Octatrack or Digitakt - no computer setup

[s_03_2930]

I apologize, I have read a few threads and scattered forum posts about this question but I am having a hard time deciding between these two machines. Regardless of the price (I am willing to spend some more considering that I want a streamlined setup but I cannot afford to get both), I would like to just get the machine that I will gel with best and will allow me the best workflow and control over what I would like to do and something that I could have a long time and be happy with

For background, I don’t really enjoy working on the computer that much for music, but I have mostly used Live up to this point, so I am just largely looking for something that is OTB. I like playing with samples a lot, and I sample a lot of records onto my SP404 and then chop them on the computer or in the SP404. I would like to eventually be able to perform live with the machine that I buy. I have 2 synths, an ESQ-1 and a MS-20 Mini. I am looking for something to chop and mangle samples and help sequence my synthesizers. I like my SP404 but I would prefer precise waveform editing, I have a lot of trouble with everything syncing up and I do not like the sequencer that much

Here are the cons in my head of the Octatrack vs Digitakt weighing against each other with some of my concerns (based on what I have read/seen

Digitakt
-No song mode
-No sample slicing/sample zoom
-No sample backup (as far as I have read/seen?)
-Patterns/pattern chains do not save (not sure to what extent this is limiting)
-seems maybe less versatile to perform live than OT
-no time stretching

Octatrack
-Reverb/other fx are not as good as the Digitakt
-Not as many octaves to play chromatically (I believe I would use this feature a decent amount, but I am not sure how limiting the octaves in comparison would be)
-Harder to learn/less immediate than Digitakt
-some say sound is less good than digitakt (??? I am not sure on this point other than conjecture on what I have read people say)

Please correct me if I am wrong on any of these points, this is just what I have gathered since reading about these machines a few weeks ago. I really appreciate any help

[anestis]

I don’t own any of the two and any sampler in general,except the sampling capabilities of my machinedrum.No way i would buy both of these I just don’t see the point.It’s as simple as it gets,if you have the money you go for the octatrack

[jefones]

DT has sample backup with the transfer software

[anestis]

Would go for it even for a used mk1 to be honest.But that’s just me and my hypothetic decision if I was in ur place,better get some answers frm people who actually own these machines

[craig]

Do you still intend to use Live sometimes or even for final arrangement and mixdown purposes? Because I think Overbridge is amazing for linking to the DT and processing in the computer. OT has no Overbridge compatibility and is more cumbersome for getting things into a DAW later on. Just another consideration for you to think about. For the record, I’m a DT owner and I’m about to get an OT for the second time.

[Kahvinheitin]

I got bitten by sample fly, and I was just going to create this same topic! I was drawn towards Octatrack or Digitakt and I had all these bullet points in my mind too!!!
(Plus OT would also work as a mixer)

In addition, I was going to ask people, how would they rate the time stretch and pitch shift quality of different devices, especially Octatrack and the new Roland MC-707.

[schwebs]

recently got a digitakt to go with my octa which is the brains of my setup. i’ve had many situations where i had so many tracks on the octa occupied with something else that i found myself needing another machine just for drums, and digitakt seems pretty great for that.

regarding your points, those sound mostly accurate. however, i do think that octa’s dark reverb is pretty much on par with digitakt’s reverb quality-wise. digitakt does have a width control on the delay though which the octa doesn’t. on top of that, i would say that the digitakt is more “hands-on” and immediate just because it isn’t nearly as deep as the octa.

i haven’t noticed that the octa would sound worse than the digitakt in any way. on octa you can have stereo samples which i miss a bit on the digitakt but you can still create some nice stereo-sounding beats with panning sounds around. oh and also miss the A/B slider!

I am looking for something to chop and mangle samples and help sequence my synthesizers. I like my SP404 but I would prefer precise waveform editing, I have a lot of trouble with everything syncing up and I do not like the sequencer that much

but judging by this, it seems like an octatrack would be best for you. it has very precise waveform editing, and slicing samples is pretty easy once you get used to it. on the digitakt you can’t really see precisely what you’re doing for longer samples and there’s no slicing. sequencing other gear works also great (however i don’t know if octa is different than the digitakt on this front).

[s_03_2930]

yeah, I probably would but for the most part its largely that I don’t want to be tethered to my computer for a large part of the process even if it has the most features…I have read that about the OT it is another good thing I will keep in mind w/r/t actually finishing stuff off

[Augenadler]

I have zero knowledge about the DT, but the OT definitely is a great machine and so much more than just a sampler.
I just upgraded to the MKII because tje workflow of the MKI really needs a lot of time for building muscle memory and makes it hard to use when you do not use it frequently.
They both sound great, sample editing and slicing works ok. The reverb needs some tweaking and does not compare to an outbound unit bit gets the job done in 99%.

No need for a new unit though, as they are build like a tank and serve as a hammer.

My choice would be a used OT 1 or 2, depends on the effort you are willing to invest. UX is berter on the 2, knobs and buttons feel better on the 1. And the latter has a bigger tiny screen

[sezare56]

Some points missing in your list.

OT’s crossfader with A/B scenes is something huge. You can morph up to 250 parameters on the 8 tracks with A/B scenes (16 scenes available per part, 64 parts). You can make a whole song with a single pattern with it.

Reverbs are not great, but there are much more fx types, 2 different plockable fx per track, a master track with fx. You can chain up to 8 fx (16 with trickery). Delay seem similar, some fx are really good (filters, eq, compressor, comb filters…)

Stereo samples, readable from card : 2GB max files = 3h30mn stereo samples max per track.
64GB max on the card > 64GB max per project. (64MB for DT).

8 stereo recorders, with rec trigs to automate them > record perfect loops without editing, sequence your recordings and play / mangle them on the fly, pre-sliced. They can be used as really good quality fx. Max recording time : 8m28s. (30s for DT?)
8 tracks looper ability.

3 lfos per track with lfo designer : you can randomize things with selected values, add tons of subtle variations.

Midi tracks having 3 midi lfos* and arp you can combine in very realistic ways, or totally random, musical scales…
*Or other parameters like velocity

Tranferring files doesn’t require a software.

…

[Microtribe]

I dont think you can really compare Digitakt and Octatrack. They are very different machines.

A quick look at the front panel really gives it away in my opinion. One has ‘‘Digital Drum computer and sampler’’ written on it. The other has ‘‘8 track Dynamic Performance Sampler’’ written on it.

@sezare56 makes some very good points above.

I am totally biased because I have an octatrack and love it. Reading the OP just screams octatrack, at least to my mind anyway.

[s_03_2930]

thanks this post is really helpful…i do think it would take me a little while to get adjusted to octatrack (just based on skimming the manual/workflow videos, i have never really had very complex pieces of hardware) but it does seem to have a lot more options than DT so i am leaning towards getting it instead, that and the live capabilities of it are pretty appealing to me

[Augenadler]

just get a used one. if it does not gel with you, sell it without loss in money but gain in experience

[sezare56]

gain in experience

Then take a DT to sequence the SP404 (having an event recorder rather than a sequencer).

[Romerp]

Just out of interest as a non oktatrack owner but aspiring one, can you use the cross fader to effect things like midi cc values of other gear or is just for the audio tracks?

[sezare56]

use the cross fader to effect things like midi cc values of other gear or is just for the audio tracks?

Just for the audio tracks.
The crossfader sends CC48. With a midi processor you can map it to anything.
@guga made a dedicated one : Goliath.

[Romerp]

Thanks for the info That little Goliath looks immense!

[mokomo]

DT is a beaut.

But in your shoes, I’d go for the OT mk1.

Its extra features are really significant for creativity if you want to be able to do a lot more in the box itself. With 8 secs of random melodic audio from a radio you could create a full diverse set with it; slice dice mangle effect resample - the world is your oyster.

What you’ll miss on not getting the DT is that it has a hifi/excited crisp sound and is very straightforward to use - whereas the OT is more neutral and clean though still a very good sound.

If you’ve a big pool of well prepped samples however, and have less interest in going on a OT journey with all its extra capabilities, the DT might be the better call to start mixing and sequencing and getting very quick great sounding results rather than lower level slicing, stretching, mangling in the OT …

Last point - as a performance box, the OT offers more interaction and FX variety that you can physically be doing interesting things that make a big difference to what people are hearing.

[captain8]

I’m a dt owner that will certainly own an octa and a rytm one day but if you’re really into sample base production whether you use it with only samples or apply sample based production techniques to original music that you make yourself via synths, drums, guitars, bass, keys etc… I would go for a digitakt and pair it with a cheap used mpc live, I would resample the digitakts magic all day long into the mpc live and resample the mpc live magic into the digitakt, and also the mpc live has what I would almost consider vital next level sampling features… the layering, the track exploding feature, the looper, the fx, the pad linking, and the sequencer is supremely organic… the combination between the two ethos of the digitakt and the mpc live will get you into a very creative and fluid space… you will be surprised, and you can get them both for cheap enough. They will super compliment each other.

[Mistercharlie]

I had an Octatrack for quite a while and never got on with it. Every idea required a lengthy setup.

The Digitakt is much more immediate. I use it for composition rather than performance, and I find I can go from zero to working song much faster than on the Octatrack.

I don’t really miss the cross fader. But I do miss slice mode, and the extra LFOs.

But there’s no way I’d go back. To me, Octatrack is too much like working on an excel spreadsheet.