Best synth to pair with Digitakt? If you only had one

I definitely understand that. I just bought an SE-01, and I’m already thinking that I hope the next in the “Designer Boutique” series is a poly analog synth to complement it. We are definitely in or approaching the Golden Era of music gear, in terms of bang for the buck.

Cool, hope it works out :slight_smile:

Nord Lead 4 or Analog Keys

I’ve been looking at the Nord Lead 4 or A1 rack but Clavia decided to stop making them…

I picked up my Little Phatty about 8 1/2 years ago. I walked right up to it, pressed one key, and instantly knew it was for me. I haven’t considered getting any other synths since.
Ocassionally when I feel like something different I use it as a midi controller for plugins in Logic.

Just sayin for reference in case anyone is unsure, it is indeed completely possible to not have GAS. :slight_smile:

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LIES!! :rofl:

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Since I got the DT a week ago, I mostly plug the Arturia Keystep into the Minitaur, to feel out what I’m doing with the DT.

Keystep + Minitaur = easy jamming over or arpeggios or sequencing of bass or rhythm tones, while I dive back into the DT and have fun there.

For someone’s first foray into synths, the Keystep is an asset if you continue to buy modules/desk top synths, anyway.
At the moment I haven’t really used the DT with my other moog’s or Nord A1, but I can see how diving into any Nord, or any other moog excpt the Minitaur or Little Phatty, would just detract from you getting into the amazing thing that is Digitakt.

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Ya there’s midi tracks and separate audio tracks.

Seconded. I just picked one up and love it.

model 15 app. impressive how nice you can map nearly 7 tracks to control every function of this Moog app. + sequencing.
…iam using the keystep a lot to control CV sources with an incoming Digitakt aftertouch turn + sequencing.
I think you have to turn on ‘midi thru’ for the keystep. via MCC.
peace

Nothing wrong with having a Keystep. But two are even better! :rofl::heart_eyes:

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I can highly recommend the Radias, I love mine… :slight_smile:

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I’m just about to pull the trigger on either a micromonsta or a Nord lead 2 rack. Prices are similar and both have their appeal - could anyone offer me advice or give their experiences? My plan is just to work with the digitakt and this synth for a while (though I do have an evenride H9 fx box too if I go with the Nord).

You are absolutely right! The Radias gives plenty options soundwise, maybe not as sophisticated like a Blofeld, but it works out. The envelopes are a bit slow though.
Bass-play with the suboscillators is great, some chorus on it and you are in paradise!

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nord is multi, has plenty of knobs. Go for the nord. Also, nord quality.

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I have a Blofeld too… :wink:

Ended up ordering a micromonsta… looking forward to seeing what it can do.

I jump between pairing it with a virus C and a 0 coast.
I love the 0 coast for its simple controls that defy the depth and width of noises you can get from it.
The virus is just lush. I really hate all the menu diving but it can be really rewarding. I guess they are polar opposites and both work well with an external sequencer like the Digitakt.
The 0 coast is very instant and the virus is a slog but worth it.

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My eurorack! Agree Blofeld is a great choice being multitimbral. I have the keyboard version, kind of annoying that it’s not as portable as the desktop version though.

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The one you like the sound of best!

If that’s an A4, great - but I have a very love hate relationship with mine. It doesn’t sound warm, deep, classy, silky or glassy. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a character, it does, but that character is nasal, wheezy, pristine and quite digital sounding in a way. It’s a pain to use (small screen and lots of menu diving) and it can be a real hassle to remember the various arcane butting combos and file structure. Sure you can learn all those things but then time elapses, you use other gear, or life / mood simply pulls you away from music for a while. When you return there’s always that uphill struggle of remembering how that fussy shit works. (The thing that stops me selling is the the CV, well played Elektron!)

I have a few nice synths, but funnily enough, the one that keeps the space warm next to my Digitakt is the humble microbrute. It’s cheep, compact simple and it just gives and gives. It has a very broad timbral capabilities, it can be aggressive (easily) or reigned in (a little more work involved) or you can just tame it inside the sampler.

I’m not suggesting a microbrute - instead I’m implying that any synth that you find to be aurally pleasing with broad timbral capabilities is the best partner for any sampler. Heck midi wouldn’t even be a concern for me - just sample some sounds and deal with them in the box.

That said, sequencing an external synth over the midi channels is versatile, frees up sample tracks and allows you to bring the elektron sequencer paradigm to something that would otherwise require a DAW to reach for the kind of complexity that Elektron’s sequencer can facilitate. (so maybe midi and polyphony could be a requirement?)

So far the Digitakt has lead me to a sonic space that might be described as broken down, consumer, 80’s hi-fi. That’s not a neg, and nor is it an objective statement about the sonic character of the digitakt (although I hear that character in a lot of other people’s stuff - crispy, toppy, a little pristine but artificially inseminated with wonkiness). It is what it is - it’s the sonic space I’ve been drawn to inhabit. And weirdly, that vibe has lead me to consider Dave Smith’s modern synths, despite that fact that I’ve been resistant to their sound.
I have a feeling that something like the new prophet series or sequential OB-6 would sound super dope with the stuff I’ve made on Digitakt so far - although It probably helps that I’ve slowly ( glacially) been warming to the modern Smith sound for a while now. (Oh - and I’m not saying Dave’s stuff sounds like wonky 80’s hi-fi - just that I can hear how the DSI character could really compliment my Digitakt output thus far)

EDIT:

A crucial point just occurred to me. Well in truth it actually occurred to me the other day when I watched a snippet of a video about a techno nerd collecting found sounds. Nothing wrong with found sounds - it can be a fun and rewarding experience just recording them - but as I’ve been focusing almost exclusively on the Digitakt lately, I was stuck with one thought in response… Why bother? I’m really not very picky about sound / sample source on the digitakt. It’s so versatile in its ability to warp a sound out of all recognition, that quite often I find myself with a “lame” sound only to have warped it into something awesome sounding a few minutes or even seconds later. On the whole that’s more true of percussive elements (well it is a drum sampler) but I’ve been surprised a few times when I’ve recorded a synth into it, only to completely destroy the sound with overdrive, bit crushing and heavy filtering (plus plocks) completely annihilating the original character of the sound but nonetheless it sounds great and sits in the mix in a dope way. Not being able to route channels individually into my desk and apply EQ seemed like a use case for the OT or rytm II, but honestly I’ve been able to shape things up pretty nicely in the box and I appreciate its simplicity relative to the OT.

What I’m saying is - the Digitakt is so versatile that I genuinely believe that you could just use the factory samples and still produce a lifetime’s worth of dope sounding tracks. Maybe then the best synth pairing is simply the one you already own :smiley:

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