Analog Four MKII: Digital Mind, Analog Soul

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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.

2.2 REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS

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1. POWER, For turning the unit on and off.


2. DC IN, Use the included Elektron PSU-3b power adapter, connected to a power outlet.
3. High Speed USB 2.0, Use an A to B USB 2.0 connector cable to a computer host.
4. EXP/CV IN, Input for expression pedal or CV. Use standard 1/4” mono phone plug for
CV signals.
5. MIDI THRU/SYNC B, Forwards data from MIDI IN. Can also be configured to send DIN
sync to legacy instruments. Use a standard MIDI cable to connect another MIDI device
in the chain.
6. MIDI OUT/SYNC A, MIDI data output. Can also be configured to send DIN sync to
legacy instruments. Use a standard MIDI cable to connect to MIDI In of an external
MIDI device.

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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.

3. OVERVIEW OF THE ANALOG FOUR MKII STRUCTURE


The image below outlines the data structure of the Analog Four MKII.

128 PROJECTS +DRIVE SOUND LIBRARY


4096 SOUNDS

4 GLOBALS 16 SONGS 128 PATTERNS 128 KITS SOUND POOL


128 SOUNDS

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.

3.2 DATA STRUCTURE


3.2.1 PROJECT
A project contains 128 patterns, 128 kits, 16 songs, 4 global slots, and a project Sound
pool consisting of up to 128 Sounds. Generic settings and states (tempo, mutes et
cetera) are also stored in each project. A project becomes the active working state
of the Analog Four MKII once it’s loaded. From here it is possible to edit the patterns,
kits, songs, and globals of the project. The Analog Four MKII always retains the active
working state, the active project, even when switched off. However, it must be manually
saved in a project slot before another project is loaded or it will be lost. Projects are
saved, loaded et cetera in the GLOBAL menu.
3.2.2 KIT
Kits contain four Sounds, one for each synth track, and settings for the FX and CV
tracks. Up to 128 kits are available for each Analog Four MKII project. Each pattern is
linked to a kit.
3.2.3 SOUND
A Sound consists of stored synth track parameter settings. Each synth track can host
one Sound. Sounds can be stored either in the Sound pool of the active project or the
+Drive Sound library. The Sound pool contains 128 Sounds and the +Drive library can
consist of up to 4096 Sounds.
3.2.4 BANK
Eight banks exist for each project and each bank contains 16 patterns.
3.2.5 PATTERN
For each of the 8 banks, 16 patterns are available, which means 128 patterns are always
available. A pattern consists of sequencer data like trigs, parameter locks, time signa-

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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.

3.3 ABOUT THE TRACK TYPES


3.3.1 THE SYNTH TRACKS
The synth tracks consist of tracks 1–4. To edit a synth track, press the [T1–4] track key.
Sounds are loaded to the synth tracks. Sounds can be played polyphonically.
3.3.2 THE FX TRACK
The FX track controls the Analog Four MKII internal send effects. To edit the FX track,
press the [FX] track key.
3.3.3 THE CV TRACK
The CV track is used for controlling external equipment capable of receiving analog CV
and Gate signals. To edit the CV track, press the [CV] track key.

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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.

4.2 PARAMETER EDITING


The six [PARAMETER] keys open pages for editing the tracks. The DATA ENTRY knobs
are used to change the values of the track parameters. The positions of the parameters on
the screen correspond to the physical locations of the knobs on the front panel.

4.3 PARAMETER VALUE JUMP


If you press [FUNC] when you edit certain parameters, then the parameter values jump to
appropriate positions. For example the oscillator tuning, which will jump in octaves.

4.4 [FUNC] KEY PRESS COMBINATIONS


The standard way to use the [FUNC] key in combination with other keys, is to press and
hold [FUNC] and then make a short press on the second key in the combination.

4.5 QUICK SCROLLING


Scroll through menus using the TRACK LEVEL knob. Quick scrolling is possible on many
menus. Press [FUNC] + the [UP] or [DOWN] keys to move the cursor one menu page.

4.6 COPY, CLEAR AND PASTE


Copy, clear and paste commands are available in a lot of contexts. Press [FUNC] + [RE-
CORD] to copy. Press [FUNC] + [STOP] to paste. Press [FUNC] + [PLAY] to clear. Paste
and clear operations are undone by repeating the key press combination. Please see the
Analog Four MKII User Manual for more information.

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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.

5.2 PLAYING THE FACTORY PRESETS


The Analog Four MKII is shipped with several preset patterns, kits, and Sounds. To imme-
diately start experimenting with the Analog Four MKII, just follow the instructions below.
1. Switch on the Analog Four MKII.
2. Press [PLAY] to listen to pattern A01.
3. Press [BANK A] + [TRIG 2] to select pattern A02, which is the second demo
pattern. Pattern A02 will start to play when the currently playing pattern finishes.
Pattern A03 is selected by pressing [BANK A] + [TRIG 3] and so on.
4. Mute tracks by pressing [FUNC] + the [TRACK] key of the track you want to mute.
Unmute by repeating the procedure.
5. Press [STOP] to stop playback.

5.3 USING PERFORMANCE MODE


The PERFORMANCE mode makes it possible for the DATA ENTRY knobs to control
several PARAMETER page parameters at once. These parameter mappings are called a
parameter macro.
1. Make sure a pattern is playing.
2. Press the [PERF] key to access PERFORMANCE mode.
3. Turn the DATA ENTRY knobs and listen how the sound of pattern changes.

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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].

5.5 CHANGING SYNTH TRACK SOUND


Each of the four synth tracks contain one Sound. You can use the SOUND BROWSER to
preview and load Sounds to the synth tracks.
1. Double-press [TRACK 1–4] key to open the SOUND BROWSER. The SOUND
BROWSER can also be accessed by pressing [FUNC] + TRACK LEVEL.
2. The SOUND BROWSER will show a list of all Sounds residing in either the +Drive
Sound library or the Sound pool. (You can press [TRIG 1–16] if you want to load a
Sound from another Sound bank in the +Drive Sound library). Turn the TRACK
LEVEL knob or press the [UP]/[DOWN] keys to scroll through the list. You can
preview a Sound by highlighting it in the list and play the [KEYBOARD].
3. Press [YES] to load the highlighted Sound.

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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.

6.1 SELECTING A PATTERN


1. Press [BANK A–H] + [TRIG 1–16] key to select bank and pattern
Patterns containing data are indicated by half-bright red [TRIG] keys. The currently active
pattern is indicated by a full-bright red [TRIG] key.

6.2 PATTERN CONTROL


Pressing [PLAY] will start the playback of a pattern. Pressing [STOP] will stop the play-
back of all tracks. The sound will be cut off, but effects like the Saturator Delay will contin-
ue to be audible until the delay repeats have faded out. When the sequencer is stopped,
quickly pressing [STOP] + [STOP] will stop playback of all tracks and quickly fade out the
send effects.
When a pattern is playing and [PLAY] is pressed the playback will be paused. Press
[PLAY] again to resume the playback.
If a pattern contains more than 16 sequencer steps, the <PAGE> LEDs will indicate this.
When a pattern is playing, the currently active pattern page is indicated by a blinking,
full-bright, <PAGE> LED

6.3 TRIG TYPES


A trig is a sequencer event that you can place when you want the sequencer to perform
an action. Two types of trigs exist, note trigs and lock trigs. Note trigs trig notes, while lock
trigs can be used to apply parameter locks without trigging notes. Note trigs are indicat-
ed by red [TRIG] keys, and lock trigs are indicated by yellow [TRIG] keys. When in LIVE
RECORDING mode and changing lockable parameters, lock trigs containing the locked
parameters are added automatically to the sequencer.

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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.

6.5 GRID RECORDING MODE


GRID RECORDING is a method of composing where you use the [TRIG] keys to add trigs
in the pattern grid.
1. Enter GRID RECORDING mode by pressing the [RECORD] key. The [RECORD] key
lights up red to indicate that GRID RECORDING mode is active.
2. Select the track to which you want to add trigs by pressing a [TRACK] key. The
active track is indicated by a red [TRACK] key.
3. Place note trigs on the sequencer by pressing the [TRIG] keys. To add note values
to trigs of the synth tracks, press and hold a [TRIG] key while pressing a [KEY-
BOARD] key.
4. To add a lock trig, press [FUNC] and [TRIG].
5. Press [PLAY] to listen to the sequence.
If the pattern contains more than 16 steps, switch to the pattern page you want to edit by
pressing the [PAGE] key. The active pattern page is indicated by a fully lit <PAGE> LED.

6.6 LIVE RECORDING MODE


LIVE RECORDING mode is the second method of adding trigs to the tracks. In this record-
ing mode, the [KEYBOARD] keys, or an external MIDI keyboard connected to the Analog
Four MKII, can be played in real time to input trigs to the tracks. It is also possible to enter
parameter locks in real time.
1. Press and hold [RECORD], then press [PLAY] to enter LIVE RECORDING mode.
Quickly pressing [PLAY] twice while keeping the [RECORD] key pressed will acti-
vate/deactivate quantization of LIVE RECORDING. The sequencer will start to play,
and the [RECORD] key will start to flash red.

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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.

6.7 PARAMETER LOCKS


Parameter locks is a powerful feature that allows every trig to have its unique parameter
values. All sample trigs of a track could, for example, have different pitch or volume set-
tings. Parameter locks can be applied to both note trigs and lock trigs.
In GRID RECORDING mode, press and hold the [TRIG] key of a note trig or a lock trig and
then adjust the parameters you want to lock using the DATA ENTRY knobs to apply pa-
rameter locks. The graphics on the screen becomes inverted for the locked parameter and
shows the locked parameter value. The [TRIG] key of the locked trig will begin to flash, to
indicate that the trig now contains a parameter lock.
Enter a lock trig by pressing [FUNC] + [TRIG]. With a lock trig, you can modulate the
sound without trigging a note.
Remove a single parameter lock by holding [TRIG] + pressing the DATA ENTRY knob of
the locked parameter. If you remove a sample trig and then enter it again, all parameter
locks are erased from the trig.
In LIVE RECORDING mode, turn the DATA ENTRY knobs to add parameter locks to the
active track. The parameter will be locked accordingly and lock trigs will automatically be
placed on the sequencer steps.

6.8 PATTERN MODES


When changing patterns, different modes affecting the way the active pattern will be
changed exist. Press [FUNC] + [BANK A–D] to select PATTERN mode. The <PATTERN
MODE> LEDs indicate which mode is selected. There are four PATTERN modes.

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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.

6.9 SCALE SETUP


Pattern scale sets the number of steps in a pattern and thus the total amount of pattern
pages. The leftmost number selects the number of steps in the pattern. The maximum
number of steps available to the pattern is determined by the total length, set by the sec-
ond parameter. This can be either 16, 32, 48 or 64 steps.
The third parameter is the tempo multiplier with seven different settings.

1. Press [FUNC] + [PAGE] to access the scale menu.


2. Use the [ARROW] keys [LEFT] and [RIGHT] to toggle between step length
and scale.
3. Use the [ARROW] keys [UP] and [DOWN] to change the settings. You can also use
the LEVEL knob to change settings.
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