Some questions about the Digitone

Elektron Gear Digitone/Digitone Keys
#1

Digitone questions

Hello.

I am considering either a Digitone or Digitakt. I only have the moneys to purchase one. Both of these will be usefull, but I am leaning towards a Digitone more because of its melodic capabilities.
I use FM8 religiously.
90% of my synth sounds are generated with FM8. 90% of my melodic stuff is done with synths.
I have no interest in analog subtractive synth stuff.
Therefor the Digitone seems like a good candidate.

I have a bunch of questions about Diggitone. Hooefully someone finds the time to answer them :wink:

1/ Can you P-lock the arp on/off and it’s parameters?

2/ Is there a RETRIG feature like on the Oktatrack?

3/ Can 1 engine be truly monophonic? So that the release state of a note gets cut off by the next note that played/programmed.

4/ Can you switch the sequencer to a triplet grid, step program a bunch of notes, switch back to 16ths?

5/ Are the effects global (with send per engine) or per engine (4 in total)?

6/ Is portamento a valid LFO destination?

7/ Is HARM (waveform selection/morph) a valid LFO destination?

8/ Can you modulate modulators? (Lfo 1 -> rate of lfo 2, or attack state of env -> LFO2 rate for example)

9/ Can you p-lock LFO destinations?

10/ Does the LFO have an offset value (in ms or clock synced)? And can this be p-locked?

11/ Can you go inbetween harmonic ratio’s? To make it scream of pain and agony.

12/ Can you reverse a sequence?

13/ Can you invert all notes that are locked into the sequencer?

14/ Can you shift a sequence by steps (left and right)?

  • and what happens with the one on step 1 if you shift left? Will it appear on the last step / go round? Or just disappear?

15/ Can you p-lock values (without locking in note values) ( = yes) and trigger notes from another external sequencer that is synced to the digitone. I assume yes. But are the locked parameter values affecting the sound? Assuming you are triggering the correct engine on the correct MIDI channel.

16/ Is there a global filter/ EQ? Through which all of the engines pass.

17/ Is it pronounced Digitone or Diggitone? :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks! :wink:

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#2
  1. No.
  2. No.
  3. Yes.
  4. No.
  5. Yes.
  6. Dunno
  7. Yes.
  8. LFOs yes. Envelopes no.
  9. Yes.
  10. Yes.
  11. Yes.
  12. No.
  13. No.
  14. Yes. Round robin.
  15. Yes.
  16. No.
  17. Up to you.

Suggested reading. The digitone manual, free download from elektron website.

3 Likes
#3

Thanks!
Auditioning a step was implemented recently, yes? Or was it the Digitakt?
Hold STEP + YES or something = audition step

#4

Both.

If you use FM8 a lot, why get another FM synth? Also- digitone is only 4 OP, fixed ratio ( with offsets to detune OPs)

What does another FM synth bring you?

#5

Lot’s of joy and happiness

3 Likes
#6

Its a fine synth. A very good choice.

1 Like
#7

You can never have too many FM synths, especially if they are Digitones.

1 Like
#8

6/ No.

#9

This thing sounds amazing. Impressive sound :+1:t3: It has a kind of delicious old school sound to it somehow.
Thanks for the replies

#10

17: “Digi” is an obvious reference to “Digital”, and you don’t say “Diggital”. That’s my take anyway…

#11

I’ve had mine a couple weeks. It only sounds “old” if you program it that way/use presets programmed that way. Same as my OB-6. How you program and use it, and the context in which you use a synth, have a lot to do with how “old” - or new - it sounds.

If you mean “old” as in “not so thin as expected” then I 100% agree!

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#12

It has a lot of character. I got the same kind of vibe from the Octatrack MK1. Sounded a bit “old skool” too. I can’t really explain what I mean by “old skool”, though :wink: Like not pristine/perfect maybe? And definitely not thin indeed. It has a good colour.

And am I correct in saying that in theory the unit can hold 65.436 + 2048 patches?

#13

Is digitone keys still labelled made in sweden on the back?

#14

In Swedish, “digital” is pronounced with a hard g. “Digitakt” combines the words “Digital” and “Takt” (beat), so the original pronunciation is actually Diggi-takt. There’s no right or wrong though.

As for Digitone, the name is not an amalgamation of Swedish words - the reason why is that while we thought Digiton (Ton is the Swedish word for Tone) sounded cute in Swedish, it takes on a bit of a different meaning in English and we decided on Digitone in the end.

So… Say it however you’d like - but a Swede (i.e most of the people responsible for these funnily-named boxes) would say Diggi-tone. :slight_smile:

8 Likes
Let's talk about pronunciation!
#15

Doesn’t solve the problem for us French ^^
Do you pronounce this

  1. “didji” (= “D. G.”)
  2. “diji” (like 1st, but without the “d”)
  3. “dig-y” (as in the verb “to dig”)

French people use the 2nd prononciation.
When I speak in English I use the 3rd.

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#16

Mon dieu!

Hehe, the third, as in “to dig”

2 Likes
#17

Like the rapper Biggie ! Biggitone

#18

Yes, but as a stupid american, the earth revolves around american english and american experiences, obviously.

Excuse me while I firmly place my foot in my mouth (it always impresses my SO how often and well I do this).

#19

Hello, thank you all for enlightening me on the context and background on pronouncing ‘digitone’.

People should call it how they like and this is the best answer.

Personally I think the American pronunciation is what most people intuit reading the word.

This feels correct to me irrespective of the companies origin since the etymology is English based.

Using the Swedish pronunciation in an International setting is like when you go on vacation in Paris and start adding French accents when you goto the Bakery back home.

People will understand you but you might get some odd looks.

#20

I think the main thing is that the word means the same thing despite pronunciation no matter where you go. Therefore, where ever you live, you pronounce the digi part as you normally would. Hearing Americans say ‘diggitone’ is like hearing americans refer to the letter ‘z’ as ‘zed’. Like…no, don’t do that, you look lame for doing it like that and neither ‘digi’ nor ‘z’ are foreign words, we have the way we say them here. It’s not exactly being ‘disrespectful’ to use your own country’s pronunciation for a word that is ubiquitous to many nations.

That said, I do wish the states would friggin’ use the metric system. Why is a mile 5,321 feet? And why is a foot 12 inches? Everything about metric makes sense.