*INTERESTED IN A PRIVATE COACHING SESSION?* Have a look at the video description for details!😎 **********ADDITIONAL USEFUL INFO ABOUT MY SETUP:********** Here is some additional "rapid fire" information which might be relevant if you're curious about some of the more intricate technicalities of this setup as this has been explicitly asked to me by a viewer: **********1. About assigning MIDI CCs between Elektron Machines and AUM & AUv3 plugins:********** There are typically 2 scenarios: A) either a particular AUv3 plugin has a "hard wired" MIDI CC parameters mapping (which is the case for "Ruismaker FM" for example), OR B) the AUv3 plugin that is attempted to be controlled has its parameters "exposed" (visible) to AUM so that an association can be tailor made between a particular AUv3 plugin parameter and a user defined MIDI CC, directly by AUM. In my use case specifically I leverage BOTH scenario A and B in parallel to control Ruismaker FM on my Digitakt for example. So I went in RFM's user manual to find the MIDI CC map of the instrument and then on a per track basis on the Digitakt I manually selected the relevant unique CC parameters for each of the 6 "parts" (as Ruismaker FM is a 6 parts multitimbral percussion synthesizer) of RFM, corresponding to my Digitakt MIDI tracks 1 to 6. This is a tedious process that requires some degree of planning and preparation, because I then have to account for the fact that to some degree I will always have to recycle my projects to act as a foundation (or template) for new projects in order to avoid having to redo this time consuming task. My Digitakt is connected via USB MIDI to my iPad's USB-C HUB, and I created in AUM an association between that particular instance of RFM and my Digitakt. In parallel to this I defined custom CC parameter values for AUM "FX send" nodes corresponding to Delay and Reverb for the 6 RFM MIDI tracks I use with my Digitakt, the implication is that each Reverb/Send node has a UNIQUE CC parameter value which I then manually match in my Digitakt. The implication here is that on top of having a direct connection between my Digitakt and RFM, I also have a direct connection between AUM's MIDI control (which is the icon with multiple faders in AUM's connection matrix on the vertical axis to the top right) and the Digitakt directly, otherwise I wouldn't be able to control these FX send nodes from the Digitakt. AUM's connection matrix by the way is accessed by tapping the "reversed S" icon top right of AUM 's UI, and in the connection matrix both the items listed on the X and Y axis can be interacted with through horizontal/vertical dragging gestures for scrolling if the list of INPUTS/OUTPUTS is larger than what the matrix can display at once. Setting up all this requires that these custom associated AUM FX send nodes CC parameters have to respond to the SAME MIDI channel as the channel to which the Digitakt is sending MIDI CC data to RFM, because in Elektron boxes, you cannot define custom MIDI channels for each of the 8 available assignable MIDI CC parameters, everything gets sent to the MIDI channel that you defined for the whole track. This in turn implies that as a user you have to account on a granular level for each mapped MIDI CC parameter throughout this whole scenario to ensure that there is no overlap (i.e. accidentally having a MIDI CC parameter sending data to more than just 1 parameter). AUM affords an AMAZING level of flexibility on that front because it can filter whether or not an AUv3 receives MIDI CC data on a granular basis, which can help in some scenarios. That should be a good starting point on that subject. **********2. About communication between AUM and Audiobus:********** The only connection between AUM and Audiobus is the fact that everything is aligned/clocked through Ableton Link in the context of the Xequence + Audiobus + AUM trifecta. AUM is loaded within my Audiobus project but all the audio I'm listening to can essentially be understood as coming from AUM. As a result, Audiobus in my setup strictly acts as a logistics enabler to effectively expand the functionality of Xequence so that I can control it with my remote control (to a VERY limited degree). **********3. Controlling BA-1 through AU Keys and Xequence's MIDI controller:********** Amongst other things, BA-1 is configured to receive incoming MIDI from Xequence through an input called "AUM destination" (or just AUM as an output from the point of view of Xequence's UI). In that context, once I configure a particular Xequence track to match a specific MIDI channel corresponding to an AUv3 sound generator (in this case BA-1) which I've enabled to receive MIDI data from the "AUM destination" input [from the perspective of BA-1], I can then double tap that particular track in Xequence to bring up the MIDI controller keyboard corresponding to that track, which will directly control BA-1. BA-1 is also configured to receive MIDI data from Helium, which in turn is connected to receive MIDI data from AU Keys (orange keyboard in AUM). That should be a good starting point on that subject as well. **********4. Elektron machines MIDI connections to AUM in the context of Helium:********** The connection scheme I use allows for Elektron machines to be connected to AUv3 sound generators in parallel with the fact that Helium (as well as Xequence) can also be connected to the same AUv3 sound generators. This gives me all the flexibility I need if I want complex full resolution sequencing for a particular sound, or if I just need a step sequencer for that sound. On a side note for now I deliberately chose not to have my elektron machines internal sound generators controlled by Xequence because I'm not pressured to do so generally speaking. Perhaps the only scenario in which I would be inclined to do this eventually is if I really wanted to leverage the Digitone specifically to write a complex humanized melody. However, so far I've chosen to steer clear from that to keep things more manageable/practical. **********5. What are key plugins I use for my FX send busses:********** For delay I use: Fabfilter Timeless 3. It's extremely powerful but definitely NOT recommended for beginners as it requires a VERY significant time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets. I'm definitely very much a the beginning of the learning curve on that front. For Reverb I use mainly one of these 3: Either Fabfilter Pro-R 2, Baby Audio Crystalline, or Eventide Blackhole. Pro-R 2 definitely falls into the same category as Timeless 3, extremely powerful definitely not recommended for beginners and requires a very substantial time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets Crystalline is very interesting and easy to use but has DSP usage implications that are not ideal (the developer is aware) Blackhole is more for DSP usage efficiency, but it requires an extra dose of creativity to generate convincing/usable results as it doesn't attempt to be realistic. For Chorus I use a combination between: Haaze 2 (by Klevgrand) FAC Chorus (by Fred Anton Corvest) Haaze 2 is definitely NOT easy to use and NOT recommended generally speaking, but FAC Chorus definitely IS recommended. **********6. What are key plugins I use for my Master Output track:********** Throughout my entire projects I consistently use Fabfilter Pro-C 2, including on my master track. I also use Fabfilter Volcano 3 as a characterful filter with an envelope follower to bring analog sounding non linearities in the high frequencies to give more character/colour to my sound. As my Ultra Low Latency Limiter and Tape saturation emulation I use TAIP by Baby Audio, which is an invaluably important plugin considering what it does to loudness and its extremely low latency (but I already discussed this in my main video). **********Closing Thoughts:********** If you haven't you also might want to see this shorter video I did as a first effort to showcase my setup in action following the release of my major guide video as it might allow you to gather additional potentially relevant info: th-cam.com/video/_DGz_bRU6Mw/w-d-xo.html As a general closing statement for anybody getting anything out of this, please don't forget to pepper stuff with Likes as I could really use more exposure to incentivize video content creation! It's quite tough and to some level discouraging to make quality content while knowing it doesn't get a fair shot at succeeding due to artificially throttled exposure. Thanks! :)
Looking forward to watching this later! I’m unable to atm, but i have almost the same set up haha. I’ve been on iPad Pro for years and got a digitone last year and a digitakt 2 today!
Congrats on the Digitakt 2! What I've really come to appreciate with my Digitakt/Digitone 2 combo (I got the DN2 in November 2024) is how having immediate access to 32 tracks gets me in a completely different ball park in terms of convenience and inviting creativity. The investment definitely stung considering the state of the Canadian dollar, but i can't think of a better investment today (with the Digitakt 2 being the close second!) With the Digitakt 2 you'll be able to give custom names to mapped parameters on your MIDI tracks on top of being able to map 16 CC parameters per track which overall is a clear game changer. The difficulty remains though that it's a very substantial task to cherry pick parameters from AUv3 plugins that are as compatible as possible within the context of low resolution MIDI (meaning no NRPN). It's well worth the effort though and you can save your mappings as MIDI machine presets for easy recall. I personally don't really mind the fact that there's no bidirectionality between AUM and my Elektron boxes, but it definitely requires me to be in tune with the instruments that I use. For me it's a rather slow learning process, but the results are extremely powerful so the time investment is definitely worth it in my opinion. Cheers!
A dissertation on using the iPad Pro to make music 👌. Kudos, very insightful and informative (I haven’t finished watching yet but wow! So much to absorb) gonna go home and try some of this, I don’t have any hardware devices like a digitak so I’ll figure out how I can use this with what I have.
Thanks for the good words! The video is indeed quite demanding to watch! To sort of alleviate the difficulty of watching the whole thing, I've been banking on providing a detailed structure in the description to help people mark what section they stopped watching the video at until the next session, hopefully that helps 😊... Anyhow, I want to be very transparent with you because there's a LOT of ways that you could get bad surprises out there and I don't want to be the guy that led you to those bad experiences (brace yourself as I'm about to get quite intense, but it's really because this feels like the right opportunity to share important info with everyone given the context of your comment): I feel it's very important to state that if you see yourself making music using a step sequencer at an advanced level (incorporating things like trigger probabilities, conditions, parameter locking, micro timing adjustment per step, etc.), not having a high quality device such as the Digitakt II (ideally) to pair with the iPad will radically increase the level of difficulty to "find your groove/flow" using an iPad. You could probably minimize this greatly if you take an approach that's more reliant on an app that's more of a self contained system to make music on iPad, maybe something like Strokes (AUv3) by John Howes (AKA Cong Burn) for example (I don't have Strokes yet though!), or even Nanostudio 2 (which is a Host app). Even if Nanostudio 2 is sadly no longer updated since 2021, at least it's a well polished self contained system that would guarantee you a reliable critical mass of functionality (even though it does not offer a step sequencer). It's even possible that from a usability and potential for immersion standpoint it might even be more viable than Cubasis 3. In full transparency though, because of my needs in terms of sequencing I can't really envision myself using Nanostudio 2 (or Cubasis really) considering what I'm accustomed to today as I'm 100% committed to AUM. Be aware that Cubasis 3 has a profound flaw as it is 100% incapable of sending proper MIDI clock to Elektron devices, and probably any hardware device that could receive MIDI clock really (according to the tests I ran using either the Elektron Digitakt or Digitone as an audio interface for my M2 iPad Pro). Cubasis 3 probably only makes sense in complete isolation, but it is still being updated as opposed to Nanostudio 2, and Cubasis does have the very important attribute of being able to record audio, as opposed to Nanostudio 2. I'm not sure if it's in this video or if it's in my "meta" analysis video, but at some point I mention that developing a proper sequencer (whether it be step based or piano roll based) is VERY resource intensive generally speaking (it's probably the most ambitious task that a dev could undertake in this field). Therefore it's extremely unlikely for AUv3 sequencers on iOS developed by small developers to get to a point where they'd be in the same ballpark as something like an Elektron or OXI sequencer in terms of design, ease of use, reliability, functionality and ultimately potential for creativity, even though on a technical level such a thing is 100% achievable because the iPad Pro hardware/platform is awesome. As far as I'm aware, right now the "bravest" candidate that decided to tackle this "mammoth" task is the dev behind the "Prism" AUv3 sequencer (which I do not have), as the dev is also an Elektron machines user. I have zero experience as to the usability of Prism's UI or its reliability, so taking a chance with Prism would be a complete gamble even though a very affordable one. I intuitively anticipate that Prism's UI might need probably another year of polish and refinement to be in an ideal state, and there is absolutely zero guarantee that such refinement will take place. I am monitoring Prism's update notes closely though because this app is potentially a MAJOR milestone for the iOS music production platform, and it IS receiving very encouraging updates as these significantly expand the feature set that was originally included at release. There's technically also Drambo which can be both used as a host and as an AUv3 and which can "do the job" as a MIDI sequencer (and has some great strengths for creating pattern progressions), however unfortunately Drambo is seriously flawed on a technical level in significant ways that are not initially apparent, especially if you value being able to manipulate unquantized MIDI data. A significant part of this problem is because Drambo attempts the incredibly ambitious task of a seamless integration between a polyphonic step sequencer AND a piano roll sequencer, which to my knowledge nobody else has attempted so far. It should also be said that using Drambo as a host (as opposed to a MIDI sequencer hosted in AUM) is 100% out of question for those like me who value using plugins such as the industry leading Fabfilter Pro-C 2, as Drambo does not properly support Pro-C 2 (and probably many other Fabfilter plugins in ways that aren't initially apparent) despite the fact that Drambo's developer (BeepStreet) has been informed of the issues extensively almost a year ago now, and these issues still persist today sadly. In case it's not already apparent I'm extremely disappointed by that as I really believed in Drambo originally, but my hopes for it are dwindling at this point. I know this was probably quite the intense read but I really don't want to "sell the dream" of an experience that looks like what I'm showing on this channel to people who don't have a proper hardware sequencer to pair with their iPad, as a way of circumventing the shortcomings of the iOS platform in its current state on the step sequencer front specifically. Also for anyone reading this wondering why I'm not mentioning Logic Pro for iPad, I'm automatically discarding that option because it's subscription based, therefore I will never support it or recommend it on my channel regardless of any potential appeal it might have, as I don't want to support companies that use this business model, and I want to be sovereign over the instruments I invest time/energy in to make music. I'm confident that everybody else in the community wants that too! If you have any questions or would like some advice or a second opinion if you're considering a potential purchase, feel free to ask here! Cheers! 😅
Wow! Amazing piece of work. I’ve been on a very similar journey with iPad and more recently the Digitakt. I haven’t got quite as far as you and don’t have the same grasp of the technical detail but I’ve worked out lots of the the hub, power, interface, hardware, connection issues similarly to you although again not quite in as much detail. Plus I have the lightening connection on my older iPad so I’ve been down the whole camera connection kit rabbit hole too. I’m really impressed with what you have done, I’ve only watched the first half of this video and will come back to it and your others over the next few days and weeks. I’m sure I’ll get back in touch. I’m glad I’ve found your channel and look forward to seeing what you do with it.
You're actually the first person on YT to ever comment on my work! Thanks for the kind words! :) Indeed connectivity that depends on a lightning port is particularly challenging in this context. On a side note, that's partly why I'm waiting for the iPhone 16 to come out before I even consider buying another iPhone (even if the 15 has a USB-C port too it was the first generation with it so I'd rather be cautious). I want to be able to connect my hub with all my Apple devices if I ever need to and having USB-C connectivity on every device puts an end to the problem. Anyhow, looking back at all the things that had to be lined up for this iPad setup to even exist never ceases to amaze me. The complexity of this situation is why it can be so difficult for people to even be aware that a setup like this is even a possibility, which is why I felt a "calling" to make that information available for all the adventurous music explorers out there. In my view the iPad is the tip of the spear of an ongoing technological revolution in the music hardware world and so far if I'm honest I don't think there are many people out there that actually realize this. The iPad is in my opinion the most powerful vector to democratize access to high quality music production technology on a large scale. The more people show interest in the platform, the stronger the incentive becomes for developers out there to give more gems like AUM to the world. Decoupling software purchases from a specific device protects the user's software investment on top of enabling the user to run the software on multiple devices at once, and when considering the technological canyon between the iPad and the rest of the hardware that's out there, at that point it's just an evidence to me that this platform has the potential to "be" the future. Anyhow, cheers and I wish you the best with your iPad exploration journey! (also please consider subscribing hehee 😅)
@@Silent_Stillness I finished watching this, subscribed and then went to your first video and have just watched that! Really good stuff, inspiring honestly. Plus amazingly similar to my journey. I was a techno DJ back in the 90s and bought a few bits of equipment, including a TB303 would you believe. Amazing how the value of that has gone up over the years, not that I’d sell it. After toying around with it and a sampler and a DAW that I can’t remember the name of, I gave up and got on with family life. Over the last few years I’ve gone back to playing piano and have dusted of the 303 and 606 and started to use them like they were originally designed, LOL. If you look up the publicity material for them when they came out in 1981, Oscar Peterson is playing jazz on a piano using them as a drum and bass accompaniment! Anyway, we know what happens next is the 303 playing a fundamental part in transforming electronic music and the dance music scene of my formative years! But now in my 50s, I’ve managed to programme jazz standards into it to help me practice piano. Well, that bit isn’t so similar to your journey but the process of figuring out how to sync the 303 to newer drum machines and adding in the iPad to record/sequence these practice tunes and then working out how to control playback remotely from my phone, then getting back into techno and buying a Digitakt… that’s similar! Lots of mistakes along the way of course. Took me far too long to understand the need for the Apple branded CCK and too long to realise only one interface at a time. But I’m getting there and really enjoying the process. The Digitakt is an amazing piece of kit that I’ve really taken to. And your videos have inspired me to work out integrating the DT and iPad a bit better. And who know, maybe you have inspired me to record my own journey on to TH-cam. I hope my commenting encourages you to keep going, looking forward to see what content you create. I haven’t watched your jams yet but hoping there’s some explanation of the process as well as the music.
@@teknodriver I love Oscar Peterson by the way haha :D, especially "Ode to Billy Joe". That stuff was definitely playing at home when I was a kid! The whole Apple CCK thing definitely appeared to me as a major point of friction when I did my research, and being in the market at a time where it was already possible to buy an iPad that was USB-C 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 based was a major confidence booster to encourage me to take a chance with this substantial investment, with basically no guarantees that the setup was going to be viable in practice. As far as what you said regarding your 303 and 606, I can't help but to share my 2 cents on that: In my view - if there is a financial constraint - considering the technology that's available today I view the 303, 606, 707, 808 and the 909 as 100% obsolete. If someone was willing to buy my theoretical 303 for an outrageously large sum, it would make a lot of sense to fund technologically relevant equipment with it instead of actually using it. I have 2 vintage Roland analog polyphonic synthesizers, and with the setup I have now, I wish I would have never bought them because they're bulky and flawed in very significant ways. The less gear I have, the better, and that's a major pillar of my entire approach. I have a lot more gear than what I show in my videos, but if I could push a button to easily sell most of it at the right price I would do it in a heartbeat. If you're into the 303 stuff you definitely will want to check Jim Audio's "Pure Acid" (Dmitrij Pavlov on the app store), as that's currently the best emulation there is on the platform, in fact that dev is a genius. On what you said regarding the Digitakt, in my opinion it's a device that requires a LOT of discipline and preparation to truly get value out of it, if the main goal is to use its internal audio tracks, as opposed to sequencing external stuff which is much more linear and simple. The Digitakt is potentially extremely rewarding, but its return on time investment baseline can be pretty harsh at times due to its monophonic nature, especially with the original version sample playback being limited to mono. In that sense I generally get much more immediate enjoyment out of the Digitone because of its more obvious generative capabilities and of course because of its polyphony. On the other hand the Digitakt can generate extremely unique results that can potentially define entire new musical directions. It can also bring sounds into the equation that the DN never could. As you can see in my setup, I've chosen to embrace the Digitakt both as a sequencer of external sources, but also as a sample processor specialist as opposed to a general purpose drum machine, even though so far in my videos I have not really demonstrated that aspect of it. By essentially eliminating the Digitakt as a candidate for controlling my kick I made the conscious decision to place it in a position where there's a strong incentive to experiment with its internal audio tracks as a specialized tool to generate unique results, just because of the way it is routed into the Digitone. Your comment DEFINITELY encourages me to keep going and I really appreciate that you took the time to watch my content and to write this comment :D. Sharing ideas, collectively pushing boundaries, and exploring new sonic territories is what this entire process is all about for me. Definitely keep me posted if you ever decide to start recording stuff and posting it on YT. In case you don't know where to begin, Davinci Resolve is a professional grade video editor which is for all intents and purposes free. It's what I use to edit my content, and it's structured well enough so that it's approachable if you're competent with tech generally speaking. I still can't believe that this thing is free, but hey I'm definitely grateful for it!
I know what you mean about the old analog gear and I agree that the new technology has got to the point that it emulates any of the vintage gear so well that I don’t think anyone can really tell the difference any more. I think the 303 is such an icon for all sorts of reasons not just the way it sounds that I can’t imagine selling it. It’s small enough to be in my set up without getting in the way and I still use it. But I have a 101 that I will probably sell soon in order to invest in something else. I have my gear mostly set up on top of my piano so space is at a premium which is why I love the iPad. Plus I like it for all the reasons you say in your video about getting away from the computer and being hands on with things. I’m not dogmatic about the DAWless thing (and I get why some people say AUM is a DAW!) but it’s nice to stay away from the complexity of something lie Ableton and focus on playing instruments. I really like the improvisational approach to making electronic music which I suppose is influenced by both the jazz and DJing background. It’s nice to be able to do it all on the fly if I can. But like I say, it’s not dogma and I can see the benefit of a DAW for composing and arranging a full tune. Thanks for the tip on Resolve. I looked at that a while ago so it’s nice to know I was checking out the right kind of thing!
If you’re already an Elektron machines user, a particularly interesting point to start looking at to peek your interest if you have limited time is the audio routing flexibility between Elektron machines and the iPad, which is covered in the section "4.1 The Digitakt & Digitone Audio Routing" available by clicking here: 1:06:24 .
Salut ! J'ai écouté l'intégralité de la vidéo 😎. C'était vraiment intéressant de découvrir ta réflexion sur ton setup. Cependant, après une heure et demie, j'étais un peu déçu de ne pas en savoir plus sur les détails techniques concrets du genre comment assigner les MIDI CC. La communication entre AUM et Audiobus. Comment tu peux utiliser le keyboard de Xequence pour contrôler BA-1? Est-ce que les MIDI Channels des Elektron Boxes sont connectés aussi à Helium ? J'aurais aimé aussi que tu montres quels sont les FX sur tes Bus et les FX chain sur ton Master Channel. Parfois ça donne des idées sur des plugins qu'on a et qu'on oublie d'utiliser. Peut-être que j'en demande trop ... ? ;)
Hello! (Je vais répondre en anglais vu la nature de la conversation) Big thanks for your interest and enthusiasm in my content :D ! It's awesome to have people start to come by and demonstrate enough curiosity and motivation to justify watching this kind of content, considering its inherently dry/demanding technical nature. I completely agree that it is relevant/useful to go into the precise details of how my setup is routed, however considering the length that this video already had to take, as my second "core" video on the channel it was too early to justify going through that level of depth at the time, as the subject is already very specialized. My goal is to ultimately balance my channel content between 3 main pillars: 1. Educational content related to music tech, 2. Artistic/musical content, and 3. Reviewing tech & iOS apps. I'm at a point where I have to iterate on all fronts at a pace that aligns to a degree with my understanding of people's interests. Amongst many other things, something that contributed to why I did not want go into details with the apps that I use is because I want to cover that content over time in more "digestible" bits, which is a format that allows for much more depth and detail. With all that said I'll try a hot take to provide at least some answers to what you were curious about: 1. About assigning MIDI CCs: There are 2 scenarios here: a) either a particular AUv3 plugin has a "hard wired" MIDI CC parameters mapping (which is the case for "Ruismaker FM" for example), OR b) the AUv3 plugin that is attempted to be controlled has its parameters "exposed" (visible) to AUM so that an association can be tailor made between a particular AUv3 plugin parameter and a user defined MIDI CC, directly by AUM. In my use case specifically I leverage BOTH scenario A and B in parallel to control Ruismaker FM on my Digitakt for example. So I went in RFM's user manual to find the MIDI CC map of the instrument and then on a per track basis on the Digitakt I manually selected the relevant unique CC parameters for each of the 6 "parts" (as Ruismaker FM is a 6 parts multi-timbral percussion synthesizer) of RFM, corresponding to my Digitakt MIDI tracks 1 to 6 (which in this case all had to be configured to send data on the same MIDI channel btw). This is a tedious process that requires some degree of planning and preparation, because I then have to account for the fact that to some degree I will always have to recycle my projects to act as a foundation (or template) for new projects in order to avoid having to redo this time consuming task. My Digitakt is connected via USB MIDI to my iPad's USB-C HUB, and I created in AUM an association between that particular instance of RFM and my Digitakt. In parallel to this I defined custom CC parameter values for AUM "FX send" nodes corresponding to Delay and Reverb for the 6 RFM MIDI tracks I use with my Digitakt, the implication is that each Reverb/Send node has a UNIQUE CC parameter value which I then manually match in my Digitakt. The implication here is that on top of having a direct connection between my Digitakt and RFM, I also have a direct connection between AUM's MIDI control (which is the icon with multiple faders in AUM's connection matrix on the vertical axis to the top right) and the Digitakt directly, otherwise I wouldn't be able to control these FX send nodes from the Digitakt. AUM's connection matrix by the way is accessed by tapping the "reversed S" icon top right of AUM 's UI, and in the connection matrix both the items listed on the X and Y axis can be interacted with through horizontal/vertical dragging gestures for scrolling if the list of INPUTS/OUTPUTS is larger than what the matrix can display at once. Setting up all this requires that these custom associated AUM FX send nodes CC parameters have to respond to the SAME MIDI channel as the channel to which the Digitakt is sending MIDI CC data to RFM, because in Elektron boxes, you cannot define custom MIDI channels for each of the 8 available assignable MIDI CC parameters, everything gets sent to the MIDI channel that you defined for the whole track. This in turn implies that as a user you have to account on a granular level for each mapped MIDI CC parameter throughout this whole scenario to ensure that there is no overlap (i.e. accidentally having a MIDI CC parameter sending data to more than just 1 parameter). AUM affords an AMAZING level of flexibility on that front because it can filter whether or not an AUv3 receives MIDI CC data on a granular basis, which can help in some scenarios. That should be a good starting point on that subject. 2. About communication between AUM and Audiobus: The only connection between AUM and Audiobus is the fact that everything is aligned/clocked through Ableton Link in the context of the Xequence + Audiobus + AUM trifecta. AUM is loaded within my Audiobus project but all the audio I'm listening to can essentially be understood as coming from AUM. As a result, Audiobus in my setup strictly acts as a logistics enabler to effectively expand the functionality of Xequence so that I can control it with my remote control (to a VERY limited degree). 3. Controlling BA-1 through AU Keys and Xequence's MIDI controller: Amongst other things, BA-1 is configured to receive incoming MIDI from Xequence through an input called "AUM destination" (or just AUM in the context of Xequence's UI. In that context, once I configure a particular Xequence track to match a specific MIDI channel corresponding to an AUv3 sound generator (in this case BA-1) which I've enabled to receive MIDI data from the "AUM destination" input [from the perspective of BA-1], I can then double tap that particular track in Xequence to bring up the MIDI controller keyboard corresponding to that track, which will directly control BA-1. BA-1 is also configured to receive MIDI data from Helium, which in turn is connected to receive MIDI data from AU Keys (orange keyboard in AUM). That should be a good starting point on that subject as well. 4. Elektron machines MIDI connections to AUM in the context of Helium: The connection scheme I use allows for Elektron machines to be connected to AUv3 sound generators in parallel with the fact that Helium (as well as Xequence) can also be connected to the same AUv3 sound generators. This gives me all the flexibility I need if I want complex full resolution sequencing for a particular sound, or if I just need a step sequencer for that sound. On a side note for now I deliberately chose not to have my elektron machines internal sound generators controlled by Xequence because I'm not pressured to do so generally speaking. Perhaps the only scenario in which I would be inclined to do this eventually is if I really wanted to leverage the Digitone specifically to write a complex humanized melody. However, so far I've chosen to steer clear from that to keep things more manageable/practical. 5. What are key plugins I use for my FX send busses: For delay I use: Fabfilter Timeless 3 . It's extremely powerful but definitely NOT recommended for beginners as it requires a VERY significant time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets. I'm definitely very much a the beginning of the learning curve on that front. For Reverb I use mainly one of these 3: Either Fabfilter Pro-R 2, Baby Audio Crystalline, or Eventide Blackhole. Pro-R 2 definitely falls into the same category as Timeless 3, extremely powerful definitely not recommended for beginners and requires a very substantial time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets Crystalline is very interesting and easy to use but has DSP usage implications that are not ideal (the developer is aware) Blackhole is more for DSP usage efficiency, but it requires an extra dose of creativity to generate convincing/usable results as it doesn't attempt to be realistic. For Chorus I use a combination between: Haaze 2 (by Klevgrand) FAC Chorus (by Fred Anton Corvest) Haaze 2 is definitely NOT easy to use and NOT recommended generally speaking, but FAC Chorus definitely IS recommended. 6. Key plugins I use for my Master Output track: Throughout my entire projects I consistently use Fabfilter Pro-C 2, including on my master track. I also use Fabfilter Volcano 3 as a characterful filter with an envelope follower to bring analog sounding non-linearities in the high frequencies register to give more character/color to my sound overall. As my Ultra Low Latency Limiter and Tape saturation emulation I use TAIP by Baby Audio, which is an invaluably important plugin considering what it does to loudness and its extremely low latency (but I already discussed this in my main video). If you haven't you also might want to see this shorter video I did as a first effort to showcase my setup in action following the release of my major guide video as it might allow you to gather additional potentially relevant info: th-cam.com/video/_DGz_bRU6Mw/w-d-xo.html That's a good place to stop haha! As a general closing statement for anybody getting anything out of this, please don't forget to pepper stuff with Likes as I could really use more exposure to incentivize video content creation! It's quite tough and to some level discouraging to make quality content while knowing it doesn't get a fair shot at succeeding due to artificially throttled exposure. Thanks! :)
@@Silent_Stillness Wow!!! I didn’t expect to receive such a detailed response! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions so thoughtfully. I truly appreciate it. I sincerely hope that your video channel gets the attention it deserves, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to enjoy the three ‘menus’ you’ve suggested! In the meantime, I’ll happily put your explanations to the test, and I’m sure it’ll be a rewarding experience! Thanks again for your time and dedication!
I've just released a first short format 14 minutes jam session video intended to showcase some of my workflow using my setup: th-cam.com/video/_DGz_bRU6Mw/w-d-xo.html
*INTERESTED IN A PRIVATE COACHING SESSION?*
Have a look at the video description for details!😎
**********ADDITIONAL USEFUL INFO ABOUT MY SETUP:**********
Here is some additional "rapid fire" information which might be relevant if you're curious about some of the more intricate technicalities of this setup as this has been explicitly asked to me by a viewer:
**********1. About assigning MIDI CCs between Elektron Machines and AUM & AUv3 plugins:**********
There are typically 2 scenarios:
A) either a particular AUv3 plugin has a "hard wired" MIDI CC parameters mapping (which is the case for "Ruismaker FM" for example), OR
B) the AUv3 plugin that is attempted to be controlled has its parameters "exposed" (visible) to AUM so that an association can be tailor made between a particular AUv3 plugin parameter and a user defined MIDI CC, directly by AUM.
In my use case specifically I leverage BOTH scenario A and B in parallel to control Ruismaker FM on my Digitakt for example.
So I went in RFM's user manual to find the MIDI CC map of the instrument and then on a per track basis on the Digitakt I manually selected the relevant unique CC parameters for each of the 6 "parts" (as Ruismaker FM is a 6 parts multitimbral percussion synthesizer) of RFM, corresponding to my Digitakt MIDI tracks 1 to 6.
This is a tedious process that requires some degree of planning and preparation, because I then have to account for the fact that to some degree I will always have to recycle my projects to act as a foundation (or template) for new projects in order to avoid having to redo this time consuming task.
My Digitakt is connected via USB MIDI to my iPad's USB-C HUB, and I created in AUM an association between that particular instance of RFM and my Digitakt.
In parallel to this I defined custom CC parameter values for AUM "FX send" nodes corresponding to Delay and Reverb for the 6 RFM MIDI tracks I use with my Digitakt, the implication is that each Reverb/Send node has a UNIQUE CC parameter value which I then manually match in my Digitakt.
The implication here is that on top of having a direct connection between my Digitakt and RFM, I also have a direct connection between AUM's MIDI control (which is the icon with multiple faders in AUM's connection matrix on the vertical axis to the top right) and the Digitakt directly, otherwise I wouldn't be able to control these FX send nodes from the Digitakt. AUM's connection matrix by the way is accessed by tapping the "reversed S" icon top right of AUM 's UI, and in the connection matrix both the items listed on the X and Y axis can be interacted with through horizontal/vertical dragging gestures for scrolling if the list of INPUTS/OUTPUTS is larger than what the matrix can display at once.
Setting up all this requires that these custom associated AUM FX send nodes CC parameters have to respond to the SAME MIDI channel as the channel to which the Digitakt is sending MIDI CC data to RFM, because in Elektron boxes, you cannot define custom MIDI channels for each of the 8 available assignable MIDI CC parameters, everything gets sent to the MIDI channel that you defined for the whole track.
This in turn implies that as a user you have to account on a granular level for each mapped MIDI CC parameter throughout this whole scenario to ensure that there is no overlap (i.e. accidentally having a MIDI CC parameter sending data to more than just 1 parameter). AUM affords an AMAZING level of flexibility on that front because it can filter whether or not an AUv3 receives MIDI CC data on a granular basis, which can help in some scenarios.
That should be a good starting point on that subject.
**********2. About communication between AUM and Audiobus:**********
The only connection between AUM and Audiobus is the fact that everything is aligned/clocked through Ableton Link in the context of the Xequence + Audiobus + AUM trifecta. AUM is loaded within my Audiobus project but all the audio I'm listening to can essentially be understood as coming from AUM. As a result, Audiobus in my setup strictly acts as a logistics enabler to effectively expand the functionality of Xequence so that I can control it with my remote control (to a VERY limited degree).
**********3. Controlling BA-1 through AU Keys and Xequence's MIDI controller:**********
Amongst other things, BA-1 is configured to receive incoming MIDI from Xequence through an input called "AUM destination" (or just AUM as an output from the point of view of Xequence's UI).
In that context, once I configure a particular Xequence track to match a specific MIDI channel corresponding to an AUv3 sound generator (in this case BA-1) which I've enabled to receive MIDI data from the "AUM destination" input [from the perspective of BA-1], I can then double tap that particular track in Xequence to bring up the MIDI controller keyboard corresponding to that track, which will directly control BA-1.
BA-1 is also configured to receive MIDI data from Helium, which in turn is connected to receive MIDI data from AU Keys (orange keyboard in AUM).
That should be a good starting point on that subject as well.
**********4. Elektron machines MIDI connections to AUM in the context of Helium:**********
The connection scheme I use allows for Elektron machines to be connected to AUv3 sound generators in parallel with the fact that Helium (as well as Xequence) can also be connected to the same AUv3 sound generators. This gives me all the flexibility I need if I want complex full resolution sequencing for a particular sound, or if I just need a step sequencer for that sound.
On a side note for now I deliberately chose not to have my elektron machines internal sound generators controlled by Xequence because I'm not pressured to do so generally speaking. Perhaps the only scenario in which I would be inclined to do this eventually is if I really wanted to leverage the Digitone specifically to write a complex humanized melody. However, so far I've chosen to steer clear from that to keep things more manageable/practical.
**********5. What are key plugins I use for my FX send busses:**********
For delay I use:
Fabfilter Timeless 3. It's extremely powerful but definitely NOT recommended for beginners as it requires a VERY significant time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets. I'm definitely very much a the beginning of the learning curve on that front.
For Reverb I use mainly one of these 3:
Either Fabfilter Pro-R 2, Baby Audio Crystalline, or Eventide Blackhole.
Pro-R 2 definitely falls into the same category as Timeless 3, extremely powerful definitely not recommended for beginners and requires a very substantial time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets
Crystalline is very interesting and easy to use but has DSP usage implications that are not ideal (the developer is aware)
Blackhole is more for DSP usage efficiency, but it requires an extra dose of creativity to generate convincing/usable results as it doesn't attempt to be realistic.
For Chorus I use a combination between:
Haaze 2 (by Klevgrand)
FAC Chorus (by Fred Anton Corvest)
Haaze 2 is definitely NOT easy to use and NOT recommended generally speaking, but FAC Chorus definitely IS recommended.
**********6. What are key plugins I use for my Master Output track:**********
Throughout my entire projects I consistently use Fabfilter Pro-C 2, including on my master track.
I also use Fabfilter Volcano 3 as a characterful filter with an envelope follower to bring analog sounding non linearities in the high frequencies to give more character/colour to my sound.
As my Ultra Low Latency Limiter and Tape saturation emulation I use TAIP by Baby Audio, which is an invaluably important plugin considering what it does to loudness and its extremely low latency (but I already discussed this in my main video).
**********Closing Thoughts:**********
If you haven't you also might want to see this shorter video I did as a first effort to showcase my setup in action following the release of my major guide video as it might allow you to gather additional potentially relevant info:
th-cam.com/video/_DGz_bRU6Mw/w-d-xo.html
As a general closing statement for anybody getting anything out of this, please don't forget to pepper stuff with Likes as I could really use more exposure to incentivize video content creation! It's quite tough and to some level discouraging to make quality content while knowing it doesn't get a fair shot at succeeding due to artificially throttled exposure. Thanks! :)
Looking forward to watching this later! I’m unable to atm, but i have almost the same set up haha. I’ve been on iPad Pro for years and got a digitone last year and a digitakt 2 today!
Congrats on the Digitakt 2! What I've really come to appreciate with my Digitakt/Digitone 2 combo (I got the DN2 in November 2024) is how having immediate access to 32 tracks gets me in a completely different ball park in terms of convenience and inviting creativity. The investment definitely stung considering the state of the Canadian dollar, but
i can't think of a better investment today (with the Digitakt 2 being the close second!)
With the Digitakt 2 you'll be able to give custom names to mapped parameters on your MIDI tracks on top of being able to map 16 CC parameters per track which overall is a clear game changer. The difficulty remains though that it's a very substantial task to cherry pick parameters from AUv3 plugins that are as compatible as possible within the context of low resolution MIDI (meaning no NRPN). It's well worth the effort though and you can save your mappings as MIDI machine presets for easy recall. I personally don't really mind the fact that there's no bidirectionality between AUM and my Elektron boxes, but it definitely requires me to be in tune with the instruments that I use. For me it's a rather slow learning process, but the results are extremely powerful so the time investment is definitely worth it in my opinion. Cheers!
A dissertation on using the iPad Pro to make music 👌. Kudos, very insightful and informative (I haven’t finished watching yet but wow! So much to absorb) gonna go home and try some of this, I don’t have any hardware devices like a digitak so I’ll figure out how I can use this with what I have.
Thanks for the good words! The video is indeed quite demanding to watch! To sort of alleviate the difficulty of watching the whole thing, I've been banking on providing a detailed structure in the description to help people mark what section they stopped watching the video at until the next session, hopefully that helps 😊... Anyhow, I want to be very transparent with you because there's a LOT of ways that you could get bad surprises out there and I don't want to be the guy that led you to those bad experiences (brace yourself as I'm about to get quite intense, but it's really because this feels like the right opportunity to share important info with everyone given the context of your comment):
I feel it's very important to state that if you see yourself making music using a step sequencer at an advanced level (incorporating things like trigger probabilities, conditions, parameter locking, micro timing adjustment per step, etc.), not having a high quality device such as the Digitakt II (ideally) to pair with the iPad will radically increase the level of difficulty to "find your groove/flow" using an iPad. You could probably minimize this greatly if you take an approach that's more reliant on an app that's more of a self contained system to make music on iPad, maybe something like Strokes (AUv3) by John Howes (AKA Cong Burn) for example (I don't have Strokes yet though!), or even Nanostudio 2 (which is a Host app). Even if Nanostudio 2 is sadly no longer updated since 2021, at least it's a well polished self contained system that would guarantee you a reliable critical mass of functionality (even though it does not offer a step sequencer). It's even possible that from a usability and potential for immersion standpoint it might even be more viable than Cubasis 3.
In full transparency though, because of my needs in terms of sequencing I can't really envision myself using Nanostudio 2 (or Cubasis really) considering what I'm accustomed to today as I'm 100% committed to AUM. Be aware that Cubasis 3 has a profound flaw as it is 100% incapable of sending proper MIDI clock to Elektron devices, and probably any hardware device that could receive MIDI clock really (according to the tests I ran using either the Elektron Digitakt or Digitone as an audio interface for my M2 iPad Pro). Cubasis 3 probably only makes sense in complete isolation, but it is still being updated as opposed to Nanostudio 2, and Cubasis does have the very important attribute of being able to record audio, as opposed to Nanostudio 2.
I'm not sure if it's in this video or if it's in my "meta" analysis video, but at some point I mention that developing a proper sequencer (whether it be step based or piano roll based) is VERY resource intensive generally speaking (it's probably the most ambitious task that a dev could undertake in this field). Therefore it's extremely unlikely for AUv3 sequencers on iOS developed by small developers to get to a point where they'd be in the same ballpark as something like an Elektron or OXI sequencer in terms of design, ease of use, reliability, functionality and ultimately potential for creativity, even though on a technical level such a thing is 100% achievable because the iPad Pro hardware/platform is awesome.
As far as I'm aware, right now the "bravest" candidate that decided to tackle this "mammoth" task is the dev behind the "Prism" AUv3 sequencer (which I do not have), as the dev is also an Elektron machines user. I have zero experience as to the usability of Prism's UI or its reliability, so taking a chance with Prism would be a complete gamble even though a very affordable one. I intuitively anticipate that Prism's UI might need probably another year of polish and refinement to be in an ideal state, and there is absolutely zero guarantee that such refinement will take place. I am monitoring Prism's update notes closely though because this app is potentially a MAJOR milestone for the iOS music production platform, and it IS receiving very encouraging updates as these significantly expand the feature set that was originally included at release.
There's technically also Drambo which can be both used as a host and as an AUv3 and which can "do the job" as a MIDI sequencer (and has some great strengths for creating pattern progressions), however unfortunately Drambo is seriously flawed on a technical level in significant ways that are not initially apparent, especially if you value being able to manipulate unquantized MIDI data. A significant part of this problem is because Drambo attempts the incredibly ambitious task of a seamless integration between a polyphonic step sequencer AND a piano roll sequencer, which to my knowledge nobody else has attempted so far. It should also be said that using Drambo as a host (as opposed to a MIDI sequencer hosted in AUM) is 100% out of question for those like me who value using plugins such as the industry leading Fabfilter Pro-C 2, as Drambo does not properly support Pro-C 2 (and probably many other Fabfilter plugins in ways that aren't initially apparent) despite the fact that Drambo's developer (BeepStreet) has been informed of the issues extensively almost a year ago now, and these issues still persist today sadly. In case it's not already apparent I'm extremely disappointed by that as I really believed in Drambo originally, but my hopes for it are dwindling at this point.
I know this was probably quite the intense read but I really don't want to "sell the dream" of an experience that looks like what I'm showing on this channel to people who don't have a proper hardware sequencer to pair with their iPad, as a way of circumventing the shortcomings of the iOS platform in its current state on the step sequencer front specifically. Also for anyone reading this wondering why I'm not mentioning Logic Pro for iPad, I'm automatically discarding that option because it's subscription based, therefore I will never support it or recommend it on my channel regardless of any potential appeal it might have, as I don't want to support companies that use this business model, and I want to be sovereign over the instruments I invest time/energy in to make music. I'm confident that everybody else in the community wants that too!
If you have any questions or would like some advice or a second opinion if you're considering a potential purchase, feel free to ask here! Cheers! 😅
Wow! Amazing piece of work. I’ve been on a very similar journey with iPad and more recently the Digitakt. I haven’t got quite as far as you and don’t have the same grasp of the technical detail but I’ve worked out lots of the the hub, power, interface, hardware, connection issues similarly to you although again not quite in as much detail. Plus I have the lightening connection on my older iPad so I’ve been down the whole camera connection kit rabbit hole too. I’m really impressed with what you have done, I’ve only watched the first half of this video and will come back to it and your others over the next few days and weeks. I’m sure I’ll get back in touch. I’m glad I’ve found your channel and look forward to seeing what you do with it.
You're actually the first person on YT to ever comment on my work! Thanks for the kind words! :) Indeed connectivity that depends on a lightning port is particularly challenging in this context. On a side note, that's partly why I'm waiting for the iPhone 16 to come out before I even consider buying another iPhone (even if the 15 has a USB-C port too it was the first generation with it so I'd rather be cautious). I want to be able to connect my hub with all my Apple devices if I ever need to and having USB-C connectivity on every device puts an end to the problem. Anyhow, looking back at all the things that had to be lined up for this iPad setup to even exist never ceases to amaze me. The complexity of this situation is why it can be so difficult for people to even be aware that a setup like this is even a possibility, which is why I felt a "calling" to make that information available for all the adventurous music explorers out there. In my view the iPad is the tip of the spear of an ongoing technological revolution in the music hardware world and so far if I'm honest I don't think there are many people out there that actually realize this. The iPad is in my opinion the most powerful vector to democratize access to high quality music production technology on a large scale. The more people show interest in the platform, the stronger the incentive becomes for developers out there to give more gems like AUM to the world. Decoupling software purchases from a specific device protects the user's software investment on top of enabling the user to run the software on multiple devices at once, and when considering the technological canyon between the iPad and the rest of the hardware that's out there, at that point it's just an evidence to me that this platform has the potential to "be" the future. Anyhow, cheers and I wish you the best with your iPad exploration journey! (also please consider subscribing hehee 😅)
@@Silent_Stillness I finished watching this, subscribed and then went to your first video and have just watched that! Really good stuff, inspiring honestly. Plus amazingly similar to my journey. I was a techno DJ back in the 90s and bought a few bits of equipment, including a TB303 would you believe. Amazing how the value of that has gone up over the years, not that I’d sell it. After toying around with it and a sampler and a DAW that I can’t remember the name of, I gave up and got on with family life. Over the last few years I’ve gone back to playing piano and have dusted of the 303 and 606 and started to use them like they were originally designed, LOL. If you look up the publicity material for them when they came out in 1981, Oscar Peterson is playing jazz on a piano using them as a drum and bass accompaniment! Anyway, we know what happens next is the 303 playing a fundamental part in transforming electronic music and the dance music scene of my formative years! But now in my 50s, I’ve managed to programme jazz standards into it to help me practice piano. Well, that bit isn’t so similar to your journey but the process of figuring out how to sync the 303 to newer drum machines and adding in the iPad to record/sequence these practice tunes and then working out how to control playback remotely from my phone, then getting back into techno and buying a Digitakt… that’s similar! Lots of mistakes along the way of course. Took me far too long to understand the need for the Apple branded CCK and too long to realise only one interface at a time. But I’m getting there and really enjoying the process. The Digitakt is an amazing piece of kit that I’ve really taken to. And your videos have inspired me to work out integrating the DT and iPad a bit better. And who know, maybe you have inspired me to record my own journey on to TH-cam. I hope my commenting encourages you to keep going, looking forward to see what content you create. I haven’t watched your jams yet but hoping there’s some explanation of the process as well as the music.
@@teknodriver I love Oscar Peterson by the way haha :D, especially "Ode to Billy Joe". That stuff was definitely playing at home when I was a kid! The whole Apple CCK thing definitely appeared to me as a major point of friction when I did my research, and being in the market at a time where it was already possible to buy an iPad that was USB-C 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 based was a major confidence booster to encourage me to take a chance with this substantial investment, with basically no guarantees that the setup was going to be viable in practice.
As far as what you said regarding your 303 and 606, I can't help but to share my 2 cents on that: In my view - if there is a financial constraint - considering the technology that's available today I view the 303, 606, 707, 808 and the 909 as 100% obsolete. If someone was willing to buy my theoretical 303 for an outrageously large sum, it would make a lot of sense to fund technologically relevant equipment with it instead of actually using it. I have 2 vintage Roland analog polyphonic synthesizers, and with the setup I have now, I wish I would have never bought them because they're bulky and flawed in very significant ways. The less gear I have, the better, and that's a major pillar of my entire approach. I have a lot more gear than what I show in my videos, but if I could push a button to easily sell most of it at the right price I would do it in a heartbeat. If you're into the 303 stuff you definitely will want to check Jim Audio's "Pure Acid" (Dmitrij Pavlov on the app store), as that's currently the best emulation there is on the platform, in fact that dev is a genius.
On what you said regarding the Digitakt, in my opinion it's a device that requires a LOT of discipline and preparation to truly get value out of it, if the main goal is to use its internal audio tracks, as opposed to sequencing external stuff which is much more linear and simple. The Digitakt is potentially extremely rewarding, but its return on time investment baseline can be pretty harsh at times due to its monophonic nature, especially with the original version sample playback being limited to mono. In that sense I generally get much more immediate enjoyment out of the Digitone because of its more obvious generative capabilities and of course because of its polyphony. On the other hand the Digitakt can generate extremely unique results that can potentially define entire new musical directions. It can also bring sounds into the equation that the DN never could.
As you can see in my setup, I've chosen to embrace the Digitakt both as a sequencer of external sources, but also as a sample processor specialist as opposed to a general purpose drum machine, even though so far in my videos I have not really demonstrated that aspect of it. By essentially eliminating the Digitakt as a candidate for controlling my kick I made the conscious decision to place it in a position where there's a strong incentive to experiment with its internal audio tracks as a specialized tool to generate unique results, just because of the way it is routed into the Digitone.
Your comment DEFINITELY encourages me to keep going and I really appreciate that you took the time to watch my content and to write this comment :D. Sharing ideas, collectively pushing boundaries, and exploring new sonic territories is what this entire process is all about for me. Definitely keep me posted if you ever decide to start recording stuff and posting it on YT. In case you don't know where to begin, Davinci Resolve is a professional grade video editor which is for all intents and purposes free. It's what I use to edit my content, and it's structured well enough so that it's approachable if you're competent with tech generally speaking. I still can't believe that this thing is free, but hey I'm definitely grateful for it!
I know what you mean about the old analog gear and I agree that the new technology has got to the point that it emulates any of the vintage gear so well that I don’t think anyone can really tell the difference any more. I think the 303 is such an icon for all sorts of reasons not just the way it sounds that I can’t imagine selling it. It’s small enough to be in my set up without getting in the way and I still use it. But I have a 101 that I will probably sell soon in order to invest in something else.
I have my gear mostly set up on top of my piano so space is at a premium which is why I love the iPad. Plus I like it for all the reasons you say in your video about getting away from the computer and being hands on with things. I’m not dogmatic about the DAWless thing (and I get why some people say AUM is a DAW!) but it’s nice to stay away from the complexity of something lie Ableton and focus on playing instruments. I really like the improvisational approach to making electronic music which I suppose is influenced by both the jazz and DJing background. It’s nice to be able to do it all on the fly if I can. But like I say, it’s not dogma and I can see the benefit of a DAW for composing and arranging a full tune.
Thanks for the tip on Resolve. I looked at that a while ago so it’s nice to know I was checking out the right kind of thing!
If you’re already an Elektron machines user, a particularly interesting point to start looking at to peek your interest if you have limited time is the audio routing flexibility between Elektron machines and the iPad, which is covered in the section "4.1 The Digitakt & Digitone Audio Routing" available by clicking here: 1:06:24 .
Salut ! J'ai écouté l'intégralité de la vidéo 😎. C'était vraiment intéressant de découvrir ta réflexion sur ton setup. Cependant, après une heure et demie, j'étais un peu déçu de ne pas en savoir plus sur les détails techniques concrets du genre comment assigner les MIDI CC. La communication entre AUM et Audiobus. Comment tu peux utiliser le keyboard de Xequence pour contrôler BA-1? Est-ce que les MIDI Channels des Elektron Boxes sont connectés aussi à Helium ? J'aurais aimé aussi que tu montres quels sont les FX sur tes Bus et les FX chain sur ton Master Channel. Parfois ça donne des idées sur des plugins qu'on a et qu'on oublie d'utiliser. Peut-être que j'en demande trop ... ? ;)
Hello! (Je vais répondre en anglais vu la nature de la conversation) Big thanks for your interest and enthusiasm in my content :D ! It's awesome to have people start to come by and demonstrate enough curiosity and motivation to justify watching this kind of content, considering its inherently dry/demanding technical nature. I completely agree that it is relevant/useful to go into the precise details of how my setup is routed, however considering the length that this video already had to take, as my second "core" video on the channel it was too early to justify going through that level of depth at the time, as the subject is already very specialized.
My goal is to ultimately balance my channel content between 3 main pillars: 1. Educational content related to music tech, 2. Artistic/musical content, and 3. Reviewing tech & iOS apps.
I'm at a point where I have to iterate on all fronts at a pace that aligns to a degree with my understanding of people's interests. Amongst many other things, something that contributed to why I did not want go into details with the apps that I use is because I want to cover that content over time in more "digestible" bits, which is a format that allows for much more depth and detail.
With all that said I'll try a hot take to provide at least some answers to what you were curious about:
1. About assigning MIDI CCs:
There are 2 scenarios here:
a) either a particular AUv3 plugin has a "hard wired" MIDI CC parameters mapping (which is the case for "Ruismaker FM" for example), OR
b) the AUv3 plugin that is attempted to be controlled has its parameters "exposed" (visible) to AUM so that an association can be tailor made between a particular AUv3 plugin parameter and a user defined MIDI CC, directly by AUM.
In my use case specifically I leverage BOTH scenario A and B in parallel to control Ruismaker FM on my Digitakt for example.
So I went in RFM's user manual to find the MIDI CC map of the instrument and then on a per track basis on the Digitakt I manually selected the relevant unique CC parameters for each of the 6 "parts" (as Ruismaker FM is a 6 parts multi-timbral percussion synthesizer) of RFM, corresponding to my Digitakt MIDI tracks 1 to 6 (which in this case all had to be configured to send data on the same MIDI channel btw).
This is a tedious process that requires some degree of planning and preparation, because I then have to account for the fact that to some degree I will always have to recycle my projects to act as a foundation (or template) for new projects in order to avoid having to redo this time consuming task.
My Digitakt is connected via USB MIDI to my iPad's USB-C HUB, and I created in AUM an association between that particular instance of RFM and my Digitakt.
In parallel to this I defined custom CC parameter values for AUM "FX send" nodes corresponding to Delay and Reverb for the 6 RFM MIDI tracks I use with my Digitakt, the implication is that each Reverb/Send node has a UNIQUE CC parameter value which I then manually match in my Digitakt.
The implication here is that on top of having a direct connection between my Digitakt and RFM, I also have a direct connection between AUM's MIDI control (which is the icon with multiple faders in AUM's connection matrix on the vertical axis to the top right) and the Digitakt directly, otherwise I wouldn't be able to control these FX send nodes from the Digitakt. AUM's connection matrix by the way is accessed by tapping the "reversed S" icon top right of AUM 's UI, and in the connection matrix both the items listed on the X and Y axis can be interacted with through horizontal/vertical dragging gestures for scrolling if the list of INPUTS/OUTPUTS is larger than what the matrix can display at once.
Setting up all this requires that these custom associated AUM FX send nodes CC parameters have to respond to the SAME MIDI channel as the channel to which the Digitakt is sending MIDI CC data to RFM, because in Elektron boxes, you cannot define custom MIDI channels for each of the 8 available assignable MIDI CC parameters, everything gets sent to the MIDI channel that you defined for the whole track.
This in turn implies that as a user you have to account on a granular level for each mapped MIDI CC parameter throughout this whole scenario to ensure that there is no overlap (i.e. accidentally having a MIDI CC parameter sending data to more than just 1 parameter). AUM affords an AMAZING level of flexibility on that front because it can filter whether or not an AUv3 receives MIDI CC data on a granular basis, which can help in some scenarios.
That should be a good starting point on that subject.
2. About communication between AUM and Audiobus:
The only connection between AUM and Audiobus is the fact that everything is aligned/clocked through Ableton Link in the context of the Xequence + Audiobus + AUM trifecta. AUM is loaded within my Audiobus project but all the audio I'm listening to can essentially be understood as coming from AUM. As a result, Audiobus in my setup strictly acts as a logistics enabler to effectively expand the functionality of Xequence so that I can control it with my remote control (to a VERY limited degree).
3. Controlling BA-1 through AU Keys and Xequence's MIDI controller:
Amongst other things, BA-1 is configured to receive incoming MIDI from Xequence through an input called "AUM destination" (or just AUM in the context of Xequence's UI.
In that context, once I configure a particular Xequence track to match a specific MIDI channel corresponding to an AUv3 sound generator (in this case BA-1) which I've enabled to receive MIDI data from the "AUM destination" input [from the perspective of BA-1], I can then double tap that particular track in Xequence to bring up the MIDI controller keyboard corresponding to that track, which will directly control BA-1.
BA-1 is also configured to receive MIDI data from Helium, which in turn is connected to receive MIDI data from AU Keys (orange keyboard in AUM).
That should be a good starting point on that subject as well.
4. Elektron machines MIDI connections to AUM in the context of Helium:
The connection scheme I use allows for Elektron machines to be connected to AUv3 sound generators in parallel with the fact that Helium (as well as Xequence) can also be connected to the same AUv3 sound generators. This gives me all the flexibility I need if I want complex full resolution sequencing for a particular sound, or if I just need a step sequencer for that sound.
On a side note for now I deliberately chose not to have my elektron machines internal sound generators controlled by Xequence because I'm not pressured to do so generally speaking. Perhaps the only scenario in which I would be inclined to do this eventually is if I really wanted to leverage the Digitone specifically to write a complex humanized melody. However, so far I've chosen to steer clear from that to keep things more manageable/practical.
5. What are key plugins I use for my FX send busses:
For delay I use:
Fabfilter Timeless 3 . It's extremely powerful but definitely NOT recommended for beginners as it requires a VERY significant time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets. I'm definitely very much a the beginning of the learning curve on that front.
For Reverb I use mainly one of these 3:
Either Fabfilter Pro-R 2, Baby Audio Crystalline, or Eventide Blackhole.
Pro-R 2 definitely falls into the same category as Timeless 3, extremely powerful definitely not recommended for beginners and requires a very substantial time investment to be able to generate compelling results without relying on presets
Crystalline is very interesting and easy to use but has DSP usage implications that are not ideal (the developer is aware)
Blackhole is more for DSP usage efficiency, but it requires an extra dose of creativity to generate convincing/usable results as it doesn't attempt to be realistic.
For Chorus I use a combination between:
Haaze 2 (by Klevgrand)
FAC Chorus (by Fred Anton Corvest)
Haaze 2 is definitely NOT easy to use and NOT recommended generally speaking, but FAC Chorus definitely IS recommended.
6. Key plugins I use for my Master Output track:
Throughout my entire projects I consistently use Fabfilter Pro-C 2, including on my master track.
I also use Fabfilter Volcano 3 as a characterful filter with an envelope follower to bring analog sounding non-linearities in the high frequencies register to give more character/color to my sound overall.
As my Ultra Low Latency Limiter and Tape saturation emulation I use TAIP by Baby Audio, which is an invaluably important plugin considering what it does to loudness and its extremely low latency (but I already discussed this in my main video).
If you haven't you also might want to see this shorter video I did as a first effort to showcase my setup in action following the release of my major guide video as it might allow you to gather additional potentially relevant info:
th-cam.com/video/_DGz_bRU6Mw/w-d-xo.html
That's a good place to stop haha!
As a general closing statement for anybody getting anything out of this, please don't forget to pepper stuff with Likes as I could really use more exposure to incentivize video content creation! It's quite tough and to some level discouraging to make quality content while knowing it doesn't get a fair shot at succeeding due to artificially throttled exposure. Thanks! :)
@@Silent_Stillness Wow!!! I didn’t expect to receive such a detailed response! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions so thoughtfully. I truly appreciate it.
I sincerely hope that your video channel gets the attention it deserves, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to enjoy the three ‘menus’ you’ve suggested!
In the meantime, I’ll happily put your explanations to the test, and I’m sure it’ll be a rewarding experience!
Thanks again for your time and dedication!
I've just released a first short format 14 minutes jam session video intended to showcase some of my workflow using my setup:
th-cam.com/video/_DGz_bRU6Mw/w-d-xo.html