One’s more compact and cheaper, one has deeper sampling capabilities and a longer history. Which Elektron drum machine/sampler/sequencer is the one to buy?
We now know the flagship Octrack’s follow-up, the just-announced Octatrack MKII, shares the software and workflow with the original model. So it’s really a question of whether you want Octatrack or Digitakt. (And the Digitakt, in turn, will have to compete with the option of finding a used price on a first-gen Octatrack, too.)
Cuckoo continues to be our go-to YouTube source for insight into machines, and this time he goes feature by feature over the course of an hour, in depth.
There’s tons of great stuff in the video. But if you want to skip to the end, Cuckoo goes into some lovely detail about how he works with both machines.
Bottom line: Octatrack is definitely the deeper box. You can pre-load more materials, and it combines the functions of other gear.
But Digitakt, which Elektron are billing more as a sequence generator rather than an all-in-one performance machine, has its own unique character. Those limitations add a certain personality. And it might be the better option if you intend to work with other gear. (Plus, you know, all other things being equal, there’s that price.)
Still want more? In the Octatrack corner, here’s some insight into why you’d use that box for performance:
— and Elektron’s official workflow video:
For Digitakt, here’s a great jam combining that gear with Roland’s lovely TB-03 (oh, acid, how I’m addicted to thee):
— and Red Means Recording have been making a diary of Digitakt impressions:
Which way are you leaning? Or which box are you using now? Let us know in comments.