MIDI routing help (ST + DN + MIDI Keyboard)

Elektron Gear
#1

Hi guys. Just got a Digitone to complement my Syntakt, amazing sounding synth and I’ve spent only 30 minutes with it and I already love it to bits :smiley:.

But I’m having some trouble routing the MIDI / cables. I’m a bit of a MIDI noob in the sense that I don’t quite understand what exactly the MIDI Thru ports do.

I’m trying to have Syntakt be the MIDI clock, while receiving audio from Digitone. And so far I’ve got that bit figured out. The confusion arises when trying to hook up a midi keyboard to play digitone.

I’ve tried two things:

  1. If I connect it like this:
    Keyboard --> ST MIDI in…ST MIDI out --> DN MIDI in
    The keyboard controls only Syntakt as far as I can tell. But Sync works with Syntakt as the master.

  2. If I connect it like this
    Keyboard --> ST MIDI in…ST MIDI thru -->DN MIDI in
    Then Digitone and Syntakt both respond to the midi keyboard, which is what I want. However then Syntakt won’t send transport messages to syntakt (pressing play doesn’t cause digitone to play). (I have tracks 1-4 on Syntakt be without any midi channels so the MIDI keyboard controls Digitone on those channels)

Any attempts to hook up the midi keyboard directly to Digitone’s through channel causes the keyboard to light up faintly as the MIDI cable sends power to it, which seems like a bad idea to do :upside_down_face:

Does anyone have any idea how I should set this up?

#2

Now on the ST, create a MIDI Track with the same Channel as the Digitone Autochannel. Then, if you select this MIDI Track, you will be able to play the Digitone’s selected Track.

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#3

It’s purpose is to pass on (or through) an exact copy of the data present at the MIDI In of the device.

Other infos :

A MIDI output sends out data that was generated within the device, by playing its keys, turning a knob, moving a performance controller, or operating its internal sequencer. A MIDI thru sends a copy of the data that is entering a device back out, so that it can be routed to additional devices.

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#4

Bottom line, it sounds like you need to go:
Keyboard to ST:Midi-In
ST:Midi-Through --> DN:Midi-In

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#5

Thanks for explaining

Will try the channel tip you posted when I get home. Thanks a lot for the help :slight_smile:

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#6

No. ST won’t be able to transmit Clock, Program Change and Transport to the Digitone.

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#7

@Tchu has it right, if you want to achieve your goal while keeping the ST the master clock, and if you don’t use any additional hardware. However, you will have to lose one of the ST’s tracks as a sound generator.

You do have a couple of other options.

  1. Requires getting a MIDI Merge box. They’re pretty cheap, and here you’d send your KS MIDI Out -> ST MIDI In, and then send both the ST MIDI Out and the ST MIDI Thru into the merge box. Then out from the merge box you go to the DN MIDI In.
  2. This one may be easier…is there any reason you wouldn’t just use the DN to be the master clock? You could do the same solution as @Tchu suggested, but instead set one of the DN’s dedicated MIDI tracks on the Autochannel for the ST.
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#8

Thanks for the tips guys. I wanted syntakt to be the master clock since it was logical to make the drum machine do the timing. But now that you mention using a spare midi track on digitakt as a source I realize that’s a better idea, that way I could use its LFOs on Syntakt :smiley:

I was also wondering if it’s possible in any way to simultaneously send midi from one box to the other while also doing midi loopback back into the box sending out midi?

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#9

If you have your KS in the setup, you would need a MIDI merge box of some kind to feed into the box you want to loop back to.

But if your DN MIDI Out is going to the ST MIDI In, I believe that you could run the MIDI Thru from the ST back to the DN MIDI In. Without a merge box, this would prevent you from using the KS though.

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#10

Thanks for the advice :), what exactly is a KS?

#11

He meant your MIDI keyboard. I think he subconsciously assumed you were using an Arturia KeyStep since that’s apparently what all the cool kids have :slightly_smiling_face:

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#12

Ah understood, thanks. Guess I’m not a cool kid :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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#13

Cool kid = nicely featured device

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#14

Yeah keysteps are real nice

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#15

Bingo. I misremembered the OP!

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