Slice machine - no editing?

Elektron Gear Digitakt
#1

hey!

while having the slice machine is cool - it is not really usable like this, no?
there’s no editing possible afterwards, in case i don’t miss something.

at least start/end points should be possible to edit per slice?!

i mean its great to play a chopped sample, without using all the tracks, but like this it would mean to tediously prepare the to be chopped samples on the cumputer ahead.

for a sampler it should be possible. hope they implement that.

for now, is there any tip, trick, workaround, other than precisely time strecth samples to a grid before?!

thanks - ulf

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#2

If you aren’t so picky about the forced normalization, you can set up your sample (or pattern of samples) on one track and then resample it back into the digitakt using a fixed recording length with the gated recording feature, once it’s resampled you can use that in slice machine.

The downside to this, is that it will normalize your sample even if the original was loaded straight from transfer, and then sometimes even set to internal there will be minute noise present which can false trigger the gate recording and lead to imperfect loops. You have to be on your toes when you do it if you intend to set the gate to 0 or 1. You’ll have to try it out and see if that works for you or not.

That’s the thing right there. The best tip, the trick and the work around all in one. Sample curation isn’t for everyone, I lose motivation sometimes because of it but my hearing is too good to work with the results otherwise.

At least prepping on a computer and using transfer you don’t get hit with the forced normalize. If you’re resampling breaks or something which you’re setting up with precision, sometimes I record some of the dt metronome (as a click track) to make double sure that what I’m setting up (and what I’m ultimately putting back into the machine through transfer) will slice correctly.

#3

Technically, when you have not perfectly quantized loop, you can use ONESHOT mode. Parameter lock start points of each needed part and fine-tune them by ear. Easy math there. You can resample it later if you want to play different slices like MPC, but from my personal experience at the end of the day I always program my beats.

I guess the whole concept of DT is not about throwing a bunch of random loops and switch between them until it sounds like ‘something’, it’s more about the art of sampling.

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#4

This is true, but sometimes you want more divisions than the sequencer allows, so you program your beat at double the desired tempo, like 180, over 2 patterns then resample that back into DT for a single pattern at 90 bpm. If you want to use it in the normal way with mutes and bringing elements in and out, you have to use slice machine, or it just plays as one long loop (like you mentioned).

It’s certainly a different kind of tool from MPC or other similar workflow, although DT is versatile in many ways, in others it’s quite limited. Just have to embrace that I guess.

#5

thanks for your tips.

i know how i can set this up with multiple tracks nicely, but the advantage of the slice machine is to use only one track, but still being abled to play the slices.

soi think beeing abled to set the slices manually / or edit them afterwards, would be sth to be adressed by elektron.

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#6

just start a new pattern. are you running short on patterns? how many do you use for one beat?

#7

I personally don’t expect this will happen on the Digitakt fwiw, i think the onus is very much on the end-user to understand how to use what’s available and to accept that there are restrictions in the name of general fluidity and simpler workflows

6 Likes
#8

thats your opinion, in my opinion its not nice with only fixed rigid slices, its like having a car that can only drive 30, 80 and 150 in a way… but - as i am new to digitakt, i will see how i can either work a round, or end up getting another machine. let’s see.

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#9

Yup.

Its almost as if its a good idea to make a list of things you know you need/want before you buy a thing.

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#10

Common sense has no place here :wink:

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#11

I am aware it’s a workaround but…Slice. Assign the slices to trigs where you want them then go back to one shot mode. The slices stay where they were but now you can tweak the start and end.

Yes I am aware you can do this in one shot mode anyway.

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#12

interesting, never thought about that.
what happens if you adjust the start / end of a slice in one shot mode and then go back to slice mode?

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#13

Would the jury please disregard my previous statement!

Just tried it again and when you go to one shot it makes the start point the same number as the slice number. Which is not the same thing at all!

And trying it the other way from one shot to slice it just played the last slice.

So if you want to adjust slice starts and ends…don’t use slice mode just do it manually in one shot.

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#14

then you have to use a track per slice if you want to explore combinations by playing them.
the advantage of slice machine is not using a track per slice, in order to play them/explore combinations.
for me for now its trig-locks, and change the slices, start points, reverse etc per trig.

hope they improve the slice machine.

#15

I think you need an octatrack, one of the mpc’s, an m8 or any other sampler that does what you want. Digitakt from the start was always intended as a one shot machine. The slices was only added recently as rudimentary break slicer or a crude randomizer.

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#16

sooner or later, i think so too, gonna keep my eyes an the local used market.

#17

You don’t need to use track per slice. Just plock the start point of the sample. You can assign a different start point to each lock.

You can even lock different samples to one track and when you hold down the trig the screen swaps waveforms.

Edit. I see what you mean. You can’t play the slices.

#18

My Workaround (not pretty):

  1. load sample in oneshot mode
  2. in gridrecording mode activate steps 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15 (if you want to get 8 slices)
  3. P-lock samplestart for each trig where you want your slice to start
  4. make shure no swing is applied and resample that bar
  5. assign your new sample to the same track in slice mode

now you can play the slices with the correct start

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#19

IIRC @Doug has an interesting workflow for choping/slice…would you shime in ?

Personally I use Slice machines with sample chains or steady loops (corrected if necessary) I made externally, or resample one shot samples internally…defined recording length.
I usually prefer 2 steps slices, so with DT I’d create different templates corresponding to loop length (in bars), with plocked START and LEN corresponding to 2 steps.

(Having an Octatrack, I’d be too lazy to adjust all start points in DT…)

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#20

So, the real issue is triggering individual slices to see where they fit, being able to play them. This is probably the closest that can be done, still requires some prep either on the machine or on computer (easiest). Still will not cure lack of incongruent length slices.

If you want it to be an mpc or a 404, it’s not an mpc or a 404. If you want to play slices on a keyboard/controller from a single track, there’s the way to do it.

I agree that this would be a nice feature to have more easily tied to slice machine for use on a single track but I also agree that you shouldn’t expect elektron to do anything about this because, basically, it’s not that kind of sampler. Not because I think it’s better or worse than an mpc, but because DT started as a “drum computer” and only recently gained all the extra capabilities.

At it’s heart, it’s still a drum machine.

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