Buy the Digitakt and stick with it. Never sell it. Learn it inside and out. It’s an absolutely fantastic instrument and will open the door to a new world for you, I can guarantee it.
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Digitakt 100%
opz is fun and amazing for certain things but in the end limited for what you’ll need as your only bit of gear.
model samples is not really limited - but I think if you got it you’d eventually want the Digitakt.
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Yep Digitakt.
I own most of the Elektron products and the Digitakt is the most straight forward but is also quite deep.
It can do everything need to create full complex songs and offers 8 external MIDI tracks.
The Octatrack is still king but DT is a highly capable steward.
Doesn’t hurt that it’s half the price too
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You can sample yourself on the DT. You can not do that on the Samples. You can sample Internally and externally, and then you can resample the samples.
Im serious. whole new world. worth every penny.
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I didn’t read the whole thread yet, but I vote for the OP-Z.
Because just sampling can get boring (especially the limited way the DT does).
The OP-Z has synth engines, as well as (limited) sampling capabilities…but at least you can easily play some chords and making finished songs on it can be very quick. Also because of its size and portability you’ll likely use it more often…therefore learn quicker.
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As a big Elektron fan and long time Digitakt owner I would definitely say Digitakt. It has the perfect mix between immediacy and depth imho.
For me, the sampling limitations (no easy chopping and assigning to pads, no straightforward polyphony) are an annoyance for making hip hop thoug, but there are workarounds. Also, it basically being a monosynth as well (using single cycle wavevorms) more then make up for it.
For purely sample based hip hop, the SP404mk2 and MPC live also seem to be solid options, where the SP feels most like an instrument out of those 2 (MPC is often described as ‘ a DAW in a box’)
You also mentioned the OT. That is an awesome machine but i would not recommend it as a first Elektron machine.
Good luck!
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Thanks for all the response everyone, y’all are really helpful. I’m gonna try the Digitakt and fall down the rabbit hole.
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Very good advice from people here.
I own a bunch of samplers (OT, DT, SP404mk2, MPC Live, Toraiz SP16) and I think for hip hop production you can’t go wrong with any of them.
OT: maybe a bit overkill and despite being my favourite box it would be the least recommended for you starting out.
DT: Amazing little box! On first sight the limitations can seem prohibitive (no chopping, no polyphonic playback, etc) but there’s workarounds for almost everything and it feels great to discover/come up with them. The immediacy of the DT makes it a great instrument, its depth makes it a great production box.
SP404mk2: I just got this 1 or two weeks ago. I mean the SP404 is a classic in the world of hip hop and since I got my mk2 I’ve been building beats faster and more joyfully than with anything else. Sample straight off your iphone, chop things up, pitch the chops down/up, affect them with FX (and resample them to add more FX), then finger drum the beat, skip back to capture your performance on another pad and so it goes. It’s fantastic. More powerful in some ways than the DT (chopping, MUCH more sampling time & samples per project + 16x bigger internal storage, more FX, velocity sensitive pads for finger drumming, more inputs for sampling incl mic preamp and guitar input), but also MUCH weaker than the DT when it comes to sequencing (the Elektron sequencer is one of the best in the game and allows for specific and detailed editing of steps). The SP404 is great if you want to build beats by feel and ear primarily and if you enjoy finger drumming.
MPC Live/MPC One: On paper easily the best proposition/value-for-money for beat makers, period. The most capable and flexible box of all the devices I’ve mentioned with the biggest feature set. BUT the feel of it is really a matter of taste. If you check the MPC thread you will see a lot of praise & love for the new MPC line…so there are people who love it. But if you look around a little more you will find many who don’t like it at all, mainly because of the poor user interface (inconsistent, menu-divey, shitty piano roll UI, more production than performance focused) and the fact that it feels like using a computer (touch screen, not enough hardware controls for the functions at hand). I oscillate between liking and really disliking it. Whenever I impose limitations on myself I begin to really like it — but as soon as I want to “take advantage of all the features” the box starts to frustrate me greatly because the UI just doesn’t work in the ways I want it to (and I say this as someone who’s worked with older generation MPCs for years). But in terms of features-for-money there’s really no competition at this price point.
Toraiz SP16: curve ball. You might also really enjoy this one for beat making and you can pick them up used for the price of a DT or just slightly more. 16 velocity sensitive pads, auto-chopping and chromatic playback, easy stereo sampling, 2 FX slots per pad, dedicated step sequencer, live looping functionalities, easy pad mutes…it’s a very lively and performance centric workflow. And the thing sounds FANTASTIC! It’s sort of a mix of the Digitakt (dedicated step sequencer) Sp404 (speed and immediacy) and MPC Live (16 velocity sensitive pads lol). In terms of form factor, this is the biggest of the boxes, so if compactness is important to you, this one is not it.
I think you can’t go wrong with either of these for hip hop production. Watch a few YouTube videos to each (best to watch people work with them, eg Cuckoo, Nonjuror, spvidz, TubeDigga) and see how the workflow resonates with you. Then just take the dive and commit.
Good luck!
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I love the digitakt and it’s an excellent sampler. You’ll have endless fun with it and won’t be disappointed. Could be the hub for everything you buy after
But for hip hop I’d still go for the sp404 mk2. If i think back through the years of making hip hop the most enjoyable has always been sampling, slicing and jamming those slices on pads. For a first box I’d want instant and not workarounds, even though the workarounds can have great results.
Also sp runs on batteries and can take it everywhere sample from phone etc, put on headphones, make some beats then play them back and jam with the fx and record your tracks. Pretty much hip hop in a box. I think having a portable machine is good for first bit of kit as you spend more time with it.
Digitakt still a solid option, especially if you want to make non hip hop also. It’s a better machine in so many ways but for very first machine I would defo have a look at the sp also
Funnily i sold my sp to fund a Digitakt when they came out and was totally the right option. For my needs the digi provided so many better options and this definitely isn’t arguing with anyone’s points, just trying to give bit of balance as asking on an elektron related forum your going to get a lot of love for their machines, if you ask on hip hop and beatmakers forums you’ll probably get different suggestions.
Anyhow, just trying to help and digi is a solid choice but take your time because first machine is important. My first sampler was a yamaha su10, full of limitations but the joy of sampling from records gave me the bug and I guess that’s what’s important, connecting and enjoying using it and there’s plenty of options for that in these replies
Good luck 
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I can just comment based on my experience. I love the The Digitakt. It is a great piece of equipment. In fact my favourite. Once you get your head around the terminology, project structure and workflow (which in my opinion is awesome) you won’t look back. I do use Reaper with VSTs for some stuff, but like yourself, I think getting away from a DAW and just using hardware is incredibly rewarding and therapeutic. I got myself a Digitakt and have also added a Digitone and Analog Heat MKII. I am in love with them all. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.
I agree with pretty much everything @muzka said.
You can’t really go wrong with a Digitakt or SP404 mkii, IMO. (Or MPC for that matter)
If you are brand new, the Digitakt is maybe a tad more forgiving than the SP at first because step sequencers make it easy to see visually what you are doing, but the P-locking workflow is not for everyone. Less immediate than chopping stuff, but allows more precision for sequencing.
I’ve only been using the SP404mkii for a few days, so I’m still learning the ropes, but it’s a pretty amazing machine. I heard today from my local music shop that there is now a 6-7 month waiting time for new orders here in Japan.
If that’s the case, maybe get a Digitakt now and add an SP later. There’s not a whole lot of overlap between the devices, so having both wouldn’t be redundant.
The other suggestion would be get a DAW and Serato Sample, and learn it while you wait for the SP (even though you said you’re not interested). That’s probably the most powerful groove-type sampler I’ve worked with and I find the SP works really well with the DAW (in my case Logic). Just one cable, and you have every virtual instrument to sample at your fingers tips. Once it’s in the SP, you can arrange everything and have more of a feel of a live performance. Plus, you will probably want a DAW later for recording unless you plan to buy a recorder as well.
One thing you will learn as you get more into this is that you will end up with a preferred way of working. Everyone’s wired differently, so what works for me, might not work for you, and vice versa.
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@DaveMech I’m very interested in what you write. Consider that I am a newby in this world but I would like to know how do you setup you DT to perform live for 2 hours.
Are you using a single project with different patterns? How do you manage the transitions? Are all the patterns using the same time signature? Do they have something in common (same drum line)?
Sorry…maybe they are too much questions 
Wtf was that pimp / bitch analogy, lol
Hey dude Welcome to the party!!!
First i would like to say that nobody can make up your mind you have to do that for yourself.
That being said I think that the M:S is an excellent machine for creating Hip hop type beats and doing some experimental stuff. It’s an excellent intro into the “Elektron work flow” and has all the sequencing power of the machines that cost a thousand dollars plus. Sure all the parameters might not be there but you can lock anything that is just like the big boys
The main difference to me between the DT and M:S is the sampling. Especially since the upgrade last summer with the DT you can sample from anything. You can sample from the inputs left and right you can drop your samples in via transfer. If you have an usb to lightning adaptor you can sample via usb live right off your phone. You can resample individual tracks while the sequence is running. The M:S as far as I know you just load the samples in via transfer and there is no resampling. Also since the upgarde you can run two mono or one stereo hardware instrument through the DT and effect it with the delay, verb, and compressor, which i don’t think gets enough love.
Now the M:S does have a couple of features that are not on the DT which is still kinda mind blowing to me. Most notably swing per track and the ability to use velocity as a modulation source. That and it has the velocity pads which while they aren’t great they are something. I have a M:C and live drumming on it has produces some interesting “human” like beats.
Anyways don’t know much about the OP-Z or Deluge but hey man you do you. Get whatever you want life is short and we’re all just trying to make noise until we die.
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Get the Octatrack, best sampler there is.
I’ll throw Novation Circuit Rhythm into the mix. Immediate and fun with a super fast workflow. Sampling, chopping, and re-sampling is a breeze.
Only downside is there is no screen, but there is an auto-chop feature which you can then tweak by ear (not a bad thing imo).
As a general piece of advice, I’d also read the manuals online before you buy.
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Yeah, the Rhythm is another one that I’d say isn’t for everyone but is great for me. I never got along with the original SP-404 but one thing I always liked about it was that you just sample directly to the pads. There are no names, no folders, no files. I think that encourages you to just try things to see if they work. I’ve done a lot of resampling stuff on it.
As far as slicing samples goes it’s about as quick as anything you can buy. I’ve mostly settled on using the slice mode to mess around with a sample but chopping by start point when I’m actually making a beat. I like that unlike my beloved Digitakt it can do both.
Also it’s tiny and sturdy and has a battery.
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and why not look towards NI maschine +?
You know what, just listen to the radio man
Nah, bought the DT and have been loving every moment making music with it. Thanks though. 
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