Is there anything remotely like Overbridge out there?

Anyone know or other manufacturers that even get close to the capabilities of Overbridge? Synth or sampler, is there anything else with USB multitracking, recording of external inputs, plugin for visualising/modulating parameters within a DAW, etc? Or is Overbridge completely unique?

The USB audio implementation on the MC-101 (and I’m assuming the MC-707) is pretty good. It offers four stereo audio tracks, as well as the mains out, all over USB.

It doesn’t include the wet/return channel as a separate out though, and I’m not sure if it’s possible to use the mains out for that through some magic routing in the settings. So I usually recreate the master sends in the DAW when recording my jams.

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Did the Access Virus TI have some Overbridge-like plugin? I think Roland might have also done something similar. I don’t really know, but maybe those are some things to search on the web. I’m not being very helpful. Lol

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Yeah, the plugin visualisation is not something I’m after tbh – Modal and Teenage Engineering do this for some boxes, to name but two examples. But the multitracking and all-round usefulness as a soundcard for external instruments is never quite as complete as Overbridge as far as I can tell. If only the Elektrons fed USB midi to the physical USB output/thru, it would be perfect imo. Then I would just get a Heat and be done with it.

Do the 1010 Music Blackbox or Bluebox do multitracking over USB as well as midi over USB?

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I tried OB with the Digis and it didn’t really do much for me, because my master track always ended up sounding better then the stems, so I didn’t quite get to know all the features and limitations of Overbridge.

I didn’t realize that couldn’t be done, for example. So if you’re using OB and have MIDI coming from a DAW, you can’t route that out the 5-pin MIDI? Can you have the Elektron box send a separate MIDI stream though?

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Overbridge really is a modern marvel, and I love what its done for the cable management in my studio, even if I do sometimes worry about how futureproof it is (IE what happens if Elektron goes out of business or the software isn’t updated to play nice with tech a decade from now).

As someone mentioned Access did something similar for their synths, but it was always a bit dodgy and didn’t work so well.

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And that Access plugin might not be actively developed/supported anymore, afaik

You could record the DAW output to a midi channel and do it that way. But that’s useless for the Heat of course. I’m really not sure why the limitation exists tbh. It’s really annoying!

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Roland has audio over USB split into separate tracks for a lot of their grooveboxes and drum machines. Even the Boutiques do audio over USB, and I think will make the external input in a separate track.

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As others have mentioned, Roland… the MC707 is great for being able to send all of its individual tracks into Ableton tracks.

But, it doesn’t have its own interface where you can record into it… Overbridge is superb for that, and the only thing I know that does it.

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MPC OS? I’m not sure about multitracking or external inputs, but there are some similarities.

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MPC outputs multitracks over USB to class compliant devices (wish my Digitone did too)

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No, MPC Software is the other way around:

either the MPC standalone becomes a controller for MPC Software or you can plug sound card on the MPC and add I/O.

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Ah, I see. And of course, meant “software” and not “OS”.
Been a minute since I owned one :slight_smile:

Big fan of OB. I see it get bashed a lot, but it’s such a massive feature set and capability. In the modern world it’s such a privilege to be able to plug-in one USB and have all that. One of the reasons I really dig Elektron machines.

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MPC is kinda similar… it can do the same sort of things, but it’s way deeper as an OS… it’s basically a standalone DAW.
As @Elek_dude_98 said, you don’t just plug it in like an Elektron OB device… you either record to it internally or you save your project in the hardware and open it in MPC Software, then bounce whatever you want to.

It’s not often discussed or made as big a deal of as it should, but MPC export to Ableton feature is really cool… and you can tell it to convert it all to audio too.

Imagine if you could do a direct export of your Elektron patterns to Ableton scenes, one press, done… :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Considering the Access TI plugin is 2007 abandonware I’m finding it pretty darn reliable tbh. Closest thing to OB I’v seen for sure (not quite as clever with latency though I think)

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Yeah, reliable unless you on the any modern MAC device where the TI mode just doesn’t work…

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I’ve got an underbridge I’ll sell ya for real cheap.

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I was one of the early adopters of TI as well but it was more like Total Instability for me.

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