I’m new to this world, and to Digitakt in particular. I’m loving it so far, but I’m thinking of adding a synth to my fledgling setup. (Not trying to run before I can walk; I know the Digitakt has synth-like capabilities with its LFOs etc. - I’m just thinking ahead.)
I’m curious what single synth (to start with) you’d add. I realise the possible answers to this question are many and various, but I’m just after some opinions.
The Digitone looks a smart choice, not only because it seems a wicked device on its own merit but because it would obviously pair well with its Elektron sibling. I’m also looking at the Modal Cobalt/Argon 8, which both sound lovely, and even the slightly whacky, leftfield Sonicware ELZ_1.
What is it you’re wanting to introduce? What kinds of sounds do you like?
The options you mention are all quite different sonically and would have different advantages/weaknesses.
Appreciate if you’re new to this world those might be difficult questions to answer but it’s good to get to those answers before going too deep into the rabbit hole!
In addition to the spot on questions about what sort of music do you like to make, there are some other practical things you might include in your expanded question, like:
Do you play keys/piano? Do you have a MIDI controller / keyboard already? Or do you prefer to create music with a sequencer like the built-in one on the Digitakt?
What are your space constraints? Are you looking for a sound module or a full blown 49/61/71/88-key synth?
Are you looking for something multi-timbral?
What amount of polyphony matters?
There are probably hundreds of synths that “go well” with the Digitakt but the one that suits you will will be highly dependent on your needs!
Thanks, everyone. And apologies - not at least pointing out what sort of music I’m into was a very silly omission on my part.
The answer to that is, house and ambient. As a reference point, I’m not a fan of the more “gnarly” soundworld of Arturia. I like luscious pads, but also weird sounds that are the product of exploration.
I’m a classically-trained pianist so keys are fine, though I’d also be interested to know whether I could control a desktop synth via Digitakt i.e. use the latter as a controller. As for space I’m looking on the smaller side - if it is to have keys, it would be a couple of octaves max.
Polyphony - definitely multi. To be honest I don’t get the deal with monophonic synths - I’m new to this, so I’m sure there’s a really good reason for their existence, but who would want that over a machine that can make multiple sounds at once? What am I missing there? (Appreciate I’m changing the subject somewhat there!)
So we might be mixing up a couple of concepts here.
Polyphony: Multiple notes at the same time within a single voice (pads are normally polyphonic) Monophonic: Single notes played at a time (a lot of leads and basslines are monophonic), these can often be duophonic if there’s more than one oscillator Multitimbral: Multiple voices that may or may not be polyphonic - but you’re using one synth to make all of the sounds so you often have to contend with menus/single sets of outputs, and a single palette to work from for all of them. You also share the voice count, so if you have an 8-voice multitimbral synth (like the Digitone), with a 6-note pad in play, your other sound will be limited to 2 voices.
Based on your reply I’d actually be recommending the Arturia Minifreak, depending on if you really need multitimbrality or not (if you do it’s not the right choice). It’s extremely versatile, has keys and is very immediate. Arturia synths sort of do have a sound of their own but I don’t think it really applies that much to the freaks as they have various algos - that’s likely more something you’ve identified in the Brutes which use a different filter.
Digitone is great for multi-timbrality but it’s an FM synth and as much as you’ll hear a lot of positive things on this forum about it () that’s where it excells - it’s quite digital and you have to work to pull it away from that, if it’s not the character you want it becomes a fight to make it what you want it to be - it only has 1 set of outputs so its multimbrality can have limitations depending on your long term plans, but that’s not always a problem - it wouldn’t be my choice for lushious pads personally - I’d want a big spacey analog polysynth for that, or at least virtual-analog, so your Modal Argon 8 becomes a strong contendor - I have a Prophet 8 that I’d turn to for that kind of sound which can be had second hand for not much more than a Digitone and it’s multitimbral with 2 sets of stereo outputs. Micromonsta2 is great, I would recommend it for the sound, but it’s a bit menu-divey and maybe not the strongest contender for your first, one and only synth, IMO - but it would pair nicely with the Digitakt for a space-efficient setup!
I think my vote would still be the Minifreak in this case, which tbh is a brilliant first-synth choice for a lot of people, it covers a lot of bases and handles pads very well - it has VA algos and nice effects that lends well to that and a decent synth keybed with aftertouch.
I think this person is on our forums but I’m not 100% sure, see if this tickles your fancy:
If you weren’t after lushious pads then I’d be happy to recommend the Digitone, but as much as it can do that it’s not where it shines IMO. It won’t give you that thick analog sound that I suspect you want.
I think synths being monophonic stems from the early days of the analog world in which there were material/technical limitations. These limitations fostered styles and sounds that are still desirable to certain styles of music and sound design.
Microfreak is super useful, it’s the synth I use the most with mine, but don’t overlook an iPad. Tons of possible options, amazing source of samples, software is cheap and varied, and Drambo alone allows you to create a huge range of sonic possibilities.
My recommendation would be the ASM Hydrasynth. The Hydrasynth is an 8-voice wavetable synth that has awesome sound design / exploration capabilities, will serve you well for the both house and ambient music, and is very deep. This in combination with the Digitakt is a very powerful two-instrument setup.
Given you’re a trained pianist I’d recommend the Hydrasynth Keyboard (49-keys) – it’s got a highly expressive keybed with Poly aftertouch, is solidly built, and would make a great centerpiece to build on if you anticipate slowly adding more gear over time. If space/cost rule that out than the Hydrasynth Desktop or Explorer are also good options. If space isn’t a concern than you might consider stepping up to the Hydrasynth Deluxe (73-key) which is 16-voice and bitimbral. All the Hydra’s have a decent built in FX chain (delays and reverbs stand out as quite good).
On top of that, the latest Hydrasynth 2.0 firmware (recently released) has made an already great synth even more powerful.
There are lots of reviews and videos available across the web and there are several useful threads here on Elektronauts you can dig into for more info.
I’ve got too much gear in my home studio acquired over too many years. I’ve enjoyed and used lots of synths but if circumstances forced me to get rid of most of what I currently own, the two instruments I’d be likely to keep would be the Hydrasynth Keyboard and the Akai Force. These are the two stand outs in terms of my own productivity and creativity in recent years.
Personally I will not be buying monotimbral or monophonic synth anymore. I want minimum 8 voices of polyphony (16 would be better) and minimum 2 part multitimbrality (4 would be better).
Digitone is cool, but as someone said, it’s FM synth and sounds like one. Great for weirdness though and 8 voices polyphony is here better than it sounds because of voice sharing and sound locking capabilities.
How about SH-4d? Roland is cool for luscious pads, can get weird with wavetable osc (not as weird as Digitone though from what I’ve heard) and there’s a lot of polyphony and it’s also 4 part multitimbral.
Can confirm that the MicroMonsta2 is an extremely versatile little synth that pairs VERY well with the Digitakt. It’s also a low-cost option that will give you years and years of synthesizer joy for only 265€. It also has 12 voice poly that can be configured in a variety of ways. Really, a complete beast.
Downside is, they ship in batches and always sell out immediately. Also note you’ll need a keyboard controller to take full advantage. Personally, my little Arturia Keystep usually does the trick for me. You, as a classical player, might want something a little more substantial as a controller.
Of course, you can always play/sequence the MM2 using the Digitakt’s clacky buttons, but I like to play most melodic MIDI sequences into the DT from a proper (little) keyboard.
But the MM2 itself as a synth unit is very powerful, with fantastic sound quality.
For polyphony and multitimbrality, the Roland MC101 is a mighty small package to go with the Digitakt, I found it abit fiddly if you want to create your own sounds though.
I’ve got the SH4-d and i’m liking it so far and no doubt there will be updates to it from Roland.
If you want a cheap option you could look at the og novation circuit, i’ve seen these go for as little as £100, 2 synth parts, I think both 6 voice polyphonic + 4 additional sample slots.
The OG Circuit synth engine is a bit long in the tooth, but that aside, it does contain two independent 6-voice poly synths/tracks that would fill the requirements well. A lot of great sounds to be had from this one.
In addition, those extra sample tracks could come in handy.
And finally, it’s quite a fun little groovebox in and of itself.
I’d get something with keys that is as knob per function as possible. The Take5 is a good choice as it is pretty divergent from what sounds you can (easily) make with the Digitakt while also having a different sound design interface. It also has a “dumb panel” mode where all the knobs are WYSIWYG - their value is where the knobs are, always.
You can sample oneshots from it, too, so you can consider sampling a short bass loop. If you find yourself really craving another voice/timbre later you can add a small desktop synth at that time.
The digitakt has enough timbral complexity that I’d suggest keeping it simple - no hydrasynth, no peak, no virus. I’d also avoid FM or wavetables, generally - that’s another level of complexity and you should probably spend some time sculpting sound with a basic subtractive synth first.
