The different mute modes are confusing for the first time. FUNC + Trk and PTN + Trk are the key combination shortcuts and the track key backlight should be green otherwise no sound because one or both mutes activated. The logic behind I guess that you can have an initial mute set so change to a pattern with some tracks initially muted lets you make some build up progression. All these are unnecessary complication for a beginner’s session but makes sense if you put some live sets or arrange song like progression.
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I’m definitely trying to get used to the different lights. I’ve been surprised by the number of different lighting patterns and colours used, and they are all very helpful to understand.
Using unison in the voice settings. Assigning two voices with spread to bass or percussion fattens things up so much.
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For anybody that has tried, can you send a signal into the Digitone and not have any effects applied to it while the DN’s own sounds are going with effects on?
For clarification: my plan is to run my Minilogue XD with its own nice effects applied into the DN but I want to avoid doubling effects on it in most cases.
Yes. On the Master Page (FUNC + LFO), you have the FX section for the Inputs. Just leave it to 0. PAN hard left and Hard right for stereo FX from the Minilogue XD.
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YES!
Thanks a lot!
hi James- could you detail what you mean by self generating tools? ive recently been getting into midi loopback so that i have access to modulating more parameters at any given time, which is ace. was it that sort of thing you meant? i absolutely love the DN, always interested to know of any new ways to use it
I haven’t fully explored yet, still working on simple projects to learn the interface and sequencer.
When I say self-generating, I really mean setting up a track to play itself through randomness and probability. I think of it like clockwork music, you build the machine and set it off.
I’m sure other people here have more experience with this so far. All I really know at the moment are the probability trigs and LFOs. So for example, you could have two tracks with two different speed LFOs that oscillate in and out of sync with each other, along with probability on each track. That’s a pretty simple self-generating song right there.
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ah ok, so a bit like writing an algorithm/set of rules and then just letting the machine run with them and do its thing?
i find myself using conditional trigs a lot for minor differences in each track, but usually at slightly odd ratios (1:3, 2:7 or whatever) so that the tracks and patterns are always repeating but never necessarily exactly the same each time, if that makes sense? and like you say, when you also add LFOs into the mix this can create a lot of variation from very few components (the midi loopback thing i mentioned before is essentially a great extension of that)
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How to use the Add Notes button
When making melodies in the step sequencer, hold a trig and press the Add Notes button on the left to go into this note menu. In this menu the trigs turn into a keyboard, and the trigs you press will toggle that note on or off for that trig. You can add several notes at once and go up and down octaves. When you’re happy with the notes, hit YES to save and go back. If not, hit NO to return without saving the changes.
This can be used on multiple trigs at the same time. If you have a 16th note bassline or something where all the notes are the same you can hold the last 4 trigs and hit add note, then replace that note with another one. I used to do this on one trig, then copy-paste that trig wherever I needed it, but the Add Notes button is a lot more convenient!
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Can you explain the midi loopback technique a little more?
will do- am working atm but when i get a moment i’ll try and put together an explanation. its been covered elesewhere here on the forum as thats how i came across it, but i cant remember where…!
actually just remembered that after i read about it here i went to youtube and found this video, which walks you through setting it up. the video uses the digitakt as the example, but the principle is the same- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLdldzRMIEc&list=PLh8Nn0lqB6O3Ws5Ky3Te3rgdjzcnGCu8p&index=84
ah awesome! So you basically use it to access more LFOs?
yeh. so using the 4 midi tracks gives you 4 more LFO’s to use across your tracks (or all on the same track if you wish), except that its more than that, as when you route (for example) the LFO from MIDI track 1 to the Pitch Bend parameter on track 1, and then access the pitch bend menu for that track (Func + Trig, scroll down a bit), youll see that you can define up to 4 parameters within the pitch bend menu that will all respond to that one LFO (and additionally i always make sure that pitch bend itself is not one of them, but thats just personal choice). Given that the same behaviour can also be dialled into the MW, AT and BC, thats 16 parameters that can be modulated at the same time, in addition to the 2 LFOs per track that you already have…
apologies, i realise that explanation was abysmal- im sure anyone reading this will be whincing at how porrly explained that was…! its the best i can muster up- if i can fiind the original thread that i picked this up from i’ll link it here
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Yeah… how insanely bright those bleedin LEDs are. And that screen… my poor retinas!
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ha! You did a fine job, and have piqued my interest. I think I can barely deal with 2 let alone another 4. I’ll check out that video to see what kind of results are possible. After I’ve gotten my head around the basics, I’m definitely hoping to push this beauty into weirder more experimental territory. I’m really interesting in giving sounds life, letting them feel more alive and organic.
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