Ok I’m not sure if this is doable but I wish it was and if it is doable then how?
I have digitone into syntakt into digitakt. I have a keystep controller going into digitone as it’s the master. Is there a way to control all 3 with the keystep and play all 3 at once or change between the midi channels they’re set on etc? You’d think there would be a way considering that I have keystep midi out to midi in on digitone, digitone midi out to syntakt midi in, syntakt midi out to digitakt midi in.
You’d think there would be an option to use one controller across all 3 since they’re sync’d and linked already…
If you don’t use one machine to control another (eg to send MIDI CCs and have extra LFOs) then you can use the MIDI THRU to MIDI IN.
I would set all channels to OFF except AUTO.
Set one different channel (e.g. 10/11/12) for each machine.
Now you’ll be able to control one machine by pressing Shift+key on the Keystep, and quickly switch from a machine to another.
To switch track, change the active track on the corresponding machine.
My midi in ports are used on syntakt and digitakt as stated above because i have it as digitone into syntakt into digitakt. Digitone midi out to midi in syntakt, syntakt midi out to midi in digitakt.
Ok so doing this disables the 3 units to sync together via tempo and start/stop and no way around that? I love to keep it like this but would like to still be able to tap tempo all 3 units at the same time from the master digitone and have all 3 running in sync still, unless I messed something up lol.
I put digitone on auto-channel 1, syntakt on auto-channel 2, and digitakt on auto channel 3 and by pressing shift+1st key on keystep enables digitone, shift+2 key enables syntakt, shift+3rd key enables digitakt. Then if i wanna switch between tracks on any device. I just do it from the elektron machines and it’ll play on keystep.
If those machines have midi out and thru…you connect the midi outs to each other and the midi thru’s like above for playing. Then, set up which is master and which are listening to the master…and that happens from the OUTS.
I don’t have the same devices as you (m:c and m:s here) but based on what I know from those two I can quite understand why you’re not getting the two other elektron boxes to sync to the first, because the clock and transport midi info will not be present up in the midi thru connection.
However, I’m thinking it should all work if the keystep can provide clock and transport info ? And I’m guessing that, as a sequencer it should do that ?
Yes you are right. I got that to work now keystep is sending clock / transport down the line to the 3 units! However when tap tempoing on the keystep, it doesn’t display it on any of the machines until you hit play on keystep. Would be nice if it displayed it on machine right away but this will work
I’ve been in the same boat as you. The only solution I could come up with was to get one of these midi splitters. Keystep > Midi thru > Individual midi out to each of your device that you want to control.
That’ll solve your headache! You’d probably have to set the tempo individually on all the devices but as long as they listen to the START/STOP message of the Keystep then they’ll all be n’sync.
Appreciate it but I got it working now with the midi-thru as suggested in here
What I did was put my keystep into digitone midi-in and then use midi-thru instead of midi out to syntakt then midi-thru to digitakt on each box and then go into settings and turn off all midi and track stuff off in the midi section of each unit and then turned digitone to auto-channel 1, syntakt to auto-channel 2 and digitakt to auto-channel 3.
I turned everything on in the midi sync section on digitone and syntakt and digitakt (except the out stuff since it’s the end of chain)
Keystep becomes the master tempo now, which can be set by tapping the tempo button 4 times and then press play on keystep and it’ll send the same tempo to all 3 boxes. Then I can switch between the 3 boxes by holding shift+1st key on keystep for digitone, shift+2nd key on keystep for syntakt, shift+3rd key on keystep for digitakt. Change tracks by the units itself etc…
Ugh… booted everything back up and everything was just going wonky for a bit, it’s just not stable enough to keep this way I think. A bit too fiddly for my liking. I’m going back to just the 3 boxes without keystep or just use keystep for digitone right now.
just disable clock receipt from the first in the chain after the KS
then make the first box be the clock Master
Now the Thru chain is only serving upbeing served KS Note Input, and in theory (as long as you don’t create a loop) you could sync the KS from the Out of the first Box
I.e. most of what you have, but you don’t rely on a Keystep for Tempo
Tried this but now I can’t switch between the 3 boxes with keystep for some reason? Like digitone is on auto-channel 1, so i press shift+1st key on keystep, and syntakt on auto-channel 2 and press shift+2nd key on keystep and it doesn’t activate it.
lol i think i give up and just go back to what i did before all of this lol.
I’ve just ordered a Blokas midihub so I have more control over this sort of thing. My rig for a recent gig had multiple midi merge and midi through boxes to try and deal with the need to have keyboard control to multiple devices and send clock to some and midi to some but not all and it was still a compromise. I think the midihub should allow me to be a lot more granular about it all and also will be cheaper than all those boxes together.
box be the clock Master