Would this work? I know there have been some real issues with crashing etc but are they now a thing of the past? This video seems to say so…Polyphonic sequencing!:
What I want to do is hook up a system like my old one. Controller keyboard into MPC, then a midi thru 5 box controlling a 707, 101, 106 and some other bits and bobs. That set up was rock steady and the polyphonic sequencer was great as you could just jam and quantise on the go. In Stimming’s Digitakt video it looked like he was going to do the same but he couldn’t the polyphonic 4 note mode to work and everything was in monophonic sequences.
There was a firmware update about a month ago that made the MIDI much better. I have no problem recording polyphonic MIDI now… before that MIDI was very erratic in general, now, what is shown in the video works reliably.
I use MIDI keyboard --> Digitakt --> Blofeld (multi-timbral, different sounds on different MIDI tracks). No problems now, and it’s great being able to use the same keyboard to program both DT’s audio tracks and MIDI tracks.
Yes, should work fine, though as devils advocate you may want to look at an MPC 1000 instead, similar workflow you are used to with the 2000XL, cheaper than DT, €300-€500 second hand, song mode, stereo sampling, more memory, JJOS, less bugs, etc…Ha!, I just almost talked myself out of buying a DT!
I’m a massive 1k fan but on the other hand consider
Cons:
•longer load times,
•slowish sample transfer. You could always just take out the CF card and use a faster reader though, or install a massive hard drive full of samples.
•internal filters and FX aren’t very satisfying, but you do have assignable outs
Pros:
•Grid editor
•can still do 16 step sequencing with micro timing
•Detailed CC automation
•crossfade looping
•sample layering, 4 per pad and tune individual layers
•4 layers per pad with individual filters using simult pad
•pattern to pad, so basically firing off midi patterns or CC automation just by hitting a pad
•more fun for finger drumming
•4 assignable outs plus master
•fun workflow, I love using sequences in MPC to build tracks
•fully midi mappable, set up your own scales to pads
•chord mode with a strum setting you can change the rate on
•you can customise it a lot, it makes it a lot more personal piece of gear
•custom splash screens
I mean it doesn’t have to be a picture of biggie but it’s cool to have your stage name pop up on your MPC. If you’re gonna go this route I recommend the 2500, it’s exactly the same but with more outputs, extra Q links, bigger pads, tiltable screen, there’s no reason not to really. The 1k is cool to throw in a bag though
IMHO a DT will never be a good replacement for an MPC. 8 voice polyphony and no linear sequencing means that the workflow, possibilities and usage will vary greatly.
Now then, if all you ever use the MPC for is playing 8 monophonic voices at a time, sequencing only up to 64 steps and always using TC… then you just might be able to replicate your workflow on the DT.
Heh it makes DT sound rather dull when you put it that way. I think you’re right though, they’re just different leagues. DT is the new shiny luxury option, it does less but does it well and it looks pretty. These MPCs are 10+ years old and do so much because of a third party OS. Make sure to buy somewhere with refund policy so you can give the box a good checkover, preferably local pickup. If you find a well kept unit though you’re definitely gonna come out on top with an MPC
I do not mean to say that the digitakt cannot be used to make good music. The octatrack has similar restrictions, heck all elektrons do. I know both camps quite well (elektrons and MPCs) and the way you work with them is very different from each other. Therefore, expecting a ”replacement” as in, ”I need a box that does the same things and has somewhat comparable features and workflow” is not really realistic.
Having said that, both camps allow you to create sample-based music, but in different ways, and which method/paradigm one prefers, thats very subjective and personal.
I couldn’t live without either myself. I want to have the flexibility to choose the best fit for any context. For spamming polyphony, layering like hell, going totally off the TC grid, 999 bar long patterns, I go for MPC. For more barebones, repetitive, minimal stuff with less events, elektron all the way.
Good points. I mostly loop and record takes into logic, overdubbing over the top as I go along. Problem is, sometimes I go beyond the 64 steps. I like the small imprint of the Digitakt too.
I didn’t think you were saying that at all, I was saying they both do what they do well. I always recommend the combination. OT + MPC/maschine depending what I’m doing, even still a bit interested in DT but I get most of the way without it
Going beyond 64 steps is still possible with the digitakt, but will require juggling patterns, either by setting up pattn chains or by sending ext pgm chng msgs.
That’s a negative. It’s an alternative, only if you want to make music that sounds like it was programmed on a DT. One could easily duplicate a simple composition and get it to sound similar on both devices, but since the two have vastly different workflows and capabilities, once things get complex each respective device will take you in very different directions. It’s a matter of taste. I learned this the hard way, hoping the DT would be a replacement for an MPC1000. It’s not really.
Totally correct. When you go deep on either they become less and less comparable. Having said that, and maybe it’s just the shiny and new factor, but I tend to switch on the DT more than the MPC recently - I find I have more fun with it. It’s all about taste and workflow.
I use mpc2500 and digitakt together, they both do different things and have different work flow and have totally different sound and feel. perfect companions. if only digitakt had stereo monitoring thru mode. totally happy with mono sampling but input monitoring in stereo would allow me to sample thru both and leave my leads hooked up all the time, gotta constantly juggle them around depending on which i want to record into
Honestly I’ve got a DT arriving today, I ended up buying one second hand. I’m actually very nervous about it. On paper I’ve been wanting one since it came out last year, but I held back because I knew there would be initial bug problems. I’ve been following various threads about the DT here ever since, I’m astounded at the amount of user related bugs and malfunctioning “features”… But when a man needs a standalone sampler/sequencer (midi) that doesn’t break the bank he isn’t left with many viable options. The only reason I’m taking the plunge is that I had a good experience with the Analog Rytm which I sold to fund the DT. The AR lack of midi sequencing and limited sampling capabilities were the reason. I’m willing to accept that I will no doubt encounter some bugs on the DT, I just hope I have the patience to wait for Elektron to iron them all out, I just wonder how many more updates its going to take them… And I know that if this experiment fails then the DT is gone and I’m buying a trusted MPC1000 again and moving on from Elektron
The main problem with the Digitakt is that you cannot get your samples off of the machine, so if you intend to make a lot of sample based music bear in mind you could quickly run out of space, there have also been reports that a nearly full +drive can cause issues, although I don’t know if these have been resolved now.
I bought my Digitakt June 2017 in good faith that sample backup was coming soon, as of March 21st 2018 (just over 9 months) it still can not do this basic task, which is ridiculous. As such mine has sat most of it’s life in its box, waiting for an update that is long overdue.
Yes you can still create music with it, just can’t back up your samples. No one tells you that on the videos
custom splash screens 