John, I'm not quite sure what you are looking for. Is it info on setting up PM's in expand mode, or what people prefer to use for recording? Personally, I use normal mode while converting styles to keep everything in order and at the settings I chose at the moment for archiving the style. When I start recording, I will use expand mode to set up every change necessary for the particular song so I can move through the PM changes with my foot switch in an orderly fashion. One has to be careful with expand mode, because strange things can happen for no apparent reason. Take the extra time to double check your settings and you will have no problems - get in a hurry by cutting corners and you'll end up starting over or using the sequencer editor more than you want. Expand mode sets up everything you need for each PM or Variation move, whichever you make changes with, and that includes instrumentation, tempo, style, and pads. You can do all this without having to use extra tracks, but the door is wide open to use whatever necessary to complete your goal. Composing entails a little more need for detail than just playing, and expand mode gives you that control, however if you've ever been playing a song and while switching PM's had everything go haywire, then chances are you're in expand mode. Switch to normal mode and the weird disappears. It's just another tool in your kit bag - use it a little or a lot - your choice. Experiment with it and you'll learn a lot firsthand.