Your song-writing process w/A4

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#1

so in 3 days i feel pretty proud of myself. as a total noob to Elektron gear, i’ve learned how to edit and save sounds, kits, and songs.

tonight i got into the advanced sequencing mode and just looped a 32 step pattern and played around with all four tracks. i did it in advanced mode b/c i couldn’t figure out how to loop in normal mode…then i couldn’t figure out why normal mode even exists. i also couldn’t figure out how to start a pattern then “play” another track on top of a beat or sequence in another track…yet.

i’m still very confused about chains and putting entire songs together, but with the A4 i feel like it really rewards you for just sitting with it and taking your time - unlike other gear i’ve used before, i don’t feel “dead-ended” if i can make up a term.

do most of you guys just

A) go into Advanced mode, play with loops, then string songs together out of chains ?

or

B) work from start to finish via song mode ?

or

C) ?

i think if i get a better handle on how you guys arrange your tracks it’ll give me some much-needed insight.

#2

I make a loop, then press record on my Zoom recorder and turn knobs and play with the mutes for about 5 minutes.

I make very simple techno though, that might not work with more complicated forms of music.

#3

I don’t use song mode.
I prepare my tracks (sounds, parameters, perf mode settings…)
Then i record using a labtop while playing live the song.
Just simple.

For the sequencer normal / advanced mode, maybe it wasn’t working in normal mode because you forgot to raise the length of the master track (?). Tracks maybe 32 steps long, but you have to adjust the master too. By default, it stays to 16 i think.

#4

^ the problem i had in Normal mode was getting the bar to repeat. it was a “one shot” every time for some reason…

#5

looks like you have song made enabled by accident.
is the LED next to the SONG button lit? press the SONG button to disable.

#6

I spend a few hours making a single pattern and save it to, for example, pattern slot A5.

Then I quickly remove a couple of triggers and vary some others and save the new version to A4, then repeat the process to A3, A2, and A1. Then I return to A5 and do more variation, reduction and saving to A6, A7 and A8.

What I have then is a basic track structure that builds up and peaks around 2/3rd through if you play through A1-A8. I just record myself switching through the patterns in that order, adding in some mutes and performance macro tweaks in realtime.

The vast majority of my time is spent on that main ‘all parts in’ pattern. I try and programme the variation patterns as quickly as I can after that and I usually keep the first take I record (unless I really fuck up). I find that structuring and performing the track quickly keeps it sounding spontaneous and not too ‘produced’.

#7

That sounds like good advice. I just got an A4 so still learning how to use it, but have been a bit frustrated trying to work out how best to integrate the A4 sequencer with my larger DAW based workflow. Timing issues for example are annoying, with the likes of the first trig slipping an 1/4 note when I record to my DAW, but there is probably a way to fix that which I just haven’t found yet.
So far i’ve had far more success sequencing in my DAW using Push’s melodic step sequencer and using an A4 editor to set macros to do p.lock type effects, but it’s obviously not as instant/good as doing it on the A4 directly.

#8

54321 then 5678 is a brilliant idea! thanks for that!!!

#9

I too employthe ‘backwards’ design method that Billywood talks about.
If you build a pattern & move forwards you’ll be adding things out of necessity whereas stripping down seams much more organic to me :slight_smile:

#10

54321 then 5678 is a brilliant idea! thanks for that!!![/quote]
+1

#11

This seems to be a good approach to produce a song. Do you change track sounds between the different patterns A01 - A08 by using different kits?

Only playing 4 different sounds where one or too tracks are drums is a little bit limited, or what you think?

#12

I use one kit across all the patterns and disable the option to reload kit on pattern change. That way, any changes to sounds persist between pattern changes.

4 sounds would indeed be limiting. Thank goodness for sound locks! I also run a couple of Monotribes via CV these days.

I kind of oversimplified my approach before. I like to have one of the main elements in there from early on, then be replaced by one of the other elements at around pattern 3. So there are kind of two interlinked processes of building up before the ‘peak’ pattern, where hopefully the listener is pleased that a familiar old sound has not only returned but compliments the new sound!

But I do agree essentially with @bluewolfse7en that it works best for me to get the peak/main ‘everything in’ pattern right and work backwards from there.

Another approach I’ve used in the past is to get your main pattern perfect, then make a variation of it, using mostly the same sounds but different bass/chords/melody. This way you have the main structural components of a verse/chorus structure used in pop music. You can of course then combine this with the ‘stripping down’ method.

If anybody is interested in hearing some finished products, all my A4 tracks are in this thread:
http://www.elektronauts.com/t/seven-analogfour-tunes/2192
The most recent few are the best, I think. Feel free to leave a comment over there - I’m too proud to bump the thread my self!