Thanks Scot. Great tutorial. Would love to see more.
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I’m working on more at this very moment. Well, not this very moment, as I took delivery of an Analog Heat today and have been somewhat distracted… 
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Ha ha. Funny you say that. Watching your video I thought how is he managing to not get distracted by the moog modular in the background. If I had one of them at my disposal you probably would never see me again.
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Yeah, the (primarily Synthesiszers.com and DIY) modular is pretty distracting sometimes! My studio is full of equally alluring distractions. Yesterday it was Machinedrum and Haken Continuum through the Analog Heat. So much gritty fun!
I’m jealous. Building my gear up slowly as I move away from ITB. Purchases on hold for now until I’m really comfortable with what I’ve got. Think I bought too quickly and don’t feel like I’ve mastered anything yet.
But one day would love to have a room full of musical toys.
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It hasn’t come quickly - I’ve been doing this since 1980. And your approach is certainly the smartest - get comfortable with what you have before allowing yourself to become overwhelmed. Any one of the Elektron devices has more power than I could have dreamed of back in the 80s. I could spend the rest of my life making music on the Octatrack and Analog Four and never ever get bored.
Limitations can be inspiring and educational. I’ve made entire albums with just a couple of pieces and I still enjoy making entire songs with a single synth. Though these Elektron things can’t really be viewed as limitations! My favorite recordings were made by people who never had anything as powerful as an Analog Four at their disposal and I try to keep myself in check by reminding myself of that fact every day.
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Thanks Scot
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another thumbs up here. i don’t own an a4 but the world can always use a clear and patient teacher. 
a couple of unsolicited $0.02-level thoughts:
i remember reading once about the progress of language learners. the author represented them en masse as a sort of tamale-shaped diagram, in which all beginners start bunched up in the same starting place, and experts all have enough breadth of knowledge to be considered equally capable, similarly bunched up at their destination. but in the vast middle ground, different learners occupy a wide range of competencies and have to work on a set of skills peculiar to what they’ve picked up so far. …overly simplistic of course but he was trying to make a point for teachers to consider.
i think there’s a parallel reason why it’s far more difficult to put together instructional videos that are broadly useful for mid-level synthesis learners. while i don’t have any sort of well-articulated solution, a couple of buddies of mine have kvetched about the general need over the years. my humble suggestion, which i hope proves useful:
as you consider topics to focus on for one video or another – the pad idea someone suggested above, etc. – it might be useful to offer periodic brief asides where you mention the parameters one might use to go off in a different direction, to pursue a different class of sounds. we’re halfway toward building our pad and are about to start dicussing, let’s say, modulation. here are some worthy choices we’d make for the pad – but as an aside, if at some point you’re working on percussive sounds, here are a few other parameters you might explore instead at this point, like an untaken fork in the road, worth noting and exploring on your own sometime. now back to that pad…
anyway you might have a far better approach to doing this, but fwiw. thanks again for taking the time to lay all this out.
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Thanks. Those are good suggestions and gratefully received. Overall, I’m approaching the series in a similar way to my old ‘Sound Essentials’ articles in Computer Music, i.e. using the target patch merely as a means to explain various synthesis techniques. Your suggestions fit right in with that approach, as I often did little sidebars describing examples of creative uses for a technique.
I’m hoping that these tutorials will be useful to everyone, regardless of whether or not they own an Analog Four. I’m working on the next two now, and they also use the A4, but I am planning some for the Analog Rytm, too (the first of which has nothing to do with drums and could also be applied to the Octatrack). I’m also planning a few ‘Analog Essentials’ that won’t be specific to any one instrument.
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Excellent Tutorial! I thought the pace and visual execution was perfect, wouldn’t change a thing. Additionally, you’ve reignited my motivation to get the latest version of Overbridge installed and start using it more. I am really looking forward to the pads tutorial!
Thanks Scot!
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This is amazing. Really great for people who are new to A4!
Thanks,
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You sir are a gentleman and a scholar
I just got the A4 a second time around and seriously can’t wait to get starting using this know how
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I must apologize for not getting the next one up yet - I have two, actually, that are nearing completion, but got sidetracked by that dastardly interloper known as ‘real life’. I’ll try to wrap those up and upload them in August.
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Scott, thank you for this, great video Tutorial!
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Looking forward to the two new videos. This one is really great work. Thank you!
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Great video, just subscribed to your channel. Would love to see more!
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Excellent! I was interested in the new Roland SE-02 or new Behringer D for the sounds and simplicity of the panel. I then hit on this video and, using Overbridge for the first time, I lost my lust for those machines and instead enjoyed (re)creating Minimoog sounds (using the Arturia VST in Ableton Live as my reference). Thank you very much. Your style of presentation is very good and I would hope you could do more tutorials like this, explaining the rationale behind changes in settings and explaining the workflow in your way.
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Synthesis with Scot Solida
I today watched once again Scott Solida’s outstanding YouTube video “Beginner Synthesis with Elektron Analog Four” (https://youtu.be/XZaczkqG9e0). In my view, this video is extremely well done, not only showing the creation of a particular patch but also explaining synthesis, the Analog Four (and Minimoog) along the way. Since the workflow is general, it can be used as a starting point for various other explorations.
The video is also a short introduction to (subtractive) synthesis and while there are many ways to achieve your goals, but I found this video very instructive and I therefore decided to transcribe the key steps of his tutorial into textform.
The video is entitled “Lesson 1” and I sincerely hope @Scot_Solida is going to produce more tutorial videos.
The principle aim of the tutorial is to recreate a Minimoog patch on the Elektron Analog Four. The tutorial therefore also works for the Arturia Mini V VST but can also serve as a more general tutorial to analog synthesis. One should therefore not be deterred if there is talk about the Minimoog.
The main difference between the two synths is that the Minimoog has three oscillators, while the A4 has two oscillators per voice. If your goal is to recreate a Minimoog patch, the first thing is to check how the third oscillator is used in the Minimoog patch. If all three oscillators are used for sound synthesis, then one could either check whether the suboscillators of the A4 suffice, or whether one should employ two voices and their oscillators on the A4. It is possible to route the first track sounds to the second track on the A4. However, often the third oscillator on the Minimoog is used as a LFO. In that case, a single track on the A4, with its two oscillators and the LFOs will be sufficient. This is the case in Scot Solida’s video.
Reminder: To see the values of parameters on the display, press and hold the page button (e.g. OSC1).
Starting with an empty patch
Clear track sound: Func + Sound > Clear Track Sound. For a basic patch, stored in the +Drive for later use, it is recommended not to use any FX to begin with. The same applies to unison and poly model, first try without requiring these settings (which are part of the kit). Clear all performance mode settings as well. During the design, it is a good idea to have two tracks on which to try variations. With Track+Copy/Paste one can keep different versions in parallel.
Set the oscillators
The basic idea of subtractive synthesis is that the oscillators generate a sound that is then shaped with the filter(s) and various modulation types (envelopes, LFOs).
Select the Osc1 page:
• Choose the sawtooth wave form.
• Set Tun to -12
Select the Osc2 page:
• Choose the sawtooth wave form.
• Set the level to about the same as oscillator 1.
• Set Tun to -12
Simulating the imperfection of old analog synthesisers. This can be done with with the Detune parameter, or as done here, by setting the Fine Tune (FIN) parameter of Osc2 to 2 and the FIN parameter of Osc1 to -2.
Set the filters
Reminder: On low pass Filter 1, resonance is neutral at a value of 25.
The first filter in line (top row in the display) is a four pole ladder low pass filter. Turn the cutoff frequency all the way up (clockwise to 127) and turn the resonance (or “emphasis”) all the way down (anti clockwise to 0).
For Scot’s Minimoog patch, the second filter is not required. Turn the frequency of the second filter all the way down (anti clockwise to 0) and turn also the resonance down to 0.
Set the frequency of the first filter (Filter 1). In the example to about 75. Vary the resonance. In the example, it is set to 70.
Begin with modulation: Envelope generators
Reminder: A dot to the left of the symbol of the envelope indicates that the envelope will restart from zero. In other cases it will start from the level it had when triggered.
Select the Amp page. Select the envelope response curve, here the linear response curve (triangle, SHP=0).
Set the attack to zero, and pull the sustain down as well. The sustain may later be varied as required. Set the decay, which in the example is about 90, which is about four seconds.
The Minimoog does not have a release control. Decay and release share the same knob with a switch to turn release on/off. To get something similar with the A4, we are going to match the release setting with the decay setting.
I have inserted below a summary table on envelopes and their use.
Modulate the filter’s cut off frequency
Select the Env page. Page 1 is the ENVF envelope linked to the cutoff parameters of the of the two filters.
Choose the linear response curve (triangle symbol, SHP=0).
Go back to the filter page and set the Filter 1 ENVF Depth to a positive value (to increase the frequency) and choose for the example a value of 32.
Tweak the filter envelope (hit the ENV button). Bring the sustain all the way down (which may later be changed to taste). Attack also set to zero. Relate the release of the filter envelope to the amp envelope. In the example we want the filter to close down a little faster than the amp envelope and therefore set the decay and release to 75.
Modulation with LFOs
Reminder: Tremolo is about modulating the amplitude, while vibrato is about modulating the pitch.
Select the LFO page and focus on page 1 LFO1. By default the first DST refers to the F1 cutoff frequency and the second DST and DEP parameters to the F2 frequency.
Set the speed of the LFO to SPD=63 and the multiplier to MUL=x32. Set the DEP for F1 to 32.
Select a waveform. In the example, WAV=SIN. With the depth at a fixed value, the signal is always modulated. If you are using a keyboard with a mod wheel, it would be a good idea to use the mod wheel to modulate the F1 cutoff frequency. The settings for the modulation wheel are found in the sound menu.
On the A4, the performance knobs are also prime candidates for this purpose: Set the LFO depth again back to zero and select the performance setup by pressing Func + Perf. Go into performance configuration and choose a performance know (e.g. A). Select the correct track by pressing the knob repeatedly. Turn the knob to select LFO01:Depth A. Use the lower knob to set the depth to +30.
Application of portamento
Portamento causes the pitch of successive notes to slide.
Go into the sound menu, to Settings, scroll down to Legato Mode and set it On. In the next line set Portamento to On.
Vary the slide time by going to the Osc2 page and go to the second page. Set the SLI parameter to 22.
Add effects
For the example, choose a delay send of 33 on the Amp page.
Save the patch
Open the Sound Manager (Func + Sound), find a free slot, use right arrow to get into the side menu, choose Store Trk Sound and choose a name (e.g. Scot Solida). Edit tags (e.g. Lead, Bass, Mine).
Consider locking the sound (further down in the Sound Manager’s right side menu by toggling the lock symbol.
If you were working on a kit and project, consider saving both as well … we all lost stuff by forgetting this
Further considerations
• Try pulse waveform. Pulsewith modulation can add an effect similar to chorus, fattening a sound.
• Filter 2 in high pass (e.g. HP2) mode, use resonance (e.g. above 60) and sweep from the bottom (e.g. freq. around 28-31).
• Try filter tracking, e.g. 32
• Try overdrive ... obviously.
• Add a little chorus.
• Percussive sounds: consider the osc re(trig) option in the Osc2 menu.
• Arp sounds: consider filter tracking. The higher notes are then brighter and this will also add interest to the sound.
Comparison and use of waveforms
Sawtooth: In the higher registers, a bright and edgy sound. Can serve as a starting point for a wide variety of sounds. T
Square or basic pulse: In the higher registers, a video game type sound.
The difference is most relevant in the lower registers, where the saw is thin and buzzy, while the square or pulse is also buzzy but gives a heavier low end. The square waveform is thus well suited for deeper bass sounds.
Pulsewidth: As the pulsewidth is decreased, the sound becomes thinner. As a consequence, in the higher registers a pulse shape with a small width and a saw shape sound quite similar.
Design of envelopes
As always, the manuals are actually very informative and always worth another look:
0-1
Linear attack and decay/release. An envelope shape suitable for controlling the filters if linear attack/decay/release sweeps are desired. When used as an amplitude envelope the decay and release phase appears to drop quicker towards the end, making it most useful for sounds that should fade out without a tail.
2-3
This can be considered the standard envelope shape. Decay and release fall quicker in the beginning of their phase, behaving more snappy and – just like acoustic sounds tend to do – leaving a tail instead of ending abruptly. This envelope shape is useful for creating distinct sounds, for example kick drums and basses, but also lengthier sounds like pads.
4-5
Exponential attack, linear decay/release. This shape makes the envelope rise quicker and quicker. This envelope is suitable when for example creating sounds appearing to be played in reverse or for sounds requiring a sudden attack.
6-7
Exponential attack, exponential decay/release. Since our hearing perceives loudness exponentially, this shape is primarily useful as an amplitude envelope for very long sounds that are supposed to fade in and fade out at a very constant rate. When used as a filter envelope, very clicky, whip lushlike sounds can also be obtained by using this shape.
8-9
Full attack, linear decay/release. The envelope will immediately rise to the full envelope level and stay there for the whole attack phase. The ATK parameter sets the duration of this attack phase. The envelope shape is useful as amplitude envelope for certain percussive sounds that need a punch at full volume followed by a quick decay, or for other sounds that should contain a full body before being entering the decay phase.
10-11
Full attack, exponential decay/release. The envelope behaves like the aforementioned shape 89, but decay and release will fall in a more snappy fashion, ending with a tail. This makes it even more useful for percussive sounds.
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in my LOWEND101 experiment I find to put the A4 in “Unison” with First and Second Voices checked + check “use TRK sound” is the best way for either layering method as well as 4 OSC configuration. Then it’s all about to have always the same octave when playing/previewing on both trk1 or trk2, copy/paste different page or saving SOUND-01_trk1 first, then recall it on trk2, tweaking and then saving as SOUND-01_trk2… The most obvious then can be saving as a kit this kind of complex configuration Poly mode or Layering Mode… as it’s keeps all and recall everything.
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This is one of the best tutorials I’ve seen, I’m a beginner and it helped me a lot. You really have a talent at explaining and passing all that knowledge.
More please!
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