Hey guys, just wondering which way round to have as master clock?
My head says Octatrack, but BPM is stored in the pattern on A4 right? This would make things easier for me as id need to use arranger on octatrack to change BPM, which i find fiddly in a live situation.
Is there any upsides/downsides to either?
Cheers
I don’t think bpm is stored with the pattern.
Percussion should be master.
The OT likes to be master if using pickup machines to avoid the dreadful “dub aborted” message when overdubbing. A4 just has global tempo not per pattern. OT master would be good to use the arranger to control A4 bpm…
Usually I use OT as master. However, when I want to integrate Ableton, I sync the A4 via OB and use the OT as slave to the A4
Thanks for the replies guys, OT the master it is.
However I’m a little confused, as quoted from the manual…
“PATTERN
For each of the 8 banks 16 patterns are available, meaning 128 patterns are always available. A pattern consists of sequencer data like trigs, parameter locks and individual track lengths and time signatures for the synth tracks and the FX and CV tracks. They also contain the BPM setting as well as ARP and NOTE page settings. Read more in section “THE SEQUENCER” on page 28.”
It clearly states here that BPM settings are stored within the pattern?
Makes it tough if you produce music with no percussion 
I think it just feels right to some people, as tempo lines up with beats, feels right to manage tempo on your primary drum source. I follow this logic also but there is no hard and fast rule. Each box is well suited to be master, but also depends on how you hang your controllers off the system too.
Octatrack is the choice!
so you’re saying that all music contains percussion?!
PATTERN
For each of the 8 banks 16 patterns are available, which means 128 patterns are always available. A pattern
consists of sequencer data like trigs, parameter locks, time signature and individual track length for the synth
tracks and the FX and CV tracks, as well as ARP and NOTE page settings. Read more in section “THE
SEQUENCER” on page 29.
You seem to reading an older version of the manual. In the latest manual available on the support section of elektron website. It is not mentioned the same way.
i downloaded it yesterday from Elektron site
?
I don’t get that comment, sorry
One other way is to have your analog keys as Master and primary keyboard, driving everything through your octatrack. This seems to work well with OT - Keys setup. Again, it depends on what you are trying to achieve with your setup. I use analog keys for drums a lot too so…
Then why is your text different to the one I just posted from the website just now? Yours refers to page 28, mine 29.
i apologise i seem to have downloaded a rogue copy! Weird
guess il have to use arranger for BPM changes then
Maybe they secretly updated it overnight due to pending update release tomorrow?
Haha
just looked again, its 1.1 manual. any way of downgrading firmware to 1.1? lol
I think it might have just been a typo. A4 tempo is always controlled by the master tempo as far as i know.
TEMPO
Pattern tempo is global and will affect all patterns. Pattern tempo is set in the TEMPO menu. Press
[TEMPO]to open it.
No I just said it makes if hard if you are making music with no percussion. It was just a slight joke. my terrible sense of humour.
In a midi chain there will be time lag from the top machine to the next. So I like beats near the front to be as on-the-one as possible.