Syncing the project tempo to analog clock?
Hi all
I’m deeply in love with Drambo and it’s become my favorite companion app for my modular. I’m using an Expert Sleeprs ES-8 to bridge Drambo and the modular and it’s working beautifully, both for CV and audio.
However, I recently bumped into an issue while building an upcoming live set. I need an Elektron Digitakt to act as the main sequencer and provide master clock to the modular. I’d like to use that clock to somehow control the tempo of Drambo’s sequencer, but I can’t figure out any way to make that happen, unless I’m missing something embarrassingly obvious. I can easily get Digitakt’s MIDI clock signal into the modular, turn that into an analog clock pulse, push that through the ES-8 into Drambo. But there I hit a dead end.
has anyone pulled this off? Is there some app I could use in between, with Link? Is it impossible?
thanks in advance!
Comments
Drambo can follow MIDI clock natively, no need to convert it before.
The Digitakt can send clock over its hardware MIDI ports as well as over USB MIDI, I've used both ways in the past.
thanks @rs2000
Yes, very true, that’s a possible workaround. Then I couldn’t use anything to alter/divide/multiply that clock signal before it hits Drambo, but at least there would be sync.
Now that I think about it, I’ve indeed used both the MIDI and USB MIDI of the Digitakt simultaneously before.
There is a new feature in the works that will at some point in the future allow you to set clock divisions/multiples for each track, no matter what Drambo is synced to.
I think I can guess what that feature is, as when I requested it a year ago the response was 'that's the plan' 😁
Otherwise, analog clock sync is something I've thought about to. I haven't tried it yet, but my theory is to sync everything from a single pulse. From there the pulse can be used to clock gate sequencers, gate counters, and the counter module. The counter module has the benefit of being able to turn the pulse signal into a clock signal.
What I would do is to take an input on your interface, and in one channel plug a gate or trigger signal, or a short impulse sample like a click or rimshot. Then, use the 'audio input' module to receive from that channel anywhere that you need to clock/sync a sequencer, arp, etc (or anything that takes a gate signal).
The caveat of this method is that you're not really able to use or take advantage of the main timeline sequencer, p-locks, etc. Of course, Drambo is flexible as hell, so you can still get tons of milage even without the main sequencer. When (if) the Drambo tracks become modules themselves, complete with clock inputs, then that will open total integration.
@aleyas Exactly. Agreed on every point.
Maybe Drambo as a clock pulse source would be another option?
Also, the Digitakt supports analog DIN24/DIN48 sync...
Hello, sorry to interfere, I'm working with digitone and a td3 works very well sequencing my td3 in digitone through a midi cable, as soon as I start with the app I can play from drambo and start at the same time as digitone only with the USB and the midi/audio function works fine, respects the Drambo sequence already worked on and runs at the same time as Digitone as long as tempo sync is disabled in Drambo, this is a headache as the tempo in Drambo doesn't change when I input another track on my Digitone, that is, I have two different tempos, what I want is for the sequence created in Drambo to be respected and change the tempo as in Digitone this when changing tracks, could you please help me with this question: How can I change the tempo in drambo respecting a sequence created in it when changing tracks in your digitakt? Thank you very much, I hope you understand me.
@Drambo_mx
Only one device can be the master when using MIDI clock.
If you choose Drambo as your sequencer and MIDI Clock master, you'll have to use Drambo's transport control as well even when you sequence on the DT or TD3 on top.
If by "changing tracks on the DT" you mean selecting a different track, this won't work as the DT isn't capable of transmitting that information, at least not that I know of.