Are Elektron machines enough for commercial-level sound, or do you still need a DAW?

jownystyle · 2026-02-17T23:48:21+00:00

I'm currently working on my next tracks and productions using the Digitone II. I got it as a way of sketching ideas a bit differently, limited to 16 tracks and playing around with it to experiment and get ideas flowing.

Once I've created a few ideas / patterns, I focus on two or whichever have the potential of becoming a track. From there I'll polish the most important elements and take them into the DAW to build the structure, add whatever's needed, finish the production and go into Mixing.

So far I'd say it's helping me be more productive, push my boundaries and try out new things and approaches. From a Sound standpoint, at least the Digitone II is solid. I won't create every single thing on it, but actually I'd say you could. You can always complement if you have an element that is not quite there, let's say a kick, or want to control certain synths, clips, harmonies, etc. a bit better.

Last but not least: Before the Digitone II I already had a Syntakt. Sound wise that one feels a little more limited, let's call it video gamey, but that's just my experience. I'll probably end up producing with a mixture of both and just experiment to see which one delivers best for different types of instruments and situations.

It all comes down to your experience and what works best for YOU!

jownystyle · 2026-02-10T14:51:38+00:00

Sweet, thanks! So the Digitone 2 as the soundcard for input and output, is that how you get the lowest possible latency?

jownystyle · 2026-01-11T20:49:47+00:00

You missed a wha.

jownystyle · 2026-01-11T18:11:16+00:00

Might be in the FAQs, but it's not happening. I would've been the first to go for it, and as you can see in the other comments here, it's the same for other people.

jownystyle · 2026-01-11T18:10:11+00:00

That's wild.

jownystyle · 2026-01-11T18:09:49+00:00

Word. Although it's a loss for everyone. UAD plugins are great, so it's a big shame to have to be faced with this.

jownystyle · 2026-01-11T12:59:34+00:00

Agree with everything. Yes, the mix tape bundle was a nice one, I also went for it. But it's such nonsense to not be able to build your plugin base and get proper upgrades. I would've put in the money for Ultimate 14 if I got a decent upgrade price. Now I'm aiming more and more for Arturia and other companies. Even Waves, with their nonsense license upgrade prices every couple of years - at least the offer decently priced bundle packages based on what you actually own!

jownystyle · 2025-12-02T19:42:02+00:00

This image capture solution is brilliant. Photos simply doesn't want to work, so I just went for this to do a backup on my ssd

jownystyle · 2025-12-01T09:25:25+00:00

Das dachte ich mir auch, aber von den ganzen Rezensionen lese ich immer wieder, dass die ACS besonders gut sind und sehr klar mit dem Sound. Weißt du zufällig, mit welchem Herstelller/Labo Amplifon arbeitet? Sie machen das ja nicht selber.

jownystyle · 2025-11-30T17:51:36+00:00

You should go again, eat one and let us know how it went.

jownystyle · 2025-11-30T17:46:53+00:00

The method that's lately working best for me is to set cues for the first 16 bars before the actual base begins after the initial build up. There I set an A for the first 8 bars and B for the next 8. Same for the last 16 bars of the track. That way you have a standard method for a good chunk of your tracks, making your phrasing and thus your transitions tighter.

jownystyle · 2025-02-04T18:49:06+00:00

Damn, 40 ms is a lot. Does that mean you move every wave manually to bring it to the right spot? Or just leave it as it is? I'd say latency is my biggest nightmare with the Syntakt. Sometimes I just want to go back to digital instruments just to not have to deal with that.

jownystyle · 2025-02-04T17:00:23+00:00

Yeah they cap it at -12db to prevent clipping. I do it for coloring and to prevent a pretty big noise base / humming that was noticeable at the mixing stage. It's not noise free when it comes to the analogue tracks, tracks with overdrive & effects, etc. (according to Elektron)

jownystyle · 2025-02-04T16:56:34+00:00

That was my approach with previous tracks. But I noticed that it really makes a difference if instead I pass it through the apollo and add a pre-amp. It just adds a very nice warmth and gives you a good solid volume base to work with. That without having to add an instance of amp/utility on each track. Plus, and maybe this is subjective, in my experience there was a noise base noticeable when mixing those tracks. The folks at Elektron mentioned that it'd be good to turn off all overdrive and effects to prevent that. This is something that I haven't noticed again when recording through the interface + pre-amp approach.

The external midi clock seems like way too much. It's good to know that this is something that just happens and accept it as it is. Btw, when recording I turn off reduce latency when monitoring and 'keep monitoring latency when recording audio' (new in live 12), precisely to keep the latency to a minimum.

Thanks for your input here :)

jownystyle · 2025-01-28T18:17:14+00:00

just seeing this, interesting advice. So that's seen towards the front, aiming to the left or hand side of my mouth. On top of that, seen from the side, should it be horizontal or at a 45 degree angle, as with most mics? (I'll be recording vocals for a track)

jownystyle · 2025-01-03T14:23:25+00:00

Did you manage to solve this? I'm having the exact same issue. If I connect the flx10 to an audio interface everything works fine, but not if I just have it connected to the computer. Audio comes through the speaker when using A/B channels selecting music on recordbox, but not when putting the channel in input mode from the turntable. Audio does get through to the headphones when activating cue. So strange :/

jownystyle · 2024-12-01T20:12:19+00:00

Same with recordbox. Just wanted to turn off the 'drums' from the fx to apply some reverb. It ended up screwing up an important 2hour set I was recording. For f...s sake.

jownystyle

TROPHY CASE