TR8S vs Digitakt

red sliders, as dim as they’ll go. that’s my jam.

You haven’t tried the song mode on the Engine, it’s perfect IMO

Have not. Care to elaborate?

I took a peek in the manual. Editing them still seems fiddly, but the ability to record them real-time is indeed interesting.

If you can’t change the green that lights up the buttons, the red & green are going to look a lot like Christmas.

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Sounds Santastic😂

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In terms of a “live” performance or “jam” oriented machine the TR8S looks to be hands down a much more capable bit of kit in regards to features and ergonomics.

TR8S (just a list of software features that have real world drum machine performance oriented functionality)

  • ability to copy playing pattern to new pattern without stopping or ‘short gaps’
  • ability to assign performance macros
  • ability to work on pattern that isn’t playing.
  • generate a random pattern
  • eight variations per pattern
  • three programmable/auto “fill-ins” per pattern
  • pattern variation record/playback
  • SD transfer/storage/backup
  • Sub Steps. (holding down the [SUB] button and turning the [VALUE] knob you can choose 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 as the number of step divisions. (which I assume would be great for easily entering in triplet patterns per instrument).
  • Flam
  • Instrument Roll
  • Input Weak Beats (play or record)
  • Accent
  • Ability to record motion control of FX
  • Parameter step locks
  • Instrument grouping and fx processing
  • Master FX
  • Stereo or mono sample playback
  • Solo
  • Onboard drum synthesis
  • Audio streaming of independent tracks via usb
  • Ability to select different colors per channel

Could probably go on for a bit more and the hardware looks vastly more suited to be a live performance instrument in every way over the Digitakt along with 8 audio/trigger outs. This thing pisses all over the Digitakt as a “Drum Computer” in every way.

Normally I would say it is what it is, but Elektron have totally dropped the ball on support for digitakt and overbridge. Some operations on DT are just so cumbersome and require much parameter fiddling to do a simple flam. Retrig is almost unusable in live setting with usually undesirable effects unless you make glitch music, but even then it’s still not a smooth effect without first setting trig velocity low then going into Retrig and fiddling w/ note length so something like 1/16 or 1/8 and change velocity. geez-us shit!

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Ace.

Guys the faders were huge in my choice to get one because often times it’s exactly what making patterns into songs need, something to fade out while something new fades in. Timeless, simple, and effective stuff, but pretty tricky without faders!

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Sorry that’s just not good enough.

It’s a basic feature to include and imo essential for a machine that is the centrepiece.

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always wished from Elektron what Roland just did: TAPE DELAY!!! with adjustable tape heads

and ALL classic roland drum maschines are included as ACB modeling

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No disrespect to the OP. But hopefully this thread dies. There’s no comparison.

They’re very different machines.

The 8S is an upgrade from the 8. That’s it. No more.

The DT is the DT.

They confidently stand on their own, respectively.

But if you had to. I’d compared the 8S to the Machinedrum

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But really only in the sense that you freely choose the “machine” you want to load for each of its voices.

Except for that, it’s a completely different thing indeed.

Possibly. It’s just a feeling. Like the MD compared to the new Elektrons feels kind of basic.

The 8S, while super advanced, still feels pretty basic. Like the text screen and menu diving

It’s not even that different, IMHO. Sure, the UI looks a bit nicer with those slick pixel animations on the Digi boxes, and the sequencer now has independent track length and conditional triggers, but that’s about it.

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The MD is only as basic like a Citroen DS is basic compared to some BMW X…

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Yeah the TR-8S looks kind of huge next to the DT, but if asked to choose between smaller housing, less knobs, and slightly bigger housing with a bunch more knobs plus faders, I’d lean towards the latter; especially since there isn’t that much of a price difference.

Joking aside, TR-8S if you want classic x0x sounds and basic sample playback with the focus on realtime performance, Digitakt if you want a neat little sampler with the focus on being more open ended.

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93B8F174-E287-44EE-98F1-099AF5F4DCA5

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tr8s : not very surprising, effects sound digital in a bad way, digitakt : sounds beautiful but not a lot of effects

I’d be very surprised if the effects in the TR-8S sounded bad, Roland have been making excellent sounding digital fx for a few decades and the fx in the MX-1 are very good.

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