Elektron machine recording tips

Elektron Gear
#1

hey y’all, long time lurker, figured I would finally post. so I own a Digitakt, machine drum uw mk2, and an analog keys. last time I recorded an album I didn’t have the DT yet, but with the other two machines I recorded directly into my interface. it sounded ok, if not a little flat. I’m just looking for recording tips in terms of what other outboard gear you guys use to get your machines sounding awesome. or any techniques or fun little tricks to make things sparkle. I should mention I have a new iMac with logic x as well as an ms20 mini, about 15 plus pedals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboard midi controller as well as my Marshall and Ampeg amps (used to be a bass player full time). I’m fairly familiar with logic and pretty proficient with my elektron boxes, but I don’t have overbridge and don’t have much interest in it, as I have more interest in adding more analog gear such as amps and pedals and routing tricks to make this stuff stand out. any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Sidenote, i plan on re amping with my radial box as well once I record some stuff. cheers y’all and stay safe

#2

You said you’re not interested in overbridge, but it’s a great way to record. You don’t need the use its fancy features. Just as a straight-up conduit for the signal from your device to your DAW.

Advantages:

  • Record all tracks, simultaneously.
  • No DA/AD degradation. It’s the digital audio, straight in.
  • Great sync.
  • You can use a separate audio interface at the same time.

Disadvantages:

  • In Logic, setup is a pain. You only have to do it once, though, and save a template.
  • FX on Digitakt etc. are recorded on a separate send channel, (only if you record its tracks separately and simultaneously).
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#3

@Mistercharlie The last sentence in your post confuses me. Maybe because I’m tired and thinking about it too deeply.

#4

@raindro You can set up overbridge in different ways. Routing the single tracks of the DN/DT/… to separate channels in your DAW, you only get the dry signal of those tracks. The pure FX signal of the Elektron can be send as additional track to your DAW. Better?

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#5

Over the last 5 years or so I have found the recordings made through my interface to sound a little flat compared to recordings made through my mixer. No idea why. Dont really care. I can multitrack stuff into ableton via my interface if I want, it has 20 inputs. But I havnt felt inclined to work like that in many years.

So now I just record a stereo mix from my mixer.

Multitracking stuff in a DAW just doesnt have much appeal for me anymore.

Anyway, my point is, you dont necessarily need overbridge if you have an interface with a few inputs, or are patient enough to overdub everything. And you dont necessarily need a DAW, if you have mixer. Just depends how you like to work I guess.

More completely useless tips every week here on channel Microtribe…

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#6

Yeah thanks! I did know that but for some reason I saw your post last night and I was like “I can record individual effects channel! merry Christmas me.” alas.

#7

I nabbed a SSL SiX recently, and I expect the summing to come in handy whenever I figure out the many many routing options :o

#8

I was actually about to download overbridge and give it another shot. but recording in with my interface is really straight forward so its not too much of a pain, can give it a little boost if its needed with the pre amps too. basically the Digitakt recording process is straight forward for me, I use that box as my basic rhythm section. its when I start recording the MD and AK that I’m probably going to get more complex and weird with the chain.

#9

i would suggest sending everything through a saturating amp mic’d not DI. adjust mic placement for desired girth. use multiple mics if possible. find a way to add amp reverb in post production.

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#10

I don’t know if you’re 100% set on only using hardware, but if you’re not have a look at Soundtoys Decapitator. It’s a saturation / distortion vst, goes from very subtle to completely destructive. I use it on pretty much everything I record, really helps to make stuff shine. Great on individual synth, guitar and bass tracks and also on (grouped) drum tracks

#11

I actually just got a bunch of plug ins for logic, and I am more a hardware lover since that’s how I make music, but I understand the value of plug ins and what they can do for the mixing and editing process. I gonna re amp a bunch with my pedals, probably run the AK and my ms20 through my Marshall or Ampeg, and then when I get it all in the box probably make it shine with plug ins. I will say, all the plug ins I have are all freeware, and I love that. I refuse to put 200 bucks for a virtual instrument

#12

once I get past my drum machines ill do just that. I like to record the DT and MD dry (with the internal effects of course) and then use plug ins and re amping to add spice. its just nice to get that direct in smooth even level before I beef it up and destroy it with delay and whatnot. thanks for the suggestion!

#13

Ahh okay, but what about soundlocks that have delay and what not. Will it still work?

#15

Yes, it works the same way with soundlocks. Everything you have on a channel is sent dry to the corresponding channel in your DAW. All the send-FX on that track are summed up with the send-FX of the other tracks in a common FX-track that can be routed separately to the DAW.

Let’s say you have a dry kick and a (locked) snare with some reverb on track 1 and a percussion with some reverb on track 2. In your DAW you would have then a first track having the dry kick and dry snare, a second track having the dry percussion and a third track having just the wet signal from the reverb for the snare and percussion summed together.

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