Should I get a Digitone or Micromonsta to pair w/ my Digitakt?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

I’ve been doing a lot of research trying to decide on a hardware synth to acquire to complement my (currently pretty minimal) setup. Right now I just have a Digitakt and a BS II, though I am likely going to sell the BS II to fund something else as I can’t really justify having a monosynth in my setup without having a poly synth first. I also have a UMX610 midi keyboard on the way (not the greatest keybed, but I got it for a good price used and I figure it will work for me well enough until I am ready to upgrade). I use Ableton as my DAW if that matters.

Looking for a poly synth to complement my Digitakt. Main contenders are the Digitone or MM. I also looked at the Blofeld for a while and haven’t dismissed it completely, but something about it just doesn’t seem as appealing as the other two. I would like a setup that I can use for studio production as well as bring along with me to play live as well as jam with others. Obviously the price point on these two is a bit different with the MM coming in around $370 (new, incl intl shipping) and the Digitone being around $600 used. I have only heard demos, but I like the sounds of both a lot, maybe the MM just a hair more. The Digitone does seem to have an easier to use/graphical interface which seems really nice and perhaps less menu-divey and more fun to program. Also, being multi-timbral and able to send multiple midi parts out to the Digitakt seems like it would complement that well and bring me closer to full compositions rather than just the single track of the MM.

With that said, the MM is more within my budget, would make for a super portable setup (perhaps velcroed ontop of my keyboard?), and (while, admittedly haven’t listened to as my demos of the Digitone) I think I do like the base sound just a little bit more.

Can anyone lend me some advice please on what I should do? Anybody have two of these or all three? Thanks!!

#2

Get the Blofeld, most underrated and versatile synth for that price tag… my 2 cents…

#3

I was in the exact same boat as you, until I found a good deal on a Roland SH-01a. Still planning on getting the Micromonsta though, and the Digitone eventually. Or maybe an 0-Coast, depending on how far I get with the boutique.

A Blofeld would be nice but they’re never in stock or being sold near me, and anyways I kind of like the idea each piece of gear doing one (their own) thing.

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#4

Maybe I just didn’t listen to the right demos, but I honestly just didn’t like the sound of the Blofeld as much as the other two. Did hear many amazing pad sounds, but didn’t really hear any deep or fat basses that I liked and lead sounds sounded a bit thin to me as well. If I was mainly into making ambient music or evolving soundscapes, it may be a different story, but I tend more towards psy-bass territory. Also, have been reading many accounts of how difficult it is to program, and I feel like for a hardware synth I want something a little bit more immediate. If I want to do super deep synthesis I feel like that would be easier on a VST. With that said, feel free to prove me wrong with any videos or songs you may have :slight_smile:

#5

The SH-01a sounds nice, though I would prefer something with 8+ voices.

#6

For poly duties, if I’d have to choose from the options you gave, I’d go Digitone (good sound, easy to use, nice sequencer with four tracks).

If I could extend the choice though (and considering some extra cash to spare), I’d go Novation Peak or DSI Rev2 Desktop, with the Rev2 preferred.

#7

I went for the Digitone digitakt and it’s a blast !

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#8
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#9

That thing is a rip-off piece of crap IMO.

#10

I have the Waldorf Blofeld, Streichfett and the Pulse 2, sequenced by the DT an controlled by the Arturia Keystep. Really a wonderful combination.

#11

I have Blofeld & Pulse 2, Pulse 2 is great but the filter is a bit meh. I use the Digitone as my poly as I have the Blofeld Keyboard version and don’t have room for it right now.

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#12

Yup, got nearly the same setup, all versions are desktop/module versions: Digitakt, Digitone, Blofeld & Pulse 2…

#13

Yeah I wish I bought the desktop version of the Blofeld. The keyboard is nice but it’s massive AND the keys went yellow when I put it in the cupboard so now it looks like crap.

#14

I have the Digitone and the MicroMonsta to go with the Digitakt. If I had to choose only one I’d pick the Digitone in a heartbeat. It’s got such a rich sound, you can easily sculpt practically an infinite array of sounds, and it’s got a MIDI sequencer as well so compliments the DT nicely. Also there are sound packs available for the DN and a lot of online tutorials and videos (and this community too) which the MM lacks.

The MM is a lovely box, very deep sound for the price-point, and I use it for drone-notes and background bass lines. I’ve barely scratched the surface with the MM and know I need to spend more time with it. There’s a lot of complexity in that little box I’ve yet to explore!

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#15

I have the MM accompanying my DT.

IMO, the two are different, but if the DN is as versatile as the DT, I’d keep things Elektron.
But the 'monsta is cheaper, smaller and as @thinkbricks mentioned, has a good few tricks up it’s sleeve!

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#16

Four months ago I bought the Digitone to accompany my Digitakt.

I have not used my Digitakt in close to four months.

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#17

Ha! I can relate. I love my Digitakt, picked up a Digitone a month ago and had to force myself go back to Digitakt and then put the two together. I can say they are quite fun together, but I know what you mean, The Digitone is alluring, and with p-locks, one of the tracks can do drums…

#18

Both the Mocromonsta and the Digitone are great synths for the price you pay, IMO.

You will be happy no matter what you decided.

Keep in mind that when you get the DN, you are not just getting a single polysynth. The voice handling on the DN is superb. You can easily have a pad, a lead, a bass and a percussion/strange-sounds track all going in the same pattern. Sometimes I even squeeze in more (somehow).

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#19

@Munro I don’t have an SH-01a but calling it a rip-off piece of crap just makes it sound like you have a gear superiority complex IMO. Plenty of professional musicians use them, they might not work for you but I don’t think your words on it are constructive or insightful in any way.

@vonshu You could look at the D-05 boutique also because of the 8 voices but I have a feeling if you find the blofield uninspiring then you might find the D-05 equally so… It is also more of a pain to program. I do find the D-50 sound more inspired than the blofield for what ever reason though and you can make some straight up VA sounds with out the partials if you want with it that I tend to like more than the blofield VA stuff, has a bit more of a grit to it I think.

MM is really nice seeming but also I think it is worth noting that it acts pretty dang lofi in a lot of ways that might not be immediately apparent, this could be what is attracting you to the sound though.

Digitone seems like it fits pretty much all your needs other than being spendy, might be just worth saving for it in the long run and the amount more you are getting for the price difference seems pretty notable.

Finally maybe worth looking at a used analog four also? They are going for criminally low amount of money on ebay these days. You can use the oscs and sub oscs to making 4 note chords and triads and then play that across 4 note to maybe sample into the digitakt although your sound is limited doing this. A4 is a bit harder to use but I think it has a really nice raw fuzzy sound and to me it is the type of synth I can use in any song and not feel like things are getting too samey which is what I worry about with FM type stuff pretty often.

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#20

In comparison to other gear, it’s a rip-off piece of crap. As I stated, that’s my opinion. Which I’m entitled to. :ghost: