The Elektron Digitakt: Is it For You? Should You Get One?
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- čas přidán 22. 01. 2018
- BEFORE YOU BUY WATCH THIS: • Video
So I FINALLY got my hands on a Digitakt, and I wanted to give some perspective on the device regarding it's usefulness, and whether or not it could be a good investment for you. This video is aimed at first-time hardware buyers, especially those coming from software such as Ableton Live and it's hardware controller Push 2, as well as Maschine users.
In this video I have the Digitakt's outputs going in to the Harbinger L502 with my Blue Spark, output of the mixer into the line inputs of the Maschine MK3 which is also acting as my main sound card.
The beat I give as an example is GARBAGE, by the way; I definitely did not give it enough attention but for reference the beat in the intro was made with the Digitakt and arranged in Ableton.
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Man , I’ve been watching tutorials on this for months and this the only one that answers my questions. Great watch.
I'm happy you found it informative! Thanks for watching!
I really appreciate how in depth you talked about not only how it works but the why and personal feelings about it. Great insight bro!
Thank you!!
great video, thanks for your insight
Great video thank you🌿
It’s a trip I’m still learning stuff on mine after a year
I'm with you about the workflow.
Thanks. Enjoyed your honesty and having had a digitakt for more than a year, I definitely agree. This is a piece for performers.
Great video bro. Much appreciated. I'm gonna try one of these out and see if I like it better than my TR-8S (which has gimped sampling).
Great review, thanks!
Thank you, kindly. 👍
Really wanna go for this. The elektron workflow is really nice. Cool review man. Subbed to:) I’m thinking of pairing it with my small array of volcas. Conditional trigs opens up a lot of possibilities with my line of music
I've seen a lot of people using the Digitakt with the Volca series and the results are pretty dope! I highly recommend the Digitakt if you've been eying it. Thanks for watching and glad to have you in the community. (:
Great review. thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!
Good video dude. 👍
Nice , thanks for sharing this
+chatolars Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks buddy this helped me decide
Happy I could help!
Nice vid bro✊🏾 I really want one of these. I have the Digitone and I’m loving it
The Digitakt is great! If you like the Digitone you'll probably get along very well with the takt, I can highly recommend it. Thanks for watching!
[datastrain] Cool , I cant wait to get my hands on it. ✌🏾✊🏾 you have a new subscriber
@@santiagoasimov3590 awesome! Let me know how you like it when you grab one! Thanks for the support!
Just FYI, you can manually tweak velocity after the fact, and it actually feels pretty easy, not much of a hassle (at least not to me... DAWs and other equipment I've used always feel way more tedious). Also yes it does record velocity from external devices.
Also in case there was any confusion about the conditional trigs and in case anyone is wondering, it works like this: A:B, where B is the total number of repeats it will count of the entire pattern, and A is which cycle the note will actually trigger on. So at 2:4, it will only trigger on the second cycle out of every 4 repeats... Or at 1:3 it will trigger on the first cycle of every 3 repeats. You can set up to x:8 and if you have a pattern of 4 bars, I guess that comes out to potentially a 64-bar loop like you said. You would have to be kind of clever with the note spacing and such, but could be pretty crazy :)
+thelightshineth Thanks for the detail! I did seem to skip right over explaining that so I very much appreciate it, haha. I did also forget to mention microtiming which can be done per step which helps get more natural/wonkier grooves as well!
Yeah you can do some cool tricks with microtiming! Like lining up trigs next to each other but moving them to be essentially on the same beat (you can't put them EXACTLY on the beat but it's close enough), then set them up with different sounds and different conditional trigs so it triggers a different on each time around.
Also I realized the 4x8 (4bar pattern x 8 repeats) would be a 32-bar pattern, not 64, lol.
Nice review :-)
+SJ Thank you!
good video man !
Thank you! Much appreciated!
The 33 second sample length limitation is only for recording through the inputs, you can upload longer samples over USB. The sample memory is still pretty limited ofc, but you could have a couple longer samples in the project.
+needto awesome to know! Thank you!
33 seconds per???
track (there's 8 tracks...so 33secs x 8?)
or by 'track' you mean project/song
or is the 33 seconds TOTAL for the machine over all patterns/tracks/projects?
+cresshead track as in the 8 audio tracks that come on the DT.
ok so if i understand properly you get a total of 264 seconds of sampling per project/song split over each track it's 33 seconds per track. each project/song is stored/loaded on the 1 gig flash memory
+cresshead for the most part. But like another user said above the sample limit is only for recording into the DT. If you transfer samples from your computer they can be longer, but you're still limited to the 1gig +Drive and 64mb per project limit.
you speak my mind maaan...I love my digi...using it with bass station 2, arturia drumbrute, volca sample and fm...It made my setup alive and it is now the brain of my live gig setup..sooo coool.and i started with the DAW and made the same journey like you so I totaly agree and understand..nice video..keep it up
+Streampdy Thanks for watching! Yeah as much as I love the software world of things I'm happy to finally have some legit hardware. I actually picked up a Keystep to compliment this bad boy so now my whole desk set up is like one big modular instrument haha. Glad you enjoyed the video!
gracias bro
Speed your audio up on the sample rec then slow it down in the digitakt you double the sample length. It's a great box , fast ideas and soon multi track to daw end of Feb Hopefully.
+atommachine That's an excellent workaround! Thanks for sharing that! And yeah Overbridge will be a great addition, if it comes haha.
@@minutiaemusic Wow a trick from the 80's Sp1200 days beinging used on a brand new drum machine...........They really need to add more RAM and storage it is 2018 not 1985.....
You kind of lose some quality that way, but I like doing this with tape as well as samplers too.
The best review on Digitakt that i've seen. Well done man, for keeping it clear and comparing to the other big hitters like Mk3 and MPC Live (have both)..... might sell my MPC Live and get this....as have Maschine....but how does this compare to SP404? does it replace or complement?
Definitely a complement, but not a replacement! They cover each other's weaknesses very well, and you just can't beat the FX on the SP imo, haha. Thanks for watching, much appreciated!
the Digitakt MK2 will have a micro SD memory card reader for sure... bet on it. The automation switching between sounds is incredibly powerful... you can trigger a variety of drum sounds on a single track. Infinite possibilities for creativity! I consider it my modern day S950/SP hybrid. Haha
That would be a dream, haha. The +Drive is a cool idea, but in practice can be a bit limiting. Especially if you just want to use the DT to come up with new samples. Let's hope the MK2 brings some solid improvements if/when it comes!
Nice vid, a few mistakes, but you seem hype on the thing, so that’s totally cool.
33 seconds, but you can use speed to mess w that. 2:2 and 2:4 are not 2 out of 2 and 2 our of 4. Is the 2nd of ever 2 times (like bar 1/2 and 2/2) and 2:4 is the second time every 4 (so it played on bar 2, but not 3 or 4)
The clickiness is because the switches under those square buttons are actually mechanical keyboard switches. Rated for like 10million actuations.
You didn’t mention quantize of live played drumming, Func+Trig (under knob E) and nudging (hold the trig like for conditions, but use the nav arrows).
Just a few things that are probably common to other Elektron machines. Also check out the roll function by holding trig and press nav-up. You gotta keep holding the trig, but you get a pop-up window with options for multiple hits per step. It can also be a conditional trig, but unfortunately the roll can not be conditional.
Hey, thanks for the video, I’m a Sp404 and Eps user, I use Maschine and Live, but I hesitate between a Digitakt or a model sample to complete my set up with or without My Daw, contrôle my synths, play with my Sp. Old Mpc user I’m really interested by the Elektron workflow, Plocks, conditional trigs etc...,
Thanks. I am in almost the same situation. Could not decide between an MPC or the Digitakt. I have a Maschine but want to be away from the computer more. So that’s why I wanted a MPC. But lately I’ve been thinking: if I want to slice samples and finger drum, I can use the Maschine. So why not going for a completely different piece of gear.
That’s when I heard you also mention that same situation. So DT it will be for me!!
I'm torn here myself, as a current owner of the DT. Unlike you, I don't own a Machine so I'm stuck with this amazing "performance sampler instrument" that is really meant to be played live, but I completely lack a way to arrange a full song unless I switch over to recording pattern performances into the DAW. I've had hours and hours worth of fun jamming on my Digitakt and Digitone combo, but I simply get stuck with live jams, and the barrier to finish tracks is a little too high. So, I'm actually considering swapping out the DT+DN combo for the MPC One. That would give me one single box that can do sampling and synthesized sounds (with the new 2.10 update, the number of plugin synths doubled), and it would make the dawless studio way more portable.
However, everything said in this video is true: the DT is one hell of an inspiring machine and I've built drums where I go back to them and wonder how the heck I was able to come up with that kind of sound, only to realize that I never did - the Digitakt did it for me. That's the level of inspiration and happy accidents that this machine provides. I worry that if I switch to the MPC, I'll lose some of the creative magic, but I also think I'll get there faster from an idea to a finished song. And then the step exporting and track explode featured will make it super simple to do the final touch up in the DAW. Choices choices!
Thanks for this video, partner. It’s the video that made me decide to purchase it. I dig that it demands you to bring the skill live and not rely on backing tracks. I DIG that ( pun intended ). Is there a power supply that can power the Digitakt, Digitone and Analog Heat all at the same time?
Glad you dig it, haha! If you head to the Elektronauts forum, you should be able to find a thread where people use different battery packs and chargers for their various Elektron devices. This way you can find good recommendations and you can see what's available in our/your country. Thanks for watching!
Great video! Thanks for sharing this. I’m still not sure if it is for me… I’m an acoustic drummer and got into recording audio and mixing it with samples just recently (all in Logic Pro). I was thinking of getting Native Instruments Komplete collection to expand my Logic Pro sound and sample library. However I even more like the idea of creating beats/samples myself and the Digitakt seems to be perfect for that. As you can tell, I don’t have any experience working with drum machines/sequencer yet. Would the Digitakt be for me if I’d wanted to use it complementary to Logic Pro? I.e. creating stuff and arrange tracks in Logic…? Or should I just go for Maschine MK3? I don’t think I’ll be doing live performing with it, but I love the whole “vibe” around this lovely little machine… You know what I mean?
Very helpful vid, and well expressed! Thanks!
I have an Ableton/maschine/omnisphere setup, and seriously thinking of buying Digitakt because it looks fun!, but I’d ‘mainly’ use for studio work. IT doesn’t have song capability, and you say you’d use it mainly for live performance only?
Could I hook it up to Ableton to create songs and perhaps get around some of it's limitations?
@Vicious Spiegel i posted this a long time ago - maybe that's what you're responding to,..the lack of response. If you're looking for feedback, i ended up buying one of these, and it sits on my shelf unused. I purchased it because i thought it would 1) help me create interesting asymmetric rhythms 2) provide new interesting samples, 3) be inspiring. Although i am technically proficient , i found it way too cumbersome, ..too deep and tedious with hardware interface.. Too many buttons to push. it was my biggest music equipment loss. And it was also limited and constrained with how you use it in Ableton - if i remember correctly. And i think the software tool they were working on for so long to help make it more flexible and integrated doesn't really deliver either.
@Vicious Spiegel Sure thing! and just to be as fair as i can, i'd keep trying to talk to people who are using it NOW, but I think most would find it cumbersome to use in any DAW!
@Vicious Spiegel If I remember right, 1) it's output is mono & audio only. So first you have to plug the one mono output to ableton audio track.. If you want to have multi tracks or midi, you're out of luck -i.e. you have to do them serially - one at a time. Overbridge was supposed to fix all of this. Here is an article of what Overbridge is "supposed" to do. ask.audio/articles/sneak-peek-video-elektron-overbridge-20-beta-digitakt. But I think it doesn't work well and I wouldn't count on it. But you might even write the Elektron support or user community. I found them to be quite honest - which was one reason I laid down the 700+ dollars. What are you wanting to do with Digitakt?
Great vid! BTW, too many people get caught up in 'either/or' when it comes to software vs. hardware.
Why not 'both?' They are both beneficial in a mix. 20 years ago I recorded my Korg Triton and other instruments directly into ACID Pro to make tracks. I then auditioned .wav files from Fruity Loops and pasted the ones that complimented my sound into the mix. Nowadays, I do the same thing using Ableton Live and a Deepmind 12 and Omnisphere.
I definitely agree with you! It shouldn't have to be an either/or. Hardware and software can and do coexist, especially when implemented well. That's why I love my MK3 and Push; I get the best of both worlds! Thanks for watching and happy to have you here!
Great video! Im very new to music production. I sing, play some flutes, and some percussions. Im looking to fuse my live instruments with electronic music, I wanna be able to perfom solo, be self-sufficient, and weave in and out within the electronic realm with my live instruments. But I also wanna be able to do without my instrumets, and just play music just through my electronic device. I guess I'll keep learning, and changing, and adding things to my set-up, but for now I'm trying to decide on my first major gear, and I'm inclined towards hardwares rather that a DAW( since I dont have a computer, among other reasons). Would you recommend getting the Digitakt (or the digitone), as compared to the MPC, Novation Circuit, or Sp404A? I would really appreciate you advice.
I'm not OP, but I have some experience. I've been thinking about getting a Digitakt so I can't speak to it. I started with an MPC2000XL and used to have the SP404A. To me it really depends on what how you like to work. Since you're new to production I'm guessing you have no clue. The MPC is probably the best machine if you're a good performer in terms of finger drumming. MPC's have amazing pads and are very responsive your input. Based on videos I've watched, the Digitakt is the most DAW-like of the ones you mention in terms of sequencing. The SP404 isn't really a sequencer. It's a phrase looper. So you're basically just recording over a loop over and over. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. It's hard to know which is best for you until you spend a good amount of time with each machine.
Hi can I use digitakt as sound card which will handle more then 8 tracks in ableton? I have old sound card Roland Mx-1, but worring that Digitact is not able to work as normal sound card to hand for example 35 channels in one track. I need to replace the sound card, but keep synch between Ableton with external device like otatrack. Thanks for help )))
Very nice introduction! One question, for all the talk about the 64Mb limit. How often do you think one hits this? What would be an "example" of hitting this limit? Do you know how the limit compares to the Electribe 2?
+Wanttoknowabout I don't know much about the Electribe 2 but it does have larger storage f I am correct. Hoestly I think it would be pretty difficult to hit the 64mb limit unless you're using ridiculously long samples or samples with big files sizes. Most of the beats I've done on the Digitakt were just two audio tracks; one with the main sample and the other with a chopped dum break. But if layering, complex texturing and heavy track counts is something you like you may hit the limit unless you resample often. As much as the Digi can do, it really is just a fancy drum machine so not expecting too much out of it should keep anyone happy. The only reason I never got an Electribe is because it is always quantized to 16ths. There are groove templates but I want MY groove, not some template groove. That and no waveform displays for chopping samples was a deal breaker for me.
BTW there's a master compressor and the latest update added parametric eq.
Great video, thanks a lot!
Personally I am looking into push as my first launch pad thingy.
But this and the new tr8s look really intesting aswell.
Do you often put your arrangements of digitak into your daw?
Not too much any more but most times yes. I track it out piece by piece into Ableton then arrange afterward. Too bad Overbridge isn't ready yet, I need that multitracking haha.
Thanks for your response.
The thing is, I've switched from FL Studio to Ableton because I work a lot with loops and chopping them up in FL Studio was a shit ton of clicking.
With the Ableton sampler being a lot easier too use and imo more powerfull I got a lot less clicking going on.
Does a piece of equipment like Push 2 let you play more "live" with pitches and stuff to create you're creativity?
Can you tell me a bit about your experience with that, if you have it :).
I don't know too many people who used Push, lol.
I am also afraid push 3 is coming out when I buy Push 2.
Sorry I actually just saw the other half of your question! Push 1 is a great mix between production and performance. I found the Push 2 a little too cumbersome and weird for playing live. Not only that, it's heavy and doesn't fit most backpacks! The lack of an audio interface isn't exactly ideal for live either, but that's easily remedied if you already have one. And I would give it a few months before committing to a Push because it's likely a new Push will emerge soon. Something I've been doing lately is using My Launchpad Pro with Bomes midi translator to give it Push-Like features. It's already got the basics of anything you need in it's Live Mode, and I programmed my user mode to control Ableton's browser (Bomes let's you convert midi to Keystrokes, pure genius!) And to add midi and audio tracks. I'm also working on a Bome Template to give the LPP arrangement editing features in Live, something the current Push's definitely can't do! The LPP is also much lighter, making it much better for bringing to gigs. With it also being almost 500 dollars cheaper, I'd feel way better about bring it to perform Live than the Push 2. Any Launchpad with the free Launchpad95 script makes it INCREDIBLY Push-like as well so definitely look into those! Push 2 is great for production if you're committed to Ableton and it's instruments and FX, but I found that if you're like me and have other gear/programs you like to use a little then the Push gets too underutilized for it's price point. It's a beautiful and we'll thought-out controller, but I personally only find it worth the money if it's your only midi controller. Hope this helps!
Yes it does, I don't perform live really.
Maybe I should have mentioned that.
You gave me some good insight of some of the limitations of Push.
I mainly want to use it for making tracks.
Clicking everything with my mouse is kind of uninspiring at times.
I need to do everything in multiple steps for turning knobs and such.
You gave me some good advice, thanks a lot!
I think that I have to wait till Push 3 is announced.
Very good video, I just bought one last week I love it but was debating returning it for ableton suite and push 2. Still deciding. I like the fact that the Digitakt is limited compared to the endless possibilities with Ableton/Push 2. If the Digitakt is easy to use with Ableton maybe I will considering keeping it and going that route. But at the same time is it worth it at that point when the push 2 can pretty much do everything the Digitakt can plus more? Not looking for a debate but would love to here your opinion. Since you had the push what’s your opinion on that vs this? Any regrets getting rid of it?
So if you already use Ableton, getting the Push over the Digitakt is honestly the better choice. At the end of the day, most songs will end up back on the computer so it makes sense for the whole production to start and end there.
If you're not invested into Ableton yet, the Digitakt is awesome. It is very limited; it's technically just a drum computer; but it is a very fast and fun way to work.
If I had to say if I regret getting rid of the Push for the DT? Yes and no. I regret not having all the control over Ableton that I used to (from a hardware perspective), but I also like that I don't have to fire up the computer every time just to make a beat. If I had to choose between the Digitakt and a Push 2 + Ableton, I'd probably take the Push 2. It's a better long term investment.
datastrainmusic well currently I don’t have ableton but I intend on getting it soon. It just seems easier using the push with Ableton since it’s specifically designed to work with it and programmed for it. The Digitakt not so much but still can. Both are so great in different ways it’s hard to decide, but I ain’t rich lol so both ain’t happening one or the other.
Thanks for the video, well done! I’m new to Groovebox and looking for one that can be powered (hopefully) with batteries and can be used for hiphop, sample, lofi type of beat, and I can rely on eventually live events, can you recommend the best option? Thanks
Sandro de Souza mpc live baby boy
Thanks for your msg! Just ordered my Synthstrom deluge!
Great video as usual ! I have been torn between the Maschine mk3, the Push 2 and the Digitakt. What would you recommend for someone who has limited time and would like to quickly get ideas down ?
Personally I would go with Push 2 and Ableton. It's fast, intuitive, and fun. It can also be as complex as you want/need as you grow musically. I love the DT, and I still use my MK3 pretty often, but for 80% of my music I end up in Ableton anyhow. I actually still use a Push 1 which is a good option if you're on a budget. You could get a Push 1 and Live Standard for the cost of the Push 2 without software.
datastrainmusic thanks for the quick answer ! It does make sense to go with the push 2 as I already use Live. But damn those Elektron boxes look like some much, been eyeing them for years. Cheers !
The Elektrons are super dope but in the long run you'll probably require a little more than they can give unless you go for the Octatrack or something but I've read it has a relatively steep learning curve. I haven't been brave enough to use the OT yet cause that box is just insane lol.
Hello! i love the tecno 80¨ ( depeche, erasure, yazoo..) i play the keyboards , undecided.... digitakt..... or analog four? Thanks!
Dang that's a good one! Based off your list, I'm gonna say analog four. The Digitakt is great but I think it'll be a little limited to achieve the exact sound your after unless you really curate all your sample carefully. The analog four I think will be great all around. Even better? Get both lol.
@@minutiaemusic Very thanks! ;)
I’d be interested to know more about your reasons for selling the Push 2. I’ve had mine for a few years, and have been on the cusp of selling it SO many times.
The main reason for me was, coming from Maschine, the workflow (and browsing of samples!) on Push is WAY slower.
What were your main gripes with Push? It’s still an amazing device, but it just doesn’t click with me in the same way Maschine, or the Digi has.
To elaborate further, I’m thinking of selling my Push to upgrade my Maschine from Mk1 (ha!) to Mk3, and just using Ableton for tracking out from either Maschine or Digitakt, arranging and mixing - sounds pretty similar to your workflow.
So basically I had been a Push 1 user for quite a while, and although limited in some aspects I just grew so accustomed to the way it worked and the muscle memory associated with it.
When I did get the Push 2, it just felt wayyyy too busy. A lot of the key features I was used to on the 1 were moved around and made more difficult to achieve (not having dedicated mute/solo/on-off buttons right on the tracks for instance.)
When I did get the 2, I had already been using the Maschine MK3 for a few months. To me the MK3 is the Pinnacle of hardware based workflows, albeit the software being stupid limited in the dumbest ways. The Push 2 was beautiful but it honestly just made the work flow more difficult. There are so many sub menus to dive through, colors stacked on top of and next to each other, and ultimately it just ran slower on my computer compared to my trusty Push 1. As cool as it is, it is Very cumbersome compared to Maschine.
There's a reason why so many youtubers have a Push 2 yet you barely see them touch it for more than some drumming or melodics. It's just easier to do everything on the Computer. The only real difference between the 1 and 2 is the screens and color coding. Sure there's some routing stuff the 2 can do, but again it's much easier with a mouse and keyboard to me.
I'll keep my Push 1 with a Bluetooth computer keyboard any day over a Push 2. This is just my preference of course! I hope I helped shed some light on the subject.
I just purchased a mk3 and I wish I would have purchased the digitakt instead. Mk3 is too complex for what I need. I like the simplicity of the digitakt
Great review!!
Give the MK3 some time my friend! It's a wonderfully deep set up. I'm gonna be dropping a lot of MK3 tutorials this month so stay tuned! Also, let me know what's troubling you and I'll make sure to include it in my videos.
Loving the videos! Thanks for the response. You are actually addressing the issues I have with the mk3( scenes and arranging). The biggest issue I have is maschine gives me so many features I’m spinning my wheels. I spend more time going through sounds and features than just making a beat. I have an sp404 and I like how simple It is and I think the digitakt would compliment enough without the computer. I think I prefer hardware but will continue to give maschine a chance.
Could you make some videos on how to use the FX strip and using massive from the mk3 controller?
Thank you
I can sure try! I have some more videos planned for Maschine this month so I will try to squeeze these concepts in for you. I have a video about setting up Perform FX on individual groups as FX banks (Similar to using MFX on The SP404) that may just help you out in the meantime! I'll attach a link to it shortly. edit: here's the link! czcams.com/video/QtEUjEUsWqg/video.html
As for the Digitakt, it is a wonderfully brilliant drum machine and sampler with a pretty easy workflow, but it does have a lot of limitations (mono tracks, no chords without resampling, all resampling is also in mono, no individual outputs, etc.) Maschine can do soooo much more for the money, but if you don't mind the limitations it is an awesome piece to have! Just be aware though that the Overbridge software for it is indefinitely unavailable, so if Overbridge is a big buying point for you right now I would stick with Maschine. Hope this helps!
Totally helpful! I’ll be keeping my maschine and will work towards learning it better. I appreciate the work your putting into your videos and the link to the other video was helpful.
.the new fm modular is awesome i would get that too.......Abelton +1
I'm gonna wait a while till the get the bugs fixed and Overbridge finally releases. I've got tons to work with till then haha.
Can u make a video on the digitone
I'd love to but unfortunately I don't own one. I can however recommend some channels that may have exactly what you need!
I recommend looking into BoBeats and Cuckoo. Aside from them, you can also visit Elektronauts.com which is the User Forum for Elektron Machines. Any questions you have may already have been asked and answered, and you're always more than welcome to post and ask questions. The users on there are incredibly friendly and helpful, many being Elektron veterans.
Sorry I couldn't be more help!
Do you think this unit is more powerful than the TR8s?
Yeah I'd say so. The TR8s just seems like another 808/909 style clone to me, it's a style of drum machine we've all seen before without bringing a whole lot of new and interesting to the table. The DT on the other hand is a wonderful box of surprised. It's got it's short comings, but I personally found it to be more fun than the TR8s. I highly suggest trying both out though because my opinion May differ from yours!
can't you use maschine for live drumming as well? if yes why would you need both?
In this example I'm mostly using Maschine to play the Digitakt's sounds in a manner that's velocity sensitive, which the Digitakt can't do on its own when live recording. The Digitakt's sequencer is also very fun and exciting, especially with the conditional triggering. It provides a different approach to traditional step sequencing which I enjoy, but not having velocity sensitive pads to play on is a bummer to me. More recently I've been using the Launchpad Pro with the Digitakt which I do think is a better combo. Plus, it's pretty neat sequencing Reaktor or Maschine instruments from the Digitakt. But in reality you can replace Maschine with any other midi controller, I just already had these two ready to go when making the video haha. Thanks for watching!
Data Strain Music pairing digitakt with launchpad pro? How can you do that? How is the setup?
Well you can set it up like you would any Midi controller using 5-pin DIN midi, but the homie Fenix Song actually made a script for the Launchpad Pro to control the Digitakt specifically. Check it out!
czcams.com/video/qgUTbQJJg3M/video.html
NOW with compressor!
also getting rid of Push2 to fund Digitakt
Great choice, man! It's liberating 👍
I'm thinking about doing this... How'd that work out
10:25 .... did you just do the "The Sign" intro?
So at first I wasn't sure what you meant but after some research I'm assuming you mean The Sign by Ace of Base? If so, I did not play that purposefully but it is eerily similar, lol.
Out of the Elektron series what would you say is the closest to a DAW in a box?
From my research the closest would be the Octatrack. You do have to feed it sounds cause it's a sampler, but that one is damn near close to a full DAW. Compared to an actual DAW though it is limited, as is any hardware, but the Octatrack gives you a million ways to do a million things. It's close to a DAW in the sense that everyone has their own way of using it and their own techniques for a plethora of styles. I've only ever used the Digitakt by Elektron, so I have no experience with the other boxes, but I have looked into them countless times. Personally I want a Rytm out of all of them, but that's because most of my music is rhythm based. That and I'm a sucker for almost anything with pads on it lol. Check out the Elektronauts forums. This question has been asked there many times and people with much more experience with Elektron boxes have chimed in with well represented opinions. Thanks for watching!
I really appreciate the fast reply and breakdown. This was helpful, will check elektronauts as well. I too considered the Analog RYTM due to those pads. So right now, I'm torn between a digitakt and a Octatrack, but the octatrack is really pricey. I'm thinking since I'm new to Elektron maybe I should just start with the digitakt and if I find limitations I can always sell and move up to an Octatrack.
Anytime, homie! And yeah the Digitakt is a great first step into the Elektron world. As limited as it is I'm constantly drawn to it to create. Unlike many of the other Elektron devices, it's very immediate and can be learned in entirety very quickly. I do feel like later on the limitations will get tiresome but I feel like it'll probably be a good solid year before I hit that point.
That Analog Rytm mk2 looks sleek as hell. And the ANALOG distortion, compression and overdrive built in!! Aaah some day...
I want one sooo bad but with all the bugs and missing features in the new boxes I just can't justify those price tags haha.
Workflow is slllllllooooooowwwwww
It's only really slow when programming, if you play by hand it is much, much faster, imo. I don't really like programming, personally.
Sound ?
Like the sound quality of it? It's a little on the darker side but still pretty clean and loud. It's a digital machine so there isn't any analog colorization, but it still sounds great. There is only one filter per track and no built-in compressor though so full and polished mixing directly from the Digitakt isn't quite possible but you can get pretty close!
Elektron added a compressor since this video was made
Yes they have and it is dope, haha.
33 seconds
maschine+
30 seconds per track is alot honestly
After all this time of using it I completely agree with you! Back when I made this video I was still very much used to throwing whole songs in Ableton and chopping them up into different sections but the Digitakt helped me understand that even a 6-15 second sample can be plenty.
Interesting review. You're saying that the 8 mono audio tracks limitation isn't really bothering you. Really ? To build interesting drums, you need at least 4 or 5 tracks. Do you bounce them on a single track or two, so you can play and stop them live ? That leaves a mere 3-4 tracks for everything else. And if you want to record chords, you have to resample, whitch requires two tracks (?)... I dumped my maschine mikro mkII and my laucnhpad to go harware, quite recently, I got an electribe sampler. I like it better thant the PC related gear, even if the electribe has heavy limitations too. But as far as polyphony and tracks are concerned, I have 16 parts that can play simultanously, and that's really priceless. Of course, the 8 midi tracks are a prominent feature of the DIGITAKT, but for a person like me looking for a groovebox, the DIGITAKT looks more of a super midi hub than a standalone groovebox. For my personnal needs, the Circuit lacks a third synth part, and the DIGITAKT seems to be at its best when controling at least one or two more synths.... Maybe I'm wrong and will get one, someday. I don't have any other hardware synth for the moment. Thanks again for sharing this video. And I apologize for my clumsy English, as I'm just a bloody French !
+Alan Bouët-Willaumez one of the best ways to save track space is by using the Sample Swap with the conditional triggers. You can swap any sample on any trigger. So on one audio track you can do a simple rythm, like "kick - hat - snare - hat" and have that all on one audio track. Really good for linear drumming. You can do the same with percussion on another audio track, so on/ so forth. You just can't stack more than one sample per trigger, but there are always work arounds. But word up on the Electribe! I almost went for one my self but without a way to turn off Quantization, and no waveform display, I just couldn't get myself to buy it,but I've heard its a dope and reliable sequencer. Thank you for watching and greetings from New York!
data strain all right I get the idea about the sample swap. I hadn't understood it that way. I'll borrow one from a friend and give it a try ! Peace !
I'm impressed with your English! Also, software and hardware do co-exist well with one another. Sometimes people get too caught up in one or the other and never learn to appreciate how much they compliment each other in a mix.
Fact Ckzone...the issues I’m having with Maschine mk3, Bitwig and some Arturia hardware are enough to drive me mad. I hate I.T. Just saying.
Jamis Ins go full hardware !!
I wanted to shit all over this because I'm old and mean, but I really appreciate videos that really show thought and effort which this certainly does. Thanks!
+Devon Rumrill well I'm glad I could persuade you! I try to think of points that actual consumers would want to know, not what Marketers want you to know. Too many times I've been tricked by ads just to find out the thing I bought isn't what I thought it was. Thank you for watching and I'm happy you found it informative!
I had the op-1 and it sounds like shit. It crackled and popped. Really took you out of the game. I used that by itself live and it did the job, but man, it sounded sub par. The track switching hiccuped and it was cringe-worthy. It would be a fun sketch toy....for a quarter of the price, maybe.
AdrianVino I felt the same, drive was almost unusable, compressor was so bad and the novelty worn off after a week ha. 700 quid is a sickening price for the thing
But you didn’t mention its very buggy .
I didn't mention it because I've personally never experienced any bugs. Even now, I'm running bug free. I do know at first launch and a few first batch ones were a bit buggy but we're way past that now.
it is 2019, have you cleaned your fingernails yet?
Go fuck yourself.