I recently (about a month ago) acquired both an A4 as well as the OT. I am having an immense amount of fun with these two.
I find the OT has a very well defined set of features and while you can do a lot of complex things with it, it remains pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it.
However with the A4 I am still lost frequently. I find myself again and again fiddling around without really understanding what I am doing, sometimes with good results but taking a lot of time to get something out that I like, and most important rarely getting out what I expected. The manual although helpful really assumes prior knowledge and is of limited help.
What resources would you recommend fellow electronauts for someone who understands electronics to a sufficient level, with no prior experience with analog synths? Books, tutorials anything really?
+1 on this. However, I do have extensive knowledge on analog or otherwise synthesis, but like myself, there’s many owners or even prospective new A4 owners thatthis indeed would be their first Elektron fine instrument and it sure would be great for an updated, more thorough user manual and in addition, some better tutorials, as in a series akin to the Access Virus Programming Bootcamp videos and have them posted on Elektron website.
Thanks.
I got my A4 a few days ago and I haven’t even read the manual, the user interface is so well designed you almost don’t need a manual to understand how it works.
Then again, I used to own a Monomachine and I know how subtractive synthesis works, so the A4 feels like riding a bicycle.
Is there a specific thing you don’t understand, something that someone on the forum might be able to answer?
Or is it just a generic “I got no idea how it works” kind of thing?
If the latter, just press record+play, play and record a few notes with the minikeys, stop the recording, then go and turn the knobs with the synthesis engine until things sound nice. Repeat that for a few months, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it!
I haven’t ever read up on synthesis myself, I’ve always just played around with different settings and figured out how they affect the sound, but if you want a more scientific fact-based way of learning synthesis, just do a quick Google search and you’ll find plenty of tutorials, on Youtube and written tutorials. It’s a pretty well covered subject.
But, I don’t know, I personally find some of these tutorials a bit too scientific. It’s very useful to know the basics, of course, but it’s not necessary at all. The A4 is a pretty straight forward machine, which I can pretty much guarantee you that if you just play around with it, you’ll figure it out.
If there are specific parameters you have no clue as to what they do, just plot in a few notes on the sequencer, and do one parameter at a time, hear how it changes the sound. Experimentation is your friend!
This time a month or two ago I was in the same boat. The best advice I can give from a fellow noob is to read the shit out of all these forums, both Elektronauts and the old Elektron-Users website (and anywhere else for that matter), even stuff that doesn’t even seem directly related to what you’re looking for. I bought the OT almost a year ago as my very first piece of hardware thinking I could teach myself to use it (the same way I THOUGHT I taught myself how to use Ableton Live) using youtube videos and reading the manual, and just fiddling around. Boy was I wrong. Having no prior musical knowledge, other than that self taught, I thought it was just gonna be a very long, long, long, LONG road to finding my way. I’ve been out of work for just over a month now due to injury and haven’t been able to leave the house and I’ve started reading more and more of the forums. I knew they were here but I never really sat myself down in front of them properly. These dudes know their shit, and they’re really nice guys as well who seem more than willing to answer any questions. I’ve learnt more in the last month than I have all year.
I don’t know if you’ve checked it out but there is some really insightful, downloadable shit here:
Something that works pretty much every time for me is, if there’s something you come across that you don’t understand whether it be in the manual or with your gear, just search it in the forums and 9 times out of 10 someone would have already asked the same question (probably me), and someone has hopefully answered it.
Thanks a lot for these replies, gonna check your resources out!
I think I understand most of the basics… I struggled say with AM modulation, but that other thread currently going on here helps…
What I am puzzled with is say:
I wanna create a dubby chord-like synth. How do you go about it? Why a pulse instead of a saw? What a about something that resembles strings?
I realize most of this comes out of experience, but is there a place where this knowledge is distilled?
Yeah I had seen that one, which is why I used it as an example…
It actually does make sense, except say why the particular waveform which is magic to me…
Perhaps something that would help enormously all of us:
What if some of the advanced gurus out there post some of the sounds they made, together with a brief explanation of the choices they made?
I have found that the best way for me to learn was to go and look at specific sounds and see how they were setup. If I had also a small rationale explanation, I think it would help me tremendously.
Thanks. I have started a compilation of useful info that is really Elektron-specific, not so much about programming as far as subtractive synthesis or otherwise–moreso on the Elektron way of plocks, note slides, etc.
Actually have sequencer experience with both my Waldorf Q and Quasimidi Polymorph, but when one is coming from there and going to this albeit, genius way of locking parameters and such, it’s like turning one’s world a bit upside down but am managing. LOVE the A4 and also have to eventually learn a MnM Mk1 got incredibly cheap, realizing advantages of newer MnM, but am looking to supplement my all hardware synth set-up with Elektron instruments, rather than replace them.
Thanks for the tips and like anything, just a matter of time, practice, and letting go.
I have to admit that I work sort of sub-consciously with the A4. I usually don’t set out to achieve a specific sound. I’d say the first 5-10 parameters I mess around with I kind of do at random (more or less), and from there I’ll try to shape the sound towards something interesting.
But in general, you get a good idea of how to shape a sound by experimenting a lot with the parameters.
Want bass? Turn down the filter cutoff.
Want a pad like thing? Release and/or decay goes way up.
Dubby chord? Play with detuned oscillators and the delay.
I did film myself creating a patch once, but didn’t film the display, so it’s rather useless. But I’ll gladly do it again, and film the display this time, if anyone’s interested.
For the record, I also bought the OVRDrive sound pack. While I find no joy in using a preset, it is very interesting to just pick a sound and look at how it is created. There is tons I learned in the process.
Deconstructing sounds is a very good way of learning the Analog Four. You can check the Analog Four Downloads page and download the Sound packs found there. Especially the Richard Devine collection features some really interesting modulation routings - good for inspiration!
I have learnt loads also from deconstructing sounds/presets.
The main thing I have learnt in 3 years of using Elektron gear is patience rewards. I used to read that and it annoyed me. I used to think when???
I am now very happy with my understanding of the OT and A4 (still sounds bloody awful though )
Make the machines squeal and see what they are capable of then try to refine. I do it daily to the annoyance of my family.
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