The 16 tracks of a project hold 8 patterns each. They also have a type (POLY, by default) and several parameters which define their input and output channels, runmodes, ...
Each project contains 16 tracks.
Press one of the 1..16 track buttons to select a track.
Hold track to enter the track settings menu : midi output, midi input, active pattern parameters (PC, length, run mode, trig) :
Hold 2ND + Press track to enter the secondary settings menu:
The active track is indicated by a bright steady white light on the corresponding pad.
Track settings
Output Midi A/B/C/D USB Device/Host Cv/Gate 1/2/3/4 Cv 1/2/3/4 Gate 1/2/3/4 Sets the MIDI port for the track output.
Tip When possible, we recommend to use a separate MIDI output port for tracks generating a lot of events, e.g. if you send a lot of automation CC messages to a synthesizer. Moreover, as USB outputs have a higher bandwidth, you can use them to output a lot of event on different channels without compromising on timing.
Output Channel 1 ... 16 Sets the MIDI channel for the track output.
Note Drum tracks will only use this channel for automations, as channels are tied to specific drum lanes.
Input Sets the MIDI port for the track input : -- No input All Active Listens to all incoming events, on any port and channel, but only when the track is currently selected. Midi A/B USB Device USB Host Cv/Gate Listens to the specified port.
Input Channel Sets the MIDI channel for the track input : 1 ... 16 Listens to the specified channel All 1 ... 16 Listens to any channel on the specified input port. Prefered for MPE or Drum tracks.
PC (LSB, MSB) 0 ... 127 Sets the program change (PC) midi message to be sent when transitioning to this pattern. You can also use optional extended PC logic with MSB/LSB (used by some synthesizer with more than 127 presets).
Tip Rotate encoder ⑤ to instantly set the PC, or Press encoder ⑤ to enter the menu configurating PC/MSB/LSB.
Tip Inside the PC menu, you will find the PRE-SEND option. If enabled, the program change will not be sent at the very beginning of the next-pattern-to-be-launched, but a few time before, useful when controlling Elektron machines patterns.
Length 1 step ... 32 bars Sets the length of the pattern in steps (1 step = 16th notes).
Tip Hold and Rotate encoder ⑥ for finer resolution.
Run -- reverse ping-pong random bar random beat random 1/16 Sets the pattern playback mode. A pattern can be played normally, in reverse, in ping-pong (forward/backward) or jump to a random step every bar, every beat or every 16th note.
Trig Sets the behavior of the player upon a pattern change : restart Resets the position to the beginning of the pattern after a change. free Keeps the previous position of the player upon a pattern change. The playhead will not jump in this case.
Advanced track settings
Hold 2ND + Press a track button to enter advanced settings.
Quantz -- 1/64 1/32 1/24 1/16 Sets the quantization time division. Please note that this parameter will be overriden by the project quantization if set.
Strength 0% ... 100% Sets the track quantize strength. At 100%, note positions will be shifted to land precisely on the quantization time divisions. At 0%, note positions won't be affected. At 50%, notes will only be shifted half of the duration they should have been shifted in order to be fully quantized.
pTrsp Off On If "pTrsp" is enabled in the project settings, this parameter will allow the current track to be transposed by track 16. This setting is disabled if pTrsp is not project enabled.
pScale Off On When set to "OFF", the track will not follow the project scale. This setting is disabled if pScale is not enabled at the project level.
Track Name Allows renaming your track.
Instrument Def Shows wich Instrument definition file is loaded. Clicking on either of the two lower right encoders will open a list of the available files on the SD card, to load a new one. Holding on either of the two lower right encoders will show the text included in the comment section of the file.
Rearranging tracks
Hold a track button, then Press either or , to swap existing tracks.
Please note that while the transpose track is originally at position 16, changing its position will not change its role, meaning the transpose track can be at any position.
Instrument Definitions
Intro
Instrument Definitions are a fast and easy way to setup a track to work with a given instrument. Here is a non-exhaustive list of their features:
Give CCs names
Set the input and output MIDI port and channel
Set up the drum lanes of a drum track
Give PCs names (to save your favourite presets)
Create empty automation lanes
Instrument Definitions are UTF-8 encoded text files, with the ".txt" file extension. They should be stored in the HAPAX folder of the SD card, alongside the projects.
How they work
The file is broken up into several sections, e.g. one for naming CCs, one for setting up drum lanes, etc. Each section contains keywords, known as commands, followed by values to set a given property.
Almost all commands are optional, and most values can be set to not overwrite the current state of the track with the keyword "NULL". Note: This can be particularly useful to reuse an instrument definition where the channel or port might regularly change from project to project.
All text to the right of a '#' character are comments, and have no effect.
The syntax is quite simple, and self-documented in the examples below.