I understand that the manual for the Digitone Keys says:
Audio from the TRACK OUTPUTS is always without any effects.
Is there a way to send effects out per track or does it only output from the main stereo outs?
In other words, why have 4 pairs of stereo outputs if they all just come out dry? It’s one of the reasons why I decided to upgrade to the Keys.
Only main stereo outs or headphones will have FX. I guess the reason is people use the separate track outs for using external FX instead. Same thing happens when recording the tracks separately via Overbridge 
Makes sense I suppose. Just a little difficult to recreate with external gear when it was something that was created with the onboard effects in mind.
Yeah, I find it sucks too. I would rather have the option to record dry or with FX. If you’re doing this live it will be a pain in the ass, but if it’s recording only then going out of the stereo mains for each track individually is a workaround
Isn’t there a way to output just the effects from the main outs, and the dry sounds from the individual outs?
Yes there is.
You can set which channels and effects are sent to the main outs in the audio routing menu.
This is not a very good solution I think. It causes me trouble performing on the stage if I want to send track sounds separately. Without the effects, it is unusable for me.
Could this be changed by a software update? An option for routing effects through the separate tracks would be very helpful. What do you think? Could that be possible?
No, because the effects are each a single instance, and you decide how much of each track is sent to them. The tracks are mixed together to send to the one instance of say, the reverb, and so if effects also appeared on the individual outputs, you’d get the effected signal of the other tracks mixed in as well.
Thanks for the explanation.
Well, the thing is then that those individual outs are really not usable for me. Mainly because these effects are important elements of the sounds themselves. Are not they? You even save effects as a part of the sound! So many sounds are what they are because of the effects. It is just weird to me.
For example… Take how is this implemented on the octatrack? You can send to the cue out any of the tracks with all the effects, with every setting on each page, if I am not mistaken. Cant you?
For me, it feels like during the digitone keys development they wanted to make this “individual outputs” feature, but at the same time they were not willing to solve it properly, to spend extra costs and resources on getting hardware that is ready for proper handling this whole “individual track out” concept so at the end, this was just some cheap easy solution so that DN Keys could look like a more advanced machine or something and could sell better. It feels like a half-good idea that is not finished.
yeah, hadn’t really appreciated this distinction, and for the moment the track volume mixer is okay for me adjusting individual track levels coming from the main stereo outs. but pretty much negates the use of FX on a track to not output it from the separate track out. especially when so many users are relying on Digitone for some/all of their drum programming
(would also be nice if the four individual outs, and main out, were separately assignable. so that if you did want to send all four Tracks to main out, the individual outs could be assigned to the either of the external inputs)
Not really. You can save effect send amounts, but the effect parameters (e.g. delay time, feedback) are saved with the pattern.
OT is different because it uses insert effects. These are individual effect instances per track, at the expense of being a bit lower quality than on the digi boxes. The Digitone also uses more processing power for the actual synthesis, so comparing the two isn’t really relevant.
I can see how it’s annoying to have the individual outputs come out dry, but I’ve always seen the send effects as only really useful if you’re trying to create full patterns in the one machine. Except maybe the delay, yeah that’s annoying 
There’s no way around it due to the amount of processing power required (ie. having to process all effects x4).
I totally agree with this after owning it now for 3 years. I love that it has the stereo outputs, but you almost have to know that you’re going to use it totally dry and add effects at a later time. I think it’s a really big missed opportunity. Should have just been an option to turn effects on/off per stereo channel outputs.
just so I’m clear, is it also the case that I can’t use Overbridge to route the four Digitone tracks audio independently to a USB MIDI-Audio hub? that is, even if you use Overbridge for multitrack Digitone recording, that still only works in a DAW?
my MPC One, for example, only has one set of physical stereo outs but if I connect it to a USB MIDI hub, I can at least then route to four total stereo audio channels. it would seem only fair that Digitone Keys’ Overbridge should work similarly for those of us who are using it DAWlessly