Hello guys!
I’ve got couple of general questions about Digitakt, because i am planing to buy one.
As i can see, it has 8 internal audio tracks and 8 dedicated MIDI tracks. Can midi track be considered as separate output for midi gear? In other words, does it mean, that Digitakt can have 16 audio channels playing at once, and you also can control 8 MIDI channels throught it?
Also i’d like to ask; How does it perform in live-set? Is It easy to control? Is there enought flexibility?
Thank you.
There are 16 sequancable tracks : The 8 audio tracks don’t transmit MIDI data iirc - the 8 MIDI tracks can be used to control other gear (same for OT btw, but the OT has 4 inputs, plus four outputs)
Oh, now i see. I’m not familliar with midi controlling, so my next question will be kinda silly. Sounds from external gear can’t be rounted throught this 8 midi channels, right? They only send midi values?
And also, i’ve head, there is no song mode, Is it possible to do something on PC, to change the kit completely to different values and samples? Or we should wait for Overbridge to do things like that?
You cannot route sounds through the DT and hear them “live”. You can send CONTROL data to external equipment, telling those pieces of equipment what notes to play or other parameters, but you will have to direct the audio from that equipment through some other mixer or recording interface.
You can, however, SAMPLE external gear as audio clips into the DT and then play them back from the audio tracks but I don’t think that’s what you’re talking about here.
EDIT: I lied a LITTLE bit. The DT has 2 audio inputs which are meant for recording samples. In the recording page you can turn “monitoring” ON, so you’ll hear the incoming audio in real time, BUT, you have no control over volume or mixing etc. and you can’t apply any FX to it, it’s not really meant as a live audio input, just sampling purposes.
Just to try and make it a little more clear:
The 8 audio tracks are for playing INTERNAL audio samples from within the DT. Those tracks do not send MIDI data, cannot control other equipment.
The 8 MIDI tracks are for sending control/note data out to other equipment. Those tracks cannot play audio, they are only meant for sequencing other gear.
You can sequence external gear with one of the MIDI tracks, and then RECORD that audio into the DT to be used on one of the audio tracks, but that would just be a static recording (like if you record an audio clip into the computer).
You may want to read up a little on midi if it is going to be a major part of your setup with the dt. Midi tracks do not create any audio at all and are meant for controlling and sequencing other pieces of gear.
Additionally, yes you can send program change messages from a computer to the dt to create a song mode if needed .
Here’s a link to a concise guide that tells you what midi is and isn’t
https://blog.landr.com/what-is-midi/
I remember being really confused about midi when I started out. It’s a really simple concept to grasp, but there’s some confusing terminology out there. The most important part is that midi, as jefones said, does not generate any audio information. It’s simply numerical messages that are sent between devices.
This is a great article, thanks for sharing
Guys, thank you all for replying,
Article about MIDI was usefull.
But now i’ve got couple questions more. Can you please explain a little bit more on how to send program change messages from computer?
Actually, at the moment for my live set i’ve got only Ableton Push 2. And i controll everything on it. But i would like to separate drums from Ableton to some external gear. So i’ve been looking for some drummachine or sampler? Is Digitakt a good choice in this kind of situation?
Rymk mk2 is kinda to expensive, so i was looking at Digitakt. And also some other gear like Roland Tr - 08/09/8s.
Maybe you could give me some recomendations.
Thanks again.
No judgement, but it always tickles me when folks wonder if a 35 y/o data xfer spec can handle audio streams. It’s cute 
GEN Z + MIDI. So cute.
Instead of shaming me, you could help and give some advices on recent question. It’s not bad - not to know something, someday i’ll learn it all. it would be bad - if i didn’t want to understand.
My guess is that it should be a good fit. Of course nobody can really guide you on what will work best for you. I am not a live performer, but it really seems like the Digitakt is meant to thrive as a live drum machine / “lite” sampler.
I originally got one thinking I would use it as a groovebox of sorts and have done a lot of experiments with different ways to make it act like one. And yes, there is a lot of flexibility and a lot of tricks you can do to force it into that kind of role, but it takes some more effort and planning and isn’t really playing up to its strong points. Lately I’ve been letting it just “be” what it wants to be, a super quick and efficient drum machine that works really well in a minimal setup.
If you want to see it in a live situation, what better than TWO Digitakts?
Check out @DaveMech on Youtube, he has a great live set here:
As mentioned, midi IS very old and of kind of academic interest to lots of ppl who only work on a computer. I don’t see anything “cute” abt you trying to branch out; good for you.
People who are just learning about what midi even is aren’t thinking “it’s a 35 y/o data xfer spec that can handle audio streams”. People just get confused at the beginning cause most explanations are over complicated when it’s really simple what midi is and does. Comments like yours are exactly what I’m talking about, don’t be a dick to the guy for learning
Just freely ignore generally degrading comments, there’s plenty of folks here willing to help no matter what skill level anyone is at…
There is no such thing as a bad question…
Best wishes on learning and making electronic music, it’s a super fun journey to go on…
I prefaced my comment w/ “NO JUDGMENT”
don’t be so sensitive perhaps?
I think it’s great people of all ilk ask about MIDI
Mostly think it’s funny that it’s still in use.
Reminds me of how old i am (and grateful, all my vintage gear works w modern stuff)
great set. wish there was some overhead footage to see what he’s doing.
There’s this video on his page where he explains his setup
Yea he also has some other videos and one explaining how he uses the mixer, with all those combined you can get a pretty good idea what he’s doing in general, even if you can’t see the specifics in that particular performance
Both videos are great. I liked this performances.
As I can see, Digitakt is awesome on its own, but can shine even brighter, when controlling other gear through midi. So later, when I get more hardware it will become even better tool for performance.
Yeah, having something like the Akai MidiMix to control the levels of the 8 channels as well as a few internal FX via midi on the Digitakt then putting the output through a “performance” mixer like the A&H one makes for a great live/improvise/jam setup. Like Dave Mech says in the video he doesnt really make full songs he just makes little loops and that’s what the Digitakt is perfect for, then he uses the Digitakt and the mixer to improvise songs as he plays and has enough tools at his fingertips to keep it fresh.