Since you have so much fun and good results with the DT I‘d say just stay with it.
Don‘t add anything. Put the mpc aside and just go on exploring the DT.
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Definitely GAS I think but, that’s okay. Only you can decide brother. I have them. No regrets.
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If you had the MPC for a few months and not liking it for hands on then OT might be a better bet, obviously very different machines, and be aware that OT isn’t as immediate as DT, but that aside it is far more powerful in terms of realtime control and mangling.
OT is a blank slate, and like a slate it has boundaries, it is not limitless like a DAW, but once you decide how you want to work with it, which in itself can put some people off, it can become an essential instrument IMHO. Still after 9 years no other sampler can do what it can, plenty of other samplers out spec it in terms of sample time, polyphony, fx etc, but not one can compete with it as an instrument, again IMHO.
The various trig modes and scenes, are really great for live usage, it really is a Dynamic Performance Sampler, bar none.
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I have an OT. Just ordered another because thats where I see my workflow going. What’s the right thing for what you want to do? I’m positive after much experimentation that a second OT is what I need. After much experimentation.
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Wow, thanks for all the amazing feedback! I think I’ll try to control my GAS and hold out on the OT for now and jam out on the DT until I master it. It really is an amazing machine.
Anyone here use the DT with MPC LIVE? If so, what do you use them for? Thanks!
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Why not join the existing conversation:
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Got a Digitakt, swapped it out for an Octatrack, sold the MPC live.
There is a dude on here who has done some tweaking to have them shake hands, and the German dude who has videos on Youtube linking them sold his Mpc Live haha.
Not that anyone is asking, but I couldn’t be happier in the Elektron universe and would consider getting a DT down the road when I master the OT cause there are a lot of things I liked about the DT.
For me, using the Mpc Live with the DT just seemed to complicate things.
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i hear the octatrack has a pretty solid and sturdy casing too. if you put your mpc on top of it my guess is that you’ll get a more hands on approach when making music on the mpc. never underestimate a good work surface for your gear!
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Master the OT 
Made my day.
That is like finishing a modular.
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Haha, let me rephrase that…when I’m answering “How do you…” questions on here.
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My thoughts on it would be keep the DT until you have spent proper time with an OT to see which might suit your work flow best. MPC live is a more DAW like experience so you can always step back into ableton for a work flow that is similar so if you really wanted to let the MPC go its not like you wouldnt still have options for a similar experience. There isn’t real elektron equivalents in software. I would add though operating multiple elektrons at the same time isn’t the easiest. Lately I really just like the 2 box mind set, 1 synth/sampler and 1 elektron. Plenty to keep things interesting in small set ups like that and easy to take 2 boxes out live if you end up in that situation. But yeah for now if the DT is inspiring you and the MPC can fill in the blanks, you should be set for what ever ideas come your way.
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Octatrack exponentially grew the capacity of my 2 synths. The only thing I’m adding is a mixing board to get me off the comp.
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I have the OT and MPC Live and can’t be more happier. I don’t get all this MPC bashing, the MPC is an exceptional drum machine. Yea it can bell like a daw if you like but you are not forced to treat it as such. I never even use the piano roll on it unless I want to do some super detailed edit on it. Not a even a headache when I do. I use It as a drum machine plus!!! Four, Eight and 16 bar sequences are simple to do. Up to six separate outputs to feed the OT what more do you need? Two or three programs loaded with 64 samples each and I’m good for days! Use your Elektron to get a nice groove going then bang out a funky beat with the MPC. Elektron and the MPC Live is a nice combo of organic and mechanical flow.
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Maybe now I have regrets, haha. I never gelled with it, but the OT has sucked up all my bandwidth for now.
I own all three.
The Digitakt is the most immediate drum machine / one-shot sampler I’ve ever used. I use it in that capacity.
The MPC Live can do everything/anything, but not all of it is easy to do or user friendly (or even logical at times). That said though, the MPC Live has a few awesome features that are hard to emulate with the DT or OT. For example live sampling & chopping to pads directly (Pad Slice) or four flexible effects per pad, then per program and on the master bus! I use the MPC Live to live record vocal lines and chop them in real-time during live performances as well as for finger drumming and SFX sounds (I prepare a few programs with stuff I like that I know I don’t want to sequence in a loop).
The OT is its own beast entirely. It’s the most creative hardware sampler out there. I use it as a sample mangler as well as control centre for my entire setup. In terms of musical function, the OT plays back harmonic and melodic content in my live sets and I use it then to manipulate/sound design such content in real-time. Basically anything I want to loop that is harmonic or melodic, the OT does as it is much more tactile and immediate for that than the MPC Live and much more flexible and powerful than the Digitakt (when playing live/improvising). From a hardware point of view, I use the OT as master clock, MIDI centre (until MPC gives us Multitimbral support) and mixer of my setup. I also have my mic and guitar go into Inputs 1 & 2 respectively, so I can play loops into the OT that the OT then can sequence.
Do you NEED all three? Definitely not. It’s three samplers after all. But if you have a dedicated role/purpose for each box that plays to its strengths, they can complement each other beautifully.
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Had the DT twice, have OT and MPC live.
DT is the most immediate and fun. And it might sound the best out of the box. But it has its limitations obviously. For me the most annoying limitations were the lack of a additional highpass filter and that you can’t route external audio through its gorgeous effects. The memory is also very limiting it would have been great if there was a card slot… But it’s very inspirational.
Own the MPC only for a few weeks now, so I probably judge to soon here… while it does almost everything you can imagine, I’m not into the workflow yet. Not a fan of the touch display and the few encoders, I often can not decide what to use to control a parameter, since both is possible but doesn’t feel very tactile to me. The menu jumping is a bit annoying. While it’s not too complicated you have to jump a lot, parameters I often need one after the other feel distributed over several menu pages. Controlling the internal plugins feels worse compared to using Ipad synths imo.
The pads feel nice. The lack of limitations regarding memory, tracks, samples etc is great. Features like Ableton live export, USB, Wifi, bluetooth are very convenient. Bouncing midi tracks to audio in one go is nice. The slicing modes are super cool and way better than on the OT. The looper is also very simpel and you can export a recorded loop as a sample in a program very fast. But still, so far, Elektrons seem much more direct, quicker to use, parameters better laid out.
Seems like I will stick with the OT again. I just wish it had overbridge and better fx.
edit: I didn’t try to create multisampled instruments on the MPC yet, autosampler and that stuff, clearly sets it apart from the Elektrons. Not sure how much I would need it though…
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I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s exactly how I feel about the workflows.
The MPC seems like it has no limitations for producing but feels extremely limited for performing live and improvising. Just like you said, it has very little “live” control over parameters and it just doesn’t feel as immediate as the DT. If it had a few more encoders and customizable “assign parameter” page that would have made it an incredible jam station. Maybe MPC UnPlugged would have been a better name for it? 
The DT on the other hand feels like a crazy joy/jam machine to get lost in improvisation but I don’t think I could make a full finished song on it (not that that’s a bad thing, after all it’s supposed to be "just a drum machine"
).
That’s why I’ve been obsessing with the OT. I think/hope it gets me that middle ground between the accidental happy craziness of the DT and the vast possibilities of the MPC. I don’t mind the long manuals and learning curve.
Do you miss the MPC’s responsive
/velocity sensitive/layerable drum pads much when on the OT? that’s one thing I absolutely love on the MPC, puts my push 2 to shame
that was totally possible for me, but that‘s where I missed the additional highpass filter the most… they gave it the DN but the DT needs it much more…
I personally do. That‘s something elektrons would benefit a lot from. The rytm pads should not even be called pads.
I seem to prefer the pads on the push actually. I can do better finger drumming on smaller pads. And for me it‘s strange that the pads on the live are on the left side.
They do feel nice though
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Unfortunately they are a bit too stiff to have a wide response, I wonder if it is the material used or something else? If the former then it would be cool if there were aftermarket replacements such as the MPC stuff pads.
I guess that tweaking the response in firmware isn’t really going to be effective or perhaps we’d have seen this implemented already.
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I think it’s all about having fun, right? If you like the DT and are not really thrilled with the MPC, then you will prob be ok with the OT. The DT is the gateway drug that ultimately gets you hooked on the elektron workflow. Then you will have no choice but to get the OT. The MPC Live could be sold to fund the OT mk1. The way that you can sync the Elektron boxes together is just perfect. You just have to throw caution to the wind and jump off the ledge. Don’t worry. The OT can be used as a performance sampler, but also a parachute and floatation device. Who isn’t down for a little thrill ride?!
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