Cracking the code on the a4 sequencer

i’m struggling to become efficient with the note aspect of the sequencer in the analog 4. it’s quite tedious and making writing difficult.

especially because i could accomplish in no time in ableton what i want to do. but i recognize the value of learning the elektron workflow.

yes, i’ve read the manual, but i don’t learn well that way. i prefer and excel observing and seeing things in practice.

i’m wondering if anyone is aware of any tutorial videos that could help me get my head around things like:
[ul]
[li]note length, what do those numbers mean?[/li]
[li]understanding in practice the implications of the polyphony[/li]
[li]dealing with phrases and arrangements[/li]
[li]things i don’t know that i need to know[/li]
[li]truncating phrases; lets say i have a 4 bar phrase and i want to transition to the next phrase before it’s over, say at bar 2, how do i do that?[/li]
[li]i’m really noting the lack of tutorial videos which would be tremendously helpful. [/li]
[/ul]

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for example, i can draw and implement this melody in 2 seconds on ableton w/ note lengths precisely correct on beginnings and endings. i can program in the note starts but how would i set each note to last correctly? ‘drawing’ (not playing) this in?

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w/ the LFO length is each value a step? the manual says:

For LFO1 to be synced to straight beats, try settings of 16, 32 or 64.

(which is a horrible explanation IMO, at least for coming to the device with a design in mind).

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dream land for me is still sending midi notes via external sequencing and simply using trigless trigs to do parameter locks. but … as seen in this thread, no known way to do this as of now… Sequencing a4 notes externally (but plocks internally)

Note Length is in midi ticks. 1 is 1/16th. 4 is 1/4 … 3 is 3 trigs 16 is 16 trigs (1bar). This is the case with most stuff in the A4 (numbers relating to midi ticks)

Implications of poly: Not sure what you want to know. You have 4 voices total and you can choose which tracks voice you want to be used via poly.

Phrases and Arrangement: Again, this is vague. The way each person deals with this stuff in regards to elektron, is a very personal thing. Some workflows work for some some for others. You really need to solve this on your own using the methods that work for you.

Things you need to know: A lot… give it time.

Truncating patterns: you can switch the pattern modes (direct change) by hitting Function+BankGroup. You can have it run the full pattern length, switch instantly and start at first trig of next pattern, or switch instantly and have it switch to the current active step in the next pattern. very fun.

Tutorial videos: there is an entire thread about this. They are coming, but there are already a few good ones out there. http://www.elektronauts.com/t/official-a4-tutorial-videos/957/32897 - Check here

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Ableton image: Note length of 8, 4, 2, and 2 respectively. You could also live record and play the notes in the proper lengths and then edit them via plocks after.

LFO: This is still weird for me but there has been much discussion on the forum. The lfo is also in midi ticks but the values are different because its bipolar data. i believe. This will take time to understand especially in relationship to the Multiplier and the LFO Trig type (free, trig, hold, etc)

Some lfo threads: http://www.elektronauts.com/t/why-are-lfo-speeds-and-depths-both-bi-polar/2855/21977

http://www.elektronauts.com/t/un-free-lfos/343/1350

http://www.elektronauts.com/t/lfo-rates-how-random-is-random/1124/6747

we will probably never see midi sequencing for the a4.

Hope this helps. If it doesnt, read the manual. heh

super helpful. thx! thats why these forums are great!