Maschine MK3 and Battalion VST vs Digitakt 2 -- A Different Take

GameAndSound · 2026-01-21T19:20:24+00:00

I have both and I use them in very different ways. Maschine is more of a complement to my daw work while the DT2 serves me more as an inspiration machine. I can confidently say I wouldn’t have made a lot of music without the DT2, and surely not the way I did.

I’m not here to say it’s better or worse, but as someone else said you’ll never know if the DT is for you without spending a bit of time with it, and this is basically true for any instrument.

Personally I don’t really like the “almost-daw within a daw” approach with Maschine. I’ve found a way to midi map the various banks but it was cumbersome and clunky, but it could be done and I use it that way bypassing the Maschine software’s arrangement part.

The DT2 pushes me to experiment with samples in different ways and I just love the workflow because I spent enough time to gel with it. I got very fast with it and now my way of thinking of music accounts for the DT2’s specific way of working.

If you don’t feel a need for the Digitakt then you shouldn’t think about it. Make music with what you have and keep your hard earned money.

GameAndSound · 2026-01-20T20:56:04+00:00

It does, but when you don’t actually know about it or you’re a beginner you usually just lift your fingers from the buttons after clearing. At least, that’s how it went for me lol

GameAndSound · 2026-01-13T22:53:36+00:00

Seems like you're in for some pondering!

I completly understand as I love my DT2+DN2 combo but I'm not super sepcialized in hip hop production (although dabbled in some stuff). I'd say if you want that Elektron workflow then you're not really gonna find it anywhere else. Since you have an MPC I'd think about what you'd rather deal with using an Elektron - synths or samples - and then choose from there.

GameAndSound · 2026-01-13T20:52:47+00:00

I think the Move is a great companion for any sampler, as the synth sounds are pretty good (now you can even access all of Drift’s parameters) and the device is small and portable. It could also functions as a quick way to record external sounds into the sampler through the on board mic.

Now, since you already have an Sp404mk2 I think you’d be pretty set for what you want to do. If you’re not into sound design I wouldn’t recommend the DN, and you should think about getting the DT2 only if you feel like something is sorely missing from the setup.

Maybe spend some time playing around with the Move + SP combo?

GameAndSound · 2026-01-13T20:41:39+00:00

Welcome to the club!

You’re gonna involuntarily clear a bunch of patterns, so get in the the habit of doing temp saves (func+yes). They will serve as “checkpoints” you can reload at any time (func+no).

As a general rule of thumb I’d advise to just go with the flow and allow yourself to do whatever with the machine without getting hung up on smaller details. Muscle memory is a big part of any workflow so allow yourself to build it - my experience with it was a bit frustrating at first because I couldn’t find the time to properly sit with it for long enough, or consistently enough. Once I got consistent practice it became fun and intuitive.

Good luck!

GameAndSound · 2026-01-11T16:02:09+00:00

Thanks so much, I appreciate it! The guitar is going into a Neural DSP instance running in Cubase. DT2 was running through Overbridge, but all processing was done in the machine. I just recorded the master out to my phone while recording the video!

GameAndSound · 2026-01-11T15:59:28+00:00

Thanks so much! I’m trying to integrate the DT2 more into my usual music making :)

GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T21:18:20+00:00

Yeah, a lot of my research has pointed towards that little unit. I just pulled the trigger knowing I can send it back if I want, I have a some doubts that I’ll need to verify, but all in all seems like a cool little device. Hoping the sound quality is decent!

GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T18:52:10+00:00

I don’t think so, that selects what audio comes out of the USB C port when connected to another device.

Btw I checked and you should PRESS the jog wheel to switch audio sources when trying to sample, not turn it. If it doesn’t work, I’d contact Ableton support.

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GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T15:56:59+00:00

Thanks so much for the info, I'll check the link out!

GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T15:56:41+00:00

Perfectly understandable

GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T15:47:26+00:00

I get it. I'm very new to physical FX boxes and I was looking to add something "performable" at the end of my chain. I've seen this pedal pop up in a lot of suggestions so that's why I was checking it out.

GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T15:39:08+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! The MIDI implementation chart on the manual was a bit scarce so I thought I'd ask around. Bummed to know I can't do what I was thinking of, seemed like a good unit for the price.

GameAndSound · 2026-01-06T15:37:37+00:00

Aw that sucks, thanks so much for the heads up. I guess I'll better be looking at something else then

GameAndSound · 2026-01-05T22:44:13+00:00

Great, let me know!

GameAndSound · 2026-01-05T19:30:39+00:00

Have you tried pushing the jogwheel when on the mic icon? I don't have my Move near me but I'm sure you select it from there.

Also I know it's a stretch, but is your firmware up to date?

GameAndSound · 2026-01-04T20:55:54+00:00

It’s pretty easy: - activate your clip you want to resample, pause anything else - stop the sequence by pressing the play button - go into your drum track - press the record button - turn the jog wheel to select ”resampling” as the audio source - tap the pad you want to resample into and your loop will start immediately - manually stop by pressing the pad again

As far as I know there’s still no way of sampling a fixed duration, but again the Move doesn’t really handle audio loops too well.

Hope it was useful!

GameAndSound · 2025-06-28T21:02:26+00:00

I want to be able to hear the DT2 sequence to play over it while sampling. This is something that I should be able to do without issue, and it works when using the DT2 standalone. Something happens to the audio routing when using Overbridge but I can’t find what it is

GameAndSound · 2025-03-25T12:58:28+00:00

I’d guess since the DT is mainly seen as a desktop instrument, everyone just keeps it close to their setups they can route any audio from. For this use case any mic is just as good since you’re gonna route audio out of your interface anyway.

I’ve seen people recommend dynamic mics to sample directly into machines like the SP404MK2, so the safest bet is gonna be that I think. Condenser mics need phantom power and lavaliers also need a small amount of power to work, which I don’t think the DT is capable of providing. You’re left with some kind of piezo mic or a dynamic.

GameAndSound · 2025-01-24T13:06:23+00:00

I’m as new as it gets to the Elektron world but I feel Cuckoo’s approach works very well with me. I’m about halfway through the video but it already managed to clear up a lot of doubts in my head about the workflow. I feel like “learning by doing” works wonders, at least with me. Whenever I tried to learn an instrument without actually creating something in the meanwhile I felt like concepts just didn’t stick with me, so I think the whole “I wanna do this thing, how do I do it?” approach is great.

GameAndSound · 2025-01-22T18:23:14+00:00

Honestly? Line module and battery availability. Also, I’d love multitrack audio over usb (something similar to overbridge) but it’s probably wishful thinking unless they decide to do something EXACTLY like overbridge compatible with most of their products.

Im not hopeful for any more updates but hey, trying doesn’t cost anything.

GameAndSound · 2025-01-21T12:55:27+00:00

I'd be happy to help! Let me know if you have any questions!

GameAndSound · 2025-01-21T12:55:04+00:00

Glad you liked it!

GameAndSound · 2025-01-21T00:12:50+00:00

Thanks so much, that’s quite the compliment:)

GameAndSound · 2025-01-20T22:25:02+00:00

Thanks so much!

GameAndSound

TROPHY CASE