A bit of background first! I am originally a drummer, and can play a bit of guitar and piano. I also own a bunch of traditional percussion instruments that I have collected over the years. I got a Digitakt a few months ago, and it has blown my mind. I love sampling random stuff (for now mostly radio) and getting lost in the sequencer to see where the samples want to go. I love the DT as a sketching box, conjuring a few musical phrases that I can then put together in a DAW later on if I want to.
The thing is, I find myself wanting to integrate the piano and guitar with the DT, but it’s a bit tedious to sample a musical phrase that then needs to be surgically stitched to the sequencer.
But then I found some youtube videos of people using pick up machines from the OT as a looper! And since then I find myself constantly thinking ‘I wish I could do that with the DT…’. Plug in a digital piano or the guitar, live record a phrase and then destroy it with the sequencer. I don’t mind the DT being mono only that much, but the pick up machines seem so handy.
I went to a local music shop yesterday and they had all of the MKIIs and the digis on display. Took a look at the OT, but obviously I can’t really test my setup in the shop. Played around with the Digitone instead, and loved the sound and the arpeggiator. Now I have a problem, I don’t know if the Digitone is a better idea, since I don’t have any polysynths to compliment my DT either! What’s worse, the Novation Peak was nearby, and woah… So sexy.
I guess my questions are:
Is the OT the perfect machine for me? How good are the pick up machines? What keeps me from getting it are the overlaps between my DT and the OT.
Does anyone know of any examples of people using the DT cleverly with live samples of traditional instruments? If I could get around this, maybe the Digitone would be a nice addition to my setup.
I’ve read this before as well. You mean setting up the tracks for them to act as loopers? I guess I wouldn’t mind if I can have a template project set up and ready to fire.
With a template project you should be fine.
But before you got you’re template prepare yourself for some experimenting with what works the best for you. And some come to the conlusion the pickup-machines don’t work for them. Don’t expect an easy to use looper (as most of the stuff in the OT).
But it can be very rewarding! For example: Pickup machine op Track 1 for looping. On other tracks Flex machines that uses the same buffer as the Pickup Machine
Well, not just setting up. Depends on how you want to loop I guess. I’ve used it as Looper and never feel quite happy with it. Just my opinion of course
Thanks for the suggestions! I think these are the kind of things I am looking for, I don’t mind putting more time into it if I have room for experimenting.
On my DT I feel like I can only lay down a bunch of triggers in grid record mode and randomly p-lock the start/end points of each of them until something musical surfaces, then sculpt the sound a bit. I need something a bit more deep!
pick up machines can be tricky…nothing’s that easy on the ot as it might look like on the net…BUT sampling accoustic stuff into the ot in realtime, there are many other ways to do so apart from pick up techniques, turning them inside out and back…
seems exactly what will make u happy full on, end of the day…
but yes, be aware it will take u some time to get there…but once u got there, u’ll never look back and discover all the beauty of mangled accoustics…
haha you got me! I am really enjoying the (limited) sample mangling on the DT, for sure. But with so many years behind my back attempting to play drums and guitar, I would like to bring those skills into the mix as well!
MY OT MKI just landed yesterday with similar intentions in mind. With net and YouTube as reference I was able to lay down a drum track and a few acoustic guitar tracks looping and over dubbing. Was awesome until I lost audio on a track and then proceeded to lose everything, ha, that’s when I realized I need some time with this thing. Long story short, it looks like it’ll do that Wonderfully but gonna take some time and mistakes to get it right. Not to muddy the waters but I also have a Digitone and that bad boy is rad!
I guess it’s a matter of time until I get that Digitone as well… Question is which one goes first. But I’m glad to know it fulfilled your expectations in combination with a guitar!
Hi. I have used the OT with a band, and though I found it a bit tricky (I couldn’t remember the one shot trig recorder setup) it seems like it could really be useful. I also ordered a DT, but will be sending it back, as though it sounds nice, it can’t touch the OT for this kind of stuff. FWIW, I found the best looper to be the one in Ableton, controlled by a behringer FCB1010 footpedal.
Also loving the Digitone btw !
Deeper, is only temporary. Once you have your templates for different use cases (or experimenting) setup it’s not hard.
Reading manual is a good idea, maybe twice is better
I bought the macpro course with Tavius Beck, great for noobs to the OT, Tavius also has a long video where he uses the OT on a Keith McMillen Kmix demo, sampling voice from a singer.
But it’s not for everyone, that’s a good thing.
Edit// If you simply wanna loop keys and strings without laptop a Big Roland looper is a good thing. With computer, Ableton is one of the obvious choices. Rheyne had a nice video and template on his looper setup on his YT channel.
Yeah, read Merlin’s guide and the manual. Also watched Cuckoo’s comparison video, with the DT. Some concepts will have to sink in when I have my hands on it, but it seems like overall it can do what I have in mind
I’ve been using the OT with my sax and OP-1 a ton. The loopers are great, but I find more use out of trig recording and flex machines assigned to record buffers. There are things call one-shot record trigs that you can arm on the fly, and then being recording on the step you want (for me, the top of a four bar phrase)… it’s a little setup ahead of time, but I find is really useful as an on-the-fly sampler/looper/mangler.
I 've OT for about 2 months, recently, but I try to use it with instruments, thats my priority.
It’s my conclusion:
-Don’t expect a looper. It’s a sampler (probably the best sampler).
-OT can do loops, but it lacks the basic functions of a looper, such as eliminating the buffer recorded by means of a midi pedal to start over again while still playing your instrument. This does not allow it, by midi it allows to launch the REC, PLAY, DUB and STOP.
-It isn’t easy to learn, but when you know it, is quick to use.
-You can do so many things with the incoming audio, or with the recorded samples, that you will never finish it.
-If you only want it for loops, it is not your machine, but if you want to make loops (with your limitations) and then on that, twisting the sound and being creative, then OT may be your best machine with a little practice.
manual is a good idea, maybe twice is better 
