Custom Screen Insert Mode

Insert mode is based on the placement of a cursor within the rhythm pattern. If the cursor is placed in front of a spacer, notes or rests can be inserted, as long as the duration of the note is less than or equal to the duration of the spacer.

The cursor can be placed anywhere within the pattern by a single tap. Notes or rests are inserted with a long press – hold your finger down long enough for the note or rest to appear. Cursor-placement taps must occur at the location of placement horizontally, but can be anywhere within the white space vertically. Note insertion presses can be anywhere within the white space, as long as the press does not cause the cursor to move.

Special Insert Functions

1. Drumline Left/Right Buttons. The Left / Right (Blue / Red) buttons in the top row toggle left or right note input for drumline patterns. These buttons are disabled for all other types of patterns. In order to insert notes in a drumline pattern, either a Blue or Red button must be selected. If neither button is selected, no notes or rests will be inserted.
2. Tuplet Button. The tuplet button opens a tuplet dialogue window. You can select the actual-normal-normal note values in the tuplet dialogue. Rhythm Lab uses a tuplet ratio approach to tuplets. The actual number is the number of notes in the tuplet that replace the normal number. The note value is the value of the normal note. For example, 8th-note tuplets would be represented by the formula: actual = 3, normal = 2, note value = 8th note. The total duration of the triplet in this case would be two 8th notes, or one quarter note. You can also insert nested tuplets in certain circumstances (see the section on Tuplets for more information).
3. Clear Button. The clear button removes all notes in the pattern, replacing them with measure-length spacers.
4. Back-Space Button. The backspace, or delete, button removes a single note or rest preceding the cursor.

Note Values

Rhythm Lab allows insertion of note values from Double Whole Notes down to 128th notes. Modifiers include rests (select a note value, then toggle the rest button) and dots (from one to three dots); again, select the note first, and then the dot modifier.

Beams and Ties

Beams and ties cannot be added directly in insert mode. They are added to notes in Edit Mode.