So I’m playing with a patch on my A4 MK1 and have a very simple performance macro set up (OSC 2 FM), so that when I turn the dial from 0 to 127 it changes the pitch to a higher note. I can’t achieve this any other way due to the way I’m processing the sound with external FX, and simply triggering this higher note won’t work due to reasons I won’t bore you with.
The method above works great but when I return to 0 on the performance macro sometimes it goes back to its original note just fine and other times it goes slightly lower than the original note and also crackles a bit. Which isn’t really ideal. I’ve tried changing the parameters on the performance macro itself (depth and polarity) as well as various other parameters on the filter and envelope page, but nothing makes it more or less likely to return to its original note.
I have limited (zero) understanding of how FM works within the A4. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what might cause an issue like this? Thanks in advance…
Which LFO are you using for fm and on which oscillator are you changing the pitch and what else is going on in the patch?
The macro simply turns up the pitch of the oscillator that is used as source for the lfo?
Do you have other modulation going on?
Does it work when you turn the parameter that’s mapped to a macro directly?
FM in the A4/AK works by ramping up the the lfo speed into audio rate and sync the lfo speed to one of the oscillators.
When you select an LFO multiplier with the tuning fork icon, the LFO speed will basically sync to an oscillator and thus will keytrack. As the pitch of the OSC goes up and down when you play notes, so does the lfo speed and musical relation between notes is retained. LFO1 syncs to OSC1 and LFO2 syncs to OCS2.
Well with my limited knowledge of FM in the A4 I wasn’t entirely sure which parameter knob I should turn to replicate turning the performance macro, so I couldn’t work out how to test it that way. Obviously it makes absolutely no difference to me whether I’m turning one knob or another so happy to have a go at that. It’s assigned to OSC2 FM, so would it be LFO2 speed that I’d need to try? My LFO2 settings are currently at:
SPD: 48
MULT: x8
FAD & SPH: 0
MOD: TRG
WAV: TRI
DST1: VOL
DEP: 0
DST2: PAN:
DEP: 0
I’m not aware of any other modualtion in the patch, all LFO depths are set to 0.
I have AM engaged for both oscillators and the sync is set to 2>1.
Can you list the parameters changed by the macro and the amounts…just as you did for the LFO settings above. The LFO above however looks a bit more AM than FM, so list the settings for LFO 2 if possible.
If there is an LFO manipulating pitch involved however, make sure that you have it set to reset on “trigger” not “free” and the LFO trigger toggle is ON. Also check the phase of the LFO is starting at zero point. If its a saw tooth, exp or square wave the cycle will start high or low depending on wheather its amount is positive or negative amount, and that could explain one reason that the pitch is randomly lower…
If you are using OB you could screen shot the LFO settings OSC and OSC sync and Performance macro setting and we can have a look at what it could be…
So the only parameter I have set to the performance macro is OSC2 FM, there isn’t anything else being altered by it.
I think I’ve already posted the LFO2 settings in my reply above? Unless I’m missing some other settings (highly likely).
My start phase is definitely 0 and I’ve already got it set to TRG.
One of the things I should have probably explained previously is that I’m not working with triggers here; I’m playing one long continuous note with infinite sustain and then manipulating it with external FX. So at no point is the note re-triggering on the A4, it’s just one long continuous note. Maybe this is part of the problem?
Terribly sorry, I opened up Overbridge to take some screenshots and then lost 4 hours of my life troubleshooting, unsuccessfully, why there was no sound coming from my Analog Four in either the standalone app or Ableton.
I’ve given up on that for now and have attached some screenshots.
I’ve tried changing the depth manually on all four LFOs (the two depth parameters on both LFO pages) but nothing replicates what I get when cranking up that performance macro, which is assigned to OSC2 FM.
Changing the depths for the LFO2 depths don’t do anything and changing the LFO1 depths simply modulates the sound using the sources selected, so for LFO1(1), which is set to key track, the pitch increases but not nearly as high as when I turn the performance macro to max, and for LFO1(2) depth, which is set to frequency, the frequency now oscillates and becomes brighter/harsher.
I’ve tried manually turning every other parameter I can get my hands on but nothing gives me the same results as turning the performance macro from 0-127 and back again.
