Unquantised pattern length : doable?

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#1

Hi all,

Is it possible on an Analog Keys/Four to record a sequence of unquantised length, somehow like a looper where your record an idea without click and loop the length of what you played, regardless of pattern length?

It is doable with a DAW, recording off-grid MIDI clips, but don’t know if it is doable on the hardware.

Thanks

T

#2

Changing tempo accordingly? No.
The tempo is defined before recording, and notes are recorded on a grid depending on tempo, quantized or not.

You can change track lengths individually.

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#3

Thanks @sezare56

I think I didn’t write properly to start with : I don’t mean changing the tempo.

I mean recording without a click (and unquantised as that is possible) but having the length not grid-related or steps, for instance if I play a part that is 2.5 seconds long, just loop that within the Analog Keys, without specific bars/tempo length pre-set.

To give context to this : sometimes when jamming and tweaking sounds on the Analog Keys, not in the sequencer, just playing live, I find a riff with a sound that modulates to my taste depending on how the LFO’s, ENV etc… are set for instance.

When I hit record with the count-in active on the AK I realise the riff I was playing has nothing to do with the set tempo on the AK.

Changing the tempo to fit my idea, some LFO’s and other parameters change with the tempo and the idea I started with is already half down the drain.

I do record live sequences on the Analog Keys that I then play in loop, tweak live and record the resulting audio in the computer over a track’s duration of several minutes, but then knowing or choosing the duration beforehand.

As I haven’t figured out how to do that on the AK without grid, looper style, I just record my live MIDI playing on the AK in a DAW and once satisfied I loop the recorded MIDI in the DAW, grid-less, without click, have the AK play the DAW’s recorded MIDI and then tweak away at my sequence on the AK, recording the result back on a long audio track in the computer.

If there was a way to do that grid-less looping part from within the AK, that would remove the need to MIDI back and forth with the DAW and do straight to audio recording in the computer.

Thanks for any further info Elektronautons

T

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#4

I asked about it because loopers usually set the tempo from first recording.
A4 has defined tempo and grid.

Imho the best approach with A4 standalone would be to record a pattern or several in song mode / chain mode, and set loop length after.
Make a weird chord to find the end of the loop easily.

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#5

Thanks @sezare56 that’s a good way of looking at it without having to think in advance about the length (which somehow defeats the purpose of going for it like with a looper)

Will give it a try, awesome :smiley:

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