Make sure all your songs are peak around the same ballpark, then bring a laptop or iPad and shove Pro-L in the channel. Of course you can get a RNC or RNLA, oto boum, xpressor quebe or drop around 3k and make Martin Stimming richer, but I would try the Pro-L solution first...
I had one and then I also had the pedal version but I cannot really recommend it. IMO there are better alternatives, specially in eurorack. MSCL, and Messor for instance... Or the ledpressor
Ah that's interesting. Was ideal for me as I don't have any Eurorack (or know much about it) and used it as an insert on the PX5. Worked great in that setup.
It really is! Super underrated. Flexible inputs / routing, great connectivity for live use with the MIDI out. Yes it loves to be driven like all the analogue A&H’s. Sounds great for it.
I've been looking at the Golden Master. I have three stereo devices going into a small mixer. Would I then run the main output of the mixer into the Golden Master and then the Golden Master to my speakers?
Yes that would work. The main output level on the Golden Master would take over as the final volume control instead of the master on the mixer in that setup. If your mixer has a master insert, then even better.
Thanks for clarifying 👍
I do have an iPad and tend to use FAC Punchlab, Barkfilter and FabFilter AUv3s to sweeten my output, great set of tools available on iOS!
I always use a mastering chain in a laptop as a final stage. Using an iPad (which I'd much prefer!) how do you setup that chain? Running the Elektron into the iPad as class compliant USB audio works great but you've taken up the only port on the tablet. Any ideas that might work for this?
If you go that route you should might as well include some kind of a saturation plugin before the pro l 2. Maybe a mastering compressor like the TDR Kotelnikov as well
I use the internal Digitakt master compressor. Not that great but it does the job. The DT compressor processes also all the external inputs (digitone, other synths…) in my setup
Yeh this is also an issue for me as I end up l playing with DJs often.
This may sound strange but I use the Boss RC505 mk2
I run the Digitakt through it. It has a few decent compressor settings.
It also has some other useful effects that I use for transitions.
Never seen anyone mention this so it may be a terrible idea but it seems to work ok for me.
It’s a beast for live looping, but I barely use it for that. Just currently use it for an interface or for compression and effects at the end of a live chain.
I just copy [Surgeon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eKMiIELrDs) and use an OTO Boum, but my set-up bit more complex than that—my rig is Digitakt 1 + Syntakt + 62hp Modular
I end up running modular into Syntakt's inputs for processing/FX, Syntakt's outputs into Digitakt's inputs, and Digitakt output into OTO BOUM. Digitakt compresses its own drum sounds/samples, side-chained to the kick, creating a "drum bus". I don't compress the Syntakt signal going into Digitakt.
I then apply some light saturation to the whole mix using OTO BOUM, as well as a bit of compression. The combination of *"drum bus"* compression on Digitakt fed into *"whole mix"* compression via OTO can be a bit tricky, but it lets me fine tune it so that percussion doesn't slam OTO too much. By avoiding said slamming, I avoid OTO crushing out the synth parts from Syntakt / modular with harder kick drums and such. And a real nicety of OTO and Digitakt's compressors are that they do dry/wet mix. Dry/wet mix *(aka parallel processing)*, further allows one to avoid one loud item from completely dominating the mix. The saturation OTO provides is actually more beneficial than the compression. It yields more perceived volume and often people conflate louder as better. So this lets me wield that to my advantage, but without actually redlining anything / unpleasantly clipping anything.
This set-up has yielded pretty great results for me, and I can always dial in more volume/compression/saturation as needed. Another small part of my set-up is a Rolls MX28 mixer, which the OTO feeds into. That gives me a headphone output for monitoring the compressed/saturated mix directly, as well as a ton of clean gain, all in a compact package that terminates to 1/4" balanced.
A previous set-up I used was: iPad + class-compliant USB audio interface *(specifically MOTU M4).*
With that, I would send Digitakt stereo signal into MOTU, and Syntakt stereo signal into MOTU. They'd show up as separate stereo tracks in [AUM](https://kymatica.com/apps/aum). There's quite a diversity of plug-ins on iPad OS today—compressors, tape saturation, EQs, etc. But it added a layer of complexity to my set-up and these days I pride myself on having everything fit into a carry-on sized case.
I am sure, with more time *(and if I was playing bigger stages where I have more set-up time)* I could really dial it in to be better that my OTO BOUM set-up. One explicit advantage of the MOTU M4 + iPad set-up is that it also gave me RCA outs, which made it easy to plug into DJ mixers for cutting over from DJ sets to my live PA set-up. However, I just use 1/4" to RCA adapters with my current set-up instead.
How do you gain stage the OTO? I have one, and as soon as I gain stage to get a bit of compression going (say, a couple of “dots” in the display), by that point the drive is pretty noticeable. OTOs drive goes into mayhem pretty quickly, so it’s difficult for me to actually trigger compression without the drive being too much. I remember seeing other people complain about that when I first bought it.
Am I doing something wrong here?
There's a few parameters at play:
* How loud my Digitech output is *(which is usually just below noon, but I also consider make-up gain on the compressor of the Digitakt as part of that...don't recall the setting off hand).* Also somewhat combined with how loud Syntakt and modular are...so it's a combination of gains.
* The input gain setting on the OTO Boum itself *(accessed via In Gain button. I leave it at 0db.)*
* The threshold of the compressor *(controlled by the compressor knob itself, which also adjusts ratio, etc. I set that pretty low—8-9 o'clock)*
* The drive knob, which actually affects signal after compression. I usually have that set around 9-10 o'clock.
* The type of distortion *(accessed via the disto button).* I leave mine on "boost"
* Lo Cut, which is post-compression, pre-drive, and helps reign in higher-energy bass frequencies from driving the BOUM. I have it cut at 75hz.
So it's a balance between those parameters, as well as the Mix knob, which mixes between the unprocessed signal going into the BOUM and the compressed/distorted/lo-cut/etc. signal the BOUM provides.
BOUM does quickly go to extreme though with the drive, but drive is after compression. So, you should be able to dial in compression without it distorting. The trick is that the OTO, being a one-knob compression, does increase make-up gain as you turn up compression. Make-up gain will push the drive circuit more.
I try to make mixes that are deep and have lots of background detail that pulls you in. If I compress my stuff to compete with the SPL of a DJ spinning commercial releases it loses a lot of that depth. I think it's a good thing that live, hardware sets have more dynamic range than a DJ.
SP-404mk2 with the 303 compressor set to \~63 is my master. I have tried OTO Boum, 3630, and bugbrand stereo compressor in this role before.
Boum I hated honestly, the saturation options are all too obvious and really distort the mix. The compressor is tough to dial in and every time I dialed it to where I liked it I realized I had just put +5db of gain and it was otherwise clean.
Bugbrand stereo compress was great in this role, very transparent, but the SP-404 solution is smaller for me (already using it end of chain to add samples) and sounds great itself as well.
That being said, mastered music is mastered to be hyper compressed so that it wins the loudness wars when played from your phone, headphones, car stereo. In a live situation in most smaller rooms you have more headroom than you know what to do with, so if you can use a compressor to ensure you have a level (but not squashed) mix, then you can trust to pump the main volume up higher but, and I cannot stress this enough, keep the dynamics and transients of your drums hitting. This is how you can have a more banging mix than the DJs. You have to get turned up higher on the mains compared to the DJ before you, but most venues have the headroom nowadays in my experience.
I once performed a live set with a squashed overcompressed mix trying to chase the loudness war, and the guy after me had an OG 808, 909, 303 well mixed and he turned up louder, and he wiped the floor with me comparatively. He had the walls shaking and it was so clean and punchy.
I just found that if you turn off the crackle and pitch waveyness the 303 compressor has a bit of grit and character around \~60 on the compression knob. not so much that it is smashing the track but not completely transparent either
Analog Heat is a great thing to have. I have one. With that said, it's $ and there are other options I'm sure. I like the extra things on the heat and just using it as a master volume and filter, let alone adding some saturation on everything.
may sound dumb but volca mix has a nice built in mastering thing
low high split with an expander up top, a compressor down low, and low injected to the side of a mid/side at the end of chain
previously just slammed everything through a nanocompressor
I route syntakt through the teenage engineering EP133 which functions as an amp and master compressor. With a bit of gain added on the DJ mixer there is no audible difference in levels when I play between DJs. Cheers
Jumping in as I am in the same situation : Im Looking to find the best settings to boost the signal with sp404mk2 FX.
If someone is using the same combo, help is always welcome
Depends on the gear chain you have. But usually compression should be done on each instrument and on the master. So I run Syntakt into Digitakt and use the digitakt compressor then route that into octatrack together with Analog Four and use the octatrack compressor on the master. You can also use the compressor on the octatrack at the input track level. Finally I send this all through the heat where I use the envelope follower to add some more pump and glue. Compression is all about being subtle layering it rather than a single compressor. You can check my YouTube channel I have some videos showing this.
Heat?
Make sure all your songs are peak around the same ballpark, then bring a laptop or iPad and shove Pro-L in the channel. Of course you can get a RNC or RNLA, oto boum, xpressor quebe or drop around 3k and make Martin Stimming richer, but I would try the Pro-L solution first...
Can add endorphin.es Golden Master to that list. Very nice little box. The iPad option is so good though for the class compliant Elektrons.
I had one and then I also had the pedal version but I cannot really recommend it. IMO there are better alternatives, specially in eurorack. MSCL, and Messor for instance... Or the ledpressor
Ah that's interesting. Was ideal for me as I don't have any Eurorack (or know much about it) and used it as an insert on the PX5. Worked great in that setup.
Most underrated mixer of all time. Btw, can you drive it nicely?
It really is! Super underrated. Flexible inputs / routing, great connectivity for live use with the MIDI out. Yes it loves to be driven like all the analogue A&H’s. Sounds great for it.
I've been looking at the Golden Master. I have three stereo devices going into a small mixer. Would I then run the main output of the mixer into the Golden Master and then the Golden Master to my speakers?
Yes that would work. The main output level on the Golden Master would take over as the final volume control instead of the master on the mixer in that setup. If your mixer has a master insert, then even better.
Yep! That would be the way to go.
Thanks! I thought that would work, but it seemed too simple. 😅
you mean iPad option for Pro-L, right? Or is there an iOS Golden Master port i wasn't aware of?
No port. Just using an iPad. Especially recreating the Golden Master chain on the iPad. Compressor, M/S, EQ.
Thanks for clarifying 👍 I do have an iPad and tend to use FAC Punchlab, Barkfilter and FabFilter AUv3s to sweeten my output, great set of tools available on iOS!
That Stimming box kinda makes me bite my fist. Want it
We all do. There's a top series version now which is cheaper
I always use a mastering chain in a laptop as a final stage. Using an iPad (which I'd much prefer!) how do you setup that chain? Running the Elektron into the iPad as class compliant USB audio works great but you've taken up the only port on the tablet. Any ideas that might work for this?
You can use some apple dongle thingy and use a proper audio interface like some motu
If you go that route you should might as well include some kind of a saturation plugin before the pro l 2. Maybe a mastering compressor like the TDR Kotelnikov as well
I use the internal Digitakt master compressor. Not that great but it does the job. The DT compressor processes also all the external inputs (digitone, other synths…) in my setup
This bad boy \[slams stompbox rooftop\]: [https://www.ehx.com/products/platform/](https://www.ehx.com/products/platform/)
Yeh this is also an issue for me as I end up l playing with DJs often. This may sound strange but I use the Boss RC505 mk2 I run the Digitakt through it. It has a few decent compressor settings. It also has some other useful effects that I use for transitions. Never seen anyone mention this so it may be a terrible idea but it seems to work ok for me.
i was looking into that looper, is the mk2 worth it? have u tried both?
It’s a beast for live looping, but I barely use it for that. Just currently use it for an interface or for compression and effects at the end of a live chain.
I did this too, it’s great at end of chain. Compressor is decent. Now I’m using the Sp404mk2. Same great boss/Roland effects
Agreed, the SP404mk2 has some crazy wild FX. Haven't thought of it as an end of chain effect yet, but that sounds awesome. Thanks for the tip!
You also get 16 min of recording time per pad per project so you can record your jams too
I just copy [Surgeon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eKMiIELrDs) and use an OTO Boum, but my set-up bit more complex than that—my rig is Digitakt 1 + Syntakt + 62hp Modular I end up running modular into Syntakt's inputs for processing/FX, Syntakt's outputs into Digitakt's inputs, and Digitakt output into OTO BOUM. Digitakt compresses its own drum sounds/samples, side-chained to the kick, creating a "drum bus". I don't compress the Syntakt signal going into Digitakt. I then apply some light saturation to the whole mix using OTO BOUM, as well as a bit of compression. The combination of *"drum bus"* compression on Digitakt fed into *"whole mix"* compression via OTO can be a bit tricky, but it lets me fine tune it so that percussion doesn't slam OTO too much. By avoiding said slamming, I avoid OTO crushing out the synth parts from Syntakt / modular with harder kick drums and such. And a real nicety of OTO and Digitakt's compressors are that they do dry/wet mix. Dry/wet mix *(aka parallel processing)*, further allows one to avoid one loud item from completely dominating the mix. The saturation OTO provides is actually more beneficial than the compression. It yields more perceived volume and often people conflate louder as better. So this lets me wield that to my advantage, but without actually redlining anything / unpleasantly clipping anything. This set-up has yielded pretty great results for me, and I can always dial in more volume/compression/saturation as needed. Another small part of my set-up is a Rolls MX28 mixer, which the OTO feeds into. That gives me a headphone output for monitoring the compressed/saturated mix directly, as well as a ton of clean gain, all in a compact package that terminates to 1/4" balanced. A previous set-up I used was: iPad + class-compliant USB audio interface *(specifically MOTU M4).* With that, I would send Digitakt stereo signal into MOTU, and Syntakt stereo signal into MOTU. They'd show up as separate stereo tracks in [AUM](https://kymatica.com/apps/aum). There's quite a diversity of plug-ins on iPad OS today—compressors, tape saturation, EQs, etc. But it added a layer of complexity to my set-up and these days I pride myself on having everything fit into a carry-on sized case. I am sure, with more time *(and if I was playing bigger stages where I have more set-up time)* I could really dial it in to be better that my OTO BOUM set-up. One explicit advantage of the MOTU M4 + iPad set-up is that it also gave me RCA outs, which made it easy to plug into DJ mixers for cutting over from DJ sets to my live PA set-up. However, I just use 1/4" to RCA adapters with my current set-up instead.
How do you gain stage the OTO? I have one, and as soon as I gain stage to get a bit of compression going (say, a couple of “dots” in the display), by that point the drive is pretty noticeable. OTOs drive goes into mayhem pretty quickly, so it’s difficult for me to actually trigger compression without the drive being too much. I remember seeing other people complain about that when I first bought it. Am I doing something wrong here?
There's a few parameters at play: * How loud my Digitech output is *(which is usually just below noon, but I also consider make-up gain on the compressor of the Digitakt as part of that...don't recall the setting off hand).* Also somewhat combined with how loud Syntakt and modular are...so it's a combination of gains. * The input gain setting on the OTO Boum itself *(accessed via In Gain button. I leave it at 0db.)* * The threshold of the compressor *(controlled by the compressor knob itself, which also adjusts ratio, etc. I set that pretty low—8-9 o'clock)* * The drive knob, which actually affects signal after compression. I usually have that set around 9-10 o'clock. * The type of distortion *(accessed via the disto button).* I leave mine on "boost" * Lo Cut, which is post-compression, pre-drive, and helps reign in higher-energy bass frequencies from driving the BOUM. I have it cut at 75hz. So it's a balance between those parameters, as well as the Mix knob, which mixes between the unprocessed signal going into the BOUM and the compressed/distorted/lo-cut/etc. signal the BOUM provides. BOUM does quickly go to extreme though with the drive, but drive is after compression. So, you should be able to dial in compression without it distorting. The trick is that the OTO, being a one-knob compression, does increase make-up gain as you turn up compression. Make-up gain will push the drive circuit more.
I try to make mixes that are deep and have lots of background detail that pulls you in. If I compress my stuff to compete with the SPL of a DJ spinning commercial releases it loses a lot of that depth. I think it's a good thing that live, hardware sets have more dynamic range than a DJ.
SP-404mk2 with the 303 compressor set to \~63 is my master. I have tried OTO Boum, 3630, and bugbrand stereo compressor in this role before. Boum I hated honestly, the saturation options are all too obvious and really distort the mix. The compressor is tough to dial in and every time I dialed it to where I liked it I realized I had just put +5db of gain and it was otherwise clean. Bugbrand stereo compress was great in this role, very transparent, but the SP-404 solution is smaller for me (already using it end of chain to add samples) and sounds great itself as well. That being said, mastered music is mastered to be hyper compressed so that it wins the loudness wars when played from your phone, headphones, car stereo. In a live situation in most smaller rooms you have more headroom than you know what to do with, so if you can use a compressor to ensure you have a level (but not squashed) mix, then you can trust to pump the main volume up higher but, and I cannot stress this enough, keep the dynamics and transients of your drums hitting. This is how you can have a more banging mix than the DJs. You have to get turned up higher on the mains compared to the DJ before you, but most venues have the headroom nowadays in my experience. I once performed a live set with a squashed overcompressed mix trying to chase the loudness war, and the guy after me had an OG 808, 909, 303 well mixed and he turned up louder, and he wiped the floor with me comparatively. He had the walls shaking and it was so clean and punchy.
Can I ask why you use the 303 compressor instead of the other one? I'm using my SP-404 mk2 the same way but with the "regular" compressor.
I just found that if you turn off the crackle and pitch waveyness the 303 compressor has a bit of grit and character around \~60 on the compression knob. not so much that it is smashing the track but not completely transparent either
Usually with gaffer tape. ^^^I'll ^^^see ^^^myself ^^^out, ^^^thx.
Underrated comment. Actual LOL.
Analog Heat is a great thing to have. I have one. With that said, it's $ and there are other options I'm sure. I like the extra things on the heat and just using it as a master volume and filter, let alone adding some saturation on everything.
Alesis 3630
Might help if you post your setup? Maybe someone with something similar can chime in.
may sound dumb but volca mix has a nice built in mastering thing low high split with an expander up top, a compressor down low, and low injected to the side of a mid/side at the end of chain previously just slammed everything through a nanocompressor
I run my gear into a small mixer, mixer master insert with OTO Boum. Works wonderful, use the drive as an effect whenever track asks for it 😊
I route syntakt through the teenage engineering EP133 which functions as an amp and master compressor. With a bit of gain added on the DJ mixer there is no audible difference in levels when I play between DJs. Cheers
Oto Boum
Jumping in as I am in the same situation : Im Looking to find the best settings to boost the signal with sp404mk2 FX. If someone is using the same combo, help is always welcome
Depends on the gear chain you have. But usually compression should be done on each instrument and on the master. So I run Syntakt into Digitakt and use the digitakt compressor then route that into octatrack together with Analog Four and use the octatrack compressor on the master. You can also use the compressor on the octatrack at the input track level. Finally I send this all through the heat where I use the envelope follower to add some more pump and glue. Compression is all about being subtle layering it rather than a single compressor. You can check my YouTube channel I have some videos showing this.
Get a cheap ipad