Instant gratification seems lacking on the AK

Contemplating, but I want more voices for pads than the AK can deliver.

Somebody knowledgeable esplain this to me:

Let’s say I have a nice throbbing bass line using a single voice on track 1.

Track 2 is an arpeggiator, playing something weird and wonderful.

Let’s say on track 3 of the AK, I play a big 6 note chord with a poly pad, so I’m obviously running out of voices at this point. But I have my trusted Prophet 6 module hooked up, and ideally I’m triggering this chord on it, filling the room full of magical DSI lushness.

Question 1: is this even possible? can I send MIDI chords like this to another poly?
Question 2: can I mute the output of track 4, i.e. make it more of a “transparent” track that’s there for the sequencing ability?

Switch the AK keyboard into midi mode. Then you can use the keys as a controller. Not so the sequencer, not so the a4.

Q2, track four can’t send midi. See answer 1 above. But sure, you can leave the oscillator volume down and still have the sequencer run. If your external module is CV, you can sequence that from track four.

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You can’t sequence external gear with the AK?

AK/a4 don’t send midi from the sequencer. Only Cv. AK can be used as a midi keyboard controller.

Also, see my edit above, you type fast.

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I really just assumed it could. Oi. Reading the salty tears thread over here. MIDI OUT Confusion

Seems kind of mind-boggling they’d exclude that.

Them’s the breaks.

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No MIDI tracks on Elektron’s Analog line of gear.
Only the digital Elektrons have had that capability.

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Did you just tell me to buy a monomachine?

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Those robots are always whispering their gossip in quiet corners and halls, if you choose to hear them.

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And CV is really not polyphonic is it? Furiously reading Wikipedia entry atm.

I don’t know if there is such a thing as polyphonic CV, but the A4’s is not.

You have four outs. You can send whatever you want to them using the sequencer. What you do with four voltages on the other side is up to you

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That is true. If you had the right modular rig I guess you could potentially sequence chords, but you’d end up want some EG modles etc as well, at least I would think. I’m very new to the whole CV sequencing thing.

Pratically for most people we probably aren’t sequencing chords with the CV from the A4? I’m not expert, are there any poly analogs that can be sequenced by CV?

I’ve been putting my foot in my mouth a lot lately. Probably a sign I need to post less and make more music ;p

Yeah. Probably not. I don’t know of any poly cv synths.
Sorry, didn’t mean to be flip.

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Oh no worries at all! I like the discussion : )

The Pro has only 2 voices, and 2 paraphonic voices.
You can do a dual paraphony with A4, sending CCs to tune differently the 2 osc but it is quite complicated.

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Yeah, I’m a super novice over here, so anything is helping.

On the cheap, it looks like the Arturia KeyStep has a polyphonic step sequencer, with 8 notes per step. I could presumably sync it to the AK via MIDI clock and generate chords on another poly that way.

And, finally, the promised video tutorial. Basic beginner synthesis using the Analog Four to create a Prog Rock style lead sound. More to come (Prophet-5 pad!) if this one is at helpful to A4 users.

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5 posts were merged into an existing topic: Tutorial: Beginner Synthesis with Analog Four