I pulled the trigger on the Digitone II (should arrive on Tuesday) and I’m reading up on theory.
Here’s the lay of the land. Since I started using Digitakt II, it became the center of my DAWless setup. I would push all my synths’ audio through it and control them via midi. Occasionally, I’d sample the synths to mangle the sound a bit or play with some P-locks.
So here’s the confusing part. I thought I’d look up some youtube vids on how people use these two boxes together and the videos I saw, always went with the Digitakt going into the Digitone. Also, people don’t seem to use them in the way I’d expect, as in, map MIDI CCs and all – they just sync them up for transport controls and audio (and pattern changes, I guess), and that’s it.
So no my questions are this: are these videos invalid now because the II-gen boxes have all those extra tracks and effects? Is the typical direction synth>sampler or sampler>synth? Or is it purely based on what I want to achieve and there’s no one way? (I’m now inclined to think that)
Apologies if these questions are fairly obvious or basic, but I’m very much new to the Elektron world (started out with the DT II :)) but I’m here to stay and I want to develop proper habits from the get go.
I think either direction should work based on your finer requirements (which may change with each song or set) and since they both have great sequencers, send MIDI CC between them only as the need arises.
Everyone’s workflow and preferred way of working is going to be different, and there’s so many pros and cons to each approach.
I think controlling the DN2 from the DT2 with a bunch of MIDI CCs is certainly valid, and it’s what I’ve done with some of my external synths, but with something like the DN2 I think you’re going to lose a lot of the performance and control. Reducing the DN2 effectively to a sound module seems to miss the point a little.
With dn1 i go dn1-> dt2 to get compressor and so can sample the digitone since it has only 4 tracks
But with dn2 i would do other way around since both have compressor and dn2 have so many tracks that sampling isnt needed. Then can also make the 4 performance macro controls (at,pb,vel,bc) from a dt2 midi track for dn2
Could you elaborate? As in, the only effect of doing it this way I see is not having the possibility to sample. Aren’t performance options on both II-nd gen boxes the same?
I have the DT2 and have a DN2 coming next week. I can only tell you how I intend to set them up.
I use a patch bay so that I can over-ride the default connections but essentially I’m going to have the DN2 outs going into the DT2 (I’ll have my Syntakt going into the DN2’s in’s.) I will be using the DN2 as MIDI master as I feel I’m more likely to have spare tracks on the DN2 due to No. of voices and being able to sample it, That’s pretty much it for me.
I’ve just sold a drum machine, B Pro 800 and an Mpc One to get mine. I’m really excited to get it. I also hopefully have a B Grind coming. So it’ll be the Grind>Sy>Dn2>Dt2 with an o.g. Analog Heat on the side. Cool and compact, can’t wait.
