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

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#629

ive been considering a digitakt to pair with my beloved leploop.

i want it to replace my mixer, reverb and compressor pedals, as well as the field recorders i use for backing tracks and extra sounds

right now dt’s only “competition” is an rd-6 since the rd-6 & leploop workflow looks so similar and i really need more hats/voices, while the digitakt workflow seems super different. i tried paring leploop with my tried-and-true sp202 sampler and the sound was good, but for some reason my muscle memory wires get crossed using both machines together

question is - can digitakt really replace all that gear? and if so, does dt really need a midi-controller for using it live, similar to how the leploop really needs a reverb and compressor?

narrowing everything down to two boxes would be unholy … i’d love a digitakt+leploop combo for helping people jump around

edit: i make like rhythmic noise

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#630

Yes, DT is super efficient. The DT’s reverb isn’t my favorite (I’m a little spoiled, tbh), but it’s flexible and serviceable enough that I don’t really feel the need for an outboard. The compressor is a little fiddly but can sound quite nice. Since the DT only records and plays mono samples, it’s not going to replace most field recorders, but it’ll play whatever you can fit into memory.

I haven’t played a show with it, but I think you could get by without a MIDI controller for sure. It’s got a little performance mixer screen, nice muting options, control-all, and the old pattern load/reload trick.

I don’t know much about leploop (I think I saw a Surgeon video of it once?), but assuming it has MIDI sync (if that’s important to you), they seem like a fine pair. You could also run it through the DT’s reverb and compressor if you like, and smoosh everything together nicely.

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#631

thanks so much for the thoughtful response.

can it get ambient or squishy at 100% wet?

set-and-forget type compressor? do you need to program a few different settings for different stems/tracks? …why so fiddly? i use a fuzz or distortion pedal at the lowest settings like a preamp

tight! is it possible to program “scenes” or transitions like the rytm or to a lesser extent the st?

that’s the plan
:mechanical_arm:

#632

The reverb is a send, so rather than 100% wet, it’s more like “maximum send”. You can crank the reverb level too, but the dry signal is still intact, so maybe it’s more like 60-70% wet. It also has a freeze. I guess I would say it can do ambient? I would call it more “lights in the fog” than “ghostly whispers”, if that’s helpful.

I would call the compressor set-and-forget. In fact, there are configuration options that let you do exactly that, so that you can choose between per-pattern compressor (and reverb) settings, or per-project. This seems like it would be helpful in a live situation.

Here’s a quick thing demonstrating some of this stuff - just using the standard factory samples here and some pretty indulgent reverb and moderately aggressive compression.

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#633

You can get 100%-wet reverb and delay tracks by using the per-pattern audio routing settings; it’s something you can set per pattern, but not part of the range you can set on the fly.

I tried an elaborate midi loopback setup once to see how close the Digitakt could get to RYTM-style scenes, and while a few things are possible, there’s a lot less to work with than on Syntakt, can’t recommend.

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#634

ace

yeah i could imagine different compressor settings for different venues depending on their sound system, tho realistically its like 10% better if my mix is any good in the first place.

i’m most interested in pumping the leploop thru dt’s compressor (reverb, and delay)

good to know … is this a workflow thing? less features? or the nature of timbral manipulation using samples? i always figured dt was an egg synth, just waiting for its single-cycle hormones

i image programing fills on a separate pattern, then switching swiftly/clumsily between the main and various fills. i do this live with my pocket operators

thanks again everyone! … what’s a fair price for digitakt these days? they’re on sale everywhere rn

#635

I was just referring to fx and scene-type controls, as it’s missing ST’s fx filter and drive, and also macro controls over the audio tracks, which are both standout features. Control-all on DT’s filter works well (if all tracks are low-pass) but cc control over parameters is always absolute, which limits its usefulness some.

On DT there’s a ton one can do, performance-wise, with samples and clever use of audio tracks, fill and other conditions on the sequencer, control-all, etc. And the single-cycle waveform synths sound excellent, I use them all the time.

I see them for sale used between 650-750 usd.

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#636

i really enjoyed sampling and mangling Take-5 clips to the DT. its versatile enough to cover a lot of ground, but also rich enough to not loss a lot of it’s essence when you pitch shift and bitcrush it and whatnot

blippy strong plucky buchla tones that sparkle like a digital eurorack voice, gritty warbly boc style pads, propeht 5 lead sounds, wooden fm percussive tones. T5 into 856 for Zellersasn into DT is some of the most fun i’ve ever had with a small self-contained setup. using the 856 to layer 3 short loops from the take-5 and turn them into these arpeggiated choppy textures, then sampling the result into Digitakt and processing & resequencing those short segments into new patterns was very fun

but i’d say digitone is probably technically the best because of compatibility and what it adds while giving you all of the additional power of sequencer tracks with polyphony + more midi. and then obviously the Waldorf M if you want a more adventurous and characterful analog-tinged sound with 4 part multitimbrality and enough digital texture to really build gorgeous interstellar glitchy ambiance. you could layer that thing for years and never run out of new material to sample and layer into new soundscapes. never had another synth that could provide that much creative exploratory but still musical timbral/textural variation

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#637

Something multitimbral with multiple outs.

I have E-MU Xtreme Lead. Its fun because you can send 8 midi outs from Digitakt and play them all with one synth. Although the midi CC’s are a bit hit or miss it kinda works. Only thing is the turbo edition has multiple outs but I dont have that and I dont have multiple outs. And would be nice to send them seperate to a mixer for processing EQ and FX externally… Now it becomes a bit messy and to operate from the E-MU screen is really annoying.

#638

I’ve been eyeing the ST for awhile, having owned the DT & DN. I always imagined the latter two running into the ST, to take advantage of the analog FX. Have you routed them that way? Does the DT for final compressor win out at the end of the day for you?

#639

I have to try it, I tested it with the Microfreak once, but the signal never distorted as much as ST’s own tracks. Despite (on the MF) preset volume 12, balanced cable and a little amp in between. I suspect a limiter and might investigate further.

#640

I’m typically running into the DT as the final machine because of the compressor. However, I can easily imagine a scenario where I reserve the compressor for the DT/DN content, then use the analog drive of the ST as a punchy finisher for everything. Just have to pay extra attention to how the ST audio tracks sit in the mix. But also, an analog drive at the end of the chain is going to have its own “gluing” effect if used properly so … I guess it all comes down to preference.

On top of all that, I have an EHX Platform stereo compressor that I can add to the mayhem that has its own drive circuit as well.

But day to day, yeah, the last in the chain for me is the DT and its compression.

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