Comparing the Tonverk to Digitakt 1, 2 and Octatrack

It’s definitely not a waste of time, because we’re all deeply invested in Elektron gear and I’m sure it’s of interest for Elektron to know what their user base thinks and feels, even if it’s sometimes a disappointing sentiment for them. I don’t have issue with DT2 and DN2 being somewhat toyish (I love them both anyways), but I would expect much more to even consider a flagship product – and if anyone has an issue with that, they’re the ones coping.

It’s coming across more like being a stan than a musician who’s making music and looking for something in particular to expand their sound.

I don’t even understand the “toyish” criticism. What makes an instrument an instrument and what makes an instrument a toy? You can make real, impressive music on the DT, DN, and the TV, so it seems more like a criticism that reflects more on the critic than the instrument.

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It doesn’t really matter how you perceive it though, you know? The important thing is that it is said and can be seen by Elektron. People are angrily trying to suppress these opinions because they feel hurt, which ironically is ten time more Stan to me.

Edit: Just saw your added paragraph. This thread is about just that, feel free to scan it. What makes DT2/DN2 toyish are many, for example FX modulation limitations, arp limitations, basic synthesis features, basic sampling features, synth polyphony, individual outs – things that the Virus TI Series (even the compact Snow) has had since 2008. I could go on, but that’s for another thread.

Also, you can make great music with toys too, but they’re still toys :wink:

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Ok, but how does that make it toyish? It’s like calling a Stratocaster a toy because there are 12 string guitars.

It seems like you want a different instrument from a different brand, but you’re so loyal to the title of Elektron that you’re upset at them for making the instruments they want to make instead of getting the instrument you want from someone else.

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We’re discussing semantics now, I don’t have a problem developing the argument to things like ”it’s not adhering to the standards I expect at this price point”, ”they seem to be dumbing down products, possibly following a market segmentation strategy”, etc. This and much more has all been said before, many times. To me, this makes them toyish instead of unlocking their full potential. Elektron are are in fact behaving differently to how they used to do things, some of us feel the need to voice this. There’s no need to be upset about that.

Yeah, there’s some kind of loss in translation going on between what you’re feeling and what I’m reading so I’m going to let it go, because otherwise it will just derail the thread.

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It’s pretty simple, and based on facts. Considerably lacking in features expected in the year 2026 or/and expected at the current price point = a negative trait, or toyish if you will. Reducing this to ”just being different” is just relativism, and is not fact based.

But yes, I agree, my comment was about the reception to criticism about the Tonverk. Hopefully you’ll understand slightly better where the criticism is coming from, even though the fanboys on this forum won’t have it :slight_smile:

The point is, everyone has different expectations.
Yours weren’t met and that’s fine. But just claiming your own personal expectations for what’s to be expected in 2026 to be facts, doesn’t make them facts.
But anyways, all fine and good as long as we can put an end to this (imho kinda pointless) discussion loop here.

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Not what I said, so I’m not really sure how much value you added to the discussion yourself there. Pointing at subjectivism is a cop out, because no matter how you personally feel about those features, a) they are still based on facts and b) relevant to the product. Each their own in regards to our sentiment about the product as a whole, but it is fully reasonable for some of us to have higher expectations about a flagship product that is lacking features that even their own cheaper products in the same domain have.

I agree tonverk feels more like a toy. Like something to play with and discover sounds. Where dt2 is like more “I have an idea in my head and know what to do to make it real” and it’s really fast and effective at that, which is important when you have those kinds of ideas. But idk if that’s just idiosyncratic to me or if it actually has anything to do with the devices. Dt2 is certainly better for developing sketches due to overbridge & multitrack recording imo

Edit: tbh tho it’s easy to forget that digitakt is foremost a drum machine so obvs it’s gna be better for that specific task

Particularly in a comparisons thread. If one of these devices was unquestionably better than the other three for absolutely everybody then we wouldn’t need a comparison thread right?

To me people concerned about individually processing each drum sample should be dedicating full tracks or getting a digitakt or analog rytm or something have that much control if that’s what they care about. using a subtrack for a full drum kit is actually cool to me, because then it’s very similar to having a drum machine’s master out and a multi-effect pedal to run it through. Each subtrack still gets its own filter and OD and panning, it’s not like you’re totally missing sound design for them. So I don’t see it differently than using any other one-shot drum sampler and then having a couple of FX to run it through (a bunch if you also send it to a bus). I usually have my subtracks set to run through a filter folder and then a compressor and the only way it feels limited is the lack of choke groups.

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If you had to currently pick the tonverk or octa mk2 which one would you pick and why? I’m looking for some guidance before purchasing one.

Despite them both being “flagship” samplers with the ability to do fx on input audio and MIDI sequencing, that’s about where the similarities end so it’s kind of strictly a requirements based decision.

Octatrack doesn’t have any polyphony or most of the effects in Tonverk, but it does have a real looper, slicing, and what are probably its star features: the pickup machines and parameter scene crossfader that to this day sets it apart from other samplers on the market. It has two stereo/four mono inputs and so can function as an end of chain mixer.

Tonverk has lots of polyphony, a multisampler, granular synthesis, and a bunch of different effects types that octatrack doesn’t. It only has 1 stereo/2 mono inputs. It has a lot more in the way of FX possibilities and full on mix buses with their own insert fx and sends. It also has a nice little single octave keyboard that makes attaching notes to sequencer triggers easier and a one shot sampler machine that you can use to hold basically a full drum kit or a full set of stems.

Nobody here can answer for you which of those featuresets would be more useful and fun for your life but they’re both pretty interesting machines. If you don’t specifically need what Octatrack can do, Tonverk is a little more affordable and smaller footprint while also having much newer hardware design with a lot of advances elektron made over the years in their sequencer. The general consensus is that it sounds really good. It’s not feature complete/mature yet and very realistically might take another year or two to really get there but it’s already outstanding and lots of fun. Octatrack is unlikely to ever get another update short of a complete new hardware and software design that Elektron has never indicated they’re planning to do so it’s as mature as it’s going to get.

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I sold my OT MK2 to fund my TV. Wish I could’ve kept them both, but overall, I’m still happy with my choice and would do it again

This is way too broad of a question.

What is in your setup and what do you want to do with it?

If it’s just no other gear and picking one my pick is Tonverk.

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he helped me understand it

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This for sure. TV is the only elektron sampler that I consider to be capable of doing a full arrangement in a way that actually satisfies me. Needs some refinement still but octatrack and digitakt still got me needing synths in the mix. Tonverk is great with other synths but I’ve already seen very clearly that it’s still a vast ocean all by itself. It can let you apply almost any effects or modulation idea you have so quickly but still has a whole orchestra of voices.

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OT is fully grown up, Elektron will not add any features anymore. It is an absolute classic though, can’t do wrong with it if you’re willing to spend the time to figure it out.

In compariosn, TV is a toddler - it can already do a lot more than when it came out, but has plenty of room to grow and Elektron seems a dedicated parent to it so far.

I’m a former OT user that now has a TV. What I miss most are the sample time-stretching, crossfader, scenes and 4 external inputs (TV has 2). Fingers crossed TV will figure out time-stretching and add more performance features as it matures. Hardware differences are what they are, although with two USB ports there’s hope for future abilities to come to TV (Overbridge hub/host?).

If your aim is to use it as a live performance mixer, OT Is still the best. For sample based workflows in my view TV (or DT) are more flexible, hi-fi and modern.

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I’m definitely in the market for a TV but I’ll never get rid of the OT because of its recording buffers and ability to record and play back at the same time. The fact that you can record one (or more) input(s) and send it to 8 tracks and have them do completely different things in realtime, change the input and then have a completely different outcome is still a joy and unique to the OT.

And that’s on top of all the things mentioned before.

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