Sorry for the flicker in the screen in this one... It doesn't do that in real life, I just mismatched my shutter speed and throwing plugins at it in post didn't help much. The flicker I referred to in the video is the pads lighting up when you press them, which turned out to not be an issue.
You've probably seen this, but with the latest firmware you can hold Func and hit Master a few times to page through to the external mixer. That lets you route the external channels in either as one stereo or two mono, and then control how much to send them through reverb and delay (and they also go through the compressor), a lot like Circuit Tracks. I actually switched to a Digitakt recently because it combines most of what I personally want out of Tracks and Rhythm in one. Love it so far.
I've never used a Digitakt, but I do own an Octatrack, and the quality of the engineering that went into that machine is staggering, if the digitakt is anything like it, I think you will appreciate it.
side note..I've had n used an Octatrack for years which still blows my mind,but.. recently got the Digitakt and whoa! each is unique..I choose Both ;)) Best regards
Dope. I think my one bit of best practices kind of advice would be, when you're starting a project, unload the default samples and replace them with whatever 8 would be handiest to start each pattern with. And from there, I'd just add samples as you go instead of loading up in the beginning. In general, I find that on the Digitakt, the biggest limit is going to be available sample slots. Also on that front, another thing I do is use short chains of drums and drum breaks instead of one shots. With the MIDI stuff, the Digitakt treats chords as kind of a single block of notes, so if you want more nuance, you can always send more than one track to the same channel. And where that part shines is when you start getting into the MIDI ccs. You can, depending on how quick your synth is send parameter locks and program changes in a sequence. If you're controlling the Rhythm, for example, it's a little wonky if you're trying to lock in track parameters like filter cutoff or sample choice. But it works perfectly on the master fx track. So you can use the Digitakt to control and edit the grid fx. It's a lot of fun. I'm glad you're enjoying it
Agreed, usually I'll use whatever my default 8 are for as much as possible. Looping single cycles of kick drum for leads and whatnot, then just FUNC+SRC to load a sample super quickly. Another great practice is to get used to saving sounds. That way you have samples with all of their parameters saved and ready to go no matter what project you load up. Pads, atmosphere, etc. You can even sort by category and cycle banks with the trig keys which is makes it all feel that much faster 👌🏽
There’s so many reviews that say the sequencer is hard to use but you just showed everyone that if you ever used any other groove box it’s easy to get something going. After that it takes time to wrap your head around sound locks, parameter locks (not just sample swapping), conditional trigs, trig less trigs and using micro timings creatively. The sequencer is easy to use, hard to master.
The sequencer is super easy to use, probably one of the more immediately gratifying sequencers around with quick access to step parameters many other sequencers require menu diving to adjust, such as 'microtiming'. On the RS7000, to change timing of an individual note on a track requires going about 3 menus deep then flicking through a list of all notes and events and finding the one you want and then entering another menu to make an adjustment on it's timing. Compare this to just mashing the Page button to see the step you want to edit, then holding the button for that step and mashing the arrow keys...sooooo much quicker!
I got a Digitakt in 2018, and I'm thinking about selling it now. Here's why: - It's not designed for what I want to do. For an example where I tried to work around this, see the "Easy Does It" video on my channel, where I sequenced an entire song using external gear and two banks worth of patterns. It worked, but it was a *lot* harder than it needed to be. I generally write songs horizontally first (like a timeline, record a few minutes of a single instrument, like a song-length melody) and then work vertically (add bass, pads, drums, etc) and then tweak the voicing, mixing, and arrangement last. But Elektron is designed for exactly the opposite -- finish a single pattern first, including all the parts and voicing and mixing and effects... then copy-paste it and modify the notes to extend the song length. So I was constantly going against the grain, which caused a lot of friction and frustration. - Because of the Elektron workflow, I usually got stuck in short loops... because it's designed for the user to perform using short loops. But short loops are what I'm trying to get away from. - It's awkward as a drum machine, because it has no concept of drum kits. Usually when I'm making a beat, I want to just tap out rhythms immediately, then maybe adjust sounds later or scroll through drum kits to find one which works. But the Digitakt heavily pushes people to spend a bunch of time putting a kit together up front, before entering notes. And then there's not really a way to save it for later use in other projects. The closest thing it can do is if I load an existing project, select a finished pattern, copy it, paste it to an empty slot, then clear the note data... I get something like a "kit". But this puts a bunch of songs inside each project, which adds a whole slew of organizational issues... especially if you want more than one pattern per song. (I usually need dozens of patterns per song) - It's not good at triplets, rolls, or flams... which, as a drummer, I normally use a lot. There are workarounds for each, but they're another source of friction. - Max 64 steps per pattern. Normally I need 128, 160, 256, or 320 steps per phrase, so I bump my head on this constantly. Conditional trigs and Euclidian sequencing are *not* a solution to this; they're just a way to make short loops less boring. - It's awkward as a midi sequencer, because it blocks CC data like pitch bend, mod wheel, and aftertouch from external controllers, and can only send those from the onboard encoder knobs. For sequencing, these things are limited to one value per step, or a LFO. So I find it makes my midi devices sound lifeless due to the missing expression data. This can be worked around by turning the knobs real-time during a performance, but only if you use it with monotimbral synths with their own onboard controls. Also, it has a weird implementation for chords, which tends to be another thing to trip over if you ever want to edit those after recording. - It's artificially crippled for commercial reasons which aren't even relevant any more. So... no class-compliant USB storage for transferring data. No class-compliant USB audio per track. Because Elektron originally planned to sell it for $650 in a crippled form, plus $100 for Overbridge to unlock advanced features. But this went over so badly that they cancelled the idea, raised the price to $750 flat, and de-prioritized Overbridge development. Newer devices use standard USB protocols instead of Overbridge, which is more compatible and more reliable long-term, but Digitakt is from the generation where it still relies on proprietary companion software, which makes some important things inaccessible. The Digitakt is great at what it does... but what it does isn't what I need. So I ended up buying an Akai Force instead, which I hope will be more appropriate for me. It has the workflow style I want... with a clip launcher, a timeline arranger, drum kits, onboard synths, better midi, standards compliance, way more tracks at a time, unlimited phrase length, stereo tracks, better sample capabilities, pressure-sensitive pads, and muuuuch deeper drum performance features. But to see what a Digitakt can do in ideal circumstances, look up Ehsan Gelsi on youtube. He does amazing stuff with a Digitakt and external synths, and his workflow is a great example of how to get the most out of it.
Wow-thank you for the in depth review. I myself would probably favor a workflow similar to yours. If you don't mind me asking-what system/device have you found to be easier to use? Thanks again.
@@luminousbrilliance1711 TBH, I'm still searching. Maybe I always will be. The most fun I've ever had with music was basically just a looper, a synth, and a drum machine. I was using two Kaoss pads and a Microkorg. But with that setup, I ran out of recording buffers awfully fast and would get stuck in a short loop without any meaningful progression. So I started looking for something more powerful. I've tried a bunch of different methods, and I think what I need is basically a standalone hardware version of Ableton Live. In other words, a many-track clip launcher with unlimited phrase length and number of clips per track... plus the ability to arrange clips onto a timeline for later tweaking. Getting sounds into it would be a lot like a looper, quick and intuitive, but it'd be deeper and more capable of doing full songs. ... and that's what the Akai Force is. But I can't say for sure if it's what I need, because mine doesn't get here until later this week. So maybe it's the answer, or maybe it's just another learning experience. It'll take a while to find out.
@@ToyKeeper Thank you for the reply! I have a bunch of Ableton Pads, but Live's workflow kind of eludes me. That's a me being lazy thing. Thanks again for the reply!
Interesting about getting stuck in patterns, I also like to work linearly the same as you say for building up tracks, ..the lack of song mode with digitakt doesn't help too. That said, I'm still to try one out for real, and know the experimental sound design aspect would satisfy me. Will be interesting to see what happens with digitakt sales once the new sp404 MkII hits. Apples and oranges, but I think the SP may pull some prospective buyers, ..budget, new device vs old etc
that’s one thing I love about all Elektron gear. Built like a tank and will last decades if properly cared for. Love my MD, A4 and OT and hope to still enjoy them 25 years from now.
Finally is right! I’ve had my digitakt for almost 2 years now. The amount you can do with 2 lfos, individual pattern lengths & trigless trigs is insane. Definitely suggest diving deeper into it. It’ll be great content to see!
Finally! The digitakt is my go to drum machine. Absolutely love it! I'm glad you're enjoying it. There's so much you can do, and yes it can be used as a standalone groove box. I use it to design and sequence drum sounds. It is possible to chop up samples on it, but it can be a little tedious, and if you want to re pitch a melody sample the speed will change as well. But you can make some crazy synth sounds with just some tones. You can layer and resample. Okay I'm gonna stop now, enjoy the Digitakt!
regarding pattern lengh, you can set slower playback of pattern (down to 1/8x of normal speed) and record without quantisation, this way you can technically record up to 32 bars lomg pattern.. och also you can change not just pattern length for whole pattern, bit different for each track
Also, trigger conditions can make even a single measure seem very very long by making triggers only happen every 2nd loop etc. Then there's FILL, in which you can toggle between fill and non fill triggers on a pattern on the fly. And finally randomize triggers with probability and your single pattern will be infinitely changing, albeit with no direct control, but for hi hats and keeping those constantly changing, randomized triggers are great!
Welcome to the dark side. :) glad to see you diving in to the Elektron world! I can’t wait until you discover what’s beneath the surface. Great content as always!
I'm enjoying it so far! I also have the Model: Cycles, which I've used mostly for drum and FM sound design, but for groovebox purposes, the Digitakt is more up my alley.
@@GabeMillerMusic I’m looking forward to seeing you dig in to it. Also the Digitone will be right up your alley for FM combined with the same workflow. Thanks for the great content
Glad you finally got your hands on one, surprised it hasn't been featured yet! You mentioned the polyphonic midi acting weird, 4 notes per step, and they share a bunch of parameters, gate length, velocity etc. That's what pushed me away, I'm used to midi sequencing with MPC's, spoiled.
Fair enough! I've had an ongoing list of stuff to try, and just couldn't get to this one until now. It's definitely a different vibe from the MPC, I'm enjoying both for different reasons.
yeah thanks to conditional trigs i male often with just 1 bar melody which is actually long 4 bars ... plus when you combine it with possibility to play track on 1/2, 1/4 or even 1/8 speed - you can create almost infinitely long evolving sequences :-)
+1 for this. One of my favourite aspects of this box is the trig conditions. You can build up patterns that are way longer than 4 bars. The “Elektron sequencer” is what sets this box apart from most other grooveboxes, and seeds creativity, every time I sit down to make a tune with it.
Nice! I think most if not all of this demo is in the 1.1 firmware? The 1.3 firmware gives you an extra LFO per track, an additional base/width filter that's handy for mixing and the ability to use the input channels as a two-track mixer - and you can add delay and reverb to the incoming signals or use them to trigger the sidechain compressor. Also push the time divider on the scale page and you can make some tracks that last for 8 bars (or more) with fewer steps per bar.
As someone who bought the Digitakt when the firmware was 1.01, it’s very interesting to see it through a new user's eyes. It’s nowhere near as hard to use as people make it out to be, and once you have worked it out you can move on to the Rytm with no issues, as the interface is basically the same. Regarding 4 bars, individual track scaling and retriggers can do a lot of work to help you out here.
Excellent video sir! I was fortunate enough to receive one as a gift from my partner, the absolute superstar that she is, earlier this year and I can promise you a fabulous journey delving into the delights this blighter has to offer! Enjoy, peace ✌️
Digitakt is, by far, my favorite instrument. When it clicked, I fell in love. My favorite feature is the conditional trigs so you can set sounds to kick off every other repeat, or every 3rd, or even set a random percentage! If my entire collection got stolen, the Digitakt would be the first thing I'd buy. Also, Bobeats is selling a kickass Digitakt t-shirt.
you can set the scale to 64 and the master to 0128 and that will give you 8 more bars. Also, you can send midi start/ stop/ clock and have you daw launch and stop the recording along with the Digitakt. Cool videos Gabe!
Trig conditions can basically get you to 32+ Bars when you include % chance and the fill button. Check out Time stretch vids by dialectrics on youtube. You can also use the LFO to change the samples. You can do so much with digitakt.
Gabe, my dude, my guy, welcome to the family 🥁 Also I have migraines too, but after the last update you can actually turn the LED brightness down in the System settings! And more than any other tip. The best advice that I can give you is to watch Ivar Tryti's videos. The dude is a demi-god on an Elektron Box.
Welcome to the Digitakt, I've watched your videos for a while and thought you needed a digitakt in your life...... Get into p locks and conditional trigs for fills and funkyness :)
The Digitakt was my very first foray into hardware groove boxes and synths. It’s still by far my favourite. Totally my desert island device. Once you jive with the workflow IT’S FAST!
It kind of like a Electribe, but looks cooler for sure. The effects are probably a little better too (even the model Samples FX sounds good). I can see the sequencer is probably a bit more sophisticated, although the 'Tribe is OK if you apply groove afterwards. I don't like the non-velocity pads, but I'm thinking this is probably aimed at EDM or other genres where this is not a big deal. I personally am much more excited about the new Roland SP-404 MK2, but of course this is a totally different productwith pros and cons. But still, 32 note Polyphony, great FX, 16 velocity sensitive pads (small though), battery power, good screen with graphic waveform editing, 16GB storage with a SD slot, not bad at all .
Finally! I asked for Digitakt review few weeks ago and I'm really happy that you got this "groovebox". I got Korg E2, Novation Rhythm and Cycles(thanks to your channel), but I wanna get a second-handed Digitakt cuz now they got Overbridge and I really crave that multi export thing. Though I don't know which to keep between Rhythm and Digitakt.. (won't ever gonna sell E2 and Cycles cuz they got their own quirks)
Hey Gabe, nice video, been thinking about one of these for a while. The Model:XXXXX's have the ability to change the time signature of a track and I'd expect the Digitakt would too, this allows longer than 4 bar patterns, i.e. the melodic track can be half the speed of the others, so can do 8 bars, but only at 8 beats/bar - unless you're skilled in unquantzied recording of course.
I came to Digitakt from Circuit/Electribe and one thing that took me a while to get me head around was the idea of 'Sounds' - which are a way to save a sample that you have manipulated, once saved you can load the Sound into the Sound Bank which can then be treated like a sample flip by pressing Function and Level. You will love the Digitakt but I am thinking in 3 months you will have a Digitone...hook them together and your journey is complete, for a while.
I also love the trig conditions and you can hold a trig (track) and press up on the arrow buttons to set up stutter and use the side arrows to set up the time that a trig (track) will trigger... early, late.. it is all possible
Yep, note repeat was something I reached for pretty quickly. I still need to spend more time with intentionally moving stuff of the grid, maybe for some lofi hip hop type stuff.
Also, keep in mind that if you sequence digitakt with ext sequencer , you can use it as effector for both midi and audio channels. Fill button , param locks +conditional trigs do all the magic, so you just have 16 different effects or scene-like settings.
Can't wait for you to check the Deluge. It'll blow your mind. I bet you'll say in your future video "I don't know why it took me so long!" and credit me. 😜 Thank you so much for all the good videos and tutorials, btw! 😎
Like someone said below, with trig conditions you can evolve patterns beyond 4 bars (granted you have the open steps) - but you can also extend things with pattern chaining. Here's a cool trick I learned from a comment on one of Ricky Tinez's videos: Go into the scale settings (func+page) and switch to per track. Using knob G you can set the length to 128 and knob H to 128 (sometimes I set it all the way down to INF) and now that track will be an 8 bar loop within the chain. Add in trig conditions, and you have so much creative freedom. There are obviously hard limitations, like with any device. But alot of "surface level" limitations have work arounds, you just have to be creative about it.. and thats one of my favorite things about Elektron boxes.
The thing that really ruins pattern chaining is that they're still two separate patterns in practice. For example, if you slowly open up a filter in the first half of the pattern chain, the filter state is then reset to whichever initial state the second half (pattern) is at, meaning you can't really create seamless and organic evolutions of a track when it's flipping back and forth between two chained patterns.
@@sinewaymusic Oh definitely, I agree. Pattern chaining has its use case, it cant be used for every groove. Your comment - imo - is a limitation of the Digitakt in general. The filter example is going to be an issue whether you use pattern chaining, or manually change patterns.
uuff the digi has many tricks, and when you discover them ... your head explodes, in the creative sense, with the two lfo, there is a world of possibilities ... a greeting
Great video. I’ve seen tons of DT videos, but never one with such joy. I feel ya. I need one of these. Just so expensive! I’m with you on the pronunciation, but almost everyone else goes the other way.
Funmy fact: When Digitakt was new, RUclips's auto subtitles algo was translating "Digitakt" into "Dick attack" :-))))) I guess after those years theor AI learned the right word..
I bought the Samples to try out elektron workflow and have had my eye on the digitakt for a while now as I love what you can do with the samples. This video may have just tipped me over the edge into full on GAS. Especially as the only regret seems to be the 4 bar loop which I know has a huge amount of workarounds.
Just put mine back in the box and in a wardrobe, I used it extensively for a year and sequenced all my gear with it, but M8 just has it covered, very few things the Digitakt does that M8 doesn't. Digitakt is stilla great device though, anyway, less commenting, will watch the video :) *edit* ok watched, you can process the audio from your juno through the digitakts delay and reverb, don't forget to click the menu buttons multiple times, to get to compressers and 2nd lfo and all the extra stuff
@@Two-Eyed_Boy m8 can do a lot. Sample manipulation, and also 3 separate amazing synth engines, including all the braids stuff. Also two envelopes and two lfos assignable to each instrument including samples, and tables too.
I noticed that the firmware on your device is just 1.10A - you should upgrade to 1.30 !! It was released in june this year with some major and awesome upgrades/improvements. From their site: "...new features including extended pitch range, a second LFO, external input functionality, base-width filter, and new features on the multimode filter" and more. Not to mention all the upgrades up until that point. It should deserve a whole new video! :)
Yeah I upgraded the firmware after the first session but haven't had a chance to dig into its specific features yet. Funny enough, seeing Bo's video on that update was what tipped the scales enough for me to want to pull the trigger.
Great video! I've had mine for a few years and it's a beast of a machine. The sequencer is a little bit limited compared to say the Synthstrom Deluge, but for sampling and making samples feel organic and interesting, I can't think of a better piece of gear than the Digitakt. Like someone else mentioned, you can add effects to the external audio signal, too.
I recently got a XTPower XT-20000QC3 to power my Digitakt/Digitone and it works pretty great, lasts at least 5 hours and can power both devices at once with a Y cable and a tip adapter.
try fast lfo (1-2khz) to pan modulation, pretty cool for nice stereo touch ;-) also check if you have latest firmware, there are two LFOs and second filter (combined lp and hp)
I have to say that these sounds are a bit better than the MPC stock sounds in my opinion, especially some of the kicks and alot of the snares sound really good on the Digitakt, and I use and have an MPC One myself. The MPC stock sounds are not bad, but there not great either, but some of them get the job done, and I made some really nice instrumentals with just the MPC stock sounds, so I can't complain too much. If the Digitakt could do what the MPC One could do, I think I might have got one of these instead, but I still do love the MPC One though. These drum sounds are just way more thick and punchy. What do y'all think?...SBN RESONATE
The compression and distortion on the Digitakt sounds a little nicer, but I don't really put much stock (heh) in stock sounds. The beauty of a sampler is that you can load in any sound you want, so I've pretty much never used the stock sounds in the MPC or the Digitakt. Then it comes down to the experience you want, either in terms of processing the sounds or the workflow.
Great video Gabe. If you enjoyed the parameter locking on this and the Circuit, you would probably find the OP-Z pretty intuitive too. It's kind of an evolution of the elektron workflow with more options for sequencing.
Funny you're just now getting one/demoing considering how long these have been around. Then again, I don't have one or a Digitone but often find myself regretting other more affordable purchases I've made over the years and wishing I'd just saved up a little to get them. At this point in the game, I think I will just keep anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new one... "Syntakt." Maybe if I start saving now I will be able to afford it by the time they're actually in production...
don't forget to download the firmware update!! it adds a second LFO per track as well as some other very cool features (don't own a digitakt, just a big nerd for elektron haha)
one more tip: you don't beed preload all samples into project pool - in track / trig sampke selection menu just choose any slot (emoty or filled) where you want to load new samome and then press FN+YES. It takes you into sampne librsry browser, where you can briwse all your library (buttons will play sample you selected to preview, click "yes" will actually load sample in your selected slot... you can so this diring playback and you immediately hear response
I'm all done with Electron equipment... Functionally great, but the sound seems to lack width and headroom... I'm certainly not alone in realizing it...
I find myself trying to use trigs and keep to only 1 page until I absolutely need to move to 2 pages and then 4, it's a fun creative exercise. I think the real limitation is no song mode (it's got one but forgets each time you turn it off) and the big one for me is mono sampling.
Good advice, stick with 1 page using conditional trigs. It definitely is more creative. I’m perfectly happy with mono samples, the effects are stereo after all. Saves space on the drive, can’t think of why I’d need a stereo sample. On the OT, the ping pong delay doesn’t work as well on stereo samples.
Check out the 2 track mixer with FX send, the 2 LFOs per track and midi track and the compressor... Those are the digitakts best features when working with other outboard gear
and one more - FN+YES saves whime pattern state to temporary memory - all tweks you make from thins poin can be reverted by pressing FN+NO ... very cool trick for live oerformance or for trying major changes in pattern.. baducally one step UNDO :-)
The Birdcord USB to 12v by Songbird FX works well to power this off USB. I've read mixed things about the Ripcord (which works really well for Volcas and has angled connectors which I prefer). I've found the Birdcord completely reliable.
"I'm going to need you to get ALL the way off my back about the digitakt." LUL Respect for picking up a digitakt at the behest of the comment section. :)
Need help!! If you could respond that would be great because no one else is?? My new Digitakt I just bought and after updating the firmware and so excited!! No sound at all!!?? Checked all outputs, mute groups, settings, new project, presets, just no sound? Sequencer is clearly running but I’m 🤔. Thanks to all who read this!
also except of directly sampling from input you can just pass input through internal delay and reverb and mix it into output (press FN+LFO multiple times to browse trough input/routing/master pages, there is also master compressor with configurable sidechain input)
I feel that with Elektron you only get the full experience with the top end boxes like Octatrack. It's a nice box and really good in an extended setup controlling devices over midi. But as a standalone it would only be usable for very specific stuff. Just to get some nice chords, you would have to use 4 tracks, then maybe re-sample to one track and that's cumbersome. No time stretching means playing samples chromatically doesn't sound good. Other things like no song mode, no sample chopping, no overdub for midi tracks. If someone is heavy into sampling and chopping, MPC is the way to go. On the other hand no device can match the sample mangling capabilities of the Elektron boxes.
Chopping is pretty straightforward on the Digitakt but you use a different method - parameter locking sample start. It’s not as easy as having it all chopped up for you but it is more creative as you can constantly scan through your loop looking for chop points. Instead of having fixed chops to work with. I’ve got sample slice on the Octatrack, and it’s very useful, but not as creative as the DT method. Nice to have both.
I owned the Digitakt for a few months after getting the Digitone (which I still own and love), but I did find some of the limitations to be a little bit too much for me to cope with. I suppose I can live with mono sampling, but I was disappointed to discover that my meticulously configured p-lock panning is all but ignored when exporting via Overbridge. The 4 bar limit was also annoying and had me think of creative workarounds when all I wanted to do was to make music. And, crucially, I didn't enjoy the need to 'perform' a track live when exporting to the DAW. Having some form of song mode where automation (knob twists) is recorded would have made it so much more practical as a device to create music with. But then again I'm not primarily a sample-based musician and I much prefer synthesis. I bought the Digitakt to go together with the Digitone, but I quickly felt like that setup added a lot of complexity and effectively eliminated the portability potential since my songs were now broken into two parts, on two separate machines. So I bought the MPC One instead and I have to say it's much more for me. I'm the kind of guy that likes to finish my tracks, and the MPC lets me do that. I can press the automation button and twist any knob and it will record that onto the sequence for me. I can plan each pattern (sequence) and rearrange tracks with ease. The inferface is by no means perfect, but I find it to be faster for me than the Digitakt. I especially love the Dub Record feature and find that it gets me to use my ears and feel my way around a lot more than on the Digitakt, where the music making is really programmatic and cerebral in comparison. On the other hand, the Digitakt is very keyboard shortcut friendly and you can very quickly build up a fast workflow. Just be careful because there's no Undo. A Func+No key press at the wrong time and your entire song embryo could be wiped. I'm still holding on to the Digitone due to the unique sounds it can generate, and I'm planning on using the Looper feature of the MPC to record patterns that way, which eliminates the 4 bar limitation in practice. That way, I can use the Digitone only for the creative spark and unique sound design, sample that on to the MPC (in full stereo, which the Digitakt can't) and then continue to finish the song in one single box. By the way, the Digitakt has two LFOs now as of the latest firmware release, and even more filters. For being primarily a sampler groovebox, this is pretty incredible.
Fair enough! At this point, I should probably just admit to myself that the MPC One has become my primary music production platform. I'm definitely enjoying the Digitakt despite its quirks though, I'm happy to put up with limitations if it gets me a unique experience.
yeah the dt is some extremly celebral piece of gear like all Elektron boxes (maybe the sample is the exception). It feels like solving a riddle sometimes. Take the concepts behind sound pool, sounds and samples for instance. reveals a lot about the Elektron way of thinking. Abstraction vs intuition. I think it's also a cultural issue. I can't imagine Elektron has any roots in the hiphop, lowfi community (you can tell from the "pads" and the totally awkward feel of the dt "swing"). But the limitations you mentioned are really just there to secure Oktatrack sales. That is what I found the most annoying aspect about the dt. Deliberately crippling the feature set for some business bullshit. I wish the dt was more approachable like the 404. Just give us a song mode and let us sample in stereo. no one cares for the oktatrack anyway. rant over 😇
@@GabeMillerMusic same here, the MPC is an incredibly competent groovebox and you can get very fast with it once you learn it well. If I could dream a little, I'd shrink it down to something like the size of the SP-404 and throw a battery in it (or at least have it powered by usb-c), but that's wishful thinking. 😊
Fair enough, I prefer the flexibility of the individual patterns of the Circuit, but that's maybe just because I'm more used to it. The Digitakt definitely has a bunch of really nice features that the Rhythm doesn't have.
Gabe: You can power it using a "Blind SPOT - USB to 12V Adapter" cable to go from USB-C PD (power delivery) to 12V barrel and power it using a USB-C PD power bank that can supply up to 2A of current. I do it with my DT and DN. I'm also working on doing a battery mod to my units so they have an internal, chargeable, LiFePO4 battery pack. myVolts also has a 12V Ripcord cable that works if you can find one in stock.
Digitakt has some amazing things going for it - size, quality, sound shaping, conditional triggers. But to me there are a number of deal breakers - Mono Sound, no slicing (The work around blows), fixed track types 8 audio / 8 midi - with there was some flexibility here to choose track types as needed (Pioneer DJ has this on the SP16 / DJS1000). Also no time stretch. Limited to 1g of internal storage - no external disk/USB Was quite disappointed that "the most powerful sequencer in the world" doesn't even do chords or scales. Total disappointment when I learned that the MIDI tracks on the Digitakt can only do the C Chromatic scale - was thinking that if it could at least do scales I might keep it for programming VSTs in ableton. Speaking of Ableton Overbidge was riddled with latency as a VST in Ableton that for me it was not usable - i7 6 Core Mac Mini (2020). However the stand alone Overbidge App has a nifty records that was quite useful for recording stems I could dump into ableton. not a total hater, sold the Digitakt for a Digitone - in hindsight the Digitone was probably the better first purchase.
Definitely fair. I wish I had made this clearer in the video, it's probably best to think of it as a drum machine that manages to transcend its drum machine status to become a groovebox, and in doing so, introduces limitations that make a whole lot more sense for a drum machine than a groovebox.
@@GabeMillerMusic True - definitely goes beyond only drum sounds - I guess the limitations are way not to cannibalize Octatrack sales. I'm not totally lost on Elektron as I have a Digitone arriving this week.
Cool vid and definitely made me want one (been on my to-audition list for a while now). IIRC MyVolts do a USB to 12V Ripcord for this model which I'll definitely invest in if I get a DT (like you, I'm looking S/H although they're holding their resale value quite well at the moment and are still relatively expensive)
Gabe should definitely pick up a Roland MC-303 sometime (the 303 is the first groovebox ever made and avaliable for like 150 bucks on ebay.) It's a weird box that sounds kinda cheesy, but it might be worth picking up for shits and giggles
It's on the list! I've even had the video title "Trying the First Groovebox Ever" sitting around for a while. I definitely want to get to it one of these days
I have question .. in case you still have Digitakt .. what happens when you connect midi Digitakt -> MC101 and then on digitakt you change pattern ... does it change pattern on MC101 in sync with Digtitakt ? For example on Circuit it switches Scene/Project - i'm curious what it does on MC101 (i'm considering adding MC101 to my Digitakt+Digitone setup but for me is cructial to be able to switch pattern in sync automatically). Also another question - it is possible to have different preset set on track for different patterns in MC101 (like it is possible on DT/DN) ?
Sorry for the flicker in the screen in this one... It doesn't do that in real life, I just mismatched my shutter speed and throwing plugins at it in post didn't help much. The flicker I referred to in the video is the pads lighting up when you press them, which turned out to not be an issue.
You had better study the manual with this one. (:
Damn. I just sold mine and would have given you a deal!
You've probably seen this, but with the latest firmware you can hold Func and hit Master a few times to page through to the external mixer. That lets you route the external channels in either as one stereo or two mono, and then control how much to send them through reverb and delay (and they also go through the compressor), a lot like Circuit Tracks. I actually switched to a Digitakt recently because it combines most of what I personally want out of Tracks and Rhythm in one. Love it so far.
I've never used a Digitakt, but I do own an Octatrack, and the quality of the engineering that went into that machine is staggering, if the digitakt is anything like it, I think you will appreciate it.
side note..I've had n used an Octatrack for years which still blows my mind,but..
recently got the Digitakt and whoa! each is unique..I choose Both ;)) Best regards
Dope. I think my one bit of best practices kind of advice would be, when you're starting a project, unload the default samples and replace them with whatever 8 would be handiest to start each pattern with. And from there, I'd just add samples as you go instead of loading up in the beginning. In general, I find that on the Digitakt, the biggest limit is going to be available sample slots. Also on that front, another thing I do is use short chains of drums and drum breaks instead of one shots. With the MIDI stuff, the Digitakt treats chords as kind of a single block of notes, so if you want more nuance, you can always send more than one track to the same channel. And where that part shines is when you start getting into the MIDI ccs. You can, depending on how quick your synth is send parameter locks and program changes in a sequence. If you're controlling the Rhythm, for example, it's a little wonky if you're trying to lock in track parameters like filter cutoff or sample choice. But it works perfectly on the master fx track. So you can use the Digitakt to control and edit the grid fx. It's a lot of fun. I'm glad you're enjoying it
Agreed, usually I'll use whatever my default 8 are for as much as possible. Looping single cycles of kick drum for leads and whatnot, then just FUNC+SRC to load a sample super quickly.
Another great practice is to get used to saving sounds. That way you have samples with all of their parameters saved and ready to go no matter what project you load up. Pads, atmosphere, etc. You can even sort by category and cycle banks with the trig keys which is makes it all feel that much faster 👌🏽
There’s so many reviews that say the sequencer is hard to use but you just showed everyone that if you ever used any other groove box it’s easy to get something going. After that it takes time to wrap your head around sound locks, parameter locks (not just sample swapping), conditional trigs, trig less trigs and using micro timings creatively. The sequencer is easy to use, hard to master.
The sequencer is super easy to use, probably one of the more immediately gratifying sequencers around with quick access to step parameters many other sequencers require menu diving to adjust, such as 'microtiming'. On the RS7000, to change timing of an individual note on a track requires going about 3 menus deep then flicking through a list of all notes and events and finding the one you want and then entering another menu to make an adjustment on it's timing. Compare this to just mashing the Page button to see the step you want to edit, then holding the button for that step and mashing the arrow keys...sooooo much quicker!
Never seen any reviews say the sequencer is hard?????
I got a Digitakt in 2018, and I'm thinking about selling it now. Here's why:
- It's not designed for what I want to do. For an example where I tried to work around this, see the "Easy Does It" video on my channel, where I sequenced an entire song using external gear and two banks worth of patterns. It worked, but it was a *lot* harder than it needed to be. I generally write songs horizontally first (like a timeline, record a few minutes of a single instrument, like a song-length melody) and then work vertically (add bass, pads, drums, etc) and then tweak the voicing, mixing, and arrangement last. But Elektron is designed for exactly the opposite -- finish a single pattern first, including all the parts and voicing and mixing and effects... then copy-paste it and modify the notes to extend the song length. So I was constantly going against the grain, which caused a lot of friction and frustration.
- Because of the Elektron workflow, I usually got stuck in short loops... because it's designed for the user to perform using short loops. But short loops are what I'm trying to get away from.
- It's awkward as a drum machine, because it has no concept of drum kits. Usually when I'm making a beat, I want to just tap out rhythms immediately, then maybe adjust sounds later or scroll through drum kits to find one which works. But the Digitakt heavily pushes people to spend a bunch of time putting a kit together up front, before entering notes. And then there's not really a way to save it for later use in other projects. The closest thing it can do is if I load an existing project, select a finished pattern, copy it, paste it to an empty slot, then clear the note data... I get something like a "kit". But this puts a bunch of songs inside each project, which adds a whole slew of organizational issues... especially if you want more than one pattern per song. (I usually need dozens of patterns per song)
- It's not good at triplets, rolls, or flams... which, as a drummer, I normally use a lot. There are workarounds for each, but they're another source of friction.
- Max 64 steps per pattern. Normally I need 128, 160, 256, or 320 steps per phrase, so I bump my head on this constantly. Conditional trigs and Euclidian sequencing are *not* a solution to this; they're just a way to make short loops less boring.
- It's awkward as a midi sequencer, because it blocks CC data like pitch bend, mod wheel, and aftertouch from external controllers, and can only send those from the onboard encoder knobs. For sequencing, these things are limited to one value per step, or a LFO. So I find it makes my midi devices sound lifeless due to the missing expression data. This can be worked around by turning the knobs real-time during a performance, but only if you use it with monotimbral synths with their own onboard controls. Also, it has a weird implementation for chords, which tends to be another thing to trip over if you ever want to edit those after recording.
- It's artificially crippled for commercial reasons which aren't even relevant any more. So... no class-compliant USB storage for transferring data. No class-compliant USB audio per track. Because Elektron originally planned to sell it for $650 in a crippled form, plus $100 for Overbridge to unlock advanced features. But this went over so badly that they cancelled the idea, raised the price to $750 flat, and de-prioritized Overbridge development. Newer devices use standard USB protocols instead of Overbridge, which is more compatible and more reliable long-term, but Digitakt is from the generation where it still relies on proprietary companion software, which makes some important things inaccessible.
The Digitakt is great at what it does... but what it does isn't what I need. So I ended up buying an Akai Force instead, which I hope will be more appropriate for me. It has the workflow style I want... with a clip launcher, a timeline arranger, drum kits, onboard synths, better midi, standards compliance, way more tracks at a time, unlimited phrase length, stereo tracks, better sample capabilities, pressure-sensitive pads, and muuuuch deeper drum performance features.
But to see what a Digitakt can do in ideal circumstances, look up Ehsan Gelsi on youtube. He does amazing stuff with a Digitakt and external synths, and his workflow is a great example of how to get the most out of it.
Wow-thank you for the in depth review. I myself would probably favor a workflow similar to yours. If you don't mind me asking-what system/device have you found to be easier to use? Thanks again.
@@luminousbrilliance1711 TBH, I'm still searching. Maybe I always will be.
The most fun I've ever had with music was basically just a looper, a synth, and a drum machine. I was using two Kaoss pads and a Microkorg. But with that setup, I ran out of recording buffers awfully fast and would get stuck in a short loop without any meaningful progression. So I started looking for something more powerful.
I've tried a bunch of different methods, and I think what I need is basically a standalone hardware version of Ableton Live. In other words, a many-track clip launcher with unlimited phrase length and number of clips per track... plus the ability to arrange clips onto a timeline for later tweaking. Getting sounds into it would be a lot like a looper, quick and intuitive, but it'd be deeper and more capable of doing full songs.
... and that's what the Akai Force is. But I can't say for sure if it's what I need, because mine doesn't get here until later this week. So maybe it's the answer, or maybe it's just another learning experience. It'll take a while to find out.
@@ToyKeeper Thank you for the reply! I have a bunch of Ableton Pads, but Live's workflow kind of eludes me. That's a me being lazy thing. Thanks again for the reply!
Interesting about getting stuck in patterns, I also like to work linearly the same as you say for building up tracks, ..the lack of song mode with digitakt doesn't help too. That said, I'm still to try one out for real, and know the experimental sound design aspect would satisfy me. Will be interesting to see what happens with digitakt sales once the new sp404 MkII hits. Apples and oranges, but I think the SP may pull some prospective buyers, ..budget, new device vs old etc
that’s one thing I love about all Elektron gear. Built like a tank and will last decades if properly cared for. Love my MD, A4 and OT and hope to still enjoy them 25 years from now.
Finally is right! I’ve had my digitakt for almost 2 years now. The amount you can do with 2 lfos, individual pattern lengths & trigless trigs is insane. Definitely suggest diving deeper into it. It’ll be great content to see!
Finally! The digitakt is my go to drum machine. Absolutely love it! I'm glad you're enjoying it. There's so much you can do, and yes it can be used as a standalone groove box. I use it to design and sequence drum sounds. It is possible to chop up samples on it, but it can be a little tedious, and if you want to re pitch a melody sample the speed will change as well. But you can make some crazy synth sounds with just some tones. You can layer and resample. Okay I'm gonna stop now, enjoy the Digitakt!
I’ve owned this thing for over a year and I didn’t even think about sample flipping 😂
regarding pattern lengh, you can set slower playback of pattern (down to 1/8x of normal speed) and record without quantisation, this way you can technically record up to 32 bars lomg pattern.. och also you can change not just pattern length for whole pattern, bit different for each track
Also, trigger conditions can make even a single measure seem very very long by making triggers only happen every 2nd loop etc. Then there's FILL, in which you can toggle between fill and non fill triggers on a pattern on the fly. And finally randomize triggers with probability and your single pattern will be infinitely changing, albeit with no direct control, but for hi hats and keeping those constantly changing, randomized triggers are great!
Welcome to the dark side. :) glad to see you diving in to the Elektron world! I can’t wait until you discover what’s beneath the surface. Great content as always!
I'm enjoying it so far! I also have the Model: Cycles, which I've used mostly for drum and FM sound design, but for groovebox purposes, the Digitakt is more up my alley.
@@GabeMillerMusic I’m looking forward to seeing you dig in to it. Also the Digitone will be right up your alley for FM combined with the same workflow. Thanks for the great content
Great timing for this video! Just ordered a second hand one, hopefully get it in a few days
Keeeeeeen
Glad you finally got your hands on one, surprised it hasn't been featured yet!
You mentioned the polyphonic midi acting weird, 4 notes per step, and they share a bunch of parameters, gate length, velocity etc. That's what pushed me away, I'm used to midi sequencing with MPC's, spoiled.
Fair enough! I've had an ongoing list of stuff to try, and just couldn't get to this one until now. It's definitely a different vibe from the MPC, I'm enjoying both for different reasons.
With trig conditions you can develop evolving patterns well beyond 4 bars. Also you can use a USB to v cable to connect it to a power bank.
yeah thanks to conditional trigs i male often with just 1 bar melody which is actually long 4 bars ... plus when you combine it with possibility to play track on 1/2, 1/4 or even 1/8 speed - you can create almost infinitely long evolving sequences :-)
Still struggle with this.
That's definitely something I'm planning on diving into in the future!
+1 for this. One of my favourite aspects of this box is the trig conditions. You can build up patterns that are way longer than 4 bars. The “Elektron sequencer” is what sets this box apart from most other grooveboxes, and seeds creativity, every time I sit down to make a tune with it.
Nice! I think most if not all of this demo is in the 1.1 firmware? The 1.3 firmware gives you an extra LFO per track, an additional base/width filter that's handy for mixing and the ability to use the input channels as a two-track mixer - and you can add delay and reverb to the incoming signals or use them to trigger the sidechain compressor. Also push the time divider on the scale page and you can make some tracks that last for 8 bars (or more) with fewer steps per bar.
It's all about the conditional trigs. I've got a my volts cable I'm happy with for powering the Digitakt.
Welcome to the wonderful world of ELEKTRON
Fun video Gabe 👍🏼
As someone who bought the Digitakt when the firmware was 1.01, it’s very interesting to see it through a new user's eyes. It’s nowhere near as hard to use as people make it out to be, and once you have worked it out you can move on to the Rytm with no issues, as the interface is basically the same. Regarding 4 bars, individual track scaling and retriggers can do a lot of work to help you out here.
Awesome thanks!! Yup finally getting mine next week😋. Can’t wait to learn this beast, and just in time for latest firmware yes!
Excellent video sir! I was fortunate enough to receive one as a gift from my partner, the absolute superstar that she is, earlier this year and I can promise you a fabulous journey delving into the delights this blighter has to offer! Enjoy, peace ✌️
Great video Gabe! I always appreciate your insight, musicality , and how you offer comparisons to other gear.
Digitakt is, by far, my favorite instrument. When it clicked, I fell in love. My favorite feature is the conditional trigs so you can set sounds to kick off every other repeat, or every 3rd, or even set a random percentage! If my entire collection got stolen, the Digitakt would be the first thing I'd buy. Also, Bobeats is selling a kickass Digitakt t-shirt.
you can set the scale to 64 and the master to 0128 and that will give you 8 more bars. Also, you can send midi start/ stop/ clock and have you daw launch and stop the recording along with the Digitakt. Cool videos Gabe!
Trig conditions can basically get you to 32+ Bars when you include % chance and the fill button. Check out Time stretch vids by dialectrics on youtube. You can also use the LFO to change the samples. You can do so much with digitakt.
Gabe, my dude, my guy, welcome to the family 🥁
Also I have migraines too, but after the last update you can actually turn the LED brightness down in the System settings!
And more than any other tip. The best advice that I can give you is to watch Ivar Tryti's videos. The dude is a demi-god on an Elektron Box.
Great video Gabe keep them coming.
Very cool! These seem like very unique pieces of gear that let you work with samples in a really unique way.
Welcome to the Digitakt, I've watched your videos for a while and thought you needed a digitakt in your life...... Get into p locks and conditional trigs for fills and funkyness :)
Perfect timing. Just got mine last week
Congrats - it's one of my favorite devices.
I’m gassing over the digitone
The Digitakt was my very first foray into hardware groove boxes and synths. It’s still by far my favourite. Totally my desert island device. Once you jive with the workflow IT’S FAST!
It kind of like a Electribe, but looks cooler for sure. The effects are probably a little better too (even the model Samples FX sounds good). I can see the sequencer is probably a bit more sophisticated, although the 'Tribe is OK if you apply groove afterwards. I don't like the non-velocity pads, but I'm thinking this is probably aimed at EDM or other genres where this is not a big deal. I personally am much more excited about the new Roland SP-404 MK2, but of course this is a totally different productwith pros and cons. But still, 32 note Polyphony, great FX, 16 velocity sensitive pads (small though), battery power, good screen with graphic waveform editing, 16GB storage with a SD slot, not bad at all .
Been waiting for you to try these out!
Finally! I asked for Digitakt review few weeks ago and I'm really happy that you got this "groovebox". I got Korg E2, Novation Rhythm and Cycles(thanks to your channel), but I wanna get a second-handed Digitakt cuz now they got Overbridge and I really crave that multi export thing. Though I don't know which to keep between Rhythm and Digitakt.. (won't ever gonna sell E2 and Cycles cuz they got their own quirks)
Hey Gabe, nice video, been thinking about one of these for a while. The Model:XXXXX's have the ability to change the time signature of a track and I'd expect the Digitakt would too, this allows longer than 4 bar patterns, i.e. the melodic track can be half the speed of the others, so can do 8 bars, but only at 8 beats/bar - unless you're skilled in unquantzied recording of course.
"Super easy, barely an inconvenience" Getting some "Pitch Meeting" vibez here.... Man of culture as well?
I'll forever be mad they made it mono
15:33 you should've left it like that, that delay sounded spectacular
I came to Digitakt from Circuit/Electribe and one thing that took me a while to get me head around was the idea of 'Sounds' - which are a way to save a sample that you have manipulated, once saved you can load the Sound into the Sound Bank which can then be treated like a sample flip by pressing Function and Level. You will love the Digitakt but I am thinking in 3 months you will have a Digitone...hook them together and your journey is complete, for a while.
I also love the trig conditions and you can hold a trig (track) and press up on the arrow buttons to set up stutter and use the side arrows to set up the time that a trig (track) will trigger... early, late.. it is all possible
Yep, note repeat was something I reached for pretty quickly. I still need to spend more time with intentionally moving stuff of the grid, maybe for some lofi hip hop type stuff.
Awesome tip! Thank you for that.
Also, keep in mind that if you sequence digitakt with ext sequencer , you can use it as effector for both midi and audio channels. Fill button , param locks +conditional trigs do all the magic, so you just have 16 different effects or scene-like settings.
Can't wait for you to check the Deluge. It'll blow your mind. I bet you'll say in your future video "I don't know why it took me so long!" and credit me. 😜
Thank you so much for all the good videos and tutorials, btw! 😎
I appreciate the notes about the light flickering and the potential sight impairment issues. Hopefully the high contrast screen helps.
I can't believe you just got a DT now. I thought they hit saturation point many years back. Quality piece of gear.
Sold.
It looks super easy, barely an inconvenience!
Like someone said below, with trig conditions you can evolve patterns beyond 4 bars (granted you have the open steps) - but you can also extend things with pattern chaining. Here's a cool trick I learned from a comment on one of Ricky Tinez's videos: Go into the scale settings (func+page) and switch to per track. Using knob G you can set the length to 128 and knob H to 128 (sometimes I set it all the way down to INF) and now that track will be an 8 bar loop within the chain. Add in trig conditions, and you have so much creative freedom. There are obviously hard limitations, like with any device. But alot of "surface level" limitations have work arounds, you just have to be creative about it.. and thats one of my favorite things about Elektron boxes.
The thing that really ruins pattern chaining is that they're still two separate patterns in practice. For example, if you slowly open up a filter in the first half of the pattern chain, the filter state is then reset to whichever initial state the second half (pattern) is at, meaning you can't really create seamless and organic evolutions of a track when it's flipping back and forth between two chained patterns.
@@sinewaymusic Oh definitely, I agree. Pattern chaining has its use case, it cant be used for every groove. Your comment - imo - is a limitation of the Digitakt in general. The filter example is going to be an issue whether you use pattern chaining, or manually change patterns.
uuff the digi has many tricks, and when you discover them ... your head explodes, in the creative sense, with the two lfo, there is a world of possibilities ... a greeting
Great video. I’ve seen tons of DT videos, but never one with such joy. I feel ya. I need one of these. Just so expensive!
I’m with you on the pronunciation, but almost everyone else goes the other way.
Funmy fact: When Digitakt was new, RUclips's auto subtitles algo was translating "Digitakt" into "Dick attack" :-))))) I guess after those years theor AI learned the right word..
Oh no! LOL 😃
I bought the Samples to try out elektron workflow and have had my eye on the digitakt for a while now as I love what you can do with the samples. This video may have just tipped me over the edge into full on GAS. Especially as the only regret seems to be the 4 bar loop which I know has a huge amount of workarounds.
Just put mine back in the box and in a wardrobe, I used it extensively for a year and sequenced all my gear with it, but M8 just has it covered, very few things the Digitakt does that M8 doesn't. Digitakt is stilla great device though, anyway, less commenting, will watch the video :) *edit* ok watched, you can process the audio from your juno through the digitakts delay and reverb, don't forget to click the menu buttons multiple times, to get to compressers and 2nd lfo and all the extra stuff
The M8 can do sample manipulation? Hmmm....that's what I like most about the DT sound. I thought the M8 was just a tracker 🤔
If only the M8 becomes properly available everywhere
@@Two-Eyed_Boy m8 can do a lot. Sample manipulation, and also 3 separate amazing synth engines, including all the braids stuff. Also two envelopes and two lfos assignable to each instrument including samples, and tables too.
@@bangsjamin I absolutely have got to try build the headless model. Too cool, thanks!
What s M8
I noticed that the firmware on your device is just 1.10A - you should upgrade to 1.30 !! It was released in june this year with some major and awesome upgrades/improvements. From their site: "...new features including extended pitch range, a second LFO, external input functionality, base-width filter, and new features on the multimode filter" and more. Not to mention all the upgrades up until that point. It should deserve a whole new video! :)
Yeah I upgraded the firmware after the first session but haven't had a chance to dig into its specific features yet. Funny enough, seeing Bo's video on that update was what tipped the scales enough for me to want to pull the trigger.
@@GabeMillerMusic the update adds so much to an already great machine. Enjoy digging into it! The improved graphics are a big bonus also.
I power digitone and octatrack with birdcords from songbird FX. Works well
Great video! I've had mine for a few years and it's a beast of a machine. The sequencer is a little bit limited compared to say the Synthstrom Deluge, but for sampling and making samples feel organic and interesting, I can't think of a better piece of gear than the Digitakt. Like someone else mentioned, you can add effects to the external audio signal, too.
I recently got a XTPower XT-20000QC3 to power my Digitakt/Digitone and it works pretty great, lasts at least 5 hours and can power both devices at once with a Y cable and a tip adapter.
You managed to get it before me 🤣
I'll be getting mine this week or next to go along side the digitone keys.
try fast lfo (1-2khz) to pan modulation, pretty cool for nice stereo touch ;-) also check if you have latest firmware, there are two LFOs and second filter (combined lp and hp)
Oof! That's cool! :-)
I have to say that these sounds are a bit better than the MPC stock sounds in my opinion, especially some of the kicks and alot of the snares sound really good on the Digitakt, and I use and have an MPC One myself. The MPC stock sounds are not bad, but there not great either, but some of them get the job done, and I made some really nice instrumentals with just the MPC stock sounds, so I can't complain too much.
If the Digitakt could do what the MPC One could do, I think I might have got one of these instead, but I still do love the MPC One though. These drum sounds are just way more thick and punchy. What do y'all think?...SBN RESONATE
The compression and distortion on the Digitakt sounds a little nicer, but I don't really put much stock (heh) in stock sounds. The beauty of a sampler is that you can load in any sound you want, so I've pretty much never used the stock sounds in the MPC or the Digitakt. Then it comes down to the experience you want, either in terms of processing the sounds or the workflow.
Its my go to gear to make a sketch fast, but still a lot to learn.
Great video Gabe. If you enjoyed the parameter locking on this and the Circuit, you would probably find the OP-Z pretty intuitive too. It's kind of an evolution of the elektron workflow with more options for sequencing.
That's good to know! The tiny buttons are kind of holding me back, but I'd like to at least try one at some point.
Funny you're just now getting one/demoing considering how long these have been around. Then again, I don't have one or a Digitone but often find myself regretting other more affordable purchases I've made over the years and wishing I'd just saved up a little to get them. At this point in the game, I think I will just keep anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new one... "Syntakt." Maybe if I start saving now I will be able to afford it by the time they're actually in production...
Yeah I've been working my way through "The List" and since I've been on a sampler kick lately, it just made sense.
@@GabeMillerMusic word word... when you gonna get your hands on a 404mkii ;)
don't forget to download the firmware update!! it adds a second LFO per track as well as some other very cool features (don't own a digitakt, just a big nerd for elektron haha)
Yep, I did that before the second session. I definitely have to go out of my way to make some chaotic stuff with both LFOs.
Digitakt is the best
You finally got a real sampler 😝
Will you be trying the SP404 MK2? Seems to be some good buzz around this new piece of hardware.
It might be a while before I can get my hands on one, but yep, I'm 100% planning to give it a go.
As soon as I pay off my other gear. 😁💵🎛
one more tip: you don't beed preload all samples into project pool - in track / trig sampke selection menu just choose any slot (emoty or filled) where you want to load new samome and then press FN+YES. It takes you into sampne librsry browser, where you can briwse all your library (buttons will play sample you selected to preview, click "yes" will actually load sample in your selected slot... you can so this diring playback and you immediately hear response
Also digitakt does audio over usb through overbridge, will free up some inputs in your audio interface or mixer if you need the inputs for other gear
I'm all done with Electron equipment... Functionally great, but the sound seems to lack width and headroom... I'm certainly not alone in realizing it...
Oh, and you can get around the four bar limit with pattern chaining :)
I find myself trying to use trigs and keep to only 1 page until I absolutely need to move to 2 pages and then 4, it's a fun creative exercise. I think the real limitation is no song mode (it's got one but forgets each time you turn it off) and the big one for me is mono sampling.
Good advice, stick with 1 page using conditional trigs. It definitely is more creative.
I’m perfectly happy with mono samples, the effects are stereo after all. Saves space on the drive, can’t think of why I’d need a stereo sample. On the OT, the ping pong delay doesn’t work as well on stereo samples.
id love to see a rhythm vs digitakt comparison video
BoBeats beat me to it, I'd definitely recommend giving that a watch.
Check out the 2 track mixer with FX send, the 2 LFOs per track and midi track and the compressor... Those are the digitakts best features when working with other outboard gear
and one more - FN+YES saves whime pattern state to temporary memory - all tweks you make from thins poin can be reverted by pressing FN+NO ... very cool trick for live oerformance or for trying major changes in pattern.. baducally one step UNDO :-)
Ouu. You finally got it? Where you bought it?
The Birdcord USB to 12v by Songbird FX works well to power this off USB. I've read mixed things about the Ripcord (which works really well for Volcas and has angled connectors which I prefer). I've found the Birdcord completely reliable.
You probably already got the answer but you can probably use a MyVolts ripcord to power it from usb ☺️
Pair the Digitone with your Digitakt, they work so well together.
"I'm going to need you to get ALL the way off my back about the digitakt." LUL
Respect for picking up a digitakt at the behest of the comment section. :)
Thanks to your video I'm developing g.a.s and I now know Google fi is a phone plan that can
Haha, nice to see you pick this up! Looks very powerful! Can it resample itself?
Can't wait to see your next digitakt videos 🤘
Yes it can resample itself, you can choose specific track or the whole session
@@vadykk oh nice!
So the limitation of tracks or pattern lenght isn't really one?
@@jaydeepalmer I’m pretty sure the only resampling limitation is 30 seconds length
@@vadykk humm ok, kind of limited, but enough to make great loops!
@@jaydeepalmer it’s more than enough to make fully arranged tracks, not only loops
Need help!! If you could respond that would be great because no one else is?? My new Digitakt I just bought and after updating the firmware and so excited!! No sound at all!!?? Checked all outputs, mute groups, settings, new project, presets, just no sound? Sequencer is clearly running but I’m 🤔. Thanks to all who read this!
also except of directly sampling from input you can just pass input through internal delay and reverb and mix it into output (press FN+LFO multiple times to browse trough input/routing/master pages, there is also master compressor with configurable sidechain input)
Definitely still need to mess with routing. I did manage to find the master compressor but I haven't pushed it too hard yet.
I feel that with Elektron you only get the full experience with the top end boxes like Octatrack. It's a nice box and really good in an extended setup controlling devices over midi. But as a standalone it would only be usable for very specific stuff. Just to get some nice chords, you would have to use 4 tracks, then maybe re-sample to one track and that's cumbersome. No time stretching means playing samples chromatically doesn't sound good. Other things like no song mode, no sample chopping, no overdub for midi tracks. If someone is heavy into sampling and chopping, MPC is the way to go. On the other hand no device can match the sample mangling capabilities of the Elektron boxes.
Chopping is pretty straightforward on the Digitakt but you use a different method - parameter locking sample start. It’s not as easy as having it all chopped up for you but it is more creative as you can constantly scan through your loop looking for chop points. Instead of having fixed chops to work with.
I’ve got sample slice on the Octatrack, and it’s very useful, but not as creative as the DT method. Nice to have both.
I owned the Digitakt for a few months after getting the Digitone (which I still own and love), but I did find some of the limitations to be a little bit too much for me to cope with. I suppose I can live with mono sampling, but I was disappointed to discover that my meticulously configured p-lock panning is all but ignored when exporting via Overbridge. The 4 bar limit was also annoying and had me think of creative workarounds when all I wanted to do was to make music. And, crucially, I didn't enjoy the need to 'perform' a track live when exporting to the DAW. Having some form of song mode where automation (knob twists) is recorded would have made it so much more practical as a device to create music with.
But then again I'm not primarily a sample-based musician and I much prefer synthesis. I bought the Digitakt to go together with the Digitone, but I quickly felt like that setup added a lot of complexity and effectively eliminated the portability potential since my songs were now broken into two parts, on two separate machines.
So I bought the MPC One instead and I have to say it's much more for me. I'm the kind of guy that likes to finish my tracks, and the MPC lets me do that. I can press the automation button and twist any knob and it will record that onto the sequence for me. I can plan each pattern (sequence) and rearrange tracks with ease. The inferface is by no means perfect, but I find it to be faster for me than the Digitakt. I especially love the Dub Record feature and find that it gets me to use my ears and feel my way around a lot more than on the Digitakt, where the music making is really programmatic and cerebral in comparison. On the other hand, the Digitakt is very keyboard shortcut friendly and you can very quickly build up a fast workflow. Just be careful because there's no Undo. A Func+No key press at the wrong time and your entire song embryo could be wiped.
I'm still holding on to the Digitone due to the unique sounds it can generate, and I'm planning on using the Looper feature of the MPC to record patterns that way, which eliminates the 4 bar limitation in practice. That way, I can use the Digitone only for the creative spark and unique sound design, sample that on to the MPC (in full stereo, which the Digitakt can't) and then continue to finish the song in one single box.
By the way, the Digitakt has two LFOs now as of the latest firmware release, and even more filters. For being primarily a sampler groovebox, this is pretty incredible.
Fair enough! At this point, I should probably just admit to myself that the MPC One has become my primary music production platform. I'm definitely enjoying the Digitakt despite its quirks though, I'm happy to put up with limitations if it gets me a unique experience.
yeah the dt is some extremly celebral piece of gear like all Elektron boxes (maybe the sample is the exception). It feels like solving a riddle sometimes. Take the concepts behind sound pool, sounds and samples for instance. reveals a lot about the Elektron way of thinking. Abstraction vs intuition. I think it's also a cultural issue. I can't imagine Elektron has any roots in the hiphop, lowfi community (you can tell from the "pads" and the totally awkward feel of the dt "swing"). But the limitations you mentioned are really just there to secure Oktatrack sales. That is what I found the most annoying aspect about the dt. Deliberately crippling the feature set for some business bullshit. I wish the dt was more approachable like the 404. Just give us a song mode and let us sample in stereo. no one cares for the oktatrack anyway. rant over 😇
@@GabeMillerMusic same here, the MPC is an incredibly competent groovebox and you can get very fast with it once you learn it well. If I could dream a little, I'd shrink it down to something like the size of the SP-404 and throw a battery in it (or at least have it powered by usb-c), but that's wishful thinking. 😊
ps: you can chain patterns to create a song structure on the fly only saving the chain as part of a project is not supported.
with the recent FW update you can also create real polyrhythms on the dt (not just polymeters like with most groove boxes)
Having 4 bars is much better than having to chain patterns together like the circuit rhythm. I sold my rhythm after buying a digitakt
Fair enough, I prefer the flexibility of the individual patterns of the Circuit, but that's maybe just because I'm more used to it. The Digitakt definitely has a bunch of really nice features that the Rhythm doesn't have.
Gabe: You can power it using a "Blind SPOT - USB to 12V Adapter" cable to go from USB-C PD (power delivery) to 12V barrel and power it using a USB-C PD power bank that can supply up to 2A of current. I do it with my DT and DN. I'm also working on doing a battery mod to my units so they have an internal, chargeable, LiFePO4 battery pack. myVolts also has a 12V Ripcord cable that works if you can find one in stock.
Whoah-that's is some cool Electronic Engineering stuff right there 😃
Digitakt has some amazing things going for it - size, quality, sound shaping, conditional triggers. But to me there are a number of deal breakers - Mono Sound, no slicing (The work around blows), fixed track types 8 audio / 8 midi - with there was some flexibility here to choose track types as needed (Pioneer DJ has this on the SP16 / DJS1000). Also no time stretch. Limited to 1g of internal storage - no external disk/USB
Was quite disappointed that "the most powerful sequencer in the world" doesn't even do chords or scales. Total disappointment when I learned that the MIDI tracks on the Digitakt can only do the C Chromatic scale - was thinking that if it could at least do scales I might keep it for programming VSTs in ableton.
Speaking of Ableton Overbidge was riddled with latency as a VST in Ableton that for me it was not usable - i7 6 Core Mac Mini (2020). However the stand alone Overbidge App has a nifty records that was quite useful for recording stems I could dump into ableton. not a total hater, sold the Digitakt for a Digitone - in hindsight the Digitone was probably the better first purchase.
Definitely fair. I wish I had made this clearer in the video, it's probably best to think of it as a drum machine that manages to transcend its drum machine status to become a groovebox, and in doing so, introduces limitations that make a whole lot more sense for a drum machine than a groovebox.
@@GabeMillerMusic True - definitely goes beyond only drum sounds - I guess the limitations are way not to cannibalize Octatrack sales. I'm not totally lost on Elektron as I have a Digitone arriving this week.
Love my Digitakt, but I desperately need a stereo fx send and return that I can select which tracks to send out to.
Cool vid and definitely made me want one (been on my to-audition list for a while now). IIRC MyVolts do a USB to 12V Ripcord for this model which I'll definitely invest in if I get a DT (like you, I'm looking S/H although they're holding their resale value quite well at the moment and are still relatively expensive)
Hey Gabe, do you know how to set up a midi pad controler to trigger Digitakt tracks? So a user can finger drum with the digitakt, but on good pads?
I had the chance to get the octatrack for a few hundred euros more. It can do even more, especially in the sampling department.
Gabe should definitely pick up a Roland MC-303 sometime (the 303 is the first groovebox ever made and avaliable for like 150 bucks on ebay.) It's a weird box that sounds kinda cheesy, but it might be worth picking up for shits and giggles
It's on the list! I've even had the video title "Trying the First Groovebox Ever" sitting around for a while. I definitely want to get to it one of these days
@@GabeMillerMusic Cool! I look forward to seeing your reaction to that abomination
I have question .. in case you still have Digitakt .. what happens when you connect midi Digitakt -> MC101 and then on digitakt you change pattern ... does it change pattern on MC101 in sync with Digtitakt ? For example on Circuit it switches Scene/Project - i'm curious what it does on MC101 (i'm considering adding MC101 to my Digitakt+Digitone setup but for me is cructial to be able to switch pattern in sync automatically).
Also another question - it is possible to have different preset set on track for different patterns in MC101 (like it is possible on DT/DN) ?
"digging digitakt", yey! :)
If its 9 volts (which I think it is), a USB portable power adapter wont work. A portable guitar pedal board power supply should work though.
So you've crossed over to the dark side...