Digitakt + Digitone Or OctaTrack?

Elektron Gear
#1

Hi all Elektronauts.

Since a month I am a happy owner of a Digitakt.
I really like the digitakt for its immediacy, workflow and audio quality.
But as most Digitakt (or digitone) owners, there always comes a moment where you think " Should I have saved up for the Octatrack instead ?)

Situation: I am a Trap EDM producer and I start to discover that 8 tracks is somewhat limited for Trap Music. I need at least 12 tracks to cover all the different kicks, snares and effects and samples and melodies. So the most logical step is to buy another Digitone so I have 12 tracks in total (Or another digitakt, so I have 16 tracks)

However, I want to peform live with my digitakt with some rappers and singers. And since there is no Song / Scene mode on the digitakt/digitone., I wonder how difficult it would be to activatie patterns on the fly in a live perfomance with a digitakt/digitone combination. In this regards, it would be far more logicall to acquire the Octatrack. But then I am stuck again with 8 tracks.
(an Octatrack with 16 record tracks would be awesome !!)

what can I do best ?

thanks in advance !

1 Like
#2

The octatrack is honestly quite different from the digitakt. Go for the octatrack if you want to do any live resampling, FX processing, crazy modulation, etc. It’s a lot of fun if you go down the rabbit hole.

If you plan to use it just like a digitakt but with an added arranger you’ll quickly discover the DT is way more streamlined for straight forward sample playback.

Oh, if you hook up the DT to a DN or second DT (or any other elektron) with midi you can make one send program changes to the other. Changing patterns on one changes patterns on the other.

3 Likes
#3

As powerful as the OT is, a DN/DT combo is just going to be bliss all the way through. MASSIVE sound design potential quick and joyful workflow and Overbridge to extend the Elektron engine into any available plugin/ Bitwig configuration/ Max For Live Device/VCV Rack rack

You’ll have everything available at your fingertip- deep, deep fm/additive/subtractive synthesis from the DN and quick blissful sampling and real world sound manipulation

4 Likes
#4

Hmm, What about taking advantage of sample locking and/or bouncing your beats down to one track? Barring that, what about the model:samples. You’d get 6 more sample tracks.

1 Like
#5

all,

thanks for the feedback.
I think you guys are right, I haven’t discovered even 30% of the possibilities of the Digitakt and already I have GAS.

By the way, I happen to come acress the youtube channel of Dave Mech today. Wow, what he can do with a digitakt and digitone, blew my mind.
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNnbaIN0UUPu77_11LJ6A9Q]
The digitakt is more than capable for my intentions.

I shouldn’t be lazy and dive into this machine as deep as the rabbit hole goes.

thanks again !

3 Likes
#6

If you’re going to be lazy, then the OT is not for you :smiley:

Not throwing shade, it’s just an esoteric machine. It took me an active 20 minutes to figure out how to do the trigger button freeze delay trick. An hour to learn how to live sample(and even now it still feels like a bit of guesswork)

Meanwhile the DT is so IMMEDIATE. The only issue I have with it is turning it on and realize that I just need to throw some nonsense in there to get the fun rolling.

Edit:

Not to mention, when you first get the OT you’ll inevitably run into the issue where you’re now sure if the machine is broken or if you just did something wrong. (One time all of my samples were playing all stuttery and I thought the machine was broken and it was actually the retrig parameter that I had set and forget- or it was a scene that was set)

4 Likes
#7

Also in regards to the 8 track limitation, do you know that you can lock any sample you like to any step within a single track? I often have 4 or 5 samples in 1 track depending on whether the sample needs the ability to be independently muted. If you have a sample that is only used 1 or two times, just use a track which is already being used for some other part, stick it on the step where you want it, use the FILL trig condition, and you can activate it whenever you like.

5 Likes
#8

first, learn that 8 tracks is enough :slight_smile:

5 Likes
#9

but I must admit, I have the octatrack and the a4
i like it, to have a sampler and a synth

1 Like
#10

I have all three (OT, DT, & DN) and I can confirm that the Digitone is a perfect pairing with the Digitakt. The DN was literally designed to compliment the workflow of the Digitakt and the two combined is an astonishing groovebox.

Octatrack is great, but it wasn’t really fun or accessible when I got it. I go back and forth on whether the OT is the most ingenious design of the three or the most outdated and frustrating.

My joy with the Digiboxes is very nearly unalloyed.

3 Likes
#11

thanks all for feedback !

@Ryan, Yes I think the Octa is not for me, I dont want to spend years to figure out a machine.
@Hawk & @cold_fashioned, I just learned the sample lock yesterday from youtube. Very inventive, gonna work that out.

concerning Model:Samples , can you also send automatic pattern changes to Samples from the digitakt ?

#12

I would just get a DN. The songmode is you.
As others say: if you set it up to your needs, this combo can be viewed as one groove box with 12 tracks.
Right now 707 and 101 from roland are fresh out. Maybe you could snitch a cheap used tr8s (not tr8) if you keep your eyes open. Great for performing with it’s faders per track. But yeah, other type of beast allthogether.

3 Likes
#13

thanks for the info !! I will research the tr8s :slight_smile:

#14

what about running the DT + DN into the OT for live resample and FX mangling?

2 Likes
#15

I have seen this combo DT+DN+OCT on youtube. That would be a dream combination of course.
But it will take me years to figure this out and use it to max potention.

2 Likes
#16

Or you could get a cheap analog four mk1 for song mode/deeper fx processing/four analog voices

2 Likes
#17

Get two or three of each. :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#18

thats also an idea Ryan … I have got several options now. The question is how much money do I want to spend ? :wink:

#19

Every now and then you’ll run across an A4mki for super cheap.

One just got sold on this forum for 500. I bought mine last year for 430 off eBay.

Be patient and keep an eye out, the A4 will be the workflow solution you’re looking for. And since it’s another peace of gear, it will appease the GAS(though the GAS is relentless, so you’ll probably get both the A4 and the DN at some point)

2 Likes
#20

In the UK A4Mk1’s are on Ebay all the time for dirt cheap. Often priced cheaper than a DT/DN. I got mine for £500 with Elektron bag and lid. It’s maybe the 4th A4 I’ve had and it’s easily the best condition of the lot. Quite the bargain!

I’m still not 100% the A4 is for me - I wish I could find a workflow with the OT - but got to agree that it could make a fantastic combo with a DT. For the price of a new OTMk2 you could get a 2nd hand A4Mk1 and DN! @Zsalakory - don’t go down that route though as it’ll fry your brain and you may get pissed off and give up/sell quickly like I did a few times haha.

3 Likes