MPC ONE vs DIGITAKT = OCTATRACK mk3 as soon as Elektron get out of the Overbridge quasi-endless tunnel.
Having to use 2 of the available 8 tracks to play a single stereo sample = no thanks.
3 Likes
HiGrade, read what I wrote about how a stereo sample can be used in the DT. Itās you that misunderstands the device even if you donāt acknowledge it. The Digitakt is NOT a sample playback device. It is a sound creation device, essentially a monophonic synthesizer per track sent into a stereo mixer and stereo effects, which uses samples as the sound source. There is a distinction. Do you own a Digitakt?
3 Likes
That is an interesting way of framing it, and may be some peopleās way of using the DT. I think most samplers are not specifically one or the other and are somewhere on the spectrum between āsample playback deviceā and āsound creation deviceā. I want to sample off of my CD collection and it is important to me that the sample retains the original recordingās stereo image, so that ruled out the DT for me and I ended up with an MPC Live. There are a bunch of other things the Live can do that DT canāt BUT as for the OPās question, if you love your DT do not dump it for an MPC because it will not do many things a DT does and even the things they both do they will do in very different ways. The grass is not objectively greener on the Akai side.
3 Likes
I frame it that way because it is literally the system architecture of the DT as laid out in the manual diagram. Of course it can be co-opted to do things like play loops etc that are not one-shot samples, but it will never be as good at things like that as a device like an MPC or a DAW. People who complain about the stereo samples are fundamentally misunderstanding the usage scenario that the DT was designed around. Once again, of course we know that the DT is flexible, but it was not designed as a sample loop playback machine. Also once again, if you want to use stereo samples, it has the ability to do so using two tracks and can actually go VERY far down that path. In fact, if someone were to use stereo samples exclusively, the DT can be thought of as a 4 voice SUPER STEREO since each channel will have its own stereo panning, sound shaping, and modulation abilities. Also, trigs can have sounds locked per step so you have the ability to intersperse whatever other samples you like anywhere you like.
3 Likes
This might be a bit confusing as you need a sample loaded to ācreate soundā - DT doesnāt really create sound on its own - so it has the functionality commonly associated with a mono synth, but it is not a mono synth.
Sorry if that seems nitpicky, but I think it clarifies a bit (hopefully)
1 Like
My comment was already one hundred percent clear, I explicitly stated that itās a mono synth voice with samples as the sound source. Why ignore the rest of my comment, maybe you stopped reading right at the point that you decided to comment?
The sentence before the one I quoted:
No need for caps, I didnāt really challenge what you were saying, I found it a bit confusing and felt others might think the same. I agree with the core of what youāre saying.
edit: ok the caps are now italics 
thanks
Yeah it seemed aggressive so I had modified it to italics, sorry dude for coming atcha. I donāt like being partially quoted when it misrepresents my statement. The entire comment is necessary to understand my point. I meant that itās not a straight linear sample playback device like a DAW or MPC, although it can be used in that way with caveats.
1 Like
Iāve owned the mpc Live for over a year (sold it yesterday) actually. As a utility device it is incomparable (usb host, Bluetooth, Air effects, SSD drive to name a few) but working on the device is so unbelievably uninspiring. And once 2.7 hit I I started noticing occasional lagging I felt like that was the last straw for me. I do not want a music device that lags.
It has a lot of good things going for it, but it lacks the most important part and that is FUN. Itās not fun at all.
6 Likes
Very interesting perspective. Iāve never looked at the Digitakt that way. But have gravitated towards all the demos where itās used as a polyphonic synth with that Retro Kit cable. Now Iām starting to see why. Suddenly, pairing a Digitakt with my Blackbox for the purpose of making it the synth companion, would make some sense. Iām a bit tired of the traditional oscillator sound anyway and have always gravitated towards samples, one way or the other.
Youāve definitely peaked my interest now.
3 Likes
Wow I love it! Thank you for considering what I said with an open mind!!! You rock dude!
I also want to tell you, to get stereo samples into the DT, load up any stereo sample in your DAW and hard pan to left first, use the sample from USB option on the DT, play the sample in DAW and it will be captured by DT, choose Track 1 on DT when prompted on which track to load the sample to. Repeat with sample panned hard right in DAW, choose Track 2 when prompted. Pan Track 1 hard left and Track 2 hard right on the Digitakt. This process is EXTREMELY fast. Job done, start going nuts!!!
4 Likes
Nah, man. Youāre sharing and just happened to find my buttons. But thanks for saying.
At any rate, Iām going to try the Digitakt in the store now, with this in mind, and just look at it from another angle. Iāve always loved how it sounds, so maybe because itās spoken to me as a polyphonic instrument with unique capabilities, and not as a sampler in my traditional way of looking at it.
1 Like
Iāve owned the Live for a few months and agree with everything you said about it, but thatās exactly why iām keeping it. Itās my permanent MIDI hub, even when it doesnāt make a squeak and it pretty much plugs every hole I might have. I bought it thinking it would be a complete setup on itās own but that is only true in theory for me. However, it is certainly a case of me over-expecting rather than Akai under-delivering.
I donāt think this complaint is a misunderstanding of that supposed usage scenario. The Digitakt was designed as a " Beat making powerhouse", " drum machine and sampler". Thatās what Elektron says. Owning both a Digitakt and a TR-8S (which is also a beat making powerhouse for sure), I can assure you stereo samples make a lot of sense there, even for one-shot samples. Even for mono samples, Roland made sure to add a spread effect on each voiceā¦ super stereo indeed. Granted, the DT has other tricksā¦
1 Like
Iāll say this, if stereo sampling were added it would be great, but it would require a totally modified system architecture with every part of the monophonic signal path duplicated. Like I said, itās a mono synth architecture with a sample as the sound source. You would need a fully doubled path. So, I guess people asking for stereo samples either donāt understand that the DT is built around 8 synth voices, or they want a 16 voice Digitakt.
2 Likes
Sure, itās all about CPU usage in the end.
It is a misunderstanding of what is clearly written in the specs. What I donāt understand (among many other things) is why people buy it, assumably knowing their usage scenario in advance, and then go complaining on a forum.
Thatās what features requests threads are aboutā¦
Hmm read my posts man I was very clear about the distinction between linear sample playback device and synth voice with sample source. I explained how you can use it in stereo. The constant complaining about no stereo samples gets old when you can use the device with so much flexibility. I think most people on the forum that own a Digitakt DO understand, and a vocal few do not. Iām definitely not calling all DT owners idiots and presenting myself as some sort of genius, just responding directly to the criticisms of no stereo samples and nothing else.
I also want to be clear that my posts here are on topic for the thread as we are discussing features that distinguish the Digitakt from the MPC, a device that can play stereo samples. Also, I see that your comment was flagged and want you to know that I did not flag you.