Elektron Digitakt

[digit]

Fuck those entitled people. If something does not meet your needs then don't buy it, simple. Elektron are one of the few companies that listen and implement as much as they can for the users.

If it had everything then it would be another 1k+ machine and not differ enough from the other boxes to warrant being itself.

 

Some people aye?

 

well... elektron gear could stand to be improved just like anything else.

 

it still pisses me off that the octatrack can't do event mute, only audio mute.

 

you also can't change to a new sequence mid-sequence & keep your place

(the sequence always resets to the beginning when you switch).

 

but yeah, if elektron kit became do-it-all machines, they wouldn't be elektron kit anymore. i like the focused feature set.

[sheatheman]

major draws for me are:

 

1. patterns and kits are joined. if you want an empty kit, just save an empty pattern (just like the tempest). even though parts and patterns are separate on the OT, there is no way to load either one independently of loading a project, which means any time i have a new project and want to create a synth patch on a track, i have to do it from scratch.

 

2. just one type of playback machine means a lot of time saved. having separate flex and static machines is honestly pretty dumb, especially when start parameter modulation is the only significant difference. it's also a welcome simplification for someone like me who would never run out of ram or need to stream long samples. managing TWO lists is a headache.

 

3. send effects. and ctrl all (just like tempest's beat-wide effects).

 

4. Better transposition and triple the range in chromatic mode. (Time stretch sounds pretty bad on OT).

 

4. EIGHT knobs. two more than six. (haha)

 

 

i would swap out the OT for a DT if it weren't for scenes and thru machines.

Edited June 13, 2017 by sheathe

[sheatheman]

I wouldn't mind putting the samples from the dt on the ot. They are some pretty great samples it seems.

Edited June 13, 2017 by sheathe

[Bubba69]

 

Fuck those entitled people. If something does not meet your needs then don't buy it, simple. Elektron are one of the few companies that listen and implement as much as they can for the users.

If it had everything then it would be another 1k+ machine and not differ enough from the other boxes to warrant being itself.

 

Some people aye?

 

 

 

you also can't change to a new sequence mid-sequence & keep your place

(the sequence always resets to the beginning when you switch).

 

 

 

I don't believe that's true. That is true.

[TubularCorporation]

major draws for me are:

 

1. patterns and kits are joined. if you want an empty kit, just save an empty pattern (just like the tempest). even though parts and patterns are separate on the OT, there is no way to load either one independently of loading a project, which means any time i have a new project and want to create a synth patch on a track, i have to do it from scratch.

 

 

One way around this would be to have a collection of banks with your library of "preset" parts saved in a folder somewhere.  you could just copy that bank into the new project over one of the banks that wasn't being used yet, and then copy the parts you wanted out of it into the bank you were actually using. It would mean connecting to a computer in USB disk mode to copy the bank over which isn't ideal but it should work.  It's pretty much how I assembled the set for the show I did last week, except I was just changing the order of the banks to match the order I wanted to play them.

 

So, for example, you could have a bank with four parts full of different synth patches you had made, rename it something like synths01.strd and put it in its own directory outside of the OT's file structure (or not, but that would probably make it easier to keep track of than keeping it in with your regular projects).  If you needed a synth patch you could hook up your OT to a computer in USB Disk mode, copy the bank full of synth patches and paste it into the directory of the project you were working on.  Then you could delete a bank that you knew was empty, let's say bank 8, and rename the bank full of synth patches, so in this case synths01.strd would become bank08.strd.  Then leave USB Disk mode, and now bank 8 would have all of your preset synth patches in it, you could copy them into the banks you were working on as you needed them, either by copying individual tracks or by copying entire parts.

 

 

EDIT: I just looked it up and it turns out this would kind of be overkill because you can copy/paste parts between projects in the OT already, I haven't had to do it yet so I completely forgot.  I manually copy and rename banks to change their order sometimes so that was fresh in my mind.

 

So yeah, easiest way would be to have your synth patches saved in a project, open that up, copy the pattern(s) or part that your synth patch was made from, open the project you wanted to use them in and paste.  Not ideal but not that bad. I've never actualy needed to do that though, so I'm only assuming it works based on this thread.

 

 

 

Send effects would be fantastic to have on the OT.

Edited June 19, 2017 by RSP

[acid1]

The more I look at this, I tend to think about it as an addon for the Octatrack if you want more MIDI parts or an addon for the Rytm if you want to free up the analog synths.

[Guest]

yeh this being a sequencing sampler which also can midi sequence, it's a nice add on on to a lot of things.

[TubularCorporation]

yeh this being a sequencing sampler which also can midi sequence, it's a nice add on on to a lot of things.

 

Yeah, I feel like if it has to be put in a category then "sampling drum machine" is the one that most fits. It looks like a sampling drum machine with the Elektron workflow, which is cool.  I know the later Machinedrum could sample but that wasn't really its main focus or strength, and the T  cam work like a drum machine but that's not really its main focus or strength either, so the Digitakt seems to fill a gap.

[sheatheman]

I want a ctrl all max patch for ableton. I can't think of a way to do it with just instrument rack. You can do ctrl all but you can't turn it off without in mapping if you macro it that way

[Guest]

that new sample transfer protocol is quick

 

 

https://twitter.com/stromapp/status/892717892948635649

[user]

Yowza McBowza!

[modey]

wireless? Does it connect to a computer wirelessly to then transfer via USB? Or is there some other trickery involved here?

[Guest]

^ yeah that! coded up a thing which is basically a virtual midi port over a TCP connection, and that is running on my Mac, where the 'takt is connected to. macOS has its own network midi built in, but that wasn't reliable enough for sysex data..

[ncrtx]

So all in all, is it worth the buy for someone like me who never had a sequencer or drum machine before?

[sweepstakes]

major draws for me are:

 

1. patterns and kits are joined. if you want an empty kit, just save an empty pattern (just like the tempest). even though parts and patterns are separate on the OT, there is no way to load either one independently of loading a project, which means any time i have a new project and want to create a synth patch on a track, i have to do it from scratch.

 

2. just one type of playback machine means a lot of time saved. having separate flex and static machines is honestly pretty dumb, especially when start parameter modulation is the only significant difference. it's also a welcome simplification for someone like me who would never run out of ram or need to stream long samples. managing TWO lists is a headache.

 

3. send effects. and ctrl all (just like tempest's beat-wide effects).

 

4. Better transposition and triple the range in chromatic mode. (Time stretch sounds pretty bad on OT).

 

4. EIGHT knobs. two more than six. (haha)

 

 

i would swap out the OT for a DT if it weren't for scenes and thru machines.

So it sounds like you let the OT go - are you planning on replacing it with the DT? Did you decide you didn't need scenes and thru machines after all?

[Guest Chesney]

So all in all, is it worth the buy for someone like me who never had a sequencer or drum machine before?

 

Absolutely, this is the perfect machine for people who have no other Elektron machines. It's not as deep but it's still deeper (and easier to navigate) than most other drum machines and sequencers.

[sheatheman]

I didn't sell it to replace it. It was just unnecessary right now. But nothing can replace thru machines and scenes. There's nothing like it for jamming with friends. I'll get one again in a couple years.

 

If you don't need scenes and thru tho, you should get the dt. I used it a couple times and it's a lot better than the OT as a standalone groove box.

[omnii]

I didn't sell it to replace it. It was just unnecessary right now. But nothing can replace thru machines and scenes. There's nothing like it for jamming with friends. I'll get one again in a couple years.

 

If you don't need scenes and thru tho, you should get the dt. I used it a couple times and it's a lot better than the OT as a standalone groove box.

I'm contemplating getting an OT vs DT and i'm not totally sure what you mean by scenes and "thru machines". I have never used an Elektron before and i know very little music terminology. I see the old OT going around $900 right now but by the time i have the $ those might be all gone. Any chance you can clarify what these differences would mean to me?

Edited August 7, 2017 by omnii

[modey]

Thru machines:

Octatrack has four inputs. These can be two stereo pairs or four separate mono channels, which the thru machines can send through effects, in addition to the usual sampling features. This means you can use it as a mixer with effects!

 

Scenes:

Probably best if you watch a video, but each end of the crossfader can be "locked" to certain parameter settings, so fading from one end to the other will fade from one parameter setting to the other. Multiple parameters can be assigned, so the whole sound can change between two scenes (of which there are 16 per part; parts are like kits).

[sheatheman]

Scenes are basically different sets of mapping macros used with the cross fader. Endless possibilities really but it would be fruitless to try to describe it here. The video that made it click for me was the sonicstate elektron timeline video with Cenk. That was the first time i heard a clear explanation of scenes.

 

Thru machines are just a method for processing external audio. Very useful if you want to use the OT with other gear. Again, it's probably hard to explain. Most people who understand elektron, much less the OT, have spent quite a while watching videos, reading manuals, and using them.

 

But basically, the OT has different "machines" you can use on each of the eight tracks. Think of it as separate midi tracks in a DAW, as in you can use different instruments on each track. Some machines are for sample playback, others are for external audio.

[sweepstakes]

Also you may have realized this already but the crossfader can "morph" between the scenes. Further, each track of the Octatrack has 2 effects (each parameter setting of which can be assigned to a scene for morphing), and you can use a "neighbor" machine with a thru (or sample) machine to chain the effects, giving you 2 additional effects for each neighbor (so, 4 with just one neighbor). So you can have a 4 mono input mixer with a chain of 4 stereo effects on each input, or a 2 stereo input mixer with 8 effects on each, or use a track (or 4) for your own sample mangling - you can mix and match the 8 tracks as you please.

 

The scenes seem kind of gimmicky on paper, but everything in the OT is so overwhelmingly flexible that it ends up feeling magical because you can turn from, say, ambient to hard techno just by flicking the fader between the corresponding scenes. Makes it super easy to create variation and movement, even with just one pattern. Scenes can be applied to the LFO and sampler parameters too so the result can be quite crazy, but it's also very precise!

[Guest Chesney]

The thru and scenes are literally why I have kept the OT. Like Shea, The OT never really worked in my setup but it's too good of a machine to sell unless money is needed desperately. I use mine as an effects box mostly and just enjoy jamming on it. The things it can do are incredible but weirdly, for me, nothing comes out of it that fits my sound. Whereas all the other boxes I have are used constantly and the MD features in nearly every single track.

I'd have the DT over the OT personally if I was buying my first elektron box but with the hindsight of what I know now.

[sheatheman]

Yeah ches, feel dumb selling it because it will ALWAYS be incredibly useful no matter how my hardware setup changes, but $900 goes a long way.

 

@omnii, Either way I would say weight a few months and read the manual some, watch some videos and stuff. I don't even think you can get a digitakt now. Selling for more than an OT on eBay... and you said you don't have the money now anyway. Mki OT will stay cheap anyhow.

 

Good thing about the OT is if you learn it you can figure out every other elektron box.

Edited August 7, 2017 by sheathe

[omnii]

Thanks you guys that's really helpful! It's so hard to decide which one to get when i want them all so bad!!! Leaning heavily towards OT again now.

Edited August 7, 2017 by omnii

[TubularCorporation]

Thanks you guys that's really helpful! It's so hard to decide which one to get when i want them all so bad!!! Leaning heavily towards OT again now.

I'm pretty new to Elektron stuff but for what it's worth I got an OT MkI lady winter and I have no desire for a Digitakt although they look like really good drum machinres. My only regret is that it didn't take me longer to save up for it, because I'd have saved like $300 If I ordered it from B&H just a few months later during the sale. I think if I got a Digitakt I would still want an OT. I guess it depends on what you need it for but as the centerpiece of a portable live rig the OT was the only option for me.