Thanks. It's great to hear you like it so much you took the time to leave such a nice comment too. Someone finding any of my videos inspirational is pretty much the highest praise I get since I think that is the ultimate purpose of any demonstration or tutorial. Even if the inspiration you get is to go and do something entirely different to what is shown in the video, which is actually the best kind of inspiration, I think, when it just makes you want to go and be creative.
i allways keep coming back to this video ;) Two more things i like about the Digitone. First, the random function and second, you can layer the 4 Tracks to one sound...
Thanks. I am glad to hear you find the video inspirational. The Digitone has some amazing features, and I think it will be one of the future classics when people look back on this era of synthesizer innovations.
Thanks. And you're welcome. Yeah, I get the impression it's a kind of marmite synth that people either love or don't get along with at all. I think if I had worked with presets, I'd have found the synth rather annoying, and I'm not sure the sequencer is for me either, but since I ended up focusing on the user interface of a very small set of its features for changing sounds while playing, I think that's why I got along with it. I think that, like the Zoia, with Elektron gear there is a perceived initial hurdle in its different approach, and many seem to get the feeling they're not using it the way it's supposed to, or using enough of its features, which makes them give up on it. It may yet not be quite right for you, but sometimes a bit of persistence also pays off and you suddenly wouldn't want to be without it. Delayed gratification is usually more rewarding than instant gratification, and more likely to keep you satisfied for longer. Anyway, I hope you find a way to work it that suits you, and that you find enjoyment in it. If not, I am sure you can find something else to swap it in for. They certainly keep their value well in the second hand market if you want to let it go.
@@hakonsoreide thanks for your thoughts... one last question: there's no way to record the automation of the knobs to capture your performance, is there?
No problem. You mean recording all the MIDI data from the Digitone? I think that's supposed to be possible with Overbridge if you set a channel in your DAW to record MIDI from Digitone, and then you should be able to play it back to the Digitone to replicate the performance. In theory, anyway. I've never tried it. It's not really my thing editing an ambient improvisation except occasionally chop off the beginning before I get properly started. If I improvise melodic pieces, on the other hand, I do like doing it to MIDI so I can refine it later. I've not done that much lately, but I've done a few piano pieces in the past that were created that way, like this one where I basically just adjusted the timing, removed some redundant notes, and I think I may have changed a chord or two as well to improve the progression: ua-cam.com/video/usNHHzvvpnc/v-deo.html
@@TimothyDempsey I didn’t think I liked it much at first, but at this point (about 4 months in) I can’t get enough of it. In terms of recording the knob movements in real time I can’t say for sure but I think it’s possible if you press/hold record+play and if you continue to hold record and press play again it will toggle between 2 quantized/un-quantized live recording modes
Great video, you pointed out several DN features I didn't realize I needed to dig into, especially the delay menu for performances, and using SYN1 page 2 to set longer ramps for A and B . Thank you!
Thanks. And you're welcome. I am glad to hear you found it useful or inspirational. I think many who use the Digitone think of the sound shaping tools as ways to find nice sounds to sequence, using it as a beat machine, and you certainly can find lots of nice sounds for that. But since I was so used to working with an analogue patchable synth, the first thing I did was to adjust parameters while playing, and letting the adjustments take musical precedence over what sometimes arbitrary note is played. Right from the get-go, I just couldn't get enough of just exploring the different sounds it could make, to the point that I've hardly touched the sequencer at all in the year I've had it, and I think I can rightfully credit the Digitone as the synth that really made me get into creating proper ambient tracks.
You're welcome, and thanks for your nice comment. I think I have seen Oscillator Sink's video you mention at one point. Most of the time when I played the Digitone, I'd only ever use two tracks - even just one a lot of the time - and so voice stealing didn't happen very often, but his is a video explaining it really well, and of course it's something important to be aware of when doing slightly more complex things than I did.
Thanks. Nice to hear you enjoyed the video and the sounds. I am always amazed at how every single sound out of the Digitone is useful and interesting, and often organic, ethereal and beautiful too.
You're welcome, and thanks. I am glad to hear I was able to inspire you a bit, and I hope you've enjoyed your sonic experiments on it since watching my video. I think I would have found the Digitone very frustrating if I had tried working it the way I have seen in most videos of it. I think particularly that sequencer isn't for me at all, but the user interface and the sounds as you change parameters, on the other hand, was quite a pleasant surprise that lent itself perfectly to a style of music that wasn't quite my thing before I got the Digitone. Yup. I credit the Digitone with getting me into ambient music. Every sound that comes out of it is also interesting, which is more than you can say for most synths.
Thanks. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video. I'd highly recommend the Digitone. I don't think it's for everyone, but if you gel with it, you'll have a synth that sounds amazing and that has a very intuitive interface that is great for sound design and improvised playing.
Great video thanks! I have had mine since they were first released and to be honest I have almost sold it about 10 times but held onto it. Your video is the best one I have seen in terms of finding inspiration in this box. I never use the base width filter and never use the delay setting on the synth B envelopes, great ideas! Also avoiding the sequencer and letting the sounds evolve on their own is brilliant! Cheers
Thanks for watching and commenting. I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. The Digitone can do some amazing things and sounds beautiful. I have actually sold mine now and with no regrets whatsoever. I absolutely love it, I had got so much lovely music out of it already, but I was also getting to the point where I felt I was repeating myself a bit, and also starting to feel the absolute predictability of a digital sound engine affect my inspiration to use it. I think it was a good time to let it go. I realised I enjoy so much more working with the more limitless possibilities and unpredictability of open architecture patchable analogue synths, like the Phenol or Dysphonia, and I decided to focus entirely on that when working in the hardware realm, selling most of my other hardware sound-making devices.
I use it and my Digitakt in a very similar way to you, I do struggle getting a big deep full sound out of it (I love drones), always sounds a bit cold to my ears but so much fun. I also like how the delay/reverb will buffer a track when you switch to other patterns so you can mix various patterns together.
I don't feel it sounds cold (unlike the Korg Opsix), and I like the deep sounds, but of course you also won't get that randomly rumbling undertone of an analogue waveform never being entirely perfectly shaped. I guess you could boost the lows with EQ, or double track and just run a deep slightly warbly tone on one of the tracks with lots of feedback, detune and infinite release. I also use delay a lot to link between sounds. If I add the Zoia at the end of the signal chain, I usually do it there, dialling input down to zero and feedback and mix to 100%. It is also a useful way to end a track as you leave it for a few moments before slowly reducing feedback for a nice slow fade-out.
@@latenightfortunecookie Yeah I found that, but only end up with 1 thick track... ha. I think the Zoia at the end helps a lot. I have a Digitakt as well so usually use that to beef everything up.
I wonder if you can set an LFO to the Base WDTH (I don't own a Dn). With different tracks playing at once, it could create even more evolving movements, tracks fading in and out...Thanks for sharing this unique workflow.
Thanks. Nice to hear you enjoyed it. Filter width is indeed one of the many LFO destinations, so I guess you could do something like that, even if I think controlling it manually generally is better since you play by ear how much of the sound you're letting through. A tricky thing with multiple tracks, especially for ambient, is where you want long envelope decays, and run the risk of voice stealing, which can be a little jarring when a slowly decaying sound suddenly cuts off when you don't want it to. I'd usually go with one or two tracks for my ambient pieces. Also because it's easier to focus on changing just two sounds rather than three or four.
Thanks. Nice to hear you found it inspirational. It probably is an old OS by now. I think Elektron had a major OS revision of all their synths in the spring of 2022, if I remember correctly. I don't know what the changes were, however, as I had sold my Digitone before that. As sonically versatile and beautifully sounding as it is, I had started preferring to work in a more experimental way with open-architecture analogue synths and their inherent unpredictabilities when you can use audio as CV, CV as audio, cross-patch and cross-modulate, and all those kinds of things that you just can't do on a fixed architecture synth or even on many semi-modulars.
Thanks for asking, but, no, I don't save patches as my music usually involves dynamically changing the settings, and usually starting from scratch, or - in the case of the Digitone - from where I left off the previous time. I think in my whole life I've only ever saved about 10 sound patches altogether: One on Pianoteq for my favourite piano sound, two on Madrona Labs Aalto, Three on the OP-1 when I had that, and four on U-He Diva. That's it.
One comes for the knowledge not to listen to you rave on about this and that. I got so frustrated waiting for you to start the knowledge I’m looking for that I ended up leaving.
Many people like my style, unscripted, unilaterally conversational and occasionally digressive though it is, but it certainly doesn't suit everyone, just like I am sure there are videos you love I would quickly stop watching, too. But thanks for letting me know. Unlike 99% of negative comments, yours is actually concrete, specific and therefore useful. Perhaps a possible improvement I should always consider is to bookmark my videos to indicate when I actually start getting to the point so it's easier to skip to that bit? 🤔 I have actually done that in a few of my videos that are of several parts, when the reason people started watching in the first place is highly unlikely to be the first bit.
I keep coming back to this video. It's very inspirational and unique. Thanks!
Thanks. It's great to hear you like it so much you took the time to leave such a nice comment too.
Someone finding any of my videos inspirational is pretty much the highest praise I get since I think that is the ultimate purpose of any demonstration or tutorial. Even if the inspiration you get is to go and do something entirely different to what is shown in the video, which is actually the best kind of inspiration, I think, when it just makes you want to go and be creative.
i allways keep coming back to this video ;)
Two more things i like about the Digitone. First, the random function and second, you can layer the 4 Tracks to one sound...
Thanks. I am glad to hear you find the video inspirational. The Digitone has some amazing features, and I think it will be one of the future classics when people look back on this era of synthesizer innovations.
I'm still not connecting to mine, but this video makes me want to try harder. Thank you Hakon.
Thanks. And you're welcome.
Yeah, I get the impression it's a kind of marmite synth that people either love or don't get along with at all. I think if I had worked with presets, I'd have found the synth rather annoying, and I'm not sure the sequencer is for me either, but since I ended up focusing on the user interface of a very small set of its features for changing sounds while playing, I think that's why I got along with it.
I think that, like the Zoia, with Elektron gear there is a perceived initial hurdle in its different approach, and many seem to get the feeling they're not using it the way it's supposed to, or using enough of its features, which makes them give up on it.
It may yet not be quite right for you, but sometimes a bit of persistence also pays off and you suddenly wouldn't want to be without it. Delayed gratification is usually more rewarding than instant gratification, and more likely to keep you satisfied for longer.
Anyway, I hope you find a way to work it that suits you, and that you find enjoyment in it. If not, I am sure you can find something else to swap it in for. They certainly keep their value well in the second hand market if you want to let it go.
@@hakonsoreide thanks for your thoughts... one last question: there's no way to record the automation of the knobs to capture your performance, is there?
No problem.
You mean recording all the MIDI data from the Digitone? I think that's supposed to be possible with Overbridge if you set a channel in your DAW to record MIDI from Digitone, and then you should be able to play it back to the Digitone to replicate the performance. In theory, anyway. I've never tried it. It's not really my thing editing an ambient improvisation except occasionally chop off the beginning before I get properly started.
If I improvise melodic pieces, on the other hand, I do like doing it to MIDI so I can refine it later. I've not done that much lately, but I've done a few piano pieces in the past that were created that way, like this one where I basically just adjusted the timing, removed some redundant notes, and I think I may have changed a chord or two as well to improve the progression: ua-cam.com/video/usNHHzvvpnc/v-deo.html
@@TimothyDempsey I didn’t think I liked it much at first, but at this point (about 4 months in) I can’t get enough of it.
In terms of recording the knob movements in real time I can’t say for sure but I think it’s possible if you press/hold record+play and if you continue to hold record and press play again it will toggle between 2 quantized/un-quantized live recording modes
Great video, you pointed out several DN features I didn't realize I needed to dig into, especially the delay menu for performances, and using SYN1 page 2 to set longer ramps for A and B . Thank you!
Thanks. And you're welcome. I am glad to hear you found it useful or inspirational.
I think many who use the Digitone think of the sound shaping tools as ways to find nice sounds to sequence, using it as a beat machine, and you certainly can find lots of nice sounds for that.
But since I was so used to working with an analogue patchable synth, the first thing I did was to adjust parameters while playing, and letting the adjustments take musical precedence over what sometimes arbitrary note is played. Right from the get-go, I just couldn't get enough of just exploring the different sounds it could make, to the point that I've hardly touched the sequencer at all in the year I've had it, and I think I can rightfully credit the Digitone as the synth that really made me get into creating proper ambient tracks.
Inspirational video thanks.
-Oscillator Sink has a well explained video of dealing with clicks and voice stealing on the digitaone.
You're welcome, and thanks for your nice comment. I think I have seen Oscillator Sink's video you mention at one point. Most of the time when I played the Digitone, I'd only ever use two tracks - even just one a lot of the time - and so voice stealing didn't happen very often, but his is a video explaining it really well, and of course it's something important to be aware of when doing slightly more complex things than I did.
Great video, you make amazing sounds!!!
Beatifull sounds make the elektron machines in general, but the digitone is in another space time!
Thanks. Nice to hear you enjoyed the video and the sounds. I am always amazed at how every single sound out of the Digitone is useful and interesting, and often organic, ethereal and beautiful too.
very interresting !! thanks !
Thanks, and thanks for watching. It's nice to hear you enjoyed it and found it interesting.
Thanks so much really inspiring was getting a bit frustrated with my digitone and will go and experiment!
You're welcome, and thanks. I am glad to hear I was able to inspire you a bit, and I hope you've enjoyed your sonic experiments on it since watching my video.
I think I would have found the Digitone very frustrating if I had tried working it the way I have seen in most videos of it. I think particularly that sequencer isn't for me at all, but the user interface and the sounds as you change parameters, on the other hand, was quite a pleasant surprise that lent itself perfectly to a style of music that wasn't quite my thing before I got the Digitone.
Yup. I credit the Digitone with getting me into ambient music. Every sound that comes out of it is also interesting, which is more than you can say for most synths.
Thanks a lot for this amazing review. My decision to buy one is now almost set in stone :)
Thanks. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video.
I'd highly recommend the Digitone. I don't think it's for everyone, but if you gel with it, you'll have a synth that sounds amazing and that has a very intuitive interface that is great for sound design and improvised playing.
Great video thanks! I have had mine since they were first released and to be honest I have almost sold it about 10 times but held onto it. Your video is the best one I have seen in terms of finding inspiration in this box. I never use the base width filter and never use the delay setting on the synth B envelopes, great ideas! Also avoiding the sequencer and letting the sounds evolve on their own is brilliant! Cheers
Thanks for watching and commenting. I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. The Digitone can do some amazing things and sounds beautiful. I have actually sold mine now and with no regrets whatsoever. I absolutely love it, I had got so much lovely music out of it already, but I was also getting to the point where I felt I was repeating myself a bit, and also starting to feel the absolute predictability of a digital sound engine affect my inspiration to use it. I think it was a good time to let it go.
I realised I enjoy so much more working with the more limitless possibilities and unpredictability of open architecture patchable analogue synths, like the Phenol or Dysphonia, and I decided to focus entirely on that when working in the hardware realm, selling most of my other hardware sound-making devices.
Very nice usage 👍
Thanks. Nice to hear you enjoyed it.
Thanks Hakon!
You're welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting. I am glad to hear you found it useful, interesting or inspirational.
I use it and my Digitakt in a very similar way to you, I do struggle getting a big deep full sound out of it (I love drones), always sounds a bit cold to my ears but so much fun. I also like how the delay/reverb will buffer a track when you switch to other patterns so you can mix various patterns together.
I don't feel it sounds cold (unlike the Korg Opsix), and I like the deep sounds, but of course you also won't get that randomly rumbling undertone of an analogue waveform never being entirely perfectly shaped. I guess you could boost the lows with EQ, or double track and just run a deep slightly warbly tone on one of the tracks with lots of feedback, detune and infinite release.
I also use delay a lot to link between sounds. If I add the Zoia at the end of the signal chain, I usually do it there, dialling input down to zero and feedback and mix to 100%. It is also a useful way to end a track as you leave it for a few moments before slowly reducing feedback for a nice slow fade-out.
lol just turn up unison and the sound gets fckin thicc yo
@@latenightfortunecookie Yeah I found that, but only end up with 1 thick track... ha. I think the Zoia at the end helps a lot. I have a Digitakt as well so usually use that to beef everything up.
yea well it’s a synth so in order to get more than 1 or 2 thicc lines you gotta get more machines :D
also try to use digitakt as 8 voice synth -> resample into one voice (there’s a video on yt)
I wonder if you can set an LFO to the Base WDTH (I don't own a Dn). With different tracks playing at once, it could create even more evolving movements, tracks fading in and out...Thanks for sharing this unique workflow.
Thanks. Nice to hear you enjoyed it. Filter width is indeed one of the many LFO destinations, so I guess you could do something like that, even if I think controlling it manually generally is better since you play by ear how much of the sound you're letting through. A tricky thing with multiple tracks, especially for ambient, is where you want long envelope decays, and run the risk of voice stealing, which can be a little jarring when a slowly decaying sound suddenly cuts off when you don't want it to. I'd usually go with one or two tracks for my ambient pieces. Also because it's easier to focus on changing just two sounds rather than three or four.
is this an older version of the digitone os? my LFO section looks very different? great video and inspiration. btw
Thanks. Nice to hear you found it inspirational. It probably is an old OS by now. I think Elektron had a major OS revision of all their synths in the spring of 2022, if I remember correctly. I don't know what the changes were, however, as I had sold my Digitone before that. As sonically versatile and beautifully sounding as it is, I had started preferring to work in a more experimental way with open-architecture analogue synths and their inherent unpredictabilities when you can use audio as CV, CV as audio, cross-patch and cross-modulate, and all those kinds of things that you just can't do on a fixed architecture synth or even on many semi-modulars.
you have any patches ;) ?
Thanks for asking, but, no, I don't save patches as my music usually involves dynamically changing the settings, and usually starting from scratch, or - in the case of the Digitone - from where I left off the previous time.
I think in my whole life I've only ever saved about 10 sound patches altogether: One on Pianoteq for my favourite piano sound, two on Madrona Labs Aalto, Three on the OP-1 when I had that, and four on U-He Diva. That's it.
One comes for the knowledge not to listen to you rave on about this and that. I got so frustrated waiting for you to start the knowledge I’m looking for that I ended up leaving.
Many people like my style, unscripted, unilaterally conversational and occasionally digressive though it is, but it certainly doesn't suit everyone, just like I am sure there are videos you love I would quickly stop watching, too.
But thanks for letting me know. Unlike 99% of negative comments, yours is actually concrete, specific and therefore useful. Perhaps a possible improvement I should always consider is to bookmark my videos to indicate when I actually start getting to the point so it's easier to skip to that bit? 🤔
I have actually done that in a few of my videos that are of several parts, when the reason people started watching in the first place is highly unlikely to be the first bit.
@john WTF. You can always fast-forward man. Or double-tap to skip 10s. Or just leave. Use your thumbs for something else than silly comments.
Mind your own business and I’ll mind mine.