It’s not a cop out. It’s literally describing how the machines work. Like, literally literally. The DN manual says:
When a pattern is playing, and a new pattern is selected, the new pattern position is shown flashing in the upper left corner of the screen. Once the last step of the pattern has played, the new pattern starts, and the pattern position ceases to flash.
If you’re not a fan, that’s totally understandable. But it’s not like I’m making it up.
The thing I find super interesting is how no one has a problem with this outside of sending PCs via MIDI. Everyone’s first experience hands-on with changing patterns on an Elektron is, like, “yeah, that’s how groove boxes are supposed to work.”
Then I suggest they follow the exact same procedure, but with MIDI, and they’re all, “How dare you! Elektron should be ashamed!”
I humbly suggest the behavior expected by the Elektron hasn’t changed between those two reactions. The thing has changed is the tool used to trigger it.
This strongly suggests to me the problem is not with the Elektron’s expectations (which are constant between the two cases) nor Elektron’s sequencer (which people seem to like well enough when using it) — but rather with the new tool one wants to use as a “brain” but for the sudden realization that is has arbitrary limitations like not being able to send MIDI messages when necessary or whatever.
To my mind, that makes it a limited brain. Don’t go blaming the instrument when the brain can’t hack it.
Re: COVID, yup, pretty mild. Just dealing with the quarantine, now. Thanks for the well-wishes!