Elektron-Users

One of the Oscillator One waveform options on the Analog Four is the intriguingly-named feedback option, of which the manual says:

It is also possible to choose one of the two External Inputs (to send external sounds
through the filters) or to activate Filter Feedback.

Impressive level of detail, there...but you know synth parameters are not that interesting, that's why Elektron stuck them in an appendix

Well, I've been playing with this but I'm too sure what's going on. It doesn't respond to the Tuning control, but nor does it respond to keytracking settings on the filter page, and strangely the filters still seem to operate normally whether or not this feedback option is engaged. Has anyone else figured it out?

On a related subject, is it me or does the gain on external input coming through the oscillators for filtering seem a little low? If I run drums from the cue output of the OT into the A4 filters the default settings seem low and I really need to crank the output stages to compensate (not through the FX, they sound fine).

It's filter feedback. 'Nuff said? Yes the filter still tracks but if you just crank tge feedback all tge way up to hear what it's doing, it'll overpower it. Find the pockets.

And yes, running through the filters, even when opened all the way, is quieter than just running through the fx track.

Input is low when running through the Osc L&R, my mbase and minitaur drop in level a fair bit when switching from the FX ins to the Osc ins to use the A4 filters. Hope this is sorted soon cause my pal has to turn down his tempest a lot to balance his kit with my kick, I wonder if its a head room issue why this is the case, haven't a clue tho.

I can't help ya with the feedback Osc question I'd like to know what it's for also, another form of noise is all I can see.

heckadecimal wrote:
It's filter feedback. 'Nuff said? Yes the filter still tracks but if you just crank tge feedback all tge way up to hear what it's doing, it'll overpower it. Find the pockets.

Nuff said, good man

heckadecimal wrote:
It's filter feedback. 'Nuff said? Yes the filter still tracks but if you just crank tge feedback all tge way up to hear what it's doing, it'll overpower it.

Thanks for that deeply unhelpful reply, Heckadecimal.

What I've learned so far is that is that with keytracking turned up to 64 (200%), you can track the keyboard up as far as about F3, albeit inaccurately. It will be offset by about 7 semitones, this can be compensated for by reducing the Filter 1 cutoff and Osc volume to 90, which will brin git approximately in tune with the oscillators on another track.

From my experience (I haven't tried this option on the A4, but have done it plenty on my MFB Synth II), you can really thicken up and beef up sounds with internal feedback and all the way for very 'thumpy' sounds (you can make deep kick drum sounds this way)

I certainly like what it's doing as an effect. It's just a little confusing on the default setting with the keyboard in the center octave, as every note sounds the same until you start tweaking the Osc level, filter cutoff and resonance, which interact in complex ways.

Sorry you don't know what feedback is.

The feedback osc expands the waveform to a more square-like shape. Take for instance a tri wave and slowly increase osc1 volume when set to feedback. It slowly becomes more squarish

Feedback is simply when the output is fed back into the input, it can get quite wild with some settings and some devices, I have not experimented much with the A4 feedback but I would expect that it would cause instability with the filter tracking.