r/Elektron

Hello all,

I know this question has been debated for years, but I’ve been stuck in serious decision fatigue over it. I’ve read countless Reddit posts, watched tons of videos, and even talked to chatbots about it, yet I still can’t reach a conclusion.

I’ve been thinking about buying my first Elektron box for a while now. I’ve never owned one before.

For context:
- I love tracker workflows. Renoise is my go-to DAW over Ableton.
- I use my iPad heavily for synths and use Koala for sampling.
- Breakbeats are everything to me.
- I’m mostly into jungle, IDM, trip hop, ambient textures, and glitchy rhythmic experimentation.

The Octatrack really fascinates me. I know it’s deep and intimidating, especially as a first Elektron device, but I also love the idea of treating it like an instrument I slowly build a relationship with over years. Ned Rush videos completely hooked me on the machine.

At the same time, Digitakt II looks incredibly fun and immediate. From what I’ve seen, the gap between OT and DT feels smaller nowadays, especially for breakbeat workflows. Groove in G’s jungle videos on the DT2 honestly impressed me a lot.

One of the main things I want to do is live breakbeat manipulation. Slicing drum breaks, jumping between slices while keeping the groove flowing, improvising transitions, punch-in FX, glitching, evolving patterns, more glitching etc.

My current options are:
-Octatrack MKII — €900
Digitakt II — €800

The OT price especially feels like a steal, which makes this even harder. I’m worried that if I get the DT2, I’ll always wonder about the Octatrack. But I’m also worried that if I get the OT first, I might end up overwhelmed and regret not starting with the more immediate machine.

People who’ve used both, especially for jungle/IDM/trip hop/ glitchy workflows. What would you honestly recommend?
Thanks everyone.

Hey r/Elektron drummer here trying to build a live companion rig. Asking a lot of questions below so feel free to tell me if I'm on the right track or point me elsewhere.

Posting here because i’m really leaning towards the Tonverk at this point! Although I'm open to a different system if it suits my use case better.

**Background**

I'm a drummer. I want a compact rig that sits next to my kit and runs while I play — a drummer's companion rather than a full synth setup.

I originally was thinking Digitakt 2 as the brain paired with an external ambient drone synth. My dream synth would be Eltas Solar 42. I love the interface and the sound design possibilities. But it has no MIDI and is a smidge outside my budget. If it had midi id probably pull the trigger but without it i’m not sure it works in a live band context where I need to stay in a specific key.

So I've been exploring the Toneverk as a potential all-in-one that handles both the sequencing/sampling brain and the ambient/harmonic layer.

**My use case:**

- Ambient drones and arpeggiators running as a bed while I play live drums
- Light minimal percussion — think swingy shakers, soft hits — to add texture without replacing what I'm doing on the kit
- Used in both a band context (needs to stay in key, harmonically consistent night to night) and for my own solo sound design and production work
- I am not a keys player — knob-based interaction suits me much better than a keyboard

**My specific questions about the Toneverk:**

Swing, groove, time signatures?— does it go off-grid for sequencing. If I'm programming a minimal percussion part can i play a specific feel into it?

**Metronome/click routing this is Critical*
I need a click or metronome in my ears only so me and the band stay locked to the loops and arpeggios. Nothing goes to FOH.

The Toneverk has 4 tracks — if running a click eats one of those I'm left with 3 voices for actual content. Is there a dedicated click/metronome function that doesn't consume a sequencer track? Can I route a click to headphones independently from the main stereo out going to FOH? Does four tracks seem like enough for the type of soundscapes i want to build?

As a workaround — could I bus a clock signal out to a small separate device to handle metronome duties, keeping all 4 Toneverk tracks free for music? Has anyone done something like this or is there a cleaner solution?

The bus tracks feel like a good route to eventually add more midi sythesissr gear? any recommendations?

would this be a good route to add some sort of Drum triggers?

Does this whole concept make sense for a drummer? Am I overcomplicating it? Would you approach the drummer's companion problem differently for a psych/jazz/cosmic sound world?

Alternative options I’ve considered.
SPD 404 or DIGITAKT - likely paired with an ambient synth
How would the tonverk compare to the OP-XY ?

Appreciate any real world experience, especially from anyone who has actually gigged or played acoustic drums along side their Tonverk

Hello! I never use my daw with my dt2 and minilogue xd because overbridge is a horrid pain to wrap my head around. I have the whole multitracking bs perfect.
I’m simply coming across issue after issue When it comes to recording my dt2 along with the minilogue xd hooked up to it to logic pro. Usually i’d just tell logic to screw off when i’m using the dt2 but the current project i’m working on includes guitar and bass and all that good stuff which has led me to kinda HAVE to use overbridge.
Most issues come from the mixer portion of the overbridge plug in. I can’t seem to understand what the best way to route my minilogue xd on the overbridge mixer is. (some variations of the settings make it louder, more quiet, sometimes it ends up outputting from two inputs, etc)
I also am having trouble recording minilogue xd’s midi from logics piano roll into audio while having it all routed through dt2. (ik i can just live record the midi on the dt2 and turn it into audio like that, but these jazz chords are far too strong for my weak willed self.
Maybe a kind soul can enter a two second video call where I show them all my settings and they berate me on how stupid I am and how it’s all an easy fix.

Newbie question, I was thinking about buying an Octatrack, but it only has 5 pin midi. I was planning to use the move for drums, and the octa for melodics, but I was wondering how its possible to keep it in time if the Move only has a USB A slot, and the Octa only has 5 pin midi? Will the adapters work?

Also any other related connectivity tips are welcome 😄

Ever since I got my Tonverk I've struggled with the division of labour with the Digitakt 2. In order to keep which sound is coming from where straight in my head I've been using the DT2 as a pure drum machine and the TV for melody, ambience etc.

I also find only having a stereo out on the DT2 limiting. I want to send various outputs to the Tonverk and pedals via a mixer discretely. Though I know Outbox is coming.

I'm considering selling the DT2 and picking up an Analog Rytm MK1. Clearer division of labour, an output per track and less of what I don't need from the DT2. Plus one or two hundred quid back in my pocket if I'm lucky.

A used AR MK2 could be in reach if I sold some other gear but it feels like the major benefits are the better screen (I can live with that), better pads (I'm not much of a finger drummer) and a sample input (not really part of my workflow). Or maybe it's worth the extra outlay in ways I'm missing?

Alternatively I could wait for Outbox and use it with the DT2 or even swap in a Syntakt with Outbox.

Anyone using a similar combo able to offer a perspective on this?

Anyone have a good setup for incorporating electric guitar and a looper into their setup? Are there any good guitar loppers that can accept clock signals from Elektron MIDI outputs?

Trying to think of cool and easy ways to incorporate guitar into my setup, I have an amp sim pedal that I feed into my digitakt 2 but it's not exactly a cake walk to make that DT2 work like a looper.

I own a Digitakt 2 and an Analog Four Mk1. Using the Digitakt, I often find myself wanting multiple long samples and a time-stretching function. Do I need an Octatrack now?

My concern is that the Octatrack's basic design is over 15 years old, and its firmware hasn't been updated in 5 years. Furthermore, it still does not support overbridge.

With changes in the company's management and anticipated new developments, I'm unsure whether I should wait for a new version of the Octatrack or accept that the current product is the final version and purchase it.

First, thanks to everyone who talked me into getting a syntakt! I love it.

Two quick questions:

1. Does Syntakt have any capability for midi learn using an external controller? I'd like to integrate my Faderfox with it in my live set and am looking for the easiest possible w​orkflow to map knobs for different functions.
2. Is there any way to separate the two external inputs into separate tracks using overbridge? Currently, whether I set that input to mono or stereo, the audio comes in only on the left channel in Ableton, so I'm sure I'm doing something wrong here.

Thanks so much for any insight. I promise I've read the manual and watched a fair amount of YouTube vids about both these topics, but I must be reading past this info.

Hi - I currently use my DT OG as my dawless brain for jamming and track creation. Sequencing 4 or 5 synths with midi, and using the audio tracks for drums. Everything is great from overall workflow perspective, and from drums on audio tracks perspective. But the midi sequencing is starting to feel too constrained.

Here's where I feel constrained:

1. Pattern length - 64 steps ok...more would be better
2. Polyphonically challenged
3. No MIDI arp, chord mode or any other tools
4. Does not passthrough pitch/mod
5. 8 audio tracks sometimes not enough
6. Effects are a bit meh

I don't make sample based music, so hardly ever use anything but 1 shot.

Would a tonverk be an improvement? Would I loose capabilties?

I know DT2 is an option, but #2 and #3 still an issue there.

Thanks!

Just to explain - I have just read that Octatrack is almost 16 years old (mk1) and that mk2 is technically the same machine - same OS, same electronics with only screen/keys parts changed.

And now -> this 16 years old device has better FX, timestretch etc. than really new hardware like Digitakt2.

Is there something that I'm missing and that is why I do not understand how Elektron could do so many great things with so old HW and still cannot do (or don't want?) with modern CPUs, lots of RAM etc. on latest hardware?