Digitakt II New Features // My Beats are even MORE Techno now 

It's here and it's amazing ! Distribute your music with DistroKid - 7% Discount Link: ►distrokid.com/vip/liamkillen Interested in purchasing some of the gear mentioned in this video? Support this channel while you're at it by using the affiliate link below: USA (Perfect Circuit): ►Digitakt 2: bit.ly/3Um9GWI

Such a colourful dress attire that inspires ...brings energy and sparkle ... thanks for another detailed along with incisive analysis of product ... cheers! ...

The review we've been waiting for!

i need this thing looks so much fun

Hey Liam, can you test something for me using the Perform Kit mode? Can you create a song with several patterns and see if you can record automation as the patterns play through without the parameters jumping to the saved values on each pattern change. Does it result in smooth automation being recorded across multiple patterns? Thanks!

Can it do karplus strong with the comb filter? The filters supposedly have key tracking, so as long as its tuned correctly I feel like it should work.

Hi Liam :) Great video. Question for you as a previous OG OP-1 owner. I'am considering selling my OP-1 field to finance a digitakt 2 and buy a second hand OG op-1 (I sold digitakt 1 after 6 years even tho I loved it, was bored with the limitations of sample pool). Indeed, I may not need that much all the extra features and the stereo goodness of the field, digitakt 2 being in my opinion objectively better for track construction and sample manipulation. Do you think it can be a good move if I am planning to sample OG op-1 tapes into the digitakt 2 ? Or downgrading from field to OG would be too much of a step back ? In this case, I would see oG OP-1 as the "chaos machine" to feed digitakt 2. Also did you find that OG OP-1 still stand on it's own for it's Lofi sound ? I find that on every video of OG op-1 against field I always find the OG to have quite a beautiful character. Even in my own practice, I love what I am able to do with the field, but it sounds good like a typical DAW in my opinion. Thanks in advance :)

I remember that Waldorf Blofeld had a comb filter. Elektroni should keep adding more crazy filter types like some of the ones in Serum.

The main criticism I've seen on the Digitakt 2 is the lack of a full sample slicer functionality. I'm hoping it's something they can add in a future update, though.

Stereo samples make it a standalone sampler. I'd probably sample lush strings in stereo to DT or something like that.

Does this make the Torso T1 redundant in this case? What're your thoughts?

I thought the idea you shared at the start about doubling the sounds of tracks 1 to 8 onto tracks 9 to 16 was completely brilliant. When considering stacking just 2 notes for the same sound it just seems to me like it'd be easy enough to micro manage for this technique to be viable/comfortable. Also, now nothing stops you from being super liberal using small timing offsets to simulate keyboard playing to some degree using the same idea you suggested (using the same sound on 2 separate tracks). As a Digitakt/Digitone owner I chose to integrate these machines with the iPad Pro M2 11" instead to really have much more control over which limitations I choose to impose on my "music making pipeline". In that context I can't really see myself justifying a Digitakt 2 for now (not that I'm completely against the idea!). It also looks like controlling external CC doesn't offer any sort of NRPN functionality and I still find that a limit of 16 CC controls per dedicated MIDI track is way under the threshold of where it would need to be to really hit that "sweet spot" of external control flexibility. I believe that sweet spot would be at about 64 CC parameters per MIDI track and if that requires a USB connection to be functional, then it should DEFINITELY be an option. In 2024 it really seems ridiculous that we're still controlling CC data with a resolution of 128 in the overwhelming majority of cases. I get that p-locking simply by its nature implies good compatibility with handling low resolution MIDI CC data but as soon as the idea of offering LFOs to modulate external CC data gets thrown into the mix, that argument crumbles really quick. If Elektron Machines still don't solve that problem by offering features that heavily encourage 3rd party app developers and hardware manufacturers to ensure "high resolution MIDI" compatibility as a selling point, then there isn't really much of a significant technological progress with these machines. Once you get past the honeymoon phase of the new "candy" features of the DT2 like the Chorus, 8 bars, stereo sampling/playback, master overdrive, flexible side chaining and workflow optimizations, the realization that nothing about these features is actually ground breaking is inevitable. With that said if I didn't own any Elektron machines at this point I would literally run to go and buy the DT2 though. As a DT user the DT2 for now basically alleviates/addresses previous excessive (and arguably arbitrary) limitations but aside from single cycle waveform samples tricks it is still largely dependent on external sound generators to find its relevance and that tends to make the device feel like it's not particularly flexible to use even though it's still great. Ultimately it still feels like we're more or less being maintained in a state of scarcity when it comes to access to features just so that a maximum amount of cash can be "extracted" out of us. It's precisely for this reason that I chose the iPad Pro route instead in the context of expanding my setup while maintaining the same form factor: it addresses a significant portion of the DT/DN shortcomings while allowing the Elektron sequencer to come into play, which in turn enables users to do things that would otherwise be inaccessible or extremely tedious to accomplish. Regardless, cheers from Montreal also and congrats on your beautiful DT2 :D

Can you select and edit more than one step simultaneously??

About other gear that does multiple layers of Euclidean per track: the Eurorack sequencer Acid Rain Constellation has 8 trigger channels, each with 8 layers of Euclidean, and each layer can have ratchets, repeats and probability, for really varied and intricate patterns. Not a fair comparison obviously but just FYI

All of these gadgets (SP 404, MPC One, Maschine, Elektron) have +'s and -'s so it really DOES come down to what it FUN and effective for YOU and the type of music you want to make. I have a TON of gear and I'm trying to figure out what works BEST for me. Once I do, I'll sell some. But anything like the DT2 which yields more gets a try.

Really like the new features, as for the old Digitakt it’s never been a problem the amount of storage etc… I treated the Digitakt as a drum computer what is was always tended to be, the Digitakt 2 is more of a full on sampler, a nice addition would be to what you find on MPCs, is the function for creating instrument presets from hardware, this is done by sending out midi notes to different octaves C or G etc… to record back to the MPCs automatically, so time stretching is less noticeable, when played across a range of octaves. I think we will see some of the new features on the old Digitakt, probably 128 steps across all their devices, to program change between devices smoothly , we also might see the chorus being added.

Tackydagt

If you had just one, m8, sp404mk2 or digi2?

But is it interesting using them together in sound design or better to do the upgrade.

Liam! Techno is calling you! Resist no longer.

This or the sp404 if you had to choose one and why?

In anyone’s opinion, what would be the best way to upgrade a Digitakt to a Digitakt 2 ?

All hail comb filter

To Elektron's credit, they have done a fairly good job of issuing updates for discontinued products.

It also has dedicated L and R outputs.

Oh hey Liam. Miss u man❤❤❤❤

Thanks for the review. Gonna pair nicely with my syntakt.

I'm planning to get the 2, never had the og , although i did have the rytm a long tine ago.. wish me luck.. 😂🙈

I don't understand how it's 2024 and a $1000 sampler releases without manual slicing :(

Thank you for the test ! Great video. Thank you 🙏 😊

This vs MPC one if you could only choose one?

Sampling in Mono?

I can’t fathom a $1k sampler that doesn’t have chromatic polyphony. Even the TE KO ii has that! And it still has a 4 note limit on midi? Whhhhhy? I’m done hoping for better Elektron gear.

How would using your Oxi One & MPC One compare to this? For a bit more it seems like a better buy(used MPC ONE in this case) than the Digitakt 2. That's what I'm trying to decide

Maaaaaaannnnn I can not rid myself of the Digitakt curiosity to get down with some IDM/Lofi house/melodic techno.... But I gotta save for the Push 3. I wanna try ooooooonnnnneeeee so baaaaaaad though. Maybe I should try the DT 1 since the used market might be favorable.

no arpegatior?

Why did you use the headphones out?

Haha.. everyone of Liam’s answers is “come to the Discord”. 😄

I still miss an arpeggiator 🤔

Amazing machine, Can't wait to get mine! 😭

Wait, what.. NO CHOPPING?

Polyend is typing...

Except for no sample slicing

Liam, you mention the Digitakt OG having the edge on ability to slice. I'm nearly positive (still awaiting delivery of my DT2) that the same function is in the Digitakt 2, the name of the machine has just been changed to "Grid". I'd bet you a loonie that this is because the name "Slice" will be repurposed for an actual MPC/Octatrack-style slicing machine in the near future. Also, because I feel the need to comment this on every video that mentioned the "new effects", currently there is 1 new effect added, the chorus, and other ways of modifying the character like Bitrate and Sample reduction have been reclassified as effects, as opposed to being in the Machine/Source settings before.

no manual slicing, no internal battery, no midi arp, no polyphony, no looper... they did not listen, nice try influencer. im waiting for digitakt 7

What does a DTII do for over $1000 that an MPC Live II won’t? What does it do that an MPC 1000 from decades ago running JJOS won’t? What does the DTII do that a 404 mkII can’t at half the price? And those devices have velocity sensitive pads, equal or better screens, usb compliant audio so they can have significantly more I/O, and don’t require a connection to a laptop or desktop to get samples in to them… My Gotharman’s SpazeDrum costs less than a DTII, SYNTHESIZES drums, could have 4 audio out ports added, works with samples, and works with thumb drives (32 GB of storage)… If this had been the OG Digitakt 7 years ago, it would have been competitive. Now? I can get a used MPC one for half the price and double the features… Quick question… how do you chop samples on it?

you mean, all of the things that were supposed to be there in the mk 1 - stereo sampling, time stretching without acrobatics, more RAM than Commodore 64, 16 tracks to allign with 16 MIDI outputs. None of these features would kill Elektron when they released DT MK1, just chose not to. And how about poly seq? Also, this is Analogue Rytm Eucledean - which is fine, I like they mashed up a lots of random features from other boxes here.

Shame it’s so expensive great synth but I’ll pass

I’m looking forward to when storage and memory limitations just aren’t a thing. I can see ppl in future reading about this like “A device back then with 400mb of memory/30 mins of audio” “When was this, 1980s?” “2024” “Pardon me?”

yooo... that vape is rad looking.

3:14 dude what are you talking about? i don’t even own a DT2 yet, and i know that it has the same slice machine with the same “create random locks” function. 🤦🏼‍♀️ i’m tired of y’all geartubers that have no idea what y’all be talking about…

So you say digitakt 2 versatile , all I hear on you tube is techno or house . Versatile.. can it play a country western song or rock, heavy metal? Why not ? So why doesn't any post these genres on you tube ? Why not ..