This.
Same here, guitarist and bassist and elektron workflow does feel like an instrument. It does take programming too but it’s all very tactile and thus possible to get muscle memory like on an instrument . With a touch screen this is not the case (or less so, since there’s no feel)
I feel the exact opposite. I wish I had figured out sooner, that I should just buy what I ultimately want. The string of upgrading towards the desired product, is just a waste of time and money.
Buy nice or buy twice 
I’d say try the Digitakt for a while. There are enough Digitakts sold second hand if the price is a problem.
I also owned an MPC, and while it’s a great machine it also can do a lot of things I didn’t use or found somehow not very well implemented. And the MPC feels more as a computer and not an instrument. While the Digitakt can’t do as much as the MPC, it is very well designed and a blast to use.
The limits it has makes me think of a real instrument too. A bass guitar isn’t a drumkit but some bass players are able to bring more rhythm than most drum players can.
A well, this thread probably ends up in that everyone will recommend their own machines and workflow anyhow , so you’ll need to try it for yourself.
I haven’t tried any akai hardware yet but it looks to me like the akai MPC line is really popular with the hip-hop world while the elektron stuff is more popular with the techno / electro / beat and clicks world.
I love my Model:samples and I would certainly miss the pad velocity of the M:S if I had to use the digitakt. I don’t think I will overgrow it as I truly think that having limitations in the tools is what is boosting creativity in Art. My main gripe however is that I can’t sample directly to it which do not make it as standalone as I would like it to be.
To each their own but I am not a fan of dumping tons of random samples and spending hours choosing one on the device before actually start sequencing music. Apart from a few generic chords and bass I much prefer starting from an idea I have and sample records, external instruments, beat boxing or using random things in my environment to generate the sounds and percussions I need. All this to say that if you want to work with samples and get out of the computer, your hardware needs to be able to record and edit samples.
But it doesn’t have to be big or expensive and it could be as small as a novation circuit rhythm, I haven’t tried that one either.
The DT is many things but it has an antiqued file system that makes working with longer samples tiresome. If you are prolific player wanting to work with relatively long phrases the DT will soon frustrate you in this regard. More modern and agile options to consider are the Roland SP404mk2 or an iPad running Loopy Pro.
Also check out the 1010 blackbox if you want to make sample based hip hop. Especially if you plan to use long samples. Add a midi drum pad controller
I feel the same about wasting time, which is why my mind went to the DT. It seems glorious.
I guess your mind is set ^^
Now remember to embrace Elektron workflow and limitations rather than fighting it or trying to enforce your own: you’ll be way happier / less frustrated.
Indeed, you can’t really have zillions of long samples: you’ll rather try to manipulate short ones, and bring them to new territories.
I have 35+ grooves in 1 project and could easily perform 2+ hours with that project. Still have 4 minutes of sample memory left (of the 14:33 minutes). Extreme example and it does take some trickery, but just to give an idea how working with, rather than against, limitations can provide a lot of depth.
In any case, any sampler will give you lots to work with, each with their own workflow and limitations
I make hip-hop beats on the Digitakt. I think it’s great for it. But a lot of people find it frustrating for what I think are pretty valid reasons. There’s no dedicated sample slicing or polyphonic play. There’s no stereo sampling. And compared to other machines there’s limited sample time.
Personally, I like chopping samples by locking the start points on different steps. I like that I can parameter lock in general. I like that I can change the amp and filter envelope on each and every step if I feel like it. I kind of feel like I can’t go back to a machine that can’t do this at this point.
But as far as hip-hop people go, I know I’m also in the minority. Most people that primarily use hardware use MPCs or at least that’s what it seems like to me. I think that might change with the new 404. But I can’t speak to those.
I can speak to my experience with the Model: Samples. I really liked it. But my advice for 2020 me would have been to just go straight to the Digitakt.
Digitakt is a beast for hiphop beats, very different than a Mpc, it’s more Like a modern sp1200. Comparing to a mpc,there’s More limitations, less sample time, mono. But It has his own sound signature and can do everything that the sp does but better.
Yeah, I haven’t really butt up against the time limit on a project either. I think the main limitation that I ran into and had to be mindful of was actually the limit on available sample slots.
I think a difference in workflow across instruments might be that Digitakt, because of its memory limitations, kind of forces you to re-use samples and edit / sound design them into something that sounds very different. This way you don’t need multiple gigs of samples. You just need great samples that can be designed into something different.
Simple example would be: do you need a closed and open hihat? Or just an open hihat and make it sound closed by setting a very short amp envelope? 
Agree with that, i dont understand why the 128 samples limit per project, it would be great that this limit would be per pattern.
Sample chains 
For me, it was more about just using the full drum breaks and open drum fills and what not I’ve found over the years instead of the one shots that I made out of them to use in FL Studio. But same idea.
People always say it because it’s so true. From someone who was an absolute novice two years ago, my experience is that it’s pretty unlikely you’ll know exactly what you want or need to achieve the workflow you jive with, and will therefore end up moving pieces in and out.
That said, the DT was one of the first I picked up and it remains. It sounds like a great match for what you want. If you can afford it great. If you don’t like it - it holds it’s value to sell.
the advice you’ve gotten from everyone covers so much of what i planned to say
i found myself agreeing with alot of it…except this
(you are leaning more toward m:s or dt anyway so it doesn’t reeeally matter, but still)
opz might not be the best choice for a beginner, might not be your cup of tea, and definitely looks/feels toyish when compared to most elektron machines
so not necessarily for everyone…
i’ve been surprised by Z though (esp compared to my other samplers)
after things clicked and i figured out the workflow, i was forced to admit that it’s a very impressive tool in a tiny unorthodox package and more powerful than i initially thought
I was in a similar situation as you, @lilfloof, about a year ago, except more interested in synths+rhythm rather than hip-hop and sampling. I started with a Model:Cycles but quickly outgrew it. I should have started with a Digitone. The pads on the Model series are really disappointing, the screen is tiny, and while it was good at what it did, it didn’t do enough. I haven’t used a Samples but the physical limitations are the same and I wouldn’t be surprised if the functional ones are similar. If you are already worrying about outgrowing the cheaper option and you can afford to invest more, I don’t think the Digitakt is too much too soon.
The sequencer is terrific (on both series) but it does take a bit of time to master and feels like programming at first. I think the Digitakt is a playable instrument and intended as such (no song mode) but it isn’t as immediate as some options. More violin than piano, if that analogy makes sense.
So my advice, like many above, is to choose between a Digitakt and one of the MPCs. I personally didn’t care for what I saw in MPC demos (too computerish for me) but they’re used a lot for hip-hop.