Octatrack vs. Digitakt + Digitone

Hey friends!

Lately I’ve been considering getting into the Elektron world. The dilemma I’m facing is which one(s) to buy. I’m mostly interested in composing songs away from the computer. For what it’s worth, I also own a Moog Subsequent 37 and a DSI OB-6 (along with Ableton).

Were you in my position, would you rather buy an Octatrack Mk.2 or a Digitone and Digitakt combo? And why?

Thank you!

Get the octatrack. Apart from recording and looping your synths you can also sequence them. From the ot. So easily 10 tracks. Cheaper too. You can probably pick one up for 1150-1200 with memorial day sales.

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This one is honestly quite a tough one! As a previous DT owner I can she’d SOME light, but there are much more qualified people here who can give you better synopsis of each. Here we go!

Digitakt and Digitone don’t have song modes so you would need to find a way to sequence songs out of them externally or just get comfortable with pattern chaining/juggling. Each also only has 2 outputs and Overbridge is nowhere in sight so everything you want to record into Ableton (if you plan on doing proper mixing, that is) will have to be recording one track at a time in sections then arranged later. This kinda kills the performance vibe they give you and gets more tedious the more complex your tracks become. Neither have external storage either so you’re limited to the +drive and transfer apps for any samples. Ease of use though is incredibly and both sound amazing. They also have better sounding FX than the OT (IMO) but not nearly as many per track. 1 lfo per track can be a bit frustrating at times for example. The DT also recent got a master Compressor which helps tremendously with mixing within itself. Haven’t used or studied the Digitone much so I don’t have too much to say on it aside from the demos I’ve seen sounding just beatiful.

Octatrack has an arrangement mode which can definitely aid in the creation of full songs OTB. Where it lacks is that it doesn’t make sound on it’s own (duh, it’s a sampler) and it can be quite a task to learn if you’re new to Elektron. It has 4 inputs and 4 outputs if I’m not mistaken, stereo sampling, external media via CF cards, more FX (although no better FX than DT and DN) and many, many more features which makes it a dynamic performance beast. Imagine the Digitakt as the baby-brother-drum-machine version of the Octatrack. They can do similar things, but the Octatrack is much more advanced and versatile.

If you don’t need the extra outputs/mixing capabilities, a DT and DN combo will be a simple step in to the Elektron world and will give you plenty of creative abilities. And once Overbridge is out you’ll have even more functionalities and can sequence in your DAW, although this takes away from the OTB feeling.

The Octrack is something that you really have to give time and learn inside and out, step by step. It could take years even. But it’s incredibly worth it from what OT owners have said. There’s a few people who have done a Metronome challenge with the OT where their only sample source is the OT’s own metronome and they’ve created full songs from it. One dude even made it sound like a saxophone which is just nuts but it was great. The ways you can mangle samples is just unrivaled. I can’t wait to actually get one myself, but I just don’t have that kind of bread or gear worth trading for it (unless someone wants a Push 2 for it lmao.)

TL;DR. Digitakt and Digitone for easeof use and quick creation, OT for a unrivaled Sonic mangling and song modes but steeper/longer learning curve. Also take a look into the Analog Four and Keys. I’m pretty sure one of them has a song mode as well.

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I have the OT and DN. I would say get the OT. Aside from midi, and being able to sample the really nice synths you have, you can also use the OT as a mixer for them.

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It really depends on your objectives.

Digitone and Digitakt offers a synth engine but fewer arrangement/processing options compared to the OT.

Do you want another synthesis engine outside of the Moog and DSI? Are you happy recording/chopping/looping in Ableton and exporting files to the Digitakt as opposed to doing it in an Octatrack?

Octatrack takes a lot of your workflow out of Ableton and gives you hands on processing. Digitone and Digitakt offer more ways to create and modify sound but won’t take your workflow out of the computer.

Octatrack versus Digitone/Digitakt combo is not a functionally interchangeable comparison. They do different things differently.

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I don’t see how midi sequencing is an argument for the Octatrack. I’ve had the Octatrack, digitakt, and squarp pyramid all at the same time to determine what I liked best as the brain of my hardware setup and I vastly preferred the immediacy of the Digitakt over the others. Also in terms of sample playback I had absolutely no issues understanding and learning the Octatrack inside and out and again vastly prefer the Digitakt for sample playback. I run my entire setup, including 6 hardware synths, a eurorack setup, drum machines and a couple vst’s from my Digitakt and love it. If someone offered me an octa mk2 for my Digitakt I’d honestly decline. The workflow between the two is different enough that you just have to find which one you prefer.

The Octatrack is still great and you can’t go wrong with either decision, but the Digitakt is where Elektron really nailed it imo. I’ve had every box since the monomachine and it’s my favorite. There’s a certain elegance in its simplicity that I love.

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I use digitakt as main sequencer. Sequencing external gear is easy and deep.

I don’t miss song mode. I don’t use either pattern chain. I know my patterns and play them when and how I want to.

I thought that slide lock will miss me but it doesn’t because I just use my hands more. Our synths have knobs to use them right ?

I come from software and used as well hardware sequencers. Digitakt is the best experience I had :slight_smile:

The only things make me considering OT will be the 3LFO per track, the arpeggiator and the mixing capabilities for my synths.

OT MK1 is a no brainer vs digitakt in my mind. Same price, huge difference in functionality. I see no reason to go MK2.

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Just the Digitakt. Nothing else. Best balance between reading the manual and making music IMO for Elektron novice. Buy used, master it as your main instrument within a year and then add something new (I suggest A4 or Octatrack) or sell it.

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Arp combined with Lfos and TRC is super efficient. I can’t do without it now.

Ot too in that case. AHR envelope difference only?

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I should clarify, @Howl was looking at a combination of Digitone and Digitakt as opposed to an Octatrack.

The “synth engine” I was referring to is the Digitone. My apologies, the syntax wasn’t optimal.

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Btw you can use OT and DT as synths with single cycle samples. :wink:

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Never Forget!

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Wow. Thanx for that link!

Often overseen, that’s what sets the OT apart from the DT as midi sequencer

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Wow. You all have given me a lot to think about, and I really appreciate that. At the moment, I think I’m leaning toward the Octatrack, but there is something to be said about the immediacy and sound of the Digis as well.

For those with experience with the Digi, how important is it to you that the samples are mono? Does the lack of timestretching become a nuisance?

For a straight up drum machine (not that I would only use it that, of course) do you have a preference between the OT and DT?

For a straight up drum machine…well either really. You could use the OT in the exact same way you use a DT. It’s just not as immediate to learn how to do so, and you will spend a lot of time learning how you want to use the OT. I’ve said this before, but the OT is like a going to university. You have multiple choices of which classes you want to take, what you want to learn. I’m sure most people just want to learn a certain thing. If you want to just use the OT as a simple drum sampler, you should be able to learn that in a month or even quicker… But if you are like me…I get addicted to learning everything about a machine…It can take a really long time to get your work flow down.
I bought the DT and wanted the time stretch algo of the OT, so I bought a MK1 about 4 months after the DT. Then I spent 8 months sweating out learning the basic parts of the OT, realizing just how much I could do with it. I learn pretty slow, but I think I’ve finally found my workflow and what I want out of both.
With the OT, I have limitless possibilities that I think I will never stop learning. With the DT, I have a little box that I can sit down with and bang out numerous funky tracks without much planning or intention. Also, I like to actually sample on the DT. The way in which it samples is much more user friendly, and sampling through the converters colors the sound the way I like it. Everything about the OT takes a bit more planning (you need to really sort out your gain structure in the OT for sampling for example).
I suppose if I were to choose between the two, I would choose the OT, because I think I enjoy learning in the end more than immediacy… Hell I love them both.
DT best of-
Immediate
Quick sampling
Being able to adjust the start, loop and endpoints of the sample on the main menu.
Sampling.
No need for parts. Every track can have completely different settings (this is a real bitch on the OT AKA parts. Very intuitive on the DT)

OT best of

Audio inputs can be used as a DJ mixer, through effects (I use my OT as mixer for my evrything).
Every track has 2 effects.
Way easier to eq and filter because more options. So,easier to get a cleaner mix.
Never stop learning new things about it.

I guess its my job to mention that the OT can realtime sample and manipulate incoming audio… You can run audio through it and have it come back sliced, reversed, pitch shifted, etc…, and use scenes to control/mix things… You set up what it does beforehand but then can run any audio through it and have the sampling tricks applied in realtime. In that way it’s like an expander of the gear you hook up to it, whatever you feed into it can come back out a million different ways in realtime…

With DT you sample first and then build a track with what you sampled, but no realtime sample tricks… The sampling capabilities are vastly different… DT sampling is for making a sample and then building stuff with it, OT can do that too but really shines when you build sample tricks first and then apply them in realtime to various audio…

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And the OT not only has time signatures, but you can double the speed of each track or half the speed, or 3/4… Whatever it’s called it, it’s insane what you can do with the OT…and how you just find shit after a while. Yeah, and @Open_Mike is correct about the live sampling function being super important to remember. Having all these options really makes it more than a drum machine, because you can really use it i so many ways.

I’d say get the OT. You have two MONSTER synths…sample/loop them!!! I’d love to have the DSI ob. My sub 37 is my OT mk2’s best friend, as is the rytm mk2.

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