Receiving MIDI program changes

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#51

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I had resigned myself to this fact, but reading @Bemo mention above (in August 2017) saying Elektron acknowledged the issue and said they would fix it seems to have given me false hope…

My unit has Digitakt_OS1.11_BETA6.zip loaded in, and I can confirm that the minimum CH.LEN setting is 2. After understanding the setting from the manual, wouldn’t this be as easy as allowing it to be 0? There must be a reason it’s not already there . . .

How are others managing the Digitakt when using an external sequencer? Don’t many midi controllers & sequencers mostly assume you want to send notes in one channel? Is there a way to allow notes from one channel to strike C3 or something of different tracks (voices) depending on the note? This would effectively make the DT like a typical polyphonic voice, but instead of different notes playing, it’s different voices out of its 8.

(I’m still trying to work out how to solve it the other way and have the Nerdseq in my eurorack send notes to different channels without taking up more than one of its 6 channels, but I think I’d rather use the DT sequencer, if I can.)

#52

Midi notes 0-7 will trigger tracks 1-8 respectively.

1 Like
#53

Nice. Thank you, @jefones, for answering my noobish question :slight_smile:

I also figured out how I can send CC messages, Nerdseq => Digitakt, to change parameters like the amp envelopes etc. So I can sort of sequence it by eschewing the transport/sequencer and just firing notes and things with midi data, programmed into Nerdseq.

It’s super inelegant, though. I would love to be able to simply use DT as intended and just fire off patterns with one command. With the workaround, I’m not yet sure it’s going to really work for me.

#54

I am having the same troubles… since a few days I am trying to send PCs from Live into Digitakt. No matter if DT or Lice is the clock master, the Dt witches the pattern too late.
I thought chain lenght 0 or OFF would help, but nothing seems to work here. I have the newest Firmware.
Having my Digitakt and Machinedrum programm changing each other works like a charm btw.

#55

I can confirm that this issue which Elektron claims to have fixed in 1.07 (https://www.elektron.se/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Digitakt_OS1.10_readme.pdf, Page 3):

“Pattern change occurred one pattern length to [sic] late after receiving a Program Change message
from other Elektron device.”

is still a bug in Digitakt OS 1.10.

#56

i am also trying to control digitakt with a squarp pyramid and this issue is making me want to rip my hair out. updated firmware. ch.len settings twiddled. midi is set correctly. it just changes a full 64 steps too late.

so annoying since the digitakt has wonderful control and interface, but i kinda just want a super generic sample box at this point that i can sequence with the pyramid. it breaks my heart. you make this wonderful gear and then just fuck this one crucial thing up. what’s up with gear not having essential and basic midi support? (looking at you volcas not even supporting PC messages in 2019.)

any clever workarounds? creating several copies of sequences on the pyramid with PC messages at various points before the change?

#57

I have found this problem too, but i solved it changing CH.LEN to the. Miinimum value, 2, and now it changes pattern without delay

Try it

#58

Doesn’t fix the problem.

#60

i’m trying to be DAWless or i’d use a translator in a heartbeat.

so far putting the PC message 4 steps before the change has worked. but if your song section is longer than 4 bars, it doesn’t really help, since you need 2 sequences on the pyramid: one seq is the last 4 or less bars before the change, which contains the PC 4 steps before the end of the sequence. and then another sequence to play the first however many bars minus the 4-ish at the end.

if you have a ‘chorus’ part you want to change to, your ‘verse’ looks like this:
verse1seq1 for 12 bars.
then verse1seq2 for 4 bars with PC message on the 4th to last step. (you can put the PC message wherever with this method because the digitakt will only change once a pattern on the digitakt is over.)
and then chorus1seq1 on step 1, you send a program change to all your other synths that just magically can see the future and respond to those PC messages no problem.

#61

MIDI processors are not bound to run on a PC (and this kind of stop/start embedding should be doable with almost everyone). You can get them in all kind of form factors and price ranges.

A few are listed here.

3 Likes
#63

Yes I did this with one of my project and the digitakt. Externalise everything on the bomebox with miditranslator pro scripting. It has a price and it’s loooooooong !

But this so much pain, when it would be so simple on the digitakt.

I have to say that I don’t understand. The digitakt is so ergonomic (all the src page with the program change per midi track is just fantastic), and in this case, this is just unusable to control the digitone !!!

So myself, I’ve sync the DT and DN to change pattern always at the same time. It was a lot of work to mirror all the already created patterns (days …), and this is very disapointing. Because of this workaround, my DN is always changing pattern (and most of the time I don’t need it), and if I tweak a sound on one pattern, when it changes I don’t have the modifications.
When I make sound corrections on the digitone, I have to copy/paste numerous pattern to have the same corrections everywhere, this is a dangerous process that make my tracks fragile.

An amazing car with an old coughing engine inside …

I really, really, really, really hope they’ll find a solution one day …

1 Like
#64

Same for the Model Samples… Late PC via Ableton. Created a template for my SL MKIII controller just to find out pattern changes send via the SL MKIII are instantaneous. That’s weird so maybe there is something im doing wrong in Ableton. Very strange.

#65

sorry to necro so hard. but i’m at a point with this digitakt that i’m gonna buy a midi processor and never have to deal with poor midi implementation ever again.

the bomebox is expensive tho. over 200 bucks and none on reverb. rk002 is cheap and EPP is under 150.

your quote says one can use the EPP or the RK002 to filter out PC messages and then resend them sandwiched by stop start messages? has anyone done this? people say bomebox does it, but how does one accomplish this on something like the RK002 or the EPP? (total newb to midi processing, obviously.)

and, is it worth it to just buy the bomebox?

#66

I guess @sezare56 can answer this?

1 Like
#67

I’ve got a Squarp Pyramid sequencing a Virus and a Sirin and both of those receive and make their program changes perfectly but like everyone else on here, my Digitakt changes a full pattern late every time when receiving program changes from the Pyramid.

I love my Digitakt, but this is an infuriating and unacceptable bug. Please Elektron, help the DT community and get this issue fixed.

#68

So, is this still an issue for everyone?

I am considering setting up my Nerdseq as Master sequencer and clock for my whole setup, sending PC to DT & DN.

But if it’s going to be a total nightmare and then not even work, then I won’t bother.

#69

I have to say, as much as I love my DT, I made a mistake in assuming that this very popular drum machine would be able to be used with an external sequencer in the way we use every other drum machine. I am seriously considering selling it if it’s not addressed in the next update, as almost all of what I do is sequencer based.

#70

No… I bought the thing 3 years ago and its literally sat in a box waiting for this fix. Until it is fixed, or until the options are the same as other Electron units, it’ll stay in the box. My MPC2500, created 17 years earlier doesn’t have this issue - its really whack

#71

Just curious but has anyone tried to do this when using the the DT in overbridge mode as a vst?

I assume all of you are using the DIN MIDI and not usb midi?

#73

Wanted to do this. Googled to see how it’s done. Found this thread. Heart broke.

I can work around with blokas midihub (stop change start?). How out of sync do things get when you do this?