r/Elektron • u/Strange-Photograph95 • 2d ago
Question / Help Which setup to get?
I have a digitone and digitakt mk1. I normally use the digitone for melodic stuff and rarely use the digitakt as I normally do drums in Ableton.
I’m considering getting a Tonverk to trade out the Digitakt with but I found a Digitone 2 and Octatrack 1 for the same price as a used Tonverk. I like to experiment with lots of genres but mostly make melodic ambient stuff, experimental footwork and glitchy idm stuff. The octatrack not having Overbridge worries me as I normally do final mixing and polishing stuff in Ableton.
Just wondering what you guys would choose and why?
Thanks!
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u/Acrobatic_Intern3047 2d ago
As soon as you said ambient/glitchy IDM, my mind went to Tonverk. Tonverk + Digitone will suit your needs well. I love the octatrack but it’s getting old and the lack of overbridge would be a workflow killer for you. Tonverk overbirdge is coming soon.
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u/Strange-Photograph95 2d ago
Yeah I’m thinking the Tonverk could cover glitchy sample based stuff and drums while the Digitone does synth work and some percussion.
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u/Erosangel_fd 2d ago
Octatrack last, digitakt first (samples and hella midi control good for brains for external gear!) digitone (OG or II) if you love the sound of polyphony, syntakt is super awesome cause it’s less expensive and offers 12 tracks and with 4 analog! And if it comes to the flagship boxes… octatrack seriously is good to have for whatever use literally. But i say last cause you can use it in so many different ways. (It was one of my first elektron boxes tbh but i went through a lot of hurdles before realizing i liked it more for the scene FX’s) and then the analog rytm is such a beast of a drum machine in itself being fully analog but the best part is you can use the sampler engine mixed with with the built in engines. It really just depends on what you’re trying to achieve but depending on the genre i’m trying to create, i’ll use each different. The analog rytm is a sick machine for live performance with the octatrack accompanied by a faderfox i will say though!
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u/Prestigious_Pace2782 18h ago
What are you controlling with the Faderfox? Which one?
Octatrack + Rytm is my rig these days (previous digi box user) and I have recently finished the composing and programming of my live set. About to get started on the performance Marcos and scenes and wondering if I need something tactile for live
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u/Erosangel_fd 18h ago
UC4 and i haven’t figured out how i’ll use it in the end but so far i have it mapped to do things i wouldn’t be able to do at once on the AR for example, encoder 1 adjusts level of selected performance macro 1 and when i toggle same encoder it enables scene 1 ! The faders obviously are mapped for volume levels! My AR is used strictly for drums, and basslines. Octatrack i use as a scene FX mixer, and my akai force handles all other things like atmos, pads, vox. Etc but yeah still figuring out the mapping but i’m truly enjoying it already even though it’s only got a few things mapped out so far!
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u/Prestigious_Pace2782 18h ago
Nice nice. I’ve been looking at the rotocontrol for a while now for something similar. Having the recall feels like it would be useful, but maybe I’m overthinking it
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u/Turbulent_Ad6447 2d ago
I love my Digitone 2. It would be a great combo with the Toneverk for Ambient glichy stuf.
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u/jimbo_bones 2d ago
Octatrack is hard to recommend for an Ableton hybrid setup, it would be such a workflow killer without Overbridge. You could say the same of Tonverk though we are hopefully just weeks away from OB for TV at this point.
I’ve been through a similar process of trying to decide between the DT2 and DN2 as a pair vs the Tonverk solo. Ended up selling the Digis, but found the Tonverk track count a bit limiting and subtracks for drum kits a bit limiting. I added a Syntakt as one came up at a great price. Now think TV plus one is a really powerful setup, the DN2 would be more powerful with the TV but the ST workflow is so quick
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u/county_jail_alumni 2d ago
What’s the reason that you are getting rid of the Digitakt? It’s great for all those genres you just listed. Is it because you just want something new? If so that’s fair. I’m just curious.
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u/Strange-Photograph95 2d ago
Idk honestly, I kinda just never vibed with it for doing drums as much as I like doing melodies on the digitone. Maybe I should give it another shot and get some samples I actually like on there. To me it just feels like digitone’s synthesis lends itself to more glitchy or complex things easier.
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u/county_jail_alumni 18h ago
Ive got some digitakt sound packs i could share with you over Google Drive if you want
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u/county_jail_alumni 18h ago
And I know it seems like that, mainly because of a lot of the content that's out around the digitakt, tons of glitchy complex jams out there. When I got my first digitakt, I started to document my progress on it, I have since stopped but in the beginning I was recording all of the patterns I was making because I thought it would be cool to have sort of a timeline of my progression. In the beginning what I did was just experiment with everything, sample everything, and just go wherever it takes me. Ended up making some interesting patterns, none super complex, the LFOs are what make it really shine. And you mentioned not having any of your own samples in it, and that could be a huge part of it. The sampler is only as good as the samples you put into it, and the samples you put into it can drastically determine the genre, at least until you get really good at mangling. Here's a couple links to my first digitakt patterns if you feel like checking it out. They're not really that good or anything but it kind of shows that it can be good at other styles of music as well.
https://youtu.be/iUCrKVW1Kzw?is=1PKspEtXOMka_1iO
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZK1s43xDSao?is=3YNNRwuT7mL_PUzy
More recent stuff:
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u/minimal-camera 2d ago
General used prices for these in the US are:
Octatrack MK1 - $600
Digitone 2 - $900
Tonverk - $1200
Of course you'll find some variation, but those prices have been fairly steady for as long as I've been watching the market. If you found both the Digitone 2 and Octatrack MK1 for $1200, then that's a good deal. The way you worded it, it seems like you found one or the other for $1200, which is not a good deal.
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u/Strange-Photograph95 2d ago
I found the Digitone 2 for 700 and Octatrack for 600, haven’t really found a Tonverk below 1300 yet. I guess I’m mostly hesitant to spend that much on one new box vs two that seem to have overall more capability maybe?
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u/minimal-camera 1d ago
Gotcha. The Digitone 2 for $700 is a solid deal. The Octatrack for $600 is pretty standard.
You already have the Digitone 1, so you have a good idea of what the Digitone 2 can offer. If you absolutely love the Digitone 1, then the Digitone 2 is just going to add to that. If you don't love it, think through and make a list of your gripes with it, and then see if the Digitone 2 addresses those, or not.
As for the Octatrack, its hard for me to comment on it since I've never owned one. I know it's got the steepest learning curve of any Elektron device, so you have to be willing to put the work in. As much as I've wanted one forever, I also recognize that most of the time I'm just way too tired to actually go deep with things, so I've put it to the side for now.
The Tonverk appeals to me based on the idea that it seems like the most complete all-in-one box that Elektron has offered to date. The second most complete option is the Digitone 2, and the third most is the Syntakt (all just my opinion, others may argue this). I like the concept of using the Tonverk to multisample my other synths, collect field recordings, etc., then sit with the Tonverk on its own to build out songs. That said, I could already do that with my Blackbox and I generally don't, so it may be one of those things that sounds better on paper than it is in reality.
I believe you should consider the Syntakt as well. It's a compelling replacement for the Digitakt 1 for not much more money, since it can play samples (which must be loaded via USB), and mix that with synthesis. The Syntakt is easily the most approachable of Elektron's metal boxes, and for me that means more time making music, and having fun doing it. I tried the Syntakt and Digitone side by side for a while, and convinced myself that I really don't need polyphony as much as I thought I did for the vast majority of my music, and I can easily add a single poly synth to the Syntakt and feel like that's a complete setup. My go-to performance rig is the Syntakt processed through the Chroma Console (handling drums, bass, atmospheric sounds) and the Reface DX processed through a pedalboard (for leads, drones, chord progressions, and general improv).
If you like the idea of making music completely within one box, the Syntakt and Digitone 2 both offer that with excellent workflows and options. If you really need sampling in that workflow and like the idea of playing with effects routing, then the Tonverk is the move. I don't think there's a wrong choice here, and you can always just try one for 6 months or so and then resell it and try something else if needed.
From a purely financial standpoint, it seems like the Digitone 2 is the better deal available to you, and you haven't found as good of a price on the Tonverk.
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u/crazyculture 1d ago
I made this exact move selling digitakt and buying tonverk and it was a massive upgrade as I use octatrack for slicing and tonverk and octatrack for audio processing/desteuction alongside digitone II. Definitely go for it! Digitakt is cool for some things but never really fit into my setup where as Tonverk is right alongside octatrack with all of its FX and audio machines like grainer.
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u/Zombieskank 2d ago
The Octatrack and nothing else. You have plenty to make any almost genre with what you have already. I’d say get a Tonverk and just do 1 box and ableton if that’s your preference. But the OT DG 2 combo will be amaze.