Elektron

D
espite having several
quality synths to
their name, along
with last year’s
Analog Heat and
Drive effects,
Swedish outfit
Elektron are arguably best known for
their cult drum machines and
sequencer-driven grooveboxes. Their
latest addition is Digitakt, a sampling
drum machine and MIDI sequencer.
With a purely digital architecture,
Digitakt is Elektron’s first non-
analogue offering since before the
conditions, and the various displays
of the OS are generally clearly laid
out. Despite the price, the Digitakt
hardware doesn’t feel much cheaper
than that of the Analog Rytm. The
most noticeable difference between
the two machines is the lack of
velocity-sensitive drum pads here.
Instead, triggering and sequencing the
Digitakt is done with two rows of
plastic buttons that bring to mind
the click-y feel of a vintage computer
keyboard, albeit sturdier.
The Digitakt feature 16 channels
divided into eight audio – ie,
sampling – channels and eight MIDI
channels. Samples themselves can
either be loaded via the internal
memory or sampled from Digitakt’s
audio inputs. The process of
sampling is fast, fluid, and can be
done without the need to pause the
sequencer. Opening the sampling
window in Digitakt’s OS brings up
options to set levels, arm recording
and set an auto-record threshold.
Once recorded, it only takes a few
button presses to save, trim and
rename a recording and then assign
it to an audio track. Since Digitakt
release of the Analog Keys in 2012.
It also comes in at a significantly
more affordable price point than any
of their existing grooveboxes, around
£350 cheaper than the Octatrack
and £500 cheaper than Analog Rytm.
Design wise, Digitakt is housed in
a square chassis identical to that of
the Analog Heat. Visually, it’s very
much business as usual for Elektron
– plenty of matt black with rubberised
grey rotaries and a minimal helping
of coloured LEDs. The OLED screen
has a certain retro quality but is
crisp and clear under all lighting
THE PROS & CONS
+
Flexible and powerful
sound engine
Deep sequencing
capabilities
Fast sampling
workflow
-
No direct USB or SD
sample transfer port
Occasionally
unintuitive workflow
Full Overbridge
functionality is an
additional purchase
Elektron Digitakt | Reviews
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FMU320.rev_elektron.indd 81 6/14/17 6:09 PM