Owner of a Digitakt and curious how similar these machines might be, what can I do on a Rytm I can’t do on my Digitakt and vice versa??
Thinking of upgrading my Digitakt to a Rytm.
TIA
Headline differences would be on the Rytm you get the analogue voicing as well as the sample slots, 12 slots vs 8 on the DT and individual outs. There are other differences too. You’d prob be best heading to the Elektron site for a comparison and looking up a YouTube vid or two for a full rundown.
This topic has been done to death tbh:
https://www.elektronauts.com/search?q=digitakt%20vs%20rytm
This is a good comparison:
I would add that the resolution of sampling is down to 0.01 on DT, whereas it’s whole numbers between 0 and 120 on Rytm. (For clarity, former DT owner here, couldn’t be happier with AR MKII)
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this has been discussed quite a lot already…
I am using the rytm and still use DT in another project. for me the biggest differences are:
RYTM:
- analog engines obviously (I only use the tom engines which I like, the rest I never use)
- individual outputs (for kick and bass, which is very nice to have if you want to record and process later on)
- scenes and performances! (DT had control all function which is very nice, but I prefer scenes and performances by far)
- analog path (filter en OD) warm and full, vs crisp and clean on DT (I like both sonic imprints very much)
- kits!!! I which the DT had kits every day I use it
- 12 tracks (with 8 voices, so there are 4 pairs that are choke each other, but still very nice to have things separated on different tracks sharing the same voice)
DT:
- pattern mutes (I which AR had pattern mutes so much)
- better sampling functionality (ARmk1 has none unfortunately, this is the only reason I sometimes dream of an mk2)
- slightly faster and more intuitive workflow than on rytm, but the difference is not really significant to me
there are more differences, but these are important to me.
the obvious thing everybody mentions are the analog engines on the rytm, but I don’t really use them and still choose rytm over DT any day
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I agree that there are better tools for hip hop than the AR, but this guy presents a good look at the AR from a hip hop producer’s point of view…
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I always find downloading the manuals of gear makes comparing functionality between gear very clear. It avoids the influence of others.
There is countless threads on this already if you do want to get the opinions of others. Just keep in mind many people will offer their opinion having played neither device or only one.
I had both, kept the AR MKII. It’s a better drum machine.
I’ve said it before but I think there is a strong case to be made for the Digitakt if you already have some other processing units, to me digitakt is both really great at capturing processed sounds and keeping the flavor and has that sparkly highend which is great for processing/saturating. Rytm MK2 is like you have included analog processing on a per track basis which is pretty awesome but also a bit more prescribed. To me the real comparison should be more like Rytm MK2 Vs Digitakt + 900$ of post processing gear.
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Did you find something about using it with ableton and the new mac m1?
I’ve the same set-up! What have you choose at the end?
This was quite some time ago. Since this post, I did end up buying an Analog Rytm MKII. As I was learning it, my DT sat around for awhile not being played. I thought about selling the DT, but I eventually started using it alongside the ARMKII and I think the two pair very nicely and complement each other. The AR usually handles grooves while the DT mangles samples, arranges melodies + midi. I do think the the AR’s synths are a bit limited, great for percussion and some nice bass, but I prefer the Moogs for more melodic duties and general sound design. They just have a fuller, warmer sound that is hard to replicate.
Stepping away from eurorack, I decided to sell my Mother-32 and small skiff. This helped fund the purchase of a used Moog Sirin, which has been so nice to use with the Digitakt. Ultimately, I wanted to save patches/ program changes and have the DT recall all that info from the Sirin. Along the way, I had to solve a few midi issues with the Blokas Midi Hub, but now things are working really well. The Sirin comes very close to recreating a DFAM bass kick, so it’s a keeper for sure. I do not own a Minitaur, but I imagine it would do an even better job in the low end.
If I were starting fresh with a minimal dawless mindset, I would use a DT alongside a Moog Sirin or Minitaur. With just these two machines you would get so much mileage, but that is just the way I like to work. I’m not a fan of eurorack, patch cables etc. I still have my DFAM, but it is not integrated in my setup. I simply take it out and jam from time to time, record a loop here and there and save it for mangling in a sampler.
It has taken me a while to understand what I want in a set up and why. Synth engines aside: Rytm MKII vs Digitakt? You have probably read about their difference in sound character and workflow. Right now Digitak is shining with all its new features while the Rytm now seems a bit limited by comparison. I don’t think one is better than the other - they are simply different machines with different approaches to beat making. They Rytm feels like a luxury car with a nice V8 engine while the Digitakt is that smart hybrid full of new features. Kind of a wack analogy, but that’s all I got.
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That’s exactly where I am now!
I have a Digitakt, a mother 32 and a DFAM and I don’t know if I should go for the DT + DN combo or sell the DT and take the AR mkii.
At the end I’ll go for the DT + DN combo since I want to the discover the FM synthesis.
Also I’m producing with a lot of samples right now so the DT is what I really need at the moment.
I mainly try to use a hybrid set-up where I record everything into Ableton live and then I mix down everything there.
I also don’t use the DFAM in a live situation, I mainly record the triggers or the loops that I make and I like from it and then I sample everything on the DT or I directly record it on Ableton and then I process it.
I’ve really appreciated this example you made!
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