Couple of questions about the Digitakt

Elektron Gear Digitakt
1

I’m thinking about selling my electribe sampler and buying a Digitakt but I have a few questions first…

  1. When receiving Pattern Change does the pattern on the Digitakt change instantly, or does it have to wait until then end of the current pattern before it changes to the new pattern? I hope it’s instant

  2. Does the digitakts 8 audio tracks receive midi notes on the same midi channel (via MIDI Note messages) or does every audio track have its own midi channel?

  3. Does the keyboard function of the Digitakt have a mode where it can play notes from a chosen scale?

Thanks in advance!

Alex

2

This one I can answer with certainty- different midi channels/

#3. I don’t believe so, but on the internal tracks you can tune to different notes(workaround)

3

  1. Someone else chime in, but I have not found it to have a legato mode.

  2. Midi ch 1 - 8 respectively for audio tracks 1 - 8. MIDI tracks (9-16) only receive from auto channel (default ch 14)

  3. No

4

Thanks, so there is no option to map different samples to different midi notes on a keyboard? Does the OT do this? I used to own one but can’t remember.

5

The sounds of the eight audio tracks can be triggered from external MIDI by sending MIDI notes 0 to 7 on any MIDI channel that has been assigned to an audio track. Check page 21 of the manual for more details.

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6

The OT has sample trigger options. Not so much “mapping” but, you can arrange slices, or use trigger samples directly from sample slots.

7

Great thanks I’ll have a quick read.

So notes 0 to 7 is C-2 to G-2 right?

8

I didn’t mean legato, I’m talking about using PC to change patterns, is it instant or does it wait until current pattern ends?

9

Probably; it depends on which octave-labeling convention your other gear uses. It’s definitely the very lowest MIDI note numbers.

10

No direct pattern change, yet. Plus there’s a bug where the digitakt initiates program changes late when receiving them from another source.

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11

The biggest benefit of coming from the E2/ES2 to the Digitakt is that there’s no voice stealing and fx being send effects means the tails carry over to the next pattern. Even samples keep playing if the same track has no trigs in the next pattern. I owned an E2 and while it can sound pretty good the Digitakt is on another level.

12

Okay thanks, that’s a shame there’s no direct pattern change. It’s the main reason I can’t work with my electribe. Why do you say not yet, is it being added in an update?

ps. I’m sure the OT had that bug when I had it. Very annoying

13

Generally they don’t say if things will be added but direct/instant pattern change is something available in other Elektron boxes so one can hope it’ll be implimented in the digitakt.

14

I hope so. Without a functioning direct pattern change I will end up sequencing the DT from my Engine, so while its good I could sequence it using one midi channel and midi notes 0-7 it kind of defeats the object of buying an elektron

15

Right. I was referring to changing immediately. Ableton lingo, I suppose.

16

I found a weird setting that when I transposed down my midi KB far enough I got CH1-8 each playing on a individual midi key in a single octave. It was an Arturia keystep, need to try it on my other midi KB’s and see

17

get a Retrokits RK-002 midi processor cable and you can do whatever you want even turn it into a polyphonic synth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc2CfeCyfZ4

think there’s an arpeggiator in the cable too