Well I ran down the whole thread, long but interesting read… and it seems it can do what I 'm looking for. Still on the fence between this and Digitakt 2, but I feel the Sonicware is more direct and fun…
I’m not experienced with samplers and the comments here on tags, folders scare me a bit…
There’s def pros and cons on the 12xt vs digitakt ii (track count, mono vs stereo, etc) and the 12xt is a much more easy comparison with the digitakt 1, where it actually has some advantages like mixtape recording and longer samples but doesn’t have the extra 8 midi tracks or true high-fidelity sampling.
sample management is only slightly more annoying than on elektron, and the onboard auto-conversion for whatever sample format you have into 12xt samplerate/bit depth is actually very handy.
yes, input audio comes through master compressor and you can hear it (I believe you have to turn on “monitor” in the ext in shift menu or something like that) and even record it to the mixtape with your onboard sequences. I don’t think you can set it up to be dual mono like you can on digitakt ii though, so two sources would need to be summed into a stereo input some other way before the 12xt.
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When I posted that I think the moog will be panned hard left, the korg hard right. Might be different (both mono) now with latest firmware.
If this is your first sampler I think the learning curve for DT and XT will be a brain stretch. But learning the XT first might work out for you as you won’t be comparing.
as someone who tried to vibe with the XT I just couldn’t fool myself that the elektron workflow is faster and more “fun”. But the XT can sound great.
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There are a lot of things that are more fun on the XT… the sequencer is a little more playful and the random step groups thing goes far. Custom insert effects per track is cool and the arp and polyphony are things digitakt could never. LFO’s can do some stuff Elektron ones can’t (and vice versa). But conditional triggers are really useful for getting a lot of musical information in a small number of steps and the 12XT definitely does not do dual mono input while the Digitakt ii can be configured to individually pan two mono sources.
I like my 12XT a lot more than I liked Digitakt but I like my Tonverk a lot more than either, lol. The 12XT is a great little box though and I think it inspires a lot of creativity.
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Not doubting the XT has some tricks.
It’s a very personal and spoilt reasoning. There’s only a couple of extra steps when laying down trigs, locks and microtiming. But it’s enough to ruin my day and feel like im wasting time cos i couldn’t realise the idea as instantly as on my md.
I’m sure with time these would become muscle memory non issues. But I don’t have time!
Thanks for the replies guys. Well I’m not new to electronic hardware instruments.
I’ve had many “Grooveboxes”… l tried the Syntakt but didn’t really like it. More a question of sound than anything else.
I like to have acoustic like drum shots, also analog classic style, but I really want a mix of sources. A sampler is the way to go.
Do you think the Tonewerk would be a good solution as the mastermind of a rig? Not too complicated ? Is it fun and hands on?
My goal is too create basic patterns and just fly where the knobs take me and jam
I feel there aren’t many devices these days that compare to the old school all in one groove machines of the early 2000’s
For many years my main rig was a RS7000, Moog Little Phatty and Juno 106.
It was just awesome. But sold all a long time ago. Just trying to recreate it but in a small size factor…
Not that easy, nothing compares to the RS7000 today, in my opinion.
The Toneverk maybe ?
You mean the workfkow on the Digitakt is much better for you ?
Elektron sequencers. Transparently I’ve only used a digitakt once. But holding a trig and being able to set microtiming, locks, conditionals then releasing trig can’t be beat. XT has several extra steps.
I’m biased tho and some guy on the internet shouldn’t sway you until you’ve tried what works best for you.
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The Tonverk is the most capable elektron device as an all in one groovebox sampler without a doubt but it’s also not as mature as the digitakt platform and so despite being able to do a LOT more than a digitakt, the digitakt is definitely more immediate and easy to build from scratch with and its arrangement and performance features are pretty mature. It also has slicing, which TV does not.
For a mix of sources, the Tonverk is undeniably the best option next to an MPC or something if you want lots of drum samples, chromatically played samples or single cycle waveforms, and granular synthesis and multisampling and it offers pretty much the most complete arrangement while still giving you all kinds of fun sequencer features and it’s a reasonable guarantee that its song mode and project management will catch up to Digitakt’s fairly soon, though it may never get a true slicer or time-stretch (or it might, we just don’t know…).
The 1010 bento may very well be a nice middle ground between Digitakt and Tonverk soon if they get the planned sequencer overhaul finished and it’s actually good, but for now its sequencer is very far behind the Elektron one (though its song arrangement and a lot of sampling/looping features are as good or better than Elektron). For now it’s probably better to buy a used MPC live 2 than a bento but if you care about Elektron style sequencing Tonverk is a much more complete standalone device and digitakt is a better drum machine and sample slicer. Personally I think the TV is so much better and don’t care about slicing, and in just 2 tracks on Tonverk I can have as many drum sounds as a full Digitakt with ample voices left to spare and all kinds of cool effects available. You can also use a track on Tonverk just like a Digitakt single player if you need to p-lock the sample pool or whatever.
If you want acoustic style drum sounds you should not buy the 12XT. It sounds awesome and I like it a lot but it’s not there for uncolored playback of realistic drum sounds. The TV is the most capable Elektron for that since it sounds the best of their samplers so far. One thing you should also look at is the TE OP-XY, which is starting to show up used for prices that more accurately reflect its value than MSRP. It’s a fantastic device for 1500, less so for 2300. It sounds awesome, is really fun to play, you get a lot of crazy sequencer features that even Elektron doesn’t have, and it has a really great drum sampler.
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Thanks a lot for this !!
I’m going to search on all these new options. You hit my interest with the Tonverk, and quite a bit. I already have read about it during the launch period, but going to take a deeper dive for sure.
Very informative ! What takes me back from purchasing the Tonverk (and in a lesser sense) is its apparent complexity.
But I’m not at all a beginner in electronic music hardware, and my professional activity involves a lot of complex mind mangling with software and stuff . So I should be ok after all!! Maybe making a big deal with no real problem