Can I set the musical scale for MIDI input?

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#1

Help!
I’m trying to control the Digitone with a midi control device from Playtronica. But I need it to only play in a D# ionic scale. I can decide what notes the Digitone’s keyboard plays (or doesn’t play), but the midi input plays all the notes. How can I get it to only play the right notes in the right scale?
Please help!

KB Scale and Key with External Keyboard / Previewing sounds with External Keyboard
#2

set the control device to play on the Auto Channel of the DN (default Ch10) and it will act like the onboard one

so you’ll get no output from the Keys not in the scale of your choosing - just like it does when you set a KB Scale on the DN itself

welcome to the forum btw :thup:

edit : clearing a pattern in stop/realtime-rec mode will wipe the KB scale assignment too - so erase a track whilst using step mode if you want to retain that assignment

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#3

Nice!!

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#4

Wow! Thank you for the quick respons and for welcoming to the forum! I’m not sure of I can charge anything on the MIDI output from the device, it seams to send on channel 1. Can I change the overriding channel on the DN from 10 to 1?

#5

Yes. If you set the DN Auto Channel to 1 then it is wisest to set channels using 1 to something else. This is so that the Auto Channel number is unique from other channels. It’s simplest. Auto on 1 will work fine but will be more work to keep on top of midi issues as 1 is so very ubiquitous on other gear. Basically you need to be more mindful of channels than if it was ch10

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#6

Is it possible to use an external keyboard while having the Digitone set to a certain key / scale.

I have my keystep hooked up at the moment, and it doesnt seem to pay attention to the phyrigian Am scale I’ve set up when I use the keystep.

It only pays attention to this with the keys on the digitone.

Is there a way to turn this on? Or does this feature simply not exist?

I’m also trying to scroll through sounds / patches and preview them by pressing the keys on the keystep, but I have to hit function / yes or yes each time to hear them using the keystep.

Again, can I turn this on in the settings somewhere? (External MIDI Preview or something?)

#7

Pretty sure it will only play the notes of the scale… notes not in scale are silent…
You must be sending midi to the auto channel to preview sounds from browser

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#8

Thank you, great to know!

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#9

Is it this thing?

Just heard about it on Keyboard Corner from the guys that tend to do this in response to playful devices like this Playtronica

#10

Hey Guys !
I was having the same question, lucky I found the answer here.
However I am just throwing a long shot here but here goes… Maybe the DN can send via midi “light messages” to a keyboard that has LED’s over the keys for scale quantisation, it is easier to see what notes to play and what notes are muted. Do you know if this is possible like on the pads of the DN ?

#11

It doesn’t have that ability now, and I don’t think it would really be possible, sorry. It would need to communicate with the keyboard in a much more extensive way that MIDI would allow, I think, to tell it which keys to light up. I guess technically it could send a Program Change message to a specially built keyboard that had all of the scales built in to say which scale to use every time you switched scales, but given even the DN Keys doesn’t have that ability, I’m going to say it’s never going to happen.