I’m trying to play a piece in 3/4 time. Most of my tracks have sequences of 48 steps, though some have different lengths, which is intentional because I want it to be polyrhythmic.
My RYTM is the MIDI master clock for an MFB Tanzbaer, which is CV sequencing two other synths.
It is very important that the two drum machines stay in time with each other.
But I’m having a really hard time switching between patterns - they only start on the right beat about 30% of the time. I’ve fooled around with all the different configurations of the scale menu that I can think of, often messing up my music, but all to no avail. I’ve also tried using the different ‘direct change’ modes with similar results.
If anyone knows how to make a bunch of 4-bar patterns in 3/4 time without everything falling apart whenever I switch pattern that would be lovely.
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I’m trying to play a piece in 3/4 time. Most of my tracks have sequences of 48 steps, though some have different lengths, which is intentional because I want it to be polyrhythmic.
My RYTM is the MIDI master clock for an MFB Tanzbaer, which is CV sequencing two other synths.
It is very important that the two drum machines stay in time with each other.
But I’m having a really hard time switching between patterns - they only start on the right beat about 30% of the time. I’ve fooled around with all the different configurations of the scale menu that I can think of, often messing up my music, but all to no avail. I’ve also tried using the different ‘direct change’ modes with similar results.
If anyone knows how to make a bunch of 4-bar patterns in 3/4 time without everything falling apart whenever I switch pattern that would be lovely.
Many thanks.
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Which PATTERN MODE are you using?
What are you settings under MASTER in the SCALE SETUP menu?
I, for one, still cannot get my AR to switch patterns in time when using Direct Jump mode.
It’s really disheartening, has been acknowledged and reproduced by Elektron, and still not fixed.
It’s making it really difficult to want to take this thing out to play.
I wish they would take the time to fix this crippling and ridiculous issue. I’ve never seen anything as sloppy as this. For what it’s worth, I am using polyrythms as well, and my master length set to INF. As soon as I switch to a different pattern, the AR goes out of time, and the only option at that point is to stop and start again. Fix it please !!
The manual clearly states that is what will happen if you use INF. Either use your noggin, fiddle with math and find when the poly rhythm would cycle within 4/4 time or learn to deal with it. Sequencers do what you tell them to, setting to INF is going to run into problems when leaving from that pattern
The manual clearly states that is what will happen if you use INF. Either use your noggin, fiddle with math and find when the poly rhythm would cycle within 4/4 time or learn to deal with it. Sequencers do what you tell them to, setting to INF is going to run into problems when leaving from that pattern[/quote]
Sorry, care to indicate where the manual states this ? I read manuals a lot, and don’t recall seeing anything about not switching patterns in time.
Also, it’s been acknowledged by Elektron support as a bug. I’ve had tickets about it, where the answer is clearly “yes, this is a bug”.
Please show me the manual section that explains this behaviour.
Cheers !
2nd edit :
you clearly don’t understand what the issue is. The sequencer goes OUT of time when switching patterns. I’m not talking about cycles of polyrythm lining up or anything “complicated”, I’m only saying that when slaved to MIDI clock, the AR cannot switch patterns in time. This is NOT expected behaviour, it’s NOT “clearly stated in the manual”, and it’s been acnowledged by Elektron support as a bug.
Switching between patterns that are NORM and ADV can do it also, never known why. Infinity is a strange thing to mess with, especially when you start telling two consecutive patterns they both deserve it. No wonder mayhem ensues. Everything, every tweak you should be able to do without stopping the music, without losing a beat. Unless you want to lose one. Um, where was I?
Mmm yeah I just changed the seq reset to multiples of 48 steps. Not ideal because it means I have to wait a while for the pattern to change, but at least my Tanzbaer doesn’t go out of time - seems like it’s a bit more comfortable with polyrhythms in some ways.
Still can’t get the ‘direct change’ mode to work, in any time signature.
I think thats what Gummi’s post was suggesting - (not saying there aren’t other issues / bugs). clearly, if you switch a polyrhythm mid way through cycle it’s not going to sync, no matter what you do.
you also need to explain what the other sequencer is doing - is it 4/4 or how many steps?
i think direct change is borked or at least haven’t figured how that works yet.
I understood very well what he was suggesting, however, he did not understand what I was saying. I’m not talking about polyrhythmic sequences not “lining up”, I’m talking about the AR being OUT OF TIME with its master clock (in my case, the OT, most of the time). By out of time I mean the hits being OFF the master clock’s timing. Like a bad DJ mixing 2 records that are not properly beat matched.
I’d do a video, but it would make this drum machine look really silly indeed, so I’ve been holding off hoping it will get fixed soon. It has been acknowledged by HQ as a bug, and they have been able to reproduce it.
I’d like to keep the discussion clear and on topic, this is not about math or subdivisions in order to make polyrhythms work, it’s about a crippling bug that renders the AR useless for the purpose I intended.
Cheers !
I also do a lot of polyrhythmic stuff on the A4, what works best for me:
In advanced mode:
set LEN to inf
set CHNG to the length of the base rhythm or bar-length (e.g. 12)
Do not set the CHNG value to the least common denominator as it will take too long. Now you simply cue your next pattern on the last bar before the change in normal pattern change mode. So basically you cue the pattern when you ‘feel’ it’s right.
Musically it makes the most sense to me, even if the one or other cross-rhythm track gets reset or kicks in at some mathematically incorrect position, it will still sound rhythmically right.
You just have to find out what the base length of your polyrhythm is. So you’ll have to think polyrhythms less as base and cross rhythm but as a whole “clave”.
