Analog Four MKII: Digital Mind, Analog Soul
Analog Four MKII: Digital Mind, Analog Soul
Analog Four MKII: Digital Mind, Analog Soul
Quick Guide
2. PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTIONS
2.1 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
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1. MAIN VOLUME sets the volume for the main outputs and the headphones output.
2. [GLOBAL SETTINGS] opens the GLOBAL SETTINGS menu. The secondary
function saves the current project.
3. QUICK PERF AMOUNT sets the amount of the chosen performance macro.
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4. [QPER] key. Used together with the [TRIG 1–10] keys to select which performance
macro that should be controlled by the QUICK PERF AMOUNT knob. The secondary
function mutes the performance macros.
5. TRACK LEVEL sets the volume level of the active track. Also used for scrolling in menus
and setting parameter values. The secondary function opens the SOUND BROWSER.
6. [TEMPO] opens the TEMPO menu. [FUNC] + [TEMPO] to tap the tempo.
7. [YES] key. Used for entering sub-menus and for confirming choices.
8. [NO] key. Used for exiting an active menu and backing one step.
9. Screen.
10. The [ARROW] keys. Used for menu navigation. They are called [UP], [DOWN], [LEFT]
and [RIGHT].
11. [ARP] key. Opens the ARPEGGIATOR menu that contains arpeggiator settings.
12. [NOTE] key. Opens the NOTE menu that contains note settings for the active track.
13. [PARAMETER] keys switch between the PARAMETER pages of the active track.
The text on the keys indicates the pages for the four synth tracks. The first row of
white text under the keys is for the FX track pages and the second row of white text
indicates the CV track pages. A second press on the [PARAMETER] key will in some
cases open secondary PARAMETER pages.
14. [OCT-/+] keys transpose the [KEYBOARD] keys. <OCTAVE> LEDs shows the current
transposition.
15. DATA ENTRY knobs. Used for adjusting parameters.
16. The [TRACK] keys select the active track. Four synth tracks, one FX track, and one
CV track are available. They are called [T1–4], [FX], and [CV]. [FUNC] + [TRACK]
mutes a track. The color of the [TRACK] keys indicates the track status. Red=active
track. Green=track on. No light=track muted. Yellow=active and muted track. Dim
red=track that will be affected by FX settings (When FX track is active).
17. [TRNS] is used to transpose the note trigs on the tracks. The secondary function
locks the transpose function.
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18. [KEYBOARD] buttons are used for playing sounds and assigning note values to note
trigs. The first key is called [KEYBOARD C1].
19. [FILL] Activates FILL mode (when GRID RECORDING mode is not active). The sec-
ondary function cues the FILL mode.
20. <PATTERN PAGE> LEDs indicate how many pattern pages the active pattern consists
of and which pattern page is currently active. The LED flashes on the pattern page
that is currently playing.
21. [PAGE] selects the active pattern page in GRID RECORDING mode. The active pattern
page is indicated by the four LEDs above the key. The secondary function accesses
the SCALE menu.
22. [TRIG] keys are used for entering trigs to the sequencer. They are also used for
choosing patterns.
23. [STOP] stops playback. The secondary function is a paste operation.
24. [PLAY] starts playback. The secondary function is a clear operation.
25. [RECORD] key. Activates/deactivates GRID RECORDING mode. Starts LIVE RE-
CORDING if held while pressing [PLAY]. The secondary function is a copy operation.
26. [SONG MODE] activates/deactivates SONG mode.
27. [CHAIN MODE] activates/deactivates CHAIN mode.
28. [BANK A–H] selects between banks A–H.
29. <PATTERN MODE> LEDs indicate which PATTERN mode that is chosen.
30. [PERF] enters PERFORMANCE mode.
31. [KIT] opens the KIT menu. The secondary function saves the current kit.
32. [SND] opens the SOUND menu. The secondary function opens the SOUND SETTINGS
menu.
33. [MIX] opens the PERFORMANCE MIXER. The secondary function opens the POLY
CONFIG menu.
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34. [TRK] opens the TRACK menu. The secondary function opens the CLICK TRACK menu.
35. [PTN] opens the PATTERN menu. The secondary function opens the SWING menu.
36. [SONG] opens the SONG menu. The secondary function saves active Song.
37. [FUNC] key. Press and hold for accessing secondary functions. Secondary functions
are written in green text on the panel.
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7. MIDI IN, MIDI data input. Use a standard MIDI cable to connect to MIDI Out of an
external MIDI device.
8. CV OUTPUTS A–D, Connect to external synth with CV inputs. Use standard 1/4” mono
phone plug.
9. AUDIO INPUT L/R, Use standard 1/4” mono phone plug to input sound from other
synthesizers or mixers.
10. TRACK 1–4 STEREO OUTPUTS, Use standard 1/4” stereo (Tip/Ring/Sleeve) phone
plug or 1/4” mono phone plug.
11. MAIN OUT L/R, Use either 1/4” mono phone plug (unbalanced connection) or 1/4”
stereo (Tip/Ring/Sleeve) phone plug (balanced connection).
12. HEADPHONES. Audio output for stereo headphones. Use 1/4” (Tip/Ring/Sleeve)
phone plug.
4 SOUNDS CV FX
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3.1 +DRIVE
The +Drive is a non-volatile memory capable of storing up to 128 projects (thousands of
patterns, kits, and songs) internally. The +Drive also gives access to the +Drive Sound
library, with the capacity of storing 4096 Sounds. Every project has access to these
Sounds.
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ture and individual track length for the synth tracks and the FX and CV tracks, as well
as ARP and NOTE page settings.
3.2.6 SONG
16 songs are available for each project. They are used to structure the playback of
patterns.
3.2.7 CHAINS
A chain is a sequence of patterns. Up to 256 pattern slots are possible to allocate
between 64 chains.
3.2.8 GLOBAL
The GLOBAL menu is where you save, load and manage projects, handle SysEx data
and perform OS upgrades. It also contains general settings for the synth and sequenc-
er as well as MIDI and CV configurations. Four global slots are available for every
project, each with its separate settings.
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4. THE USER INTERFACE
The screen is the center of Analog Four MKII editing.
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1. The currently active kit. When turning a DATA ENTRY knob, the full name of the adjust-
ed parameter is shown here.
2. The current tempo displayed with one decimal.
3. The playback/recording status of the sequencer shown by the standard “record”,
“play”, “pause” and “stop” symbols; , , , and .
4. Up to ten track parameters. They show what the DATA ENTRY knobs control and also
indicate the current parameter values. Press and turn a knob to adjust its parameters in
larger increments.
5. The currently active pattern. To the left you can see the active song row. A “_ _:” indi-
cates that the scratch pad row is active
6. Bar indicating the track level of the active track.
7. Track name.
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4.1 SCREEN NAVIGATION
Use the [ARROW] keys [UP], [DOWN], [LEFT] or [RIGHT] to navigate menus or
sub-menus. The TRACK LEVEL knob can also be used to scroll through menus and lists.
[YES] is used to affirm, select, enter sub-menus and tick/untick boxes.
[NO] is used to negate, deselect or go back one or more steps.
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4.7 THE NAMING MENU
The naming procedure is identical for all the various naming menus.
The [LEFT] and [RIGHT] arrow keys are used to navigate between the letters. Turn the
TRACK LEVEL knob or press the [UP] or [DOWN] arrow keys to select the letter. [FUNC]
+ [NO] will erase letters.
4.7.1 POP-UP MENU NAMING
While in a NAMING menu it is possible to open a pop-up menu displaying all available
letters, symbols, and digits. Entering characters in the pop-up menu is often a consid-
erably faster naming method. When a NAMING menu is open, press the [FUNC] key to
access the pop-up menu.
While keeping [FUNC] pressed use the [ARROW] keys to navigate to the character you
want to insert. Once there, release [FUNC] to insert the character.
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4.8 OVERBRIDGE
USB
The Overbridge software suite enables a tight integration between the Analog Four MKII
and a computer DAW.
When using Overbridge, the user interface for the Analog Four MKII will present itself as
a clearly laid out plug-in window in your DAW. Access, edit, and automate parameters for
sound shaping on screen. Always find your device preset parameters in the same state as
you left them when you return to your DAW project, with the total recall functionality.
Read more about Overbridge use and availability on the Elektron website: https://www.
elektron.se/overbridge/
5. GETTING STARTED
5.1 SETTING UP AND STARTING
Make sure you place the Analog Four MKII on a stable support, such as a sturdy table, with
sufficient space for the cables. Make sure to switch off all devices before you connect the
Analog Four MKII to other devices.
1. Plug the supplied DC adapter to a power outlet and connect the small plug to the
DC IN connector of the Analog Four MKII.
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2. Connect the MAIN OUT L/R from the Analog Four MKII to your mixer or amplifier.
3. If you want to use MIDI, connect MIDI OUT from the Analog Four MKII to the MIDI IN
of the device you wish to send data to. Connect the MIDI IN of the Analog Four MKII
to the MIDI OUT of the device you wish to receive data from. The MIDI THRU port
“echoes” the data arriving at the MIDI IN port, and is used for chaining multiple MIDI
units together.
4. Switch on all units.
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5.4 ADJUSTING PARAMETERS
Each track contains six PARAMETER pages. There you can find the parameters that
affect the sound.
1. Make sure a pattern is playing.
2. Press one of the [T1–4] keys to select one of the four synth tracks.
3. To change the cutoff of the ladder filter, press the [FLTR] key. The FILTER page will
open. The parameter labeled FRQ changes the cutoff of the ladder filter. Turn DATA
ENTRY knob A to change the parameter value.
4. Try out the rest of the PARAMETER page parameters to experiment with the sound
shaping possibilities.
5. To reload the Sound to its original state, press [NO] + [SND].
6. To reload the whole kit to its original state, press [NO] + [KIT].
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6. THE SEQUENCER
The sequencer of the Analog Four MKII stores information in patterns. A pattern controls
the playback of the synth, FX and CV tracks and various aspects of these tracks.
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6.4 PATTERN RECORDING MODES
The Analog Four MKII offers two main modes of inputting trigs when creating a pattern:
GRID RECORDING mode and LIVE RECORDING mode. To create a new pattern first
select an empty pattern slot in one of the banks.
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2. Enter note trigs by pressing the keys on the KEYBOARD. For the synth and CV
tracks, note values according to the KEYBOARD key presses will be recorded.
To activate quantization of the LIVE RECORDING, do as above but double-press
[PLAY]. To real time erase all trigs from a track, press and hold [TRACK] + [NO].
All trigs hit by the running LED of the sequencer will be erased from the active track.
3. Enter parameter locks (and lock trigs) by turning the DATA ENTRY knobs.
4. Press [STOP] to stop both recording and playback of the sequencer.
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SEQUENTIAL will change patterns after the currently playing pattern reaches its end.
This mode is the default mode.
DIRECT START will immediately change patterns. The new pattern will start playing
from the beginning.
DIRECT JUMP will immediately change patterns. The new pattern will start playing
from the position where the previous pattern left off.
TEMP JUMP will immediately change patterns. The new pattern will start playing from
the position where the previous pattern left off. It will play the new pattern once and
then revert to the pattern that was playing before the change.