DT2 is an “Instant Buy” (already ordered…); but I have a question.
Basically, I think it’s a more worthy successor: kits, more memory, an additional LFO, better effects, more and longer tracks - So I can work just like before, but with a few more freedoms in sound design. Great.
But now to the question: What characteristics should stereo samples have to provide significant added value without losing control?
Perhaps samples with their own spatiality in the form of better delays/reverbs?
Perhaps overtones that have been distributed in the stereo field? Give me inspirations! …I didn’t sleep well. Too many beginnings of thoughts.
1 Like
Record even one minute of any professionally produced song/album from any decade, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s etc into your daw and look at the left and right wave, you’ll immediately see a difference. Listen to the left channel in isolation and the right channel in isolation, you’ll get an idea of where the mix engineer put different instruments.
So, think about if you ripped a sample from a record or something and you’ll get an idea of how left side and right side will each have their own balance in the mix.
Now when you think about individual samples, even one shots, professionally recorded stereo samples (or even stereo samples that you record yourself) will have some difference between the left and right channel because the L/R mics pick up different directions from the sounds point of origin and will naturally be different than mono or even dual mono, it’s closer to the reality of having 2 ears on the sides of your head as opposed to hearing with your eyes.
So if you had, for example, samples of a rhodes piano with a leslie speaker / vibrato and it pans L/R you’ll be able to utilize that movement in sound, the constant panning similar to an LFO modulating L/R.
How you apply that logic to your actual style and the sounds you like is up to you to decide, but it opens up a lot of possibilities.
8 Likes
There are synths that spread the voices of a chord in the stereo field, that has a big effect already on the sound, much wider. Without using the ping pong stereo delay. Prophets do it, Oberheims do it.
If that is your cup of tea or coffee or lager.
3 Likes
ironically, the dual SID based synths that I like so much often allocate voices R/L based on available position since each chip is meant to be mono but when you use 2 of them together polyphonically playing a chord (depending on the synth and application) you get random notes left and right at the same time, which is incredibly unsettling, so I actually sum them to mono.
but definitely, synths which use pads/patches to spread chords across the stereo field intentionally are awesome too.
3 Likes
I think the first obvious thing would be that would can now resample multiple parts into one sample and retain any pan modulation and effects. This can help save tracks. That said, with 16 tracks this isn’t as necessary.
You could simply resample a sound that you might have panning modulation on and then free up that LFO to use for other tasks instead.
You can bake the reverb and delay into the samples which will give the impression that you have more than one reverb or delay if you change the settings between takes.
6 Likes
That what I’m thinking about. Really usefull only for main resample to craft a drum break in one track… But then I realised it has 16 tracks and I’m not sure it’s usefull to resample then. Maybe to experiment some texture but I don’t think it’s the most game changer feature. I mean if it has live resampling and crossfading like the OT, sure it will be dope. But DT is still a drum machine with melody capability and you still want to put your sound in the stereo field yourself.
1 Like
yea its great for resampling 
2 Likes
I utilise stereo the most with field samples.
2 Likes
I am a stereo addict.
DT2 insta buy (after DT1 insta sell).
2 Likes
There are several things that make the DT II a completely different beast just because of stereo tracks.
- You can now load or sample in any sound design shenanigans you do anywhere else, as they are, with stereo image intact. You can then proceed to compose with those.
- any panning you do on tracks can now be re-sampled exactly as it is
- any advanced stereo effects like lush reverbs, delays, stereo chorus and more can now retain full sonic image when sampled, re-sampled or imported
- If you use overbridge, you will be able to retain panning (and the stereo image) on each track, without having to do a lot of work after in the DAW
- You can now re-sample the full mix and retain it as it is, without collapsing to mono, adding to the composition of full tracks ability of the DT
This is just some benefits.
4 Likes
(mini side rant about those old albums and stereo re-releases when they hard panned things not quite knowing what to do with this fancy new stereo stuff, making things unbearable to listen to on headphones)
1 Like
Yeah, I’m not a huge fan of flipping samples for myself (though I love music that does) but I don’t feel the stereo samples was as important for that.
With 8 tracks having to consolidate down 4 or 5 tracks to consolidate made sense but when you have 16 tracks… not to mention 16 elektron tracks which means you can already do a lot of consolidation with P Locks (kick and snare on same track, for example) having to consolidate with resampling is no where near as necessary.
But you could come up with some really cool sound design effects. Say you had multiple synth parts, like some chords, arps, and a lead. You could consolidate those to a single resample and start playing with the werp engine and get all funky with it.
Regardless, this is easily the most powerful device Elektron has ever made. Performance and sound design possibilities are through the roof on this one. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.
4 Likes
Stereo is critical for me. Although a lot of my sound sources are mono (analog monos, drum synths etc) increasingly I’ve been using the DT for longer textural loops, and have been using the Toraiz SP-16 for anything like that in stereo (which is a compromise… so many of the sound design and sequencing options are missing on the SP.)
But to list some things stereo sampling is good for:
-
Vinyl: Unless it’s a really old mono record, having the pops, clicks and motor noise in stereo makes a massive difference, as well as capturing the stereo field of what was recorded.
-
Ambient/field recordings: so much more immersive in true stereo.
-
Effected samples: Having the option to capture or “bake in” stereo delay, reverb, modulation or detuning fx opens up a ton of options, not the least of which is freeing up the three send fx for other duties.
-
Doubletracking: Often with mono analog synths and noise sources, I record two passes and opposite pan them to widen and add dimension. Now the DT2 can import those sounds, or resample two tracks panned internally to one track.
-
General resampling: Obviously hugely beneficial to capture the panning and fx from the master outs of the DT2 as you hear them. Goes a long way towards a true DAWless setup or as a studio centerpiece.
10 Likes
Not necessary but essentially if you want to use stretch or slice to mash up your carefully crafted beat or pattern without losing the stereo imaging.
First, you can (and should, as much as you can) use mono samples.
They are twice faster to load in memory, easier to mix, so start with the thought that you shouldn’t use only stereo samples.
There are 3 LFOs, so if you want a sample that goes from the right ear to the left one, you’d better use a mono sample the panning of which you can carefully synchronize with the beat.
Stereo is nice for pads, ambient/immersive sounds, or any sounds you would not want in the middle.
But you’ll know it when you encounter it.
Don’t bother too much with the stereo aspect, it will come in due time.
Start simple, stay mono as far as you can.
6 Likes
On my DT1 I’ve got a folder full of long sustained notes that I’ve sampled from various synths that slowly evolve in timbre over 10, 20 or even 30 seconds. They’ve also been pitched up an octave or two to save space. I then use these as ‘oscillators’ on the DT1 for bass and pluck style sounds where by changing the Start you get a new sound. Modulating Start can then get subtle variations for each note at low depths, or more interesting timbral shifts at higher depths. It’s a fun alternative to using single cycle waveforms.
With DT2, the same approach with stereo samples will add even more life to the sound. And with more memory it’s no so critical to pitch the samples up octaves before transfering which will mean fewer pitch artifacts. One octave doesn’t matter too much, but if you pitch up 3 before transfer it does sound a good bit more lofi… which I’m not adverse to but it’s great to have the option.
2 Likes
This is great advice, and if memory serves you should be able to use Transfer to bring your whole DT1 sample library back onto the computer and then transfer that onto your DT2 and it avoids the whole batch processing a bunch of stereo samples before transfer to the DT2.
-
Stereo samples can bring in some mid/side issues (say lower sub bass leans towards left). So I assume that even recorded into DT2 samples should be taken to daw and inspected and treated correctly if some issues are found. Not fun part of the process, but seems necessary atm, havent’s seen mid/side processing in DT2 info.
-
I wonder how pan works with stereo tracks on DT2. Is it ‘pan’? Is it ‘balance’?
3 Likes
For me, the biggest benefit of stereo sample support is going to be for resampling, just like it is on the Tracker Mini - the DTII can also, unlike the tracker, resample, save, and apply the newly recorded sound to a track without the transport getting paused.
2 Likes
This is huge for creative use of panning. I often plock certain hits around in the stereo field or assign audio rate lfos to panning for a nasty kind of sizzle.
All of that was previously lost when I used overbridge, making me kind of choose early on “Is this a daw/overbridge song, or a standalone song.” - Not anymore 
2 Likes