STRING for Elektron Digitakt

A Karplus-Strong plucked string SRC machine: bowed, hit, noise or plucked strings that go through the Digitakt's own AMP, filter, mixer and effects.

Module version 0.9.0. Base firmware: 1.53 / 1.54.

About this module

STRING adds a Karplus-Strong physical-model string to the SRC machine list of the original Digitakt. Choose an exciter (BOW, HIT, NOISE or PLUCK), then shape the string with stiffness, pluck position, softness, damping and a decay time. Machine Pages draws its SRC page with STRING's own names, ranges and defaults. It stores its values in SLICE's eight parameter slots, so they are saved with the project, can be locked per step and are reachable by MIDI CC and NRPN like any stock parameter. Its audio enters the normal AMP envelope, filter, mixer and sends.

• Four exciters: BOW keeps exciting the string while the note is held; HIT, NOISE and PLUCK are one-shot.
• DECAY is a time (T60, 0.07 s to about 17 s, endless at the top): the same setting rings as long on a low note as on a high one.
• STIFF moves from an ideal string to a bell-like, inharmonic tone; TONE sets the damping inside the string.
• Retriggering a ringing string adds the new excitation to the vibration, as on a real string.
• Values are ordinary SLICE slots: saved, p-lockable, LFO destinations and MIDI CC/NRPN controllable.

How to use it

1. Select an audio track, press FUNC + SRC, choose STRING in the machine list and confirm with YES.
2. Play a trig key: the default sound is a plucked string at the track's pitch. Turn knob B (EXC) to choose BOW, HIT, NOISE or PLUCK, drawn as icons.
3. Turn knob H (DECAY) to set how long the string rings, and knob G (TONE) from 0 (warm) to 4 (open and metallic). The AMP page still shapes what you hear.
4. Return to a stock machine with FUNC + SRC; the track's SLICE values stay in the project.

Controls

A — TUNE

Pitch, with the stock range. An untransposed note plays C4 at 261.6 Hz; the keyboard follows equal temperament up to about 12 kHz.

B — EXC

Exciter, drawn as an icon: BOW, HIT (mallet), NOISE or PLUCK; default PLUCK. BOW keeps exciting the string while the note is held; the others are one-shot.

C — STIFF

Stiffness, 0–127: from an ideal string to a bell-like, inharmonic tone. The fundamental stays in tune up to about 880 Hz.

D — (blank)

Blank: STRING plays no sample, so the sample selector is hidden.

E — POS

Pluck position, OFF or 1–64, from the bridge to the middle of the string; default OFF.

F — SOFT

0–127: a darker, softer attack.

G — TONE

Damping inside the string, 0–4: 0 warm, 3 bright, 4 open and metallic. Its cutoff follows the note and rises with DECAY.

H — DECAY

How long the string itself rings (T60), 0–127: 0.07 s to about 17 s, endless at the top. The AMP envelope decides how long you hear it.

LFO destinations

The LFO destination list shows the STRING parameter names, grouped as STRG.

Compatibility notes

• Below F#1 (47 Hz) the string runs at a lower internal rate, down to about 1.5 Hz, without octave jumps.
• High STIFF values make very high notes slightly sharp (about +8 cents at 1760 Hz).
• On high notes with a long DECAY the damping filter opens completely, so TONE 3 and 4 can sound the same there.
• SOFT now spans 0–127; a sound saved with 0.8.0 keeps its stored value, so its attack is about half as soft as before.
• Machine Pages conflicts with DigiChain, so STRING cannot be combined with Digi Mono or Digi Poly.

Test evidence

Hardware (author, OS 1.53 and 1.54, 20 min, with Machine Pages, RAM Machines and Note Accumulator): machine list, SRC page, defaults, LFO, save/reboot/reload, Note Accumulator and RAM Machines work; three tracks clean, the UI lags from four, at the same DSP load as 0.8.0. Source-only packages compiled in the pinned toolchain; emulator captures on OS 1.53 and 1.54 are identical.