Review: DIGITAKT II vs OG Digitakt // Everything new in Digitakt 2 // Detailed tutorial

[@smaller_cathedrals]

Well, time to sell my Digitakt I that I've never used to buy a Digitakt II that I'll never use.

[@8bitBarry1]

Yeah that sums up my experience perfectly. It was a total pain in the arse, still own it and I still haven't made it integrate with anything

[@tobi-y7862]

I need to answer this...Digitakt is great..u guys miss out all the fun and perfect for live setups...its limited, i know. But i make great tracks with it..and still one of the better samplers..great midi device too

[@8bitBarry1]

@@tobi-y7862 I need to answer this - a fair point… I think my issue was initially the steep learning curve which I got over, but my main issue was that most track builds used all 8 slots, mono, the delay / reverb was the only way to make stereo (sensibly) and then you hit the ceiling unless midi’d to other toys. Then it becomes a mixing nightmare as it’s just 2 outputs. The new DT2 should address a lot of the issues for me, as I really want it to be standalone.

[@Hresvelgr107]

Electronic music scene in a nutshell.

[@IamSeafarer]

I can't comprehend how you carry yourself that way and how people find this relatable? These machines go deep but are incredibly easy to dive into and get lost and find your own path.

[@pavlotreba]

As long time octatracker mk2 I will say that whole video my eyebrows was up - so much pain and impossibilities on octatrack they solved here, and I’m not overreacting, just cold minded conclusion. Thank you for deep tutorial!

[@moving_particles]

like what out of interest? i went the other way round, digitakt -> octatrack and feel the other way.

[@mrAlphavilla]

I want to know too ? What do you mean?

[@sunsettribe]

As a Digitakt OG owner, I think the Mk2 is a great update, some of my fav features are the euclidean mode, and of course the extended pattern range to 128 steps and not to mention the 16 tracks for sampling, although, does it make me want to upgrade, probably not at this point, what would have been great is, and this is just my opinion, an internal battery, making this truly portable. I must say, the one update i am really looking forward to, if there is one, is the Octatrack v3. great video as always.

[@rtxf]

@@StatetrooperBillyBilli am definitely buying this for my syntakt right now.

[@rtxf]

@@StatetrooperBillyBillhm unfortunately the install on a syntakt would be more risky due to less space, higher power consumption and more heat. I’ll get a powerbank instead.

[@politesociety]

I got a USB to 12v cable so I can power my digitone and a controller from a battery bank, it's pretty nice and lasts many hours.

[@sunsettribe]

@@StatetrooperBillyBill thanks, I shall explore that for sure!

[@budokaiboy]

@@sunsettribe If you build one, use heat shrink and not the plastic battery holders or it won't fit. I did the battery mod. Super easy.

[@FlashRedGo]

It's 5:00 AM and that blew my brain up!! Thanks!!

[@danpreston564]

It’s a good update. It’s almost like they’ve been listening to the community for the last 7 years.

[@noizekiller]

But DT1 owners are not happy now.

[@danpreston564]

@@noizekiller I’m a DT1 owner since launch. I’m fine. It doesn’t change what I can do on my DT.

[@colinbrash]

It’s not an update it’s a new machine. As a DT1 owner I’d be happy if they were able to just add stereo to DT1. But they didn’t so I’m pissed off and going to angrily give them money.

[@iamjamessmith]

​@@noizekiller yeah, down with progress ✊

[@xfghffhfg]

@@colinbrash are you sure its possible hardware wise?

[@NihilNovi]

I managed to resist the upgrade for 2 days, before faltering. I am proud of my achievement. :-D

[@higherself7129]

I want to thank you loopie from the bottom of my heart ❤️ you are amazingly generous with your mastery of everything synth and drum machine

[@bitbotrecords]

Hmmm 🤔 instead of upgrading my Ableton license I might do this 😅 great overview as always ❤

[@Matthewsavant]

loopop review are the only review worth watching. He goes over everything and isn't just hyping it up he's just giving us facts.

[@DCol77]

Great. Can’t wait to get a used one next year!!

[@robertbrook439]

Didn't even have to watch more than 10 mins of this before going to Thomann. Phenomenal update for a legendary machine.

[@jankvaca8788]

It's sold on Thomann? Haven't noticed.

[@Bonitosbcn]

Good one, I did the same after 5-7 min I guess 🤣

[@obywatelkz]

The same.

[@Rareos]

yea thanks it sold out in a hurry. :P

[@straighttalk2069]

Also legendary price nearly 1K.

[@stateazure]

Thanks so much for the video! Very interested in this, Digitakt is so fun but the mono samples especially were a real downer.

[@rathnapish]

That was great. Ordered. So impressed with the usability upgrades too

[@roman13rooms]

And no slicing didn’t stop you? Sampler… in 2024. No slicing.

[@xfghffhfg]

@@roman13rooms if you think about it more as a drum machine... it is still the most selling elektron ever

[@winddealer1]

Value, value, value.... again and again. Thanks for your incomproable quality and delivery over all these all these years!

[@allgonewrongful]

I hope some of the less cpu intensive QOL changes can be ported to the digitakt 1. I will get one, but there is nothing so far that makes me NEED one right now. That pleases me and my growing debt burden.

[@xfghffhfg]

hardware insturments in todays world is not a need.

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

Just picked one up, and this helped me get up to speed with the new features. So far, I am enjoying Digitakt 2 very much. Started with Modal Cycles (gateway drug), fell in love with the workflow, but wanted more features, so I bought a Syntakt, and now this. They really do have great products. Would love a reboot of the Modal Cycles/Samples line, with updated features, and better button feel/touch sensitivity for finger drumming. I like that they are lightweight, portable, can be battery powered, and knob per function.

[@AlainKaczmarek]

Fantastic overview ! "Crossfades for loops to avoid clipping" : thx for saying that loud ;)

[@spiralminus]

I love how you can choose how many midi tracks you want rather than being stuck with eight.

[@bernardlindeman739]

When we forget history, its easy to say that. They long have had the formula, now capitalism is awry at elektron HQ. This is sad.

[@user82938]

@@bernardlindeman739 Chill out.

[@spiralminus]

@@bernardlindeman739 I’m aware of that, Ive owned a MachineDrum since the first year they were produced and it had the same functionality, to which I assume you are referring.

[@spiralminus]

@@bernardlindeman739 I bought a Machine Drum the first year they came out and Im aware it has the same ability, I suppose that is what you’re referring to. Now if they excluded it on the first version of the Digitakt due to greed is debatable, however I would assume it was nothing more than the fact that it was a design they thought people would like…. 8 sample and 8 midi.

[@earthhuman5448]

An MPC60 from 1987 had four separate midi outs, each with 16 channels. Thats 64 poly midi channels. Confuses me why Elektron locks down so many machines with ultra limited midi channels.

[@EVILJAMARR]

When he got the filter machines I started looking to see who has them for sale. WOW. I wasn't going to get one, now I have to have one.

[@cherry_blue]

Ok so questions on external input not covered: 1. Does external input go through master drive? 2. Can you use the compressor bypass on external audio?

[@guyjackson1763]

Standard great review. Worth being a Patreon to keep these coming...

[@loopop]

Much appreciated!

[@ryanriley8173]

Thank you! You just saved me $1000. I have an original and I think these updates are great but don’t justify the cost of an upgrade. Awesome for new users though. A lot of these features could have been a firmware update. I wonder if some will make it back to the original digitakt.

[@loopop]

My pleasure - I aim to tell it like it is! BTW I don't think stereo, double the polyphony, more RAM/storage and mods can be firmware updates... but this certainly doesn't make the original less capable

[@ryanriley8173]

@@loopop totally agree! The new FX, Kit system and the Euclidean stuff could be back ported though.

[@ShadowriverUB]

​@@ryanriley8173 Well you would need to know architecture of hardware to know that

[@rorz999]

Great update, truly. I'm bummed there's no SD card support though. I just want all my samples in one place. 20GB internal storage is a big improvement over the original, but I just know I'd spend too much time swapping around sample packs

[@PabloInformation]

Yea Bang on! an SD card slot is all i wanted! & would have clinched it for me I dont want arbitrary limits on my sounds and filtering through them to fit takes to much time....20Gigs though by electron standards is a massive upgrade so for many it will be enough for many... but an SD Slot would have solved all storage complaints!

[@RJ_Eckie]

Loopop with the digitakt 2 scoop 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@alexwestconsulting]

...i fast-forwarded to the compressor section (since no multi-outs). With effective sidechain I'm In.

[@mattkaz9604]

Totally. The sidechain compressor that also squashed the sound that triggered it was infuriating.

[@stef_kob]

Thanks for your clear overview as usual.. of course this is not a perfect sampler and there will be never a perfect one.. but some very great comb in a box here.. ordered one today.. ps : im a mpc 60 user limitation open up creativity… people don’t realise how machine are so powerful nowadays 😃

[@BaluSeri]

I wish they implemented buffers on the digitakt like they have on the OT. Live sampling into buffers and chopping/sequencing them on thr fly makes the OT a true instrument.

[@pn_oio2891]

I see a lot of nice things to come to my Syntakt as well..

[@kostisv]

Yes! Hopefully!

[@MarcM143]

I love the clickiness of the buttons on that thing

[@btmilner]

They stick after a while

[@vyrvygora]

Me too, but my wife says she can hear them across the apartment and it drives her crazy 😅

[@MarcM143]

@@vyrvygora I could imagine! Lol I had to get the new Asus keyboard with sound dampening in it for that very purpose

[@mresquidgeward5965]

Really? I think they are ridiculous. The rubber buttons on my mc909 and tr6s are much better

[@ukbloke28]

@@vyrvygora Have your wife soundproofed. Lag her in baffles. Things are afoot.

[@bit-map]

Are midi tracks still stuck with just being able to sequence 4 notes?

[@loopop]

yes

[@Keugre19]

Digitakt supporting stereo samples : thats enough for me.

[@OttosTheName]

FR, digitakt 1 seemed like the perfect sampler, but mono only turned a no-brainer in to a no-way-I'm-spending-a-grand-on-that

[@olafsigursons]

@@OttosTheName polyphony > stereo. Even stereo, there is no way I spent more that a grant for a monophonic sampler. Still a show stopper for me.

[@pablobarria296]

the future is now 🤣

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

​@@pablobarria296no, the present is now

[@eyesintheskies]

​@@pablobarria296😂 i know & folk still aren't satisfied, i mean back in the day u were lucky to get a couple seconds of sampling!!!

[@blkdot]

I hope naming CC will be added to the MKI

[@allgonewrongful]

me too. midi learn would be a god send as well.

[@blkdot]

@@allgonewrongful if not then what? Selling the MKI for half the price of the new MKII with probably no result - that's what we're left with...

[@allgonewrongful]

@@blkdot Pretty much yeah. Luckily im skint right now. But down the road, im gonna have to, but if some bits are ported over, it'll ease the pain.

[@ultramet]

I just told my boss to direct deposit my paycheck this week to Digitakt

[@Daphoid]

From random rumor I didn't pay much mind too earlier this week/last week - to a Loopop video in my feed after work? Nice. On the list it goes for possible future consideration.

[@Freddy_VHS]

Would love to see a Granular sampler added to the machines in the future!

[@kostisv]

Yes! And a looper!

[@mattrobertson_music]

does anyone know if this mkii does direct pattern change like RYTM? Love it....

[@el_dani]

Not (yet)

[@a1o1]

The compressor update ... finally proper ducking

[@neuromonax993]

and it's still just f*cking sidechain taking away the only compressor you have

[@ToyKeeper]

The pattern at 40:21 shows that Elektron recognizes the need for longer sequences which play themselves, where some parts repeat while others change, like clips placed in an arranger... but unfortunately, that sort of thing still requires some pretty awkward workarounds. It's impressive when demonstrated on a Digitakt, but it _shouldn't_ be impressive. It should be default.

[@mistormusic]

Great breakdown as usual! Thank you! I've owned the Digi 1 since the early days and have been quite happy with it but always had the shortcoming in the back of my mind. This 2nd version really becomes a very mature product and a very versatile tool for studio as well as live PA and amazing bang for buck in my opinion.

[@_friendorfoe]

Once i saw the announcement, went straight to youtube. Loopop never fails 😁

[@DexterPiano]

Very impressive review !

[@briancivitello1884]

Ha. I just bought an sp404mk2 thinking that was my best option for getting steel samples into my sampling rig. Excited about this but also loving the sp

[@2point7182818284590]

For playing live they might go well togther

[@dymszn]

You made this faster than I preordered it 😅

[@MrSyNRG]

Well they sent him the unit so don't feel tooooooo bad... with your new instrument 🤤

[@boombap08]

Nice. I went the route of keeping my DT 1 ( for drums duties now ) and getting an OT mkii for start/end chops and stereo sampling and that dope crossfader. Cant believe the thing is 13yrs old, its the shit

[@greyaltaer8788]

Even with gear insurance, and despite being excellently suited for live play, I’m very reluctant to gig with my elektron gear. It’s very sturdy, but it’s just too expensive and useful to risk taking them out. Which is where something like SP404II comes in. Relatively easy on the premiums if damaged or stolen, I’ve powered mine with lithium batteries. Can easily gig or compose spontaneously. I don’t go anywhere without my SP404II, Tracker mini and Oxi One. All you need is a sound system to plug into to gig at a moment’s notice.

[@el_dani]

If you need Sp404, Tracker mini and Oxi one to replace Digitakt for your live gig, I would rather take Digitakt alone; fits easily in any backpack, keep it on you.. My most important point for live gear choice would be: which device am I very trained and at ease for playing in front of foreign people. - I wouldn‘t take gear that‘s almost unobtainable like Avalob bassline or Machinedrum

[@sawssman965]

That comb filter looked pretty sweet

[@RecMirage]

Deffo more expensive than digi 1. I’m a huge Digitakt user so will upgrade eventually. The main thing I’m missing is multiple outs. Other stuff is nice in terms of improvements.

[@MicroFreeq269]

999€

[@mikenoface]

Correction: Both Polyend machines are cheaper than DT mk2. in the US at least. Great vid as always.

[@zdravkodimitrov]

If only they add track grouping so you can play polyphonically and make changes to all instrances of the sample at the same time, I'll finally buy it as a MC707 killer

[@Algoritmarte]

let me know if you'll immediately miss the MC707 after the first day :-)

[@roterodamus]

All I want is manual slicing like in the OT and almost all of its competitors. Grid mode is not the same. I like it but if it doesn't have manual slicing I don't need it.

[@milk_bath]

Yeah, wild how that wasn’t in this. I use Koala on my phone to sample snd slice before uploading to or sequence from the Digitakt.

[@mattkaz9604]

Yes - that was a weird oversight. The grid mode is perfect for millisecond-tight quantised beats, but quickly becomes a mess with looser or shuffled beats, triplet fills, etc etc.

[@mahusound]

Such a great, in-depth video! Thank you!

[@nachtaktiv]

I think now we can forget an Octratrack 3

[@SlickGriminals]

does it have multiple inputs and outputs??

[@slavikdoter]

Its logical man. They improve on what sells

[@rijksvoorlichtingsdienst4427]

Still not for live sets so dont worry

[@TsolProductionsMedia]

@@rijksvoorlichtingsdienst4427 why not?

[@greyaltaer8788]

Ye I’d bet money there’s still an OTIII just beyond the horizon. The DT and OT fulfill significantly different use-cases. I just hope the next OT has full overbridge support!

[@ToyKeeper]

As an original Digitakt owner, this new one is definitely a nice upgrade... but the upgrades don't fix most of the issues I had with the original. It takes me forever to start, compose, and finish a song on my Digitakt, compared to other devices. So it's hard to imagine myself choosing an Elektron device again, especially considering how much more its competitors offer for the same or lower price.

[@andesneko]

Really? I guess it's not issues then and the workflow just doesn't work for you.

[@robinr22]

For me, the killer is that the UI is basically the same. The extra stuff is nice but nothing compared to the benefit that rethinking the entire interface would have, especially if they employed a competent designer rather than the deranged lunatic with a profound hatred of Elektron customers responsible for the first one. At the end of the day, it's just a very basic tracker obfuscated by a ridiculous interface. Think i'd rather have 5 Circuit Rhythms - cost the same, does 95% of the same stuff but with 40 individual tracks and, yay, an actual useable workflow. Edit: Five Polyend trackers would work too, would do so much more.

[@Silent_Stillness]

To really be at home with these machines a level of discipline, preparation and determination that is unlike what is typically required (from tools that are less advanced or more streamlined) really matters. What you get in return for your energy investment is an access to a "system" that allows you to generate extremely personalized intricate results that would otherwise be effectively inaccessible. I don't believe the problem you're experiencing is due to a flaw with the machine's design itself. It seems like it might have more to do with the level of preparation that you're willing/expecting to put into your tools before actually composing. If you want to really "integrate" that machine and get a positive experience out of it, I suggest considering splitting your music making sessions entirely to focus either on your setup/preparation/building a strong cohesion with your sounds (and then taking a 30 to 60 minutes pause or calling it a day completely) OR composing. When your setup is already cared for, the next time you start your session your preparation time is basically zero and your mind can focus strictly on composing and being spontaneous, with sound design taking more of a backseat and requiring less "mental bandwidth". If you can manage to enjoy your preparation process just for the sake of it (be Zen while doing it really!), and to build a more intimate connection with each sound you choose, without the urge for "producing" something, your dynamic with your Digitakt might change dramatically for the better and over time you might become much more efficient at setting your Digitakt up. It's VERY EASY to feel like we have to absolutely "produce" something or otherwise we might feel like we didn't get the "kick" we were looking for out of our session which often causes frustration, but clinging onto such emotions is unfortunately a symptom of a slave mentality. If you can't see yourself even considering something like that, perhaps letting go of the Digitakt entirely might just be the right thing to do, as these machines definitely are not for everyone and that's neither good or bad.

[@ToyKeeper]

@@andesneko You're right about the Elektron workflow. For me, it's work but not flow. So I switched to a Force and I'm loving it. I can go from a song idea to a demo before breakfast, while on the Digitakt the same thing would take most of the day. Then the Force has all the tools I need to finish the song, while on Digitakt I'd have to record into a DAW and do that stuff on a computer. On a Force, I tap in a tempo, hit record, then hum or beatbox an idea into clips real-time, occasionally tapping a new row to split it into scenes during recording. Then I convert that to instrument tracks, by playing real-time while recording midi. Add drums, also real-time, and mute the original voice track. Maybe scroll through some patches to pick sounds I like, or record some tracks from external gear. Adjust mixing and fx, then perform the clips into an arranger. Then render it down to a .wav, mount the Force's hard drive over wifi from my computer, copy the .wav, and encode to .mp3. The whole process takes like 40 minutes, and it doesn't leave me stuck in a single-pattern loop wondering what to do next.

[@slakk5093]

interesting.. for me its the opposite. Digitakt interface lets me jam without thinking about the interface and UI at all. One of the only bits of gear where I go in to a zone and then realise ive been making a tune for 2 or 3 hours 🤣

[@DisruptedFrequencies]

Nice review and tutorial! Thanks for sharing. One thing I noticed was for the "conditions" were updated with new features however the max is still only 8:8 I was hoping to see maybe them give us a 12:12 or even 16:16, considering we can now utilize longer samples and now have up to 128 steps! 😢

[@howlinberry1645]

Definitely buying

[@valuemastery]

OMG. I still haven't managed to update my Analog Four & Rytm to the MK2 versions, and now this thing appears. My backlog is growing.

[@thelevicole]

some of this stuff seems like they could have added to the MK1 via a software update, e.g. the control all routing and (maybe) the compressor routing. This isn't a buy for me, I'm happy with my MKI, maybe some other firmware update will change my mind.

[@alexwestconsulting]

They def could add this simple "sidechain" implementation on MK1. But without it and without multi-outs, the MK1 is rather crippled, despite the workarounds (and they are workarounds). The thing that pisses me off about this is that Elektron COULD do it without much effort, but now that Mk 2 is out and they want it to sell, they won't do it on MK 1. Novation did this kind of crap when MK2 Circuits came out.

[@milk_bath]

I’d be surprised if they didn’t. Analog MK1s still get updates

[@bojangprodoktschns5428]

@milk_bath: Second that! Can't remember how many times features of a MK2 machine trickled down to MK1 later on. Elektron really is exemplary in this regard. Not cheap machines, but boy do they deliver in the long run!

[@alexwestconsulting]

@@milk_bath bets? It may come, but not any time soon.

[@finctank]

It’s time for the community to jailbreak the DT?

[@screamingstrings76]

There is SO much good stuff here.

[@chrisfjonesutube]

This reminds me of how good the Deluge is... they managed to ditch all these weird esoteric constraints/workflow to create something more capable and useable.

[@fargoththemoonsugarmaniac]

Deluge > Digitakt 2 you say?

[@chrisfjonesutube]

If you primarily use elektron devices and have molded your brain around that workflow and all the weird quirks, then the Digitakt 2 will be amazing. For all other cases, I think the Deluge is the best all-around device in this category. I've used the elektron stuff, the polyend stuff, and the akai stuff... all of them have clunky constraints and weird rough edges that the Deluge somehow doesn't have 🤷‍♂️

[@seanp2k617]

MPC is dang good too, but sometimes it feels too much like a tablet running a DAW, so I see the appeal in Elektron stuff for sure, and that's why I got an Analog Rytm. That inspires different things vs the Polyend Play vs the MPC vs sitting at a computer vs banging on the Nord Drum.

[@eliatmusic]

Is there a way to have a master filter applied to all tracks without pressing TRK, just by turning one knob?

[@loopop]

Not that I know. Why not use TRK though?

[@eliatmusic]

@@loopop To be able to perform with one hand! (if playing other instruments as well)

[@loopop]

@@eliatmusic ok perhaps get a weight that will hold the button down?

[@eliatmusic]

Thanks ​@@loopop, I was actually wondering if everything on the digitalt is mappable with an external midi, where you could map macro functions..? To make the digitakt a bit more performative (like a TR8S but better)

[@loopop]

@@eliatmusicI’m not sure if everything but a lot is, please check the manual

[@EverettVinzant]

For $1000 I could buy a used MPC 1000 from 20 years ago, that supports stereo samples, has 4 audio ports out, put a 120GB PATA SSD in it, have over a dozen built-in effects, filters, retrofit a battery (which I've done), put in one of several colors of screen, have velocity sensitive pads, 64 tracks/32 of them MIDI, have removable storage (CF cards that are half as big as the internal storage of the DTII), have an easier time adding/changing files without a computer needed, upgrade to JJOS for $100, not have a vendor specific protocol (overbridge) that requires the use of an external DAW AND doesn't give multiple ins/outs to hardware like USB compliant audio does, and STILL have $150 to buy samples with... For $250 more I can SMOKE this device with a new Live II or get a used one for about the same price, or get a used "ONE" for less... I REALLY don't understand what makes the Digitakt II so exciting in this market? You can, spend significantly less and get more necessities, spend less on a used device and get more, spend the same on a used device and get more, or spend more on a new device and get... "it's full of stars" I don't understand who this device is for, or where its market segment is... I suspect this is one of those "Apple Halo" things right?

[@Keugre19]

Workflow, sequencer, overbridge

[@EverettVinzant]

@@Keugre19 MPC 1000, live II, AND One have “workflow,” a sequencer (that supports more tracks) and overbridge has more problems than it’s worth, and it DEFINITELY isn’t worth $500, 16 tracks, external audio in and out ports, 100 plus gigs of storage… Maybe read what I wrote?

[@Keugre19]

@@EverettVinzant They have a different workflow, may suits you or not. Overbridge is very valuable when you work a lot with your daw.

[@EverettVinzant]

@@Keugre19 I won’t argue with you on workflow. That’s a subjective thing. But my point on overbridge stands. I can go to controller mode in my live 2, and use it with a DAW running MPC as a VST and have the exact same functionality that I could get from using overbridge. Yes, it’s not the same thing, but it’s the same functionality…

[@EverettVinzant]

I also want to bring up these two facts. The people that want a Digitakt II are mostly going to be existing customers. That means we’re going to see the OG Digitakt for a couple hundred dollars used on Etsy. So if there is something I NEED for overbridge to provide (I can’t imagine what that is, but, my incredulity not withstanding), I’ll spend a couple hundred bucks to have it. The other fact is, the Elektron II would have been revolutionary 20 years ago. It would have been competing in the market ten years ago… Right now the only thing that has been pointed out is that some people like the workflow better… $1000 is a LOT to spend for workflow when you give up more than half of what is considered “minimum features” that you could get two decades ago. The SP-404 MKII costs half as much as the DTII. It can support streaming 4 inputs and 14 outputs via their “digital river.” The 404 has as more effects, 25% less internal storage, has a synthesizer like the DTII, has velocity sensitive pads, more tracks, runs off batteries…. Again, where does the DTII see itself? In ANY direction I go (Yamaha, 1010music, Akai, KORG) I can get cheaper, more portable, more effects, more, more, more…. I think Elektron is counting on their name more than features.

[@ildarkinildarkin]

I'm fine with my old Digi though - it's pretty capable, I barely need more features as at the end of the day I also have Syntakt, Akai Force, Ableton and bunch of VST synths :)

[@artephank]

So the morning „leak” was no accident. Marketing masterclass😊

[@eddieslab]

Sidechain compression can be used also on external input?

[@el_dani]

Yes page 64 in the manual 🥳

[@Algoritmarte]

Year 2024: "if you want to sequence a sound polyphonically you have to copy it across multiple tracks" .... WHAT??????

[@kgbinfo]

Literally

[@DanielIvan707]

This makes no sense. Wait future model will introduce this feature we should of already had.

[@ToyKeeper]

It can at least do up to 4 notes per step on midi tracks, but the implementation is really awkward. Meanwhile, MPC will let you play literally every note simultaneously if you want.

[@theshillpill6937]

Incoming “limitations breed creativity” comments

[@dickheadrecs]

Digitakt 3 feature set whiteboarded

[@eyesintheskies]

Great upgrade, but honestly i prefer the green on black screen, might just scoop up two old ones in the inevitable, ebay surge 😃

[@nalinjain7343]

Why not usb-c?

[@el_dani]

Doesn‘t hold long enough

[@marc1alexandre]

Waw what an update! And as always, the best reviewer!

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

Dude. MASSIVE upgrade if you ask me. Way better than I would have expected.

[@synthphilosophy]

You had me at the unwritten rule for the cowbell 😂. Cool stuff and thank you, as always, for your review. This helps with important decisions about wallet contents for many people. ❤

[@baconbigbeats]

Thumbs up for Digitone 2 now!

[@kavka5048]

There is no doubt that the MK2 has made a big step forward. Personally, I hope that some basic functions will be available in Digitakt 1. Such as saving kits, glide or euclidean seq. Great review and summary! Best Regards :)

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

Wow stereo samples in 2024!😅😅😅😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@subradial]

As usual great video and what a fantastic update to beloved Digitakt, seriously a no brainer!

[@vyrvygora]

He has removed the screen sticker! What a psycho!

[@jh5131]

😅😅

[@visisydandthevoid]

Means he's keeping it 😎😅

[@edjefferson9175]

Didn’t have to pay for it.

[@caesarsheadache]

Great update, review and demo 👌🔥🤘

[@michael7018]

Never got into the Elektron eco-system due to its interface and complexity in quickly laying down a track or sound sculpting flexibility. Great products that fall short on UI friendliness and difficulty in getting a musical inspiration to be recorded interactively in performance mode or otherwise. 16 mono tracks is complex to turn into polyphonic voices, no swing or drum sound editing, you can mangle the sample drums and add effects n the,m but not sculpt its sound it’s not a synth drum… on and on… anyway.

[@Wild_D]

Like is this better than hooking up a Bluetooth midi to an iPad with GarageBand? No

[@peladoclaus]

And I thought I wouldn't see this for a week or a month. Hopefully they beef up the AR and make a 3 with all these extra channels and super fun stuff. I don't care if they just have 8 analog channels but 16 total.. would be amazeballs with all the extras on the new digi

[@paQ75]

There are several reasons why I won't buy this instrument but the main one is Elektron's arbitrary decision to limit the tracks to make them monophonic, so if you want to play a chord with your samples you have to use one track for each note of the chord. A Simple (10€) application like Koala Sampler, allows stereo polyphony on each track. See you next time!!

[@xfghffhfg]

sounds like you want it :)

[@paQ75]

@@xfghffhfg I want the Synthstrom Deluge which is much more complete than this Elektron machine, but I still hesitate to buy one of the new ipads as the software has much less arbitrary restrictions than these things. I currently have an android tablet, but unfortunately Android does not offer the possibilities for audio applications that IOS offers. Above all I am looking for portability, battery powered and not tethered to wires (except for headphones). No Elektron device so far offers that, but it still strikes me that they restrict something as basic as polyphony, that's why I have commented on it. It's like having a Commodore Amiga tracker in 2024, with its monophonic channels.

[@xfghffhfg]

@@paQ75 hardware is always way more limited and restricted, this is why its so fun, my computer is far more than advance than any instrument but its not that fun. for me compering instruments is like compering shorts, like i only need one, or compering girlfriends before the first date :)

[@paQ75]

@@xfghffhfg I disagree. The fun is not in it being more limited power, but in the touch controls. Put any software with proper touch controls (i.e. a midi controller specifically designed for the software) and you'll see how you gain in instantaneousness and 'fun'. People are confused in that sense. In this case less is less since you can't program a chord in a single step without using multiple tracks. On the other hand, I can understand that Elektron wants to restrict the use of this device to a 'Drum-Machine', taking power away from its chromaticity to probably give it to the Digitone.

[@xfghffhfg]

@@paQ75 You can call it limitation, you can call it a specific workflow, whatever the reason, hardware is mostly a closed system and about a very specific way, specific sound, that focuses you in a very specific way, it's limited, faster and maybe inspiring. I never experienced a controller that gave me the same feel as a hardware instrument, most of the time it's worse than using the mice and keyboard, no machine, push, ec-4, electra one etc... Regarding polyphony, I think it's much simpler than that, they just didn't think about it and if there will be enough demand they will add it in the next update, but then. People who actually use these machines don't spend much time commenting about them. Most of the complainers here are people who have something else and a new instrument challenges them so they seek faults. They will never admit it, even after the polyphonic update, they will just find something else to complain about.

[@jevogroni4829]

the comb filter would definitely be nice. also the ability to have a filter to play with whilst also applying a notch

[@Orionka1016]

this was an instant buy, no questions asked

[@arturpasco1246]

What does the Octatrack have that the DTII doesn't? Fader, slide trigs, ability to send cue out and metronome to monitoring and not to PA, loops and jumps in arranger mode, more in and outs, looper, anything else?

[@atommachine]

SD card, slice edit better sample edit features .

[@AEDan71]

Separate FX engine per track.

[@el_dani]

A ton more and different including an intricated worklfow.

[@pn_oio2891]

Lacking real Polyphony is indeed a killer at that price..

[@Aldoistaken]

I'm not sure if it's a killer for me but yeah I would have preferred only 8 tracks with a bit of polyphony as opposed to 16 monophonic tracks! But I guess that goes against the "drum machine" mindset of the Digitakt. Still looks funnn. ✨

[@andreaaiazzi4501]

@@Aldoistakendrum machine mindset but the demo tracks have organs and melody. They are just playing games

[@roman13rooms]

Slicing may be?

[@Sangejzer]

Maybe in the future they will introduce it. I wouldn't mind voice stealing

[@kgbinfo]

Wow I really like the sound of that multimode filter.

[@andreaaiazzi4501]

For 999€ they could bother putting voice management to make a track polyphonic. I’m back to DAWs, ciao

[@xfghffhfg]

if you into hardware for feature rich experience you doing it wrong.

[@FurryNightmare666]

lol… you will be missed 😂

[@el_dani]

Take care

[@mattkaz9604]

Pretty good. I'm tempted to sell my DT to buy one of these, but I suspect in the coming weeks the price of a second hand DT will plunge.

[@iamvancore]

I was here when this was posted 1 minute ago

[@__cal29]

cool

[@Dolores5000]

Hahaha same😊

[@pequpequ]

😂

[@Keysounds0]

That's crazy

[@Braunld]

remarkable

[@ლუკა-ჩ4ე]

solid update, really looks great! however without some kind of decent polyphony implementation (group tracks, manipulate sample across them) it's a no from me. no manual sample slicing is also a bit of a bummer.

[@jacobn2011]

Ahh come on why not polyphony, the toy that came out at Christmas has it 😢can we just not have it all for once elektron !!

[@braien25980]

REALLY now, sampling in mono is no longer possible with a stereo sampler? In any case, can you convert stereosamples to mono in the Digitakt? In any case, can you choose which channel L/R you want to keep after the sampling? If that doesn't work and I have to send my monosamples via the computer to the Digitakt , I'll send the part back. I got it yesterday and just connected it. Wanted to sample, in mono, didn't work. I turned off the box right away. Dude, I was so looking forward to the part, love his little brother, but so... Not with me

[@loopop]

While I don't think you should buy something based on future hope, I asked Elektron about this and they said it was on their radar. Obviously that's not a firm commitment, but I'm sure if enough people complain they'll listen, this seems like a trivial one.

[@braien25980]

@@loopop , thank you for your quick response🍻 If this is improved, Elektron will also get my money. I'm also wondering at the moment when panning, is this real panning or is the other channel just turned down more quieter? Thx for your very good content, regards from Germany.

[@tobi-y7862]

No polyphony, no internal battery, no sd card?

[@loopop]

it's polyphonic, but you need to sequence each voice individually. no battery or sd

[@tobi-y7862]

Yeah i get that but still though...

[@SergeyCoder]

Euclidean sequencer! ❤ Torso T1 removed from wishlist, DT2 - added 🥰

[@seanp2k617]

Torso is great for modular tho and there is joy in not having a screen with it. The great thing is that you can have both :)

[@SergeyCoder]

@@seanp2k617 The main advantage here - you don’t need separate device for making Euclidean sequences 🔥

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

I have never needed the max 127 sample slots EVER in all my time with the Digitakt, but I know Im in the minority there

[@elekktrikk_home_video]

Love that kits is add on to previous workflow. :)

[@BB69175]

Why no SD card?

[@Artek604]

Or floppy disc!

[@alexmacfarlane994]

Definitely needs better polyphonic functionality with all these extra tracks! Voice stealing setup like digitone would be amazing.

[@motoboy6666]

Since koala sampler … i dont know

[@user82938]

Dang, that Fabrikøren pattern was wild.

[@mooted5513]

The ultimate Stockholm syndrome upgrade. It upgrades against the limitations of their own products but innovates nowhere. I know people need to hype right now, but Elektron is now truly lost. The Apple of sequencers.

[@xfghffhfg]

many amazing features if you actully get into it

[@mooted5513]

@@xfghffhfg I’ll be amazed first hit that is made with these.

[@xfghffhfg]

@@mooted5513 you can makes hit with free vsts. it's not the tools, it's not about that.

[@emilianoibarra3537]

so nice that now we can have 16 one shots on stereo