Digitakt vs. Octatrack

Elektron Gear
#401

Im using real Single Cycle Waveforms which have the right length so that they equal the middle C - and are therefore in tune. Like the ones that come shipped with the Digitakt. Or the ones from Adventure Kid (AKWF) - which became the standard in years, literally. Load the Waveform, turn Loop on and youre all set. Use PLocks to change the Waves if the need arises.

If i use the Technique on longer Samples i load one of the included Waves to a different Track and use it as a reference for tuning. Easy and fast. I then adjust the length of the actual Sample until it matches my reference - done! No need for Slices or any complicated workflow here. If i want a different portion of that Sample i simply change the Start Point and the Length will always follow. Either by hand or with an LFO. And thats it :slight_smile: And thats why i love the DT so much :wink: Everythings easy, everythings fast!

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#402

Found this thread rather than starting my own (youā€™re welcome, mods :wink:

Iā€™ve had the DT since the first week it came out. My first Elektronā€¦ and really my first non-daw sequencer. Iā€™ve been with Ableton since v5, and the OP1 is my first stand-alone synth.

So, the Octatrackā€¦ I didnā€™t understand it until after using the DT. Now, my brain is whirring at what the OT can do. For you OT owners, is there anything the DT does that I cannot do with the OT? Now that conditional trigs are coming to the OT, Iā€™m wondering if I should sell the DT and pick up and OT. Thoughts? Any benefit to having both? For those who have / use both, where do you see the benefit to keeping the DT aside from it being nice to have a second sampler in a rig?

Thanks in advance!
/mr_bernard

#403

Overbridge (when it comes out)

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#404

Iā€™m in the same boat. I like my DT so much, I keep thinking of returning it to get an OT mkII. I keep telling myself the OTā€™s reverbs and overdrive canā€™t sound as good.

#405

This is trueā€¦ Iā€™ve thought about it. Definitely waiting to use Overbridge before I make a decision. The DT may very-well wind up in studio-land. I played on stage with it two weeks ago for the first time. It is really a joy on stage, tell you that! But, the OT seems WAY more flexible in a performance scenario.

#406

I currently use both. OT can do things DT can do, but DT definitely has something special about it. The biggest benefit Iā€™m finding out is that you could use the OTā€™s 3 MIDI LFOs to control parameters on the DT giving each track 4 lfos to work with. All that modulation :drooling_face:

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#407

This makes me want to create more stuff with the single-cycle waves on the DT. I do a lot of blipping and de-tuned stretching along with fairly simple kicks, hats, snares.

#408

Iā€™ve been thinking a lot about the differences between OT and DT(outside of OB). Outside of the lack of stereo support(until @void does his potential magic) I still feel that the DT is more aligned with what I need in a sampler. The OT has more sonic offerings- which has itā€™s pros. The con Iā€™m concerned with is maintaining the sample integrity- where the ending patterns will still maintain the vibe/atmosphere of the samples that you put in there. With the OT the good and bad side is that you can pull a completely different thing from the sounds you load into it- sometimes you can do this accidentally.

OB will be legit though- total production capability for when Iā€™m ready to be a perfectionist :slight_smile:

#409

Also being able to plock the digitakt lfo offers some really awesome crazy possibilities that I donā€™t think the octatrack ones can pull offā€¦ you basically get 3 LFOs and one super LFO.

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#410

Does anyone who owns both the DT and the OT actually prefer the OT for reverb? Iā€™d really like to rely on the OT for my percussive reverb needs, but I get the impression that most OT owners prefer using external reverb. I was very pleased with the DT reverb.

#412

The DTā€™s reverb was one of the highlights when I owned one. Like most things on the DT, itā€™s immediately very pleasing and easy to get on with.

I still like the OT reverbs though, particularly the dark reverb. Iā€™m still working out how best to use the other reverbs but then Iā€™m on an epic journey of learning with the OT and building knowledge as I go along. While you need to be a little more careful and considerate with the OTā€™s reverbs, you can get some awesome results.

In short (and from memory - DT long gone), the DT wins but that gap is closing quickly as I begin to master the OT FX.

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#413

I find myself wanting an Octatrack for the two additional LFOā€™s per track, haha. Itā€™s kind of stupid, so Iā€™m obviously not going to buy one just for that. I really like the Digitakt, but really really wished it had a couple more LFOā€™s. I was never really into any of the effects of the Octatrack, they sounded OK, but none of them were anything special, in my opinion. Had they been as good as they are in the AR/A4, for instance, Iā€™d get one again no question.

Oh, shit, I guess I necroed a pretty old thread, sorry about that. :stuck_out_tongue: Itā€™s just that Iā€™ve been offered a used Octatrack MKI, and trying to figure out whether I should get it, but every time I sit down and think about it, I figure out itā€™s not worth it. :stuck_out_tongue:

#414

When I still had my digitakt I used it with the octatrack mk1 and they were great together. I will get another digitakt soon but I preferred the flexibility of the octatrack and waiting for digitakt bugs to settle out.

#415

I use to resample and resample and then resample again if i want some more modulations going on.
I know itā€™s obvious but the immediacy of DT sampling overcomes this problem unless you are bothered by itā€™s mono-only capabilities. Itā€™s also an endless source of happy accidents. :love_you_gesture:

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#416

Yeah, good call! I actually havenā€™t even tried resampling yet, will obviously need to experiment more with that. Thanks! :slight_smile:

#417

Sold Digitakt. Buying Octatrack. Hope this helps.

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#418

For sure and then you get to use the lfo for more fun stuffā€¦ the fully lockable lfo on the digitakt to me is more fun than the octatrack custom lfo.

#419

OT MKII is a powerful machine, but probably too powerful for some users. So what exactly are the things an OT MKII could cover and the Digitakt canā€™t?

#420

a lot. Digitakt is doing less but faster and (arguably) better

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#421

Major + for me in deciding for the OT over the DT:

  • stereo sampling
  • live looper mayhem
  • un-overbridged (no CPU stress just work on your thing and have fun/move on)
  • 1 box, 6012 ways to use it (still counting)

//edit
Have to add that I have no intention to do drums on the OT, I have other gear for that. If you fancy a drum sampler, go for it (DT) there is nothing better on the current market, probably.

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