Digitakt: Help needed with basic midi

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hello there, new to the forum and handling midi + digitakt!
Thanks for having me here…

It seems like this has been discussed already in the past, but I have hope for new solutions with the latest update.
I’m a guitar player, and I sometimes use the Digitakt as well live. So I need to be able to stop and play the sequencer with a foot controller, in my case, the Morningstar mc3.
It seems like this was not possible in the past. Is it still true in 2023?
I need a CC# to say play, and another one to say stop (= double press on stop on the Digitakt).
I also need a number to move to the next pattern; no matter what pattern is now playing, I wanna be able to go up one pattern at every press.
Thanks a lot for your help!

#2

Hi, maybe someone has a better answer but I think a transport start stop message has to be sent by a controller configured to send a specific kind of transport message, like a keystep for example. Meaning that it’s sending out a default sysex start/stop and not a CC# per say. This might be closer to MMC but elektron doesn’t seem to allow direct control of MMC so maybe someone can clarify this, anyways I wouldn’t count on a CC number working to control transport operations.

Pattern change, I believe, is similar where you’ll need to be sending PC (program change) messages and digitakt will respond to that by changing patterns. As far as I’m aware though, program change is also not a product of CC.

Maybe someone has a workaround for this, but I’m not aware of it. I hope I’m wrong, I’d like to learn something new today also. But anyways, sorry to disappoint but I think that’s just how it is in this case. Now I’m not familiar with your foot controller (MC3) so if it IS capable of sending transport start/stop and also can send program change, then it’s a matter of setting the correct midi channels and setting the morningstar to send those commands.

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#3

I see that you can send MIDI clock with the Morningstar. I guess the question is whether it can send a transport start/stop message. If so, then you would set the DT to sync to MIDI. I’m trying to figure out if the MC3 can do this, but I’m not sure.

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#4

I think we responded at exactly the same time!

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#5

jinx mofo!

I suppose saying jinx when 2 people say something at the same time is no longer relevant in 2023 and I’m just too old.

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#6

Hey thanks!
I don’t see any CC number on the Digitakt midi chart about start/stop… I was thinking that was the problem.
You mean the MC3 might have a dedicated function of its own to achieve that? Alright, thanks for looking into it… It’s a pretty thorough machine so there should be a way.

#7

You’ll need to see if it has transport control. You see how a keystep has dedicated stop and play buttons? they’re programmed to send transport start/stop commands, the clock is what keeps it synced. So, your controller sends clock, but you need to see if one of the pads can be programmed to send a start message. It’s not a CC though.

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Digitakt can receive transport and clock. But again, it’s not a CC.

#8

I’m looking into it and I’ve sent an e-mail to Morningstar, they’re usually quite fast.

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#9

If they say it’s possible, you’ll need to do this in the digitakt menu:

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Under the midi configuration and sync sections. That should set it up to receive the clock and transport, the green ones need to be checked (selected).

#10

Oh… that means the MC3 has to send the tempo too? What happens if it doesn’t?

#11

I guess it doesn’t have to technically. The bpm would (eventually) be out of sync if there were any other midi peripherals though I would assume. You can’t assume 2 midi clocks are exactly the same, that’s the reason for sync.

An example would be if you had a midi capable delay that was on one clock for a different device (effects unit lets say), and something on a separate clock (drum machine), they might start at the same time but at some point, the bpm would probably start to drift from one another.

So at first you wouldn’t hear it because they started at the same time, but if you’ve ever tried to match up 2 recordings that are supposedly at the same bpm, and they sound fine for like 8 bars or 16 bars, and then it starts to slowly sound more and more off, that’s the effect of using 2 clocks that are unsynced. Even if they start at the same time, they can go out of phase.

If you are only controlling the digitakt then it probably won’t matter.

#12

Transport controls are part of MIDI system real-time messages and looks like you are covered to go.

https://morningstarengineering.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MMS/pages/181698784/MIDI+Type+Glossary#Real-Time

Also with Program Change messages. You just need to find a way to implement +1 feature you were asking since documentation states you can only use specified program numbers.

https://morningstarengineering.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/MMS/pages/181698784/MIDI+Type+Glossary#Program-Change

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#13

Yeak that makes sense. Ah ah! my question shows my ignorance with all that. No, for the time being the Digitakt is doing all the work. I just need to stop and play with the controller while my hands are busy playing the guitar…
I have the song mode, but I believe you can’t have multiple songs within the same project. And even that wouldn’t solve it, because I need to be able to stop the sequencer on cue…

#14

In my opinion it’s not ignorance if in earnest you’re trying to learn and not just blaming the machine.

A lot of people will actually set up everything for a performance in one project and just familiarize themself with what is on what pattern in what bank etc.

Just because changing projects takes load time, changing patterns doesn’t.

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#15

You just need to have TRANSPORT RECEIVE enabled. No need to tempo sync.

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#16

He’s correct since you’re only controlling digitakt, it can be it’s own clock since your guitar isn’t running through an effects rig that you want tempo synced.

#17

Hey thank you so much, I’m getting there… I can get the stop function to work, but that’s only like one press on the Digitakt’s stop key. I need a complete stop, like a double tap… I’m not sure if it’s possible

#18

I’ll keep updating for anyone interested:
-for complete stop (=double tap on the stop key): there’s actually a CC number for that: 120.
Phew!
-Now if I send “Play” thru a midi message, nothing happens for a while, and then the Digitakt starts playing… As if it was reading silently the sequence first. Weird… I’m working on this

#19

Detail: when I send the “play” message with “Real time”, a little padlock appears on the right corner of the DT’s screen, replacing the symbol for tempo. DT is silent. After a while, the padlock disappears and playback starts.
Anyone knows what I’m dealing with here? Thanks!

#20

Ok, problem #1 solved:
-the padlock was because I had “clock receive” checked in the DT. Since my set-up is simple, I don’t need it, I just need “transport receive” checked. So I unchecked the clock receive, and I now I can play and stop DT at will with the foot-controller

-Now with the +1 thing to move to the next pattern while playing… (please chime in in the meantime!)

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