Connection Maschine to Digitakt/Drummachine

RomSen · 2022-06-30T21:17:02+00:00

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Hi there - I really hope I didn't miss some answers that are already out there, but I've been pretty much searching for this the whole day and didn't really find a solution that worked.

Currently I'm trying to use Maschine+ to sequence my Elektron Devices - I just love the freedom Maschine gives me in this regard. I also tried other Sequencers, but I hope and think Maschine will pretty much beat them for my personal needs.

I hoped that, when linking both devices via USB I might be able to send Midi out from Machine to trigger for example my Digitakt sounds and receive them back via USB on several Channels/Tracks.

For some reason I'm not able to receive any Audio via USB. Less so on different channels.

Is this possible? Do I need to use an additional external interface for that? Would love to keep my setup small if possible.

If not - would I use Maschine+'s interface or Digitakt's? What difference will this make?

Again, I'm really sorry if this is a stupid question or answers are everywhere, but you would be amongst the coolest guys in my book if you could point me to a viable solution there.

Currently, I'm still hoping this could be my dream ensemble for going DAWless with the setup I use atm.

Thanks in advance!

This Forum is a marvel.

Ro.

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DeepThumb

Hi,

IMO MIDI via USB needs an USB host, e.g. a notebook or dedicated HW (I don't use one so just google for USB host).

However I would prefer a direct connection via inexpensive MIDI cables. For audio I would connect the audio outputs of M+ and your Elektron to a mixer. Headphones and monitors will be connected to that mixer then.

P.S. If you want more details and recommendations from people usually working with equipment from various HW manufacturers I would place that question at the elektronauts.com forum.

Fugazi81

Hi, yes that should be possible.

The Digitakt is "class compliant", so it should run without anything but an USB cable.

But first you have to change the Digitakt to this mode

-> System -> USB CFG -> USB AUDIO/MIDI

On the M+ you have to change the Audio device to Digitakt,

-> Settings -> Audio -> Interface

Here are some examples

https://youtu.be/pzZlch9NANI

https://youtu.be/6vZs_pVeXT0

Hope i could help, this is a great combo you have there ✌️

RomSen

Hey - thanks so much for the answers!!

@Fugazi81 Yeah, this is exactly what I was trying and hoping for. Your statement gives me some confidence that it should work like this. For some reason I couldn't get audio in the Maschine+ this way. Also I've been watching those two videos before and tried to work my way through all of it :) Also I did the settings just as you're describing.

So if anybody has an idea what else I might be doing wrong - I'm happy to try everything :D

Otherwise - I'll be travelling today, so I might be able to give it another shot over the next couple of days, after I'm back.

And I'll let you know how it turned out.

Thanks a lot!

RomSen

It seems like I'm getting a bit out of options - so what does work: I can hook up Maschine+ with Digitakt/Syntakt as an external USB Interface and trigger the Digitakts Sounds via Maschine+ and I will hear them via the Digitakt.

What I still cannot do via USB - route the individual Tracks of the Digitakt into individual Tracks on Maschine+. So, for example, get the (Digitakt) Kick on Track 1, (DT) Snare on Track 2 etc. and mix and record it in individual tracks in Maschine+.

I cannot select tracks from the Digitakt for "audio in" on individual pads on Maschine+. I only can get a mixdown of all tracks.

I'm not really sure yet, if this is even possible to accomplish. Maybe I have to rethink my setup :/

6xes

i dont own a M+

but going by whats common in maschine the DAW version..

you would normally sample your output of digitakt into the maschine Daw via line in or mic.. so you should be in sampler mode and capture it as a loop/pattern.. then you interact with it inside the M+...

i dont believe the audio is transmitted via usb(digitak2maschine+)... unless there are drivers talking between the 2 peices of hardware which there arent... im sure someone will correct me if im wrong!!

triggering midi is a different matter.. but as im unfamiliar with the M+ and its midi implementation within the unit in standalone... thats better left for an experienced user

Fugazi81

Me think´s that he wants to make use of the digi/syntakt ability to be used as class compliant audio devices.

The manual is a bit vague about it.

6.7 CLASS COMPLIANT DEVICE

The Digitakt is a class compliant device (also known as plug-and-play). It means it does not require any extra drivers to connect to your computer or other USB class compliant hosts. The Digitakt can, therefore, stream audio and MIDI directly over USB to and from supported computers/ phones/tablets. It opens up several exciting possibilities of what you can do with your device, for example, record audio from your device directly over USB in your DAW.

This way audio/midi gets transmitted over usb, class compliant so no drivers needed.

What I still cannot do via USB - route the individual Tracks of the Digitakt into individual Tracks on Maschine+. So, for example, get the (Digitakt) Kick on Track 1, (DT) Snare on Track 2 etc. and mix and record it in individual tracks in Maschine+.

This it is not possible in class compliant mode. To record seperate tracks, is where Overbridge comes into play. To use Overbridge you need a driver to run on your DAW. Not possible on M+.

Sorry, i missed this detail.

In class compliant mode you only get 2in + 2out.

sample your Digitakt with M+
sample your M+ with Digitakt.

Why all this does not work in the case of RomSen i can´t tell.

But in theorie it should be as simple as plug-and-play.

Fugazi81

I tried it with my Analog Heat and it worked as mentioned in my post.

Elektron -> Set device to USB AUDIO/MIDI

M+ -> Settings -> Audio -> Interface -> select hw. Heat

You will see the M+ changes it´s audio interface to the Elektron interface

-> you will get 1L + 1R inputs + 1L + 1R outputs

This also means you can not use the (interface) ins/outs on your M+ anymore, you have to use the ins/outs on your connected device.

Another limitation is that you can only use one external device this way.

RomSen

Hi there - again, thanks a lot for the support. :)

Yeah it seems as you say - I could accomplish the other setup only via Overbridge, which would made my DAWless setup again "less DAWless" :)

So I'm currently trying it out the way Fugazi is describing it.

I'm creating my own CC patterns and try to control my Digitakt/Syntakt that way via Maschine+, probably needing another Mixer at the end of the chain to mix and match the final signals. And probably I will be using the DAW for recording via Overbridge, just going DAWless for Live situations.

Would have been amazing to do this in Maschine+ for a smaller setup - but still I think this makes a decent combo.

Thank you guys, you're amazing!

6xes

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/23537#Comment_23537

thanks for highlighting the class compliance aspect... it did dawn on me, when i posted that comment that i did... which i thought about removing... but i figured, it will trigger someone to correct me and explain!!

cheeRs

D-One

It depends on your needs but you might not need a DAW involved, external mixer, or even use the sampling one of the devices into the other approach; you can just adjust your levels internally in both devices independently so they match, send the Out from one too the other via audio cables and use the USB MIDI connection so all your MIDI is in one of the devices only and everything is synced.

The main limited aspect is the fact that the M+ only has 1 stereo input so if you, for example, want to process more than 1 channel coming live from the Digi with M+'s FX live you would need to buy an interface with more inputs and use that instead of the one built-in the M+, but you might not need all this.

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