Overbridge FAQ, Tips & Tricks

[Elektron]

Overbridge FAQ, Tips & Tricks

With all the different setups, systems and DAW combinations Overbridge can sometimes be a bit tricky to wrap your head around. Here we will collect FAQ, tips and tricks, and workflow and update this top post as we go. Feel free to contribute and discuss below.

FAQ

System Requirements

COMPUTER OS

• macOS 10.12, 10.13, 10.14 or 10.15 (latest update)
• Windows 10 (latest Service Pack)

COMPUTER HARDWARE

• At least Intel Core i5 CPU. Ultra-Low Power CPUs like the Intel U-Series or Y-Series are generally not recommended
• 8GB of RAM
• OpenGL 3.2 capable GPU
• A 1280 x 768 pixels resolution monitor
• At least 250 MB free hard drive space
• A dedicated USB host port for each connected Overbridge supported Elektron device is preferable to minimize problems with both connectivity and performance. If you want to connect multiple Elektron instruments to a computer host with only one USB controller, a high-quality hub, such as the Elektron Overhub, should be used.
  The specs are not the only thing necessary to have a smooth experience. Real-time performance of the system is equally important. This is affected by other running processes and by different manufacturers of computer hardware.

Recommended DAWs

Currently Overbridge works best in Ableton, Logic, Bitwig and Studio One. Cubase and Reaper are being worked on at the moment.

Selecting an Elektron device as a sound card: CoreAudio & Bit-Accurate

Bit-Accurate is a HAL driver; an old Apple audio technology. It is a thin layer close to the hardware and pretty similar to ASIO in how it works. The result is always bit accurate and the latency should also be very low. Typically, HAL is an exclusive mode (only one application can use the device).
CoreAudio is Apple’s later audio tech, and nowadays the only choice. It does not guarantee bit accuracy since the audio may or may not be resampled along the way. It may or may not add additional latency to the streams, depending on the rest of the audio setup (for example aggregate devices). CoreAudio is typically non-exclusive, allowing multiple apps to use the same interface.
We would recommend using CoreAudio since HAL seems to be deprecated in recent macOS updates.
If you already have a sound card, then the Overbridge plugin will allow you to access the individual audio streams, including the psychical inputs from the Elektron unit - while still using another sound card assigned in a DAW.

Using Overbridge with MKI & MKII devices

All MKI and MKII devices that host a high-speed 480Mbit/s USB port will stream at 32bit 48kHz on all channels at all times. It does not matter if the USB hub is MTT. All devices hosting a 12Mbit/s USB port will need to utilise the user-set channel config inside the Overbrige Control Panel app that determines which channels should stream and at what quality (16/24bit). Depending on hub setup and computer OS, the mileage may vary depending on how many channels you can run. This may change between computer OS versions as well. If you mix other USB devices with a 12Mbit/s device, it is important that you use an MTT hub such as Overhub.

Tips & Tricks

Record send FX on an individual track

Recording the send FX separately can only be done by isolating the FX output at the master output. To do this, change the track audio routings inside SETTINGS / AUDIO ROUTING on your machine. The tracks can be un-routed from the master output by pressing the Trig buttons on that menu. These tracks will need to be monitored via individual audio streams through Overbridge Stand Alone or VSTi & AU plugins inside a DAW. Check out the DAW templates to get you started.

Record parameter automation in DAW

Hit record on your DAW and change parameters on Overbridge connected device. The parameter changes will be recorded into the DAW - great for adding those subtle changes to your music.

Analog treatment of Digital DAW audio

Drag and drop the Analog Heat plugin into any DAW track, or route DAW tracks into Analog Four or Rytm to start adding that analog goodness. The analog systems always run in physical real-time. This means you cannot use the traditional non-realtime bounce functionality of your DAW to render down the audio. Instead, you have to rely on real-time resampling functionality (or if your DAW sports a real-time bounce functionality

Routing individual tracks inside a DAW

The plugins handle the multitrack audio streams. Individual tracks should be routed from the plugin to other tracks inside the DAW. Check out the Templates for basic setup styles.

Syncing Overbridge units to DAW

The plugins handle the sync, which can be toggled at the top of the plugin interface.

DAW Templates

Logic & Digitakt Multitracking

Multi track recording template for Digitakt in Logic. Digitakt Multitracking Logic Template.zip (339.3 KB)

Logic & Digitone Multitracking

Multi track recording template for Digitone in Logic. Digitone Multitracking Logic Template.zip (357.9 KB)

Ableton & Digitakt Multitracking

Multi-track recording template for Digitakt in Ableton. Note that, to get the Delay & Reverb signals separately, you will need to un-route the audio tracks from the master on the Digitakt. These settings can be found in Settings / Audio Routing. When this is done, the Digitakt Main channel on Ableton will only have wet FX. Digitakt Multitracking Template Project.zip (26.6 KB)

Ableton & Digitone Multitracking

Multi-track recording template for Digitone in Ableton. Note that, to get the Chorus & Delay & Reverb signals separately, you will need to un-route the audio tracks from the master on the Digitone. These settings can be found in Settings / Audio Routing. When this is done, the Digitone Main channel on Ableton will only have wet FX. Digitone Multitracking Template Project.zip (37.1 KB)

Ableton & Analog Four MK2 Multitracking

Multi-track recording template for Analog Four in Ableton. Note that, to get the Chorus & Delay & Reverb signals separately, you will need to un-route the audio tracks from the master on the Analog Four. These settings can be found in Settings / Audio Routing. When this is done, the Analog Four Main channel on Ableton will only have wet FX. Analog Four Multitracking Template Project.zip (26.4 KB)

Ableton & Analog Rytm MK2 Multitracking

Multi-track recording template for Analog Rytm in Ableton. Note that, to get the Delay & Reverb signals separately, you will need to un-route the audio tracks from the master on the Analog Rytm. These settings can be found in Settings / Audio Routing. When this is done, the Analog Rytm Main channel on Ableton will only have wet FX. Also, separated tracks won’t be affected by the analog distortion & compressor. Analog Rytm Multitracking Template Project.zip (33.4 KB)

Troubleshooting

Device is not recognized by the Overbridge Engine

1. Make sure your Elektron device is set to Overbridge mode.
2. If you are on macOS make sure that your driver is not blocked (via System Preferences - Security & Privacy).
3. If you are on Windows and have had a previous version installed. Make sure to uninstall then reboot, re-install and again reboot. It is very important to reboot both after uninstalling and installing.

Installing Overbridge on Win 7, Win 8.1

In some cases it is possible to install and run Overbridge in Windows 7 and 8.1 if you disable driver signature enforcement. This is unsupported and by doing this you are disabling important safety features in Windows. Use at your own risk.

Known Issues

Automation using Overbridge may cause sluggish GUI

Heavy automation using external MIDI CC or using Overbridge may slowdown the GUI on the unit.

Possible compatibility issues with MOTU audio interfaces

We are getting reports of possible compatibility issues with MOTU audio interfaces.

Logic 10.5 multi-out issue

Logic 10.5 has a reported bug affecting multi-out. We recommend updating to Logic 10.5.1 which fixes this issue.

Logic Pro X - 44.1kHz sample rate issues

Make sure to set your Logic Pro X project to 48kHz to avoid issues when running Overbridge as an audio interface.

Multiple modulation sources

When using aftertouch and pitch bend at the same time it may reset the active modulation amount. Please refrain from using multiple sources for the time being.

Samples not loading or showing up in plugin

This can occur if the sample list has samples that have been removed in the plugin, and the machine might not sync correctly. The solution is to simply fill those slots with other samples; they are not really occupied.

[sazi]

Elektron Overbridge 2.0 with Reason 10.2

[sazi]

What makes you believe it’s not compatible? It’s been working great for a long time now. Have you tried it? The video linked is over a year old now, but he shows you how to set it up. Not all DAW’s behave the same way.

[dtr]

When using OB and an external USB audio interface in parallel, is it wiser to connect them to the same or different USB controllers?

Trying all permutations of connections and latency/buffer settings to find a stable OB setup. So far I ve experience many clicks n pops and an occasional complete OB dropout. Ableton, win10, AR2, Xone:96, high spec’ed i7 6-core laptop.

[inversecow]

For those concerned with making OB2 fly on Win7 (64bit), I am pleased to report that it does infact work.
Stability may be another question (I only just got it working, will need some time to try it out.)

What made the difference for me (aside from the driver signing matter), was this post.

It strikes me as counter-intuitive to have the device (Digitakt in my case) on & attached ahead of installing the software.
In my experience this is directly counter to what generally works for installing new USB hardware.

Good luck and happy beats / samples / blorps!

[dtr]

Following up on this. I got very good improvements following this guide: https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207355205-Optimising-your-PC-for-Audio-on-Windows-10

No more crackles and glitches. Seems like my laptop’s power management was causing it, even though I ran it on its high performance mode with PSU plugged in.

Gotta do some more testing to understand whether running OB and audio interface on the same or different USB controllers makes any difference.

[djx]

Even on my workstation I noticed a big difference when I switched to high performance power plan. The plan covers a range of settings. The one that had the most impact is the “Processor power management” “Minimum processor state”. It defaults to 5% in the normal power plan. Setting it to 100% is what did it for me.

When I did this I was concerned that my cpu would over heat or that fans would ramp up speed, so I was surprised that neither of those things happened. But now the bitwig dsp performance monitor has none of the spikes I saw previously - and that means no more crackles.

[dtr]

@djx

When I did this I was concerned that my cpu would over heat or that fans would ramp up speed

Current CPUs not only regulate frequency but also current/power. So your CPU can be running at full frequency but without high processing load it doesn t need to be fed full current/power and it will not heat up so much. This is expressed in the TDP value. (I m no expert but this is something i learned from tweaking my system with ThrottleStop)

[elektrikpete]

Could you upload a Mac compatible Ableton Digitone Template please? gives an error trying to load VST2 plugin.

[Patrik]

I have updated the template. Let me know if it works now!

[elektrikpete]

Hey Patrik - thanks so much, can confirm it opens perfectly in Ableton Suite 10.1, on MacOS 10.13.6 with OB 2.0.39.10.

recording automation (in Arrangement view, using the physical hardware knobs to add the automation) works for a while, but eventually Ableton stops recognising the knob movement - I can hear the parameter changing, and it moves on the device display and in the Plugin window, but no automation is written and the red dotted line for that parameter doesn’t move in Ableton. I can still write in automation “by hand” by adding parameters in “configure” in the plugin device panel and adjusting with the mouse, but it is a pity it bombs out after a while doing it the quick, seamless way. Have you experienced this?

[Dissofiddle]

After a few experiments I made it work quite well with reaper :

Investigating OB and reaper with Digitakt : notes for new users

Hi elektronauts ! I have been investigating with digitakt and overbridge in reaper. So far here are my conclusions : Overbridge is more stable and works much better using a dedicated audio interface (my tiny audient ID4 does the job). I guess it is related to USB Bandwidth or something. Setting usb only in digitakt also helps. Regarding the settings of the audio interface, 48kHz with a 256 or 512 buffer does the job. The main issue with overbridge in reaper is sync. On that matter I fou…

[petal]

I have the exact same problem with the newest overbridge v2.0.47

My machine MPB Mid 2010: MacOS 10.13.6
Ableton 10 v. 10.1.30
Overbridge v2.0.47
Digitone and RYTM Mk1 both on the newest OS’s: 1.30A / 1.60A

I’ve created a thread on the problem here:

Overbridge problem: Recording automation stops working on MacOS aften 20-40 seconds!?

I have this strange problem on my MacBookPro (mid 2010) MacOS 10.13.6: I want to record parameter automation in a Live Session Clip from me turning knobs on my RYTM. I can make it work for a short while, but at some point, usually after 20-40 seconds, the recording/overdubing of automation stops in Live without me doing anything. And I can’t make it record new automation from here on unless I close the Overbridge plugin and reload it, and then I’ll get another 20-40 seconds. I know that this …

I’ve also opened a ticket at Elektron, but havn’t heard back from them yet.

Did you or anybody else find a solution to this problem?

[batikva]

hi, sorry i hope it’s ok to post here - i am trying for the tenth time or so again to set up overbridge to work properly with my a4 mk1 in ableton. i believe what i want to achieve should be possible: to connect my a4 only with the usb to my macbook and sequence the tracks polyphonocally and individually and record either the main (to have a single polyphonic stereo track plus potentially the fx) or the individual channels (and the fx from the main). that while using the physical outputs of the a4 to monitor what comes out of my DAW (no interest in the direct signal here). got the plugin running, also loaded the template from here.
the main output does not put anything out but the mix as long as the channels are not routed to “main” or “fx” (which is good). as soon as they are though, i hear the voices (and i guess the fx too) also “direct” (and much louder than in the mix of course) on the physical outputs. that of course rules out recording anything from the main channel while accurately monitoring the full mix.
with the dt in ios (while of course not multichanneling) it was possible to mute the physical direct connections and stream audio into the (ios-)device, mix and effect it there and have only the mix signal on the physical outputs. i read in a 5 year old thread over here, that this might be an actual limitation with ob on the a4. or is it possible?
cheers all

[stripcycle]

Please add to the troubleshooting section of this guide that this knowledgebase article can help if you run into problems getting a device recognized:

Removing device entries

Specifically, I had an issue where my mki AFour worked fine but my mki Rytm would fault or loop trying to initialize on one computer in particular ( it worked fine on the other computer! )

The instructions in this article seem to have fixed that.

[tubefund]

Is there a way to lock latency for Overbridge. I’m on Windows and i have noticed that the Analog Heat as a inserts on a mix bus fluctuates in latency. Studio One and Reaper both have trouble to auto compensate the latency. What make things worse is that the active/non active and bypass settings have different latency’s too. That leaves the Heat to be usefull on the masterbus only.

[cooptrol]

–SOLVED-- (don’t know how)

I am having an issue since this month started. I can’t make OB see my Digitone and ARMKI (“The plugin’s protocol version (2) is incompatible with the Overbridge protocol version (5)”). I have the latest OS for each machine and the latest OB. My older projects, from January, work ok with the OB that is in them. If I make a new project, it doesnt work. How can this be???

[LyingDalai]

There is a thing I would love to do on Overbridge but haven’t yet nailed how to go there. It might not be possible, I have check the manual but can’t really find it.

I know how to record in multitrack with every OB-enabled machine, and record automations on a bunch of parameters.
What I would love to do is recording the midi notes out of my Elektron machine, so that I can edit the midi track and replay the edited track on the machine.
This way, I would be able to simply capture the audio out with FX

Do you know if this is possible?