Just got myself a Keys an Octatrack and want to set it up with my Keys and DSI Tetra.
I have been doing music for years, but I must admit that I’m not very clever when it comes to midi.
Have only done simple setups.
What I started to do was using OT as master sync with the Keys and Rytm.
Actually worked that part out
The next step was to set up the Keys for playing tracks on the OT, but also use it for playing my DSI Tetra and record it live on OT’s midisequencer. Tetra has midi in, out (can be set to midi thru) and Poly (Polychain). When the Poly is set to off, it duplicates the midi out. I really do not know how to set it up!? Can anyone please explain?
You have a very nice and powerful music set-up. This also means that it will take a lot of text to explain every step required to get it all working together.
I don’t have an AK, AR, or Tetra, but I had a look at their respective manuals to try to figure out a solution for you. Maybe someone with more hands-on experience will also post.
I suggest that you start with the fewest possible units and then add the others one-by-one. Maybe start with the OT and the AR.
I assume that you want to the AK to input notes to the OT and the Tetra, the OT to sequence the Tetra, and the AK and AR sequencers to synchronise to the OT’s sequencer. This means that the OT is the centre of everything. You can do this without using an additional MIDI routing box.
If you have another configuration in mind, you would probably need to use other settings.
PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS
For the AK to input notes to the OT, connect the AK MIDI Out to the OT MIDI In.
For the OT to synchronise to the AR, connect the OT MIDI Out to the AR MIDI In.
For the OT to talk to the other units, connect the AR MIDI Thru to the Tetra MIDI In and connect the Tetra MIDI Thru to the AK MIDI In.
CONFIGURE THE OT
In the PROJECT>CONTROL>MIDI SEQUENCER menu:
Set the CC Direct Connect setting to ‘on’.
In the PROJECT>MIDI>CONTROL menu:
Set the Audio CC out setting to ‘off’ for simplicity.
Set the Audio Note In setting to ‘On’ to allow the AK to play the OT’s audio track sounds.
Set the Audio Note Out setting to ‘INT’ for simplicity.
In the PROJECT>MIDI>SYNC menu:
Set the Transport Send setting to ‘on’ so that the OT controls starting and stopping.
Set the Transport Receive setting to ‘off’.
Set the Clock Send setting to ‘on’ so that the other units can synchronise with the OT.
Set the Clock Receive setting to ‘off’.
Set the Prog Ch Send setting to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
Set the Prog Ch Receive setting to ‘off’.
In the PROJECT>MIDI>CHANNELS menu:
It’s probably best to leave the channel settings as the defaults shown in the manual.
CONFIGURE THE AR
Select one of the Global slots to store your configuration.
In the MIDI Sync screen:
Set the Clock Receive setting to ‘on’ in order for the AR to synchronise with the OT.
Set the Clock Send setting to ‘off’ because the OT will provide the synchronization signal.
Set the Transport Receive setting to ‘on’ in order for the OT to control the AR.
Set the Transport Send setting to ‘off’ because the OT will provide the control of starting and stopping.
Set the Prog Ch Receive to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
Set the Prog Ch Send setting to ‘off’ because the OT will provide the control of switching patterns.
In the MIDI Port Config screen:
Set the Thru Port Func setting to ‘MIDI’ so that MIDI information will be passed from the OT through the AR to the other units.
Set the Input From setting to ‘MIDI’.
Set the Receive Notes setting to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
Set the Receive CC/NRPN setting to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
In the MIDI Channels screen:
It’s probably best to temporarily set the MIDI channels for tracks 1-12 and FX all to ‘off’. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn these on.
CONFIGURE THE TETRA
Set the following Global Parameters.
MIDI channel: perhaps ‘13’ to allow you to use channel 13 in Program mode and channels 13-16 in Multi mode.
Clock: ‘MIDI In’, so that the Tetra’s sequencer can be controlled by the OT.
MIDI Parameter Send: ‘off’
MIDI Parameter Receive: ‘off’, temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
MIDI Control: ‘off’, temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
MIDI SysEx: ‘off’, temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
MIDI Out Select: ‘Thru’ so that the Tetra can pass MIDI information from the OT to the AK.
Local Control: ‘on’, temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this off.
CONFIGURE THE AK
Select one of the Global slots in the Global menu to store your configuration.
In the MIDI Sync screen:
Set the Clock Receive setting to ‘on’ in order for the AK to synchronise with the OT.
Set the Clock Send setting to ‘off’ because the OT will provide the synchronization signal.
Set the Transport Receive setting to ‘on’ in order for the OT to control the AK.
Set the Transport Send setting to ‘off’ because the OT will provide the control of starting and stopping.
Set the Prog Ch Receive to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
Set the Prog Ch Send setting to ‘off’ because the OT will provide the control of switching patterns.
In the MIDI Port Config screen:
Set the Out Port Func setting to ‘MIDI’ so that MIDI information will be sent from the AK to the OT.
Set the Input From setting to ‘MIDI’.
Set the Output To setting to ‘MIDI’.
Set the Keyboard Cfg setting to send MIDI note data.
Set the Receive Notes setting to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
Set the Receive CC/NRPN setting to ‘off’ temporarily. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn this on.
In the MIDI Channels screen:
It’s probably best to temporarily set the MIDI channels for tracks 1-4, FX and CV all to ‘off’. When you are confident that your system is OK you can choose whether to turn these on.
Thanks for the kind words. If anyone actually has an AR, AK, or Tetra, please check what I wrote as I was just going by the manuals, which don’t always list the available parameters for each setting.
I followed the steps and I actually made it.
Almost Because when I play the AK, it sometimes sends commands to OT.
For instance I sometimes stopped or started a pickup machine loop.
I also deactivated or activated other commands that I didn´t see what was.
I am a little unsure about what you meant by:
Configure the OT: - PROJECT>MIDI>CONTROL - Set the Audio CC out setting to ‘off’ for simplicity - I can only chose between internal, external, or both.
Configure the AK - in the midiport config screen; - Set the Keyboard Cfg setting to send MIDI note data - I can only chose between internal, external, or both.
About the Autochannel.
I did it like this:
OT - channel 9
AR - off
AK - channel 9
I followed the steps and I actually made it.
Almost Because when I play the AK, it sometimes sends commands to OT.
For instance I sometimes stopped or started a pickup machine loop.
I also deactivated or activated other commands that I didn´t see what was.
I am a little unsure about what you meant by:
Configure the OT: - PROJECT>MIDI>CONTROL - Set the Audio CC out setting to ‘off’ for simplicity - I can only chose between internal, external, or both.
Configure the AK - in the midiport config screen; - Set the Keyboard Cfg setting to send MIDI note data - I can only chose between internal, external, or both.
About the Autochannel.
I did it like this:
OT - channel 9
AR - off
AK - channel 9[/quote]
Apologies for any confusion.
On the OT, start with Audio CC Out sent to ‘INT’, which means that the OT knobs will send control messages only internally within the OT and not to any external equipment.
On the AK, if you set the Keyboard Cfg setting to ‘EXT’ it will allow the AK to send MIDI notes to the other gear but you may not hear the keyboard play the AK’s own sounds, so you might need to set it to ‘INT+EXT’ instead. AK owners, step up and confirm, please?
It’s very encouraging that you got some things working OK. It’s hard for me to tell exactly how this combination of gear will work together when the OT is the only one that I have ever used myself!
Report back on what you are able to do and maybe we can optimize the set-up a little more with the help of some people who really know the gear.
Please do not apologise, you already did some great explanation.
On the AK, if you set the Keyboard Cfg setting to ‘EXT’ it will allow the AK to send MIDI notes to the other gear but you may not hear the keyboard play the AK’s own sounds, so you might need to set it to ‘INT+EXT’ instead. AK owners, step up and confirm, please?
Oops, my bad. You can only choose between internal, or internal+external. Not external alone. It is true you have to set it to both to make it work properly.
Hope you’re having fun!
Yes, indeed. That great feeling when you push that one button and everything just starts at the same time.
Here is my first recorded jam with the new setup.
Nothing special, but really fun! Just a raw take:
I use my OT as the center but also to sequence quite a bit of other gear…sub37, etc etc…
once you start to do that the little midi thru box below is huge bang for the buck…I actually have a qunexus in to the OT and then OT out goes to that thru box before going anywhere else
Glad you liked it
Thank you for the suggestion.
I will remember it if I need one.
For now I have a lot to learn for a long time.
I will fokus on this setup and learn it well
