true story about the bar chords. Fortunately I moved on 
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So I have had my DT for a bit now and I am loving it and becoming an Elektronaut. So naturally, the logical next step is to work up to an OT to mix, live loop and sample chop a bit more. I am wondering if i can save a few $100 by just going with the MKI OT in lieu of the MKII. In my research, the things I would miss on the MKII, I don’t think I would actually miss all that much. I don’t mind the screen, I don’t mind the lack of backlit buttons and I much prefer the look of the MKI, personally. I am looking for some advice and i guess would like to know from someone who knows both devices if the audio quality is THAT much better or if my MKI buy would be justified. Thanks for the help!
Welcome. But there’s lots of threads on this topic already if you do a quick search. For example:
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I’ve got both and while MK2 is slightly more convenient to operate due to the couple of extra buttons, I’d definitely recommend MK1. I think it’s crazy value for money (got it for 600€ vs the 900€ for the MK2). Initially I liked the look of MK2 better but nowadays I prefer MK1 in that regard as well.
Like @craig said, you can find a lot more in-depth comparisons on this forum but here’s my cents.
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Having owned a few Mk1’s and a Mk2 I don’t think I’d ever recommend a Mk1 unless you got it very cheap.
The screen is considerably better but it’s the added buttons/shortcuts that make the difference. Some may argue that it is a minor thing but for me they made a gigantic difference in how I got on with the Octatrack.
You’re coming to it fresh though so you don’t have the experience to compare the two. I guess with that in mind you wouldn’t know what you’re missing!
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If the general hardware is the same, would it (theoretically) be possible to add the missing buttons yourself (when soldering)?
Would you find the pins into the MK1 UI PCB board, developed before that the MK2 was even conceived? 
Seriously: functionality wise is the same, UI board not.
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…i have both in use…and what can i say…the convinience of mk2 is nothing but some little shortcuts like a direct entry to the audio editor and the parts, one more recording button and a little bit more impedance on the inputs…and that’s about it…
and as much as i love a grey finish…i still prefer the good old timeless black with the rounded buttons and no fancy coloured blinky buttons all over the place…
but ok…the oled display…would be nice to have in the mk1…luxury and 1st world problems…literaturally…really…
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Thanks for all the helpful hints! This community is great.
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I had a OT mki that I sold my Akai Force for after being frustrated about the lack of updates. I really enjoyed the OT, but selling the Force was a huge mistake. I sold the OT and bought a Force again, because I couldn’t stand to be without it. Now 7 months later I’ve added a OT mkii (without having to resort to selling anything). I can have the different workflows I desire. Should arrive early next week. And the week after I will have a LOT of time on my hands to dive in.
I plan to hook up my TI2 to sequence and also to use as an FX send (maybe). This should be fun, and no sacrifices were made to get there.
I went for Mkii because I had been approved for a sweetwater card (24 months interest free, even if I plan to pay it off in a month), and they also cut me a bit of a deal. I also figured I’d like the improved screen, added buttons and is it true the inputs are higher quality?
Of course this is just my own experience, and YMMV…
My first go with the MK1 was not fruitful.
When they say the MK2 is more intuitive, there’s a lot of truth in that.
Once I got the MK2, I was able to fully understand the OT, it’s facilities, and the MK2’s easier access of those facilities helped quite a bit. It made getting from point to point faster, and that inspired me to explore the OT more and more.
Unfortunately I had to sell my MK2 for financial reasons, and several months later found myself needing an OT again but only affording the MK1. I went with a used MK1 and fortunately the things I kept in my brain from my successful go with the MK2 stuck, and made the less intuitive MK1 interface easier to manage.
I guess the moral to my story is the MK1 is fine but you really have to understand what the OT can do, why those capabilities are arranged in the ways they are arranged, and how to live without the dedicated buttons and added faceplate texts of the MK2.
If you can navigate those challenges, the MK1 is a tremendous value.
After years of playing live without it, and then playing live with it for over a year, I can’t imagine not having it.
For people considering a MK1 over a MK2 as a first time OT purchase, I think there is some value in going backward by looking at how the MK2 interface is different, and finding out how to access those same features and functions on the MK1. “If this button does this on the MK2, and it isn’t on the MK1, how do I get to that same destination on the MK1?”, maybe make a small card with these notes on it for the first couple months of use.
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My friend has the OT MK2 and I tried it out. I pushed through the difficult parts of learning the OT MK1, so I have no real skin in the game using it as a learning tool, but the extra buttons are really useful. I wish I had just one button to go to the audio editor. That’s genius. But, I still love the little round button’s and the “fax machine” vibe from the OT MK1. Didn’t like the differnt color’s that seemed a bit bright and launchpad-ish… But really, that’s all vanity you know. The audio editor button is the bomb tho.
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Agree 100%. It’s the button I miss most. But I prefer the MK1’s Dieter Rams design language, and simpler LED scheme. Happy to trade that for the AED button.
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Yeah, I traded my A4 for the AK, just for the “hold” and “Multi Map” button, so I guess you do have a point. 
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That joystick tho 
Having owned both OTs, the screen (although smaller) is the best thing that separates the Mk2 from the classic design of the Mk1 imo.
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I’m gonna put an L.E.D display on my MK1 eventually. But, I’m not in a hurry. I’m so used to looking at that screen.
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I had an MKI, sold it, and then got an MKII because GC was selling a used one for less than $700 (employee mistake?). I’m not sure what the differences were button-wise but all I know was that the MKII was a good bit less frustrating to use.
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I had the same debate with myself. I went for the Mk1 because I prefer the look of it, the additional buttons don’t make a big difference IMO. Somehow I prefer do track+bank/edit button to go in the audio editor because no matter what when I used to work with Maschine I never selected the right track before I tap the sampling button.
Also I don’t find a better screen useful either, in the end I don’t use the screen much, after a bit I remembered where every parameter was and when working in the audio editor I use the
transient as a reference it’s all done by ears.
Better input doesn’t justify the price difference because in the end the software is the same and 90% of the things you put in the OT they become something else, if you back up stems and such you definitely do it by usb and if you want record hi quality takes you won’t be happy with those input anyway. Yeah sure they have a bigger headroom but if you gainstage properly (as you should) you won’t have problems with the MK1.
The MK1 feel like the OT and the MK2 as an Elektron box. I know aesthetic means nothing but it’s like when you sit in front of nice looking piano compare to a generic vst, somehow you feel the real piano much more authentic.
I think it’s worth pointing out that the mk1 display is much easier to read if the Octatrack is facing the user on an angle. Using a stand makes it very easy to read. I’m usually drawn to brighter displays, but I have end panels that raise and tilt the unit and they make the display very enjoyable to view.