Help: Digitakt with 88-key Controller

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Newb here, looking for some help. I’m sure this is straightforward but I can’t seem to sort it out. I searched the forum but couldn’t really seem to find an answer. Any thoughts are appreciated, happy to provide more info.

I’m trying to setup my Digitakt with my new keyboard. Previously, I’ve used the Keystep, but in the interest of trying to actually learn piano I picked up an 88-key workstation, the Roland FA-08.

I’m using the Digitakt to sequence my other gear (Minilogue, OP-1) as well as for it’s onboard sounds.

For the onboard sounds in particular, though, I’m trying to figure out either a quirk of the Digitakt or a problem with my setup. The Digitakt tracks 1-8 have a default trig parameter of C3. When played chromatically, you can increase by one octave or decrease by two. However, in practice, when playing single cycle waveforms as a synth, for example, the absolute highest note gets mapped to middle C (C4). So, to access the lowest pitch of the sample available (two octaves down), I actually have to shift the octave down on my keyboard (all while fully half of my keybed isn’t even utilized).

In other words, although the Digitakt trig note says C3 on the screen, to get the same pitch sound as if I were pressing the track button on the unit itself I have to play the C2 key on my keyboard.

What am I missing? I tried changing the trig parameter note higher/lower and didn’t appreciate a difference in the way the trigs are mapped to the keyboard.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts. Cheers.

5 Octave Keyboard Standard Tuning
#2

At most the samples can be transposed across 4 octaves so you’ll never use the full 88 keys. It’s just the nature of the sampler. MIDI tracks can go the full gamut though.

Also, the Tune and Trig parameters are tied so if you tuned a sample up 12 semitones, the highest trig would be reduced by 12 semitones (did that make sense?)

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#3

No all manufacturers see middle c as the same note. Sometimes c3 on one device can be c4 or c2 on another which can cause the discrepancy being observed.

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#4

Right… this too.

#5

I understand the limit to four octaves, but is there some way to “shift” everything up by one octave on the keyboard? Currently, the lowest of the four octaves is “off” the keyboard unless I use my keyboard’s octave shift button.

#6

I’m very new to piano/keys, but:

This is a programming thing, no? I thought middle C on the staff = C4 = middle C on piano?

#7

Middle C in the midi realm is denoted as midi note 60. Basically manufacturers (Roland and Yamaha) didn’t agree on whether this is c3 or c4 and so it remains that sometimes across different brands middle c isn’t in sync label wise.

On a piano it is different because it’s based on actual note tuning. On an 88 key c4 is literally the c in the middle based on tuning the first key to the A0 frequency. A0 is only midi note 21 and not the bottom of midi note range.

But yeah ultimately it’s a programming thing and corporate disagreement.

So it seems like the Roland denotes midi note 60 as c4 while the digitakt denotes midi note 60 as c3 by the shift you are experiencing.

#8

Normally it’s the controller’s task to do the shifting. On many of the full-size controllers you can define zones which map a range of keys to whatever midi note range on whatever midi channel you want (so you can also play multiple tracks/instruments at the same time).

The Digitakt itself has no built-in mechanism to interpret received notes differently, but there are also at least two possible workarounds:

  1. use samples tuned differently (one or two octaves up, for example)
  2. use an external midi processor which performs the note shifting (i.e. adds one or two octaves to each note).
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#9

i would check and see if there is a master tune option or maybe an option in the system setup that can adjust for this. you can’t be the only one to want this option… good luck.

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#10

If the keyboard has octave shift buttons, why is this an issue at all, or something to be changed on the Digitakt-side of things? Shift octaves on your board or just play an octave higher or lower, good to go.

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#11

I’ll see if I can set up the FA to transmit shifted note data (12 or 24 steps higher) on the channels dedicated to the Digitakt, but leave them as is for the Minilogue and OP-1

:+1:t2:

#12

I suppose I’d like to keep my work flow as simple as possible, if over half the board is left unused AND I have to shift the board down an octave every time I switch to the Digitakt it’s just a bit tedious. Not an issue with the Digitakt per se, just would like to map it higher (further to the right) on my board :sunglasses: