The EP-1320 Squire

Starts and stops playback of the pattern you have loaded. Press once to run the loop, press again to stop.

Squire’s tipIf nothing happens, make sure you have actually placed some notes into the pattern first — Play only replays what is recorded.

Arms recording. With Play running, tap the pads and your hits are written into the pattern in time.

Squire’s tipTurn on the metronome before recording so your taps land on the beat. You can record over several loops, adding a bit each pass.

Stops playback. Held down while a pad is tapped, it wipes that sound's notes out of the pattern.

Squire’s tipMade a mistake while recording? Keep this held and tap the offending pad to clear just that sound — no need to start over.

Sets how fast the song plays. Hold the tempo button and turn a knob, or tap it in rhythm to set the pace by feel.

Squire’s tipSlower tempos (80–95) make it much easier to record cleanly. Speed it up later once the parts are in.

A steady click that plays while you record so you can stay in time. It is not part of your song — only you hear it.

Squire’s tipLeave it on while learning. Turn it off once your groove is solid so it does not distract you.

The big slider controls the overall output level going to your headphones or speakers.

Squire’s tipSet this around two-thirds up and adjust individual sounds with their own levels rather than riding the master.

Twelve pressure-sensitive pads. Each one plays a single sound. Press harder for a louder, punchier hit.

Squire’s tipJust tap around first with the device on — this is the fastest way to learn what sounds live where.

Four banks, each holding its own set of 12 pads. Typically one bank is drums, another bass, another chords or lead, another textures.

Squire’s tipSwitch groups to reach a whole new palette of sounds without loading anything. Build your drums in one, your melody in another.

Chooses which built-in sound sits under the pad you have selected. The EP-1320 comes stuffed with themed, medieval-flavoured samples.

Squire’s tipSelect a pad, open Sound, and scroll — auditioning presets is how you discover the character of the instrument.

Captures new audio from the built-in mic or an input, then places it on a pad so you can play it like an instrument.

Squire’s tipSample something around you — a tap, a voice, a jingle — and it instantly becomes playable. This is the heart of the machine.

A pattern is one repeating loop — like a verse or a chorus. You can create several and chain them to form a full song.

Squire’s tipKeep each pattern to one idea (a beat, a breakdown). Arranging them in order is how a loop becomes a track.

Sets how many bars the pattern runs before it repeats. Longer patterns give room for fills and variation.

Squire’s tipStart with a short loop (1–2 bars) to nail the groove, then extend it and add changes.

Tightens your notes to the grid (quantize) and adds swing so the rhythm feels human rather than robotic.

Squire’s tipA little swing makes drums feel alive. Too much quantize can make everything stiff — find the middle.

Shifts an individual note slightly ahead of or behind the beat to fix timing or create feel.

Squire’s tipPulling a snare a hair late can give a laid-back, dragging groove. Small moves go a long way.

Two knobs whose job changes with the page you are on — pitch and filter here, attack and decay there, effect amount elsewhere.

Squire’s tipAlways glance at the screen to see what A and B are controlling right now. Same knobs, different jobs per mode.

Tunes a sound up or down. Great for turning one sample into a melody or making a kick boom lower.

Squire’s tipPitch a vocal or found sound down a few steps for an instant eerie, medieval texture.

Chooses the start and end points inside a sample so you only hear the slice you want.

Squire’s tipTrimming tight to the transient removes dead air and makes drums hit harder.

Attack sets how quickly a sound reaches full volume; decay sets how quickly it fades. Together they shape the sound's shape over time.

Squire’s tipShort decay = tight, plucky hits. Long decay = washy, sustained tones. This alone can transform a preset.

Removes high or low frequencies to make a sound brighter, warmer, or more muffled.

Squire’s tipRolling the filter down on a busy loop, then opening it back up, is a classic build-up move.

Hold the FX control and press to slam an effect on for as long as you hold — stutter, tape-stop, filter sweep, delay, and more.

Squire’s tipPerform these live over a running loop to add drama. Let go and the sound snaps back to normal.

Two effect slots (such as reverb and delay) you can feed each sound into by different amounts for space and depth.

Squire’s tipA touch of reverb on melodic sounds and none on the kick keeps a mix clear but atmospheric.

Held down, it unlocks each button's secondary function — often the ornately-named ones printed in the device's medieval script.

Squire’s tipWhen a button seems to do nothing new, try holding Shift first. Half the features hide behind it.

Writes your current pattern, sound tweaks, or whole project into memory so it survives a power-off.

Squire’s tipSave often. The machine does not auto-save every change — a quick commit protects the last hour of work.

Copies a pattern, a sound, or a step and pastes it elsewhere so you can build variations quickly.

Squire’s tipCopy a pattern, tweak the copy, and you have an instant variation for your chorus or drop.

Separate save slots, each holding its own patterns and sounds — one slot per song or sketch.

Squire’s tipStart each new idea in a fresh project slot so you never overwrite yesterday's beat.