The Digitone and Syntakt both frustrate me for totally different reasons

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#1

I really like my Digitakt, and to compliment it all I want is a box I can use to design some weird percussion sounds and the occasional off kilter lead. Both seem tailor made for that, but I find myself unhappy with the many “machines” of the Syntakt, wishing they wouldn’t be so static, before turning towards the Digitone and being confused by its complex list of FM parameters, all of which seem to affect each other in ways I never understand. I know this is supposed to be the “easy” version of FM, but it still does my head in.

As a result I end up using the Digitone as a preset machine, either because I don’t have the knowledge or time to build a sound from scratch, or I just randomly twist knobs, which is lame. Meanwhile with the Syntakt I don’t feel like the machines are any more malleable than the samples in my Digitakt, usually even less so. They may as well be samples with how little you can edit some of them.

It’s only been a few weeks, and I need to decide which one to keep, but honestly part of me wants to dump both of them. Should I give the Digitone more time to click? Push the Syntakt harder and hope there will be more options with an update in the future? Really on the fence and wishing I didn’t sell my Machinedrum a few years ago, because that was the sweet spot.

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#2

FM is non-intuitive even without the filters and LFOs that Digitone adds on top of the usual 4-OP programming. it’s rewarding but no real way to get around the learning curve and time investment it takes

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#3

I’ve never played a Syntakt, and I do t understand the Digitone either, but I’ve had it for years and I love it regardless. I use the bejeezus out of presets and no shame at all about twisting some knobs to change em up a bit. I enjoy it very much, in fact.
I’d say keep it if youve only had it for a few weeks.
Explore it some more!
Plenty there to explore…

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#4

Keep the digitone and explore it more. I had one and sold it before I understood how the elektron sequencer worked with FM and trigless trigs with p-locked LFOs.

You can achieve great drum sounds + more with the digitone.

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#5

Yeah this is the thing that has me thinking I just need to put the time in. If you disregard the analog elements of the Syntakt (which I don’t care about much) there’s an argument to be made that it’s essentially a Digitone with a bunch of self imposed limitations. Those limitations could be good for me, I don’t know, but I do wish there was a happy middle between the two.

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#6

digitone is so versatile, it can synthesize so many types of sounds.
try learning the presets, at first load one on one track and try recreating it on another track simply by dialing in the same values while jumping between tracks to see each param.
try doing it by starting from different screens, trig, syn1, syn2 etc.
in the process you will see how each param affects the simple sine wave you are starting from. I learned a lot from that process.
one important tip I got from the Dave Mech DN course is: go slow, if you dial params too fast you miss the sweetspots and go into noise territory fast, so go slow, especially on the A/B1/B2 levels.
or, if you are stuck, just randomize the sh*t out of every page by pressing the page+YES and shape if with envelopes/filters

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#7

There’s a lot of inspiring Digitone content on YouTube.

@Eaves has excellent content if you need some starting points. Check out his Digitone stuff:

https://youtube.com/@IvarTryti

@DaveMech has loads of helpful content. He’s even got some courses you can take:

https://youtube.com/@Davemech

@substan is another excellent multi-Elektron talent with some Digitone content:

https://youtube.com/@substan_music

An excellent breakdown of different algorhithms in FM:

A general sound design thread for the Digitone:

Hopefully, there’s some inspiration or ‘a-ha!’ moments in the above. :slight_smile:

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#8

Thanks - definitely going to dig in to all this!

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#9

If you can afford to keep them both, store one away for awhile and just use the other. Too much elektron can get overwhelming. Especially when you’re learning the way of the box.

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#10

If the form factor/ voice count works for you, possibly consider an A4. Check out @taro’s patch packs.

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#11

Adding to the already great feedback here maybe it would be good to get one or two sound packs as a starting point for your sound journey.

I know it might feel like cheating :grin: but it has helped me on the A4 when I was stuck.

I am not good in programming drum sounds and I was amazed on what other folks are capable of… on A4 and same with the DN.

How is it possible to make such good drum sounds on an FM synth ???

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#12

This is the way. Syn1 + Yes to get a random core tone (repeat until you hear something you like) and then shape to taste with fm envelopes, filters, fx etc.

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#13

yeah you can randomize everything, syn1 page 1, page 2, syn 2, filters, lfos, everything, I love it!

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#14

I sold my Digitone to keep only Digitakt as sampler and sequencer for other synths. I don’t need several sequencers.

Destkop synths such as Novation Peak well mapped with a Digitakt midi track coud be another option

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#15

Learn how to use them or sell them.

Can’t think of anything more constructive, sorry.

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#16

fin and 25 both frustrate me for different reasons.

fin is a character from a soap opera it’s not even the 25th name in the lineage of his family and 25 frustrates me because it’s not his age or even his favorite number.

different reasons but frustration as a result of both.

I’m thinking of selling one and replacing it with either a nif or a 24, hopefully someone can convince me of the merits in keeping both fin AND 25 but as of right now I’m not sold on either.

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#17

I think you didn’t put enough time and energy in them. But anyway, you metionned you have a choice to make between the two and you want to design weird perc sounds and leads. So the answer is obviously the Digitone. It’s a beast.

(disclaimer: I have both of them and while the Syntakt is much faster to get decent results, the Digitone goes way beyond)

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#18

Hi!

If you don’t have time to build up sounds on yourself, then perhaps you want synths with really good presets (DAW comes in mind with tons of VST’s available).

I don’t think you NEED to LOVE any item because others do.

If you don’t gel with Digitone or Syntakt, and what’s worse: they frustrate you, or the idea to invest time, then it is what it is.

I don’t have a Syntakt, so I can’t tell you which one would be better for you. That’s something that you found out already for yourself. You don’t like both of them :wink:

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#19

Same here, I sold the DN when I realised that I was fine with the DT alone and I didn’t need to add complexity in my setup, that kill my creativity. I learned something : i’m a one machine guy!

But if one day in the future I have to grab a synth, it will be a DN again, love the form factor and it sound incredibly good.

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#20

I liked it a lot as well but I find it less useful than the Digitakt overall (less midi tracks, no compressor…). I would love a Digitone with a smaller form factor and without the sequencer part. Like just a small module for Digitakt

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