FAQ Category: Custom Patterns

The number of custom rhythm patterns that you can create is limited only by the capacity of your iPad. The size of the custom pattern files that are created when exported is very small, to allow for a large number of custom patterns to be saved. The fact that custom patterns can be exported to external file storage apps like Dropbox also allows for a very large number of custom patterns to be created.

The default patterns that are included in Rhythm Lab cannot be edited or modified directly. However, any pattern (including custom patterns) can be copied and edited by using the Copy Pattern menu on the Custom screen. The copied/edited version can be saved in a custom pattern set, but the original pattern will not be changed.

Yes. Create the patterns and pattern sets in the usual way, and then save/export them from the Export Custom Set menu. Once exported, they can be shared in the same way that any other files can be shared from any app that stores and shares files.

Yes. Go to the “Edit/Export Custom Sets” menu (square with up arrow icon action item, top right navigation bar of Custom screen) and select “Edit Custom Set.” From there, you can delete an entire set, or individual patterns from a set, and also change the title of a set.

Yes! Custom pattern sets are easily exported and imported to and from Rhythm Lab. Rhythm Lab custom pattern files (.rlpf) are generated by Rhythm Lab and can be opened in any instance of Rhythm Lab.

There are two ways to open a custom pattern set that is stored by another app (Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, etc):

• Open the file in Rhythm Lab from within the storing app (using the export/open in functions of that app).
• Open the file from the “Import Custom Patterns” button on Rhythm Lab’s user screen. Not all versions of storage apps allow this, in which case the first option (above) must be used.

All custom patterns must be added to a custom pattern set, even if you’ve created only one pattern. Custom pattern sets belong to one of the four categories: Single, Double, Drumline, or Drumkit. When you have finished creating or editing a custom pattern, use the file management menu (folder icon, on the top right navigation bar) to add the pattern to a new set, or to an existing custom set of the same category if a such a set already exists. A newly-created and saved custom pattern is immediately available for use on the Tap screen. All custom patterns are accessed from the Custom menu option at the top of the Tap screen.

Once created, custom pattern sets can be exported and saved outside of Rhythm Lab. To do this, use the Share action item (square with up-arrow icon, top right of navigation bar on the Custom screen) to open the “Export Custom Set” feature. You can then navigate through to the custom set you wish to export. Once you’ve given a name for your file, Rhythm Lab will open the system sharing interface menu and present all of the saving/sharing options available on your iPad. Custom pattern set files are created with the .rlpf (Rhythm Lab Pattern File) extension.

Navigate to the Custom tab on the bottom navigation bar. From there, you can use the menus to create entirely new patterns, copy existing patterns, or have Rhythm Lab generate a custom pattern for you based on the parameters you provide.