Help with setting up MIDI please

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

Hi there looking for some setup advice please.

Currently I have the rytm being the master and sending clock info to the a4, and the through from the a4 goes to the digitone. All works well.

I would like to include the keystep into this setup to control the notes for both the a4 and the digitone, but keep the rytm as the master clock.

My thinking is that I set the rytm to send notes, the a4 and digitone to receive notes - then plug the keystep into the rytm midi in.

I do not have the keystep yet but from watching videos I think I can change the midi channel that the keystep is on and match it to the midi channel of the a4 or the digitone - is this correct?

I would like to have control of whatever the device voice is on - and I think this is the auto channel feature correct? Would I set the auto channel to be midi 1 on the a4 and the auto channel to be midi 2 on the digitone? Then change the midi channel on the keystep from 1 to 2 to change where the midi notes are being sent?

Would this work?

Thanks in advance - I do not have a shop close to me that I can just go play around with.

#2

IMO the simplest way to achive a synchronisation of all units and making the Keystep play notes on the AR and A4 could be to use the keystep as the master clock and built up a midi-daisy-chain from there.

I have a Beatstep Pro and the clock is very tight and I use it exactly as described above. I suppose the clock of the Keystep should be of the same quality.

You could connect all units as follows:

  • Keystep midi-out --> midi-in AR
  • AR midi through --> midi-in A4
  • (optional) A4 midi-through --> midi-in of other unis like a Digitone etc.

Depending on the midi-channels set on the AR or A4, different notes can be adressed and played by the matching midi-channel of the Keystep. The clock of the Keystep is syncing any unit in the chain, even start/stop should be possible, assumed that AR and A4 accept the start/stop command. This has to be enabled in the settings and should - IIRC - be located in the menu GLOBAL/MIDI CONFIG/MIDI SYNC

If you want the AR be the the master clock and use a midi controller to play notes, you might have to invest in a midi-merge tool, because the AR and the A4 have only one midi-in port. As an example, if you want to have the clock of the AR syncing the A4 AND the Keystep to control the notes on the A4, you need to merge the midi from AR-midi-out (clock) and Keystep-midi-out (note) first into a midi-merge-midi-in and then via the midi-merge-midi-out to the midi-in of the A4.

1 Like
#3

Big thanks for this.
I think I will try your suggestion and have the keystep be the clock and transport control.

If I only want the Digitone and A4 to receive notes I make sure that they are on in the settings and that the Rytm receive notes is off.

My other question is in regards to having the keystep play notes for whatever the device voice is on - using the autochannel feature - do I have to set it to a different midi channel for the Digitone and the A4? Then put the keystep onto that channel to control them?

Thanks again for your help.

#4

You’re welcome.

AFAIK the auto channel of an Elektron unit routes incoming midi to the active track. If two units shall be played at not at the same time, both auto channels have to be at different midi channels. The Keystep can then select by it’s midi-send-channel, which auto channel will be addressed.

#5

Thanks again, this makes a lot of sense.