Hello Squarpists … I am new here, not yet an owner but I have been wanting a pyramid since I learned about a few years back, so let me know if you are selling yours.
I have questions about the pyramid, I wonder if anyone can offer wisdom.
Firstly, can I adjust the relative timing of sequences … ie nudge the beats back or forward like a DJ …? On my Elektron A4 i can rotate sequences by 16ths but I want to be able to fine tune
On that point, I like to fine-tune delay timings too, the Elektron and Ableton are a bit clunky on this, can I fine tune delays on the pyramid?
I hope this makes sense, there are more questions!
Not certain what you mean, I’ll try to answer to the best of my understanding.
If you meant adding groove by delaying certain steps (e.g. “J Dilla” type beats), you can indeed shift individual notes, or the entire track by small increments of time. The time resolution is small enough that in most common BPMs, the finest time adjustment is in the magnitude of milliseconds.
See STEP mode in the manual for more detail. The key words here are “move”, “offset”, and “Rotate”(which has a dedicated subsection).
Now, if you’re talking about changing the BPM, you can do so live with fine control. You cannot however have multiple different BPMs, like you’d have in a DJ setup with two decks for instance. (Note: This is possible in Hapax using “elasticity”).
See Tempo for more detail.
Finally, there is a Delay effect, which echoes MIDI events, but I don’t think that’s what you were referring to.
Thank you, if I can move individual tracks back or forward by micro time that is what I was hoping.
Can I ask more…?!
Does the midi delay keep adding trigs after another trig in the sequence, to build complexity in time like an audio delay? I ask because I started with a Volca beats which has a midi delay that is great though it cuts the delays when there is another note in the sequence.
Also … can I pick up an lfo from another track and apply it somewhere else, maybe phase shifted or inverted?
Also … can I phase shift running LFOs? On my A4 I can only set phase when it retriggers
Is there limits on what I can modulate? On my Elektron A4 i cannot modulate note parameters, eg velocity, microtiming etc
That’s all I can think of, I hope it’s clear … I am definitely going to get a pyramid so I will find all this out anyway! But thanks if there is more knowledge to share …
Yes. Please note that it does so in real time, like an effects pedal would, and does not change what you programmed in the piano roll.
No. Pyramid LFOs can only output MIDI messages. If you’re very careful, you could find a way to loop back MIDI messages IN, and have those affect other things in other tracks, but MIDI loops are always a rat’s nest and a pain to debug if something goes wrong.
Yes, there are limits. Indeed, you can’t really modulate note properties. However, you can automate or modulate(“ASSIGN”) effects parameters, which can affect timing, aftertouch, etc.
