Isn't the Digitone II the most incredible and deep instrument from Elektron so far?

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
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In honor of @Inakito s enthusiasm for the A4, I wanted to make a thread about my experience with the Digitone.

I’ve been rocking a Digitakt (now a DTII) for 8 years now, it was always my go to gear, for me the best instrument I could ever master, maybe the only one yet.
After some time I got myself a Digitone to pair it with the Digitakt where the Digitakt was lacking. You know, pads, truly evolving stuff, diverse moving basses and all. I always love to pair it with the DT, but on it’s own the DN always felt like half a groovebox. I heard a lot of people make insane stuff on it just by utilising the preset pool and all, but it never clicked for me on it’s own.

That was, until I got myself a Digitone II a couple weeks ago and whoooooooffff.
First I thought that 16 voices for 16 tracks would make it so I would be frustrated that I can’t use it to it’s full potential, but man was I wrong.

The sound of the machines, the note editor, the chord mode.
It is truly incredible and deep.

Today I felt like for the first time in 8 years, that the Digitakt might be dethroned in my eyes as the most fun, immidiate and capable all in one instrument for me.
I had some hopes, but the experience blew my expectations out of the water so far.

What are your experiences with it so far? What were your expectations before?

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Drop some tunes so we can hear what is coming out of your dn2.
I am currently only rocking dt2 and loving it, but always curios about other people experiences.
Few weeks doesn’t sound like much time to completely understand and utilize new machine.

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The DNII is extremely well conceived.
Since I’ve had it in the hands I have been amazed at what I can get from it.
It’s both fast and deep, to me. And I love where it leads me when experimenting.

For DNII-only tracks, please check the following discussion:

This is preset B02, a track I’m particularly proud of :slight_smile:
100% DNII, recorded directly to Ableton as a stereo track, with no additional treatment.

Here is another DNII track (with Chase Bliss Lossy doing the background crowds, in parallel FX chain)

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I already had some experienc with the DN1, and I feel like the DN2 is now more streamlined with the DT2-s workflow. It wasn’t hard migrating my button combo muscle memory from the DT2, but yeah I still have a lot to unpack.

I sure will! :smiley:

Exactly what I’ve been feeling using it. Sometimes I just want to make a specific sound, but on the way of trying to replicate it, I stumbe into something more interesting.

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I have yet to take full advantage of it (especially with mod filters and effects), but I’m inspired by what it can do, for its size and cost - some workstations are easily worth at least double the price of the Digitone II, and take up far more space. They may be more capable, but for those just dipping their toes into synths, they’ve got plenty covered with just the DN2 and perhaps a controller of their choice.

I would have gone cheaper, and there are good synths and sound modules out there for cheap, but I’d have to compromise on whether I could have percussive instruments, a good sequencer, be stuck with a set of keys I either don’t use or dislike, and/or the degree of overall sound design - the DN2 just ticked the right boxes for me. I also wanted to challenge myself to the Elektron workflow, which is pretty satisfying if you get to learn it. Not to mention the sequencer for the DN2’s more than enough for all but those who like the most complex pieces possible (they may use a dedicated workstation or DAW from then perhaps).

Kind of wish I had a Digitakt II to pair it, especially for things I can’t sound design so easily.

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I feel you, the DN2 can make way better drums now than the DN1, but still sometimes I just want to chuck a sample kick in there somehow. :smiley:

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I’d want to sample guitars personally, but yeah.

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This is what I made so far, I gotta still work on my kick and bass, but I see the way now :smiley:

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Have you used the comb filters with the keytracking turned way up?
It could sometimes sound convincing enough for a plucked guitar.

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Putting this through an effects pedal, I could pull it off even better. There’s some effects that I can’t, like a muted hit for instance.

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Maybe if you set the voices so that it is a set amount used by the patch, and when you want to do a quick palm mute, you make one trigger and with the note editor you populate that trig with as many notes as many voices you set for that track. You can also micro time the individual notes in the trigger just a litle bit, so that it simulates a quick strumming effect. Make the trig very short, and it just might sound nice.

Check out this guys video, it is insane how well his patch sounds.

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Yeah, I’ve seen that video. I’ll take into account what you’ve said though.

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Glad this thread finally exists :slight_smile:

Although these are of course also there to promote my soundpacks, they are the answer from my heart (each link contains multiple patterns):

This is all direct-out of the DNII, no postprocessing. And also no transient samples. And the majority of those sounds are not possible on the OG Digitone.

And those demonstrate that Digitone II is far superior to Serum 2 — at least judging by people on YouTube trying to recreate the same sounds with Serum, but not getting nearly as close :pl: :pl: :pl:

DNII is my favourite synth ever!

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Hoping to get one in December since I sold my Digitone Keys. I was going to get it earlier in the year, but went for an Oxi One Mk1, Retrokits RK-008, and Nano Tangerine Combo. Curious how the Digitone II will add to my setup.

(Btw, since then, they came out with an Oxi One MKII so would have been cheaper to buy the Digitone first. Or I suppose I just won’t upgrade.)

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love my Digitone even though mine is the OG and not the new version.

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The rest of my studio is getting jealous of the ONE.

one ring
one ring1200×800 177 KB

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My GAS can’t take this.
I didn’t really click with digitone 1.
I only really played with it a bit and tbh just couldn’t be bothered trying to sound lock each step just to make the 4 tracks work for things like drums.

I’ve heard good things of DN2, I love DT2. But I think I’ll try stick without the DN2… At least till I sell the DN1

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My favorite synth and groovebox of all times. Acts also as master brain for the rest of my synths. It is truly too much fun and the number of timbres in there is just mind boggling. And don’t get me started on how cool is it to have usb audio streaming of 16 stereo tracks that just werks.

Can’t wait to see what improvements Elektron might add in the future!

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Still waiting for the „Isn’t the Tonverk the most incredible and deep instrument by Elektron so far?“ thread.

Right now, it‘s fitting that the only two machines that have these threads are DN II and A4.

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Never too early to start it, eh? In fact, if you post some “super secret” Tonverk sound design samples you can be sure a few unwary readers are going to go apeshit! :stuck_out_tongue:

Sounds like a good job for our AI overlords/minions :speak_no_evil: …

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