Function + Clear clears all preset patterns/kits instead of one

That was my leading theory, but I thought i’d give it a go to keep the thread sane going forwards :wink:

1 Like

Don’t stress about it @_serge. I was confused by the relation between Kits and Patterns at first as well.

It’s frustrating because you just want to get stuck in to making music - and Kits and Patterns are the first concepts you come across that are not intuitive (not to most of us anyway).

What really helped me was to use @void 's Tabula Rasa project sysex (There is a link to the file at the end of thread - load it to your A4 using the C6 app)

This has empty Kits labelled A01 through H16 in Kit slots 0 -128 used by their respective Pattern.

In other words, you have one Kit per Pattern:

Pattern A01 uses a Kit called A01 saved to Kit slot 001.
Pattern A02 uses a Kit called A02 saved to Kit slot 002… and so on, up to…
Pattern H16 uses a Kit called H16 saved to Kit slot 128.

There are advantages to the way Elektron designed the Kit/Pattern hierarchy that will become apparent as you get to grips with the machine. For now though, you might prefer them to be linked one-to-one.

Don’t be disheartened by the steep learning curve - once you are over the edge, the view is incredible! :ecstatic:

4 Likes

Houston, we have an incoming problem :wink:

It’s working correctly; I think you’re just not quite getting the pattern/kit relationship.

If you create a pattern in slot A01 using kit 65, then load a different kit, pattern A01 will now be associated with the new kit. Loading a different kit doesn’t load a fresh bank of patterns, and similarly, going back to a previously loaded kit won’t restore any patterns. If you want a blank slate with a different kit, switch to a different pattern (say, A02) and then load a new kit (say, 66). Now, when you want to go back to kit 65, re-load pattern A01; kit 65 will load with it. Pattern A01 only exists in one instance (per snapshot/project or whatever the A4 calls it, but that’s for a different thread), and loading a kit will only change the sound settings, not any of the pattern data.

I can see how it’s easy to get confused, especially considering that with Elektron gear, patterns are destructive (ie. there’s no traditional way to “save” a pattern), but it’s laid out this way so that multiple patterns can use one kit, rather than the other way around.

In short: you have 128 kits and 128 patterns to use. Not 128 patterns for every kit. Kits do not store pattern data.

3 Likes

@rikrak Thanks for the tip on that Tabula sysex file! I’m fairly stubborn though, so I’m going to see if I can grasp the Elektron way of doing things, especially if it’ll benefit me down the road. Regardless, I appreciate the link and I’ll check it out later. Thanks for the explanation as well. :thup:

@pselodux Excellent explanation of how things work for kits/patterns. I think I have a grasp on it now and really it’s pretty simple. You kind of have to look at it as one pattern per kit. I think my main confusion with this was how destructive the patterns were, which lead me to think or panic “How in the heck am I going to complete an entire composition/song with patterns erased so easily”. :zonked: Of course, I realize now I was getting way ahead of myself and need to have a little more patience as this does seem to be a pretty deep instrument. I just came from a Phenol (modular) and Beatstep Pro set up where you just patch and make sequences, very simple…of course, that set up is more limited compared to the A4. Anyway, I think once I learn how to link the different kits together to create longer “song” ideas things will become more apparent, as far as the overall workflow. I have the day off and nothing to do so plan to read and experiment around with the A4. Hopefully I’ll make some progress. Thanks everyone. :thup:

1 Like

Only with the special case of Tabula Rasa!

By default, the A4 is set up as Many Patterns per Kit!

:loopy:

2 Likes

I meant to type it feels like one pattern for all the kits, not one pattern per kit, like for the Tabula Rasa :pl:…but I’m going to shutup for now…less internet posts from me and more reading and playing with the A4…lol…

1 Like

You’ll get the hang of it!

Is there anyone in your town with an A4 you can sit down with?
It’s sometimes much easier to learn in person than trying to decipher other people’s texts.

Have you watched any of the Cuckoo Analog Keys tutorials on youtube? They apply to A4 as well, and are helpful.

4 Likes

So far, the most informative YouTube tutorial that I came across has been Elektron’s Workflow: Analog Keys / Four video. I would love one that went further and explain Songs/Chains/Projects…etc…but that video has helped me. Thanks again for the help. :thup:

Love Elektron machines - but it shouldn’t be this hard right?

Sincerely hope Elektron can lose some of the conceptual baggage for the next products.

Threads like this are surely a sign that change should be (at least) considered.

Concept and power/capabilities go hand in hand. It’s really only a learning curve, and once it is overcome, its advantages become clear.

When compared to many other multi-timbral synths, the Kit system is quite elegant.
It makes copies of sounds that exist on the +Drive so that you can edit and abuse them beyond recognition and never lose the integrity of the original sound. The original patches sit safely on the +Drive while your machine’s RAM holds the Kit.

This one feature is the biggest limitation of the Blofeld, and because of Blofeld’s omission of this feature in its own Multimode, great care has to be taken to stay organized so that you aren’t editing patches in the patch memory that are used in other Multis.
This attention to organization takes away from music making.

Synths like the Virus and Nord Lead have non-destructible multi-timbral “kit”-esque systems as well. Even the DSI synths do. But the difference with Elektron is you have a highly effective sequencer that can access those kits and do advanced things like trig mutes, parameter locks, parameter slides, probability, fills, etc.

Powerful multi-timbral organization at the machine level + powerful sequencer will never equal simplicity. The learning curve is the price to be paid for vast capabilities in a single sequencer+synth package.

8 Likes

‘Never’? So we should give up hope then ? :slight_smile:

There’s a history of progress in electronic instrument design that you are of course aware of, so I can’t let that ‘never’ stand, thought I agree it’s a complex job.

And that progress has always been accompanied by more complexity. The relationship between the two generally stays the same. It is a relative relationship.

Mo money, mo problems, and all that.

2 Likes

Got the weekend off and some time to play around with A4 again, so going to bother you guys again with a question. :ecstatic: I have a question, I have created Sounds for each track, creating a Kit called Kit 65 under Bank A01 (Bank A + Pattern 01). I’ve also developed patterns for each Track (trigs, locks, etc).

Now I want to save the Patterns in Banks, what is the best way to do this?

Once I do this, then I can use the Patterns to build Chains and hopefully develop into a Song…or, am I "way off again? :yum:

I’m afraid you’ve already overlooked what has been explained to you
If you want to get on top of this it’s time to buy into the lingo
I think you need to refresh on pattern / bank and then think about the pattern/kit relationship

But yes, it’s very easy to create chains of patterns, especially within a bank, but chains and songs can use patterns from any bank - you can even copy patterns on the fly and combine these into a chain

Keep I mind that a pattern retains a link to a kit reference (until pattern is cleared) if the kit changes or moves the pattern will be changed implicitly

Patterns are automatically saved at their current locations. For example, pattern A01 is automatically saved at location 01 in bank A. If you want to copy and paste that pattern to another location, use the copy and paste instructions as described in the manual.

Yes.

1 Like

Nice, now I have created patterns A01 and A02 and they sound very different (but compliment) each other! :fireworks: It will make a nice practice song while I figure out how to transition from A01 to A02 via Song or Chains.

1 Like

Yes! You’re getting there.

Or by manually switching experimenting with the different change modes (Sequential, Direct Start or Direct Jump). The sequencer can/should be played! :content:

1 Like

I know, I feel like it took me a little to long to understand it :ecstatic: but I’m getting there…still having issues with Chains even though I’m doing what the manual says…I’ll get there though…

edit: Ah! Under Master I had set CHNG to INF (Function + Page) and that was my issue…I set it back to Normal and there’s my Chain! :fireworks: I’m glad I didn’t sell or trade this as I hated last week lol…I’m digging the A4 now. :3lektron:

… good tip on manually switching patterns

1 Like

Hi
Im brand new to these machines and I was just wondering how to get back the original pattern of a preset i really liked.
I accidentally cleared it and i really wished i hadn’t.
Thanks for any help :slight_smile: