ELEKTRON SONG MODE: Full Tutorial, Performance, and Thoughts
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- Опубликовано: 12 апр 2025
- In this video we learn how to use song mode on the Digitakt, Digitone, and the Syntakt. Song mode allows you to arrange your patterns into a song with variations on pattern mutes, song tempo, pattern length, and repeats.
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This really changed my view of Elektron, a completely game changing update.
Shill
I have watched various Digitone/takt tutorials on quite a few other channels and you are definitely nailing the presentation better than the rest. Thanks for taking the time to edit these so well that the information is conveyed efficiently. Huge time saver.
Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you. As I own Digitone only for a week I had no idea yet how to use it for melodies that need more space than 64 steps. And your video helped a lot. After adding a chain, it can also add rows by pressing Fn+Down and delete rows by pressing Fn+Up in the editor window.
My mind is so blown. Really wasn't expecting anything like this, and it changes everything, lol.
Your vid explanations on Elektron are top notch my guy 👌🏽.
Literally the only digitakt tutorial I’ve seen where the example song is actually good. Thank you for making this fr you get what the digitakt is for. Most creators on here don’t use it correctly except for you and Ricky Tinez
Thank you 🙏
Amazing updating by Elektron. I remember a lot of people saying this would never happen because Elektron didn't want to cannibalize sales of their other boxes, but goes to show that their support is some of the best in the business.
Shill.
Pretty sure it's partly because they can't release new products since there is a chip shortage. So their only option to increase sales is making the current machines better. Either way, it's a win for us.
Thanks for the detailed explaination Mr. EZBot. :)
The people at Elektron are just amazing.. delivering new features for devices that have been out there for 5+ years, it's just great.
This makes me so glad for my Digitakt purchase a few months ago
I did this in reverse. Watched other videos on song mode already, enjoyed your actual SONG more :) Great job!
Finally installed my song mode update - ridiculously excited to start using this!
This mode is just crazy!! It puts Elektron boxes up to another dimension!! Congrats!!❤
Shill
🎉 I love my digitakt … and I love your song too!
Great explanation of Song Mode! Appreciate this very much. 😊
Great demo and nice track! Thanks a lot for sharing =)
My new Syntakt just got an early Xmas present. YAY!
This is one feature I really wanted.
Thanks for the demo/explanation.
Nice groove at the end.
Best wishes for your continued success.
Very helpful video and great to see how you utilise song mode with your tune adding effects from the Octatrak- I love the glitchy yet meloic vibes.
The second LFO, and now this? The Digitakt has gone from a, "man...should I have bought this?" a few years ago to, "holy sh** I'm happy I bought this." Excited to install this update and begin to explore! Thanks, as always, for the videos.
Wow that hit me by surprise!! I never missed songmode on the DT, but now I think it can´t get any more powerful. Especially in combination with the OT, I can consider myself as a lucky person.
Very useful tutorial as well as the one on the Syntakt quick guide. Thanks so much for sharing I'm a happy new subscriber.🙏🙏😌
I like the part where you introduced the OP-1. The option to loop the row during a live performance gives a lot of flexibility for solo improvisation with another gear.
love how you go that extra step, thanks
Your track was awesome dude.
Thank you for this demo! Can't wait to install the update. Missing this feature had me considering switching to a different device that is overall less capable but has a song mode, but now I don't have to do that anymore.
Thanks! This helped me on my Syntakt.
Nice! And thanks for the Octatrack arranger comparison, I was curious about this. A really impressive looking implementation on the UX side.
Absolute game changer from Elektron!
Amazing Song! Thanks for the tutorial
Thank you!
Just what I needed. Finding that I’m needing to switch over to song mode. Only thing is trying to figure this out with the DT and ST with the DT as the main midi clock
Can you switch seamlessly from a song to another without stopping audio?Also, what if o have say a Rytm connected to the Syntakt?how do you coordinate pattern changes across the two boxes?
So good!!! Again, thanks !!!
Thanks, beats reading the manual over and over trying to get to grips.
I just came by to say that I really like your performance song :)
Also great update and short tutorial.
Thank you!
I feel like your music is something Id used to buy on a Subpop label
Thanks 🙏 I wish I was on Sub Pop
Isn't it awesome that they still bring updates to what are now fairly old devices (dt mainly), it's the antithesis of planned obsolescence and I just love elektron for it, happy to give my money to such a fantastic company rather than others, that's how you build customer loyalty
it's sad to think that people have been conditioned to believe that these instruments (digitakt et al) are "old devices" ... when did the DT come out, five years ago? it's still fairly fresh in my mind.
that song is sooo awesome, waaaw
Thanks for breaking this down. Great update.
I'm so excited by this, but just as much the legato and portamento. Now I can more easily make beeoyuuaayyuu sounds without having to fuss with the lfo, freeing one of them up for other stuff like filter massaging or pitch jiggling. (For statistics purposes I was one of those weirdos who haphazardly used chaining on every track I made on the Syntakt as a bootleg song mode, so this is great for me).
sick jam too!
Lovely track , love it!
Thank you!
Great video as usual, thank you!
I’m working on a live set with an Octatrack, a Digitakt and hardware synths and trying to use both the Octatrack and Digitakt’s song mode, I have not seen anything about this on Internet. It seems a bit tricky maybe but might be so powerful if I program it well: I could use automatic pattern changes from the Octatrack to the Digitakt but I’d have to have every pattern corresponding to the same (A1 with A1 for example) on both machine, and I want to be able to change my drum patterns (sequenced on the Digitakt) staying on the same Octatrack pattern and vice versa.
If you’ve ever tried working this way and could share your knowledge about this, it would be very interesting and useful!
Have a good day.
Hell yes. This will be amazing for Digitone Keys.
Woah, crazy - great demo too
love the song!
Electron truly loves us and wants us to be INSPIRED!
Awesome!! Thanks for the succinct break down!
Hey is there a way to activate a patter or song mode on just one device in the digi-trio line up and have them all follow up? Or do I have to select each box pattern/ select each song on each device individually?
Very fun. First groove box. Download pretty simple but had to do it through SysBoerne thing. I only need to know how to make all the patterns the same volume. (I might add Elektron sticker to new rizzle to celebrate this)
How do you imagine song mode working across 2 or more devices? Is the digitakt the "brain" and the digitone just listens for pattern changes? Can they both be in song mode and start at the same time?
I'm not a Digi-line owner, but I'm stoked for all the people that are! Also, that jam at the end was so good.
Thank you!
Thanks for this video. I was wondering if the song mode was more or less sofisticated on Digitone, Digitakt and Syntakt than the Arranger in the Octatrack. I've been extensively using the Octatrack as a main sequencer for my livsets where the OT is used as a sampler, sequencer (for a modular synth) and FX unit. I'm since long very frustrated that I can't organize my songs and arrangements as freely as I wish. I'm thinking to use a main external sequencer or a computer just for this.
I was considering the Hapax or Oxi one. What else could send CC messages to mute and an unmute 16 or more tracks if I want to add extra machines?
Dang ol'lekton digitakt don gone super saiyan, like o're nine thousand, I tell you what.
Such a great song
Brilliant !!
Great track btw
nice! this is a great addition.
How would we go to manage another digi/flagship to change patterns on the other machine? Let's say i use the Digitone as the master box, and have an AR (or M:S) synced to it and want their patterns to follow along ? So basically, send PC messages for when they need to switch.
Thanks for this Mathew. I was hoping this would bring patter mutes to MIDI tracks, but messing around with my DT+DN combo it looks like it only mutes MIDI tracks sequenced on device running song mode, so de sound coming from the DN won't mute regardless of song mode config; you'll have to create a separate song mode proyect for each Elektron device unless you sequence the other boxes using the box running song mode :(. Please tell me I'm wrong....
I don’t own a digitone myself, but if I understand you correctly, what you’re trying to achieve wouldn’t be possible from simply muting the midi tracks on the DT in song mode alone. Good news is that you should be able to make it happen with a bit of setup within the midi tracks themselves. According the digitone manual (pg. 95), midi cc94 is mute, so you should be able to parameter lock that outgoing midi cc via the digitakt midi tracks on a per step basis to automate muting and unmuting of the digitone.
Good morning Seattle!
Good morning!
Can you start in the middle of a pattern and play small loops or do you always have to start at step 1?
Sadly it’s only at step one. On the Octatrack arranger you can offset though
great vid
Can you connect the song modes between 2 boxes. In the way you use 2 boxes with your octotrack? So both boxes run and change at the same time?
It still sends pattern change so it would work the same as before :)
You are pretty dope. So is that song.
I'm excited to use the song mode to jam. meaning, have a nice song set up but with lots of ideas in advance on where i can turn on loop and then play a solo in (like you did) or ... can we tweak parameters in song mode? and also switching to patterns. i saw another video the guy pointed out one ”song” can have a whole set in it. that is also a cool idea
Thank's dude!
Niiiice. Can this be used as a better way to record (midi notes with my keyboard) across more steps/multiple patterns without having to cue up multiple patterns by pressing all the buttons at the same time?
so with the mute function, you don't need to make a whole new pattern with parts muted to have the variation?... that's amazing. I bought a TR6S thinking it'd have the standard old DR202 song mode, but it doesn't. it has a very whack pattern chain "feature" that is not intuitive.
What I need to be alive on this planet: sun, oxygen, water & song mode ❤
What would make this even better would be to be able to chose a range of notes from a pattern.. 1-16, 17-32, 33-48, & 49-64, etc as you could literally fill one 4 bar pattern with 4x16 patterns 0r 2x32 patterns, 1x32 + 2x16 patterns etc. Combined with the mutes and different sound/samples per step would make the Elektron sequencer almost peerless. Elektron?
How many people realized they still needed to like the video at the, "sure would" zoom in.
top thks for this explaination ))))
Thanks for the great explanation, Matt.
Do you know if the arrangement info can be sent to other Digi machines via MIDI? Example: DT is master and has a songs of 10 rows. DN and ST have the same 10 rows and DT instructs them on the fly.
It will send program change still, so yes! :)
Hi! Spent a few days on it, maybe you could explain it to me.
I want to make an arrangement in DT song mode controlling OT tracks (muting/unmuting them). In order to do so I wanted to assign DT midi tracks to channels 1-8 and then make OT tracks recieve sequence from DT. I did go to OT settings - midi - channels and and made sure that trig ch is 1-8 but when i hit play trigs are not making sound. Am I doing it wrong? Is there a way to make it work? Because it works great vise versa OT programming DT tracks through midi tracks I thought there should be a way to make it work the opposite way
You may need to check that you have audio CC in turned on in the OT. Make sure you set the channels to the same MIDI channels, which I am sure you did.
@@EZBOT_ Thank you so much for such a quick reply! I checked if the audio CC in is on and yes it is on. And then i checked if the channels are set correctly and they are, but it still wouldn't work :(
I figured it thanks to elektronauts :) I didn't set the right notes on DT midi tracks.
Notes C6-C8 on DT correspond to notes C5-C7 on OT. My sequence on DT was in C5
Amazing song
Thank you
I love the song!!!
Thank you!
Looks good!
is there a way to chain saved songs?
Negative :/
Amazing news!!!
This is gonna be so good for you
@@EZBOT_ for real! I'm actually surprised they did this but super thankful!
Hi man, I have a question that many users would like to see solved.
Do you know if there's an easy way to chain songs? It's taking me too much time to get from one song to another. 😕
Can you record parameter changes in song mode and not effect the source pattern?
Negative, it just plays the patterns for you
@@EZBOT_ bummer!
With one update Elektron really up their competition against polyend, TE etc. Etc.
Nice music!
Lol i already had a blast with just 2 16bar loops
FINALLY
Would be good if you could just have one row that says play a random pattern over a certain range of patterns. Maybe it can do that already?
You could implement something like that
@@EZBOT_ Interesting. How could we have one row in the song that loops forever and picks random patterns? A shuffle option.
Join the discord! discord.gg/KUSBH9h
My website: ezbot.live
Now just give me individual overdrive and filter on the external input
Awwwwwesommmmme 👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍
The problem with chaining previously, is that I could never figure out how to have one pattern play more than once.
You just had to press the pattern twice
It was a weird quirk, the first pattern you press down and hold couldn't be repeated (because you can press an already held down button) so you would have had to copy that pattern to another slot then press and hold the first copy, tap the second copy, then continue tapping down the chain while holding the very first copy. You can double tap other patterns so long as at least one pattern is held down while you do. You also had a time limit and had to be very careful when switching banks, because holding a bank button does not count (you still need a pattern held down when chaining from different banks). In other words, the song mode is a huge boon for someone like me who builds songs out of patterns and needed to practically input a cheat code before to chain them all together.
@@GeorgeL909 100%, song mode is the best update so far.
Doppppe!!!!!!
Hello good sir, do you offer 1-1 lessons?
Ok never mind, just found the link! Amazing 🎉
@@r-e-s-o-n-a-n-t Very cool, looking forward to it!
Well now I need a DT AND an OT. Thanks Obama.
Bruv I literally just sold my digitone and syntakt last week due to the need of a song mode for my workflow.
Back to the rytm. I do prefer the digi form factor and workflow, but I didn’t really like syntakts engines apart from the rytm ones.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Wierd ... Digitakt are disappearing from the classifieds plateform
i may die in peace now...........
It's here? Really? Phwoah
Is that an Angle Grinder shirt!?
Yep!!
what a dong dude... thanks!
I'm undoubtedly one of the newest people you've met, so my opinion is just that, but I gotta say no to the mustache. I like the scruffy beard. I'm ok with the current "full" beard, I mostly like clean shaven. I tell every guy i've dated the same this: mustaches aren't where it's at right now. They aren't a great look, but straight men everywhere (pretty sure you're straight, not that I asked) love them and god knows why. Prefer my women without mustaches too, but that's less controversial.
On topic, song mode is a major ordeal and I can certainly see how arguments can now be made against the poor Octatrack as it lost a major benefit to itself without getting a price cut or an even remotely modernized version that warrants the $1600 price tag. You have a coworker that has made entire sets on Syntakt thanks to song mode and successfully talked my soon to be broke ass into buying one (and it's great). No extra hardware to speak of. All Syntakt. 30 min. No OT (Octatrack) necessary. This may be one of the best hardware updates ever released in music hardware. I can't think of any more impactful updates aside from the hardware DAW groovebox updates (Maschine+/MPC)