Digitakt as soundcard+midi controller+sampler

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hey.
Im looking for the perfect travel setup. Learned from mistakes, bought and sold a whole bunch of gear that seemed perfect, but ended up lacking after a while.
Too used to the power of ableton.

So now im looking at the surface pro 5 or 6 to pair with a soundcard/midi controller/hardware thing.
The digitakt seems to do all of the above, and so seems perfect as the sp only sports one usb connection without the breakout dongle.
One usb machine to rule them all ey.

But i dont want to make the mistake of buying something and learning the hard way that “oh dang, cant do x with it.”

So my question would be:
Can the digitakt plug into a pc (surface pro or whichever), acts as a soundcard with good sound quality + good amount of latency (eg low), while acting as a midi contoller for vsts and at the same time doing its beatmaking and sampling stuff? And stream everything over usb with overbridge.
Pretty hardcore machine if i can.

Thanks :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#2

Yeah it can but I’ve heard of latency issues with overbridge in logic. I don’t have a DT but maschine mk3 can do all of the above and way more too. Fits in my bag and isn’t that heavy. Whatever you buy get a deck saver too

#3

But maschine needs to be paired with NI stuff, right?
I can google(ecosia actually), but while you are here…

#4

It comes with a software called maschine. It’s like a standalone DAW but it can run as a VST within your normal DAW too. It can host VSTs and they don’t have to be native instruments. The NI stuff is nice to have because the file organisation and preset management is leagues better than anything I’ve ever had before. You can tag all your own presets however you want still though if it doesn’t automatically pick them up

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#5

This is pretty much my setup. I’m in a phase of wanting less tools which I master vs the endless GAS parade :slight_smile:

A decent notebook + DT (for software I’m using Overbride, FL Studio, and Omnisphere).

I’m really happy with the DT as an audio interface, and just did some vocals through it this weekend.
For this I needed to use a pre-amp and phantom power for the mic, but the signal I got from the DT was superb. I’m on the hunt for the perfect mic to use with the DT for vocal work, to have less stuff.

I’m still optimizing my config, but I’d highly recommend the DT with a notebook. Here is what I can do with my setup.

  1. Sequence 8 tracks of drums (native DT capability)
  2. For those 8 audio tracks, tweak the sound (volume, pan, filters, fx, etc. again native DT stuff)
  3. Sequence up to 8 patches to Omnisphere (CH 9 - 16 as a single instance using a “multi”)
  4. Tweak volume, pan, filters, and 4 fx sends for each Omnisphere patch without looking at my PC (done from the DT encoders / knobs)
  5. Record midi into my DAW using the DT as a mini-chromatic-keyboard. Although it’s quite limited, it’s also super handy.
  6. Playback through headphones and my studio monitors (when they are on)
  7. Record 10 tracks of audio from the DT live (8 tracks, and the 2 inputs)
  8. Sample anything you hear (this is a killer feature IMO, as you can sample anything from your DAW, YouTube, etc. anything you hear from your PC. The DT only samples mono, but it’s great quality.)
  9. Perform on the DT - muting, mangling, knob turning etc. (obvious, but it’s really fun)
  10. Record midi to/from DT to/from my DAW (all through USB)*
  11. “Loopback” midi through USB to use LFO’s to further automate the DT

Many other things I’m probably forgetting, but you get the idea. Happy to answer any questions on what I’ve been able to do, and not do.

Edit: *seems this only works on the midi tracks. The sequenced audio tracks 1-8 do not send midi.

Best regards,

Gino

2 Likes
#6

Great reply Gino, thanks a whole bunch!

Im in the same boat, after these last years of semi cheap hardware overload being released all the time.
Now i want minimalism with a few perks from the hardware world.

Digitakt seems perfect as you describe it.

One more question, hows the latency?
And about the keyboard, can you transpose it easily like on the digitone for instance? Or its just c3 to c4 or whatever, thats what you get? :slight_smile:

Man this seems ideal as ive ever seen it.

1 Like
#7

No problem, happy to help!

Latency is very low. I’m not at my machine, but will confirm and send numbers later.

I know from memory that the UI shows 2ms for the DT Asio driver, but I don’t really believe that because it’s ridiculous :slight_smile:

I can say that for audio from the DT I didn’t have to sync with delay comp which was nice, and this is the track we used it on: Community Feedback & Follow

Best regards,

Gino

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#8

Dont worry about numbers, better with your experience :slight_smile:

Thats all i wanted to hear really, seems like a great box for this kind of situation.

Also, very nice track :slight_smile:

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#9

Well here’s the gory details (the fine print) :slight_smile:

image

Best regards,

Gino

1 Like
#10

Microsoft hardware is horrible (Xbox line notwithstanding).

I advise against it every chance I get.

1 Like
#11

Top, much gratitude :slight_smile:

#12

Fair enough :slight_smile:

#13

Is there an alternative small compact pc that’s better than surface? I know there are ultrabooks with touch screens, any you’d recommend?

#14

Ive been watching lots of reviews on the subject, and my understanding is that the ipad pro has the best screen, and therefor the best stylus experience. Also concerning lag between pen/touch and screen.
All my stuff is window based, so apple is out.

The surface pro is the 2-in-1 that mostly resembles the ipad, from what i have seen, in most aspects, including the screen, srawing experience etc.

I feel the drawing experience is important for immersion and creativity with music.

If anybody knows better alternatives to price, better connectivity, replaceable battery/upgradeable components, would be great.

I mostly want a lenovo x1 yoga, but the reviews often favor the surface pro.

#15

I’ve got the iPad and like it for music but the drawing aspect isn’t really a big draw. I rarely use the pen. I do like the touchscreen though for putting in notes and hands on scaling etc. Sometimes entering values though is awkward compared to a mouse or keys

#16

Hm. Well that sucks. Im fantasizing about drawing everything, seems so fluid.
Like automation and parameters on vsts.
Pull up multiple faders as once, pull up multiple send fx at once.
Just, mmmm. We are one movement.

Its just a fantasy? :slight_smile:

#17

How small do you want to go laptop-wise?

The Dell XPS 15 has the footprint of a 14" laptop.
If you go to the Dell Outlet you can grab a bargain of a beast with 1tb SSD, i5 Processor with 32GB RAM plus a TOUCHSCREEN.

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#18

Does it convert into a tablet though?

#19

They do have a 2 in 1 option, yes. I have the non - touchscreen version and it is quite honestly a fantastic computer. It handles all my audio/video shenanigans and then some.

1 Like