Hello, just ordered my 2400 last week and anxiously awaiting delivery. While I’ve been a long time synth nerd , this is actually my first flagship sampler. I’m coming from Digitakt / Elektron world so I’m curious for anyone else who’s made the step over what are the biggest assumptions / misconceptions that you fumbled with? I know the Elektron world is polarizing but I’m well acquainted with it. Octatrack was too Byzantine for me to use effectively, so looking forward to the Isla as a tool to sample loops / one shots from my synths and build up some compositions.
Thanks in advance
PS: I remember hearing about 6 months ago about a DSP card, has anything happened on that? The one thing I love in the latest Digitakt FW is the sample rate reduction per voice.
I don’t know where to begin. I would imagine that the S2400 is much more of a raw instrument than the Digitakt. There is no “sample rate reduction” effect other than the 26 kHz mode and the reduction that happens when you decrease the pitch. Therefore, if you want that effect, you have to accomplish it by sampling your source at a higher pitch and then bring it down in the machine. There is bit reduction and I find myself almost always putting the tracks into “Classic” mode to switch it to 12-bit and 26 kHz. The S2400 is mostly about capturing the sound and workflow of the SP1200 obviously. It’s a different world than the Elektron one.
As far as the DSP card goes, I have not heard about it for quite some time. There have been other things mentioned like a filter card and the new project called Caladan.
I don’t have Elektron experience, but yeah, S2400 is like … some sort of vintage highly desirable muscle car… Car ppl help me out here? Vs a new supercar? Maybe
It does not have the same amount of processing power untimately. They are both highly versatile and powerful machines in the hands of creative people. They both have a steep learning curve. I think the S2400 works well in the heart of a studio with other supporting actors, wheras maybe a lot of the elektron boxes are kind of one stop shops? Like mini DAWs.
They have very differing design ethos. The S2400 has basically every modern feature thoughtfully and minimally added while still performing on this super economical platform that is completely true to its’ roots. To an obsessive degree. Wheras Elektron are completely pushing the cutting edge on what a modern sampler should/could do, but from a quality of products they can create standpoint, both instruments are top tier.
One is going back to the formula that revolutionized music and sparked all this creativity in hip hop and jungle, I imagine how organic the S2400 actually feels to a new user will depend on whether they were around making beats in those days or not. I certainly wasn’t, so I just took a chance because I love elegance and minimalism and touching records and turntables and the like. It took me a long time to get used to TBH, but after like a year I love it more than ever.
The S2400 is mostly about capturing the sound and workflow of the SP1200 obviously.
Should be gilded gold and framed above the suggestion forum. hahaha
Apologies, I should have framed my question better. I’m well aware of the constraints of the Isla , my question should have been more rooted on sequencing compared to Elektron flow, particularly those familiar with both. My initial aim is to use the Isla to capture loops and percussion hits I synthesize on my synths + fx and then start stitching together arrangements. Currently I do a more minimal version of this with the DT, though the mono constraints (particularly for loops) are starting to irk me (along with storage space). Stylistically I’m looking to (currently) do dance oriented industrial / EBM styles arrangement.
So I’ve used the Digitakt quite a bit. Even with the S2400’s modern features, it is very much a classic drum/phrase sampling machine in terms of workflow. In some ways there’s actually some overlap between S2400 and the Digitakt considering the S2400’s TR mode (step programming mode). From there the differences lie in how musical ideas are input via the S2400’s faders and pads. The S2400’s faders are akin to the Digitakt’s A-H knobs for dialing in parameter values. The Pads are MPC-like in that they are sensitive to pressure so you can play it like a drum kit dynamically. In this mode you have to really “perform” your intended musical ideas as you record a sequence. This is unlike the Digitakt where you can kind-of perform your sequence as it plays, but then you ultimately have to dial in each step (either via the step sequencer and/or parameter locks) to get the sound you want. The Digitakt IMO has a more dynamic sequencer given the p-lock system, machines, and LFOs, which lends itself to spontaneity and randomness. To me the downside with the Digitakt is that it often feels more like I’m programming vs performing. With the S2400 you pretty much get out what you put in as you perform sequences, so it’s not as “algorithmically-driven” as with the Digitakt. That’s to say I still think the S2400 has plenty of depth in its sequencer to create complex and interesting sequences. The biggest advantage of the S2400 IMO is the audio engine and circuitry. I’ve worked with enough audio equipment, samplers and software to say that the S2400 is top-tier in terms of sound. Besides having the ability to sample in stereo, there’s just this warm glueing and punch-inducing effect that the S2400 imparts with minimal effort. Not that it it will make gold out of turds, but I find the Digitakt still needs to be run through good external processing to get in the ballpark of the S2400. There’s a lot more I could say about the differences between the two, but these are the key things that stand out to me. Ultimately they are both great machines and I’m still figuring out how I could make the best use of both machines in my creative endeavors.
For me the big difference is that Elektron devices are “programming forward” in that you rely heavily on parameter locks. The S2400 is more “performance/feel forward” in that it’s input is more about tapping in with the pads and making variations using multi mode.
In my own experience it’s the difference between experimenting more with sound variations (Elektron) or feeling out an idea in real time and capturing that on the pads (S2400).
But fair, there wasn’t a ton of content there. Ok one unique sequencing thing on S2400:
Achieving something like a simple loop that stays in-sync with the arrangment is a bit of crap shoot. So you may have to nudge and tweak things periodically (not as frequently as if you were syncing to records up when DJing, but maybe a little). It’s actually kind of nice because everything shiftts and phases weirdly and pleasantly.
That could not be important to you, but is to me. Performance forward. Yeah. Like you will need fast deejay hands. Maybe filed nails and a manicure too if you care about your pads and paint job.
You can’t relate the two workflows at all. I use both and they’re totally different.
Think of the 2400 as an old school sample, chop, assign and record workflow. You don’t ‘program’ as much as you do on Elektron gear. Elektron is completely unique and has nothing to do with this in my opinion. Go into it with fresh eyes.
The sound of the 2400 is what it does better than anything else. There are things that all the other gear does better but nothing compares to the 2400 sound.
