Ok so I’ve never had this kind of flexibility before, but I’m loving that the midi tracks are there now. I’m actually thinking of the Dtone as an 8track now. With the USB cable sending out to Live, and the audio coming back in through the stereo ins, I mean, maybe I don’t even need a Digitakt to cover that base anyway - I LOVE that I have the Elektron workflow to control Ableton, it means I’m kindve using hardware but with the full flexibility of a DAW. I loved OB on the Analog’s but this Midi Out thing was never there, it was only ever midi back into the boxes from Live.
So my first time with eye opened to midi out on these machines. I did have an Octatrack at one point but also a Push at the same time, so I guess I never properly explored those opportunities.
Anyway, very happy with this setup at the moment, it’s all I need
I can’t help but notice the irony with how fast this Elektron Synth gets me to some great places. I mentioned this on another forum but wanted to share here also…
My Monomachine and A4 MK1 required a bit of dedication to suss out the sweet spots, as those spots aren’t as wide and obvious as other synths, though the A4 & MM are each capable of a huge variety of sound. It wasn’t anything that bothered me much, as I like to explore.
With Digitone, I get to an interesting, atypical, but compelling sound rather quickly. There’s an OP-1 quality to it, in this regard, and this gets me into the composition phase of creation more expediently.
The additive harmonic parameter is a big feature on the Digitone, and of course using the sequencer as a modulator makes a difference.
It’s so quick and easy to place conditional trigless locks on things like operator group envelopes, x/y mix, and operator feedback. This unlocks a whole world of sound if you’re into longer tones and drones.
The irony is unlike MM and A4, i.e. other Elektron Synthesizers, sweet spots are more immediate.
Not what I expected, from my experience with other Elektrons.
I was going to write something similar on the MM vs DN thread. I love the MM, and it would be awesome to find a nice one for a good price someday, but the DN has much wider sweetspots, and it’s just quicker to work with imo.
The reverb, filters, overdrive, etc. just sound so good, and the harmonics parameter is so important for me as well. I’m often creating 3 or 4 variations of a beat because I can’t decide which one has the sounds I like best (that constantly seem to ooze out of this machine).
I’d definitely prefer the DN over the MM, and many other analog/subtractive/digital/FM/whatever synths I’ve ever encountered in the last two decades.
That second filter is so crucial. It allows me to perfect mixes unlike any other Elektron device I’ve owned. I can make every element fit perfectly in the mix without additional processing, and being able to do this easily makes the whole composition process so fast.
That’s why I was so tempted to get a second one, but I ended up opting to get an AH to pair with it instead.
The reason I refrained from commenting on the other thread was because I realized it was just a matter of taste. I still like the MM, just personally dig the DN a bit more.
I prefer the algorithms for almost every aspect of the signal path in the DN, the basic oscillators sound stronger to me, and I think the Harmonic control is phenomenal. I prefer the filter, the reverb, the overdrive (and how there’s one on the master), and the way the envelopes are shaped.
I’m just too stoked about how good the DN is at synthesizing percussion sounds as well. I just feel the design of the Digitone is outstanding to that degree.
I received my Digitone today, and unfortunately it didn’t have a screen protector sticker, and the display has a scratch on it. Its cosmetic of course, but that’s an avoidable mistake. Now i need to get home !
Are you absolutely positive it doesn’t have the plastic film on the display? I recently had to tell a person on Gearslutz to check again three times before they realized they had missed it, and they didn’t need to return it.