I have a good tapedeck for those purposes! I find that i dont use it that often. Mostly as bus during finalizing. so currently i dont feel the need for more distortion/saturation effects.
Might include microcosm into the list after i do more research.
From what ive heard and seen, people mostly use same algorythm on it, which in the end tends to sound samey.
I think, after the thread is done and there are no more suggestions, id love to compile a list of all things and what i like/dislike about them, that can be fun!
Okay, just a little more information on the Micromonsta 2. It is released periodically in small batches, and you sign up to be notified of availability. Itâs shipped worldwide at reasonable cost; I got mine quite quickly in NYC.
even though i really want a typhon
instead of instant synth gratification i should get a sampler and get over my allergy of using samples
getting out of my comfort zone will make me compose/perform differently
which was the main goal anyway.
i looked into sp404/mk2, wonderful piece, love letter to many musicians, but i dont think its for me.
thought a bunch about digitakt vs blackbox for my usecase.
DT wins in a lot of things, but just pure functionality and form factor of BB makes me want to get it.
i gotta research more about how BB and DN integrate with one another, still many questionsâŚ
thread is still open for suggestions , rn my top pick is blackbox.
Honestly, all you âneedâ is an analog monosynth with a full MIDI cc implementation (I use an SE-02, but a Typhon would be another great option). I found that even just offloading one track like a bassline, lead, or even ambient pad on the SE-02 frees up the Digitone and dramatically reduces fighting with voice stealing/allocation.
Another alternative is to offload some/most/all of the drums to the LXR-02, which I also just added to my gear. This, then, allows the Digitone to be bass, thick pads (with multiple voices), one-shots, etc.
thats true from a practical perspecrive
and i will probably get typhon after i get comfortable with blackbox
but getting typhon first is not enough for what i want
which is to get a different work environment from DN, so that i can switch between them whenever i get bored, and i think BB is the best option for me currently.
its not only a sampler, but also has a completely different arranging toolset.
i looked at it a while back when i was window shopping
its fine as a drum machine but im not interested in it
currently my favorite sounds i get out of DN are drums and pads
and i wouldnt want to add another drum machine to it
all and all, im very excited to get BB (or a sampler in general, im still heavily considering DT )
id love to add more natural textures to my music
and im tired of avoiding using samples
also my zoom H5 is very under-used
iPad/iPhone is getting me closer to making music on a PC, which i try to avoid for now.
How about my Korg Electribe ESX? Perfect friend to Digitone.
Does 8-bar patterns, one knob per function, sounds FAT and crisp at the same time.
Way more hands-on and instant gratification than BlackBox!
Plus you can run the Digitone right through itâs amp, filter, and effects engines.
But using an iPhone or iPad feels closer to using my Digitone than my PC, so I disagree there. Sometimes direct manipulation is easier than an abstracted physical knob with multiple functions. But you gotta find what works for you. Many people seem to just outright dismiss iOS without ever having made a serious go at using it for music.
The LXR-02 is pretty deep and does different/better drums (esp snares) than the Digitone and, again, allows for thick and rich pads because voices arenât as allocated to percussion.
hoho that beast would definitely lock me into making brutal rave techno
which is cool but, i want something with a flexible pallette, and modern toolset, thank you!
yeah, you can say im guilty of that too
but there is only so much time to invest and spend learning
and there are a lot of other things other than apple that i want to take on first
ill give LXR-02 another look if im looking for a dedicated drum machine, for sure.
That new Chase Bliss Generation Loss v2 looks like the perfect solution to the Digitoneâs âcrystal clearâ-ness. Tempted to get one for mine. Iâm in a similar situation as you, where I have a DN but also a M:C, so pretty minimal setup.
I feel you, and i would recommend getting something like that with DN!
I have a Tascam porta 02 mk2 for bus compressor/saturator duty.
Its small but not super portable, and i use it mostly during finalizing.
Gen Loss seems way more convinient and flexible, but i havent heard it in person, so cant say id exchange porta for it anytime soon.
The videos sound quite cool, and I like that it has a very specific saturation combined with a very specific modulation type. I love the Digitoneâs chorus but it is admittedly a very dry, pure style of chorus.
Finally managed to do a meet and greet of DN and BB after a very busy day, and, wowâŚ
I had a tremendous amount of midi issues, which was a faulty included midi trs adapter.
Thankfully second one seems fine, but its still cursed. (both adapters were sealed new)
(i determined that it was faulty during MIDI loopback diagnostic mode, touching it would make it fail)
Im too exhausted today to go over everything but ill just leave you with one thing:
Why so many things you can do on DN, that is not a program change, registers as a program change on BB and loads a different preset
EG double tapping stop, loading a project, changing a pattern
(EDIT: i just realized that those are program changes by the book, i guess im not using program changes afterall)
I know i can turn off recieve program change on BB but i want to have that feature!
I know neither BB or DN are at fault here, but god damn.
Am i missing something?
P.S. for the limited amout of setup that they have with each other rn, they soon very cool together!
Next day morning update!
I managed to figure everything midi related out, after some rest.
Having a faulty trs-midi adapter really confused me yesterday, but now everything is stable.
Im pretty happy with the setup i got going for triggering pads and recording melodic sequences.
Currenly trying to figure out a reliable way to recall/mute sequences per DN pattern.
Theres progress but not 100% usable still.
, rn my top pick is blackbox.
)
