I’m about to crack for an A4 Mk1 but doing bit of research to see how I can fit it in my live setup. I’m particularly interested in the CV track since I gather it can now output MIDI note data. What I’m trying to find out though is, can it output polyphonic performance to play chords for instance on an external piece of gear. I know it has 4 cv outs so I’d imagine each cv can hold a note, but do you have to sequence each cv subtrack separately or can you easily input 4 notes at once when editing a sequence?
Thanks for clearing that up for me!
there’s no way to split the voices from one track - it would need to be 4 pitch signals without gates - it’s not four pairs, it’s two pairs (or four channels of cv info)
the cv and fx tracks can be used for sending cv/gate pairs if you like, or either could send four note chord stacks via midi
I think you might be misunderstanding something. If you want to sequence midi you don’t need the CV track or the CV outputs.
A midi cable out would do it.
Every track can actually output midi including the fx track. You can enter 4 notes in any of the tracks and it will send them to the corresponding midi channel (by default track one is channel , 2 is 2, etc etc…)
No I did understand the CV outs weren’t coming into play for MIDI, but since this track was designed for sending cv and the MIDI implementation came late, I just wanted to know how the MIDI was handled. So you confirm you can send up to 4 MIDI notes at once from every track, effectively making the A4 a 6-track times 4-note polyphonic sequencer?
Another interesting quirk though. I thought I would set up two tracks (fx and cv) to send to the same midi channel. That way I could have some chords on one and a sort of melody on the other, sent to the same polysynth.
The problem is when you go to live record into either, it records to both, which kind of makes it harder for my intended use.
Yeah that’s strange about the 2 tracks recording at once. Wonder if it has to do with them listening to incoming midi notes. Is there an option in the settings to deactivate or change midi receive channel (generally noted Rx channel in manuals)?
yes, for each track you can set a different midi channel. (also disable midi) also there is the auto channel. if u send midi notes to this channel, they will be routed to the currently on the device selected (active) track
Cool stuff. That’s a feature I really like on my Beatstep Pro. Means you can say record live from a keyboard into the sequencer, then the sequencer plays it back to the keyboard, without creating MIDI loops.
Speaking of MIDI loops, philroyjenkins, could it be the issue with the double recording on your A4? Do you have the external gear you’re sequencing with the A4 hooked back down to the A4’s MIDI in, thus creating a loop?
also you can do some silly things like sequence separate (but not independent overlapping notes) MIDI and CV on one track, if you think a bit laterally.
e.g. a note P-locked to 0 velocity would play through CV and not MIDI, if your MIDI device does 0 volume at 0 velocity.
Or use a voltage output CV mode instead of Gate mode, and P-lock only notes you want the CV instrument to play (and any other notes would still go to MIDI).
Or you could play chords through the MIDI output, and have the CV instrument play arbitrary notes of those chords (by changing which note in the chord is the “base” note in the trig).
