DAWless setup with Digitakt

Hello everyone!
First post here!

I currently have a Digitakt. I’m looking to complete my dawless setup with a synth
Either
-Empress Zoia/Empress Euroburo
OR
-Digitone

Which one should I pick and why ?

Thanks in advance for your help

Tell us more about what kind of music you want to make. Live? Studio? Genres? You can do an hour set with nothing more than Digitakt… What do you feel needs more?

There are a dozen different directions to go, and the two instruments you mention fill very different roles. We need more to go on.

3 Likes

Digitakt and Digitone pair really well because they have the same sequencer (nb of patterns, banks, trigs, etc.) and it is really easy to sync patterns.

3 Likes

I want to make mostly music in the studio (70% of the time). I want to be able to jam live (30% of the time). For genres mostly techno and electronica. Occasionally some hip hop beats.
I love the fact that digitone+digitakt “speak the same language”. At the same time, zoia (or euroburo) seems to have endless possibilities to be used as a small modular suynth.

Be aware that none of the gear you have mentioned allows you to store pattern chains for later sessions - not a problem for jamming, but not helpful in constructing structured pieces and then recalling them later.

Think about what your music needs, not what appears to be cool. Is your music calling for a four-part synth, or reconfigurable synth/FX box, or something else? Why are you not considering any other synths?

3 Likes

Do you have any suggestions ? @PeterHanes

For synths? Everyone has an opinion:

For sequencers with storable pattern chain or “song” mode? Is that an issue for you? How are you doing with your Digitakt in that regard?

1 Like

I meant a suggestion between digitone and empress zoia. I have no issue with having to chain my patterns so far. I do it whenever i want to record a song/beat

I wouldn’t suggest buying either of these without at least knowing the answers to my questions:

1 Like

Four part synth would definitely add a lot of depth to my music. And since it works on the same architecture as the digitakt, the learning curve would be lower.
Reconfigurable synth would be useful. Pedal not too much. The fact that the zoia can be tailored to my needs would be nice.
Haven’t considered other synths yet. This is my first attempt at a dawless setup (I only use the computer to record, when needed, for now).
A modular synth could serve the same purpose as a zoia but I would like to invest in something that can travel easily.
I hope that answers all your questions

I wouldn’t consider Zoia as a primary synth. It can, but it isn’t going to have the same directness, depth, or polyphony as a dedicated primary synth device like Digitone, or many others.

Similarly, modular analog is a whole different world, and in general is not a first “go to” if what you want is to add some bass or chords for techno or eletronica. Start with a nice polyphonic synth. Better if it is polytimbral (like Digitone) so that you can get two different sounds going ( e.g. bass and a drone or chords and a melodic line).

1 Like

Besides Digitone, are there any other polyphonic synths I should consider, in your opinion? Something less than 1K$ and something that’s easy to move around and connect to digitakt

@AT Depends really on your budget.

You can use any synth with Midi in port.

The Digitakt has 8 dedicated Midi tracks. This was one of the primary reasons I bought it.

So you can basically sequence any synth you want that has MIDI IN. Which is basically everything these days.

I have a Novation Circuit and able to sequence the two synth tracks from the Digitakt.

I have a Behringer Crave, which is an analog mono synth. I can sequence that one.

And since yesterday I have gotten hold of Hydra Synth desktop, which I can now sequence from my Digitakt as well.
The Hydra synth is an awesome polyphonic synth!

Waldorf Blofeld. Not the newest synth out there, but quite cheap today, multitimbral with lots of voices and since the last update stable working buttons :stuck_out_tongue:

3 Likes

Well I have a Digitakt, Digitone and the ZOIA and I wouldn’t recommend using the ZOIA as a primary synth. It’s a nice feature of the ZOIA but nothing more in my opinion. The Digitone is muuuuuuch deeper synth and more hands on but also limited to the FM sound range. The best and most flexible partner would be an Organelle which can be really anything you want pretty instantly.

I had a Korg Minilogue as my only gear before I bought the Digitakt. Then I got the Digitone too. So, now I own these happy 3 friends.
I agree with the other guys above, I wouldn’t go for ZOIA as a primary synth. Between it and the Digitone, I’d go for Digitone.
In my personal experience, I find myself using more the Digitone than the Minilogue, even when the latest it’s analog. To my, it’s funnier to use the Digitone and it just perfectly matches the Digitakt’s workflow. The only “problem” you might have is how much you like this FM’er sounds from the Digitone.

awesome to hear! I plan to add one to my studio soon. need a poly synth to chill next to my Grandmother while she handles the monosynth/bass duties. sequence it all from the DT. :fire:

I can second this. Blofeld is really affordable, multitimbral and still sounds great. It’s really good for techno.

1 Like

I had Digitakt + Nord Rack 2X in the past and worked very well togheter. Nord Lead are build like a tank and you can find one for 400€/$ in perfect condition.

1 Like

@HiGrade1 Unfortunately I don’t have the Hydrasynth desktop anymore due to QC issues and ASM denying there are problems.

So I returned it and got the Analog Four Mk2 instead.