So let’s say I make multiple patterns, and want to level adjust each of them to be somewhat equally loud - for example when curating different of my tracks (as in songs) into a live set. Does it make a sonic difference wether I use track Amp or track Level?
Ideally I’d use Amp, so I can always keep level on 100; so I know to which number I can fade in tracks by using Level.
But if there’s gain staging benefits to using Level (for example bringing level down instead of Amp), I’d like to know.
this is a good question, I don’t have a digitakt but was wondering same thing about rytm, I thought about doing null test for the same thing recorded with different levels of each parameter
If you want to adjust the volume of the entire pattern you can use the level/data knob when on the compressor page and also make use of the make up gain of the compressor if needed.
Don’t know if there’s a real difference for the track volume between level and amp?
So you don’t think driving the Amp parameter up adds any tonal difference - wether it’s wanted or unwanted drive? (I personally do at least assume that the level parameter is probably very clean and distortion free)
I did a quick null test having single track running, for one recording I had amp on 64 and track level on 100 and on the other the other way around, they don’t null on rytm although the difference is quite negligible, maybe it’s worth taking a bit deeper dive and have all kinds of levels tested but from first glance there is a difference between the two
That’s a really good question which was always in the back of my head since my first Elektron I guess it’s done this way without any proof :
The level on the amp page allow to push the volume inside the “machine/virtual instrument”, so with some of those, maybe you can distord it to a level where it could clip or distord ? Never experience that, but maybe it’s possible using the filter/res ?
All those virtual instrument are fed into a global mixer which allow you to adjust the volume of each track. These global mix receive also the signal of the delay/reverb/chorus. And if you have an already clipping/distorded signal on a specific track, it will still sound “distorted/cliped” And you will only be able to control it’s volume without affecting the sound material which can already be distorded/cliped.
So in most normal situation, I guess nothing should be too much noticeable if you adjust one or the other. And in my case, I just put the mixer of each track at 100 (defaut I guess), proof that I don’t know exactly how it works
I use an oscilloscope a fair amount, and I’ve never noticed the Amp setting distorting anything in analog or digital tracks. Overdrive does, though.
Level will overdrive a sound when a track is routed to FX, that’s where you’ve got an actual analog mix going on. Thru fx, the Level setting gets a horizontal stripe, and the block becomes a sub mix (you can drive a sound hard into FX, then turn down FX level, or Amp setting).
Amp is an LFO destination where level isn’t, so I tend to use it for tremolo. Even then, I usually use Amp for the basic balance of the mix so the Levels can theoretically be used to fade sounds in and out without having to remember their level setting…
Maybe it does, especially in machines where you can hit an analog drive circuit (e.g. Syntakt, A4) that responds to input levels, but having all levels on the mixer fading it’s convenient.
I would suspect that in certain instances, amp and amp envelope have a ratio type interaction with certain other parameters. At a minimum amp envelope is shown to impact the amp parameter in the voice signal flow chart and we know that level does not directly interact with any parameter but will drive the signal as described by humanprogram.
One would reasonably have to assume that this interaction of putting amp/amp envelope post filter and filter envelope and before pan creates an interaction of parameters prior to the introduction of FX.
I don’t have hard evidence to this effect, I’m just going off of what’s shown in print and my assumptions about their algorithms.
To be more specific, level should cause a linear increase in volume whereas I’d assume amp / amp envelope are actually interacting with or altering the shape of that which enters into it before stereo distribution.
Amp volume and LFO modulation of the amp are added. Wheras track level is multiplied with the resulting amp loudness. Suppose you set the LFO to modulate amp level with a depth of 50. Then the loudness will vary between 100 and 50%. Then if you turn down amp volume to 50, the loudness will vary between 0 and 50%. But if you instead turn track volume down to 50, the loudness will vary between 25 and 50%. So the tremolo effect will sound very differently.
I verified this on my Syntakt.
I also tested wether velocity modulation of amp loudness and panning by LFO gets added or multiplied. It turns out these get multiplied. So it’s only LFO modulation of amp volume that gets added to the amp volume setting.
I guess it’s done this way without any proof :
