How do you use conditional triggers?

Elektron Gear
#1

Friends,

How do you use conditional triggers?

After having played with them for a few weeks, I found that the random aspect of them - as in sometimes something is triggered, sometimes it is not - didn’t add much to the quality of my music. It just wasn’t all that interesting.

However, once I dived into the conditionals as ways to create patterns that go way beyond the 64 step limit, and get a 4-bar thing to sound like a 16-bar thing, and then use the conditionals to create bridges, transitions or interludes, I sort of found my groove with them. So for now, I tend to use the conditional triggers to extend the idea of a pattern but still keep it fairly structured, where for example an exact repeating 4-bar loop would be all too dull, then a 16-bar version of the same has enough variation in it to make it organic instead.

But that’s just me. How do you use conditional triggers and did you drop into any pitfall, before you found your way with them?

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Using NEI trig conditions
#2

i use them to add little ghost notes and a random extra hits in drum patterns to ‘humanize’ them a little.

i also use them to make pattens seem much much longer but i like adding little random elements to say change filter or add some effects or set the lfo. just adds some variations and can be quite fun to see what comes out especially if you leave it running for a while

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#3

I like the idea of a constantly, organic pattern that seems to change all the time, without going too far off track. I tried to use the conditionals to such effect, but it just got weird. But like this endless soundscape that’s never the same, but always similar. I remember back in the days, Jean-Michel Jarre had this as an idea when he made Waiting for Cousteau. Obviously, at some point, the track has to end. But that’s why he made it so long as he did, to create an idea of something that constantly changes but always remains conceptually familiar.

I like that idea.

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#4

yeah its very easy with the conditional trigs to just whack them in and then over saturate the pattern with them and it just gets a bit random and un-musical

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#5

Adding variation at the beginning (1/2 or 1/4) or end (2/2, 4/4 etc.) is a great way to extend the length and add a bit of interest.

I’m really interested in how you can get off kilter (Euclidean evolutions ?) with them. So adding a 1/5 here and there.

Works nicely if you start messing with the pattern length (per track) -…

Going back to my OT - damn I want them there ! (I use custom LFOs on Amp Vol, but still…)

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#6

More or less the same as you @andreasroman I don’t find % chance much use most of the time, the x/x and fill modes though are much more use for me. I suppose it boils down to what type of music we are making, for sparser or more ambient stuff I will probably find more use for the % stuff though.

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#7

Yep, to each his own. I can imagine interesting approaches to the % stuff, if you go really slow on the BPM and trigger stuff like drones and wider chords and stuff, that tend to linger. I usually stay in the 129-134BPM realm though, and I like my structure like I want my coffee - no nonsense, straight up, served without hassle and preferably before breakfast.

I don’t think that made much sense. But hey, at least I tried.

#8

I see conditional trig as Spices… A gentle touch like throw a bit of coconut powder on a chocolate cake.

4 Likes
#9

Are conditional trigs used only for randomising notes/steps or is there any ability to randomise fx/filter and other parameters?

#10

You can put a conditional trig on any trigger, including the trigless ones. For the Digitakt, I used the bit rate distortion as trigless locks for the in-between beats in a kick drum track, essentially creating a crispy hi hat that launched between the kicks. I put these on the Fill conditional, so at first, there’s just the kick - then as I activate Fill, there’s the kick and the bit rate hi-hat as well.

One of my finer moments, if I may say so :slight_smile:

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#11

What would be good would be to be conditional trig on a certain parameter within a p-lock. This can be done using a MIDI track routed to an audio track I guess.

But I use the % condition trigs on ghost notes and the others for more considered arrangement decisions like others have said.

1 Like
#12

Running against the grain since way back, I pretty much only use the percentages, the idea of pre-planning is complete anathema to me, so I’ve never run a Fill in my whole time with TRCs, I do get it, but it’s blank patterns every time with some aleatoric sauce to keep it shifting

[ just in case Elektron are listening and have ideas to tinker the % of %s :wink: ]

3 Likes
#13

me too

#14

So many ways to use them, that’s what I love.

I did a track with a syncopated A4 synth stab that played one pitch for 4 bars, then another for 4 bars.
Instead of using two patterns and chaining, I used conditional trigs next to one another and microtime nudged the steps on the right - nudged to the left.
Modulus Conditions were used so that the left most trigs of the pair played for first four bars (1:2) , then only the other trigs played the last four bars (2:2)

It’s what the A4 is doing here. The sound in question begins to come in around 1:12

Sure, chain mode would have been quicker to setup, but I value every one of the 128 patterns I have in a project (for live prep purposes), and so conditional trigs let’s me take a single pattern farther which takes my whole live project farther.

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#15

I’m really curious to know how one excactly do this, is it possible to have a loop on one track that is 8 bars long and by using the conditional trig bypass the 4 bar limit on the digitakt?

Man, tell me how I do this! :smiley:

#16

No, but by playing some steps only every 2nd, 3rd, n-th time, it will take longer for the pattern to repeat.

2 Likes
#17

I use 2:2 in almost every pattern for tom fills. I like the FILL mode too, but forget to press the button a lot :grin:

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#18

My favorite thing to use them for since I got my DT is loop stutter/glitching, playing with turning looping on and off and start/length but then using % and/or pre/-pre and nei/-nei for beat juggling and stuttering

#19

I use the conditionals both for extension of the 4 bar limits as well as randomization. The randomization is mostly done when adding ghost notes such as in the snare track - 1-2 triggers per bar, very low volume. This really helps to keep sustained listening.

Another use for conditional locks: I usually have one sample track on my Rytm where all triggers are conditional (such as 2:7 and so forth), playing longer samples - with trigless conditional locks, I add random modulations of the filter. Goes very well with dub techno chords…

K

#20

i’ve used a couple of lfo’s to achieve conditional trigs on machinedrum hihat patterns with some help and advice from elektron users, with enjoyable and simple variation of notes sounding or not