Weird design BUT great sound & functionality // Digitone Keys Review & Music Demos
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ธ.ค. 2024
- This is the Digitone Keys and while it looks kinda funny its a solid FM synth and groovebox! Want to pick up a Digitone Keys? Use my affiliate link:
Digitone Keys
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DIGITONE
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Korg Minilogue XD
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Microfreak
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This is the Digitone Keys and while it looks kinda funny its a solid FM synth and groovebox! Want to pick up a Digitone Keys? Use my affiliate link:
Digitone Keys
UK: tidd.ly/40hKMc1
DIGITONE
EU: thmn.to/thoprod/431568?offid=1&affid=623
US: imp.i114863.net/4kOXL
ALTERNATIVES
Yamaha MODX
EU: thmn.to/thoprod/550543?offid=1&affid=623
US: imp.i114863.net/2rEyeM
US: bit.ly/4135Jbx
UK: tidd.ly/3mo0JiW
Korg Minilogue XD
EU: thmn.to/thoprod/465932?offid=1&affid=623
US: imp.i114863.net/Rxg72
US: bit.ly/43pwF77
UK: tidd.ly/3zRzrV7
Microfreak
EU: thmn.to/thoprod/457192?offid=1&affid=623
US: imp.i114863.net/ZknZK
US: bit.ly/3KS8Ux7
UK: tidd.ly/3MFqyFJ
Korg Wavestate
EU: www.thomann.de/se/korg_wavestate.htm?offid=1&affid=623
US: imp.i114863.net/6a3mE
US: bit.ly/3GBQXAl
UK: tidd.ly/3KQ9oTx
I think what most people don’t get is this product is a throwback to the Monomachine. It’s like a 2019 Monomachine. I personally think this is pretty cool.
Great video man. See you at Superbooth.
Love this format of you drawing on paper underneath to label different sections of the device in review. Simple and clever 👍
Its hopefully here to stay. I really enjoy it
This looks amazing Bo. Epic intro melody mate, love this kind of music. You rocking Bo.
One of the coolest devices from Elektron.
I especially like the fact that it looks different. It is on the heavy side, more than I expected.
Great video Bo.... and Wow Digitone must have sent dozens of these keyboards out........ I seen Andrews review last night, and now there seems to be hundreds of them out there this morning. Yours is the best one I have seen :)
But wow, that's how you launch a product.
Really enjoying the whiteboard approach. Thanks Bo
You sure do a fine demo, Bo. This has got to be one of the best videos you've ever made. I'm not even all that interested in the DT Keys, but this video was awesome. You really nailed everything, from the broad strokes of content outlining to the fine details of each moment. Great videography, all the right info in all the right places, and a rockin' demo song. You're getting really good at this.
I've always admired Elektron products, never owned one, but they're the pinnacle of tight and lush minimal sound creations. I've always been attracted to synths with keys so this is very appealing to me. I like the small thin factor design, really cool. Thanks Bo!
Great video Bo! Love the presentation and graphics. In two minds on the synth looks but love FM having started with a DX11 many years ago.
Is it now possible to record aftertouch events into the sequencer?
I'm missing the leds above the keys (from the AK and SFX-6). I find the help a lot in programming tracks.
Digitone + Novation SL mkIII pretty much is this. The SL even comes preinstalled with a Digitone control template.
The price is ridiculous for what is just a digitone with a midi keyboard bolted to it and some extra outputs. I would love a easily programmable FM synth with some cool Elektron sequencing, but I don't see why I shouldn't just get a regular digitone and a keystep...
what is the price?
I feel a bit the same. I am trying to understand what public is targeted. People that do not have a MIDI keyboard ? Live rig perhaps ?
@@Twinsungamer People with a lot of money to spare. XD
You can buy a digitakt for £579 and the Digitone for ££549 the prices go lower at times so I'd rather get the digitakt and the digitone for the price of this £1100.
Peace ✌️ out people 🌍
I like the regular digitone. I'm sure this one is dope as well. I like keeping things portable.
Awesome, could you tell the synthesizer companies to slow down a bit? I need it all but can't have it. But seriously... I would be interested in it's use as a midi workstation for a setup. I haven't seen too many use Digitone as midi brain (would you do eight volume knobs?).
I use Digitone as a midi brain for my setup, it's an awesome way to produce. I use a Midi Solutions Quadra Thru to send midi data to my other hardware.
I ordered the non keyboard version for FM house beats on my desktop to use with my other Elektrons. Figure the Digitone with Analog 4 and Octatrack will be a powerful trio for house and techno music.
Have you used the 3 together
A design like no another... I like grears with their own personality and style, they bring a particular feeling that increase the creativity ! Individual outputs are a good idea too.
Did they update any of the digitone features? it's a weird looking design choice when put against the novation summit, but I can't fault them it's pretty cool as a all in one unit.
I really like this video style! The writing on the table is very visually appealing (even if I'm not 100% sold on the look of the Keys itself)
Also the track that starts at 3:42 is probably my favorite piece of music in one of your videos, I'd love to see it get released as a single or something
This is amazing, know if the mod and pitch wheels record into the sequencer?
Nice demo!
People suggesting just getting the old Digitone, along with a Keystep, don't understand the integration available in this new model.
I love this keyboard. I don’t understand the negative comments. You can’t just plug in a Keystep to a Digitone and achieve this level of symmetry. I for one am GETTING THIS!
This. It is obviously not for everyone. And the design might simply not work for many players. But all of this is obvious. It is still an amazing instrument, and no you can’t just add a Keystep and get something equivalent. Spot on there!
BoBeats no one is saying the intergration isn’t better than using a midi keyboard. Just that the layout design is terribly lazy and the price is way too high.
The Tired Horizon lol. Each hand has its own job on a regular synth layout. And can combine too. All without having to semi-abandon one area of it to use the other. Elektron just made the layout like this cos it was the easiest option....
They should have made this into a keytar
@@ipadoddschan7184 "semi-abandon one area of it to use the other" this premise isn't based on Facts. Unless you have physically stood in front of a unit..you can't possibly tell or "FEEL" if they are way to far apart to be of any use.
Plenty of people use live a small/large keyboard with there Machine or Push at arms reach on there left or right side ( All while semi-abandoning one area of it to use the other). And plenty of people perform live with a Keyboard with another piece of Gear located at the back of there keyboard (again at arms reach, All while semi-abandoning one area of it to use the other) with no issues performing live.
Since when did "semi-abandoning one area" of a piece of gear when performing live became a No No?
Love that intro groove, was that all coming from that one Digitone? If so, were those factory sounds?
1. Yes all sounds are Digitone (sequenced on the Digitone)
2. I think they are all presets or tweaked presets. Maybe one sound could be something I made. Hard to remember.
@@BoBeats thanks a lot for the reply! Did the length of the keyboard ever feel too short while you were playing? I'm having a hard time deciding which Digitone version to get.
Have you tried the Yamaha Reface DX? If so would you recommend it as a portable, more basic and inexpensive alternative to this for us unwealthy musicians working on Volcas? :D
Yes! I actually just did recommend this in my latest video :-D
I like my R-DX, but it’s monotimbral, lacks a sequencer, in addition to the obvious mini keys
Does the Digitone keys have an "Instant trance" button like the MODX?
Sadly not. It does however always lead to great techno. Untz untz
Hello Bo! Have never seen before such cool sounding synth as Digitone. Very interested how you feel to buy it as first serious maschine for start making music? Thank you
i've been gassing for a digitone for a long time. this looks terrible. why is the keyboard just stuck on the side? and the pitch-bend/mod wheels are so far away from the keys? i'd rather get the original and rack-mount it above an arturia key step. are people seriously saying this looks good because 'two people can play it'? really? why not sling a guitar strap on it, as well, and make it into an FM keytar ... why can't there just be a digitone version of the A4-Keys?
aaroninky i think you got it wrong - , i find the Digitone to be more of a instrument in itself , a wellmade and layout “Sequenser FM Tweakbox,” and this new Keybord oprion is really just an “option” with some neat side-effects, but way overpriced,- and ,as you say , i would also rather spend the cash on a Digitakt to go with my “old” Digitone , and use my DeepMind as triggerkeys, with its aftertouch and expanded sequencer capabilities,=. but i so Deff. Feel the good ol’ GAS , setting in !
I wanna break it in two
@@seanrichards8774 tempting :)...like a chocolate bar
Ammanuel mmmmm. Expensive...
i am obsessed with this synth! Is a must have for me! I just hope they drop the price a bit!
Think they have by now
Thanks for this video is there a scale mode on it ?
Amazing demonstration Bo, your tunes are right up my alley and always hit me almost inmediately. Really top notch!
Though I think this is killer in it’s own right, I love the Digitakt, and if Elektron would do a version of this w/ the Digitakt in an enhanced and focused way of making it a full fledged sample based synth w/ time stretch, and a helpful feature set for say creating a 61 midi step sequence to choose the length of the steps all at once and then use it to perform the 61 key scale from your instrument and record the sample and then slice it to play back however much polyphony they’ll give you, I guess the 8 which would be great. And then give us a full dedicated filter section, w/ every filter digitally and maybe even some analog in there? Well I just really looked into the Nord wave which is that, but I have the harmor vst, and I wasn’t floored by the nord 2’s filters and unfortunatley it also isn’t a rack vesrion synth. But if Elektron did soemthing like this I could justify it not being a module.
Love the Digitone, but here was a chance to make the UI more usable by avoiding the need to press shift button to access secondary features, and laying out the buttons above the keybed (all controls such as filter/envelopes on individual knobs/sliders too) - quite a lazy implementation, probably done to reduce cost, but doesn't make it much better than having a separate keybed. BTW Electron if you are listening, personally I would like a synth only version without sequencing, that would be awesome..and better polyphony.. it's a great user friendly implementation of FM otherwise.
thank you for presentation and excellent idea is comparison with other tools
L O N G B O Y
(I think it looks awesome, sort of an 80s look, with the hard edges and asymmetrical design, which I like!)
Looks like someone took a Digitone and glued it to a cheap midi-keyboard... I LIKE IT!
Very lazy design.
@@vinylselektaz6475 I wouldn't say lazy, they obviously designed it with a goal in mind. I'm just worried over the balance of the thing. It look like it would tip over if placed on a stand!
Kalle André Johansson they should’ve made it like the analog keys minus the small screen. This only make me buy a midi controller along side.
How about connecting a quality MIDI keyboard (e.g. Arturia KeyLab etc.) to the Digitone compared to the keyboard version of the Digitone?
Which variant do you think is more flexible?
Thanks for the review! I like the look myself, but I am worried that the screen is on the wrong side of the encoders for this device so that it’s covered by your hand when you use the encoders. Is this an issue in practise?
Very good presentation :) thank's for this video.
Love it but that layout must be changed. It just looks odd and not a great use of space.
Same
yeah probably not gonna be a redesign of this it's out
I like that it’s different.
I really appreciate Elektron building this device, yet I can’t help feeling like they missed an opportunity here not adding a Pattern Chain or Song Mode feature..
At this point it feels like pure contrariness by Elektron: “We will fight TO THE LAST MAN not to give our customers a song mode!”
They want people to buy Octatrack for that.
THEY ADDED SONG MODE NOW
Are all the controls for mod wheel, after touch and arp already in the Digitone? Or only available in this keyboard?
Weird looking but sounds great!!
Does it send the chordmode and arpeggiator over midi?
I think it looks aesthetically pleasing and I actually prefer it being wider rather than taller. Great job, Elektron!
I won't be buying one though. First, I'm not totally down with the whole digital FM sound. I like analog synths better, which is why I own an Analog Four instead. Second, even though the keys looks nice, I don't feel they make up for the quite hefty price.
The shape of it reminds me of a Roland SH-2000. When I think Swedish design I think stylish, this reminds me of 1970s Austin Allegro. A 'fula ankungen' google tells me, that sounds like a beautiful swan?
Wow! I was rocking out to your intro tune :) Great stuff!
Flag _this_ message.
Thank for the review. It would be nice to compare the digitone sound with a real FM synth like the yamaha DX7
Still no song mode? Its still considered a jam station perhaps.
Why is this so expensive compared to the Digitone? Is it the multiple stereo outputs thing?
Looks kinda glued together. Not acutally my cup of tea. What I do like though, is the new(?) flip chart element in the video itself. Always nice to see, how your videos develop in terms of style and quality.
Do you know what keybed this has? Is this Fatar tp9/s same as Analog Keys?
First of the Superbooth news! Follow at instagram.com/bobeats
bobeats you the man!
Sounds great. Looks terrible. Price too high. I'd buy a digitone and a black keystep instead.
Same
I think the same, and who needs aftertouch ;-) I asked them for a cheaper digitone and they do what? come up with this contraption! next time I go and ask Behringer.
Or if you wanna go big, a Keylab mk2
@@couchcamperTM The Keystep has aftertouch too haha
@@mikeexits :D
Bo do you prefer this to the opsix ?
I still cant figure out how to get anything other than the notes out on midi trk 1 to my peak. The keys work but the mod and pitch wheel are dead outside of midi ext mode, that i cant record.
How came up with that design? Quirky indeed
FuZZbaLLbee Agreed. There’s a reason why you usually find controls on the top, not just a keyboard attached to the module.
Easy Just push Digitone and a keyboard together and weld at seam.......saves on design and build.
You haven’t seen the Mono Machine? This is like the MM a synth that can be played by two people at the same time. I think it’s awesome. Even though I’m not a key-person.
Sonic Neutronic That’s like hiring Frank Lloyd Wright to be an electrician. All that form and not much function.
if it had a 'tone one end and a 'takt on the other...
does it have keytrack?
Why didnt they put the wheels next to the keyboard instead of before what is essentially the old Digitone module - any explanation for that design decision?
to avoid accidentally hitting them when moving hands between digitone and the keys
is overbridge even out for the regular digitone yet?
Chris T Richardson I just checked out and finally... they Upgrade OS Digitone and enable oberbridge (beta only lol)
The editor isn't out yet. They had a beta of it on display at Superbooth.
The form factor is weird. Wouldn't a master keyboard (4-5-6 octaves) with a seperate Digitone or Digitakt or even both above make more sense?
The seperate outs make sense but I am afraid this concept (regardless of the Digitone) is not for me.
Is there a point with analog outs if there is digital out via overbridge?
@@FredF78 If you run into a mixer instead of a DAW sure, think about it.
@@mikehydropneumatic2583 Well ok, there is the analog domain. Perhaps the Atari ST, 12ch mixdeck, DAT recording setup is coming back then.
@@FredF78 You can also record into a Tascam DP24SD. €419 and totally standalone mixer recorder. Think about it.
Where your thoughts on a 1040ST come from is beyond me.
@@mikehydropneumatic2583Yeah, a midi sequencer on an Atari would be rather unnecessary if dawless is the goal. The reason I mentioned it is that I predict a return of the Atari software sequencer in some hipstery gear communities. But that might be orthogonal to the dawless community in terms of the amount of things controlled with mouse and keyboard.
Sturdy af... That one ripped me up😂
lol can you even reach out highest keys and modwheel at the same time?
I’m sold.
would make more sense if it was modular, disconnect keyboard and connect to analog 4 / Digitakt / digitone.
What is the price
10 adverts - seriously Bo!! farcical
So does the digitone keys have 8 voices and the digitone (no keybed ) have only 4?
No, the box also has 8 voices shared between 4 tracks, plus 4 external midi tracks. Either way, it’s not many voices (polyphony), but it can steal voice allocation across tracks, as well as quickly changing patches within a track.
Don’t have one, but I really want one. At least the less expensive groove box.
Roboprogs thanks!!
I'd like it more if it had optional mounting brackets for a guitar sling. Horses for courses.
I get the whole monomachine throwback thing, but didn't we all agree that it wasn't a great use of space? I absolutely love the new features, but I would much have preferred a more contemporary layout of the synth.
Not gonna lie, I saw the thumbnail and thought it was a joke. As cool as it may well be, it’s pretty dumb looking.
It looks so cool but will be unpayable for all way broke hobby player like me 😭 great video like always bo
I just don’t understand. Form factor won’t fit in a lot of homestudios, will be hard to travel with.....and it makes the digitone....well ugly. Love you elektron and anyway i hope it won’t be a big fail like the monomachine sfx6 .but i just dont get it.....pads like the medusa/launchpad /monostation would have been great .
It is a slightly confusing design choice. But. Since when has Elektron not gone that route.
I agree, there’s always something « different » about elektron machines. The original monomachine sfx6 was designed so that two people can handle the machine, one playing keys, the other one « tweaking » the machine (ir i remember correctly from a sonicstate interview about the story of elektron machines), but here , well it’s a strange layout choice to me in 2019, but i dont own the truth of course, and maybe i’m just disappointed . But it’s ok, i’ll handle my frustration and buy two second hand digitones for the same price ˆˆ
Like others have said it just looks downright clunky. Elektron seem to be known for worflow but I can't quite see it in this design.
Unless you’re buying this to tour with, I honestly can’t figure out how they can justify nearly twice the price of a standard Digitone. You could buy a novation 49 SL MKIII and digitone for price of this-tremendously more power.
Correct me if I'm wrong... it looks like a Digitakt with a keyboard attached and some additional features (which I can't afford anyway) - am I right? In other words, does it offer the same functions as the Digitakt, and then some?
I think I found something good to say about it (been scratching my head for 10 minutes)... full size keys???? Wow!
This keyboard has an obvious flaw:
No internal battery compartment. As a hobbyist, I enjoy sitting on the couch noodling on my AA powered stuff like the JUNO DS, Reface DX, or even my little Casio CTK. The DN Keys requires an extension cord, or one of those USB battery brick dongles. C’mon, Elektron, show some love for us “filthy casual” hobbyists (with day jobs) 😁
PS, I’m fine with the side by side layout, even if I’m parodying those comments.
Not me lusting after this piece of gear on another video again. Soon she will be mine.
I'd grab this if I used Digitone sounds in my productions more often given those stereo outs for each track! My Digitone only gets used for basses, pads, and EP's though and to date, I still don't use all four tracks given that it's 8 voice polyphonic. It would have been nice for them to increase the polyphony to 12 voices for this version and maintain it's current price point.
I'm still learning and getting comfortable with FM so I think I'll pass on this one but if the Digitone is the main in your productions, those stereo out make it worth a purchase IMO.
Good for you.
@@TheTrooper424 And my bank account. Hey broke dude! 😆
Does this mean Overbridge?
Digitone OS 1.20 was released today along with Overbridge Support and the standalone app. Check the Elektron website!
It still sounds so good, and the additional features are amazing, but it has dimensions that really trigger my OCD!
I'd rather they redesigned the Digitone parts of this so that it wasn't just a Digitone bolted onto a nice Keybed!
Mine arrives tomorrow
You're so lucky to have new gear like this before it comes out Bo, so jelly
It is fun! But also so much work.
I saw your thumbnail, Bo, and I sincerely thought you were taking the mick... then I scrolled one video further and saw Loopop's video on the same thing...
Thanks for the great demo of the new features. I do like the quirky design, but don't like the price. You could get an OP1 for that money!! But seriously, €200 above regular digitone would have been reasonable. This is not. Plus I don't like how Elektron is still making regular digitone owners wait for over ridge, like second rate customers.
You can buy a digitone and a behringer deep mind 6 and use the dm6 keyboard. Still cheaper than this.
Weird form factor. This distribution makes me think that Elektron wanted to reuse all the parts, pcb , etc from the keyless Digitone, which is awesome!
This is an awesome idea as the digitone has such a great sound already - adding velocity sensitive keys / aftertouch is amazing, but for $1699 in Canada, with this bizarre layout that you'd need to love this is a hard pass.
So they want an extra 500 dollars just for the midi keyboard glued to the side?
I prefer my digitone and keystep arturia, 800€ against 1300€
Remove the Digitone and just have the standalone keyboard as an add on sale or redesign it with Digitone above the keyboard & maybe throw in the Digitakt too as an all in one FM synth with sampling
I really don't see the point of this. I was never a fan of this key design, I think they should invest more time into new products rather than adding keys to existing ones.
Yamaha: Who needs aftertouch of an FM synth these days?
Elektron: Hold my coffee...
I like the Monomachine-inspired styling of this, however as others have said, I think putting the wheels at the end was a mistake. Kinda defeats the point of copying the Monomachine layout.
Writing the specs on the table is a nice touch. Keeps them on-screen in a nice unobtrusive way.
The polyphony, more keys, 8 operators, better design, and less price of the Yamaha MODX is a better buy.
Odly I like the layout if ur a lefty use to box cool and if ur a right then you get to improve ur left hand skills on the box
When Elektron advertised the Keys version i said, oh god, this one looks ugly like the monomachine but when you play with the keys, it will change your mind, at least, it had changed my mind, the workflow is very good, you have the knobs you always need to program FM over your keys and you can make your own ones, that's great... The keys version is definitely on my list..
Frank (www.particular-sound.de)
I still wish the digitone in general did subtractive synthesis. I just can't wrap my head around FM.
It does both
Nice. Love Elektron just can't afford any of their stuff
Bit of marmalade there ;). Not only jam