Analog Rytm MkII – Logic Pro X/Overbridge 2.0.37 Template here

[rgarner]

This template is for Overbridge 2.0.37 and previous only. There were breaking changes in newer Overbridges – not sure exactly when, but this has been superseded by Logic 10.5+ Overbridge 2.0.41 Analog Rytm Template

Are you trying to get Logic Pro X to work with your ARII? I’ve tried some things that didn’t work, and I’ve been trying to pay close attention to the Overbridge warnings (from beta; don’t know if they’re still there now!) when you start up the plugin:

So I’ve made a Logic Pro X template that I hope someone finds useful.

Logic Pro X template

This:

• is created in Logic 10.4.4 (I’m still stuck on Sierra!)
• is tested with Overbridge 2.0.37
• sends sync to all devices on cycle start only (I have had trouble with the ARII losing sync if more than one start signal is sent, esp: across a cycle jump) no longer does this, because see Important Information about Overbridge 2.0 above – the plugin is supposed to be left alone to do this
• has three tracks:
  • The Rytm plugin itself (icon included)
  • plue two summing stack submixes:
    • A bus stack that can be muted or soloed alone; doesn’t record anything, is just for monitoring live
    • An audio stack that’s for recording to; has only audio tracks so every track can be armed at the top level
• has sends from every bus track and audio to stock Logic reverb/delay combo Space Designer (on Bus 31) and Delay Designer (on Bus 32) in case you don’t want to use the inbuilt FX – there’s one very good reason you might not want to: if you’re using the Rytm as a sound card, there’s no way of turning off non-overbridge master effects, and the latency on everything else makes things sound ‘out’

Download

1. Logic Pro X 10.4.4 Analog Rytm Overbridge Starter 2.0.37.zip

Usage

1. Unzip the contents of the template to /Users/<your_user>/Music/Audio Music Apps/Project Templates
2. Connect your ARII
3. Configure it for Overbridge
4. Make sure your Audio Routings are either globally off or off with the kit you’re using
5. Fire up a new project based on this template
6. Monitor using the Rytm Buss track stack
7. Record using the Rytm Audio track stack
8. Automate the Rytm Plugin by setting Latch or Touch automation on Rytm Plugin track; as the track plays, move any knobs you like

I’ve put my favourite Multipressor settings on the monitoring/audio busses. You might disagree with any of the plugins, but I’ve tried to stay stock.

Feedback

If this is helpful to you, or there’s something you’d rather see it do, or you’ve any issues, let me know below. Thanks!

Russell

[rgarner]

I don’t know if I dreamed that I had this working or not (I was sure I’d moved pan sliders in the Rytm plugin and had the Logic output pan) but panning is apparently after the overbridge outputs in the signal path, so there seems to be little point in the Stereo version above. I’ll go with 10xMono and upload a version with working FX later.

EDIT: which I guess leads me to a question; why offer Stereo out options in the Rytm plugin if panning can only be done in Logic?

[rgarner]

Ok, I’ve updated this to a single download. Effects are working properly now and there’s no pretension that you can pan anything anywhere other than Logic (if you rely on pans in your perf macros, er, don’t)!

[rgarner]

Just a minute ago, fixed an issue with the audio bus outputting to Bus 10 (FX) rather than Stereo Out. Oops. Sorry. Please re-download if you’re having trouble.

[Djeezebel]

Hi,
Thanks for the template.
I’m trying to do the same for Maschine as a host for Building up songs and Reason when it comes to recording/mastering.
I use my A&H QU16’s soundcard.
And besides the AR, I also have the A4 (both MKII)

I have trouble with the clock. The A4 and AR go completely out of sync.
Maschine is typically loop based. So I am triggered by your remarks concerning the clock.
I was thinking on trying the AR as master clock, but then I have to use MIDI trough on my Maschine to het it back to the A4 I guess.

Any toughts?

I also have other synth’s connected to the Mac.
This is how I see my workflow:

• Having all my synths synced
• In a Maschine template
• keep the settings of the elektrons with Total recall with the song
• also make tracks ik the Maschine for soundscapes etc…
• use send FX On the tracks
• jam (incl automation recording) until i have something to record

For recording I can choose either Reason or in my QU16 mixer (it has a track recording feature).

Thanks for idea’s! Let’s start with the clock

Ps: I Will probably make a separate topic for this also.

[rgarner]

@Djeezebel all I can say is: the Plugin notes say you shouldn’t use any sync mechanism except for that provided by the plugin. In Logic, that means going and turning off any MIDI sync (the template above still has it; that’s a bug I’ll correct later today). So if Maschine is sending any Maschine-generated sync data to the Rytm, my understanding is that it can conflict with the plugin, and you should turn that off. I have no experience with Maschine though so can’t help there. Best of luck!

[rgarner]

I’ve now updated this so that it more closely abides by the notes in the “important information”. The template now sends no MIDI sync via Logic’s preferences, only via the plugin. In addition I’ve fixed an issue with the plugin only accepting MIDI on channel 1; that’s now All.

[kalin]

Hey thanks so much for all the above! I’m curious, is there something about the mkI that would make the Rytm fx (reverb and delay) not come through in this template? Everything else seems to work perfect

[rgarner]

Not to my knowledge but I’ve never owned a MkI

In the MkI’s Audio Routing, if the channels are sending to FX (check it’s not 0/12), the FX should come out on the master channel – which the template labels as FX.

[rgarner]

I’ve tested and used these with 2.0.37, and they don’t need changes, so the 2.0.31 file here will work fine (I just can’t be bothered to change the name)

[kalin]

Hi @rgarner - thanks again for this, really helped me when working through my own logic/overbridge setup. I’m curious if you’ve seen how I have it working here: OB and Logic X - Setups Detailed

Do you happen to have any solutions to the issue of only being able to record midi to one track at a time? Also, I remain wholeheartedly confused over what would be the use for the fx track, though I’m sure it could be made to be useful for something

[d2thep]

Russell, thanks, it was so helpful. I’ve lost many hours to fiddling around and getting something working in Logic, only to return to it (after another round of updates) and find it broken —this is great!

[rgarner]

Really happy it helped, strongly appreciate the kind words.

[rgarner]

I’m not sure what you mean – I only ever record MIDI to the single plugin track? I only have a Rytm MkII though, not an A4.

As for the FX track – yes! It’s the main track, or inputs 1-2. It only becomes an “FX” track for me when I stop routing audio from tracks 1-12 to main via the Audio Routing menu. At that point it carries only the audio from the reverb and delay. Since nothing is going to the main distortion or compressor, those are effectively disabled at this point. I call the track “FX” in this template because I’m assuming you’re recording multi-track with FX sent to 1-2, and muting it makes the signal entirely dry.

[kalin]

I meant the fx track that shows up as you keep hitting the + button, the track channels all show up as aux and then one more which I can only assume is the “fx” track. I realize the actual fx come through on the main channel, so wondering what this extra aux track is for.

Afa recording midi, yeah, you can record to the main track and then separate by channel, or iirc delete the region and it will ask if you want to separate them or something, but it would be nice if you didn’t have to go through this extra step. Workflow hassle especially if you want to do different takes or overdub midi, things like that.

[rgarner]

I can only speak to the Rytm, but when you do a Multi-output (10xMono), as these templates are, you can add 9 tracks via the multi-output plugin with the little +, from BD all the way to CB with the three ‘shared’ tracks RS/CP, CH/OH and CY/CB (See below, I think you found a bug in my template, so thank you!). The output on the plugin track itself is the master out, and if you’ve turned off routing to master for the other channels, consists at that point of the FX only. In these templates I bus that master out on Bus 10 and add a track for it to sit alongside the other tracks under the Rytm Buss stack, so it all sums back to Bus 1.

So the last track when you hit the + for the Rytm is CB (this is a bug), the FX is on the main plugin out.

You can see that in this screenshot (the + is greyed out so no more can be added):

EDIT: I think I’ve just noticed what you mean – this template has a bug! CY and CB should be shared. I don’t think that virtual Analo10 bus produces any sound and I don’t think the plugin should allow you to add it. The FX come through the plugin track, but in this screenshot I’ve wired both the plugin track and the last track (erroneously named CB) to Bus 10 so you wouldn’t notice a difference. Going to check this and get back to you… thanks again

EDIT2: @kalin yep, like you, I assumed that last track was FX and was mystified when I couldn’t get any sound out of it. Eventually, I realised FX was basically the plugin track itself without audio routing (and wired it to FX bus 10), but I forgot to take out the last zombie track (which was also redundantly wired to bus 10) and my labelling on the last two tracks was messed up and didn’t acknowledge that CY/CB was shared. Fixing the template and re-uploading now.

[rgarner]

Ok, I’ve updated the template, tested with 2.0.37. I’ve renamed the last 10xMono output aux track unused and set it to no output. This has the effect of leaving the + button on the multi-out greyed out. As far as I can tell, this track shouldn’t be a thing you can add, but since it is, let’s reduce confusion by naming it and making it visibly not do a thing:

EDIT: this unused track is actually stereo audio in from the sampling inputs, and definitely does do a thing…

Thanks @kalin for what turned out to be a really useful bug report

[rgarner]

With respect to the recording multiple MIDI channels at once, I don’t see how this relates to the AR so much but you have an A4 and you might be talking about a problem I had with my Sub 37 and Prologue – how to record both at the same time. The answer for me was an obscure checkbox in File > Project Settings > Recording called “Auto demix by channel if multitrack recording”.

This setting allowed me to put the Sub 37 on Ch1 (both in its own internal settings and on the Logic Track settings) and the Prologue on Ch2 (again, both in its own internal settings and on the Logic track settings). Then recording both at the same time would appear to go only to one of those tracks but on stopping recording would auto-split the region across the tracks. Hope this is the thing you’re missing for the A4?

[kalin]

Ah, yes I’ve seen about the “auto demix by channel” - this wasn’t the issue. The problem is that with the elektron plugins, the individual tracks are all sub tracks of the main aux track, so don’t have their own record buttons.

It’s as much a problem with the AR for me - if I’m using samples and want to do another take of just the sample tracks, leaving the drums alone, or vice versa, it’s just really messy to not be able to record the separate midi directly to separate tracks. I know it’s possible to work around it, and it’s not Elektron’s fault it’s Logic’s, as you can easily do this in Ableton, iirc.

In any case glad to have some dialogue about it, always nice to know people are working out the same technical problems that you are struggling with

[rgarner]

I think I see what you mean now. I guess you’re using chromatic mode? I suppose I’ve been using the Rytm as a fairly simple drum machine and moving and automating samples in-DAW as a separate thing. I have been irritated by the default MIDI that gets output because of the non-chromatic nature of what I’ve recorded – it has tended to be all in one line in the piano roll. I’ve started to record the auto-channel (channel 14) instead of individual channels so that at least each pad can be on a separate line in piano roll.

I’m not completely convinced with Overbridge if I’m honest. I bought a Clarett OctoPre so that I could play the pads live with less latency than the Overbridge plugin could afford but it seems the plugin always compensates for USB latency and doesn’t work well for the multi-outs. This reduces me to using the External MIDI control and audio tracks, so often I don’t or can’t use the plugin.