It is not possible to change tracker patterns via midi with program changes.
What is the problem?
I would like to use my Elektron gear as the brain of my setup. When I change from pattern 1 to pattern 2 on the Elektron I would like the tracker change patterns as well via program changes. This is possible on every groovebox I own besides the tracker.
What do you want to achieve?
Receiving program changes would make the tracker a great part of dawless setup.
I vote for it! I can’t use Tracker and Play live right now because of this “issue”. Good with program change foot/hand pedals too (I use Elektron sequencers this way live!).
A workaround and an arguably even more powerful way to change patterns via MIDI exists using CC41 to CC48 (performance mode track selection) but with a few caveats:
You must be in performance mode.
Pattern changes are queued and not instantaneous.
8 messages are required to change patterns on all 8 tracks.
A major benefit of performance mode track selection via MIDI over a more traditional program change is that you can mix and match patterns. But sadly there’s a bug in 1.7 that crashes and automatically restarts the Tracker if a stop message is received before the pattern change completes. A bug report has been filed and hopefully it will be addressed and resolved:
We really need direct selection of playing pattern via program change commands over MIDI in pattern mode.
I can see why there might be hesitation on the part of the development team in implementing this, likely one major reason could be that in the current Tracker architecture there are 255 patterns. How about having two MIDI channels (settable in preferences) that listen for PC messages, one defines a lower range and the other an upper range.
Channel Mutes in Pattern Mode are also sorely needed to make this a live instrument. The performance mode is too clunky, especially on the Mini (user of both here) to really jam on it.
Everything about a musically playable UI needs to be “at the speed of thought” - and the trackers come agonizingly close in many regards, but this one needs external control - the control surface as-is isn’t cutting it when modal two-button shift-presses are needed.
im so onboard for this capability too! if this were updated, it would make tracker OG invaluable and hell you could get me to buy a + or mini. how easy this would be. increase its usefulness 1000 times bros. you know it needs this.
The issue though is that it cues the next pattern rather than changing it instantly. So on a different sequencer (e.g. an Elektron like the OP) you can’t put a CC command on step one of your new pattern that then instantly switches the tracker so it follows along nicely. You have to put that step on the previous pattern you are moving from the correct number of steps ahead (depending on the tracker pattern length) which restricts how freely you can decide on the fly which pattern to shift to.
(Does that make sense?)
The issue you’re describing totally makes sense, but it isn’t a problem at all with Elektron gear sending Program Changes to non-Elektron gear. It may be an issue with other synths, I can’t speak to that. My Digitakt and Digitone send program changes to most of the gear in my studio, and you don’t need to put any CC commands – they send program change messages on their own every time you trigger a pattern change – as long as you enable send/receive program changes on the relevant devices, it works like magic.
