In addition to track length, the OT also has tempo multiplier per track…
TEMPO MULTIPLIER offers seven possible settings, 1/8X, 1/4X, 1/2X, 3/4X, 1X, 3/2X and 2X.
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Nah it doesn’t work in the way you want it to work.
It may be a bug, but when changing the the speed it affects all the tracks. So if I want tk1 at 1x, but want tj2 at 3/4, everything will be changed to 3/4.
You can have up to 64 steps per pattern and make those run at different speeds using the tempo multiplier (in the comment above), you can use any number of steps per track, its pretty cool
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Just thought I’d mention that I’ve been throwing out OT specs just so people have the information, it doesn’t necessarily mean I think it’s better, I always leave that to be a personal decision…
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Do you guys think there is a sonic quality difference between the OT and the Digitakt? When I had the digitakt, I was blown away by the quality of the sound. This is what caused my interest in the OT, plus the effects were awesome too. The MPC live to me is like a DAW screen on a hardware device. The thing is cool, but it didn’t really wow me like the Digitakt did. I got rid of the Digitakt because of all the crashes. I hope the OT MKII is solid as far as that goes.
What OS did you run?
Digitakt runs smooth here.
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i remember the Cuckoo video and the difference between the sound quality.
i would say the Digitakt sounds about 15% better on sample triggering.
for this reason i was nearly going to buy an mpc Live and Digitakt instead of the OTmkII.
but the Octatrack does looping and timestretching better than any other device on the market. If Akai bring the Elastique algorithm to the Live standalone mode, then maybe the playing field is different.
and yet as regards realtime performance, there is nothing even close to the Octatrack.
i still do wonder if the samples Cuckoo used in the OT vs Digitakt video had their “timestretch” setting to “off”. It was just single sample triggering mirror A/B tests, so there would have been no need for timestretching to be on. And yet, by default, the timestretch is on for all samples if i remember correctly… and on the Octatrack, if it is switched off then single samples sound better.
one more thing to mention: the Digitakt is new breed programming and sounds better than any other sample playing drum machine on the market. So, therefore, it is going to sound better than the Octatrack by default, so to speak. But it doesn’t do timestretching so there is the apples and oranges comparison.
For me, the choice is clear: Digitakt and Octatrack are both equally valuable and desirable for a studio or performer.
There was a different video, not the Cockoo one, where simple sample play back without time stretch on DT and OT was put on A/B test. (I can’t be bothered to look up that video now). With decent headphones the different was very clear and significant. Also improved DAC and output section is one of the advertised features of the DT. Plus pretty much everyone that ever got their hands on a DT says that the sound has improved, meaning the pure playback sound, without time stretch. It is hard to understand for me why some people still doubt that it is a fact.
I’m very familiar with how the OT sounds after using it for over six and a half years, and Digitakt definitely sounds better (punchier, more definition). OT still sounds great though, and is so different from the DT feature-wise that I think the sound difference should be the last thing to consider if choosing between the two.
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Let’s say end quality of sound is the single most important factor in this.
Is it still then the last thing to consider, due to the noticeable but insignificant difference, or is the difference in sound quality between the two big enough to influence the decision, if it’s the most important factor for said decision?
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I just got a OT, after having a digital for the summer because I wanted all the features the DT doesn’t have… and from what I can tell, the OT sounds great. The reverb on the DT is more of a space style reverb, which sounds cleaner, and the DT normalizes everything coming into it, but besides that a clean sound going in and out of both of them seem to be high quality. If you want a different reverb for the OT you could route one in, or pre process samples on the puter. And if you want you could also record your source hotter? But like I said, I’ve only had the OT for a couple days. What I’ve been getting out of the OT has been filthy sounding, cuz I’m destroying it with at effects. But I think that is part of the OT character. Love the effects.
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The difference seems like it could be compensated for using the internal filters/eq/compressor built in filters/eq/compressor on most final mixers/audio interfaces.
If you are going from the DT/OT direct to the house and the house actually has a system that is going to show that difference clearly…to the point where someone that is intoxicated or indifferent to what you are doing will notice…THEN maybe get a DT. I still see people using old MPCs and Electribes live and I’ve never wondered how much better they would sound on a DT (although I have wondered how much better they would sound on a higher quality sound system).
If it was the most important factor and I had no way of post processing things, or everyone listening to my youtube channel is using a serious set of cans or sound system, then I still wouldn’t want to lose anything the OT offers (I mean cmon, 1 LFO per track?..CMOOOOOOOON).
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Well I plan to route the DT through the OT so whatevers. They are both amazing machines with their own pluses and minuses. Now that the OT is down to an affordable price and I have lots of work, I’m in heaven… Oh and I work on Soundsystems, and the most important thing for people to play live is to learn gain structure and EQing. Done.
No one said it was the most important factor. But it certainly is a factor.
A lot of times I create tracks in Ableton and export loops to my OT for performance. Listening to it side by side the OT often clearly sounds pretty bland in comparison. And that’s certainly not because I have a fancy soundcard or because I don’t put care in OT gain staging. Sure it would sound better if I send it through some API desk and some classic outboard compressors, but I don’t have that kind of money. But I still keep my OT because there’s other things it’s great at.
Old MPCs are a whole different story. People pay stupid money for them exactly because of how great they sound.
I don’t think you need to send the OT through an API desk or classic outboard compressor to get it on par with a DT. I would imagine any 300$-500$ mixer is going to have the tools available (or similar priced audio interface, they usually have onboard EQs and Compressors), maybe even some simple native plugins from any DAW.
So if you are wanting to take samples from Ableton, play them in a sampler, and not adjust anything then the consensus is that the DT sounds slightly better.
I’m questioning how much the audio quality should really impact the DT vs. OT decision? If that quality difference inspires you differently and you end up writing better music, then go for it. If not, then for 1/4 more of the cost (assuming you get a OT MK1 Used), why not get the more feature rich sampler?
Totally, wholeheartedly agree.
Some good replies on this already but I was going to mention in my previous post that with OT’s effects I think the difference can be made very minimal, and with the processing one would typically use later, I think there really might not be much of a difference at all, so it comes much more down to what you actually want to do with the device. Do you want a simple sampler to make beats with, using one shots and short phrases with enough effects to shape your sounds into the mix, or do you want to explore sound design as well, also utilizing gigabytes of samples, hours long if you wish, in stereo, with live sample mangling capabilities and all the other extras OT comes with (plus the possibility to load stems from a DAW if you work at all ITB).
If quality of sound is the most important factor, then you win whether you choose DT or OT. They both sound fantastic, which is why I think feature set is the more important factor if deciding between the two.
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Good replies, all around. I own only the Synthstrom Deluge now, and don’t really feel I need more gear. But I do want a recording solution that I can bring on stage as well for gigs, and since I have extensive experience with the Octatrack from before, and a brief but intense experience with the Digitakt, I know these are my two options. Others, such as the MPC Live, Toraiz and so on, are off the table.
The short time I had with the Digitakt, it just felt like whatever came out of it, sounded like a more polished and well-rounded production. As if the Elektron elves had engineered my stuff to sound almost better than it deserved. I hear others say the same thing, so it’s interesting to put this suggestion on its edge and just flat out ask, if you isolate it to the sound and just the sound.
Cause that’s my consideration - I love the Octatrack. But the one thing the Digitakt did better, at least in my head, was to get me to a sound I much more preferred. Was it the elves, just a fortunate combinations of pushes and turns, or stuff within the Digitakt that just worked better with my music? I have no idea, and I’m not ruling out it’s all in my head.
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I noticed this the first seconds I operated the DT. This impression hasn’t left me since, to the point that I got rid of my OT.
The sound was really next level.
I thought it might be because my OT had been second hand, and served for live duties (and maybe in the red for some time).
But there are plenty of people feeling the same here, so I’m quite sure DT sounding quality is well above OT. It’s just not like a small difference, sound does feel clearer.
I so hope OT mk2 will have similar quality…
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Ok, that settles it. I’m gonna wait for reviews to drop on MKII as well as the Digitakt’s first major update, since that’ll give an idea of where Elektron is taking the instrument. But for now, the Digi is my choice, once it’s time to buy.