Totally New/Beginner Here Convince Me To Buy a Digitakt!

Hey guys new to the Forum. I’ve been on the hunt for a drum machine for a long time. Ive done tons of research and somewhat narrowed it down to a Roland TR8S or Elektron Digitakt. Originally i downloaded a trial of Ableton but I’m just not connecting with it as much as I thought. Theres just something about hardware I dig so much more. To me it seems more intuitive and I feel like I would come up with ideas more on hardware that I wouldn’t on a DAW. The Digitakt has really caught my eye, the sounds and possibilities seem really cool. However it does intimidate me, i guess i’m here to ask fellow users there opinions on how the learning curve is and how there experience has been? Im aware anything can be as simple or complex as you want it to be but do you feel this is a good choice for a beginner? Now even though I stated above i’m not huge with DAW’s i’m aware Overbridge can link the Digitakt or any Elektron device with Ableton, so I would consider at some point using Ableton to record. As well I want to sync a hardware synth up to the Digitakt. Does the Digitakt have sync/midi clock capabilities if i were to add a synth to it? I know they just released the Samples, but at some point I feel I would have probably been better off buying the Digitakt. I’m not against buying a Samples however, if it can do what i’m looking for its a consideration as well. Sorry for sounding like such a noob but its a decent amount to spend and i just wanna here opinions. Thank you for your time!

Watch this. Then decide.

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Yeah you can send midi from DT to any synth as well as clock. Learning difficulty is not bad at all if you are willing to open the manual and spend a few hours reading it. Watch youtube videos on slower speed with the DT and manual next to you, its not impossible at all.

I know the M:S is tailored for people starting out but DT is already easy and intuitive to learn as is.

yea i don’t mind watching tutorials and reading a bit, i mean the Samples seems awesome, but its 400$ and honestly i can get a Digitakt for 700$ right now, so i feel it might be (longterm) the better choice. Its a price difference for sure but i’m willing to pay it.

Feature-wise the DT will offer much more, and if you are thinking to eventually learn Ableton (which I recommend even if you plan to do hardware only) OB is great.

The Digitakt can be a lot more than just a drum machine in its workflow too, I’m unsure about the TR8S when it comes to using single cycle waveforms to act like a synth, etc.

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Also, welcome to Elektronauts. This place is awesome!

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M:S doesn’t send midi cc. You mentioned pairing with other synths, and midi cc expands the possibilities exponentially. Digitakt ftw!

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Your right with this place being awesome! I’ve received more responses in 5 minutes than I have on any other forum ever haha. I suppose the TR8S interested more initially since its got the old school Roland vibe going on, and it seems maybe easier to jump into quick and get going.

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So correct me if i’m wrong but Overbridge basically links your Elektron Devices to Ableton? Does Overbridge basically mimic your controller on screen and let you tweak things on screen like you would on the controller?

Yeah but it also allows you to record each track into its individual channel for better mixing in Ableton. All of this through the USB. Also means you can automate parameters through Ableton.

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Yeah, it’s not ideal to be doing stuff like that on the TR-8S if you can help it. You can do melodic stuff but it’s definitely more suited to one-shots and drum samples.

For a first device, it’s hard to beat the DT just because you can so easily add other gear and sequence/control it really effectively.

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One thing to point out: DT is samples only, no actual drum synthesis.

So I would describe it more as as a drum-oriented sampler (though, as pointed out above, not limited to drums) and midi controller. I’m controlling a few synths with it, I think it’s a great studio brain, I even have a new midi-to-cv box coming this week. :grin:

I bought mine about 9 months ago and have gone from I’ve-made-a-huge-mistake to how-did-I live-without-this-thing in that time. There is a learning curve but just put some time into it and hopefully you’ll love it.

And it definitely preps you for other elektron machines if you think you’ll want to get some others down the road…

Not our job to convince you. That falls to the Elektron marketing team.

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Hahaha I remember the I’ve made a huge mistake" stage too, not too long ago. Definitely relatable.

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To clarify, M:S does send midi CCs from the knobs, just can’t change the CCs it sends like you can on the DT. So, it’s probably way less useful for controlling a synth, but it all depends on the synth.

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I’m ok with samples. Thats probably a plus for me buying a Digitakt. Most drum samples are processed and sound very decent (taste varies) but to my ears the sample packs that Elektron offers sound great. Since I have no clue on how to process standard drum sounds to make them sound huge i think ill be ok with this option.

the digitakt is a good starting point for elektron gear. compared to the a4 (using that comparison because it’s the other elektron box that i own) it’s much less complex to learn.

i find it to be a great tool for sketching ideas quickly and now with overbridge, it’s really easy to get those ideas arranged and processed. add in midi sequencing and i can’t imagine living without it.

Grab a Digitakt and don’t look back
Leave the Model on the stack Jack
TR8S? Let that one pass
When in comes to Digitakt
Now that’s where it’s at
Beats will start bangin, fun will be had
Start tweakin dem knobs, I’m sure you’ll be glad… :smile:

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One thing I didn’t mention was the kind of music I’d be using it for. I’m mostly into electronic so House, techno, trance, etc. Any of you using it for those genres?

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