Is OT still a good buy in 2024? (Upgrading from DT)

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#21

Nah, it absolutely can be used as a workstation like an MPC. You can record all the internal tracks (8 recorders going at once) and export those to a DAW. You still have to work within limitations of the RAM but just to export out patterns it’s absolutely capable of doing that, just takes a bit of time to set up.

That said, Digitakt and Octatrack are both samplers but their core philosophies are so different it’s hard to call the Octrack a straight upgrade. Digitakt is more akin to the Rytm without the analog drum engines. Octatrack can wear many hats including being a DJ mixer, sampling workstation, recorder, effects board, what have you.

Using the Digitakt with the Octatrack is a great setup. I find working with individual one shots is far more flexible on the Digitakt than Octatrack while Octatrack is the king at longer loops and slicing.

6 Likes
#22

EDIT: Oy, I totally misread your post.

Summary

This is interesting, because I just bought a RYTM I, and I’d say it’s more like a Digitakt with a drum machine strapped to it… but then, I’m still new to it.

In what ways do you think it’s more like an Octatrack? What tricks am I missing?

#23

…ah that’s a good point to be fair. Hadn’t thought of that.

1 Like
#24

Thanks for your thoughts on this. As for this question, I covered that in my original post - time stretch, performance effects and stereo sampling.

#25

8 minutes recording time, assuming you’re not using any flex machines. So 1 minute per track. Not exactly song length. If all your tracks are mono you can also do a bounce in 2 passes using the 4 outs, or split into drums+melody stereo tracks. In my experience these workarounds are clumsy and work against the strengths of the machine - it’s better to prep samples itb, mix in the OT and just grab the stereo out. Or use it as an ideas generator and assemble the track elsewhere.

3 Likes
#26

Yeah that’s a good shout, actually, a gestalt mega-sampler. Effects and finger drumming from the SP, killer sequencer, compressor, LFOs etc. from the DT. And you’re right, the SP isn’t a lot of money at all.

2 Likes
#27

Ah nice - hadn’t even thought of having both of them (not that my budget could support that). Before this thread I would have thought there was too much crossover to justify both rather than just one, but I’m learning the OT is a many-headed hydra and essentially all things to all people, in some sense.

#28

This why you will never get one answer about its workflow. You only need to deal with one Hydra head at a time, the one you need. That’s it. Forget the other options.
It’s a multiple workflow machine, but not a complex machine created just to annoy people.
My suggestion is to stop this thread and go buy an OT MKII :smile:

2 Likes
#29

Yeah, the fact that the Octatrack can be so many things and all at once is what drives a lot of people away.

If you’re comfortable with the Digitakt I don’t think the Octatrack is some insanely complex beast to learn, but when you realize how much it can do, you have to fight the urge to want to do it all within one project and focus on what your goal is.

That said, I think if your budget currently doesn’t permit owning both then wait and save up for an Octatrack. There’s no need to sell your digitakt right now if you’re really comfortable with it. I sold my first Digitakt for an MPC Live 2 and regretted it immediately, returned the MPC Live 2 and repurchased the Digitakt. I can use that thing with my eyes closed and if you feel that efficient with yours then I’d bet it would be a mistake to get rid of it.

Both the Digitakt and Octatrack are top tier samplers and the Digitakt works so well as a module within the Octatrack.

4 Likes
#30

The answer significantly depends on the style and approach, imo.
Between many great sound tools, synthesizers, grooveboxes and euro modules in 2024 Octa is still a solid sound mangler <==> texture generator. If your approach involves building own textures or playing ambient sets live - it’s a great option. Works great as midi sequencer and small mixer too.

It also allows things which are very different from the other machines/daws - like scenes and recorder buffer magic. Maybe not impossible to replicate by other tools, but requires quite different thinking. So if you are open to experiments and weird sonic manipulations (and some challenges interface-wise), it’s a great choice.
It’s rather a great company to Digitakt, not a direct upgrade.

3 Likes
#31

Personally I wouldn’t buy the OT for those features alone. I’m a total Octatrack junkie, but there are probably other stereo samplers with much better time stretching and effects.

The time stretch algorithm is pretty “grainy” if that makes any sense (hard to put in words) — I’m into that as an effect, but not really for Ableton-style warping to perfectly fit a sound into the tempo/pitch of a project without too many artifacts. I usually turn off time stretching.

The effects are interesting and numerous, but some of them are kind of dated and I don’t think sound all that great, for example a couple of the reverbs. They’re not all bad though, some are great, like the compressor, the delay, filter. In general, they’re usable enough for me.

1 Like
#32

If you use statics no time limit :wink: (well, no practical limit)

But other limitations such as modulation of start parameter can be problematic under certain conditions.

In theory it is possible to record until buffer is full, save and load recording as static, clear buffer do next track.

I guess the problem with this approach is that the OT does not have optimal handing of long files, with respect to precise access to a given point in the sample at a given place in the song.

Perhaps the best solution would be to use a combination of flex and static when wanting to have large sections of audio.

1 Like
#33

Once you realize that you can blend between live input and automatic capture, you wont go back, it often soumds hard to do, but in reality its a one shot trigger that you can arm with yes + track, and you get a perfect loop, i dont record these loops, i juat mix between them. Once you get down to it, there is nothing like it. (and i tried mpc, didnt work for me, i need performance macros) Also possible to que the input, and only record a new loop when you have something going. (no through track, ok it needs you to be on your toe.)

4 Likes
#34

There are options for playing long stems, but the context there was bouncing 8 stems out of the machine for further mixing which is a bit trickier.

Another solution: using it as a quadratrack with neighbour tracks for double the FX, then you can bounce in a single pass (mono again though).

#35

Yeah as in your earlier post I do agree for this kind of thing it does feel a bit clumsy.

#36

Another thing to consider is that you can’t name sequences in the OT. That to me is a major benefit of the Digitakt.

2 Likes
#37

I know you’re against iPad but Koala Sampler is essentially an SP404 for $12. DT has a class-compliant soundcard. You can connect your iPad to your DT with one cable and have a tightly integrated SP404 for peanuts. Yes, Koala Sampler is that good.

4 Likes
#38

That’s where Parts come in.

Not quite the same but that’s kinda the Octatracks MO. Does every thing similar to other elektrons but… not quite.

1 Like
#39

Parts is more the equivalent to Kits on other machines, not anything regarding naming patterns, especially considering there are only four Parts per project. Naming patterns is hugely useful for organization and not to be underestimated on the DT, IMO.

#40

It depends on how you choose to use parts. It could be a kit, or you could use it like a Part of a Song, or a little bit of both.

It’s also 4 Parts per Bank, not per song, and like wise is a great organizational tool on the Octatrack. But yeah, the use of Sounds and Naming patterns in the Digi boxes does seem to be overlooked.

1 Like