How do I setup my Syntakt so it passes through Mod wheel CCs?

Elektron Gear Syntakt
#1

Scratching my head a bit here.

  • I have set up track 8 as a MIDI track.
  • My Keystep 37 goes into Syntakt via MIDI cable.
  • Syntakt is plugged into laptop via USB cable.
  • I can play the keys on the Keystep and it plays the soft synth on my laptop (output comes back into the Syntakt so I can feed it through the analog FX, pretty nice)
  • I can record notes and chords into the Syntakt sequencer on track 8 and it plays back fine.

But when I move the Mod wheel or Pitch Bend on the Keystep it has no effect on the soft synth.

  • I have enabled PB and MW in the MIDI source menu for track 8 (SYN).
  • I’ve tried setting both CC Select and CC Value (AMP & FLTR) for Mod wheel
  • I have tried setting Settings > MIDI > Port Config > Output Channel to both TRK CH and AUTO CH

When I turn the encoder on the Syntakt I can hear the effect of the Mod wheel in the soft synth, so I know the Mod wheel message is getting through from the Syntakt to the laptop. Just not sure why it isn’t mapping from the Keystep to the Syntakt?

I can get the Mod wheel on the Keystep to control an internal Syntakt sound OK, using the Sound > Setup > Modulation Wheel settings.

Must be something obvious I’m missing…

#2

It doesn’t pass Mod Wheel or Pitch Bend, like all the Elektron boxes except for OT.

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#3

You could connect both the Keystep and the Syntakt into the DAW and do the routing there.

The same story as in Digitone btw…

#4

It’s one of the most requested feature. I don’t know why Elektron is sleeping on this one.

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#5

Oh. Well that explains why I can’t get it to work then!

My idea was to connect through the Syntakt so that I can record using the Syntakt sequencer. Didn’t realise pitch bend and Mod wheel are stripped out.

I assume all other MIDI CCs are similarly stripped out, and only Note on/off is sent?

Hmm. OK, good to know.

#6

Is that true for both Thru ports and using routing via track selects and Out ports?

#7

Use the MIDI THRU output. This one lets everything pass thru.

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#8

Then he can’t use the Syntakt sequencer to sequence the vst.

edit: hmmmm. Can you route sequencer data to midi through? can’t remember but I assume not…

#9

That’s the perpetual conundrum… I don’t have the Syntakt but on my Digitakt I do have the same issue and I solved it by using a MIDI Merger that merges both MIDI OUT and MIDI THRU to a single cable that goes to my external synths (in this case your VST):

  1. When I want to input notes on the Digitakt I select MIDI channel 11 on my Keystep (which is AUTO channel), then I select the track where I want to record a sequence on the Digitakt (TRK+1-16)
  2. When I want to “solo” play my synths with PB and MW, I select MIDI channel 1 (which is my external synth 1), which is not picked up by the Digitakt (because I only use AUTO channel, everything else is disabled I think, I don’t have it with me right now), and then I can MW and PB and play THRU the Digitakt my synth on channel 1.

Hence why I posted The Digitakt Feature Request Thread - #3790 by Normalogic (The routing was different but you get the idea).

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#10

A workaround for Mod Wheel, not suiting everyone :

Mod Wheel CC is 1.

Midi Tracks Values can be controlled with CC 70-77

If you set a value to send CC1, and send CC 70 from your synth, it can send CC1 (mod wheel) to midi out.

I can do it with my Taktile keyboard (I assign Mod Wheel to CC70).

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#11

Thanks guys. Very useful. This seems like a great forum.

As a matter of interest, does the sequencer on the Digitone Keys record Mod & Pitch bend? Given that these controls are built into it, would seem strange if it didn’t.

I’m guessing it maybe records these values for internal voices, but doesn’t record them when sequencing external MIDI instruments?

#12

Nope MW & PB are “performance controls” on the Digitone Keys (Recording pitch bend). So a bit counter intuitive but that’s what it is.

#13

Thanks for this, but I can’t seem to get this to work from my MPK249.
A slightly different but related issue ….
The CCs 70-77 do not turn the values on a midi machine filter page accurately. It’s seems all over the place (ie CC70 moves value H) and I can’t seem to get the first 3 values moving. Maybe I’ve found a bug ?

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#14

I can’t test right now, but don’t hesitate to remind me later if nobody confirms…

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