Hi there
Im interested in an ARmk2 ive watched a few demos and am wanting to know if i can re arrange the machines assigned to pads to suit my finger drumming layout. i come from an mpc and digitakt and would really need this to be possible as the layout ive seen listed and used doesnt suit me.
Thanks
Some machines are shared across pads. BD & SD, for example. But all machines are not universal across all pads. There is definitely restrictions on layout.
1 Like
hmm thats a real pain, i would get one if they were a bit more flexable, i would need to put my snare on the middle row at the very least for it to be playable, it seems an unusual restriction when its just a midi pad as far as i can tell or is there more to it i dont understand
It’s not just a midi pad. The pads are directly wired to the analog circuitry, so each pad is directly linked (hardwired) with a special kind of ANALOG sound generator.
So, sorry, if you can’t adapt to the (more or less) fixed layout, the AR is not for you.
1 Like
You could do reassignment with a MIDI processor and loopback, setting PAD DEST to EXT. Not sure if that would add much latency, it shouldn’t…
Also remember that if you use only samples, there will not be restrictions on pad assign, as all pads can be assigned any sample. I recall someone using just the bottom four pads for triggering drums and using the 8 pads above it to change those 4 samples via scene changes.
1 Like
That’s technically not true (because chromatic playback couldn’t work if this were the case), but Elektron indeed does not allow you to change the voice-to-pad assignment.
2 Likes
if there is a hardwired proper reason thats fine but if it can be done with midi seems needless limitation, of course i could adapt to inferior drum layout but seems a very backwards layout if not changable
I don’t think it’s a hardware restriction, it just makes sense from a workflow perspective. If you could freely assign the engines, then chokes could be messy and across rows as they are circuit-coupled. You would also find yourself trying to assign the last SD engine to Pad 4, but forgetting you already assigned it on Pad 7, etc.
1 Like
Ah, thanks for correcting me on this. I completely forgot about the chromatic play mode. Then there is really no reason for the layout restriction.
And that there is only a specific number of each circuitry available, can be managed in another way than restricting the layout. I think an own layout menu (where you configure which type is where) in the system settings would work well for this kind of customization.
Thanks to the AR MKII’s internal resampling, you could make a kit and sample each part then assign them to any destination. Bit of a work around but such is lyfe.
1 Like
Interesting, thanks everyone for the info, i will sit back and watch for awhile, seems an unnecessary limitation i hope will get fixed at sometime but wont hold my breath, im totally fine with limited machines available for each synth voice but re arranging the pads should be something they allow at some point as i cant see any real reason for the limitaion apart from maybe the labels on the pads, the digitakt has the pads labeled but you can put any sound y ou want on them same with any other pad based controller i can think of, the layout could be worse but its far from my prefered finger drumming layout.
Thans
The Digitakt is sample based so you can put any sample anywhere.
2 Likes
You can also load samples to any AR pad, it’s just the analog machines that can only load to certain pads…
2 Likes
There’s no limitation, per se. it’s the design. I imagine there’s much about the RYTM that you are not yet familiar. If you just want a set of pads to play, there’s other gear that may work better for you.
The rytm’s an amazing machine, if you can get your hands on one it’d be worth testing out, you may find that what it does might outweigh the perfect pad placement for you… And you can always use samples on some of the pads… Mk1 is still a super good option too at a nicer price…
1 Like
Keep in mind the pads on the mk1 are basically unusable for finger drumming.
yeah ive heard that about mk1, will keep watching what happening with this machine, its sounds great and after spending few months with digitakt im loving the way of working compared to mpc and more traditional samplers im used to
That is a very good point, the mk1 pads aren’t that great, however I’ve gotten very much used to them and can successfully live record using the index + middle double finger tap…
Yeah, I always have to edit my finger drumming. It’s either too low in velocity, or two high, with a few that work.