Turn the XP-50 on using the "On/Off" button on the right-hand side of the rear panel.
Select your preferred sound. Scroll through the voice menu using the up and down arrow buttons. Audition each sound that you are considering. Once you settle on a sound, stop scrolling and the selected sound remains engaged.
Press the "Sequencer" button to access the "Song Play Display." When prompted, select "Internal Memory" as the recording destination by pressing "Enter." All loops record directly to the XP-50 internal hard drive. Select "00: Internal Song" on the LED display by rotating the "Alpha Dial" one notch to the left or pressing the "DEC" button. This assigns the recording to the first of the 100 loop patches.
Press the "Rec" button to put the record function into stand-by mode, ready for recording. If you neglect to do this, when you begin playing, the XP-50 will not write the data to the system's memory.
Scroll through the LED display using the right and left arrow buttons. When a function is selected, it is underlined in the LED display. Select "Phrase Track 10" as the specific recording location in the internal memory. The internal memory is partitioned so that sounds, loops, beats and pre-sets are efficiently organized. "Phrase Track 10" is where you store loops.
Scroll the cursor to "Loop." Scroll right to "Measure" and turn the "Alpha Dial" right to increase it from the default "4" to "12." A measure is another word for bar. This sets the recording period so that you can record a 12-bar loop. Set "Recording Mode" to "Mix." This is the default setting, but if, for some reason, it is not selected, use the "Alpha-Dial" to engage mix mode.
Select a tempo. Scroll left in the LED display and adjust the tempo from the default "120 BPM" to your preferred tempo.
Select the "Recording Start Method." You have two options, "Manual" or "Wait Note." If you want to start recording manually, select "Manual." This means you have to press the "Rec" button to engage recording. If you want recording to start automatically as soon as you begin playing, select "Wait Note."
Begin playing to trigger automatic recording or press "Rec." Once the 12-bar measure is complete, it returns to the beginning. The passage that you recorded will play back and you can either stop by pressing "Exit" or record onto the previously recorded loop. This approach lets you create multi-layered loops.