Sorry does it do drums?

[Docbass]

I’m a bass player who’se been given an xwp1 to permanently borrow. I want to use it to help write music for my lyrics. Does it have pre-recorded drum tracks?

Thanks

[Brad Saucier]

It has preset step sequences.  Press the step sequencer button then press the start/stop button.  The 8 pattern buttons will select variations within a step sequence.  Is that what you're looking for?

[Docbass]

Thanks Brad. I’ll try that. I am looking for rhythm preset sequences I think. As in drums, percussion and maybe other presets eg guitar etc.

 

[Docbass]

Well that helped. I can get a variety of bongo type sounds but can’t change to a set of brushes, snare, kick, etc.

[Jokeyman123]

You can create any type of rhythm you need-the XW-P1 has full drum kits like any other synth/workstation or drum machine. I'll have to check with my XW in front of me but I think there are kits with brushes and other more jazzkit -style sounds.

 

Some of the preset factory sequences are strictly drum rhythms, but specific styles-without basslines or other accompaniment instruments-thumb through the factory selections in performance or sequencer mode on the XW. If you don't find what you want specifically-study the XW-P1 videos here....

 

https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/topic/13629-xw-p1-tutorial-series-beginners-start-here/&tab=comments#comment-39882

 

to learn how to create your own sequenced drum patterns. A little complex at first, but with mastery of the sequencer programming you can create any rhythm or accompaniment you could need-and with instant access to 8 variations (oops 9) using the part select buttons. You will need to learn perhaps more than you want to, but once you do, the XW becomes an extremely capable rhythm/drum machine and beyond. And although you are limited to the number of steps in the step sequencer (16) by using the pattern select buttons-you can copy your basic pattern to all the remaining parts  and add/remove parts for each button and have instant access to each variation. Plus, you can change the basic 16-beat pattern to a 12-beat for triplet style blues, shuffle  or boogie beats by knowing how to program the step sequencer by changing the basic note value used when programming the sequencer, don't get discouraged-the step sequencer is one of the more complex parts of this synth, but if you know how to use it-it becomes a very creative and powerful music-making tool. This is one of the deepest most complex keyboards I've owned-and I'm no beginner-but there are now many very clear video tutorials-I've owned mine for 4 years now, and i still only know the half of it! AlenK here is also a tremendous XW-P1 resource of info if you want to go deep! 

 

[Jokeyman123]

Actually-for the step sequencer, this will be better. The above posts are thorough, but go into too many different aspects of the XW-might be off-putting as it does get complex looking at too much at once. Mike does the best job of teaching how to use the step sequencer specifically to create beats and any additional tracks you may want, there are other step sequencer tutorials on youtube for the XW by now, its been around awhile...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=mike+martin+step+sequencer+tutorial+youtube&t=brave&ia=videos&iax=videos&iai=9zZnEeLMmOg

 

[Docbass]

Thanks for that generous reply J. You’ve read me well. I don’t want much from it at the moment and while intellectually capable the time I want to spend is limited. I’ll check out the vids.

thanks

[AlenK]

Jokeyman123 has given good advice.

 

A few further words of advice. First, if by chance you didn't get paper copies of the XW-P1 manuals with the keyboard, you can download them here. Navigating the instrument can be difficult if you don't consult at least the User's Guide. (In truth navigating the menus can sometimes be difficult even with the manual, such as the latter is!) 

 

Second, you should audition all of the 100 preset step sequences in the XW-P1 to see if there is anything there you can use. I say 100 sequences but each in fact has eight variations (called Patterns) so there are actually 800 step sequences as other synthesizers would identify them. All of these step sequences were intended as backgrounds for your own live playing from the keyboard using up to four tones. It is for this reason that all of those sequences are called up by the preset Performances, of which there are also one hundred.

 

The step sequences not only include drum and other percussion instruments but often also melody and harmony lines. They are offered in many different musical styles from pop to trance to rock to jazz to Latin rhythms. You will see them listed on page 23 of the XW-P1 Appendix Document. If you find one that is close to what you need but not exactly right you can edit it and save it as a custom sequence following the relevant video tutorials linked above. The XW-P1 is definitely not an arranger keyboard but those preset step sequences, which can be transposed live on-the-fly, bring it closer to one than most other synthesizers aside from something like a Motif, which of course is in another league entirely.   

 

[AlenK]

I should also mention that if the step sequences seem too short (each track can have a maximum of 16 steps, but those steps can have different note durations in each track) then longer sequences can be created using the Chain feature. See pages E-60 and E-61 in the User's Guide. You can combine patterns from any sequence and specify how many bars of each to play and their transposition. I don't know if chains themselves can be transposed in the same way that the patterns of the sequences can be transposed live on the keyboard using the lowest 12 keys. Frankly, I have never tried. (OMG!)

 

Note that chains can be exported as SMF files, so this is a handy way to get sequences and chains out of the machine and usable with other instruments (assuming you remap the tones of the original) or just included in your own compositions. 

 

Another interesting thing. Each pattern of a step sequence can trigger its own phrase. There are 100 preset phrases in the machine and you can record 100 of your own. I'm pretty sure that these phrases too can be converted to SMF from a chain but it's something I have not confirmed (double OMG!). Phrase playback from a pattern is independant of phrase playback from the front panel. In other words, they can both happen simultaneously and they use different parts (tones).

 

The XW-P1 is a surprisingly deep synthesizer. Sure, it is lacking a few of the things we expect today, such as polyphonic resonant filters, but it more than makes up for it with the way the features it does offer can be combined.