I just recently bought a Mk1 A4 and I really, really like this machine. I own a couple of other Elektron devices, which are the M:C and M:S. With those machines where sounds are stored makes total sense to me. When you start a new pattern the sounds are just Elektron defaults and you go and find the sounds you want.
On the A4 I start a new pattern and it’s got all the sounds I was using on the last pattern I made, so I wipe them to start a new pattern and then when I go back to that first pattern all my sounds are gone.
I’ve only had it a couple of days, but I’m really struggling to understand how it handles sounds in patterns. Very different to my other Elektron devices.
But I really love the way it sounds. I just have a lot to figure out… I also love how the last note you play on the keyboard is the one that stays when you tap in the notes on the sequencer (like the opz). I wish the M:C and M:S did that.
It still had firmware 1.11 on it (from 2014 I think?) when it arrived. I’ve now updated it to 1.52.
Sounds are saved in kits. When you start a new project by default you’re on Kit 1. Best practice is when you get a set of sounds you like on a pattern, save the kit, then when you go to start from scratch making a new pattern, load a new kit. Once you get in that habit it’s nbd.
The benefit is that if you want to make a track with multiple patterns you can have your kit spanning as many patterns as you want and then when you want to tweak something it updates across all your patterns rather than having to make that change one at a time per pattern.
As far as I understand it, sound pool is for sound locks only, so if you don’t use those you can safely ignore the sound pool. I don’t really use it myself. Kits can pull in sounds from anywhere, they don’t need to be in the sound pool. Kits can also have sounds you make from scratch that aren’t saved anywhere else, or presets that you modify. You can basically deal entirely with kits without ever having to save presets or use the sound pool, which is what works best for my brain personally.
That’s half the truth. Sounds can be saved individually in Banks (A-P) on the +Drive. You can load them from there into your Kit that is linked to Pattern. A sound in a Kit is always a copy* of the Sound in a Bank. It’s independent and can be adapted without affecting the Sound (aka preset) from the Bank.
128 Sounds from the +Drive (SoundManager) can be selected and loaded into the SoundPool. It’s a very powerful tool to have them available there. Because from there each step in a sequence can be locked to a different sound. (think of kick, snare, hat in a single track for example) – I would strongly advise not to ignore it.
Last but not least: I always found the project structure overview plus the explanations in the manual very helpful.
*Exception: If you create a sound from scratch and save it only with the Kit, it’s obv no copy from a preset in a Bank.
I mean from the point of view of the pattern, the sounds associated with it are saved in a kit. Yes, patches can also be saved as presets, but the pattern itself doesn’t really care about that.
Just pointing out that it’s only for the purposes of sound locks, which can be confusing. Because for example on the AR or OT, to use a sample in a project you have to load it into the pool. But that limitation doesn’t exist on A4, you can load up any of the saved presets from the whole drive without having to deal with the sound pool at all. Which is I think an important distinction to make.
True, but… essential, when you want to use sound locks and make the most of the A4. I love my SoundPool and with every project I start the first thing is to set it up. It’s the same logic by the way on the AR. But that’s just me, I do full tracks on the A4.
Don't read this. It's my attempt to differentiate the pools and lists. I tried to being careful and clear but realized I'm just being pedantic and playing with words.
I think the A4, AR and OT all work slightly differently in this regard.
The AR also has a Sound Pool as well as the Sample Pool. They’re sort-of independent. I don’t use samples on the AR much… I assume that if you bring a Sound into the Sound Pool, it automatically adds the Sound’s sample (if there is one) to the Sample Pool…?
The OT doesn’t have Sounds or a Sound Pool. It does have the two sets of “sample slots” (flex and static). You can’t save a Sound or do a Sound Lock. You can “impersonate” a Sound Lock using Sample Locks and Parameter Locks on the same trig.
