Digitone, BSP and Volcas - Midi Set Up?

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#1

Hi there,

New to Elektronauts and the Digitone. I bought it as the lockdown was looming and thought it would be a good time to learn it and add to my little set up. I have had the Volca Beats, Sample, Keys and Bass for a while now and been using the BeatStep Pro as the sequencer. I’ve also got a little Akai MPK Mini keyboard that I use now and again. All these feed into a Scarlett 18i8 and record as seperate channels in logic so I can go back and edit it to a final track.

I’ve very little experience with midi. Until now I just had the BSP to a midi thru to 3 of the volcas and a sync out from one volca to the last volca not controlled by the BSP.

Now that I have the Digitone I’m keen to use that as the sequencer for 3 of the volcas on the midi tracks. However I would still like the BSP to control the volca sample because of its strange midi implementation (midi channel for each of the 10 samples voices). However I’m lost as to how to keep the BSP and Digitone in time together.

It would be great if anyone had a solution or pointed me in the right direction. If you need more info just let me know.

many thanks

#2

hi, welcome to the forum. :slight_smile:

if you have a free midi port on your midi thru device, you should be able to just send clock to the bsp from the digitone.

or:
you could also send midi from the bsp to the digitone midi in.

from digitone midi thru (which copies/mirrors midi in) you could send midi to the volca sample. (like connected directly)

from the digitone midi out to the thru box to the other volcas. (sequence them with digitone)

general info: with midi sync only one device has to be the master… the others are slaves (in this case the bsp)

there are many possibilities and it should work great. there are already many topics about it, so use the forum search… look for keystep, digitone or takt and also take a look at the mighty elektron auto channel…

#3

Thanks for the welcome and many thanks for the swift reply.

I had tried midi from bsp to Digitone midi in then midi thru to sample, then using Digitone midi out to thru box then the other volcas but didn’t work. Prob my bad understanding of the midi chain and channel settings. I’ll tinker some more and def search the forum some more knowledge.

thanks again, much appreciated

#4

ok, the midi chain should be good. only a matter of settings i guess…

bsp has to send midi clock (look in settings, maybe software)

digitone: in the midi menu enable midi sync receive, also enable clock/sync send (to volcas)…

should be straight forward… maybe use only two at a time and if it works, add other devices one by one…

#5

Thanks again. I’m mostly getting there I think.

Pressing play on the BSP plays the Digitone and stays in time but if I press stop on the Digitone I can play it from wherever I want in the 64 step sequence and doesn’t stay in time. Just trying with the Volca sample controlled by BSP and one synth track running on the Digitone.

More googling and searching this forum. Thanks for your time…appriecate it.

#6

you can not stop the digitone and start it again, if you want it to stay in sync.

you have to hit stop/play on the midi master (bsp) again, to get digitone to sync again. this is a limitation of midi… it is not like a cv clock pulse or ableton link, midi is only one directional…

if you want digitone as the master, you could also send midi from digitone via thru box to bsp and from there to volca sample ( but you would lose the ability to play digitone [autochannel] via bsp)

just experiment with the midiroutings and you will get more comfortable with it in no time… :slight_smile:

#7

Ah ok. Really helpful. :+1:

Off to search ability to play Digitone [autochannel] via bsp.

#8

Digitone and Volca MIDI explanation

Hi ! Just saw this video, honestly one of the best clear explanations of MIDI implementation for Elektron gear I’ve seen, super helpful and straight forward. This applies to most all Elektron stuff but includes using the Digi to sequence and parameter lock CC’s on the volca keys and kick. Hope that helps!

#9

Thanks for the video link. Super helpful :+1:

#10

Another possibility would be to use the Digitone as the master with its MIDI out connected to the MIDI box to the 3 Volcas, and the MIDI thru connected to the BSP. If there’s no MIDI input on the Digitone, then it will only send the clock on the MIDI thru port allowing you to keep it all in sync.

#11

Cheers. I’ll give that configuration a try too. I take it the BSP would then connect to MIDI in Volca sample to control that? Guess I’ll soon find. Thanks!

#12

Yep, that’s the idea. It should work too, with the advantage that you can see the tempo you’re setting in the Digitone (I believe the BSP doesn’t display the tempo, right?)

#13

Cool ta. The BSP does show bpm when you set it but as I’ll probably be using the Digitone’s midi tracks for 3 of the Volcas it makes sense that the Digitone is the master. It does mean I lose the playing on autochannel as nionmu pointed out above. Cheers!