Octatrack vs. Deluge and why I chose neither

The Elektron Octatrack and Synthstrom Deluge are two of the best sampler/sequencer/workstations out there. So.... why did I sell them, and which would I choose to keep if I had to (I didn't).

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0:00 - my history with both machines
0:57 - Deluge pros
2:29 - Deluge cons
3:37 - Octatrack pros
4:36 - cross sliders and live sampling, oh my
5:07 - Octatrack cons (and why it's my fault)
5:54 - Which would I pick?

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Follow and Connect:

[sver]

this video is Pre- Open source announcement for Deluge (Superbooth, mai 2023). so that's something to consider. all the complaints regarding the Deluge could be addressed at some point..

[deepseafishmusic]

Never had a Deluge, so I'm taking your word for it, but I completely agree with your view on the Octatrack. It was the first ever Elektron device I had. Sure, after some struggling I could get it to perform some basic things, but I never committed to it as much as the wizards have. Went down the classic route: got frustrated, sold it.
But I kept seeing these awesome Elektron jams people have been putting out, so I figured it must be me and the not the machines. So I bought the Model:Samples/Cycles and had lots of fun with them, but quickly noticed some severe shortcomings.
So I went for the Digitakt and finally took off: I made music instead of reading manuals. That felt great and I wanted more, so I got the Digitone, the Analog Four and recently the Syntakt. The Elektron workflow has a few shortcomings of its own, but I've reached a point where I can comfortably operate all the Elektron boxes I own and get to some arguably pleasing results relatively quickly.
Sure, I can get super nice tones out of various synths, but I'll end up not using them for music because recording them for a track in the pc is an absolute inspiration killer for me because I'll once again be troubleshooting instead of making music.
Therefore I agree with your conclusion as well: you may not be the groovebox guy, but I very much am. I'd love to be a DAW guy too just like you, but so far it's simply been too frustrating because every single time I fire up the DAW I have to troubleshoot something. Every time! Life's too short and filled with time consuming and unfortunately often not so meaningful work anyway, so let's both just keep on making music for a while before we seek out new gear ;)

[jakedooom]

I tried the Push2 (Ableton) for a short while till I discovered I was being forced into boxes, either of time signatures I needed always to fight to get away from eighths and sixteenths, or of scales… It was fun for a while. But I sold it, without regrets. I also tried DAWs, but they were too much like my day-job: too “computer-y”, capturing midi, and then tweaking the piano-roll to correct my mistakes. (Didn’t enjoy that much because of the unlimited possibilities.) So now I am happier just playing the keyboards on the synths, and working with the limits of making whole music with just my fingers and only doing modulation that I can physically reach during live play. I think I now need to re-embrace the DAW, with more discipline, and clarity over the limitations I need to apply, to free me for a level of live improvisation over stuff that I could get the DAW to replicate for me, or assist me with. Ultimately the best machine I use to play with, is essentially just a metronome, to keep my pace up.

[noartifacts]

My approach is pick one and get good at it. Then you'll start making music and stop re-learning new machines every time imo

[saucearmy]

My odyssey of 15 years to find the right setup for me: started with a Roland MC 505, loved the workflow but bulky and too many limitations, then NI Maschine, went on to Ableton Push 2, didnt like the use of a DAW, decided to go DAWless, bought a Roland MC 909, resold it, got the new MC 707, classic early buyer, software was not ready and too limited, sold it, got a 1010music blackbox, liked it but for sampling only and finally got a Deluge 2 years ago: Gamechanger for me. DAWless, super easy MIDI controlling of my synths, 6h hours battery (love it for being outdoors), the internal synth and effects are bread and butter but it‘s surprising how good tracks sound that only used internal sounds.
Super happy with my Deluge. I played an Octatrack for a few hours and was immediately put off by it‘s illogical workflow

[jessejohnson]

Did you replace them with a different sampler? I had the MPC One. I own the MPC Live II. I hate them both! My favorite sampler is the Circuit Rhythm but it has to many limitations. I like the immediate controls of the Circuit Rhythm and I find I gravitate towards instruments with less menu diving. Any suggestions for a sampler with immediate controls and some cool features?

[whiletr]

I've watched tons of videos about octatrack, digitakt, deluge and all that modern DAWless stuff, but one thing still concerns me - why these mostly are tutorial and review videos, and no real performances at all? The only groove box that has more performances than reviews is electribe esx.

[marcus]

I tried MPC because of Octatracks learning curve, but after beeing frustrated enough, i am back on the Octatrack, you just have to put the effort in, its rewarding.

[jantuitman]

I do with daws what you do with grooveboxes: I download a trial version, quickly realize that I don’t like the endless complexity of it, don’t touch it for several weeks and then forget the basic things I could do in that daw and then return to my grooveboxes, which I use so regularly I can memorize the functions much better…..

[nullandvoid]

hilarious editing and relatable messages, thanks for creating this🤘good luck with your GRAS

[alexwestconsulting]

Deluge is getting an lcd, AND you can retrofit your existing deluge by buying just the lcd. Pretty sure we'll be able to name individual sequences. PS. Deluge price is going up a la Rytm.

[Epicfuzz]

One big difference which makes me choose the Deluge is that it is open source. The community has made many features that we have asked for

[BluesTheBestBoyIGuess]

Jameson I have Ableton 12 Max - I should be able to do anything that the Deluge or Qctatrack can do, correct?

[JonathanGrover]

MPC all day every day for excellent performance pads, easy workflow sampling, sequencing, midi and cv control. 7 inch touch screen on the newer models can't be beat.

[MilesAwayOfficial]

Just stumbled on this video dude, we are so similar haha. I've bought the Deluge and Digitakt and Digitone only to realize I just don't really love grooveboxes over and over again. The freedom and fluidity of a daw is just too great. I will say though I've been loving the Polyend Play (just did a video) because of how utterly wild and random it gets; I think you'd have a ton of fun with that!

[therealwhite]

this is some jack stratton level editing and i'm here for it

[AdamsOlympia]

I'm constantly amazed at all the super powers I'm discovering with Octatrack -- simple things that are easy to overlook but that are game changers once you figure them out. For example, I just learned about paste modes. With paste mode set to mix or mix + attenuate, you can copy a sound from another track and paste it in a sample you're working on in any other track and it'll blend it with the sample. Great way to quickly create layered hits without having to resample multiple tracks together. Just copy. paste, bada bing, bada boom! ...

[hdslave]

that spooky eerie jam under your voice during the cons was lowkey hilarious. made it feel like you are reviewing the gear in a horror movie

[gooneybird]

I suffered from grass...now I smoke grass and suffer from ableton only

[nomad]

I feel Elektron Boxes are really good for certain genres. Techno and house specifically. It's good for that type of sequencing. I know it can do many others like electro, idm, and ambient and some forms of dnb. But I guess it depends on the type of music you make and also if you perform live or not. I think the their boxes are really good for live performances. I think they took inspiration from roland's sp404 system. Because they basically are ableton in a box. Something you can create an album and perform on.