Endless drum collage
Digitakt II offers many times the power – and sonic possibilities – of its predecessor. It may be a familiar shape, and offer the same recognizable playfulness, but there is so much more power under the hood. And that brawn is at your disposal whatever the sound. Drums aren’t all it’s capable of. There are all kinds of melodic and harmonic possibilities to play with, not least straight out of the box via the revamped sample library.
Of course you can capture your own splinters of sound too. Sample, either externally or internally, freely or quantized to the tempo. With a radically enhanced memory capacity, and up to 30 minutes of stereo samples per project, you can take your ideas anywhere. Whatever the thunderclap, whatever the whisper, they’re all waiting to be triggered from over a thousand sample slots available in each project.
Machines & modularity
The Digitakt experience has evolved, offering an even more modular approach to sound creation. Mix and match the layers of your sonic landscape using any of the five distinct sample-manipulating Machines. Slice samples into precise fragments with Grid, or venture into new sonic territories with Werp. Use Repitch or Stretch or to fit your sample to the beat, and of course there’s One Shot for those crisp drum hits and tones.
Head to modulation station
Choose from several swappable filters for each track. One filter is fixed as a base/width filter, but the other lets you swap between Multi-mode, Low pass 4, Comb, EQ, or Legacy LP/HP. You also have a filter envelope and a separate amp envelope of ADSR – for more definition and control – and AHD – ideal for those short barks of percussion. Three LFOs per track give you the chance to go wild in modulation land. Try different waveforms and destinations on for size. Go subtle or go weird, both can be wonderful.
And to emphasize the flexibility available here, any of these settings can be individually selected for each track. There really is a multitude of options at your disposal to pull the audio in the direction you want.
Cause & FX
Transform your sounds with the built-in effects palette. Dip your brush into vibrant delay and reverb, widen your spectrum with chorus, and get destructive with bit reduction and sample rate reduction, or Overdrive. Apply as liberally as you like. Navigate to the mixer page to apply compression and master overdrive, sculpting unique sound textures at will. And with parameter locks, the application of your effects is supercharged.
Sequencer × II
For the first time in years, the Elektron sequencer has had a significant growth spurt. There are 128 steps on Digitakt II for your digits to traverse – double the previous amount. That’s a whole lot of P-Locking. And that’s just the start. Mix math and music, with the Euclidean sequence generator, courtesy of ancient algorithms, leading to the discovery of surprising rhythms; let the pattern roll the dice with conditional trigs. And use trig modes for a variety of fun functions – 16 levels of velocity, retrig mode, or bring the Preset Pool to the surface of the 16 triggers to record multiple sounds into one track.
Full on play time
Digitakt II is a playground of sonic possibilities, packed with features designed for creative fun. Gather your favorite sounds into Kits for quick access. Perform Kit mode, inspired by a dash of hidden Machinedrum magic, gives you the freedom to experiment with your kit without overwriting its save state. A deeper control all allows instant parameter command across all or specified tracks. Trig modes offer super-fun ways to activate 16 levels of velocity, retrig, or bring the Preset Pool to the surface to record multiple sounds/different Preset Locks into one track. Activate keyboard mode, and play chromatically across 10 octaves, with over 30 different scales to try on for size.
Song Mode
Song Mode is available on Digitakt II from the get go, letting you seamlessly create, edit, and play compositions via a playlist of your patterns. Extend beyond the limits of the 128-step sequencer. Create entire set-lists in a single song. And so much more. Hitting play is only the beginning of Song Mode’s potential.
Connectivity
Connect to your other gear with balanced stereo ins and outs. The 16 tracks can be used for MIDI in, out, and thru, so you can sequence, play, and control full flocks of external instruments. MIDI is now able to quickly learn from your devices, sending them renamable CCs, triggers, sequences, and LFOs that can be saved to your kit for quick recall.
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