Step sequencer and ternary patterns

For 6/8, for example, set the number of steps/beat to 3, then for one bar set the number of beats per pattern to 2.

Alternatively, if you just want e.g. shuffling hi-hats, set the swing for the relevant step sequencer row to 66%(ish).

It can also be done by playing around with the play note early/late settings per step in the row's controller pane.

Another way (to get e.g. hi-hat triplets against straight snare quavers) is to use a MIDI track for each individual drum then set the hi-hat step sequencer to 3 steps/beat and the snare track's SS to 2 steps/beat.

If you want to play e.g. blues, mostly as "straight" 4/4 but with some beats with quaver triplets in them, the easiest way may be to use the PRV - much easier than messing about with advancing/****ing steps in the step sequencer MIDI controller pane. The step sequencer is perhaps not the ideal tool for blues drums.

Well, I just sort of went over what I do for this in another thread from today.  (So, I will go over it again, no problem)

I frequently record things in 7/8, 9/8, 12/8, and 15/8, and use step sequencer to do so.

Because Step Sequencer has no ability to have a meter base of 8, I first make sure I have inserted a meter change to say 12/8, and then I insert a tempo change to double the tempo, as how I accomplish this requires it in order to play back properly.

Once the above is done, I fire up the Step Sequencer, and set the beats, in this example, to 12, and use whatever number of steps per beat are needed for the measure I am about to enter.  I leave the fit to quarters value alone.

Now, Step Sequencer is set to record 12 QUARTER notes per measure, rather than 12 EIGHTH notes as intended.  This is because you cannot specify an eighth note meter base, as I had indicated above.  By my doubling the tempo ahead of all of this, the effect is to play those quarter-note beats back twice as fast, making them sound like you recorded it in 12/8.

Yeah, it's stupid to have to do this - I really hope Cakewalk adjusts this - does not seem like it should be a giant investment of time and effort.

Anyways, I have used the above approach to record in all sorts of meters, and I found that it works fine - just be aware that each measure of 12/4 takes two measures to record - so it will look weird, but since the tempo is doubled it will at least sound correctly as a measure of 12/8.

I hope that helps, 

Bob Bone