I've never really seem this topic debated here & I'm curious just what people think or prefer.
I started with Reason which didn't have the ability to place wav files in a play list and loop the actual wavs so naturally I learned by doing mostly pattern placements and blocks or w/e.

When I transfered to FL I didn't realize how ignorant I was being by not using the wav playlist and almost always using patterns to structure tracks.

So this is what I've came to notice or believe recently:

And anything obviously depends on your level of experience but,
Patterns have been seeming lately like a sort of "clutter trap" to me for a few reasons.

You can load a sample into a sampler, play with the envelopes and it *sounds good, but I've always been a REAL visual type of artist.

I've been noticing you can have a rideon cymbal, a clap, kick, ANY sample where you have the envelopes all intefering with each other. Like the ride overlaps the next ride and you get the 2 same samples competing with EACH OTHER in a loop.

So now I've been listing almost everything as wavs in the play list. This way I cut out ANYTHING that doesn't need to be there. If the kick runs into the begining of an offbeat bass, I cut out the end of the kick. I find its a lot more precise than playing with the release/sustain on the sample.
I've noticed a few things.

One, my tracks seem sharper and more defined.
With all the equalizing and panning etc that I was focusing on, simply cutting out part of a sample in the playlist to me has made an even bigger different than any amount of equalizing I do to a sample.

I notice some people do all wav, some do both, and some do mostly patterns. But I'm curious to see what people favor and why.
Plus I can actually see the structure of the wave, and SEE where things are peaking rather than seeing 10 flashes on a db meter and trying to narrow down which ones don't belong.

Anyone know what I'm saying or think this is a better way to work?
I like it a lot since I switched things up. I'll record melodies w/out fx, turn everything into a wav with its own channel, than mixdown that way dressing up with fx AFTER I can see the complete layout in the sequencer.

-Roxx