i am a new Digitone owner and love it so far. Unfortunately, i am not really digging the whole Overbridge workflow. The dryness of the signal, the whole clunky setting up of the midi tracks, it just feels like a mess, and i would much rather do all the creative work within my little box, use the LFOs and stuff for sounddesign and then record it into Logic. I dont really need to automate the DN via Logic either, i rather mangle what i created afterwards using my AU plugins.
So i am curious, whats your setup if anyone here works similarly? I see that there is a setting “MIDI over USB” instead of “Overbridge” in the USB config menu on the Digitone. But when i check this and also check “receive clock”, i am not receiving any clock from Logic. Is there anything i am missing here?
I basically just want to sync the transport and the clock between the Digitone and Logic, but then work with the built in sequencer to do the actual work. Have the pattern i am building on the DN play along my Logic song, and once i am happy with it record it into Logic. Do i have to hook up a MIDI cable or is there a trick to make it work over USB - or is there even some better way to do this?
My advice is to work exclusively with DN for a bit. See how much you can squeeze out of it. Having two LFOs per track (plus envelopes on amp and filter) is really flexible. Plus, all of the sequencer madness Elektron is known for. Forget OB for a while and only go there when you want to multitrack something or if you really just need one or two more parameters being affected by automation etc. Enjoy your new box - it really is a killer synth and a surprisingly good drum machine too
Yeah, i am absolutely with you - actually i already am at the point that you are suggesting i love working just with the box and i want to keep it that way for now.
My question is just pretty much: how to hook it up to my DAW -without- using the Overbridge plugin? can i sync it up to my DAW transport and clock with the USB cable while still doing all the programming on the box? i ONLY want to sync the tempo, clock and transport and have the DN sequencer play along my DAW automatically
Yes, this is perfectly possible. I don’t even use the plug-in. My DN is basically a sound card (with those inputs that can be used with Master distortion, chorus, delay and reverb!). I don’t use Logic, but I imagine the process is similar to Ableton Live. So, just use the USB cable for clock/transport (I.e. pressing play or stop in Logic starts and stops the DN in sync). You can send midi notes to DN via Logic too but that’s not really necessary and also DN has a bug with hanging (endless) notes when being sequenced by other machines annoyingly. Have you read through the OB manual? It goes over exactly what you want with some examples. A great resource!
This is exactly what i want to do, i just feel i am missing a step in the setup. I hooked up the USB, setup “MIDI via USB” on my DN and “clock receive” in the settings, but i am not receiving any clock. Did you setup anything in Ableton to send out the clock, or did it just work on its own? I feel like i should go through the manual a bit more i guess.
Also craig: you use the DN built in distortion and FX for your Ableton tracks? Did you have to choose the Digitone as Audio interface in Ableton, or how do you make this happen?
No no, I meant anything else plugged into the two inputs on DN can use those effects. Enter the Master page for more on that - it’s written in blue on DN box, last of the pages, not near my DN to say exactly what the button is (FUNC + LFO maybe?). Have you put DN into Overbridge mode? It pretty much just works for me after that. Ableton Live sees it as an Input and Output device.
Ohhh now i am getting it to work, thanks so much guys!
Portray: this is what i needed to know! I am working with Logic for over a decade but this is my first hardware box, so i have never dealt with the MIDI sync settings - it runs along with it smoothly now!
And thanks for the tip craig, i am going to hook up two cables to my DN input now and use the Logic IO plugin to use it as an effect box! especially looking forward to try out the overdrive, you can never have enough distortion algorithms in your arsenal!
Thanks so much guys!! I like this way better than the clunky Overbridge, the way the plugin window looks scares me off already. I bought this think specifically to not use plugins all the time
Okay, i am playing around with this now and instantly realize one thing:
when i hit play in Logic, its only really in sync with the DN when i start at the very beginning of my arrangement, basically at 00:00.
If i start it in the middle of a pattern, or even one full cycle later, its terribly off sync and stutters. That cant be normal can it?
EDIT: figured it out. There is a setting for that too in the MIDI sync settings in Logic, where you can tell it how to behave regarding starting/stopping in the cycle. I should try more first and ask later. Sorry for bothering
i’m pretty sure you’ll find lots of logic specific stuff in overbridge threads…it seems slightly trickier than ableton but many seem to get it working well.
depending on mac/pc , os , version of logic , cpu , usb port , memory , time of day , weather , if any chickens are nearby , if you’ve eaten recently, how tall you might be…
I use Overbridge for recording, even when I’m only recording a stereo mix of the main outs with FX baked in. I prefer it over an audio interface/mixer for two main reasons:
Start/stop sync is rock solid. Way better than midi in my experience.
It’s all digital. You get the exact digital audio from the Digitakt/Digitone/etc. Doing it via an audio interface means adding two DA/AD conversions.
Hi all - trying to connect the Digitone straight into Logic as I thought the usb class compliant thingy allowed it.
So connecting it through USB and creating a midi track, I can select the Digitone as an external midi instrument but cannot hear neither sound when playing nor cannot record anything (sound or midi event).
Tried all channels but no dice, USB over midi is ticked on the Digitone, etc. What is the protocol / routing to record either midi events or audio in Logic since the latest firmware update? Help / advice much appreciated.
- it runs along with it smoothly now!
