Yamaha DJX Owner's Manual - Page 80

SONG RECORDING The DJX features powerful and easy-to-use song recording features that let you record your keyboard performances - using up to six separate tracks - and create your own complete, fully orchestrated compositions. Up to three User songs can be recorded and saved. There are two record modes: Realtime and Step. 004RealTime SONG RECORD 001-142 MEASURE 1 Each press of the RECORD button cycles through the three Record modes - Realtime, Step, and PSU (Performance Setup) - before exiting back to normal operation. (The PSU mode is unrelated to Song recording; it is described on page 56.) STYLE 001PSU1User RECORD 001-142 MEASURE 004Step SONG RECORD 001-142 MEASURE 1 Realtime recording is similar to using a tape recorder; whatever you play on the keyboard is recorded in real time as you play it. Also, when you record subsequent parts to other tracks, you can hear the previously recorded parts as you record new ones. Step recording allows you to enter notes individually. As such, it is very similar to writing down the notes on a sheet of music paper; each note is entered one at a time. Each method has its own advantages and uses. Step recording is excellent for precision and for entering notes whose placement, rhythmic value, and velocity are fixed or consistent - such as individual drum parts in a rhythm pattern, or single notes in a syncopated bass part. It also gives you precise control in recording fast or complex passages that would be difficult or impossible to record in real time. Realtime recording on the other hand, is best for capturing the natural "feel" of a performance, since it allows you to record as you are playing and simultaneously hear what you are recording. Which method you use depends partly on the type of music you wish to create and partly on your own personal preference. You can even use both methods in tandem. For example, you could record a basic song guide to track 1 with Realtime, then use Step to record your "precision" parts to other tracks (and perhaps even rerecord track 1, once all the other parts are in place). Or you could program basic riffs and patterns with Step first, then use Realtime to add melodies and embellishments. Keep in mind that all recording operations "replace" the data. In other words, if you record to a track that already has recorded data, all previous data in the track will be erased and replaced by the newly recorded data. 80