Your Rytm workflow

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

hey guys! just wondering, if you can share your usual workflow with rytm.

i found that my prefered way of work with mpc1000 is not useful at all - usually i drop a lot of sample banks onto harddrive, and just select right sounds when composing tracks. and because of memory restrictions, and project management in rytm, i came to decision to create a new project (though it was tempting to use demo sounds and performance bindings) and to fill sample pool from laptop, just as i make a kit.
but how to use sample kits, which are selling for rytm? do you make a new project for each sample kit, and then create something on top of that?

AR MK2 Project MGMT question
#2

I would recommend that you select the 127 best sounding samples from your libary, name them properly with short names, which are easy to remember and to guess what sound to expect. Dont waste your time with endless downloading to the RYTM. Choose the best claps, hats etc.

With 12 tracks, you could have 127/12 samples per track , that is 10 different samples.

You could mangle those samples now layered with the rytm analogue engines together.

Make 1 Project, and then start to tweak the sounds.

Use the performance macro to dynamically influence the sounds. Make scenes with mute automation to your pattern.

Create fills over the basic beat. Improve the basic rythm with some probability locks, (some klicks /extra percussion ) which occur randomly.
Pre think about your rythm, so if creating probablity locks, think about how often you want to repeat the pattern. Use the random p locks, to introduce new rytms /bleeps at a certain time.

It pays off to be systematic - once you created a kit with scenes and performance locks, you could use it as starting point for further kits and just replace samples /sounds.

5 Likes
#3

The single thing that destroys my usual MPC workflow when using the RYTM, is the inability to fine-tune the starting points of samples in the RYTM.

#4

what is with the ability to move the trigs to left or right ?

Select a trig, and then press left or right.

#5

@Prints: There’s a workaround to that. You have to use a zero-speed LFO to modulate the sample start parameter (set depth to +1). Select the “RMP” wave, then fine tune the sample start using the LFO start phase (“SPH”).

@sleepytm: I tried “everything”: make a new project for each kit, make a project that uses one pattern per kit and a carefully selected set of samples. In the end it always ends up in chaos somehow :slight_smile:

It’s really very unfortunate that you cannot create kits-with-samples and simply load them into any project you want.

At least you can copy and paste kits between projects but you have to manually take care of loading the correct samples to the correct sample slots (a very boring task that should better done by the CPU in the AR!).

For the time being, your best bet probably is to make one project per music project and just dump all the samples you need for that project onto the AR.

1 Like
#6

Wow, I’m going to have to try that. It sucks you have to sacrifice your one LFO to do so though.

#7

I prefer to select a bunch of samples that are my staples. There are certain claps, snares, hats, and miscellaneous percussion from various drum machines that I love but can’t recreate with synthesis on the AR. I find that using the same sample set over and over is a limitation that helps you be creative and imparts a bit of a ‘sonic signature’ to whatever it is you make with them, as inevitably the way you use and alter the sounds is highly dependent on your personal tastes. It also makes it easier to find samples as eventually you will get pretty comfortable with the order of your list.

I also use LT, MT, and HT and ‘variant’ sample slots since I don’t use toms much in my music. By ‘variant’ I mean I use these slots for phrase samples or things that are less drum-oriented. I’d say about half my sample slots are taken by drum sounds, and that list never really changes. The other half is for these ‘variant’ samples, and that half of the list varies from project to project.

#8

One thing just crossed my mind:
Now that I have a lot of samples loaded on the AR, most of them being variations of the same thing (e.g. different 606/707/808/909 sample sets), I think I’ll try a new way next:

Make one “base” project that contains my frequently used sample kits.

Then save this base project to a new project when I start a new track, then load track-specific samples to that new project (e.g. processed loops and so on).

I really hope I remember to do that and don’t mess up my “pattern per kit” / base project (like last time cough).

@panelist: I completely agree, “preset” kits may not be the best solution, even if you made that presets yourself. Maybe the method I described above turns out to work better b/c it allows you to mess with the duplicated kits all you want without having to worry that this will affect other projects (i.e. this could work better than having actual global kits similar to “sounds”, a feature I never use on the AR).

EDIT: the more I think about this, the more I think that this is going to work. So to sum it up:

Preparation:
[ul]
[li]Create a base project[/li]
[li]Assign a unique kit to each pattern (note by: In case an external sequencer is used later on, this also allows you to use the MIDI program change command (pattern change) to effectively change kits. Combine this with a very high AR sequencer tempo (300 BPM) . Setting the pattern length to 1 will result in a kit change latency of just 16 milliseconds!)[/li]
[li]Setup patterns/kits A01…D16 as favourite kit presets (606/808/…).[/li]
[li]Setup patterns/kits E01…H16 for imported loops[/li]
[li]For the loop patterns, trigger the sample per step and plock the sample start offset and LFO start phase, tweak it until the loop plays continuously (note by: this allows you to quickly shuffle a loop later on by clearing and/or copying steps)[/li]
[li]Use aforementioned LFO trick for sample start finetuning (do that for all kits/patterns, even if they only use synthesized sounds, samples may be added later on)[/li]
[/ul]
Composing/Tracking:
[ul]
[li]Load base project[/li]
[li]Play with the kits/pattern “presets” and find something suitable to begin with[/li]
[li]Save base project to “my new track xyz” project[/li]
[li]Tweak the “preset” kits, exchange samples, …[/li]
[li]Import project-specific loops and assign them to the loop patterns[/li]
[li]In general, tweak everything so it fits the track[/li]
[li]Profit! :D[/li]
[/ul]

1 Like
#9

and… just dont think of the AR as a sampler for editing… prepare your sounds in a DAW properly (lenghth, start)… and use short ones to not mess up your whole drive with too big samples.

and … buy SDS tool… its such a great thing… makes adding samples to pads 100 times faster and direct…

#10

@bsp: check the “files” section, I believe void uploaded an AR project called “tabula rasa” that is a blank slate with a different kit assigned to each pattern.

2 Likes
#11

pretty sure that was for the A4

anyways, its worth mentioning the scenes and perf modes - its really a cinch to do in OB. The OB manual states this workflow tip - just right click on all the parameters you want assign to either scene or perf, then jump to the kit page and tweak the assigned parameters to taste. Way faster than on the machine

#12

pretty sure that was for the A4[/quote]
And now also for the AR

1 Like
#13

so it is… nice!

#14

A solid plan and a variation of the one I’m undertaking. You probably already know this, but I’ll point it out just in case as this has stymied many of us here at one point or another: remember that you can’t save a kit to a pattern without putting at least 1 trig down. This can be a trigless lock of a parameter that is virtually meaningless, like turning down amp level by 1 or something.

Also worth pointing out, if you have access to OB, it makes the whole plan so much easier.

#15

This sounds extremely handy. Where do I find the files section?

#16

By searching for “files section”:

Unfortunately. :hm:

Summoning @void

#17

Yea just found that thanks. Nevermind, I’ll message Void, hopefully he or someone can send it. Could make a project like that myself I guess but I’m lazy. It’s a good idea.

#18

Hi
I make a default project with the right midi setup and assign sample slots
10 to 19 for pad 1
20 to 29 for pad 2
30 to 39 for pad 3
Etc…

#19

Can you elaborate on this a bit more? Maybe I’m being dense but what do you mean you assign multiple sample slots to a pad?

#20

Oups sorry
I mean I use 10 to 19 etc for bd sample and 20to 29 for snare etc…
If I look for a sound I know where I can find him
If I copy a kit from another project the sound is not exactly the same but I can use it directly