Please help with Digitakt and Keystep setup!

Elektron Gear Digitakt
1

Hi All,

You would think after all these (10) years of using midi and cc’s etc., that I would be able to problem solve something like this… but I just can’t. Lord knows i’ve tried.

If you can understand this, then you’re some kind of midi genius:

My aim is to have the following, quite simple (i thought!), arrangement:

  1. Digitakt as master controller, workhouse
  2. Basstation rack as monosynth, following digitakt
  3. Yamaha TX81Z / FM synth following digitakt
  4. Keystep (KS) as keyboard, with arp and sequencer as needed to help design phrases. I’d like to be able to record midi sequences and arp patterns from the KS into the digitakt, as needed. Then use these recorded midi notes on the keystep to feed into synths as needed.

I have it setup like this:

Digitakt>midi out to a thru box> midi out of thru box to synths (BS, TX81Z, and the KS)>KS midi out back to DT

I’ve read elsewhere that this might work:

Digitakt>midi out to KS>KS midi out to thru box> midi in of (BS, TX81Z, and back to DT)

I’m having issues with both setups, especially with the basstation (it does not like to be triggered by the KS arp. It goes really strange and hangs-up).

Also, if I set the DT to receive clock only, I can get the TX81Z to respond to the KS arp. The BS does not respond at all the same in the same configuration. It hangs. But, if I remove the midi out from the thru box back to the DT, then the BS follows the arp just fine, and doesn’t hang!

Some questions:

What settings do you all use with the KS? Do you have the ‘midi thru’ on the KS midi control center set to ‘yes’ for thru, or ‘no’.

How should I set the digitakt clock send and recieve? Both on?

Good luck helping me :wink:

2

What is the purpose of feeding the KS with Midi In? I’m guessing it reads tempo for arp?

Still trying to get my own setup wired most effectively but have you tried this?

Keystep Out > Digitakt Midi In
Digitakt Midi Out > TX812 IN
TX812 Thru > Bass Station In
Bass Station Midi Out > Keystep In

Set Keystep to Channel 10
Set Digitakt Auto Midi to 10
Make sure Bass Station and TX812 are on own channels (eg TX812 on 11, BS on 12)
Program Midi Track 9 to Channel 11, Midi Track 10 to Channel 12.
Selecting Track 9 should play TX812 and 10 should play BS

Digitakt should Send Clock (receive not important in this setup because it’s the brain)
Keystep should be set to receive clock via MIDI (2 dip switches in up position)

This should send clock out DT to all devices and with the BS clock synced to DT, it should send it out to the Keystep.

You should be able to omit the Midi Thru box in this. Keystep does not need a Thru port.

2 Likes
3

Thanks RandomSkratch! Good idea!

I’ll pull this together tonight. It seems very sensible, although my only concern is midi data being help-up in the thru ports of the synths… small chance i guess.

Also, would you turn off the midi thru on the KS settings?

Thanks again.

4

Thru passes on what’s received on In.

Do not enableh thru on KS.

5

How did you work out with the setup? Are things working as required?

6

Hi Random Skratch.

I tried it all out. I’m 90% fixed!

First off, it doesn’t work with BS midi out > KS midi in. It has to BS midi THRU > KS Midi in.

Even then, I’ve set the KS to external clock, and i’ve set the Digitakt to send clock only. No receive. What happens is that I can play the arp or sequences fine on the TX81z, but the BS does something weird. It takes arp information and goes a bit haywire… runs into octave runs and keeps going until a high pitch, then stops!

Gonna look at the BS manual now… odd that the TX81z works just dandy.

7

I just…um…TAP?

8

interesting response RZK. Care to explain further?

1 Like
9

I’ll step in here to interpret, I believe they’re abbreviating Tracks Are Passing as TAP, most likely as a question. Maybe they’re asking if the MIDI tracks are passing data to the synths? Or maybe asking if the KS note data is being seen and recorded by the DT MIDI track selected.

10

Ah okay cool. Glad to see it’s almost working though.

Maybe the BS has a weird setting you need to enable/disable. Good luck!

11

Hi All,

I’m adding a Digitone to my setup now. Can I put it last in line after the bass station? (BS midi Thru > DN > key step)

I want to be able to send midi CC from DT to DN, and programme changes (and CC’s) from DN to DT. I presume the midi system will feed from the DN to the DT via the key step?

12

Just remember that MIDI OUT = generate MIDI and send it and MIDI THRU = pass along MIDI that was seen on MIDI IN that wasn’t destined for itself.

It doesn’t matter where along the chain you connect things as long as you abide by these rules. Ideally you leave devices that don’t have a THRU to the very end or else you need an additional MIDI THRU box.

13

great - thanks RandomSkratch!

I never quite thought of the THRU distinction in that way!

I guess I’m just confused how the info will get from the DN through the keystep and into the DT as it is at ‘the back’ of the chain. I also see on the keystep that there is a midi thru tick box in the settings.

Anyway, trial and error I guess. DN will be coming tomorrow - so we’ll see!

14

this is like a soft midi thru, so normal (generated by keystep) midi data plus midi data that is going in the keystep will be sent to out… can be very useful!

now that you fully understand the midi thru, maybe make a drawing and connect the devices with lines, this might help to get a better overall picture. i have made such graphics for big/complicated setups myself and can recommend it

also there are plenty of topics on here regarding midi routing with keystep and elektron boxes, so use that search function :slightly_smiling_face:

15

Does the soft thru act like a merge? That might yield strange results!

16

I would stick the DN right after the DT.

17

will try that… hopefully then the programme changes make it back to the DT from the DN though!

18

Hi guys,

Got the digitone! Sounds great!

It’s not playing ball with my setup though. I have it after the digitakt like this:

Keystep Out > Digitakt Midi In
Digitakt Midi Out > Digitone Midi in
Digitone Midi out > TX812 IN
TX812 Thru > Bass Station In
Bass Station Thru > Keystep In

Set Keystep to Channel 10
Set Digitakt and Digitone to Auto Midi to 10
Bass Station and TX812 are on own channels (eg TX812 on 11, BS on 12)
Program Midi Track 9 to Channel 11, Midi Track 10 to Channel 12.
Selecting Track 9 should play TX812 and 10 should play BS

Digitakt should Send Clock (receive not important in this setup because it’s the brain)
Keystep should be set to receive clock via MIDI (2 dip switches in up position)

This should send clock out DT to all devices and with the BS clock synced to DT, it should send it out to the Keystep.

However, no note values are arriving at digitone. I have set DN to allow midi in and out, and receive clock. I’ve tried sending midi out of DN from both out and thru.

The digitone works fine if I replace the midi cables from the DT and put them into the DN (removing the DT from the chain).

So there is something about the DT > DN that is blocking midi messages. Any ideas?

Thanks guys!

19

Should be DN MIDI THRU > TX812 IN

20

One immediate connection issue I see is DN Out > TX In. I would change this to DN Thru > TX In. (Tchu beat me by a few seconds above :slight_smile: )

The DN should be receiving clock only from DT, not sequences. The DN has its own sequencer and you should probably use it for simplicity sake.

I don’t have a DN so I can’t confirm however I suspect the Midi options are the same as the DT so there’s probably a toggle for receiving MIDI. But like I said, you should sequence the DN from the DN.

You will also have to change the default MIDI channels on the DN to something that isn’t being used. They probably default to 1-4 which is also what DT 1-8 are (well, 1-8, not 4).