Sampling companion for Syntakt?

bibenu · 2023-03-10T12:48:13.903Z

malus_mons:

I don’t understand why the OT is difficult to learn?

Don’t know about difficult to learn … but … before I even bought a sequencer (eventually got an M:C) I tried to get a feel for the features of Digitakt and Octatrack from the manuals … and the Octatrack manual scared the s**t out of me … I think the triggers might have been ‘flex machine’, ‘buffer’, ‘pickup’ (can’t honestly remember the details)… I was like: f**k me I just want to make music.

Pharmer:

its sampling flow is quite different to most other samplers

That might account for the tech terms I found scary.

clickclack777 · 2023-03-10T15:30:39.177Z

Just get Koala app + AUM (multi output + au3 Added FXs) for stereo sampling.

jeffped · 2023-03-10T16:57:51.847Z

And BOOM just like that 404 MKII firmware V3.0 happens….hard to keep up.

sl1200mk2 · 2023-03-10T17:25:15.453Z

Pioneer Toraiz SP-16 would have been a great option too if they were still going for $600-700. Has some limitations, but it’s a pretty great device overall. For me, it’d be the Roland SP-404, Blackbox or MPC One. Out of those I own the MPC.

Gral_Kerkila · 2023-03-10T17:39:16.721Z

I use both op-1 and the field, or koala/drambo on the ipad

captain8 · 2023-03-10T22:14:12.474Z

listen to this with headphones

I guess everything has it’s place and time, no real wrong answers, I just follow my ears

sezare56 · 2023-03-10T22:30:54.988Z

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captain8 · 2023-03-10T22:56:47.072Z

lol

sezare56 · 2023-03-10T23:02:09.805Z

Octatrack can’t record mono files, nor convert stereo files to mono files.
(It can read mono files, which is ram use friendly)

captain8 · 2023-03-10T23:32:19.410Z

so weird for a box that can seemingly do everything

GurtTractor · 2023-03-11T09:25:23.825Z

This is a good example of the use of stereo field recordings in a piece of music, and why you might want to have the capability -

It’s definitely a fair point though that in many cases you can be better off with mono samples and building up the stereo field via careful panning and effects, it really depends on your compositional style and what kind of music you like to make.

jeffped · 2023-03-11T14:34:49.016Z

I want to make use of my stereo mics and recorders in the field. Plus it gets me out of the house!
We can agree. Sometimes mono is best, sometimes stereo is best. And to have the choice is always best.
I don’t understand what is happening here. There is no apparent sequence running.

jeffped · 2023-03-11T14:54:11.009Z

Good to know thank you.

GurtTractor · 2023-03-11T15:04:13.192Z

jeffped:

I don’t understand what is happening here. There is no apparent sequence running.

It’s a little hard to see but if you look at the little track status icons on the left and right sides of the OT’s display you can see that each one has a little S on it which indicates that all tracks are using static machines, which just means that they’re streaming samples from the CF card. So the entire composition is purely composed out of looping audio files that Substan is tweaking and applying FX to with the knobs and scene slider. Simple but effective for that kind of thing. He’s also apparently running the audio into a 1010music bluebox which is probably applying extra reverb.

Punji · 2023-03-14T00:53:23.754Z

I know this is not what the OP wants (mono, low fi), but I wonder if anybody has paired the Syntakt with a MicroGranny… would that be that a good setup for experimental/ambient stuff? Can it do resampling, i.e., record the Syntakt output and feed it back in?

sacguy71 · 2023-03-14T01:16:12.486Z

Get the SP 404mk2 it’s fun and great to sample the Syntakt to and resample and the effects are really fun. You can trigger one off clips easy and longer loops instantly faster than using the Octatrack or Digitakt based on using these devices. Plus it has guitar amp models that are fun if you play guitar can sample that and use with drums from the Syntakt. Or get an MPC Live.

induktor · 2023-03-14T03:54:57.367Z

I have run the MG alongside the Syntakt. It’s definitely a fun combo. I haven’t done any resampling with this setup but it’s certainly capable of it.

uNAQ · 2023-03-14T09:24:03.140Z

I think for ambient the sp404mkii must be heaven. Is the ultimate texture mangler with all those fx. Everything else would be a pain in the a&$. If you have a nice sounding synth to sample, with all its envelopes and and then adding fx is all you need. It even has sequencer. The best part is that so immediate. So there you go…

Tapepusher · 2023-09-10T00:13:32.805Z

Every time you “loop” with the SP you have to stop it after recording, in no way is that immediate.

Just noticed that in every video of it, you actually cannot loop with it. You have to compose a phrase, stop, save, then listen. I was hyped on it until I realized (unless I’m mistaken).

djst · 2023-09-10T05:54:58.804Z

jeffped:

Obvious choice is Digitakt. Mono samples only holding me back. Next choice Octatrack. Cost, learning curve and age is holding me back. Which leaves:
MPC One - Powerful but not in love with the work flow / interface.
SP-404 mk 2 - Battery power!
iPad - not tactile and loose midi timing.
Any thoughts?
Digitakt MK II please!

As someone who has gone through the same process and tried all of the above devices except the iPad, here are my two cents:

MPC - I get it, it’s not really a sampling companion and more like a full-blown DAW.
Digitakt - The lack of battery, mono sampling and monophony made me hesitate about it. But in all honesty, once you have plugged two devices together, you already have power, midi, and audio cables, so what difference does one more power cable do? And the mono sampling, yes I’d still love it if it didn’t have that limitation but in a mix where lots of samples are playing, panned or modulated in the stereo spectrum, you really don’t think about it. And the monophony, it’s easy enough to make specialized patterns on eg Bank H where you copy a sample across several tracks to sequence chords like you would on a tracker. Then just resample those into new samples for use in the project. Changed your mind about a chord progression? Just go back to bank H and make changes and resample. All in all, the Digitakt is a very musical sampler with proper envelopes and LFOs. This makes a massive difference when sequencing music.
SP-404 mk2 - What I really appreciate with it is how quick the (re)sampling workflow is. Just hit Rec, press a pad and you just recorded a new sample. And because the storage is so generous, you can easily make multiple copies of a sample and create variations by resampling. The Digitakt is slower and more tedious in comparison, particularly, it forces you to give each sample a name which sucks. Triggering one shots from the Syntakt to the SP is easy enough. Where the SP falls short (by a mile) is when it comes to its own step sequencer. It’s the kind of experience that will make you want to throw it into the trash. So, the SP is strictly for external sequencing for me, while the Digitakt is an instrument in its own right. The battery power is nice, but changing AA batteries is a nail-damaging exercise. I’d much prefer a user-replaceable lithium battery that charged via the usb-c port.

All in all, if it were me and I had too choose between these, I’d pick the Digitakt.