So, i know this is a newbie question… but as far as i know:
DT2 can record 4 notes polyphony per midi track from a usb keyboard,
So I am trying to find a new way for DT2, aside using
it as recording music… which is just live jamming with friends…
So I would be playing at most two 7ths, for each hand = 8 notes polyphony at the same time.
a usb-keyboard needing a way to produce sound,
could I just use a piano sample loaded for a track or two in DT2,
but can the 8 notes be routed to 2 midi tracks so they can be
heard at the same time (from DT2 output to speakers) ?
what i know is: you can setup 2 midi channels on dt2 to receive the notes… you could offset one of these two midi channels left or right on the dt2 so you could at least get 2 chords but the other chord would be just offset off the one chord i play 
Ah. If it would be possible to split a usb-keyboard, say on DT2: track 1 as midi takes everything below middle-c and track 2 as midi takes everything starting from middle-c? then I could play each hand on each half of the keyboard, thus sending both chords in?
Hey,
So, assuming that you want to load the piano sample to DT2 audio tracks and play it from midi tracks, the issue is that DT2 is still monophonic so that means each simultaneous note requires it’s own audio track.
if you used midi loopback you could take one midi track and control (sequence) up to 4 notes polyphony, but the problem arises from the digitakt’s limitation of one sample at a time per track which makes the polyphony essentially useless when dealing with a single audio track.
With something like an RK002 from retrokits, you can set it up to let you play multiple audio tracks via midi loopback, making the device chromatically polyphonic, but that’s a special purchase and while not crazy expensive, it’s rewriting the rules of how the device works and therefore limits your other use of the DT somewhat while you use it.
If you had a split keyboard, you could do left hand right hand on 2 different tracks via two separate midi channels, but there would be a hard split between the 2 and each would only play that one note. You could get creative and make it a sample chain of chords and maybe use a random LFO to make it so that each time you trig that track from your midi keyboard it will give you a different chord at random, but it will still only be one sample at a time per track which is not really economical for a jam session.
I think that you would have better luck setting it up with a midi keyboard and just playing it monophonically with single cycle waveforms as a mono synth. If you want the illusion of chords, use a keyboard or pad controller (or the trigs) and set pre-recorded samples of specific chords on specific tracks and then trig the track instead of notes on the track.
You can trig the tracks in order (i.e. just the track sample) by using midi notes starting with C0, and if you had different chords in order on each track (like chords that can improvise a prewritten phrase) you could trig those in time with the tempo, either from the external controller we mentioned, or just by individually trigging the audio tracks on the digitakt.
To do it the way you’re thinking which is to play it polyphonically as a “synth” or piano sample rompler whatever, you probably need the rk002 to make it happen. Not much you can do about it, and expect for it to monopolize as many audio tracks as you want notes available and then probably more than one midi track as well.
Couple decent youtube videos though, if you want to check it out. And here’s a link to the product that I’m talking about.
Not a dumb question though. It’s just not that straightforward even though it seems like it should be.
Thank you! I will need to read your answer again in a bit with a coffee and time to understand it all but yeah… I guess my complication is wanting to both a device to complement my DT2 music-making (which I really dig already as is) and to be able to play live with friends just regular chords on both hands.
I have been thinking of an earlier discussion here some time ago, some people suggested (can’t now remember who) that Novation Peak could work as next purchase… It’s not as great as say A4mk2, but it at least would allow 8-note polyphony and I wouldn’t need to wrangle DT2 into what it doesn’t do well…
so I could just hook Peak with my Keylabs and concentrate on song making and learning chords
But certainly that Retrokits stuff is cool as well. I’ll bookmark it for later.
Anyhow, I think Peak would work nicely with DT2… and I could later get A4mk2, when I’ve learned the first machine really well…
Well if you’re heading towards adding another synth as a companion you won’t have to worry about what I was explaining, which is about tricking the digitakt into playing polyphonically.
If you intend to purchase a synth for this purpose then you can play chords with 3 hands if you want. As many hands as you’ve got.
Right true.
Yep, wasn’t originally going to get Peak. But now I’m kinda forced to get it for these certain purposes… It’s all fine though. I’ll get Weird Things like A4mk2 next year.
But I’m very glad you explained the limitations of DT2.
If you find a good price on a secondhand digitone 1, it’s multimbral 8 voice with 4 synth tracks and 4 midi tracks. I think midi polyphony is 8 notes per track. Should be about half the price of a used peak so something to consider there. Of course, if you’re ready to get a peak there’s nothing wrong with that either.
Ah. So DN1 or DN2 could then accept four notes from each hand (played on the usb-controller that is setup with DN2) ?
Was trying to find the exact phrasing in DN2 manual, but no luck
Well, DN2 can play 16 notes at once so you could play 8 notes per hand if you happen to have 16 fingers 
But DN1 with a midi controller can play 4 notes per hand at the same time, that’s correct. If you wanted, you could play different patches with each hand using a controller with a split by assigning each side to a different track (with different midi channels) and having a different sound on each.
That’s what it means to be multitimbral is playing more than one type of voice patch at the same time. Digitone 1 is 4 parts multitimbral so up to 4 different patches simultaneously on 4 separate midi channels.
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Ah right. Thanks. And even a new DN2 is cheaper than a new Peak… Thanks!
Yeah I guess the confusion was just in how a midi keyboard works with multitimbrality and an Elektron device, and glad it does translate so well! I can barely 4-notes a hand so far so…
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A midi keyboard which can be set up with splits, can potentially have a channel per split. I’ve seen large 88 key controllers with like, 4 splits. It all depends on what the hardware is capable of.
No problem. If something else doesn’t make sense still let me know, but the bottom line is that pretty much any synth which has an 8 voice polyphony, even if it’s only monotimbral and can only play one patch at a time, any 8 voice polyphonic synth should have you covered for both hands playing 4 finger chords, if that’s what you want to do.
Even Casio!
Good luck!
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