Saving things

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#1

So I’ve read the manual and I’ve searched the web but I’m still none the wiser so please help!

I come form the Electribe lineage where you have a pattern, load the sounds in to the pattern, make the pattern and save it and everything is saved, sounds, parameters and pattern, so you can understand that I am at a loss with the Elektron way.

When I’m making things I load up an empty kit and make the sounds, set up the CV and FX tracks and then start sequencing. I usually record everything and so haven’t gone back, but the other day I wanted to load up a kit I had previously made and do an overdub for a previous track but found that the pattern and radically changed and I realised the each kit I’ve made has been using the same pattern, so that each time I cleared it for each sound and re-wrote it I was undoing all my previous work.

After realising this I tried loading a new pattern after loading the blank kit only to find that the pattern loaded a kit with it.

Can anyone help with a simplified workflow where I can start with a new blank kit and a new blank pattern for each new song and then save both together so I can reload them later and everything will be intact?

I know it’s probably a dumb question for the Elektron Brotherhood but please help!

#2

No such thing as stupid questions and am right there with you in learning my new A4 and get a bit confused in this area as well and am assuming we are to each time save our self made kits, but would also like to know how others are doing this as far as naming these kits in a logical way of easier retrieval, as to not be over writing previous work. Will follow/subscribe so can save this in on-going A4 useful info. It may just be me, but am far from being daft, but the A4 manual seems to sort of assume the A4 user already understands many of these “Elektron Ways”, and know from other forums the A4 is indeed their first Elektron Instrument.

#3

Hey

I would suggest using a new pattern everytime you start something new
Load a kit and wipe everything or load a blank kit, then very importantly save it as a new kit

as long as you have a different kit for each pattern, they will always remain independent when you modify things and change patterns

1 Like
#4

:+1:

Thanks peoples!

Ok I think I have it-

  1. Load a pattern - it doesn’t matter if it loads a kit with it
  2. Clear all the tracks
  3. Load a “My Kit” - the pattern stays the same
  4. Edit the sounds, make the patterns
  5. Save the Kit - the pattern is saved with it.

So am I correct in thinking that the patterns kind of are the primary object and the kits come second?

If I follow those steps above, if I select the pattern again will it load the kit I created?

Is that how the factory patterns have kits assigned to them? Or is there another process?

bleh

Next time it is near a computer I’ll back up what I have done and then wipe it and start afresh me thinks…

#5

Hey guys! I’m also new here, and I’m a bit confused about saving Sounds.

Let’s say I want to make a bunch of percussive sounds to use them later. So I create a new kit, I choose an empty pattern, make those sounds then save the kit. But by doing so, the sounds are not saved individually, which means I cannot access them in the sound browser, and I cannot add them into the soundpool of another project. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.

#6

  1. No it doesn’t matter really.

  2. Or you could just clear the entire pattern if you want to get rid of all the sequence data.

  3. Yes id does. This is how the pattern gets its association with your kit.

  4. Yup.

  5. Patterns are saved as soon as you edit them. The association (or link) between the pattern and the kit is therefore automatically saved with the pattern as soon as you load a kit. So you really just have to actively save your kit.

Both kits and patterns are primary objects. They are separated from each other but since the pattern is associating a kit they can seem like one and the same. One kit can be associated/linked with multiple patterns.

Yes this is exactly how the factory kits and patterns are setup.

#7

Hey all. Does anybody have an answer to the above question? I’ve scoured the manual, the quick start addendum and Google but can’t find a way to do this. The quick start addendum had a bit on it about selecting the track with the sound you want to save, go to the Sound menu and choose Save Sound but I have no Save Sound option listed, only the usual sound browser, sound manager, etc. Does it have to be done via the Sound Manager? It’s hard to see what you’re doing on screen so I’m a bit paranoid about losing other sounds in the process. I’m sure most A4 users have lost some of their work during the learning process so many can empathise with me there. :slight_smile:
Cheers!

#8

Hey all. Does anybody have an answer to the above question? I’ve scoured the manual, the quick start addendum and Google but can’t find a way to do this. The quick start addendum had a bit on it about selecting the track with the sound you want to save, go to the Sound menu and choose Save Sound but I have no Save Sound option listed, only the usual sound browser, sound manager, etc. Does it have to be done via the Sound Manager? It’s hard to see what you’re doing on screen so I’m a bit paranoid about losing other sounds in the process. I’m sure most A4 users have lost some of their work during the learning process so many can empathise with me there. :slight_smile:
Cheers! [/quote]
The answer to khimbo is that the sounds you have in a kit are saved and contained within the kit. If you want to save a sound to the +Drive (making in available later in the sound manager) you have to do so using the STORE TRK SO command in the sound manager.

So you can save/keep sounds within a kit, in the sound pool or on the +Drive.

#9

Thanks for the info. I’ll give it a shot tomorrow. That’s where having a bigger screen is nice. It would make the Store Track So menu way less confusing! So = sound.

Cheers!

#10

Great, thank you!

#11

There ara 3 places where you can save a sound. 1 on the + DRIVE – 2 in a Kit - 3 in the sound pool.
!!! There is NO link between them !! This is important
Whenever you make a copy of a sound to another place – this becomes a new sound ( with the same name - unless you change it ) So you never have to worry that changing a sound will change it elswhere. EXEPT !! and this is important to realise - when u make EDITS in one of the SOUNDS WITHIN A KIT. Than every pattern that uses that Kit wil be influenced.
SO !! The genius of this is that
1 - One can make a chain or song with different PATTERNS who all use the SAME KIT-
2 - One can use chains with DIFFERENT KITS PER PATTERN-
3 - a MIX of both

1 is interesting when you wanne have following patterns with sounds to continue without the being RESETTED to thei’re beginstate (- jumping from one pattern to the next ). SO - To avoid the performance knob values jumping back. (- U don’t wanna hear the filter Closing suddenly when u are turning it open slowly when the current pattern is at it’s end). (- u want to continue opening the filter while patterns jump.)
2 is interesting when 1 - u want to change one or more sounds within a Kit ( THUS loading a NEW KIT ).So that the following pattern ( within a song or a chain ) plays a different sound one or more of its tracks. 2 - u want the sounds ( and button positions - perf. settings ) to reset to thei’re ORIGINAL STATE.when patterns are changing
Because every PATTERN HAS ALWAYS A KIT LINKED TO IT ,the choice depends your needs.
MIXING both methodes is very interesting .

                                                                                                                                     - IF you want to save a SOUND INDEPENDANT FROM A KIT( thus a pattern ) do it on the +DRIVE.
  • IF you want to be able to do a SOUND-LOCK - you have to IMPORT it to the SOUND POOL ( from + DRIVE)
  • IF you wanne CONTINIUSLY CHANGE the SOUND ( without resetting ) - Use the SAME KIT for the next pattern. - IF you are continiusly changing a sound and you want it ( or more ) to jump back (on a specific place in a song)- you have to load the next pattern with a new Kit.
    LOCKED parameters do NOT CHANGE when u change a sound !

You only can WORRY when using the SAME KIT in MORE THAN ONE PATTERN ! only then do the changes reflect in all the patterns that use thesame Kit .
It sounds and reeds complicated but it’s very simple - useful - and Very Creative .
FOOL AROUND - LOSE YOUR STUFF - GET ANGRY - ENJOY - ONce you’ve got the hang of it -it will seame incredebly sipmle and intuitive.

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Track sound assignment changing on all kits/patterns?
#12

You first have to copy your sounds from your Kit to the +DRIVE ( save them there individully )) - from there you can copythem to the sound POOL or listen them individually ( from the + Drive ).
P-LOCKS are NOT COPY’D with the sound

#13

Seriously guys, this is far easier than you think …

press(hold) Save then tap Sound bingo !

#14

Right you are ! I’m just no good at explaining things simple… But my opinion is these machines are very simple to work with .
Good to know is that everything can be copied even from one project to another… ( kits - sounds - fx-settings … you name it ) but the elektrons only remember the last ting you copy.
SO to copy from one project to another 1 copy wat you want from one project
2 open the project you want to copy into ( the last copyd file stays in memory )
3 paste ( you ave go to the same page )
Done ! It takes time but it’s possible to copy any itmen frome one project to another )

#15

Is there a context in which you would save just a track? Seems redundant because saving a pattern saves the track as well.

#16

so you can reload one track and leave others edited after you mess about with them live - that’s one context

#17

Having recently bought a Digitone, I really appreciate the simpler structure of the 4 sounds being saved in each pattern without all that messing around with kits and the requirement to manually save them. It’s almost like someone from Elektron finally had a go on an Electribe as you can also save track mutes - yay! :wink:

Actually, I’d love to see an update to the A4 which allowed you to work in exactly the same way. I hope there’s enough spare dataspace (you can have 128 kits so should be) and if this were a user config option, people could decide whether to keep the old way or move on to the simplified structure.

#18

Ya, after leaving the comment it occurred to me that its use, like many of the functions, are mostly designed for live situations. That being said, saving a track doesn’t save the motion seq. Never the less, I can see it being useful in a few situations. Thx.

#19

Load a separate kit to each pattern, enable kit reload on chg in settings, save as template, load and save as a new project when needed. This will make every pattern have its own kit and reload the saved version of its kit when switched to. You’ll still need to save kits when you make changes you want to keep though…

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#20

Exactly. The (daft) requirement to remember to save kits was the reason I hoped for an option for the simpler structure.