ST tips & tricks

Elektron badly needs to add a “this is how you easily copy-paste shit” section to their manuals. :slight_smile:

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You’re very welcome! I found this this morning, maybe it was already used by DT or DN users ? Hoping there’s no caveats…

I usually get around this problem by making one full sounding pattern first, then copy-pasting it for variations. The few times I change sounds back and forth it’s usually fast enough to just copy individual track sounds. I imagine this trick will make things even faster.

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This one is probably really obvious, and applies to lots of Elektron machines, but if you use a lot of conditional trigs and have trouble remembering where you’ve put them (since they don’t blink like p-locks do), adjust another parameter that won’t affect the sound much/ at all. For example I’ll usually adjust the overdrive by 1 point. There’s no universe in which anyone is going to hear that difference, and now the trig will flash, so I know I’ve changed something about it.

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You can trigger envelopes or lfo with trigless locks, but you have to plock trigger switches (LFO.T FLT.T AMP.T). Same behavior for regular tracks, without AMP.T.

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  • Set several synth tracks and FX track on the same midi channel.
  • Route these tracks to FX track
  • Play notes from external midi : all synths are played through FX track, with it’s lfo, filter/ amp envelopes triggered by notes.
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This is a known bother for everyone right now - we are all hoping an update will filter by the machine you are on

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My biggest pain is being unable to access soundlocked trigs from external sequencing

Why would you need to sequence something already sequenced ?
Unless you’d want this :
On Digitone and Analog Four, you can sequence / record Soundpool sounds with Multi Map (external midi control assignments per zone, with pitch settings). Would be great for ST !

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I originally just wanted to simplify so having one place to sequence would potentially lead to a more cohesive workflow but am thinking not always. I really wanted to be able to soundlock and trigger those via MPCs sequencer since there’s less step limitations (within the Elektron sequencers I tend to feel stuck in 64 step loop lock). I wanted best of two worlds lol

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OK. This one might be too obvious to be a tip, but I’ll throw it out there as I use it often.
It works on all Elektron boxes with track scaling.

If you use a scale mode of 1/4 or 1/8 it gives you a lot more time than the usual 64 steps at 1:1 tempo.

However when you do this, recording quantized can make things choppy and mess up the timing you want (esp when recording a melody or bass line)

But if you record unquantized, you can keep the longer length of 1/4 and 1/8 and still get the notes where you want them. You just have to play it with good timing :slight_smile:

Maybe everyone does this, but for me this gave unquantized recording even more value.

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Start / Stop an external looper recording with perfect timing, using a midi track :

  • trig 1 (“Stop” CC message) : +1 microtiming*, trig condition PRE
  • trig 2 (“Start” CC message) : -23 microtiming, trig condition 1ST

At first pass, trig 2 (1ST) is sent, and trig 1 (PRE) is sent at 2nd pass, as previous trig condition is true (1ST).

Their microtiming position are exactly the same. Both are played just once.

I don’t know if this can be used for other stuff, but that way my HX STOMP looper fx can be perfectly sync to the Syntakt, with 1 midi track only.
(this looper fx can’t be sync with clock / transport).

*+1 Microtiming corresponds to 5 milliseconds at 120 bpm.

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Syntakt FX track “trig scenes”:

Inspired by EZBot’s Octatrack template and Ivar Tryti’s “I wish I had a …” videos, here’s a way others might enjoy using trigs on the Syntakt FX track that I haven’t seen anyone mention or perform yet:

  1. Set probability to 0% on FX track trig page. Add “trigless” trigs on the FX grid mode sequencer.
  2. P-lock parameters, especially using FX track’s 2 LFO’s
  3. Audition a trig (trig + yes) while playing for an on-demand performance effect for tracks routed thru FX.

This makes modest versions of EZBot’s Octatrack Scenes, and turns the sequencer steps a little menu of custom effects for performing.

So far I’ve got a page full of trigs/scenes with “Daft Punk” (high-pass / pan), delay-based chorus/flange, notch filter phaser, bad delay-mod-based tape stop, “lo fi” noise-rate filter mod, stutter, a first attempt at a riser, and of course a “back to normal” trig. I’m a beginner with effects generally but it’s a unique and really fun side of this machine.

Other notes: Delay and Reverb pages are p-lockable on FX track, which is great for this; trigs of envelope ducker work in audition mode, but retrigs don’t; FX track can of course be copied from pattern to pattern; the only downside I see so far is that there are several button presses between the FX grid mode page and the track mutes.

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Hold TRK+FUNC in grid recording mode to enter quick mute mode :wink: (if that’s what you meant)

Great tip btw. Been experimenting with heavy plocks on the FX block with very cool FX as a result. Will see if I can create a range of trigs to use in a live performance as well.

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This is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing!

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Anyone can share a Trappy 808 made on the syntakt? Can’t find trappy stuff on Youtube…
I’d like to know if it’s suited for hiphop; the rytm did slide trigs which were great for 808’s

Slide trigs for 808 with AR ? :sketchy:
Afaik no slides for AR, only one lfo per track. ST have one more lfo, and same 3 analogs + cymbal engines, so I wouldn’t worry about having similar analog sounds as AR, except master compressor…
As on AR, you’ll be able to find 808/909 like kits soon for ST, if it’s not already the case…

Of course ! Seriously. Why not ?

Sure ? It didn’t work properly for me…
Btw it worked with Func+Trk in Grid Rec but it also opens Keyboard Scale menu. While in that mode Trk + Func works…
Seems buggy…:sketchy:

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You’re right. I do this all the time on DT, somehow thought I did it on ST as well. :slight_smile: Just checked and nope. Weird. I’ll put it on my list of possible improvements

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Yep that’s what I thought :wink:
Another bug report with mutes !