I think you described the sound of the AR well. I would suggest combining the RYTM with the DT. I know that is a pricey suggestion but I combine my RYTM with other drum machines all the time. That opens it up for say 5 tracks of drums and 3 tracks of samples and then you can bring in percussion, more drums and more samples via the DT.
IMO that is a serious weapon for any style of music. I can only speak for myself, I make house and techno, but my workflow is similar to a hip hop producer in that I spend a lot of time on my drum sounds and I sample into my RYTM all the time.
I would like to go for analog rytm mk2, but I read about many problems, and I do not know how compatible it will be with ableton live and the overbridge i run catalina on mac os x. Itās a lot of money and first I do good research.
Regarding song mode on Digitakt, I created a patch in Max/MSP for this function and I use/ modify it for every track I make. Recently I added the function to standardize track volumes between patterns (useful, but not always necessary). Anyways, this workflow has allowed me to stick with the Digitakt because I think itās such a well designed machine. If I can write little patches in Max to compensate for some of its limitations while saving a ton of GAS money, I couldnāt be happier. If anyone is interested in these patches, let me know.
Tbh song mode was one of the big things I wanted from rytm which Is why i āupgradedā from DT.
Now that I have rytm the true power comes from scenes, perfs and kits imo.
Some of the other awesome features: paramter slide - this feels like having another sine LFO each track!
Direct jump pattern change - this feels like scenes but for pattern arrangement, its insane being able to create a bunch of variations on a pattern and switch seamlessly between them while using the perf knob and scenes at same time as these are on the kit rather than pattern.
With all this power - Iāve not even used song mode yet!!!
All round DT is still awesome hence why I kept it around, but I think rytm feels like a huge improvement on the performance side of things so I could see this becoming the box I spend most of my time on
I had the AR2 originally, then I bought the DT. Sold the DT within a few weeks of getting it
and still have the AR2. I donāt even bother looking at any other drum machines on the market now.
I almost wish I hadnāt opened pandoraās box with DT, I feel like I donāt want to let it go even though I know RYTM covers a whole lot of the functionality.
I really love using DT for midi too but it feels overkill to keep it just as a midi sequencer.
I had been looking at OT to fulfil any extra sampling / midi needs and get rid if DT, but even then - DT was my first Elektron box and it holds a special place.
OT and AR together makes more sense than DT and AR imo. But if you donāt need the features of OT, I donāt see any reason to get rid of DT just because itās overkill (if you still love it). The AR sucks at midi sequencing, for example. Though it kicks ass in many, many other ways, of course.
I traded in my Digitakt for the Rytm II, no regrets. The Rytm sounds so good, it just has this wide, solid and juicy sound to my ears. Great in the mix and very flexible with the analog + sample layering option. The analog filters and compressor are a real treat as well. Itās awesome.
Really? How does that patch work? Can I try that patch?
I can relate. My sentimental attachment to the DT is pretty deep, what with it being my first elektron box. But I think it more than justifies its place in my cramped little creative nook.
nice!
I actually worked on a little web app to get songmode on digitakt too.
It never went too far because I ended up getting the RYTM haha but if there was significant interest I suppose I could dust off the code or at least put it up on github.
The idea was to have it as a webapp so that it would run from any browser (IE you could use a phone or something).
Both are great, but I would choose the AR MKII. In my opinion , the song mode and surface panel would make the instrument more enjoyable experience. YMMV.
The Digitakt is fantastic for its size and price point, but as soon as I purchased an Analog Rytm I quickly listed the DT (and I had the same sort of sentimental feeling towards it as you do). The analog drum synth engines sound excellent (huge and cuts through a mix like a hot knife through butter) although it can be tricky to mix down.
Really dig the fact you can layer samples over the analog drums. I still need to get my head around scenes and performances (I just got it two weeks ago) but so far so good.
Ok, I have a Mother 32 and a DFAM sitting next to my Digitakt, ready to be sampled or monitored. It works well, but Iām not a fan of having a lot of gear. I like to limit my focus to just a couple boxes. Iāve often wondered if the AR mkII could compete with their analog sound, which I love. If so, I might be willing to trade up and shed a couple synths.
