Digitakt 2 | All New Features + Elektron Sequencer Essentials | Digitakt II vs. OG Digitakt

[@CaptainPikant]

A little BTS info on the end jam and two more features which we couldn't fit into the video: All sounds in the end jam are coming from the Digitakt 2. The chords are programmed on three separate tracks. The bass synth and the chords are sidechained to the Kick. The Intern plays the vocals on a keyboard that doesn't have a DIN MIDI Out, so the MIDI signal takes a detour to a computer and from there back into the Digitakt 2. We made a single cycle waveform from one of our favourite free chiptune synths (YMCK Magical 8bit Plug 2) and mapped the keyboard's modwheel (or rather touchstrip) to an LFO that creates vibrato. The same modwheel movement also controls the delay send, which introduces a really nice echo effect during those parts and keeps the rest of the mix clean :) There are also two handy new features which we've used extensively during testing but didn't show in the video: When in mute mode you can prepare mutes. Hold FUNC and press STEP 1-16 to mark tracks for muting/unmuting. When you release FUNC the mutes are applied collectively. You can save a trig with all of its parameter locks as a preset with TRIG + PRESET/KIT.

[@CaptainPikant]

Since there seems to be a bit of discussion about the USB upload transfer rate here's a real-world example for further illustration: We've transfered Goldbaby's "SP1200 Collection" onto a freshly booted up Digitakt II with firmware 1.01 using the newest Transfer software 1.8.6. The pack consists of 4143 WAV files (mono and stereo), mostly one-shots with a few longer loops. The samples take up a disk space of 658.030.592 Bytes (≈ 658 MB or 628 MiB). 1 MiB = 1.048.576 Bytes 1 MB = 1.000.000 Bytes The transfer took 50 minutes and 37 seconds (= 3037 seconds) to finish. This means the data transfer rate is roughly 0.2 MiB/s, so even lower than the 0.33 MiB/s speed shown by the Transfer app which we based our calculation in the review on. This transfer rate is the same on both PCs we used.

[@suki4410]

@@CaptainPikant Still no problem for me, even when it could be faster.

[@CaptainPikant]

@@suki4410 yes, it's absolutely no issue in most cases. The only situation I can think of where it could be problematic is when you need to transfer your backups to a new machine right before a gig ;)

[@DiversionScience]

@@CaptainPikant Sounds to me like you forgot to put the Digitakt II into USB only mode. The original Digitakt supports USB 2.0 transfer and MIDI speeds, but only if you disable the DIN ports. This is a hardware limitation, if it would receive MIDI at USB 2.0 speeds it would be impossible to forward that to the DIN port(for MIDI thru) at 1/48th the speed. So it drops back to USB MIDI 1.0 speeds for compatibility when the DIN ports are enabled.

[@CaptainPikant]

@@DiversionScience thanks for the suggestion! We put it into USB only mode and tried again, but it didn't improve the transfer speed.

[@jomiran1000]

The Knife jam made me so happy.

[@olik136]

foreshadowed by an actual knife!

[@ChildOfSaturnMusic]

Me too! It gave all the warm fuzzies.

[@o3rMeNs]

Heartbeats, such a classic.

[@mrAlphavilla]

Me too

[@AudioPilz]

How do you manage to keep your OG Digitakt so clean? Mine looks like it was in an MMA fight...

[@CaptainPikant]

😄😄😄 Oh it has a strict beauty routine between each take involving three types of dust brushes, microfibre cloths and - if things get tough - alcohol. I wish I was kidding...

[@ponkan95]

@@CaptainPikant guys please do a captainpikant vs badgear crossover please

[@goodnota]

@@ponkan95 MeME fight night !

[@redbigapplefloppa302]

@@ponkan95there was one in badgears anniversary video

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

@@CaptainPikant Dust brushes versus dust puppies (inside joke, let's see how many get it 😁).

I watched most reviews already and yours is by far the best, both in terms of explanations, real lifee user cases and music quality, thanks !

[@user82938]

3:47 When this started, I was like "Wait... is this..." and then I saw the pattern name was Raga :) Nice!

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

Even if I might be repeating myself with this statement: This is one of the few music channels that I would recommend without reservation, also because of its clear concept and its great way of presentation and pointed humorous interludes. And there really aren't that many of them.

[@nomad1517]

That blade reference tho. 😄

[@InnerVisions68]

Adding the chorus effect seems Logical 😉👌🏼💥

[@_c_y_p_3]

Lovely video! Love the Heartbeats remake, so appropriate.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

What a massive upgrade. Im blown away.

[@navarredr]

Albeit a bit niche, but still the most underrated channel on teh interwebz

[@nostandingonlydancin]

The best early video. Well done, yet again 🎉

[@manifatzigula]

Top notch. It really feels like they took their favourite elements fron the ot and the md and put it intonthr syntakt. Pretty sweet.

[@channelite]

I think this is the best Digitakt 2 video I've seen yet. Elektron should have a trade in your old Digitakt 1 deal to get a new Digitakt 2.

[@wariusgaius]

I love the “the way you make me feel” Easter egg around 19:00.

[@CaptainPikant]

It's actually "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears For Fears, but the two are VERY similar :)

[@wariusgaius]

@@CaptainPikant blimey!

[@PM-ly9gc]

Great review. A real gem like all your other uploads. The channel is a real gold mine!

[@ThePointingArrows]

Would it be so nice if at least the retrigger update was later integrated on the og digi :)))

[@nikolafeve]

Your videos are amazing, so sharp!

[@bubuAudio]

03:47 loved Charanjit Singh - Raga Bhairav cover ( I got that reference listening to Glass Beams 😍cover )

[@CaptainPikant]

That's a really cool cover :) :)

[@iamkeebz]

The absence of polyphonic chromatic playback and limited midi note out is an absolute non-starter for a $1K sampler. These are things even the TE KO ii does. There's no excuse at this price point. Hard pass. That said, this was a GREAT review and really enjoyed the video.

[@godot5082]

I use the retrokits rk002 cable to implement polyphony, with the 16 audiotracks it's now very comfortably to sacrifice 4 or 6 track for a polysynth.

[@maailmanalku7271]

Yeah I don't know what to think about it... This device would otherwise be like a dream. Something like Roland MC 101 has polyphony and very similar capabilities (less synth for sure) but for half the price. But perhaps the answer is that you should not be composing polyphonic stuff on a small groovebox like this - you could import samples with chords and play with that perhaps?

[@jaydeepalmer]

Just what i thought!

[@BB-mt5sb]

the yellow screen looked so much better

[@NunyaB1s]

I can’t believe I’d never subscribed to you! Thanks for being awesome and cheeky! ❤❤

[@JRosevelt]

That is one delicious chorus FX!!!! I'm so surprised pleasantly about the improvements. Seriously considering this!

[@danpreston564]

The combining of trig conditions is something I’ve been screaming for for years. Well done Elektron for implementing that.

[@SrNutritivo]

Your content it’s pure gold

[@superdad942]

Sick sticker scratch sampling.... wow!

[@UnconsciousChanting]

THEN you go and finish it all off with "Heartbeats" by The Knife!? What an inspired choice! I mean, I preordered halfway through the video, obviously, but it was still great to finish so strong.

[@CaptainPikant]

Thank you so much!

[@Music-Gear]

I hope some of these features are added to the Digitakt, I think 128steps, compressor track bypass, and chorus could be added. I think 128steps probably will be added to all their boxes, specially when devices or connected with midi cables for pattern change between devices

[@macalby]

This is a very very very good overview of the new features, better than Elektron's own

[@shifteleven]

I'm hype about the Digitakt II, but the Knife track got me the most excited :)

[@elekktrikk_home_video]

Love your instructional videos the best of them all. Great and clear visuals, text and pronunciation. Works also well at 2x speed :) The visual screen enlargement is great. 👍👍😃

[@CaptainPikant]

Thanks Elekktrikk, we really appreciate it :)

[@donaldpriola1807]

The inital price for the Digitakt was pretty good, so I'm happy with it. Spending nearly double for the nice extra features didn't make sense to me. For the price of one Digitakt II I have both a Digitakt and Digitone (a good price on the used market), so that makes sense for me.

[@q-tip5801]

the screen is huge i love it

[@roman13rooms]

For me absence of slicing and start/end point editing, no SD card and no polyphony make me stick to my OT2.

[@jigs1758]

I have a work around for the lack of swing per track. I set the Micro-timing all the way to the right for any note trigs that fall on the even numbers and then dial in the "swing" by adjusting the track quantization. You can adjust the track quantization as the track plays back to find the perfect sweet spot. It's a bit tedious but it gets the job done for me. Disclaimer: This method can fall apart and start sounding bad if you try to apply a lot global swing or use retrigs in your sequence.

[@crimsonfancy]

Thank you. Last night I sold my mint SP404 mk2 to a friend specifically to buy Digitakt 2. I already own a Model : Samples that I'm gaining confidence on and with a Modal Cobalt 8 Synth and cool Meris reverb pedal, it completes the only digital music gear I posses. To reach the opening cost of the Digitakt 2, I will obviously have to spend more money than what I gained from my friend with the Roland deal. So I'm here again to consider whether it makes most sense to pick up the original Digitakt or remain on the waiting list for the Digitakt 2. All recommendations welcome if community here would be so inclined..... I'm very new to digital music production but have a guitar foundation started 40 years ago. /cheers 🍻

[@MUNRO13]

This video was outstanding. Well done!!!

[@oxyhyxo_dev]

Yello samples melted me 11/10

[@guizorato]

When I saw a knife I was like WHAT Then the jam started 😍

[@humankapital2000]

I learned a lot in this video, thank you!

[@octachron_ios_drum_sequencer]

Very nice overview again. Thank you very much! ❤😊

[@edwardmcgarthwaite7771]

This thing just moonshotted up my wishlist. They really went all out

[@pdm67]

Fantastic video, excellent update. I really hope they add time signature support for people like me that seem to use 6/8 a lot. 8 pages with each page displaying 12 steps would be amazing.

[@CaptainPikant]

Thanks!! That would indeed be awesome - constantly thinking outside the 16 step grid in those time signatures is really tiring :D

[@erwinm187]

you can loop a specific page btw through holding page and pressing one of the trigs from 9 to 16

[@CaptainPikant]

It was added after we filmed the segment, hence the text popup at 5:35 :)

[@allegro_manontroppo]

great job dude!

[@Silvio_Jadranic]

Love it but will stick to my OG Digitakt...hope we will receive at least one more firmware update as there is still a plenty room to improve OG version. Anyway, excellent video. Thank you!

[@vcastellm]

Best Digitakt II video, you're the best!

[@petrusbanken3632]

ouuff the knife ending

[@touchthatdial]

Excellent overview, thanks! Only thing that's missing for me (I think, based on what I've seen so far) is there's no possibility to adjust slice position in the Grid machine. It seems to be the same as the Digitakt OG Slice mode. Otherwise this looks look like a superb upgrade.

[@somniomi]

This is the reason I got an octatrack and it's the only feature I'd consider switching for

[@CaptainPikant]

Thanks! Yes that would be a hot candidate for a new machine in a future update :)

[@DrJ3RK8]

Must have it. Waiting for full availability though. Nice video as always!

[@peanuthamper]

no choke groups, multisampling, chromatic polyphony, velocity pads, sample editor, cv i/o, the lack of standard features always surprises me. the mki doesnt even have kits. for a drum machine.

[@jm6734]

Amazing work on this 👍🏻 Maaan that peel-jam! 😂 Gotta say it looks a bit overwhelming to learn. Expensive too. But perhaps worth it in the end if I’ll finish songs.

[@censoredialogue]

it really needs a proper sample editor or a manual mode added to the slice machine. the lack of manual slice is the biggest thing holding me back from using my Digitakt very much these days.

[@TropicalBrick]

Great review, ending with The Knife is so based!

[@FesixGermany]

4:18 next phonk track halfway finished with just that cowbell

[@AytacKORKMAZ604]

Thanks for your great job!

[@pizzamanmep]

I cant find a single reason to sell my OG Digitakt

[@mechanicalbreaks8319]

Definitely no good reason to sell it but many great reasons to buy MKII and own both!

[@DanChippendaleMusic]

I'm plenty excited for this. Just preordered one 🥳 Can't wait to pair this with my Syntakt. Stereo resampling will change everything

[@CaptainPikant]

Oh this sounds like a great idea! We didn't have the time to connect the two together, but it's gonna happen :)

[@DanChippendaleMusic]

@@CaptainPikant I can tell you already spent a heap of time on this video. The sheer quality of your production is humbling. Amazing stuff. I also absolutely love the Yello bit 👌 Thanks for spending the time making this. I can see the Digi/Synt pairing being absolutely amazing. Elektron just need to add some polyphony to Syntakt and they would be perfect 😁

[@cassildaandcarcosa294]

Easily one of the best video on the topic to come out. :) also

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

They really blew the OG out of the water with this one. At least with the other MKII releases, the MKI was still relevant - mostly it was convenience changes (a few more buttons, new styling, and occasionally some unique MKII features only) but wow... The DT MKI prices on the used market is going to plumet. I really hope we get a lot of the new features back ported (obviously not hardware related ones like stereo or 8 more tracks)...

[@alexanderlane]

I guess that's why they called this a "II" vs a "Mk.II"? Yeah, obviously a lot can't be, but I'll be happy if we get just the perform kit functionality (it feels like how it should have always been) and maybe the separated trig conditions

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

@@alexanderlane I only realized today that it was a II and not MKII which is what all of their flagship devices got hence features got back ported. How about a mail in upgrade kit like the Play? 🤔

[@analogrealms]

3:44 10 Ragas to a Disco Beat ❤

[@sr_naranja_music]

Love your content. Really nice! 🎉 also I think you can choque with the NEI neighbor condition.

[@atheros9271]

looks like i need one

[@Alckemy]

hope the syntakt gets some of these new things. i.e comb filter, sequencer, etc. And of course, makes me wonder if they’re going to update the octa

[@LB-pp7pu]

Great review as usual! I'm not sure but I'm liking the sound of the Mk2 more, I always felt the Digitakt had a "hole" in the mids which i don't hear much here in this new revision PS 10:28 The Vermona owl is back!

[@CaptainPikant]

So glad there are some Vermona owl fans out there 😄It's still our favourite sound from the DRM-1 review!

[@asfasfasfasf124]

would love to hear you play the knife marble house or lalala

[@lordgeronimo72]

Great video!

[@cesarguimaraes5260]

Yello samples in preset pool :D

[@frankschneider7190]

great job!😊

[@ModernDevotion]

Technically you can chain the first pattern on the mki digis it’s just a different kinda trick workflow to make it work

[@justjoeblow420]

This is definitely more tempting to me than the original Digitakt but it has too much overlap with my existing set up. Plus I'd rather have the Syntakt as it can cover some of the more experimental sounding drums my Tr8S can't do. Also I think I used to listen to The Knife enough, as soon as the pattern from Heartbeats I started to hum the lyrics.

[@raysubject]

how cool it would be if display is really that big like zoomed view in this video :-)

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Chkichikaaa! Ohhh yeahhhh

[@bpsychoz]

I love your Electro heart

[@chambre466]

How the synth machine works? Can it do chords? Can it replace the synth part of a performance, I mean, to do it all on one machine? I d like to see more on that

[@CaptainPikant]

There is no synth machine. We loaded a single cycle waveform and looped that to generate a note. Rewatch the last part of the video, in there we explain how chords are formed. There's more info in the pinned comment on how we did it in the end jam.

[@chambre466]

@@CaptainPikant wave forms like in model samples. they ar e mono, I believe

[@LEO-by9mp]

Do you think is possible that they add choke (for hi hats) function in the future?

[@derekholland3328]

clearest review ive seen so far. great.

[@LB-pp7pu]

24:10 asking for slice mode feature

[@relative_vie]

Need a crash course on this haha

[@CaptainPikant]

Cuckoo has a new Mega Tutorial on the Digitakt II :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGaUkJ95eK9kY9k

[@Limbic1000]

best tutorialllll

[@GTChris]

It's wonderful to find a review that goes even more in depth than the legendary Loopop. Tip of the hat to you sir.

[@suntzu6122]

I need a digi 2 vs syntakt vid

[@Kdkjdjewerdnxa]

I want a monomachine 3, or bring over the features from the monomachine to the Syntakt, which is its closest modern equivalent from Elektron, but even then I feel like the Monomachine is more powerful in many ways, including having proper polyphony per engine. But there are multiple engines that have no modern equivalent from Elektron and are incredible and are more popular sounds than they were in the mid to late 2000s..

[@darkpolution468]

I totally agree a digitakt 2 is a bummer imo. A new Monomachine and machinedrum would've shaken the gear world.

[@mybiggrin]

19:09 Michael Jackson. BADA$$

[@vvvictoriav5958]

10:28 sounds like the dry/original samples from yello - oh yeah. where did they come from?

[@CaptainPikant]

You're entirely too kind 😄That's me doing all the sounds. You can hear it when you pitch it back up. My neighbors were probably wondering why I kept yelling "Oh Yeah" in a deep voice all morning ;)

[@mikemeengs5720]

Good job!​@@CaptainPikant

[@Lordxfx]

A vulgar display of skill on the DT. Marvelous!

[@Goldlion973]

Limit the initial product then bring out a MKII with the limitations removed and everything is *new* again.

[@dolorblind]

did you just play charanjit singh 'ten ragas to a disco beat' at 3:47

[@CaptainPikant]

We sure did ;)

[@dolorblind]

@@CaptainPikant brilliant!!

[@tychothefriendlymonolith]

3:48 I see what you did there... :)

[@koolade76]

Seems an improvement, I was disappointed with the spec of the original my 1999 Emu had more RAM although only stereo out is another thing I find a little disappointing as I prefer to process and mix through a multi-channel mixer. As an a long-term Akai and Emu user, I feel I can't justify it for my needs. Would it make a good box for someone else, more than likely.

[@WARDISWARD]

24:24 swing per track is aready possible with microtiming

[@CaptainPikant]

True but that's super tedious 😅

[@horaziohorazio]

The Peel it off... looooool

[@jasontimm8704]

THEE GOAT!

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

Why is no one hooking a midi keyboard 🎹 to this machine to show its capabilities?

[@nicocroissant4988]

I do with MPK mini Plus 3 and it's a lot of fun, adding roll with pads, velocity pads, arp, latch, etc...

[@jpmudkip1870]

I think Loopop showed off page looping in his video

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

I dont understand why Elektron doesnt include a distortion effect on every box.

[@ruz8099]

fantastic review!

[@hollownation]

19:24 Tool

[@Tapepusher]

8:20 why would you not just load the same kit to the two patterns (to stop it changing when you change patterns), why is the perform kit mode thing necessary? Don’t they act like normal kits like the Analogs?

[@CaptainPikant]

Kits are not implemented like on the Analogs, they're basically presets for the 16 track sounds. After you load a kit you can change the sounds as you like, this won't affect a saved kit or other patterns.

[@caravancrew3725]

I mean what is the cpu form factor is 20Gb 200mb ram really all that good if stereo and 24/48 that won't go far whats stopping them from inserting a Samsung 980 PRO 1TB M.2 PCI Express 4.0 SS for talking sake up the cpu to say pentium 4.