Digitakt vs. Octatrack

It does better mono recording. What else ? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
(OT record stereo files only)

Got for OT or DT ? I guess DT is more efficient in that registerā€¦

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No I donā€™t think so. Prefer sample chains on the OT for fast sample selection. Also for slicing loops

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You know my choice. :wink:

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The mpc 500 :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I love it when multiple options are valid, like all of them! :panda:

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If you are looking for an alternative to the OT/DT have a look at the upcoming little deformer 3 : it has amazing specs :
http://www.gotharman.dk/LD3.htm

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for me, the whole sample workflow has been improved for DT (given that you are fine with mono): sampling in, storing on drive, playing chromatically on keyboard, resampling to drive etc. Together with improved user interface, it makes DT more immediate creative experience with the form factor suitable for mobile work (especially important for me). Donā€™t get me wrong, OT is awesome and goes way way further that DT is able to go for advanced audio manipulation but you have to be ready to spend your time with programming the beast. If you just want to make music, DT is better option IMO.

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I canā€™t stand mono only, and the lack of recording automation (rec trigs / rec length) is a deal breaker for me. I donā€™t even talk about the 8 independant recorders with 14 different sourcesā€¦:wink:

Iā€™ll consider DT again after DN maybe. It is surely cool for mobile work. I still prefer the idea of a 2nd OT for the moment but I can change my mind, if alzheimer arrives too soon. :loopy:

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Iā€™m veering off towards a OT/DT setup.

Each has their own purposes.

DT, I feel, is superior for melodic stuff-waveforms and whatnot. also, it works well as a drum machine- and it helps ease up the responsibilities of the Octatrack.

The fresh kit per pattern makes the DT ideal as a sketchpad. Also the (albeit, singular) LFO is amazing- to really take the sound to bizarre places.

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hmm. didnā€™t feel that was so much better or faster. (chromatic playing is much better indeed)

agree. More immediate. Inspiring interface.

agree. Felt better for that

For drums, I really want separate outputs in the creative phase. So I would preferably add options with individual outs. Vermona DRM, TR-8S,ā€¦

I like the appeal but I gave up on ā€œmobile gearā€, for me it is experimenting in my music room or elsewhere when I am home alone OR doing something else: work, family, trips, just chillout ā€¦ .

So I donā€™t think I will be joining in on a DT anytime soon, if ever. The DN would be the first new Elektron on a future list. I am in a Moog/OT mood for the coming months.

To end the talking about myself. I love what people do with the DTā€™s a lot!

Back to a year old question :slight_smile:
This has really been a tough decision for me. So, I really need your help.
Lets assume OT MK2ā€™s price is 850$. Which one would you recommend, Digitakt or OT?
I am a techno guy. Iā€™ll be using the gear mainly to program short samples ā€“ kicks, snares, claps, etc. And Iā€™ll be using it at home, just to chill. OT is old, so many youtube vids on techno. But Iā€™ve also seen Yan Cook playing techno on Digitakt.

Let me introduce you ā€œwhereā€ I am and ā€œwhereā€ I wanna go.

  1. Learning curve doesnā€™t matter to me at all ā€“ I am pretty good at learning once I commit.

  2. Secondly, timestretch feature and being able to play/input something live (through track in OT) via my phone into gear (which DT lacks) is a plus for me.

  3. I am not gonna use MIDI tracks for long, not in the near future.

  4. I want to use it as a standalone since this would be my first intro into hardware music making so I donā€™t have and donā€™t wanna invest on anything else yet.

  5. I want to use it 70% of the time for techno and 30% for ambient otherworldly soundscapes. Tbh, Iā€™ve also seen some good ambient and dub techno music made on DT.

  6. To make the decision easier, I assume the OT costs little much than DT ā€“ 850$. But still I cannot decide :slight_smile: DT is mono (a drawback for me) but itā€™s known that it has a better soundcard, and sounds better. How much better is it by the way? Is it a real difference? If DT had timestrech and stereo sampling, I would probably ordered it by now. The Elektron folks really made our decision making tougher :slight_smile: One wants to ask why they wouldnā€™t upgrade the soundcard on OT MK2? Because then, Iā€™d be ordering OT :slight_smile:

  7. Iā€™ve seen many people talking on youtube that DT and OT have their own way, they are different instruments, and one doesnā€™t replace the other. But Dataline said in one video that DT is a smaller brother of OT. So, I assume he would prefer OT over DT if the price were close.

Especially if anybody here used both, DT and OT, and plays techno, I would really love to hear your opinion on this.

Sorry for writing so long. I tried to explain myself as much as I could.

Thanks,
Sammy

Looks to me like you want an OT based on the descriptions of what you are looking for in a box. I feel that if you get the DT you will end up wanting the OTā€™s features like time stretch and stereo. It is also better suited for complete standalone unit and in my opinion has more tools available for ambient stuff.

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Having spent a fair amount of time with both, it is truly difficult to compare because they do excel in different areas. In a way, the octatrack can do everything that the dt can do and more, but the digitakt does have a snappier sound engine (slightly). It sounds like the highs are boosted a little bit on the digitakt and the effects also are a bit more bright and spacious which gives it a more hifi sound. The OTā€™s sound engine is more true, so the samples you put into it will sound exactly the same once you put them into the machine (with the time stretch turned off). Now the OT has tons more effects than the DT which is great when messing with sounds. The effects are not quite as hifi, but they still sound great imo and if you are into lofi sounds the OT has more to offer when really messing with sounds.

As performance tools, they are both great. The dt is more streamlined, so itā€™s quick and easy to get going, with the ot requiring a bit more set up, but not too much more. The OT also offers great performance tricks like delay control which can be used as a beat repeat, and scenes which will be great for doing fx im techno or great ambient atmospheres when crossfadinf between parameters.

You mentioned that time stretching is a plus, The ot is the only with that feature and itā€™s definitely fun to play around with. At the end of the day, Iā€™m incredibly happy with my OT mk2. It had so many great performance tools, and I always find myself coming up with interesting sequencing and thinking outside the box. On the other hand, my friend owns a dt, and the amped up fx are nice. I think they play really really well together with slightly different sounds and different uses. If you are looking for one out of the 2 and donā€™t want to lose out on features than choose the OT. If you want something more immediate with great fx, than choose the DT.

Hope that helps!

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When you really get into the DT it feels like a very different machine: the immediacy, the FX, the verb ā€¦ hard to explain but it is more of a synthy precision sampler in some way whereas the OT excels at soundscaping and mangling. A lot to do with the pristine edge of the DT. OT is still very good, but just seems a little less dynamic and not as precise.

Thank you guys! I see that I should get OT. A bit digitalness/lofi in sound totally fine with me ā€“ hey after all this would be mainly for techno :slight_smile: Mokomoā€™s point is also quite interesting ā€“ which points out that they are different machines. But I thought OT is more dynamic. Well, DT has controll-all feature, but this can be set in OT using scenes as well. But I think I get your point: DT is just more quick but less complex.

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The DT is part of elektronā€™s drum machine line which includes the MD, AR, and DT. While the DT handle samples that is really where the similarities between it and the OT are. The DT is more similar in approach to the AR but without the synth engines.

If you are using the OT to do techno and are mostly doing drum programming with it the OT may be too much machine for the task. The DT will give you a more immediate road to that

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Describes it very well imo

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Octatrack ?

No sound card on OT, but many possibilities to record individual tracks, mix, with stereo quantized recording (pattern length quantize).

Slices, ultra powerfull crossfader, Arranger for songs or several pattern loopsā€¦

volca sample beat them all :joy:

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