Overbridge and FX

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

So I “heard” that Overbridge only gives you the “dry” signals with no FX (Reverb, Delay) added.

My question is how useful this is? Whats the point of using the FX section then if you don’t get that data over USB with each individual track? If you apply compression on eq on a particular track then the fx wont get affected, this can cause all kinds of mixing problems (you usually put a reverb after eq or comp processing in a normal case).

On the other hand your option to mix the fx channel as one limits your mixing options too.

Wondering if people with other Elektron Gears had this problem. I had the same problem with my TR-8 and I have no idea why this is even a thing. Just give us the wet signal over the USB port, or even better, let the user decide what kind of signal he wants per track: dry or wet.

#2

On A4 and Rytm you get individual dry tracks + a feed for the master/fx track. You wouldn’t be able to get individual tracks wet because the FX are on sends anyway.

6 Likes
#3

Yeah but this would be a question of just mixing the dry/wet signals on the device’s side. Not a big issue.

If I take any DAW i.e. Ableton your channel processing is applied first then it gets send to the Return Tracks. You get two individual tracks in the end (in the DAW the number of tracks is not an issue) but with BOTH channels having the processing.

I.e. EQ-ing and Compression affects both signals, which is super important actually (you dont want to EQ only the dry signal only for the FX signal mixing up the output still)

So wonder why they have this and how to solve issues like these which can inevitably come up.

#4

Which issue? There is a feed for the FX that you can record.

Edit: Assuming they do it this way on the DT of course.

3 Likes
#5

The issue comes up only with mixing.

You have a track, you apply an EQ on it, but the FX channel wont be affected. You can only mix the FX channel in total (which I assume will have all the tracks FX effects at the same time). You usually mix per track, therefore you can only process the dry signals here i.e. with eq, compression or saturation and the FX wont get affected, which can cause a lot of issues with normal processing.

#6

Why they have it like this? Because there is no other way they could have it. The fx exist on the master track only. Sure, the routing is not as flexible as it is if you are working solely in the box. If that level of flexibility is crucial to you, then ITB is where you should be.

Not being rude, but you’re railing against the impossible.

5 Likes
#7

just group the channels in your daw

#9

This isn’t impossible, I don’t understand why cant they group the channels by FX sends. THis is pretty much possible in any major DAW and in fact technically its just two signals mixed together. In the end on the audio out you’d get the same signal. In fact there is no point not to do this at all…

#10

To further emphasise this, if you take an analog mixer you have FX sends, which then you can mix back into the main channel, so later processing affects the FX too… Same with any kind of analog console.

#11

But it doesn’t work that way. It isn’t designed that way. Why? Why is the sky blue, why is water wet, why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept?

2 Likes
#12

The Digitakt has digital routing (thus the possibility of Overbridge in the first place).

So this CAN and SHOULD be changed from the Software. There are routing options in existing Overbridge implementations. The point is that they don’t have FX per track option.

#13

Why do you think they didn’t do that? Do you think it’s because they’re not smart like you? Or can you come up with a more technical explanation? I’ll throw ‘processing limitation’ into the pot.

#14

It’s not “insert FX” it’s “Sends”

4 Likes
#15

I would like to know that too. I assume artists as opposed to audio engineers rarely care about the actual mixing process. This is also not for people who “only” use the Digitakt for lets say live acts where proper mixing is a secondary issue anyway since you do it on the fly.

In a studio settings if you care about mixing at all and don’t just pass it to an audio engineer this limits the possibilities of applying processing on the tracks and can cause lots of headaches.

You can already see why this can cause phase issues for example. If you don’t care about that then this question is probably not for you.

#16

It’s not a question of not caring, it’s an issue of understanding what send FX actually are.

7 Likes
#17

Beat me to it

#18

FX Sends sends the processed signal in literally every device. The thing is, you cannot apply processing before FX send here because you get the Dry signal as output…

#19

Please tell me about the routing here:

[Album] Imgur

#20

Is it not more of a case of ‘If this bothers you so much, then Overbridge and FX are probably not for you’.

1 Like
#21

You have a single send (in use)? What is this supposed to illustrate other than you have a send?