Not 100% on what Overbridge does (I still need to read a lot more about it). But, the last time I used an Elektron machine it had a 64 step limit. Will Overbridge eliminate that? It will allow you to sequence your Elektron machine for as many steps as you’d like?
You can sequence your machines through your DAW using your DAW sequencer(also automation using your daw)
The biggest appeal in separate audio signals.
OB basically fuses your Elektron as a sound source with your DAW brain
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Overbridge has two main functionalities:
- get the sound of all tracks separately into your computer (+stream some audio back to the device)
- it provides a control surface on the computer, so you don’t have to operate the machine to change some parameters (on a big screen the overview is definitely better).
Addtionally Overbridge works as MIDI interface for the Elektron device.
Other features of Overbridge:
- can be used in addition to another audio interface
- you can process the audio streams from your device within your DAW with additional FX and send them back to the main outs of the Elektron device (of course some latency included).
About the pattern limit: No, the 64 step limit for patterns is still there and Overbridge doesn’t change this.
To overcome the 64 step limit you can use the Elektron device as plain sound source and sequence it via MIDI. But this way you loose all the great features of the Elektron sequencer like sample locks, parameter locks etc.pp…
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I’d think automating any OB device via VST/AU plugin parameters would give benefits over plain old CC messages… like more resolution and tighter automation performance, no? Also, automation targets are already labeled in the plugins, unlike with CC, where you have to memorize all the numbers.
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you can send pattern changes from your DAW too, so you can make it feel like more than 64 steps I guess? In that you could automate two patterns looping round.
(even more so than using conditional trigs.)
I guess you could do that before OB too tho!
It depends how each parameter is implemented in detail. For some you have directly on the device also only 128 values. On the newer Elektron machines you can also send NRPN via MIDI for higher resolution (when possible for the specific parameter).
Yes, I know the internal resolutions of course cannot be increased. But for any param that supports it, I’d take easy plugin automation lane any day over a NRPN kludge (I have terrible experiences with NRPN using values bigger than 7bit)
Song mode?! 
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AND…parameters can blend across trigs with DAW automation instead of being trig locked. Example, blending trig 1 tuning to trig 5 tuning.
Is nice!
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Me, too. Usability & UX are worlds apart. 
To expand on this it really opens up some doors on AR for example as you can send audio into the tracks to be processed with filter/amp/lfo and fx which the parameters can be plocked on sequences and effected by scenes and performance and whatnot. Only way to do that on AR…
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Thanks all! I’m looking at getting a Digitone soon, regardless of the Overbrige status, and figured I’d ask others about it. Seems like it will be useful.
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