Two days in and can’t believe how much fun the Digitone is compared to the Analog Four. The sounds you can get out of this thing are crazy, it’s industrial techno heaven. If I had to choose one it’d definitely be the Digitone. Definitely not “bad gear”!
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I went the other way. Long term Digitone and when I got the A4 I was blown away.
The 8 voice polyphony and superior voice allocating is certainly something that keeps the Digitone competitive, even though its “just” a digi box.
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Here’s my first jam 
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I’ve been tempted to pick up a Digitone Keys. It looks so dope, but I’m also waiting to check out a Minifreak.
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Same. I wish Digitone had some of the track interplay capabilities of the A4. Both great machines though.
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The jerk in me wants to say it would be an equal comparison if the DN was the same form factor with more operators and a dedicated FX track. I don’t typically like doing what-ifs with gear, but a flagship FM box, oof! I wouldn’t want anything else.
I do agree it is probably more ‘fun’ though.
The exciting thing for me is the two being able to play drum roles and still have leftover tracks to play around with while recording. I think the two will probably make an excellent pair.
Nice jam.
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randomizing SYN1 Page 1, fiddling with offset ratios on SYN1 Page 2 and getting the lfo’s running generates the craziest sounds ever!
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SYN1 page 2 is definitely the place where things get crazy pretty fast. I really like to spend time there. And LFOs on these ones.
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They are both incredible instruments and both sound great.
The DN really makes FM synthesis fun and it’s impressive how Elektron has made it so playable. Lots of pretty and fragile toy piano sounds on many of the demo videos that made me think it’s mostly good for stuff like that but it can also sound so mean and radioactive in an instant which is cool.
Still, the A4 has so many sound sculpting tools and more modulation to offer that it’s difficult to compare them.
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It’s way simpler to go to unknown territory with the digitone.
That’s what I like with this box.
But I have a preference for the more contrôlable sound of the A4.
Pretty sure a well made wavetable box could be a win in the Elektron digi lineup.
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I’m on my second Digitone.
I sold it the first time because I didn’t feel I could go brutal enough with it.
I was wrong.
Ever since I’ve had this second one I’ve been making some really heavy and brutal shit with it without any difficulty at all.
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I picked up a DN after 3 years with a DT.
And in between an OT Mk2.
I like DN a lot although I was not a FM fan.
The added filters help a lot in taming the beast.
Also, the sounds I manage to pull out sit pretty well in my mixes. Which was not the case with my (sold now) Hydrasynth.
Edit: and now eyeing an analog 4…
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The good answer here maybe to get both, as they are equally awesome, in their own way.
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I haven’t really used that page yet, will have a go
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I think that’s why I never bought one until now.
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Magic hides in hidden corners…
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For me what makes the digitone feel more fun is that I can usually get sounds that I like and fit the track off the cuff designing them as I am writing a tune, where with the A4 I feel I have to sit down for seperates sound design sessions and save the sounds I make to use later so it feels less immediate. That being said I quickly bought back an A4 after thinking I could do digitone only, they really compliment each other well sonically.
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It still baffles me that FM synth designs are generally so conservative about cross-voice operator routing. It seems like the Elektron sequencer could open up so many cool rhythmic sounds with separate operator sequences.
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I love the depth and the character of the A4 but I did end up selling it. Mainly because it has a ton of crossover with my other analog gear and I couldn’t justify keeping everything.
The digitone remains in my rig because it stands alone. The territory I can discover with it is unlike anything that tends to come out of the rest of the rig. There is crossover in certain elements of course, but DN is a special little FM universe and brings something to the party everytime.
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Alternate title for this thread: “DUH!”
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