Select a place to record your beat. Most drum machines label beats 1-99 and they can be erased in order to record a new beat. To scroll through beats on the Zoom MRT-3 you must first press the "pattern" key. If it already contains a beat, you will need to erase it. On the Oberheim DX, hold "erase" and then press "record," to erase the selected beat. On the Zoom MRT-3 press "delete/erase" twice to erase the selected beat.
Set the quantization for your beat. The quantization determines how many notes are in each beat of a measure. On some drum machines, like the Oberheim DX, you can turn this off if you need to. Select if you want only 8th notes, 16th notes, 32nd notes, and so on.
Set the tempo for your beat. On the Zoom MRT-3 this is done by pressing tempo and either dialing up with the +/- keys to the desired BPM (beats per minute) or tapping the flashing button on "beat" with the tempo you desire. On the Oberheim DX you can only dial up with the </> keys or type the tempo in on the number pad.
Select the kit you desire to use for your beat. This will determine the tone that is achieved on each pad of the drum machine. On the Oberheim DX, since it is a much older drum machine, you are limited to the chips that are inside the actual drum machine, so you can only use the sounds that are installed, or you can swap out the chips with replacement chips. On the Zoom MRT-3 select a kit by pressing the "kit" button and dialing over with the +/- through the various kits.
Demo the sounds of the various kits by pressing each pad. The Zoom MRT-3 also has a "pad bank" button, so each kit contains two separate sets of sounds.
Set the drum machine into Step mode. This will differ from drum machine to drum machine. To set the Oberheim DX to Step mode simply press the "step" button. On the Zoom MRT-3 press the "record" button.
Begin the beat by pressing any drum pad. The drum machine will record the sound and move on to the next increment within the beat of the measure according to your quantization settings.
Work your way through the whole beat; you can hit two pads at the same time if you wish for two sounds to play on that note. When you reach the end of the beat the drum machine will bring you back to the beginning so you can over dub other pads if you wish.
Press "stop" to stop recording. Press "play" to hear your new beat.
Repeat steps 1 through 5 in Section 1.
Set the drum machine into "Live Mode." This is done by holding "record" and then pressing "play." The Oberheim DX will start immediately; you will be able to hear the metronome. The Zoom MRT-3 requires you to first hit any pad in order for it to begin recording and start the metronome.
Play the beat live, and the drum machine will record it in real time.
Press "stop" to stop recording. Press "play" to hear your new beat without the metronome.