Use cases that illustrate the depth of Elektron gear

Elektron Gear
#1

There’s a general sense that Elektron gear is deep, and that users often find cool “hacks” and novel ways to use it beyond what was anticipated by the designers and developers at Elektron. I think this happens because of good design.

I guess the MIDI loopback trick in the Digitakt must count as one of the most clear examples of those user hacks. And of course p-locks and conditional trigs make Elektron sequencers very open ended and they feel very deep. What other examples do you know, or in what ways have you experienced the depth of your Elektron machines?

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#2

Start thinking of your LFOs as modular oscillators. The audio-rate LFO can make super useful complex tones when you route them to pitch, level, or filter frequency. In systems where you get more than 1 LFO intermodulating them goes a long way to replicate the feeling of working in modular with various FM configurations and really starts to push the outer limits of sound design.

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#3

Hmm, maybe this is not always the case though. There‘s this randomization trick on the Volca Sample that is only possible because of some imperfections.

Shameless offtopic self-marketing I know.

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#4

One of my fave things I did:

“Octatrack generating random drum patterns over MIDI”

ITEMS NEEDED: Analog Keys (or Analog Four or Digitone) + Octatrack

  1. Turn on “Multi Map Mode” on Analog Keys so that one octave of notes triggers a drum kit (This is a stock setting on AK, I can’t remember the note range, but let’s assume it’s C3 to C4)

  2. Go into a MIDI sequencer track on OT. Connect OT MIDI out to AK MIDI In. Transmit to proper MIDI channel on AK so that notes from OT trigger AK’s multi map sounds.

  3. Enter 16 steps of trigs from OT to trigger notes on AK. Then go to LFO page on OT have a LFO start modifying the outgoing note values…you should hear the AK begin to trigger different drum sounds and patches because it is receiving a range of different MIDI note values from OT.

  4. Adjust base (root) note going to AK and adjust LFO DEPTH so that outgoing MIDI notes to AK trigger exactly the octave of drum sounds.

  5. Then on OT change LFO shape to one of your 8 available user designable LFOs and jump into the LFO designer. I believe there is a key combo to generate a random 16-step LFO shape-- which essentially triggers a 1-bar random drum pattern on your AK (or other Multi Map enabled Elektron device).

  6. Every time you generate a new user LFO, you get a new drum pattern!

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#5

I love an audio rate LFO going to the stereo pan!

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#6

That’s a good one too. If you do it slower another fun autopan trick is to use the sawtooth to make a sound zoom from L to R and then P-lock a few steps with the inverse ramp wave to make it zoom from R to L.

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#7

My only issue is on the OT I can’t p lock LFO shapes (WHYYY) so I’d rather just p lock a left pan and a right pan and make sure the trigs are set to slide. Also saves an LFO that way :stuck_out_tongue:

Edit: I think the deepest I’ve gotten is arranging Bowie’s Let’s Dance with just the Monomachine (I’ve posted it here a dozen times)… P locking a single track so that it plays the right chords is a real pain in the ass to set up and makes you really scratch your head. But having one little box playback a whole tune (sans Vox) and still have a track leftover? Priceless.

The Octa’s depth is showing itself to me more and more. If you want quick stutters and pops on your samples just adjust its scaling on the fly. If you have it set to 1/8 by default and crank it up to 2x you’ll get some great variations out of it.

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#8

The P-lock would be for depth of the modulation, not the shape, like a saw wave with negative depth is a ramp. Also the sound would be moving across the stereo field, where a p-lock would just jump. But I love that there is more than one way to do things on these devices.

Also the true reason the octatrack will remain a classic is that it is HD enough to be professional quality but it always in touching distance of that lo-fi digital with all the genuine soft-clipping phase destroying insanity that brings. I really am being to understand how it can truly transform the sounds that go into it.

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#9

Idk about other boxes but you can’t p lock a negative LFO depth on Octa.

Also, if you set a trig down on step 1, p lock it to full left, then set a trig down on step 9 and p lock it to full right, then tell your trigs to slide, your sound will pan smoothly from left to right over 9 steps. You’re welcome :slight_smile:

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#10

Fair enough, I was thinking of the DT and the DN

That is pretty fantastic! How do you program such a slide?

#11

Don’t know how to do it on your fancy new boxes but I’m sure it’s there cause it’s been there since MD Mk1. Check the manual.

BTW the slide ends up sliding any and all parameter changes. Pitch, filter, whatever. Have fun.

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#12

Octa has slide trigs, just place two slide trigs and p-lock parameter(s) on one slide trig.
Parameters will slide to or from the unlocked value relative to the sequencer tempo.
Slides are entered in the Track Trig Edit Menu where all trigs, slide trigs, swing trigs and recorder trigs are shown. [Func] + [Bank] when Grid Recording is active.

A4/AK/AR have note slides and parameter slides.
Works similar, but you enter them by holding a trig and pressing a button. Func + Parameter Slide lets you see all entered slide trigs.
Monomachine and Machinedrum also had it.

Works similar on all of them, only how you enter them differs.

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#13

I haven’t seen anything like this on the DT or DN, sounds like a very useful feature.

#14

Use Octatrack without samples, just using inputs without anything plugged. :loopy:

No fx but comb filters and compressor. Midi loopback with arp controlling comb filters pitch. Lfo designer for “bass” notes.
:loopy: :elot: Comb Comp Contest!

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#15

that challenge was fun :slight_smile:

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#16

I’m flabbergasted that the Digi series doesn’t have slide function when every other box before them has…

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#17

Agreed. Hopefully it’s added eventually because it’s a super cool and useful feature. Some crazy slide sample morphing for digitakt, which now that I think about it might be what’s holding slide back on DT. Might be too difficult to slide between samples. But DN should definitely get it!

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#18

It is possible with lfo, so it should be possible with a slide.

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#19

How?

#20

feature-request@elektron.se :content:

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