I bet you wish you had a dollar for every time you’ve typed that.
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Hi,
With Analog Keys, the hold function behaviour changed in a bad way.
Previously, when you have a few notes held, you could remove some notes from the selection by hitting it again. It is not possible anymore.
Also, if you hit another chord and hit hold button, you can’t hold notes that where already in the previous chord. Worse, if you select the same notes exactly, everything stops when you hit hold.
Very disappointing.
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Have you reported this to Elektron support?
i’m not sure what the previous behaviour was, but i can confirm that it’s not possible to remove notes from a ‘hold’ chord in 1.40
I just send them a ticket…
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Well colour me wrong, but from a reply back on my ticket this isn’t considered a bug
If not a bug then it’s an oversight and workflow inconsistency - I thought the whole point of the Auto Channel functionality was that you could offload anything that can musically be done internally via the limited keys to a bigger version with velocity etc
I don’t know off the top of my head of other areas where the possibilities diverge when using an external keyboard instead, but this seems like an obvious place to ensure that the user gets the same ability off-board as on-board
Perhaps this is not as straightforward to rectify as it appears to be, there may be complications, but I am surprised that given awareness of the inconsistency they aren’t making efforts to change this right away, it seems like a significant new shortcoming in the intended Auto Channel functionality, to me anyway
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Vey bad news… So I can´t play anything connected via MIDI thru A4… absurd… In a setup when using an external keyboard to fire several keyboards or instruments you cant program the A4 sequencer listen to the “real” sound!! you must use an internal A4 sound for programing and then change it to the sound you choose in an external MIDI module???
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It’s even more troublesome if you are using e.g. the FX track to program some 4 note poly stuff over MIDI only - I do not understand the logic that this isn’t considered MIA, I thought that the AutoChannel was there to permit an easier key entry for anything doable via the limited mini keys
You can send in a feature request, but as it’s not evidently concurred that it’s an inconsistency/oversight I wouldn’t expect a quick fix (which I had genuinely been anticipating)
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You can, with midi THRU, but the recorded notes are going to midi OUT. Of course it should work with midi OUT, update needed.
Before a new update, you can plug OUT and THRU in a midi merger, or switch THRU and OUT.
This won’t be any use when you use the Auto Channel externally though
thru in the comment is really via. - i.e. via auto channel, as though the mini keys were pressed
this is not about passing midi straight through, it’s about completing the Auto Channel functionality
I know, it’s not convenient, but this is not true with THRU. Who knows when there will be an update? Will it be done / possible?
Please undestand my senteces in its own context…dont take apart the whole story.
We are speaking about the new functionality, MIDI Sequencing. So in this context you CAN´T,. Can´t program live sequences using external keynboard and external midi sounds, you can´t audition external MIDI from external keyboard. MIDI thru is for other uses, we are skipping there the main functionality: sequencer MIDI out.
I agree this is quite disappointing and problematic especially for people who want to live record during a performance for example. For the rest of us it’s just really bad for workflow.
Using a MIDI merger as @sezare56 suggests is a good idea. If I’m understanding - this will allow you to both hear the sound and record into sequencer at same time with the auto channel, but you’re out of luck if you need thru for something else.
edit: this is only true if you set your auto channel and track channel the same, and your external synth to that channel - not ideal!
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You don’t set the auto channel as the track channel though. You must use the auto channel to externally step program.
Let’s not confuse missing functionality with solutions predicated on extra gear . There is a clear divergence with how proper Auto channel support is implemented. The new midi possibilities reveal this as lacking.
To program you have to play blind. The best workaround is to use locks or the mini keys, but the price is sensitivity and comfort.
To me it makes no sense to not see this as missing functionality, but that is the official verdict. I think when people grasp this it will be so obvious that it is inconsistent and inconvenient. If you use external keys.
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Oh I see - because you’d have your external synth set to receive MIDI on the track channel - therefore wouldn’t hear it via the auto channel. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it’s like you said: given the purpose of the auto channel, this is definitely a bug imo, they can deny it all they want, but I believe it’s denials like this that steer people away from elektron. If they could explain WHY it doesn’t work like this, or WHY isn’t possible, maybe it would be easier to accept.
edit: ok, I am realizing why this may be technically “not a bug” - because the update promised midi sequencing via the sequencer, not a thorough upgrade of midi routing possibilities, however, I still can’t imagine it’s not possible to add some flexibility/options to the midi routing.
Sorry, I think I understood, maybe you didn’t understand me. I’m not saying it’s satisfying. Just saying it’s technically possible with Thru and Out merging.
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It sends what comes in, hence it can send your external keyboard notes to another synth.
I’m really happy with those updates, but I think the actual midi sequencing functionalities are pretty ridiculous! I usually don’t wait for updates from facturers to find midi workarounds.
I already have a ticket for AR, next for A4.
Btw I’m enjoying A4 a lot with my external 88 keys keyboard those days! 
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Midi thru takes whatever data is received at the input and echoes it back out. Midi out only transmits data from that particular machine.
Google says…
MIDI thru port provides a copy of the MIDI signal arriving at a corresponding MIDI in port.
I don’t understand the problem.
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ANALOG KEYS only: OSC1 makes a sound when triggered and set to GND / INL / IN R.
I found this behaviour on firmware 1.35, and and was hoping for a fix with the latest FW release. As I still can reproduce it with FW 1.40, I just wanted to document it somewhere and hope this is the right place.
Elektron’s support has confirmed the behaviour, it seems to be hardware related (“PCB crosstalk”) and is coming from the oscillator, not from the filters or overdrive. It might get fixed with a future firmware update, but there is no date yet. A4 mkI / mkII are not affected.
What’s happening?
If you want to route external audio through the AK’s filters (manual page 72) you need to trigger and open the AMP envelope of the track you want to route your audio through. This results in a rather weak but constant sound coming from OSC 1 of the used track. It seems that OSC 1 is not really off or grounded but gets triggered by the keyboard or the sequencer. And this signal somehow gets to the audio path, together with the external audio. This behaviour is identical for all four audio tracks, but only on OSC1, OSC 2 is not affected.
If you want to reproduce this:
- initialize a new project
- set all 8 OSCs to GND (or IN L or IN R)
- set all 8 OSC LEVs to 0 (or else, this setting has no effect on the behaviour)
- set all AMP VOLs to 127
- MASTER VOLUME to full
- play the keyboard: you will now hear the melody you play. The sound tracks the keyboard perfectly and is velocity sensitive. The effect can be heard better with higher notes.
Or just follow the manual page 72 without any external source connected.
My workaround for now:
OSC2 is not affected, so I route external (mono) audio through there. In addition, I set OSC1’s waveform to TRI with an OSC LEV = 0. At least for me, this works sufficiently. I believe the “softer” waveform makes it less noticeable.
I found this really illogical as well. On the lookout for Keys now. I assume the keyboard there functions like one would expect, just like the mini keys on the A4 do.
Yes, like the A4 mini keys do, you’ll be fine ( I imagine) - I don’t see this as expecting MIDI workarounds or so on, I see it as failing to see through the full extension of the Auto Channel idea. Perhaps there are limits to what you can expect that won’t take time to deliver, but it is a gap in functionality which one would reasonably not anticipate