Digitone as delay and reverb fx unit

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#1

Hey,

I’m looking for a delay and a reverb with some character and a few features, though not many, for my next thing. I was eyeing the OTO Bim for delay and CXM 1978 for Reverb, but it hit me that the Digitone has a pretty good onboard delay and reverb. And if I recall, you can process external sounds through the Digitone, right?

I was wondering if maybe the Digitone wouldn’t be enough for what I want to do, and add even more interesting options to the mix as far as layering the source and sound design goes.

Anyone here who made extensive use of the Digitone as a processor of external sounds, and can share their experienes? I’m drawn towards the vintage and artefact-style character of the OTO and CB pedals, but I really don’t need all those features. I just want some flavour. Spread or no spread would suffice, non-synced delay, long reverb tails with high-pass, stuff like that. I figure the source and sampling will take care of the rest.

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#2

That’s what I do… in fact it’s not just delay/reverb but chorus/delay/reverb/overdrive. The only downside is wet/mix is the same for both inputs. I don’t mind really, you can always go full wet and add dry on your mixer. You can also pan inputs so treat a stereo signal.

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#3

Thanks for replying. So I’m not just looking for a great sounding stereo unit, I know it can do that. Elektron in-the-box fx are better than many outboard fx, as I see it. But I’m also specifically after some character, which is why I’m drawn to and frequently use Chase Bliss stuff.

But I’m thinking, apart from the fact that the Digitone is a great synth and has a great sequencer, that’s also an interesting way to look at layering sounds. If I got a Prophet patch cooking through the Digitone, and then just throw in some dirt and dust from the Digitone to layer it, and then smear with some fx.

Much of the character I enjoy, I believe I can create from the source, though. Switch the Prophet 12 to mono output, apply oscillator drift, pick the right wavetables and some slight modulation applied to the tuning, and I got myself a vintage tape warble. Add Elektron fx to that, and maybe the OTO Bim won’t be necessary. For example.

Does this still sound like a reasonable approach? :slight_smile:

#4

Well, I routinely do it with digitone+micromonsta2. Digitone sequences MM2, MM2 goes in Digitone inputs.

Totally reasonable imo ^^

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#5

Consider the A4 as well, as it has a dedicated track for plocking FX parameters. Not possible on DN.

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#6

Thanks for sharing :slight_smile: if Namm doesn’t reveal anything mind blowing, I think I’m gonna go for this.

#7

Thanks :slight_smile: I had the A4 for awhile. Great in all ways, but I am thinking I’m gonna use the specific sound character of the Digitone’s synth engine to layer my external patches with the dream dust. So it’s very much part of the intended process.

#8

You’re right. It’s still possible to control FX parameters with midi CCs though.

#9

I use the A4 pretty extensively to process external signals - you can treat one input to delay, the other to reverb, or various combinations. It’s pretty fab and I sometimes wish my Digitone could treat the inputs separately too.

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#10

I don’t intend to do this live, but apply is as a sound design tool for resampling or potentially live recording into a sampler. So the routing isn’t a big deal for me, though I can see it would yield interesting fx if you could route them separately, for sound creation purposes as well.

#11

I regularly route the op-1 through the DNs fx and sample this into the OT. You can also p-lock the fx and any other parameter on the master fx page using midi loopback or another midi sequencer.

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#12

Thanks. Sounds more and more like an attractive option.

#13

This was a huge disappointment for me in terms of using the DigiTone for external processing.

In a lot of ways, the Monomachine was the Elektron FX box so many have been banging on about for years! :slight_smile:

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#14

What about the collider pedal from source audio? Saves on space and money, has many great algorithms.

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#15

I wouldn’t know. I’ll check it out, thanks for the advice. How’s it for that dust and dirt character?

I’ve spent a few hours deep diving into what the Digitone can offer as an fx box and it’s not gonna cut it for me, after all. I’ll keep looking in other places.

#16

I dont own the Digitone but if the FX are the same has the A4 i think they are ok but i prefer (and by far ) using the OTO BIM or Strymon Volante for delay. Same thing for reverb, i’ve got external unit with more character.

Elektron FX are great but kinda vanilla imo.

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#17

BTW the OTO Bim is the best delay i ever tried and its also my favorite chorus unit.

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#18

I was going to say, Digitone effects are okay but they are more on the clean end rather than characterful dust and dirt.

I still think the OTO stuff is worth checking out. Bim + CXM 1978 would be great, or for a similar price (at least in USD) you could get the OTO trio :wink:

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#19

Very true :blush: tho I wonder, with my CB Generation Loss and the Prophet 12’s own delay, maybe I’m covered already.

#20

I’ll have to give it a little test run. I switched over to the red panda context2 for my FX send, so the collider is on ice for a bit. Was gonna sell, but I think I’ll keep it, since the FX are good quality. There is a lot to explore, with the option for parallel or serial routing. I only used it very basically. Anyway, that long ramble hopefully results in an answer tomorrow. I have the day off from work.

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