Digitone vs Intellijel Shapeshifter

Only just got my DN and now thinking of selling to buy some modular - Shapeshifter which does FM and will be sequenced by OT

So will still have the Elektron sequencer of OT but a more powerful synth module albeit with less voices.

Any thoughts

Shapeshifter is quite a powerful oscillator, but it canā€™t really compare to the DT. To get something similar to the Digitone in eurorack youā€™d have to spend shedloads on envelopes, vcaā€™s, mixers, filters, effects etc. Iā€™ve had the Shapeshifter, and while it works well in a modular environment (if you already have the other stuff), you canā€™t really compare it to the DT - kind of like comparing an engine to a car or something along those lines. Iā€™d keep the DT every day of the week, unless you have a large enough modular to support the Shapeshifter. Iā€™d personally still choose the DT for FM any day of the week. :slight_smile:

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In general I would ā€œwarnā€ people who think about getting into modular if itā€™s really worth it for them, and ask just exactly why you want to get into it. To get anywhere near a decent normal synth youā€™ll going to have to spend thousands of dollars, and even then youā€™ll probably lack a lot of bells and whistles that a normal synth will have.

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Economically Iā€™d only suggest getting into modular if you think you have a few decades of quality time ahead of you to indulge in it. It is a labour of love that demands your wanting and enjoying the depths and flexibility it offers. Effort put in = quality of results; you really need to enjoy the journey.

If you have found yourself subject to whims in the past (buying a DN and then wanting to sell it straight away) beware of what is driving you towards eurorack!

Otherwise you are possibly better off with a few elektrons and a daw vst environment in terms of bang for buck, compactness, immediacy and an already high level of complexity.

Once you start building out a useful eurorack rig, spending $100 on a vital but simple utility module that you can achieve ā€˜for freeā€™ in a DAW or Elektron box is the tip of the dollarberg.

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I do agree and I know guys who spent over 20k worth of gear and for me it really does not sound 100x better than my Octatrack and Analog 4. Then again I am no audio engineer. It looks fun and I enjoy the 0-coast stuff. I just know it would be an expensive addiction so I hold off.

Sorry, I should have elaborated, I do have some modular already, more percussion focused modules, clocks, rthym genretors and cv sequencer.
Running Shapeshifter through OT thru will give me effects and Yarns will sequence from OT.
I already have Intellijel Plonk and the fun I have with it plus a cv sequencer (voltage block) is endless. Also I am very impressed with the sound quality of Intellijel stuff such high resolution audio.
I see modular as a long learning curve but I love the flexibility and control offered.

Shapeshifter has the best internal FM I have ever heard
It will rip your head off.
So thick, so rich, so awesome

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Yeah runs some crazy audio rate 98KHz

Yep it is insane.
Uses the FPGA technology, operating at really high sample rates.
It is an advanced module both technologically and audio wise

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How about the XAOC Odessa, a MI Plaits, an ALM Akemieā€™s Castle, and a MN tELHARMONICā€¦ all four, or five of those voices in one rack? What dreams may come?

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Not quite true. Whilst the SS is not a ā€œsynth moduleā€ as such (itā€™s a dual complex osc) between the OT and itā€™s built in features, wouldnā€™t you have some of the essentials covered (built in VCA with basic envelope controls in SS perc mode, filters/effects on the OT etc.)? I donā€™t own an OT, so am happy to be corrected. Certainly the SS on its own works brilliantly as an external osc for the A4. Few things to consider though: although it does FM, it is very basic (osc2 -> osc1). This is not 4-op FM with multiple algos. Do you need polyphony? The SS has a chord mode, but is otherwise not polyphonic. How are you going to get the midi from the OT into it? Youā€™ll need a midi to CV converter. I love my SS. It does lots that the digitone canā€™t. But they are very different beasts!

Edit: sorry, you covered a lot of this above

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Yeah. Itā€™s so nice. That Int. FM dial is seriously addictive

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Ok, Iā€™m getting one now!
I heard mylarmeldies with SS and he had some sick woody FM sound which was soo rich and deep.

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When someone posts about ā€˜should I sell this to get thisā€™ then really theyā€™ve already made up their mind. They are 100% going to buy the thing they want.

Well, in terms of comparing the SS to the Digitone, Iā€™m just saying itā€™s not a fair comparison. In the Digitone you have basically got 4 oscillators, two filters, four envelopes & VCAs, two LFOā€™s and one sequencer per track, so in total - 16 oscillators, 8 filters, 16 envelopes (and VCAs), 8 LFOā€™s and 4 sequencers (not to mention waveshapers, feedback circuits, harmonics controls etc). Digitone has polyphony per track as well. The SS in comparison has a measly 2 oscillators in total, zero filters, a very basic envelope generator and VCA, 2 LFOā€™s if you discard the VCOā€™s and ā€œfakeā€ polyphony, a sequencing feature (but not really a sequencer). Iā€™m not saying itā€™s bad, itā€™s just in an entirely different league to Digitone if you put only those two up against one another. :slight_smile:

Yeah, fair enough. The title of the thread does suggest a side by side comparison, and I agree, feature wise, they donā€™t really compare at all.

On the basis of how they sound though,(and assuming that the necessary kit for sequencing, filtering etc. is available) I donā€™t think Iā€™d trade my SS for a digitone. Digitone does sound super nice though!

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