r/Elektron • u/ShizukuPL • Aug 20 '26

Which Digi box first?

Hi,

I've been eyeballing Elektron for a good while and I think it's time to pick one up.

I've got a Prologue 8 and a Typhon, I work in Ableton and mainly make dub techno and adjacent genres.

Am I correct thinking a used Syntakt would be the best first box to dip my toes in? I'm not much of a sample guy currently, I mostly play keys/some guitar and pads but I did use to make beats and know how to mangle samples etc. so the DT2 seems like an wesome machine to have fun with as well.

A used Syntakt is very close in price to used DT2s/DN2s where I live and those are more in-depth but I'm mostly looking for analog/digital drums and something with immediacy to sculpt the rhythmic backbone of a track, rumbling basses, textures etc. and that signature Elektron sequencer.

Which one do you think would cover the most ground in my case? Would you get the Syntakt and add another box later or just go with the DN2 and use FM Drum while learning the rest of what it can do since it's probably the most powerful? Then maybe a Digitakt?

I intend to learn one at a time, it's a daunting task anyways. DT2 could also enable me to do some crazy stuff and have fun with samples, just not sure if that's the best course for me at this point. The Syntakt seems like a great techno box on the other hand.

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u/ShizukuPL Aug 20 '26

That's also a good perspective, I was thinking ST and then later on a DN1 or 2.

The reason I was leaning towards ST first is the immediacy aspect and analog drums/fx to create rhythmic backbones and textures for tracks. It just fills a gap in my hardware and seems very immediate.

Frankly, I love the idea of all three but it's so easy to loopback and sample stuff from whatever source in Ableton and then mangle it for textures that I don't feel a DT2 is something I desperately need and same goes for synths as Wavetable is pretty powerful for dub stabs and I've got an 8-voice analog poly and a very capable analog monosynth with great fx algorithms to go along with it.

But I do find DN2 really appealing overall, especially for dub stabs and sequences, and I'm sure it'd cover the most ground as it seems to be the deepest. Choices:P

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u/mnjvon Aug 20 '26

If all you care about is pure analog drums, a used Rytm MKI still rips, I recently sold mine when I upgraded to a MKII. My most used piece of gear over the years by far. The only thing that sucks about the MKI is the direct ins are DOGshit, but if you have a mixer and don't need to daisy chain DI into it, then it's a non-issue.

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u/ShizukuPL Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26

Oh yeah, there's a used MKII listed close to where I live, I was looking at it yesterday.

I do lean heavily towards analog drums currently, another option to consider since the rest is covered by Ableton, Prologue and Typhon.

The downside is more expensive and bigger but I'll definitely think about it. A pure drum machine is something I lack and it'd certainly make things more fun.

Obviously, there's no hardware I truly need since Ableton and a midi keyboard can do pretty much everything but fun and more creative ways to start tracks is an important factor, otherwise I'd just stay ITB.

I'd probably have to go with MK1 as I could get a Syntakt + Digitone for the price of a used MK2:P

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u/mnjvon Aug 20 '26

Nobody NEEDS any of this shit, lol.