#86

Have you tried MIDI loop back technique? It opens up tons of possibilities withour any external control sources.

#87

I don’t have firsthand experience but a friend has this setup and likes it.

#88

For explorations of rhythm generation with lots of chances for random surprises: Digitakt or Octatrack?

I’m leaning DT but am having some last minute doubts.

I feel like my looper bases are covered, but am looking for a platform with which to create percussion and rhythm…DT, right?

#89

I really enjoy using the Digitakt. Super fun, easy and flexible enough. I think it’s great for random rhythm generation.

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#90

I actually use my Octatrack less of a looper than a machine that can coax rhythmic and melodic chunks OUT of loops. Being able to take something live (or from a card) and slice,
Loop, change slice and loop start points, Pitch and effect rate. Lots of things that the Digitakt can’t do. What the Digitakt CAN do us take advantage of the fantastic Elektron sequencing and take one shots and loops very well.

It depends on how much you wanna being in things that are already recorded, the Digitakt is great! With the Octatrack, I can use it how I wished to use a Morphagene which is to find chunks of usable, effectible and new audio out of items flowing in to the Octatrack in real time.

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#91

Octatrack is much more complex and you will need to learn more. But there are lots of tutorials and forum threads in elektronauts that are helpful. Digitakt is much more direct. But no stereo sampling and no song mode. No streaming of a variety of super long samples (though I never hit the limit to be honest). I sold my digitakt after a few months since I neglected it and could not finish a thing with it. I got an octa mk1 in a trade. I still hatelove that thing. I will try again as it has all the potential which is its strength and its curse. At least for me at age 45 some things are a bit too much but nobody forces me to use all the functions in these machines. All in all digitakt sounds nice and is rather easy in comparison. Maybe you don’t want a song mode. To me it was a deal breaker as I really like the sequencer functions a lot.

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#92

There are lots of talk of Octatrack being complex, but imo it’s just much more open ended. So for exploration purposes i’d personally go with Octa, for drum machine duty - Digitakt. I came to grips with “how octa works” in a couple of weeks, but the question that still remains open is “how I want to use it”:slight_smile:

4 Likes
#93

My Digitakt is full and I don’t know what samples to remove without destroying some of the songs I’m working with. It does not get a lot of usage these days. I wish it had a removable drive.

#94

Rhythm generation with chances for random surprises is why I got the Digitakt. It’s quick, easy to use, and most importantly for me, I find it fun to sit and play with.

A lot of the decision making process for me was trying to pin down how I wanted to use it. I initially thought that I would prefer the Octatrack, but eventually realised that the live recording and sampling extras weren’t what I was looking for. The comparative simplicity of the Digitakt made it easy for me to imagine being able to create and improvise with rhythmic material in a live setting and it has not disappointed me on that front. What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy the process of loading floaty loops or improvisations onto it and crafting them into something new. If I wanted to do this live I would probably be looking at the octatrack, but for now I’m happy using the Digitakt.

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#95

You can achieve what you want to do with both. The DT has however, like a 1GB memory, the Octa I think up to 64gb card. But both machines have their menu diving in that regard - the DT: more time spent swapping samples in and out - and as mentioned above, it’s difficult not to become precious and fear deleting things.

The OT cops a lot of flack for being difficult to use, but it really isn’t. It’s two key problems I think are sometimes being lost and not being able to figure out where u are and why u have a certain result - that’s fine - that forest is part of the fun I think.

But the other thing is the OT has a very specific way of saving things, I would almost say it has a destructive workflow - any record buffers you have filled that are unsaved, are automatically wiped when the machine is turned off. This is very important -trigger happy off-switching will destroy your work if you’re not careful. You literally have to methodically go through and carefully name your buffers before you switch off - or at least carefully invoke that in your process. If you’re carefree, and say recording out two channel to a recorder, and not worried about saving, then I guess who cares. Move and keep creating, live in the destructive - or creative - world that the OT somewhat occupies.

The DT is far more modern, and is completely the opposite with saving. You just press save and that’s it. Turn if off.

edit: if your samples are coming from elsewhere, and you have a lot of them, I would recommend the OT. So much storage, and then buffers aren’t an issue, you’re just loading your samples as needed to a project. The DT actually has a better sampling workflow in that regard, but the OT mostly trumps it in sonic flexibility. As mentioned above the DT has some nice touches in this area that can produce pleasing results, but the OT has the breadth of techniques in this terrain. Even if you’re intentions are simple sample loading with the OT, you will absolutely be pulled into its fascinating sampling world.

It’s tough with Elektron, no one box is a magic land of chocolate. They all have things the others don’t, and you have to put up with that, which ever one you choose.

3 Likes
#96

Disagree, it’s the OT. :grin:

I think the OT is pretty manageable if one attacks it one function at a time. When something can be a sequencer / sampler / stem player / performance mixer / effects unit / live looper / etc, it really requires picking the one thing you want it to do and then learning just that - then picking up the rest as you go and opportunities preset themselves.

The longer I have it, the more I love it. It can be used in damn near every audio application I throw at it.

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#97

i agree. once you get the hang of what it can do it isn’t the workflow that is overwhelming… it is the possibilities.

I had a mk.1 and sold it and missed it … about a year or more later i got a mk.2 and love it. Now i just need to remember all that i’ve forgotten.

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#98

I decided a couple of things:

(1) it’s likely a “both” situation. They are both wonderful, and would probably be awesome to have alongside one another
(2) for my immediate needs, I’m going to start with the DT.

It arrives tomorrow and I’m excited to dig in!

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#99

It’s fun as hell, man. Both devices are so cool. And the Digitakt will give you a few benefits (which I, having gone with Digitone and Octatrack don’t have) which is a a sense of purpose and specificity to the device. The Digitakt does a select (not small, just select) number of things incredibly well. It’s a powerhouse in its own right. Not to mention better global FX and sample playback quality (if just due to is more recent hardware nature) than the Octatrack. It’s not a semi-everything box that the Octatrack can be. But that’s it’s own special benefit.

1 Like
#100

The Digitakt doesn’t really need a songmode, but having one is quite nice. Maybe Norns and Digitakt owners can try my very first Norns script named “Songmode”. The script is a pattern chaining tool with Save and Load option, thus a kind of song mode. It works also with Model:Cycles probably also with Digitone and Model:Samples. (I am also a beginner in programming, so the script is certainly not very sexy. :wink: )

IMG_4252
IMG_42524032×3024 3.62 MB

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#101

This is really cool! One of my gripes with the Digitakt has always been the inability to select specific patterns via midi. As I recall I think you can only advance patterns sequentially via midi?

If your script was somehow able to select individual patterns via midi then one could possibly setup up a midi foot controller to select which pattern to be played on the DT?

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#102

Thanks. Your idea with the foot controller cannot be realized with this script. However, another script that translates your midi data (probably notes) of the foot controller into program change data should be super easy.

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#103

No. You can select any of the Digitakt’s 128 patterns to play next by sending it the appropriate value of MIDI Program Change message (value 0 selects pattern A01, 1 selects pattern A02 etc).

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#104

My apologies, yes you are correct. It has been a little while since I have tried it.

On another note, when you select a new pattern there is a flashing notification on the screen to indicate which pattern will play next. I think I recall when you select a new pattern via midi program change you do not get this same feedback on the screen. Oh well, can’t have it all !

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#105

quick question: is there a norns script out there (or a way to set this up in digitakt’s incoming midi settings) which would allow midi control of sample start point in the digitakt? thinking it would be pretty fun to have the sequencer running while switching sample positions, a bit like cheat codes with 8 buffers and trig params

1 Like