I recorded thru ISS - A/D input - a 16 bar guitar strum on Track 15 in pattern mode, Section A on my Motif ES. Two questions - can I copy that same sample (waveform) to a different track in the same pattern or can I only use it in other sections on the same track 15?

Yes, you can copy the sample (waveform) to a different track in the same Pattern, you can copy it to an entirely different Pattern. And yes, you can copy it to the same track (although it is already assigned to a key on the current track, so that is redundant.

If your copy didn't work we have to ask where you wanted to copy it and then which COPY JOB did you use. A "copy" will sound exactly the same, exactly (when done properly).

What you want to copy is not only the sample but the data that is used to trigger it.

If you use COPY PHRASE you can copy the user Phrase and if you mark the box for "sample" you can target an empty phrase in the current Pattern or you can target any other Pattern and Phrase... Both will be united in the target.

If you use COPY TRACK you can copy the data of the current Section and Track to any other Section and Track, you get to select the attributes you want to copy, including the Sequencer Events, the Grid Groove offsets, if any, the MIX PART parameters, and the Sampled audio. Usually COPY TRACK is the one you want. It always targets an empty location, and allows you to select the attributes you are copying.

Also using the correct Clear Job will get you different results. The MIDI is what gets removed the Waveform remains in memory. This means you can construct a new Voice to house that audio... And you can create a new Midi Note-On event to trigger it.

Thanks Phil....I used COPY TRACK to try to place the same waveform named "chorus" from Track 15 to Track 13. I tried a couple times. Each time, when I didn't like the results, I did a TRACK Clear on Track 13 and tried again. I believe I tried COPY and CLEARED the destination TRACK about three times and gave up. I then looked in ISS memory and found nine numbered waveform locations containing the same waveform named "chorus." Did I actually create identical waveforms every time I COPY? I didn't want to make new waves and use up more DIMM memory every time I call up and insert the SAME waveform in different spots of my pattern. How can I avoid creating duplicate waveforms every time I copy? What happens when I clear ALL samples from ALL tracks in my pattern? How do I then put a sample waveform still in memory back to my pattern? I guess what I am asking here is whether there is any way to place a waveform into a pattern directly FROM memory without creating another sample+note through ISS. Possible? If not, would my only option to work with the waveform in memory be to use that waveform to create a USER voice and then insert that user voice back to my pattern?

P.S. You mentioned redundancy earlier - I wanted to explain further that I was trying to copy the same sample to two different tracks in order to have two occurrences of the same sample/waveform play at the same time to fatten up the sound. If it were a normal voice, I might have just overdubbed on the same track. At this point, I don't if either application is possible with my user sample voices. I can also tell you that I believe it was to "copy to" location which sounded low / not good when I tried to do this. I think my original sample recorded thru the ISS with note-on to track 15 sounded the same after I copied. Again, I used COPY TRACK.....

I wanted to explain further that I was trying to copy the same sample to two different tracks in order to have two occurrences of the same sample/waveform play at the same time to fatten up the sound. If it were a normal voice, I might have just overdubbed on the same track. At this point, I don't if either application is possible with my user sample voices. I can also tell you that I believe it was to "copy to" location which sounded low / not good when I tried to do this. I think my original sample recorded thru the ISS with note-on to track 15 sounded the same after I copied. Again, I used COPY TRACK...

If you wanted to "fatten" it is far, far better to use Effects than to double the sample. If you make an exact copy of the Sample and play it twice, it will be slightly louder is all. You would need to delay it slightly for the ear/brain to even recognize that there was something other than a volume change. This is where time delay effects are truly golden. They can 'fatten' the sound without costly use of additional memory, and this is their wheelhouse - this is their reason to be! Effects and Fatten go hand-in-hand.

Short time delays of a fraction of second is all that is necessary. 0.1ms will fatten your sound.

I like to use the Yamaha SYMPHONIC Effect - this gem has been around a very, very long time and never fails to do the job.
It is found among the CHORUS Category. you can set the LFO Speed to 0.00Hz so you don't get any movement. and you can increment the delay up from 0.1ms in tenths of a millisecond. As you will hear as you apply this, by the time you get to 20 or 30ms you are hearing clear doubling but even the slightest delay is audible to the ear/brain, and very much thickens (fattens) the sound.

If you apply the LFO, you will get the swirling sound described as flanging, chorusing, then doubling as you increase the time delay.

I forgot you have an ES... so somethings are different back then. Your WAVEFORM appears on the master User Waveform list and you can build a USER VOICE from that data. Go to [JOB] > [F1] INIT and then [EDIT] > select ELEMENT [1] > F1 OSC > SF1 WAVE
Set the Wave to USER and find your sample.
Now you can build a full fledged USER VOICE out of this recording.

In INTEGRATED SAMPLING you can edit the Waveform itself... and you can set a bigger key range (typically the default note range is C3-C3... you can extend that by editing the Sample itself - it will make more keys available when you go to VOICE mode.

This way you can apply Effects and EQ just like you would with any normal USER VOICE. This way you can place that VOICE on any track or any number of Track _ but you can set the NOTE RANGE to as many keys as you desire. You can FIX the Pitch so that all KEYs in that range play the same pitch... and you can thicken it that way... (but trust me that just makes it louder).

Let us know, its been a while since I've done this on an ES so forgive my rust on remembering all the step-by-steps...

OK - Could you please check my understanding of what you said as I try to apply it to my current situation? I recorded a sample / waveform which is a 16 bar guitar strum which I want to edit and assign in different tracks and sections of a pattern. I created this sample thru ISS with sample+note but since cleared it from my pattern, I know....why did it do that.....regardless, now I want it back in the pattern and I want it fatter.

So STEP 1 - whenever I want to take any of my waveforms in memory and assign them to a pattern, I must convert them to a user voice first, correct? In other words, there is no way to assign waveforms in memory directly to patterns. Using ISS sample+note is the only one step way to record a sample waveform and have that same waveform (as opposed to a USER VOICE) added directly into a pattern. STEP 2- instead of using multiple samples to try to fatten things up - I will use the effects /edits as you suggested on a single sample after converting it to a user voice STEP 3 - save and assign that new user voice wherever I want. Have I got everything straight? If so, I will get to work and report back......THANKS PHIL !!!!

Step 1: It is true that the "sample+note" Record Type will automatically create a User Sample Voice ~ which is a special simplified Voice to contain your audio. Only MIDI data is recorded to a sequencer track. Since you've separated the 'sample' from its 'note', you can build a new User Voice simply using your Waveform as the OSC/WAVE. Then simply Insert the Note-on Event to trigger playback.

Forgive my lack of memory, but at some point along the way a VOICE CONVERT routine was added to the firmware (not sure if it was the ES or XS). It's purpose was to convert the very basic User Sample Voice into a full fledged normal User Voice that could then use dual Insertion Effect, Part EQ, etc.

You've got the concept down. Let us know how it comes out.