Deluge or Digitone with Digitakt?

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#1

Hi,

I am already working with a Digitakt for sampling and working on drums, and I am looking to add a powerful synth to express different kind of emotions.

I am considering the Digitone or the Deluge, as they offer a wide range of possibilities.

On the workflow side, it seems to me that the Deluge has an edge as if offers a song mode and different FX. On the other hand, the Digitone has a more complex and complete fm synth experience.

Can you please help me clarify this choice with your insight? What do you think?

Thank you

#2

Easy choice, go Digitone.

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#3

Case solved. Please close. :joy:

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#4

Sell your Digitakt and buy a Deluge. It has it all and it’s all you need.

#5

I love my DT too much for that :slight_smile:

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#6

It seems to me to be very different products, one is an all in one grovebox, sampler, and sequencer, the other an FM synth.

The Digitone will be superior in sound design for sure. So if FM synth and sound design is a priority the Digitone would a better fit IMHO.

Personally I would get a Digitone since the Deluge really overlaps both of DT DN so if you like the Elektron workflow it doesn’t make any sense to get something that does what the DT does and more but very different.

So it’s more of getting a tool that does one job very well, or a tool that does everything okay. (to some extent)

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#7

@Fotopaul is right. If you like the Elektron approach, get a Digitone. If you don’t care, look in the direction of a Deluge and a Roland MC-101.

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#8

@Fotopaul @Peter118 The most important aspect for me now is the sound design, and you are right there will be overlap with the DT so the DN seems to be the better pick.

That leads me to a more functional question if you don’t mind…

When you sample an external instrument into the Digitakt, the sample lose the Stereo dimension and it is transformed into a Mono signal.

I am wondering if the Digitakt can be used as an audio interface to send the DN sounds in stereo or one must use another audio interface? To say things differently, if I pan a DN synth in the Left, and the audio go from the DN through the DT before reaching my headphones, will I still hear the DN synth in the left?

Thank you for your help!

#9

Do it the opposite way, send the Digitakt through the Digitone and you can use the FX of the Digitone and keep your stereo image. The Digitone also works as an audio interface.

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#10

Price is also a factor as you could score a second hand DN for half the price of a Deluge.

Second hand Deluges never last long as they are always in high demand.

You could stereo sample into Deluge or benefit from the tight DT/DN integration.

either way I dont know why you would have to choose ? I d get both, ahah.

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#11

@nIdaL I can’t afford both and it wouldn’t make sense as there would be too much over lap :slight_smile:

I will try to go for that second hand DN as you suggest!

#12

@Hawk So the DN keeps the stereo image unlike the DT?

That’s a good thing to know! Have you tried the integration of both?

#13

Yeah it does. I have my Digitone Keys set up to control my Digitakt but I have their outputs running into separate channels on my interface. You can happily have them connected though and it will work great, Digitakt into Digitone inputs and use the Digitone as an interface, stereo image preserved.

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#14

@Hawk Oh that’s great! Thanks for the info!

You are saying you have your Digitakts outputs running into seperate channels, that means that all your Digitakt tracks don’t get merged into one track in the DN ?

How do you that knowing that there is only one paire of audio outputs left and right?
You use a USB cable?

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#15

No I mean that the outputs from both the Digitakt and Digitone each have their own inputs on my interface, so my Digitakt does not pass through my Digitone. It will work though if you want to do it that way. Do you have an interface with more than 2 inputs, or an analog mixer?

#16

I have a six inputs audio interface but that means that all DN tracks will merge together. Same thing for Digitakt.

I am trying all tracks separated so I could be using them both as audio interface by setting up an aggregate device on my Mac.

My question was more : how far can i go DAWless with a Digitakt and Digitone?

My understanding from our exchange is that I will be able to do the composition part by keeping the stereo image from the DT through the DN but all tracks will be merged into one.

Once the composition done I will be able to perform the track on the DAW and have each track from each device separate.

Thank you for your time :slight_smile:

Now I need to start saving money for the new acquisition… haha… :sweat_smile:

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#17

Gotcha, yeah you can run the DT into the DN and the DN into your interface, compose completely DAWless until you’re ready to record, and then using Overbridge 2 you can record every single track from both using USB into your DAW at the same time, extremely useful and you’ll be able to do all your editing for each part. Keep in mind that you will not have the effects as part of each track though, since they are send effects, so you can record effects channels or you can go old-school and multitrack the tracks independently with effects intact.

BTW, I would STRONGLY recommend that you buy the Digitone Keys instead of the standard. Mine cost $850 from Perfect Circuit a few weeks ago. Call them and they will give you this deal.

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#18

I really don’t know the deluge but if you already have the digitakt and are familiar with the workflow, the digitone is certainly a good choice. The form factor becomes also very important when it comes to clarity. Too many colorful buttons/pads can overwhelm you and affect your workflow in a negative way. I don’t mean that the Digitone is super simple, but it’s smaller and everything can be reached very quickly. I can only say that the deluge doesn’t really appeal to me in terms of design and workflow. But maybe I’m too convinced of my digitone because it always surprises me with awesome sounds. And since the randomizer function, it has been even more fun!

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#19

Then the DN will be a good fit, in terms of sound quality and sound design it’s superior to the Deluge.

In terms of DT mono sampling it would not advice using it’s input as a pass thru for a stereo signal as it will be mixed down to mono.

As already been mentioned use the DN input which is superior since the gain can be set, and it’s stereo. But if you have the inputs on your interface/mixer it’s gives you a little more control if you can have them on separate channels.

The DT sampling is competent and works well as long as you do not need stereo sampling, i do find it a little limiting since the gain can’t really be set and the monitoring is project based and not global which the DT also is but it’s under the master page and the gain can be set very easily.

I have the Digitakt, Digitone and Analog Heat MK II the Digitakt output goes thru the Analog Heat and the Digitone goes thru the Big Sky before going into separate inputs to my audio interface.

I also have the BlackBox which is a great addition since it gives me 16 pads that i can use for my 8+4 midi tracks on the Digitakt and Digitone.

A good option might be to get the DN and Blackbox used, you could probably get them for the same price as a new Deluge. :slight_smile:

Bottomline the Digitakt and Digitone really compliment each other and if you like the Elektron workflow you feel right at home with the Digitone. I’m still amazed at sound it can put out on it’s own, there are plenty of patches you can start with and reverse engineer to learn if you’r not familiar with FM. I’m a total FM newbie so the Digitone will keep me busy for a long time. :slight_smile:

#20

deluge doesn’t have individual swing, scaling, does it?
what else is it missing on a per track or per pattern basis, maybe tempo, and what else???

I just got one so trying to learn