Do I have to use OT midi tracks to send notes to external devices from midi keyboard

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

So I’ve been trying to wrap my head around Midi a bit more than just the basics I had setup. I’ve got a Keystep running into the OT inputs and the rest of my gear (Rytm, Digitone, A4 with modular on CV, Crave, TD-3) hooked up to OT midi out with the all other gear forwarding the signal using Thru.

So far so good, everything is synced. Now I want to use the Keystep to be able to play any other synth’s track by selecting a midi channel on the Keystep. I can use auto-channels for this (and have this setup working) but preferably I would use individual channels for each of the separate tracks of the A4 and Digitone.

Midi has 16 channels max of which one channel is reserved for program changes (channel 16). So within this maximum amount of channels I can use either specific track channels or, to save on channels, I can use auto-channel and then ‘sub select’ the track on the external device (say for example the Rytm that has 12 tracks which would be too many to assign to individual midi channels so I use auto-channel instead so I only have one midi channel assigned for the entire Rytm).

Do I understand correctly that due to the fact that the rest of the gear is hooked up to the OT midi out (instead of midi Thru) that I am thus also forced to setup midi tracks on the OT in order to have the Keystep be able to send notes to those channels? Basically reducing the available midi channels from 16 (minus one for program change) to only 8 midi channels that can receive Keystep notes on audio tracks on external devices?

At first I figured I could set it up like this:

  1. Octatrack Auto-Channel
  2. Analog Four Channel 1
  3. Analog Four Channel 2
  4. Analog Four Channel 3
  5. Analog Four Channel 4
  6. Analog Four CV Channel (Modular)
  7. Digitone Channel 1
  8. Digitone Channel 2
  9. Digitone Channel 3
  10. Digitone Channel 4
  11. Crave
  12. TD-3
  13. Analog Rytm Auto-Channel
  14. Analog Four Auto-Channel
  15. Digitone Auto-Channel
  16. Program Change

But I then found that unless I setup the midi channel as a midi track on the OT it won’t actually play notes on a device when I select the respective midi channel on my Keystep. This actually confuses me some. If I set the Keystep for example to Channel 3 why does it not immediately send note data to the A4 track 2 (midi channel 3) without having this also setup as a Midi Track on the OT? Does this have to do with using the OT’s midi out instead of midi thru?

This kinda confuses me as the OT is only set to midi channel 1 for it’s auto-channel and I would expect when I set the Keystep to whatever other midi channel that it would just immediately be able to communicate with whatever device’s track is assigned to that channel. Why does OT needs to specifically have a midi track setup in order to receive that Keystep’s midi channel and then forward it to the exact same midi channel in the rest of the chain?

In any case it seems that one way to set this up would then be:

  1. Octatrack Auto-Channel
  2. Octatrack Channel 1
  3. Octatrack Channel 2
  4. Octatrack Channel 3
  5. Octatrack Channel 4
  6. Octatrack Channel 5
  7. Octatrack Channel 6
  8. Octatrack Channel 7
  9. Octatrack Channel 8
  10. Analog 4 Auto-Channel
  11. Analog 4 CV Channel (Modular)
  12. Digitone Auto-Channel
  13. Crave
  14. TD-3
  15. Analog Rytm Auto-Channel
  16. Program Change

On Octatrack:
Set Auto-channel on Channel 1
Rest of the tracks as Channel 2 to 9
Program Change in at Channel 16
Program Change out at Channel 16
Midi 1 -> Channel 10
Midi 2 -> Channel 11
Midi 3 -> Channel 12
Midi 4 -> Channel 13
Midi 5 -> Channel 14
Midi 6 -> Channel 15
Midi 7 -> none
Midi 8 -> none

On Analog 4 set Auto-Channel on Channel 10
Track 1 to 4 set off
Track CV set as Channel 11
Program Change in at Channel 16
Program Change out at Channel 16

On Digitone set Auto-Channel on Channel 12
Tracks set to off
Program Change in at Channel 16
Program Change out at Channel 16

On Crave set Incoming Channel to Channel 13

On TD-3 set Incoming Channel to Channel 14

On Rytm set Auto-Channel to Channel 15
Track channels to off
Program Change in at Channel 16
Program Change out at Channel 16

Is this correct or is there a better way? Do I need a midi merger/splitter device if I want to go around the 8 midi channel limitation of the OT should I not care about sequencing tracks from the OT (since the other elektron’s can run on their own sequencer)?

And final question, what if I would want to use also a Faderfox device to control track’s parameters with cc (admittedly cc is a whole other area I have not explored yet).

#2

I always use Auto channel it is easier to manage and then you just have to select the track on the device…
I also bought a couple quadra midi thru boxes and a couple midi mergers and it makes it much easier to route things for me now…

maybe a midi merge from the midi out and midi thru of the Octatrack then you can send program change and midi notes from the keyboard…

#3

Yeah I guess auto-channel works well enough for this setup without going into midi merger.

Something else strange I’ve noticed on Midi Channel 1 on the Keystep. If I have a midi track selected on the OT then the keyboard will play notes on the selected track (as OT is setup as auto-channel). But if I select an audio track on the OT then I’m not able to play these samples with the Keystep keyboard. Instead none of the keys give any response except for B which starts/restarts the sequencer on all devices. Anyone can explain this behavior? Should I even be able to play audio tracks 1-8 on the OT using the auto-channel?

#4

The Octatrack only has a couple octaves of notes for the audio channels maybe you just need to move the octave up… the other notes do multiple things like selecting tracks & starting the sequencer etc

The auto channel is super convenient… getting a merger will probably be good to have.
Reckon that would be the best bet

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#5

I’ve found the relevant page in the Octatrack manual for midi note mapping and will do some more testing. According to the manual only B1 (35) should restart the sequencer but in prior testing I’ve found that also B3 and B5 are restarting the sequencer and none of the other keys really do anything.

If you are recommending a midi merger with signal from OT out and thru than the situation is as I suspected. The midi channels from the Keystep are not ‘automatically’ forwarded to the Midi Out as they are to the Midi Thru and they need to specifically be activated as midi tracks on the OT.

I guess another solution would be to use for example a MPC One as the brains as this can communicate over both midi ports and usb ports and thus have 64 midi channels available.

#6

No they are not forwarded through the thru channel,
though you could use the Octatrack auto channel and set up the midi tracks to the auto channels on the Rytm/DN/A4 etc then it will pass through without a merger…
Then you would be selecting midi channels on that instead of the keystep

You should find The notes of the audio tracks choose the tracks, turn on cue start the sequencer etc… only 2 octaves work to enter notes

#7

Actually you can still select a midi channel on Keystep to play external synths instead of having to select anything on the OT. Once midi channels are setup as midi tracks on the OT you don’t need to use OT’s auto-channel or the selection of a midi track. So somehow the OT still knows that when Keystep is playing on Channel 12 for example that it should connect this to the output of Midi Channel 12 as set on a Midi Track (without having specifically mapped this as such).

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#8

ok yes you are right, I don’t have mine set up this way I just use a midi thru to each one … It’s late here half asleep :sleeping:

#9

What about this setup; Keystep midi in to OT, OT out to DT, DT thru to DN, DN thru to DN. Auto channel on OT to DT. USE 8 DT channel midi for DNs.

#10

Just to be clear, channel 16 isn’t reserved for program change, or anything else. You can use any channel to send any type of message.

There are some informal conventions to make stuff easier, like using channel 10 for drums, but none of it is required unless a specific piece of hardware has a limitation (which also happens).

#11

I have had the same problem until reading this thread, being limited to 8 Midi Tracks. I just realized THRU lets it all through. I have just enough ports open on a midihub so I can rig a merge of the OUT and THRU. Thanks for bringing this up.