Rytm and A4 song mode question

Been really enjoying getting familiar with song mode on my A4, allowing more fiddling and focusing on other performance details than switching patterns. It seems like the ability for two elektron boxes to follow each other is right at my fingertips but I just can’t grasp it. One thing that bugs- say I skip to a different chain (sequencer is stopped) with one box & hit yes with the curser I see the cursor for the other box (rytm) highlight the same chain but when I hit play on the A4 the rytm starts from the beginning of song & not the chain that was highlighting. My goal would have a set mapped out in one big song but be able to navegate to different parts and starting them at the same time without needing to navigate on both boxes.

Also is there any way to have patterns change on both boxes by just changing the pattern on one? I set up my songs so that for example B3 on analog 4 would play with b3 on rytm etc and not having to change patterns on both boxes each time would be a dream. Really appreciate it if anyone has a tip or 3.

Choose one machine to be the master. I’m having better luck with the AR being master right now. In global sync set AR to send clock, transport and program change. Set A4 to receive those 3. In midi channels set them to send and receive program change on the same channel respectively.

Use the AR song mode to create the arrangement. The A4 will follow pattern for pattern.

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Perfect thank you! It was the prgm midi channel settings I was missing

Cool! :+1:

hi, i also dropped a quite similar question but my midi settings seam to be fine.

here was my question - maybe you could answer this:

Hey guys, i programmed a sequence on my rytm (song edit mode) and i want to sync the song with my ak (both in chain mode for instance) okay it’s clear that ak does not takeover the arrangement from rytm - but if i do also an arrangement on the ak (rytm is set as midi master) and start the rytm all arrangements on keys disappear.

sorry for the explaining complexity - but i would be glad if anyone could help me out. maybe i’m totally wrong and theres another way to sync both machines to one common arrangement…

cheers sash

Playing with this as well:
is there a way to have the arrangement on one device and sync that to the other? Ie. the rytm says:
P1 - 2 times
P3 - 1 time

And that the A4 follows? or should you recreate the pattern?

If you put the corresponding patterns on the two devices in the corresponding pattern numbers (A01, B08, for example) then Program Change messages from the transmitting device will change the pattern on the receiving device. This is described in the second post in this topic.

The alternative is to program the song rows in both devices and simply synchronize the two devices using MIDI clock and transport.

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I tried this once (using a Rytm and Octatrack). Never again! It’s much easier to have the song in one device and leave the 2nd device to follow along using just Program Changes.

How do you nauts like the way Mutes work in Song mode?
I find myself wishing I could unmute tracks while the song is running.

Beyond Song Mutes (dimly lit green color), unmuting doesn’t work, only further muting is allowed - Or am I missing something?

I wish in Song mode Mutes would be just a state in the time of pattern launch, and then you could change them until the next pattern/chain’s Mute state.
I’m curious to know what you think.

An alternative I’ve thought of would be to send mutes from the OT arranger, but that would require 12 tracks or mixing Midi Channels, seems like a messy workaround.

Should I create a new topic?

Didn’t know where to post this question.
Song Mode doesn’t seem very much discussed in the forums, it seems it’s always the same question reappearing in different topics.