Four years later, yes the Digitakt now has more of the features of the Octatrack, like slicing and being able to use the inputs as a mixer. I've found a technique to play stereo samples on my Digitakt, which rarely I do wish to do, but its handy to have the option. I use Audacity to split a stereo file into two mono audio files. I then play the two files on the Digitakt, on two tracks, triggered at the same time, one panned hard left, one hard right.
Parts can be tricky at a glance but when you think about how its implemented it does make sense. Basically it holds your machine types for every track, their respective settings as well as a bank of 16 scenes, it will *not* store things like your pattern and its trigger/parameter lock data, think of it as having the patterns being your sheet music and a part being the instrumental ensemble, swapping out a part means "swapping out the band" playing the pattern. Since you have 4 parts associated with each bank you could as an example split a bank of 16 patterns up to 4x4 patterns and use part 1 for pattern 1-4, part 2 for pattern 5-8 and so on, this allows you to have a lot of musical variation within the same bank of 16 patterns. Parts is also great for saving and recalling states, for instance if you do lots of live tweaking of your tracks and want to get back to where you started off your set you could just hit reload part, if you want to jump between various "snapshots" of settings on the fly or make more radical alterations having two or more parts to quickly change settings without stopping anything is very powerful. I also find it great for when you are on an existing project and want to try something new but don't want to risk messing up any settings and values associated with other patterns in the same project that relies on the currently selected part, simply jump to an empty pattern, select an unused part and you have an empty slate to work with. I hope this made it at least a little bit clearer. :)
@@RickyTinez Cheers, glad I could be of help. Forgot to mention, great videos :) Very nice use of imagery in your montages and crisp high quality production, I'll be following your work down the line :) Happy new year
I would love to have something more powerful than the Digitakt, but the Octatrack really seems SO different. As you said, it seems like 2 different people designed them and didn't have a single look at each other's work. I hope they will mend the two together to one perfect device.
Smooth as silk . . . always love your videos because of that. The presentation, lighting, edits, the sound and camera work .. . man, I dig your style . . simple as that.. top notch.
@Enrique Martinez Music Which camera and settings are you using? Are you color grading the video? Oh, and what is your basic setup with regards to lights?
Nice video! I hope you don't mind if I add some things, that are essential differences for me. The most essential difference in sampling is, that the Octatrack can sample in realtime, quantized and without stopping the sequencer, while every track can access the same recorder buffer at the same time. That's extremely powerful, you even can pre-slice recorder buffers before sampling. The Octatrack has much more modulation options with 3 Lfo's per Track. It's midi sequencer is far more powerful, you have a sequencer for your Arpeggiator, that you can lock to a scale and the Arp settings can be modulated with the midi Lfo's. Generative heaven. The OT has many more effects, that are per track and their parameters can be modulated. The Digitakt has subjectively better sounding fx. It has a wider octave Range for playing samples chromatically. The sample slot choice can be Lfo destination. Program changes in the midi sequencer can be parameter locked (and also be Lfo destination I believe). The Digitakt has the control all feature. Btw. For me parts are pretty easy to understand if you simply think of them as Kits. It's just four different Kits, that can have their individual sample and fx selection and settings.
I bought I Digitakt not so long ago. Loved the workflow, the well though through UI, and just how easy it was to make music straight away. Also really nice sound in general, and of the effects. But I felt a little limited by the lack of possibilities when it came to altering the samples. Then I stumbled upon a great deal on an Octatrack mkii, bought that, and therefore sold the DT. And I'm mostly happy about that decision. The OT wasn't as difficult to learn as I feared, but for sure not as quick and immediate as the DT. I especially love the creative possibilities of the scenes in the OT. That makes all the difference for me. Anyways, thanks for a great video, you always keep it interesting...
9:44 The sample is actually tied to the Part (which is tied to the Bank). You can select a new Part for the new Pattern with a different sample being used in that machine/track. Important distinction, because it multiplies the possibilities.
Very true, i have yet to find a useful reason to use the parts in my music. I mainly stick to banks as "songs" and i make the song across the 16 patterns, so i kept it on easy mode for this video :) BUT the sample and the track engine/mode is totally tied to the 4 parts within a bank! Thanks Good Buddy
@@RickyTinez Perfectly valid to never use Parts, but that's the best thing about the OT: it has more than you need, but you can use the extras if you want to. At the very least, it's good to save one Part so that you can tweak things and then reload the part to get back to basecamp.
Good video. Two things i wanna address: I think you didn't make it extra clear that the Digitakt is Mono while Octatrack can sample in stereo, as you switched to the 4-inputs of the OT quickly and pointed out there are two more. But they ain't "same just more". Those are stereo or dual mono or just mono. The Digitakt L and R is never Stereo - can be dual mono, but recording is mono regardless. The labeling kinda sucks and is confusing. In fact you could label them Input 1 and Input 2 - makes it easier. Now secondly, and this is for you, you totally can sample-swap "across all patterns" on the Digitakt. Let's say you built 4 patterns with the same kit and you decided one drum sucks. You then go to SRC and touch the Sample-Number dial (D) to bring up the sample slot list. Without scrolling, just press FUNC+YES and you can browse for another sample for that spot. Your pattern can play in the background as you go sample by sample down the list press YES to replace or FUNC+YES to preview. Once you are happy, the new sample has the slot number with an arrow next to it indicating that this is now assigned to the spot. Since the old sample is unloaded and replaced, all patterns using this spot will now play the new sample and you don't have to change anything else. Another major difference is how "sample-start" works. Changing it on the OT will make it play faster as the "loop" gets shorter keeping the BPM. On the DT it will just move the startpoint forward while keeping the current length and thus the playspeed (works like a offset). I prefer the DT way, cause it ain't timestretch based. This is also why slicing is now my preferred method for things like this, but a lot slower workflow of course. Happy new Year PS: sorry if i misunderstood you and you know all this. Just trying to help :)
yo, this is an awesome comment thank you so much it really taught me a lot. The only downside I find to changing the samples that way on the DT is that if I have other samples elsewhere in patterns that I actually like. (Other Banks) those will get changed too right?. Currently the way I use the octatrack is I build a song with in a bank so it doesn't affect the others. I also turn off time stretch on the OT because I prefer the way the DT does it too haha. Thanks for the tips Cellrok!
@@RickyTinez Yes, the slot-swap is global. This is the reason i work in sets of 10 in that list. You can have 128 samples there, so when i start a new bank on OT i also switch to a new bank on DT. Then i go to T1 on the DT and dial the sample slot from the default 1 up to 10, even though 9 would be free. So on B1, T1 is Slot 10, T2 is Slot 11 and so on.. on Bank C i would start on Slot 20. - Means i have 10 slots of "drums" i can juggle for one tune in a single bank. This makes swapping and experimenting a lot easier. I don't have to worry that it could affect other beats from other banks as long is stay within the bank sample slot range (1-9, 10-19, 20-29, ...). The only thing where this technique is not usuable is if you sample longer phrases or like a full drum kit in one recording and do sample locking across multiple tracks. I rarely do this and work with OneShots from +Drive but those are special circumstances then. The only long samples i have are vocals and field recording stuff that is so substantial to the beat that i am unlikely to change it on the fly like that. I am glad you found my comment useful.
The Digitakt certainly looks a lot better, Elektron's design language has really matured IMO. The screen is also better on the Digitakt. I don't find mono samples much of a limitation, after all you can still mix in stereo (you can pan each channel). In real life each drum in a drum kit is also mono, it only gets its place in the stereo spectrum from its placement left/right and the effects of the (room) reverb.
But the digitakt was not made to simulate a real life drum set… mono samples is a deal breaker. And the screen from the octatrack is better it’s visible on daylight what you can’t say from the digitakt.
Your channel has quickly become my favorite gear channel on YT: loving the production values and your soothing delivery. Just a tiny correction: tracks (or more precisely samples) are tied to parts, of which each bank has four. Looking forward to more videos!
Totally understand that. I rarely find a use for parts and I decided to keep this video a bit more on the easy-to-understand side and not dive too much into parts lol. But I really appreciate your clarification thank you. When do you find using parts useful? Do you have a video up on your Channel? I love your channel btw, you've taught me a ton.
@@RickyTinez The video is awesome and it makes perfect sense not to get bogged down with minute details in such a comparison; just my OCD kicking in 👽. Thanks for your kind words; I did make a video on that (ua-cam.com/video/sbSNLCH00tQ/v-deo.html).
@@elissitdesign I know that I'm a boring nitpick, but--to be precise--whenever you use your OT you are using parts (part 1 to be precise), as they hold all your samples, all your track settings and your fader settings. They are also useful, when you're building a longer live set. That being said, I recently started making more and more 1-pattern jams where I use trig conditions and muting to introduce variations.
@@RickyTinez You will find a use for parts especially if you setup OT as an FX machine. As you state in your video DT has 8 banks of 16 patterns and OT has 16 banks with 16 patterns. That is not exactly true because of the parts. I consider part as a pattern, so OT has 16 banks with 4 patterns(parts). You can have up to 4 variations for each pattern in a bank if you are using all 4 parts.You can alternatively have 16 variations of a part or 8 variations of 2 parts or whatever other combo you like. I have been always bothered by the part thing in OT. I would have really liked OT to have the structure of DT where each pattern is a clear part and actually if you count them DT has more individual patterns(parts) than OT! Anyway I have to say that I've been using OT since 2011 and although there is a love/hate relationship going on, I am not selling it. There is nothing like it in the market. The only trade I could think of is replacing it with a DT some day! Cheers and keep up the good work on your channel!
Another great video, but it’s getting too expensive for me to watch these! I bought the Digitakt after your last one, became obsessed with it now, and I may pickup the Octatrack track after this one. It can’t be explained how much more inspiring it has been lately to just create with HARDWARE and giving the computer a break. I love it
Had a Digitakt, enjoyed it but returned it after a week to get an Octatrack MK 2. After a year of not making any music I sold it and bought the MPC Live. Much happier now.
Regarding the Digitakt tracks being tied to the patterns only, you can speed things up when you want to change your sound in every pattern : By pressing the Trig Key corresponding to your track + Copy, you copy the sound of the track and can paste it onto whichever track you want by pressing the corresponding Trig Key + Paste. Still not as convenient as on the Octatrack but quite easy! Anyway, cool vid!
Some thoughts: One of the cool things that the Digitakt does is allow your to change samples per step on the sequencer. One of the cool things about the Octatrack is its ability to play different slices per step on the sequencer. I feel as though the Octatrack was designed by a completely different person, as its UI and operation is vastly different from anything else that Elektron has released, hence why a lot of folks feel that it has a steeper learning curve. However, I also feel that the curve makes the machine a constant discovery, which I love. I primarily use the Octatrack as the mixer/sample playback/main hub/video control/output to the PA and digital recorder for Spooky Action At A Distance. Being able to mess with those thru machines makes for some interesting sounding stuff, even if it's the generic stutter effects. We usually have the synths (Monomachine, Digitone, and Analog Keys) all going into one channel, and the percussion (Analog RYTM I & II, Digitakt) into the other channels, so there's some control over it and we don't have to lug a mixer along. Clock comes from the Octatrack to everything else, and I'll use the 8 MIDI channels on that and the Digitakt to control video as well. As always, awesome video! Thanks for everything you do, and happy new year!
octatrack does allow to change samples per step , it's called samplelock, so 2 banks of 128 with 64 slices per samples, do the math = 16384 sample available per step !
@@HightechLowlife-r8x Actually it is 1X128 with 64 slices per sample since a track can be either a flex or a static machine. But in total when using 2 tracks or more u r right! Vast number of samples! The only thing that I don't like is that you can't play slices or sample locks from midi. If this was true I don't think one would need another sampler soft or hard.
Digitakt is definitely "I'm just starting" thing. I'm borrowing it from a friend just for fun, and it is fun, but I'm glad I stuck with Electribe II despite its counterintuitiveness in learning. One thing which I can't get over with is no velocity sensitivity to those clicky buttons. No option for syncing other hardware except MIDI. Very limited FX, and I'm not impressed with its Reverb or lack of proper control over Delay. I thought of what someone like me could use it for, and two main uses I see is making glitchy Ambient sounds and evolving soundscapes, and as a companion to DJ mixer/controller, and this is where it has a huge plus, - being very compact and robust at the same time
So basically if you're only going to record into a DAW and want to save $ grab the DT but if you want full features in the unit and/or are going to use it live you need the OT. Makes sense.
This was exactly what I wanted to know about the two in a concise and high quality format. I share your opinion on which way to go as well. I'm not really seeing s huge reason to go with mkII. Now I just need money.
Nice, The best part about the MK1 which i forgot to mention that is if you buy used, you're basically borrowing it with a security deposit until you sell it and you get your money back!
Great video! I ordered a Digitakt this week, and I've been devouring your videos to prepare myself for the Elektron workflow. I'm looking at the Octatrack as a possible next big purchase, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't too much overlap between the two instruments, and to see if they go together well. Your video was exactly what I was looking for, so thanks for making it. :)
Pretty accurate comparison but I find it's important to mention that the Digitakt only plays mono samples (and no timestretch, and not too long samples neither), whereas the Octatrack has 8 stereo audio tracks and can do timestretch and play very long samples (like stems for a 10minute track for example), which is for me a big difference!
I love your videos. I still couldn't decide what to get. I saw someone doing a 2hour House/Tech house Set using only the Octatrack, that was pretty awesome, but I love how easy you can put up a nice beat with the digitakt. OH and big thumbs up for being the only channel that I watch that fits my phone screen perfectly 😍
You can straight up DJ a full set on the Octa. Its that versatile haha. Won't be that fun. But you can do it!! Hell yea on the phone, i knew someone would benefit from it ;)
Among many other things I use my Octatrack as a beast multi-effects unit, track 1 is inputs for all my gear and tracks 2-7 are 11 potential effects, all sync and sequences and track 8 is master 👌🏽
Awesome video, and educational! I must admit though, I cringe every time someone mentions Overbridge (and the transfer app) as if it's a good thing. Overbridge is a bizarre and crippled version of features which should have been built into the firmware. If Elektron would implement USB standards-compliant storage and audio, it would "just work" universally with every computer from now until the end of time. But instead Elektron tried to make those basic functions an add-on which costs extra and only works on a narrow range of computers from a specific time period... and their effort failed, so they removed the extra cost but haven't fixed the underlying technological problems they created. So now every current Elektron device is artificially crippled for no good reason. I love my Digitakt... but I hate some of Elektron's customer-hostile business practices and technological mistakes. Overbridge is a badge of shame which impairs their customers, and it really needs to go away in favor of standards-compliant firmware features.
I really appreciate these videos and all the commenters you get with them. The discussions helped me make a decision not just on capabilities, but the workflow. My personal wants were something immediate with a powerful workflow that doesn't have me scratching my head for the first 10 minutes of turning it on. This is where I ended up buying a Digitakt. The OT seems to have more capabilities but the one reoccurring comments not just here but everywhere else is that the OT is confusing even after you learn it. I've spent enough time in DAWs to know that this means that for me, I'll be sitting there two hours later wondering why I haven't gotten a groove going and just going to bed because it's too late. I want to be able to sit down on the couch and go and I think the Digitakt is more suited for me in doing that. We'll see.
One of the big reason I love more the OT is the possibility to be able to change the lengths and speed for each track. It allow to go beyond the 64 step limitation. And for me it's really important to have something which feel like a 128 step for one or two track.
64 GB is the largest card that will work on OT. Just got a Lexar 64gb for my new MK2 … (Mostly to have a very large sample library loaded for convenience) .. Was able to load my complete Samples From Mars collection and still have over 20GB left over for my own sampling
Hey Enrique, thank you for another great UA-cam I have both the Digitakt and the Octatrack so I didn't have to choose wich one to buy, I'm still working on the Digitakt and then I'll move on to the Ocktatrack. so true, you have to be willing to put in the time it takes to learn these devices. It is the same as learning an instrument, it's hard work and it a lot of time and patience
I would love to see what you could do with a Korg EMX 1, none of you synthfluencers seem to play with it i know its old, but its legendary. Im getting ready to start mailing it to you guys one by one.
Just added a Digitakt to my Octatrack DAWless rig, which off-loads drum sample duties from my OT, allowing me to have some free tracks! Hallelujah! Digitakt is a wonderful, wonderful drum sampler. My take on the topic: If you are after a great drum machine that ALSO does a ton more go Digitakt -- if you want to build a live synth rig, travel to other planets, become GANDALF (at least as far as synth hardware goes), and you want to read a lot of manuals & spend hours learning, then go Octatrack.
couldn't have said that better myself. That combo seems like its the best way to utilize it. Freeing up tracks on the octatrack is like going from breathing through a straw to breathing on top of a mountain
Love these videos man! Coming from a sound guy who’s gotten into video- they look fantastic. Really nice color correction and lighting. Also the music stuff is nice too 😂🤘🏼
Great video and very informative. Right now I have the rytm MK1, the digitakt, and the digitone... but am thinking of upgrading to the rytm MK2, or selling the the digitone and getting the OT MK2... tough decisions. Thanks again.
Thank you for blessing us with another in depth video you’ve helped me push myself to become computerless for my live set ups and I never want to go back
I bought the Octatrack before Digitakt came out and after trying the DT still prefer my Octatrack MK2 as it is way more powerful and easier to use with sliders and larger keyspacing.
Regarding Octa's track per bank vs Digitakt's track per pattern: on Octa you can still tweak sample for particular triggers and also you have parts which let you have differently setup tracks attached to the same pattern at different times, so seems like Octa is more flexible in this regard.
So, so helpful. I want to learn the elektron workflow and everything I've ever heard is that digitakt is the place to start. Separately, I've been on the hunt for a small machine that I can run backing tracks for my live project. My current stuff was made mostly in ableton and I need a non-laptop storage and playback machine for life performace. This obviously isn't what digitakt is made to do, but do you suppose it COULD do that? I guess I'm really just asking if it has enough internal memory for about 30 minutes of playback total (about 9 songs) and if there are any interesting ways I could then manipulate that playback live. Any tips greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
Chopping samples and playing all chops live on one track with different pads as tiggers for each slice would make the digitakt perfect. That's the one thing causing me to contemplate replacing my digitakt with the octatrack.
I am not sure if this fits your requirement, but I believe you can do something like this with the Digitakt by adding in a ZOIA pedal. Check out this video from Aldo and read the 3rd and 4th paragraphs of the description: ua-cam.com/video/GcDBRbOS7Yg/v-deo.html The ZOIA is really expensive and a Digitakt + ZOIA approaches the cost of an Octatrack, but the ZOIA is a great piece of hardware to have anyway and if you prefer Digitakt over the Octratrack overall, then this method might be worth looking into. Hope this helps!
Chris Landon thanks for pointing this out! I watched some of this video before, but never bothered to read full caption 😅. That Zioa is definitely on my list of things to get! My work around for sample chops is controlling my SP404 with my Digitakt via midi. With that workflow, I get multple chops on separate SP404 pads but controlled with one Digitakt midi track. i also get stereo samples and all other benefits of SP404 without having to deal with it’s crappy sequencer! BTW, just subscribed to your channel! I also have a channel I just started for my dawless music: ua-cam.com/channels/NU6lFhk8cOCeZmNwuibl0g.html
Always fantastic man. Learning this Digitakt bit by bit... sort of glad there is no song mode on Digitakt if it complicates things... my main problem is remembering the key combinations for the basic things like deleting track sequence data... hope I can get on top of it all soon :)
Ricky - I've come across your videos before & really enjoyed them. This one got me hooked (subscriber) though. Thnx so much. You explained it well indeed. ☺️ Even 3yrs on... Cheers
enjoy the ride - thousands of hours in the seat on mine - the octatrack is a lifetime of enjoyment, don't allow frustration in, if you struggle then sit back, search the manual, read and repeat - the octatrack does things you think are wrong, it isn't however it just operates differently to what YOU think is right.
Couldn't be more different, eh? Well... the Digitakt could be a Digitone... or an Analog Heat... or a Volca Bass... or haha ok ok I kid, I kid. Good video as always. I have been running in circles in my head about whether to take the Octatrack plunge for over a year now. I opted for a Pyramid instead bc I like the unlimited steps and piano roll-style editing, and have been working on wrapping my head around it & folding it into my workflow. But while it does have some clear advantages over the OT, its limitations are fairly clear as well. The biggest of course being the lack of audio. Which means that any live usage will by definition require additional hardware, and the Pyramid is only as effective as the midi-controllable sound modules you've carried along with you. Sure, I could just connect it to a laptop, but at that point I could just sequence via Ableton and ditch the Pyramid altogether. So I'm still just as close to pulling the OT trigger as I was a year ago.
Only came across with this channel yesterday as I'm thinking about getting an Octatrack or maybe a Digitak. I really enjoyed the 3 videos I've watched regarding both machines but the one thing I noticed in all 3 videos is that you point to other previously uploaded videos when you mention them but nothing comes up on screen (annotations are on) so is basically pointing to nothing. If you can, please add links to those videos if you can't get those links on screen, it'd be very helpful. Channel seems great though. Cheers
Here is my quandary, if anyone wishes to input I am more than happy to listen. Building my live modular right beyond the eurorack environment. Want deeper sample solutions as well as chordal polyphony and harmonic depth. At this point I'm pretty sold on the Digitone because I'm not scared on FM and actually very stoked on the idea of using it for sound design and sketch development plus the elektron world seems so deep and flexible, especially for live performance, I just want in. BUT I also want the depth and power of sequencing and editing samples and all that sexy livesample looping the track can do, taking snapshots of the modular live and scrambling bits over bits, and taking those bits and throwing them back into say the morphagene and doing more scrambles and grambles. What I want is a suggestion of where to go first... Track or Tone? Tone seems like a more shallow pool to dive into to get to know the elektron world, but the Track seems so powerful an diverse I might take time to get it rolling but eventually it will be a bigger payoff for my right. P.s. the setup at the end of the day the studio is going to be modular, tone, track, Pulsar 23 and my drums. And various combos for live...
Great video as always Enrique! After watching a lot of your videos, and many more for that matter :)), i decided to go with the Digitakt, over the OT mk2, with the reasoning that eventually i will upgrade to the OT. Now, after about 2 months i can say that i have wrapped my mind around the DT and i feel that i can control it to the best of my ability. My hybrid setup is revolving around Live 10, where the DT can sample through Live anything i decide to send to it (send track set to external), sequence via midi some of my gear, and also record back into Ableton anything i decide to send back. Overall i think it's a great tool, that has a lot of potential to it for sound design and music creation alltogether, and for now, in my particular situation, is more than enough.(as you said, pray for namm 2019 and OB will make everything even more amazing) I still construct my live performance ideas around Live using Push, but i envision a DAW-less setup at some point in the future, which of course would have as a centerpiece the OTmk2. Thanks for all the knowledge, have a great year and keep the great videos coming! Peace
Hey glad I could help! Thanks for sharing on your life setup as well. That's cool that you tie the two worlds together. I've been looking for an efficient way to do something similar
I really thank ypu for this video. I had serious doubts about these machines and i am considering get into the elektron world for my live synth jams, and my studio. My problem is that i like both.....
I have to ask, as a guitarist isn't the octotrack more able to cope with longer samples/passages, and trigger sampled instruments more at once, without being subject to one trigger cancelling another? I hope that makes sense.
Hey bro I have a question, now in 2020 how recommended is it to buy the octatrack MK1, could there be any problem with the long-term drivers? I mean, there are no new drivers every year or something like that.
Just got a Digitakt and it's probably the most fun I've ever had with a hardware machine. BUT - the sample editing / slicing (or lack of) really is heartbreaking. I'm wondering if I'd get on better with an MPC or Machine, but I don't want to get rid of my DT :( :( :(
The digitakt is like perfect for me, but I think it really lacks slicing samples and song-mode. That bothers me a lot. But would it be great to have both? I mean you got both Ricky.
Thanks man. I qm wanting one or both, for a live and studio environment, i really want a octatrack at the moment. Do u have a preference in sound librarys between them? I have the means to get into analog realm. But qm trying not to buy something I do not use, kinda like my access virus ti. I have everything out of it I can need, I use it for plucks and leads, but need a all in one drum sollution for rough sounding raw drums. Im considering a elektron, octa digi or even machinedrum, 'even an op1' for jamming, but, any info would be greatly appreciated. 👍🏻 edit. ahhh u answered a ton of my questions already lol
Hi Ricky! Could you maybe do a similar video where you'd compare the Digitakt vs Octatrack MK2. (And do you feel that any - or maybe both - of these products are still "state of the art" or are they kind of obsolete due to any other gear that came out in the meantime. Do you feel like one should still buy one of those two or either A) swith to something else, B) wait for their successor(s) e.g. kind of Digitakt MK2, C) buy the Octatrack MK1 over the MK2 due to price.... Would be interesting to hear your opinion on this. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!! :)
Great video! I'm getting just getting into synths and am looking to create a live setup. I've got a korg minilogue, korg kp3+ and maschine mk3. Id kinda like to move to all an dawless setup. Ive been trying to decide how to spend my limited budget. My next two pieces of gear are either a digitakt/octotrack and synthstom deluge. My idea is doing song builds at home then remixes as i perform. I think the extra sends on the octotrack kinda lend better for this type of set-up. Thoughts?
I own the MPC4000 and have been using it for over a decade but last 3-4 years its slowly broke down due to me travelling,sofa surfing and knocking it about, so my screen has become unreadable and a few ,i have 3 pads none functioning aswell but all this can be restored,cleaned and all parts are available...in the meantime i bought a AKAI LIVE wich i havent had time to get to grips with due to other life distractions lets say. I used to make everything on my 4000 and was content, ive now got different ideas for my music production based more on growling funky techno electronic hip hop as compared to the very RZA /madlib style of sampling i used to create....ever since i seen the octotrack been used and seeing a complete different way of creating beats from a sampler then the MPC method ive become interested n its on my wishlist right next to a sub 37 ...so my question is would adding a octatrack/or digitakt to my setup do more for me (aspiring to add more Tech oriented flavour) or would you think getting the MPC4000 fixed alongside the use of my MPCLive (ialso have a minilougue,eventide space and a 303) would be sufficient and outside of live perfomancing there isnt much more i could do with a extra Elektron add on.... as at the minuite im sending no time creating and when i get the chance i end up looking for further studio wish list wants....I really would one day like to purchase the sub 37 , but i also wish i could get more Detroit side of things like Moodyman , jimmy edgar and i also love LA's MONO/POLY's getdown .....this is a long ass question within a question so if ANYONE can understand this , the advice would be stellar, thanks for ure time if you read this✌️🎵
Hahaha that was a vent man! All is welcome though. The biggest thing I use on the OT vs the 4k is live looping, live sampling, and quicker sample manipulation. If I'm doing easy 1 -2 bar Detroit styleoops I'll to OT. if I want more slices based music I go all 4k
@@RickyTinez lol, i knw, im adhd with it.Anyhoo thanks man,i think im gonna try get my 4000 fixed up then,as i had a good workflow on it too.ps keep up the good work...ure vids help a lot, especially with quick replys aswell, all the best✌️
In the beginning of the video i was thinking: Oh no! I just bought a digitakt a couple of months ago!! I should have waited!!- but after it I have the sensation that it's ok to have bought it, I like my digitakt... after all, I still can sell it if I think that an octatrack would suit me more at some point.
I bought a Digitakt few days ago, mainly because of youtube and enrique martinez videos on it. I really enjoy it and I think enrique martinez is right at the end of this video: I have just a 303 clone synth, and the addition of digitakt bring me lot of fun to play live with 2 machines. I'm not a pro, I don't record anything, I just want to play fast and fun between my job and the home things. So, definitivly Digitakt!
Youre really help me - alot , man - because you have a way , to explain the use and qirks,of the same synth´s as I love and like - and its UOYRE perspective - no hands barred - i love it , bro ! M
I started with the Digitakt and loved it. Sometimes later i ordered the Octatrack and hated it! I cant use delay AND reverb at the same time on the OT. Also muting tracks is different. DT mutes the trig in sequencer and the OT mutes the audio immediately > that sucks hard. I was expecting to buy a superior machine about the DT but it failed.
yeah it's a little tricky. There is one effect engine that has a delay and the other one can have a reverb so you can technically use them both at the same time but you lose filter possibilities. and that muting part used to annoy the shit out of me. Eventually I mapped a controller to turn down the amp volume which is pre fader where the mute is post fader
Instead of muting, go to the AMP page and minimize VOL quickly by holding FUNC while tweaking it to the left. VOL will snap to -64, instantly cutting off the sample, but the tails will remain. Also you will get your fx tail on muted track when you will use arranger.
God damnit.. I've been umming and ahhing about what to get for the past few days. I'd finally decided against getting the octatrack, now you've got me reconsidering again!! >_
@@RickyTinez I do.. but I'm actually thinking about getting a Deluge. Tough call. I prefer the Deluge workflow from what I've seen, but elektron gear is just so damn nice. Plus I've owned a mk1 octa in the past, so no unwanted surprises.
Four years later, yes the Digitakt now has more of the features of the Octatrack, like slicing and being able to use the inputs as a mixer.
I've found a technique to play stereo samples on my Digitakt, which rarely I do wish to do, but its handy to have the option. I use Audacity to split a stereo file into two mono audio files. I then play the two files on the Digitakt, on two tracks, triggered at the same time, one panned hard left, one hard right.
Yeah samplers are cool and all, but can you please do more videos with your dog?
Ha, that’s a great little dog to go along with the cool vid.
Beautiful little dog, God bless you. I have a Chihuahua name Penny about the same size. She makes a great deal of my world.
😊
Parts can be tricky at a glance but when you think about how its implemented it does make sense. Basically it holds your machine types for every track, their respective settings as well as a bank of 16 scenes, it will *not* store things like your pattern and its trigger/parameter lock data, think of it as having the patterns being your sheet music and a part being the instrumental ensemble, swapping out a part means "swapping out the band" playing the pattern. Since you have 4 parts associated with each bank you could as an example split a bank of 16 patterns up to 4x4 patterns and use part 1 for pattern 1-4, part 2 for pattern 5-8 and so on, this allows you to have a lot of musical variation within the same bank of 16 patterns.
Parts is also great for saving and recalling states, for instance if you do lots of live tweaking of your tracks and want to get back to where you started off your set you could just hit reload part, if you want to jump between various "snapshots" of settings on the fly or make more radical alterations having two or more parts to quickly change settings without stopping anything is very powerful. I also find it great for when you are on an existing project and want to try something new but don't want to risk messing up any settings and values associated with other patterns in the same project that relies on the currently selected part, simply jump to an empty pattern, select an unused part and you have an empty slate to work with. I hope this made it at least a little bit clearer. :)
Yo thanks so much for explaining it to us. Makes a lot of sense to me know!
@@RickyTinez Cheers, glad I could be of help. Forgot to mention, great videos :) Very nice use of imagery in your montages and crisp high quality production, I'll be following your work down the line :) Happy new year
I would love to have something more powerful than the Digitakt, but the Octatrack really seems SO different. As you said, it seems like 2 different people designed them and didn't have a single look at each other's work. I hope they will mend the two together to one perfect device.
Smooth as silk . . . always love your videos because of that. The presentation, lighting, edits, the sound and camera work .. . man, I dig your style . . simple as that.. top notch.
I can't agree more!
./ivar
And that beat in the background - perfect match for his voice.
@Enrique Martinez Music Which camera and settings are you using? Are you color grading the video? Oh, and what is your basic setup with regards to lights?
Nice video! I hope you don't mind if I add some things, that are essential differences for me.
The most essential difference in sampling is, that the Octatrack can sample in realtime, quantized and without stopping the sequencer, while every track can access the same recorder buffer at the same time. That's extremely powerful, you even can pre-slice recorder buffers before sampling.
The Octatrack has much more modulation options with 3 Lfo's per Track. It's midi sequencer is far more powerful, you have a sequencer for your Arpeggiator, that you can lock to a scale and the Arp settings can be modulated with the midi Lfo's. Generative heaven. The OT has many more effects, that are per track and their parameters can be modulated.
The Digitakt has subjectively better sounding fx. It has a wider octave Range for playing samples chromatically. The sample slot choice can be Lfo destination. Program changes in the midi sequencer can be parameter locked (and also be Lfo destination I believe). The Digitakt has the control all feature.
Btw. For me parts are pretty easy to understand if you simply think of them as Kits. It's just four different Kits, that can have their individual sample and fx selection and settings.
I bought I Digitakt not so long ago. Loved the workflow, the well though through UI, and just how easy it was to make music straight away. Also really nice sound in general, and of the effects. But I felt a little limited by the lack of possibilities when it came to altering the samples. Then I stumbled upon a great deal on an Octatrack mkii, bought that, and therefore sold the DT. And I'm mostly happy about that decision. The OT wasn't as difficult to learn as I feared, but for sure not as quick and immediate as the DT. I especially love the creative possibilities of the scenes in the OT. That makes all the difference for me. Anyways, thanks for a great video, you always keep it interesting...
9:44 The sample is actually tied to the Part (which is tied to the Bank). You can select a new Part for the new Pattern with a different sample being used in that machine/track. Important distinction, because it multiplies the possibilities.
Very true, i have yet to find a useful reason to use the parts in my music. I mainly stick to banks as "songs" and i make the song across the 16 patterns, so i kept it on easy mode for this video :) BUT the sample and the track engine/mode is totally tied to the 4 parts within a bank! Thanks Good Buddy
@@RickyTinez Perfectly valid to never use Parts, but that's the best thing about the OT: it has more than you need, but you can use the extras if you want to. At the very least, it's good to save one Part so that you can tweak things and then reload the part to get back to basecamp.
Good video. Two things i wanna address:
I think you didn't make it extra clear that the Digitakt is Mono while Octatrack can sample in stereo, as you switched to the 4-inputs of the OT quickly and pointed out there are two more. But they ain't "same just more". Those are stereo or dual mono or just mono. The Digitakt L and R is never Stereo - can be dual mono, but recording is mono regardless. The labeling kinda sucks and is confusing. In fact you could label them Input 1 and Input 2 - makes it easier.
Now secondly, and this is for you, you totally can sample-swap "across all patterns" on the Digitakt. Let's say you built 4 patterns with the same kit and you decided one drum sucks. You then go to SRC and touch the Sample-Number dial (D) to bring up the sample slot list. Without scrolling, just press FUNC+YES and you can browse for another sample for that spot. Your pattern can play in the background as you go sample by sample down the list press YES to replace or FUNC+YES to preview. Once you are happy, the new sample has the slot number with an arrow next to it indicating that this is now assigned to the spot. Since the old sample is unloaded and replaced, all patterns using this spot will now play the new sample and you don't have to change anything else.
Another major difference is how "sample-start" works. Changing it on the OT will make it play faster as the "loop" gets shorter keeping the BPM. On the DT it will just move the startpoint forward while keeping the current length and thus the playspeed (works like a offset). I prefer the DT way, cause it ain't timestretch based. This is also why slicing is now my preferred method for things like this, but a lot slower workflow of course.
Happy new Year
PS: sorry if i misunderstood you and you know all this. Just trying to help :)
yo, this is an awesome comment thank you so much it really taught me a lot. The only downside I find to changing the samples that way on the DT is that if I have other samples elsewhere in patterns that I actually like. (Other Banks) those will get changed too right?. Currently the way I use the octatrack is I build a song with in a bank so it doesn't affect the others.
I also turn off time stretch on the OT because I prefer the way the DT does it too haha. Thanks for the tips Cellrok!
@@RickyTinez Yes, the slot-swap is global. This is the reason i work in sets of 10 in that list. You can have 128 samples there, so when i start a new bank on OT i also switch to a new bank on DT.
Then i go to T1 on the DT and dial the sample slot from the default 1 up to 10, even though 9 would be free. So on B1, T1 is Slot 10, T2 is Slot 11 and so on.. on Bank C i would start on Slot 20. - Means i have 10 slots of "drums" i can juggle for one tune in a single bank.
This makes swapping and experimenting a lot easier. I don't have to worry that it could affect other beats from other banks as long is stay within the bank sample slot range (1-9, 10-19, 20-29, ...).
The only thing where this technique is not usuable is if you sample longer phrases or like a full drum kit in one recording and do sample locking across multiple tracks. I rarely do this and work with OneShots from +Drive but those are special circumstances then. The only long samples i have are vocals and field recording stuff that is so substantial to the beat that i am unlikely to change it on the fly like that.
I am glad you found my comment useful.
Really appreciate you sharing! Thank you again
@cellorok can you make a vide on this subject?
Digitakt is the gateway drug. Octatrack is the next level!
The Digitakt certainly looks a lot better, Elektron's design language has really matured IMO. The screen is also better on the Digitakt. I don't find mono samples much of a limitation, after all you can still mix in stereo (you can pan each channel). In real life each drum in a drum kit is also mono, it only gets its place in the stereo spectrum from its placement left/right and the effects of the (room) reverb.
But the digitakt was not made to simulate a real life drum set… mono samples is a deal breaker. And the screen from the octatrack is better it’s visible on daylight what you can’t say from the digitakt.
Your channel has quickly become my favorite gear channel on YT: loving the production values and your soothing delivery. Just a tiny correction: tracks (or more precisely samples) are tied to parts, of which each bank has four. Looking forward to more videos!
Totally understand that. I rarely find a use for parts and I decided to keep this video a bit more on the easy-to-understand side and not dive too much into parts lol. But I really appreciate your clarification thank you.
When do you find using parts useful? Do you have a video up on your Channel? I love your channel btw, you've taught me a ton.
Ah yes parts... don’t use them either. The way I set my song performances it’s unnecessary feature.
@@RickyTinez The video is awesome and it makes perfect sense not to get bogged down with minute details in such a comparison; just my OCD kicking in 👽. Thanks for your kind words; I did make a video on that (ua-cam.com/video/sbSNLCH00tQ/v-deo.html).
@@elissitdesign I know that I'm a boring nitpick, but--to be precise--whenever you use your OT you are using parts (part 1 to be precise), as they hold all your samples, all your track settings and your fader settings. They are also useful, when you're building a longer live set.
That being said, I recently started making more and more 1-pattern jams where I use trig conditions and muting to introduce variations.
@@RickyTinez You will find a use for parts especially if you setup OT as an FX machine. As you state in your video DT has 8 banks of 16 patterns and OT has 16 banks with 16 patterns. That is not exactly true because of the parts. I consider part as a pattern, so OT has 16 banks with 4 patterns(parts). You can have up to 4 variations for each pattern in a bank if you are using all 4 parts.You can alternatively have 16 variations of a part or 8 variations of 2 parts or whatever other combo you like. I have been always bothered by the part thing in OT. I would have really liked OT to have the structure of DT where each pattern is a clear part and actually if you count them DT has more individual patterns(parts) than OT! Anyway I have to say that I've been using OT since 2011 and although there is a love/hate relationship going on, I am not selling it. There is nothing like it in the market. The only trade I could think of is replacing it with a DT some day! Cheers and keep up the good work on your channel!
Another great video, but it’s getting too expensive for me to watch these! I bought the Digitakt after your last one, became obsessed with it now, and I may pickup the Octatrack track after this one. It can’t be explained how much more inspiring it has been lately to just create with HARDWARE and giving the computer a break. I love it
Had a Digitakt, enjoyed it but returned it after a week to get an Octatrack MK 2. After a year of not making any music I sold it and bought the MPC Live. Much happier now.
0:24 best part of the video by far 🐶
Regarding the Digitakt tracks being tied to the patterns only, you can speed things up when you want to change your sound in every pattern : By pressing the Trig Key corresponding to your track + Copy, you copy the sound of the track and can paste it onto whichever track you want by pressing the corresponding Trig Key + Paste. Still not as convenient as on the Octatrack but quite easy! Anyway, cool vid!
Some thoughts:
One of the cool things that the Digitakt does is allow your to change samples per step on the sequencer. One of the cool things about the Octatrack is its ability to play different slices per step on the sequencer.
I feel as though the Octatrack was designed by a completely different person, as its UI and operation is vastly different from anything else that Elektron has released, hence why a lot of folks feel that it has a steeper learning curve. However, I also feel that the curve makes the machine a constant discovery, which I love.
I primarily use the Octatrack as the mixer/sample playback/main hub/video control/output to the PA and digital recorder for Spooky Action At A Distance. Being able to mess with those thru machines makes for some interesting sounding stuff, even if it's the generic stutter effects. We usually have the synths (Monomachine, Digitone, and Analog Keys) all going into one channel, and the percussion (Analog RYTM I & II, Digitakt) into the other channels, so there's some control over it and we don't have to lug a mixer along. Clock comes from the Octatrack to everything else, and I'll use the 8 MIDI channels on that and the Digitakt to control video as well.
As always, awesome video! Thanks for everything you do, and happy new year!
octatrack does allow to change samples per step , it's called samplelock, so 2 banks of 128 with 64 slices per samples, do the math = 16384 sample available per step !
@@HightechLowlife-r8x See? I learned something new about it just now! Thanks!
good
@@HightechLowlife-r8x Actually it is 1X128 with 64 slices per sample since a track can be either a flex or a static machine. But in total when using 2 tracks or more u r right! Vast number of samples! The only thing that I don't like is that you can't play slices or sample locks from midi. If this was true I don't think one would need another sampler soft or hard.
Digitakt is definitely "I'm just starting" thing. I'm borrowing it from a friend just for fun, and it is fun, but I'm glad I stuck with Electribe II despite its counterintuitiveness in learning. One thing which I can't get over with is no velocity sensitivity to those clicky buttons. No option for syncing other hardware except MIDI. Very limited FX, and I'm not impressed with its Reverb or lack of proper control over Delay. I thought of what someone like me could use it for, and two main uses I see is making glitchy Ambient sounds and evolving soundscapes, and as a companion to DJ mixer/controller, and this is where it has a huge plus, - being very compact and robust at the same time
So basically if you're only going to record into a DAW and want to save $ grab the DT but if you want full features in the unit and/or are going to use it live you need the OT. Makes sense.
This was exactly what I wanted to know about the two in a concise and high quality format. I share your opinion on which way to go as well. I'm not really seeing s huge reason to go with mkII. Now I just need money.
Nice, The best part about the MK1 which i forgot to mention that is if you buy used, you're basically borrowing it with a security deposit until you sell it and you get your money back!
The Octatrack has time stretching (I went with the Digitakt).
Great video! I ordered a Digitakt this week, and I've been devouring your videos to prepare myself for the Elektron workflow. I'm looking at the Octatrack as a possible next big purchase, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't too much overlap between the two instruments, and to see if they go together well. Your video was exactly what I was looking for, so thanks for making it. :)
Pretty accurate comparison but I find it's important to mention that the Digitakt only plays mono samples (and no timestretch, and not too long samples neither), whereas the Octatrack has 8 stereo audio tracks and can do timestretch and play very long samples (like stems for a 10minute track for example), which is for me a big difference!
I love your videos. I still couldn't decide what to get. I saw someone doing a 2hour House/Tech house Set using only the Octatrack, that was pretty awesome, but I love how easy you can put up a nice beat with the digitakt.
OH and big thumbs up for being the only channel that I watch that fits my phone screen perfectly 😍
You can straight up DJ a full set on the Octa. Its that versatile haha. Won't be that fun. But you can do it!!
Hell yea on the phone, i knew someone would benefit from it ;)
Among many other things I use my Octatrack as a beast multi-effects unit, track 1 is inputs for all my gear and tracks 2-7 are 11 potential effects, all sync and sequences and track 8 is master 👌🏽
So what gear is on track 1? And how do you get all of your gear on track 1, does all gear go into a mixer first to consolidate into one output?
Awesome video, and educational!
I must admit though, I cringe every time someone mentions Overbridge (and the transfer app) as if it's a good thing. Overbridge is a bizarre and crippled version of features which should have been built into the firmware. If Elektron would implement USB standards-compliant storage and audio, it would "just work" universally with every computer from now until the end of time. But instead Elektron tried to make those basic functions an add-on which costs extra and only works on a narrow range of computers from a specific time period... and their effort failed, so they removed the extra cost but haven't fixed the underlying technological problems they created. So now every current Elektron device is artificially crippled for no good reason.
I love my Digitakt... but I hate some of Elektron's customer-hostile business practices and technological mistakes. Overbridge is a badge of shame which impairs their customers, and it really needs to go away in favor of standards-compliant firmware features.
I really appreciate these videos and all the commenters you get with them. The discussions helped me make a decision not just on capabilities, but the workflow. My personal wants were something immediate with a powerful workflow that doesn't have me scratching my head for the first 10 minutes of turning it on. This is where I ended up buying a Digitakt. The OT seems to have more capabilities but the one reoccurring comments not just here but everywhere else is that the OT is confusing even after you learn it. I've spent enough time in DAWs to know that this means that for me, I'll be sitting there two hours later wondering why I haven't gotten a groove going and just going to bed because it's too late. I want to be able to sit down on the couch and go and I think the Digitakt is more suited for me in doing that. We'll see.
Great voiceover skill. Relaxing AF - feels like I'm watching a modern day Bob Ross of pro audio.
As a fellow Chihuahua owner, seeing that you have a Chihuahua gives me even more respect for you :)
One of the big reason I love more the OT is the possibility to be able to change the lengths and speed for each track. It allow to go beyond the 64 step limitation. And for me it's really important to have something which feel like a 128 step for one or two track.
Yeah 128 is usually my starting point nothing less! Haha
Thank You! I own the MK1 and if you spend many hours with the equipment you will see how powerful this product can be.
dude, first video of yours I've ever seen. 3 minutes in and I'm subbing! beautiful shots and clear communication, thank you!
64 GB is the largest card that will work on OT. Just got a Lexar 64gb for my new MK2 … (Mostly to have a very large sample library loaded for convenience) .. Was able to load my complete Samples From Mars collection and still have over 20GB left over for my own sampling
You and your dog look so similar, it's so funny people and their pets really do look alike.
This is absolute GOLD. That send and return function!! So glad I just learned that from you. It's gonna make life way easier. Thank you!
Had a hard time focusing on the video itself cause I was too into the background beat lol
Hey Enrique, thank you for another great UA-cam
I have both the Digitakt and the Octatrack so I didn't have to choose wich one to buy,
I'm still working on the Digitakt and then I'll move on to the Ocktatrack.
so true, you have to be willing to put in the time it takes to learn these devices.
It is the same as learning an instrument, it's hard work and it a lot of time and patience
Would love to
See a follow up with the latest updates for digitakt
I would love to see what you could do with a Korg EMX 1, none of you synthfluencers seem to play with it i know its old, but its legendary.
Im getting ready to start mailing it to you guys one by one.
Just added a Digitakt to my Octatrack DAWless rig, which off-loads drum sample duties from my OT, allowing me to have some free tracks! Hallelujah! Digitakt is a wonderful, wonderful drum sampler.
My take on the topic: If you are after a great drum machine that ALSO does a ton more go Digitakt -- if you want to build a live synth rig, travel to other planets, become GANDALF (at least as far as synth hardware goes), and you want to read a lot of manuals & spend hours learning, then go Octatrack.
couldn't have said that better myself. That combo seems like its the best way to utilize it. Freeing up tracks on the octatrack is like going from breathing through a straw to breathing on top of a mountain
Enrique, the arranger is the boss once you know it - very very fluid and well worth the time to learn.
Love these videos man! Coming from a sound guy who’s gotten into video- they look fantastic. Really nice color correction and lighting. Also the music stuff is nice too 😂🤘🏼
Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it
Great video and very informative. Right now I have the rytm MK1, the digitakt, and the digitone... but am thinking of upgrading to the rytm MK2, or selling the the digitone and getting the OT MK2... tough decisions.
Thanks again.
Thank you for blessing us with another in depth video you’ve helped me push myself to become computerless for my live set ups and I never want to go back
Woo! It's all about the journey!
I literally lol’ed when you said Parts where straight up, ”rocket science”
I bought the Octatrack before Digitakt came out and after trying the DT still prefer my Octatrack MK2 as it is way more powerful and easier to use with sliders and larger keyspacing.
O ‘em gee I had no idea about the inner mixer I’m sold for the octa and here I was looking at the :samples yesterday sheeesh 😅
Controlling a TR-8S, an SP404, and an EHX 45000 from a Digitakt. My perfect setup.
I have digitakt but now I still want octa hell ya thanks man
Regarding Octa's track per bank vs Digitakt's track per pattern: on Octa you can still tweak sample for particular triggers and also you have parts which let you have differently setup tracks attached to the same pattern at different times, so seems like Octa is more flexible in this regard.
So, so helpful. I want to learn the elektron workflow and everything I've ever heard is that digitakt is the place to start. Separately, I've been on the hunt for a small machine that I can run backing tracks for my live project. My current stuff was made mostly in ableton and I need a non-laptop storage and playback machine for life performace. This obviously isn't what digitakt is made to do, but do you suppose it COULD do that? I guess I'm really just asking if it has enough internal memory for about 30 minutes of playback total (about 9 songs) and if there are any interesting ways I could then manipulate that playback live. Any tips greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
I use a Squarp Pyramid with my synths as my main sequencer. All I want to do is create samples and sync via midi with my Squarp. Digitakt?
@rickytinez I watch your vidz because of how chill you are
Omg tied to the bank track on octa wow that would make it SO much easier keeping volumes tight sheeeesh
thank you.. I was banging my head before i saw your video. you gave a clear idea and now i know what i will buy..
btw there is a neat trick to swap the kick drum in all your tracks at once in DT
Chopping samples and playing all chops live on one track with different pads as tiggers for each slice would make the digitakt perfect. That's the one thing causing me to contemplate replacing my digitakt with the octatrack.
I am not sure if this fits your requirement, but I believe you can do something like this with the Digitakt by adding in a ZOIA pedal. Check out this video from Aldo and read the 3rd and 4th paragraphs of the description:
ua-cam.com/video/GcDBRbOS7Yg/v-deo.html
The ZOIA is really expensive and a Digitakt + ZOIA approaches the cost of an Octatrack, but the ZOIA is a great piece of hardware to have anyway and if you prefer Digitakt over the Octratrack overall, then this method might be worth looking into. Hope this helps!
Chris Landon thanks for pointing this out! I watched some of this video before, but never bothered to read full caption 😅. That Zioa is definitely on my list of things to get! My work around for sample chops is controlling my SP404 with my Digitakt via midi. With that workflow, I get multple chops on separate SP404 pads but controlled with one Digitakt midi track. i also get stereo samples and all other benefits of SP404 without having to deal with it’s crappy sequencer!
BTW, just subscribed to your channel! I also have a channel I just started for my dawless music: ua-cam.com/channels/NU6lFhk8cOCeZmNwuibl0g.html
5:43 back in 2010, when hardware was made from stone, leaves and twigs
Exactly hahah
Nice job with this, I have a digitakt but haven’t gotten to play with the OT for too long. I feel like this video was catered to me personally haha
Always fantastic man. Learning this Digitakt bit by bit... sort of glad there is no song mode on Digitakt if it complicates things... my main problem is remembering the key combinations for the basic things like deleting track sequence data... hope I can get on top of it all soon :)
What I think would be awesome on the Digitakt is multiple LFOs per track... imagine how messed up that could be! :D
Haha I know! That's also a pleasant too the Octatrack over the digitakt!
Ricky - I've come across your videos before & really enjoyed them. This one got me hooked (subscriber) though. Thnx so much. You explained it well indeed. ☺️ Even 3yrs on... Cheers
now this is how you make a review, thanks.
i just saw this after purchasing an okta mk1... I feel good about my purchase.... great video.. like your channel.. your doing it right... IMHO...
Hell yea! thank you for that. I honestly think you can't go wrong with either. but... the OTmk1 is my fav.. sshhh..
enjoy the ride - thousands of hours in the seat on mine - the octatrack is a lifetime of enjoyment, don't allow frustration in, if you struggle then sit back, search the manual, read and repeat - the octatrack does things you think are wrong, it isn't however it just operates differently to what YOU think is right.
Couldn't be more different, eh? Well... the Digitakt could be a Digitone... or an Analog Heat... or a Volca Bass... or haha ok ok I kid, I kid. Good video as always. I have been running in circles in my head about whether to take the Octatrack plunge for over a year now. I opted for a Pyramid instead bc I like the unlimited steps and piano roll-style editing, and have been working on wrapping my head around it & folding it into my workflow. But while it does have some clear advantages over the OT, its limitations are fairly clear as well. The biggest of course being the lack of audio. Which means that any live usage will by definition require additional hardware, and the Pyramid is only as effective as the midi-controllable sound modules you've carried along with you. Sure, I could just connect it to a laptop, but at that point I could just sequence via Ableton and ditch the Pyramid altogether. So I'm still just as close to pulling the OT trigger as I was a year ago.
and have you bought an octa after all ?
Enrique, Please show us your MPC 4000, thanks ahead!
Great video. That background track was dope. what is it called?
Only came across with this channel yesterday as I'm thinking about getting an Octatrack or maybe a Digitak. I really enjoyed the 3 videos I've watched regarding both machines but the one thing I noticed in all 3 videos is that you point to other previously uploaded videos when you mention them but nothing comes up on screen (annotations are on) so is basically pointing to nothing. If you can, please add links to those videos if you can't get those links on screen, it'd be very helpful. Channel seems great though. Cheers
Here is my quandary, if anyone wishes to input I am more than happy to listen.
Building my live modular right beyond the eurorack environment. Want deeper sample solutions as well as chordal polyphony and harmonic depth.
At this point I'm pretty sold on the Digitone because I'm not scared on FM and actually very stoked on the idea of using it for sound design and sketch development plus the elektron world seems so deep and flexible, especially for live performance, I just want in.
BUT I also want the depth and power of sequencing and editing samples and all that sexy livesample looping the track can do, taking snapshots of the modular live and scrambling bits over bits, and taking those bits and throwing them back into say the morphagene and doing more scrambles and grambles.
What I want is a suggestion of where to go first... Track or Tone? Tone seems like a more shallow pool to dive into to get to know the elektron world, but the Track seems so powerful an diverse I might take time to get it rolling but eventually it will be a bigger payoff for my right.
P.s. the setup at the end of the day the studio is going to be modular, tone, track, Pulsar 23 and my drums. And various combos for live...
your videos are so great, dude. Thanks for keeping us informed
Great video as always Enrique! After watching a lot of your videos, and many more for that matter :)), i decided to go with the Digitakt, over the OT mk2, with the reasoning that eventually i will upgrade to the OT. Now, after about 2 months i can say that i have wrapped my mind around the DT and i feel that i can control it to the best of my ability. My hybrid setup is revolving around Live 10, where the DT can sample through Live anything i decide to send to it (send track set to external), sequence via midi some of my gear, and also record back into Ableton anything i decide to send back. Overall i think it's a great tool, that has a lot of potential to it for sound design and music creation alltogether, and for now, in my particular situation, is more than enough.(as you said, pray for namm 2019 and OB will make everything even more amazing) I still construct my live performance ideas around Live using Push, but i envision a DAW-less setup at some point in the future, which of course would have as a centerpiece the OTmk2.
Thanks for all the knowledge, have a great year and keep the great videos coming! Peace
Hey glad I could help! Thanks for sharing on your life setup as well. That's cool that you tie the two worlds together. I've been looking for an efficient way to do something similar
Enrique Martinez Music i guess it’s all about trial and error, and what fits best to your needs!
I really thank ypu for this video. I had serious doubts about these machines and i am considering get into the elektron world for my live synth jams, and my studio. My problem is that i like both.....
GET BOTH
I have to ask, as a guitarist isn't the octotrack more able to cope with longer samples/passages, and trigger sampled instruments more at once, without being subject to one trigger cancelling another? I hope that makes sense.
that miniature Hell Hound looked like it wanted to bite your nose off !!!
She'll try as soon as i lose eye contact.. 😵
Gosh, you saved me so much time and research, thank you so much.
Hey bro I have a question, now in 2020 how recommended is it to buy the octatrack MK1, could there be any problem with the long-term drivers? I mean, there are no new drivers every year or something like that.
they've been around for yeeeaaarrsss at this point and are still kicking. I'd say you're good to go.
Just got a Digitakt and it's probably the most fun I've ever had with a hardware machine. BUT - the sample editing / slicing (or lack of) really is heartbreaking. I'm wondering if I'd get on better with an MPC or Machine, but I don't want to get rid of my DT :( :( :(
The digitakt is like perfect for me, but I think it really lacks slicing samples and song-mode. That bothers me a lot. But would it be great to have both? I mean you got both Ricky.
Hi Ricky. Just another of your videos that answers my questions. Thumb up !
I've wanted a octatrak since they came out...but I need to know what the sample length for each track ..64 bars + unlimited time as to memory?
Thanks man. I qm wanting one or both, for a live and studio environment, i really want a octatrack at the moment. Do u have a preference in sound librarys between them? I have the means to get into analog realm. But qm trying not to buy something I do not use, kinda like my access virus ti. I have everything out of it I can need, I use it for plucks and leads, but need a all in one drum sollution for rough sounding raw drums. Im considering a elektron, octa digi or even machinedrum, 'even an op1' for jamming, but, any info would be greatly appreciated. 👍🏻 edit. ahhh u answered a ton of my questions already lol
Hi Ricky! Could you maybe do a similar video where you'd compare the Digitakt vs Octatrack MK2. (And do you feel that any - or maybe both - of these products are still "state of the art" or are they kind of obsolete due to any other gear that came out in the meantime. Do you feel like one should still buy one of those two or either A) swith to something else, B) wait for their successor(s) e.g. kind of Digitakt MK2, C) buy the Octatrack MK1 over the MK2 due to price.... Would be interesting to hear your opinion on this. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!! :)
thanks for sharing your knowledge, it is really appreciated for us we're starting, for real bro. big hug from chile 🇨🇱
9:26 pain, look at that poor screen
got an OT in the post, hopefully it's not knackered - it cost £550
This man, cookoo and the bad gear guy rule digitoob
Great video! I'm getting just getting into synths and am looking to create a live setup. I've got a korg minilogue, korg kp3+ and maschine mk3. Id kinda like to move to all an dawless setup. Ive been trying to decide how to spend my limited budget. My next two pieces of gear are either a digitakt/octotrack and synthstom deluge. My idea is doing song builds at home then remixes as i perform. I think the extra sends on the octotrack kinda lend better for this type of set-up. Thoughts?
If I wanted to use these as brains for a live setup, whould these be good options? Or would $750 be better spent on another sequencer?
If you didnt own the OT mk1 would you get it again or the OT mk2?
I own the MPC4000 and have been using it for over a decade but last 3-4 years its slowly broke down due to me travelling,sofa surfing and knocking it about, so my screen has become unreadable and a few ,i have 3 pads none functioning aswell but all this can be restored,cleaned and all parts are available...in the meantime i bought a AKAI LIVE wich i havent had time to get to grips with due to other life distractions lets say. I used to make everything on my 4000 and was content, ive now got different ideas for my music production based more on growling funky techno electronic hip hop as compared to the very RZA /madlib style of sampling i used to create....ever since i seen the octotrack been used and seeing a complete different way of creating beats from a sampler then the MPC method ive become interested n its on my wishlist right next to a sub 37 ...so my question is would adding a octatrack/or digitakt to my setup do more for me (aspiring to add more Tech oriented flavour) or would you think getting the MPC4000 fixed alongside the use of my MPCLive (ialso have a minilougue,eventide space and a 303) would be sufficient and outside of live perfomancing there isnt much more i could do with a extra Elektron add on.... as at the minuite im sending no time creating and when i get the chance i end up looking for further studio wish list wants....I really would one day like to purchase the sub 37 , but i also wish i could get more Detroit side of things like Moodyman , jimmy edgar and i also love LA's MONO/POLY's getdown .....this is a long ass question within a question so if ANYONE can understand this , the advice would be stellar, thanks for ure time if you read this✌️🎵
BASICLY What can a DIGITAKT & OCTATRAKT do that a MPC4000 & MPC LIVE cant??? LOL sorry for the long-winded madness above🎵✌️🎵
Hahaha that was a vent man! All is welcome though. The biggest thing I use on the OT vs the 4k is live looping, live sampling, and quicker sample manipulation. If I'm doing easy 1 -2 bar Detroit styleoops I'll to OT. if I want more slices based music I go all 4k
@@RickyTinez lol, i knw, im adhd with it.Anyhoo thanks man,i think im gonna try get my 4000 fixed up then,as i had a good workflow on it too.ps keep up the good work...ure vids help a lot, especially with quick replys aswell, all the best✌️
In the beginning of the video i was thinking: Oh no! I just bought a digitakt a couple of months ago!! I should have waited!!- but after it I have the sensation that it's ok to have bought it, I like my digitakt... after all, I still can sell it if I think that an octatrack would suit me more at some point.
i think the digitakt is really easier to learn and operate
You really can't go wrong with either. I have them both and I use them both one hasn't shelf'd the other
I bought a Digitakt few days ago, mainly because of youtube and enrique martinez videos on it. I really enjoy it and I think enrique martinez is right at the end of this video: I have just a 303 clone synth, and the addition of digitakt bring me lot of fun to play live with 2 machines. I'm not a pro, I don't record anything, I just want to play fast and fun between my job and the home things. So, definitivly Digitakt!
Youre really help me - alot , man - because you have a way , to explain the use and qirks,of the same synth´s as I love and like - and its UOYRE perspective - no hands barred - i love it , bro ! M
Mikkel, that means a lot! Super happy you found some help in my videos, that's all they're here for. To help you out!
lol you fit that dog so well
What backing track do you use in your videos? Shits dope!
cool you have the world famous dr. groove!!
I’ve had one since a teen. Didn’t think they were that popular or common.
I started with the Digitakt and loved it. Sometimes later i ordered the Octatrack and hated it! I cant use delay AND reverb at the same time on the OT. Also muting tracks is different. DT mutes the trig in sequencer and the OT mutes the audio immediately > that sucks hard. I was expecting to buy a superior machine about the DT but it failed.
yeah it's a little tricky. There is one effect engine that has a delay and the other one can have a reverb so you can technically use them both at the same time but you lose filter possibilities. and that muting part used to annoy the shit out of me. Eventually I mapped a controller to turn down the amp volume which is pre fader where the mute is post fader
Instead of muting, go to the AMP page and minimize VOL quickly by holding FUNC while tweaking it to the left. VOL will snap to -64, instantly cutting off the sample, but the tails will remain. Also you will get your fx tail on muted track when you will use arranger.
God damnit.. I've been umming and ahhing about what to get for the past few days. I'd finally decided against getting the octatrack, now you've got me reconsidering again!! >_
Octatrack if you got the cash
@@RickyTinez I do.. but I'm actually thinking about getting a Deluge. Tough call. I prefer the Deluge workflow from what I've seen, but elektron gear is just so damn nice. Plus I've owned a mk1 octa in the past, so no unwanted surprises.
Insane video quality as usual. Are you a pro editor ?
It's an aspiration and a dream, but no :P
Brother where can I find this track playing in the background? It reminds me of a recurring dream
Great review and comparison and your English accent is superb! Does your dog also speak English?
He has an American accent. I’m English and there are many many different regional English accents. None of them sound like this dude though.
Eyyy your videos are great 😎👍 Killer presentation and pacing.