Funny video with a good demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dBc1lKSKPI
It sounds much better than I expected from NAMM demos.
Just bought mine…
Reading on Nauts that it looks like Elektron have released another unit with significant known bugs. Arpeggiator, triggering midi notes etc… Not minor or niche workflow things. Not cool. They aren’t a little Kickstarter company, this kind of stuff should work on release or be disclosed as known bugs to potential purchasers. Last couple years has entirely altered my opinion of the company. Seems like grabbing people’s money fast is no.1 priority…
After listening to the demos I’m in the ‘meh’ camp. Nothing very interesting or spectacular sounding. Nice to integrate fm with an elektron sequencer and Ui, but at £700 my GAS shields are strong 
Id rather spend that on an a4 mki or an analog heat for op1/iPad. Don’t really need either of those either though…I’m cured again, hurrah!
Hey @Callofthevoid don’t be so hard on Elektron. Their gear are obviously filled with passion.
And they actually publicly aknoledged the two bugs I have heard of.
this kind of stuff should work on release or be disclosed as known bugs to potential purchasers.
@Simon : "Weird pattern lights is a software issue - best to write that here too!"
https://www.elektronauts.com/t/digitone-is-now-shipping/50577/127?u=lyingdalai
@Dataline : "The ARP issue is known and should be fixed in the coming days."
https://www.elektronauts.com/t/digitone-is-now-shipping/50577/83?u=lyingdalai
And about the Elektronaut whose machine crashed, Simon replied
https://www.elektronauts.com/t/digitone-is-now-shipping/50577/126?u=lyingdalai
Deeply sorry to hear about this. We’ve responded to your support case and sort you out with a replacement unit immediately.
Pretty good review here:
I dunno man, maybe I’m being harsh, just seems it’s either of two ways -
Either the staff coding DT aren’t the same ones as those coding DN… In which case why is it taking so long for DT to be without problems for people if some staff have been giving this priority attention the past year? People can’t even backup their samples!??
Or the staff coding DN are the same as those coding DT…In which case why arent they working on the DT issues first as priority?
DT has been out a pretty long time now… Just feels like they keep throwing their focus at new things and new sales before finishing things people have already paid for? Maybe I’m just being cynical though… It seems like probably more a marketing/sales decision. Not at all the fault of the coders/musicians that work there. Just someone up the ladder being a little overly keen to push products out the door and not disclose bugs at launch. All just guesswork though, no one knows what goes on inside the chocolate factory
Just doesn’t give me much faith. Especially in things like pre-orders and feature requests… There’ll probably be a new box out in a few months… And probably new Overbridge woes to contend with when that drops. Seems like boxes will probably still develop via bug fixes and feature updates like they have done traditionally, but increasingly verrrrry slowly… So I’m just definitely in the ‘Sit back and wait til it’s confirmed as what I’m looking for’ camp with their releases now. I’d genuinely love to be proven wrong though and faith restored with DT, DN and OB all being totally seaworthy within the next few weeks. DN still really interests me, especially the 8-note external sequencing which would be way better for me than OT’s 4-note. I just don’t have faith to grab one straight off until I see what kind of updates it’s going to receive…
I dunno man, maybe I'm being harsh, just seems it's either of two ways -got to agree with what your saying. i sold my DT out of frustration. I did love that thing though, and made some great music with it. If only they would fix the damn thing I would buy another. I sold it, then they announced a 'big update' just after i sold. I was a bit bummed.. then they announced that the announced update had been delayed. Now its looking like 1.05 will come.. and OB isnt coming until 1.1. so probably another 3-4 months. If you bought on launch like i did i think you have every right to be a little pissed off.. not to mention the price drop. So the beta testers paid a premium to have a crashing unstable box, full of midi bugs, and still cannot backup their samples and songs...Either the staff coding DT aren’t the same ones as those coding DN… In which case why is it taking so long for DT to be without problems for people if some staff have been giving this priority attention the past year? People can’t even backup their samples!??
Or the staff coding DN are the same as those coding DT…In which case why arent they working on the DT issues first as priority?
DT has been out a pretty long time now… Just feels like they keep throwing their focus at new things and new sales before finishing things people have already paid for? Maybe I’m just being cynical though… It seems like probably more a marketing/sales decision. Not at all the fault of the coders/musicians that work there. Just someone up the ladder being a little overly keen to push products out the door and not disclose bugs at launch. All just guesswork though, no one knows what goes on inside the chocolate factory
Just doesn’t give me much faith. Especially in things like pre-orders and feature requests… There’ll probably be a new box out in a few months… And probably new Overbridge woes to contend with when that drops. Seems like boxes will probably still develop via bug fixes and feature updates like they have done traditionally, but increasingly verrrrry slowly… So I’m just definitely in the ‘Sit back and wait til it’s confirmed as what I’m looking for’ camp with their releases now. I’d genuinely love to be proven wrong though and faith restored with DT, DN and OB all being totally seaworthy within the next few weeks. DN still really interests me, especially the 8-note external sequencing which would be way better for me than OT’s 4-note. I just don’t have faith to grab one straight off until I see what kind of updates it’s going to receive…
I tend to agree with CalloftheVoid that this kind of stuff is sort of tiresome and is definitely affecting my respect for the company. Thankfully, my Octatrack is chugging away just fine.
As for the Digitone, it looks neat enough, but I’m honing in on my workflow that I’ve explored for the last few years (MAX+modular or Octatrack+modular) and it has no place in it because I only have 2 hands, 1 brain, and 2 feet. I’m focused on that workflow and I’m not one of those people with the money or interest in just buying a ton of shit to have it and not use it, be distracted by it, or tinker periodically (my OP1 is actually my one remaining ‘extra’ box but it has a clear place when I’m pursuing certain avenues of songwriting so I’ll never sell it). So, I will remain curious but happily not having to deal with the bugs of these new boxes that will probably frustrate a lot of users who can’t help but have the new and shiny, but flawed. Hopefully, the kinks will be worked out quickly though.
I tend to agree with CalloftheVoid that this kind of stuff is sort of tiresome and is definitely affecting my respect for the company. Thankfully, my Octatrack is chugging away just fine.bit salty there? not everyone buying new gear is buying for the new and shiny. happy you are enjoying your gear, thats the way it should be. Others might enjoy something different, whether it be new and shiny or old and dusty.As for the Digitone, it looks neat enough, but I'm honing in on my workflow that I've explored for the last few years (MAX+modular or Octatrack+modular) and it has no place in it because I only have 2 hands, 1 brain, and 2 feet. I'm focused on that workflow and I'm not one of those people with the money or interest in just buying a ton of shit to have it and not use it, be distracted by it, or tinker periodically (my OP1 is actually my one remaining 'extra' box but it has a clear place when I'm pursuing certain avenues of songwriting so I'll never sell it). So, I will remain curious but happily not having to deal with the bugs of these new boxes that will probably frustrate a lot of users who can't help but have the new and shiny, but flawed. Hopefully, the kinks will be worked out quickly though.
Ha, maybe it came across that way. Of course you’re right and I sound like a crank. I apologize 
I think there are times the Elektron forums just wear me out with the consumerism and with the NAMM speculation and Digitone news dominating discussion it has been full blast for the last few weeks. I go there, occasionally participate, but do my best to ignore that aspect of the community…obviously with mixed results.
You guys are right, I might be a bit defensive cause I love these machines… Totally hooked to the Elektron workflow and the sound of these machines.
But it’s right that I’m eager to see the bugs smashed for good !
@sellanraa I feel you on the position where you’re satisfied with your setup. I tend to look toward this now. Lately I’ve sold 4 machines I hadn’t touched in months, it felt pretty liberatory and I even met new cool people ^^
Actually made a track with the guy whom I sold the Microgranny 
Switching gear can be healthy, as long as you put out tracks and use it, I’d say
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2Ic9upij-U is a good training / review.
Switching gear can be a fun and exciting adventure, and that rush of new toys is unique, but I’ve found FOR ME (so I don’t come across quite as salty) it crushes my productivity as I sort out a new workflow. Definitely curious about how they implement FM. I think Elektron still has great and unique ideas for workflow and interfacing. I just want to see them implemented and sorted at a proper level before release. We’ll all disagree on what the proper level is though.
For people frustrated with Elektron, it isn’t a binary love/hate, we all exist in different grays between the black and white, the love and the hate. They’ve set a high bar because they’ve done exceptional work.
Switching gear can be a fun and exciting adventure, and that rush of new toys is unique, but I've found FOR ME (so I don't come across quite as salty) it crushes my productivity as I sort out a new workflow.
Interesting point. I’m a little guilty that I use “not having the right combination of gear” to have not “found a workflow that works”. To be honest, that is why I love the OP-1. The whole workflow is in the box, it is battery powered and portable.
This is why I’m so excited for the OP-Z also. I’m curious though, the power requirements of the Digitone can’t be super high, so wouldn’t it have been nice if it was battery powered, too. Could it be a good “all in one box” on the sofa? Hmm… now I got GAS!
It’s a challenge we all face I’d imagine. We all have different amounts of resistance, different strategies, and some have no interest in resisting the lure probably. I could stand to remember more frequently that we all seek different things from music. It’s difficult not to use my goals/needs/ideas as a metric for others, but getting called out for being salty helps
OP1 is definitely fantastic as an all in one box solution, but I wish it played nicer with others. OP1+Octatrack has been a pretty magical combo that I could stand to explore more though.
OPZ looks awesome too, but kind of like the Digitone, I don’t want to mess with my workflow and the lack of any screen has me hesitant. Oh, and I’m broke and trying to save for a proper honeymoon. Muscle memory and a really perfect connection with the instrument would have to be developed, but if I recall there was some demo where they indicated it was a very deliberate choice to not have a screen for that reason. I appreciate the boldness, even if it leaves me uncertain.
We just uploaded OS 1.0110 which fixes the bugs mentioned here. Official news post coming soon!I wish you all a great weekend and sorry for a first few shaky days with the DN.
(And yes, we are of course working on the DT in parallel!)
Digitone is now shipping - #185 by Ess - Digitone/Digitone Keys - Elektronauts
I’d be damn interested in the history of the Machinedrum. I came to Elektron only a couple of years ago and everything I got until the Digitone was significantly deep or past the end of its lifecycle. But I heard the Octatrack had a pretty rough launch. And lets not forget some of the weird confusions around OS 218, 220, and 225 for the OP-1 lately and which one might brick a unit and which didn’t and how we all wanted the OS 218/225 update now now now now now now now and how frustrated we were at how late that update shipped (but it generally did work well, but I was damn scared to jump from 218 to 225 based on scattered horror stories from this forum).
It’s all weird these days. Seems like very little that’s complex works on first try. But eventually it all gets really solid and fixed.
But I also understand why my car nut younger brother has a deep distrust for increasingly computerized cars.
Anyways, instead of ranting and wasting paragraphs, I’ll just say: my Digitone showed up last night and worked fucking fine. I didn’t push it to extremes, knowing that arp had issues and such, but it worked fine. But there’s not much fun writing about how great it is that it worked. And less than a day later, there’s patches for Arp and Midi.
Also I’m kindof tired and cranky right now and have to go back to resuming my own fight with computers and coding before I can go home and get back to making crappy noisy FM soundscapes.
Speaking of crappy noisy FM soundscapes, here’s my first recording out of the Digitone. Feeling kindof burnt out lately and it seems like I can make my synths do noisy soundscapes more than I can do melodies right now. Coming from a long harsh noise and electroacoustic background, this isn’t bad, I guess.
Anyways: Digitone + a single PO-35 pattern, sync’d through Oplab with Darenager’s synclab board. PO-35 is routed back through Digitone for a bit of delay, reverb, and chorus. Just using two Digitone tracks for the soundscapey sounds. Track 1 is in unison mode with two voices so it can choke itself and is generally the lower sound; Track 2 is regular poly and is the brighter sounds that come in a little late. PO-35 has me saying “come on user, suck my battery” as a nod to a line from Flight of the Conchord’s “Humans are dead” song.
Hey mate, I’ve just finished watching Stranger Things 2… Last episodes were pretty bad but I was tight as a tourniquet
Your first notes banged on my sound system, and the whole mood of it perfectly pictured my tension : it’s awesome man !!
And I didn’t know PO-35 was out already !
Why release the Digitone before it’s finished? (same as DT) Makes no sense to me. Their reputation used to be about rock solid sequencing. This is in tatters.
Cool box though!