How hard would it be for elektron to add a song mode?

[Umbromaniii]

hi, ive owned quite a few elektron boxes over the years but now i just have the analog four mk ii because it’s quite useful as a midi sequencer, din sync, and song mode. is it possible that elektron can add song mode to the digitone? i had a digitone before but sold it because the song mode feature was lacking. i love the sound of it and the intuitiveness of the 4 bar sequencer but i prefer to sequence my tracks and arrange them rather then loop thing live. if the digitone had an analog four type track song mode it would be a much better product, i would definitely buy one again. someone on facebook told me that a guy called Ess decided it was a better product without song mode. for my music i definitely want song mode as an option. even the soundcloud demos of the digitone are mostly 1 and a half minutes long because it’s not simple to make a song on it. i respect the designers for making a great sounding product and easy to use interface, i wont bang on any more, but please consider a decent song mode on the 4 bar loop machines.

Elektron Digitone (full album)

here’s an album i made with the digitone, i tried my best without song mode. thanks.

[PekeDorty]

If you want the best song mode ever, get an Octatrack and you have one that works for both machines.

[brisket]

Unlikely to happen.
-not having song mode was a deliberate design choice, they could have added it if they wanted;
-adding a song mode to the existing UI would be clunky and ugly and not fun, there aren’t a lot of spare buttons in the interface.

Sequence from the A4?

[Soarer]

I know it would be handy but I wouldn’t use it even if it had one. In one pattern you can sequence so much and everything runs automatically. What is the performer going to do? I think electronic musicians are often too lazy and need to get their fingers working Not much fun to watch someone performing and just pressing play. Switching patterns is so easy and can be done in advance. Even in a studio recording session. Just my experience of course.

[Ryan]

If you use Ableton theres a M4L devices that allows you to trigger certain patterns via clip titles

Elektron Pattern Clips! Now with Arrangement Mode!

[24 PM] Elektron Pattern Clips beta 0.5.2 beta means it’s probably got some bugs but it works pretty well as far as I can tell. Purpose: Make patterns change on Elektron boxes at the correct time when sending program change messages (program change mode) or notes for pattern changes (Overbridge Mode) in both Session and Arrangement modes in Ableton Live. Simplify the way the user tells the Elektron box to change to which specific pattern at what time. Works with: Analog Rytm MKI …

[Tchu]

You can use the Song mode of the A4 for the DN if you set your Program Change appropriately.

[generalkustard]

[Tchu]

Do I see a scratch on the screen?

[Umbromaniii]

ok. i dont want to troll the board, just wanted to reach elektron with my opinion. if they did add song mode, they could always add it in the menu to turn it off and on so it doesnt interfere with people who dont want song mode getting in the way. i see some people dont really want song mode. i dont use ableton and my analog four is sequencing my analogue kit.

im not a programmer but i have tried c programming before, i wonder how long it would take a skilled person to add a song mode? probably a day to a week right? i know there’s a pattern chain mode already there, so how much more difficult is it to add a saveable song mode?

[plragde]

They have song mode on the Digitones at Elektron HQ. As they use it on their lunch breaks, they chuckle to themselves contentedly.

[Fin25]

@Umbromaniii

so how much more difficult is it to add a saveable song mode?

Probably a piece of piss. Which of course means that they’ve clearly got no intention of doing it.

[Octagonist]

Knowing the effort involved doesn’t help us. It doesn’t matter if it’s easy or hard to do. What matters is whether Elektron decide they want that on their product. Does it fit the vision? Will it be more itself if it had such a mode?

You can also get cynical. Will Song Mode change how well the device sells? Will the lack of Song Mode inspire people to buy a second (or third) Elektron?

[Kraus]

@Umbromaniii

just wanted to reach elektron with my opinion

Elektron may or may not notice your comments here. If you want to talk to them you should submit a feature request via the Elektron website.

@Umbromaniii

my analog four is sequencing my analogue kit

You can sync patterns on the Analog Four and Digitone via MIDI, which gives you access to the Analog Four’s song mode. This is exactly the setup I have, and it works well.

[PekeDorty]

it clearly is a marketing decision to sell more of other gear since OT (and MNM / MD?) has the most sophisticated song mode. All other Elektron devices are dumbed down in that term – and the “cheaper” devices even without one.

So chances there will ever be one …is zero.

[cogsy]

The far bigger pain than lack of song mode is the lack of kits. Without the ability to maintain a persistent sound across patterns, you wind up painting yourself in a corner in terms of how to perform a song. If I change the LFO on one pattern, it would be nice for that setting to persist across the next pattern when I change to there

[PekeDorty]

@cogsy

The far bigger pain then lack of song mode is the lack of kits.

nah… I like the Digis way more because they are like that. It’s a design decision that has its adavantages. After 2 years OT I still forget that I mess up other patterns when changing something (not kits …but because of the parts obviously).

[generalkustard]

Probably an eyebrow hair or an eyelash but my DT has seen much worse already… The unspeakable horror

[RabidMusic]

Roland has taken the same stance on some of their devices and it pisses me off. They want their instruments to be “played”. Well, sometimes I want the foundation to be automated while I play over top.

[DaveMech]

@Umbromaniii

on the 4 bar loop machines.

There are numerous ways to create something that is way beyond a four bar loop. So to call these ‘4 bar loop machines’ tells me you’re not utilizing everything.

For starters set scale mode to per track mode and use ch.len to set specific lengths for each pattern. Then chain the patterns to play your arrangement automatically. This, in combination with different track lengths, scales per track, and conditional locks means you can get way beyond loopiness.

I get the wish for song mode when people play the guitar while using DT or DN for example. Other than that… Twist those knobs live to make transitions and utilize the tools at hand.

[Doug]

Yeah, I think between conditional trigs and pattern chains you don’t really need a song mode. I’ve done two projects on my Digitakt that are basically short albums that run off of one pattern chain. My stuff is just pretty straightforward hip-hop beats but still. I think there’s more than enough there to work with. You might have to think through some numbers and stack a trig or two but it’s doable. I’ve done it.

That said, it would be nice to be able to save pattern chains. I’m not sure where it would fit in the UI or even how much I would wind up using it. But I would like the option. And having never used any of the Elektron machines with a song mode I’m pretty agnostic about whether or not I’d want one on my Digitakt.