A4 Feature Requests

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#221

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but having an option for program changes received in multi map mode to be locked to a 16 note range and change program only relative to the current bank.
To try and explain better, say I had a multi map entry for program changes, range low = C0, range high = D#1, now this multi map would select patterns 1-16 within the current bank. This would leave options to have separate key ranges for other functions when using the program change function which would otherwise take up the whole 128 key range to have full functionality.

Another, and possible simpler option would be to make multi map entries available per MIDI channel…

#222

If, in perf edit mode, i chose for bipolar,
Them i prefer to see a 0 in the middle in perf mode.
Now iTS a 64, i think it makes no sense. It may even be a bug and must be easy to solve

#223

im pretty sure this is not possible at present, as such im putting it in the feature request section… but if there is a way, id be happy if someone can enlighten me. also this applies to all elektrons - not just A4.

i would love to be able to midi cc assign an external controller of 8 knobs to the match whatever the knobs are on the current screen. so basically it doesnt matter what page i am on i can always control say the top left knob with the same external cc controller.

why do i want this… because i find those knobs take an absolute beating due to all the shared functions and id rather destroy something external, replaceable and also potentially diy/buildable - plus it would be cool to be able to assign 8 sliders (instead of knobs) for broader synthesis editing, and then then fine tweaking with the elektron knobs. i hate having to press down on a knob to do faster parameter changing.

all the detailed editing i’ve been doing by pushing myself for the one sample science lab, i feel like im destroying my MD knobs with all the tweaking that it requires.

#224

i am a bit worried about the lifespan of the encoders as well. they seem very delicate. only time will tell.

#225

Some way to disable “stop” when clock slaving it. I used the Dark Trinity for the first time in a gig, with Octa as master to A4 and AR, and I accidentally stopped the A4 when playing KaterBlau last weekend, and had to stop the Octa and restart to get everything synced up again.

#226

I’d love some more sequencer quirkiness.

Seeing how Audio Damage (admittedly) borrowed from the A4’s sequencer for Sequencer 1, Elektron might consider borrowing the “Repeats” feature…

#227

I received my a4 a couple of days ago and was disappointed to discover the song mode doesn’t allow me to set start and end points in the pattern. I do this all the time in the OT arranger and find it extremely useful.

Example:
Pattern A01: Start 00, length 48. Drums muted
Pattern A01: Start 48, length 16. Drums unmuted

…or I use it to do crazy, fun stuff like making a pattern play in reverse or jump around across lots of different patterns, etc to create interesting new sequences.

Also, the chromatic tuner idea is brilliant and makes sense on a device like this.

2 Likes
#228

I agree, the songmode of the A4 really too basic to be useful/make something complex. I hope they update it, shouldn’t be impossible when they can make it work on the other machines like the OT…

#229

Individual tracks’ joystick mods (mw, breath etc) as performance macro targets would be useful and could give control of 25 parameters from 1 knob…

#230

Cutoff-keytracking with consideration of portamento and pitchbend

very pleasant to hear when playing mono lead/bassline with high resonance

A lot of other analog synths have this functionnality

1 Like
#231

Keytracking as a mod source would be awesome, especially in control of lfo speed. If all of the envelopes and lfos could control each other, that would be nice as well. I’d also love to see the noise generator as a mod source.
I think the a4 is just an os tweak away from the ability to play a cv oscillator within poly mode. There’s already the option to use the track sounds in poly settings, so it wouldn’t really be breaching the philosophy of the analog four. (except for the four part, it would then be an analog five or six.) I realize you can sequence the cv tracks to play at the same time as the other ones, but for keyboard players, the cv tracks aren’t integrated as well as they could be.
Hell, if we’re just spitballing here, an onboard signal control page for all the mod sources would be super rad. I’m thinking something like a Makenoise Maths module built in.

Seriously though, keytracking and noise as mod sources and cv-extended poly mode would be HUGE.
#232

Still waiting for my A4 but I take it you can’t reassign what MIDI ccs the mods look for? I don’t have a breath controller but I do have an expression pedal. I can probably remap it with a phone/tablet app but in the box is easier.

#233

Key Scale which works for notes as they are being played as opposed to just Arp or Sequencer notes.

Key Scale as a plockable parameter. There is space on the Note page.

More Scales to choose from. Preferably with the addition of a User Scale with a screen similar to the Arp Setup.

1 Like
#234

Not sure if this has been brought up but anyway, I posted this in another thread too but it’s applicable here. Cheers.

Hi all,

I’m new here but I’ve been reading the forums for a while now. I just wanted to raise an issue with the Song mode on the A4/Keys. Firstly let me explain my setup. I currently use my Octatrack and my A4 for live sets, I set up long arrangements in the OT so all the tracks are sequenced and played with the press of a button leaving me to tweak and change scenes without worrying about hitting the next pattern. I do it this way because my patterns are very long and if I missed the loop point it would take a long time for the next pattern to start. Anyway, I then slave the A4 to the OT and send the outputs of the A4 into the OT using it as a mixer. I also setup all my tracks in the song mode on the A4 so both machines are in sync and match up.

My issue is that the A4’s song mode seems extremely limited compared to the OT’s arranger. The OT’s arrangements can be seemingly endless but the A4’s have a hard limit and whats more frustrating is that if your arrangement is very long at some point in the arrangement all transport controls from the OT send the A4 right back to the start of the song, like its restarting because its reached its length limit, I’m not sure how many chains or patterns it takes before this happens but its the same every time. If I let the arrangement and the song play without stopping this isn’t an issue, it plays all the way through as if the two machines were playing independently, but as soon as you want to start the arrangement from a place after the song mode’s limit it just starts it at the beginning.

This is extremely irritating when I’m trying to edit the song or arrangement. I have got around it recently by using multiple arrangement files and manually chaining them together as the song/arr plays but this still means that when I want to edit or work on my set I have to make separate song files to go with my separate arrangement files, and then when I’m done editing I have to then copy each of the song file’s chains into a master live set song file that contains all chains. Suffice to say that this is tedious as hell.

What would be great is if I could either chain song files together like you can with arrangements on the OT, or alternatively just make song mode limitless in terms of how long you can make the songs.

I really hope that makes sense. Does anyone else run into this issue?

#235

I guess it has been covered already, although I think my problem is slightly more specific than "song mode needs improvement"even though that statement is also true if more general.

#236

Apply performance macros to track sound.

Sometimes I get amazing results from the performance macros, but the more parameters you make them control, the harder it is to reproduce the sound without macros. It would be great to be able to save sounds as modified by them.

2 Likes
#237

+1 vote for:

Ctrl-all mode so can filter all 4 tracks, for example

arp controls to be P-Lockable or LFO-able

1 Like
#238

I agree, the songmode of the A4 really too basic to be useful/make something complex. I hope they update it, shouldn’t be impossible when they can make it work on the other machines like the OT…[/quote]
yes i use that feature a lot on the MnM

its insane that they couldnt just port over the MnM song mode!

why cut back features that already exist?

#239

The only thing i really want that the a4 doesnt have is a more comprehensive modulation matrix…

Considering the the lfos and envs are digital and it already has a performance matrix which is cc mapped… you would only need to make track lfos and envs assignable to performance controls as modulation destinations…

Im no engineer, software or electrical, but as i see it the a4 has the ability to achieve this modification through software…

It would increase the use of the a4 massively for me…

im aware that i could assign an LFO from within my DAW to the performance parameter, but it would be nice to be able to achieve this within the a4…

#240

[ul]
[li]Individual time signatures for tracks in advanced mode, just like on the OT[/li]

[/ul]

1 Like