Elektron Digitakt II Sneak Preview

We have not seen an official announcement on this yet, but some retailers now have listings for the new Elektron Digitakt II, a new version of the company’s drum machine and sampler.

The Digitakt II boasts expanded capabilities, including 16 audio tracks, an ‘updated modular workflow’, expanded memory and more.

Features:

  • Digital drum computer & stereo sampler
  • 16 audio tracks – for stereo or mono samples, or MIDI
  • Swappable filters: 1 Base-width filter and then 1 from Multi-mode, Low pass 4, Comb, EQ, or Legacy LP/HP
  • 3 assignable LFOs per track
  • Delay, reverb, chorus, bit reduction, sample reduction, and overdrive per track
  • Updated modular workflow
  • Euclidean sequence generator
  • 128-step Elektron sequencer
  • Expanded memory and power
  • 4 × Trig modes
  • Song Mode

Update: See our Elektron Digitakt II post for official details.

19 thoughts on “Elektron Digitakt II Sneak Preview”

  1. Just bought a digitakt and im still in the return window @ amazon. Need to confirm this is legit so I can do what needs to be done for the sake of humanity:)

    3. Keep it! For the unique yellow display 🙂 Sell it later and upgrade to MKII when the price gets better. For now the 1st Gen Digi seems cheaper.

    4. This is definitely legit, retailers don’t just list things that don’t exist.
      Return it and order the new one when it’s available,
      There is no benefit to having the old one, I say save a little more and invest in what you love, the improvements of the MKII are great, you get a way better instrument.
      If you are on a tight budget it will be better to cancel the order and even buy a mk1 2hand when price goes down.
      You can only gain from it, nothing to lose. 

  2. Intriguing, this feels like a compact version of the Octatrack, losing some i/o and the fader of course. I love my OT but I’m going traveling soon and it might be worth giving up some features in exchange for a more compact package and Overbridge compatibility…

  4. elektron really lost the trail. they’re just re-releasing the same stuff over and over and over again. anything original in the last 10 years? MKII analog machines. 3rd version analog heat.

    1. Digitone was released in 2017. Its not really a re-release.
      Octatrack->Digitakt
      Analog Rytm + cycles -> Syntakt
      Analog Heat ->Analog Heat + FX
      … -> Digitone

      But I get your point, they are in low hanging fruit mode. If the analog heat + FX had sequencing and p-locking and a bunch of modulation, AD looping envelopes, SP 404 -like FX, id call it something new. Been waiting for an FX box like that.

    2. Digitakt, Syntakt, Digitone, Model Samples, Model Cycles, Analog Heat have all released in the last 10 years. They have also continued firmware upgrades for older machines.

    3. I tire of the endless obsolescence too. But what’s truly new? If you could figure it out you should start a music gear company. Meanwhile people will happily continue making music with what they already have. Businesses have to repackage their products every so often or fickle consumer interest disappears and so does the company.

      1. “I tire of the endless obsolescence too. ”

        What’s obsolete?

        Elektron does a better job than just about any company at releasing upgrades to its older gear. And a new version doesn’t in any way make the original obsolete. And look at prices for their older gear! Seems like a lot of people don’t consider it ‘obsolete’!

  5. Elektron is top tier, no bs, great fun for the hands on electronic music artists. their machines are some of the best live performance hardware you can get. 128 steps is a “step up” 😉 for sure. Always looking for quality sequencers for writing past 64 steps. The last one I know of was the korg eletribe esx series. Expanding to 16 tracks a game changer if these upgrades follow through to the digitone. I’m glad they work on upgrading existing models opposed to constantly trying for new prototypes. You need a bit of both, salt and pepper. It’s nice to have something cool taken to a new level, just look at the roland sp404. Now that thing is a beast decade’s later, I think it’s in its 4th or 5th remake.

  6. definitely pressure from 404mk2 and MPC line, the last Digitakt update made it way more flexible and this new version puts it as a contender against the above mentioned with the benefits of its unique approach. not as fast of a replacement cycle but Elektron does feel a bit like Apple in that as soon as you buy something its replacement is imminent, kind of weird to think about all the mk1 Elektron boxes collecting dust like old laptops etc.

    1. Its the exact opposite. They hold value, some of them even increase. Just check out how much a usedMonomachine or Machinedrum will cost You, both over a decade old machines. Crazy prices, I dont know any modern gear that is so expensive on the second hand market. Also, where do You see „imminent” in Elektron’s timeline? Octatrack is 14 years old, the MKII was just a facelift, the insides are the same, both MKI and MKII share the same OS/Firmware. And it took 6 years to introduce a new Digitakt, which is fast in Elektron standards.

    2. I disagree with most of what you wrote 🙂
      I don’t think these akai’s are related directly, maybe more of u.s entitlement commenters that cry about the mono sampling like “stereo is a must” because somebody pointed it out on elektronauts.
      I also don’t understand what you are trying to say comparing them to apple. ,apple is one of the least dust collector manufacturers. Intel laptop are still running strong, same with elektron. If anything both brands old products continue to serve most owners and still gets updates more than 10 years after they first ship.
      In any other regard elektron are kind of the opposite from apple, aiming for people who are willing to invest time learning new products (it’s not dummy proof), reading manuals and do things differently.

      1. Your comment is awaiting moderation.

        So Elektron added stereo ability “because somebody pointed it out on elektronauts.“ ? Not because they believe its the logical step of evolution themselves ?

        “reading manuals and do things differently.“ yes reading manuals is a very unique and different talent.

        I wish one day more people will be as smart as you
        One upvote from me!

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