Tidbits I’ve discovered while trying to create the typical sounds I like on AR.
- The filter and the LFO are key to making unique sounds
- LFO can do audio rate modulation on most params on most machines. Except noise. The random LFO shape unfortunately doesn’t go fast enough to sound like proper noise.
- Some machines such as the low, mid and high toms behave non-linearly, seems like the same envelope is used for pitch and amp? Or some kind of feedback?
- Voltage-controlled envelopes can only be changed on the trig, no effect during decay
- Use filter resonance to add percussive body to things
- Fast filter envelope for hardness / wood effect
- Slower filter envelope for more artificial feel
- Amp envelope is more concave than synthesis page decays, which sound linear. Use to make AR sound more like other Elektrons or “digital”
- Think of the pad groups as folders. Even sample-only sounds can be categorized this way.
- Impulse can be shaped into a variety of sounds with the filter
- Using the sample page to add transients can make AR sound like a different synth
- Clap when set at a very high rate can make old school maracas
- Intentionally choke a continuously playing sample, works like a quick mute
- All of the tom machines can make great kicks with deeper bass than the kick machines without the need for filter resonance. (Whether this is good depends on the mix.)
- AR can do cleaner kicks with just single-cycle sinewave sample and the LFO. Lots of digital stuff can be done with samples…