Digitakt users, how do you chop?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

Sooo…after debating DT vs. OT for a while, this week I finally went for the DT and already first doubts are creeping in…

As I am mainly making Hip Hop-ish music I am of course enjoying some sample chopping (yes I was aware the DT wouldn’t excel at this), but I am struggling a little bit.

  1. I can either chop in the awkward p-lock way, or
  2. I can spread out 8 chops over the tracks make a sequence and resample.
  3. allows me to make quick changes to all sounds at once, but setting up he sequence is meh…
  4. allows me to create cleaner chops, but editing all samples at once is worse. Because I can use control all to change the parameters, but I can’t audition the sample at the same time.

Are the first world problems, or what? How do you work around it?
Should I just buy an OT :slight_smile: ?
Does anybody dislike the fact that you have to push the encoder to change the pitch in halftone steps?

Workarounds for non-existent sample slicing?
#2

I always did the first way you described when I had a DT, and it works well enough (although I remember hitting the upper limit on p-locks at times).

I think the correct answer is just try a bunch of different techniques and see what works for you. You’ll settle into a workflow eventually.

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#3

When you had the DT…does that mean you are on the OT now?

#4

No, I sold most of my gear and pretty much just make beats in Logic these days.

Not sure if these are of interest to you, but here are a couple of my old beats made just on a Digitakt into a little Boss recorder.

(Not sure why these are displaying strangely)

Also, my workflow at the time (for that dubby track) is described in this thread:

#5

Nice songs and thanks for the rundown!

If only the Digitakt would get a slice mode like the OT…so far not digging the workarounds, but the rest is quite nice. Time will tell, I shall keep trying.

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#6

No problem. Personally, if I was going to make music on the DT again (or OT or MPC), I would probably do all my prep work outside of it, and use the machine for composition and live tweaking. I think that’s where it shines.

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#7

I can understand doing that, but it’s not for me…I need to be able to pop a sample in when necessary and get slicing straight away. I could never be organized enough for prep work :slight_smile:

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#8

It works well enough for shorter things, but you probably wouldn’t want to put several full tunes in it and try to chop that way.

You could sample like 8 bar chunks or something. That would work just fine.

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#9

I completely cosign this.

What I settled on after some trial and error is that I generally figure out how I want to chop a sample on another device.

If I’m away from my desk I’ll use the Koala app. If I’m at my desk, I’ll use my Zoom Sampletrak. I’ll then usually recreate the chops and elaborate on them on the Digitakt but a lot of times I’ll sample the Sampletrak directly because I like the sound of it.

In any case, I parameter lock start points, end points and sample slot because a lot of times I like to have the sample on two or three tracks because I want to handle lows, highs and sometimes mids differently. It’s easy to copy and paste things across tracks that way.

Another thing is that I generally keep samples short so if I need to use a long one, I’ll break it up into like three pieces just to make it more manageable.

I use trig preview a lot.

Indeed

I think that once I’ve got an idea, the Digitakt is my absolute favorite thing to use. But there are things I like to do to get things ready. Lately, I’ve been sampling stuff I’ve done on my synths and cutting that up into loops. I like using Audacity to make sure they’re all perfect loops, that way I can cleanly alternate between different variations of the same part of a phrase.

Things like that. I like to use little chains of samples for one shot samples to keep sample slots free. I get that kind of stuff ready in Audacity.

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#10

I think the answer is ultimately that the DT isn’t the best tool for this job - you’ll never get more than eight simultaneously accessible slices out of it, and beyond that you have to be happy with the less immediate process of p-locking. P-locks are incredibly powerful, but that’s not always what you need. Even with the OT’s slicing features, you might find an MPC or even something like the SP-404 has a more conducive workflow (but not necessarily for others).

If the DT was the only tool to hand, I’d prefer to go with a chop per track and use note lengths to create a kind of mute group simulation (so for example I could improvise the order of slices while recording, and still ensure that they didn’t overlap).

Another avenue to explore, and one that makes use of the DT’s strengths, would be to use a synced track LFO to alter which sample is played at a given position in the sequence. So if you have three slices with a kick, you could put all three on one track and have the LFO cycle through them, or randomise which one you get. This could help loosen things up a little… you could also of course have a whole sliced break on one track and randomise each hit, and mix different breaks that way (and it’s then easy enough to use p-locks to guarantee a kick on step one, for example). This can be interesting if you do something like create eight copies of a break, all using different filters / effects etc, and let the DT mix them up. In that scenario it’s useful to have a recorder handy, as you may end up with a fantastic random arrangement that you can’t recapture.

I think it’s really about discovering what the DT can offer you in this situation - you can’t always bend it to your will, but it can take you to some interesting places if you give it the opportunity.

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#11

Thanks for explaining.
I have a Sampletrak as well, so that sounds like an idea. Otherwise I’d also like to as many things in one device as possible. I am getting tired of going through devices :slight_smile:
I wish there was an OP-Z, but it was built by Elektron….

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#12

Thanks for the tips, the LFO ideas sound good!
But the main issue remains with creating slices and then having fun with them…rather than knowing exactly which slice I want at which point. Or with only having 8 slices…
What are the chances of a slice mode coming to the DT?

#13

I’d throw in the new Novation Circuit Rhythm in that conversation. Brand new it’s cheaper than a lot of what people are asking for for used 404 SXs and it’s got a great quick and dirty slice mode.

Actually, as much as I love my DT, if I were to choose something to use for just like sitting down with a stack of records with no plan, I’d probably go with the Rhythm. I’ve had it for a few weeks now and I like it a lot.

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#14

Good suggestion!

Sadly I am a very picky person and would like a more contained system…meaning sampler & synth in 1 device or 2 devices you can easily hook up to one another. I like that the DT can sample via USB and I can still hook my monologue up to it and have it all contained within the DT.
That’s why I am also considering the OT. I just want a nice HUB of some kind…
sorry for spamming!

PS: MPC & Force, been there, done that.

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#15

In the wake of the last DT update, I’d hesitate to make any predictions about what might or might not come next. 16 slices mapping to the 16 sequencer buttons would be ideal (or just a mode that let you assign any samples from the pool to the keys, even if it was just in a simple sequential order). But realistically, I don’t know if I’d use that mode, because I have other gear that does it better. I don’t think the DT is likely to to become the kind of hub device that you mention. But, as I said at the start, I’d never say never - and if it’s staying in production then there are a lot of competing devices it needs to keep an eye on…

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#16

Hello,
I use the 1 technique to slice on the DT.
I have the DT and the OT and I’m so used to the p-lock technique that I don’t use the slice mode on the OT.
Slices are too rigid, and slow workflow to adjust or modify the slices. The start point plocking allow you to change on the fly the slice during playing the loop and discover some groovy melodies by not being right on the time.
But if you want the MPC workflow with classic slicing, yeah you should switch to the OT. OT can do everything DT does, but without the quick and sharp UI of the DT.

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#17

Why not get a MPC?
If u like elektron, that’s a valid point.

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#18

I really dislike the new MPCs with touchscreen operation. And the old MPCs don’t have Mixing features (unlike OT & DT)

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#19

I think there are two issues with the Digitakt for sample based hip hip producers:

#1 no zooming in/out on the waveform
#2 no mute groups

No slices either but… well…

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#20

What do you mean?
Even the very first one (MPC60 MK1) has a mixer (volume + panning).
Usually with MPC’s you’d adjust the volume and panning of each individual pad, program, multi. You can even mix tge three additional layers of each keygroup. All of the “old” Akai MPC’s and Akai rack samplers have these mixing capabilities.
The ones up until the MPC3000 however have no or only 1 LPF with or without resonance. But S3000XL and up have either EQ’s and/or different filters (HP, LP, BP and more)
These weren’t E-mu’s but the Akai’s were very capable.
I agree though with the touch screen nonsense

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