Digitakt Sample Management

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Hello. I’ve been looking for a video or tutorial that goes a little deeper into the sample management of Digitakt. I’m just not grasping how samples are managed in the plus drive. I can get samples in and out of a project, but my + drive says ‘no sounds.’ I’ve looked online, read the manual and looked here–and I’ve found a couple of useful things but nothing that really explains the process. So, once you’ve imported sounds into the Digitakt, do they then have to be moved to the +drive? I can’t seem to make it happen. I’m not even sure I ‘need’ to make it happen yet. I also speculate that once overbridge is implemented that sample management will become a little easier–but for now, can someone clarify this process?

Thanks in advance!
M

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#2

“Sounds” are more like patches. A “sound” contains a sample as its base. Samples go to the +drive and are stored there.

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#3

this is a popular area of confusion.

a sample is the waveform data / noise .
a sound describes how its played, filter, pitch , loop points … all the sound parameters and a pointer to the sample.

if you make a ‘sound’ that you like and likely to use in different projects you can save it as a sound and add a tag for bass , lead etc.

it’ll only include the initial sample used within that sound though , not any additional samples that you may plock into the pattern.

to be honest i haven’t used it much , there are very few parameters to setup quickly ,if i’m just triggering samples i dont bother with sounds , it only if theres some complicated lfo triggering for fake time stretch that i might use it.

if you load a new sound into a project it’ll append the sample onto the end of your sample list automatically , you don’t have to remap it.

maybe we should get a sticky on the forum for ’ Samples vs Sounds’ and the + Drive confusion.

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#4

I just think of it by asking the question “What happens when the device makes a sound”, literally?
It plays a sample through a bunch of sound shaping parameters and some fx…

OK, so a “sample” is the base source of a “sound” which is the sample played through all the sound shaping and fx…

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#5

I get the hierarchy, but lets say I record direct into digitakt. That recording is stored with the project, but it doesn’t appear to be added to the + drive. Do I need to manually add it from the sample manager?

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#6

when you save a recorded sample it should be placed into the recorded/recordings folder on the +drive. also “no sounds” wouldn’t mean the same thing as “no samples”.

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#7

My + drive says there’s nothing on it, but I have several test projects with tons of samples I’ve recorded or imported. I guess that’s where the confusion is for me. Thanks for all the replies! Do appreciate.

#8

not even the folder of factory samples?

#9

Those are present when browsing from a project but if I go into the import/exp menus, I have nothing on the + drive

#10

If you are in the import/export menu you are looking at sounds. Samples can be found by pressing the settings button (cog wheel) and selecting the samples option from the menu.

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#11

when I press the knob, I get + drive has no sounds.

#12

That’s for sounds, not samples. Sounds and samples are different.

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#13

image

This is the settings menu. The samples listing will show you all the samples that are on the +drive.

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Digitakt factory content missing?
#14

does anyone know how to remove a sample from a pattern?

#15

Reviving this thread with a new question:

How do you DT users manage your sample libraries? I’m not used to having a restriction of 127 sample slots in a project in my sampler. My usual (MPC-centric) technique is to load whole kits from my favorite drum machines (707, 808, HR16 etc) and have them on hand…but this fills up my sample slots with maybe 4 kits loaded. So it’s not going to work going forward. It’s a total PITA to have a project filled w/ patterns and your sample slots all filled up w/ sounds you aren’t using. If I remove a sample from RAM that is currently used in a project, is there any kind of warning? Probably not.

So the solution is to start using the +Drive in a different way, I just need to wrap my head around the architecture and workflow. I, like many here have a sample library on my Mac that is close to a TB in size…how do you decide what gets into the precious +Drive space, and how do you then work with +Drive, Sounds, and Samples in a Project?

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#16

Sample chains may be helpful for you. They need to be significantly shorter than the ones made for the ot because of lack of zoom on the src page on the dt though

#17

I dont think it helps you when I say that for me every sound that I’m using is special and has to have a reason to be used. I never use pre-made kits or presets and very rarely transfer any samples from my computer. Most sounds are specially designed for the specific track, using external synths, instruments and fx. But thats me and for you works maybe something else.
Occasionally I do overload my drive, when searching something very unique and not finding it. These are not good days for me…

#18

I started with teh same problem, loading up a bunch of stuff I ‘thought’ I might use… then upon discovery of the workflow, changed into a more project specific way of thinking about samples. Like t3h, using my gear to generate ideas and sampling that etc. However, being able to zoom in the SRC tab would be IMMENSELY helpful (knock knock elektron)

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#19

yeah, this

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#20

Yes, so true…I always viewed them as “more work” but i see how one could use sample chains, in conjunction w/ sounds to have an entire drum machine in one sample slot. Set it up once, and you are good to go. Love this. Thanks.

Thanks for your input…I do this as well…

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