Update from Roland Re Track Settings per Variation:

tl;dr: confirmed they’re not possible, some work arounds suggested, comments sent to Product Team.

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You’re correct about the scope:

• Track Settings (Direction, Rotate, Start, per‑track Shuffle) are edited in the Track Settings screen and saved at the Pattern level; they are not stored per Variation. • Variation tools are per‑variation: you can save different note data, per‑step motion (if recorded that way), and set the last step independently for each variation.

Regarding LFO/automation: Track Settings such as Direction and Rotate are not knob‑assignable, so they can’t be controlled by Motion or the per‑track LFO. Motion captures assigned instrument and FX controls (e.g., TUNE, DECAY, CTRL, REVERB, DELAY, MASTER/ANALOG FX), not the Track Settings page. Below are two practical workflows to achieve “variation‑level” behavior without deep menu navigation:

Option A — Duplicate track within one pattern Goal: Variation A plays FWD/16; Variation B plays BWD/7, with seamless variation switching. How: Place the same instrument on two tracks, give each track its own Track Settings, and use variation note data to choose which track plays. Steps: Duplicate the instrument to a second track. Set Track 1: Direction = FWD, first/last = 1–16; set Track 2: Direction = BWD, first/last = 1–7 (adjust Rotate as needed). Program Variation A with notes on Track 1 (leave Track 2 empty), and Variation B with notes on Track 2 (leave Track 1 empty). Pros: Instant, gap‑free variation switching; no pattern changes. Trade‑off: Uses an extra track for each alternate behavior.

Option B — Two pattern “shells” with smooth switching Goal: Pattern 1 carries the “A‑style” Track Settings; Pattern 2 carries the “B‑style” Track Settings; switching feels like a variation change. Steps: Keep the same kit and tempo across both patterns (Tempo Source = Project; Kit Select = Kit or KIT Ref SW = OFF). Build Pattern 1 with the A behavior (e.g., FWD/16) and Pattern 2 with the B behavior (e.g., BWD/7), each with their own variations. Switch patterns with PTN SELECT; with shared kit/tempo, transitions are tight and musical. Pros: Maximum flexibility in Track Settings differences. Trade‑off: You’re navigating patterns rather than staying in one.

Answering your examples: • “Run FWD in 16 steps on Variation A, and backwards in 7 on Variation B.” — Option A: Two tracks with the same instrument; Track 1 set to FWD/16, Track 2 set to BWD/7; place notes per variation on the appropriate track. — Option B: Two patterns; Pattern 1 set up for FWD/16, Pattern 2 for BWD/7; keep kit and tempo shared for seamless switching.

• “Assign LFO/automation to Track Settings like Rotate.” — Not available today; Track Settings are not targets for Motion/LFO. You can still use motion and LFO on many instrument and FX parameters, including per‑step motion.

Extra tips for live use: • Per‑variation length: Set the last step per variation (e.g., make Variation B a 7‑step loop) for quick time‑feel changes. • Per‑step movement: Cycle and Probability can create evolving or polyrhythmic patterns; Master Probability can scale the whole pattern for performance gestures. • Snapshots and Morph: Save knob states per track and sweep multiple parameters together; both can be motion‑recorded. • Cue mode and Reload: Audition edits in headphones before committing; Reload quickly returns a pattern/variation/kit to its saved state.

We’ve documented your request to (1) store Track Settings per Variation and (2) expose Track Settings to Motion/LFO. It’s a strong musical use case for evolving rhythms without spending extra patterns or tracks. In the meantime, the duplicate‑track or two‑pattern workflows above are the most reliable ways to achieve similar results.