Dambro Vs Octotrack Vs Digitakt

rs2000

@Eschatone said:

@Olv said:
What is the better ?

Just to be the contrarian in the room .. Synthstrom Deluge.

The modularity of Drambo is probably more similar to Octatrack than Digitakt ..definitely a tinkerers toolbox;

I love Drambo, especially when I want to experiment or do some interesting sound design. Though much of the time I just want to make music without being distracted by a thousand pieces of an erector set, in which case Deluge, GR-16 or Gadget are ideal, focused environments.

[edit] Once I compile a larger and more varied library of synth presets and sample libraries for Drambo, I could see it replacing other iOS Groovebox apps on my iPad. It’ll take some time to get there though.

👍🏼
I couldn't have said it better 😊

Will

@rs2000 said:

@syrupcore said:
@rs2000 Does that photo indicate you're using a Beatstep to control Drambo? If so, can I ask how you have it configured?

I can post a screen shot of the editor later (or even post a setup file).

Using Arturia MIDI Control Center, set all knobs to send relative MIDI CC, and as far as I remember, I've used Relative Type 1 mapped to Drambo's first incremental menu entry.

Thank you. I don't need a ton of details or anything. Was just curious how you're using the two together in a general sense. Something like @supadom's mini description of his LaunchKey setup maybe?

@supadom said:
Pads stuck on midi channel 10 are mapped to transport, scenes and track mutes.
Keyboard, 8 knobs and 6 buttons per track with easy midi channel switching for part control.
Powers off IPad which means no need to be bound by a wall socket.

I was wondering about MIDI channel switching for per-part control. That's a crucial bit of info. Thank you!

supadom

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
workflow vision

What fresh hell is this!?

To know exactly what you want and how you want it. Let’s face it, not everybody wants to build the house, some just want to live in it. Or when you get an app and immediately think I wish I could do this and that etc. It’s almost like Drambo is an app of all apps even without the piano roll and definitely most suited for loopy people.

But wait, why am I feeling that I’m wasting my time explaining?

mistercharlie

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
workflow vision

What fresh hell is this!?

To know exactly what you want and how you want it. Let’s face it, not everybody wants to build the house, some just want to live in it. Or when you get an app and immediately think I wish I could do this and that etc. It’s almost like Drambo is an app of all apps even without the piano roll and definitely most suited for loopy people.

But wait, why am I feeling that I’m wasting my time explaining?

No, not wasting your time! I was just joking, but you make a great point in your answer.

I think what I’m missing in Drambo is a way to record the various loops into a timeline. I like to do that with hardware — Digitakt into Ableton for example. It’s great for creating loops, Recording them, iterating, and repeating.

Perhaps Drambo in Beatmaker is the answer.

wim

@mistercharlie said:
I think what I’m missing in Drambo is a way to record the various loops into a timeline. I like to do that with hardware — Digitakt into Ableton for example. It’s great for creating loops, Recording them, iterating, and repeating.

Perhaps Drambo in Beatmaker is the answer.

Why would Drambo be any different? If you can record Digitakt into Ableton, you can record Drambo into Ableton.

mistercharlie

@wim Excellent point. Although I sometimes like to step away from the desk. Usually that means the OP-Z, but I should try to get more out off all those apps filling up my iPad.

J_B

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
workflow vision

What fresh hell is this!?

To know exactly what you want and how you want it. Let’s face it, not everybody wants to build the house, some just want to live in it. Or when you get an app and immediately think I wish I could do this and that etc. It’s almost like Drambo is an app of all apps even without the piano roll and definitely most suited for loopy people.

But wait, why am I feeling that I’m wasting my time explaining?

No, not wasting your time! I was just joking, but you make a great point in your answer.

I think what I’m missing in Drambo is a way to record the various loops into a timeline. I like to do that with hardware — Digitakt into Ableton for example. It’s great for creating loops, Recording them, iterating, and repeating.

Perhaps Drambo in Beatmaker is the answer.

Ive really found Drambo in beatmaker to be the answer, it’s everything that beatmaker lacks imo and the format is perfect for it

supadom

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
workflow vision

What fresh hell is this!?

To know exactly what you want and how you want it. Let’s face it, not everybody wants to build the house, some just want to live in it. Or when you get an app and immediately think I wish I could do this and that etc. It’s almost like Drambo is an app of all apps even without the piano roll and definitely most suited for loopy people.

But wait, why am I feeling that I’m wasting my time explaining?

No, not wasting your time! I was just joking, but you make a great point in your answer.

I think what I’m missing in Drambo is a way to record the various loops into a timeline. I like to do that with hardware — Digitakt into Ableton for example. It’s great for creating loops, Recording them, iterating, and repeating.

Perhaps Drambo in Beatmaker is the answer.

Cool, no worries, just checking

mistercharlie

@J_B said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
workflow vision

What fresh hell is this!?

To know exactly what you want and how you want it. Let’s face it, not everybody wants to build the house, some just want to live in it. Or when you get an app and immediately think I wish I could do this and that etc. It’s almost like Drambo is an app of all apps even without the piano roll and definitely most suited for loopy people.

But wait, why am I feeling that I’m wasting my time explaining?

No, not wasting your time! I was just joking, but you make a great point in your answer.

I think what I’m missing in Drambo is a way to record the various loops into a timeline. I like to do that with hardware — Digitakt into Ableton for example. It’s great for creating loops, Recording them, iterating, and repeating.

Perhaps Drambo in Beatmaker is the answer.

Ive really found Drambo in beatmaker to be the answer, it’s everything that beatmaker lacks imo and the format is perfect for it

I’ll give it a try. I like BeatMaker a lot, and was always looking for a sequencer to use with it.

I wonder if I can finally make its midi work.

dreamrobe

When the octatrack is in front of me i know exactly what i can do and how i can do this without even looking at at.

When the ipad is in front of me i can do thousand different things on it. Getting something done is more of a mental skill because building up muscle memory is insecure.

supadom

@dreamrobe said:
When the octatrack is in front of me i know exactly what i can do and how i can do this without even looking at at.

When the ipad is in front of me i can do thousand different things on it. Getting something done is more of a mental skill because building up muscle memory is insecure.

Totally, there’s safety in boundaries. This is why for most part the safest perceived time in our lives is when we’re kids. Once we’re on our own everything becomes so much more complicated. So I guess it is about control. The more control you have the more responsibility comes with it. Basically you relinquish a lot of control by using pre-built hardware boxes but this channels your energy.

Artj

@dreamrobe said:
When the octatrack is in front of me i know exactly what i can do and how i can do this without even looking at at.

Exactly. This is a hardware advantage, which is not limited to OT alone. It's a fixed architecture no matter how complicate it is. And fixed hands-on control of course is a plus. I still think it's impossible to compare the two at this point. The OT is a mature product, with its flaws and all that. Its expert users know all these flaws and find ways to work with it, resulting in many incredible performances. Drambo on the other hand is still in a baby stage. Perhaps give it some time, and when users have more time to experiment with it, then we can compare them better.

iansainsbury

@rs2000 said:

@Eschatone said:

@Olv said:
What is the better ?

👍🏼
I couldn't have said it better 😊

Funny, I just sold my Deluge because the overlap between Gadget/NS2 was too great, and I found myself making more music, more quickly, there. My love for the OP-1 has prompted me to find another piece of musical hardware. I'm enjoying gadget paired with an Arturia keystep, because I can twiddle knobs. I'll follow this thread carefully, because I'm looking at Digitakt (particularly now it's audio class compliant), Octatrack mk1, or MPC-One/MC-707 (less likely, because they probably suffer from the same overlap the Deluge did.)

@supadom said:
If you lack workflow vision go with Elektron boxes. If you have a clear idea of what workflow you want then Drambo and a couple of controllers is heaven for home and live use.

I'm currently messing with launchkey mini mk 2 as Drambo companion and I'm getting close to hardware experience:

Interesting. I definitely don't have workflow vision, whatever that is. Maybe that's my problem with Drambo. I need restrictions to help me avoid paralysis. If I saw a video of a Drambo workflow with hardware that I could copy, I’d probably try that. That was a heavy-handed hint, btw.

mistercharlie

I’d swap the term “workflow vision” for “being willing to spend a lot of time designing your instrument/environment before you begin.”

Compare someone who learns the guitar to a high level, compared to someone who can play, but also builds guitars, or who mods their guitars with new pickups, or custom wiring schemes. Does the guitarist lack vision because they didn’t custom build their instrument?

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

auxmux

Building a guitar analogy isn't a 100% on point. That's akin to coding an app or building a DIY Eurorack module. Modding is closer.

supadom

@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you seem to be lacking vision 😂

Some people like for their work space to be laid out in a certain way. I like my transport on the left and scenes switcher on the right, I prefer to trigger drums with a keyboard as opposed to pads and use pads as switches etc, etc. When you get a hardware box it is laid out in a certain way so either you learn designer’s workflow of you’re stuffed. This is why I will always choose the software + hardware controller route over a hardware box.

Yes, it’s definitely more laborious in terms of putting it together but it is built around you as opposed to you bending your habits to use a machine.

auxmux

I agree with @supadom. I rather build my workflow, then use one defined by someone else. It's more fun for me, which is not fun for everyone. I love how apps like AUM and Drambo allow this.

mistercharlie

@supadom said:
@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you to be lacking vision 😂

Not really. I’m one of the nerds who built his own guitar.

supadom

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you to be lacking vision 😂

Not really. I’m one of the nerds who built his own guitar.

That was a joke mate but I couldn’t find the ‘laughing with you’ emoji.

iansainsbury

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you to be lacking vision 😂

Not really. I’m one of the nerds who built his own guitar.

That was a joke mate but I couldn’t find the ‘laughing with you’ emoji.

I'm laughing with me too. And I’m partially with you, @supadom, as I’m going to add the NanoStudio to my set up to make gadget feel more hardwarey.
But I don’t mind learning an imposed workflow (which, let’s face it, is pretty much what a piano is), with the hope of getting good enough to eventually transcend and/or subvert it. A boy can dream.
That’s why I’m leaning towards the digitakt as an iPad companion.

supadom

@iansainsbury said:

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you to be lacking vision 😂

Not really. I’m one of the nerds who built his own guitar.

That was a joke mate but I couldn’t find the ‘laughing with you’ emoji.

I'm laughing with me too. And I’m partially with you, @supadom, as I’m going to add the NanoStudio to my set up to make gadget feel more hardwarey.
But I don’t mind learning an imposed workflow (which, let’s face it, is pretty much what a piano is), with the hope of getting good enough to eventually transcend and/or subvert it. A boy can dream.
That’s why I’m leaning towards the digitakt as an iPad companion.

Cool, I love my circuit! Ticks a lot of universal boxes as I’m sure Elektron stuff albeit I’ve heard some say they do things their own way

auxmux

@iansainsbury said:

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you to be lacking vision 😂

Not really. I’m one of the nerds who built his own guitar.

That was a joke mate but I couldn’t find the ‘laughing with you’ emoji.

I'm laughing with me too. And I’m partially with you, @supadom, as I’m going to add the NanoStudio to my set up to make gadget feel more hardwarey.
But I don’t mind learning an imposed workflow (which, let’s face it, is pretty much what a piano is), with the hope of getting good enough to eventually transcend and/or subvert it. A boy can dream.
That’s why I’m leaning towards the digitakt as an iPad companion.

This explains why I suck at playing keys. 😂

u0421793

@Max23 said:

@mistercharlie said:
I’d swap the term “workflow vision” for “being willing to spend a lot of time designing your instrument/environment before you begin.”

Compare someone who learns the guitar to a high level, compared to someone who can play, but also builds guitars, or who mods their guitars with new pickups, or custom wiring schemes. Does the guitarist lack vision because they didn’t custom build their instrument?

actually the presets aren't bad, u could very well just make music using these (add a little modulation as you see fit).
Building your own guitar is boring, as its supposed to sound like a guitar ...

It’s like I’ve always said the difference between developing your own black and white film, vs developing your own colour film. There’s so many ways of developing black and white film, many different expressions of technique and variability. There’s about one way of developing colour film, and if you did anything different, you basically fucked it up.

mistercharlie

@supadom said:

@mistercharlie said:

@supadom said:
@mistercharlie @iansainsbury wow, that must have tickled a specific nerve.

Let me break it down to you since you to be lacking vision 😂

Not really. I’m one of the nerds who built his own guitar.

That was a joke mate but I couldn’t find the ‘laughing with you’ emoji.

Mine was supposed to be laughing with you too. Damn this text-only business. I promise I’m smiling now, and in the good, friendly way, not the bad passive aggressive way that people who work in offices do to each other.

rs2000

@u0421793 said:

@Max23 said:

@mistercharlie said:
I’d swap the term “workflow vision” for “being willing to spend a lot of time designing your instrument/environment before you begin.”

Compare someone who learns the guitar to a high level, compared to someone who can play, but also builds guitars, or who mods their guitars with new pickups, or custom wiring schemes. Does the guitarist lack vision because they didn’t custom build their instrument?

actually the presets aren't bad, u could very well just make music using these (add a little modulation as you see fit).
Building your own guitar is boring, as its supposed to sound like a guitar ...

It’s like I’ve always said the difference between developing your own black and white film, vs developing your own colour film. There’s so many ways of developing black and white film, many different expressions of technique and variability. There’s about one way of developing colour film, and if you did anything different, you basically fucked it up.

That's about how I remember making my own photo prints at home after years of black and white prints with all kinds of different paper.
With color, I was so busy getting just the colors right that there was hardly any room left for creativity.

Same with DAWs, grooveboxes, sequencers ... If it doesn't click then it's not made for you.

GovernorSilver

@dreamrobe said:
When the octatrack is in front of me i know exactly what i can do and how i can do this without even looking at at.

When the ipad is in front of me i can do thousand different things on it. Getting something done is more of a mental skill because building up muscle memory is insecure.

Option paralysis is the reason I never really got on with an all-software setup.

I understand the arguments of the "in the box" crowd and tried to be part of it myself when I bought Ableton Live Suite. Just didn't work out for me.

no1normal

Not exactly a vs question…

Can this be done in Drambo?

wim

Rather than jump through a bunch of hoops to do that natively in Drambo, I think I’d just host Koala in it. If a sample is set to stretch then it will automatically adjust to tempo, and pitch can be automated or linked to a knob or control. Piece of cake😎.

Interested to hear others’ solutions though.

no1normal

Fair point, koala is probably easier!
Part of the appeal (and the headache) of Drambo for me is how many different ways there are to achieve a single goal. No doubt @rs2000 …the man of infinite Drambo solutions… will figure it out. Or drop a massive bomb that theirs actually time stretching in the next Drambo update 😀

There’s an updated workflow video on the same channel if anyone’s interested.
Clever use of LFO’s and conditional trigs