So my question is quite touch and I couldn’t find any answers online. Is it possible to sync Digitakt with an analogue clock coming from Eurorack gear?
Real life example: I have the Make Noise 0-Ctrl which is a hell of an analogue sequencer with clock output. How can I send this output to Digitakt in order to move the steps of its sequencer following the clock from 0-Ctrl? Obviously it has to be done through the MIDI input but how?
Anyone can help? Thnx.
I would guess it’s only doable with a CV-to-MIDI converter module, since Digitakt can send, but not receive, DIN Sync (24/48ppqn). Doepfer makes one, though the other way to go would be a module to play back samples.
For just clock, there are some specialized modules, for example the Pexp-1 expander for Pam’s New Workout. I opted for Befaco CV Thing, which is a more general CV-to-MIDI module, because I sometimes want to send pitch or some other useful CV.
As @Humanprogram mentions, Digitakt can send 24ppqn, and I’ve used that with a $10 cable to deliver clock to Pam’s New Workout (and from there to the rest of my modules as needed). The 0-ctrl has clock in, so you could use Digitakt as the master clock.
I’d like to send clock to Digitakt actually, so the other way around. Is that possible at all?
why should the digitakt be the slave?
For experimental reasons. See this video where the 0-ctrl is clocking the Korg Drumlogue.
For this simple use case I doubt it matters, but clocking modular from MIDI vs the other way around is not optimal. MIDI by it’s very nature has inherent unavoidable jitter; modular/CV does not. You’re always better off avoiding MIDI clocks when you can. For example if I clock my modular from a Digitakt, the jitter is enough to produce subtle artifacts in various modules that depend on that clock like delays etc. The other way around I have zero problems (well, aside from MIDI devices having various latencies, but that problem exists regardless).
It is definitely possible, but not without extra hardware. I outlined two solutions; there are others.
Digitakt may not react to irregular MIDI clock in the same way that the Drumlogue reacts to irregular sync.
How would the Befaco CV Thing work with the 0-ctrl and the Digitakt? I don’t get it . Do I send the clock out from 0-ctrl into the cv inputs and then? How do I send that into the Digitakt?
You could send the clock from 0-ctrl into CV input 1 of CV Thing, and configure that to act as a gate input and send a clock message. Then you take MIDI out from CV Thing, either USB or TRS, and connect that to USB or DIN MIDI in of Digitakt, and configure Digitakt to listen for MIDI correspondingly.
CV Thing is overkill for your particular example, but I find it quite useful. For example, I send gates from Euclidean Circles or gates+pitch from Stochastic Inspiration Generator, to get functionality I can’t easily duplicate on my Elektron boxes.
For clock sync, there’s a lot of options out there, but I like to send the MIDI out of my DT to a Microfreak. I think it has 3 different resolution/speed options and it provides a clock out.
Can Digitakt get MIDI clock messages through its USB input? Otherwise I need something to convert USB Midi to DIN Midi.
Yes, it can. MIDI Config -> Sync -> Clock Receive. CV Thing also puts out TRS MIDI, and comes with an adapter to DIN.
A couple of dedicated modules that convert clock to MIDI:
I’m fairly certain that a Korg SQ-1 will do the job but I’d have to double check that sync in is passed to MIDI out.
I have a number of options* in my cases that will convert incoming clock to MIDI:
*These could be considered overkill though, depending on your setup.