Digitakt song mode solution? Ableton?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Recently bought a Digitakt and really love it both as sampler and for sequencing my other gear. The plan was to get out of the computer, which worked great! … Until I realized that there is no song mode.

A bit disappointed I turned to the computer and Ableton. Surely Ableton could change patterns on the DT via midi so that I could save the song structure in my computer… After spending hours online researching, it so far seems as if the answer is no (really?!). This due to the Digitakt lagging 4 bars behind when getting program change messages.

I know about pattern chaining, which I guess is my best solution so far.
It also seems that getting an Octatrack would be a possible (and rather expensive) solution.

Is there any better solution to this problem where we stand today?
Any other (cheap) gear I could use to save song structure and change patterns on the DT?

I really appreciate any feedback on this. The Digitakt has inspired a lot of creativity for me and I´d love to find a solution for keeping it in my setup.

#2

I just chain them left to right and use master length to determine the length of each pattern…
just think of it like a arrangement page in a daw first few patterns intro etc…
That is my work around anyhow and have made full tracks this way…

#3

Check out this Ableton solution from @Airyck:

And welcome to the forum :slight_smile:

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#4

I’m waiting to see if there are any useful LOM/API changes in Live 11 before I get back to updating this.

It still works fine as is, but I’m hoping to make the arrangement mode more user friendly sooner than later.

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#5

I use Ableton for a song mode, it just a matter of adding a single bar to the beginning of and cutting off the last bar for each pattern… Added a basic screen shot of how it looks for reference.

Screen Shot 2020-11-13 at 12.43.03 PM
Screen Shot 2020-11-13 at 12.43.03 PM1424×181 19.3 KB

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#6

I’ll ask this: Is it possible to trigger DT patterns from midi tracks in midi loop ?

#7

It’s a shame they left song mode out the Digitakt for you guys. Intentional?

Use Logic Pro X’s step sequencer and never look back.

#8

That’s a question I keep asking myself about various highly-requested features that should be relatively easy for Elektron to implement, e.g. song mode, multi-pass filter, etc.

A recurring feeling I have is that I bought this 1000-piece puzzle set of a beautiful image but the box is missing some puzzle pieces so I can’t finish it :frowning:

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#9

Thank you all for the feedback. (:slightly_smiling_face:

I don’t have max so Airycks solution sadly wont work for me.

Guess I could just live with the 4 bar delay. I assume that any other midi-sequencer would give the same delay?

If I was to get an OT down the road, does it control other electron devices by them following its pattern changes? So that the OT plays pattern A1 and the DT plays its pattern A1. Meaning that it wouldn’t be possible to make an arrangement where the OT plays pattern A1 for 4 bars while the DT plays pattern A1 for 2 bars and A2 for 2 bars?

#10

Yeah the OT has an arranger and the others can follow it

#12

Re: your example. On OT, copy A01 to A02, then in OT arranger, have A01 play 2x, then A02 2x, and DT will follow along, playing A01 2x then A02 2x. It just takes some organisation and thinking ahead.

#13

midi loop Digitakt, and set program changes in the midi tracks. If you do this smart, you have song mode.