Digitone 2 Sound Design (in depth exploration)

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
1

Hi! As some people have noticed, over the last 3 months or so I’ve been focusing on showcasing my iPad Pro based custom setup including the OG Digitakt & Digitone in a dedicated thread on the Elektronauts forum in the Digitakt section.

In parallel to this, I recently decided to “make my move” and get a Digitone 2. In my right mind I pretty much couldn’t imagine not including this instrument in my music exploration journey considering my intricate understanding of what the Digitone 2 brings to the table. As someone who effectively considers the Digitone as the best hardware synthesizer ever made, dodging the Digitone 2 would have been sacrilegious :smile: !

Anyhow, in that context I decided to dedicate a significant amount of time and energy to create multiple Youtube videos dedicated to sound design specifically on the Digitone 2, as that’s something I’m very much interested in and it seems to me like it could interest a lot of people.

In that spirit I will start to share content on this thread specifically to help and empower people when it comes to sound design on the Digitone 2. I’ve already released 2 videos on the subject so far, so here they are:

EDIT/SIDE NOTE: As of November 19 I have completely overhauled my video layout and recording methodology to make the production quality of my YT content as good as I possibly can with the resources at my disposal. So videos posted on or after this date are going to be considerably more comfortable to watch. Enjoy :nerd_face:!

Making KICKS on the Digitone 2:

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the large volume disparity between my voice and the loudness of the kick sounds that can be heard in the video, YouTube chose to enable the “Stable Volume” option by default for my video. I HIGHLY recommend DISABLING this option by clicking on the “cog” icon and flicking the “Stable Volume” option off. As you will see in the second video, the problem does not occur but there’s nothing I can do to set the option OFF by default for people. It’s the first time I realize/discover that this option even exists…

Description:
This is the first of many sound design videos to come entirely dedicated to making sounds on the Elektron Digitone 2. This session represents an introduction to my sound design process and it’s dedicated to making kick drum percussion sounds in particular. As always this process takes place as part of my iPad Pro based setup which allows me to add very useful processing to my Digitone 2 audio signal, and this helps me greatly to design sounds efficiently/optimally that really shine when processed.

Percussion Sound Design with Digitone 2 (using FM drum engine & comb filters):

Description:
In this sound design session I explore the theme of using the Digitone 2 FM Drum engine in combination with either of the new 2 Comb Filters added to the Digitone 2 to create interesting and diverse percussion sounds that aim at conveying a sense of realism while still sounding noticeably electronic. This session is an introduction to my sound design process.

Hopefully people find these enjoyable and useful. I plan on making many more of these.

Let me know what you think! :slightly_smiling_face:

Cheers!

12 Likes
2

Designing PAD & BASS sounds on Digitone 2 (using the new Wavetone engine & Multimode filter)

Description:
In this sound design session I explore the new Wavetone engine of the Digitone 2 in combination with the new Multimode filter that was also added to the Digitone 2. I end up creating a PAD and a BASS sound. This session is yet another an introduction to my process designing sounds on the Digitone 2 as I’m getting to know the new engines better. I hope you enjoy the ride!

As always, subscribing & liking the video directly on YouTube is highly appreciated, thanks! :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

Constructive critic : I’m just wondering why half of the screen is occupied by an iPad when the focus is on the DN II. It’s definitely too small to keep me interested. I have poor eyesight.

9 Likes
5

Here’s my first attempt at updating the interface! It should at least help substantially :slight_smile:

EDIT: As of November 19 I have completely overhauled my video layout and recording methodology to make the production quality of my YT content as good as I possibly can with the resources at my disposal. Videos posted on or after this date are going to be considerably more comfortable to watch. Cheers!

Exploring the Digitone 2 and its new Swarmer engine (using the COMB+ filter)

Description:
In this sound design session I explore the Swarmer engine, which is the simplest out of the 4 engines included in the Digitone 2. I end up creating interesting textures somewhat reminiscent of a phaser effect. This session is yet another introduction to my sound design process on the Digitone 2.

As usual, subscribing & liking the video directly on YouTube is highly appreciated. To those who have already done that, thank you for your support! Cheers! :nerd_face:

EDIT: To the viewers that are still unsure/puzzled about the relevance of the approach I took to present content in my Digitone 2 sound design videos:

  1. I want to present Elektron boxes as a part of a greater whole on my channel (there’s a self promotion component to this due to the rather unique nature of my entire setup).

  2. Very importantly, I also use my iPad Pro to process the Digitakt + Digitone 2 signal to give me the immediacy of seeing the potential of the sounds I design on my Elektron boxes, once processed. Being able to see my iPad Pro’s interface gives people an overview of the extensive signal processing my Digitone 2 effectively ends up going through. In this case it goes through Pro Q 3 > Pro C 2 > Shaper 2 > two more Pro C 2 > Volcano 3 > and finally TAIP, and it’s all visible for everybody to see.

  3. I want to make sure to preserve the opportunity to remain spontaneous if I want to modify or interact with something on my iPad Pro/Digitakt in the context of what I’m doing with the DN2, and I don’t want that information to be out of frame because I’m recording the video as 1 single file through OBS to keep things efficient and simpler to operate/manage in video editing.

  4. Lastly, as I’m recording the video in just 1 file in OBS, that has implications on the flexibility of what I can easily achieve in post production.

While in an ideal world in the long term there are obviously more dynamic/sophisticated ways to approach this, for now this is what I’ve settled for considering the resources that I have :slight_smile:

2 Likes
6

Much appreciated! Don’t stress about the video format, etc. You’re accompolishing what you set out to do and it’s useful. Not everyone has $1000 cameras and pro lighting setups. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
7

Huge video layout UPDATE!

In this video’s intro I quickly demonstrate the 5 different completely new OBS layouts I’ve crafted, which allow me to adapt the visual presentation of my videos in real time (as I’m recording) to better suit my content, depending on the situation. Have a look! :nerd_face:

Designing Ethereal soundscapes on the Digitone 2

Description:
In this sound design session I explore evolving pad & texture sounds on the Digitone 2 using mainly the new Wavetone and Swarmer engines, with an emphasis on using the 2 new comb filters. I end up creating interesting textures and towards the end I discuss and demonstrate a compelling attribute of the Digitone 2 that has incredible potential.

Subscribing & liking the video directly on YouTube is highly appreciated! To those who have already done that, thanks for your support!

1 Like
8

Just a random dude on the internet leaving feedback so feel free to not care.

I really appreciate what you’re doing for the community, but the video layout, even in its current form makes it difficult for me to enjoy what you have to say. Simply put, I’m not interested in your iPad nor multiple angles of your hands. Just the Digitone is fine.

Again, thank you for doing this and good luck!

3 Likes
9

Thanks for your feedback! I’m interpreting what you’ve expressed simply as a manifestation of how you feel, and I completely acknowledge the validity of that sentiment. :slight_smile:

When I designed my 5 new layouts I accounted for the possibility that some viewers might respond in a similar way, as I’m aware of how other content creators typically choose to present Elektron machines in their videos. I consciously chose to be at peace with the possibility of such a reaction as I’m convinced beyond any doubt in the unique undeniable appeal of the concept that I present on my channel, especially in the long run.

While some viewers might consistently remain dissatisfied with the presentation format of my content, the perceptions of others might change over time, especially if things start to “click” in their minds when it comes to the meta implications of the design decisions I’ve made. When presenting new ideas & concepts at large, this is to be expected.

I could go into details on how the logistics, technical implications and inevitable compromises inherent to the complexity of my setup would make the scenario that some are hoping for not as compelling as one might think in theory, but that wouldn’t be wise because ultimately it wouldn’t change the fact that the layout design choices I made simply don’t fully align with the preferences of some viewers, and I’m at peace with that. Cheers!

1 Like
10

Understood, thank you for taking the time to elaborate. Best of luck with this!

1 Like
11

I didn’t see creators showing Digitakt going to sleep mode before. Thanks. :content:

1 Like