How to achieve this effect on Digitakt or other Digi Elektron devices?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

I don’t know how to call it - the “vibrating” retriggering lead bass at the beginning of this song (and throughout it as well).

Things I tried (on Digitakt), to my dissatisfaction:

  • Retrigs with LFO on Amp Volume or Sample Pitch. Doesn’t work because the retrig speed stays constant
  • Turning the sample looping (FWD.L) and changing the sample length with either LFO or manually. This last one is the closest I could get, but still somehow not happy with that.

Thank you

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#2

Are you trying to capture the retrig-ness of it or the timbre? Or both?

For the retrig-ness, it seems like you’ll need to use retrigs on multiple steps at different rates to reproduce the sequence.

The timbre doesn’t seem too crazy…saw-ish wave plus plucky envelope on a filter + reverb?

I’m not sure how I’d go about capturing the pitch glide on the DT – I think your idea about an LFO on the pitch is a good direction, but it seems like a lot of painstaking trial and error may be involved to get it right.

Great intro – I’ll have to take a stab at reproducing on my DT to also become dissatisfied with myself…

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#3

This sounds like three things - single ADSR filter envelope over chords, with a ramping LFO also targeting the filter, and possibly a second LFO changing the speed of the first LFO.

At least for the effect I think you’re getting at - really cool track, gonna give the rest of the album a listen now!

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#4

I remember a thread on Reddit on the same topic, with a link to another Reddit discussion with the man himself answering questions.

Love Rival Consoles music

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#5

I think the modulating the sample looping end point with some kind of ramp LFO is probably the best bet.

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#6

He doesn’t say how he did it, just says it took him a year to perfect the song :slight_smile:

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronicmusic/comments/9366hc/comment/e3awaad/?st=JR79T17Q&sh=831f7a79

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#7

I can’t count the number of times I’ve listened to this track but I’ve never even once thought about how it was made. Love this topic.

The Reddit thread says the chords are from a Prophet 8, not helpful but perhaps an indication that doing it with a sampler might be pretty advanced.

Admittedly I don’t have a Digitakt so I’m not aware of its capabilities, but with the OT I think I’d have to emulate it with neighbour machines. It seems like there are more than 2 overarching “waves” of effects that tie the “chopped chords” that would require more than what the Digitakt can accomplish.

Now I gotta try it.

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