Digitakt vs. Octatrack

They said it’s the same OS so to me that sounds like if MK2 will get cond trigs MK1 will get them too.

There’s really not much reason to “upgrade” and pay the extra and I am pretty sure they won’t move many of these units before all the MK1s are off the shelves and the MK2 price has dropped to where MK1 price is now.

That’s unless there’s still some surprise waiting beyond the things that are listed, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

I think the only changes are the cosmetic ones, and maybe less menu diving on some things due to the new buttons. I didnt learn enough on my OT MK1 before selling, but now I am using the digitakt halfway in my sleep. Im wondering if I should MK2 it or just go back to MK1 and give it another learning go around. Now I will say as a graphic design major im a cosmetic snob, so I will admit the design of the MK2 is what I’d gladly pay extra for. But I need rationale folks like you guys to keep me from GASsin it lolol

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That’s true if you are just looking at a feature list… But I do think the Digitakt just straight up sounds better though especially if you are using oscillators to do wavetable type stuff, that stuff sounds sooo good on DT and fine on the OT. It is kind of an awkward split, OT is way more feature rich but DT is more quality rich in actual sound and in workflow. DT only has 1 reverb but it sounds better than any of the OT reverbs, DT has less filtertypes but they sound better than any of the OT filters, the bitcrusher and overdrive are all next level also, DT lets midi notes sustain even after new trigs OT cuts them off. DT is more of a spur of the moment improvisation while OT is more plan out these cool cross fade fx. There is lots of stuff DT straight up doesn’t do, slicing and time-stretch are probably the biggest to me. The sound of oscillator type stuff and the filters is enough better that I wouldn’t give up DT for OT (wouldn’t mind having both though). Having chromatic mode lay out like an actual keyboard is super nice as well. OT is god damn amazing but its sound engine is definitely a step below DT.

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Interesting for sure

Surely you can replicate the DT sound with the rytm sample side tho?

Interesting to hear that the MIDI seq is improved… Such a shame it is much more limited in terms of LFOs and arp.

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I guess the sampling has a more lofi quality on rytm… I haven’t used the rytm but some users who have both discuss it here Samples on Rytm compared to Digitakt seems like the quality on digitakt sampling is a easily noticed quality improvement.

Yea having an arp would be killer. As of now I still have to plug in my keystep for a quick arp, which I would rather just leave to happen internal to the digitakt. Maybe we will see the midi lfos opened up to work more freely in the digitakt with out routing midi back into itself. I won’t hold my breath for that feature though. :drunk: all things considered digitakt makes me a happy camper… the highest quality sample sounds from elektron maybe unsurprisingly come out of the most recent sampler. Not to knock the rytm though that more gritty sample sound is very sought after too!

oh okay then. I’d really like to hear a levelmatched A/B though. The gainstaging on the rytm is very much misunderstood IME, so this could very much account for the perceived diffs as well - although I bet @void knows this very well? Might still subcosciously affect the end result.

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So i’ve been fumbling between first wanting the digitakt then the octatrack (mk1), and the elektron comes around for a release of the MkII. First this weekend have i really understood the differences between these two products, and what i really was after in the first place was a drum sampler. But at the same time i really want to get into the whole sampling sphere of things. I make RnB/HipHop as a producer and singer, so i feel like it would help my workflow, even tho i already have ableton and Push 2. What i really need to know is wether or not i need this thing in my life. To be honest, i NEED Elektron products in general, they’re just to well built and fun to use. But is it worth a buy?

I would highly recommend going for the Digitakt. Drum Sampler. Super sound, powerful realtime performance options, and the conditional trig options. Quick to get started and keep on going.

the Octatrack is amazing - potentially. Also, it is potentially going to require years to become acquainted with.

This probably belongs here and will help clear up a lot for anyone struggling with the choice… although I do think cuckoo himself is probably a little biased based purely on having used the octatrack work flow for so long and making music with the crossfader scene stuff in mind. Still a great video and pretty clearly lets you hear the sound quality difference between the 2 and the capability difference leaving you able to make the choice that will suit you best.

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I got the OT in March and DT last month. Everybody is correct in saying the OT is very deep because of the many options it has to manipulate the sounds. DT can be very deep as well but is instantly gratifying and with new enhancements with every os update it will and already is a great contender. I’m learning something new on both every time I use them. I’ve ran one into the other as well as swapped them around. They work very great plugged into each other. For example, you can essentially have conditional trigs for OT when Using the DT sequencer. So many more possibilities open up when treated as one unit. I thought I would be getting rid of one or the other after buying both but I can’t see using one without the other. The creative imagination was only expanded greatly by the limitations both possess. Those of you who are lucky enough to have both I urge you to explore the many different possibilities and configurations with just those two machines together. Not to mention, throw in what ever other synths, drummachines and effect boxes you have. My mind has been blown!

So to me there isn’t a matter of Digitakt vs Octatrack. It’s more about how can I make these two work together with my other boxes to come up with some of the most unique characters that express what I hear in my head.

This isn’t a rant or a negative message. I’d have to say that I am amazed at what Elektron has done. I have loved the silver boxes and am looking forward to what they bring us next.

One more note: lots of wishful thinking or complaining about this doesn’t do that or I wish it did this. I see lots of posts like these but the media page hasn’t had much love. With so many people buying the DT so quickly, why isn’t there any music being uploaded over there? Let’s start making what we can with what we have instead of wishing for things that don’t exist? Thank you for your time. Back to my hole.

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Definitely second the Cuckoo video. I have had zero interest in the Digitakt for my workflow/purposes, but he makes great videos and I was curious how he’d explain the differences. What I MOST value about Cuckoo though is that comparing them doesn’t mean asserting one as superior over another. Both are useful tools with different strengths and I think he goes over some of those nicely without all the dickish ‘final judgment’ that crops up on this forum at times.

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opinions are “dickish” now?

My temptation is to reply sarcastically that yes they are :slight_smile:

However, online sarcasm is toxic and unproductive, so - no - opinions aren’t dickish now.

That said, I think that some evaluations of the two tools over the past couple months have a tone that suggests that one is better than another - and that is just truth (or the ultimate/final judgment). Cuckoo meanwhile looks at them as different and each having strengths and weaknesses. Again, it’s about workflow and goals - neither box is definitively superior or inferior. That’s why I really appreciated his video.

So I guess maybe a way of summarizing is that having an opinion isn’t inherently dickish, but how people express that opinion CAN BE dickish.

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Could you explain/link to a tut of how to link up these 2 to use DT conditional trigs on the OT?
I’m relatively new to hardware in general including midi, as well as being new to OT/DT and have not explored midi capabilities at all.

DT MIDI out to OT MIDI in
OT MIDI out to DT MIDI in

set DT to send clock and transport via MIDI, set OT to receive clock and transport (make sure the OT is not sending clock nor transport!).

Activate turbo mode

enjoy

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it’s because i decided i needed a sampler, DT was coming in nicely to fit the bill and seemed to have an advantage of immediacy and streamlined workflow over the OT, and i didn’t quite understand the comparison points fully. once i got the DT, i started thinking about DT vs OT. so it wasn’t like i was fully informed on DT vs OT for my needs already, then OT mk2 came along and threw that for a loop. the mk2 just makes it even clearer that Elektron considers the OT a viable alternative to the DT depending on your needs and that a reskin with better screen, encoding, buttons, etc. is worth considering.

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“the Octatrack is amazing - potentially. Also, it is potentially going to require years to become acquainted with.”

surely this is hyperbole? having watched the Cuckoo Digitakt vs. Octatrack workflow video, I was not particularly under the impression that the learning gap is days vs years. If you want to do the sorts of things the Digitakt does, it seems like you can do them after a read-through of the Octatrack manual, watching a few tutorial videos, etc. Not dive down into years of obsession. That’s for the more esoteric stuff (of which, yes, there are tons.) Like, even my Nord Modular was giving me plenty of usable results within weeks, so…

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I’m sure this got asked somewhere, god knows where, but has it already been denied or do you guys think because the DT is labelled L / R that it will eventually get stereo?

FX are stereo so the output is as well.