Overbridge, Digitakt, and track panning

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

(Advance notice: I tried having a look around for other topics covering this, but nothing popped up. I also haven’t come across the answer to this in the DT or Overbridge manuals. Please let me know if I’m just asleep at the wheel.)

Quick question for the masses regarding USB audio out via Overbridge. It seems individual audio tracks only go out in mono. I know that the reverb and delay sends are stereo, but what I’m wondering about is track panning. What’s the recommended solution here — re-doing panning in Ableton (or whatever DAW the USB is going out to)? For constant panning this isn’t a big deal, but having to redo panning automation is a bit tedious, never mind conditional pans etc.

Tell me I’m just missing something? :sweat_smile:

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#2

Overbridge streams individual outs only in mono, so you’ll need to do this in your DAW

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#3

Well crap! That’s a shame. Thanks for the info!
Side note: is this something that could theoretically be updated via firmware? Otherwise the pan setting makes little sense with Overbridge. :thinking:

#4

I’m fairly new to the elektron world but For me It seems panning and effects are better to be done in ableton so can be automated etc later since only send effects anyhow.
I done a big recording session and just seems more of a hassle to record fx because it’s on separate tracks.

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#5

I doubt it - the tracks are output as mono currently. Making them output in stereo would I assume pretty much double the bandwidth of the audio being sent via USB, and I imagine similar CPU demands etc.

it’s a shame, but I’m not sure there’s any way round a lot of this sort of stuff with panning/FX really?

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#6

You can stream panned tracks one at a time via the stereo master outs. If there is a particular thing you think would be difficult to achieve in a DAW environment this is probably your best bet. You could set up a template so that you have the master outs on a certain channel in your DAW and mute tracks on the Digi when necessary. In principle I think it probably makes mixing easier if you record out mono and do this in a DAW (faffing around with panned stems would be a pain if you need to make adjustments down the line), but get that as part of the creative process using these tools is important and that there are certain things the hardware can do much better (such as P locks etc).

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#7

@Romerp @the_duckchild Good points all around. I can definitely see how the bandwidth and CPU requirements would quickly escalate with stereo outputs on each track. The streaming of one track at a time via master outs sounds like the most viable workaround when Plocking the panning is important. Thanks to both of you!

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#8

Sorry to revive this Topic. I was aware of the Panning situation in OB. But now, and I don’t know why, with the Digitone only (not DT, AR or A4), you can Pan the Tracks using OB. All the Settings in those Devices (DN, DT, AR, A4) are the same. I’m looking for answers.

#9

Theoretically if the audio tracks sent midi information you could midi map the pan to your daw pan for each channel, but as far as I know that currently isnt possible :frowning: so no plocks for pan using overbridge atm :frowning:

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#10

This is a bummer for those times when the random LFO>Hold>Pan gives a wonderful bit of motion to a track, like a shaker for instance.

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#11

Yeah this is a shame. For panning automation in the DAW, I use Soundtoys Panman, which is excellent and can achieve this kind of movement (although it’s pretty pricy when it’s not on sale or bundled in the Soundtoys suite)

#12

I just tried midi mapping the pan parameter knob on my Rytm to the pan parameter in Ableton and it works. So in a live situation you could at least pan with the knob. The real bummer is that the LFO can not be used to affect the panning. Any workarounds?

#13

Ableton Live 10, Windows 10, DT, DN, A4 mk2, AR mk2.

I was pissed by the Panning situation using Overbridge so yesterday I build a new Template in Ableton to play Live. This way, everything I do on the Machines is reflected in the DAW.

Very simple. I will take Digitakt as an example.

First, make sure that you send all the Tracks and FX to the Master Output of the DT (Audio Routing in the Settings).

Next, load the Digitakt plug-in and Mute it.

Add an Audio Track : Audio From Digitakt, Post FX. Monitor In.

Now, everything that you do on the DT will be reflected in your DAW.

You can even use the Kick to Sidechain the other elements. Add an Audio Track : Audio From Digitakt, Track 1 (if the Kick is on Track 1), Monitor In. Unroute the Kick from the Master Output of the DT.

Use the Ableton Compressor.

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#14

Here’s a Screenshot

2020-03-25 (2)
2020-03-25 (2)1930×1070 195 KB

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#15

I posted about this the other day as I didn’t see this thread in my initial search (probably because I’m blind). This is ridiculously lame. I programmed a whole song on the DT with panning automation and p-locks on multiple tracks over multiple patterns. Now I’m supposed to do them one at a time through the master buss? I thought OB was to help us not have to do that.

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#16

This seems like a relatively straight forward fix.
The plugin can easily convert the 8 mono tracks to “stereo” for panning purposes, then just copy the track panning parm to the overbridge plugin and apply to each of the 8 “stereo” audio tracks.
Not sure if elektron has officially said there is some limitation preventing this, but every other parameter is reflected in overbridge apart from panning and it’s quite a frustration!!
Whats more - the pan parameter does actually appear in the plugin window, it just doesn’t do anything.

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#17

Yeah. Was the first thing I noticed. I was able to use the midi tracks to control Reaper’s pan knob and record the output to a stereo track. A work around, but not ideal… The DT tracks are all mono, so it makes sense, but would be nice if Overbridge would communicate the pan instructions to the DAW. If I remember each audio track from Overbridge is already set up in stereo pairs. Fingers crossed

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#18

This has come again for me, it’s super strange that pan is available as a parameter in the over bridge plugin but doesn’t actually do anything. This makes me think it’s a bug?

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#19

just a note on some of the workarounds - you can map the pan in the digi easily enough, but losing panning on trig conditions is a the real bummer as far as I’m concerned.

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#20

Are Overbridge tracks mono on Rytm as well? I’m on Digitakt right now and trying to figure out a workaround to get trig-based panning without just recording stereo out 8 times.

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