Steps to properly use a MIDI keyboard to grid edit

Hello,

I just wanted to ask whether it is possible to use an external keyboard to insert notes on trigs in Grid Recording Mode. I cant get this to work, seems that only the internal keys (or trigs) work…

Maybe someone can shed some insight onto this?
Thanks,
jingo

[mod edit: Elektron answer bellow]

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it might work by holding the trig key and then playing a note on the external midi keyboard (i guess there would be midi channel information to be set on the Digitakt’s global setting, and then setting the external midi keyboard to transmit on that channel).

Tried exactly this, but it does not work… You just hear the note playing but it is not set…

it would seem it is not possible, although is on the mm/ot …
realtime recording is possible though. strange.

one of those inexplicable things that just makes navigating a studio more interesting. or frustrating.
anyway hope you have fun all the same with the DT’s beautiful filter and very awesome reverb!
i’ve noticed users saying that bassdrums sound amazing through big sound systems when played from the Digitakt.

yup, got both (DN and DT), and they both seem to have this “issue” . Live Recording works, and I think I can live with editing Trigs in Grid Recording via internal keyboard… the other way would be just the icing on the cake :)…

The Digitakt can do this exactly as you described in your post above. Very disturbing it can’t be done on the Digitone.

From the Digitakt manual:
You can use an external MIDI controller such as a keyboard to input NOTE and TRIG VELOCITY data when you are in GRID RECORDING mode. Just press and hold a [TRIG] key, and then play a note on the external keyboard. On MIDI tracks, you can add up to a four note chord to every trig.

Hmmm,
havent tried again, I sequence the DN and the DT via my squarp pyramid now…

I had the same problem with both DT and DN. I was able to get around it by using auto channels in the midi set up. Different channels for each. I hold a trigger and it records the key. But only in auto channel. If I do a specific channel it will ignore it.

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Interesting finding. Can you file a ticket?

I was trying to get this working on both Digitakt & Digitone

  • on Digitakt it only seems to work if the external keyboard is on AUTO channel
  • on Digitone it also only works on AUTO channel, but with previous firmware (1.10) there was a bug that track1 was adding notes to a chord rather than keeping just the pressed note.

The new Digitone OS 1.10A released couple days ago seems to have fixed it, so both DT+DN now allow adding notes in grid mode via midi, as long as it’s on AUTO channel.

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Simple question, can you input steps in Grid Record (not in live mode) using a midi keyboard (for midi and audio parts)? I mean, just keeping down a Step and playing the desired chord for that step from your keyboard.

From Digitone manual page 30 (first two lines):

You can use an external MIDI controller such as a keyboard, to input NOTE, TRIG
VELOCITY, and TRIG LENGTH data in LIVE RECORDING mode.

That confused me, only Live Recording?

Yes, it’s possible

Thanks you

… if the external controller is transmitting on the Auto Channel (generally not one of the track channels) of the Elektron (having an Auto Channel set to 1 can also introduce issues)

Issues? which ones?

try the search, I don’t own these devices

I was hesitant about buying a Digitone because, from reading the manual, it appeared that you could use an external MIDI keyboard to input notes for live recording but not for grid recording.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that you can indeed grid record using an external keyboard. I think it would be wise for Elektron to amend the manual to show this (as does the Digitakt manual).

Oh, if my Digitone does this because it is faulty, you are not getting it back :grin:

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Can you explain how it works? Do you press the trigger then pick the note from the midi keyboard?

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Just straight up playing the midi keyboard while in live recording mode will get these results

Yeah I can’t seem to duplicate that, but it would be a handy feature (grid note enter from an external keyboard that is, live recording works fine).