Digitakt vs Octatrack for this genre (Jan Jelinek's Loop Recordings)

Elektron Gear
#1

Hey guys. Which box do you think it’s more suited for this specific type of sound?(reference: Jan Jelinek - Loop Finding Jazz Records (Full Album)

I’m only now entering the Elektron world after many years of making electronic music in-box, so I’ll most likely buy the Digitakt, but I’d like to know in advance if the octatrack is the best/only tool for the job.

Any extra tips for achieving this sound would be HIGHLY appreciated.

Also, sorry for the perhaps dumb questionI’m fully aware of the various DT vs OT threads already out there, I was just really curious to know some input on this particular topic.

Thanks in advance!

#2

lovely album! years since i heard it but giving it a spin now. my instinct would be to say OT, but only as i know it better than the DT. its definitely not the only tool for the job tho and the DT, particularly with latest OS update, is really nice and more than capable of doing this sort of stuff. plus, if youre coming from ableton and know your way around the Simpler instrument then the DT would be a fairly natural progression IMO

EDIT: welcome to the forum : )

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#3

Apparently Jan Jelinek used an Ensoniq ASR-10 for much of the record, which had the capability to sample in stereo, so maybe Octatrack would be better suited here. However, the ASR-10 could play polyphonically, which neither the OT or DT can do without using more than one audio track. More info about the sampler:

And there are hints at how it was created here (in addition to reading some interviews perhaps?):

https://faitiche.de/products/loop-finding-jazz-records

Ultimately, either of the Elektron samplers could get you close, but the OT would be more flexible.

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#4

Thank you so much for the reply! It really is a lovely album, perhaps my most played record since it’s my go-to for meditation, working, and general living :slight_smile: not really minimal, but you might also like this stuff: Music | ||||||||||||||||||||

#5

Thanks! I was aware that he used the ASR-10, and even pondered getting one but can’t justify the prices (plus, I’ve been attracted by the elektron gear for years and only now can make the jump). Will read that link more in-depth for sure.

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#6

I would also consider Mpc One, Blackbox and Sp-404 mkII and modular
or
DT + Blackbox
DT + Monome
DT + GR-1 granular
DT + IPAD
and there’re ways to do it in eurorack environment > Assimil8or, Morphagene etc…

The tool here isn’t too important, since it’s you who samples, cuts, etc. So it just sho
uld be something you can work with.

DT will do that thing just fine by the way (maybe better than OT since faster workflow and better connectivity, usb audio etc… ).

Just be experimental and see where it will take you

#7

…wanted to drop some asr 10 2nd hnd prices, beeing sure and confident to proove u, the elektron way would cost u more…
but puh…just learned, old ensoniq gear prices are going nuts…
pick a 2nd hand ot mk1 instead…no worries about the missing polyphony…
mirroring tracks and internal resampling will do all the trick…
that’s ur cheapest and most flexible option to cover that sonic ground ur after…

#8

That record has the potential to be talked about for centuries.

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#9

I love this record so much. I agree with the other comments about Digitakt vs. Octatrack (either one is powerful enough to take you to the nether realms but Octatrack can do things Digitakt can’t) but in terms of the actual sound of this record, the dirt/crunch in it, I’d definitely recommend looking into Ciat Lonbarde gear, particularly the Cocoquantus, which is an 8-bit dual stereo looper with tons of patchable modulation. Great way to get those warm fuzzy textures, especially as you pitch your loops down and/or layer on top of them.

#10

I love this album. Been listening to it rather regularly since it dropped. Def a masterpiece.

One difference I would like to point out regarding the OT and DT is one can sync loop record properly while the latter will have you eyeballing loop length.

I think either would be great. Just depends what appeals most to you.

#11

Just checked the first couple things on Bandcamp and I can vibe to this! Love finding new artists. Thank you.

Check out Shuttle358 - Chessa and Shuttle358 - Understanding Wildlife.

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#12

I don’t know the music you are talking about, but what I can say is that the DT is way, way, way more accessible as a first Elektron device. The octatrack is definitely worth the investment of time and money, but it takes most people way longer to wrap their head around it and it’s capabilities.

#13

It’s worth mentioning that even though DT don’t have timestretching as such, it still does it by setting it up yourself an sacrificing an lfo.
And if you don’t want to set it up everytime, you can always save the settings on a track and save it as a template. If you need it on other tracks, you can copy/paste settings per page to other tracks pretty easily.

Also this might be useful for your decision making

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