Reeeeally basic Qs about Digitakt + other gear

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hi eeryone,

I’ve been using my Digitakt for about a year now and know it pretty well, but have not yet used it with any other gear. I’m new to the concept of devices talking to each other. With this in mind, I wonder if you’d endulge two basic questions:

  1. I know the Digitakt has 8 dedicated tracks. This in theory means I can control up to 8 external devices. But it doesn’t have 8 MIDI outs, so how would this work? Would there need to be some sort of MIDI interchange box sitting inbetween the 'Takt and those 8 devices, or am I missing something?

  2. I know some devices can act as audio interfaces and process incoming audio into their effects/compressor etc. Can the 'Takt do this? I ask because if I get a synth with no effects, I’d like to be able to run it through the 'Takt’s delay/reverb, and certainly its compressor. Is this possible, or am I way off? If it IS possible, what is the correct terminology that denotes that this is possible, so I know what I’m looking for in future purchases, i.e. that one device can process incoming audio from other devices?

Thank you in advance.

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#2

Hi!

MIDI (1.0, 2.0 has more but not supported yet) has 16 channels. You can choose which channel you can send a midi track (or step within that track) to. The other top tracks have a MIDI channel each too so if you send a MIDI note / CC to them via that channel it’ll hit that track. This gets fun when you loop the Digitakt MIDI output into its MIDI input.

If you are using software then the USB will send MIDI to the computer and allow you to pick which channel goes where. If hardware, you’ll probably need a splitter. There are many out there but I’d recommend a Blokas Midihub as an investment as it lets you do amazing other things.

The Digitakt can be used as an audio interface for a computer sending / receiving audio. It can route external audio into its effects, sampler and compressor. If using a computer you can use Overbridge (Elektron software) to send 8 channels rather than just two.

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#3

Thanks very much! I understand your answer to Q2, but not Q1. In Q1 I was talking more about the physical means of controlling multiple external devices. How can the Digitakt control 8 other devices, if it doesn’t have 8 MIDI outs? What sort of setup would be needed to, say, control 8 Behringer Pro VS’s from the Digitakt? Sorry if you in fact did answer this and I somehow didn’t quite get it. (Oh and I’m not using software, strictly hardware). Continued thanks!

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#4

For question 1, controlling multiple hardware synths etc requires a magic box called a “midi-thru” device which is a splitter of sorts, there are a number of brands and you can buy them with enough outs to support 2, 4, 8 mirrored outputs etc. The midi channels keep them separate in the pipes.

Conversely, devices like the aforementioned blokas midi hub have more functions than just this, that’s why filip recommended it. A little pricey, but might come in handy in the future!

This is just one brand, I do like midi solutions, but you don’t need to buy any specific brand to get the same results:

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#5

Each MIDI out sends all channels but as you need to split that into various MIDI in ports you’d have to get a splitter. Sometimes devices have a MIDI thru that lets you chain them. You could then set hardware 1 to listen to channel 1 and ignore all others but send them through its thru port which would be plugged into hardware 2 listening on channel 2 etc.

#6

You might be able to get by with a midi splitter cable. They are cheap and will let you control two devices. Then if one of the devices has a midi through port (like the model cycles for example) you can ‘daisy chain’ and control an additional device.

Another way to use 8 channels is to use multiple tracks for the same synth. You could do this to send additional lfos but no note data. Or you could use multiple tracks for note data for the same synth allowing you to mute and unmute different sections whilst staying within the same pattern.

Connecting the digitakt to an iPad can give you 8 synths very easily also.

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#7

Here is a short video sequencing one external synth with DT. The main out(audio) from the external synth can be connected to the DT external in.

The audio can then be sampled in DT and\or be sent through DT fx. The DT also works like an audio interface to the computer using Overbridge.

And another longer one :slight_smile:

#8

Tefty’s video is a good one :+1:

EDIT: Particularly the use of Autochannel.

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#9

…all midi standard protocol…always 16 channels to choose from…one physical midi out can adress 16 different external devices, each will only “listen” to that one particular midi channel u tell it so, in it’s indivual midi settings…

ur dt offers “only” 8 midi tracks…therefor, whatever u daisychain to it’s midi out will do what each of those 8 miditracks has to tell…

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#10

If all the devices that you wish to sequence via the Digitakt have some kind of MIDI Thru option (either a dedicated 5 pin MIDI thru connector or a soft option to convert the MIDI out connector to MIDI thru) then you can simply daisy chain the devices setting each one to receive on a different MIDI channel.

Note that having a multi-timbral device can makes things easier because less cabling is required.

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#11

Thanks so much, everyone - learned a lot here and this is starting to make a lot more sense than this morning. I’ll be sure to watch those videos, too - just what I need.

Yeah a multi-timbral synth with different MIDI tracks targeting different tones of that synth would be ideal - I was just wondering how it would work if instead of one synth I had lots.

Thanks again!

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#12

One thing I don’t understand is this though:
The MIDI-thru will split the midi signal from the DT and send it to multiple synths,
but since the DT has eg. midi channel 1 selected, how will the other synths be assigned to multiple tracks on the DT?
Doesn’t each track require a different midi channel on the Digi in order to achieve this?
sorry for asking again, midi world can be complicated if you’re not used to it.

#13

No problem, what part are you confused about specifically? Are you talking about using DT’s sequencer to control other synths?

#14

DT will send the MIDI infos to the other Synths based on the MIDI parameters you’ve chose on the MIDI page Tracks. Each external Synth should be on a different MIDI Channel.

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#15

Multiple channels of data can be sent through a single MIDI cable, so you if you have a DT controlling several synths via a MIDI splitter then they’ll all receive all the data, but they’ll only actually use that which corresponds to their set input channel. Pretty much every synth allows you to configure which MIDI channel they ‘listen’ to.

A MIDI processor like the Blokas Midihub allows you to selectively filter and route the data, which can help with complex setups to avoid various potential issues or for creative possibilities. Usually it will be fine with a simple splitter though, MIDI processors just make the process easier and give you more control.

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#16

just to simplify it, each midi track can use up to 4 voices of polyphony. each midi track can have it’s own channel. on the digitakt if the midi channel of 1 is selected on midi track 1 and your synth is on channel 1 then they talk. Likewise, if track 2 is on channel 2 and your synth is on channel 1 they don’t talk.

If you have more than one synth they each need a track and when you’re using the sequencer all it’s attention shifts to the synth it’s talking to, then when you select the next track the new, unique information populates the sequencer, it’s in layers like a filing system.

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#17

oooh alright, now I get it!
Thanks!

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#18

As an example, on this page, you set the MIDI Channel and the Patch/Program of the Synth. On some Synths, only the SBNK and PROG will be relevant.

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#19

It’s clearer now, thank you for your patience.
One more thing:
Apart from setting the midi channel in the SRC page of the DIGI, should the same be done in the settings page(/MIDI config/channels/track A ch -> 1 etc) ?
And what about the Auto channel (set on 10 by default) ?

#20

AUTO CHANNEL selects the MIDI channel that will give access to the currently active track. If an external MIDI keyboard connected to Digitakt sends MIDI data on this channel, the keyboard will control the active track. This is useful when for example quickly changing between the active audio tracks to play different Sounds. The Digitakt also uses the AUTO channel to record to the MIDI tracks from external MIDI controllers.

TRACK 1–8 selects the dedicated MIDI channel that is used to receive or send (by turning the knobs) parameter data to or from a specific audio track. If configured as OFF, parameter data are neither received nor sent via MIDI.

TRACK A–H selects the dedicated MIDI channel that is used to receive or send (by turning the knobs) parameter data to or from a specific MIDI track. If configured as OFF, parameter data are neither received nor sent via MIDI.

• The sequencer data is always sent on the MIDI channel specified by the CHAN parameter on the SRC PARAMETER page.

• On TRACK A-H you can only control the parameters on the TRIG (NOT1, VEL, LEN, LFO.T) and LFO (all) PARAMETER pages.

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