Polyphonic Digitakt via Retrokits RK-002 cable?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#211

Hi guys - if I use this cable for polyphony, can I still use my DT to sequence external gear at the same time?

#212

Yes sure :slight_smile: you’d use the MIDI out port on your DT to send MIDI. Or USB.

#213

er…the midi OUT is already connected to the midi IN, in this case… is it not?

Maybe the midi THRU’? as it mirrors what’s on midi IN, in this case the midi OUT.

Complicated…!

Str

#214

this is what’s puzzling me. the MIDI out is already tied up with the loopback, yeah…?

#215

Yes indeed, some advice on here isn’t correct.

You can do as I suggested, may work, or split the midi OUT with a midi THRU’ box.

I’d ask for someone who actually has one and uses it (the RK-002) rather than folk who think they know and don’t, me included!

Good luck, someone on here will know the truth!

Str.

1 Like
#216

You could use the thru port (haven’t tested this though, but logically speaking this should work), or a midi thru box. You have 16 midi channels. So this way you could use 1-8 for the polyphony from midi track A (set this up on the rk cable). And use any of the other midi channels set to channels 9-16 to sequence other gear. The other gear has to be set to receive only on the specific channel you want to sequence it with as to not cause weirdness.

Also make sure that in the midi config -> Channels settings, you set all the channels of the midi tracks to OFF so they don’t receive their own signal or signals from the rk-002. Turn as much midi settings OFF as possible in case you’re not using them. Receive clock for instance. Also make sure you don’t double tap Stop as it will cause a feedback loop that will freeze the DT.

Hope this makes sense. I haven’t tried this exact situation myself, but it’s how midi works and how you can split midi cables and use different midi channels to sequence different things.

Cheers :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#217

Thanks for the input DM, from someone who actually knows what they’re doing!

Str.

#218

My apologies! I didn’t notice that. I’ve used the RK-002 with a keyboard, I didn’t read enough of this thread.

You could use the USB for out, or the thru, as you said, with caveats.

#219

Indeed.

DM has nailed it however…

Str.

#220

Hey guys i just bought a rk002 cable wirh the pre installed digitakt firmware. At first the polyphonic worked fine, the euclideand didnt worked at all. But then playing around it suddenly stop working. Can the firmware could be erased? Does overbridge qorks as a midi interface now? How could ive erased the actual firmware by mistake? Pla help

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#221

You can’t erase the firmware unless you send some Sysex midi messages (DT can’t send Sysex). In one word, you can’t erase the firmware by mistake. But you can change some midi CC into the cable and make it off. Check the midi CC in the doc. Also, you can make a loop on you midi-usb interface and configure the cable direcltly from the website of retrokits.

#222

So, the polyphonic feature must still be there you say. Right now when i connect the cable it just works channel 10 and what does is when you press the track it jumps sounds of every track from 1-8 just triggering them randomly, not in a euclidean ways they just sound. The other funny thing is that when the cable is connected the track 9(channel 9) led light stays white when you press it

Another thing ive ordered qith the digitakt pre installed it has the polyphonic and the euclideand and arpggiator? Or just the

Does the digitakt firmware has antrhing to do with this?

Connecting the loopback in the digitakt, i can configure the settings with the webapp? But can upload to it the DUY?

Thanks for the help guys

#223

Hey what if the setting up channel 9 on the track 9 of the DT is not working at all woth rk002 cable? Whats does this mean? Cable is broken? Doesnt have the firmware updated?

#224

I just received my RK-002 and within minutes I was up and running, generating and recording some Euclidean grooves on the Digitakt. I can tell this is going to be a great little “pattern starter” when I’m looking for some happy accidents.

Also looking forward to digging in on some custom trig events, making the DT talk to itself from its MIDI tracks without worrying about my habitual “double-tap” on the stop button messing things up.

I’ll end up using this live if it proves as stable as it seems. One thing I like is that the Euclidean groove currently being generated seems to be persistent across patterns unless you change a MIDI channel 10 value, so it’s a great way to try a set Euclidean groove across multiple kits (patterns) to find sweet spots of groove-meets-kit.

The whole polyphony thing will be nice too, although that wasn’t why I bought it.

So far, works “as-advertised” out of the box and I’m having a great time!

Retrokits customer experience was good too!

2 Likes
#225

Hiya

1st post here.

How does the RK-002 make midi loop back more stable?

1 Like
#226

A lot of the MIDI messages which can cause a crash are muted

2 Likes
#227

When you double-tap the STOP button on the DT it sends a “All Notes Off” message which correspond to CC#120, it’s the one causing most of the crashes. As anokah mentioned, it’s being filtered out by the RK-002 so no more crashes! You can filter it with some MIDI software too. :slight_smile:

3 Likes
MIDI sync Digitone and Digitakt - Stopping both patterns together?
#228

Thanks. Filtered out by default or something you have to change or setup yourself?
I’m new to midi and know basics but don’t really understand what the Retrokits cables are about.

Thanks again

#229

Seems to auto-filter the “bad” CC messages in my version.

It’s basically a MIDI cable with a microprocessor on-board that processes MIDI on the fly. It can also be ordered or otherwise updated with various flavors of firmware that make it suitable for different applications and devices.

I ordered mine with the Digitakt-specific firmware, which includes Euclidean pattern generation via CC value inputs on CH10 or polyphony support via CH9. The chip/firmware also filters out problematic CC messages that can cause crashes when using a normal MIDI cable for loopback.

The Euclidean thing is kind of brilliant because you can select CH10 (MIDI B), select FLTR, and then the 8 knobs (A-H) control the Euclidean values for audio sequencer channels 1 - 8. Press PLAY, and tweak away at the knobs.

Black end of the cable in MIDI Out, orange end into MIDI In, make sure your MIDI CONFIG settings are properly done per the instructions and boom, instant auto-groove fun.

2 Likes
#230

Great! Thanks all, for the details.