Transition Tips: Cool tricks with a DT/DN or AR/A4

Elektron Gear
#1

I’m looking to bundle some cool performance tricks that really push a Jam to a Song. The Octatrack makes this a lot easier so looking to get tips focused on a Drum/Synth combo from Elektron.

What Miles Kvnda does is he has dedicated transition patterns. I find myself struggling however to transition inbetween patterns! Looking for cool tips, like clever use of the fill feature.

#2

A tricky one to do, but it yelds very organic results: Don’t sync program changes on both machine. This will let you run the previous pattern on the one machine, and the new pattern on the other one.

ie. You can keep the melody going on A4 and slowly introduce a new beat from the AR by switching pattern on AR, and then bring in the next A4 melodic content by switching pattern again on A4

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#3

If you have a mk2 analog four or rytm they have performance knobs that can be used similar to the OT crossfader. The digitwins have control all, which when applied the filter cutoff usually does the trick.

All of them have a fill mode as well.

#4
Just change patterns. Lots of music is “jumpy”. Put a crash cymbal (or similar splashy synth) on step 1 with a “1st” trig condition.

Of course, you can go wild will also sorts of musical creativity for transitions, but if you’re struggling, the first step is just to do it, regardless of consequences. Also, remember it’s not a “trick”, it’s jist a different part of a track: a phrase or energy level. If you can hit mutes and twist filters for a “verse” or “beat”, then you can also introduce a change for a “transition”. It’s just music. Copy the main pattern to a new slot, and edit it to have new flavour.

Some ideas:

  • modulate to a new key (up a 2nd, to the minor 3rd, up to the 4th), just for a bar
  • one bar of just the drums
  • take the whole of the first beat or half beat, across every track, and repeat it on each beat/half beat (like if you had a sample of the track and stuttered it). For bonus points, fade out, or filter sweep
  • let the first step of each track play into a delay and reverb
  • drop the drums, ad a riser
  • take out all the melody and add a single track of a new melody, or some speech
    samples just for a bar or two
  • add the drums from the next track (maybe cut most of the drums from the current track)
  • put everything through a comb filter
  • put everything through a bandpass filter + bit crusher
  • epic snare roll over the first beat of the baseline repeated
  • replace all the chromatic instruments with your own voice recorded in your bathroom, for one bar
  • Alan watts samples
  • foreshadow the melody from last track in the set
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#5

Yeah I know! But a few cool ideas that go beyond low pass / high pass.

#6

For DT/DN, Control All can get some good things going. Control All the reverb and delay over a few bars and build it up so it is in outer space and out of control, and maybe increase the drive to make it dirty. People will be wondering what kind of Willy Wonka world they are in, and whether or not they should have skipped lunch. Then pop on the next pattern and it is like starting fresh on a new days sun. Lots of cool things you can do with Control All.

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#7

Another left-field one on AR/A4: Stay on the current pattern, but change the KIT of your current pattern to the one of the pattern you want to move to. This will transition SOUNDS first instead of the rytmic/melodic pattern. Had quite a few happy accidents doing that when improsiving, it works great if your kits are structured in a similar same way (ex: always have the bass on the 4th track on A4).

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#8

Good one. I have patterns synced up but might stop from doing that. This would also help.

#9

Never thought about that one.

Of course thought about that one… meh, overused :wink:

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#10

Hahah great stuff!!
Alan Watts is a meme at this point… I prefer Stephen Fry :smiley:

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#11
Yeah, that was the joke entry. Everything else is legit creative ;-)

Actually, I have enjoyed quite a lot of Alan Watts in the past. A friend of mine does a lovely Alan Watts puppet show.

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