The A4 is an analog synth. There are volumes of information online based on 45 years of synth programming knowledge. All the rules apply to the A4…
Read these.
The A4 is an analog synth. There are volumes of information online based on 45 years of synth programming knowledge. All the rules apply to the A4…
Read these.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm[/quote]
I do not think you are getting it that it’s not about synthesis…to people brand new to Elektron’s way of sequencing, this can come across quite dismissive if not condescending.
Give me more of what I want not what I need. 
The A4 is an analog synth. There are volumes of information online based on 45 years of synth programming knowledge. All the rules apply to the A4…
Read these.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm[/quote]
The post was asking for better, more informative videos about programming patches from scratch.
This request has 100% nothing to do with the sequencer and everything to do with the general topic of programming analog synths. I wasn’t being condescending. I was pointed towards the very same link 4-5 years ago and it was extremely helpful.
As for my pervious post, I’m just trying to be helpful in light of the fact you almost certainly aren’t getting an in-depth basic introduction to the Elektron sequencer video for the 4th machine they’ve produced with it.
The sequencer is “different” only in that you press and hold recorded trigs and can change synth/midi parameters per-step very simply and easily. Otherwise it’s a step sequencer (that can run at different pattern lengths per track) and is very simple and intuitive after some hours of trial and error. The Analog 4 has the added benefit of having a little keyboard for transposing, playing into sequencer (Press FUNC+Record to trigger live recording), or simply for selecting the next note in your sequence (the last note you play will be the note for all the trigs you press until you play another note or manually change it in the menu). Just go do what everyone else here did when they got their first Elektron box go have fun and learn as you go.
There’s no reason to feel insecure and fly off the handle when someone tries to give you legitimately helpful advice. If you want to program patches, read the SOS articles and watch the hundreds of YouTube vids available on the topic. If you want to learn the Elektron sequencer, go play with it with the manual nearby and you’ll have it down very soon.
You’ll find everyone here is very eager to be helpful- so drop the defensiveness.
EDIT: I noticed my first post wasn’t even in response to you. Your concern is with song mode. When someone says “new to Elektron” and wants to know about the sequencer- they aren’t asking about song mode. So I’m not sure how my response to someone else’s question got you so upset. Calm down.
The A4 is an analog synth. There are volumes of information online based on 45 years of synth programming knowledge. All the rules apply to the A4…
Read these.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm[/quote]
Maybe I could have been clearer. (I am aware of the synthesis side of things.)
How you apply the patch creation in the Elektron eniviroment. was what i was hinting at. Ie how to get up and running quicker.
I prefer videos/visual learning but thankyou for your link to the article on synthesis.
The A4 is an analog synth. There are volumes of information online based on 45 years of synth programming knowledge. All the rules apply to the A4…
Read these.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm[/quote]
Maybe I could have been clearer. (I am aware of the synthesis side of things.)
How you apply the patch creation in the Elektron eniviroment. was what i was hinting at. Ie how to get up and running quicker.
I prefer videos/visual learning but thankyou for your link to the article on synthesis.
[/quote]
Everyone needs to read those! Trust me, you’ll thank me. It’s “everything I didn’t understand about synths but pretended I did for years!” in a brillant series of short articles. It teaches you how to get the sounds you want without as much trial and error- even pros will benefit.
I think the other guy was having a bad day is all. =)
Yes, yes, yes. Dataline please explain this witchcraft to us!
Everyone does seem to be helpful here, you only need to look at the Waldorf forum to see how it can be soured by unhelpful moaning, however, I take issue with RyanElektric’s comment … “If you want to learn the Elektron sequencer, go play with it with the manual nearby and you’ll have it down very soon” … this is just not the case, you can do a lot with trial and error and the somewhat succinct manual, but there are plenty of usability tips (even necessities) which are simply not documented or clear … the flying handbags about semantics earlier in this topic reflects that there are (frustrated) users at different speeds, i’m a newbie here, the manual is frustrating wrt the Elektron specific stuff - i’m really not having a go : ) well, except maybe at Elektron -besides, i’m with you in general on learning from first principals and empirically and not asking questions too quickly - but this forum is invaluable to us newbies who need a bit of hand-holding for a while … looks like it was crossed-wires above ! if you’ve already got the sequencer/chains song mode down maybe you could post a video or links to the MD ones which helped you ; - ] - i also agree with the others posting about how tricky it is to follow my ex edinburgh chum dataline’s ninja videos, he helped enormously when we had a one-to-one at an elektron clinic recently, so much so i bought it there and then, the unfortunate truth is that tutorial videos will never speak to everybody equally and will certainly take a motherload of time to compile to offer something to everyone - this is a good forum, it’d be awesome if there was an A4 wiki/tips page that could act as a live official/user complement to the manual
From RyanElektric above: “The Analog 4 has the added benefit of having a little keyboard for transposing, playing into sequencer (Press FUNC+Record to trigger live recording), or simply for selecting the next note in your sequence (the last note you play will be the note for all the trigs you press until you play another note or manually change it in the menu).”
I’ve read the manual numerous times and this tip about last note played is really handy to know for step pattern building, not sure i saw that in the manual. However realtime mode is achieved by Record(hold)+ (then)Play surely, or have i missed another trick ?! I find the realtime switch-to a wee bit fiddly, it’s tempting to hit rec/play together and accidentally hit play early !
Most of the people on this forum still dream of one day attaining Dataline’s workflow skills- for some (like me), I know it will never happen. My OT skills are just now at a point where I feel like I am proficient doing just about everything (except for looping my bass or guitar with a midi footpedal- simply spend too much time with my electronic HW…). Song mode on the A4 is something I haven’t even sat down to figure out yet- too many other pieces of gear with too many features that need practice.
You might take exception to my comment, but it stands. The only way you’re going to really learn (aside from a few Ah-ha! moments you’ll have watching videos), is just loading up a song or a project and starting from scratch and seeing what you come up with. I must have read 10 different forum posts 8 times each and watched 5 different videos repeatedly about loo[p recording and internal re sampling on the OT. Took me months until I felt like I wasn’t simply getting a recording by sheer luck. The pattern memory needed to use an Elektron Box proficiently is staggering. But they reward your slow progression each time you sit down to use them.
Early on- it can be incredibly frustrating (which, for me in the past, left many a rack synth collecting dust before being sold) but I promise it will never roadblock you- you will always be able to put together a decent track that will keep improving over time.
But a tutorial video for the basics probably isn’t coming from the guys at Elektron- they don’t do much hand holding for newcomers, and I think the initial trial by fire ends up being so rewarding that it adds to the value over time.
Yes, I’m packing up my apartment and moving and I’ve pretty much been awake for 2 days straight! I apologize. Yes the last note played feature is essential for programming your sequences exactly how you want. Not sure how I internalized that information, but I remember it seeming so obvious and kicking myself when I realized it.
I think the most common solution to knowledge gaps in the beginning is to just come in here and ask the people on these forums- like I did and like the people answering my questions did before me.
@RyanElektric - you’re absolutely right about learning, it should take time to master if it’s a very capable and flexible instrument, but as I found on another thread there was an essential tip that is seemingly not documented which is crucial to my anticipated workflow and i shouldn’t have to second guess what the s/w designers may have implemented in order to find a way ahead - thankfully @void replied with a (seemingly typically) terrific reply which detailed exactly what to do in a newbie friendly way - [ if i’d only read what the elektron ninja had said i’d still be frustrated ; - ] - the devil is in the detail, the manual is not full of that - i am purposely contributing to this forum about things which i may wish to recall later that i may have forgotten, an aide mémoire if you like - but mastering the functionality/workflow and working it out are two different things, the manual should provide enough to help you work it out
I’m really not finding anything as far as videos that outline p-locks, trigless trigs, trig mutes, note slides, parameter slides, etc. on any of the elektron machines. does anyone have any they recommend?
As far as tips and tricks for the basic functions that lead into advanced ones: I couldn’t find much help online for when I first got Elektron gear. Most stuff I learned by pressing lots of buttons and Func+Button and Func+button+button combos. The rest was learned over on Elektron-Users.com. Your best bet is to ask how to do advanced things, and in having that explained to you,a other important functions that are not very apparent at first will come-up as the way to get you to where you want to go. So don’t be afraid to ask broad questions to fish for detailed responses. “has anyone been able to accomplish X desired outcome with the A4? I tried doing Y and Z, but I can’t figure it out”
As far as modding analog synths, the SOS articles are a place I still go to check on to this day. If someone asked about modulation routing on the Dave Smith forums or at my local music shop, I’d point them in the same direction. The most difficult part of any synth to fully come to grips with is programing an effective modulation matrix without your LFO getting too wild and killing your patch. There isn’t a single video that will teach that- the best anyone could hope for is a few parameter values to stay in the range of if you want X effect: “LFO1 at Y amt MODULATING X Parameter is good if you sync it to the sequence on the 8th notes. BUT, if LFO1 is modding Z parameter, you want to let it run but lower the amount.”
There’s only so much of that stuff anyone can internalize at any given moment. So suggesting a strong foundation of knowledge (that may require outside homework reading before YouTube videos could be helpful) as the first step is the best advice it took me too long to get years back.
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great post! thanks for the advice!
And to be more specific for you, trigless trigs keep your drones droning on and on and swelling without interrupting the envelope and forcing it to re-cycle and can keep your LFO going in absense of the event that triggered it in the first place. Also works as a way to tame a part of a melody that gets away from you but you like the rest- keep everything uniform. So if you want a long pad/fx.drone or ambient melody without the constant re triggering that messes up your sound, place trigless trigs and keep the envelope steady (go to the NOTE screen).
Parameter slides are really fun- could be filter sweeps (that could last longer than 64 steps if you are swift with your trigless trigs!), but honestly just keep trying different step lengths between slides and seeing what it does to all kinds of parameters. Don’t go too crazy or you’ll have to keep clearing and starting over (could end up a wall with a wall of static or whispering/whiny/farty oscillators- the two opposite ends of the same over modding spectrum).
The rest are pretty simple and not really uniqe to Elektron (Think TB-303 for note slides- even has a similarly laid out keyboard)
Any chance of an extra output in the update? Like just one one extra physical output. You can have one input back in return.
Could we have a guesstimate when the update and the first slew of tutorial videos are going to hit?
Hi !
Check out those tutorials I did for the A4, the first one is on Velocity mod and cool things to do with it
and my OT tip videos, in case you’ve missed them
Enjoy !
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