Brand new Owner : any MUST DO things I should do first?

dude163 · 2014-02-20T20:17:56.000Z

Hi all
I received an A4 in a trade and despite me not really knowing what Im doing, it sounds fantastic and is way deeper than I expected , I was expecting an analogue MC303 and instead its like a modular synth in a tiny box!

Is there anything I should do before i continue? It has the latest OS1.1d ( ?) update , and also the free soundpacks from Elektron.

Anything else I should do?

Thanks BTW

D163

Syn303 · 2014-02-20T20:25:40.000Z

""dude163"":

Anything else I should do?

Thanks BTW

D163

Just use it, play it and enjoy

DeckardTrinity · 2014-02-20T20:44:02.000Z

Expecting an MC303… but got far more than that! Wow, I can’t even remember how long ago it was since I got rid of mine…

You’ve got four tracks on the A4… load two of them up with a bass line & drum track, take a third with a nice lead, lay down a pattern, and then tweak… add in a fourth drum / effect / etc… then start feeding in some fx, p-locks, copy to a new pattern and tweak some more, swap out sounds via p-locks, hit up the performance mode for more tweaking…

etc…

oh and don’t forget to sleep once in a while.

Enjoy!!

TrabanT · 2014-02-20T21:37:04.000Z

what to do?

here are my 2ct

keep reading posts, and past posts in the forum … dont get frustrated, keep doing tracks for few hours a day, read the manual back and forth, dont get frustrated,

install the additional sound packs from the elektron website,

dont get frustrated when discovering +drive not equals pool

and so on

Ihatederekreed · 2014-02-20T21:57:54.000Z

Sit down on the couch with the a4 in your lap and the manual open and ready. Read the manual and physically do the button combos as you come across them in the book. Muscle memory is key with elektrons, as much as any other instrument. Pay attention to kit/sound/pattern relationships and pay more attention to saving and loading practices.

Don’t get upset when you accidentally delete awesome stuff.

billywood · 2014-02-20T23:49:31.000Z

A slightly boring tip, but a significant one - if you are making new patches, keep the volumes low. The filters sound extra-classy if you don’t drive them too hard. Also, it’s good to save some headroom for percussive sounds if you plan to make those with the A4 too.

FreeFall · 2014-02-21T00:12:34.000Z

Read the manual. Elektron machines are chuck full of unseen features that you will never discover unless you read about them first.

phesago · 2014-02-21T00:21:54.000Z

my advice is dont sell it.

youll get bored with it, like everything else, from time to time.

Unlike the rest, the options with this thing dont show anywhere else.

Learn how to do different sounds. From bells to pads. You’ll recognize more potential that way(in all synths, especially the a4).

Finally, and my most important piece of advice, is DO NOT focus on sound design too much. You’ll get pissed that your perfect patch doesnt fit in the mix. This will make sense more and more as you go further into your music. Simply put : a perfect sound is best heard in silence while an ensemble is best heard in all its parts. Dont miss the forest for the trees yo

dude163 · 2014-02-21T04:28:21.000Z

Thanks all

I took it to my pals house for our weekly jam session and it was utterly fantastic!

really easy to use and sounds awesome.

If we got anything usable, Ill let you all know!

Thanks again

dimi3 · 2014-02-21T06:30:17.000Z

playing with it helps. a recommend play with one thing at a time. The free-for-all jamming does end up where you don’t know how you get there. I love jamming all over but it was not until I focused on one part then the other that is when I learned.

dimi3 · 2014-02-21T06:32:05.000Z

one great way to get better at a synth is find a song you want to copy. and make it.

dude163 · 2014-02-21T15:48:29.000Z

Hmm my secret garden by DM sounds doable

iceritchie · 2014-02-22T00:03:31.000Z

Yes, get the Analog Four Cookbook. Sorry…unadulterated plug

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-analog-four-cookbook/id805893430?mt=11

Steevyhead · 2014-02-22T00:10:55.000Z

welcome to the club.

There are a lot of subtractive synthesis vids that will help you… also the MNM and MD videos will help you with the workflow. Read through the manuals, (even through they are not the easiest reads…flip through them with the A4 in front of you and just go crazy. Listen to what all the waveforms sound like… then bring in the second OSC, and blend them… make a pattern with the sequencer and tweak the heck out of it just to get a feel for the knobs…

now youre on your way

sicijk · 2014-02-22T07:37:30.000Z

Yeah…great machine!

A4 is a full-of-timbres

-so-

• Practice a lot with small variations…especially with what billiwood suggested about OSCs levels, prior to Filter section >> the Overdrive behaves a lot differently in regards of fed signal.

• Get rid of LFOs Depth amount. After the first two days of use, i then discovered that a b[/b] means a real no-modulation.
Otherwise, even the smallest amount (displayed by a 0) has some effect on the sound.

To actually put an LFO to b[/b] do this combo: FUNCT+DEP turning the knob in the direction of the 12 o’clock

dude163 · 2014-02-22T17:31:02.000Z

Thanks!

Steevyhead · 2014-02-22T17:41:53.000Z

well everything took what I was going to post…

but WELCOME to the elektron family.

The thing that I will absolutely second, is learn how to make sounds with it.
Strings, horns, snares, kicks,anything and everything.

The sound on sound series is great http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm

but can be a little hard to follow.

Just downloading all of the elektron soundpacks, and learning how those patches were
made can be just as helpful.

Have fun, and be prepared for some serious G.A.S.

dude163 · 2014-02-22T20:25:25.000Z

Hi

Im not new to synthesis, just the A4, I have a nord g1 which I thought was the best thing evar! til I got a waldorf MW2 XT from a mod here ( derekreed) and I thought that was… The best thing EVAR! Then I acquired the A4 by a fluke , traded for a MI AMbika . Now of course, the A4 is… BEST THING EVAR!

Saying all that, the sound on sound resources are excellent, thanks

Area303 · 2014-02-23T07:14:46.000Z

""dude163"":

Hi all
I received an A4 in a trade and despite me not really knowing what Im doing, it sounds fantastic and is way deeper than I expected , I was expecting an analogue MC303 and instead its like a modular synth in a tiny box!

Is there anything I should do before i continue? It has the latest OS1.1d ( ?) update , and also the free soundpacks from Elektron.

Anything else I should do?

Thanks BTW

D163

MC-303??

Think of it as 4 MC-202s on steroids in one box

As you already found out, it’s a killer synth. Just keep playing with it and you’ll grow to love it. It’s one of the most useful synths i’ve ever owned.

namnibor · 2014-02-23T08:59:09.000Z

Recommend a healthy dose of patience with yourself and good luck trying to sleep. I found myself dreaming about the Analog Four (still do) and getting-up in middle of morning hours and placing headphones on…there’s something organic and alive within the instrument that can be somewhat maddening. Your other instruments will get jealous and angry from neglect…so will significant other.

Don’t forget to eat or feed the pet and significant other. Pizza deliveries slid under door. Tip your delivery person. Sleep? HAHAHAHA!