Adding A4 to my setup? (not sure)

A4 sequencer can send notes only (4 per track max).

Each DN midi track can send up to 8 notes, control changes, pitchbend, aftertouch, program changes…

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@Peter118

Further to @sezare56’s comments, the Digitone has ready access to 8 knobs worth of definable CC, and an associated LFO and plocking. Pretty much everything is accessible from the UI without entering the main menu.

The A4 is harder to setup; you can use 6 tracks of midi at the expense of the tracks’ unique original function - the CV (and perhaps the effects) track is the only track you can use without loss of basic A4 functionality (unless you use CV of course). The A4s 4 voice polyphony send note on/off and velocity.

On a personal practical level, the way the digitone displays information is more conducive of controlling external gear. For instance, chords are shown on a piano graphic spanning 2 octaves, with the easy ability to subtract, add or move individual notes. On the A4, chords are shown as highlights on the keyboard, and as note entries on the top left of the note page. I’m not sure you can remove or move individual notes making up the chord.

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I’ll add per track (6x4=24 voices max).
Using a synth track can be used to trigger envelopes and use Ext In synth, to make 4 voices or more paraphony…(12 with CV and FX).

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@sezare56 I just saw a video of Loopop about the Bomebox making the A4 paraphonic. I read in the comments the RK-002 also can do this. You talked about using the RK-002 cable before, so maybe you know how to do this. Can I use it to make my A4 paraphonic? If it is, can you help me how to do this?

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Yes I remember. Only 2 paraphonic voices isn’t it ?
I did it before with 8 paraphonic voices, using 4 A4 voices. :wink:

IIRC the idea is to map notes to pitch (TUNE) for each osc. Sending always the same midi note and TUNE Control Changes for A4.
I lost the script, I did it with a Midipal to map 8 notes to 8 channels (à la Polymux) and an Event Processor to remap each note of each channel to an osc tune (4x2).

With an RK002, you’d need to modify Retrokits Polymux, and map each note to an osc tune. I’m too busy to start something like that at the moment, even if there was a lockdown !
I’d be interested in to do it for RK002 though…

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Yes, only 2 paraphonic voices. Loopop programmed the Bomebox to split a external midi keyboard and let the left part playing OSC1 and the right part OSC2, this way you have 2 paraphonic voices. I don’t know if the MK-002 is capable of doing this. But it’s a nice experiment, I think.

Thanks for the help!

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This advice usually comes from people with 20+ synths in their collection. :joy:

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I would look into a Sequential P-6 or OB-6 desktop. That’s all warmth you’ll ever need.

Hi guys! Finally I bought an A4 that a sellers offered for 500€. I think it is an amazing price.

I really appreciate all your comments, and help. Now I will re arrange old songs with my new instrument. Probably I can “move” some of the DN lines to the A4 to start feeling how they work together.

Yesterday I tested the A4 and I can see how deep is. Anyway there is a lot of things that shares with the rest of the Elektrons excetp… performance mode! It’s amazing! Why we don’t wave a mixer like this in the OT!!!

OK, I will check many of the tips and tricks you share about the A4 here!

Thanks a lot!!!

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I would strongly encourage you to use the Direct Change mode, which is absent on the newer Elektrons and makes them unusable to me because my music doesn’t always have bar lines and I need to switch patterns between notes. It’s the path to musical freedom ending the tyranny of the bar line that plagues electronic music IMO.

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