It becomes very noticeable once you boost it by 20db 
otherwise it’s barely if at all noticeable. It’s to be expected from a digital compressor in a unit with limited DSP. Would be better if it didn’t happen at all of course. In 6 years of owning DT not a single time has this been an issue or show stopper.
Don’t want to dismiss your findings, but the click bate title triggered me a bit
Yes, that’s called “mixing”. Keep doing that and you will have a better overall sound…it seems like you want it “loud”, that happens in amplification stage, not mixing.
I will not hide that I took advantage of this problem, including for the sake of hype, but this does not negate its presence.
Looks like aliasing, probably.
But to be fair, it’s pretty close to the noise floor of the unit.
The compressor also adds harmonics no matter what you do, and seeing as its hard knee it might sound a little more aggressive than a lot of other popular software compressors.
I wouldn’t call it harmonics it’s a pretty nasty digital sound
So with some more testing I can also reproduce the “whistle distortion”. Just the default kick 4/4 with a lowpass filter (FREQ 60) and I usef the following compression settings for the sample below:
THR 81
ATT 38
REL 47
MUP 0.0 db
RAT 1:3
SCS MAIN
SCF 0
MIX 127
To make the artefact really audible I resampled the master output, disabled the compressor, then applied a base width filter BASE 86 and a EQ-1 filter to boost with GAIN 63 on FREQ 102:
The sample was made on the Digitakt itself and transfered with the Transfer app. No USB audio / OB involved.
I tried all kind of compression settings, make up gain, attack / release / treshold / ratio etc. but the artefact remains. It is also audible when the LP filter is disabled, although then it’s masked by the higher frequencies of the kick. So I’m also inclined to say it’s a side effect of the compressor, (although it sounds a bit like a resonance flute).
The artefact is not there when doing the same processing without compression.
To make the artifact audible in a DAW I really have to remove most of the low end and boost 30db around 4 / 5Khz. Boosting a signal +30db is not something what you normally would do.
So to claim that the Digitakt compressor “ruins the sound" and “the compressor is completely unusable” is exaggerated IMO, but it is maybe something that should / could be reported to Elektron.
you did a good research, I’m not saying that this is a big problem, but under certain conditions it can interfere
am guessing maybe more noticeable with the filter cut off down because there’s nothing in the frequency range the aliasing is folding back into to mask it…
The compressor itself adds harmonics as in:
You could also say distortion.
But the aliasing is a separate issue, causing mirroring of the original sound which has that nasty digital ring to it.
My point being that the compressor will color your sound no matter what you do, so it’s an effect to be used with that caveat in mind.
Clickbait much? 
I tried it on my Digitakt and 4 of my favorite kickdrum samples got destroyed. 
I like it. Sounds good. Crank it up and add some chainsaw samples.
Dirty and screechy is fire.
Oh no! Distortion?! Artifacts?! Imperfect sound?!
Since when have any of things become a problem?
Sorry man I dont even have to listen to what your talking about to know that the compressor is doing its job, your compressing a sample something sampled by you or someone else the compressor is highlighting the imperfections of the recording. Did you try with other types of kicks and samples or even other compressors?
So the “issue” is produced by deliberately adjusting settings to overload a frequency range? And it isn’t audible unless it’s isolated and amplified?
I think if you peg any compressor, even a high end studio unit, it will sound like garbage. There is a point at which proper application of effects; dynamic adjustments; EQ becomes destructive. Typically when you reach that point you just dial it down.
it’s best to just learn how to make it sound good, not how to make it sound bad.
This is not a bad record, I tried different samples and looked at them under a microscope, it’s definitely a compressor, it’s definitely not a component of the sample
I think it’s very similar to aliasing or bit reduce
It is also independent of gain. Gain just to make that signal more audible
I just poured whisky in my mouth while looking at my Digitakt. I didn’t hear anything.
Ugh please change clickbait title. Serious bore.
If that’s true, why would you characterize the distortion as “ruins the sound?”