who is using their digitakt ant digitone to produce full songs?
I love jamming on it and started using OB, but it does not feel as streamlined as using something like the Push. I am just so inspired when using the elektron boxes and want to flesh out my ideas into songs.
Anyone have any advice/experience/suggestions they’d want to share
TIA
…full production means to me…ready for release…
yes, anything it needs to create the content of any kind of track/song can be easily created with a combo like that…even just within “only” one of them…or any other elektron box…
but…
no…a full production also means some final arrangement, some final mixdown, some final master treatments…
and no matter how wet ur otb dreams might be…that always needs some involvement of a daw…
or quite some more otb devices like mixers, hw eq’s, compressors and recorders…
plus lot’s of know how AND strong nerves…
or a very strict confidence with imperfection and an absolute will for minimalism at it’s best…
Definitely made tracks with just the Digitakt. Here is one that was just a live jam:
To me, both boxes have infinite potential to make full tracks without any other gear at all. Think about what producers had back in the late 80s / 90s using just a Boss dr-660!
They are almost TOO powerful, as each can do so much. Takes time to dig into them and figure out how YOU want to use them though.
The DN and DT form the base of my current setup, so definitely doable. You just may need some external post-processing as mentioned above.
This whole album was DT and DN but with a couple of synths played live over the top:
Sounds like a hybrid approach might work for you - why not use Push with your Digitone? I use this combo too - being able to play across the 64 pads and within a scale/key is real nice, as are the basic Push sequencing options. You can also add things like modulation via velocity and aftertouch quite easily with Push too.
I also really like using Max for Live sequencers directed to Digitone via MIDI.
You can also easily build on ideas that might have started on the Digitone, multitrack the Digitone. If ideas have started on the DIgi, then I’ll record a ‘straight’ or plain version of a pattern and making a couple of alternate versions with me tweaking things, or transposing or doing mad control-all stuff. Then record the next pattern if I have another, use Ableton or plugin effects, add additional instrumentation, maybe replace parts from the original idea…it’s all there, just gotta get your hands dirty.
I do agree with others stating that you can make a song with these units solo, maybe just bringing into DAW for a little EQ/compression. It does sound like you want ‘more’ from whatever you’ve got going on though.
…in Test, but yes. How could you tell? 
@tomfs only a developer could name an album ListOf() and the songs Item_00, Item_01… 
…I’m a developer too
yea that’s true. I have A LOT to learn about those processes (mixdown, master, etc). It’s all very interesting though so I think Ill enjoy the learning curve. thanks for the feedback.
Nice!
wow thanks for all these tips. It didnt occur to me to try the push with the digitone. Im going to have a lot of fun testing some of these things you mentioned. I appreciate the feedback
I get my final mastering done in the box, but do my mixing on my digitakt + whatever I chose to pair it with. It is a bit of a different process, a bit like practicing a song for live.I just end up with a stereo file so you really gotta make sure you’re hearing everything correctly otherwise you are gonna be rerecording to get the mix right. I think the only real reason to work this way is because you enjoy it, it will likely cause you heart ache when a really good take is lost because something got too far lost in the mix.
This album from @Ess has been made with a Digitakt only, iirc. Production is pretty awesome IMO.
With some mileage, you can get there on your DT/DN duo for live performance, using only stereo outs.
If you’re in studio, though, you might want to use Overbridge and work on separate tracks.
oh cool cool. thanks for feedback. And yea I enjoy the process of using these boxes, as opposed to make a track the traditional way
Ivar Tryti has an awesome YouTube channel with full DT/DN productions
He has lots of those same tracks available on Bandcamp too if anyone feels like buying @Eaves a cup of coffee for his efforts:
I use Digitakt with Overbridge for full production. But I’m not a pro so not sure It matter.
I think it depend what is your target. For a commercial track that go on CD album and radio, you should work with a DAW. For underground track on the web and live event, you can really make banger on DT or DN only.
Remember the guys in rave party in 90s, they made some classic with low tech gears.
Mr. Oizo’s Flat beat was made with MS-20, Akai S1000 and mixed on mackie 14/02.
Digitakt and Digitone is waaaaaaaaay more powerfull to make full prod only with it.
Thanks for the kind words @PlumWrinkles and @craig . I’ve been having a great time making music on just the Digitakt, Digitone, and both together. I got a Digitakt because I wanted to try something completely opposite from what I was used to. Going from FL Studio with its amazing piano roll and unlimited number of tracks, plugins, automation clips and everything else, to an 8 track sampler that can’t zoom or slice or sample more than 33 seconds at a time and only uses mono samples and has no song mode and only one LFO per track and all the other limitations was exactly what I needed.
I think the Digitakt helped me let go of control and just roll with the punches. When I started recording video of my tracks, I was worried about missing cues and not being fast enough with my tweaking or plain forgetting to do things I had planned. Now, a lot of the tricks I do are actually mistakes I made in earlier tracks. Now I regularly mute my drums “too early”, or reload the pattern “too late”, and I also sometimes accidentally botch a drop by by forgetting to mute the bass track, stuff like that. It’s like, “welp, I guess my track has two buildups in a row now” when I can’t decide which pattern to switch to in time.
I think the biggest advantage of rolling with the punches is that I just put a lot more stuff out there. Not polished stuff, but I finished a lot of ideas fast and got a ton of mileage with the gear in a short time.
That mr.oizo is such a classic hit, i remember watching it on MTV after school, never thought about what it was made with. I agree a pc/laptop is the winner each time when thinking about producing complex super tunes. For simple groovy hits/beats/bangers any groove box is enough these days. You can design and play very intresting sounds and loops with the digitakt/digitone alone, make a simple arragement with patterns and you have a song. The best songs i know are usually just a few tracks with great sounds and simple patterns. No need for complex arragements and crazy processing to make a interesting hit.
