OMG, ist that true? No BPM control?

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

Am I missing the obvious, or is the BPM rate fixed for all songs in a project? If so, the sequencer has a mayor weakness.
I thought i could save all my songs in one project and super-fast load them live, but if they have to be all in the same time signature, this becomes obsolete.

I think the solution would be that the BPM rate is stored with single patterns, not globally. This would help A LOT!

I hope so much a future Update will bring this!

Does anyone know a way around this? The only one i found was in the Scale- 1/8 , 1/2, 3/4 etc. but this is not sufficient. Or do i have to create projects for every livesong i perform? But then i have the loading times between my performances…

#2

Yeah, it’s global and not per pattern. Considering that this has been the Elektron way for all their machines, I don’t see this changing in an update.

But, I would like to be proven wrong. Come on Elektron, at least give us the option to have a global or per pattern tempo.

2 Likes
#3

The MnM had tempo saved in song mode and you could change it
up or down in the mode.

But where is pattern by pattern tempo assignments?

Why dear Elektron? You think we are stupid and wont notice?

#4

I too agree that this is an important feature missing on all Elektron machines.

I just name the KIT with the BPM number…

9 Likes
#5

here is my take on dealing with this problem. i’ve already posted this in another similar thread, but usually people watch their threads for a solution more that they look for it in others, so here you go ;]

since the BPM is saved for the project, I’ve started to create separate projects for specific BPMs. it also makes sense for me, since it’s very easy to pack a whole live-set with multiple different songs in one project and play it as you need. and if you ever need to speed up or slow down for intro/outro, you can do that fairly easy on the fly

hope this helps

#6

Dear mr dataline,
You name the kit with the bpm in order to know which value to dial in by hand after loading the song or pattern, did i get that right? Maybi i will have to do that too until elektron changes this odd behaviour. (Mpcs store bpm in patterns for ages… I thought i would buy something that would be ten times more sophisticated than my old mpcs)

Yet, i love the sound, so pleeeeaaase, elektron, fix this.

#7

Hi random dude,
Than you very much for your comment, but the point is, that, if i make a project for each song, i have the rather annoying loading times. If i put songs in the project, all have the same time.

Or have i misunderstood something? Can you save different times in one project?
Thx
Dave

#8

Hi Dave,

I guess it highly depends on your personal approach to your tracks. for me it’s about having a long set of songs that go together, which automatically means that i wont be suddenly jumping +/-10 BPM. so i have for example a project for songs that are around 135 BPM. i might begin the set with some intro at 130 and then manually increase tempo over time for the “main dish”, slowing down for the outro again. for me it’s pretty much the same i was doing with vinyls / disks / MP3s. the only thing i can’t do in this case is make drastic jumps (like going from some dubstep to a fitting dnb track), which i kinda miss, but can live without.

so yes, my solution for now is to have aptly name projects for 90 BPM stuff, 125, 135, 170 etc. usually you have a specific theme and style for a set anyways, so that makes it easy not to miss the BPM per pattern/song feature.

hope this helps!

#9

I’ll try the kit with bpm for now. Maybe we can tag the samples/kits??? Can we tag kits?
I would like banks with bpm settings at least. I’m actually quite often using a whole bank as a set bpm but at the pattern level would be great too.

#10

This is a major fail. Especially for the RYTM when working with looped samples that sound bad at anything other than their specific BPM. Working with samples on the RYTM does seem like just an afterthought considering how cumbersome it is, so idk.

#11

i assume you mean having long loops run in sync with current BPM, which is not really AR’s thing. that’s Octatrak realm. AR’s sample engine was designed with one-shots in mind, where BPM does not matter (at least that’s how it looks to me).

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#12

It would make sense to not apologize for the impact of different BPM settings on free running sample loops on the AR by saying that Elektron designed it as a one shot machine only, until you remember that their last glittery promo/instructional video for the AR involved free running samples as a key element of that tutorial…

#13

i assume you mean having long loops run in sync with current BPM, which is not really AR’s thing. that’s Octatrak realm. AR’s sample engine was designed with one-shots in mind, where BPM does not matter (at least that’s how it looks to me).[/quote]
Well, any damn loop, or phrase will not be in sync. I really don’t see why this shouldn’t be part of “AR’s thing.” I’m not asking it to do elastic audio, or intensive audio editing. It’d be nice to fine tune the sample start point without having to buy an Octatrack. This whole AR vs Octatrack functions annoys the hell out of me. I have no interest in buying an Octatrack; I bought one when they came out, and sold it shortly after. The RYTM only needs a few key improvements to its sample management and editing abilities to make it a MUCH better machine. Elektron is not going to convince me to buy an Octatrack by purposely limiting the RYTM.

#14

I was a little surprised by this design as well. Haven’t played with loops on the RYTM yet, but I could see how that would be painful at the wrong tempo.

However, it does make a little sense for playing live when you want to make a transition between songs. I end up doing what Dataline does, except with a queue sheet that has the tempos printed on it.

It would be neat to have a tempo-pattern mapping on the OT, as I mostly use that as the master.

#15

KOTARE, Prints,

i definitely see your point, guys, and i’m not defending Elektron. AR is my first machine and while it’s still shiny and still gives me enough joy to overlook the flaws, i won’t deny that there are quite a few. but looking at it realistically, it would be foolish to expect any major changes before Overbridge comes out (which is apparently scheduled for around march / april). i guess Overbridge will at the very least make sample management easier, maybe even add some more advanced editing functions (though i’d prefer built-in editing, instead of having to use Overbridge on computer for that). the rest will hopefully get better with time, but for now we have to make the best out of what we have. which in this case means separate projects for specific BPMs, having to tailor the loops to the intended BPM in an editor/DAW before uploading, etc.

what i’m wondering right now is if OT/A4/MD were as “limited/clunky” when they came out first. not saying that AR is bad or not worth the cash… it’s just that working with it you get the feeling that it could be this much more with just a few tweaks :confused:

#17

…sorry, but this is just crap…

i got that problem with the ot…i got that problem with the a4…

and i definitly won’t buy the rytm for this EXACT REASON…

it’s impossible to sell a drum machine without the option to jump between different prefixed tempi…
and it’s impossible to stuck to an arranger during a perfomance…

this has to change!!!

i can’t work on stage without this option in the way i should…must.

but reading this here, i’m realizimg we got a serious problem…

because with the fact that even the newest product is NOTHING BUT A STUPID TECHNO MACHINE if it comes to live performance, is way more than just a shame…

this machines are amazing instruments in the studio…but on stage they simply stuck in the past…

with the fact that this is still that way, i’m afraid the sequencers are built in way that makes it impossible to change something about this poorness…

so come on elektron…at least finally say, you can’t do anything about it…
so i can sell this beloved gear again…because when it comes to the essential reason i bought them in first place, they just FAIL…

i have to perform serious show productions with many cues and if i’m forced to have aböeton as a master with me anyway, I SIMPLY DON’T NEED STRAIGHT BUMM BUMM ONLY BOUTIQUE MACHINES…

and the ot in slavemode is nothing you can really trust on in front of a seated audience anyway…

#18

so you are a elektron stuff member. i own a OT and I realy miss this!!!
is it so complicated to have this as an option?!

#19

Ok, i thought the octatrack has control over bpm/pattern. I thought of having the ot, but i would definitively NOT buy it if it has the same weakness. I wanted to replace my mpcs completely, but i think i stick with them.

Would it be a solution to run the mpc as master and the analogrytm follows via midi clock? A lot of programming anyway between the tracks. Oh no, it could be so easy…

#20

so you are a elektron stuff member. i own a OT and I realy miss this!!!
is it so complicated to have this as an option?![/quote]
It can’t be that complicated, really. Ask Korg.
Also other glaring omissions on Elektron machines are pattern mute memories, and independent last step (per scale and per track) I gave up asking for these as feature request maybe 3 years ago, along with lots of other sensible things.
But hey at least soon I’ll be able to send audio over USB, oh wait, that is no use to me, because I use hardware to make music not a computer, hehe!

1 Like
#21

^ Ooh that all sounds a bit snarky, just to re-balance the snarkiness I will add that Elektron make 3 of my favorite all time machines, just wish they they would listen to the (knowledgeable) user base a bit more.

Oh and sort out this crappy forum. :wink:

1 Like