Ableton + Digitakt + Hardware / Sync USB MIDI clock

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hi everybody, let’s see if anyone can help here:

I’m trying to sync another hardware, in this case a MPC2000XL, via MIDI to my Digitakt while the Digitakt is running on Ableton via USB Overbridge. So what I want is Ableton to send the sync to the Digitakt via USB Overbridge and then the Digitakt to send the midi clock to my MPC via MIDI.

I made all connections but then the MPC plays out of sync, like with an evident delay.

I don’t understand why as when I use the Digitakt and the MPC synced via MIDI, they work perfectly, the sync is perfect. As well the Digitakt works perfectly with Ableton via USB Overbridge, the sync is perfect.

But when I use all 3 things together (Ableton + Digitakt + MPC) then the sync on the MPC coming via MIDI from the Digitakt (which is getting the sync from Ableton via usb) is out :confused:

Any clue?

Cheers!

#2

hmm question: why dont you connect the MPC directly with your DAW? OB has something like 20ms delay anyway. It seems a bit unnecessary since you don’t use the DT midi.

#3

Hey, well because with the simple set up I have now I cannot. I have a UA Arrow soundcard which doesn’t have any MIDI I/O so at the moment I don’t have any option to send the MIDI clock from my DAW to my MPC, that’s why would be great for me to have the Digitakt synced via usb to my daw and then my MPC synced via MIDI to my Digitakt.

Also, apart from what I can do or not, I’d like to technically understand why the whole sync is not working when I use all three things together: Ableton + Digitakt + MPC (as when I use just two of them, the sync is working perfectly both via USB and MIDI).

#4

Are you able to get it working without the DAW? So DT is just the master clock. Make sure it sends clock information in the setting menu. And make sure MPC is set to receive Midi clock. [edit] you already checked this.

With a DAW you should make sure the DT is set send and receive clock. And the use the midi out. I think you can also use midi thru. And that situation you dont need DT to send midi clock info. But I’m not totally sure. There should indeed hardly any delay

#5

Yes, without the DAW everything works perfect, Digitakt send the MIDI to the MPC and the sync is perfect. As well without the MPC everything works perfect, the DAW send the clock via usb to the Digitakt and the sync is perfect.

Using the DAW the Digitakt is set to receive and send MIDI clock, but in this case the MPC receive it a bit later while the Digitakt works perfectly synced with the DAW.
I also tried with the MIDI thru and the delay is still the same on the MPC.

#6

Reviving this since I’m having similar issues. I wonder if anyone solved them?

I actually reached out to Elektron about this and yesterday got a response to say:
“The timing issues you experience are expected, as it is only the USB audio from Digitakt that is being latency compensated via Overbridge. The MIDI tracks do not relate to Overbridge at all and the MIDI output will not be in sync with the audio from Overbridge. In the past, we have looked into having a special mode in Overbridge that supports a use case like the one you describe, but it has not yet been considered feasible. Perhaps in the future!”

They went one further and suggested I use my DAW to sequence my modular instead of the DT midi tracks. I find this a bit baffling since the sequencer is a big part of the appeal of the DT for me.

So it seems to me that the options are to either:

  • Not use OB, and sync things up via an interface, or something like a multi clock for rock solid timing
  • Use OB, but accept that the midi tracks will then become useless due to them not being in sync.

The reason I wanted to ask about this is because after searching exhaustively, it sounds like some people are using both OB (synced to a DAW), and the DT midi tracks, all with things in time. This doesn’t seem to tally to what Elektron advised me, so it’s possible I’ve misunderstood, or they misunderstood my question.

I wonder if anyone can help? Is there anyone that is getting good sync with both OB and the DT midi tracks? If so how have you configured things?

2 Likes
#7

New Digitakt owner coming across the same issue; want to use MIDI channels to sequence drum sounds loaded in ableton but cant get the ableton and digitakt clocks to get along.

I only have a USB cord (just ordered some midi cables), something interesting I noted is when its set to OB mode, the delay seems to be a consistent amount as all notes are correct space apart from one another just off-grid in ableton. but when switching DT to USB MIDI mode, the notes get all kinds of crazy both off-grid and off from one another.

Did you ever find a solution?

#8

Probably not the solution you’re looking for as I ended up selling my DT as a result. I found it quite frustrating that either option I set out I’d be losing a significant amount of DT functionality.

#9

Ah yeah definitely not what I was hoping to hear haha but thanks for letting me know!