I love my Digitakt! I have been through so many drum machines and groove boxes searching for a sequencer that did what I wanted it to do and this sequencer does everything I can possibly dream of! Awesome vid!
Just got one last week, only gripe so far is that it doesn't record all 8 individual tracks with FX into the DAW, only the main track. I'll check out song mode to sort of bypass that.
I just picked one of these up towards the beginning of summer. Easily my favorite piece of gear I own. Before getting one I was honestly intimidated by sampling, but now it's completely changed the way I make "music." This thing is endless fun and a really nice piece of hardware.
Hey bro, great job. that was easily the clearest and most user friendly explanation of the digitakts beauty. You made it sound as simple as it is. Takes a bit of practice though. 🤣👍
Braintree is the last stop on the outbound red line train coming up from Boston. I dunno why I'm telling you this... The digitakt is really wonderful though especially with the new updates, really feels timeless and I regret not getting one when it first came out. Now I have too many samplers with too much overlap. Still immensely respect the thing though.
Oh thanks but I have been in the family for a while now 😂 I had the other Digi boxes but didn’t get the DT until last. Big mistake! I should have bought it first 😊. I’m over the moon with them all, really. They’re perfect
Ok just an observation but I’m hearing what sounds like stereo samples playing left & right. I know the Digitakt is known for being a mono player. Can I assume that the a few samples are just panned hard L & R? …unless I’m mistaken 🤔
That's a really great question! The output is in stereo even thought the samples are in Mono. There are built in FX - notably the Pan and Ping-Pong delay - that take advantage of this. You can set LFOs to modulate these as well. So even though the sample might be Mono - the actual sound you are hearing can have stereo elements. That's probably what you are hearing.
This wasn't quite zero latency. Go to Settings -> audio -> Devices. You'll see "I/O Buffer Size". This was done at 128 and that's generally where I record. I might lower it if I'm play a fast and technical piece on keys, but... 128 is fast enough for 99% of my recordings. With the Digitakt you can reduce it to 32 samples which is just over 1ms...
@@braintree56 I use these settings or/and even lower values. unfortunately it’s enough for me id it’s Digitakt only song. As soon as i start putting chords or other instruments you can clearly hear latency/not being in sync
@@vadykk Interesting. Are you using the Digitakt as the audio interface? There is a "Low Latency Mode" in the general tab of the audio settings. You might want to try that. Also try running the stereo outs into an audio interface and playing chords and see if there is still some latency.
@7:35 , what would be the downside of simply continuing to hold TRK and then hitting NO to revert the changes instead of re-loading the pattern? (and having to move more fingers?)
That would work too. I don't know if I'd call it a downside, but.. you can't do that if you were to do it to one track. Also if you accidentally lift your finger off the track button it won't work. The other downside is that you have to make sure to hold the track button the whole time... For me I just have it committed to memory to nail that function button. Keep it consistent. It's probably good to know both methods, I could see a situation where you want to revert one level of a change but not go all the way back until a later moment... :)
I’m trying to replace Ableton with a sampler like this, my concern is that I’ll hit the 64mb limit too quickly as I import all the drum loops I have created 🤔
I have a digitakt, digitone, circuit tracks, none of them can replace 10% of what Ableton can do LOL, and require complicated setup workarounds if you want to get any close to a daw.
@@zerubeus yeah true. In my case it’s for live performance and Ableton was basically only looping audio and doing fx… so I ordered an SP404mk2 to take its place. Between that and an A4mk2 I plan to perform DAWless! 🤗
@@hillbilly8621 yeah thanks, I had done those maths, and although it’s quite a lot I also want one shots, long samples, stems, all timestretched. So even if I fit it all, there’s no SD card, so I’d have one set list and then have to replace stuff to get another set list. Anyway, I got the SP404mk2 and hated it lol, design/workflow choices are hard to swallow, so I sent it back and am looking at getting an OTmk2.
When will they make mk2 with an sd card and bigger screen? That’s really what’s stopped me all these years….. the m8 streams samples from the SD card. I don’t understand why one guy can do that but not the big companies. I’ll stick with what I have for now.
There is intent behind it. It's a very Scandinavian design philosophy - "just enough but not too much". Compare this cultural mindset to that of America ...
What I really miss with the DT is that i dont have aftertouch/pitchbend/mode wheel and short cuts of CC of my keystep 37. It does not go to my desktop synths :-/ reaaaaly hope they will do something for it!
I'm not sure if I'm totally understanding, but the Digitakt can read after touch, pitchbend and mod wheel through midi. You have to enable it on the track.
@@braintree56 with my set up it’s not totally working. I have a keystep37 going to the DT and i use the midi tracks (with a midi hub) to sequence several desktop synths. AT/PB/MW do not work with them. I asked Elektron and here is their answer : « Pitchbend and Modwheel data will not be passed to the Digitakt MIDI OUT port. We have on our to-do list to look into the possibilities for changing that for a future update, but I can't promise anything. Generally speaking, MIDI OUT is for sending data created by a device while MIDI THRU is for forwarding data received on the MIDI IN port. » Sorry if i was not clear at first
@@Vingul It’s compressed and leveled with the headphones, which to his ears are too treble heavy, lack bass and dynamics. He assumed the mix he hears in his headphones translates to other systems including the speakers, but it clearly didn’t. It almost sounds as if he has never mastered before with the headphones or at least this particular set of headphones. To me the only way to use them is in conjuction with the monitors, I can zoom in and then instantly zoom out with them whereas the monitors allow me to track the overall balance of the mix. Of course there are people who can mix with the headphones only but at least to me for example compression is difficult to get right with the headphone drivers compared to the real speakers, as is leveling individual tracks. For example, if I want to make a percussive backing track, I will likely always have a single conga sticking out like a sore thumb when I try to make it visible in the mix with the headphone. The moment I take the headphones off, I can hear it sticking out in the overall mix but with the headphones only, not so much. And this is true regardless of the headphones I use, I stopped trying to make them work for me when it was the same even with the HD650. Headphones are not speakers 🤷♂️ Uh and we call it Mörkö 😁
On paper most Elektron stuff is great, but none of it has any personality. There are people like Stimming who are capable of making decent music which happens to include an Octatrack, but that’s a pretty rare exception, and he’s using it more like a mixer/sequencer with other gear which actually does have personality. YT is completely overloaded with Elektron-only jams which are very self-satisfied about being “dawless” … Which is pretty ridiculous when the Digitakt is much more of a DAW-in-a-box groovebox than a sampler. It barely even had any sampler features until they got added after several years of updates. An SP-404 is a much better sampler for half the price. In a lot of ways a PO-33 is a better sampler. And most of the jams people do on a PO-33 are a lot more interesting/creative than anything you’ll see on a Digitakt. Because the Digitakt guys are usually the same type of guys who run out of ideas and get a Microcosm to try to fake it because the pleasant random noises a Microcosm makes is a step up from what they’re doing. No but it’s great. It’s like an OP-1 if you took away the colorful screen.
Elektron is about as far away from a DAW as you can get. You’re thinking of Akai. The sequencer is amazingly creative, parameter locking is so quick and easy. I’ve not updated mine yet to get the new features, I’ve been using the work arounds for a long time and they always throw up surprises. But we’re all different and like different things. Personally, a 404 wouldn’t do anything for me, having put a lot of thought into getting one.
I have all three of the samplers you mentioned and they are ALL great, but really so different. I take your point about RUclips, etc. but there are plenty of people actually performing and releasing great music who use Elektron gear. It’s really the artist, not the tools.
Elektron pulls a nerd crowd while Teenage Engineering pulls more of an instrumental/indie crowd. You can play an OP-1 pretty easily. 'Playing' most Elektron boxes isn't a very musical experience to watch. For example, the RYTM literally says "drum computer" right on the front. It's designed to program first and foremost with playability coming in second.
@@cumblaster420 - could you recommend some decent OP1 or OPZ channels? I’m a self confessed Elektron fan, workflow is perfect for me, but loved some of the features on the pocket operators. Thought about an OPZ but could never really justify the price for the size of the thing. Need convincing. Re your point about the RYTM, it’s a really decent drum machine, but as a drum machine it’s really meant to be programmed. The XOX sequencing is perfect for quickly trying different variations on steps.
I love my Digitakt! I have been through so many drum machines and groove boxes searching for a sequencer that did what I wanted it to do and this sequencer does everything I can possibly dream of! Awesome vid!
what genres of music do you make?
what genres of music do you make?
Same, I am on my 4th Digitakt, will never sell it again, there is a reason why I keep going back to them.
Just got one last week, only gripe so far is that it doesn't record all 8 individual tracks with FX into the DAW, only the main track. I'll check out song mode to sort of bypass that.
I just picked one of these up towards the beginning of summer. Easily my favorite piece of gear I own. Before getting one I was honestly intimidated by sampling, but now it's completely changed the way I make "music." This thing is endless fun and a really nice piece of hardware.
It’s comments like these that really help me decide between this and the MPC
I'm always amazed at the creativity in your tracks. 🎵💖
Hey bro, great job. that was easily the clearest and most user friendly explanation of the digitakts beauty. You made it sound as simple as it is. Takes a bit of practice though. 🤣👍
So this means some of the best features of the octatrack are now in the little digitakt, very nice!
Have mine for only 1 month but already fell in love with it, now I want the DT2 as well, well done Elektron ;)
Good timing. I just bought one last night 😂😊
7 months later how’s the Digitakt? I’m looking at buying one
@@FluxFreeman did you get one? I just did.
Super smooth tut on the Digitakt. Thanks
Awesome video 🎉
Braintree is the last stop on the outbound red line train coming up from Boston. I dunno why I'm telling you this... The digitakt is really wonderful though especially with the new updates, really feels timeless and I regret not getting one when it first came out. Now I have too many samplers with too much overlap. Still immensely respect the thing though.
Hate the south sho
WORC3ST3R REPR3S3NT!!!
Also a town in England - which is (I'm assuming) where Braintree, MA got it's name! :)
@@braintree56 yeah everything here is named after things from England and parts of Tom Brady's body.
Red Line, Baybee! Braintree/Alewife!
@@GeorgeL909I’m from Tomsshlong just north of Wista
that track at 7 minutes is NAAAASTY!
This convinced me, and overbridge with 8 tracks, that's just the icing for me! one of the icings! thanks for the video m8
A classic , what i wanted my mc500 to do years ago .
And still awesome in 2024 and longer forever
Still?
really enjoy the pacing in your digitakt videos
This is now closer to the octatrak than I thought
Great video! Can you do one on the Octatrack?
yesss please i’ve been tryna figure this out too
Great video! Finally sold me on getting a digitakt 😂
My man welcome to the Elektron cult. It is awesome.
Oh thanks but I have been in the family for a while now 😂 I had the other Digi boxes but didn’t get the DT until last. Big mistake! I should have bought it first 😊. I’m over the moon with them all, really. They’re perfect
Excellent. My kid just bought one.
Ok just an observation but I’m hearing what sounds like stereo samples playing left & right. I know the Digitakt is known for being a mono player. Can I assume that the a few samples are just panned hard L & R? …unless I’m mistaken 🤔
That's a really great question! The output is in stereo even thought the samples are in Mono. There are built in FX - notably the Pan and Ping-Pong delay - that take advantage of this. You can set LFOs to modulate these as well. So even though the sample might be Mono - the actual sound you are hearing can have stereo elements. That's probably what you are hearing.
King of trash
Excellent info💯❤️
Digitakt is king 👑. I had to sell it 😞 just because of financial reason but it’s definitely capable of some incredible sound manipulation and beyond
9:12 straight out of earthbound
GПроще и понятней многих других видео.Спасибо автору
Are the factory digital samples built into the room so you can accidentally remove them? Is 64mb memory enough or upgraded?
There are tools and there are gimmicks. Digitakt is a tool, that’s why it will last.
Wish list!
Great video. Still waiting for the ability to couple two rack into a stereo one.
You can just split the samples and hard pan, you can even use midi loopback so you can play both at the same time with one of the midi channels
Very nice 👍
Could you tell the settings how you achieved zero latency on recording in Logic PLEASE
This wasn't quite zero latency. Go to Settings -> audio -> Devices. You'll see "I/O Buffer Size". This was done at 128 and that's generally where I record. I might lower it if I'm play a fast and technical piece on keys, but... 128 is fast enough for 99% of my recordings. With the Digitakt you can reduce it to 32 samples which is just over 1ms...
@@braintree56 I use these settings or/and even lower values. unfortunately it’s enough for me id it’s Digitakt only song. As soon as i start putting chords or other instruments you can clearly hear latency/not being in sync
@@vadykk Interesting. Are you using the Digitakt as the audio interface? There is a "Low Latency Mode" in the general tab of the audio settings. You might want to try that. Also try running the stereo outs into an audio interface and playing chords and see if there is still some latency.
@@braintree56 correct, audio output is DT in is and logic, DT itself in OB mode. Tried low latency - no success
@@vadykk What are you playing chords on? Where is that audio routed? Is it going through the Digitakt?
its amazing for sure, but can someone explain why we need Stereo drums ? i usually like to mono my kick and snare, i dont need them panned
@7:35 , what would be the downside of simply continuing to hold TRK and then hitting NO to revert the changes instead of re-loading the pattern? (and having to move more fingers?)
That would work too. I don't know if I'd call it a downside, but.. you can't do that if you were to do it to one track. Also if you accidentally lift your finger off the track button it won't work. The other downside is that you have to make sure to hold the track button the whole time... For me I just have it committed to memory to nail that function button. Keep it consistent.
It's probably good to know both methods, I could see a situation where you want to revert one level of a change but not go all the way back until a later moment... :)
that beat is really dope, you have it out?
I'm a long time MPC JJOS user. Would this be the same thing without pads?
It’s still awesome, b/c it’s the little bro of the OG Octatrack!
What input cables do you use?
The link to BT's channel isn't working
They could update it.
I’m trying to replace Ableton with a sampler like this, my concern is that I’ll hit the 64mb limit too quickly as I import all the drum loops I have created 🤔
This is a good concern, I’m dreaming of one of these machines too
I have a digitakt, digitone, circuit tracks, none of them can replace 10% of what Ableton can do LOL, and require complicated setup workarounds if you want to get any close to a daw.
@@zerubeus yeah true. In my case it’s for live performance and Ableton was basically only looping audio and doing fx… so I ordered an SP404mk2 to take its place. Between that and an A4mk2 I plan to perform DAWless! 🤗
64MB is about 11 minutes. That’s 82 4-bar loops at 120BPM. Or 328 1-bar loops. IMO you run out of slots before you run out of memory.
@@hillbilly8621 yeah thanks, I had done those maths, and although it’s quite a lot I also want one shots, long samples, stems, all timestretched. So even if I fit it all, there’s no SD card, so I’d have one set list and then have to replace stuff to get another set list.
Anyway, I got the SP404mk2 and hated it lol, design/workflow choices are hard to swallow, so I sent it back and am looking at getting an OTmk2.
When will they make mk2 with an sd card and bigger screen? That’s really what’s stopped me all these years….. the m8 streams samples from the SD card. I don’t understand why one guy can do that but not the big companies. I’ll stick with what I have for now.
Elektron is the Apple of sequencer boxes. It takes me years to accept the USB C cable now
There is intent behind it. It's a very Scandinavian design philosophy - "just enough but not too much". Compare this cultural mindset to that of America ...
Why do you need a bigger screen? Eyesight?
@@Vingul spoiled by polyend tracker.
@@lebronsinclair8012 I see, the Digitakt is my first machine of this sort so I have no point of reference. That does look like a sleek machine.
how do you get the DAW interface? I plug my digitakt with an USB cable but nothing shows up on my DAW (Garageband...) any ideas? ;(
RUclips digitakt overbridge
👍👍👍👍❤
Is there an easy way to make a beat in 6/8
Set the pattern speed (s) to 3/4 and make the total length and master length (if using per track) to a num divisible by 12.
Set track/pattern length to a division/multiplication of 6, and you're done.
What I really miss with the DT is that i dont have aftertouch/pitchbend/mode wheel and short cuts of CC of my keystep 37. It does not go to my desktop synths :-/ reaaaaly hope they will do something for it!
I'm not sure if I'm totally understanding, but the Digitakt can read after touch, pitchbend and mod wheel through midi. You have to enable it on the track.
@@braintree56 with my set up it’s not totally working. I have a keystep37 going to the DT and i use the midi tracks (with a midi hub) to sequence several desktop synths. AT/PB/MW do not work with them. I asked Elektron and here is their answer : « Pitchbend and Modwheel data will not be passed to the Digitakt MIDI OUT port. We have on our to-do list to look into the possibilities for changing that for a future update, but I can't promise anything. Generally speaking, MIDI OUT is for sending data created by a device while MIDI THRU is for forwarding data received on the MIDI IN port. »
Sorry if i was not clear at first
@@sophiestellakis Gotcha! Hopefully they'll get to it. Seems like it would be a fairly easy update...
All my fingers are crossed! :) apart drop this, thanks for your vidéo which is a great reminder of what a good sequencer it is!
"Performance" is a great example of why you shouldn't master with headphones only.
"Performance" meaning what in this context?
I like the Groke avatar btw... or Hufsa as I know her as in Norway.
Sorry, commented before the "performance" section of the video rolled around... but none the wiser about how it relates to mastering.
@@Vingul It’s compressed and leveled with the headphones, which to his ears are too treble heavy, lack bass and dynamics. He assumed the mix he hears in his headphones translates to other systems including the speakers, but it clearly didn’t. It almost sounds as if he has never mastered before with the headphones or at least this particular set of headphones. To me the only way to use them is in conjuction with the monitors, I can zoom in and then instantly zoom out with them whereas the monitors allow me to track the overall balance of the mix. Of course there are people who can mix with the headphones only but at least to me for example compression is difficult to get right with the headphone drivers compared to the real speakers, as is leveling individual tracks. For example, if I want to make a percussive backing track, I will likely always have a single conga sticking out like a sore thumb when I try to make it visible in the mix with the headphone. The moment I take the headphones off, I can hear it sticking out in the overall mix but with the headphones only, not so much. And this is true regardless of the headphones I use, I stopped trying to make them work for me when it was the same even with the HD650. Headphones are not speakers 🤷♂️ Uh and we call it Mörkö 😁
et cetera, not ex cetera
If there is something better than the Digitakt then please let me know
Octatrack
@@ibrajimenez2098 Depends, really
they all have strengths and weaknesses. You could look at a blackbox or an MPC One for example. Both are better in some ways and worse in others.
Burritos
Roland MV-1 by a country mile
the sequencer is limited compared to piano roll
Different style
It's just too expensive. 2 years ago you could get that thing for at least 200 less.
Yeah it's not like there's been a pandemic, chip shortages, wars ...
Nah the MC 707 is
Still happy I got rid of it :)
But man , these tips exist since 2010 ( yes , 13 years ) when the octatrack was released ! Come on , wake up !
Your videographer has not so good eyesight.
Because your intro is not in good focus at all 😉
On paper most Elektron stuff is great, but none of it has any personality. There are people like Stimming who are capable of making decent music which happens to include an Octatrack, but that’s a pretty rare exception, and he’s using it more like a mixer/sequencer with other gear which actually does have personality. YT is completely overloaded with Elektron-only jams which are very self-satisfied about being “dawless” … Which is pretty ridiculous when the Digitakt is much more of a DAW-in-a-box groovebox than a sampler. It barely even had any sampler features until they got added after several years of updates. An SP-404 is a much better sampler for half the price. In a lot of ways a PO-33 is a better sampler. And most of the jams people do on a PO-33 are a lot more interesting/creative than anything you’ll see on a Digitakt. Because the Digitakt guys are usually the same type of guys who run out of ideas and get a Microcosm to try to fake it because the pleasant random noises a Microcosm makes is a step up from what they’re doing. No but it’s great. It’s like an OP-1 if you took away the colorful screen.
Elektron is about as far away from a DAW as you can get. You’re thinking of Akai.
The sequencer is amazingly creative, parameter locking is so quick and easy.
I’ve not updated mine yet to get the new features, I’ve been using the work arounds for a long time and they always throw up surprises.
But we’re all different and like different things. Personally, a 404 wouldn’t do anything for me, having put a lot of thought into getting one.
I have all three of the samplers you mentioned and they are ALL great, but really so different. I take your point about RUclips, etc. but there are plenty of people actually performing and releasing great music who use Elektron gear. It’s really the artist, not the tools.
Elektron pulls a nerd crowd while Teenage Engineering pulls more of an instrumental/indie crowd. You can play an OP-1 pretty easily. 'Playing' most Elektron boxes isn't a very musical experience to watch. For example, the RYTM literally says "drum computer" right on the front. It's designed to program first and foremost with playability coming in second.
@@cumblaster420 - could you recommend some decent OP1 or OPZ channels?
I’m a self confessed Elektron fan, workflow is perfect for me, but loved some of the features on the pocket operators. Thought about an OPZ but could never really justify the price for the size of the thing. Need convincing.
Re your point about the RYTM, it’s a really decent drum machine, but as a drum machine it’s really meant to be programmed. The XOX sequencing is perfect for quickly trying different variations on steps.
@@leftmono1016 I don't know anything about OP channels. Sorry.
Over priced King😂
You guys should fix the link to @braintree56’s channel
Just subbed you @braintree56 dude!
Mike wtf cam still out of focus!!