Hi guys. I’m currently being driven nuts trying to get CC messages from outboard gear to pass through the Digitakt 2 to Ableton…
I have an external keyboard/sequencer and I’m able to get notes through to Ableton. But CC messages from the dials/encoders do not make it through.
It’s seemingly definitely a Digitakt thing as i checked with another interface and worked fine instantly.
What might I be doing wrong? Have tried various permutations on Digitakt settings w midi channels etc.
Just to be clear not interested in controlling the Digitakt with the external keyboard encoders - just Ableton. I am trying to keep gear minimal and Digitakt otherwise great for midi. Would save me getting another controller.
(Can see the odd thread with people with similar issues but no solution)
Maybe someone more expert than me can answer you better, but I think it can’t be done, you can use the midi tracks of the digitakt and send cc messages directly from it, or you should connect a midi cable from the midi thru of the digitakt to a midi card connected to the pc, so it should work
I believe this has always been true of digitakt, that it filters out PB, MW and aftertouch.
If you are specific about which CC you’re trying to send through and how you have it configured it will probably be easier for someone to help you figure out what’s going on.
If it’s any of the above then it’s not a bug, it’s a feature.
I also believe this to be correct, I just didn’t want to complicate the answer by adding the additional layer since this question is regarding DT2 specifically but it’s probably best to get it out there that @d4ydream is right in that this seems to be the same behavior shared between all digi boxes and it is unfortunately by design with reasons unknown to me.
I know it’s a bit inconvenient but if you don’t intend to control the digitakt with your keyboard anyway and if you already happen to have have a midi merger then I’d encourage you to use that as a workaround sending the controller and the dt2 in different lanes into the merger independently and then send the output of the merger into your computer.
If you have to purchase one, I paid around $30 for a simple merge box secondhand. Between amazon and reverb or sweetwater you can find ones of varying quality for say $40 - $70 and upwards of that depending on brand and number of inputs etc.
Might be worth $40 to solve the issue, I don’t know. Kind of annoying but it’s up to you what level of priority you put on the setup working as envisioned. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
I do have a couple of old interfaces I could essentially use for similarish purposes (not mergers, per se)
My main concern with this is that I’d no longer be able to use Overbridge I assume (unless DT2 also going into computer via USB) when doing this?
I only need to use Overbridge for the kinda tweaking of live parameters via Ableton Automation - but I assume even that can’t be done via MIDI on Ableton?
Otherwise I need to buy a fancy USB hub I guess - as my Surface Pro 8, which is my main machine - only has a few ports.
Basically, I need to spend money to stick with the setup is the crux. It’s just choosing which direction
Well, you’re correct in that it needs a USB connection to use overbridge so in that case a merger is probably not going to work. For future reference if you look under port configuration in the digitakt MIDI settings menu, configuring the “output to” option to “MIDI+USB” will output midi to both the USB ports and the DIN port simultaneously but I think the tradeoff is that it limits the USB midi data speed so I imagine that the use case would be using overbridge and sequencing hardware at the same time.
With that said, if the controller and the digitakt are totally unrelated except wanting MIDI CC data to pass through it, and if the controller exclusively uses a DIN connection, then I would imagine you can use the DIN pair of the interface which you mentioned to send the controller data into Ableton on a different USB port, if you had one available, which it sounds like you don’t.
For those connecting the elektron device to a USB hub before going into the computer, it’s usually recommended to use a MTT enabled hub. Obviously, it’s going to work better with it’s own dedicated USB port but there are people running multiple devices through hubs and digitakt is just a USB 2.0 device, so it probably depends on the hub and maybe the computer itself as to whether there’s any issue in stability. I don’t use a hub for this purpose so I can’t really comment but there are a couple of threads on here about MTT hubs.
So basically, it does sound like if you don’t already own a USB hub which expands your surface pro 8 USB out into a few additional ports, then as opposed to the merger, the hub is probably what you need to buy so unfortunately spending money seems to be the name of the game.
Sorry I don’t have a better suggestion than that, good luck.
Very useful reply. I did not know the difference between MTT / STT hubs until now. I have just Googled and finally got my head round it.
I do use a sort of mini hub with 2 USBs / HDMI, but it only works with a few basic bits at present and not with all devices, so that only leaves one proper USB-C port for the DT II, which is why I was keen to keep it minimal otherwise with the MIDI input keyboard / sequencer.
I’d also totally forgotten about Overhub after reading about it some time back. Good shout. I do have several Elektron boxes, including the underrated DT Keys that I need to dig back out (or sell!).
I think I shall indeed just get a decent USB hub sorted, keep a second interface which I can put on my guitar pedalboard, and link that to the MIDI only keyboard/sequencer as you say - and I’ll be able to reduce space, and get everything working together. The one beauty of Overbridge is it can work even when not using the DT II as the main interface.
Ok but also read here on the forum about feedback on overhub before you finalize any purchase decisions because it has mixed reviews, and some people feel it has a lifespan i.e. they commonly give up after a certain amount of time. This is all just hearsay, but it is a fact that MTT enabled hubs are recommended.
There are a literal ton of overhub hits in the search so I’m not going to link any particular thread because I think it’s better for you to gather more of an overview of the topics rather than feeling it’s relevant to pass along any more focused information but check it out when you have some time:
While this one is not a recent topic, it does cover more than just overhub and it is actually still getting more recent entries so I’ll link this one specifically as it may be more relevant to the general discussion:
Not trying to discourage you from anything in particular, just encouraging you to do your homework before spending the money on a new powered hub.
Hopefully that’s not too much information for one day. Your gameplan you outlined sounds fair to me so again, good luck and I hope it works out for you.
Ha, I’m one step ahead of you, and was reading similar. I hate USB hubs, I have to say. Having only two USB-C’s is a major downer with my Surface Pro compared to my older but solid MacBook Pro for work… Alas. It is the set up, and I’ve gotta work this out. I think my best bet is to buy new either way, so I can return if not working.
The forum is a decent resource for both the users as well as all of the old topics where someone often had and solved the same problems we did, and we do be chattin it up, so when all else fails stop on by.
I send both of the DT’s MIDI Out and MIDI Thru into a merger. The merger goes to a splitter that distributes the signal to all other devices.
This lets me play the DT tracks and perform into the sequencer with a MIDI keyboard using the auto channel, and still be able to directly play other gear on their respective channels without losing MIDI CCs.
And of course Digitakt can still sequence gear downstream.
I don’t incorporate a DAW in my setup but in theory I don’t see why that couldn’t also be added in, either via the DT’s USB connection or with a MIDI unit that comes after it.
