Ok, I spent far longer than I would like to admit last night trying to get Cirklon to talk to Syntakt with no success. I did get it communicating with my take 5, so I know I’ve got the very basics down (eg, setting the port, channel, etc in inst def and putting notes into a CK pattern).
Can someone help me figure out exactly what I need to do in instrument definition and in Syntakt’s settings to make it work? I tried using “Multi” mode and I’m wondering if I’m simply missing something or if I need to make separate instruments on Cirklon for each Syntakt track.
I got multi mode working, which is pretty cool. Got to grips with the basics of sequencing with CK patterns. Navigation is getting easier but I’ve still got no idea how the song structure works. Right now, I’m thoroughly… whelmed? The basics are solid but I know I haven’t gotten to the real good stuff of Cirklon. I’ll need to dig into P3 patterns, my synths’ midi implementations, and aux events before I can make any true first impression-style thoughts.
Also learned my Syntakt really hates even a medium stream of incoming midi notes/ CC automation - it hitches and stutters very occasionally when running even simple patterns.
in multi mode, there’s a little number to the right of the instrument name, on the track page, once you’ve chosen it. that’s the midi channel it’s transmitting on. so you can define one Syntakt instrument and then just choose which one you want via the channel selection. this is what I do. and I’m not having the issues you’re describing. the other option is to just use the auto channel on the ST and use notes to play each track.
I think the Cirklon is best avoiding Elektron boxes as they have one of the best sequencers ever invented on them. Just let it do its magic on other gear.
Song structure is intended to be created dynamically as a series of scenes, one after another, very much as the song mode in Dr T’s KCS worked by saving lots of track combinations into discrete chunks in a list to be played through. So your workscene is the place for creating patterns, muting tracks then saving, making changes, saving again and so on. Can be done live, without stopping if you know the structure you want to create.
The part we never quite got done was sending that list back into the original track mode for further refinement, rises & hits and so on against a master bar coumt/display. As it stands today, a song is a list of scenes, each of which advances to the next (unless you set the scene to be manual and require your intervention to let it progress).
One of my main motivations for trying Cirklon is to get away from the 4-bar patterns on my Elektrons. Trig conditions don’t quite do it for me and I prefer writing in longer phrases.
Not yet, but I’ll keep that in mind. I prefer to record my ST via Overbridge so I can edit things in the DAW later, so I’m trying to avoid using the usb for sequencing.
I’m actually trying to sequence ST directly from CK, I dislike having multiple sequencers running if I can avoid doing so. This is good inf to have though, thanks!
I’ve downsized quite a bit this year already, specifically with the plan to use ST as a multitimbral sound module sequenced by something else. I love the Elektron sequencer, but I really prefer 8- or 16-bar loops. When working at higher tempos (160bpm or higher), 4 bars gets repetitive far too quickly even when reducing resolution to double the length on ST. Song mode or pattern chaining help here, but splitting my ideas in half to sequence over multpile patterns is difficult.
Hence, I decided to try the Cirklon as - assuming ST and CK play nicely together - it solves that problem. I’ve sequenced ST from Push3 before with similarly odd results (among other issues with Push3 and midi but I’ve complained enough about those in the dedicated thread). I’ve read in other threads before that the Elektrons can choke a bit if they receive more midi data than they like, which could be what’s happening in my particular case. This happened with Push when it sent MPE by default, it completely overwhelmed the ST’s ability to handle the incoming midi.
Does anybody know if Cirklon could be sending some unnecessary midi signals? I’ll have a poke around the manual and menus later today but having an idea of what to look for here would be helpful - I’m also wondering if I inadvertently turned on some settings I don’t need to use at the moment.
I was just thinking that the sequencer on the Syntakt now you have a Cirklon is pretty much useless. And the space could be taken up with a Multimbral device with more scope. Say a Waldorf M?
Ah yeah, I see what you’re saying! I’m trying to avoid more radical changes at the moment - Cirklon is a pretty big change and commitment itself - but I agree with the overall point.
I have a soft spot for the Syntakt’s sound and ease of use. I can just turn it on and jam when I’m not in the mood to write an actual track, or just spend time making weird sounds I wouldn’t get from my other stuff as easily. I also love the sound, especially for weirder percussion and basslines. It may turn out that some of my current stuff isn’t going to be as great with the Cirklon - and in that case I’ll need to assess things slowly and go from there.
I sent notes on like 5 tracks and then CCs to filter cutoff on one track, this was an as an experiment to get the hang of setting tings up on CK. Plus transport and clock.
I actually did have LFOs going on the ST itself which is why I sent it clock. I wouldn’t expect clock messages to choke the ST though, it never stuttered just from clock coming from Push3 or MPCs.
To be clear, the stutters were very minor, completely random, and I’m now not 100% sure I was actually hearing them. I’ll try to recreate it later today and record it if i can do so.
this is weird, I’ve never had any issues with the Syntakt and the Cirklon, where the cirklon was going all the Sequencing. have you been on the sequential forums and are using the Syntakt instrument definition from there?
thanks for posting this and glad you found it has some value! definitely still getting my bearings with the whole streaming / speaking to a camera thing, but this session was fun.
I’ll be doing a video on the inter track events this week.
