The 16 tracks of a project hold 16 patterns each. They also have a type (POLY, by default) and several parameters which define their input and output channels, runmodes, ...
Each project contains 16 tracks.
Press one of the 1..16 track buttons to select a track.
Hold a track button to enter the primary track settings menu:
Hold 2ND + Press a track button to enter the secondary settings menu:
The active track is indicated by a bright steady white light on the corresponding pad.
Track settings
OUTPUT PORT Midi A/B/C/D USB DEVICE/HOST CV/GATE 1/2/3/4 CV 1/2/3/4 GATE 1/2/3/4 Sets the track output. Tip When possible, we recommend to use a separate MIDI output port for tracks generating a lot of events, e.g. if you send a lot of automation CC messages to a synthesizer. Moreover, as USB outputs have a higher bandwidth, you can use them to output a lot of event on different channels without compromising on timing.
OUTPUT CHANNEL 1 ... 16 Sets the MIDI channel for the track output. Note DRUM tracks will only use this channel for automations, as channels are tied to specific drum lanes.
INPUT PORT Sets the MIDI port for the track input : -- No input ALL ACTIVE Listens to all incoming events, on any port and channel, but only when the track is currently selected. MIDI A/B USB DEVICE USB HOST CV/GATE Listens to the specified port.
INPUT CHANNEL Sets the MIDI channel for the track input : 1 ... 16 Listens to the specified channel All 1 ... 16 Listens to any channel on the specified input port. Prefered for MPE or DRUM tracks.
LENGTH 1 STEP ... 32 BARS Sets the length of the pattern in steps (1 step = 16th notes). Tip Hold and Rotate encoder ⑥ for finer resolution.
RUN -- REVERSE PING-PONG RANDOM BAR RANDOM BEAT RANDOM 1/16 Sets the pattern playback mode. A pattern can be played normally, in reverse, in ping-pong (forward/backward) or jump to a random step every bar, every beat or every 16th note.
TRIG Sets the behavior of the player upon a pattern change : RESTART Resets the position to the beginning of the pattern after a change. FREE Keeps the previous position of the player upon a pattern change. The playhead will not jump in this case.
PC (LSB, MSB) 0 ... 127 Sets the program change (PC) midi message to be sent when transitioning to this pattern. You can also use optional extended PC logic with MSB/LSB (used by some synthesizer with more than 127 presets).
Tip Rotate encoder ⑤ to instantly set the PC, or Press encoder ⑤ to enter the menu configurating PC/MSB/LSB.
Tip Inside the PC menu, you will find the PRE-SEND option. If enabled, the program change will not be sent at the very beginning of the next-pattern-to-be-launched, but will be sent 1 quarter note before, useful when controlling Elektron machines patterns. Please note that if the new pattern has been launched by user just before the effective synced pattern change, Hapax will sent the according PC as soon as possible, so maybe the receiving Elektron device will not be able to process this PC in time.
Secondary track settings
Hold 2ND + Press a track button to enter advanced settings.
QUANTIZE -- 1/64 1/32 1/24 1/16 Sets the quantization time division. Please note that this parameter will be overriden by the project quantization if set.
STRENGTH 0% ... 100% Sets the track quantize strength. At 100%, note positions will be shifted to land precisely on the quantization time divisions. At 0%, note positions won't be affected. At 50%, notes will only be shifted half of the duration they should have been shifted in order to be fully quantized.
pTRSP OFF ON If "pTrsp" is enabled in the project settings, this parameter will allow the current track to be transposed by track 16. This setting is disabled if pTrsp is not project enabled.
pSCALE OFF ON When set to "OFF", the track will not follow the project scale. This setting is disabled if pScale is not enabled at the project level.
TRACK NAME Allows renaming your track.
INSTRUMENT DEFINITION Shows wich Instrument definition file is loaded. Clicking on either of the two lower right encoders will open a list of the available files on the SD card, to load a new one. Holding on either of the two lower right encoders will show the text included in the comment section of the file.
MIDI FILES IMPORT/EXPORT Import SD card midi files thanks to the explorer, or export the active pattern to a .mid file.
Copy, paste, delete & swap tracks
To copy a track, Hold copy + Press a track button. To paste a track, Hold paste + Press a track button. To delete a track, Hold delete + Press a track button.
To swap positions of existing tracks Hold a track button, then Press either or .
Note While the TRANSPOSE track is originally numbered 16, changing its position will not change its role, meaning the TRANSPOSE track can be at any position.
Instrument Definitions
Intro
Instrument Definitions are a fast and easy way to setup a track to work with a given instrument. Here is a non-exhaustive list of their features:
Give CCs names
Set the input and output MIDI port and channel
Set up the drum lanes of a drum track
Give PCs names (to save your favourite presets)
Create empty automation lanes
Instrument Definitions are UTF-8 encoded text files, with the ".txt" file extension.
They should be stored in the HAPAX folder of the SD card, alongside the projects.
How they work
The file is broken up into several sections, e.g. one for naming CCs, one for setting up drum lanes, etc. Each section contains keywords, known as commands, followed by values to set a given property.
Almost all commands are optional, and most values can be set to not overwrite the current state of the track with the keyword NULL.
Note This can be particularly useful to reuse an instrument definition where the channel or port might regularly change from project to project.
All text to the right of a '#' character are comments, and have no effect.
The syntax is quite simple, and self-documented in the examples below.
Hapax is able to import or export standard midi files. They are all stored in the MIDI folder, located in the root of the SD card, next to the "HAPAX" folder:
Importing Midi Files
You can download MIDI files from the internet or export them from your favorite DAW. These files may contain notes and CC (Control Change) information.
The supported types are type 0 (1 file = 1 track) and type 1 (1 file = multiple tracks). However, we do not support type 2.
To import, navigate to 2ND + track . Use Encoder ⑧ to select import (down arrow) or export (up arrow).
Select import and press the encoder to enter the "MIDI File Explorer."
After selecting a .mid file, you will be asked to select the track you want to import. Indeed, some .mid files (type 1) includes multiple tracks. Generally, each track corresponds to an instrument or an automation lane.
After confirming the import, the selected track of the selected .mid file will be imported into your current pattern.
Note This action will overwrite any previous notes and events present in the pattern.
Note When importing a .mid track longer than the maximum pattern length of Hapax (32 bars), this .mid track will be shorten to 32 bars.
Exporting Midi Files
Press 2ND + track and select the up arrow to export the current pattern as a .mid file.
The exported file is of type 1. This file will inlude multiple tracks: a single MIDI track for notes, and tracks for each automation lane.
This file will be named with the current project name, the track number, and the pattern number.
Tip You can use MIDI Import/Export to save and recall your own patterns at any time.
Note For the moment, you can't import/export MIDI files on a drum track.
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