8 tracks is logical as are so many of the decisions the designers make … one thing’s for sure, wrt the digitakt, this is never gonna change . .the labelling tells you as much … best just accept that it’s a product made to a set of objectives that these experts came up with to keep their business growing, consumers can chose (after they do their own research)
8 midi tracks is about right for most users i’d bet - convertible tracks and redeployable resources is not the way are pointing any more
There’s inter-track dependency with the trig conditions now (presumably) 8 tracks (or pairs/groups) exploiting neighbour conditions could be very very interesting
plus 8 tracks allows you to separate notes from cc stuff or whatever, allows more mute and sequencer control
Well, that is actually a good point. But as they also already have 8 audio tracks, how much work would it be to have all 16 tracks freely assignable as MIDI or audio?
A lot. The audio and MIDI tracks are fundamentally different. They work with completely different signals, physical outputs, and clock rates - it’s not just a matter of ‘swapping’ them out, they are literally incompatible even though they are both called ‘tracks’…they are not the same thing.
For example, you can’t just slap piano strings on a guitar and call it a piano now - sure they both have ‘strings’ but they are fundamentally different how they operate.
I think the best thing about the Digi isn’t even the sampler, its the sequencer. I’d get it almost just to have the midi sequencer and to me the sampler would be the bonus. So I’m glad they have designed it to be used just as much externally as it is internally.
Right.
It would have to be more akin to a Machinedrum where each track can choose a machine “type”. BD machine, SD machine, MIDI machine, etc.
Digitakt is far more simplified than that.
Additionally , sample locks / sound locks / conditional trigs can make a single audio track on DT play multiple sounds.
One should easily be able to get 16+ different sounds out of DT’s 8 sample tracks.
OP, are you asking why 8 midi tracks because you are curious about Elektron’s reasoning? Like, you are wondering if the average Elektron consumer has X # of external devices they like to sequence and Elektron knows that, which is why 8 makes sense.
I had the same question back before I actually saw how limited the MIDI sequencing is on the Digitakt. Because the MIDI sequencing is quite limited in the first place, we have to use 2-4 tracks for one synth to get things done that would be done on 1 track on a comuter/MPC etc. Not saying it’s a big deal, but they definitely made some “Elektron-style” choices on this box, as usual. I’ve come to expect these limitations and embrace them since they lead to new ideas and happy accidents. We have to be more creative just to get a normal thing done, which can be annoying but is more often rewarding in a strange way.
I have to say though, I’m a new member here and I feel like there’s WAY too much hostility about a question asked from a place of simple curiosity. A few of the people who replied in this thread need to take a nap and have some cookies.
I agree. The thread on Gearslutz is multitudes worse. I don’t get the hostile attitude. It’s a product - people are going to be critical and ask questions. I often find the responses more hostile than the question askers.
I admit I felt defensive too !
8 tracks seems a decent minimum to me.
The choice between audio/midi like on Machinedrum would be great.
I often use several tracks on the same channel on OT. Never enough. But you can’t send too much midi data anyway…
OP, for the sake of productive convo, I’m just going to assume you truly don’t understand why everyone got all in a tizzy from the very get go.
Simply put, your approach was presumptuous and judgemental.
Exhibit A:
While perhaps innocent in isolated, the below questions point to a more sinister nature.
These are all judgements based on your needs alone, presuming you alone are the target customer. As opposed to starting out, “Do people use all 8 tracks?”, you presume they don’t and start making judgements. This ain’t any productive way to start a conversation.
Exhibit B:
Is English not your native language? Using the conditional “would” expresses that there are better possibilities and I’ve made a wrong choice. If English is not your second language, I can see how that might slip by.
However, if English is your native language,…really? Based on your question, your judgement is that sequencing a VST in a DAW is the best and thus only option.
Exhbit C (and what set me off):
You are no position to presume or judge what is right for me. You claim that my answer above did not warrant a nice tone: perhaps not. But oadding fuel to the fire never helps. As opposed to explaining that you were genuinely curious why I would not sequence in my DAW and that I messed up reading your conditional would as a presumption, you made even MORE presumptions and judgements.
This is a new low - someone asks a simple question from a position of his own experience and what sounds like genuine curiosity - our members act like rabid dogs.
We really can’t tolerate alternative points of view on here sometimes with a little bit of kindness and humility?
Dude has a fair point.
He doesn’t need the midi trax and would like more audio trax.
Fair enough to ask the question
Everyone getting their panties in a twist is silly.
Just because the new toy is perfect for some doesn’t make it for everyone.
are pointing any more
