Sunday Ambient #170

Happy Sunday! It’s a nice day here and I’ve been enjoying a chill weekend - something that has been all too rare lately! I have something special for today’s ambient track. For quite some time, I’ve been intrigued by the Elektron’s Digitakt. I’ve been watching videos about the Digitakt II with a skeptical mind. One of the things I like so much about modular is the tactile experience. I’ve tried messing with some groove boxes before and thought they felt more like programming than playing an instrument. Still, I’ve been wanting something percussion oriented and I haven’t really vibed with things I’ve tried in modular for that. After watching lots of videos, I finally decided to give one a try. I had several Eurorack modules that I’d set off to the side to sell or trade. My favorite store, Perfect Circuit, had a deal recently where you get 15% a new item with trade-ins. I got a great offer that allowed me to get a Digitakt II and a MIDI module for my rack for a nearly even trade. I spent a few hours this afternoon following along with an instructional video and created my first ambient track. Getting used to the interface seemed daunting at first. The Elektron workflow makes a lot of sense though once you dive in. I had a few moments of frustration, but with patience a lot of lightbulb moments happened and I got the hang of it. I only scratched the surface of what this thing can do and I’m thoroughly impressed. The only kind-of disappointment are the built-in delay and reverb effects. I love the Blackhole-inspired reverb in my FX Aid module and for delay my Mimeophon module is one of modular’s best. I simply ran the Digitakt through my modular effects and got what I wanted. All voices are the Digitakt. Best of both worlds - Elektron and modular. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelconnell.substack.com