Using Analog Keys as DAW (Ableton) Plugin

[magiceye]

Apologies if this has been asked enough times already, I’ve trawled through the archive and people have asked about sidechaining inputs, but I’ve spent a few hours on this and haven’t managed to make it work.

I’m new to Elektron and have only just acquired an AK, so am really fumbling my way through at the moment, so sorry again if this is total noob territory. I think trying to understand Overbridge before I’ve really understood the AK is probably a very foolish way to be doing things, but nonetheless, here goes…

I need a total layman’s guide to routing audio from an ableton audio track into one of the AK tracks, so I can use the AK analogue oscillators etc to shape the sound.

Here’s what I have been doing to try and make this work:

1. Set up a midi channel in Ableton with the Analog Keys as a plugin on it

2. Set up an audio channel with a drum loop clip

3. Set the audio out in the audio channel to Analog Keys > Sidechain Input 1/2

4. Open the Analog Keys plugin from the midi channel - set the Sidechain Input Routing to 1/2 > Main L/Main R

5. Set Oscillator 1/2 to External Input L/R

At this point I would expect to be able to use the filters/amp/lfos etc on the audio signal that is coming out of Main L/R, but I get nothing at all, just the unfiltered signal

Also how can I just get the audio back into the DAW rather than having it come out of the Main L/R?

I think I’m probably misunderstanding something fundamental in the routing here, so please be patient/gentle and a detailed explanation would be much appreciated if it’s not too much to ask.

Thank you!

[RytmTrak]

Ive also had trouble with this. Seems to work and then not work. Id love to feed a DAW based oscillator to blend with an AK one, but I havent been able to do so without troubleshooting and spoiling my creative flow.

[JRMac]

Hey magiceye. I’ve also been frustrated by this. I would like to be able to send an audio track from Ableton to A4 to take advantage of the Supervoid Reverb. I’ve found no information in the three manuals (A4, Overbridge or Ableton) that explains how to do this. Your step 4 took me one step closer - thanks for that. At least the main L and R meters under “Output to Analog Four” are registering a signal. But like you, no changes I make to Overbridge or A4 have any affect on the sound. I hope someone can shed some light on this. I’m also new to Elektron, having had A4 for about four weeks.

EDIT:
There is a YouTube video by sonicstate that shows a track from Ableton being routed into A4 via Overbridge and automatically routed back into Ableton (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlgyZFdCifw, watch from 7:00 onward). One thing I noticed is that in the bottom right-hand corner of OB in the video there is an “Audio Input Routing” section. I don’t have this. Instead I have “Sidechain Input Routing”. In Ableton, on the track that I want to send to A4, when I change the output from Master to Analog Four, “Sidechain 1/2 L/-Analog Four” is automatically populated into the slot underneath, and the only other options are for sidechain routing also. In the video, the same slot has “Mono Input A - Analog Four”. It doesn’t say anything about sidechaining. If a different version of OB was being used in the video I would think that “Audio Input Routing” and “Sidechain Input Routing” might just be a change in terminology. But my version of OB and the version in the video are both 1.10.1. I suspect this might be relevant somehow to solving the problem. How to achieve the same routing options as in the video?

[magiceye]

Surprised that this feature seems to be so elusive, given that it has been widely promoted by the Elektron team as one of the most exciting new features of overbridge. Yet it’s reliable implementation seems to be an arcane mystery.

I saw the sonic state video before trying this myself and am pretty sure that “Audio Input Routing” and “Sidechain Input Routing” are one and the same. Am assuming (I could be wrong!) that the version of overbridge in the video is a beta version.

Would be great to get an authority on the matter to clarify this for the many people who must be as confused as us though.

[TBN]

Sidechain input == audio input

If you send an ableton track to sidechan"x" it wil end up going into track “x” of A4. Don’t forget to enable that output in the OB control panel though, otherwise you can select it, but can’t hear it…

If you want to receive a specific a4 track in ableton set up an audio track with its input coming from OB plugin midi track, and then the required output. Turn on monitoring for that track.

Remember the track outputs don’contain the fx, those are only on the mains…

[JRMac]

Thanks for your reply TBN. Magiceye might have more luck than me, but I couldn’t get the audio back into Ableton from OB. Step by step here’s what I did.

Drag A4 onto a MIDI track in Ableton. Insert an audio track in Ableton and put a drum loop on it. Under “Ext. In” select “1-Analog Four” on the audio track. This automatically populates into the slot underneath “Trk 1 L/Trk 1 R-Analog Four”. Under Master select “1-Analog Four”. This automatically populates into the slot underneath “Sidechain 1/2 L/-Analog Four”. Under monitoring select “Auto”. Open the A4 GUI and under “Sidechain Input Routing” select “Track 1” under “1/2”.

If I play the loop on track 1 in Ableton now, I see in OB the meter registering input in “Trk 1” under “Output to Analog Four”, though I can’t hear the loop whether I have “Auto”, “In” or “Off” selected for monitoring. I’m assuming to hear the loop I need to route the audio back into Ableton. This is where I hit a block.

So at this point I’ve got the loop playing on track 1 in Ableton, and “Trk 1” under “Output to Analog Four” in OB is registering the signal. So I insert another audio track in Ableton. I’m not sure what you mean by “set up an audio track with its input coming from OB plugin midi track”. I have the following options for input on the new audio track I’ve inserted:

Ext. In
Configure
Resampling
1-Analog Four
2-Audio
A-Reverb
B-Delay
Master
No input

If I select “1-Analog Four” above I have the options:

Pre FX
Post FX
Post Mixer
Trk 1L/Trk 1 R-Analog Four
Trk 2L/Trk 2 R-Analog Four
Trk 3L/Trk 3 R-Analog Four
Trk 4L/Trk 4 R-Analog Four
Ext L/Ext R-Analog Four

None of the above options will direct track 1 from OB back into Ableton, and I can’t hear the loop regardless of whether “In”, “Out” or “Off” is selected for monitoring. If, in the first list above, I select “2-Audio” I can hear the loop, but this just appears to be directly from the first audio track with the loop on it. Even if I turn track 1 off in OB I can still hear the loop when “2-Audio” is selected.

BTW, under Preferences>Audio>Channel Configuration>Input Config in Ableton I have both the mono (x2) and stereo (x2) options selected, and the same with the “Output Config”. So I have all options covered there.

I did learn two things from you post. Sidechain input = audio input, and separate audio tracks are needed for the in and out signals. I feel I’m half way there. I can get the signal into OB but can’t get it back out to Ableton. If anyone can spot anything I’m doing wrong in the above I’d be grateful. Thanks again for your input TBN.

[TBN]

@JRMac

BTW, under Preferences>Audio>Channel Configuration>Input Config in Ableton I have both the mono (x2) and stereo (x2) options selected, and the same with the “Output Config”. So I have all options covered there.

This gives an important bit of info away, I think. Based on the above quote I think you use A4 as abletons audio card. For me that didn’t work.

I use an other audio interface for my main outs from ableton, and use AUDIO FROM A4 ONLY THROUGH OVERBRIDGE.! I even believe that OB’s audio functionality is disabled if you are using A4 as audio interface.

@JRMac : The other audio track is to receive the processed sound from A4 thru overbridge. Select the OB midi track as audio “input from” and specify it to be track 1.A4processor.pdf (214.0 KB)
See attached screenshot for OB control pannel and ableton tracks

Edit2: Don’t forget that in order to hear a sound through one of the A4’s tracks you have to have the vca open. Quick way to do that:

-Clear track sound (hold trk1 button and press play)
-Turn down osc1 level on the osc 1 page
-Turn amp sustain and release to fullest (amp page)
-pres a key on A4’s keyboard

[JRMac]

Hey TBN. With your help I finally got the routing problem solved! The screenshots were very helpful. I had a few hiccups along the way - e.g. for a while I had the loop on the wrong audio track! But now it’s fine and I can get audio into OB, affect it, and return it to Ableton. That’s a big help, many thanks.

I still have a question though. In your earlier post you say: “Remember the track outputs don’t contain the fx, those are only on the mains…” Does this mean it’s not possible to send a loop to OB, put reverb or delay on it, and return it to Ableton? Or is it possible to do this with alternative routing?

I tried a few experiments without any luck. I thought it might be possible because on the OB interface, under “Sidechain Input Routing”, it’s possible to select “Main L” and “Main R”. I did this, and made some other changes to the Ableton tracks, but couldn’t get the signal back in to Ableton. I was wondering if there is something equivalent to “clearing track 1” I have to do. I’ve included some screen shots below … maybe you can spot something ridiculous I’m doing.

Thanks again for your help TBN. This thread has had quite a few views now, and I’m sure you’ve helped others with this problem also. It’s disappointing the manual isn’t clearer on this.

[TBN]

To hear the FX you have to select the main outputs of OB (Pre FX / Post FX in stead of track 1) in the ableton track track named “Audio from A4” in my screenshot.

No need to change anything else.

Happy to hear you got it working now

[JRMac]

Brilliant TBN. Worked a charm. Problem solved. I like the reverb on A4, and now I can use it to process other samples and instruments. Many, many thanks.

[NOECLU]

This is awesome. I got it working. But it only works for about a minute and then overloads. This doesn’t happen when I’m not using Overbridge. Anyone else have this issue?