I bought tons of stuff this year and feel ashamed for it but anyway, here it is:
teenage engineering OP-Z
Loved it (you know where this is going). Portable, fast, fun, beautiful, great stuff. However, after a while, I got tired of the synth sounds, the lack of control one has over them, and poor build quality. I ran into issues with the hardware and ended up selling mine to finance the purchase of a laptop. I don’t regret getting rid of it, though I enjoyed my time with it. It was great while it lasted, and it would have worsened, had it kept going.
It’s a bit of a miss in my book, though it was my first real sequencer (the only one before was PO-20).
Elektron Model:Samples
Love it, my favorite machine to jam with. It just inspires me a lot because of how fast the workflow is. Absolutely a hit for me. I don’t mind having to put samples into it because of the limited storage anyway. It joined my setup alongside my OP-1 and my OP-Z. Though the OP-1 was great because of its floaty, off the grid workflow (let’s call it organic, rather than straight up calling the sequencers useless) and nice sounding synth engines when processed. The M:S gave me insane control over samples, sounded great, and was so much more fun to play than the OP-Z. It became the de facto new best friend for my OP-1 and pushed the OP-Z to its early retirement. It was my first Elektron device and really blew me away with how much control they give you.
It’s a hit!
Elektron Octatrack MkI
A few months after getting my Model:Samples, I wanted to get something more powerful and durable. I was eyeing the Digitakt, but something seemed wrong to me. As if it was not enough of an upgrade. Again, the sampling did not seem that good for the music I make (you could not sample for long enough) and the same storage, same mono tracks, same RAM, lack of interest from me to get Overbridge… I just could not justify the expense. It was a nice upgrade, but not a 750€ upgrade, in my view, or even 500€ with a good deal used (note : this was before DT’s 1.3 OS upgrade. It could have been enough to change my mind I think).
Instead, I got interested in the Octatrack, as I could get a used MkI for a little more than a new DT. As a guitar player, I loved the idea of the looping stuff, long samples, and of course the crossfader.
I finally got one after reading Merlin’s guide, and I liked it a lot. Then I got to use it more, and I ended up loving it. In fact, I’m using my Model:Samples less and less because of how much fun I am having with the Octatrack. I love the way it can be a sample crafting workshop and an arranging station all at once. Its workflow(s) is so freeing to me, I just love to find new ways I can use it and combine machines and settings together to turn it into something new.
I know for some, problem solving is a creativity killer. I also prefer to just get in the flow sometimes (which I still love the M:S for). But for me, most of the time, problem solving is creativity. To sit in front of the machine and think “how can I make this device make that sound?”, and always find an answer that sounds good is the fuel that makes me come back to it every day. I made a gated reverb snare today. I never thought it could do it, but thinking about how it can be made is enough to inspire a whole track using that sound. Not that it’s complicated, but the OT doesn’t have a “gated reverb” button, nor does it have a “scratch effect” setting. Yet, all of it can be done by understanding what the Octatrack can do and imagining how it can connect. Digital modular in a way that really impresses me everyday.
Like everyone else, I have a list of insane things I wish the Octatrack could do. However, realistically, I feel like I am not missing anything from the OT. There will always be that thing that it can’t do that some other sampler does, or some plugin does. But at the end of the day, the feeling I get from the OT I don’t get from anything else. The time I spend on Youtube looking at gear always seems infinitely lame every time I stop and turn on the OT instead. I love love love love it.
It’s a definite hit for me, of “life-changing” proportions. It makes me feel challenged yet empowered in a way that motivates me to grow as a musician like I have never experienced before. So, OT gang rise up woop woop.
Elektron Digitone Keys
I wanted a synth (the kind you sit in front of and play with keys, the grand piano of the studio), I love FM, I love Elektron: the Digitone Keys, what could go wrong?
Well a B-Stock model that went untested and turned out not to have functional Aftertouch? I guess that is what. After returning it and buying a brand new one instead, I gave it its place on my synth stand.
The Digitone sounds amazing. It’s really impressive how versatile it is. There is a good chance that when I think “it cannot make this sound”, I am only contemplating my lack of skill and manual reading. Speaking of, the rtFM pack reassured me a lot. I love melodic synth lines and pads, and the default patches are often very aggressive and techno-ey. I mean, I will not blame Elektron - of all brands- for that. Still, it made me a bit worried at first that it would not entirely be for me. The rtFM pack made these worries disappear.
However, I feel less drawn to the Digitone Keys than I feel I should, considering it’s the most expensive Elektron thing I bought, and second most expensive instrument I’ve ever owned. I know, maybe it should not matter all that much, but despite this list of purchases, I am not comfortable enough with money that this is not a consideration.
I don’t know if it is my anxiety around static OLED panels or rubber coated buttons, the fact that the keys distract me a bit from the actual synth and sequencer… It could also be that I was getting out of a plateau with the OT when my DNK was delivered to me, and so I had momentum with other gear that I didn’t feel like breaking… At any rate, I am not spending the time with it that I hoped for considering the money and the “brand new toy” effect.
I hope this changes. I love the sounds of the DN, and I mean LOVE. I am cautiously optimistic in that I believe with time, I will get to know the DN better, learn to value it, and it will make more sense to me than it does now.
It’s a… well it’s a hit I guess? I feel like it may be a bit too soon to tell, but there is a good chance I will love it more in 6 months than I do now.
What next?
Hopefully nothing! At this point, all I’m considering is “quality of life” gear. A better tuner for my guitar, an RK-02 cable to play instrument libraries on the OT using the DNK, that kind of stuff. In the distant future, I think I also want to save up to replace my OT with a Mk2 when it dies. Even though the OLED DISPLAY AND THE RUBBER BUTTONS, UGH.
I hope this helps anyone with anything. I am also welcoming any thoughts, especially on the DN/DNK. I am curious to know if anyone has had a similar experience, with the Digitone or any other piece of equipment.