I have ST and DN2. I can’t imagine parting with either of them.
I voted DN2 mainly because of your comment about A4 and Models.
DN2 polyphony (note editor or keyboard entry) and arpeggiator place it more on the all-caps synth side of things. And I’ve never had trouble getting great drum sounds out of it.
ST leans more full-on grovebox: killer synth drums, plus the new sample player and monophonic synths (I’m not ignoring chord machine, which is cool af but very specific).
If you read that and think oh wait I want a banging drum machine with amazing monophonic voices MORE than I want harmonies and chords, you could start with ST.
I think what you’re asking about is a “sound lock”, where you assign a particular trig a completely different collection of parameters that define a saved sound (Machine, amp setting, filter settings, etc.) than is the current track default.
Yes, you can do this with the ST, with some limitations. First, you have to have the sounds you want to lock loaded into the current project’s sound pool. And then you can only assign sounds that use the types of machines that are available to the track you’re using (tracks 1-8 are digital machines, tracks 9-11 are most analog machines, track 12 are the special cymbal analog synthesis machines).
I have a lot more fun with the ST than the DN2. There’s something about the tone of the DN2 that doesn’t thrill me, and I was quite underwhelmed by the VA side of it. That may be because I have a few dedicated polyphonic synths that scratch that itch a whole lot more.
I don’t personally love polyphonic step sequencing. The DN2 does it better than most but it still feels more like work than play. The ST and Nord Lead (A1 in my case) is a great combination, freeing up the ST to do what it does best - drums and monophonic synth lines. I love the sound of the ST analog tracks for synths.
They’re both great in their own way but the ST wins for me by being more immediate. It’s often where I start ideas that later get expanded in the DAW.
This is a really good point I’ve not thought about. Thanks!
BTW, it feels like my heart roots for ST, while my cold, analytic brain for DN2. Perhaps I should take the lesson from the DAW world, where I know Live or Bitwig on paper are far superior to Reason, but I’m most creative and have way more fun in the latter
I voted ST with full disclosure that I don’t also have a DN2, but I do have an OTmkII, DT, DT2, and recently an A4mkII.
After reading what you wrote, it was a really tough choice. On the one hand, you sound like someone who is analytical and critical when making music. This side made me think DN2 may be better for you.
However, on the other hand you are wanting to get away from DAWs which makes me think that you are looking for more immediacy and fun and wanting to “let go” of your analytical side a bit. If that is the case, of the Elektron machines I own, ST fits that bill best. I think this is perhaps why Yan gave this answer:
Man, your “diagnosis” of me is pretty spot on - I need to get away from DAWs to finish - or actually develop something worth finishing - anything, so I want less depth and (reasonable) constraints. That’s why I favor Reason vs. Live or Bitwig, too.
