New Digitakt owner, feeling overwhelmed and lost

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hey everyone, I’ve had my Digitakt for about a week now, and as much as I love the promise of it, and as much as I’ve seen people losing their minds over how powerful the new OS update is, I’m having a really hard time trying to do some seemingly basic things with the DT, and I’m hoping some of you may be able to help.

Here’s my current setup:

Late 2017 iMac w/ 32GB of RAM
Digitakt (obviously)
Ableton Live 11
Arturia V Collection 8
Newest version of Overbridge and Digitakt OS
Digitakt is connected to the computer via USB through a hub (the hub may be a problem, as we’ll see later) with the hope of running all audio from my computer through the DT.

My first issue is I’m really confused on how to get audio from my DT into Ableton in a way that seems manageable. I’ve tried some tutorials where you create 8 tracks for the separate channels and route things through busses and whatever. It’s worked fine, but then when I go to play back the audio, the DT is still connected via MIDI so it plays itself when I use the transport controls. This has lead to all kinds of frustration.

Also, when I record from the DT into Ableton, it generates a blank MIDI clip. Should there be something in there that I can manipulate, or is it supposed to be blank?

I see all these posts saying that Overbridge just works and makes everything super smooth, but I feel like I can’t do basic things like get audio from my DT routing to and from Ableton, and it’s leaving me super frustrated :smiley:

I want to love this box, and I know I’m probably getting preemptively frustrated with the thing, and I know it’s definitely likely just my inexperience, but the freedom and creativity I’ve seen from a ton of other people with the DT isn’t landing with me, and I want it to.

I guess I should also mention that this is the first time I’ve really tried getting some kind of sound-generating device to route into Ableton and work correctly, so this may be some inexperience with that too. All my other experience with making music has been MIDI-based.

#2

While I don’t own a Digitakt (Octatrack and Digitone for me) I would propose you work with it on its own for awhile. Curl up in a cozy area or relaxing space and take time to explore the device by itself. Noodle around for a bit. Look up some YouTube videos when you have questions. Get to know it in isolation. It’s a fantastic device!

Once you’re feeling like you’re on more solid ground with it then you can look at integrating it into Ableton. If this is your first piece of hardware, I highly recommend spending time untethered from the computer. Composing and playing around on hardware exclusively is an excellent creative endeavor!

Edit: To some of your frustrations as the above poetic answer is likely not what you want to hear (though I still stand behind the message) :slight_smile:

Have you disabled sending and receiving transport in the MIDI setup of the DT? Func+MIDI => Sync if it’s like the Digitone.

Are you wanting to record MIDI data from the DT or audio from the DT? What is the track type you have setup?

If audio, in Ableton, what do you have the ‘Audio From’ source set to?

If MIDI, are you programming sequences on the MIDI tracks of the DT to control VSTs in Ableton? Do you have ‘MIDI From’ set correctly?

Untether from Ableton and get lost in the Digitakt by itself <3 Trust me.

21 Likes
#3

This.

14 Likes
#4

Thanks for the kind words and advice! I think you’re exactly right here, I need to know the DT itself before I jump off the deep end of getting everything set up to interface with Ableton.

One of the main reasons I got the DT was that I had some credit for returning an Ableton Push 2, mainly because the utter ocean of patches and content that are available to me in Ableton left me scrolling through patch after patch and not actually making anything (that and the Push was making my carpal tunnel worse, damn immovable pads).

I like the immediacy of the DT. As someone who hasn’t learned a traditional instrument, I admired that it was possible for me to generate things that sound good right away. In my first hours with it, I had some beats made and some things put together and it sounded great, and I loved it. Then I think I made the mistake of rushing to get it hooked up to Ableton to do the MIDI magic I’ve heard it’s capable of. I also loaded it up with samples, which probably didn’t help, as I got back to the ‘1,000 choices, none of them perfect’ problem that I run into when I touch Ableton.

The truth is I just need to work with this thing on its own terms and see what it can do for me. I’m going to reset it to factory settings, go back to the already large amount of content the thing ships with, and take some time to just mess with it without even opening my DAW. Anything that sounds really good I can capture in Overbridge and save it for another day.

Thanks again for inspiring me to keep pushing!

Sub-question if you’re still reading: I’ve considered swapping my Digitakt for a Digitone. The music I make is mostly spacey, ambient stuff (Brian Eno is probably my main inspiration), but I like the idea of being able to drop some samples in there to give things a trip-hop feel. I feel like the Digitone may be a little more suited for the music I would like to make, but I’ve also seen threads saying the Digitakt can do everything the Digitone can do (other than polyphony). Any ideas?

2 Likes
#5

Not to beat a dead horse but yea, first learn how the Elektron workflow works. Get comfortable with the machine. Start sampling or loading WAVs from your computer. Resample internally. Get wild with loop points/sound locks/etc…

I am in the opposite boat now. The Elektron sequencer is so damn powerful and intuitive to me now that trying to use a DAW without something equivalent feels wrong haha :upside_down_face:

If this is your first time trying to integrate anything external into a DAW it’s going to suck and I do not recommend letting that experience taint your experience with the Digitakt.

Overbridge does work but you have to be familiar with how all of the routing and setup works. I am not saying it’s impossible. Otherwise it’s just going to be frustrating. Overbridge to me is a nice to have, something you can integrate once you are familiar. USB class compliant audio might be more fun but you won’t have all 8 tracks.

@lumiras as for the DN… it’s a different beast. Especially with the new update to the DT. DN is 4 tracks (sounds) with 8 voices and no samples and is limited to 4 MIDI tracks. DT doesn’t have polyphony whereas the DN does. However I am partial to the DN because it was my first elektron and the way it does FM is insane. I know Ableton has a good FM synth so maybe play around with that while you have the DT?

4 Likes
#6

Yeah I’m still trying to wrap my head around FM, it seems a little weird, but also fun to mess with the operators/oscillators to get the sound I want, and then morphing that as I see fit. I think I’ll mess around with Ableton’s Operator as well as the Arturia DX7 to see if FM may be more for me.

The polyphony of the DN makes it really tempting to me, though, and it might suit my needs more if I can get over the hump of learning FM

1 Like
#7

This is a game changer once you get on your feet making sounds you like…
You have a device that can sample itself and you should definitely do that
Sample things pitched way up then drop the pitch back down on the resampled track…
Combine two tracks into one track by resampling them
This adds things that weren’t there.
Sampling is endless
Get rocking on your DT then add the DN. Match made in heaven.

I can’t offer advice as to hooking it up to Abelton, but I can stress how capable it is on its own, how fun, and (once you spend some time) relatively fast to get something going…

3 Likes
#8

@ViolentMeals totally agree on the resampling. What a mind bender! You can really go far with it.

@lumiras if you like spacey here is a lil jam I did with just the DN. Straight USB audio out to my phone. No post processing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2LUXD1pI0M

If you are curious about the DN as well (don’t mean to hijack this thread into DN land) I suggest you check out our very own @Eaves or @ylva :tada:

Here is an older track from Ivar all DN with light post processing (it sold me on the DN…): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSkfmMKldqs

And here is something recent from Ylva (no idea about processing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K346CCW7KnU

Ivar also really like the DT so don’t mean to add more to the confusion.

You asked!

And to add, the DN makes FM so simple you learn it eventually but easily get lost in the sauce at the beginning.

DT is bonkers though and you can go far with it. Very far.

2 Likes
#9

I have Digitone and love it. Digitakt seems fun and you can mangle sounds to some extent, but it’s still a pretty simple sample player, whereas Digitone is a very capable synth that lets you edit every aspect of your sound. I find for me Digitone really excels at making beats and drum sounds, but it can certainly do ambient too, and Eno is pretty famous for his use of FM synthesis.

#10

With the Digitakt, I preferred using the standalone recording app.
That is, compose something on the DT, record it on the app, then move those recorded files to yr DAW and do overdubs. Trying to have perfectly synced MIDI control of the hardware seems pointless, when the DAW has a sampler of its own.

#11

Don’t give up! What you’re doing is all doable and can be done with the flexibility and smoothness you desire. Just give yourself some time to adjust, hopefully you’ll find the workflow in good time

3 Likes
#12

To echo what others have said you should try maybe learning the device itself for a while. and build up some tracks to record and then tackle overbridge later so you’re not trying to learn both at the same time.

From your description it sounds like you’re getting your audio in correctly That’s good! The easiest way to just work with the recorded stems after you’ve tracked the dt is to mute the plugin track.

Also worth noting, Are you trying to use the DT as an audio interface at the same time? OB isn’t really meant for that workflow. It’s more for being able to connect your Elektron boxes to your system without taking up extra inputs on your actual interface.

1 Like
#13

I don’t have much to add beyond what my fellow Elektronauts have said, however:

‘… when I go to play back the audio, the DT is still connected via MIDI so it plays itself when I use the transport controls. This has lead to all kinds of frustration’

This is still a minor irritation for me too, however it is easy to remedy - simply mute your Digitakt tracks on the hardware upon playing back your recording in Live. :slight_smile:

‘when I record from the DT into Ableton, it generates a blank MIDI clip. Should there be something in there that I can manipulate, or is it supposed to be blank?’

I think you’re referring to the MIDI channel in Ableton Live which hosts the Overbridge plugin - if this is record-enabled then you will generate a blank MIDI track while recording. You can try turning record arm off for this track (not sure if this would affect anything) or just disregard it.

The Digitakt was my first true Elektron experience - I was dumbfounded by it for a few days, couldn’t even figure out how to record a sequence - but now I believe it has the quickest and best-designed interface of any sequencer yet created!

Also apologies for my crude method of quotation, haven’t figured out how to block quote like the elders of this forum. :slight_smile:

#14

I would like to chime in with the others. Give yourself more time with the Digitakt to learn it and get a feel for it. Once you have your grasp of it, try working with Ableton and Overbridge. When you do, always make sure you have the latest compatible OSes to make sure things that should work, work. Also, a lot of us in here have had the same kind of start you’re having, so in that regard, don’t worry about it and keep trying. If you find that the Digitakt really isn’t for you, that’s ok too :grin:

If you find yourself gravitating toward it and the Elektron workflow, you’ll probably end up getting another Elektron box to complement it. I read that you’re interested in the Digitone. You will encounter the same challenges with it as well. Its Overbridge functions are identical to the Digitakt just less tracks. It’s an awesome FM synth but it has no sample functionality if that’s what you’re looking for.

I recommend keeping your manual handy and doing some forum searches if you have any more issues.

#15

I just want to thank everyone for the advice, encouragement, and tips. This right here is a reason why I am really starting to love Elektron’s stuff in general, as there’s a great community around it here to help me when I run into something.

I need to give the Digitakt more time. I think I’m going to separate it from my DAW and maybe get an Arturia Microfreak to make a little DAWless combo that can do everything I need. I think I get myself too wrapped up in the final product when I step into a DAW, and maybe isolating myself to hardware before even touching the DAW will let me focus on making the music first, then adding the gloss and final touches when I finally bring it into the DAW.

6 Likes
#16

If you sell the Digitakt for the Digitone you will then miss the Digitakt and buy it again. Why buy it twice? My guess is that you will have both within 6 months and be very happy

3 Likes
#17

If it helps I never think or try to bring my DT to my daw for anything besides just recording what I did and unplugging it. It’s easier and faster if I want some drum tracks in my daw to just start in the daw and use the extra tools available to me to shape it.

But in a small setup for fun and “live play” wow is it great.

1 Like
#18

I think this is a good way to go. Plenty of good advice around here always but for sure spend some time just with the DT so you get into the standalone workflow.
It’s an incredibly fast and intuitive machine once you’ve mastered a few core functions. Dedicate an afternoon / evening and you’ll be well away.
Adding a Microfreak is also a great idea too as it will pair very well. You can easily make a ton of sounds/ samples from it (drum sounds too) and now that the DT can have it’s inputs running through the FX / mixer section you’ll be able to juice up the sounds of the MF and perform and perfect tracks (or not - depends on what you enjoy doing of course).

Either way then it’ll be a good time to hook up the DT with your DAW and explore routing and recording with OB so you can refine things later if you need to. I guess the key is to have fun and let the music happen :wink:

2 Likes
#19

If you really like your soft synths, you can also create a more basic hybrid approach with your Digitakt and your DAW. If you set your DT as your audio interface, and monitor from it through headphones, you can use your Digitakt to sequence (and montior) a bunch of VSTs, without having to fuss with Overbridge or trying to multitrack from the DT itself.

You really can have endless fun with the DT and the Arturia V collection, and sequencing soft synths with the DT is a great way to learn the power of the MIDI sequencer. You can parameter lock per step up to 8 different CC values, per MIDI track. The Prophet VST is fun for days. I love the Solina, Farfisa…so many great toys that play so well with the DT.

Have a blast!

#20

Sounds fun, are there any tutorials on how to set this up?