Digitone arp - chord mode?

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#21

Wow thank you so much - this is an amazing post.

I obviously have a few questions for when you’re next around!

  1. Just to confirm, you’ve connected the Digitone to send MIDI to StepPolyArp to drive that app, and then StepPolyArp can send MIDI back to Digitone to trigger an internal track? Not just a MIDI track?

In other words - I’d like to use StepPolyArp to drive a pattern on one of the Digitone internal tracks.

  1. You said you can stream audio from apps on the iPad through the Digitone. How does the Digitone manage these incoming streams? Is there like, an internal mixer? I assume it’s just MIDI tracks 1-4?

Thanks!

#22

  1. Correct! StepPolyArp will output to whichever MIDI channel you set it to. This is set inside the app itself and routed using the AUM routing matix (top right of AUM main screen). The default MIDI channels on the DN are 1-4 for the audio tracks and 5-8 for the MIDI tracks. So, you can drive any of the tracks on the DN, internal/audio tracks included.

  2. There is no internal mixer per se. The audio is routed out the Mains and attenuated in 6dB increments in the AUDIO ROUTING settings I referenced in my post. So, AUM or whichever host app your using is essentially the mixer and it sends its main output through the DN’s mains.

The DN is a class compliant soundcard now and would work similarly to using an audio interface with Ableton or any other DAW. AUM in this case would be Ableton and the DN is the audio inteface. It is a 2 in/2 out interface. You could, in fact, record the main output of the DN into an app on the iPad like Cubasis. You cannot, however, do round trip stuff like send the main output of the DN into the iPad, use iPad effects, then route it back out the mains of the DN.

#23

Brilliant stuff. You’ve been so amazingly helpful thanks. It sounds awesome.

Question 2:
Just wondered what happens to the audio coming from the iPad when it goes into the Digitone. Does it just get mixed with the internal sound? If so, is there a balance function to set the level of the iPad against the level of the Digitone?

#24

This is correct. I just gets mixed with the main output of the DN (again, you can adjust in 6dB increments up to +18dB in the AUDIO ROUTING section.). You would adjust any individual levels on the iPad itself. So AUM would act as a sub-mixer. You can MIDI map the volume sliders in AUM to knobs on a MIDI channel of the DN.

In one setup I’ve played with, I have 4 synths setup in AUM, each controlled by a MIDI track on the DN. I then map the DN knobs to filter cutoff, resonance, LFO depth, and AUM track volume. I can now use any of the amazing synths on the iPad as sound modules controlled by the DN. Can’t tell you how awesome it is having a Model D, Model 15, Animoog, and TAL-UNO-LX (Juno clone) looped into a hardware setup.

Right now, I use the iPad as a source for long samples and atmosphere/texture stuff. Dropping Borderlands or using Mononoke for drones and textures is really nice.

#25

Also, as an aside, I know exactly what you’re looking for as I use this feature on a few VSTs. I think the proper term is a ‘Gater’. You play a chord and it triggers a gate sequencer that repeats the chord on the steps you’ve programmed. I’m going to test it out on StepPolyArp but at a glance, it looks like you can only program intervals per step. So, it would only transpose whatever notes you feed it and not gate the chord you send it. I’ll keep looking for an app that would do this. Just can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

Here’s a picture from D16s LuSH-101 that has this feature. Just in case it jogs other people’s memories for apps that can do this:

Chord Gating

#26

Incredible. I’m trying to start a new DAWless setup, and the Digitone is going to be my ‘brain’, my first unit. But this means I can use my iPad while I make the transfer. I have so many damn apps on the iPad, overkill really. But a few would work really well - especially drum machines, samplers and granulars.

TAL-UNO-LX is one of my favourites (until I can get the Roland Boutique version).
Lorentz is fantastic if you haven’t checked it out already. The built in resonator makes it come alive in a way I’ve not heard on any other app. You could almost think it was guitar feedback, it sounds brilliant.

#27

Yeah StepPolyArp repeats according to the steps you program. But to be honest that’s fine for me.

#28

After a week of playing with my new Digitone (I’m in FM heaven), I tried using an LFO as a bmp locked chord arp. It works well.

My only gripe is that I can’t sculpt the LFO waveform. I would love the ability to tighten up the sine wave, or some sort of LFO waveform modifier that lets you tighten or loosen the edges.
As it is, I’m using the square wave so it’s either on or off, no trails allowed. To compensate I’m using reverb and delay, but you know, it’s kinda a botch.