Hi… I just bought a Machinedrum for studio creation and experimentation but I feel that the Macro controls for realtime variations (like scenes, fills) is too dated. Im thinking to buy another option. The most obvious weapon for performance is the OT crossfader (or AR Pads Scenes), but I´d like to know the performance differences of each elektron box. My MD has Control All function but I dont know any other performance macro function on it.
Syntankt or Digitakt can make Scenes transitions like the OT or AR?? Whats the option for making this macro controls on theses machines? (they all have “fills” and “CRTL ALL” buttons right??)
There’s some excellent tips on ST and DN macros, mainly by @alechko, in this thread:
These are buried within sub menus, so you best use an external controller or another digi to control them. If you do that, they’re close to the analog‘s performance modes.
Only the digis have “control all”, which doesn’t have a dedicated button, but you can quickly hold down one button that applies tweaks you make to one parameter of one track to the same parameter of all tracks. You should quick save the pattern before doing this and can then quick reload it afterwards.
A4 and OT don’t have this, but you can set performance macros where you can tell several tracks (including FX tracks) which parameters should be changed and to what extent. On MK II models, you have an additional quick performance knob that you can route single, several or all macros to this knob. AR also has scenes, which jump to 100% of a macro and revert back to 0%. These macros can give you comparable results to ctrl all, but they require a different mindset. You need to set these up manually step by step, which takes time and requires you to think ahead, then execute. Ctrl all is more about quick fun and exploration of chaos to see if something sticks, but hard to be precise and replicate. That’s why macros for aftertouch etc. (see link above) are better suited for this planned approch on the digis.
There’s also the fill conditions that you’ve already mentioned. Digis and analogs have them, but on the analogs, you get a dedicated button for them and can even cue them.
By pressing the [FUNCTION] key and turning one of the DATA ENTRY knobs, the actual
parameter will be changed for every track. This is a quick way to make patterns sound dramatically different. Note that the values of the manipulated parameters may not be restored when you turn them back the same amount of steps you first changed them. If track 1 has a FLTW setting of 0 and track 2 has a FLTW setting of 127 and you change the FLTW parameter 10 steps clockwise using [FUNCTION] + DATA ENTRY knob, track 1 will display a FLTW value of 10 while track 2 still will have a value of 127.
You also have this :
CONTROL ALL “CTR-AL”
This machine simultaneously controls the chosen parameter or parameters for all 16 tracks. Manipulating one parameter on the CTR-AL machine will affect the corresponding parameter on all 16 tracks.
Note that CTRL-AL does not affect the MIDI machines or the SYNTHESIS page of RAM RECORD machines. The functionality of this machine is similar to the [FUNCTION] + DATA ENTRY knobs operation described on page 37 . The major difference is that using this machine, you can set trigs.
And this Machine :
CONTROL 8 PARAMETERS “CTR-8P”
This Control machine is used for grouping together the parameters you manipulate the most into a single window. The parameters can belong to different tracks. This can be convenient in a live situation, allowing less pressing of buttons to reach the desired parameters. One CTR-8P machine can contain 8 of these track and parameter short cuts. The CTR-8P can also function as a sort of “trigless trig” since it can manipulate parameters without trigging the corresponding drum sound.
Yeah, I meant from the modern Elektrons, only the digis have control all, since he asked about them. Could be confusing though, so good you’ve clarified that!
AR and A4 also give you quick access to reload a track/pattern/kit, which is also a bit of a performance element in itself.
