Id like to share a very affective method i have been using which sidsteps many problems and wont over cook a track creation.
any overbridge machine/overbridge/ableton
load overbridge before anything else… then switch the analog four on (or any machine compatible) switch the machine to overbridge in global!
link the machine to the software very carefully remembering to set buffers all the same - making sure a powered usb hub is employed. any will do… the overhb is a tank but im not getting that and then buying a power pack also as id feel like a mugg… hubs are as little as £14.99 for a decent one that will do the job.
open daw ( i use ableton because it kicks the rest out the door without breaking a sweat)
load the analog fours vst interface
link all this up with the ‘sync’ in the overbridge interface checking buffers again. make a save of all this for later and total recall it.
i use 2 channels and set my fx and then turn them down for when i want to record them (you can also use the effects to build depth with no sound track going… with effects from ableton and automation you can get some great background ‘beds’ for the track to sit on.
select my bpm (note that overbridge may well crash out and youll need to replug it… this annoys the shit out of me but happens rarely… (i need a new soundcard, this is probably why)
note - if you mess with the machine and mess with the vst interface too much it will spaz… the method is to keep calm and not be too trigger happy… use one or the other, or just slow it all down a bit and tke your time.
i then start production… for eg i get a good kick going with one other channel of bass or noise in rythmic steps.
on the overbridge channel… eq with plugins! dont send the machines sound in without prepping the channel… the ‘utility’ in ableton is an amazing tool… basic amping and getting rid of width with the stereo dial down on sounds that simply dont need to be huge and fill up the sound envelope.
then i start recording it into a single audio clip… no messing about with 4 tracks and fxs chains linking this to that and back - ive seen some real messy methods and totally uneeded complexity… you simply dont need to make things hard for yourself.
i then have a kick or a pattern of percs… and start chopping… if its a little early or late… keep it that way. but for the most part unless you dont want it to be or set it wrong the machine will be syncd . if ableton or a daw doesnt sync up its your fault. or youve got a mac with some pathetic upgrade that wasnt needed … ) i sometimes employ different swings on the a4 or just do it with ableton.
then i either restart the vst or just keep changing the machine or vst to the type of sound im heading for and go with it recording more audio channels in… i dont worry about saving stuff at all… just start afresh, if you play guitar you need to tune it… dont get so caught up with ‘workflow’ - worrying about workflow actually slows you down… these machines wil give you the sound you want if you are good enough to get it. work the music - put the effort in… have the headache. the workflows you have the less skilled and quick you will be in 5 years through never really setting or doing much.
before you know it youll have a nice beat or atmos.
then i do some composition on with the daws midi clip or the machine… i think about flipping time sigs for notes/acidy squelches or anything i use… i do a practice and then start making the bones of the tracks flow. one chan at a time… using fx on some sounds and recording the lot… (never having more than 2 tracks coming out the machine into the daw.
you can build 4 or of 5 minutes of beautifully syncd bass, chords… whatever you wish and the track wil really start coming to life.
this method isnt used because i dont know how to set up the four to go into daw… its simply the least cluttered method that doesnt make the music too busy… you can then expand.
using ik medias plugins for example with izotope is very good
i see a lot of people with different views and many people that use them live for performance… this method is for producers that want the ease of a vst but not the shitty sound you get from a binary digital signal … for me its a dream… i can get ANY sound out of the machine. i think that the people that moan about these machines are pretty lame - its a brilliant sound source/drum machine/ sequencer.
i also use it standalone and make parts for later. another thing i do is stop looking around at other synths. its the end result that counts; and the elektron range kick the crap out of most other makers… in fact id say ALL… as i detest those huge dusty old wire ridden modular masterbation machines… as a minimalistic person the a4 solves the need to get a machine the size of a house or have 45 volca piss machines to accidently stand on.
one more thing while im at it… overbridge ‘bridges the gap’ it isnt a sequencer!! use the daw for sequencing AND the machine and youve got a whole other world happening…
have fun and dont upgrade at apples comand. think!