Tips for integrating Syntakt with Digitakt II - query

Elektron Gear Syntakt
1

Hi all,

Hope this is the right place for this - I don’t use the forums often. I have done a search to see if my post has been covered before, and while I have found similar things, nothing quite scratched the itch, so starting a new one.

Just looking for some inspo/advice on how to best integrate different bits of gear into an effective rig. I’ll describe what I’ve got going on at the mo, and what’s not working for me. I know there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer - whatever works for you works - but I thought hearing from how y’all work might inspire.

I basically have a rig for recording that works both with and without a DAW, the base of which is Elektron boxes:
Digitakt II > Syntakt > A4 MK1 > Digitone
There’s also a couple of mono analogue synths (Grandmother & MS20), a Wavestate, and a Hydrasynth.
The Digitakt II acts as the ‘brain’ (master clock and sequencer) and final part of the audio change (with its master compressor)

This works quite well as each item scratches an itch I might have - for mono analogue, the GM, MS20, A4; for poly A4 in poly mode, Digitone and Hydra; for FM Digitone again; for waveshaping or simple sampling the Wavestate etc.

But I’m not really utilising the Syntakt. I have used it a lot in the past, but it doesn’t really seem to sit well in this rig - it kind of feels like it’s an either/or with the Digitakt II. I love its drum capabilities, but end up defaulting to Digitakt II for that. I love it’s synths too, but with other dedicated synths in the chain, I end up not utilising that either. When I’ve used it in rigs before, I’ve had it as the “brain” or central device - but with Digitakt II, it feels like two brains, and I can’t figure out how to implement them together.

I wonder if anyone else has experienced this and if they have any suggestions / solutions that worked for them?

The thing I’m thinking of is having a big sampling session - essentially putting all my Syntakt sounds into the Digitakt II - and then removing it from the rig entirely - but I wonder if I’d lose something doing that and if there’s another way of working I haven’t thought of…

Hope this all makes sense. Would love to hear how any of y’all work with these boxes together!

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I have two ideas:

  1. Put the Syntakt in a different room, with some headphones, and use it when you feel like it.
  2. Use the Syntakt only as an effects processor, near the end of the chain, just before the audio input to the Digitakt.

I think the main thing is to realise that you don’t have to use it just because you have it.

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Thanks for your reply Octagonist! Number 2 is kind of how it’s being used at the moment - some of the other synths going through the FX channel with that crunchy overdrive before it gets passed into the 'takt.

Number 1 is what I’m thinking of doing as well… Maybe create a separate rig with the Syntakt as the “brains” to use when I feel like it.

Thanks!

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