Best way to bounce tracks into your DAW?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

I’m interested in hearing how everyone else is dumping their individual tracks from their digitakt into their DAW.

I’m using Ableton, and dumping stereo tracks into it from the digitakt. I have tried to manually mute and unmute tracks as my digitakt song plays through, and then chop them against the Grid in Ableton, but I have run into some problems with clock drift. That part could be user error.

I saw someone on this forum mention that she can automate the process using Reaktor, but seeing as I don’t run that software, I’m looking for a more reliable alternative.

What are some ways you have found to dump tracks into your computer for mixing and post-production?

By the way, much love to this community. Awesome people, awesome answers, and awesome ideas.

4 Likes
Status update on Overbridge [posted May 2018]
#2

For Ableton, I’m using a pretty simple setup. I have a template saved with the following:
• 8 audio tracks, each set to receive Audio in from the digitakt via my soundcard inputs.
• You can eventually name your tracks as they are on the DT: KICK, SNARE, TOM, etc…
• Master tempo set in Live and sending midi clock to Digitak. Digitakt set to receive midi clock.
DT is connected to my laptop with the USB cable. I make sure that audio comes in Live with a peak level of 12db. Usually with the DT master volume at the max.
First I save the template as a new project so the original empty template is kept intact.
I select track 1 in Live, set Monitor to In. Arm the track. On the digitakt I mute all tracks but track 1. Then I record a clip for 5 or 9 bars. Then trim to 2-5 or 2-9 so it loops seamlessly in case there’s some delay or reverb. Once I’ve make sure the loop and levels are good I set Audio to No input.
I do the above for all tracks, add lo/hi-pass filters and effects to each track and do the final arrangement.
Let me know if you have any questions.

13 Likes
#3

This is an awesome guide. Thanks for the quick response! It’s pretty much the way that I’ve been doing it, with the template setup and all for quick bouncing. The idea of sending clock out to the digitakt to make it easier to eventually Loop is awesome. Thanks for the tips!

1 Like
#4

You don’t need to if you put your template in a folder named ‘Templates’ in the Ableton User Library

         \Ableton\User Library\Templates\

It functions like an excel template (.xltx). No risk to alter your template this way.

Section 5.5.4 in https://www.ableton.com/en/manual/managing-files-and-sets/

9 Likes
#5

Very interested in this as well. I’m curious, how does the Reaktor automation work? Or could you link that thread?

#6

Is that specific to Live 10? I’d never heard of that before but would love to be able to do that.

#7

In honesty, because of my limited use of the software, I’m not certain how it works - if I come across the thread again I will post it here. When I originally saw it talked about, there was no in-depth description, just the mention of it being able to be used that way. If you are using Ableton, you might even be able to accomplish the same thing using dummy clips and follow actions inside session View.

#8

I don’t think it’s specific to a certain version of live, though I know that from 7 on, live was greatly changed. So I would assume that it works from live 7 on.

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#9

I’ve been using Live since version 4 and somehow never learned about this feature, lol.

So thanks a bunch!

#10

What about latency? Any tip to adjust it in your process?

#11

ASIO4ALL and CoreAudio is about the only advice I can give. Lately I’ve been using my zoom h4n as an interface, and the latency is atrocious. I’ve gone back to using a lesser interface and Core Audio in OS X. I think latency is going to be more on the software configuration side of things than the digitakt configuration side of things, at least until over bridge is released. At that point we will see what latency issues we get I guess. Sorry I can’t be more help!

#12

I usually put a trig on the first step (if not already one) which help to adjust the starting point. I remove it on the second loop and then crop the clip accordingly.

#13

In Ableton there is a channel delay in the session view by clicking the “D” near the bottom right of the master track. It appears beneath each individual track. You can set it to a negative value to offset any latency. I don’t know about other DAWs.

It takes some finesse and patience to get it right, but I can track my DT stereo outputs while simultaneously using OB with my AR and AK.

#14

I tried that…without any success!
It seems that I don’t know how to use it.

#15

Overbridge…

#16

you are better off setting up a midi or push controller to mimic the digitakt until overbridge comes set up would take just as long as setting up all that to record and chop the samples back up and arrange it too
just lay it out in abelton same samples you use in your digitakt and jam in there for now

#17

Ør hell just get your mix down better and record it straight… all this fancy shit wasn’t around not that long ago records still got made

6 Likes
#18

@klerc One thing I noticed is that when you start playback in Ableton, it always take a bit of time for the Digitakt to reach the same tempo so your recorded track may be lagging at first. To avoid that, I make sure Ableton is already playing and sending clock timing to DT before I start arming the track and recording.
If you don’t have any trig on the first step, you probably can fix that by moving the first warp marker in Ableton to match the intended layout.

1 Like
#19

What would be nice if they could work out a way to allow you to feed all tracks via the usb to your daw and then record on a multitrack basis for mixdown purposes.
I don’t know if overbridge will have this option but it’s something that would definitely make the job easier and less laborious than doing it track by track.

#20

I actually think that is one of the key points of Overbridge.

2 Likes