I have been attempting to figure out the best way or template to connect the DNkeys via Overbridge and into your DAW.
Would love to hear from advanced users who have learned to setup so all 4 DNK audio tracks have an ‘Audio’ channel in the DAW as well as midi routing channel. these channels work the best when they are merged as one.
When they are ‘one’, they tend work better and more streamlined.
Having Overbridge is great, would like for it to be functional on its highest level.
Open up a DAW with an empty project with the goal to have 4 DNK (one for each midi channel 1-4) tracks that has an attached audio channel to preform isolated recording and EFX functions.
Ableton Live 11
-has the ‘External Instrument’ basically allows one to combine the external audio source with a midi channel… however what to do if you have 4 midi channels and all of your audio is routing (for the 4 DNK audio channels) via the Overbridge.
Logic Pro
-has the ability to set up ‘busses’ and you can route the digital audio via a bus to its own discrete audio channel in the DAW / Mixer for recording and EFX, however I have yet to find a streamlined config for this DAW so Audio and MIDI contained into one channel on the DAW mixer.
Bitwig Studio 3
-very promising has the ‘HW Instrument’ setup, (add new track, mark it as a favorite), however they do have a ‘bussing’ subsystem in the mixer that Ableton Live 11 is missing.
How do you guys do an Advanced setup?
I watched two vids, one for Logic and one for Ableton and both are terrible by the way… too long, lot to stuttering ‘get to the point’ why don’t you?
Firstly, I do not know Bitwig’s bussing subsystem but you can very well use busses in Ableton if you create an audio track and route e.g. all drum tracks output to that audio track which then goes to the master. I do that a lot.
One way I use Overbridge with Digitone Keys is that I use it as main sequencer and not Ableton, so I create either just one track with the OB plugin’ stereo out plus 4 MIDI tracks with different plugins, midi input for them being 1-2-3-4 and then assign the DT midi tracks to the corresponding tracks. so basically i now have DT plus 4 addtional sound sources all controlled with DT.
Additionally I create 4 audio tracks and take the audio from the OB track 1-4 and the mute the OB track. That means I cannot use the internal efx from DT so I add efx from Ableton. But that already is too much and distracts me from making music. also I do not sync ableton with DT, I just set the tempo so I can use some timed delays on the midi tracks.
Using DN within Logic I’d say the main problem is an OB track is neither an audio nor a real MIDI object. You can record automation but there’s no MIDI output from the HW. It has audio output but you can’t print it directly. So, what is this exactly ? I’d prefer fully separated audio and MIDI outputs to route it as I want, but with full control on it. This app is very very strange in fact, and in the end quite inefficient. They should have separated the audio driver and the MIDI controller.
wow, Im in Logic and I get close getting it so my setup is:
Logic
Overbridge
Mac > USB > DNK OS 1.31
need 4 discrete audio tracks via USB into Logic
need 4 ‘External instrument’ for each DNK track
need 1 Overbridge AU plugin
keep in mind my audio is streamed back in as DA as it never hits the analog jacks into the IO.
I thought it was easier I think in the long run Logic will win, Ableton and Bitwig look promising 11 and 4 respectively. However I have yet to get this setup rolling.
BTW I have the Cycles and ARMKII to setup as well in Logic… this in the box out of the box and under the box can be tricky.
ok Ill try this. thanks. I posted my setup below and I wish to get this cooking. how are the BUS setups in AL11? IM learning. seemed drawn out and not as functional in the end game as I needed.
Create an Audio Track and call it something like DRUM BUS.
Make sure that Audio to is set to Master
Create any kind of Audio Track like a VST or Audio IN and select the Audio to as DRUM BUS
That’s it.
I do not have the DN with me, but if you loaded the overbridge plugin to one of the MIDI tracks you can also route that to DRUM BUS
If you want to have the 4 tracks out individually you can create four audio tracks and as input use the Digitone track
and you will be able to select each of the four tracks. NO effects will be heard as this is only on the master. but you can of course use the effects from Ableton on each track. and maybe create another BUS for synths and e.g. route T1 to DRUM BUS and T2 to SYNTH BUS
To be able to hear the tracks you might have to set Monitor to IN.
Possibilities are endless. I am using the Multiband compression on DRUM and am quite happy with it.
ok I tried it and it works pretty much … no TRK effects but plugins are great. I was exploring the midi generation aspect.
one thing…how do you automate the harmonics? (inside of the clip)
What I did was go into the gear menu/audio routings and did the following:
(I have 4 options on this page)
1-ROUTE to MAINS: I turned off the 4 tracks (T1-T4) they are green when lit and red when off this left me with a 3/7 (leaving 3 eft buttons green)
2-SEND TO FX: I left all ON
3-INT to MAIN: left at AUTO
so only the EFX will go out the main and the indie outs, will be dry.
I use the DIGITONE AU as the first in the chain here and that is obviously how I edit live the DNK.
Yes, good approach. I usually go stereo out only, then at some point when I have an almost finished song I switch to the 4 tracks and record the audio and then use Abletons effects. I do not like recording the effects because I maybe want to edit something later.
