Syntakt and Digitone Macro Controls

Macro knobs where you can adjust multiple parameters at once with a single control are an incredibly powerful way to create dynamic and dramatic changes to pattern-based electronic music - a definite boon for any instrument. In this video I show a method you can use to give the Syntakt and Digitone macro controls.
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
02:14 - The theory
09:03 - Example of use (featuring the BeapStep Pro)
29:26 - Outro
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[@OscillatorSink]

You should also check out Human Program's video here which takes these ideas and applies them (using MIDI Loopback) to act more like a "super control all" or even something like the Octatrack's cross-fader; very cool: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmKnaZhmrJyZidU

[@Hysteric_Subjects]

I saw his entry on Elektron, and tried that that very evening! Holy crap. Fun times. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4ulm6ydZtF9fJo but I wasn't quite sure about some aspects, your vid here is a good contribution on these topics, because it's slower and tends toward more detail.

[@Hysteric_Subjects]

Time to put my keystep37 to better use.

[@bumbadabimbap2335]

Owned the syntakt for about a month now and I've been loving it but this opens up a whole new world! Thanks for sharing

[@OscillatorSink]

Enjoy! The syntakt is an all time favourite of mine.

[@Davemech]

Nice vid😊 👍 recently did a video about this as well using the DT midi tracks to create macro controls for the digitone. It’s indeed very powerful.

[@humanprogram]

Nice demo! Quick tip (I’ve done a video on this, too), on either Syntakt or Digitone, you can use MIDI loopback and the MIDI track’s SYN page has MW PB BC and AT right there. On Syntakt you lose a track, but on both you gain Elektron sequencer control, including an LFO, over all these macros…

[@OscillatorSink]

Absolutely, I meant to mention this in the video but got carried away! The only caveat is that you need to be a little more economical with how you set things up on the Syntakt with each MIDI track only being able to address one MIDI channel - but on the Digitone it is probably the more effective way of approaching it in a lot of cases.

[@chrisj5547]

Everyone should check out Human Program, on the cutting edge of some wild loopback performance techniques on the Elektron boxes ^^

[@OscillatorSink]

Ah, just had a little zip around your video - good work! You're taking more of a "super control all" approach rather than per track control - that's a really cool application that I hadn't considered. I'll pin a comment linking to your video because folks should definitely check it out!

[@OscillatorSink]

@@chrisj5547 yep! I hadn't seen their video on it but it's a really cool way of approaching this idea. I've pinned a link to the top of the comments 😊

[@humanprogram]

Thanks, and thanks for the shout out Chris J! I’ve picked up some other tips here, too-it’s a really remarkable feature of these boxes, and the range of approaches speaks to just how powerful it is! And warm thanks for the link above, I’ve pinned a link back here from there to make sure the internet is as well-cross-referenced as its designers would have dreamed

[@neonmelk]

How many times i've wondered if Ivar was some kind of cyborg or if i was just that bad at handling my DN live.... The answer was easy indeed. Then i've accepted that i couldn't spend three hours failing on the same pattern transition for ever, because of my butter fingers of doom. I'm now in peace with me and my DN because i've identified and embraced how to handle performances : Total improv, no pre stablished scenario to execute, no clean moves...in other words : Chaos. That works pretty good and it makes me happy. That doesn't mean i won't grab good tips on the way, so thanks !

[@thomaslann5015]

I love the way you are caressing the Syntakt. True love.

[@atetraxx]

Love your syntakt content. Keep em coming!

[@LloydRobinson]

Definitely not talking about Ivar Tryti… hehe. He’s been doing that for so long now it’s just muscle memory.

[@Hysteric_Subjects]

It's like you were reading my mind. This was just what I needed. Thanks!

[@lrkx_]

Nice tip, thank you! The more I learn about the Elektron machines, the more impressed I am by them. I, too, am woefully lacking in the ‘twist many knobs at the speed of light to make awesome sounds’ department, so this is a hugely helpful approach….

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

Extremely overlooked. I had no idea.

[@davidsanfeliumarco9664]

Awesome video as allways!!! Thank u so much!!! ❤

[@one23johnson]

This was really insightful to see, thanks for making it. What would be interesting to see in the future is if you made a shorter demo, 1 min into and 4-5 min performance showcasing it with a link to this for the detailed how to, or it coming after the demo 😊

[@Arkansya]

tried out to map these to mu spd sx today : now I have a spd Sx, a syntakt and a nord drum all in one :) Marvelous to play drum synths with such expressivity :)

[@EricRaymondSF]

Ah, such a cool hack. Thanks!

[@InflatableRobot]

One thing that helps me a ton when trying to do that spastic jump around tweak knobs and reload thing is to make sure the project is locked before I do that kinda thing. That way nothing you do will mess up things up permanently.

[@OscillatorSink]

Yeah, for sure, I don't ever do a performance before saving and locking these days - hit shift+yes/shift+no at the wrong point too many times to risk it!

[@dreamsaremaps]

You can reload a pattern from the saved project in the…pattern menu, is it? So an accidental func+yes can be restored from the last save on whatever pattern you are on without having to lock anything. You can also hard save the current pattern into the saved project without other post-save changes to the project being written.

[@rgrant]

Love the introduction, those demos where people are jumping about the knobs always makes me laugh. That said the Model Series is a lot more 'playable' than the Takt in that regard.

[@InkyDaCaT]

Great tip 😉🙌🌟

[@DrLaemmerbein]

I totally get what you are saying about the performing aspect! I made one live jam on the Model:Cycles where I really like the outcome but on the Digi boxes I am overwhelmed and simply cannot do these spontaneous decisions... I guess, there's also lots of training involved but I can't do that either because a piece of music will bore me to death if I have to repeat a performance five times :D

[@focky1982]

Yeah that’s exactly what’s missing on those machines. Good idea !

[@tonymarrison]

Great tut, thanks!

[@OscillatorSink]

You're very welcome!

[@dswright91]

Wow, I did not know these controls were in the digitone, I was aware of it in the syntakt.

[@raysubject]

you can sacrifice one chanel to switch it to midi, connect midi out with midi in with physical cable and then use MIDI CC on knobs to control macros (by switching midi channel you choose which synth engine you are controlling)

[@schubertludwig]

Definitely a great find in the sound menu! \o/ Also compare Dave Mech's "Connect Digitakt + Digitone tutorial" video, in which he uses a second Digi-box to automate these macro parameters. One aspect I've wondered about: does the FX track have these macros, too? I imagine not, but feel like that'd be terrifically useful for simultaneous parameter changes, say for setting up drops. (e.g. high passing while increasing reverb send)

[@NathanielPaffettLugassy]

My top feature request for the Digitakt has been to add these mod matrices as well. And also be able to set these as destinations by the Track LFO. Was disappointed the factory sounds in the Syntakt didn’t really leverage this feature.

[@OscillatorSink]

Time for a grassroots movement to request this feature from Elektron.

[@fumarolas]

This is very useful. Thanks for sharing this tip. Do macro mapping get saved with sound presets?

[@OscillatorSink]

Thanks. Yes.

[@fumarolas]

@@OscillatorSink :))))))))))

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

I really wish they would make a proper macro page for these -as you see it's (the functionality) already there but not as widely known or fleshed out. Also wish the Digi boxes didn't eat external mod/pitch wheel messages from my midi keyboard...

[@guhatekimchi]

thanks for this very powerful tip! btw i was curious about sending an aftertouch message from my beatstep(not pro) to digitone around 9:55 you say it's not CC so my midi control center app just have "CC and NRPN/RPN" as mode do you think it can send an aftertouch as well?

[@OscillatorSink]

Probably not if it's not listed, it may well be that was only added on the Pro version sadly. I'd have to check the manual to be sure though.

[@Claidheambmor]

Really cool concept and brilliant video! Just a little bit too much faff for me, not least because on the Digis we can't save kits! I know there are workarounds such as saving states in Projects and copying/pasting but man, having recently bought a Machinedrum, it blows my mind how regressive some of this stuff is.

[@nerfytheclown]

... haha! The Digitone Keys wins here; those functions are on dedicated buttons under the wheels. So fast and easy to macro!

[@santobosco5008]

Now I want to see those people you are jelous about :) great vid!

[@OscillatorSink]

Cenk, formally of Ekekron, is the king of it! A complete savant with Ekekron gear. Here's an example kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXTafnxrhKuhl8U

[@JohnLunney]

And Ivar Tryti e.g. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYK2Y61pabd0rZo

[@edjefferson9175]

I think we can push the encoder in to set the parameter selection instead of the yes button?

[@pierrefitch]

I just got a Syntakt and own a Digitone Key and Digitakt will this make a solid Trio combo for creating electronic music stuff ....

[@OscillatorSink]

Extremely solid.

[@romanprazuck5697]

Hello OS! Do you know If its possible to do something in order to reload initial value of modulation wheel and breath controller when i use reload pattern function on syntakt ? Or am i allowed to do it manualy before drop?.. Hope my english is enough understandable :s😅 Peace ✌️

[@OscillatorSink]

I don't think there is in the tone/takt itself, and even if there was, you'd end up jumping the values as soon as you adjusted them on a controller. It's probably best to have your starting point be the minimum or maximum value.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

Is it possible to use the control all function on that macro?

[@OscillatorSink]

Sadly I don't think it is - that'd be ace.

[@crust616]

I think i saw a digitakt way, midi loopback and control cc on midi channels

[@OscillatorSink]

You can't really do *macro* control on the Digitakt because you can't control multiple parameters at once with midi loopback, but there are lots of tricks you can do to add extra lfos or bring a bunch of useful parameters onto a single page.

[@nkozi]

*Laughs in Analog Four*

[@dolvaran]

Korg NanoControl would be a good cheap tool for this.

[@groovebox.academy]

Oddly enough I made a similar video that I released today. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIvNpmN5pNpjjdk In mine I use the velocity as a one knob of changing multiple controls :)

[@vangeliskostoxenakis]

im like that too hahaha i guess youre 40+?

[@OscillatorSink]

I'm pushing 40, ain't there yet!