Sequencing Bass Station II w/Digitone - Am I missing something?

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#1

Hi everyone,

I just got a Digitone the other day (my first Elektron product) and I have been loving it, however I’ve run into some problems trying to get my BSII to work with it. I was able to get it to function as a MIDI controller for the Digitone without any issue, but when I tried to set it up the other way so that the Digitone would sequence the BSII I got nothing coming out of the BSII. Admittedly I’m a novice when it comes to MIDI but I’ve checked several other videos and forum posts and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.

Here’s the set-up I’ve been trying:

Digitone MIDI out to BSII MIDI in
In the Digitone MIDI Config menu: MIDI Track 1 set to receive from Channel 5
Channel 5 enabled in the Syn1 menu for MIDI Track 1
BSII set to MIDI Channel 5
Running everything through the Digitone Overbridge app

Thanks!

#2

Make sure “Send Notes” is enabled on the DN. There’s a checkbox somewhere in the settings. Also, make sure the track isn’t muted. To confirm, for now, are you just trying to use the Digitone keyboard? You can eventually set up a MIDI loop later if you are careful, where the BS2 is your keyboard, but DN still sequences the BS2.

#3

Thanks for your reply. I am right now just trying to use the Digitone keyboard. I checked to make sure “Send Notes” was on, but I can’t seem to find it in the settings. Is it “Transport Send” under the Sync menu in the MIDI Config menu?

#4

Transport will actually cause the BS2 sequencer to start/stop with the DN, but I think you are. wanting to let the DN be the BS2s sequencer. Would be worth trying to see if the BS2 is reading any MIDI from the DN though!

#5

You’re correct, I want the DN to be the BS2’s sequencer. The MIDI tracks are definitely not muted so I don’t understand why I’m getting no response from the BS2, especially since everything worked great when I had the BS2 control the DN (the pitch and mod wheels, velocity, arpeggiator and sequencer, all that stuff worked fine).

#6

So you know which midi channel your BSII is set to? There could be an issue there

#7

If you just want to use the Digitone to sequence your BSII, the simplest way is:

  1. Connect DN MIDI out to BS MIDI in (and, if not using a mixer, connect BSII audio output to DN audio inputs and on Master page set the audio input levels, which is a per pattern setting).

  2. Select MIDI on the DN so that you are addressing the DN’s MIDI tracks.

  3. Select say track T1 and with the SYN1 page selected, hold the FUNC key and press the A encoder.

  4. Adjust the A encoder so it’s number matches the MIDI channel of the BSII, now when you play the keys on the DN you should hear the sounds of the BSII.

If you want to also use the BSII keyboard to play any of the DN’s tracks (audio or MIDI) in the DN’s MIDI Config Channels settings set all tracks to off. On the BSII set local to off (the keyboard will no longer directly play the BSII synth) and the BSII’s MIDI channel to the same channel as the DN’s auto channel.

Now if you select a DN audio track your BSII keyboard will play the DN’s synth and if you select the corresponding DN MIDI track it will play the BSII synth engine (or any other synth connected to that MIDI track).

The DN’s auto channel is very useful and pretty much makes other MIDI channel settings on the DN unnecessary.

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#8

Thanks Stickhit, you solved my problem. I had done everything right except I hadn’t connected the audio output from the BSII to the DN (I feel a little silly that I missed that!) I knew I was missing something simple but I just for the life of me couldn’t figure out what it was. Thanks again everyone!

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