I’ve got a Digitakt and Digitone for a year or so and got a few tracks that are “almost” finished. I’d like to polish/finish them and I’m running into a wall every time I’m trying to do this in Ableton.
What I’m doing now: I’m recording every stem via Overbridge in Ableton, then re-compose what I’m doing live in the composition view… Honestly it’s hell. First, it’s boring. Then, I don’t understand why Overbridge can’t record post FX channel by channel. To me this seems like THE feature and am I missing something or it’s not possible?
So I’ve got three choices it seems:
recording all channels post FX in ableton - well this defeats the purpose of going through Ableton to polish things and add some last FX, as I can’t
recording channel by channel post FX in Ableton (by muting all channels except the one I record) - this is a lot of work but eventually the result is what I want
recording all channels without FX in ableton - very easy but then this isn’t my track anymore… without LFOs etc it’s just nothing I could work with
Am I missing something? How are you dealing with this? I’m doing 2) at the moment, it’s a world of pain…
I think you have a pretty good understanding of what the options are. As far as I can tell 2 is “the way”. Yeah it’s not the absolute ideal, but it is pretty… pretty good. There might be someone else who’s been around longer and can probably better reference an old thread or something else outlining the best process.
My process is essentially an bastardized 2/3. I have an Ableton template setup containing a track for each DT track, as well as two effects sends mocking the delay and reverb of the DT. I can always add in an LFO or more specific effect on a specific track to achieve the same thing. This method is pretty low-brow but works for me ATM.
It’s important to understand the architecture here. If I understand correctly (from my Digitone) then it’s not possible to record each track with the FX “included” because the architecture doesn’t accommodate that. They’re send FX, so you’re just “sending” a bit of signal into the SINGLE delay line and SINGLE reverb line. There aren’t 4 delays and 4 reverbs for the 4 tracks of the Digitone, for example. If you wanted to mix the FX back into the track then you’d need each track to send into it’s own personal FX so that the individual wet signals could be mixed back into each dry track. The architecture doesn’t allow for that.
Please feel free to correct me (anyone) if I’m wrong, or indeed I hope I haven’t missed the point.
This best explains the real issue at hand here. This is why what we have for solutions isn’t that bad … without re-routing the internal signal flow of the DT
There aren’t 4 delays and 4 reverbs for the 4 tracks of the Digitone, for example.
Yeah I’ve read that a few times… Being developer myself (not at all saying I understand better…) I have hard time understanding why on the DT/DN I can isolate every single track (e.g. by muting) and set individual settings for each track but not access that later on through Overbridge. I guess the FX module has N inputs with N settings but only output the entire signal so multiplex at the same time (in hardware? otherwise if it’s software Elektron could change this hehe…). Fair enough though, I’m no here to argue the architecture, but it would be great if it can change to have this feature in Overbridge
My process is essentially an bastardized 2/3. I have an Ableton template setup containing a track for each DT track, as well as two effects sends mocking the delay and reverb of the DT. I can always add in an LFO or more specific effect on a specific track to achieve the same thing. This method is pretty low-brow but works for me ATM.
Thanks, I guess that’s the way then! For the DT it kind of works as FX are relatively “basic” (reverb, delay), the pain is more on the DN as there are two LFOs which I usually output on the synths (e.g. ratios, feedback, etc). There I can’t replicate such FX in Ableton and it kills a bit my productivity to record every pattern/channel combination
I wondered about using the routing to mute the individual tracks from going to master, but still recording master.
This would give you the individual parts without effects, then a stereo feed of just the effects (like a return track).
It still records lfo modulation on parameters, just not fx
On the Rytm I just take the kick track as individual and just record the rest with fx…
You don’t need to record each track individually just because it can…
I just seperate a track if there is a reason to.
Remove the track outs from the master out in the audio settings, which will then only have the fx routed to the master. You’ll be able to record 8 individual tracks + master (which is the FX chain) in Ableton.
I feel like some of these issues would be resolved if Elektron released plug-in versions of the fx as an addition to Overbridge - then we could use them as fx sends in our respective DAWs (and as separate fx on individual track chains as a bonus). Could assign them to the hardware midi tracks if there were particular P-locked sequences we wanted to replicate. I tend to do the stereo bounce thing if there’s a sound I’m struggling to recreate inside the box as you mentioned
I usually just have the Digitakt running into ableton from Overbridge and use delay and reverb (and whatever other effects there in the first place)…
because otherwise you hit this problem a bit.
it’s either that or bake the DT effects into the samples maybe. Recording automation of the DT effects is pretty impractical - you can either record the performance or the effects I guess.
on the other hand, if you are pretty much happy with what’s in the DT… why not just stereo bounce it… it’s probably fine and you skip forty hours fiddling with an Eq on the snare
With overbridge you can record your fx on a single track? So you got your dry channels plus fx channel. Just do what you want in ableton with fx and mix it with the fx track?
Regarding the architecture: its very logical and also the way ableton worls. If you setup a send in ableton and use this for several tracks then all you get is one return channel with fx for all your tracks. Exactly the same as it is in the digi’s…
Thanks, this works quite well indeed, I didn’t know this trick!
This is basically the crux of my problem, thanks for explaining it better. I love jamming on my DT/DN and playing live for friends or myself, but on the other hand I need Ableton to polish details before recoding a track from the beginning to the end. I guess I simply need to adjust my workflow… and apply FX both in DT/TN and Ableton.
… without re-routing the internal signal flow of the DT
