Custom Screen Overview

The Custom Screen is a workspace for creating your own rhythm patterns. It provides several different avenues for creating these patterns.

Custom Pattern Creation Options

1. Create New. This option allows you to start from scratch. Start by opening the “Create New” dialogue (“+” icon on top left of navigation bar, or the “+” Create New Patterns option on the opening screen.

• Create Time Signature. You can select up to three numerators for the time signature, and 2, 4, 8, or 16 for the denominator. You may also elect to use the common time or cut time symbol in place of a standard 4/4 or 2/2 time signature.
• Select Type. Single, Double, Drumline, or Drumkit.
• Number of Measures. Minimum 2, Maximum 8.

2. Copy Existing Pattern. This option allows you to directly copy any pattern already available on Rhythm Lab, including Custom patterns. Once copied, you can edit the pattern and save it to a new or existing pattern set.

3. Generate Random Pattern. Select your options, and let Rhythm Lab generate a pattern for you.

Editing Tools

1. Insert. This tool provides a cursor that can be placed anywhere on the custom pattern template. Place the cursor by lightly and quickly tapping once in the location where you want it to appear. Select a note, dot, rest, etc. to insert, and insert the symbol by holding down (long press) on the screen anywhere within the white space area.
2. Edit. Select any number of notes and symbols by dragging your finger horizontally in the white space. Rhythm Lab will draw a vertical line to the location within the rhythm pattern, and draw a selection box around the notes you select. Once selected, a menu will appear above the notes with the current editing options
3. Measure. The Measure tool allows you to perform measure editing: cut/copy/paste/clear/delete. Other options allow you to add new measures before or after the selected measure, add or change the time signature for a measure (or measures) if the selected measure is “blank,” or create an incomplete “upbeat” measure if you have selected the first measure and it contains a spacer at the beginning of the measure.
4. Toggle Visibility Buttons. These three buttons (below the Insert – Edit – Measure buttons) toggle the visibility of time signatures, barlines, and spacers. These are particularly useful when preparing a pattern for use in a worksheet.
5. Undo – Redo Buttons.

Insertion Tools

1. Top Row. The “L” and “R” buttons toggle insertion of left or right (blue or red) drum notes, and are only active for Drumline patterns. One or the other must be selected for notes to be inserted. The Tuplet button opens a tuplet dialogue to set up tuplet insertions. The “X” in a circle button clears the entire pattern. The “X” in a back-arrow back-deletes a single note at the cursor point.
2. Second Row. Insert notes from Double Whole Note to Eighth Note.
3. Third Row. Insert notes from Sixteenth to 128th note.
4. Fourth Row. Modify notes – rest, single, double, or triple dots.

Playback and Metronome

Similar to the metronome, transport, and settings buttons on the Tap Screen. Audio settings for the rhythm pattern are available in the Settings menu (gear). Metronome settings and metronome button work identically to the Tap Screen versions.

File Management

1. Save Button. Opens a dialogue for saving the current custom pattern. Options include saving an image for a worksheet, saving a draft pattern for further editing, adding the pattern to a new pattern set, or adding the pattern to a new set.
2. Open Button. Use this menu to open a locally-saved draft pattern, or import a pattern from an external location (Files, DropBox, etc).