Digitakt Blofeld sync issue

[andreaavellino]

Hallo guys, I have recently paired my DT with a Blofeld and I really love the two together!

Sad thing is that I am noticing an annoying inaccuracy in synchronization between the two machines. My settings should be ok, and actually the Blofeld arpeggios sounds good with DT’s beat 40-50% of the time, but often I can feel a noticeable delay. Meaning that the tempo of the arpeggio is right, but somehow slightly shifted from the beat (grrr).
Sometimes when I press play on DT the synth sounds out of time, then if I stop and make another attempt it will just work fine… so random! I’ve read of many people having this problem and none of them seamed to find a solution, I wish I can have some luck asking here!

Secondary problem is the volume! Sorry for the super-noob question guys (I started messing around with music hardware a couple of months ago), but is there some kind of “signal amplifier hardware” (lol) that I can apply to the blofeld in order to bring its levels to the DT’s ones? Or maybe an easier workaround I haven’t thought of?

I really hope there’s a solution at least to the first issue (which if not, would make my blofeld almost completely unusable for what I need…).

Many thanks in advance!! : )

[acidhouseforall]

Meaning that the tempo of the arpeggio is right, but somehow slightly shifted from the beat

I love the Blofeld, but I could never get the arpegiator to sync properly. And it’s a shame because the arpegiator is one of the best there is on a synth feature-wise.

is there some kind of “signal amplifier hardware” (lol) that I can apply to the blofeld

Any mixer will do.

[andreaavellino]

Hi @acidhouseforall, thank you so much for your reply. Well I guess I’ll have to give up hope on this, as you said it’s a real pity, I really love Blofeld’s sounds, especially pads. I’ll return it to the store and maybe have it replaced with an Analog Four.

Super noob question n°2: do you think I can get some similar pads and soundscapes on A4 as well? I know this machine costs 3 times more and is a superior synth, but all the videos and demos I’ve seen around sounded much different from the Blofeld. Money is not a big deal right now so if you think I’ll be able to reproduce the same nice sounds and more (much more, I guess), I would definitely go for it.
This way I would also solve the volume problem.

[andreaavellino]

I would play the A4 with an Alesis VI25 (just mentioned cause I read u have Alesis hardware as well ).

[avantronica]

be able to reproduce the same nice sounds and more (much more, I guess)

not comparable - architecture very different and voice count is going to be a problem - a4 is deep but not that deep and is far better suited to exploiting its own sequencer - A4 does pads but it’s better in other ways

A small mixer will easily be the cheapest way to address levels issues and offer more options besides

Blofeld chat is here

[acidhouseforall]

do you think I can get some similar pads and soundscapes on A4 as well?

I had the A4, it’s good in its own category but it sounds nothing like the Blofeld. I have the Digitone and it can make sounds similar to the Blofeld. Although the architecture is different, it’s a much better fit than the A4 if you’re after Blofeld-like sounds.

[acidhouseforall]

Oh, and the Digitone has an arpegiator with no sync issues

[avantronica]

Digitone sounds like a contender for a perfect match, but getting the most from it may well require more effort on your part as it’s not a ‘simpler’ subtractive synth - the Blofeld is hardly simple, but it’s safer - DT & DN seems like a very good pairing on so many levels

There’s a topic for this general ‘best synth partner’ question if you are after suggestions or wish to discuss

Best synth to pair with Digitakt? If you only had one

I'm trying to think of a good hardware synth that ideally doesn't have a keybed. Want something that's going to have a broad range of sound possibilities. So far I've come up with: OP1 - bonus is it can layer via its tape machine, negative is that I need a midi host to sync the digitakt with it. Analog4 Monomachine Anything else I should be looking at? A4 seems pretty good, Virus snow sounds interesting too.

[andreaavellino]

Hi guys,

so I ended up buying a Digitone in the end and I have to say I’m discovering so much more depth and so many other different sounds than the crazy alien ones I’ve heard on youtube’s videos! Also his parameters for sound shaping and the arpeggiator are insane :)))

Thank you both so much for your hint!

Big virtual hug

[acidhouseforall]

Bonus: you get two machines with consistent interfaces. Chord editing on the Digitone feels a bit alien at first but I got used to it.

[andreaavellino]

yeah but i have the feeling that there’s a lot or room for consistent sound design on each preset so a very wide range of possibilities… also knowing the DT I felt super familiar to DN very fast, as well as I’m learning new things about my DT while studying the DN… just awesome.

anyway @acidhouseforall, your thumbnail is genius, I swept the screen with my finger twice trying to get rid of that midge

[Munro]

Turn the levels up for the oscillators and amp section on the Blofeld. They’re often set low on presets so that when you play loads of voices it doesn’t clip internally.

[andreaavellino]

Hi @Munro, thanks for the tip! Too late though, I replaced it with a Digitone.