knob and it will scroll through all the choices, repeating itself when it gets to the end. Or you can press the BANK/MODE button and it will do the exact same thing but step-by-step. It doesn't matter which method you use; choose whichever way you are most comfortable with. Just remember, once you find a parameter you want to adjust, you must then select one of the four location buttons before anything can actually be changed.

So, what are the choices in Edit 1 Mode?
Well, they're all in the manual, but pixels are free and I can't think of any reason NOT to list them, so here they are with their on-screen abbreviations as well as what those abbreviations are trying convey. Some of these may seem overly cryptic at first, but in time, they'll make perfect sense.

[tun] = Tuning
[dcy] = Decay
[LEV] = Level
[Pan] = Pan
[ALG] = Algorithm, but what this really means is "sound" or "instrument," if you will. Whether you are choosing an actual Algorithm or a PCM sound, the screen you'll start with will always read [ALG].
(I knew there was a reason I was doing this!)
[V.Cr] = Velocity Curve
[P.Cr] = Pressure Curve
[P.tn] = Pressure Tune
[P.dc] = Pressure Decay
[rEb] = Reverb
[dLy] = Delay

(I'll cover the second part of this list in a later post. Some of the details will require their own explanation)

As one might imagine, and given the possibilities, it can be easy to get lost in all this and forget exactly which parameter is being adjusted. So as you go along, just try to keep in mind...
What it is you want to change, and Where you want that change to take place.

And, as always, SAVE YOUR WORK!

I wanted to add one more element to this. I realize that for many on this forum this is common knowledge, but I wanted to include it here for future reference and for first-time users. You'd be amazed how many times the same questions come up again and again, so it seems there are some blanks to be filled. Maybe I'll organize and assemble all of these into a pdf manual down the road sometime, after this thread evolves a bit. For now though, at least it will be one place to direct people to if they are only just discovering the Wavedrum.

Back to Basics: Part III

The Voice Name List
When viewing the list of sounds that's included with the Wavedrum, some people are not quite sure what they're viewing and what it all means. Let's break it down.

Programs are what you are listening to when playing the Wavedrum. For the Black and Silver models there are 100 of these; for the Oriental version they've added 50 additional programs.
Each Program is made up of either one "Double-Size" Algorithm or, as in the majority of programs, a combination of two Algorithms and two PCM instruments.

Algorithms are the result of computer modeling that allow you to shape and customize sounds in a unique way.

PCMs are, for the most part, samples of actual instruments. With the Wavedrum, many of the PCMs are actually a combination of two or three sounds in one. Usually these sounds will be separated from each other depending on how hard hit you strike the surface that they are assigned to (head or rim). This is why with some Programs, even though you may have what appears to be only four sound "sources" (2-algorithms & 2-PCMs) you might actually have eight or more different sounds that make up that one program! This is also a result of the fact that some algorithms will create sounds just from applying pressure to the head. In other words: there is often more, much more, to any given program than what, at first, meets the eye. Explore those sounds!

Back to the List
So the Programs are the end result of combining the sound sources listed above. This is what we hear when we scroll through the settings in Live Mode.
Next to each Program name are the components of that particular program. The number for the corresponding Algorithm and PCM, and where they are assigned (head or rim) are listed in the adjacent columns.

Algorithms
The list of Algorithms is just that: the name and number for each one. The Owner's Manual will provide a detailed explanation of these. (To find out how to listen to these individually, refer to the earlier posts in this thread.)

Live Mode
This mode has been throughly explained previously in this thread. This list, as it appears in the Voice Name List, is simply the list of sounds originally programed at the factory to give the user a quick overview of twelve selected programs. These are extremely easy to change to one's personal preference. (See previous posts)

PCM Intruments
This is actually two separate lists, although this is not always obvious at first glance. In the original list of sounds, there are two columns that list the 100 PCM sounds for the Head, and two columns that list another 100 PCM sounds for the rim. This is often lost on some people. Each sound can only be assigned to it's designated area: Head or Rim.
(To find out how to listen to these individually, refer to the earlier posts in this thread.)

Loop Phrases
The other list that appears is that of the pre-programed Loop Phrases. These are like drum machine rhythm tracks that you can play along to, except that you can not alter the tempo or edit them in any way. You can access these through Global Mode. (See Owner's Manual or possibly subsequent posts in this thread.)

For owners of the Oriental Wavedrum, a supplemental Voice Name List has been included with all the new, additional programs and sounds. This is in addition to the original list that comes with the Silver and Black versions. Going back and forth between the two lists can be awkward and cumbersome for owners of the Oriental Wavedrum, but now there is a solution to that!

Fortunately for all of us, freestock already took the time to organize the two lists into one, for easy viewing, and posted a link in the following thread:
http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=63557

freestok wrote: http://www.pandacreasite.com/wavedrum/W ... SONNEL.pdf

Thanks, freestock.

That should pretty much cover everything you see when looking at the Voice Name List!

How Algorithms respond differently when assigned to the Head or Rim

This has been discussed a bit in other threads but definitely belongs here as well.

If you are creating a new program, you will often find that when selecting an Algorithm, it will behave quite differently on the rim than it will if assigned to the head.
Many of the algorithms take advantage of all the expression offered by the head but just don't respond in the same way when assigned to the rim.

If you go into Edit 2 Mode, you will likely find that many of the parameters of an algorithm won't have much affect on how that algorithm sounds when it's assigned to the rim. I've often found that of the eight different parameters available in Edit 2 Mode (rm1 thru rm8), sometimes only one or two will make any noticeable difference in how the rim algorithm actually sounds. You will still most likely hear big differences in Edit 1 Mode (tuning, decay, etc.) but no so much in Edit 2 Mode when an algorithm is assigned to the rim.

Remember: The algorithms are highly dependent upon the type of information fed into them! You just can't compare the expressive nature of the drumhead with that of a stiff, aluminum rim.

One other thing to keep in mind:
When selecting an Algorithm for the rim, even if striking the rim doesn't seem to produce any amazing sounds, sometimes certain parameters of that algorithm will still come into play when pressing on the head. The perfect example of this is Factory Program #87 “Cold Wind.” (This was also covered in the "Mr. Bonehead" thread)
http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=65731
The "wind" sound you hear when pressing on the head is actually generated from Algorithm #2 "Temple" (which has been modified from the Factory Default setting) which is assigned to the rim. You can turn down the Level to “00” of the the other three locations (1,2 & 4) to verify this.

So be sure to experiment with all the surfaces and how pressing on the head affects a sound, regardless of where the sound is assigned.

Adventurous experimentation is one thing the Wavedrum not only offers, but often rewards!

Wow this is a great post. I will try out some of tips in your last post this weekend. Thanks a lot!

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