I’d like to request a new feature for the S2400: Trigger Groups:
When one pad in a Trigger Group is pressed, all other pads in the group are triggered simultaneously.
Trigger Groups would be set up using similar UI mechanisms to Choke Groups. This would allow users to quickly and easily create layered sounds using the same workflow they’re already familiar with.
Why This is Useful
Layered Sound Design – Each pad in a Trigger Group has its own envelope and filter, enabling more complex sound shaping than a single layered sample.
FX Routing & Bus Flexibility – With the new FX card bus structure, layers can be routed to common or separate buses or sends, expanding mixing and processing options.
Phase & Timing Variations – Users could adjust start times at the sample level to introduce subtle variations in phase and attack, creating a fuller, more organic sound.
Stereo & Spatial Design – Panning different layers separately allows for a wider, more immersive stereo image.
Glitch & Experimental Sound Design – Pairing percussive hits with textures, reversed sounds, or noise layers can create unique rhythmic elements.
Velocity Mapping Across Layers – Velocity would scale across all members of the Trigger Group, allowing dynamic expression when playing.
MIDI Track Support – MIDI tracks could be included as members of a Trigger Group, enabling external sequencing or triggering external gear alongside internal sounds.
Implementation Considerations
UI could be modeled after choke groups for a consistent UI.
Dropdown menu right next to choke groups for consistency and so it won’t clutter the interface.
Velocity behavior should map across all triggered pads.
A member of a choke group could also be a member of a trigger group, however, the entire trigger group would not choke, only the choke group members.
Another fun potential of this idea would be easily programming different velocity levels. If there are N layers in a group, and each pad in the group could trigger the group, then you’d have N pads to set at different levels. That could be ghost / on / accent, clobber / destroy, etc. Even if a person doesn’t care about level programming, having those N pads for finger drumming would help for 1/16th note patterns or quick tempos.
I do this on the MPC and would love to here as well. I like to double my kicks by making a copy, tuning it down, and low-passing it. It’s a bummer having to manually put those in the sequencer.
Layering is one of the most important techniques in hip hop music. Why can’t it be done 5 years after the product is released?
The product is not yet finished, but there have been no updates for almost a whole year! I understand that you do not have a team of programmers like the Roland sp 404 mk2. But making the most important functions for hip-hop for $2000 is simply necessary!
Yeah, I think given that there’s a limited polyphony of 16 voices it starts getting tricky with this sort of thing.
Some of the requests just sound like the person wanted an MPC but got something else and are trying to make that thing into an MPC. The S2400 isn’t really equipped with an interface that can handle true layering on a single track.
But I digress. I would love for a trigger group, other samplers like the MPC, Maschine, and SP-404 can all do that so even if polyphony is a hurdle we should have the choice to face it.
In the mean time, I found it’s really easy to press Step Mode, then press 2 to turn on TR sequencer mode, then tap a pad and press the first first, and then tap the next pad and press the first step, and so on and so forth. I can assign samples that way in a matter for 10 seconds or less. I can’t imagine setting up a trigger group would be exceptionally faster.
The one benefit is that you’d be able to tap a pad and all the other pads would trigger, where in this workaround you press the play button. You also must make sure your overrides are on (quick tip, Shift + A or B allows you to change the override settings of that parameter for every step in your sequencer). So there’s a little bit of clunkiness to it but it works and is pretty quick for layering. Then you just Bounce the pattern and you’ve got yourself a new sample.
well lucky for you, I just implemented a soundfont plugin generator.
Create your soundfont, layer as much as you like, then make a plugin for it!
I have literally just given you the means to achieve exactly what you are asking for.
MPC don’t do that… does it!
Hey Brad & team-huge thanks for the Soundfont Player addition, it’s awesome and you’re crushing it on these add-ons & bug fixes. I get that it’s a busy time. Just wanted to note the Trigger Groups idea isn’t quite the same - it’s more direct for live workflows. S2400 voices have low/high/bandpass filters vs. Soundfonts’ lowpass-only, and moving sounds out to a Soundfont editor, building a plugin, and loading it back onto the S2400, and then loading it onto the DSP is a lot of steps compared to just picking channels to trigger each other. With the voice limit, users can manage it smartly - no need to stress about unexpected results. Plus, some people (like me) love voice stealing for its creative quirks. Appreciate all you’re doing!
Hello. I completely agree. What does the effects board have to do with lairing? (Unless the main computing power is not enough…) I don’t understand this. Leering is not an effect, but a technique. We need to resample the sequence via “Bouncing” and this is not convenient. Can you just make a “Key Group” function? This is the same as Chock Group, it only groups the presses of several keys into one. This is a normal trigger signal in code. We could layer and quickly hear it on the fly. And play chords with one button… Brad, please!
Big +1 to SampleCrusher - layering’s a technique, not an effect. Soundfonts are cool, but it’s a lot of steps that involves back and forth with a computer. Trigger/Key Groups would keep it quick and live on the S2400, and not need a computer at all - the whole vibe this instrument is chasing. Thanks again, Brad - hope it’s on the radar!
