I kindly ask you for advice to know what is your opinion on a matter: I have an Octatrack MKII and a Digitakt. I just bought a Virus TI and I am wondering which machine is the best to pair with the synth. About the Octatrack I love the scenes, the inputs to route external audio and the ability to work with stereo samples among many other things, although I also hate the mute of the effect tails (reverb or delay) when you turn off any of the tracks (1 to 7 because track 8 is always used as master in my set) and the absence of updates. And from Digitakt, the last update (especially the probabilities), the possibility of starting patterns with muted tracks and compatibility with Overbridge (among many other things too!!)
It’s a personal decision, of course, and either will work. From your post, it sounds like you prefer using the Digitakt with it, if I am reading tone correctly.
What are you wanting the sampler to do from a workflow perspective? Sequence the Virus? Sample the Virus? Play samples from elsewhere? Play percussion? All of the above?
You’ve stated a lot of the primary pros/cons, so there’s not a whole lot else to add from that perspective, and it sounds like you have experience with both machines.
The idea of ​​including the Virus is to complete the part of synth that these Elektron machines lack. I think the sequencer of both is the most adequate to control the synth without a DAW, both machines have 8 midi parts and very similar controls. Honestly until now I was constantly using the Octa but now that the Virus arrived I have my doubts. And I don’t want to have so much hardware because among other things I don’t have much space available. And the use I want to make of the Elektron is for sample playback, rhythm base and master control of my set. This is where it also comes into play which machine of the two offers more versatility when making transitions between one song and another.
If you already own both, test them out for yourself! Sorry to be blunt about it, but as @FlexMundo said, it’s very much a personal choice and workflow trumps features in many respects. So, do an experiment. Spend 1-2 weeks with OT as if you never owned the DT, then do the opposite for another 1-2 weeks. At the end of that month, make a decision.
Craig said it. You already have the best drum samplers IMO and only need to get to use them fully in you setup. I love my Octatrack and use it with the Digitone, mainly for effects. I run the Analog Rytm through it too.
BTW I love the Virus TI too
I’d personally run DT into OT AB for drums/percussion and the virus into OT CD. Then use the OT to sequence the virus. The midi learn function with 3 LFOs Per track on OT running 8 different synth patches simultaneously is pretty wicked. Then use your remaining OT audio tracks for other random sampling/looping/field-recordIng-playing.
Unless you want to go more DAW production method. Then Overbridge the DT and use Virus Control to track out all your parts, then mix that in a DAW and use the stems in the OT…
So many options… but the 1st way sounds more fun to me. Getting Overbridge and Virus control working well simultaneously seems like a headache.
My first thought is OT. You lose all of the stereo goodness of the Virus and it’s FX if you run it into the DT. I guess you “could” run the DT into the virus but then you wouldn’t be able to sample it.
I would choose the OT anyway, but this alone is enough for me.
Why not just go with a midi merge and use both at once?it is 16 parts multitimbral and you get 8 tracks with both machines … seems like an obvious choice.
The big plus at least for me on the modern MIDI capable boxes (DN/DT) is that you can p-lock Bank/Program changes which works fairly well with the TI. The OT doesn’t do this.
100%
this is why I went for the OT rather than DT, since its got stereo input/recording.
I guess you could argue the DT is better, since you could take in mono, and then use its better (than OT) FX…
however, I like a little more flexibility than that…
a) I really like the Virus FXs
b) I also have modular, so have many other FX that go beyond what the OT/DT can do.
so I like the fact that OT has 4 outputs (ok, 2 stereo really), so we have some options for external fx chains.
this can be fun with the virus, since its multitimbral, you can use one part as an FX chain. (using input) … so you don’t need to use the OT reverb/filter etc on master, rather use the virus’s fx via cue/master. so its fun (for me) to send cue to virus, and master to modular
of course, I recognise with external fx, you cannot modulate as easily from OT (only using midi sequences, which don’t support fader ) - but its a reasonable compromise for me.
DT FX ain’t that special, either. Sure they’re hifi, but IMO lack character. OT is lofi, but has a bit more character as well as variation. I’d much rather have more FX even if they’re a bit lofi than one reverb and delay that are quite clean and clinical. Besides, the hi-mid bump on the DT makes stuff sound samey. It’s a good sound, but I wish you could turn it off.
Also, as said the ability to have an outboard FX chain on the OT is brilliant. I’ve got a Quadraverb and AH on the FX chain, no way DT can compete with that. You can mix the clean signal with the FX signal, too.
) - but its a reasonable compromise for me.