Controling Instrument Parameters in Ableton w/Digitakt

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hi,

Has anyone been able to control instrument/effects parameters in Ableton using the Digitakt?

I am doing the following:
I have track 9 and 10 set to output MIDI on channels 1 and 2. Playing and using the sequencer on the Digitakt to get my VSTI instruments in Ableton to play is working. But when I try using the encoders and the FLTR page to control functions on my VSTIs things don’t work. I can see Ableton is recieving MIDI (light at top right corner flashes) but when I try to assign the knob to anything - nothing happens.

#2

Have you “activated” the knobs for the midi channels?

Use “func + pressing an encoder” to activate the knob. Then you can select what it sends and map that in ableton… ?

#3

Hi, thank you for your reply!

Yes, I have the encoder (A) showing VAL1 and changing its value when I am turning it. It doesn’t do that if it is not activated I think.

When I turn the knob, it looks like Ableton recognizes that something is transmitting. See http://imgur.com/a/gVyGs
Top right light flashes…

#4

Check your midi settings, the encoders need to be set for INT + EXT

#5

Hi, yes - they are all setup correctly.

I have kind of made this work now. But it seems that Ableton only really recognizes midi on ch1 for control. So if I have MIDI A set to CH1 and then move an encoder on the filter page, it gets picked up as CC70. But the next encoder over is not necessarialy CC71 and so on.

Currently I am using ch1-ch4 for external and VSTIs within Ableton, and I was trying to control something on ch4. Seems there is some missmatch between the implementation of Midi on the DT and Ableton… but I need to experiment more

#6

Hi, have you had any success with this? I’m experiencing the same issues.

#7

More than likely your MIDI preferences in Ableton,
Make sure that DIGITAKT IN has REMOTE switched on

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#8

Maybe the solution is more obvious. I’m thinking maybe you need to midi learn whatever parameters you want to tweak so they are configured and sit outside of the soft synth directly in ableton? I was thinking i could just for instance affect a filter cutoff in spire / sylenth / whatever virtual synth directly from the digitakt pot, but perhaps that isn’t possible…

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#9

This is the solution – I have some extensive MIDI mappings in my Ableton template that allow me to control track sends, mix, FX, etc from the Digitakt and it works great. The biggest thing is to ensure both TRACK and REMOTE are selected for input from the Digitakt.

TRACK lets you use the DT as a MIDI input on your tracks in ableton, and REMOTE lets you MIDI learn things in Ableton.

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#10

Hi,

I am still having issues with this - and yes. I have set my DT to be TRACK and REMOTE. The issue seems to be when you try to reassign or swap patches on the DT.

Here is what I do;

  1. Brand new session on Ableton
  2. Brand new pattern on DT
  3. I set up a track with some MIDI instrument in Ableton that takes midi from DT track 9.
  4. I bind the A encoder to some function using learn (like cut-off), I bind the B encoder to something else.
    In most cases everything is fine at this point.

I then change pattern or restart the DT. Now, I will still be able to use the A encoder. However, the B encoder is no longer recognized. If I try mapping the C encoder that one usually is OK. Sollutions seems to be to restart Ableton, or erase the pattern.

Disclamer: I got quite tired of this issue quite fast - so been a while since I tested this now. Checked on both 1.03 and 1.04.

#11

Giving this a cheeky bump. I’d really like to use the DT’s 8 knobs to control the 8 parameters of the currently selected effect/macro. Any way of getting this to work?

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#12

Having the same problem.
It maps , but the value of the parameter being maped in ableton seems blocked in one extreme of it’s value while the digitakt knob mapped to it doesn’t influence it .
Somehow at the beginning it works for a short period of time before bugging.
All parameter suggestions on this chat have been tested, but still bugging.