No songmode, what's a nice solution? (digitakt + digitone)

I’m thinking about a setup with only the Digitakt and Digitone. Unfortunately both machines don’t have a song mode.
The goal is to create complete songs with the two machines and be able to recall them at any given moment.

What would be a great solution for this? (has to be something not too big and can’t be a computer.)

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Here are some suggestions. The easiest is to set up the patterns in a bank in numerical order so it is a simple effort to set up.

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I’ve read through it and it seems I need an external sequencer that will trigger all the program changes of the DTA & DTO.

Really hope Elektron will add songmode but I reaaaally doubt it.

Any sequencers in Eurorack that will do just that in an easy way?

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Don’t buy the units. That’s the only way Elektron is going to “get” that people actually need a song mode.

I’d own a DT, and would def buy the Digitone if they had song modes. The fact that they don’t is an absolute dealbreaker for me.

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I think an Octatrack maybe the answer. Either way, you maybe can setup the Digitakt to send Program Change, and the Digitone will follow.

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This won’t work either, as the Digitakt has a delay when responding to program changes and doesn’t change the pattern in time with the rest of your gear. The only way to use it in a song with other gear is to actually sequence it from your main sequencer which kinda defeats the object of having its own built in sequencer.

If you want to be able to do this, you should not get the DT and the DN. The Digi’s simply have not been designed for this scenario.

To be perfectly honest, if this is what you want to do, then I would recommend a computer running a DAW you like instead of a hardware setup. I’ve tried doing things like this with different kinds of hardware, and I’ve found that I always end up at a point where there’s something I’m going to need to do from a computer. Sure, some boxes have song modes that allow you to arrange a track by putting patterns in a certain order, but once you’ve done that, you’ll find yourself wanting to automate some parameters across those arranged patterns…

It would make sense to get the DT and the DN as a combo to create patterns on, to try ideas for arrangements on by triggering patterns, changing mute states, and parameters live, and then using OB (when it’s finally out) to record stems or tracks into a DAW and then do the final arrangement and mixdown there.

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Don’t buy equipment that doesn’t meet your needs by default. Nor should you gripe about something that was never advertised as part of said equipment. Elektron said there would be an alternative to song mode from the beginning.

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This will likely be fixed soon as midi has been the primary focus of the os patches. After that is fixed the Digitakt could send signal out to a midi hub and then back to itself for pattern changes. I’d like to see the option to route midi internally in the future to skip using a midi hub.

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You can use a midi track on the Digitakt to send program changes to itself. You would need a loopback and it causes crashes. A way around the crashes might be one of those programmable cables and have it filter out the midi messages that cause the crashes/feedback.

I have never—not even once—used the song mode on my A4. I compose and perform my pattern changes as part of my process.

I either 1) perform 100% live into my audio interface, clean up the stereo audio file, and done; or 2) perform into Ableton via OB for more complex pieces where I will overdub, automate, add FX, compression, complex EQing etc. If I’m unhappy with what I did (played a pattern a bit too long, say) it’s easier to chop two bars out than to deal with a “song mode” on a hardware device that’s never going to be as visual or as flexible as it will be on a laptop screen.

I respect people who want to be 100% OTB, and I do sometimes, but to me the “song” is either the fluid, semi-improvised performance or the finished .MP3, not some intermediary state.

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A computer is a no go for sure. Unfortunately i guess the Digitakt and Digitone will both be a no deal as well unfortunately.

I hope Elektron can explain why they left it out of the machines as I can’t think of a good excuse. (as previous machines had this)

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Not sure they have to explain it mate.

If I’m making a cheese sandwich and choose to stick I dollop of salad cream in it, I don’t feel the need to explain to anyone. It’s just a choice that’s been made :wink:

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But if you said your friends could take a photo of the bread, or the cheese, or the salad cream…but NOT a photo of the whole sandwich…then they might ask you to explain this.

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I’m sure the reasons are a combination of the following:

  1. Song mode is used by only a tiny percentage of our customers, so it might not be the best thing to focus development effort on.
  2. Song mode would take up an additional button on the control surface, making it more crowded, or preventing us from giving direct control for other features.
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Again, I don’t have to explain anything.

It might be nice for them to have an explanation as to why I’m doing what I’m doing, but I don’t have to explain a thing.

And why would they want to photograph my sandwich? I’ve got some friends who are into so pretty out there stuff, however cheese sandwich pron is too far out even for them…

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lol. I’m hungry now. (searches for photos of sandwhiches)

To be honest I don’t understand why even simple chain saving per project is missing. It sounds simple to me. I don’t perform live so to be able to construct a song without connecting up a computer would be great. It annoyed me on the DT (sold it) and I’ve preordered a Digitone where it makes even more sense to have a song mode, being a synth with a sequencer. But if OB arrives soon it won’t be so bad.

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You can wait until overbridge is ready and record the patterns in a DAW and from there you structure the song. It is wrong to buy hoping that they will implement that vital function that you need. What if it does not happen? It is no coincidence that OT AR and A4 cost twice as much

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I agree, it does seem like a strange omission, particularly in this day and age when machines decade’s older have the function.

It’s not something I need, or miss, but I get for those that play live or do jam videos etc that it’s missed.

Although that being said, historically elektron have added loads of functionality later on, so who knows!

I know have an image of you hunched over your screen, in the dark, drooling over images from subway…

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But even with the OB approach (when it arrives) it’s only per track audio recorded so you lose the effects that flow between patterns when they’re chained on the device.

For me, it’s either ignore the on-board sequencer and play it and record it from the DAW via Midi but lose per step p-locks etc. Or go through the grueling task of remembering a long chain and reconstructing it every time you go back to a project or lose it by mistake because you’ve hit a different bank or pattern.

A reason from Elektron would be nice. Or even better a teaser that this feature is coming. But I understand when people say it’s not an advertised feature.

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