Is a Digitone easy to handle?

[Microtribe]

@blakewalt

if I’m not much of a patch guy,

If you’re not thrilled about making your own patches, why bother getting another synth?
What instruments excite you? Which do you enjoy playing the most?

What is a digitone going to do for you that you cant do already with the gear you have now?

[blakewalt]

Thank you for your reply! they do seem to be the same indeed.

[blakewalt]

yeah I wouldn’t buy both at the same time so I was wondering which one first and I thought the Digitone would be a good bet as it seems very A4-like and has Overbridge!

[blakewalt]

@sezare56

As a looper, it’s particular. Easy to record 4 bar max loops.

Is that so? I was wondering how long I could record (I’ve seen 16sec in one of the video but it seems they’ve updated it so that it can be changed?)

4 bar max is ok though. half the speed and that would be 8^^
live looping would not be my primary use of it but it’s quite important though but not to the point to have a dedicated live looper only machine so the Octatrack, as I know a bit the Elektron workflow, sounds like a good middle ground for what I want to do but with huge potential to go beyond if I needed to.

@craig

I found the A4 even more of a pain in the ass than DN for creating sounds from scratch. If OP already loves A4, I think DN will be easy enough to learn. Plus having both options available at any point will surely cover most scenarios in terms of sound design/potential. It’s all personal taste anyways

A4 is not a do-it-all synth sound wise but I do like what you can get out of it!

@Microtribe

If you’re not thrilled about making your own patches, why bother getting another synth?

I like to play the guitar. I’ll choose the Telecaster for a song, the acoustic for an other and a Gibson (if I had one that is haha) when I want a fat sound but I do not build the guitars my self^^
Same goes for synth (to me obviously).
They bring new colors, new workflows and I don’t feel the urge to only use my own sounds all the time as I see them as sound layers for my songs or new tools to get inspired (Floppy sound banks are just great to get new inspiration! I would never get such ideas with just my guitar ) and if I consider myself more of a guitarist/singer/songwriter than a sound designer, I do like to edit the presets and try to come up with my own sound from time to time.
I guess you can see me as a Ross (minus the talent).

I know how it works on the A4 as it is subtractive synthesis. Was worried the DN would not allow me to even edit the presets at all as its FM nature is totally alien to me, hence this thread^^

so why bother getting another synth? because I like Apples(Elektron), Oranges(DSI), Bananas(Moog),etc. All these wonderful ingredients to spice up a song in different manners.

@Microtribe

What is a digitone going to do for you that you cant do already with the gear you have now?

I like the idea of staying away from the usual DAW creation process and keep some kind of semi-controlled live performance.

For example, I like to put trig conditions and sound locks on my A4 and get all weird with the drums. I don’t do that in a DAW. And I like the idea of sequencing a song outside, record it live in the DAW while modifying the sound live to create some unexpected stuffs.

The A4 has 4 tracks and I use the FX & CV tracks to sequence my Tetra/Mopho SE so 6 tracks.
I like sequencing with sound locks/trig conditions but the 4 tracks can be limiting (& obviously Tetra and Mopho SE sequencing via the A4 has more limitations than what the internal A4 engine allows).

So a Digitone would bring this to me (from the info I’ve been gathering):

• 4 new tracks to sequence
• really huge deep bass
• new drum sound colors (I really like what I hear)
• FM synthesis and a whole new world of sounds

The YouTube link I’ve put in this thread(https://youtu.be/XwyLf_QcCko) made me realized that I needed 1 or 2 more tracks for the drums and at least one more for the bass (The A4 bass are good but the Digitone bass are just crazy deep but perhaps it’s because I don’t know how to create them on the A4 haha)

But as I said, getting an other A4 is also something I have in mind but I would loose the new sound palette options that the Digitone would bring and I like the compact form factor of the DN.

Your questions are totally valid ones because sometimes I just want a new toy (GAS) and it’s not always the best investment haha (hope it’s not just me!!!)

[JunkRunner]

DT took me a while to get quick at, but after that the AR and DN just fit right into the workflow. Page copy/paste, Track Sound copy/paste, etc.

The DN is super nice and fits into the normal workflow of Elektron devices.

[SoundRider]

@blakewalt

Did you get around to go like I want this kind of sound then I’ll use this algo with i-dont-know-what with the Digitone or you need to fiddle a lot before?
This is the only thing I’m worrying.

If you are up to create very particular sounds, there is a need to understand some basics of FM synthesis first. Just to be honest, subtractive and FM synthesis don’t really compare, it’s quite a different approach to create sounds.

But after getting ones head around the basics of two operators working in tandem, there is no need to worry about the algorithms and sounds can easy be “constructed” without trial and error

Maybe some information about FM in general …

Your approach to FM synthesis?

Welcome to the universe of FM sounds … really … it’s a new universe, if you are beginning to explore it and it will stay a new universe, even if you have much experience in sound design To start a FM sound from scratch successfully, it’s very important, to have a basic understanding of how FM-synthesis works in general and what the basic methods are. But first things first … don’t be scared, because there is no reason … it’s only new and unfamiliar. You are right that there are some “ma…

Maybe this can shade some light to “algorithms” …

Algorithms and their effects

There is definitely an intention, why the algorithms are so different. I try to explain this on some general examples. All operators are parallel: Well there is no FM obviously, but we can have for each operator a single waveform at a different pitch, which would be like having a very simple additive method. Organ like sounds can easily be done with such an algorithm. All operators are in a single chain: This gives us much FM. Only one operator generates sound, all others are modulators …

[blakewalt]

Thank you for the reply and the links to the basics of FM. I guess yeah, a little bit of study on this subject will be necessary. At the same time, this could be fun (or I could hate it haha)

[SoundRider]

@blakewalt

this could be fun (or I could hate it haha)

If you have kept some “curiosity of a child” alive … pure fun … I would say

Just don’t expect a typical FM synth to replace the voices of traditional Moogs, Oberheims, Sequentials etc. It’s a new world of sounds in its own right.

[blakewalt]

@SoundRider

Just don’t expect a typical FM synth to replace the voices of traditional Moogs, Oberheims, Sequentials etc.

I was not so that’s fine haha!

[SoundRider]

Didn’t answer the question in the headline of the thread …

Yes, a DN is easy to handle, if we are comfortable with the “Elektron Way” to operate their gear. If we get our heads around how those “projects”, “tracks”, “patterns” etc. are organised and know our way around the user interface, which I find quite good, considering the complexity under the hood, then we can concentrate on making music and have much fun.

I have the DN for a while now, and even if its FM capabilities are limited compared to other FM synths in my studio, I love the approach of Elektron to make FM more accessible, less theoretical, and most important, most fun

[Unifono]

yes

[ViolentMeals]

you want a Digitone.
you do.
dont fuss…
dive in.
life is better than
without

[blakewalt]

you’re in my mind

[Microtribe]

Anything is easy if you take the time to learn and practice.

[ViolentMeals]

and i mean it.
i got one not knowing one bit about fm synthesis. i just fucked around on one in a shop and i knew it was a thing i needed.
dont question it.
do it.
get one and take your time. its vast.

[Unifono]

I didn‘t read all comments so my points might been already stated.
Regarding project, pattern, menu structure the DN is easier to grasp than the A4 imo.
It does less. So if you fairly know the structure and sequencer of the A4 the DN will be no problem.
For sound design the DN has many more sweet spots imo than the A4. If are not after nailing some specific sound like designing a realistic sounding flute or something, you really can‘t go wrong. It always sounds great no matter what you do
You just have to know some very basic things about fm. The algorithm + frequency, fm amount and envelope of the modulators have big influence on the sound. So if you turn any of these knobs it will have an effect on your sound. But you don‘t have to know which effect exactly to expect. You‘ll get a feeling for it after a while but for me, that‘s all what fm is about. Not to know what will happen if I flick through the algorithms. Finding surprises, accidents, having an adventure. Hitting the randomize combo etc etc. For this fm is much cooler than subtractive synths.
And you still have a beautiful digital filter so, you can do all the typical stuff.

[blakewalt]

I’ll have to find out by myself now^^

[blakewalt]

I’ve been playing with the Digitone combined with the A4 and it’s fun.

my dark A4 little pattern combined with the Digitone gave me a “Darkcheesetone” pattern haha.

Even though most of the workflow is quite similar to the A4, some functions are not exactly the same so I’ll have to rtfm I guess.

First impressions are good, a lot of lovely sounds in there!

On the hardware side:

• I like the trig buttons on the A4 mk1 better. On the Digitone, they feel like they’re going to break anytime soon or that I’m typing on an old keyboard.

• I can’t really tell when a track is muted or note, too much light compared to the A4.
  (But I need to try out in the dark though)

• And finally, there must be a performance mode somewhere but I couldn’t find it.

It’s really easy to mute/unmute(+mix the 6 tracks) on the A4 as they are aligned on the sequencer
but I’ve only found the func + trackX to mute them on the Digitone, not ideal… Hope the manual is going to give me good news on that side!

Those are just my early impressions and even though the above points may seem negative, I had a lot of fun with it!

[Bunker]

Glad you’re enjoying your DN. I love mine to bits. No Perf mode on the DN like you get on the AR etc. I find it pretty easy to mute an the DN. like you say hold Function and hit the track buttons. Two or three fingers can mute whichever track(s) you want. You’ve got your track level knob right above the Function button for mixing duties. Don’t forget that’s on a per pattern basis too.

A handy tip if you’re chaining patterns is copy track sound. Hold the track button and press function + record. That will copy the sound settings for that track to the clipboard. Paste in the new patterns and away you go.

[Suspect_Frequency]

I used to worry about designing the right sound on my DT Keys, but now i Just hit the random for about an hour or two and always find something I can jam with.