Digitakt to Octatrack upgrade: Cons?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hey,

I’m certainly not the first person to consider the upgrade to the Octatrack from their #elektron-gear:digitakt , but I had some lingering questions I hope I can find help with here.

  1. I’ve read that the OT’s midi tracks cut notes short whenever a new trig is played. The DT doesn’t do this, and I was wondering if this was ever fixed, on either the MK1 or MK2.
  2. Does the OT have retriggering on Midi notes? The digitakt lacks this, and it’s a constant disappointment.
  3. I’ve got an external synth and a guitar, will I need to give up a track per input I’d want to run through the OT (external synths, guitar), or only if I want to add unique effects to those? Additionally, do I need to give up one of my eight channels for a master compressor, reverb or overdrive?
  4. I’ve read about some looper drawbacks (clicking), were those ever fixed, and if not: how functional does it leave the OT as a looper? I have a midi-capable looper that I could use, but having that in-the-box for certain projects would be a bonus.
  5. The DT doesn’t live record or output Modwheel, Pitch-wheel, Aftertouch or Midi CC’s from it’s midi IN. Does the OT fare better here? My master keyboard has all of these, and I’d hate to give up on playing/recording these live.
  6. The DT doesn’t let you snap to zero crossings, leaving you kneedeep in clicks (on top of the ones you added intentionally. I see you, Elektronauts). I know the OT does let you do this, but was wondering if it still clicked when one note’s Envelope is abruptly stopped by another note (for instance when playing notes live)
  7. Bank Select: Does it work differently than the Digitakt, and if so, will I be able to skip the workaround that the DT currently needs. My Ultranova (and some other gear I’ve tested) doesn’t respond to the ones on the DT, There’s more information in here: Digitakt not sending bank select (patch works)
  8. Can Retriggers be used on midi channels?
  9. What’s the process for saving a recorded loop? This worries me most, since the OT seems to have a somewhat more convoluted workflow where saving and loading is concerned.
  10. Can the outputs be routed any way I prefer, and can this be set on a per-project and global/template basis?
  11. Arpeggiator: This is strictly for the Midi channels as far as I understood, but is there a way to route these to the Audio channels without looping the midi back into itself through a cable?
  12. Effects like stuttering/retriggering, can they be done live and recorded into the trigs?
  13. Muting/soloing differences? I dislike how DT has global mutes by default, has no solo (only Midi CC, no way to see), and reverts to global mutes every time.
  14. Ability to send more advanced NRPN? Ultranova needs nrpn with extra data to trigger the arp etc.
  15. Possible to use Midi pedal/sustain pedal to trigger record, play, overdub?
  16. Does the OT’s recent addition of Conditional Trigs match Digitakt’s (NEI, FILL etc), and does it extend to the Midi tracks as well?
  17. Updates. The official word was always: ‘there will be no more’, but after the Conditional Trigs, is there cause for further optimism? I don’t hold out hope for the mythical beast of Overbridge, but then that’s not a big draw for me as I currently don’t have a pc in my setup.

Lastly, anyone who’s gone before me:
Anything from the DT that you find yourself missing?

#2
  1. Notes are cut with new trigs
  2. Retrig with really good arp or trigs counts (microtiming page)
  3. You can use T8 as master track and use mixer DIR to listen to your synth and guitar with master fx but if you want individual fx you need 2 thru tracks.
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#3
  1. This is true
  2. No exactly, but it has a midi arp which is pretty much the same thing
  3. True
  4. No comment
    5.I don’t think so(outside of the live record)
  5. No comment
  6. 16 banks on the OT but same process
  7. See #2
  8. You have to save it or you lose it. The DT guides you through the process of saving it, the OT to a lesser degree does so. But the DT doesn’t Live Sample, so it’s easier to fit that in there.
  9. Per project, yes- per pattern not exactly(I never experimented with this on a per part basis- but I think that would be the way)
  10. No
  11. Live yes, they can be programmed onto the trigs on a per track basis, but the freeze won’t live record out side of live recording the changing of parameters.
  12. There’s a way to solo, I think it’s function+bank+track
  13. No comment
  14. No comment
  15. No Comment
  16. I sold my crystal ball shortly after my Octatrack. The evidence people have on this forum is the same as yours. Draw your own conclusions.

Fresh kit per pattern would be something I would miss, along with the DT seq layout. Pattern mutes are cool.

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#4

First off: note that I was a dumbass and I moved some shit around after posting, making the numbers useless. I’m having a smart day.

@sezare56
That’s too bad about the notes being cut off, but the sustain CC workaround I’ve found might be okay.

@Ryan
Midi Arp won’t handle overlapping sustained notes well, but… then again I suppose I found out that’s not going to be a thing!
Just to doublecheck, the OT does live-record MW, PW, AT etc?
Kit per pattern is actually something I’m not overly keen on. As an option? sure! But as a default and only option, I just really miss kits.

#5

I don’t know what those abbreviations mean…

You’ll only have 4 kits per bank, though…

Edit: and those kits are only available per bank

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#6

Modwheel, Pitchwheel, Aftertouch. On the DT those don’t get live-recorded, and when you play them on your controller they don’t get passed to any external sound modules either. As the ‘brain’ to my setup, that’s a serious letdown.

#7

I don’t think those affect the OT in any way. I COULD BE WRONG!

#8

Pretty sure it’s recorded, I can’t test aftertouch, but I cant see any reason it wouldn’t.

1 Like
#9

Sound quality I would think.
Digitakt has newer components and software driving it

#10
  1. Fade in / out are not well implemented. You can still use it as a looper with overdub, no undo. A midi looper can be a good companion anyway. I think I’ll take an RC505 again, and use OT to record its mixes easily.
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#11

Post too long. Did not read.

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#12

Can you share what’s that workaround? Thanks!

#13

Sure, it’s the third post in this thread: Overlapping MIDI notes
@LBWG I’ve hidden some real nuggets of wisdom in there, your loss.
@sezare56 Thanks for checking! You’d think that’d be a no-brainer, right? Not to the DT!
Good to know about the looping, too. I think I might have to find someone with an Octa in Antwerp and see if it’s a dealbreaker for me.
@psyclone001 I find ‘sound quality’ is a real corksniffer’s mantra in most cases of digital instruments. Ofcourse decent A/D’s is important, as is headroom, but have you had issues with the OT’s ‘sound quality’ that you can describe in more detail than that?

#14

DT reverb = lovely.
OT reverb = not so much.

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#15

I’ve heard great things about the Dark Reverb though, but I take it you’re not on board?

#16

I don’t own either anymore but the reverb was one of the things I loved about the DT and equally I was never enamoured with the OT dark reverb.

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#17

Those informations can be recorded with the trigs, it won’t be continuous.
You need a linear sequencer for that.
6.Not particulary clicky when you play another note.
7. OT bank setting : CC0, not CC32. Check other gear manuals.
8. Already asked /answered
9. Rec Setup 1 > Fn+Bank > Save this Recording (or All recordings) > name > yes
10. Routing is per PART (kits) with MAIN and CUE LEVELS, PAN , and per project for CUE behavior, T8 as Master.

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#18

Just joking. I read it all as I’m teetering on the brink of getting an Octatrack too. I loved the DT but felt like it fell down due to a lack of eq, compression and song mode. The midi was well twitchy too.

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#19

Sure.
The time shifting and pitch shifting algos are showing their age. It gets too grainy with too many artifacts too fast.
The effects are showing their age. Reverbs are terrible and should have at least been upgraded to the newer units quality.
No digital output like the DT when Overbridge is released, and no upgrade to the D/A of OT means you have a layer of unnecessary conversation with D/A converters not at the same quality as the DT.
The screen although upgraded still has smaller and harder to read graphics than the newer designed machines.
Just a few off the top of my head, and all my own opinion of course, so take it with a grain of salt :joy:

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#20

I think the OT sounds better personally but we are not talking a huge difference in actual quality, I think a lot of people struggle to get good results with Octatrack because it does not have very good input level monitoring, why oh why Elektron didn’t use the LCD to display a simple meter is beyond me, it has certainly been requested as a feature multiple times.