Changing my Octatrack for Digitakt

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#10

@Mat96, do you do a lot of sampling on the OT with the sequencer running?

Just asking because that’s at the core of my OT usage and with the DT you can’t really do that. I mean, maybe you could time it perfectly and use the sampling threshold, but doesn’t seem all that “ergonomic”.

Also, if you do multiple samplings at the same time, you can’t do that on the DT. It’s almost like the OT has 8 DT samplers inside it (recording buffers) and the sequencer doesn’t ever need to be restarted to employ them.

There are a ton of other differences, but this is the kind of stuff I would miss if I got rid of the OT.

#11

Can I ask how you integrate iPad synths specifically? Is it more of a thru box for you, or are you sampling them?

#12

@lowph that’s a good question!

Actually not that much… I mainly use it to launch samples and loops( like if I would launch audio clips with Ableton). Then I use it to process external gear and to sequence it. I also slice loops and stuff but these are always audio samples from libraries I don’t really sample my gear .

What’s the idea behind sampling while the sequencer is running? Would it be for example to live loop the incoming signal of your gear and then to mangle it?

I feel like I miss the main idea behind the Octatrack sometimes :sweat_smile:

#13

The USB integration is really nice.
You get stereo audio in and out, and midi.
So you can use the DT to sample directly from the iPad, or control/sequence synths/effects (or apps like Koala).

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#14

I’ve never thought about bringing the elektron (midi) sequencers into my iPad synth world. This sounds like a blast.

#15

Sometimes I use the iPad as sample source, but mostly as a kind of “virtual rack” (using the fantastic AUM app as mixer/host for synths and fx)

On the hardware side you only need a simple USB C cable between iPad and DT for audio/MIDI in both directions.

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#16

I don’t want to derail this thread too hard toward iPad config stuff but for me, I’ll have to think about how this can work. As it stands, I’m using the iPad with a Babyface Pro FS which then ports over ADAT to the rest of my setup. This also means I’m already using the usb port for this. But I’m wondering if I can send midi from the Digitakt into the Babyface for use in AUM via 5-pin and still use Ableton Link in AUM, Overbridge for DT, and have it all stay together while sequencing MIDI tracks.

#17

In your defense, I don’t think the OT has a main idea. It’s so versatile and adaptable…I think there are nearly as many OT workflows as there are OT users.

The DT can technically play longer loops, but it really isn’t built for it, and its memory is very limited. It’s pretty good with “medium” length loops, like four bars or so, and there are some really interesting things you can do with those. There is the Slice machine now, which is very limited compared to the OT’s capabilities, but good fun nonetheless. And also you can do some cool things quasi-simulating granular synthesis using LFO’s to modify sample start location with the DT.

In general, the DT is very good at quickly messing with samples, especially shorter ones. It’s also very very immediate for sequencing MIDI.

In short: keep the OT, add a DT. Watch a bunch of EZBOT videos.

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#18

my god, it works. there’s a little extra latency which is to be expected but nothing I can’t shift later in the arrangement. Very cool. Digitakt FTW.

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#19

Thank you @davestasiuk! Allright I think I’ll keep exploring the Octatrack and add a DT when I find a good deal! :blush:

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#20

Though it seems that OP found his answer, I’m someone with very very limited desk space that is having to decide which two machines to keep out of the Digitone, Digitakt and Octatrack. I know the Digitakt like the back of my hand, and I favor it over the OT sampling-wise for very specific reasons:

  1. Sampling into and out of Digitakt is super easy thanks to USB Audio input/output, which allows me to sample from laptops or ipad super easily, which in the Octatrack would take extra steps.
  2. In my opinion in meshes better with the Digitone than the Octatrack, since they are closer in their design so the skillset are pretty transferrable. Plus, you can multitrack both which is not possible on OT.

Of course, I am aware that the OT has much more performance wise, and is also able to handle longer samples, but those are more nice-to-haves than absolute necessities for me. I think the Digitakt has enough in its arsenal where you can make a 4 -bar sample sound unique in each repetition without too much trouble.

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#21

this 100% would be the ideal approach. buy it from a retailer with a 30 day return window, put it on a credit card and box the OT up. then you basically have a month to evaluate the DT for free.

OT is better at all of those things than the DT. especially loops and effects (assuming you like the OT effects; some prefer the DT’s, even though there’s far less of them).

that’s how HE uses it. doesn’t mean you have to do the same. you can absolutely use it for music production. many people do. do more YT searches. look for “Jon Makes Beats.”

I have both. the OT lives in the studio and the DT is for random sketches around the house or traveling (yes, I realize it’s ridiculous to have it just for this). it’s always refreshing to go from the OT to the DT as it’s simpler and more immediate. but it’s also great to go back to the OT and feel like I can do anything I want, without trying to find un-ideal workarounds.

they’re both great machines. it’ll just come down to how you want to use them and which you prefer working with, once you’ve tried both. BUT please don’t give up the OT just because it’s deeper and more difficult to learn. if that’s the issue you’re running into, don’t go to the DT just as an easy way out. stick with the OT and learn it more. ask questions here if you need help with something.

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#22

Yeah you can do that. You can sample either external signals or internal, or both mixed. And the 8 buffers are independent, so you can sample 8 different things being sampled at the same time.

I also like “cascading” resampling. For example buffer 1 samples from inputs and then a flex track will manipulate that audio and play it back. Then buffer 2 samples from the flex track and another flex track manipulates it and plays back. Then buffer 3 does it again, and so on and so forth. This can all be done with different buffer lengths, effects, trigs, etc, so you can drastically change an incoming or internal signal into a crazy evolving rhythmic texture.

#23

It is a good combination
So if you can afford it,
I would suggest also to buy dt.
And then use it for longer samples, loops (made in dt), fx and song transition
And if you prefer only to use dt, sell the ot.

I love the ot with its possibilities, but I never like the usability and I don’t have enough overview to be comfortable. So I fold mine (many times)

#24

If you have cash i’d def keep the OT and get a digitakt to pair with. I also like OT much more to create stuff with instead of being a stem machine and DT works really well together with OT for that.

Sound quality wise they also compliment each other well imho. DT more punchy, clean and bright - OT bit more laidback but great for filth if u use filter drive/lofi/lower rate etc… Had a jam yesterday at a friends studio with OT through a BG2 tube comp and it sounded amazing! To the point we prefered OT instead of DT (using all the OT filth tricks it had way more character then DT)

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#25

This topic keeps coming back every other week. Maybe we could discuss this in one topic instead of always starting over again?

https://www.elektronauts.com/t/octatrack-and-digitakt-experience-with-both-and-why-you-recommend-them/12926

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#26

@Azzarole, sorry for the inconvenient. And thank you everyone for the feedback was super useful. Love this community!:relaxed:

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#27

Despite the popularity of a topic, people will always have some unique opinion or perspective that you can count on them sharing. It is a very nice community for that, and luckily all the content is still accessible from the search, but it’s not always clear what to search until you get a little more familiar or know the right questions to ask. There’s a topic for OT tips and tricks here:

and a perhaps slightly less up to date Digitakt tips thread here:

Having a look around in the specific forums by using the category listing here:

https://www.elektronauts.com/categories

Could make it easier to navigate if you’re looking for specific browsing, but just searching a few keywords can bring up a lot of hits, so being more specific in your searches without using overly specific phrasing is usually the key. Just an example is that asking the search a fully worded question usually won’t work or will bring back limited results, but using the keywords that appear in your question (even if your search query doesn’t appear phrased correctly) will bring up a lot of useful information.

Not sure if that’s helpful but hopefully if you have specific questions you want to ask, you can find answers either by updating this thread or looking at what people have said in the past, that’s how I learn a lot as well.

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#28

I have owned the DT for some time, in fact it was my introduction to the Elektron paradigm.

I recently acquired a OT

I now never use the DT really…

The OT surpasses it in soooooooo many ways

I feed the output into the ARMKII and have OB connection of the main out using my AR…

Just adding, I like the DT but the OT is a beast with so many options that I’m not really using the DT with all of its OB offerings

#29

same, except I use more the DT. I find the OT fx too cheap and the pitch shifting on the OT is really bad. The DT is much more creative on its own when you compose tracks with one shot and single cycle waveform.
And I prefere the mute on the DT its more musical. Plus OB to record into the DAW and have only 2 cables.

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