The Reason I Need Overbridge

8 out streaming.

Hear me out.

I’ve seen alot of people on this forum and others say that the way to dump tracks off the Digitakt is to use stereo 1/4" cables. They say that, historically, bands have recorded full albums on stereo tracks with no proper multis and that it served them fine - therefore, it should serve us fine. I am actually complete agreement with that. I’ve recorded stereo out from so many devices for so long, multitracking is a luxury. I’ve successfully mixed tracks down to completion inside my Digitakt, then pumped out the master sum on to master the finished mixdown.

However. . .

I am not the one who needs the multitracking. It is for my clients. Frequently, I am asked to provide stems for future mixing and remixing, and this is where I hit my hurdle.

Either I can charge them by the hour, knowing that it will take at minimum one hour of work to get their stems for them, thus boosting my price into a sometimes non-competitive zone. Or, I can assume that I will always be making stems, add that assumed workflow into my estimate, and still arrive at a non-competitive price for the client.

This means that I can’t currently count on the Digitakt as an efficient tool for getting my client what they are paying me for, and this is my problem. Without being able to rely on the Digitakt as a tool to be used that way in my studio, it becomes a standalone instrument (which is tolerable, as it’s hella fun to just jam on) and almost completely negates the track building capabilities it has.

I’m happy with my Digitakt. I agree that Elektron should not advertise features that aren’t present, but people have the choice to buy it or not. I chose to buy it, and I’m glad I did.

But I would really, really like 8 out streaming.

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I don’t wanna be that guy, but if you’re running a business where clients are paying you good money to produce something for them then you probably shouldn’t be relying on a £550 box…

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You’re absolutely right that I shouldn’t rely on it. And I don’t. Right now, I couldn’t even if I wanted to, for the reasons I posted. To rely on it. . . I’d need 8 outs.

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Beating a dead cow again and again?

I don’t want to sound rude, but all these arguments got already endlessly repeated by myriads of people (and the posts are always on the “latest” list, so you can’t miss them).

If you need the functionality now, you have to use other hardware. Hearing you out, won’t change anything.

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This feels applicable to the thread:

God give me strength
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

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You are absolutely correct. I must use another device. I’ve been doing that since I bought the digitakt, and before I bought it as well. Most likely, even after the release of over bridge, I will continue to use other devices in tandem with the digitakt. I will most likely never sell all my gear and soley produce on the digitakt.

I really tried to frame my post within a positive context. I’m sorry if it seems like beating a dead cow. The stem argument is not one that I have seen after hanging out in forums since buying the digitakt. I am satisfied with my purchase. I am not hate-mongering against Elektron. I side with Elektron. I think it is fair to talk about why we need over Bridge. Not complain about why we don’t have it, but give our intentions of how we plan to use it. I’m really sorry if my post has offended anyone or seems to be rehashing anything. After a proper Forum search, I found very little about stem exportation needs. Thus, I believed this to be a fresh/relevant topic. I am truly sorry if it isn’t!

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For what its worth, I think you explained your position with clarity and also added a real life reason for your qualms.
I’m surprised the previous posts are less constructive and helpful then ones received by lesser quality explanations/issues as yours.
This forum can be immensely helpful and simultaneously irritating and unhelpful depending on the people who chose to respond. My only advice is don’t take it personal and feel free to express yourself despite the claims you are harming deceased equines.

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Do the stems for free… don’t charge for the hour… then you get to use the DT and provide stems :slight_smile:

Or, just set up a channel in your DAW, set up the DT to trigger via your DAW, hit record, hit play, hit stop, drag stem to a new track and repeat 7 more times. It really doesn’t sound like a show stopper to me…

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16 bit samples beats who pays for that?

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DJSM, your response is the one that I will debate rather than agree with.

I will not work for free. Nor should you. Nor should anyone. If a skillset takes money to acquire, then money should be given for the utilization of that skill-set. Be fair to yourself. Charge for your work.

The second half of your response was to just do the work. I think the implication, if I was understanding it correctly, was to do the work and not tally the time it takes to do it, thusly not charging for it. I am going to charge for work that I do, albeit fairly and accordingly.

That being said, I had previously inquired on this forum the best way to bounce tracks into Ableton. You can find this post here:

The immediate reply after my inquiry was awesome. It is, I think, the best way to currently work. But it still takes time. And for that, I will charge.

No hard feelings. I appreciate the light-hearted response.

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This is actually a really good question. I think the answer lies in the quality of the sound. More people will pay for excellent sounding 16-bit sample Beats then will pay for mediocre quality sounding 24-bit Beats. If your work is good, it is worth and agreeable value between you and a second party. Good is a subjective term, of course.

Does the MPC1000-3000 put out 24 bit audio? I ask because I truly don’t know. I’m going to Google it and learn more. They are machines that definitely yield sample beats that sell.

If it sounds good, it is good.

mpc 60 is 12 bit and sounds sweet

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Sound before specs always, people will buy a beat made by recording a circuit bent furby if it sounds good. For the record MPC1k doesn’t do 24 bit and MPC3k doesn’t either but it’s highly regarded as one of the best sounding MPCs next to the 60, there’s a reason they’re like 2 grand

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MPCs stereo? Digitakt is mono feel like its more of a jam journal and live play machine

it’s mono why not make the song on a push in abelton? sample based music for professional tracks I would just use abelton unless you really love the fx? only on master anyhow just curious

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Process in the analog realm and turn the above workflow into a value-add. If your clients like the results then it may still be worthwhile even after OB becomes available.

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I do appreciate your point, it’s a good one, but I would say that from a commercial point of view you are unwise to hand over stems for a client to do as they wish. Surely if they want a different mix you should get paid to provide it. Therefore by providing stems the hour you have been paid for robs you of the eight you could have had.

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If the Digitakt is effectively costing you money because of the lack of individual outs then it’s clearly the wrong tool for the job.

You’re talking about commerce but you need to decide if you’re optimizing for that — in which case you should pick equipment based on how well it serves the needs of your clients — or if it’s just an afterthought, in which case you should fit the gigs you take around the instruments and equipment you like.

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