Elektron Tonverk in Action: Jogging House’s ‘Stenography’ Workflow Dissected

Jogging House opens the walkthrough by situating us in the sonic world of his new album “Sender,” with the track “Stenography” serving as our case study. The entire album, including this piece, was composed exclusively on the Elektron Tonverk, using only samples from his kalimba. The approach is refreshingly focused: all samples are prepared in advance, with the kalimba recorded through a Coco Quantus preamp for a touch of coloration, then sliced into 20–25 usable segments. This ritualistic sampling process is not just technical—it’s a way for Jogging House to set the creative mood before composition even begins.

He’s transparent about the production chain: what we hear in the video is the raw Tonverk output, bypassing the tape and mastering steps that shape the final album. The workflow is rooted in firmware 1.2, and Jogging House notes that any missing features are simply a matter of versioning. This context is crucial for understanding the limitations and choices in the demonstration, and it’s a reminder that firmware evolution can subtly shift an instrument’s creative landscape.

Jogging House’s workflow is built around meticulous sample preparation and looping. He uses Tonverk’s subtracts not for percussion, but as loop pools—each track loaded with a different kalimba sample, envelopes fully open, and loops set to run indefinitely. The artistry lies in finding the right loop points to avoid clicks and pops, and in dialing in loop lengths that balance presence and subtlety. Too short, and a sound becomes intrusive; too long, and it risks vanishing from the mix.

Each loop is tuned and filtered, often pitched down for warmth or left as recorded for contrast. Heavy filtering—especially with the state variable filter nudged toward bandpass—keeps the low end clean, preventing muddiness as layers accumulate. The process is iterative and deliberate, with Jogging House spending significant time adjusting loop lengths and tunings to achieve the desired mood. This is sound design as architecture: every loop and filter setting is a building block in the evolving structure of the track.

Tonverk’s polyphonic engine takes center stage for tracks three through seven, each hosting a unique slice of kalimba, looped and sculpted with a suite of effects. Jogging House bypasses the granular engine entirely, focusing instead on the single-player polyphonic mode and its looping capabilities. The filter bank and chorus are used liberally, with FX LFOs modulating effect depth and speed to create a constantly moving soundbed. Effects routing is sophisticated: tracks are sent to buses loaded with fully wet delays, pitch shifters, reverbs, and distortions, each bus tailored for a specific textural role—delayed pitch-shift, distorted reverb, or wobbly reverb.

Modulation is everywhere. Each polyphonic track features subtle movement, whether it’s filter spread, panning, or pitch modulation. The single-player engine’s sample crossfade makes tight looping smooth and artifact-free, while envelopes (often attack-hold-decay, a nod to classic Elektron designs) shape the dynamics. The result is a lush, evolving pad-like layer that contrasts with the more percussive, plucky subtracts. The workflow is a testament to how digital modulation and effects can transform simple samples into a complex, immersive soundscape.

The interplay between looped and sequenced elements is where Jogging House’s approach shines. The bass, always on track 8 for consistency, is a deeply pitched kalimba sample that’s sequenced rather than looped. This creates a subtle rhythmic tension with the looping subtracts, as their cycles drift in and out of sync over time. Rather than forcing perfect alignment, Jogging House embraces this phasing, occasionally nudging the tempo to realign elements and create a sense of organic movement.

He demonstrates how this technique produces a felt, rather than programmed, groove—something that would be difficult to achieve with strict sequencing alone. The performance is recorded live to tape, always within a single pattern, with sounds faded in and out or unmuted gradually. This hands-on approach blurs the line between production and live improvisation, leveraging Tonverk’s architecture for both structure and spontaneity.