Octatrack as brain and multiple midi controllers

Elektron Gear Octatrack
1

Hi everyone!

So in my setup; I have several synthesizers with built in keyboard (like matriarch, prophet 6)
and also some desktop synths (eg novation peak), which I control with an arturia keystep.
Each synth has its own midi channel.

I use the octatrack as brain/sampler and sequencer.

I have the midi outs of the keyboards (keystep, matriarch, etc) to a midi thru box, and the output of that goes to the midi in of the octatrack.

So with the keystep on the auto channel of the OT, i can controll all my synths succesfully when I assign a midi trak in the OT to the midi channel of the coresponding synth. nice!

However, when i record something to a sequence, I’d also like to be able to use the keyboard of the other synths, like the matriarch/prophet.

How to do this? if i set the matriarch and prophet’s midi channel to the auto channel of the OT, this will be a problem since the synths then no longer have their own midi channel.

Is this even possible?

cheers

2

What kind of thru-box (or patchbay/merger?) are you using?

It’s possible, but you’ll need a device that can map the notes from the synths to the OT auto-channel.

A RaspberryPi and some tinkering could be a cheap solution.
Or perhaps something from Retrokits or Bome.

You’d still have to switch MIDI tracks on the OT though.

3

I don’t mind switching tracks on the OT, but when I record a midi sequence to the octatrack from my prophet or matriarch, I want to do so via their own keyboard, and not with my keystep (which has an inferior keybed).

i’m currently using a midi thru box and midi merger box from kenton

4

Bome box would be slightly overkill for this, I guess.
Not too familiar with the RK stuff myself.
There are more devices that could do this, probably.

Or some kind of script, perhaps just routing MIDI through a DAW…

5

ha was hoping the solution would not be having to buy more gear haha

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6

Perhaps an old laptop which has no other use?
Or no DAW allowed? You should be able to do this with Reaper for free.

And a USB MIDI obsly…

7

Yes, it’s possible with at least the Matriarch (on OS v1.2.3) without buying any more gear because it has separate channel settings for MIDI In and MIDI Out.

For the other gear, there may be ways around the issue but you would need to state:

  • which synths you have,
  • which MIDI Thru box you are using, and
  • any other gear you have in your setup.
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8

Thanks Peter did not know that about the matriarch!
So i’d set the midi out of the matriarch to the auto channel of OT too then?

My other synth with keybed is the prophet 6.
not sure if that one also has the option to send midi on a separate channel.

my other synths (novation peak, vermona perfourmer, moog minitaur, analog rytm) don’t have their own keybeds so its not a problem.

I am using Kenton midi thru and midi mergers:
these ones:

and

9

Yes.

A look at the manual reveals that it does not. The best you can do with it for your requirement is to switch Local Off so that messages from its keyboard are routed via your OT.

Where in your setup is the MIDI Merge 8? You probably don’t need it given the gear you have.

10

Thanks! only problem with setting local to off when using the prophet is that I won’t be able to adjust the sound/filters etc on the prophet (and probably don’t hear it either, untill I play the recorded sequence on the OT). This is too bad, but if thats it, then thats it.

Regarding the midi merger, you might be right I bought it for nothing, haha currently only the keystep out, the matriarch out, and the prophet 6 out go in it, and the three are merged to go in to the MIDI in of the OT. However, I don’t know how to achievet that without the merger?

11

You should be able to do so if the OT’s output is routed to the Prophet 6.

Both the KeyStep and the Matriarch have the ability to merge incoming MIDI messages with their MIDI outputs.

12

this part I don’t understand how that would work connection-wise
problem is still that I need the joint signal from keystep+matriarch+prophet to go in to the midi IN from the OT right? so how do I achieve this without a merger? just the matriarch and keystep i understand, (matriarch out to keystep in, and keystep out to OT in), but with also the prophet in the equasion I don’t understand it.

1 Like
13

You are correct; if you want to have P6 as well as the KeyStep and the Matriarch acting as controller keyboards then you will need the MIDI Merge to merge at least two of them.