I like using high probability conditional trigs on high hats and snare ghost notes, along with sample chains where you can use an lfo or manually choose different hits. The groove never gets old!
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Actually, anybody got a bit more insight on the LFO depth to be used here?
I find it a bit confusing that the depth doesn‘t actually correspond to the actual sample numbers being cycled (?). Usually I test - a bit cumbersome - by using a squarewave, but it would be nice to just calculate it straight away.
Do you know I’ve not actually looked at the depth value, I usually just set it to a fairly quick free running sine wave and adjust the depth til I get the range I want, then switch it to random and hold and adjust the speed accordingly.
I’d check the values for you but my Digitakt’s packed away and I’m ill enough not to want to get up and unpack it, sorry.
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What what whaat - makes no intuitive sense to me, but fantastic news!
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I know its very possible to program DT or OT to sound human-like but to me the best and fastest way is to get a pad controller and just bang them out on the pads. Though its sometimes nice to have drums sound like a drum machine.
I can’t believe nobody mentioned these yet:
- frequently skip weekly band practice
- sleep with the bassist’s girlfriend/boyfriend
- show up to gigs drunk and stoned out of your gourd
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Hi, can you post some short examples with and without optimizations ? I curious to ear the differences…
I don’t have much to share, but the very artificial sounding percussion parts in this piece (they come in after about 20 seconds) have some of the above techniques roughly applied to them to make them a bit less predictable.
I don’t have any examples of beats without this applied to hand, sorry.
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with two )
because this improves polyrhythm skills )
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Record trigs without quantize using the live recording mode.
Apply a % of quantize strength to the whole tracks to correct the timing just a bit.
Use accents.
Done! 
Personally I like the electronic feel but not the plastic one. You can do some rithms that a human cannot perform in real life. This is what I love to change :
- velocity, this one is obvious
- modulation of the start of the sample (this is a tip I read in a Bonobo interview) which gives a feel of different way of hitting the same sample.
- move your step to the right or left, Nicolas Jaar once said 10ms more between the kick and the snare is 10ms more to think. We can also say irregularities are surprising and catch attention.
- applying once in a while a little bit of delay is really cool
- reducing the sample length once in a while is also nice if you want to dry a track
- pan your drums
Love this topic a lot to learn here
What exactly is the “hold function” ? I saw this term used in the Autechre MNM/MD thread and didn’t know it was something on the Digitakt. I know there’s a sample & hold/random LFO, is that all you’re referring to or is there something else I’m missing?
It’s something else I just learned from that thread too! And I’ve hella been using it lately. Take a look at this:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/897092/Monomachine-Sfx-6.html?page=44#manual
Study the one that says “hold” until you realize what it’s saying. It had gone over my head numerous times but after playing with the Autechre sysex and hearing what that can do it finally clicked. I’ve found doing this makes sounds really “bouncy” as they sort of snap to a certain position depending on what you’ve assigned it to. Filter width is most common…Try some Filter Q, Dec (amp and filter), Atk…Anything really. I’ve been abusing this function lately lol.
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Thank you! Looks like the DT has the same function.
From manual: HLD makes the LFO run free in the background, but when a note is trigged the LFO output level is latched and held still until the next note is trigged.
And then they have what looks to be the exact diagram from that MNM manual, lol.
I’ve messed with those LFO settings a lot but admittedly never really read up on what exactly they’re doing 
I’ve used S&H LFOs but didn’t realize with the Hold setting it would “keep” whatever parameter it trigged with and not change it in the middle of the sound. Nice to know and will definitely use it!
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In regards to the thread, I imagine setting a hold LFO to pitch of the sample and volume of the sample (just a little) will create enough breath and life to make the drumbeat a little less lifeless. And of course P locking accents at certain points is always helpful…Make beat 1 on the kick the loudest in volume, p lock accents of 8th note hi hats etc. Same stuff that you’d do in a DAW, hopefully.
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Just to check, when you and others in this thread are talking about accents, you just mean p-locking a higher velocity or amp volume? There is no actual accent feature I’m not aware of on the DT?
Hello. You are right. No accent on the digitakt so we have to p-lock.
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Thanks for that one, I didn’t realized either!!
Very cool and easy to set up !
I just remembered another trick to introduce some variation, posted it elsewhere in another topic:
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This and then some. Works wonders in humanising a pattern whether it’s samples or digital/analogue drum sounds.