An improved ART2 network provides fast and intermediate learning. The network combines analog and binary coding functions. The analog portion encodes the recent past while the binary portion retains the distant past. LTM weights that fall below a threshold remain below threshold at all future times. The suprathreshold LTM weights track a time average of recent input patterns. LTM weight adjustment (update) provides fast commitment and slow recoding. The network incorporates these coding features while achieving an increase in computational efficiency of two to three orders of magnitude over prior analog ART systems.