Hi Phil,
Thanks for the question. The answer is it depends. If you are generally editing someone else’s work, you must do it pretty much Element by Element. However, when building your own instruments from scratch, you would in all likelihood start with Element 1.

Example, say your building an Acoustic Piano, you would begin with Element 1... working its Amplitude EG, Filter settings and EG on that single Element. You would then COPY that to Element 2 but change the Oscillator Waveform. Each additional Element in building the Acoustic Piano would begin as a COPY. This generally works because of the similar behavior you want for each building block component. In most cases, each Element of a musical instrument sound would have a very similar envelope and other settings.

If later you want to adjust the Filter for your 8 Elements, it’s the same as approaching an already programmed Part... each by each...there are 8 Elements, each has its own AEG, it’s own Filter and FEG, it’s own routing through the Effects, etc., etc.,

You can see that building up from scratch how you would build that first Piano Element as fully as possible before Copying that Element.
Unlike most analog hardware, each Oscillator has its own everything. Analog synthesizers are much easier to program mainly because all the oscillators share the same filter type, they also share the same filter EG and amplitude EG. The signal path of the typical hardware analog synth is mimicked in each MODX Element... each Element has an Oscillator, a Filter w/FEG Cutoff/Resonance, an AEG... Each Element has its own LFO, plus there is a Common LFO that you can apply or not to each Element.

You can create a playable sound with 8 Elements per, Part, 8 PARTs (64 Oscillators, 64 Filters, 64 Amplitude EGs, etc., etc,

Obviously, with a sample based engine - each component is capable of being individually defined and assigned Control! (Whether you see this as a blessing or curse, is the operative question). I’ve heard it put this way... the “good news” is you have tons of control over creating the sound, the “bad news” is you have to program it all. In an analog hardware synth the Filter works on the entire sound... with the number of filters you can have here, and the fact that you can individually assign control of each, is remarkable. And makes for extremely interesting sound possibilities.

Copying Elements
While Editing Element 1, hold [SHIFT] + [EDIT] to view the COPY/EXCHANGE screen to Copy or Exchange the current Element with another Element in the same Performance. You set the SOURCE by entering this function from the item you want to Copy or Exchange (its data will already populate the left (source) side of the screen, set the target (destination) Part and Element on the right side of the screen.

Additional Considerations
All 8 Elements in an AWM2 Part can edited together using the so-called “Quick Edit” functions.
From the HOME screen, touch “Motion Control” > “Quick Edit”
With the PART = COMMON
You can apply changes to all potential Elements simultaneously. These parameters are “offsets”... for example the CUTOFF Knob does not adjust a filter, rather it applies an offset to each of the active Filter’s in the Performance.
With the PART = PART x
You will apply changes to the 8 potential Elements in Part x simultaneously.

Shown below “Quick Edit” set for Part 3

The settings of +0 means that no offset is applied. Changes made hear Effect all Elements in this Part together.

Computer options
A Program like the John Melas Total Librarian and Editors allow you to do surgical copying, you can highlight an AEG, for example, and copy and paste it where necessary.

Thanks for this, my main consideration was editing the filter of a mutli-element sound. It looks like this can be done through the multiedit page. However I have to say that overall the navigation around such a complex instrument is remarkably easy. I can get to where I want quite quickly.
BTW is there an easy way to tell which elements are active? Some switch in at various velocity/key ranges, when they are sounding the small light comes on. However it would be useful to know all that are potentially used in a sound without testing all keys & velocities.

For working with AWM2 Parts
When you enter [EDIT], select the PART that you want work with.
Along the bottom of the screen is access to the potential 8 Elements, “Elem1-Elem8”
Touching one of these let’s you view the individual settings for that Oscillator (tone source)

Those in bright blue are active in this Part. Inactive Parts appear greyed out.
When you play the Keys and you meet the requirements outlined for that Oscillator to trigger you’ll see a green radio button illuminate for the Element.

Touch “All” to see an overview of the OSCILLATOR.

Here you will see the active Element Switches set to “On”, you’ll see also under what conditions this particular oscillator will fire... XA Control, Group, Note Limit, Velocity Limit
There is also an “All” BALANCE screen that shows offsets for Coarse, Fine, Cutoff, Pan, Level