Hi everyone
After spending hours on the internet and on Elektronauts to find a detailed explanation to “improvise” a “song mode” with Digitakt I give up.
so I create this topic just to see if anyone could help me.
On stage i don’t want any computer with ableton or anything else. Just Hardware. I sing, i play guitar and keyboards. So i would like to pre-program the robot (Digitakt) so i could press play and then it all flows alone. No classic chain mode that repeats and can’t be saved. more Like Pattern 1 (3times), Pattern 2 (1time) then Pattern 1(4times) then pattern 3(2times) etc… etc… then stop.
If anyone has the solution and an explanation it would be sooo nice.
Thanks you all in advance and hope the answer isn’t already on the forum and i didn’t read it.
From what I’ve seen, what you’re looking for is definitely more suited for the Octatrack. The DT does have a pattern mode, and you can chain patterns by holding one of the buttons and pressing the pattern buttons but I’m not sure if it will play pattern 1 4 times, pattern 2 5, etc.
Unless I’m wrong, you should really look in to swapping your DT for the OT, if anything look at this video by Cuckoo
Like I said, if I’m wrong, then someone correct me!
You could however try your best to emulate this by using the chain mode on the DT. If you copied the patterns a certain way, lets say Patterns 1-4 are all the same, and then pattern 5 and 6 were different, you could hold the PTN button, and then press the pattern keys in the order you would like them to play out you could essentially have the “first” pattern play 4 times and the “second” pattern play two times if that makes sense.
You can also check out ANOTHER Cuckoo video here
If the ‘beat thing’ is not part of the show I would put those backing tracks on an easy-to-operate “high volume” sampler like a Roland SP404SX/SP404A for example, or something foot controlled maybe.
Singing, guitar, keyboards: you need your focus there, backing should be just set and forget - like in push next pad for next song/intermezzo -
my 0.02
Hi Mateo Blue and thank you for your reply. Yes i already know that system but i heard and read that digitakt can be his own “master/slave” with midi out to midi in and that there’s a way to swith between patterns automaticly with “pre-programmed” trigs. So that’s what i’m wondering. If anyone knows how to do this manipulation.
Thanks again !
Hi TonyDs, the beat thing is an important thing in the show cuz the digitak also pilots synthesizers and samples
I want to use it as a big pre programmed robot that plays with me
In that case, I hope solutions come your way asap. Good luck with the show.
Tony
THank you man !
Can’t tell you the specifics on the midi in/out now but I’ll sit down with the Digitakt tonight and figure it if no one has chimed in by then. Might take me till tomorrow.
Right now there is no song mode, no preprogrammed and saved pattern chains.
You can however change how many steps a pattern plays when chained. This is in the secondary scale menu. This includes extending the steps to 2, 3, 4 times beyond 64 steps. Basically how many times do you want the pattern to repeat before going to the next pattern.
For me right now, typically patterns 1 & 8, 2 & 9, etc are copies. That way I can chain them for slight variations on pattern length. Leaving one pattern blank and tagging it to the end of song will let you know to get to the Digitakt and queue your next chain.
I’d like to see at least one saved pattern chain per bank or an internal midi loop to control the program changes with.
Perhaps you can line up the patterns in succession for each bank so it’s easy to recreate the chains, like it’s always pattern 1->2->3->4, etc. and use pattern copies or the ch. len parameter to set how many times they each repeat like @Jogerflocky is saying? 
Thank you guys for those ideas they are the best options right now i think !
It might just need a bit of reflexion to play with scale menu and steps to reach the wanted final chain.
The option for the STOP thing at the end of a song might be empty patterns that runs a few times and let you the time to stop manually the digitakt (for live)
You could also program a drone, noise, or simplified beat that keeps momentum going onstage till you switch banks. Youd know it’s the end of the song but your audience would be less likely to disengage. This way you only lose sound for the bank switch and setting up the next pattern chain.
Edit: you can also do this for setting up the next pattern chain. When you song is repeating the last pattern, you can select a new bank, your “intro” pattern and let it play while you set up the chain. Once you’re ready, hit stop then start on time and you’re into you next song. It’s all performance so good luck!
Yeah, it’s almost like a dirty joke Elektrons playing on us… Your best bet is to sell your DT and get a MPC LIVE…
I think realistically the Digitakt probably isn’t for you unless song mode gets added in down the line… but we don’t know if that will ever show up. Digitakt is more instrument than hit play and walk away machine that your program… I understand liking a live sequence going but at the same time if you don’t plan on playing the Digitakt you probably way better of just getting something to play back long backing tracks or an MPC that gives you a long linear midi sequence. You can do it with something like Octatrack but still I would say all Elektron instruments are meant to be played and not just used as a backing track sequencer and are performance based instruments.
I’m going to have to respectively disagree with you on your comment about Elektron boxes being meant to be played instead of hitting play and walking away.
It’s mostly the walking away part. There’s absolutely no reason to purposely handicap a sequencer that sequences other midi instruments by not giving it a song mode. It’s nothing more then an underhanded business tactic to prevent the OT from having competition in it’s smaller sibling the DT. Why even give the DT midi sequencing then? It only means one thing, they want to keep the OT relevant… The DT has so much potential yet it will never get to the legendary status it could have reached, it’s sad really… I do believe that the MPC LIVE is the most rounded box at present. It’s not without its faults but it will grow in its feature set, because it’s not in competition with its bigger sibling the MPC X…
Just my two cents…lol
Thanks to everyone on those toughts but i think we should keep this topic about the Digitakt. I know these other machines like MPCs, Roland Sp and their “better” functions, but precisely the interesting thing is to reflect with the machines that we already have and the different ways to divert it from its “original” functions than to directly switch on other hardwares because we don’t find any solutions. With all my respect for the people who intervene in this topic, it is with this kind of reflexions that one makes evolve the use of our machines.
So i think i could use like a foot controller to switch between different patterns on the digitakt, and like assign a foot control to start/stop etc…
does anyone had ever experienced that ?
Love
Yeah, that’s true… to refine my thought I might say instead to get the most out of elektron gear you have to go more hands on. Even with song mode there are things you can’t sequence on the octatrack that might need your attention while preforming. Watching dataline preforming he will build full sequences live from scratch… if you want to get the most out of elektron stuff you do need to get pretty hands on. Personally that’s what I want out of the digitakt because that’s how I like to use it but it would be nice for it to have a song mode for people using it differently. I mean https://youtu.be/l3Iex-NJoEI really shows what you can do when you really get hands on with it. Mpc x is more well rounded for sure but is also lacks a lot of the things that let you preform so well on elektron gear. I mean sp303-sp404 are legendary and people often don’t even sequence them.
Ok back on topic… I guess there would be the potential to sequence a song mode from an outside device for digitakt for now… or a midi foot controller, keith mcmillen softstep I think can have custom midi messages but I’m not really sure if it will work completely as I’m not sure if patch forward is a thing and each pad would be for selecting a specific patch/bank… something to look into though.
I’ll try this very soon and keep you in touch of my discoveries ^^!
I’ll be trying to control the digitakt with a voicelive from Helicon, and see what happens !
But i’ll create a new topic soon about that .
Cheers
To the OP - For what you want to do, the Digitakt isn’t the box to do it. Not at this point anyway.