Writing a song with the Digitakt - Producing & creating music DAWless initially
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ค. 2024
- We got a few questions asking how we create songs with the Digitakt. In this video we walk through the thought process, setup, and capture of the arrangement from a performance jam, into Ableton for later finishing.
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Tefty & Meems
0:00 Intro
0:26 The Setup
1:40 Digitakt Channel Layout
6:39 Starting a song
8:13 Recording chords
9:30 Drums
11:05 Bass
14:00 First Digitone patch
15:22 Digitakt Tonal Sounds
20:13 More percussion
21:10 Minilogue XD
24:37 More Digitone
27:50 Recording into Ableton
29:48 Live Jam
32:58 Final Thoughts
Gear Used:
Elektron Digitakt amzn.to/2UhCwcS
Elektron Digitone amzn.to/3fBPgD7
Behringer Model D amzn.to/30RSsXf
Korg Minilogue XD amzn.to/37FjeU2
Mics and Headphones:
Shure SM7b Microphone amzn.to/2ZzfeA7
Meem's Headphones amzn.to/2DCKhSi
Tefty's Headphones amzn.to/2IXZ65o
Video Gear:
Camera amzn.to/2Hr70Ci
Lens amzn.to/2Hr70Ci
Camera Mic amzn.to/2HwILCM
Spotify Music: spoti.fi/2VzWe66
iTunes & Amazon: Search "Tefty & Meems"
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What a great video - I’ve watched thousands of music related videos on TH-cam over the years but I’ve never seen one where someone has opened themselves up to showing the actual creative process as it happens.
Finally someone is explaining dawless song production in a way that I can understand and is inspiring too. Thank. You. ✌️
They say imitation is the best form of flattery so in that case I need to get a minilogue so I can replicate your setup. So many videos on youtube are about people just showing off their skills, which is great, but it doesn't help those that want to learn. You have done a great job mentoring your viewers on how to set things up, how to wing it and freestyle it and how to take that to the next step which is ableton and mixing. Even though the video seems long, it didn't feel like it was. Much appreciated! Subscribed!
Thanks for the kind words, odousa, we really appreciate it 🙏
I echo those kudos. Super inspiring, helpful, plus an awesome song. I’ve been lost wanting to dial in a creative but structured workflow similar to this. Recently bought a Digitakt, have a minilogue. No key step, but I do have a Komplete Kontrol 2nd gen. Cheers
@22:51 = The most important part of understanding how the boxes work together.
This was fantastic to watch! Thanks for making this video!
Thanks for watching!
You guys are brilliant- thanks so much for sharing your talent with us.
Hi Mitch! Thanks for watching and the kind words. ❤️🙏❤️
Absolutely love the duo format! Seeing you work together, yet each in their own domain is super interesting and inspiring to watch.
Really appreciate the kind words NETSPLIT. We honestly just want to inspire people to make music. Cheers!
These videos are so well done. Presentation + quality of content is excellent. Thank you!
Hi Jono 👋 Thanks for watching 🙏
Awesome 👏🏾 Thanks for sharing 🙏🏾
Infinitely useful demonstration. Capable couple with obvious talents and working together to create something unique and authentic. Life is great. Well done.
Thanks for watching, Kris! We appreciate the kind words ❤️
Thanks for watching! Here's the chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:26 The Setup
1:40 Digitakt Channel Layout
6:39 Starting a song
8:13 Recording chords
9:30 Drums
11:05 Bass
14:00 First Digitone patch
15:22 Digitakt Tonal Sounds
20:13 More percussion
21:10 Minilogue XD
24:37 More Digitone
27:50 Recording into Ableton
29:48 Live Jam
32:58 Final Thoughts
Wanna support us? Consider grabbing an album from teftyandmeems.bandcamp.com/album/winter-dreams or streaming us on Spotify open.spotify.com/artist/2wjY8wnR5VPznGWnCWUH9G?si=jNQQgOrrRomlPkh1vbWOLw
Nice demo of your workflow, huge inspiration! 🙂
Your videos could not come at a better time as i have been considering trading my digitakt in for an MPC One or Live because i've been in a bit of a rut with it in terms of workflow. Watching your last couple of jams along with this video have been inspiring to me because I can see how someone who has actually composed a full album using the digitakt has their studio set up. It has convinced me that maybe I need to put more effort in to learning the ins and out of the digitakt before just 'giving up' and going to MPC because i'm sure i'd hit similar issues there. Really appreciate the work you guys are doing. Keep it up.
Hey mhenke10, thanks for comment! It's incredibly inspiring for us to hear that you're getting inspiration from the vids, because that's one of our main goals with the channel! Also, we've been there before. Many times. Sometimes a new perspective is all you need to help push you past the roadblock of inspiration/motivation. And sometimes you just need to set a deadline for yourself and commit to finishing, regardless of what's "not perfect". Cheers!
I would like to echo the above comment - I too was going to trade my Digitakt but now I’m thinking how can I make more use of it and integrate it with my hardware synths. Great videos - your style and method of communication works very well.
I really like the mix of music and technology I get with your channel , it really works.
Thank you! We really enjoy making this style of content 🙏
ahhhh thanks this helped me understand the digitakt workflow better for me! I would enjoy watching part 2 on how you fine-tune it. And maybe see an option on how you use overbridge for mixing. Keep it up can totally see this channel blowing up.
Thank you VIDD! We actually have a Music Production video/series that we started and gonna release soon. It's basically talking about the process afterwards from fine tuning, overdubs, final vocals/harmony, and mixing/finalizing. Thanks for the support!
Nice! Miss Kittin & The Hacker do the same thing with analog gear and Atari Computer in the 90’s to record they first album. Straight out the box.
great video on digitakt workflow
Nobody has done a better job at selling me Electron gear than this video - even if that wasn't the goal. Other videos have talked me out of it by making me concerned about the way they work with other gear or how complex the UI might be . . . but this video made me a buyer. TY!
Thank you Ray! 🙏❤️
Thankyou...like this relaxed demo of the creative process..been wanting a Digitakt for so long, and with the overbridge I think it morphs into a multitrack interface...adds another dimension..liked ,shared and subscribed.
Thank you! Just keep in mind that Overbridge will add track latency into your DAW 👍
Your channel is really inspiring... I found your channel by looking through videos about the MPC one and I found your videos most helpful for deciding whether I want to buy it or not.
Thanks WhizStudio! We really appreciate the kind words and glad the info helped in some way ❤️🙏❤️
Love this, think de digitakt wil be my first hardware device I will buy
I just bought one used, it´s amazing!
Hi
Just discovered your channel, I love your creative process, and this video gave so many tips to the little daily issues I was experiencing with my Elektron gear,... the autochannel...why the heck have I never read the manual!!! ))) this will totally change my midi channel steps and recordings. Please more of these explanation videos, I ride the same creative boat and setup... I am just very far away behind if you observe the horizon ;)
Thank you for your music, love it)
Glad we could help in someway along the creative process! Thanks for commenting ❤️
Thanks, these tutorials are really great. I wouldn’t mind a bit more music theory or composing tips sprinkled in! Looking forward to more...
Thanks Brian! Will definitely think about incorporating more music theory into our vids . Cheers!
Nice
Another dope video! Y’all should really add the hydra synth to your arsenal. Endless possibilities!
Excellent video. I would like to know how you programmed the drum fill at 31:57
Just watching this and it’s blowing my mind. I just got a MicroFreak and am thinking of getting a Digitakt. Seems like I could also add in a key step and maybe a reverb pedal as a compact little kit.
That’d be a sweet compact setup 👍
Love the Destiny Ghost and Engrams 😁
Day 1 Hunter on the Xbone ❤️
Tefty & Meems Warlock PSN since beta I eat Hunters for lunch 😜💖
Having the melody in vocal form helps a lot for getting the most out of a Digitakt or other single-pattern type of process. Put the backing tracks in a looper, basically, while performing the longer parts on top. It's a fun and quick way to make music, as long as you can perform well.
Yup, definitely makes the patterns come to life when a vocal or instrument is free styling over the top. I also feel like adjusting filter cutoffs and parameters live on synths helps break free from the one pattern feel as well. But you gotta be able to perform it, as you said.
Playing the knobs is also a type of performance. :)
Ehsan Gelsi does some fantastic work with a Digitakt and a table full of knobby synths. He gets a lot of mileage out of a few patterns and a bunch of real-time tweaks.
Cool video! I liked it very much, especially all the details, like about grid note on the digitakt, a while ago I struggled with that a little bit, questioning why I don’t hear the first note) Idea for the next video: how do create lyrics or where do get lyrics if you don’t create it yourself?
damnnn gooooooooooooooooooooooood
Thank you! 🙏
Very cool jam T&M ! really appreciate the moment .. nice to see more & more details on the composition process .. and it looks like you prefer the "digibox" process compare to MPC :-) it will be very cool to have something with the combo octatrack + digitakt to mangle things !
Thanks shaolin! Digitakt is a sweet box no doubt, but I still like the MPC One. It's like a 50/50 split for me. Which is great because it gives me different creative workflows. Cheers!
@@TeftyMeems same here !
Wow! That auto channel stuff was covered but way too quickly as it was (I think) really useful information - but I watched it 3 times and still clear as mud. Darn.
Hi Ray, not sure if this will help, but essentially the auto channel is so you don’t have to keep switching midi channels on your midi keyboard each time you want to play on a different Digitakt channel, whether that be a sample track or midi track. It’s honestly easier to understand once you have the unit in front of you because you’ll ask yourself “how does my midi keyboard play what Digitakt has currently selected?” And that answer is the auto channel 👍
Maybe a dumb question but how do you have blue led buttons on your Digitakt?
Wow yet again I loved it guys, I have just started in the world of Digitakt and have only had one for about a week now and love it,
The one thing that i am really struggling with as i am very late to the show of music is connecting everything and Midi in and out/ Cables and leads/Syncing everything together knowing where they all go and opening the ports in Ableton lol (Not much right lol ) Channel 1 channel 2 so on and so forth.
I use a Novation Sl 49 MK 3 and could never understand how to get that set up running through individual channels in Ableton live 10
and now i have a Digitakt and a few other pieces of equipment (OP1/ Novation Mono and Circuit ) and have no idea how to set all of this up and be able to record much like you guys are and use VST sounds from Ableton to use as sounds sources for the Digitakt. Sorry if i come across as a little crazy lol But i do make music and videos like the link i asked you to take a look at in your last video :) but with audio samples and vst`s
But being late to the show i can never really find videos that show all of this stuff step by step with the equipment i have and i get so frustrated and never know who to ask. I know it is a big ask but if there is anything you can do of help it would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks, guys love your work.
Steve
My advice, having started out with midi in 1990, is to get things working one at a time. It's much easier to trouleshoot with minimum gear, once things are working you can add other synths.
Other things to bear in mind:
Learn how to use midi auto channel on the Digitakt. It's in the manual or presume there're tutoriuals online. Very useful feature that will save time.
Learn how to record arm midi tracks in Ableton, this is the easy way of connecting your controller keybard to other gear or internal synths.
Midi clock is how you sync up your gear. Using Ableton, that will need to be set up to output midi clock (master) within preferences. The DT will need to be set to receive midi clock (slave). Then when you press play on Ableton the DT will start in time. Same principle for other external gear.
Midi clock isn't midi channel specific, so it works the same across all 16 midi channels (midi has 16 channels per port).
If you connect stuff up and all of a sudden the tempo goes ballistic that'll be a midi clock confilct, you only need one master clock, all other devices would be set as slaves to that clock.
If something's not working as expected change midi cables. Nothing worse than spending hours troubleshooting only to find it's a dodgy cable and you had it right all along. This is especially important with the 3.5mm mini jack to Midi DIN, different manufacturers use different polarity on the jack side.
Don't worry about connecting midi cables the wrong way, all midi inputs are optically protected which helps reduce your own stress levels - basically you can't blow stuff up with an incorrect connection!
You’ll have to dive into manuals. Check some TH-cam videos.
I second all this advice. Dive into manuals, check youtube vids. It's a learning process, but once you crack the solution you're empowered to problem solve way quicker! Good luck 7 Tarot!
@@TeftyMeems Thanks man i have been giving it a good try and i suppose it is much like driving, After a while, you just seem to get it, and then when you use other equipment you just seem to understand it all.
Cheers mate
@@leftmono1016 Wow good advice man thank you. I am just at that stage when you make music and you just know you have something good and then shock your self lol
I have just got so overwhelmed with everything at ones that i find it hard to just concentrate on learning the one thing, at a time. It is very easy to get frustrated when you first start. but i am getting there As i said to Tefty i suppose it is much like learning to drive a car, as soon as you know you can drive any car pretty much :)
Thank you for the advice my friend
What would be your order with the elektron. Maybe digitakt first and syntack second and digitone key third all together? Would this be a good order to connect midi way
I'd go Digitakt first. Make it the clock of the project. I'd also get a midi splitter as well if you chaining a lot of gear. Each 'thru' port adds a very small amount of latency into the following midi signals. I actually made a setup guide last year on Elektron gear: th-cam.com/video/54NnPig3FSQ/w-d-xo.html
Would love for you guys to get the Keystep Pro and see how you use it. Good stuff as always, cheers!
Yeah I've thought about it. Just wish it was a bit cheaper lol
Thanks for watching!
Great job! What do you find better, personally, working with the digitakt or the mpc one as the main brain of your setup?
Thank you! Honestly I like them both. I’m always missing something from either one when doing productions. Although the setup is suuuuuuper smooth now with MPC 2.8. Connecting via USB is amazing. Cheers! 🍻
This is really inspiring! I am actually on the fence of either getting a Digitakt or a MPC One ... I already have an analog keys and I'm wondering what's best for my workflow. I wan't the fastest and more inspiring way to create while not being too limited. Would you say that the menu diving in the MPC one is a big inspiration killer?
Initially, yes. But once you understand the menu it goes much quicker. You’d probably pickup the Digitakt workflow lightening fast since you have the Keys already. But the MPC One has a lot more options on it. Decisions decisions 🤣
There is literally nothing that gets me from zero to inspiration faster than Elektron gear, once you wrap your head around the workflow.
Thanks. I loved your video. Is midi splitter, midi through? What splitter do you use or recommend ?
For the Digitakt (assuming it’s the main sequencer and clock), use midi out with a splitter. Midi thru will just pass midi data it receives from the “midi in” port. Thanks for watching!
Wow this video was extremely helpful. I’ve never owned an Elektron product but am looking to add one to my minilogue here soon. For an Elektron beginner, and for someone making both songs and using for live performance.. would you recommend the Analog Rythm or the Digitakt?
Hmmmm I think the Digitakt is better as an "entry drug" to the Elektron gear. The rytm is fantastic, but it's definitely more complicated (and more powerful). I also don't find myself using the rytm the same way as the Digitakt, personally. Digitakt is just fantastic as a hub for your gear. Also the rytm has deeper performance options, but you have to program them for each kit (which can be done in the Overbridge software). Cheers!
Tefty & Meems thank you for this 🙏🏻🙏🏻 love your music
Yeah, I started with the Digitakt. Like they said, it's a really good first Elektron product. I own an A4 and Rytm also, and I now mainly use the Rytm purely for percussion while I use the Digitakt for atmospheric samples and MIDI sequencing my other synths. Digitakt is also my master tempo clock for my whole setup.
Hey guys, what Mackie mixer do you have? Also why do you have a separate Audio (Mytek) apart from Mackie channels? Thanks
We're using a Mackie 1640i. Bought it used for a couple hundred dollars. Our audio interface is a MOTU 828es which allows for a 2 channel ADC to be connected, which is the MYTEK. Also, the MOTU software allows for custom configuration of the inputs which I then labeled in Ableton and that's why you see MYTEK and Mackie etc.
Thanks for watching!
@@TeftyMeems Thank you!!!
Hey! Recently purchased a Minilogue XD and Behringer Model D to connect with my Digitakt. Having a difficult time getting sound out of both synths and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. The KeyStep I have connected to the midi in of the Digitakt and the Behringer connected to the midi out of the Digitakt and the Minilogue connected to the midi thru. I know the KeyStep is triggering the Minilogue from the visual display of the Oscilloscope however I’m not getting any sound. I’m able to control the patch changes from the Digitakt but am unable to have a different patch on another midi channel. The Behringer I am unable to hear through the Digitakt but when I switch the main out to on I hear a solid tone play through my Apollo twin until I turn the main out back to off. I have a feeling some settings may be wrong. I would be so grateful for a direction to be pointed in 🙏🏻
Hi Justin, I honestly don’t know without seeing your setup.
Just to be clear, you have audio cables ALSO hooked up into monitoring solution? (Like a mixer, or DAW etc). The midi cables alone will not carry audio. Apologies if you already knew that. Also, the Minilogue XD can only do one patch at a time. You can’t have multiple patches per midi channel on it. It only listens to one channel at a time for midi info. Good luck! 🍻
I have a similar setup (Digitakt, Minilogue XD, and some other Elektrons and a Behringer clone.) It sounds like yes, what you need is a mixer, and from there you route that master audio into your Apollo interface. I highly recommend the Soundcraft Signature mixers, they're affordable and very high quality. Cheers!
Hello there. Just started watching your videos. I also use a Digitakt for sequencing and am starting to record multi channel (not overbridge yet) into Ableton. And I also like to record "live", as you've done, rather than one track at at time. My question is what are you guys using for an interface? You've got five sound sources here. I have an interface with 8 inputs but I'm already feeling like I'm going to go beyond that soon with the way I record. Just wondering if there's a solution other than buying a bigger and bigger interface; I also like to use a mixer, which adds to the mess a bit.
Hi Fahad! We use a MOTU 828es with an additional ADAT extension. So 16 channels total of input. But also the Elektron gear can be tracked via Overbridge so you can free up some channels for other gear that way as well. Just make sure you're not running into any audio delay issues from the Overbridge plugin.
Also, the Behringer ADA8200 is a relatively cheap ADAT extension and works great for synths.
@@TeftyMeems Thanks for the info! I have a Roland Octa Capture which I just started to use and am loving. It's expandable so I should be OK on that front. And thanks for heads up about Overbridge. actually, with the latest digitakt update, do you know if the audio will show up via usb even w/o overbridge? i haven't updated yet.
In your dawless setups, what do you use to record audio?
For pure dawless, zoom recorders. I currently use the Zoom F6.
@@TeftyMeems Thank you and congratulations for the duo's musical work, very good.
No lag with thru
Yup, true, but not all devices have a thru port. Cheers!
Sounds Like Fugees Ready or not
Sounds like a toy I don’t like it