I’ve yet to get my Digitakt but I will be using it with a RNLA w/ HPF sidechain. I use it on everything, but I especially like it for drums.
I haven’t actually had much luck using the Analog Heat for compressor settings, but probably just have to experiment more. I use the RNLA after it and quite enjoy the results 
A compressor is not a must have imho. By using good mixing you can get a great sound from the unit itself. I might get a compressor in the future to put the cherry on top, but it’s just that. A good groove is a good groove. And mixing bass and kick in the right manner helps a lot in that regard. It’s doable within the Digitakt.
A compressor is certainly not a waste, but use it subtly. Don’t destroy your dynamics.
it is if you are recording… not so much for a live situation, usually - because the PA itself is so loud theres not really much worry about average levels or whatever, and yeh its probably best to have the most amount of dynamic range you can get
but making records is a whole other story… and you will need some kind of compression/limiting for mixing/mastering most types of music - but not necessarily every genre will always benefit from it, and you dont always slam it - but sometimes you do
btw ive had a RNC for many many many years… its a great box, and really affordable for how good it sounds
I was of course talking about a live situation. For studio use it’s indeed a whole different story. But if we’re talking about studio use, overbridge is pretty much a must have to get the most out of detailed work. Recording stereo out and slamming a compressor on it will only get you so far…
This! 1000x !
I use an inline HPF with my RNC.
It makes it most usable for techno.
I detail it here:
not really… in fact the internal A/D converters thru the Elektron USB output is probably not the best idea for tracking in the studio unless you lack a quality IO interface
if you are looking for the most detail and clarity possible, it would be far better to run straight analog out into some great converters like apogee or even lavry or prism or whatever… but pretty much any pro interface would be better in terms of going purely for audio detail… focusrite, RME, motu, etc
if your particular unit doesnt have individual outs, you will need to just solo each track and record them one at a time - thats where Overbridge is the most useful: for tracking individual parts at the same time, but yeh its certainly not ideal in terms of the absolute best audio quality… of course tracking parts one at a time might be a problem if you are working on a machine that requires you to hear all the parts simultaneously in order to do the performance properly, with all the tweaking and such
Since nobody has overbridge for digitakt yet, your opinion on sound quality is pure conjecture to be frank. And at what stage is it A/D converting? The whole point is that it stays in the digital realm by using overbridge as far as I know.
I really don’t think it’ll hurt that much and mixing via overbridge, post-processing and then Mastering will be fine, if you know what you’re doing.
Yes, good point. So far, all the overbridge units have been analog, so of course quality differences wrt the A/D conversion would exist. Not so with digital units, where everything will stay in the digital domain anyway.
Just wanted to let you know I did this a couple days ago with my RNLA and the results are fantastic. Quite worth the minimal effort. Thank you!
This is what I am most excited about with DT OB. Cant wait to separate the DT outs from my Antelope converters into my mixer. I never used OB for the analogs because I always assumed the converters would be a bit suspect compared to my other options, but it seems like the best choice for DT.
to OP: I generally do use a compressor on my stereo out, but it would be good to look for one that has either a HPF in the side chain or a parallel mix knob ( or even better, both)
the side chain is just the signal that triggers the compression, not the signal that gets compressed. The traditional use was not for the popular ducking effect, but rather to make a compressor respond to program material more predictably and with less artifacts by reducing the bass in the side chain signal with an eq or filter. But it still compresses the entire signal, not just those frequencies that remain. For that, you need a multi band compressor
came across this on Youtube…
Kinda what a Heat now.
Yeah, it’s great for this. You can also use the Filter settings on the Envelope to only trigger for a certain frequency range (e.g. HPF). You also get different results for the destination - Drive is a good one to use in this manner too.
Overstayer Stereo FET Compressor + Digitakt 
How much do those overstayers usually go for? I take it that the unit is no longer in production?
Since it fits the DT that well, it will also fit the AH, hah!
ooh, I really dig that. A custom rack for those two and a BOSS SE-70 would be amazing imo… now, I really want something like that for myself!
Heat’s rad
I really like half rack units!
The unit in the middle is the Overstayer Dynamics Processor. It’s a VCA compressor with a weird behavior knob. The unit below is an instrument driver that saturates the sound nicely (or distorts if you like).
I’ve no clue what they cost on used market. I guess they rarely leave a studio.
I’ve had my eye on all those units before. They’re definitely nice 
Maybe try running the Digi through an SP-404? You’d get a compressor + lots more.
I might have to dig up my 404 now and give this a whirl.
Has Elektron commented on whether the Digitakt may get a compressor in a firmware update?
