Prevent Edits To Song When Not In Song Mode

One thing I’m struggling to get my head round is stopping the A4 from automatically editing my song, even though I’m not in song mode.

Whenever I change a pattern, the A4 seems to decide to change the pattern in whatever song row it happens to be at. This is incredibly annoying, as I’ll come out of Song Mode, tweak a couple of patterns here and there, and when I return to song mode, all my changing between patterns has overwritten what the song originally was.

How do I prevent the A4 from doing this? I dread to think what changes have occured without me knowing, whilst I’m editing, then accidentally save the newly overwritten song.

Song mode just refers to existing patterns and then changes a few params, like mutes, transpose, etc - if you change the pattern it refers to, you will change the resulting song.

If you want to change a pattern that is also used in a Song, then make a copy of it first and then work on the new cloned pattern instead.

Had the same thing. I had to change the way I approached the A4.
FWIW I adopted the following mindset:

  1. Assume a song is always loaded
  2. Always be working on a song.
  3. Only navigate that song’s patterns via the song edit screen

Use “Clear song” when you need a blank slate and navigate patterns freely.
Dont forget to save/load

You can also try using the sketchpad, I think you’re supposed to put that on the very first row but I remember having some trouble with that. Your mileage may vary.

I’ve just discovered the “sketchpad”, the one before row 00. I think that’s the solution I’m looking for, but it isn’t 100% effective. As you guys say, I think I’m just gong to have to remember to save and clear a song before I start tinkering with patterns again.